ã€ŠLegend of Legendsã€‹


 Prologue

    Prologue

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    [Wee. You are being summoned to the Valley of Death.]

    "Valley of Death?"

    Junhyuk Lee lifted his head and looked around. A sword and a shield were present.

    [You may exit using the main entrance.]

    Junhyuk was in an unexpected situation. To protect himself, he picked up the sword and the shield. As he passed the main entrance, he could hear another voice speaking.

    [Minion 00110230 deployed.]

    Junhyuk could see many people in front of him. They were dressed just like him. Everyone seemed unable to understand their current situation.

    "What is going on?"

 Chapter 1: Interview Day 1

    Chapter 1: Interview Day 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    As he looked into a mirror, Junhyuk Lee took a deep breath and fixed his tie.

    "Whew, Junhyuk Lee. You will do well."

    As if he were about to hypnotize himself, he talked to his image and closed the closet door. He paced around his bedroom looking at how clean it was. Looking at his tidy room calmed him down.

    "OK."

    He felt like everything would work out just fine that day. Junhyuk put on his shiny, clean shoes and went out the door. On his way to the bus stop, he took out his smartphone.

    As he was listening to questions rted to hising interview, he saw a grocery store and walked toward it. When he saw the woman standing in front of the checkout counter, Junhyuk opened the door with gusto.

    Ding dong!

    "Wee," the woman said, bowing her head in response to the bell. She looked at Junhyuk and smiled. "You must be going to an interview."

    "Ha-ha-ha! That¡¯s about it. Do you have any banana milk?"

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk got two milk boxes and set them on the checkout counter. Soyeon Shin worked part-time at the grocery store. She stared at him and started to ring him up for the milk.

    Junhyuk handed her one of the boxes and said:

    "Have a nice day!"

    Soyeon smiled, showing deep dimples on her cheeks, and made a fist with one of her hands toward him.

    "Have a nice day!"

    "I will get the job for sure this time," he said as he left the grocery store.

    Soyeon watched him go and took out a straw, stabbing the milk box with it, and began to drink the milk.

    "This time everything will go well," Soyeon said. This was the fifth time she witnessed this situation, and he had failed to get the job every time before.

    As Soyeon drank her banana milk, she heard some news from the radio.

    "Today is Friday. In the past four months, there have been abnormal narcolepsy and massa cases on Fridays. As a precaution, you should limit trips outside to a minimum today. We will say it again. Today is Friday. In the past...."

    The newscast surprised her, and she whispered:

    "He won¡¯t take the bus, right?."

    At the bus stop, Junhyuk listened to possible job interview questions on his smartphone. As a bus approached, he put away his smartphone.

    Contrary to what he thought, there were not many people on this bus. Without hesitation, he sat right behind the driver. The seat was ufortable because it was directly above a wheel, but it was still a good spot for him to continue practicing for the interview.

    The doors closed. As the bus prepared to leave, someone knocked on the front door. It was an olddy. The bus door opened, and, as he watched her get on the bus, he stood up.

    "Please, sit here."

    The olddy looked around the bus and took the seat he offered. With the exception of Junhyuk, everyone around that seat looked old.

    The olddy took her seat without thanking him, but he paid no attention and stood beside her listening to his smartphone.

    While he focused on the bus leaving the stop, he could hear the radio:

    "Today is Friday. So far, abnormal narcolepsy and massa cases have taken ce on Fridays. Miss Gahee, how did youe to the studio today?"

    As the radio echoed the name Gahee, Junhyuk paid more attention. Ga Hee was his favorite actress. Despite her great looks, she wasn¡¯t very popr. However, she gained some poprity by going to radio shows.

    "Today is Friday, so I took the subway. Because of the incidents two months ago, the subway now has three drivers, so it must be safe."

    Junhyuk felt slightly worried by listening to her. It had to be worrying. Right now, he was riding a bus. Looking around, most passengers were very old. They didn¡¯t seem concerned about safety.

    "Every Friday, people are afflicted by abnormal narcolepsy. Patients numbers now exceed 6000, and, within an hour, those people fall under a groupa with numbers exceeding 100,000."

    Gahee¡¯s voice quivered a little.

    "I wish everyone would wake up safely."

    "Around the world, schrs are working to exin this phenomenon, so good news wille soon. Now, should we listen to today¡¯s episode?"

    Junhyuk took a deep breath.

    Abnormal narcolepsy made one fall asleep suddenly. It was different from normal narcolepsy in that while in the abnormal narcolepsy state, the person could not get hurt. For instance, if one experienced narcolepsy while driving, there would be an ident. However, even after idents, those afflicted by abnormal narcolepsy did not suffer any wounds. After that, they fell in aa and had yet to wake up.

    As they became afflicted by abnormal narcolepsy, the people were safe from the idents they caused, but those idents also caused many deaths. The biggest ident involved a ne. The pilot and copilot fell asleep and crashed into a hotel. Over 400 people died. Because of that, the world¡¯s attention focused on this matter. Until then, people just thought other people were falling asleep. However, since then, they had been able to discover many other things.

    One of the discoveries was that abnormal narcolepsy happened on Fridays. Most of the people who experienced it were under forty years old, and both males and females were included. The people who experienced narcolepsy could endure any physical shock. After just one hour, they would fall in aa, and their bodies would be normal again.

    Junhyuk tensed up and looked at the expression on the driver¡¯s face. The driver looked to be in his fifties, so he felt safe again and tried to concentrate on his smartphone.

    He listened to possible interview questions, but had already lost his focus. He sighed and went back to the radio broadcast.

    He could hear the Gahee¡¯s voice.

    "I wish you well on everything you do today. Have a nice day! I will be back on next week."

    Hearing her speak, Junhyuk felt as though his interview that day would go well, so put his smartphone in his pocket. The olddy who took his seat called for him:

    "Mister."

    "Yes, ma¡¯am."

    "Did this bus cross the yellowne?" She spoke, looking out the window.

    "What?" Junhyuk turned his head and looked straight ahead. At that moment, they were crossing the yellowne slowly. He quickly went over to the driver, who was already fast asleep. "Shit!"

    Abnormal narcolepsy was only supposed to affect those younger than 40.

    Junhyuk turned the steering wheel quickly and crossed over to the inside of the yellowne, but the driver was stepping on the elerator, and the distance with the car ahead was closing quickly.

    Junhyuk sounded the horn.

    Honk!

    At the sound of the horn, the car¡¯s window opened, and the driver gave him the middle finger.

    "Move over!"

    Despite his shouting, the car continued on straight. So, Junhyuk steered the wheel and tried to avoid it. However, the bus kept speeding up and hit the back bumper of the car, slightly.

    Bump!

    The man wasn¡¯t expecting to be hit, and put his mean-looking face outside the window and shouted:

    "THIS ASSHOLE! NOW, WHOSE CAR...."

    As he was about to curse some more, he saw the driver asleep and Junhyuk holding the wheel. At that sight, he became surprised and stopped cursing. Abnormal narcolepsy was already a worldwide issue. He knew all about it.

    "Move over!"

    The guy moved over and calmed himself.

    "Everything could have been fucked up!" Junhyuk took the steering wheel and shouted at the other passengers. "Please, help me!"

    "What¡¯s going on?"

    Most of the passengers were old, but one of them looked to be in his forties. He came over and started to p the driver.

    "Hey, wake up!"

    p, p!

    Even though he was being pped, the driver did not wake up. It was obviously a case of abnormal narcolepsy. Junhyuk refocused.

    "We have to step on the brake at once. Please, take the wheel."

    "OK."

    The guy took the wheel while Junhyuk pushed the driver¡¯s foot from the elerator, and, to step on the brake, he stretched his leg deep inside the panel. He was just barely able to step on the brake.

    Screeeeech!

    The speedometer was at 120km/h, but it was beginning to slow down. The speed came down, and the bus stopped. Junhyuk let out a deep sigh of relief.

    It had been a scary moment.

    Crash!

    A loud noise came from outside, through the bus windows. Junhyuk turned to look and became stiff. The driver of a car in the oppositene must¡¯ve also had abnormal narcolepsy. The car hit another car, and it was flying toward the bus. The car bounced off from the ground, and it was flying toward the driver¡¯s seat of the bus. Looking at all of this, Junhyuk felt time was passing slowly.

    He hastily pushed the guy who was holding the wheel to the side and realized there was no time for him to escape.

    The flying car was already at the window.

    At that moment, Junhyuk thought about the symptoms of abnormal narcolepsy. When one fell asleep, that person could withstand any physical shock. If he hadn¡¯t heard the radio a moment ago, he would not have remembered that fact.

    Junhyuk hid quickly behind the driver¡¯s seat. Then, the flying car from the oppositene hit the window.

    Crash!

    The window shattered into little shards, and, because of the impact, the bus shook from side to side. Hiding behind the driver¡¯s seat, Junhyuk felt the shock of the impact and became disoriented.

    In a stroke of luck, the flying car hit the window and bounced upward and went over the bus. If the car had broken through the window and struck the driver¡¯s seat, Junhyuk would surely have been dead.

    With all his might, Junhyuk pushed the driver¡¯s seat off himself and stood up. At that moment, he felt his head spin and staggered. He held onto a pole and was able to stand up.

    Looking behind him, everyone looked scared, but no one had died. The guy who had held the steering wheel did not look like he needed emergency care even though he was bleeding a little because of scratch from the broken ss. He seemed OK because Junhyuk had pushed him out of the way.

    "Is everyone OK?"

    "Young man, more importantly, are you OK?"

    "I am fine."

    The olddy who sat in his seat pulled out a handkerchief and said:

    "Your forehead is bleeding heavily."

    No wonder he was feeling dizzy! His body was in terrible shape. Junhyuk took the handkerchief from the olddy and applied pressure to his forehead.

    "Thank you."

    "Don¡¯t thank us! You saved us! We should thank you!"

    Junhyuk spoke through a smile:.

    "Anyway, we should take another bus. Why don¡¯t we get off first."

    Everyone got up from their seats carefully.

    Creeeaaak!

    Maybe it was because of the car¡¯s weight on the top of the bus, but the roof of the bus wasing down quickly. He could see an old man who got up from his seat awkwardly and was holding a bag.

    Junhyuk ran over to him, hugged him and rolled.

    Crash!

    The roof of the bus tore open, and the car that had been atop the bus crashed down, striking the seat from which the old man stood. Junhyuk let out a sigh of relief and the old man said:

    "Young man, are you okay?"

    "Yes, I am fine. Are you okay?"

    "Your leg."

    Junhyuk looked down at his leg and found his pants torn, and his left shin was cut open and bleeding.

    The old man pulled out a handkerchief and wrapped it around Junhyuk¡¯s shin.

    "I can do it."

    "In my younger days, I used to be a medic in the army. Rest easy." The old man wrapped it tight around the wound. "We are in a big trouble. How do we get off?"

    Junhyuk got up and took the emergency hammer to break open the windows.

    "Please, step aside. I will break open the window."

    "Young man, do you think you can do it?"

    When the car fell from the roof it split the bus into two parts, front and back. There were five people in the back. He decided to take those five out of the bus first, and then go to the front.

    "I can," Junhyuk whispered as if talking to himself and hit the window hard with the hammer in his hand.

 Chapter 2: Interview Day 2

    Chapter 2: Interview Day 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk could find a way to get over the smashed window, but it would have been too much for the old people. He ran the hammer around the window frame to get rid of the shards sticking to it. After that, he took off his suit jacket and set it on the window frame and looked back.

    "I¡¯ll lift you. Please,e one by one."

    The old man who had wrapped the tourniquet* around Junhyuk leg took the lead. He was holding some pottery, but set it aside and went through the window. Junhyuk held the old man¡¯s hands, helping him get over the window. Suddenly, he could see a familiar face. It was the rough-looking guy who had pulled over just before. He was holding the old man¡¯s legs.

    "I¡¯ll help you. Hurry up!"

    "Thank you."

    While the guy took care of the old man, Junhyuk hurried to help the others. He helped four people through the window. Thest one was an olddy, and she faltered.

    "It will be tough."

    "I got you."

    "Still."

    Junhyuk looked at the hood of the car that crashed through the bus¡¯ roof and said:

    "It might explode."

    The grandma hesitated. Junhyuk went to her and lifted her arms to his shoulder. At that moment, the tourniquet on his left shin reddened with blood, but there was no time to think about it.

    Junhyuk was able to get the olddy outside. The rough-looking guy took the olddy and said:

    "It¡¯s leaking gas. Hurry up ande out!"

    "Just a moment."

    Junhyuk approached the car that fell through the bus. The driver who was having an abnormal narcolepsy episode satfortably in his seat, even though his car waspletely destroyed. He looked safe, so Junhyuk thought he would rescue the others.

    He walked past the wrecked car and went to the front of the bus. The people at the front weed him warmly.

    "Young man, the front door won¡¯t open."

    "I thought that would happen, so I brought a hammer."

    Junhyuk grinned and quickly approached a window, breaking it with the hammer. After that, he cleared the shards from the window and realized he had left his suit jacket behind.

    "Shit!"

    He was about to go back, but a leather jacket suddenly showed through the broken window. The rough-looking guy was smiling him.

    "Hurry and get them out!"

    Junhyuk got them all out of the bus. Only himself, the bus driver, and the driver of the car in middle of the bus remained.

    Junhyuk decided to rescue the bus driver first. He tried to unbuckle the bus driver¡¯s seat belt, but it seemed broken and didn¡¯te open.

    "So many problems!"

    He hit it with the hammer, and it came apart. Junhyuk pulled the bus driver toward him in a hurry. The unconscious driver¡¯s body was quite heavy. Junhyuk clenched his teeth and pulled harder. He barely made it to the window with the driver in his arms and, for a moment, he leaned on the bus to take a rest, breathing deeply.

    The tourniquet on his shin came a little loose. Junhyuk pushed the driver through the window and said:

    "Abnormal narcolepsy patient."

    "It¡¯s because he fell asleep that I almost died from an ident," even though he spoke roughly, the rough-looking guy did not stop helping out.

    Junhyuk gave him the bus driver and looked back. The only one left was the driver in the car who was obviously having an abnormal narcolepsy episode. The guy¡¯s car waspletely destroyed. Could he save him?

    "Hey! You should get out too!"

    Looking at the guy who was shouting outside, Junhyuk spoke sinctly*.

    "Let me check if I can get him out."

    Junhyuk approached and nced at the broken door. He wouldn¡¯t be able to open it, so he thought it over for a minute and looked at the half-broken windshield of the car and hit it with his shoulder.

    Creak!

    All he did was hit the ss, but the car slid. He could have been under the car when it slid. So, he gathered his breath and pulled the ss toward himself.

    At that moment, he almost cried. He did not feel it before, but his sides were hurting. He must¡¯ve broken one of his ribs.

    "You... are you a member of a rescue team?"

    Suddenly, Junhyuk could hear the voice of the rough-looking guy.

    "No, I am not."

    "Are you supposed to be some hero? I thought you were a rescuer. Step aside."

    The guy got a hold of the broken windshield and pulled it off in one go. Then, he unbuckled the driver and said:

    "Hey, I will pull him out. Are you going to be okay?"

    "I will hold the car for now."

    "Shit! Do you think that if you hold it, the car won¡¯t slide? The car weighs a lot! What do you mean you will hold it?"

    "I should try, anyway."

    Junhyuk ced his hands on the hood of the car and ced his shoulder underneath. Looking at him, the rough-looking guy shook his head and began pulling the driver out slowly.

    Creeaak!

    As the driver moved, the car made even more violent noises. The guy stopped for a moment, and then really pulled the driver out. Junhyuk felt more pressure on his shoulder.

    Fortunately, the car did not slide off all at once. The guy pulled the driver slowly and escaped.

    Junhyuk thought the situation was under control, and then the pressure surged. He felt as though his shoulder was ripped apart and jumped back.

    Crash!

    If Junhyuk had been just a momentte, he would have been squashed by the car. As he let out a sigh of relief, the guy shouted again.

    "Hey, the gas is leaking! Get out! Now!"

    "Right."

    Junhyuk went over to the broken window. He saw the old man¡¯s pottery and grabbed it and went through.

    As he touched the ground, his body absorbed all the impact, Junhyuk grimaced. He took his suit jacket from the window frame and held it against his chest. He walked away unsteadily.

    Then, he turned around, and he could see the rough-looking guy dragging the guy with abnormal narcolepsy.

    Junhyuk walked toward him and helped him out. As they pulled the driver out from the bus, there was an explosion in the back of the bus.

    Boom!

    The bus went flying as the car stuck in it exploded. Broken ss shards flew everywhere. Junhyuk felt the shock from the explosion and fell on the ground.

    He looked at the ming red bus and the car and let out a sigh of relief. He realized how precarious of a situation he had been in and, suddenly, he felt the pain from his ribs and shin.

    Junhyuk saw an old man walking toward him. It was the same old man who had wrapped the tourniquet around his shin. So, he gave the old man his pottery back.

    "I saved this."

    "Thank you."

    The old man took the pottery, and then there was a roar of pping. Junhyuk saw other cars parked, and people surrounding the area.

    The people were busy taking photos. Junhyuk looked around and groaned and got up. The rough-looking guy looked at him.

    "What¡¯s your name?"

    "Junhyuk Lee."

    The guy pulled out a business card and said:

    "I am Chulho Park."

    Junhyuk took the card and looked it over carefully. It said Chul Ho Capital. It seemed to be a private loanpany. Junhyuk ced the business card inside his pocket.

    "You have some guts. Do you want to work for me?"

    "I am going to a job interview today."

    "An interview? In your condition?"

    Junhyuk looked over himself and let out a deep sigh.

    "I should show up at least."

    Chulho shook his head and said:

    "Want a ride?"

    "No. In a day like today, I should take the subway."

    "You are right. Shit! I should not have driven on a Friday," Chulho sighed and said. "Then go ahead. I will stay here."

    "Thank you."

    idents caused by people under abnormal narcolepsy could be reimbursed by W.A.N.C.S. (World Abnormal Narcolepsy Countermeasure Structure). The idents themselves are caused by an irresistible force, and every ident is covered by insurance.

    Chulho looked at Junhyuk as he walked towards the subway.

    "You should collect the insurance money. Call meter."

    "I will do that."

    Junhyuk knew he had to treat his wounds, and for that he needed that insurance money. Chulho could be a witness to the case, so his medical treatment should not be an issue. He stepped inside the subways station, found a pharmacy and went inside. The pharmacist looked at him with wide eyes.

    "Are you OK?"

    Junhyuk smiled awkwardly and said:

    "No, I am not. I need peroxide and a tourniquet, please."

    The pharmacist looked at Junhyuk¡¯s wounds.

    "May I see the wounds?"

    "If you could, thank you."

    The pharmacist brought the peroxide and the tourniquet, and undid the old rag on Junhyuk¡¯s leg to examine him.

    "What in the world?!"

    The surprised pharmacist had a nametag on her chest. It said Jisun Jo. Junhyuk was about to say something, when she poured the peroxide on his wound.

    "Pharmacist, Ahhh!"

    Jisun looked at Junhyuk grabbing his own thigh and screaming. She put some gauze over the wound and pressed.

    "Be patient."

    "But..."

    He couldn¡¯t be patient even though he tried to be. He couldn¡¯t hold on to Jisun¡¯s shoulder, only to his own thigh. Jisun tapped on his leg lightly and said:

    "It¡¯s over."

    Junhyuk looked at his leg. The bandage was wrapped neatly. Looking at it, Junhyuk let out a sigh of relief and got up from his seat.

    "Thank you."

    "Don¡¯t mention it. Anyway, how did you get hurt?"

    "There was an ident involving someone under abnormal narcolepsy."

    "Were you at the ident right in front of this building?"

    "Yes."

    She smiled and said:

    "Take care of the receipt. The insurance will cover it."

    "Thank you."

    Junhyuk got his credit card.

    "How much is it?"

    "Wait a minute. I should bandage on your head."

    That¡¯s when he realized he had also opened his forehead.

    "I can do it."

    "Stay still. It¡¯s not often I look after wounds."

    She smiled ever so slightly, then poured peroxide on his forehead.

    "Ouch!"

    Junhyuk groaned from the hot pain. Jisun smiled at him as if she was enjoying this moment and looked over his wounds and said:

    "Luckily, the wound on the forehead is not so serious."

    Jisun ced a bandage on Junhyuk¡¯s wound.

    "This wound requires a hospital visit. You know that, right? This is only an emergency treatment."

    Junhyuk replied while she touched his forehead.

    "I know."

    She snatched the credit card from Junhyuk¡¯s hand.

    "The peroxide is two dors, and the tourniquet is three dors."

    "What about the bandage?"

    Jisun slid the card back and replied:

    "It¡¯s free of charge."

    "It¡¯s a good thing that I came here."

    Jisun smiled with her eyes.

    "If you think so, you should be a frequent customer."

    "I¡¯ll do that."

    Junhyuk signed the copy of the receipt and took his card, and, as he opened the door to leave, she shouted:

    "DON¡¯T FORGET TO GO TO A HOSPITAL!"

    ------

    *tourniquet - anything thatpresses your body to stop or slow down the flow of blood

    *sinctly - in a short and clear manner

 Chapter 3: Interview Day 3

    Chapter 3: Interview Day 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk got on the subway and soon felt exhausted. Everyone¡¯s attention was fixated on him, and a few people offered him their seats.

    "Please, have a seat."

    "Thank you."

    He took a seat and saw a group of female high-school students looking at him and talking to each other.

    "Isn¡¯t that the guy?"

    "He might be?"

    Junhyuk could hear the whispers about him, but paid no attention. Even though he used a disinfectant on his wounds, it did not mean his wounds were healed. He wasn¡¯t immune to pain.

    Junhyuk had his head down when a female student approached him.

    "Hello, mister?"

    Junhyuk was grimacing a little when he lifted his head.

    "We¡¯re right!"

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Watch this. This is you, right?"

    Junhyuk looked at the video where he rescued people on the bus andughed a little.

    "That¡¯s right."

    "Whoa, mister! Jackpot!"

    "What jackpot? Anybody in the same situation would¡¯ve done the same."

    The students talked amongst themselves and one of them said:

    "Mister, take pictures with us."

    "I am not in the mood."

    "Please, don¡¯t be like that."

    Theypletely ignored Junhyuk¡¯s injuries and began taking pictures with him on the background. Then, they became busy posting everything on SNS (a social media app). Junhyuk just smiled at the situation and leaned back on his seat.

    "Do as you please."

    Beginning with the high school students, many other people began taking pictures with him on the background. They were showering him with the clicks of cameras while he rested on his seat.

    --

    In the front of a twelve-floor building, there was a capsule-shaped model. Junhyuk had an interview appointment with ST Capsule that day. ST Capsule made various medical products. Because of the incidents of abnormal narcolepsy and groupa, thepany got very busy. They were trying to make capsules to support everything patients who were in aa might need.

    So far, all medical products werebined to make a new capsule that was avable to ordinary people. Of course, the price was very high, but its effectiveness was proven, and W.A.N.C.S. selected the capsule as an official product.

    Hospitals could no longer take in patients because there were too many, making the capsule even more popr. The capsule enabled people to take care ofa patients from their houses.

    Because of it, ST Capsule became a major corporation. Unlike when they had started, now thepany made allponents of its medical equipment, and profits skyrocketed, turning ST Capsule into the 3rd majorpany in Korea and putting it within the top 100panies in the world.

    It took him a certain amount of guts to submit an application to ST Capsule. He had graduated from a university in Seoul, but it was not a reputable university. He paid attention to his grades, but many other people had simr credentials.

    After was walking inside the lobby of the building, he got an interview number and a name tag with his picture and hung it on his neck. Junhyuk went inside the lobby, and a woman standing there nced over to him and asked:

    "Are you here for an interview?"

    "Yes, where should I go?"

    "3rd floor."

    "Thank you."

    Junhyuk tried to go past her, but she called to him:

    "The interview began ten minutes ago. You should hurry!"

    "Thank you."

    He couldn¡¯t hurry even if he had wanted to. He was lucky not to drag his legs. After he got on an elevator, he saw his reflection on the elevator door and thought he should wash his face. It did not look so good.

    He couldn¡¯t do anything about the wound on his leg, but his face was covered with soot from the explosion. He didn¡¯t think it was polite to show for an interview like that.

    The elevator stopped on the 3rd floor, and the door opened. Junhyuk got out in a hurry. He went to a restroom and took off his suit jacket and hastily washed his face. After his face was clean, hebed his hair and saw the band-aid with a cartoon on his forehead. He pictured Jisun¡¯s face for a moment and smiled a little. He put his jacket back on and went out.

    "Number thirty-five. Is Mr. Junhyuk Lee here?"

    "I¡¯m here."

    He replied quickly. The woman who called out his name looked surprised after looking at him. She thought he should have gone to a hospital rather thane to an interview. but Junhyuk thought he might do well on the interview. He might gain additional points since he gained valuable experience on people with abnormal narcolepsy and groupa.

    Junhyuk opened the door to the interview room and felt everyone¡¯s attention was focused on him.

    Inside the interview room, there were three interviewers and four interviewees facing them, getting ready to start the interviews. Junhyuk found an empty seat and walked toward it and sat. One of the interviewers lifted her sses and said:

    "Number thirty-three, Dahae Kim?"

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk was getting everyone¡¯s attention, but the woman questioned another interviewee. Junhyuk sat on his seat with his back straightened waiting for his turn.

    She asked different types of predicted questions, and the interviewees answered them with expertise. Looking at this, Junhyuk took a deep breath. Soon, it was his turn.

    "Number thirty-five, Junhyuk Lee?"

    "Yes!"

    Junhyuk answered loudly, but the woman did not look at him. She flipped through her papers and asked:

    "Why do you think people are afflicted by abnormal narcolepsy?"

    He had never thought about it. The reason for abnormal narcolepsy¡¯s existence was still a question schrs from all over the world were trying to answer.

    "Nothing certain has been discovered yet."

    The woman slowly lifted her head, and her eyes met his.

    "I want to know your own opinion."

    Junhyuk was a little surprised. In fact, his clothes were dirty, and he had expected to be asked about them. Then, he would tell them what had happened that day, which would give them a good impression of him.

    Nevertheless, she did not show any interest in his clothing and questioned him with the coldest eyes.

    Junhyuk collected himself and answered:

    "It always happens on a certain day and time. Considering this point it might be somebody doing it deliberately. That¡¯s what I think."

    "Somebody¡¯s causing it? Are you insisting it¡¯s a conspiracy?"

    More than 100,000 abnormal narcolepsy patients caused idents injuring more than 500,000 people. At the moment, they knew abnormal narcolepsy cases showed up on Fridays and took measures to prevent further damages. However, in the beginning, there were countless idents.

    If it all happened because of someone¡¯s n, it was not a small problem.

    Junhyuk swallowed hard and continued to answer:

    "It happens regrly, and that¡¯s why it is suspicious."

    The woman looked at Junhyuk for a moment and nodded her head.

    "So, that¡¯s your opinion."

    She looked as though she no longer had any more questions for him, and questioned another interviewee.

    "Number thirty-six, Giltae Kim?"

    Junhyuk felt his turn went away poorly. They were asking the predicted, job-rted questions to the other candidates. Why had she asked him something he couldn¡¯t really answer? He had answered to the best of his ability, but no one noticed.

    Junhyuk tilted his head and looked over his clothing. Anybody would have asked him what had happened. They just did not have any feelings.

    Soon, the questioning was over, and the woman spoke again:

    "Everybody did great. Sessful applicants will receive individual messages, so take care of your phones."

    Junhyuk got up from his seat and was about to leave the room when the woman called for him.

    "Number thirty-five, Mr. Junhyuk Lee."

    He turned around, and she spoke to him calmly.

    "If you are as hurt as you look, you should go to a hospital first. How can someone who doesn¡¯t take care of his own body sell medical equipment that helps other people?"

    He bit his lip. She did not point out anything that wasn¡¯t right.

    "You may leave."

    Junhyuk nodded slightly and went out.

    That day had been filled with endless suspense. It had been spent in a blur. Junhyuk grabbed his ribs and walked out.

    "OK. I should go to a hospital."

    The interview did not go well because of abnormal narcolepsy. ST Capsule is rted to abnormal narcolepsy. He had thought, wrongly, that maybe they would hire him.

    Junhyuk walked towards the subway without any energy. On days like that, he shouldn¡¯t even take a taxi.

    --

    After Junhyuk left, the interviewers were taking a break when a man entered the room. As the man entered, the interviewers got up from their seats and greeted him.

    The man lifted his hand slightly and said:

    "Please, leave the room for a moment."

    As the interviewers left the room, the man plopped on an empty seat.

    "General Manager Eunseo Kim."

    "Please speak, Director Kim."

    The man who was called Director Kim let out augh and said:

    "It¡¯s okay, Eunseo."

    "We are in thepany, big brother."

    "I know that."

    Director of ST Capsule, Sukhoon Kim looked for Junhyuk¡¯s application among the stacked papers.

    "This guy came to the interview, right?"

    "He doesn¡¯t have the basics, and he has lousy credentials."

    Sukhoon replied calmly to Eunseo¡¯s biting answer:

    "Hire him."

    "What?"

    Sukhoon did not pay any attention and replied:

    "I thought we were in thepany building?"

    "Director, do you maybe know this man?"

    Sukhoon made a paper model ne out of Junhyuk¡¯s application and threw it at Eunseo. Eunseo¡¯s eyes became cold, and Sukhoon spoke again:

    "If he doesn¡¯t have the right credentials, you shouldn¡¯t give him a good position, but you should hire him."

    "May I know why?"

    Sukhoon nodded his head and pulled out his smartphone and handed it to Eunseo. It was a video of a bus with a car stuck in middle of it.

    Soon, a window broke, and a guy showed up. The familiar-looking guy was breaking the window and cing his suit jacket over frame and helping elderlies get out of the bus.

    Eunseo was watching the video when she heard Sukhoon¡¯s voice.

    "It has been about 30 minutes since the video was uploaded, and it¡¯s getting an explosive number of hits. The hero of our time?"

    Eunseo looked at Junhyuk rescuing the elderlies and all the people in the bus, including the driver stuck in the car in middle of the bus, and Junhyuk rolling on the ground as the bus exploded.

    "So, that¡¯s why he showed up in that abysmal appearance to the interview." She thought she had figured out why he should up that way.

    In response to her cold remark, Sukhoon smiled.

    "Isn¡¯t he cute?"

    Eunseo looked at Sukhoon as if she were looking at a loathsome insect. Sukhoon looked a bit wounded by her and got up from his seat.

    "That¡¯s that. Hire him. The publicity from it will be great."

    "So... we should."

    She did not like the situation, but she had no reason not to hire him. Just giving him a position in thepany was not hard for her to do. Also, ST Capsule would gain a lot of publicity by hiring him. Thinking about it that way, it was right to hire him.

    Sukhoon got up.

    "Well, back to work."

    After Sukhoon left, Eunseo looked at the paper ne on her seat. It was made out of Junhyuk¡¯s application. Eunseoughed.

    "I can see right through him, but he¡¯s still cute."

    Junhyuk came to the interview hoping to pick up extra points for being at the explosion, but it was still great that he saved a lot of people. He did not care for his own safety. Instead, he was willing to risk himself to rescue other people.

    Abnormal narcolepsy was creating an aura of fear among people, and thepanies that made money treating groupa patients were not well-received by people. From thepany¡¯s position, Junhyuk¡¯s hire was a big deal.

 Chapter 4: Awakening 1

    Chapter 4: Awakening 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk went to the emergency room and got thirty stitches on his leg and went home. It was the biggest injury he had ever gotten. He left the subway station and was going to his house when he looked over at the grocery store like he always did. Junhyuk was looking inside when his eyes widened. Soyeon, who had been working since morning, was still inside, behind the counter. He was d and went inside.

    "Wee."

    Soyeon had had her head down, but her eyes widened when she looked up.

    "Are you okay?!"

    Junhyuk had blood on his pants, which were rolled up, and was bandaged all over. It looked like a serious injury, and it made Soyeon worry.

    He scratched his head and said:

    "Today, there was an ident involving the bus I was riding on."

    She got out from behind the counter and checked him out from top to bottom.

    "Are youing from a hospital?"

    "Yes, it was covered by the insurance, so I could afford everything that I needed."

    "Still, it¡¯s a relief. You aren¡¯t seriously hurt?"

    "It feels good that you are worried about me."

    Soyeon¡¯s face got a little hot, and she went back behind the counter. Junhyuk smirked and walked toward the refrigerator and picked out two cans of beer. As a side dish, he got a shrimp-vored snack and put everything on the check-out counter, which made Soyeon frown a little.

    "Are you drinking?"

    "I didn¡¯t do well on my interview today."

    Soyeon walked back out from the counter, put the two cans of beer in the refrigerator and brought out a can of cider. She only checked the shrimp vored snack and ced both the snack and the cider inside a bag.

    "You are hurt. You should be taking antibiotics, and you shouldn¡¯t be drinking. Just drink a cider. It¡¯s also carbonated. OK?"

    Junhyuk thought about her gesture of giving him a cider, even though beers were not just carbonated, and didn¡¯t say anything about it.

    "Then, charge me for the cider as well."

    "Think of it as a constion drink from me."

    He scratched his head when she said that and nodded slightly.

    "Thanks. I will be going, now."

    He picked up the bag and was about to leave when Soyeon called out for him.

    "Wait!"

    He turned around. She smiled wide, making big dimples on her cheeks, and said:

    "Cheer up! You will do better next time!"

    When he heard that, he gave out a big smile. He thought it had been a lousy day, but, because of her support, he felt a lot better.

    "Thanks! When I get hired, I will get you a banana milk and a sushi roll."

    "I¡¯ll hold you to that."

    Junhyuk felt excited as he walked toward his apartment. He opened the door and was about to go inside when he felt the cold air.

    "Brrr!"

    He let out a deep sigh and went in and switched on the light. There was no one to wee him home. It looked as clean and tidy as when he left that morning.

    Junhyuk smiled and changed clothes. His injuries were covered by insurance, but his torn clothes weren¡¯t. He made himselffortable by putting on shorts and a short-sleeved shirt and sat on the floor of his room and opened the cider, drinking it while he turned on the television.

    That¡¯s when the news came on, and the news was about the bus ident, and him rescuing the elderly.

    "Shit!"

    It¡¯s true that he had rescued the elderly, but he hadn¡¯t expected to see it on news. It was probably the biggest things that had happened that day.

    Soon, there were interviews on news. One of the people interviewed was Chulho Park.

    "Junhyuk Lee, are you watching this?"

    Junhyuk was anticipating, rather nervously, what Chulho would say when he put his thumbs up and announced:

    "You are awesome!"

    Junhyuk felt a little awkward and scratched his head. Then, he got paper towels to clean up some cider he had spilled. When he crouched down to wipe the floor, the world went ck.

    Thump!

    The sound kept fading in and out, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t keep his eyes open because of the iing lights. He closed his eyes, but the lights kepting through his eyelids, and it felt like they were burning his eyes.

    "Ahhhh!"

    Screaming, Junhyuk eventually lost consciousness.

    How long had it been?

    He could no longer see the lights that were about to burn his retinae and covered his eyes with his hands. Then, slowly, he opened his eyes, stretching his hands out and began to look around.

    "What¡¯s this?"

    A strange ce. As he lifted his body, he could see what looked like a dorm, a bitrger than his own room. A silvery white light illuminated the room, and Junhyuk tried to make sure he was in one piece.

    "What?"

    He was wearing body armor, which he had never seen before. It looked like it could¡¯vee straight out of a fantasy movie, and it nged loudly when he hit it. Junhyuk, dumbstruck, got up quickly.

    Another surprise!

    "My injuries are gone!"

    The wounds on his leg were healed. He moved his legs several times and eximed:

    "What¡¯s happening?"

    He moved his head sideways, then heard a soft, very tempting voice, but the contents of what it said were a little disturbing.

    [Wee to the Valley of Death.]

    "Valley of Death?"

    He lifted his head, looking for where the voice wasing from, and found a sword and a shield in front of him.

    [You may exit using the main entrance.]

    Junhyuk picked up the sword and the shield to protect himself in this unexpected situation. Suddenly, a door emerged from a corner of the room. He tried to go through the door when he heard another voice.

    [Minion 00110230 deployed.]

    That¡¯s when he saw many other people who were dressed just like him. They also did not seemed to understand their current predicament.

    "Well, what is going on here?"

    Junhyuk had wanted to ask the others about it, but lost the chance when a man with a huge stature showed up and got everyone¡¯s attention. He looked as though he was 2.5 meters tall. When he stood in front of the crowd, he lifted his hand.

    "From now on, everyone on my right side follow me."

    The man pointed, and on his right side there were about fifty people. The big man turned around as if he had nothing more to say. Junhyuk was not a part of the fifty people.

    Then a man with a scar on his face went to the front and shouted:

    "What is this ce? And who are you, asshole, to order me around!"

    The big man turned his head slightly and pursed his lips. He gave a creepy grin, and jumped forward. The man, who was 2.5 meters tall and made out of muscles, flew over everyone¡¯s heads and kicked the head of the man who was asking the question.

    Stter!

    It looked surreal to watch a head crush like a watermelon, but the smell of blood scorching Junhyuk¡¯s nose told him it was all real.

    The big man got up slowly, and looked around himself. Junhyuk thought the big man was staring straight at him. His eyes were the eyes of a man who had killed many people. There was a craziness to his eyes that made Junhyuk nervous.

    "We don¡¯t have the time for this. You there, you follow me too!"

    Atst, the big man pointed at Junhyuk. Junhyuk froze up, but the big man had nothing more to say and turned and walked away.

    Junhyuk swallowed his saliva and followed him. Even though he was holding a shield and a sword, he was sure that if the big man had wanted him dead, he would be torn apart.

    So, fifty people followed the big man walking in front of them without making a sound. They soon came to a big door about five meters tall. As they passed the door, they saw something they had never seen before in their lives. They saw distant, middle-age castle walls with archers on the top of the them. Looking at them, Junhyuk could not figure out where he was. A man walking next to Junhyuk whispered to him:

    "Are you a Korean?"

    Junhyuk turned his head and saw a man who looked to be in histe 30s. He looked nervous as he nced around himself while talking to Junhyuk.

    "Yes, are you a Korean?"

    "That¡¯s right! Well, do you know where we are?"

    Junhyuk looked up at the sky while he walked. The purplish sky was definitely odd.

    "Well, it does not feel like a dream, and it scares me."

    "A dream? A moment ago, I stepped on a dead person¡¯s brain. This is definitely real."

    Junhyuk looked at the man when he said that. If the man had stepped on a dead person¡¯s brain, maybe he should question this man¡¯s sanity. Junhyuk felt like he should also avoid him.

    The big man was walking in front of the group when he reached the gate of the castle and turned around. He looked at the fifty people and announced:

    "Don¡¯t fall behind. Anyone who falls behind will die."

    He did not sound like he was joking. Junhyuk trembled and gripped his shield tightly. Despite its size, the shield was very light weight.

    The big man turned, and the gate of the castle opened up. He could see a long road stretching from the gate. On both sides of the road, there were trees as tall as twenty meters, and the road was so long he could not see the end of it.

    The big man no longer spoke, but began running. Watching the big man, Junhyuk also started to run. The big man was only jogging, but his strides were very long.

    The man who had been talking to Junhyuk also began running.

    Everyone ran after the big man, and, after running for an hour, the first man fell behind: a ck man stepped on a rock and was unable to pick himself up. Looking at the man, Junhyuk stopped. He too had reached his limit, and thought he couldn¡¯t leave the other man behind. The big man had said that if anyone fell behind, he would die.

    He looked at the big man, who did not seem interested in what was taking ce and kept his pace.

    Junhyuk approached the ck man and picked up his arm, cing it around his shoulder.

    "Are you okay?"

    The ck man replied by shaking his head and slowly tried to get up, but his legs dragged against the floor.

    "Shit!"

    At a nce, the man had a problem with his ankles. While Junhyuk supported him, the man saw that the group was already far away. Junhyuk did not even know where the destination was, and it was not a good idea to fall behind the lead group, but he couldn¡¯t just leave a wounded man behind.

    "Cheer up!"

    The ck man nced at Junhyuk looking ahead and spoke softly:

    "Thank you."

    Junhyuk could see the big man ncing at them but that was about it. The big man kept running, and the group soon disappeared from sight. Junhyuk felt grateful that he had gotten separated from the big man, who was obviously crazy, but looking around, he found himself surrounded by forest and felt terrified.

    "Sigh. I don¡¯t know where I am, but I won¡¯t just die."

    Junhyuk supported the ck man and, with him, moved forward.

 Chapter 5: Awakening 2

    Chapter 5: Awakening 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    They must¡¯ve been walking for an hour when the ck man could no longer take another step. They decided to rest on the middle of the road. For some reason, the shadows of the forest gave them a creepy feeling, so they decided to keep their distance. While they rested, the ck man spoke first.

    "Michael."

    "Michael? Junhyuk Lee."

    JunHyuk pointed at himself and spoke, making Michael smile. Junhyuk looked at the man¡¯s white teeth shining through his mouth and smiled back.

    Junhyuk¡¯s English level let him introduce himself, and even that he didn¡¯t speak well. Junhyuk pointed to Michael¡¯s leg. Michael looked down at his leg and then took off his armor. Then, he showed Junhyuk his swollen ankle. It was hard to believe he had walked for an hour with that leg. Junhyuk then looked at their surroundings.

    It would be better if he could find some wood to tie it against the leg, but, looking at the forest, he did not dare to go in. Junhyuk thought for a moment, and remembered his sword. He pulled the sword out, and began cutting Michael¡¯s pants. When he was done, he ced the sword against Michael¡¯s leg and wrapped it. Michael was surprised and gave his own sword to Junhyuk, but Junhyuk shook his head sideways and picked up his shield.

    "This will be enough."

    He never thought about cutting someone up. In a dangerous situation, a shield would be better. Junhyuk looked at Michael and asked:

    "Should we get going?"

    He got up and made gestures for walking, which got Michael to nod his head. His right leg was hurt, but he could support himself on his left. Junhyuk went to Michael¡¯s left, giving him support. Junhyuk picked up his shield with his left hand, and Michael ced his shield on his back and picked up his own sword.

    Together, they started to walk again. If they were to catch up with the lead group, which was moving fast, they would have to walk for a very long time. They had walked for a while when Junhyuk suddenly felt a chill and stopped. At once, Michael looked at Junhyuk. Realizing something was happening, and he looked around.

    Swoosh! Something moved through the leaves.

    Making little noise, a wolf the size of an ox came out from the trees. Seeing its size made Junhyuk disheartened. However, still nervous, he picked up his shield.

    He could feel Michael trembling. Junhyuk grabbed Michael¡¯s side tightly and said:

    "Don¡¯t be scared."

    "What?"

    Junhyuk lifted up his shield.

    "I will shield us, and you will thrust."

    Michael looked at Junhyuk¡¯s shield and lifted up his sword. Junhyuk nodded and spoke again:

    "I will shield, and you thrust."

    "You defense. Me attack?"

    Maybe because he enjoyed ying video games, he could understand this type of English.

    "OK!"

    Junhyuk let go of Michael and held his shield with his both hands. He took a few steps forward, which made the wolf lower his body. Being the size of an ox, even though it lowered its body, the wolf was still as tall as Junhyuk¡¯s waist. Michael ced his hand on Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder and held on tightly as Junhyuk stepped forward.

    ng!

    The wolf pounces on top of Junhyuk, who shielded himself.

    Thung!

    The wolf stepped on the shield with its front paws and tried to bite Junhyuk. Junhyuk could feel the weight of wolf¡¯s body on his shield. That¡¯s when Michael struck.

    Chink!

    As Michael swung his sword, the wolf got a hold of it with its teeth. Michael held the sword with both hands, but the wolf was obviously more powerful. The wolf took away the sword in its teeth and jumped back. After the shock, Junhyuk rolled on the ground and looked at Michael.

    Michael¡¯s armored hand was torn and bleeding. He must have held onto that sword with all his might to tear it like that.

    Junhyuk swallowed the saliva in his mouth. He needed more than his shield to kill the wolf. Nervously, Junhyuk lifted his shield.

    "Run away."

    "What?"

    Junhyuk knews that he was not an altruistic man who risked his own life to save another¡¯s, but he couldn¡¯t just leave a wounded man behind. He dug in deep and got all fired up. He ran toward the wolf holding his shield and shouted:

    "Run!"

    After that, it was up to fate. The wolf also lunged toward Junhyuk, aiming at his head. Junhyuk lifted his shield.

    ng!

    He could feel the wolf¡¯s weight against the shield, making his legs shake, but Junhyuk rested his shield on his shoulder and held off the wolf¡¯s attack.

    Snap! Snap!

    The wolf got on the shield and again tried to bite Junhyuk, but he was holding tightly to his shield. He knew that even if he continued to buy time, in this situation, it wouldn¡¯t help the oue of things, but it was all he could do at the moment.

    Holding his shield, Junhyuk looked at Michael, who was standing still. Michael looked at Junhyuk and ran forward. He pulled out the sword against his leg while still running and drove the sword downward on the wolf.

    The wolf¡¯s head was too high up. Junhyuk remembered that the wolf had good reflexes and lowered his shield. Michael let go of the sword while wolf was not quite ready for it.

    Stab!

    Michael¡¯s sword struck the wolf on the shoulder. Before they could celebrate the hit, the wolf stepped forward and bit Michael¡¯s neck.

    Chomp!

    Lowering his shield, Junhyuk could see the wolf holding onto Michael¡¯s neck. Michael shivered and shook. The whole situation was surreal. Then, Michael looked at Junhyuk and said:

    "Run away."

    Michael was barely able to utter those words, and his neck was severed by the wolf. While watching Michael¡¯s head roll on the ground, Junhyuk realized what they had been dealing with. The wolf was something that could be not be handled by humans.

    Drip. Drop. Drip.

    The wolf turned slowly, blood dripping from its mouth. Looking at the wolf, Junhyuk was filled with fear. Wounded beasts were the most dangerous things in the world.

    Junhyuk stepped back ever so slowly. The wolf looked at him and readied to pounce. It lunged to follow Junhyuk.

    "Ahhhh!"

    Junhyuk ran fast out of fear, but the wolf was faster. If it had not had a sword stuck to its shoulder, it would¡¯ve run faster.

    While running away, suddenly, he felt a chill and turned, lifting his shield.

    ng!

    He was not in a good position to withstand the weight of the wolf¡¯s attack. Soon, all of that weight pushed Junhyuk to the ground. The wolf was on top of Junhyuk with just a shield between them. The wolf opened its mouth dripping with blood toward Junhyuk. Looking at Michael¡¯s blood, Junhyuk was gripped by fear and closed his eyes.

    Grrrr!

    He could feel the wolf¡¯s breath on his face. Thinking that he would die just like that, Junhyuk bellowed:

    "By no means!"

    Thump!

    Junhyuk heard a sound that didn¡¯t make sense and opened his eyes. He could see a field of ivory-colored light, and, outside of the force field, the wolf was trying to tear at him, but the light field did not break easily.

    Junhyuk could not figure out what was happening, but thought he could make it out alive and picked up his shield with both hands.

    The wolf distanced itself from Junhyuk, and he got up slowly. Junhyuk was covered by the ivory-colored light field. It was protecting him from the wolf¡¯s teeth.

    Junhyuk breathed deeply and lifted his shield, looking at the wolf as it lowered its body. The wolf took a position to pounce at any moment. Junhyuk stepped back.

    The ivory light field thinned and disappeared. The wolf slowly covered the distance while Junhyuk quickly stepped back.

    Bump!

    Junhyuk felt something against his back. It was the big man from before.

    "Did you activate your ability?"

    Before Junhyuk could ask him what he meant, the wolf lunged forward. Looking at the lunging wolf, the big man pulled out a giant rib and swung it.

    sh!

    The lunging wolf was split in two. The wolf¡¯s body was sliced exactly in half and bled profusely, sttering Junhyuk all over. The big man had sliced the wolf easily and walked toward Michael¡¯s cadaver.

    Michael¡¯s dead body was turning translucent.

    After Michael¡¯s dead bodypletely disappeared, a shiny gold coin appeared in its ce, and the big man picked it up. The big man tossed it to Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk caught it. The big manughed and approached him. He stood in front of Junhyuk, who was covered in blood, and stared at him.

    "Congrattions, minion."

    The big man walked by Junhyuk, and thought of something. He turned around slowly, and walked back.

    "I¡¯m Arn."

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t curious about the big man¡¯s name. Michael had died right in front of him, and the body had disappeared. Also, what about the ivory-colored force field? He did not understand what the big man meant by activating his ability, but Arn had nothing more to say, and walked off.

    That¡¯s when the body of the wolf disappeared, leaving behind two gold coins. The big man picked up the coins.

    "Follow me."

    Junhyuk was standing still on the same spot, looking at Arn¡¯s back and said:

    "Please, exin all of this."

    "Exin?"

    Arn turned and looked at Junhyuk quietly. He did not speak. Junhyuk thought about the dead man back when Arn gave the same look and picked up his shield.

    ng!

    The shock was enough to break the shield and make Junhyuk fall to the ground. Arn jumped high in the air toward Junhyuk. He must¡¯ve jumped ten feet in the air with his eight-foot stature.

    Junhyuk hid himself under the shield and closed his eyes. He could not die like that. He had just survived the wolf, and could not die like that.

    Something moved inside his chest. He couldn¡¯t figure out what it was, and then he heard an unexpected sound.

    Thump!

    As Junhyuk opened his eyes, another ivory-colored field was around him. Arn tapped on the field lightly andughed.

    "You¡¯ve activated your ability, for sure."

    Arn took a step back. Junhyuk got up as the force field disappeared. As if he had been waiting for that moment, Arn stepped forward toward Junhyuk and grabbed him by the neck.

    "Argh!"

    Arn lifted Junhyuk, with one hand, level with his eyes.

    "You are just a minion. Do you think you are qualified to ask me a question?"

    Blood wasn¡¯t flowing right in his face, making Junhyuk¡¯s veins stand out. Arn looked at Junhyuk and threw him on the ground.

    "Follow me."

    Arn¡¯s eyes were filled with madness. Looking at him, Junhyuk didn¡¯t challenge him again. Arn did not think Junhyuk would ask another question, and turned around and started walking.

    Junhyuk checked out his neck and picked up his shield. His sword remained where the wolf had disappeared, and he picked it up. He sheathed it in the scabbard on his waist.

    Arn belittled him, but he still saved him from the wolf. If he wanted to stay alive, he should definitely follow him.

 Chapter 6: Awakening 3

    Chapter 6: Awakening 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Ten minutes had passed since he started following Arn. Junhyuk could see a downhill slope. At the end of it, there was a tower of about five meters in height. The tower had archers on it, making him think of a security lookout. After the tower, there was a bridge. The bridge was about fifteen meters long. In front of the tower, there were people who made up the lead group mingling with another group. Together, there were about a hundred people.

    On the opposite side of the bridge, there was another tower. In front of that tower, there was a group of people wearing armor and waiting, but Junhyuk couldn¡¯t really see because they were too far away.

    Junhyuk looked at them and squeezed the gold coin in his hand. It only took ten minutes to get there. From where he was to the security tower, it should take less than twenty minutes, but Michael had died being unable to cover that short of a distance.

    Only the gold coin had been left behind.

    Junhyuk stared intently at Arn¡¯s back. He was able to y the wolf easily. He sliced the wolf with just one swing, and he could have helped them. Arn seemed indifferent to Junhyuk¡¯s stare and walked toward the tower. Junhyuk sighed deeply and followed him.

    Arn went inside the tower without talking to Junhyuk. Junhyuk lifted his head to look at the security tower and saw a woman leaning on the parapet. She was dressed like a magician. She saw Junhyuk and smiled at him.

    Junhyuk was staring at her when a man came up to him.

    "What happened to ck man?"

    Junhyuk turned his head and saw a Korean man in histe thirties. The man had left both Michael and Junhyuk behind. Junhyuk didn¡¯t answer him and continued looking at the area by the bridge. The man licked his lips and said:

    "It wasn¡¯t the right situation to interfere."

    Junhyuk did not me him, but he wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk andugh with him either. He did not say anything, and this made the man angry.

    "You were just being nosy! I didn¡¯t do anything wrong!"

    "I didn¡¯t say anything,"Junhyuk looked straight at him as he spoke. He was angry at Arn and the situation that didn¡¯t make any sense.

    The guy could see the anger in Junhyuk¡¯s eyes and stopped talking.

    Junhyuk moved the gold coin in his hand, which made him think about Michael¡¯s death. Then, he noticed people around him stirring up. Junhyuk followed the people¡¯s gazes and saw a woman standing by the tower. She had a robe on like a magician, but the robe had a see-through opening. She was almost naked and showed a lot of skin, but he did not think she was sexy. She was at least two meters tall.

    She pointed with her index finger at Junhyuk and nodded her head. Junhyuk pointed at himself with his index finger and tilted his head. The woman smiled and nodded her head.

    "Yes. You. Come here."

    Junhyuk approached her. People were talking behind his back, but he ignored them as he stood in front of her. She looked at him and said:

    "Follow me."

    Following her, Junhyuk was able to get inside the tower. The tower was special in that it was not made out of bricks, but was one whole structure. Inside the tower, logs served as stairs. The woman silently went up the stairs, and Junhyuk went after her. At the top of the tower, she looked at Arn and said:

    "Can I exin it to him?"

    "He is qualified to get an exnation."

    Arn looked as though he had nothing more to add, turned and said:

    "I will go out for now."

    "Take it easy ande back."

    Arn put on a cold smile and answered:

    "That depends on what that crazy guy does."

    Arn went down. The woman crossed her arms and said:

    "You asked Arn for an exnation?"

    "Yes, I did."

    "It¡¯s fortunate that you did not get killed."

    Honestly, Junhyuk already knew he could¡¯ve been killed. The woman smiled.

    "My name is Vera. If you are curious about anything, ask me. If I have an answer, I will give it to you."

    Junhyuk asked about what he had been the most curious.

    "What is this ce?"

    "The Valley of Death."

    Junhyuk frowned.

    "You know that is not what I want to know."

    Vera smiled. Despite being over two meters tall, she was quite the beautiful woman.

    "If you want a more fundamental answer, this ce is the Dimensional Battlefield."

    "Dimensional Battlefield?"

    "Yes, each dimension sends volunteers to fight. So, this is the Dimensional Battlefield."

    Was that even possible?

    "Is this a dream?"

    "A dream? You could see it that way since your body is sleeping."

    All of a sudden, a creepy thought passed through his head.

    "The abnormal narcolepsy?"

    Vera shrugged her shoulders and answered:

    "Regardless, you have been summoned. If you get killed in the Dimensional Battlefield, your soul will die, and your body will never wake up."

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t get rid of the creepy feeling. Until now, there had been over 100,000 people underas.

    "So far 100,000, people have been brought here. Are they all dead?"

    "Only 100,000? It must¡¯ve started not too long ago."

    "What do you mean?"

    Vera took a step toward Junhyuk.

    "The summoning began only a short time ago. That number will increase."

    "Who is behind this outrageous scheme? Why should wee here for no reason and die?"

    Veryughed at Junhyuk and gave him a big smile.

    "Have you ever caught bugs and put them to fight?"

    "What?"

    "Your people¡¯s existence is like that of insects."

    JunHyuk Lee felt anger rising in him, but did not show it because he could see the coldness in her eyes. Her eyes lit up with energy. They were not as strong as Arn¡¯s eyes, but they looked dangerous.

    "You learn fast."

    Junhyuk sighed and looked at Vera.

    "Then, are a bug too?"

    Veraughed again at his question.

    "You are without any fear. That¡¯s why you asked Arn for an exnation."

    Vera stoppedughing and answered.

    "Arn, I and others like us are here under contracts. We have something to gain bying here. We are not like you people who will be thrown away."

    Junhyuk did not want to make Vera angry, so he asked her what he wanted to know.

    "I¡¯ve activated my power. What does that mean?"

    Vera smiled again.

    "Yes, you¡¯ve activated your power. What kind of power is it? Can you show me?"

    "I can¡¯t control it."

    Vera raised her hands in front of her and created a fireball out of thin air.

    "Are you sure?"

    Vera was going to throw the fireball at any moment. Junhyuk thought about how to stay alive, and then something moved in his chest, and he was able to make an ivory-colored field.

    Vera threw her fireball.

    Bam!

    There was an explosion, but Junhyuk was safe. The fire disappeared. Vera opened her eyes wide.

    "This is a high-ranking power. It has both physical and magical strength. It¡¯s a powerful force field."

    The field disappeared.

    "Itsts about 10 seconds?"

    He had not thought about it before, but if itsted 10 seconds, he should use it only when his life was on the line. After that, he was able to figure out how to make the field at will. Vera raised her hand to her chin.

    "Can you use it on other people?"

    "What?"

    It depended on his will to survive. How could he use it on other people? Junhyuk checked to see if he could use it on Vera by extending his hands toward her, but nothing happened. Vera shrugged.

    "That seems right. You can¡¯t use such a high-ranking power on other people. It¡¯s not even fully developed."

    "What do you mean by power?"

    Vera answered while smiling.

    "You wanted to know why your people are being summoned here?"

    "Yes."

    "It¡¯s because you people have potential powers."

    "Potential powers?"

    Vera walked to the parapet and pointed to people below.

    "Yes, they all have a potential power just like you, even if some of those powers may be weak and useless."

    Junhyuk stood next to Vera and looked down below. Arn was standing in the middle of the bridge, and there were about fifty nervous people behind him. There was a long-haired man on the opposite side of the bridge. He must¡¯ve been three meters tall and was holding a spear. Arn¡¯s height only reached the man¡¯s chest. Behind the man, there were another fifty people following him.Vera looked at the man and said:

    "Of course, among you, those who have activated their powers are only a few."

    "What? There are more than 100,000 people inas, and only a few have activated their powers."

    "Including you, only seven people have. Usually people who activate their powers run wild without knowing anything and end up dead."

    It meant that just because one had activated his power, it didn¡¯t mean he would survive. Vera sat on the parapet and looked at him.

    "Seven out of 100,000 people is a lot. On average, one person activates out of 100,000. There¡¯s a good reason why you people are being summoned here."

    Already, 100,000 souls have disappeared. How could she talk like that? Vera smiled while looking at Junhyuk¡¯s frowns.

    "Are you feeling indisposed?"

    "Isn¡¯t it obvious?"

    Vera looked up at the sky.

    "Give it up. Even if you feel bad, he is not somebody you could deal with."

    "You know who it is."

    Vera, still sitting, tapped her feet on the ground.

    "I told you. We are here under contracts."

    "Who is it?"

    Vera jumped on the parapet and danced.

    "It¡¯s a secret. You aren¡¯t qualified yet."

    Junhyuk thought for a moment and showed her a gold coin.

    "What is this?"

    Vera looked at the coin, and her eyes widened.

    "Where did you get it?"

    "Someone who was with me left it behind when he died."

    Vera crossed her arms and said:

    "That¡¯s a present from the person who summoned you here."

    "A present?"

    "Yes, a present. Pure gold is valuable in every dimension. It¡¯s the only form of currency you can use in the Dimensional Battlefield."

    "I can use it in here?"

    Vera extended her arms toward the people on the ground.

    "Yes, can you see those gold coins?"

    Junhyuk felt rebellious against Vera. First, shepared them to insects and now to gold coins. Vera looked at Junhyuk, and he buried his feelings.

    "Then what¡¯s a minion?"

    "A minion? A low person, a servant. That¡¯s what it means. Your people are at that level."

    He got angrier as he listened.

    "Well, why are you exining it all to me?"

    Vera took on a serious face, and jumped in front of Junhyuk. She lowered her head, levelling her eyes to his eyes.

    "You¡¯ve activated your power. You¡¯ve turned from a minion into a novice."

    "What¡¯s a novice?"

    "That¡¯s the designation of somebody who activates his power."

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes were shining.

    "Does that mean I could activate even more power?"

    "I don¡¯t know. If your potential power is just one you will stay as a novice, and, if not, you will advance to higher levels."

    Junhyuk calmed himself down.

    "Well, it¡¯s not important right now. How can I survive this ce and return home?"

    Vera was satisfied with Junhyuk¡¯s question and smiled.

    "That¡¯s the most important question."

    Junhyuk swallowed his saliva. Vera replied with a smile.

    "You must be victorious on the battlefield. Of course, you have to survive first."

    Already, 100,000 people had died. It was the most difficult task to survive and return home. Junhyuk pressed hard against the gold coin and made a promise to himself that, by all means, he would return home.

    Vera approached him, and leaned on his ears, whispering:

    "Then, ¡¯till the war ends, do well."

 Chapter 7: New Employee 1

    Chapter 7: New Employee 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    "It cannot be that child."

    "Mother, I love Haesook."

    "She is your little sister."

    He was still regaining his consciousness when he heard a soap opera with a highly contrived plot. Junhyuk opened his eyes wide and felt something sticky on his cheek.

    Ick!

    He touched his cheek. The sticky stuff was dried cider. On the television, the news had ended, and a soap opera was on. Junhyuk checked the time on his cell phone andughed.

    "It¡¯s only been an hour?"

    He felt disturbed by the time and closed his eyes. His soul had spent one month in the Valley of Death, but, in this reality, only one hour had gone by. Junhyuk tried to focus with his eyes closed. He felt something in his chest, opened his eyes and smiled.

    "It¡¯s true."

    In front of him, there was an ivory-colored force field. Junhyuk made sure the field was real and slowly got up from the floor. After 10 seconds, the field disappeared.

    Ring, ring!

    Suddenly, he heard his cell phone ringing. His mother¡¯s phone number was disyed on its screen.

    "Hello?"

    "Junhyuk? Are you okay? Why didn¡¯t you pick up the phone sooner?"

    Junhyukughed excessively. She must¡¯ve called him while he was sleeping for an hour.

    "I am okay. I didn¡¯t pick up because I was sleeping."

    "I saw the news. I had to call you, but I got worried because you didn¡¯t answer the phone. Are you sure you are okay?"

    "Yes, I¡¯m okay."

    "You couldn¡¯t have gone to the interview."

    "No, I couldn¡¯t because of the ident."

    "I thought so. Come visit me when you have some time."

    "Yes, mother. Sleep well."

    Junhyuk hung up and looked at his cell. There were forty-eight missed calls. His mother had called him, and Junhyuk smiled. After hearing his mother¡¯s voice, he knew he hade back alive.

    "I had to lie."

    He had already told his mother he had been invited for an interview at ST Capsule. It was a relief that he had been able to lie about not going. Junhyuk looked around his room slowly. In reality, it had only been an hour, but he knew he had been gone for a month. He knew he had returned.

    "It¡¯s been a long time," Junhyuk murmured to himself and went to the bathroom to take a shower. He undressed, removed his bandages, and looked at himself in the mirror. "I need to train just like Arn said."

    He had a slight pot belly and had not worked out before.

    Arn said he needed to strengthen his mind and body. If not, he could ruin his body due to the difference in power between his mind and body. Even though he had spent only a month with Arn, both of them became close. To survive the battlefield where death often happened, he naturally became close with Arn and took advice from him.

    Junhyuk looked in the mirror and showered. Feeling the cold water over him made him feel that he was really alive. While the cold water fell, Junhyuk opened his eyes slowly.

    "Come to think of it, my wounds have healed."

    His cracked rib and torn shin were both healed. In their ce, Junhyuk came close to death on many asions. He survived, but it hadn¡¯t been easy.

    "Will they summon me again?"

    He didn¡¯t want to go back to the deadly battlefield, but it did not depend on how he felt. He was told that after two weeks in this current reality, he would be summoned again at the same time.

    "Then, it¡¯s fortunate."

    If they hadn¡¯t summoned him in the evening, people would¡¯ve found out that he had experienced abnormal narcolepsy. Junhyuk got out of the bathroom and put on workout clothes. He was going to start working out now.

    He went out and took a deep breath. The air entered deep into his lungs. It was different from feeling it with his soul. He smiled and started to run. In this world, it had only been an hour, but his philosophy toward life had changed.

    He worked out the entire weekend, and, on Monday morning, he took in the fresh dawn air while running around his neighborhood. He returned home and saw two men wearing suits in front of his home. He approached them.

    "What¡¯s going on?"

    One of them turned around fixing his sses and asked:

    "Are you Mr. Junhyuk Lee?"

    "Yes, I am Junhyuk Lee."

    The man wearing sses gave him a business card.

    "I am the section chief to the W.A.N.C.S. Korea Bureau, Sungtae Kwak," he smiled and continued. "Could we talk inside?"

    "Please,e in."

    Junhyuk opened the door. His room was notrge, but he always kept it clean. So, he didn¡¯t mind guestsing in.

    He opened the refrigerator, but didn¡¯t find any soda. Instead, he poured two sses of water.

    "Please, have seat."

    Sungtae and other man took their seats. Junhyuk took out a receipt from his wallet.

    "You must be here for this?"

    Junhyuk was holding a receipt for the pharmacy and hospital bills. Sungtae looked at his colleague. The man picked up the receipt.

    "I heard you were wounded on your leg. Aren¡¯t you still hurt?"

    "They gave it thirty stitches, but it doesn¡¯t affect me. I should work out harder when I am wounded."

    "Right."

    "I should¡¯vee to you first. Thanks foring here."

    Sungtae looked at Junhyuk quietly and said:

    "This incident created some big issues."

    The ident involved two narcolepsy patients, a bus and a car explosion. It had to be a big issue, and the ident was spreading very fast on SNS.

    "I don¡¯t want anything besides the insurance coverage."

    "Don¡¯t worry about that, the insurance will cover you. If you want to visit the hospital a few more times, just ask for your receipts."

    "OK. Can I call the number on your business card?"

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk thought the conversation had ended. However, they kept drinking their water, and didn¡¯t get up.

    "Do you have something more to discuss?"

    Sungtae was waiting for this question and replied:

    "This ident changed people¡¯s perception of abnormal narcolepsy. So, our W.A. N.C.S. office wants to hire you as a public advertising model."

    "Advertising model?"

    "Yes, there won¡¯t be a lot of money since it is a public service announcement, but we are willing to pay a small sum for your work."

    He had been tempted by getting paid, but he wasn¡¯t interested. They would summon him again in two weeks. It was a ce where death was an everyday urrence, even for Junhyuk, who had activated his power.

    If he became an advertising model and fell under abnormal narcolepsy, people would get even more afraid. Also, he just wanted to lead a normal life.

    "I am sorry."

    Sungtae tried to persuade him one more time.

    "It was on Friday¡¯s evening news, and SNS is getting an explosive number of hits. If an advertisement went out now, it would be the most effective."

    Junhyuk Lee replied firmly:

    "I am sorry. I just want to lead a normal life."

    Junhyuk did not give him another chance. Sungtae sighed.

    "OK. If you ever change your mind, give me a call."

    "Take it easy."

    Junhyuk let them out, and looked at the business card.

    "It¡¯s a pity. The pay might¡¯ve been high."

    He was unemployed. He got his money from his family, but he didn¡¯t want to be famous.

    Junhyuk started doing sit-ups. After two weeks, he would be summoned again. He had to concentrate everything on returning alive. He had no time for anything else.

    His cell phone rang.

    Ring, ring!

    Junhyuk saw a number he didn¡¯t recognize. So, he stopped working out and answered the phone.

    "This is Junhyuk Lee."

    "Hello. I am Nayoung Lee from ST Capsule¡¯s Personnel Department. Are you Mr. Junhyuk Lee?"

    "Yes. What¡¯s going on?"

    "Congrattions! You¡¯ve passed ST Capsule¡¯s interview. You may find more details on our homepage."

    "What?! I passed?"

    "Yes, you¡¯ve passed."

    Junhyuk stared at his phone.

    "Is this a joke?"

    The interviewers had not been nice. How did he pass?

    "Check out our homepage. There is a list of people who passed and the date for orientation. You should look at it."

    "Okay."

    "Have a nice day! Again, I¡¯m Nayoung Lee from the Personnel Department."

    Junhyuk hung up and immediately turned on hisputer. He did not want to be a model because it would bring unwanted attention, but he still wanted a job. Also, they would summon him on Friday nights, so he should find a job.

    Theputer took a while to turn on.

    "This piece of junk!"

    He couldn¡¯t wait for hisputer and went online using his smartphone. He found the ST Capsule¡¯s homepage and then a section with a list of new hires. He found his own name on the list.

    "Did I really get hired?"

    He had gone to the interview, just in case, but he had thought that he had failed it due to the reactions of the interviewers.

    Junhyuk looked at the television.

    "Was it because of the news?"

    SNS posts and the news were very different. Junhyuk looked for his video on SNS, just in case, and gasped as he looked at the number of hits on the video.

    "20,000,000 hits?!"

    Only three days had passed since the ident. It was an unbelievable amount of hits. Junhyuk checked the orientation date as he tried to calm himself down.

    "It¡¯s this week. Wednesday to Friday. Two nights and three days."

    He was even happier now than when he had returned alive. He decided to call his mother. The phone rang, and his father picked up.

    "Junhyuk?"

    "Yes, father."

    "Why have you called?"

    "Father, I got hired by ST Capsule."

    His father was silent for a moment.

    "I thought you hadn¡¯t gone to the interview."

    "Actually, I went to the interview after the ident. I didn¡¯t want to get mother worried."

    "Is that so? Congrattions!"

    "I have an orientation to attend. I will visit you this weekend."

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk hung up the phone and thought about his father. Then, he got up.

    "I have a job now. I should keep my promise."

 Chapter 8: New Employee 2

    Chapter 8: New Employee 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Wearing his workout clothing, Junhyuk ran to the grocery store. It was still morning. Soyeon should be there. When he arrived, he looked through the ss door, saw Soyeon arranging stuff, and went inside.

    "Wee!"

    Soyeon got up from her seat, saw that it was him, and was unable to hide her concern.

    "Are you okay?"

    "I could fly because of the cider you gave me the other day."

    "That¡¯s a relief."

    She started arranging sushi rolls. He picked up two sushi rolls and two boxes of banana milk, and put them on the checkout counter. Soyeon rang it up and looked at him. After paying the bill, Junhyuk gave her a sushi roll and a box of banana milk.

    "Just as I¡¯d promised."

    "Did you have another interview over the weekend?"

    He opened his sushi roll.

    "No."

    Soyeon¡¯s eyes widened.

    "Then, who hired you?"

    "ST Capsule did."

    "Really?"

    It was the thirdrgestpany in South Korea. Soyeon got a twinkle in her eyes when she heard, then and there, that he had been hired. Junhyuk took a bite out of the sushi roll and smiled.

    "Life is worth living," he said.

    Soyeon was impressed with him and looked around. There weren¡¯t any other customers. She also took a bite of a sushi roll. She was hungry because she hadn¡¯t eaten her breakfast. Looking at her sushi roll, she said:

    "It¡¯s delicious."

    Junhyuk looked at her while she ate, ate his own sushi roll, and then drank his banana milk in one go.

    During his month in the Valley of Death, when he was just trying to stay alive, he often thought about Soyeon.

    Thest time he had had a girlfriend was in high school. When he was in the army, his girlfriend cheated on him. Because of that betrayal, he did not date anyone when he returned to his university after the army. Thanks to that, he received good grades in his sses.

    However, when he was facing death, he had thought about Soyeon. It had probably been because of her bright and active personality. He wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about her, but every time he saw her he felt well.

    Junhyuk took the garbage.

    "When I get my first paycheck, I¡¯ll get you something better."

    Soyeon was a little embarrassed. She did not think much of a sushi roll and a box of banana milk, but going out with him for dinner was rather embarrassing.

    "Are you asking me out on a date?"

    Junhyuk got even more embarrassed than her. He scratched his head and mumbled:

    "It doesn¡¯t have to be a date. It¡¯s just that you are always rooting for me, so I feel grateful."

    Soyeon looked embarrassed, and Junhyukughed radiantly.

    "I was just kidding."

    Soyeon smiled.

    "You¡¯ve made it to a major corporation, so you should take me out for something bigger."

    "I will get you something better. I will," Junhyuk tapped on his chest while he said that. "Starting on Wednesday, I have two nights and three days of orientation. It ends Friday, so I won¡¯t be here. Don¡¯t wait for me."

    "I don¡¯t wait for you!" She said with wide eyes.

    Junhyuk looked as though his feelings were hurt.

    "Well, then there is nothing I can do. I should get going."

    "I am just kidding! I have waited for you since you made that promise."

    He looked proud.

    "Well, when I start my job, I will get you some banana milk every day."

    Soyeon stuck out her tongue slightly and said:

    "That could get tiresome for me."

    "Could it?"

    "You should juste and visit me from time to time like you do now."

    In truth, he only visited her when he had an interview so she could cheer him up. Unemployed people had no money.

    "Alright, I will do that. I have to go. See you next time!"

    He waved goodbye and ran home as fast as he could. It had been only two days, but since his soul experienced some struggles, his body responded well to his new training. ording to Arn, his body followed his soul and vice versa.

    Arn warned him about imbnce. So, to achieve bnce, after he got home, he did handstands.

    "Heee, up!"

    Before, his muscture had been normal, but now he could do handstands easily. While in the handstand position, he also did push-ups, but he soon lost his bnce and fell forward. Hey on the ground and looked at the ceiling.

    "Is it a date?" He mumbled.

    Junhyuk was thinking about the conversation he had had with Soyeon andughed. He was now doing sit-ups.

    "Ooph, ooph!"

    If he wanted to remain alive the next time he got summoned, he had to sculpt his body and mind. He had also been hired and had to get used to thepany as well. He did not think he would have time for a date.

    ---

    He was standing in front of the twelve-story building that was ST Capsule¡¯s corporate headquarters, wearing a suit and a backpack. He took a deep breath and entered the 1st-floor lobby. He found a service desk.

    "Where should I go for the orientation for the new hires?"

    "You should take that stairs downstairs and you¡¯ll see an auditorium."

    "Thank you."

    Junhyuk moved quickly. He went downstairs to the auditorium. It looked bigger than any ordinary auditorium you could find at universities. He opened the door and saw people talking in groups. He watched them briefly and walked in.

    People were taking their seats, so he felt he should do the same. He found an empty seat and everyone was suddenly staring at him.

    They were whispering, but Junhyuk could hear everything. In the Valley of Death, he could not afford to miss a single noise. If he did, he could¡¯ve been surprise attacked by beasts or monsters, and all that experience made his senses keener.

    "Who is that?"

    "He looks familiar, but I don¡¯t know who he is."

    Then a woman spoke.

    "Isn¡¯t that the man on SNS?"

    "Right, that¡¯s him!"

    "Is he one of the new employees?"

    Listening to people whisper made him feel awkward, and he got up from his seat. They must be his colleagues. Some of them might be assigned to the same division as him, and he shouldn¡¯t distance himself from them.

    "Hello! My name is Junhyuk Lee."

    He greeted them, and they stopped whispering. A woman lifted up her hand and asked:

    "Aren¡¯t you the guy from that famous video on SNS?"

    "If you are referring to the bus ident, I am that guy."

    The women whispered among themselves. A man lifted his hand. He was wearing sses and looked proud of himself.

    "The ident happened on the day of the interview. Did you get to interview?"

    "After the ident, I came straight here."

    "Weren¡¯t you injured?"

    Junhyuk knew where he was getting at. Looking at the man, he answered:

    "I did not want to be rejected without even being able to have an interview, and that¡¯s why I went to the interview, but they gave me a warning at the end of it: a person who does not take care of himself is not qualified to sell medical equipment."

    "Then, how did you get hired?"

    Junhyuk replied without an attitude.

    "Only the interviewers know the answer to that question."

    The man frowned at his answer, but Junhyuk paid no attention and continued:

    "In any event, nice to meet you, my new associates."

    "Nice to meet you!"

    The women greeted him. Junhyuk nodded his head and took his seat. He sat in the front row. He could feel everybody¡¯s gazes behind him, but he ignored them.

    People began whispering again. Suddenly, the door opened, and a group of people came in. They were wearing employee name tags. They called the attendance for the new employees and had them relocated.

    Every new employee took a seat in the front row. The guy with sses who had asked him questions was sitting right next to Junhyuk. He looked as though his pride had been hurt because he was sitting next to Junhyuk, but Junhyuk paid no attention.

    The twenty new employees were sitting in the front row when a woman went up to the podium. Junhyuk looked at her closely. She was the same woman with sses who had admonished him on the interview day.

    "All new employees are in attendance," she looked at them with a haughty expression. I am Eunseo Kim, Department Chief to the Strategy nning Department. Nice to meet you."

    The Strategy nning Department was the center of the corporation. She was the department chief, which made everyone nervous. The woman standing in front of them was at the center of the corporation, and everyone corrected their postures.

    Eunseo looked at them.

    "I am in charge of this orientation. We will spend next two nights and three days together," she said and looked at her tablet. "Mr. Jangho Kim."

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk looked at the man next to him, who got up from his seat. He looked proud.

    Eunseo lifted her head and looked at the man.

    "You passed the interview in first ce. For the next two nights and three days, you will be the chief of Section One."

    "I will do my best!"

    Eunseo looked at Junhyuk.

    "And Mr. Junhyuk Lee."

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk got up when Eunseo calmly called his name.

    "You will be the chief of Section Two. Each section will have ten people. You should pick the people who will be in your section and who have the same interests as you."

    After Eunseo spoke, Jangho stared at Junhyuk. Junhyuk ignored him and replied:

    "I will."

    Eunseo put her tablet away.

    "Thirty minutes from now, we¡¯ll take a bus to inspect a factory. You should pick the members for your section before that. I will see you at the factory."

    After Eunseo left, Junhyuk looked at the new employees and said:

    "Raise your hand if you want to join Section Two."

    The women raised their hands as soon as he finished the sentence. In total, seven women raised their hands, and two men looked around first, but also raised their hands.

    At once, Junhyuk filled up his section and looked at a man wearing an employee name tag. His name is Woogun Jang.

    "Mr. Jang. My section is filled up."

    "You are popr, Mr. Lee."

    Woogun took out name tags.

    "Hand out the name tags. You should introduce yourself. We will spend two nights and three days together."

    Junhyuk took the name tags and looked at Jangho. He looked ufortable with Junhyuk¡¯s poprity, but Junhyuk paid no attention to him.

    "Section Two,e this way. I will give your name tags."

 Chapter 9: New Employee 3

    Chapter 9: New Employee 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    ST Capsule¡¯s factory impressed everyone who was on the field trip. The whole process was done automatically, and the workers only did inspections. Machines moved, making capsules, which impressed Junhyuk. Getting hired by such arge corporation gave him one more reason to survive. He would survive at all costs.

    Junhyuk looked at Mr. Jang, who was giving everyone a short briefing, and Eunseo, who was using her tablet. He thought about the question she had asked during the interview, and his answer to her question. His own thought had been correct. Existences even Junhyuk didn¡¯t know yet were summoning people, and they would probably summon more people that week. Many people would experience the summoning and thea, which worried him.

    That¡¯s when Eunseo turned her eyes slightly and saw Junhyuk. He looked into her eyes and smiled, but she seemed uninterested and looked at her tablet again.

    Mr. Jang kept talking:

    "So, it¡¯s a process that makes more than 10,000 capsules per week, but we might have to make more than that."

    Every week, there were more than 6,000 cases of abnormal narcolepsy. Patients who fell under massa got their capsules from W.A.N.C.S., but, in private hospitals, patients got their capsules purchased by the hospitals, or the people responsible for the patients got it for them.

    The number was not small, and they had to make more than 10,000 capsules per week. ST Capsule¡¯s factory excursion was over. Eunseo was standing in front of a bus.

    "We will now go to thepany training center. Everyone get on the bus."

    Junhyuk got on the bus with the other members of Section Two. There were two small buses. Each section, and the staff members in charge of that section, got on one bus. Junhyuk was with Mr. Jang and two female staff members.

    He got on the bus, took a seat and closed his eyes. He did not want to waste his energy by chit-chatting with the others during the bus ride.

    In the past a few days, he had been really into exercising, so he couldn¡¯t sit still. Junhyuk was putting pressure on each part of his body during the ride.

    Someone came and sat next to Junhyuk. The person¡¯s perfume tickled at his nose.

    "Do you travel alone?"

    Junhyuk did not feel good about being approached by Somin Jeon, the most beautiful woman among new recruits. It was a good thing to be approached by a beautiful woman, but it often meant trouble.

    "Do you have something to say?"

    "If I don¡¯t, can¡¯t I sit next to you?"

    Junhyuk smiled and replied:

    "No, I am trying to take a short nap."

    "Really?"

    Somin tilted her head, making her short hair flow through her shoulder. Junhyuk closed his eyes.

    "Then, I will take that nap."

    His closed eyes let her know that he was not interested in chatting. Somin looked at him with curiosity. She knew what her strength was. She was usually treated well by the people around her because of her beauty. Ever since she got hired by ST Capsule, demand for her went up even more, but now Junhyuk seemed indifferent toward her.

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t terribly handsome. He was on the handsome side, but there were many other people who looked better than him. However, Junhyuk had a certain intangible quality about him. He was confident, and his eyes were radiant, which made him look experienced.

    Somin approached him first, but now he slept while sitting next to her, and her pride was hurt. So, she crossed her arms and closed her eyes. She felt her tension easing up and started getting sleepy.

    Junhyuk saw Somin falling asleep next to him. What is she up to?

    She fell asleep and leaned her head on his shoulder. It would be awkward if he pushed her away, so he let her sleep on his shoulder while he put pressure on the shoulder muscle of his other shoulder.

    Arn taught him that if he could control each part of his muscles it would maximize that muscle¡¯s power.

    Each day, he worked out a different part of his muscles that wasn¡¯t required for fighting. If one exercised parts of his muscle that weren¡¯t normally used, he would be able to maximize his power.

    So, Junhyuk was trying to learn which parts of his muscles he didn¡¯t normally use. There are 650 muscles in the human body. He used to think the body was just one huge muscle, but now he was trying to learn how to use each different part.

    He hadn¡¯t even gotten around to half of them. So, he decided he should sleep less and learn more.

    They arrived at the training center, and Junhyuk moved his shoulder.

    "Miss Somin Jeon."

    "Hmmm?"

    She slowly opened her eyes and realized she had slept on Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder. She woke up abruptly, then pulled out a mirror and looked at her reflection.

    She saw that her makeup was still on. Relieved, she sighed and got up.

    "Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?"

    "I was sleeping as well."

    He was just saying that in order not to embarrass her too much. He got up and put on his backpack. Somin could see a stain on his arm from her makeup and felt embarrassed and got out of the bus.

    Somin had drooled on his arm. He wiped it with a handkerchief, and got out of the bus.

    He could see Mount Chun Ma.

    ST Capsule¡¯s Training Center was on Mount Chun Ma, and its size was huge. There were only twenty trainees, and the training center was toorge for only twenty people. Mr. Jang exined:

    "This is ST Capsule¡¯s Training Center. It can amodate up to 3,000 employees. First, I will assign sleeping quarters. After the rooms are assigned, we will lunch together. So, unpack your luggage and change into something morefortable. You should find clothes in your closets. We will lunch in the cafeteria."

    Eunseo and Mr. Jang left. There were guides who were directing the trainees. Junhyuk found a room for himself.

    Each room at the training center amodated two people. Junhyuk found out who would be his roommate andughed.

    "What is so funny?"

    "Nothing. You can choose your bed first."

    "I will sleep by the window."

    Jangho unpacked on his bed, and Junhyuk took the bed by the door and unpacked. Jangho spoke first:

    "Just because we are sharing a room does not mean we are friends."

    "What do you mean?"Junhyuk asked.

    Jangho answered while holding his sses:

    "Mr. Junhyuk Lee. Where did you go to for university?"

    "I went to Han Jin University."

    "That¡¯s about right. I graduated at the top of my ss from Korea University with a degree in Business Management."

    Junhyuk looked at Jangho again. He graduated at the top of his ss from the best university in the nation. Of course he got hired with distinction. Perhaps, Jangho had always taken the number one ce wherever he went.

    "I didn¡¯t know that. Fine."

    Junhyuk went to a university he couldn¡¯t even put on his resume.

    "As long as you remain civil, I will also be civil."

    "Thanks."

    Jangho thought Junhyuk caught a lucky break and loathed him for that. He got hired because of his brain and hard work, but Junhyuk got hired because he saved some people and became an instant sensation on the inte.

    Would he be a detestable person?

    Junhyuk did not wish to waste his energy. He opened the closet and saw the clothes Mr. Jang had referred to. The clothes were white jumpsuits. He picked out arge one and put it on his bed. Jangho watched him undress.

    Jangho looked at Junhyuk¡¯s upper body and was in shock. Junhyuk¡¯s muscles were moving all over his back. It had only been five days, but his muscles were exquisitely well-shaped. That happened because his mind had grown so quickly, and his body had to keep up.

    Junhyuk got dressed, pulled the zipper up to his neck and looked at Jangho.

    "I will go out first."

    Jangho nodded, and Junhyuk went outside. Jangho looked at his own naked body. He thought he should exercise more. Up until then, he had only exercised to keep healthy, but changed his mind because of Junhyuk.

    "I should exercise more. And I will."

    Jangho¡¯s personality made it so that he had to be the best at whatever he did. When he went outside, he saw Junhyuk surrounded by women and heading toward the cafeteria.

    "Hmph."

    After lunch, they watched a short video on ST Capsule. After that, they also found out what they would be doing in thepany. They spent hours developing their allegiance to thepany. After dinner, Eunseo stepped forward.

    "Everyone did well. We will continue tomorrow, so rest for the remainder of the day. Also, we prepared a round of drinks."

    Everyone cheered. Mr. Jang took Eunseo¡¯s ce and spoke:

    "Let¡¯s all go to the cafeteria."

    They all followed Mr. Jang to the cafeteria. It was a buffet. The chefs were roasting different meat and slicing tuna.

    Junhyuk whispered:

    "Is this the grandiosity of a major corporation?"

    Mr. Jangughed and said:

    "Take your food and go over there to eat."

    Mr. Jang pointed to a ce right in front of a stage. Junhyuk thought he might have to perform. Nevertheless, he took two tes and started to put food on both of them. He was holding two full tes of food when he took a seat in the ce where Mr. Jang had pointed.

    Since he started exercising, he ate a lot. He thought it might be because of his increased muscle mass. He wanted to eat.

    Junhyuk was eating quickly when a person took a seat right in front of him. He looked at the person, and it was Eunseo. She is holding a te with sd and a few tuna sushi.

    "Gak!"

    Junhyuk choked and coughed from the surprise. It was none other than Eunseo Kim, why?

    Eunseo frowned after watching Junhyuk cough out some rice.

    "Do you want me to change seats?"

    "No. Not, really."

    Junhyuk wiped his mouth with a napkin, and Eunseo ate her sd. No one came over to their table since Eunseo was sitting there. She ate without speaking, and he continued to eat his food as well. After a while, Eunseo finished her meal first and said:

    "W.A.N.C.S. offered you work as a public advertisement model, and you turned the offer down, correct?"

    Junhyuk swallowed the food in his mouth and took a sip of water. He looked at Eunseo¡¯s eyes.

    "Yes, I turned it down."

    "Why?"

    "I just want to live a normal life."

    "Isn¡¯t it toote for a normal life?"

    Junhyuk was unable to answer, and then Eunseo spoke softly:

    "We will use you as a model. If you turn us down, there will be no reason for us to keep you here."

    Junhyuk looked around. The two of them were alone at their table. The other people were far away and unable to hear what they were talking about.

    "You mean for thepany advertisement?"

    "Correct."

    "Did you hire me because of the SNS?"

    "I can¡¯t say it¡¯s not because of it."

    Junhyuk worried for a moment.

    "Since I am an employee, thepany can¡¯t pay for the work as a model, right?"

    Eunseo smiled and answered:

    "That¡¯s not the case. You will get paid for modeling."

    Junhyuk sighed. He wanted to live quietly, and there was nothing he could do.

    "I understand."

    He conceded easily, and Eunseo smiled. She usually looked haughty, but then, looking at her smile, she didn¡¯t look bad.

    "I was worried since you¡¯d turned down the offer from W.A.N.C.S., but that¡¯s a relief."

    Eunseo Kim extended her hand, and Junhyuk grabbed it. Everyone was looking, but he didn¡¯t care.

    "You have a nice smile."

    Eunseo stopped smiling and went away. He got up to get more food. He was still hungry, but when he returned to his seat, he saw Somin sitting in front of him, smiling.

    "Can I sit here?"

    He couldn¡¯t even eat his food in peace.

 Chapter 10: New Employee 4

    Chapter 10: New Employee 4

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk got another two full tes of food and ate them. Somin was eating soba noodles and looked at him with a smile.

    "Chief Eunseo Kim was talking to you personally. Does she want you to go to the Strategy nning Department?"

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "No. She wants to use me as a model."

    She stared nkly at his honest answer. When they were on the bus, he didn¡¯t want to talk, but now he was being too honest. She didn¡¯t understand it.

    He lifted his head and smiled.

    "I wasn¡¯t expecting that."

    "What?"

    Junhyuk pointed with his chin, and Somin turned to see people getting on the stage. A piano yed, and then a female singer sang jazz along with it.

    She had a sweet yet sultry voice, and her singing was very sensual.

    Somin looked for Junhyuk, but he had already left his seat. He was going for more of the buffet food.

    "This must be his first time at a buffet."

    She was attracted to him, and even his gluttonous behavior was cute to her. She took a seat next to Junhyuk¡¯s seat and enjoyed the jazz while she ate.

    Soon, Junhyuk came back and sat opposite of Somin. Somin tapped on the seat next to her.

    "We already sat together on the bus. Why do you insist on sitting alone?"

    "It¡¯s different from being on a bus, "Junhyuk ate some ribs and replied. "We are not close enough to dine together."

    "You are being picky."

    "I am not that easy."

    Junhyuk smiled at her and ate the food on his tes. Looking at him, Sominughed and decided to concentrate on listening to the music.

    Looking at the both of them, Jangho was angry.

    To himself, he was a much better man than Junhyuk. Junhyuk just happened to be in an ident and did what every responsible man should do, but it had made him a star. Using it as a pretext, he got hired, and now Eunseo and Somin were trying to get close to him. They all made him sick to his stomach.

    "Argh!"

    Jangho Kim got up and went to his sleeping quarters. There was no reason for him to stay there any longer since Eunseo had already left.

    ---

    On Thursday, they experimented with the capsule, learning more about its effectiveness. Any ordinary person could handle a capsule, but they were trying to understand each part of the capsule.

    ording Mr. Jang, being well informed and understanding the effectiveness of everything in a capsule was necessary only in the training stage. Each department had an analyst, a salesperson and a repair person. Excluding them, there was no reason for other people to understand everything.

    No one was paying close attention, except for Junhyuk. He, himself, might have to use a capsule in the future, so he was the most curious and tried to understand everything.

    Jangho made a remark to provoke him:

    "Since he can¡¯t be an analyst, is he trying to be a repairman?"

    Junhyuk paid no attention and asked an analyst a question. They all looked at Jangho and talked amongst themselves. Jangho was like a bad student who was being sarcastic toward an honor student, and he did not feel so well.

    All the instruction concerning the capsule ended, and they all ate their lunch.

    The staff told them to gather around the ying field after lunch, by one o¡¯clock, and they all came. They were in their separate sections and chatting, and Somin stood next to Junhyuk.

    She knew Junhyuk didn¡¯t talk much. She did not say anything and kept a little distance from him. She was a woman that required attention, but he did not have the time to spend with her.

    He was standing there, tuning each of his muscles. What he was doing rted directly to him living. He could not pay attention to anything else.

    They had waited for a while when, suddenly, Eunseo showed up wearing hiking clothes with the other guides. Eunseo looked at the people gathered.

    "We should go on a light hike."

    Eunseo was in charge of training the new employees. No one was able to turn her suggestion down.

    Mr. Jang did not have a backpack, but the other guides did. It should only take one hour and thirty minutes to get to the top of Mt. Chun Ma. The whole trip, without stopping, should take less than 3 hours.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    Eunseo and Mr. Jang took the lead with Section One following them. Section Two was following Section One, and the guides were behind Section Two. Junhyuk was inst ce. A guide was having trouble with his heavy backpack, and Junhyuk offered to take it.

    "Give it to me."

    "I am fine."

    "It will be a good exercise. Give it to me."

    The guide turned down his offer a few times, but he started tog behind, so he gave Junhyuk the backpack. Junhyuk strapped the backpack on and said:

    "It¡¯s heavy!"

    "Give it back to me."

    "No, I¡¯m fine."

    Junhyuk moved forward. It was heavy, but he could still handle it fine. Even though he didn¡¯t look strong, he, in fact, had a strong constitution. He moved easily with the backpack on him, and the guide was impressed with him. He did not even break a sweat.

    This was not a light hike, and Eunseo and Mr. Jang were moving fast. They must¡¯ve been hiking for a while, and some of the other people weregging behind, especially Section Two. That was because Section Two wasposed mainly of women. Junhyuk cheered the women on with the backpack on his back.

    Many women did not have hiking experience, and they were slowing down. Somin was cheering and pushing the other women forward.

    She was different from how frail she looked. She showed a strong willpower, which impressed Junhyuk. She was not only pretty, but was also considerate of other people.

    Finally, Section Two reached the zenith, but that was twenty minutes after the lead group. On the top of the mountain, Eunseo was looking at the scenery.

    "You arete," she told Junhyuk.

    "I am sorry."

    Junhyuk apologized calmly, and Eunseo fixed her sses and said:

    "Then, let¡¯s start."

    He was curious by what she had meant by start when Mr. Jang called for him. Mr. Jang took the backpack from him.

    "Did you carry this here?"

    "Yes, what¡¯s inside the backpack?"

    "I will show you."

    With a smile on his face, Mr. Jang took out the things inside the backpack. They were all soju* bottles packed tightly inside the backpack. While carrying it, Junhyuk felt something sloshing. He thought it might have been water, but it was the soju. There were a total of fifteen bottles.

    The guides came over to Mr. Jang. They were carrying cups for the wine and side dishes to go with the liquor.

    Junhyuk looked at Eunseo. She was looking far away. So, he also looked at the scenery of Mt. Chun Ma.

    He had not liked to hike before, but at that moment, on the top of a mountain, the air and cool breeze and picturesque scenery all made him think it was worth the trouble.

    He was enjoying being on the top of a mountain when Mr. Jang announced:

    "We are ready!"

    As Eunseo turned her head, she saw Junhyuk. She realized that Junhyuk had also felt the same emotion from looking at the scenery as she did. She smiled and walked away. Mr. Jang was surrounded by new employees and he had already poured a round of drinks for everyone.

    Eunseo turned around and saw Junhyuk still looking at the scenery.

    "You shoulde too," she said.

    "OK."

    Quickly, Junhyuk took a seat. Eunseo picked up her cup and said:

    "From now on, you will experience many hardships working for thepany. Don¡¯t be discouraged and remember to push and to pull others just like you did during this hike. Then, everything will be okay."

    It hadn¡¯t been just a hike, but a hike with a meaning.

    Eunseo kept going:

    "I wish for a bright future for ourpany. Cheers!"

    "Cheers!"

    While everyone lifted their cups, Eunseo drank down her soju in one gulp. She had always looked so arrogant, and this was a new side to her. Everyone else emptied their cups.

    They had all been thirsty from the hike and were able to drink one cup each.

    Eunseo put down her cup and looked at Junhyuk.

    "Usually the guides carry the soju, but this time a new employee carried it. We are able to drink this cold soju because of him. Give him a round of apuse."

    Everyone pped their hands. Junhyuk scratched his head and nodded. Eunseo smiled and continued:

    "The new-employee training is over. We will have another round of drinks when we get down. Work hard!"

    Eunseo looked at Mr. Jang.

    "Make sure no one gets drunk. I will head down first."

    "I will go with you."

    "I am fine. I only drank one cup. Don¡¯t worry."

    "But..."

    Eunseo fixed her sses. It was a simple gesture, but she turned back to the arrogant persona of the Chief of the Strategy nning Department.

    "Are you trying to make me into a careless superior?"

    "No."

    As Mr. Jang smiled, Eunseo nodded her head and headed down the mountain. She looked strong. Junhyuk looked at her and picked up the soju bottle. Being at the top of a mountain made the soju taste extra sweet. He was about to pour some more when someone stopped him.

    It was Somin, who looked a little embarrassed.

    "I will pour it for you."

    "I¡¯m OK."

    "If you pour it yourself, I will be out of luck for 3 years."

    It was a joke. Junhyuk put his cup forward. Somin poured him a cupful of soju and lifted her own cup.

    "Now, you pour me a cup."

    Since she had been so considerate while hiking up the mountain, Junhyuk poured her a drink without thinking twice. She was his coworker now. He should be nice to her, and she was a beautiful woman.

    With her cup full, she smiled and clinked his cup with hers. He smiled at the sight, and both of them dly emptied their cups.

    ------

    soju - a clear, colorless distilled Korean beverage traditionally made from rice

 Chapter 11: Evolution 1

    Chapter 11: Evolution 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    There were fifteen bottles of soju and twenty-five people. That meant less than one bottle per person. If anyone drank too much, it would still be less than three sses.

    Everyone drank happily. A few drank enough and had a nice buzz going, making their faces red, but no one was too drunk. If someone stumbled on the mountainside, it would cause a major ident. They all knew that and only drank enough to be merry. Also, there weren¡¯t that many bottles.

    Junhyuk tried to pick up the empty backpack, and Mr. Jang waived his hand while smiling.

    "The guides will take care of it."

    It¡¯s was an empty backpack, and he did not have to carry it.

    "OK."

    The group went down the mountain. Junhyuk worried about there being an ident involving people who got rather tipsy and walkedst in line to keep a watch on everyone.

    "AHH!"

    Everyone was walking down when they heard a scream. They all stopped. It was a familiar voice.

    "Department Chief?!"

    Mr. Jang expressed his concern, and Junhyuk was already running. It was dangerous to run downward on a mountain, but he did not care. If necessary, he would create a force field. He ran fast. He had been training just as Arn instructed him, so he was utilizing every part of his muscles, and it was easy for him to run downward.

    As he ran down, his sense of bnce became more acute. The people behind him were calling his name, but he paid no attention. He only thought that he had to run faster.

    He did not have a special rtionship with Eunseo, but, after hearing that scream, his only thought was to save her. He ran toward where the scream hade, but there was no other sound.

    She could have been hurt already, so he ran faster. He ran for 30 minutes. He ran fast, as if he were flying. He covered a distance in a few minutes that would take an ordinary man twenty minutes.

    He saw Eunseo. She was still very far away from him. It would take him at least thirty seconds to reach her.

    The reason for the scream was the mountain hog about three feet from her. The hog was fuming, so Junhyuk ran faster.

    Eunseo heard the sound of Junhyuk running and turned to look. Then, he shouted:

    "MOVE ASIDE!"

    As Eunseo turned her head, the mountain hog started to run.

    Snort! Grunt!

    As she heard the sounds of the hog, she turned back to it. She wanted to move away from the charging hog, but couldn¡¯t do it because she was too frozen.

    Thump!

    "AAHHH!"

    With a short scream, she bounced off the pedestrian road toward the valley. Junhyuk did not even nce at the mountain hog and, instead, ran toward the valley.

    He couldn¡¯t jump down to the valley from a cliff, but he did it anyway.

    The mountain hog stayed where it was.

    Junhyuk figured he would be safe for at least ten seconds regardless of what happened. He would use his force field, but, after making the jump, he felt scared.

    He saw Eunseo falling. If she continued to fall like that, it would be hard to catch her, so he extended his hands toward her and closed his eyes. It had never worked before, but he really wanted it at this moment. It was not for him, but for her. He wanted the shield to protect her.

    The force field came out around him. Despite his wish, it did note out around Eunseo.

    He tried his best, but couldn¡¯t get closer to her. As she fell, she hit a branch.

    After that, her falling speed decreased. Watching her fall, Junhyuk kicked off the cliff wall. At that moment, he felt a sharp pain on his leg.

    Phump!

    With a loud noise, Junhyuk sped up, getting closer to Eunseo, but the ground was even closer to her. He tried even harder. If she crashed, she would die for sure.

    "NO!" He shouted aloud and wished even harder. Then, the field disappeared from him. That¡¯s when a protective field appeared around Eunseo.

    Thump!

    The field protected against any physical force. For ten seconds, it would work in any situation. Eunseo would be safe. The problem was what would happen next.

    Junhyuk was close to the ground, but he had already transferred the field. He was falling head first, but turned his body. It would be better if he fell on his legs.

    Crash!

    "G¡¯ahhh!"

    He had been training for a month ording to An¡¯s instructions, so he was close to reaching the human limit, but he couldn¡¯t help but break his legs.

    His leg bones were shattered, but he did not lose consciousness. He looked up. He must¡¯ve fallen at least sixty-five feet.

    He tried his best, and headed to Eunseo. His shin was broken and tearing open his skin, and she was deeply hurt from the collision with the mountain hog. She had also hit a tree branch while falling. Perhaps, she was dead already.

    He crawled toward her and checked to see if she was still breathing. She was not dead yet and was still breathing.

    He let out a sigh of relief, and looked at her wounds. The mountain hog hit her on the thigh, and it was swollen. It looked like her femur* was also broken.

    She had no other wounds. He fell next to her, breathed deeply, and shouted with all his might:

    "HELP US!"

    ---

    Junhyuk shouted for help with all his might and stared at his leg. His pain was making him dizzy. In any case, they both could die from excessive bleeding.

    He couldn¡¯t just die. He had survived the Dimensional Battlefield ande back. He couldn¡¯t die in vain.

    Junhyuk tried to stop the bleeding and focused on his shin muscle. Arn had taught him that by using a muscle¡¯s contraction, he could stop blood vessels from bleeding excessively.

    Junhyuk could do the muscle contractions even though it was difficult. He had been training each part of his muscles, so it wasn¡¯t impossible for him to do it. How could he die just like that?

    He took off his jacket, and tried to use it to stop the bleeding by wrapping it around his torn muscle. He thought it was possible he could die. He couldprehend each of his muscles, but he still did not know which muscle contraction would stop the bleeding. He was trying all of them and guessing. In the end, he was lucky. The bleeding decreased.

    He wrapped his jacket even tighter andy on the ground. He did everything he could do. At the moment, he should wait for the rescue team to arrive.

    Mr. Jang¡¯s face popped out from the hiking trail. Junhyuk looked at him. He didn¡¯t see them, but looked like he had hurried to get down. His face was sweaty, and Junhyuk shouted:

    "WE ARE HERE!"

    Mr. Jang looked at them, and his eyes widened. Junhyuk was bleeding heavily, and Eunseo had lost consciousness.

    "Are you OK?"

    "I am, for now, but I¡¯m bleeding heavily. It could be bad."

    "What about the Department Chief?"

    "Looks like she has a broken femur. The rescue team should hurry."

    "Wait a minute."

    Mr. Jang¡¯s face disappeared, and Junhyuk let out a sigh of relief. They would send a rescue team soon.

    "Mmm."

    Eunseo was regaining consciousness. Junhyuk crawled toward her.

    "Are you okay?"

    Eunseo frowned as she opened her eyes.

    "Ouch!"

    "Looks like your femur is broken, and your hip is bruised. Stay still."

    "I can¡¯t feel anything below my legs."

    "It may be because of the shock. Mr. Jang found us, so a rescue team will being soon."

    Eunseo looked at Junhyuk. She was feeling a great amount of pain, but she tried not to show it because of her pride.

    "Where are we?" She asked him.

    "You were hit by a mountain hog and fell off from the cliff."

    Junhyuk pointed upward with his hand. She looked up. It was at least sixty-five feet high. They fell and they were lucky to be alive.

    Eunseo closed her eyes. She could picture a mountain hog running toward her in her mind. She remembered falling, and Junhyuk jumping off the cliff.

    She remembered Junhyuk extending his hands toward her as he jumped, but did not remember anything else after she hit a branch, injuring her hip.

    "Why did you jump?"

    Junhyukughed.

    "If we are lucky, we will both survive."

    "We are lucky."

    Eunseo looked over to Junhyuk and asked:

    "How is your leg?"

    "I broke my shin, but I¡¯m OK."

    Eunseo wanted to talk more, but she closed her eyes because of the pain. As she closed her eyes, Junhyuk looked at her and said, tenderly:

    "The rescue team will arrive soon."

    Eunseo nodded without speaking. She was not even moaning and withstood her pain. Junhyuk sighed.

    "If it hurts, you should let it out."

    Eunseo did not talk, and endured it all.

    He realized it was pointless to say anything else to her. Resting next to her, his head was getting dizzy. He had stopped the bleeding, but he had already bled too much. He shook his head and said:

    "Stay awake. If you fall asleep, it will be dangerous."

    "I know."

    She knew what was happening, but it did not mean she could do anything about it. Junhyuk took care of her, and she was doing her best to endure the pain. She shivered slightly.

    "It¡¯s cold."

    Eunseo was wearing warm hiking clothes. She shouldn¡¯t be saying that she was feeling cold. She had to be bleeding. The broken femur or injured hip might have sliced some veins. If there was internal bleeding, the problem was serious.

    Junhyuk took off his shirt and covered her with it.

    He looked at her feeling cold, and looked up at the sky and gave her a hug. Eunseo was surprised, and Junhyuk whispered:

    "You cannot afford to lose body heat."

    Eunseo¡¯s face turned red, but she did not say anything. Junhyuk looked away. Soon, from far away, there came the loud noise of a rotor turning.

    Junhyuk looked and, between the trees, he saw a helicopter.

    "The rescue team is here."

    From the top of the cliff, Mr. Jang showed up.

    "The rescue team is here. Just hold on a little longer."

    Junhyuk let go of her and shouted:

    "Ms. Kim has hurt her hip! We need something to carry her!"

    "Understood!"

    People showed up on the top of the cliff. As she looked at them, she felt relieved, and passed out. Junhyuk noticed what had happened.

    A member of the rescue team shouted:

    "Are you both conscious?"

    "She just passed out! She was awake a moment ago!"

    "What happened?"

    "The Section Chief broke her femur and hurt her hip, and I broke my shin."

    "Wait a minute. We will get you out."

    Junhyuk looked at the passed out Eunseo and whispered:

    "Cheer up! Rescue team is here."

    ------

    femur - name of the thigh bone, the longest and most resistant bone in the human bone

 Chapter 12: Evolution 2

    Chapter 12: Evolution 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    He had ster casts around both of his legs and was lying on a bed, concentrating on a cup next to him. There was no change to the cup.

    "Maybe I can only use it on people?"

    He was surely able to save Eunseo with his force field. What was going on? He thought perhaps he would be able to create a field around himself, and it worked, but he was unable to transfer the field to other objects, and he couldn¡¯t try using it on other people.

    He sighed and leaned on his bed. The bed was tilted up, and it made him feel cozy. This was a VIP room, and it wasrge andfortable. After being rescued, he got to the hospital by helicopter. The doctors could have thought his condition was strange, so he rxed his muscles and made himself bleed profusely. The doctors had been worried about the heavy bleeding. Nevertheless, the surgery was sessful.

    "The real problem is with the Department Chief."

    Eunseo¡¯s femur was broken, and there had been internal bleeding, but the surgery also went well. The problem came from her hitting her hip on the branch when she fell. At that moment, her lower body was paralyzed.

    "Phew."

    If he had transferred the force field sooner, she might not have hurt her hip. It was his fault.

    Junhyuk sighed and tried again to make a force field, but it did not work.

    "I should experiment with thister."

    Junhyuk closed his eyes and concentrated on tuning his muscles. As he controlled his muscles, he could feel his legs¡¯ muscles and found that he could tell how seriously he had been hurt.

    He had put pressure on his muscles when he broke his legs, and the break had been clean. He still had to wear the casts for three weeks before his legs would be healed.

    He realized that he had to spend more time at that ce.

    "I have to leave in two weeks. This makes it difficult."

    As he leaned on the bed, he heard someone knock on the door.

    "It¡¯s open."

    He looked at the peopleing in, and his eyes widened

    .

    "Father! Mom!"

    Junhyuk¡¯s father, Sukhoon Lee, and mother, Haejung Kim, came in. Haejung checked his wounds as soon as she went in the room.

    "My Junhyuk, are you OK?"

    "I am fine."

    "What in the world?! How did you get hurt?"

    He scratched his head.

    "I rolled down a mountain."

    Haejung was being fussy.

    "I heard it¡¯s a singr fracture. After 3 weeks, you will be able to get rid of the casts, so don¡¯t worry too much," Sukhoon said.

    "I¡¯m not worried."

    Sukhoon and Haejung were worried. Sukhoon looked around andmented:

    "This room must be very expensive."

    "It happened during thepany training. They will cover all hospital costs."

    "I see."

    Haejung asked him carefully:

    "It happened so soon after you got hired. Won¡¯t you get fired?"

    "That won¡¯t happen."

    He had been hurt because he was trying save Eunseo. Of course, from Eunseo¡¯s position, he didn¡¯t do anything to help her, but even so, he was there with her ¡¯til they both got rescued. Because of that, he wouldn¡¯t get fired.

    "That¡¯s good to hear."

    Smiling, Haejung Kim made more of a fuss and chit-chatted with her son. He got busy answering her questions. She talked about telling everyone in her neighborhood that her son had been hired by ST Capsule.

    "By the way, do you want to go on a blind date?"

    "Mom!"

    Junhyuk became upset and protested. She smiled and said:

    "You remember her. She was in our neighborhood, Mr. Park¡¯s daughter. She just became an elementary school teacher."

    "I don¡¯t care. I just got a job. What do mean go on a blind date?!"

    "You don¡¯t even have a girlfriend. You¡¯ve been alone for so long."

    "Mom!" He said in a panic. Meanwhile, Sukhoon walked over to Haejung and put his hand on her shoulder.

    "Dear, stop it."

    Haejung smacked her lips and took a step back. Sukhoon spoke to Junhyuk:

    "Do you have a nurse?"

    "Yes, she went out for a minute."

    He broke both of his legs and was unable to move on his own. So, ST Capsule hired him a nurse. Sukhoon nodded and looked at Haejung.

    "Since you have a caregiver, we will just visit you from time to time."

    "How can you trust your son to a caregiver like that? I wille here on weekends."

    "Then, am I going to be alone on weekends?"

    "Go fishing with your friends! I will be here."

    Junhyuk sighed deeply and looked at his mother.

    "Then,e over just on Saturdays and Sundays."

    If she came over on Fridays, it could be a problem. Spending time in a hospital was already a problem. If his mother spent time with him, she would find out about his experience with abnormal narcolepsy. He wanted to avoid that situation.

    Sukhoon had nothing more to say and looked at his son.

    "I will be going. Take care of yourself."

    "Yes, don¡¯t worry."

    "Thanks to you, I will be fishing most of the time."

    Junhyuk knew how much his father liked fishing and just smiled.

    Haejung got up and rubbed her son¡¯s face with hands.

    "Think about the blind date."

    "Mom!"

    She looked at her panicking son. She acted offended by the reaction and left. Junhyuk looked at door close and sighed again.

    "What blind date...?"

    Junhyuk closed his eyes and concentrated on controlling his muscles. Even if he was hurt, if he didn¡¯t exercise, his muscles would beid. To prevent such a catastrophe, he exercised relentlessly.

    He couldn¡¯t transfer his force field at will, so he had to concentrate on being healthy again.

    ---

    He had problems with his legs, but his other body parts were fine. The next day, he got a wheelchair and went outside. He wanted to go check on Eunseo and find out what had happened to her. He went down a couple of rooms.

    In front of her room, there were two men standing guard, wearing suits. They stopped him.

    "There¡¯s no visitation at this time."

    Junhyuk wanted to return to his own room. If no visitation was allowed, he shouldn¡¯t try to see her now. That¡¯s when a man came out of her room and called for Junhyuk:

    "Mr. Junhyuk Lee?"

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk stopped and looked at him. He came over and spoke with a smile.

    "Are you here to visit the Department Chief?"

    "I wanted to, but there¡¯s no visitation right now."

    He naturally talked down to Junhyuk, but he was also too casual. He came over and took a hold of the wheelchair and said:

    "Let¡¯s go in. Eunseo wanted to see you desperately."

    Junhyuk did not have a chance to reply. The man pushed the wheelchair toward the room. Inside, he noticed her room was much bigger than his own and saw Eunseo lying on a bed. She had a cast on her thigh. She panicked when she saw them and put on her sses. She had a look of superiority and talked to Junhyuk:

    "How are you?"

    Junhyuk replied calmly:

    "They called it a miracle. I only broke both of my legs."

    "That¡¯s good."

    "By the way, how are you?"

    She frowned and didn¡¯t answer. The man spoke instead:

    "She is paralyzed below her waist, but, with some luck, she will get better," Junhyuk was really surprised, and the man continued talking. "We have invested in a project. It will make a giant stride in modern medicine, and the project has its first patient, now."

    "That¡¯s nice," Junhyuk replied innocently, and the man began tough.

    "Ha-ha-ha! Young man, I really like you."

    The man grabbed the wheelchair and asked:

    "Do you have anything more to say?"

    "No, I see that she is doing well. That¡¯s all."

    "Then, I will take you back."

    He couldn¡¯t use his legs, but that was it. Junhyuk was close to reaching the limit of the human body. Could he not move his own wheelchair? But the man pushed the wheelchair anyway.

    "Department Chief, take care of yourself."

    They went out. She was by herself again, and she sighed and took off her sses. With her eyes closed, she thought about the moment she fell from the cliff. She thought about Junhyuk, who had jumped after her.

    His beaming, frantic eyes showed how much he had wanted to save her.

    He had saved the people on the bus, so he might just be trying to save people from danger by risking his own life, but his beaming eyes made her think twice.

    "Phew."

    Whenever she thought about his eyes, her heart pounded.

    ---

    The man who was pushing Junhyuk did not take him to his room, but headed toward the terrace instead. They arrived on the terrace, and he ced a cigarette between his lips.

    Junhyuk stared nkly at him.

    "Isn¡¯t this a "no smoking" area?"

    "I know. It¡¯s just a habit. I¡¯m trying to quit."

    The man held the cigarette with his lips and looked at Junhyuk.

    "Can I ask you a question?"

    "I don¡¯t even know your name."

    He tapped on his business card with his index finger and gave it to Junhyuk. Junhyuk looked at it, and the man introduced himself:

    "I am the director of ST Capsule. My name is Sukhoon Kim."

    "You have the same name as my father."

    "Is that so? Your father must be quite a handsome man."

    Junhyukughed.

    "He is. If he wasn¡¯t, he would not have been able to marry my mother."

    "Ha-ha-ha! Your mother must also be quite beautiful."

    "She is."

    Sukhoon looked interested in the conversation. He held the cigarette between his index and middle finger, pretended he was smoking, and looked at Junhyuk.

    "Can I ask you a question now?"

    "Sure."

    Sukhoon looked at him calmly and asked:

    "Why did you do it?"

    "What?"

    Sukhoon ced the cigarette on his lips.

    "Why did you jump? That¡¯s what I¡¯m asking."

    Junhyuk thought it over for a minute. In truth, he thought he could have saved her. Of course, he jumped without thinking. He saw her fall and jumped on impulse.

    "I wanted to save her."

    Sukhoon calmly looked at Junhyuk and smiled.

    "Thank you."

    Sukhoon put the cigarette back into the cigarette pack and said:

    "Take care of yourself. When you are well, I will see you at thepany."

    Sukhoon waived and went back in the hospital. Junhyuk watched him leave and sighed. In any event, thepany wouldn¡¯t be firing him this time.

    "If she recovers, that will be great."

    If his power was a little more evolved, he could have saved her. He regretted not saving her on time, but she had a good chance at a full recovery. He felt better because of that.

    Junhyuk stayed on the terrace and looked up.

    "She looks better without sses."

    He thought about her putting on her sses while flustered. In any case, she looked cute.

 Chapter 13: Jungle 1

    Chapter 13: Jungle 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The week after he was hospitalized, even though she had said she would only visit on weekends, his mom went to the hospital every day. He already had a nurse, so there wasn¡¯t much of anything his mother had to do. She became his conversation partner.

    She was watching a TV soap, and he was watching it with her while he bnced and tuned his muscles. It was an effective exercise to sense tune his muscles. He even learned to harden his muscles like rocks, but there was still more to learn.

    Knock. Knock.

    Somebody was at the door.

    "Who is it?"

    The door opened, and Mr. Jang came in with an unexpected person standing behind him. She was holding a bag of fruit. Looking at Somin, Junhyuk scratched his head. Why did she have to visit when his mother was here? It would create a misunderstanding.

    Indeed, Haejung¡¯s eyes were beaming.

    Junhyuk shook his head and said:

    "This is my mother."

    "Nice to meet you. I am Mr. Woogun Jang from ST Capsule¡¯s Strategy nning Department."

    "Oh, my goodness! You are hispany superior."

    Haejung smiled brightly when Somin introduced herself:

    "Nice to meet you. I am his new coworker, Somin Jeon."

    "That exins it."

    "Here."

    Somin handed the bag of fruit to Haejung, who took it with a smile.

    "Please take your seats. I will quickly peel some fruit."

    "We are fine."

    Haejung took Mr. Jang by his wrist and sat him on a chair. Somin looked around and took a seat. Haejung washed the fruit and brought them out with a fruit knife.

    Somin offered to peel:

    "I can peel them."

    "I can¡¯t let a guest peel! Wait a minute."

    She had a lot of experience being a housewife, and she peeled the fruit with quite the skill. Junhyuk turned to look at his guests. He wasn¡¯t expecting them.

    "Miss Somin Jeon, to which department did they assign you?"

    "I¡¯ve been assigned to the Strategy nning Headquarters."

    "That¡¯s the nucleus of thepany. You are something!"

    Junhyuk looked surprised, and Mr. Jang calmly exined:

    "Among the new employees, Miss Somin Jeon and Mr. Janho Kim have been assigned to the Strategy nning Headquarters."

    Of course, Jangho would have been assigned to that department since he was at the top among new employees, but Somin¡¯s assignment was unexpected.

    Mr. Jang pushed an envelope toward Junhyuk.

    "You¡¯ve been assigned to the advertising department."

    He already knew, hearing it from Eunseo. He took the envelope. Mr. Jang smiled at him.

    "As soon as you¡¯re fully recovered, you should report to work. You¡¯ve earned a paid vacation for your first month with thepany."

    "Is that right?"

    Junhyuk grinned. For his first month, he was getting paid without reporting to work. He felt good about that. His mom brought a te full of fruit.

    "Have some fruit while you talk."

    Haejung¡¯s eyes were beaming toward Somin.

    "I will go out for a few minutes," she told Junhyuk.

    "OK."

    Haejung went out, and Mr. Jang stabbed a piece of fruit with a fork and ate it.

    "ording to the rescue team, the fact that both of you survived is a miracle."

    They both had fallen from a scary height, and both of them survived. It could be called a miracle. If it weren¡¯t for Junhyuk¡¯s power, Eunseo would¡¯ve surely died, and if it weren¡¯t for Arn¡¯s muscle technique and training, which taught Junhyuk how to harden his muscles like rocks, he too would¡¯ve been dead.

    He couldn¡¯t do it before the ident and started to master Arn¡¯s technique because of the fall. That fall had been a blessing in disguise.

    Arn could withstand swords. Junhyuk was not at that level yet, but he learned how to minimize damage.

    "I was lucky. While falling, I hit a tree that absorbed the shock from the fall."

    "Is that so? It was pure luck."

    Somin stabbed a piece of melon and gave it to Junhyuk. Looking at this sight, Mr. Jangughed.

    "I am sorry. I should¡¯ve known."

    Junhyuk ate it in just one bite.

    "That it would taste bettering from Miss Somin Jeon than from you?"

    "Ha-ha-ha, is that right? I should¡¯ve known."

    Somin¡¯s face reddened, and Mr. Jangughed even louder. Mr. Jang ate more apples and chatted. Then, he got up.

    "Somin, are you staying here?"

    "No."

    Somin got up and Junhyuk said:

    "I will see you off."

    "It¡¯s OK. Recover quickly and report to work."

    Mr. Jang tapped on Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder and went out of the room. Somin followed him, but before she went out she said:

    "Take care of yourself."

    "I will see you at thepany."

    Somin left, and, after a while, his mother came in. She stared intently at Junhyuk and said:

    "Who is that young woman?"

    "She is just a colleague. During the new-employee training, she was in my section."

    "Is that right?"

    If he let her question him, she would ask too many question, so he continued:

    "She is in a different department from mine. I won¡¯t see her often."

    "Right. She is pretty."

    Junhyuk already knew that Somin was pretty, but he had nothing to gain from agreeing with his mother on that point. In any case, he had been thinking about Eunseo and not Somintely, while he was in the hospital.

    At the moment of the ident, he ran with all his might. He had never used all of his energy, even for a short while, for someone in his entire life. His only thought had been of saving her when she fell.

    He thought about her often, even though he didn¡¯t have a rtionship with Eunseo. Every time he thought about her, he felt he was reliable.

    ---

    Junhyuk trained every day until Friday, but he wasn¡¯t satisfied yet. He tried to harden his muscles, but he couldn¡¯t harden them like when he fell from the cliff.

    He still had a lot to learn and sighed.

    That day, he had already sent his caregiver away and was alone. His mother had slept there on weekends, but, this time, he had also sent her away.

    He told them to summon him at same time as before, so they would summon him around the time when the evening news was on TV. He ate his dinner. Only two hours were left before being summoned.

    He vowed he would survive likest time, but there was no such guarantee. Death was not umon in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    He had activated his power. That¡¯s why he had survived before, and who knew what would happen this time. In the blood-filled battlefield, having ten seconds was like gold, but he couldn¡¯t just rely on his power.

    When he made his force field, he had to wait two minutes before he could make another. Could he not face many deaths during those two-minute intervals? He tried practicing making his fieldst longer, but couldn¡¯t. He was also unable to shorten the time interval.

    However, now, he could make a field anytime he wanted to, and it helped. After he returned to the Dimensional Battlefield, he would check to see if he could transfer the field to another person.

    If that was possible, it would help out a lot whenever he was with Arn and Vera.

    He prepared to calm his mind for the Dimensional Battlefield when someone knocked at his door.

    "Come in."

    There was no one left to visit him at this time, but the door opened, and a man wearing a suit came in. Junhyuk looked at him with curiosity.

    He stepped aside, and Eunseo, who was on a fully automatic wheelchair, came in. She looked at the man as he closed the door behind him.

    She fixed her sses. Even though she was on a fully automatic wheelchair, she still looked haughty.

    She looked at him with that air of superiority.

    "Are you well enough to move around?"

    Eunseo tapped on her wheelchair.

    "This is a newly made, fully automatic wheelchair. They used procedures used in capsules to make this. It doesn¡¯t cause bedsores or put pressure on the pelvis. I feel like I could do some work sitting on this."

    Junhyuk realized the powers that ST Capsule had. Did it only take them one week to make that wheelchair?

    "How is the project going?"

    Eunseoughed bitterly.

    "It¡¯s still in the clinical trial stage. It will take at least half a year."

    He felt sorry she had to stay paralyzed for at least half a year.

    "I should not have let you walk down by yourself. I am sorry."

    Eunseo shook her head.

    "It was my decision. Don¡¯t talk about it anymore."

    Eunseo looked at Junhyuk and said:

    "I heard, Mr. Jang came for a visit and gave you the assignment papers."

    "Yes, I got assigned to the advertising department."

    Kim Eun Seo stared at him calmly and continued:

    "If you want to transfer, I could make it happen."

    Junhyuk looked at her quietly. She looked around the room and muttered:

    "You could transfer to Strategy nning Department."

    That was the department where she worked. Junhyuk asked cautiously:

    "Then, I don¡¯t have to work as a model?"

    "No, you still have to work as a model."

    Junhyuk thought for a moment.

    "Then, I want to transfer to Strategy nning Department."

    Eunseo stared at him for a while.

    "It¡¯s a ce for the elite. It¡¯s not a problem to transfer you there, but it¡¯s not an easy ce to adapt to."

    "I will do my best."

    Eunseo fixed her sses.

    "OK. I will have you transferred. Work hard."

    "You can count on me."

    Junhyuk answered with confidence, and sheughed at him. She moved her hand over the guidance system of her automatic wheelchair. The wheelchair turned around, with her back facing him.

    "Thank you."

    It was in a really low voice, but his senses were highly developed due to his time spent in the Battlefield of Dimensions, and he could still hear her.

    Eunseo gathered herself and said:

    "Open the door."

    Wearing their ck suits, the men outside opened the door, and, as she went out she said:

    "Take care of yourself. I will see you at thepany."

    "Are you getting discharged?"

    She tapped her wheelchair and looked at him.

    "I have this. I don¡¯t have to be in a hospital anymore," she said and went out.

    Looking at her leave, he smacked his lips. She said she didn¡¯t have to be in a hospital, but she still had a cast around her thigh.

    She should rest just like him, but she was already going back to work. He felt sorry.

    "Then, I can see her again!?"

    He had a lot to prepare for by transferring to Strategy nning Department, but being able to see her again made him smile.

    "It all depends on whether I cane back."

    Junhyuk smiled and looked out of the window. It was already getting dark outside, and he could see the stars in the sky, which was rare. The sky was clear that day, and he could see a lot of them.

    "The sky must still be purple over there."

    Junhyuk stared at the sky quietly. He forgot to tune his muscles and fell asleep. An rm bell woke him up, and he pulled out his cellphone.

    Soon, it would be time for him to leave. Junhyuky on his bed quietly and rxed. How many hours had gone by?

    He saw the lights.

    In an instant, he had gone over to the Dimensional Battlefield once more.

 Chapter 14: Jungle 2

    Chapter 14: Jungle 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    He knew what was about to happen, but he still had a hard time enduring the bright lights on his eyes. Still, this was not his first time, so he covered his eyes with both hands and felt less anxiety. The lights disappeared as the time passed. He slowly stretched out his fingers and opened his eyes.

    "I am here again, after all."

    They had told him that he woulde back, but he hadn¡¯t wanted to return. This was the ce where he must risk his life.

    A delicate white light lit up the room. At the corner of the room, a number popped up.

    [780G]

    He could guess what the number meant. He received pure gold coins in this ce. It looked as though it was marking the dimensional currency.

    Junhyuk tried to figure out if anything else was different and realized his armor had changed. It was thicker thanst time, but its weight felt the same.

    "Did my survival chance go up fromst time?"

    Still, an armor meant nothing. Arn could tear it up like a piece of paper. The only thing he could trust was his power.

    Junhyuk looked down at his legs. The broken shin had alreadypletely healed.

    "I will just pretend that I¡¯m still a patient when I return."

    Junhyuk finished checking himself and heard a soft voice. It was the very sexy tone that he did not want to hear.

    [Wee to the Valley of Death.]

    The Dimensional Battlefield had many ces, but he was back at the Valley of Death. It was a good thing. He had already spent a month in this ce.

    Junhyuk tried to collect his thoughts calmly. Then a double-edged de appeared.

    "A double-edged sword?"

    He frowned because he wanted a shield and a sword. He did not n to attack often, and he had wanted a thicker shield, but nothing happened ording to what he wanted.

    [You may exit using the middle doorway.]

    He had no choice but to pick up the double-edged sword. Soon, a door appeared in a corner of the room. Junhyuk went through and heard another voice.

    [Novice 007 deployed.]

    Junhyuk had a wry smile. Vera had already told him that when a minion activated his power, he would be a novice, and, until that day, over 100,000 people had died on the Dimensional Battlefield, but only 7 people had activated their powers. He realized that Vera had been telling the truth.

    Junhyuk flexed his body, trying to warm up. Outside, there were minions who did not understand what was going on, just like the previous time, but they looked shorter than him. Junhyukpared his height against their height and shook his head.

    "Did I get taller?"

    He shook his head when he saw a tall,rge man appear. That face looked familiar. It was Arn. He showed up and looked at the minions, and his eyes reached Junhyuk¡¯s. He smiled and said:

    "You. Follow me."

    People¡¯s attention turned to Junhyuk, who went to him and asked as he walked:

    "Only I shall follow you?"

    "No. From this one to this one, follow me."

    Arn pointed to ten people only. The number was less than the previous time. Before Junhyuk had the time to express his curiosity, a man stepped forward.

    "What?"

    The man had long blond hair and a tough look. As he stepped forward, Junhyuk jumped quickly. He knew what Arn would do and he wanted to stop it, but Arn was faster than him.

    Bang!

    Arn jumped up and fell down, and the man became a pool of blood. The people around took many steps back quickly. Arn got up and said:

    "Follow me."

    Junhyuk sighed. He did not want anyone to die, but he was not in a position to question Arn, yet. Also, he had seen too many people die thest time he was summoned and, at this point, watching people die did not bother him as much as it used to.

    Arn took the lead, and ten people followed him, as well as Junhyuk.

    They all went outside and saw a castle wall just likest time. Arn looked at the castle wall and looked behind himself without a second thought.

    "Don¡¯tg behind."

    After making his speech, Arn turned and took the lead. A strained Junhyuk followed him closely. Even though he had been there before and was now a novice, he couldn¡¯t let his guard down.

    This was the Dimensional Battlefield. Death was not a strange urrence.

    They went out of the castle wall. After a while, Arn ran toward a forest. Junhyuk was nervous and approached him.

    "Where are you going?"

    Arn replied curtly.

    "Follow me."

    He knew Arn¡¯s character, so he did not ask any more question and followed him, but the people following them were getting nervous. They were feeling anxious, and one of them moved forward.

    She might have been about seventeen years old. A big-eyed girl wearing thick armor came up to him and asked:

    "Are you a Korean?"

    There was no such thing as automatic interpretation on the Dimensional Battlefield. If one wanted to use automatic interpretation, one had to go to the dimensional traders and buy from them interpretation pills to swallow, but that was only possible for heroes like Arn who could afford to buy the pills. One pill cost a hundred gold, outrageous right?

    Junhyuk nodded toward the girl who spoke to him.

    "Yes."

    "Wh-where am I?

    Junhyuk looked at Arn. He was already running away from them. People were looking at the girl and Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk realized it was not a good thing to get separated from Arn. The forests had wolves and monsters, and if anyone met those things, they would not survive.

    Junhyuk had activated only one power. He could not fight the monsters in the forest by himself, so he ran toward Arn and said:

    "I will answer your questionster. Follow me for now."

    The important thing was to not get separated from Arn. Junhyuk took the lead and every one of the ten minions followed him as fast as they could.

    ---

    Junhyuk had nothing to say, for now. They were all quiet and followed him. They did not dare to ask questions to Arn, so they followed him without talking.

    They went deep inside of the forest. Arn lifted up his hand and everyone stopped running. There was a group of ten wolves in front of them.

    "Are you going to attack them?" Junhyuk asked.

    "Yes."

    "But there are ten wolves!"

    Arn nodded and said:

    "You should use your body."

    Junhyuk sighed and stepped forward.

    "Ten seconds."

    "I know."

    Junhyuk took a deep breath and ran. Sensing Junhyuk¡¯s approach, the wolves looked at him. Junhyuk knew how precious the ten seconds were, so he did notunch his field immediately.

    The wolves were the size of oxen. The biggest wolf ran and tried to bite Junhyuk. At that moment, heunched his force field. The ivory-colored light surrounded Junhyuk, and the wolf bit it, but the field did not break.

    Junhyuk held fast onto his double-edged sword and stabbed. The wolf opened his mouth wide, standing outside the field, and the double-edged sword went inside his mouth.

    Shlickt!

    Junhyuk pulled out the sword and ran again. There were six seconds left. The wolves ran toward him, and then Arn showed up.

    RRROOAAAHHH!

    Arn swung his saber, cutting all the the wolves in half. A wolf survived the attack, but Junhyuk stabbed it.

    He had be a novice, and his new double-edged sword had a higher attack power than the sword he used before. The wolf died from one stab.

    Arn looked around and said:

    "We will take a short rest."

    Junhyuk picked up the gold coins left behind by the dead wolves. He picked up four gold coins left by the two wolves he killed and saw Arn taking a seat.

    "What¡¯s your n?" He asked Arn.

    "We will cross the forest, and attack the enemy from behind."

    Junhyuk looked at the people following him.

    "With just these people?"

    "Aside from you, they can¡¯t help anyway." Arn looked over to Junhyuk and continued. "That¡¯s that. You¡¯ve worked hard."

    "I need to return alive."

    Arn knew just by looking at Junhyuk that he had trained like Arn told him to and increased his physical ability. When one increased his physical power, that would help increasing their mind power.

    If they pushed each other, they would get more power.

    "We will start in three minutes," Arn said calmly.

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk walked toward the minions. They were speechless after watching Junhyuk kill wolves that size. He looked around and said to the girl:

    "What¡¯s your name?"

    "Sarang Kim."

    Junhyuk decided to exin some things to her, at least.

    "Our bodies are now experiencing abnormal narcolepsy."

    "Abnormal narcolepsy?"

    Junhyuk Lee nodded and continued talking.

    "I don¡¯t have much time, so I will make it short. If I get another chance, I will exin some moreter. Only our souls are in this ce, the Dimensional Battlefield, and if we die our souls will disappear. Then, our bodies will be fall in aa."

    Sarang¡¯s eyes opened wide. Her eyes were already big, and, as they widened, they made her look even cuter.

    "How do you know these things?"

    "This is my second time here."

    "What?"

    Junhyuk continued calmly.

    "Focus on survival. If you stay alive you can return."

    "Is that possible?"

    "If you are lucky, you will activate your power and increase your survivability."

    "Power?"

    Junhyuk grinned, and looked at the other people.

    "Do you speak any English?"

    "I can have a short conversation."

    "Then interpret it for me. The most important thing is to stay alive in this ce. Exin it to them."

    "OK."

    Sarang stepped forward and started to exin it all to them. Some people did not understand her English, but they all understood it from her gestures.

    Meanwhile, Junhyuk walked to Arn. He looked as though he had something to say.

    "My power has evolved," Junhyuk said.

    Arn was curious.

    "How? Does itst longer? Did the interval time decrease?"

    Junhyuk extended his hand toward Arn without an answer. He thought about saving Arn.

    Arn looked at the ivory-colored protective field around himself and his eyes widened. He took out his saber and swung at it.

    The ivory-colored protective field protected against every outside attack. Both physical attacks or magical attacks, it protected against everything, but, inside the field, it was still possible to attack.

    Arn smiled for a long time.

    "You should use it well."

    "That will be nice."

    "Did you check how much distance it covers?"

    "I haven¡¯t checked that yet."

    "We will check it out on our next hunt."

    "OK."

    Arn got up and said:

    "Time to move."

    Arn spoke first, and Junhyuk looked at the minions. They had listened to the story with curiosity. It was hard to see Arn as a human, but Junhyuk had survived this hell before. They felt that if they followed him, their survival rate would increase. Their eyes beamed, and

    Junhyuk felt the pressure of their stares. He could hardly take care of himself. This was the Dimensional Battlefield, and he did not feel confident enough to help others.

    "Let¡¯s go!"

    Arn took the lead, and Junhyuk and the ten minions followed.

 Chapter 15: Jungle 3

    Chapter 15: Jungle 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Looking at the shadows of the dreary forest, Arn said:

    "It¡¯s over there."

    "We are killing that?"

    "Correct," Arn replied, and Junhyuk sighed.

    "It looks dangerous. I will need more than ten seconds."

    "I want to see your evolved power. It¡¯s an experiment."

    "The minions might die."

    "So?"

    Arn felt nothing, and looked at Junhyuk. If he hadn¡¯t been a novice at that moment, he would have received the same treatment as the minions.

    "Get ready."

    Junhyuk had seen this type of existence before. Ghouls without their flesh and specters flying over their heads. There were eight of them, and, behind them, there was a seventeen-foot golem made out of bones. Looking at the giant golem, Junhyuk asked Arn:

    "Do you have a n?"

    "I will go in, and you make a field around me. I will fight for ten seconds ande out."

    "Will you deal with the bone golem?"

    "Yes, with ten seconds, I¡¯ll get that golem."

    "What about the rest of them?"

    "That will depend on you."

    Arn stopped talking and ran forward. He stepped forward, attracting the attention of the ghouls, the specters and the bone golem. Arn lifted his hand up. It was the sign, and Junhyuk extended his hand toward Arn.

    Soon, a protective force field surrounded Arn. He felt thankful to Junhyuk, ran and swung his saber.

    The ghouls that were blocking his path were all smashed into small pieces. The problem was the specters flying in the sky. The specters realized their attacks against Arn were futile and flew toward Junhyuk.

    Without his field, fighting against specters was not easy. He had already fought against specters once before. At that time, all he had to do was make the specterse to him, and Vera took care of the rest, but now, he needed to fight them by himself.

    Junhyuk held his double-edged sword in his hand and showed quite a lot of fighting spirit. Sarang shouted:

    "Be careful!"

    Junhyuk had to buy time until Arn killed the bone golem.

    "One has to take care of his own life."

    Thus spoke Junhyuk, who stepped forward while the specters swung their huge sickles. He hit a sickle with his double-edged sword.

    ng!

    He had never swung a double-edged sword before. His position was precarious, but he had to put in a lot of energy into his swings. He had learned to tune his muscles, and now, his soul was using all he learned.

    He blocked one sickle attack from a specter, but he was not ready for the other. Junhyuk dodged the specter¡¯s attack by rolling on the ground, but one of the specters attacked the minions.

    A man swung his sword. Junhyuk¡¯s mind had been trained, and so had been his body. The man thought he could do the same as Junhyuk, but the specter got the best of him and slew him with just one strike of the sickle.

    The minion¡¯s head fell off, and Sarang screamed:

    "AHHHH!"

    Junhyuk ran to her and shouted:

    "PICK UP YOUR SHIELD!"

    Junhyuk shouted at the minions, and they shrieked in return. One of the minions picked up his shield. Another specter attacked the minions, but they used their shields.

    The shock from specter¡¯s attack knocked a man down, but he wasn¡¯t dead. Junhyuk ran toward the minions while scoping out the specters¡¯ tactics. Basically, the specters flew into the empty air.

    They flew at least thirteen feet high and, except for when they were attacking the necks of their victims, they stayed up in the air. To attack them, one had to jump high.

    Junhyuk used the speed he had gained by running, stepped on the minions¡¯ shields and jumped. He reached the flying height of the specters and swung his sword.

    sh!

    The specter did not anticipate Junhyuk could jump that high, and was attacked, but it did not die from the attack. It would take more attacks to kill a specter. So, Junhyuk turned in the air and swung his sword once more.

    sh!

    The specter died, and the other specters dispersed. One of them swung its sickle at Junhyuk. Junhyuk had already swung his sword twice in the air and was falling. There was nothing he could do.

    All he could do was scream.

    Before the specter¡¯s sickle touched the double-edged sword, the specter split in two. Junhyuk saw the saber spinning away. Arn took the flying saber and continued to deal with the bone golem. The golem had already lost an arm and his ribs were broken, but it could still mount quite an attack.

    Bang!

    Arn rolled on the ground, dodging the bone golem¡¯s attack.

    "Collect yourself!"

    Junhyuk knew Arn had just saved him and smiled at that fact. He held his double-edged sword in one hand. It was heavy, but he could still use it. Junhyuk pointed his hand toward Sarang.

    "Give me a shield!"

    "What?! O-OK."

    Sarang looked upset, but gave him the shield. Junhyuk headed toward the bone golem. The ten seconds had already passed, and there was no more field. Arn had saved him by throwing his saber and was in a bad situation.

    He knew he must give Arn another chance.

    Junhyuk ran forward and shouted:

    "I¡¯ll give you an opening!"

    "Go away!" Arn shouted as if Junhyuk made no sense, but Junhyuk was already in the bone golem¡¯s territory. The golem swung his fist at Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk held fast to his shield. He lowered himself and set his muscles. At that moment, the bone golem¡¯s fist hit the shield.

    Bang!

    His head spun. He felt like he was being torn apart.

    "Nghahh!"

    He groaned while his body flew off into a tree. The tree shook hard, and Junhyuk vomited blood. From the ground, he watched the bone golem be torn to pieces.

    Arn stood on the golem¡¯s bones and looked at what was left. He picked up the gold coins and went over to Junhyuk. Junhyuk got up while looking at Arn standing in front of him.

    "I¡¯m fine."

    Arn grabbed Junhyuk by his neck and hit him against the tree.

    Thump!

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t breathe, and his face turned red. Looking at him, Arn said coldly:

    "Do you want to die? Do you want me to kill you?"

    "N-No."

    Arn threw Junhyuk to the ground.

    "Don¡¯t be stupid. Novices don¡¯t survive because they think too highly of themselves."

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly.

    "OK."

    Arn must like him. That¡¯s why he treated him the way he did. Junhyuk got up while Arn collected the gold coins left by the dead ghouls.

    "We rest for five minutes. Then, we move."

    Junhyuk picked up the shield and walked over to Sarang. Her whole body was shaking from what she had just witnessed. Junhyuk handed the shield over to her and said:

    "Calm yourself."

    "Mister."

    Sarang took the shield with her shaking hands and Junhyukughed.

    "Call me big bro."

    "B-big bro."

    "I will tell you again, calm down. If you lose yourself, you will die," he looked at the ce where dead minion had already disappeared from and continued. "As you¡¯ve seen, I don¡¯t interfere. Concentrate on surviving. If not, you will die."

    "I understand."

    She nodded a few times profusely. Junhyuk looked at the other minions. They had a different attitude toward him now than from before.

    If it weren¡¯t for Junhyuk, they would all have died from the specters¡¯ attacks. It was him who gave them guidance.

    "You should protect your own lives."

    Junhyuk honestly knew he could not save these people with his power. He couldn¡¯t even save himself for certain, so saving others was out of reach.

    We already lost a minion.

    Sarang exined what Junhyuk had just said, and Junhyuk picked up the gold coins the specters left. There were five gold coins left by the specters. Junhyuk took them, and Sarang came over to him.

    "Ah! Big bro." Junhyuk turned around and Sarang asked. "I saw it before when you killed the wolves, what is it?"

    She was just trying to rx, or she thought if she stayed close to him she could survive, he didn¡¯t know.

    "Pure gold coins. It¡¯s the currency used in the Dimensional Battlefield."

    "What can you buy with it?"

    "Stay alive. Then, you will meet the merchants of the Dimensional Battlefield."

    "The merchants of the Dimensional Battlefield?"

    He saw Arn getting up and said:

    "Get ready. We are moving."

    Sarang picked up the shield and looked at Arn.

    "Follow me," he said.

    Arn stood in front of a river under dim light.

    "You¡¯ve experienced it. So, you know, don¡¯t you?"

    Junhyuk looked at the river and sighed.

    "Can we cross this river by ourselves?"

    "Is there anybody else here?"

    Junhyuk took a look back.

    "I¡¯m OK, but what about the minions?"

    "If they are lucky, some will survive. If not, they will be food for the antas."

    The river was under dim light, and in it lived the carnivorous fish, the anta. It was ten feet long, and it looked like a shark with wings. Thest time Junhyuk had been here, he saw antase flying from the water¡¯s surface and kill a minion. His force field had saved him at that time.

    Arn looked up the sky and said:

    "We don¡¯t have much time. Let¡¯s go."

    If Junhyuk were to exin the minions predicament to Arn, he would not have cared. Junhyuk turned and said:

    "There are monsters called antas in the river. Shield your necks and chests. You won¡¯t die from a single attack."

    "Yes."

    Sarang looked nervous and took a step. They needed to hop from one stone to another to cross the river. The stones were very dispersed, but they could still cross by using them.

    Junhyuk helped the minions cross by going after them and, maybe, he might be in a position to save them. They hopped on the stones, and then Junhyuk looked to his side.

    "Run!"

    In the poorly-lit river, an anta showed up through the water surface. Eight very pointy horns broke the surface, indicating eight antas. Junhyuk ran on the stones behind the minions and shouted:

    "Just look forward and run!"

    A minion looked to his side and froze. Junhyuk shouted at him. The minions collected themselves and began running, but there were other antas already flying above the water surface.

    Junhyuk ranst and waste. At that moment, there were ten antas flying. He couldn¡¯t just use his field.

    "G-AHHHHH!!"

    In front of him, five minions were taken by the antas and went underwater. The water¡¯s surface darkened with the dim light, and, soon, the water turned red. Junhyuk ran faster.

    An anta beat its wings and snatched Sarang.

 Chapter 16: Gangking 1

    Chapter 16: Gangking 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Sarang looked at the anta flying toward her and froze, but she soon thought about what Junhyuk had said and lifted up her shield. If she covered her neck and chest, she wouldn¡¯t die so easily.

    Bang!

    "Gh-argh!"

    The anta flew and hit Sarang. All she could do was try to stand still on the stone. The ten-foot long anta had hit her, and it wouldn¡¯t have made any sense if she were still standing there.

    Junhyuk put pressure on his thighs and crouched. The muscles were getting bigger until he jumped from the stone into the river.

    Sarang was drowning in the water after getting hit by the anta, so Junhyuk caught her. As soon as he grabbed her, he made a force field.

    Snap snap snap snap!

    Soon, there were seven antas near them. The antas wereing from the water below them, making the water rush upward. Sarang and Junhyuk were able to ride the wave made by the antas and float on the water.

    Junhyuk held Sarang and rushed toward the anta going toward him. He collide against the head of the anta and, using the shock from the collision, he was able to get back on the stepping stone.

    The antas flew toward him. Junhyuk knew he had wasted five seconds already, but there were only five stepping stones remaining.

    The problem would be that if he were to get hit by an anta, he would fall from the stepping stones even though he had his protective force field on.

    Junhyuk embraced Sarang and jumped. When he stepped on the first stepping stone, an anta flew toward him. He escaped it by ducking and jumped high.

    The antas were expecting that Junhyuk would step on the second stone and flew in from both side of the stone, but Junhyuk lowered his body and was able to jump two stepping stones at once.

    There were still two more stepping stones to go, and one second remained. Junhyuk held Sarang in his arm. He twisted his waist and threw her. She flew toward the shore, safely, without a problem, and she screamed:

    "Argh! Big bro!"

    Junhyuk focuses his mind and scoped out the movements of the antas. As the antas flew toward him, his protective force field started to dissipate. Junhyuk used a high level of concentration and escaped from the flying antas.

    He could not handle his two-handed sword well enough and did not use it to y the antas.

    He ducked to escape the flying anta and jumped toward another stepping stone. As he was about tond, an anta aimed at his ankle and flew toward it.

    Junhyuk folded his leg, hit the anta with his knee and grabbed it by its horn and spun around.

    The anta was ten feet long and weighed a lot, but Junhyuk¡¯s muscle were strong and had more energy than before, so he was able to spin the anta by its horn. Three antas collided against each other.

    Junhyuk let go of the anta he was holding and jumped on the next stepping stone. The antas sensed he might escape from them and flew in from every direction.

    There was no space for Junhyuk to escape. There were four antas flying toward him. Atst, he held fast to his two-handed sword. He couldn¡¯tpare the antas to the wolves, especially when he had to fight on stepping stones and how dangerous that is.

    Thuck, thuck!

    Then, a saber flew out and yed two antas. There were two antas remaining. Instead of swinging his sword, he jumped toward the shore with all his might.

    He rolled on the ground andy there still. He had spent too much energy spinning and throwing an anta and was now less tense and couldn¡¯t feel his body.

    A shadow appeared covering his head. Arn looked down at him without talking and turned around.

    "We will rest for 5 minutes. Then, we will move."

    Junhyuky on the ground and looked up at Arn.

    "Thank you."

    "Hm."

    Arnughed sardonically and left. Junhyuk got up slowly. Sarang came up to him and embraced him.

    "Bro! I thought we were gonna die!"

    Junhyukforted Sarang as she cried.

    "Are you hurt?"

    "I¡¯m OK."

    "That¡¯s a relief."

    In all honesty, Junhyuk had no intention to fight a group of antas even though he had a protective force field. If it had been possible, he had wanted to save everyone, but he did not have the time. In fact, if he tried to save everyone, they would all have been dead, including himself.

    He wanted to save at least one person and decided to save Sarang.

    "It¡¯s terrible! Everyone died."

    Junhyuk tapped on Sarang¡¯s armor and said:

    "You followed my instructions. That¡¯s why you are alive."

    Sarang lifted her head, and Junhyuk continued slowly.

    "You have a will to survive, and that¡¯s why you were able to use the shield and fend off the anta attack. If not, I would have been unable to save you." Sarang snivelled, and Junhyuk continued, "I already told you. You have to save your own life."

    Sarang snivelled some more and tried to stop crying. Junhyuk held both of her cheeks in his hands and looked into her eyes.

    "Do you want to go home?"

    "... Yes," Sarang replied curtly, and Junhyuk talked to her with confidence.

    "Then don¡¯t look back. Even if the only way for you to stay alive is stepping over me, you should step over me. That¡¯s the only way to survive on this merciless Dimensional Battlefield."

    Sarang looked at him vacantly and asked:

    "Did you do the same?"

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly.

    "In the beginning, I wanted to save everybody, but I learned it had been futile from the start."

    Sarang stared at him and realized everything. He had experienced everything she was experiencing now. He had already endured the panic, the same panic she was enduring now.

    She became confident that if she followed his instruction, she could also return home. She looked determined, and Junhyuk looked at her and smiled:

    "Us two. We will return."

    "OK."

    ---

    They did not encounter any more monsters in the forest. Arn looked as though he had walked this road before and was not talking. He took the lead, and both of them followed him, including Sarang who looked determined and was also not speaking.

    They had run for three straight hours, and Junhyuk sensed the air around him change. It was a war cloud. He felt the war cloud, which meant a battle was being waged.

    Arn turned back and said:

    "Let¡¯s hurry up!"

    Arn took the lead, and Junhyuk followed him. Sarang was following them carefully. She asked:

    "Why am I shivering, Bro?"

    Junhyuk looked at her.

    "We will invade a battlefield now."

    "Invade?"

    "Yes, our target is an enemy hero. We will go in and y the enemy leader, simple enough."

    "Then, we will be among enemies."

    Junhyuk nodded.

    "Correct."

    Sarang Kim was nervous. Junhyuk continued talking:

    "Anyway, prating the enemy position is up to Arn. Killing the enemy leader is also Arn¡¯s task. We only have to give him assistance while trying to stay alive."

    "We only have to try and stay alive?!"

    "Don¡¯t let go of your shield."

    She clenched her shield. Junhyuk talked to her calmly:

    "The enemy¡¯s strength is bigger than you expect. You should hold your shield tighter. If not, you might lose it."

    "OK."

    As they came close to the outskirt of the forest, they heard explosions.

    Boom, boom!

    Junhyuk asked Arn, who was ahead of him:

    "Is Vera over there?"

    "Yes, that¡¯s why we should go."

    Arn spoke and took the lead. Outside of the forest¡¯s boundary, they could see minions battling and another group, who was made of people taller than the minions.

    Vera was six feet, five inches. She threw her fireballs toward a giant man who was holding a shield. The battle took ce on a big road.

    Arn looked at Junhyuk.

    "Do you know that guy?"

    "Grangsha?"

    "Correct. When I attack him, put a force field around me."

    "Then, may we keep our distances from you?"

    Arn looked at him and said:

    "They will focus their attention on you, anyway."

    "But it¡¯s still better than being in the middle of the battlefield."

    "Do what you want."

    Arn spoke and moved. He looked like an assassin. He went behind the enemy line and crouched, then jumped up high.

    Junhyuk looked at him and talked to Sarang before going:

    "Wait here."

    After he spoke, Junhyuk ran toward Arn so that he could stay within range when he made a force field. He had to be close to Arn, since the force field could be transferred only over a short distance.

    He had to go into the battlefield.

    While running, Junhyuk saw Arning down and striking Grangsha.

    Thuk!

    "Ugh!"

    Grangsha moaned from the pain of the wound on his back while turning to face Arn and swinging his sickle. Grangsha was famous for utilizing his shield and sickle when he attacked.

    As Grangsha swung his sickle, Junhyuk made a force field around Arn.

    Thump!

    The sickle bounced off, and Arn smiled and shouted:

    "You are dead!"

    Arn swung his saber with speed, and Junhyuk looked around. The minions were all looking at him.

    The opposing minions were basically not humans. They had green skin, wore purple armor, and had wider shoulders than humans, which made them stronger. They were holding axes and went toward him.

    If Junhyuk moved, Sarang would be in danger. He knew that, so he stood his ground and walked toward the opposing minionsing toward him. He knew from thest time he had been there that the opposing minions were stronger than ordinary human minions.

    ng!

    Junhyuk struck an axe with his two-handed sword. The difference between a novice and a minion was not only power. Basically, a novice had more force.

    In the past, when an opposing minion struck his shield he felt like his arm would break, but, now, it did not feel so bad.

    Junhyuk swung his sword hard.

    Thack!

    The sword got stuck on the opposing minion¡¯s armor. Deflecting an axe gave him a false sense of his strength. He again realized he was not a hero like Arn.

    Junhyuk was surprised. Then, an opposing minion nked him and swung his axe. Junhyuk was stuck and he kicked the minion he was stuck to while trying to pull out his sword, but he didn¡¯t have enough time.

    Then, he saw a shadow in front of him.

    Bang!

    Sarang was standing in front of him. He swung his sword.

    Thuck!

    The opposing minion¡¯s head was sliced, and it sttered blood on Sarang as she held her shield up. She stood next to Junhyuk. He was proud of her, who just saved him, but it was not the time for chit-chat.

    "Step back."

    "I will protect you."

    "No, step back."

    The opposing minions advanced toward them. Junhyuk ran forward swinging his two-handed sword. He thought he shouldn¡¯t get it stuck again, and instead aimed for their weak spots.

    ng!

    He could easily parry an axe, and was really focused. As the axe bounced off his sword, he struck the neck of the minion who was holding it. As he sliced the minion¡¯s neck, other minions went toward him. Junhyuk stepped back.

    Hit and run.

    Junhyuk counted the number of opposing minions. There were other minions at the front line of battle. The opposing minions who caught Junhyuk¡¯s attention were eight.

    There had been ten of them initially. Two had died, and eight remained. Junhyuk looked at them and, holding his sword, he said:

    "Come on!"

    The opposing minions showed no fear of him. Opposing minions might get scared when facing a hero, but usually they don¡¯t care about dying.

    They had scared him in the beginning, but now they didn¡¯t. He could deal with them. Vera referred to the opposing minions as gold coins.

    "Let me earn some money!"

 Chapter 17: Gangking 2

    Chapter 17: Gangking 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The minions running toward him had not been trained. So, their attacks were not very well coordinated. Instead, they had aggressive characters, so they did not retreat.

    The minions¡¯ movements were certainly menacing. When he was a minion himself, all he could do was defend himself with a shield, but, now, he could see their movements.

    The problem was that Junhyuk had never handled a two-handed sword before.

    If Junhyuk had trained with a two-handed sword, it would have made it easier for him to deal with the minions. However, he could control his muscles and he did not require extra training to use his skills like before, and since his strength and speed overwhelmed the minions, all he had to do was remain calm.

    nk!

    He parried an axe of a rushing minion and, using its rebound force, he stabbed his opponent¡¯s neck. Junhyuk remembered that his sword had gotten stuck once before, so he attacked with speed and precision.

    The minion grabbed his open neck and soon fell to the ground. Junhyuk stepped back.

    ng!

    The axe fell where he had been standing. Junhyuk saw the axe get stuck on the ground and stepped forward quickly and stabbed at another one with his sword, but minions were not stupid.

    The minion standing to the side of Junhyuk parried him. He did not challenge the minion who parried his sword and stepped back again.

    He wanted the gold coins from killing them, but he also didn¡¯t want to die. The two minions were only worth one gold coin. If he continued to fight them, he could get hurt or end up dead, and it would be a mistake.

    So, Junhyuk did not push himself further.

    As the minions watched Junhyuk step back, their spirits rose. It looked as though Junhyuk had a superior power to the minions, but as the minions pushed him away, they got excited, and Junhyuk calmed himself down.

    There were seven minions left, and they swung their axes at him, and, as he escaped their blows, his confidence grew. Their movements could not escape his eyes, and he was extremely focused and able to dodge their attacks at that moment.

    All he did was parry their attacks with his sword and stab when he saw an opening in their defenses, but he was delivering deadly blows. The number of minions decreased quickly. Junhyuk looked at the remaining three minions. Then, he heard Arn¡¯s voice:

    "Are you not finished yet?"

    As they listened to Arn, the minions became stiff with fear. Even though they were aggressive, they had their limits. In front of Arn, they were like frogs in front of a snake.

    Junhyuk looked at their frozen faces and stepped forward with a bitter smile. A swing is a big motion and may create an opening for the enemy, but a stab is not a big motion. However, when stabbing, he had to aim at the enemy¡¯s weak spot. If not, he might not hurt his enemy.

    Still, he was showing a high level of concentration, so he stabbed at the remaining minions¡¯ necks and sheathed his two-handed sword.

    "What happened to Grangsha?

    "He is dead, of course."

    Arn showed his antique-styled bracelet and said:

    "I dropped something expensive."

    "How much did it cost?"

    "This? 32000 gold coins."

    "You must not be feeling well."

    Vera appeared from Arn¡¯s back and said:

    "Not feeling well? Do you know what he lost?"

    When minions died, they fell into aa state in their worlds. When a soul died, its body did not wake up, but heroes like Arn and Vera were different. They reincarnated even if they died in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    Instead, they lost things they¡¯d bought with their gold coins, and that¡¯s why they didn¡¯t die and they killed.

    Vera went over to Junhyuk, opened her arms and gave him a big hug. Vera was so tall that his head was buried in her chest, making him unable to breath. He wriggled, and sheughed.

    "Has your power evolved?"

    "Yes, now let me go!"

    Vera let go of Junhyuk and said:

    "For a novice, you are doing your part."

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly.

    "What are you going to do?"

    Vera looked behind her.

    "Let¡¯s leave this battlefield. News of this battle is already spreading."

    Vera looked at Arn.

    "They must¡¯ve found out about Arn¡¯s ganking*. They will being here soon in massive numbers, so let¡¯s move."

    "I understand."

    Junhyuk also wanted to move away from that ce. He picked up the gold coins on the ground, and Vera looked at him and said:

    "By the way, looks like you¡¯ve practiced the things that Arn taught you."

    "I want to return alive this time as well."

    Vera smiled and looked at Sarang.

    "Hm. Who is this child?"

    "We ganked together. She is a minion."

    Vera went over to Sarang. Sarang was five feet, two inches, and Vera was six feet, five inches. Sarang looked up, and Vera curved over her. Vera looked into Sarang¡¯s eyes and said:

    "You are a child with skill."

    Junhyuk was surprised.

    "Can she be a novice?" He asked her.

    "No," Vera shook her head and continued. "Did you know there are many kinds of minions?"

    "Like the minions on towers who are archers and ordinary minions?"

    "Correct. There is one more kind of minion. They are very rare." Vera took out a cane from her robe. "What is your name?"

    Sarang looked at Junhyuk. He nodded and she answered carefully:

    "Sarang Kim."

    "I am Vera. Take this."

    "What¡¯s this?"

    Sarang took the cane with care, and Vera stared at her and said:

    "Focus on this."

    There was a jewel on top of the cane. Sarang looked at it and concentrated, but nothing happened. Vera ced her hand on Sarang¡¯s head.

    "Focus again."

    Sarang focused her mind, and the jewel on top of the cane began to glow. Vera stood behind her and touched her shoulders.

    "Do you feel the stored energy?"

    "Yes."

    "Try throwing it. Target that tree."

    Sarang could not think of an answer. She only thought about throwing the energy against the tree. She was holding the cane, and a frozen light the size of a fist flew off and hit the tree.

    Thunk!

    The noise died off, and a scar the size of a fist was left on the tree from the collision. Junhyuk was surprised and asked:

    "What is that?"

    Vera rested her head on Sarang¡¯s head and replied:

    "This child is a magician minion."

    Junhyuk had only met ordinary minions carrying swords and shields. The archers stayed on the towers and castles, and he had never seen a magician minion and had never thought about it.

    Sarang was surprised at what she had done.

    Vera rested her elbows on Sarang¡¯s head and looked at Junhyuk.

    "This child, do you know her?"

    "We came here together."

    She was the only surviving minion from his group and she was also Korean. Vera looked at Junhyuk and said with a smile:

    "Even though she is a magician minion, she can only use basic energy bolts. So, may I teach her more things?"

    Arn looked at Vera with a nk stare.

    "What¡¯se over you?"

    "You¡¯ve taught Junhyuk well. I want to teach someone of my own."

    "His force has increased since he became a novice. The things I taught him cannot help him yet. I only taught him how to use his body, and I did not teach him swordsmanship."

    Veraughed aloud and replied:

    "I only n to teach her how to handle mana. We will be moving together, so it¡¯s the least I can do."

    "Can she survive?"

    Vera looked at Junhyuk and said:

    "Junhyuk will protect her."

    Sarang raised her wide eyes and looked at Junhyuk. He smiled. He was not in a position to help others, but he had to give an answer.

    "I will do my best."

    Vera hugged Sarang from behind.

    "Anyway, magician minions do not go to the front. There are so many minions already for the front line."

    There were only fifteen minions left of those who had fought the battle with Vera, but they could still make barricades.

    If it had been the first battle for these minions, they would not know how to make barricades, but these minions were different. They had already been in a battle for survival and they knew how to use their shields.

    Vera pped her hands and said:

    "Let¡¯s go. We should move away from this ce."

    Arn took the lead.

    "We will go back to that forest."

    "Again?" Junhyuk asked, surprised. Arn smiled.

    "This time we will trap them."

    After he spoke, Arn moved and Junhyuk followed him. Vera had her arm around Sarang¡¯s shoulder and walked behind them.

    There were also fifteen minions following the lead.

    He could empathize with the minions. Junhyuk was d Vera had liked Sarang. After he had activated his power, his other skills also went up. He could overwhelm the minions. Also, Arn had taught him well.

    If Vera taught Sarang well, her survival rate would surely go up.

    They walked for seven hours without rest, and came to a stop. It was a ce full of reeds. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t tell what kind of nt it was, but its height was over ten feet. He couldn¡¯t even see Arn¡¯s head above them.

    Arn walked between the nts, and everyone else walked behind him. Taking a ce in the middle of the reeds, he took a seat and said:.

    "We will rest here."

    "How long do we have?"

    Vera answered in Arn¡¯s ce:

    "This is a shortcut to the Valley of Death. If they move quickly, they wille this way. We will trap them here."

    They nned to do a surprise attack in that ce, and Junhyuk nodded. He sat up and collected his breath. Meanwhile, Vera exined many things to Sarang. She also showed Sarang a few things.

    Arn had taught Junhyuk how to treat each part of his muscles, and, now, Vera was teaching Sarang the basics of magic. Junhyuk wondered if Sarang would be able to use her magic once she returned to her dimension.

    Junhyuk looked at them, and Arn asked him:

    "How many gold coins do you have?"

    Junhyuk counted the gold coins in his pockets and replied:

    "I already had 780G and, from hunting and killing minions, I collected 19G. That makes it 799G."

    Arn shook his head in opposition.

    "Last time, how many gold coins did you collect?"

    "About 80G."

    "Where did you get the rest of the gold?"

    "I don¡¯t know."

    Arn looked at the minions and said:

    "When the heroes died, did yound an attack?"

    "Yes."

    "It depends on your contribution based on your level. You are a novice, and benefitse with it."

    "Really?"

    "Yes, heroes go after each other because of the equipment. When you help, you get paid with pure gold."

    "That¡¯s why I have more than I thought."

    "Yes. Last time, you barely touched them, so you did not get paid much, but this time you were able to help me, so your contribution went up. You will collect a lot more coins this time."

    Junhyuk asked:

    "How much?"

    Then, Vera told Sarang to practice on her own and went to them. Vera heard their conversation and said:

    "It depends on your contribution and on your level. If you take a decisive role in killing an enemy you can get paid 500G, but you only helped out, so it will be between 200 to 300 coins."

    Vera sat next to Junhyuk and continued:

    "Is that about over 1000G?"

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk looked at Arn and asked:

    "You can buy useful things with 1000G, right?"

    "Correct."

    Arn unwrapped the sash around his waist. There was jewelry inside the sash, and Arn looked at it and said:

    "You will be able to buy one piece of jewelry in here."

    Junhyuk was impressed. He already knew what it meant to own one piece of the jewelry.

    Dimensional merchants sold it. Each piece carried power that enhanced and empowered the level of the piece¡¯s owner. It was a chance to enhance his survival rate, and there was no reason to hold on to gold coins.

    ------

    Ganking - To kill, ambush, or defeat with little effort; used in online games.

 Chapter 18: Dimensional Merchants 1

    Chapter 18: Dimensional Merchants 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Hiding in a bush while thinking about many things, Arn covered his mouth with his hand. Everyone was holding their breaths and heard footsteps from far away.

    Junhyuk felt anxious. The noise from the footsteps was loud, at least ten people. He guessed one of them had to be a hero like Arn.

    Junhyuk held his breath and picked up his two-handed sword.

    Arn went over to him and whispered in his ear:

    "Vera will start, and, when I attack, put a protective force field around me."

    Junhyuk did not answer and, instead, nodded his head.

    Vera looked at them in their eyes and said:

    "They are within range."

    "Wait a little bit more."

    Arn looked at the minions.

    "When Vera starts, you will make a wall. The enemy cannot break through."

    Those minions had experienced a battle and had changed. Their eyes were beaming, and they acknowledged the order by nodding. Arn gave a sign, and Vera extended her hands.

    On top of her hands, five fireballs appeared. The fireballs flew through the bush and exploded in the the enemy¡¯s frontline. Vera ran forward and shouted:

    "Attack!"

    As Vera shouted, the minions followed her. Junhyuk tried to follow the minions who all had their shields up, but Arn stopped him.

    Arn shook his head. He meant to say it was not the time, yet. Junhyuk waited, holding on to his sword. The minions screamed and died in front of him.

    Sarang could not move forward and was sitting next to Junhyuk. Arn looked at her and said:

    "Use your magic on that tall guy. Aim for his head. It won¡¯t be effective, but you will draw his attention."

    Junhyuk¡¯s expression hardened. Drawing a hero¡¯s attention meant death. He did not have time to say anything, however, because Arn ran ahead.

    Junhyuk followed him with all his might. In the area where the reed bushes ended, Arn jumped to engage the werewolf that was attacking Vera.

    The werewolf broke through Vera¡¯s magic and moved forward. It had already been hurt by the magic, but was preparing an attack using its ws.

    The ws were three feet long, and the werewolf targeted Arn as hended.

    Suddenly, an ivory-colored light force field protected Arn.

    ng!

    The werewolf¡¯s ws bounced off, and Arn¡¯s saber shed the werewolf¡¯s leg. It bled profusely, and Arn¡¯s saber moved quickly.

    sh, sh!

    The werewolf vomited blood, stepped back and his eyes turned red.

    Hoooowl!

    Strangely, it howled in the middle of a battle, but, because of that howl, everyone froze.

    The minions who were making the barricade became stiff, and the opposing minions used their axes on the shields and aimed for the minions¡¯ necks.

    Arn was swinging his saber against the werewolf with a lot of force, but the red-eyed werewolf did not fall easily.

    The werewolf was healing quickly, and Arn¡¯s expression soured. Soon, ten seconds would pass. It didn¡¯t look like he could kill the werewolf within that time frame.

    Arn moved back, lowered his body and shouted:

    "Vera!"

    As the werewolf chased Arn, a fire wall appeared in front of it. The werewolf shed at it with his ws and was able to cut through. The fire did not keep the werewolf from trying to move forward. It was running on its four legs and getting closer as the force field around Arn started disappearing.

    The force field had bothered the werewolf, but it was now disappearing, and the werewolf meant to finish off Arn. Suddenly, an energy bolt hit the werewolf¡¯s face.

    Phump!

    It was hit with an energy bolt, but the destructive force was so small that the werewolf ignored it and attacked. However, it had stopped for a moment, and that made a big difference.

    Arn took a big step and swung his saber. The werewolf jumped, and if it hadn¡¯t jumped, it would have been sliced through his waist.

    Still, Arn¡¯s attack had been decisive. The saber cut both of the werewolf¡¯s legs. The werewolf staggered, and Arn threw his saber.

    Thuck!

    Even in that situation, the werewolf parried the saber using its arms, but, as the werewolf blocked the saber, Vera¡¯s fireballs hit it.

    Boom!

    The werewolf was hit on its chest and fell. Arn took his saber and cut the werewolf¡¯s neck. The werewolf¡¯s head fell on the ground, and Arn picked it up. The werewolf looked at Arn with its red eyes and Arn said, smiling:

    "Warren, go in peace."

    "You won¡¯t get away with this."

    After the werewolf spoke, the head disappeared slowly. Arn looked at the disappearing head when Vera said:

    "Don¡¯t waste time!"

    Arn looked at the remaining opposing minions.

    "Only the weak remain."

    Arn smiled and looked scary. The opposing minions became stiff, and Junhyuk showed up like a shadow and began to cut their heads.

    "He wants the money," Arn said whileughing.

    Vera was no longer angry. She went over to Sarang and said:

    "Aim for their heads. Your energy bolt cannot prate armors, yet."

    She had hit the head of the werewolf without inflicting any wound, so she knew how small her power was. Then, she hit a minion running toward Junhyuk with her energy bolt.

    Thuck!

    A hero could survive that energy bolt, but the minion dropped dead. The minion¡¯s head burst open, and Sarang stiffened. Vera put her arm around her shoulder and said:

    "They are not human, so don¡¯t feel guilty."

    Sarang felt better after hearing that from Vera. They were trying to kill her, and they had green skin. They weren¡¯t human.

    Sarang used her energy bolt again.

    ---

    The fallen minions disappeared and left gold coins behind. They dropped one coin each. Junhyuk picked up ten coins and looked at Sarang.

    She had killed three minions.

    In the beginning, there had been fifteen minions, and Junhyuk took care of ten of them, Sarang killed three minions, and the remaining two were struck down by Vera¡¯s magic.

    "Pick them up," Junhyuk told her.

    He could not pick up coins left by minions killed by another person. She went over, picked up her three gold coins and asked:

    "Where can I use them?"

    "When you meet a dimensional merchant."

    She knew some things, but she wanted a more detailed exnation. Sarang tried to ask Junhyuk again, and he told her calmly:

    "We are going to where they are, so you can see for yourself."

    "OK."

    Arn picked up the things left behind by Warren. He looked at a ne with a jewel stuck to it and tossed it to Vera.

    Vera took it and grinned.

    "It doesn¡¯t look pretty," he said.

    "Yeah, it¡¯s ugly enough to make me cry," she replied.

    Arn looked at his group and said:

    "We will go to the dimensional merchants and we will rest there."

    "Yes," they answered.

    Junhyuk looked at the remaining survivors. During the battle that just took ce, many people were frozen by Warren¡¯s howl. Only six of the fifteen minions survived. There was no guarantee that the remaining minions would survive another battle.

    Junhyuk looked at Sarang. It was a relief that Vera would always apany her. Arn had taught him without true effort, and he had to survived fatal situations on his own. After the battles, Arn would exin what happened.

    However, Vera was different. Vera exined the things that Sarang was curious about and enabled her to use her magic more efficiently.

    Sarang had forgotten about the minions she killed and concentrated on what Vera had to say.

    In the beginning, Junhyuk also got all exnations from Vera. He could understand Vera and Arn had different personalities.

    They moved quickly through a road in the forest. They had trapped their enemies, but other enemies might still trap them. They had to move fast to avoid any dangerous situations.

    They walked for a long time. The forest road ended, and they saw a huge mirror. The mirror reflected the forest. If they didn¡¯t know better, they would have thought it was a part of the forest, and not a portal to the dimensional merchants.

    Arn stood in front of the mirror.

    "Let¡¯s go in."

    Arn went in first, and the minions held their breaths. Vera pushed Junhyuk¡¯s back.

    "You first."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk took a deep breath and stepped toward the mirror. He felt really tired when he arrived at that ce for the first time. It was like breaking through the surface of water, only the other side was a different world.

    When he went there for the first time, his expectations were high, but, as soon as he entered, his excitement was gone.

    There was a worn out store with a man who looked like a yeti. The yeti was wearing sses. He was the merchant, and his name was Bebe.

    The yeti was talking to Arn, and Arn said as Junhyuk entered:

    ¡¯Bebe, show him your wares."

    Bebe looked at Junhyuk. Since he was a yeti, he was thirteen feet tall and had really big eyes. His eyes shone like obsidian, and he looked at Junhyuk.

    "You are a novice. Did you earn some gold coins?"

    Junhyuk ced his gold coins on the table. He put down twenty-nine gold coins, and Bebe stared at him.

    "Do you want to buy candy? You could buy candy for that price."

    Arnughed.

    "Stop ying."

    Bebe fixed his sses and pushed a small te forward.

    "Put your hand on it."

    Junhyuk put his hand on it, and a number appeared: 1230G. Bebe looked at the number.

    "For a novice, you have a lot of money," Bebe said as he pulled out some books from his chest. "But there isn¡¯t much you can buy with it."

    Bebe opened a book. On the pages, the things that he could buy from the dimensional merchant appeared.

    The descriptions were innguages he couldn¡¯t understand, so he looked at Arn. Arn shrugged.

    Bebe pointed to a pill and said:

    "If you take this pill you will be able understand everynguage used here. The price is 100G."

    "Isn¡¯t it too expensive?"

    "If you don¡¯t like it, then don¡¯t buy it."

    Bebe looked confident. Junhyuk looked at Arn, who said calmly:

    "Take the pill. It¡¯s not that expensive."

    He needed to kill one hundred minions to earn 100G. Arn was saying that it wasn¡¯t that expensive.

    Junhyuk worried for a moment and asked.

    "Earth alone has thousands ofnguages. How manynguages are there in here?"

    Bebe smiled. The yeti gave him the creeps with his smile because he was so big, but the yeti¡¯s eyes were also big, so he did not scare him that much.

    "It¡¯s not that expensive. All dimensions have tens of thousands ofnguages. If you take this pill, you will be able to read, write, speak and understand all of them. It¡¯s only 100G."

    Junhyuk sighed. If he could read, write and speak allnguages on Earth, it was worth the 100G.

    Junhyuk nodded, and Bebe pushed the te toward him.

    "Put your hand on it."

    As he put his hand on it, the number decreased from 1230G to 1130G. Bebe ced the pill on Junhyuk¡¯s hand.

    "Take it."

    Junhyuk stared calmly at the pill on his hand. It was worth the lives of one hundred minions. He closed his eyes and swallowed the pill.

 Chapter 19: Dimensional Merchants 2

    Chapter 19: Dimensional Merchants 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Right when he swallowed the pill, he heard a noise, and the minions showed up. Vera and Sarang were thest ones to appear.

    He could understand what they were saying. It was interesting because even if they spoke English he heard Korean. Vera looked at Junhyuk, smiled and said:

    "Did they force you to buy anything?"

    Junhyuk shrugged.

    "I had no choice," he answered.

    Vera turned and looked at Arn.

    "Does he have anything good?" she asked.

    "No, I have to earn more to buy what I want."

    "You might get hurt if you don¡¯t buy anything. Aren¡¯t you always saving to buy something expensive?"

    "What do you see me as?" Arn asked and nced at Junhyuk. "Also, because of him, it¡¯s like I have an additional power."

    "You¡¯re right."

    Junhyuk paid no attention to their conversation and searched the book endlessly. The pages were filled with things that cost less than 1000G, and there must¡¯ve been hundreds of them.

    The book worked liked a smartphone, and the product descriptions extended in front of him. He read, and flipped with his finger to the next item There were a lot of things he could only use once, but he wanted something more permanent. He turned the pages quickly and stopped at the jewels¡¯ listings.

    There were strange inscriptions inside the beautiful jewels. He could understand the word runestone, but didn¡¯t understand how a runestone could be different by how it was made, and there was no exnation even though he swallowed the pill.

    Junhyuk only understood the description.

    Runestone with lowest power.

    [A person carrying it doubles his power. Limited to carrying ten runestones. If exchanging for a higher-level runestone, one needs three stones.]

    He read the instructions, but still did not understand what they meant.

    "What does it mean by ¡¯doubles his power¡¯?" Junhyuk asked.

    Bebe pointed to the minions and said:

    "Do you see the minions over there? Their power average is one."

    "What?"

    The yeti meant to say that if he carried a runestone, he would be able to have two times the strength of a minion! Surprised, Junhyuk listened, and Bebe continued with his exnation:

    "The lowest runestone¡¯s increment is two. The low runestone¡¯s increment is five. The middle runestone¡¯s increment is twelve. The high runestone¡¯s increment is twenty-five, and the highest runestone¡¯s increment is sixty. Of course, the price increases by three times as the quality of the rune increases."

    "Can you carry ten of the highest runestones?"

    "Of course."

    If he carried a highest level runestone, it would increase his power by 600 times. Of course, it would cost more. The highest runestone cost 81000G.

    It required an enormous amount of money.

    Bebe looked at him and said:

    "Heroes can only carry the highest level jewels. There is a limit of ten ording to each color, and a hero can carry up to thirty jewels."

    Junhyuk suddenly felt a surge of respect for Arn and Vera. At the very least, they had to have 2,430,000G to be fully stocked, and they both were.

    Junhyuk appraised the condition of the runestone. Red stones had attacking boosts, yellow stones had defensive boosts. Blue stones had to do with magic, so they had no meaning to him.

    As he made his appraisals of the runestones, he asked Arn:

    "Arn, what kind of runestones do you carry?"

    "The highest level red runestones. I enjoy killing by crushing."

    It had to fit one¡¯s character. Junhyuk thought about his fight with the minions. He carried a two-handed sword, but hecked power, so he could only attack the weak spots on their necks. That way, he wouldn¡¯t be get hurt, and it had been easy to take them down. He was thinking about it when Arn went over and said:

    "A man needs power."

    "Is that right?"

    Vera looked at Junhyuk.

    "If you want to stay alive, concentrate on defense. That¡¯s not a bad idea, right? If your defense doubles, you won¡¯t die from a minion¡¯s attack."

    He was interested in what Vera had just said.

    "If you are just defending your skin, you already have the force field," Arn said, and Junhyuk looked back at him.

    In any case, he had put the force field around Arn, and he was the one to deal with the minions. Junhyuk¡¯ worried for a moment.

    "If I double my power, can I slice through a minion¡¯s armor?"

    Arn nodded.

    "Of course, but if that minion has a defensive rune, you can¡¯t."

    Junhyuk thought for a moment. He would be more offensive if he could crush the enemies¡¯ armor. He was not too worried about defense since he could easily sense the enemies¡¯ movements.

    Also, Arn¡¯s speech lingered in his ear.

    "A man needs strength. I will get this."

    Junhyuk pointed to a runestone for strength, and Vera lost interest and shrugged as she returned to Sarang. Sarang could not understand what was happening in that ce and was busy looking around.

    Junhyuk picked out what he would buy, and Bebe pushed the te forward.

    "Here."

    Junhyuk ced his hand on the te, and the 1130G decreases to 130G. The 1000G meant that 1000 minions had died. He thought that the stone would only double his strength and he was not feeling so good about the price, but that was the only marketce.

    Bebe smiled and gave him a red runestone. He felt a strange energying from the stone and stared at it. Bebe asked him:

    "You bought it, so do you want me to put it on? Instation is free, but taking it off costs money."

    "Costs money?"

    "It takes a lot of energy to take a stone off. To take one off costs 50G."

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t keep his mouth closed at that price. Bebe smiled and looked at him.

    "Instation is free. Where is your socketed item for attaching runestones?"

    An item? It was the first time he heard about it. Junhyuk looked at Arn, and Arn told Bebe:

    "It¡¯s his first time making a purchase, so he doesn¡¯t have it."

    "What? You didn¡¯t tell him? You can¡¯t wear a runestone on without a socketed item to attach it to."

    Junhyuk frowned. He felt like he had beenpletely duped and sighed.

    "How much does a socketed item cost?"

    Bebe closed the endless book at once.

    "First, I will tell you more about runestones," Bebe exined gently as he rested his elbows on the book. "Regardless of the level, there are three kinds of runestones with different instation procedures. You need to install the first one correctly to carry a second one."

    "They have to be installed differently ording to their colors?"

    "Correct. You learn fast," Bebe continued calmly. "I¡¯ve already told you about the stone levels, so I should tell you about socketed items."

    Bebe opened the book slowly. The pages spread and images appeared above them. Bebe continued: "As you can see, the socketed itemse with space for wearing at least three colors with at least a three-time increase. At most, you can have thirty runestones, and the socketed item could enhance your runestone¡¯s strength."

    "Enhance the runestone¡¯s strength?"

    "Of course! The lowest level socketed item has no enhancing capabilities, but the highest level socketed item increases the runestone¡¯s strength by fifty percent."

    Fifty percent was a very high number. It would be very expensive.

    In any case, he only had 130G and 29G in the bag in his chest. Junhyuk ced all the gold coins on the table.

    "What can I buy with this?"

    Bebeughed hard.

    "Ha-ha-ha-ha! With 159G you can¡¯t even buy the lowest level socketed item. The cheapest item is 200G."

    If he hadn¡¯t taken thenguage pill, he would¡¯ve been able to purchase a socketed item. He felt that Bebe was being spiteful. Junhyuk was looking at Bebe when someone dropped 41G on the table. He looked at the dropped coins and turned to see Arn. Arn did not look back at him, but said:

    "It¡¯s my fault. I did not exin it all to you, so I will lend you that sum. Pay me backter."

    "Thank you."

    Junhyuk sighed, relieved, and looked at Bebe. Bebe pushed a pendant forward. The pendant had three sockets where one could ce jewels. Junhyuk ced his runestone in a socket.

    It wasn¡¯t asplicated as he had expected. All he had to do was drop the runestone in the hole.

    Bebe pulled out a leather string,ced the pendant and gave it to Junhyuk.

    "I will say it again, you cannot remove the runestone out there. If you force it and try to remove it, you will break the stone, soe back here to do it."

    "I understand."

    Junhyuk put the pendant around his neck. As he put it on, the stone glowed. Then, the glow disappeared. He could feel his strength increase after he put it on.

    Junhyuk made a fist with his hand. He could feel the energy on his fist. When he became a novice, he became stronger than the minions, but it could not bepared to what he was feeling at that moment. He could use his two-handed sword to slice minions.

    Arn looked at Vera.

    "Do you need to buy anything?"

    "No, but I will sell this."

    Vera was holding a jeweled ne. Warren had left it behind when he died. She gave it to Bebe and asked.

    "How much will you give me for it?"

    "Let me see. Warren bought this just a short while ago. He won¡¯t be too happy about this."

    "It¡¯s like that. How much?"

    "He bought it for 73000G. I will give you 36500G."

    "Fine. Deal."

    Bebe pushed the te forward. Vera ced her hand on it, and Bebe spoke while operating the te:

    "Don¡¯t you need new equipment? It¡¯s about time."

    "I need to save some more. If I get it, I will rampage and devastate everything."

    "If you are lucky, just one. If you are unlucky, you¡¯ll need to catch two heroes."

    "Yes."

    Vera stopped talking and looked at Arn.

    "What is your situation?"

    "I need to kill just one more hero."

    "You have something from Grangsha. Didn¡¯t you sell it?"

    "I will just use it myself."

    "If you can, you should."

    Vera turned and looked at the minions.

    "Does anyone have another 50G?"

    The minions did not speak one word. They did not even know about the gold coins, and the surviving minions did not have that kind ofrge sum of money.

    "You can¡¯t even afford the lowest level potion, so you have no business here. Let¡¯s go out."

    Junhyuk asked carefully:

    "Can¡¯t we rest here a little longer?"

    "No. This ce has a different flow of time from outside, but the difference is notrge. We shouldn¡¯t waste time here when we can hunt outside," Arn said coldly.

    "If you want to pay me back, you should work hard."

    "I will work hard."

    He did not expect that Arn would lend him the gold coins. In any case, he needed to pay Arn back. Junhyuk thought about how to pay him back.

    Arn and Vera prepared to go outside when Junhyuk asked:

    "What is our next n?"

    Vera answered him with a smile:

    "If we were sessful with our ganking, we were supposed to meet with Numara."

    "Numara came this time?"

    "Of course. Right about now, Numara should be fighting hard at the watchtower."

    "Who is the opposing enemy?"

    "Ellic, probably?"

    After hearing Ellic¡¯s name, Junhyuk got angry.

    "The same Ellic who is angry at me?"

    "Ha-ha-ha, correct. That Ellic who tried to kill you and got himself killed."

    He had survived because of his ten-second force field, but he still remembered Ellic¡¯s furious eyes.

    When Ellic targeted an enemy, he was crazy enough not to care about his own death in order to kill that enemy.

    When the heroes were fighting in the frontline, Junhyuk stepped forward, and Ellic chased him for ten seconds and got killed. Junhyuk thought about him.

 Chapter 20: Dimensional Merchants 3

    Chapter 20: Dimensional Merchants 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    After they left the trading post, they moved quickly. If they had encountered heroes from the opposing side while in the forest, it could have been dangerous. They were not trying to set up a trap, so they had to face their enemies in the frontline. If the opposing side was in fewer numbers, it would be okay, but, if it the enemies outnumbered them, then they would get killed.

    Arn and Vera took the lead and sped up, and the rest of the group spoke less and moved quickly. They also realized the precarious situation they were in.

    As he followed the lead, Junhyuk became impressed with their senses. The sky had no markings to tell directions, yet the heroes always moved quickly.

    As they followed the lead, Sarang did not speak, but then she called him:

    "Big brother."

    Junhyuk turned, and Sarang looked around and asked:

    "By the way, when will it end?"

    "I¡¯ve told you. We have to win."

    "What do we have to do in order for us to win?"

    Junhyuk thought it over and answered:

    "We have to destroy their watchtower and castle."

    "How long does it take?"

    "Last time, it took a month."

    Sarang stiffened. She worried about whether she could survive for a month while being so drained.

    Junhyuk whispered to her:

    "Since you are a magician minion, don¡¯t step forward, protect yourself with a shield and attack when you see an opening. Your power works well against enemy minions."

    "OK."

    "I don¡¯t know what Vera taught you, but you should think about it over and over."

    Sarang nodded. Vera had taught her how to enhance her magical power, and she should think about it. She was ovee by the emotions surrounding her, but she reminded herself of what Vera had taught her.

    Junhyuk stopped talking and contemted the changes in his body. He had exercised his muscles, making himself stronger, and now he carried a runestone and became even more powerful.

    His strength depended on his item, but he wanted to keep that strength. He prepared his muscles and moved fast.

    At the end of the forest, there was a river glistening softly.

    Junhyuk stiffened while Arn said:

    "You first."

    Arn allowed the minions to cross first, and Junhyuk was relieved. They did not know about the existence of antas, so they took big steps on the stepping stones.

    As if they¡¯d been waiting, the antas showed up, but, this time, Arn stepped forward. Arn ran and swung his saber, and the antas fell into small pieces.

    Arn had to be thinking that he needed to save as many minions as possible. Junhyuk turned to Sarang.

    "Don¡¯t worry and cross."

    "OK."

    He remembered thest time, how they had lost all minions, but, this time, Arn took care of business. He was relieved. They crossed the stepping stones carefully, and Vera stepped behind Sarang and spoke to Junhyuk:

    "Are you OK?"

    "Yes."

    It would only take ten seconds if he was crossing alone. Junhyuk looked at the others crossing and stepped on the stepping stones.

    Arn had ughtered the antas and was already on other side of river.

    The dead antas¡¯ blood spread across the river, bringing in more antas. Junhyuk jumped before the antas could get to him. The antas flew toward him, but he had already crossed the river.

    Junhyuk looked behind him and saw the antas bustling over the stepping stones. He did not have to use his power and was relieved.

    "We move."

    Since they¡¯d crossed the river, they were in allied territory. There were no boundaries in the forest, but the enemy did not cross into allied territory easily. If the enemy had, they would be met by their troops and would be unable to escape.

    When Arn made his surprise attack, it had been sessful, and they had gained a lot, but they had also risked many lives.

    They moved quickly inside the forest. Monsters showed up from time to time, but Arn and Vera killed them easily. Then, Arn and Vera motioned to make them stop.

    The group stopped, and Arn scoped out what was taking ce outside of the forest.

    "As expected, they are in the middle of a fight."

    Arn looked at the group.

    There were six minions, the magician minion Sarang, and Junhyuk. Arn calmly exined the situation:

    "Ellic and Grangsha are attacking the watchtower."

    It was possible for heroes to reincarnate, and they were already there.

    "Nudra is holding off their attacks, but it does not look easy. We go in right now."

    Arn looked at Junhyuk:

    "Ellic is there. I will fight him. When I start the fight with Ellic, put a force field around me."

    "I understand."

    Arn wanted to deal with Ellic instead of letting Junhyuk do it, there was no reason for him to turn Arn down. Arn looked at Vera.

    "We will deal with Ellic first. Nudra can handle Grangsha."

    Vera looked out and said:

    "We should move quickly. They might be hiding somewhere."

    "I know. We move at full speed."

    Arn was thinking about dealing with Ellic first by using Junhyuk¡¯s force field. He looked at the group and said:

    "Minions, move when we move and attack the opposing minions around the watchtower."

    "Understood!"

    After he spoke, Arn pulled out two sabers and said:

    "I¡¯m going."

    Arn left the forest, and Junhyuk followed him. As soon as he got out of the forest, Arn jumped up and fell on Ellic¡¯s head.

    Klung!

    Arn¡¯s saber and Ellic¡¯s hammer shed against each other, and, at that moment, Junhyuk enclosed Arn with his force field. They fought each other. Vera stepped forward and shouted:

    "Attack!"

    The minions ran forward, and Junhyuk joined them. He had a lowest level runestone, but he was not worried about the opposing minions.

    "I will earn 41G."

    After he made the forcefield, he could not use his power. Only his physical prowess remained.

    Junhyuk ran toward the opposing minions and saw his own minions encountering the opposing forces.

    ng!

    The minions were used to using their shields, so no minion died from the first attack. Junhyuk took the right nk and attacked the enemies.

    Before an opposing minion had the chance to react, Junhyuk stabbed him through his neck and stepped back. He did not stop there and stepped forward.

    Junhyuk saw an opposing minion holding an axe turn around to face him, and he held on to his runestone and swung his sword.

    ng!

    The minion could not stand the pressure of his sword and the axe went down. Junhyuk stepped forward and swung his sword.

    Craaaack!

    He was able to slice through the enemy¡¯s armor, but if he kept using his strength that way, he would get tired soon.

    The enemy minions concentrated their attention on Junhyuk as he stepped back. The enemies let out battle cries and attacked him, but his own minions defended him with their shields. It was more like Junhyuk had gone behind the shield wall, rather than his minions stepping forward.

    An energy bolt flew by and smashed an enemy minion¡¯s head.

    Junhyuk realized Sarang was giving him support and stepped forward.

    There were twenty enemy minions.

    Arn and Vera were fighting Ellic, but Ellic was so strong he did not fall so easily.

    That meant the remaining enemy minions were the responsibility of the eight remaining people.

    Junhyuk tried harder. He saw an enemy minion about to attack the shield wall. The minion lifted his axe, and Junhyuk stabbed him with his two-handed sword.

    The shields were held up high, so he stabbed the enemy minion between his eyes. The enemy fell, and Junhyuk realized that what he had just done was quite a safe way to attack.

    He could still attack from behind the shields. If he had a spear, it would¡¯ve been better, but he could still use his sword.

    He stayed behind the shields and stabbed from time to time, killing enemies. What could be easier?

    The minions holding the shields also felt better as Junhyuk decreased the number of enemy minions. Sarang also attacked, and the number of enemy minions decreased quickly.

    There were seven enemy minions left. He felt victory was at hand, but something changed.

    A group from the left side of the field of reeds had discovered them and were running to engage them.

    "Arn!" Junhyuk saw them before Arn did, and he shouted.

    Arn was fighting Ellic. Warren wasing from far away along with ten enemy minions.

    Ellic was near death, but he was holding out. Maybe, he had been waiting for Warren.

    Ellic tried to run away slowly, and Arn shouted:

    "Vera! Let¡¯s kill Ellic so we will get help from the watchtower!"

    "OK."

    A huge fire wall appeared behind Ellic, and Arn threw his saber.

    ng!

    The force field disappeared. Arn was wounded, but stillunched attacks. Ellic realized he could not escape, so, holding his axe, he ran forward.

    Arn looked at Ellic going toward him and jumped up. Ellic was crossing underneath his feet when a flying saber stabbed his back.

    "Ghaaaag!"

    With his back sliced, Ellic swung his hammer violently, as though he was having a seizure. He looked fierce, and Arn stepped back. Ellic lifted his hammer.

    "Vera! Step aside!" Arn shouted as he moved to the side, and Ellic dropped his hammer like lighting.

    Ka-Kang!

    Ellic¡¯s hammer shed against the ground, creating shockwaves. He still had a lot of strength left, even though he was dying. The minions staggered from the shockwaves.

    Ellic moved forward while everyone was off bnce, went through the firewall and jumped toward Warren.

    He was near death, but he was not dead yet. While Ellic ran away, Arn threw his saber at him. The saber struck Ellic on his back like a lighting bolt, and Vera threw a fire spear at him.

    "Aargh-gh!"

    Ellic fell right in front of Warren, who ran on his four legs and howled:

    "Hooooowl!" Warren howled loudly and ran toward Arn. Arn¡¯s face was devoid of expression.

    "Can you make a force field?"

    "We have to wait thirty more seconds."

    "Shit!"

    Ellic had inflicted heavy wounds on Arn and Vera just before he died. Furthermore, Arn had lost one of his sabers by throwing it at Ellic.

    The other side only had one extra person, but it was still a dangerous situation.

    "We will retreat."

    If they retreated to the watchtower, the archers would give them cover fire. They had to trust the archers and retreat.

    As they fell back, they heard Nudra shouting:

    "Be careful!"

    Arn turned to look, and Grangsha was shielding his body and turning. Grangsha was turning on the spot, and his sickle was flying everywhere.

    "What¡¯s he doing?!"

    Arn took his saber and jumped toward Vera. Vera stepped back while Grangsha¡¯s sickle becamerger. Grangsha swung his sickle faster than Arn and Vera could escape.

    Thump-thump-thump!

    Arn and Vera were already tired from Ellic¡¯s attacks, and Grangsha devastated them. The shockwaves had thrown Vera and Arn off guard, but they were not the only ones.

    The minions staggered from Grangsha¡¯s shockwaves, and then the enemy minions swung their axes.

    Four minions died from the enemy¡¯s attack. The shockwaves did not affect the enemy minions. They were able to stand firmly on the ground.

    Junhyuk staggered from the shockwaves, but, since he was a novice, he was able to stand his ground.

    He stood in front of Sarang and looked at the enemy.

    "Shit!"

    Arn and Vera were wounded and stepped back. Meanwhile, Warren had joined Grangsha.

 Chapter 21: Team Fight 1

    Chapter 21: Team Fight 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Warren had no intention of letting Arn and Vera go to the watchtower where Nudra was, so he ran toward them. The distance between them was shortening fast. Vera created a firewall, but Warren shed through it with his ws, and Grangsha was right behind him. The enemy minions followed them.

    Arn steeled himself and turned.

    "Shit!"

    There was no time to escape. Warren ran toward them on his four legs, and he must¡¯ve been using an extra power to speed up. His speed looked unnatural.

    Nudra lifted up his hands as he watched Warren run. He extended his hands slowly and energy waves traveled from him toward Warren. There was nothing Warren could do about the waves. He just put his paws in front of him to block.

    Boom!

    Warren fell backward as Grangsha swung his sickle. The energy wave was split in two, leaving Nudra surprised.

    "I am not well matched against him."

    Nudra pushed Warren back, giving the others time to escape. Warren couldn¡¯t give up on the wounded Arn and Vera and started chasing them again.

    He was unable to use any more speed power and slowed down.

    Finally, Arn gave up on escaping and stood strong, lifting up his saber.

    "Nothing I can do about it."

    Their side had three heroes, and the opposing side had two heroes. They could win. The problem was that Vera and Arn were wounded.

    If the watchtower had been able to help them, they would¡¯ve taken a rest, but now they had to fight as they were.

    Arn stood at the front, and Vera started her magic spell. Vera used fire-based magic. This time, she shot off a fire spear.

    Warren had fought Vera before and covered his face with his paws and ran. Vera¡¯s magic aimed at the targeted opponent and was impossible to escape. Warren knew this, so he didn¡¯t try to run.

    Boom!

    Warren was hit by the fire spear and ran forward. Nudra looked at it and said:

    "I will help Vera. You take Grangsha."

    After he spoke, Nudra ran toward Warren. Warren sniffled and raise his ws when Nudra kicked him. It looked as though Warren¡¯s arms and ws were longer than Nudra¡¯s leg, but an energy wave shot off from his leg.

    Boom!

    Warren fell back, and Grangsha lifted his shield and moved toward Nudra. Then, Arn flew in from behind Nudra and swung his saber.

    ng!

    Grangsha had lost the opportunity to attack Nudra, and, facing Arn, he swung his sickle. Arn parried the sickle with his saber and smiled.

    "I am using it well, what you dropped earlier."

    Grangsha¡¯s eyes lit up with anger.

    "I will kill you!"

    Grangsha was seriously hurt from fighting Nudra, and it was hard tell who had the advantage between the two.

    Arn was missing one of his sabers, and it felt like he was at a disadvantage.

    Junhyuk quickly took stock of the battlefield. If Arn took care of Grangsha, then the three of them could take on Warren. The problem was that Arn was more hurt than Grangsha.

    However, they only had to wait fifteen seconds more. If Arn was surrounded by the force field again, Grangsha wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with him.

    Junhyuk was looking for an opportune moment to join the battle when he saw the enemy minions pushing his minions back. He stepped forward.

    To break their momentum, Junhyuk banged his two-handed sword against an axe and used the rebounding force to sh the enemy¡¯s neck and stab another enemy minioning from his nk.

    In a short period, he killed two minions. Their morale was shaken, but they soon mounted another attack, without waiting.

    Junhyuk realized that they were surrounded by enemy minions and took a step back, dodging their attacks while countering with his own. He was carrying a strength runestone. A failure in his attack was not possible.

    Every time he attacked, he was able to kill an enemy minion. They started to avoid him and kept attacking the friendly minions holding their shields. Junhyuk took a step forward to help when a minion showed up in front of him.

    He thought his opponent was a minion and swung his two-handed sword to realize the "minion" was holding two axes.

    ng!

    The enemy blocked his sword attack with one hand, and Junhyuk checked him out carefully. He was the same height as Junhyuk, and his shoulder looked wider than Junhyuk¡¯s.

    His opponent was bigger than an ordinary minion. As he realized that, hr jumped back. The enemy swung his ax where Junhyuk had stood.

    "Tsc! I will make my money."

    Junhyuk was used to not being able to understand what the minions were saying. After taking thenguage pill, that changed. His opponent really was different from the other minions.

    "Are you a novice?"

    "Tsc, are you also a novice?"

    Novices had activated powers. If his opponent was a novice, he also had an activated power. Junhyuk froze.

    His force field was a very high-level power, but he had to use it on Arn. If he used his power on himself and killed his opponent and Arn died, he too would die sooner orter.

    He had to put his hope on Arn killing Grangsha, and that he woulde help out after.

    Junhyuk breathed deeply and extended his hands. As he extended his hands, the novice moved to escape. The novice did not know what kind of power Junhyuk had, so he ran.

    Junhyuk put up a force field around Arn.

    "Ha-ha-ha, you did good."

    Arnughed hard and pushed Grangsha. The novice looked at them and then looked at Junhyuk and bared his teeth.

    "You used your power."

    Junhyuk positioned himself, holding his two-handed sword. He knew how precarious of a situation it was to deal with a novice without his own power, but there was no other way. He set himself on higher ground since it offered him a better chance to survive. He lifted his two-handed sword and said:

    "Come on!"

    The novice ridiculed Junhyuk and flew toward him. A novice without his power was not very strong, so he ran toward Junhyuk without a second thought.

    Looking at the novice, Junhyuk¡¯s eyes hardened. He realized from his first sh against the novice that, even though he was carrying a runestone, he was not stronger than his opponent. There was the possibility his opponent was also carrying a runestone, so he decided to defend himself.

    The novice ran toward him and swung his axe. Junhyuk blocked him with his sword.

    ng!

    Junhyuk¡¯s sword struck the axe, and the novice wielded his other axe, holding it in his other hand, but Junhyuk learned to expect anything when fighting minions, so he blocked it as well.

    Junhyuk focused and noticed that his speed was faster than his opponent. It turned out, he was also stronger. Junhyuk tried to stab the novice when the novice stomped hard on the ground.

    Thump!

    The ground shook, and Junhyuk felt energying up from it and was unable to move. He couldn¡¯t even move a finger and didn¡¯t know how long his body wouldn¡¯t move. He was in a situation where he could die at any moment.

    Junhyuk tried his best to move his body when the novice smiled cooly and swung his axe. Junhyuk was in a desperately dangerous situation. Then, an energy bolt passed by his cheek.

    A minion would¡¯ve died, but a novice was different. The novice turned his axe¡¯s de t to block the flying energy bolt.

    Boom!

    The novice stepped back with his axe, and Junhyuk was able to move again. As soon as he could move, he started swinging his sword. Junhyuk¡¯s sword moved like lightning, and the novice blocked it with his axe, but he wasn¡¯t in a position to fully block the sword strike.

    ng!

    Junhyuk tore up the novice¡¯s armor at his shoulder. The novice stepped back and stared at Junhyuk.

    "Tsc, shameful."

    Junhyukughed. The novice had used his power on a powerless Junhyuk. He wasn¡¯t in a position to discuss what was shameful.

    Junhyuk pointed at the novice with his two-handed sword. The novice stared at him and then shouted:

    "Gather up!"

    Hearing the novice speak, the other minions gathered around him. There were nine minions and a novice, and they got together in one ce. Junhyuk saw them gathering and thought he should wait for Arn. When Arn stepped forward, the minions wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with him. Of course, Arn had to kill Warren first, but if he endured, he would survive.

    Junhyuk took little steps back and said:

    "We will retreat toward the watchtower."

    "I won¡¯t let you!"

    The novice understood what Junhyuk had said and ran forward. The minions ran with him. If there had been only minions, Junhyuk could¡¯ve killed them one by one while retreating, but now there was a novice among them. He did not have the same number of minions as the enemy, and they were too many.

    Junhyuk calmly parried each minions¡¯ axe attack, one by one, with his sword.

    Ka-ng!

    The attacks were continuous, and, as he parried them, he took little steps back. The novice swung his axe at him. Junhyuk could resist the novice and his axe, but the novice was attacking with his minions, forcing Junhyuk to go on the defensive.

    Ka-ng!

    Junhyuk moved back quicker, and the novice attacked with all his might. Against continuous attacks, Junhyuk continued to move back. Then, an energy bolt flew by.

    Boom!

    The novice blocked the energy bolt. Using that moment, Junhyuk mounted his own attack. Since the novice had continuously attacked him, now there was a small distance between Junhyuk and the opponent¡¯s minions.

    Junhyuk had not intended it, but, as the novice blocked the energy bolt, he showed him an opening, and he took advantage of it on the spot.

    The novice turned his face quickly, but he still got shed across the cheek. As his sword swayed down, Junhyuk jumped forward.

    He was carrying a strength runestone and he was already many times stronger than a minion, but he hit a minion with his shoulder, which gave him quite a shock.

    "Tsc! Tsc!"

    The novice went to the back, but Junhyuk did not give chase. Suddenly, the minions swung their axes without restriction. Junhyuk looked at the swinging axes and took some steps back and raised his sword.

    Ka-ka-ka-ng!

    The minions saved the novice, and he shouted:

    "Kill that magician minion!"

    After hearing the novice, the minions headed toward Sarang who was throwing energy bolts from behind Junhyuk. If he let Sarang die, Junhyuk would die from a coordinated attack from the novice and the minions.

    Junhyuk swung his sword at the minions heading toward Sarang.

    sh!

    The minions died still wearing their armors and fell to the ground. Junhyuk stood at the front and shouted:

    "Do you really want to die?"

    Junhyuk stopped the minions from moving any further, and the novice¡¯s eyebrows twitched. He could kill a minion with just one blow. If they tried to pass him, there would be massive casualties.

    "Five of you attack him, and the rest attack the magician minion!"

    Junhyuk realized situation went from bad to worse. He raised his sword and took some steps backward and said:

    "Run to the watchtower!"

    "Big brother!"

    "I will slow them down. Run!"

    Junhyuk made sure that Sarang stepped back and began running. Then, he turned to face the novice. The novice bared his teeth and smiled.

    "You¡¯ve made a big mistake."

    The novice moved forward yelling:

    "Kill him!"

    As he looked at the minions and the novice running toward him, he gripped his sword tighter.

 Chapter 22: Team Fight 2

    Chapter 22: Team Fight 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    He couldn¡¯t depend on Sarang¡¯s help anymore. He calmly parried the axes of the attacking minions.

    If he was careless, even for a moment, he would die.

    Maybe it was fortunate, but the novice was not mounting any attacks. He was just looking for an opportunity to strike Junhyuk, so Junhyuk had some breathing room.

    The novice didn¡¯t know, but time was on Junhyuk¡¯s side. He had to endure for two minutes, and his power would return. Then, cutting through them wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Of course, maybe he wouldn¡¯t have to wait that long.

    Far away, Arn was pulling out his saber from Grangsha¡¯s chest.

    Arn looked briefly at Junhyuk. When their eyes met, Arn ran toward Warren in order to help out Vera.

    Warren was pushed back by Nudra¡¯s attack each time he tried to attack Vera, and Vera used her magic to seriously wound Warren every time.

    Warren had to attack Vera only once to kill her, but approaching her was not easy. If Vera were alone, she might have already been killed, but she was with Nudra and was able to maintain a certain distance from Warren, using her magic at will. It looked like she was winning.

    In that moment, Arn joined her. It looked like it was the end for Warren. When Warren fell, the novice and the minions would surely not survive.

    So, Junhyuk concentrated on defense and repelled the minions¡¯ attacks. The novice looked at Junhyuk, held his axe with both hands and ran between the minions.

    Maybe he was thinking the same thing as Junhyuk: when the heroes died, they could not win. The novice looked to kill Junhyuk first and then run away.

    Klunk, klunk!

    As he repelled the continuous attacks, JunHyuk¡¯s face hardened. It wasn¡¯t the same as when the minions attacked alone. He felt pressured.

    The novice and the minions attacked aggressively. He couldn¡¯t handle all of them, and Junhyuk slowly retreated, but he had to maintain his position. If he loosened his posture, he might die.

    The novice pushed Junhyuk around, and there was a sinister smile on his face.

    "Ha-ha-ha! You are dead!"

    The novice stomped the ground.

    Thump!

    Junhyuk felt his body stiffen as he felt the shocking up from the ground. The novice¡¯s power had a shorter cooldown time than his.

    The price was high. As he stood there with his body immobile, the novice swung his axe down. As the axe was about tond on his head, Junhyuk was able to move again and jumped backward.

    The axe fell down in front of Junhyuk. With wide eyes, Junhyuk looked at the novice with his chest pierced by a saber that was sticking out, and, from behind the novice, he could see Arn. Arn pulled out his saber from the novice¡¯s back and swung it against the minions.

    sh!

    Four minions died without being able to scream. The remaining minions were scared, and Arn said to Junhyuk:

    "Deal with them."

    "Thank you."

    After he spoke, Junhyuk ran toward the minions and checked out the inside of the battlefield.

    Warren¡¯s eyes were all red and he was attacking. Warren had broad shoulders, and Nudra was having a tough time pushing him away.

    Junhyuk attacked the minions, and Arn asked:

    "How long has it been?"

    "About thirty more seconds to go."

    "OK. Then, in thirty seconds, we will deal with that wolf."

    Arn had joined him to help him out, but he still had only one saber. If he had two sabers, he could throw one, but, as he was, he had to get close to Warren. Also, Arn was wounded. If he got close, he might get killed by the enemy.

    At the very least, he needed Junhyuk¡¯s power, and that¡¯s why he had helped him. Junhyuk could transfer his power to other people, making it even more useful.

    If his power evolved again, the cooldown time would be diminished. Junhyuk could change the course of the war. Saving him was not a bad idea, and he should do it.

    Meanwhile, Junhyuk killed the rest of the minions. As he gathered his breath, he could see Warren escape from Nudra¡¯s attacks and about to attack Vera.

    He couldn¡¯t use his power yet. Junhyuk was thinking about what to do when Arn jumped up.

    He met with Warren in the middle of air.

    Bang!

    Warren kicked Arn¡¯s saber away and kicked him as well. Arn blocked the kick with both arms, but his arms began to bleed. Arn fell to the ground, and Warren also lost his strength and fell. Nudra jumped and kicked Warren, pushing him back.

    Hoooowl!

    Warren could not endure the pain and howled in anger. He sensed that the people around him were frozen and the broad-shouldered werewolf jumped forward. His howl had the power to immobilize heroes for a moment.

    Nudra couldn¡¯t kick, and Vera couldn¡¯t use her magic, so Warren ran toward them. He ran on four legs and was getting faster.

    Junhyuk extended his hands. He ced a force field around Arn, and Arn smiled and ran toward Warren.

    Arn had been in an area outside of the effect of Warren¡¯s howl. As Arn ran toward Warren, Warren stopped running and tried to escape.

    Warren, who had already experienced the protective field around Arn, knew its power.

    He ran back, and Arn threw his saber at him. Warren deflected the saber with his ws, and Arn picked up his other saber, the one he dropped when he killed Ellic.

    Then, Vera was able to move again and made a firewall in front of Warren. Warren shed the firewall with his ws. Then, Arn jumped at him and shed his back.

    "Argh-gh!"

    Warren screamed, turned and threw a punch at Arn, but his fist bounced off the field. All of a sudden, Nudra flew in and kicked Warren¡¯s face.

    Whack!

    Warren got stuck in the ground. Half of his body was underground. Then Arn sliced the wolf¡¯s head off with his saber. Warren bled profusely, and Arn took the head and smiled.

    "You told me that you would kill me. You weren¡¯t correct."

    "Argh! I will kill you!"

    Warren¡¯s head screamed aloud, then thinned out and disappeared.

    Warren¡¯s death solidified the victory. In any case, minions couldn¡¯t withstand attacks from heroes. They were that kind of existence.

    Junhyuk sighed and looked around him. The minions who came with Vera had all died. Only the minions at the watchtower, under Nudra¡¯smand, survived, but they were not many.

    Junhyuk saw Sarang running toward him from the watchtower. She realized the battle was over and gave Junhyuk a big hug.

    "Big brother!"

    She surprised him a little bit, but he tapped her back and said:

    "I am OK. I¡¯m still alive."

    She lifted her head, and he could see her eyes full of tears. She retreated to the watchtower as Junhyuk had instructed her, but she had been worried about him.

    Junhyuk tapped lightly on her armor and said:

    "It¡¯s over for now."

    Sarang nodded quickly, and that made Junhyukugh a little. Honestly, Junhyuk had been worried himself. Everything ended well, and Junhyuk opened his mouth:

    "Stop crying for now."

    Arn looked at the both of them and saw Junhyuk consoling her.

    "He has some guts now, having a romance in the Dimensional Battlefield."

    "And we survived because of his efforts," Vera added.

    Nudra came up and said:

    "It¡¯s a good time for them"

    Junhyuk listened to their conversation and let go of Sarang. He looked at Arn.

    "What¡¯s your n for now?"

    Arn spoke calmly.

    "We have to regain our health. If we stay here, they wille back when they reincarnate."

    "What happens to this ce?"

    "We gained a lot from this ce. We will retreat and go back even if it means giving up a watchtower."

    Junhyuk was bbergasted and looked at him.

    "What about us?!"

    Heroes could return to the main castle immediately by teleporting, but they were different. If they tried to return to the castle, they would have to walk, and it was not possible for them to wait for the heroes to return.

    So, they had to follow the road and retrace their steps, but that was also dangerous. Wolves and other monsters could attack them, and it was a long way to the main castle.

    After listening to Junhyuk, Arn thought for a moment and said:

    "There is nothing to be done. Follow us. First, we will take you to the dimensional merchants. I will go to the castle ande back to get you."

    "I understand."

    It was safe over at the merchants. Arn looked at Nudra and Vera.

    "You two return to main castle and regain your health ande back."

    "No, I will go to the merchants. I gained a few things to sell, and I will get a new one."

    "Right! That¡¯s nice."

    Smiling, Arn looked at Nudra:

    "Old man, go to the main castle. We will visit the dimensional merchants first."

    "I will go with you."

    "No. Old man, you should guard the watchtower. When the enemies reincarnate ande back, we won¡¯t have much time. Old man, you should guard this ce."

    Nudra thought for a moment and answered:

    "That¡¯s a better n."

    Nudra gazed at the minions on the watchtower and said:

    "Then, can you take them to the merchants?"

    "That¡¯s not a problem."

    There were only seven minions left at the watchtower. They weren¡¯t many, but it was better to have them there, than not have them.

    "Please."

    After he spoke, Nudra closed his eyes and, underneath his feet, a magic circle appeared. It was the way to return to the castle. Nudra shoot off into the sky in a rising beam of light. Arn said:

    "OK. Let¡¯s go to the merchants."

    "Yes."

    Arn and Vera took the lead, and Junhyuk, Sarang, and the joining minions followed them.

    "We should hurry."

    He would go to the dimensional merchants and return to the main castle. Then, he would go back to the merchants, and that required quite a bit of time. They wanted to save time, so they moved fast.

    ---

    Dimensional Merchant Bebe had a smile on his big mouth and said:

    "Back so soon!? Did you kill many heroes?"

    Vera had a smile on her face and grabbed her bag.

    "I will sell you this."

    Vera put an earring on the counter. Bebe looked at it and smiled.

    "Ellic bought it. Do you want to sell it?"

    "Of course!"

    Bebe thought about the price.

    "The original price was 80,000G. I will pay 40,000G, OK?"

    "Sure, give me the money."

    "Here."

    Bebe pushed his te forward, and Vera ced her hand on it. A number appeared on the te, and Vera smiled and said:

    "Now, you can make it."

    After she spoke, Vera took off two bracelets.

    "Make them into a Red Bracelet of Death."

    Bebe took a small box from the counter. He ced the two bracelets inside the box.

    "ce your hand on the te."

    Vera ced her hand on the te, and her number decreased to nearly nothing. Bebe smiled with satisfaction and operated the small box.

    Wooo, woo, woo!

    The small box shone and made noises, and then became quiet. Bebe pulled out a bracelet from the box. The bracelet had a design of a ck me on it, and Bebe smiled:

    "It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen a me Bracelet of Death."

    "Give it to me."

    Vera put the bracelet on her wrist and created a me on her hand. The fire on her hand was ck, and Arn asked:

    "Do you like it?"

    Vera smiled and looked at Arn.

    "From now on, just count on me," Vera answered with confidence, and Arn looked at Junhyuk.

    "Shop here. Vera and I will go to the main castle ande back."

    "OK."

    Arn and Vera closed their eyes and a magic circle appeared. They soon disappeared into the sky shooting off in beams of light. Junhyuk walked toward Bebe.

    "Can I find out how much gold I made?"

    "Put your hand on here."

    Junhyuk ced his hand on the te and saw a number emerge that left him stunned: 1200G. It was a number he did not fathom.

 Chapter 23: Team Fight 3

    Chapter 23: Team Fight 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    He needed to pay Arn back 41G, leaving 1159G.

    Junhyuk felt good and said:

    "Can I see your products?"

    Bebe nodded and gave him the book. He opened the book and various images of products emerged. Junhyuk looked at the runestones. He was carrying the lowest level runestone, but it made a decisive difference in the fight, so he carefully looked at the yellow and blue runestones.

    The yellow runestone did not increase one¡¯s strength, but it increased one¡¯s defensive power and restored one¡¯s health.

    The blue runestone increased one¡¯s magical power. It had the name of a spell, and it also increased attacking speed and uracy.

    Junhyuk knew Bebe could answer his questions and asked:

    "What¡¯s defensive power?"

    "Defensive power?"

    Bebe looked at the minions and said:

    "Their shield has a defensive power of one."

    "Then, will it increase defensive power by two?"

    "It means your body will be more than twice as strong as a shield."

    It was all very interesting.

    "Restoring health, what is that?"

    "You regain your health faster. Your power to heal increases, yeah?"

    Junhyuk was interested in that too. If he increased his health recovering power, he would increase his survival rate.

    "Then, what about this blue color stonel?"

    "You see that magician minion? She has spell power of one, but if you don¡¯t have any spell power, it¡¯s a useless runestone. You can¡¯t just create spell power."

    "Then, will blue runestone increase my attacking uracy?"

    "Yes."

    Bebe made one hand into the de of a knife and jabbed at his other hand.

    "If you increase your uracy, you will not miss your attack."

    "Is that possible?"

    Junhyuk could tune his muscles in detail. He did not really need uracy, but Bebe realized what Junhyuk was thinking and smiled.

    "You¡¯ve only dealt with minions so far. That¡¯s why you don¡¯t know there are novices who have powers that disrupt uracy. If you don¡¯t have any uracy, you won¡¯t be able to attack them sessfully."

    "Is that right?"

    His thinking had been ordinary, and if he met such a novice his attack wouldn¡¯t work and he might die. Junhyuk realized uracy was also necessary and said:

    "Anyway, I will get the lowest level defensive runestone."

    If his body was harder than a shield, he wouldn¡¯t die from a minion¡¯s attack.

    "It¡¯s 1000G."

    Bebe pushed the te forward, and Junhyuk ced his hand on it. Soon, the number decreased to 200G. Bebe pulled out a yellow runestone.

    "Give me your pendant. I will install it."

    Junhyuk gave him the pendant, and Bebe ced the lowest level defensive runestone in it.

    "You are not bad. Human novices don¡¯t evolve like you do."

    "Everyone died. I heard."

    "That¡¯s right. When one has a power and runs around, it¡¯s a big mistake. Even when one activates his power, the body is still that of a minion. Minions are like pieces of paper and die easily."

    Junhyuk nodded in agreement. He had faced many near death situations himself.

    "You are quite amazing. Maybe you could be the first human hero."

    "Doesn¡¯t that happen only when you have a special power? You have to get three powers, and then the power to ovee everything to be a hero."

    Bebe smiled and said:

    "Does Arn have powers?"

    Junhyuk shook his head, and Bebe said:

    "Arn evolved his own skills up to the level of powers, and you learned from him."

    "I learned how to tune my muscles, but he didn¡¯t teach me anything else."

    "That basic skill might help you evolve even more."

    Junhyuk thought about what Bebe had said.

    "Soon, Arn will be back. Is it OK for you to rest? You should practice," Bebe said.

    Junhyuk agreed and gripped his two-handed sword. He hadn¡¯t learned swordsmanship, so he just swung his sword like he was throwing a punch, or stabbing with uracy, or using the rebounding force to attack.

    To deal with minions, what he already knew was sufficient. His defensive and offensive powers gave him an advantage, but he couldn¡¯t getcent.

    Novices with powers might carry runestones just like himself. Then, even without his power, he needed skills.

    Junhyuk stabbed quickly with his sword. He was not facing anyone, and it felt awkward, but, as he practiced, his stabbing motion became more urate.

    He stabbed one spot, and Bebe looked at him and yawned. Then, Arn and Vera came back.

    "What are you doing?"

    After Arn spoke, Junhyuk put his sword away and said:

    "I thought I should practice."

    "Hm," Arn sniffed lightly and looked at the people gathered at that ce. "Hurry up! We will join Nudra."

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk took a step toward the outside when Vera stopped him by putting her hand on his shoulder.

    "Did you buy anything?"

    "A defensive runestone."

    "You did well. You will be different from the minions. Minions won¡¯t be able to strike you down."

    After she spoke, Junhyuk felt this errand had been a sess.

    Arn and Vera took the lead, and they arrived at the watchtower where Nudra was stationed. Nudra was at the top of the watchtower and looked at Arn and Vera and smiled.

    "You are right on time."

    "What do you mean?"

    Nudra lifted his hand and pointed far ahead and said:

    "They want to put an end to this."

    "Is everyone here?"

    Nudra nodded, and Arn¡¯s face hardened.

    "Did you call those two?"

    "They will be here soon."

    Junhyuk understood that five heroes would be there in total. Far away from the watchtower, they showed up.

    Grangsha was holding a shield and a sickle, and Warren was also there; Ellic was holding his hammer; Lybia had beautiful snow fractal-shaped wings, and,stly, Minota, who was thirteen feet tall with huge muscles, appeared.

    Minota had three horns on his head and looked simr to, but stronger than, the legendary Minotaur.

    Junhyuk checked out the enemy camp. He was not looking at the heroes because he couldn¡¯t deal with them. Heroes were out of his league. If he needed to, he would use his force field, and that was all.

    He was looking for enemies he had to fight. He could stop worrying about the minions and looked for novices, but he did not see any. Novices were bigger than minions, so it looked as though he only had to kill minions that time.

    "It¡¯s manageable."

    The number of opposing minions was less than fifty. The rest of the minions looked like they¡¯d been picked up from other ces.

    Sarang walked from behind him and asked:

    "Big Bro, are we in a danger?"

    Sarang had also realized who they had gathered at the enemy camp. Junhyuk answered steadily:

    "We will have two more heroes joining us. It will be quite a fight."

    Still, Sarang looked frightened. When heroes fought near minions, things were dangerous. Their powers were enough to kill nearby minions, so they should keep their guards up.

    Junhyuk looked at the enemy and exined gently:

    "You should stay behind since you are a magician minion, but watch out for that being who has ice fractal-shaped wings."

    From far away, Libya looked like a fairy, but she used her magic to devastate everything. Last time, if it weren¡¯t for his field, he would¡¯ve been killed by her.

    "Why?"

    "She attacks with ice magic, so you should just deal with minions."

    "I understand."

    While Junhyuk and Sarang were talking, a man showed up from the forest. He wore a sword on his back, and greeted people by nodding. Without speaking, he looked at the battlefield.

    "Halo, are you still practicing silence?"

    Nudra asked, but Halo did not answer. Junhyuk had met him a few times before, but he had never heard him speaking. However, he had outstanding skills.

    He went inside the enemy camp, and his swordsmanship was like a sh of lighting, making his hair stand.

    Then, there was a person walking on tree branches, wearing a hood and holding a longbow. Her eyes were like blue jewels, and she flew to the top of the watchtower.

    "It hasn¡¯t begun yet."

    "It¡¯s always like this," Vera answers her.

    She looked down to the bottom of the watchtower, saw Junhyuk and waived.

    "He is still alive?"

    Junhyuk nodded slightly, and the woman jumped down and stood next to him.

    "I heard about it. You can transfer your field to other people!"

    ¡¯Yes."

    "Then, put it on me."

    "That¡¯s garbage," Arn keenly intervened. "I will take the force field."

    "But, my body is like a piece of paper. You know how weak I am."

    "It¡¯s because you are ignorant and focus on attack runestones."

    "Hm! If I didn¡¯t, do you think they would die from my attacks?"

    Arn wouldn¡¯t hear any more of it and looked at Junhyuk.

    "Put it on me."

    Junhyuk thought it would be better to cover Arn with his field. Arn took attacks from everyone. If he was to survive from the enemies¡¯ concentrated fire, he should have the force field.

    Arn looked at the woman:

    "Diane, you stay behind with your bow."

    "Hm! Don¡¯t ask me for any help."

    Diane stopped talking and went back to the top. Arn shouted at her:

    "Where are the minions?"

    Diane answered from the top of the watchtower:

    "Libya killed them all, you know. She uses territorial magic."

    Arn looked at Halo.

    "What about you?"

    "They are over there."

    From the left side of the watchtower, Arn saw ten minions. There were seventeen regr minions, a magician minion and a novice on their side, but the opposing side had fifty minions.

    They were not easy enemies.

    Arn moved his hand.

    "Come down."

    From the top of the watchtower, Nudra, Vera and Diane went down, and they line up with Arn and Halo. They walked toward the enemy camp. Arn walked with authority, and Junhyuk, Sarang and the other minions followed him.

    There was a change in the enemy camp. The thirteen-feet tall Minota took the lead, Gransha followed him, then Warren and Ellic, and Lybia walkedst. Behind them, there were fifty minions.

    Both sides stopped within twenty meters of each other. Arn took out his saber and shouted:

    "Do you want to fight?"

    Minota wanted to fight him and smiled like an ox.

    "Whoooo! I will kill you all with my stomps!"

    Minota stomped the ground, and Arn ran toward him. It was the beginning of a big battle.

 Chapter 24: Victory 1

    Chapter 24: Victory 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    He saw Minota run toward Arn, and Arn also ran toward Minota. The heroes fought in big battles known as Hanta. They could fight for a long time, but if they fought honestly, the fight would be short. This fight came after the previous battles, when their opponents died many times, and there was a big difference between the items they were carrying on each side.

    Junhyuk thought his side had an advantage, but he saw MInota rushing, and his hairs stood straight out of fear. Minota was used to hitting his opponent and then stepping on them. Other heroes didn¡¯t like to deal with him because he rushed in with immense strength.

    He could rush with great speed, and it looked like he used his power to increase his artificial speed. A hero might be able to escape his rush, but if a hero was careless, he would die.

    Minota didn¡¯t start by rushing. As Minota ran toward Arn, Arn also ran toward him. The distance between the two shortened, and Junhyuk watched them with his mouth dry.

    If the distance was too great, he wouldn¡¯t be able to transfer his protective force field, and it would create a dangerous situation.

    Junhyuk ran in front of the minions because of the distance he had to cover. Arn got closer to Minota and shouted:

    "Now!"

    Arn bent his legs, and, at that moment, Junhyuk put a field around him.

    "Right on!"

    Minota stomped the ground as he rushed forward. The ground underneath his stomps broke apart, and he ran so fast Junhyuk had a hard time keeping up with him through naked eyes, but Arn had already jumped over Minota and was charging toward the enemy camp.

    Warren jumped up to face Arn. No attacks would work against the field, but Warren also knew he could make the field bounce away by applying external physical force.

    Warren jumped up and assaulted Arn with his ws. As Warren attacked, Arn bent his waist backward in midair. Even when wearing the protective field, parrying an attack was something you did when you were still on the ground. In midair, parrying made him bounce off, so he escaped the attack.

    Warren aimed for Arn¡¯s head, but Arn swung his saber.

    sh!

    Warren covered himself with his arm quickly, which was shed instead of his body. Arn passed by Warren, and Grangsha was holding his shield and sickle and aimed at Arn. He stepped on Grangsha¡¯s shield and jumped.

    Arn was heading toward the deepest ce in the enemy camp where Libya was preparing her magic.

    Libya had also experienced Junhyuk¡¯s protection, so she stepped aside while throwing a ice spear. Arn dodged the spear and got closer as he wielded his saber.

    Arn meant business against Libya, and Ellic, who was standing next to her, ran toward him, but when Arn was on the ground, he was not very susceptible to attacks.

    Libya looked at Arn closing in on her and went up in the air. Diane had been waiting for Libya to go up in air and shot her arrows.

    Libya turned her body in midair and dropped on the ground. An arrow came close to her shoulder, barely touching it, but left it injured and made it bleed.

    It was not time to rx, yet. She moved to a spot just a step away from Arn.

    "It¡¯s only because of that protection."

    If he hadn¡¯t been wearing the protective field, when he jumped toward Libya, he would have been dead. She would have used her ice powers to slow him down, and the other heroes would have attacked him as a group, but because of that field, they couldn¡¯t mount a sessful attack, and it all made Arn very aggressive and very effective.

    On the other hand, Minota did not stop rushing even though Arn had disappeared. Arn was attacking the rear of his position, and Minota thought he should do the same against the heroes with powers.

    Vera or Diane, he wanted to stop at least one of them. He continued rushing when Nudra flew in suddenly and kicked him.

    Nudra¡¯s kick was intended to push him away. It did not carry any shock power, but it had the power to bounce things away just like Minota¡¯s rush. Minota looked at the flying Nudra and rushed harder.

    Boom!

    The ground shook from the shock, and Nudra¡¯s body was in the air, but Minota also bounced off from the hit. Minota couldn¡¯t get back to his own camp, but he slid to the side, away from everything.

    Minota disappeared from the scene, and they saw Libya at the opposing camp. Arn was attacking Libya, and the enemy heroes aimed at Arn. Suddenly, Halo stepped forward.

    Halo could cover quite a long distance and attack. He closed in with the enemy in a moment and pulled out his sword. Drawing out his sword, Halo attacked Libya. Libya lifted up her hand and made a rose on top of it. Its petals soon made countless leaves that flew everywhere, but Halo sliced Libya¡¯s arm.

    "Aargh!"

    With her arm sliced, Libya moved back quickly while Grangsha stepped in between the two and held up his shield.

    ng!

    Halo was swinging his sword to finish off Libya, but it got stuck on Grangsha¡¯s shield. Then, Warren raised his ws and aimed at Halo.

    All of sudden, there were two enemies on Halo. The heroes had simr power levels. It all depended on the equipments they carried, but it was not easy to handle two heroes by oneself.

    Halo blocked the attacks from the two while Arn¡¯s protective shield disappeared. Arn was being attacked by Libya and Ellic. It was easier to parry Ellic¡¯s attack, but Libya¡¯s magic had a frost effect, and frost slowed down the opponent¡¯s body.

    In that situation, Ellic¡¯s attack became dangerous. Arn wielded both of his sabers, blocking their attacks and shouted.

    "What are you doing?"

    "We are done preparing!"

    Vera lifted her hand, and, suddenly, meteorites fell from the sky. The meteorites had ck mes around them, and, as they fell, they lit fires through the enemy camp.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    They made loud noises and fell in the center of the enemy camp. After crashing, they created fire pirs that reached up to the sky.

    They were so powerful that nothing could survive the meteorite attack but the heroes.

    The enemy heroes were wounded by the meteorites and were covered in ash. They were still alive when arrows took to the sky. A covert arrow was shot and went through Libya¡¯s forehead.

    It took time to prepare, but they had meant to deliver the fatal blow with just one attack. It was enough to kill magicians with one blow, especially when they were hurt.

    Libya was dead. She was the most dangerous hero among the enemy. This Hanta ended in a victory.

    Arn knew Libya was dead, so he attacked Ellic, who had a hard time defending himself, and it wasn¡¯t the end of the magic.

    Vera threw a me spear, and Ellic dodged it by dropping to the ground.

    Ellic had already been hit directly by Vera¡¯s meteorite, and if he was hit with any more magic, he would be in a hard ce, but then, he tried too hard.

    Arn pushed Ellic relentlessly. Ellic had already experienced one death in the previous battle, and he had dropped an item, making himself weaker, and Arn had picked up several items, which made him more powerful. Also, Ellic had already been hit by Vera¡¯s meteorite.

    He couldn¡¯t depend on his colleagues. Grangsha and Warren were weakened by the meteorites, and were still fighting Halo.

    Halo had some space while fighting Warren and Grangsha. Grangsha and Warren looked at each other, and Warren nodded and howled:

    Hooowl!

    It¡¯s was a long and loud howl. The red-eyed Warren¡¯s wounds were healing quickly. The loud howl froze Halo, who couldn¡¯t move for a moment. Grangsha struck Halo¡¯s sword with his shield.

    Halo¡¯s sword went down, and Grangsha wielded his sickle, aiming at Halo¡¯s neck. Even a hero died from a sliced neck.

    Then, arrows flew toward Grangsha. Diane handled her longbow expertly, and it looked like the arrows flew in a single line.

    The arrows travelled fast, and Grangsha could not ignore them. He got angry and lifted his shield.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck, thuck, thuck!

    Five arrows hit Grangsha¡¯s shield, and he stepped back while Warren targeted Halo.

    sh, sh!

    Halo wielded his sword in a frenzy, but Warren looked victorious. It was not easy to regain momentum once you lost it.

    Warren attacked Halo while Grangsha held his shield up and ran toward Vera and Diane. The enemy had to stop those two¡¯s attacks to regain momentum.

    Vera smiled and extended her hands toward Grangsha, who was running toward her.

    From her hands, she made a ck firewall from the ground to the sky. Gransha swung his sickle at the wall and sliced it. Arrows followed the opening toward Grangsha.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck!

    Grangsha tried to stop the arrows from hitting him, and Vera threw another me spear.

    Bang!

    The arrows were powerful, but Grangsha was holding his shield and blocked all them. However, he couldn¡¯t stop Vera¡¯s magic so easily. Grangsha retreated, and Vera shouted:

    "I will take care of it here. Go help Halo!"

    "OK."

    Diane used her longbow as she ran.

    "You won¡¯t get there!"

    Grangsha was turning like a top on the spot and holding his sickle. He marked his territory with his attack, and Diane was within range.

    Diane was really surprised and took a step back, and Vera also distanced herself. Grangsha¡¯s attack was really dangerous, and he was trying to buy more time.

    Vera and Diane retreated while Warren dealt with Halo, but it did not go as nned.

    "Aaaah!

    With a loud scream, Ellic fell to the ground. Ellic inflicted a wound on Arn before he fell. Arn¡¯s left arm was cut through, but he still shed Ellic¡¯s neck.

    Arn threw the saber he was holding toward Warren¡¯s back.

    Warren felt the saber moving toward him and jumped up. He escaped the saber, and, at that moment, Halo turned to look up.

    Halo bent his knees and jumped. He went up while turning his body, and his sword sliced Warren.

    If Warren hadn¡¯t protected himself with both arms, he would have been dead and sliced in half. Warren¡¯s arms were bloodied, and he kicked at Halo.

    Bang!

    Warren shot Halo off toward the ground. Since Arn was wounded, it was easier for Warren to deal with him over Halo.

    Warren went after Arn, and Halo chased after Warren. Halo¡¯s rush was astonishingly fast, and the distance between the two was getting smaller.

    Junhyuk looked at the situation and shouted:

    "Watch o-!"

    Before Junhyuk had a chance to finish his sentence, from Halo¡¯s side, Minota rushed out at him and hit him on his ribs.

    Bang!

    With a loud noise, Halo flew twenty meters and got stuck on a tree. He was seriously wounded. This time, Minota targeted Arn and ran.

    The two enemies were too much for a wounded Arn.

 Chapter 25: Victory 2

    Chapter 25: Victory 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk¡¯s mouth was dry. If this continued, Arn would die for sure. Even if he died, this Hanta would still be a sess, but he could not let him die.

    There was a difference between all five of them surviving and letting one or two die. Later, when they had to attack the watchtower, they might have a more difficult time.

    It was almost time to use his protective field again, but Arn had gone away to deal with Libya, and was too far away to receive protection from Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk gripped his two-handed sword and said:

    "Cover me!"

    After he spoke, Junhyuk ran, and the opposing minions ran toward him to block him. Usually, he would deal with them by stepping back, but now, he didn¡¯t have the time.

    Junhyuk ran, and an energy bolt flew in from behind him, knocking down a minion.

    One of the two minions attacking him went down, and Junhyuk seized the opportunity and swung his sword.

    sh!

    The opposing minion blocking him was in. Junhyuk took a step forward and scanned the other minions.

    There were two minions. They lifted their axes to show they would not to let him pass, but Junhyuk swung his sword.

    He had trained while at the dimensional merchants, and had be effective. He stabbed through the shortest distance. A minion was lifting his arm, and the sword sliced his neck. It was a simple stab, but it was fast.

    Junhyuk closed in and pushed the headless minion with his shoulder. The lowest level runestone gave him enough strength tounch the minion, and the minion flew toward the other minions, knocking some of them down.

    Dong!

    Then, a minion swung his axe in front of Junhyuk, who stopped the axe with his sword.

    Bang!

    The axe bounced off and, using the rebound force, Junhyuk stepped on the minions¡¯ heads and attacked. There were fifty minions in the opposing team, but they were not forming a single line, and he did not have to step on many of them.

    There were two remaining. As Junhyuk attacked, they both swung their axes. One of them attacked his head, and the other attacked him at the waist. Junhyuk slid to avoid both attacks, and the minions went by him.

    Junhyuk got up and killed both minions.

    The problem was that his ally minions were fewer than the enemy minions. The fight was unbnced.

    Junhyuk moved his head quickly. He had to put his protection on Arn as soon as possible and start saving allied minions.

    Warren and Minota were both attacking Arn. Warren couldn¡¯t use one arm, but he attacked quickly while Minota¡¯s destructive power drove Arn into a corner.

    Warren attacked and sliced Arn¡¯s chest and back, and Minota tried to step on Arn while Warren¡¯s nails flew in.

    "Die!"

    He aimed at Arn¡¯s eyes, and Arn seemed unable to stop the attack. Junhyuk did not waste any more time and used his power.

    ng!

    Arn really thought he had died, but, at that moment, he watched Warren¡¯s nails bounce away. Arn saw the ivory-colored force field in front of him and swung his saber.

    He sliced off Warren¡¯s elbow. Blood spilled on the force field when Arn shoulder-checked Warren.

    Warren staggered and stepped back. Arn ced his saber in its sheath and positioned himself. One attack. He would use his energy to attack. He would use the force field.

    Minota looked at him,ughed and bent down. Arn was protected by the force field, and Minota would rush forward to cover the distance.

    Minota got ready to rush toward Arn when Nudra showed up. Nudra¡¯s front kick changed the direction of Minota¡¯s rush.

    Minota went by Arn¡¯s side, and Arn pulled out his saber.

    Warren was surprised by Arn and stepped back. Halo quickly sliced Warren¡¯s back, and Warren couldn¡¯t move. That¡¯s when Arn used his highest level skill.

    "Aaargh!"

    Arn¡¯s saber went through Warren¡¯s chest, and blood was dripping off of it. Warren¡¯s chest opened, and he copsed to the side, leaving Arn¡¯s saber soaked in blood.

    Halo and Nudra passed by Arn and ran toward Minota and yelled:

    "Move aside!"

    The field did not have much time left. Arn saw Minota rushing toward him, trying to kill, so he jumped up.

    Arn moved to a ce where Grangsha was alone, facing Diane and Vera. With just one attack, Arn swung down on Grangsha¡¯s head.

    Tck!

    Grangsha thought of it as an opportunity to kill a very tired Arn when the field disappeared. As Arn dropped to the ground, the field disappeared.

    Grangsha smiled with satisfaction and swung his sickle. If he could kill Arn and then escape, there would be other opportunities.

    Arn guessed what Grangsha had been thinking and dodged. Grangsha¡¯s sickle went through the spot where Arn had been standing when a firewall burst forth.

    Grangsha swung his sickle against the firewall, and Diane¡¯s hand loosened an arrow.

    ---

    Junhyuk had knocked three minions down while running through the enemy line, put a field around Arn and run.

    The enemy minions decided to kill Sarang, the magician minion, and moved toward her. Junhyuk realized that he didn¡¯t have enough time to get to Sarang, so he stabbed a minion who had his back exposed, and stepped on his back and jumped. Then, he stepped on another opposing minions¡¯ shoulders.

    It wasn¡¯t easy to step on the minions¡¯ shoulders, especially on a battlefield like that, but Junhyuk was able to find his footing and run.

    Then, he arrived at a spot where a minion had dropped his shield and been hit by an axe on his head. He had been thest minion to protect Sarang. Junhyuk jumped.

    Sarang was overwhelmed by the attacking enemy minions and couldn¡¯t move. Junhyuknded in front of her and gripped his sword tightly.

    sh!

    It took one attack to split a minion in half. With that attack, the opposing minions stopped their advance. Junhyuk seized the moment and swung his sword. He killed three minions at once, gathered his breath and said:

    "Are you okay?"

    "What? Yes! I¡¯m OK."

    Sarang no longer felt overwhelmed. She felt her knees shaking, but was able to hold her own. Junhyuk hade back, and he should be able to protect her.

    With his entrance, more enemy minions were split in half.

    Junhyuk stood in front of Sarang and said:

    "Lift your shields and don¡¯t give in an inch. I will decrease their numbers!"

    Since Junhyuk had taken anguage pill, everyone understood what he was saying. The surviving allied minions lifted their shields and made a wall. The enemy was closing in with them.

    They hadn¡¯t learned to do that, but their will to survive made theme up with a shield wall. As soon as they made the wall, Junhyuk ran along one side. A minion trying to avoid the shield defense ran to the side, meeting Junhyuk. Junhyuk struck the enemy minion¡¯s axe attack and, using the rebound force, stabbed him through his neck. The enemy minions were now responding to Junhyuk¡¯s movements.

    Ten enemy minions ran toward him at the same time. Junhyuk saw them, but did not move back. Instead, he ran toward them. He trusted the effectiveness of his new defensive runestone.

    Three axes went toward Junhyuk while he ran.

    They aimed at his head and both sides of his waist. Junhyuk had been training, but he still couldn¡¯t stop three attacks at once. He first struck the axe aiming at his head. Dropping his elbow, he struck one of the axes aiming at his waist and twisted when an axe grazed him.

    Thack!

    The axe transferred quite a force to him, but his armor did not break. The defensive runestone had twice the strength of a minion¡¯s shield.

    Junhyuk stretched out his body and stabbed the minion who had been aiming at his head through the neck. He grabbed the minion who had been aiming at his waist by the neck. He held on to the enemy minion¡¯s thick neck and threw him against a minion standing to the right of him. When they collided, he stabbed them both with his sword, prating both of them.

    "Aaargh!"

    Junhyuk skewered two enemy minions and quickly pulled out his sword when he saw other minions running toward him.

    Do enemy minions feel fear?

    He was showing he was superior, but they didn¡¯t seem to mind what was taking ce. Their eyes were filled with anger and madness. They were drooling through the sides of their mouths and looked like they were willing to throw away their lives to kill Junhyuk.

    When he entered the Battlefield of Dimensions for the first time, they had scared him, making him stay behind his shield, but the situation was different now. Facing his enemies, Junhyuk held fast to his two-handed sword.

    ---

    An arrow struck the center of Gransha¡¯s forehead, and he fell over. Vera¡¯s meteor attack had decreased his strength, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to survive a shot to the forehead.

    Grangsha fell, and Arn got up expressionless. He was seriously wounded, but still alive. Only Minota remained. If they took him out, this Hanta would be aplete sess.

    Arn turned his head and saw Minota rushing toward Halo, bouncing him away, and running away.

    "Where are you going?"

    Arn threw his saber. Minota must have felt the saber flying toward him and moved aside. Despite his big size, Minota was able to dodge the saber, but taking time to do so was his big mistake.

    Nudra was ahead of Minota, and front-kicked him.

    Thung!

    Minota bounced toward Arn¡¯s direction from the shock. Arn ran toward him empty-handed, Minota thought that he might as well kill Arn, and turned around to face him.

    "Wooo, woooo!"

    Minota cried out like an ox and ran, but, soon, there was a firewall in front of him. As soon as the firewall appeared Arn moved to the side.

    Arn could die if he was hit by Minota¡¯s rush. He had only run toward Minota to distract him. It was a nice trap set up to make Minota think he could hill Arn.

    Suddenly, Minota broke through the firewall. Diane shot her arrows at him. Five arrows flew off in a row, each hitting Minota. Minota, even after being hit by arrows, did not stop rushing.

    They thought that Minota shouldn¡¯te close to Diane and Vera and went to their rescue.

    Vera and Diane saw Minota lifting his front paws and dodged to the left and to the right. Minota took advantage of the open space and escaped.

    He ran toward where the minions were battling.

    Arn realized who Minota was aiming for and shouted:

    "Move!"

    Junhyuk was ying minions and lifted his head. His eyes met Minota¡¯s.

 Chapter 26: Victory 3

    Chapter 26: Victory 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Minota was well aware of the power that novice had. He had activated a high-ranking power. Before Minota met him, he only had the power to make a force field around himself.

    Of course, with that power alone he had walked through the middle of the battlefield and left without any wounds. Ellic had been crazy about killing him and ran toward him. He had gotten himself and his team killed.

    However, this time the novice had a much more evolved form of that power. If he transferred the field to a hero, that hero became much more powerful. Warren had thought he could kill Arn and attacked him, but he got killed.

    The novice could control the battle¡¯s oue. He must kill whoever had that power. He must kill him while he was still a novice, so he could not reincarnate, and his power would disappear forever.

    His own novices did not use their power on heroes, but instead used it on other novices. He had to kill that novice now.

    Even if he lost this battle, he woulde back and win the next.

    Minota had the novice in his sights and lowered his body and stomped the ground. One rush would kill him.

    "Woo, woo, woo!" Crying out loud, Minota stomped on the ground.

    ---

    Junhyuk froze as he saw Minota rushing toward him. The minion¡¯s defensive wall would not hold out against Minota¡¯s rush, and the heroes who could help him were too far away, so he couldn¡¯t trust the heroes for help.

    He had already used his field on Arn and still needed time for the next use.

    Junhyuk was thinking hard when Minota stomped the ground. He thought Minota might take a while considering his huge size, but Minota closed in in the blink of an eye.

    As Minota¡¯s size becamerger to him, Junhyuk jumped sideways, but he did not have enough speed. If this continued, Minota would hit his lower body, and would kill him for sure.

    Junhyuk really wished he could move six more feet. Then, he could be sure he would escape Minota¡¯s rush.

    Thump, thump, thump!

    A loud noise sted, and Junhyuk rolled on the ground. He did not know what was taking ce, but he knew he had escaped Minota¡¯s rush.

    Junhyuk sighed out of relief and lifted his head. That¡¯s when he saw Minota stop rushing and lift his paws.

    Junhyuk rolled away quickly.

    Bang!

    Where Junhyuk had been, Minota¡¯s paws got stuck on the ground up to his ankle. If he hadn¡¯t rolled, he would have died. Junhyuk rolled and saw Minota¡¯s ankle and swung his sword. He thought he could cut his opponents Achilles¡¯ heels and buy more time.

    ng!

    His sword bounced off Minota¡¯s ankle as if Minota was scoffing at his attempt. Junhyuk was really surprised and put away his sword when Minota lowered his head and smiled.

    "I got you."

    Minota¡¯s paws came forward to grab Junhyuk¡¯s neck, but Junhyuk stayed on the ground and rolled to the side.

    Crack!

    He saw a piece of the ground being torn right next to him and thought if he were to be grabbed by the neck, he would surely die. His hair stood up, and he concentrated really hard.

    Junhyuk saw Minota sweeping the ground with his paws and rolled to the side once more, but he couldn¡¯t really escape. Minota grabbed him by the ankle.

    As Minota grabbed Junhyuk by his ankle, heughed hard.

    Crack!

    His armor was torn and his ankle shattered. Junhyuk swung his sword at Minota who lifted him up to the level of his eyes.

    Thuck!

    However, Minota was a hero. Basically, Junhyuk had a different physique from Minota. He grabbed Junhyuk with ease and twisted him.

    Crack!

    "Argh!"

    Junhyuk moaned in pain. You could call it lucky, but his arm hadn¡¯t been torn off yet. Minota did not wait longer and opened his mouth wide. There were three rows of sharp teeth inside.

    "Ox, you have teeth like a shark."

    Junhyuk cursed, thinking he might die soon. It was the first time he cursed at a hero. He was feeling good about the cursing when, suddenly, a fire spear flew in and hit Minota¡¯s face.

    Bang!

    When Junhyuk escaped Minota¡¯s first rush, he wasted some time, which allowed Vera to catch up. ck fire sparks flew around Minota¡¯s face and exploded. His face was still burning.

    Minota already knew Vera wasing and tried to chew and swallow Junhyuk.

    Arn was also there, hitting Minota with his knee. If he had been holding his saber, he would¡¯ve attacked with it, but, since he did not, he used his knee.

    Uck!

    Minota¡¯s jaw shook loudly, then Arn took a hold of his neck and rode on Minota. Arn used both of his thighs and started trying to strangle him. Minota had a really thick neck, and Arn was barely able to do it.

    Even MInota could not chew Junhyuk up while being strangled. He lifted Junhyuk again, then threw him on the ground. He thought throwing him on the ground would kill him.

    Junhyuk was about to hit the ground when Diane took a hold of him and slid away.

    Junhyuk gritted his teeth in pain and looked around. Making a loud noise, Minota tried to grab Arn when Nudra jumped high and stepped on his head.

    Thuck!

    Minota bit his own tongue and his ankle got stuck in the ground. Then, Halo ran toward him and cut Minota¡¯s side.

    "Wooaargh!"

    Minota screamed loudly and fell to one knee. That¡¯s when Diane ced Junhyuk on the ground and shoot an endless amount of arrows at him. After being hit by Diane¡¯s arrows, Minotanded with both knees on the ground, and Arn quickly retreated.

    All of a sudden, Minota split in two. One Minota was facing Arn, and the other Minota stood up from the ground and started to run toward Diane.

    Junhyuk watched Minota¡¯s doppelganger art, and knew he would attack him even if he was facing death. He had Diane next to him, but she couldn¡¯t run away while she carried him.

    Junhyuk had difficulty getting up, but had a smile on his face. The cooldown time for his force field was over.

    He ced himself in front of Diane and created a force field. The ivory force field appeared when Minota¡¯s heavy rush started.

    Bang!

    The force field was able to withstand all types of attacks, but the amount of physical force caused the field to slide back. As the falling Junhyuk watched, the force field bounced off like a ser ball and hit a tree.

    Suddenly, Minota had an arrow piercing him from chin to forehead. Underneath Minota¡¯s feet, Diane was aiming her bow up.

    Diane¡¯sst arrow took Minota¡¯s life. Minota disappeared, and Junhyuk sighed in relief.

    "I¡¯m alive."

    He was still alive, but his wounds were serious. As Junhyuk tried to get up, suddenly, an enemy minion came holding his axe over his head trying for a strike.

    Bong!

    The force field was still up, and the minion looked bbergasted and repeated his strike at Junhyuk.

    Bong!

    When the axe bounced off one more time, the minion had his neck sliced. Halo was standing behind him. He looked like his job was done and turned and walked away.

    "Thank you."

    Halo did not stop and just kept walking away. Junhyuk realized the force field had disappeared and slowly got up. His right ankle was broken, and his right arm didn¡¯t feel like an arm, and it was broken into pieces.

    Junhyuk looked at the battlefield. All the enemy minions were already dead. However, only five allied minions remained. When he was attacked by Minota, the enemy minions managed to kill a lot of allied minions.

    Junhyuk saw one of the five survivors running toward him. It was Sarang. She got to Junhyuk and helped him get up and asked:

    "Are you OK?"

    "Since I¡¯m alive, I¡¯m OK."

    It really was OK. It was good to be alive. If he had died, he would be in aa.

    However, his condition was really bad. He had broken his arm and his leg on the same side of his body and couldn¡¯t walk.

    .

    Arn approached him. He had a limp arm, but he did not feel any pain and looked over at Junhyuk.

    "You stayed alive."

    "Yes."

    "By the way, did you just activate another power?"

    "What?"

    Junhyuk did not understand, and Vera walked to him and whispered:

    "Yes, just a moment ago you activated spatial relocation."

    "It was only for two meters, but still you knew you couldn¡¯t escape Minota¡¯s rush, so you activated spatial relocation, saving yourself," Arn continued.

    Junhyuk did not realize he had activated another power. Vera looked at Junhyuk and asked:

    "Do you want to do it again?"

    "In my condition?"

    He had broken an arm and a leg. Even if he could spatial relocate, he would end up on ground.

    Artaln calmly looked at Junhyuk and said:

    "How many gold coins do you have now?"

    "Me? Well, during this Hanta, I used force field two... no, three times, so I should have 1000G?"

    "Then let¡¯s go get you a treated."

    Vera was surprised by what Arn had said.

    "Really? Don¡¯t you want to take the watchtower?"

    Arn tapped on his broken arm and said:

    "We are not in a good situation. I should take him to the dimensional merchants and make him take a potion."

    "Just the four of us? Halo is also heavily wounded."

    "There is nothing we can do. We should get treatment first."

    Vera sighed deeply and said:

    "OK. We will push for the second watchtower. Hurry back!"

    "Sure."

    Arn put Junhyuk¡¯s arm around his shoulder and said:

    "Dimensional merchants have potions. One costs 500G. Since you are not sliced to bits, you should be able to get treated. So, you should get a potion."

    One potion cost 500G. It was a high price, but it was highly effective. He should get a potion for sure. His soul¡¯s wounds would transform into physical wounds.

    Sarang asked carefully:

    "Can I go with you?"

    Arn looked at Sarang and shook his head.

    "No. You should follow Vera and try to learn more from her."

    Junhyuk agreed with him. While being carried on Arn¡¯s shoulder, Junhyuk lifted his head to look at Sarang.

    "Arn is right. Follow Vera and learn."

    "OK. Stay alive, and we will see each other again."

    Junhyuk lifted his left hand and said:

    "I will get healed ande back."

    Arn tapped Junhyuk and said:

    "You will bite your tongue. Close your mouth."

    Junhyuk closed his mouth, and Arn took off running. Junhyuk was on Arn¡¯s back when he saw gold coins on the ground and said:

    "There are some gold coins there!"

    "You will bite your tongue!"

    Junhyuk looked at the gold coins left by the enemy minions he had killed by himself.

    "We don¡¯t have time. Forget about such paltry sums."

    Paltry to you!

 Chapter 27: Second Power 1

    Chapter 27: Second Power 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Arn carried him to the dimensional merchants where they found Bebe yawning. Arn stood in front of Bebe and dropped Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk tried to stand up on his leg while Arn talked to Bebe.

    "Do you have potions? Give me one."

    "What about the money?"

    Arn looked at Junhyuk, and Junhyuk stepped forward.

    "Check to see how much money I have."

    Bebe put the te out, and Junhyuk ced his hand on it.

    It said 3800G.

    Junhyuk was surprised by the number, and Bebe took out a potion. It was a pure, pink liquid that looked like it tasted sweet.

    "Are you going to buy it?"

    "Give it to me."

    Bebe put the te out again, and Junhyuk ced his hand on it. The number decreased by 500G. There was still 3300G.

    Arn looked at Junhyuk buying the potion and said:

    "Wait here. I wille back."

    After he spoke, Junhyuk watched Arn go out and opened the potion bottle with his teeth. A fresh scent wafted out, and Junhyuk decided to drink it at once.

    He paid a lot to treat his arm and leg, so he should drink it. Junhyuk swallowed the fresh-scented and sweet-colored potion all at once, and his eyes widened.

    "Gak!"

    It had the unbelievable taste of poison. He wanted to bite his own tongue, but instead he wiped it with his hands. Bebeughed at him.

    "If it¡¯s good for your body, it will taste bitter."

    Junhyuk tried to me Bebe for the bitter taste when he realized his arm and leg had already been healed. He was a little surprised and swung his arm. Bebe looked at him and said:

    "Isn¡¯t it effective?"

    Junhyuk agreed with him, but he did not want to taste that again.

    "I shouldn¡¯t get hurt again."

    Bebeughed hard.

    "Everyone vows not to get hurt," Bebe sped his huge hands and continued: "But vows won¡¯t work. If you don¡¯t want to get hurt, you need more equipment."

    Junhyuk had been curious about something.

    "This time I have more money than I expected. Do you know what happened?"

    "Why do you want to know? It¡¯s a good thing you got more money."

    "They won¡¯t take the money away from meter?"

    "Of course not! The hosts aren¡¯t senseless," Bebe spoke and looked around. He did not want anyone to listen to their conversation and continued: "For a novice, you earned a lot during the Hanta. Usually, a novice would earn about 2500 for about five heroes."

    "Is that right?"

    Junhyuk was curious about it as well. Then, Bebe pped and continued:

    "Are you... did you just be an expert?"

    "What?"

    "Did you activate another power?"

    Junhyuk thought about what Arn told him beforeing here. Arn had thought he did.

    "I¡¯m not sure."

    "Ho. Isn¡¯t this surprising?! You already became an expert!"

    "What¡¯s an expert?"

    Bebe exined to him calmly:

    "People who activated their first power are beginners, so they are called novices. A person who activates his second power is a specialist, so he is called an expert; a person who activates his third power is called a champion; and a person who activates his ultimate power is called a hero."

    "So, people in different levels earn different amounts of money?"

    "That¡¯s right! A novice who helped out killing a hero earns 500G. An expert could earn four times more, so 2000G at once. It depends on your contribution."

    Bebe flipped through a book and continued speaking:

    "If you be a champion, you could earn 5000G helping out against one hero. Of course, there are times when champions can kill heroes. Then, you can earn items."

    He already knew about the item prices. Basic items cost thousands of gold, but he could see himself earning more money when he became a champion.

    Bebe smiled and said:

    "You are already an expert, so I should treat you as a VIP."

    "What¡¯s a VIP?"

    JunHyuk was surprised, and Bebe smiled at him.

    "VIPs get a 5% discount with every purchase."

    That was good to know.

    "Sure, but can an expert be a VIP?"

    "Of course!" Bebe opened his book wide and said: "Champions are VVIPs, and heroes are VVVIPs."

    Junhyukughed at what Bebe said, and Bebe looked at him and asked:

    "What is the second power you activated?"

    "Well, spatial relocation, but I¡¯m not sure."

    "It¡¯s a useful power. For escaping or attacking, you could use that power on both asions."

    "You can use it for attacking?"

    "Of course. You could use it to chase an enemy who tried to escape, and use it to attack an opponent¡¯s weak spot."

    It was all very interesting. Junhyuk thought about training while using his new power, and Bebe continued:

    "You will be an expert for sure on your next battle, but I will treat you as an expert starting now. Pick what you want."

    Junhyuk knew Bebe was just trying to sell more stuff. Last time he activated his power, he became a novice during the following battle. Bing an expert depended upon returning to the battlefield, but Bebe gave him the VIP benefits, and he thought of emptying his pocket.

    "First, I will look at runestones."

    "You do know what you think is right."

    Blue runestones applied only to magic, except for uracy. Junhyuk had no magical power, so he picked out the lowest level uracy runestone.

    "Give me this one."

    "Here."

    He ced his hand on the te. With the 5% discount, he spent 950G, and 2350G remained. He thought about what Arn had said about paltry sums and still felt bad about leaving the money behind. He handed Bebe the pendant.

    Bebe ced the lowest level uracy runestone on it and said:

    "Do you want something else?"

    "Do you have anything in the 2000G range?"

    Bebe thought about it for a moment and said:

    "To be honest, most of anything under 10000G is useless."

    He had meant that the useful things cost over 10000G, making Junhyuk worry. That amount of money seemed to be such a distant concept, and he did not have it.

    Bebe continued calmly:

    "If you are asking my advice, you should carry a potion. You should carry one for emergencies when you can¡¯te here. Return orders are also handy. A return order costs 500G."

    Bebe ced a few more things one could use on battlefield on the counter. Junhyuk decides to purchase only one potion. The other things coulde in hand, but were not of absolute importance.

    Bebe clicked his tongue and pushed out the te.

    "That¡¯s 475G."

    He felt like he should¡¯ve had VIP benefits earlier. Junhyuk ced the potion in his chest and thought about the second power he had activated: spatial relocation.

    In a dangerous moment, he had wanted to move two meters away, and he had wanted it like crazy. Maybe that was why his power activated, and, because of it, he was still alive. At that time, he had just gotten lucky without realizing he had activated his second power.

    Junhyuk concentrated. He didn¡¯t not how far he could move, but decided to move two meters again. He concentrated on that ce, but nothing happened.

    "Is something wrong?"

    Junhyuk concentrated again, but the relocation did not take ce. Bebe yawned and said:

    "When you activate your power for the first time, it¡¯s not easy to control. My advice is that you need clear mind projection."

    "What do you mean by clear mind projection?"

    "It¡¯s spatial relocation, right?"

    "Yes."

    Bebe pointed to a chair away from Junhyuk.

    "Don¡¯t think you will move to that chair, but think you are already on that chair."

    Junhyuk followed his direction. He didn¡¯t think he was trying to move there, but thought he was already on that chair. However, nothing happened.

    Bebe checked out his wares and said:

    "You couldn¡¯t do it right with your first power, right?"

    Junhyuk nodded slowly without protesting. Just like Bebe had said, he couldn¡¯t do it properly the first time. It took him fifteen days to be able to use the force field at will, and he had to realize that it was for protection and based on his basic will to survive.

    Junhyuk followed Bebe¡¯s advice and continued to concentrate, but he wasn¡¯t able to relocate.

    It wasn¡¯t easy, but if he got used to his second power, it could save his life. He had survived MInota¡¯s attack because of that new power.

    While Junhyuk concentrated, Arn returned. Arn nced at Junhyuk and asked Bebe:

    "What¡¯s he doing?"

    "He became an expert, so he is trying out his newly activated power."

    "Spatial relocation?"

    "That¡¯s what he said."

    Arn pulled out his sword and called for Junhyuk.

    "Come here."

    Junhyuk had been concentrating hard and did not know Arn had returned.

    "You¡¯ve came back?"

    Arn smiled and threw his saber at him. Junhyuk escaped it by moving aside, but Arn¡¯s second saber flew behind it, urately flying at Junhyuk.

    He had room to move away from the first saber, but he couldn¡¯t dodge the second. Junhyuk extended his hands and made a force field.

    Thump!

    The saber bounced off, and Junhyuk fell on the ground panting. Arn grabbed his sabers and looked at him.

    "Dodge it."

    "What?"

    "Do you want to use your new power?"

    "Even if that¡¯s the case..."

    He did not want to risk his life. The saber thrown before had a chilling feeling on him. He wasn¡¯t able to dodge the perfectly-timed second saber. Without his force field, he would been killed.

    JunHyuk got up, and the force field disappeared. Arn lifted his saber and looked at Junhyuk.

    "You can¡¯t use your force field now."

    "I know that."

    "Did you make up your mind?"

    Junhyuk balled his hands into fists. He hadn¡¯t been able to use his power since the first time, would it be possible?

    He closed his eyes. Powers depended on the person who developed them. Junhyuk¡¯s mind was made up.

    Junhyuk slowly opened his eyes and told Arn:

    "I¡¯m ready."

    Arn did not wait and threw his saber. Junhyuk could feel the chilling aura of the flying saber. If he didn¡¯t dodge it, he would be killed.

    Junhyuk had made up his mind and stepped toward the saber.

 Chapter 28: Second Power 2

    Chapter 28: Second Power 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Because Junhyuk had stepped forward, the saber was right in front of him. Even if he moved, a part of him would be cut. Junhyuk realized he only had one ce he could go.

    He had to go beyond the saber and in front of Arn. He spent a short time calcting what he would do and wished, and wished, that he would be at a different ce.

    His wish not to die gave Junhyuk a chance, and, at that moment, his surroundings changed.

    He found himself right in front of Arn¡¯s muscr chest. However, he did not have the chance to celebrate dodging the saber because a shadow loomed over his face and he wasn¡¯t able to find out what it was before Arn smashed his face.

    His body couldn¡¯t handle the momentum, and it flew in the air, rolling once and mming hard on the ground.

    "Aargh!"

    Junhyuk grabbed his face, rolled on the ground and heard Arn¡¯s voice:

    "Who are you trying to hug?"

    "I¡¯m not trying to hug anybody!"

    Arn took his saber and looked down on Junhyuk.

    "What¡¯s the cooldown time before you can use it again?"

    "Wait a second."

    Did it work because he had used his will power? He could feel the cooldown time. Junhyuk waited for a moment before he spoke again.

    "This power has a shorter cooldown."

    It had only been thirty seconds. Junhyuk looked back at Arn. Using his will power, he really wished to move, and then the environment changed again. This time, he saw Arn¡¯s wide back.

    At that moment, he felt a shock to his temple. The shock was enough to throw him at Bebe¡¯s counter.

    "Wooah!"

    He could hear Arn¡¯s voice saying:

    "I don¡¯t like when people stand behind me."

    Junhyuk touched his temples and felt dizzy. Bebe whispered to Junhyuk:

    "You should thank your defensive runestone. If not for it, you could¡¯ve been killed!"

    Thinking about it, Arn¡¯s single attack killed minions. Arn did not use all of his strength, and Junhyuk reflected on what happened. If he did not have a defensive runestone, he would¡¯ve been killed or had to drink his potion.

    Arn looked at Junhyuk and said:

    "We¡¯ve checked the cooldown, but we should also check the distance."

    Junhyuk nodded and stood up. He was still feeling dizzy, but did not have any problems using his new power. However, the cooldown period wasn¡¯t over yet.

    He waited until he realized it had ended. Junhyuk ran toward the dimensional merchants¡¯ portal without hesitation, but, looking at the environment change, he realized he did not reach portal.

    Junhyuk looked back, and Arn said:

    "The distance is about five meters."

    Junhyuk measured the distance from start to finish. It was about five meter, not a long distance, but it was enough to save his life from a dangerous situation.

    Arn looked at the distanced covered and said:

    "You should check if you can control that distance."

    "It¡¯s still under cooldown."

    "We can¡¯t wait while you practice. Let¡¯s move and try it again when we have time."

    "OK."

    Arn looked at Bebe and said:

    "Give me an optical fossil."

    "Already? Here it is. That¡¯ll be 50000G."

    Junhyuk looked at the optical fossil after Arn paid for it, and it had five different colors and a gem. Arn asked him:

    "What?"

    "What¡¯s an optical fossil?"

    Bebeughed and said:

    "You don¡¯t know because you¡¯ve just be an expert, but they have been heroes ever since they¡¯vee to the Dimensional Battlefield. Their weapons are better than the weapons we have here, but optical fossils upgrade the power of their weapons, and heroes can¡¯t see where the attackes from. Optical fossils especially increase the power of physical attacks."

    Bebe looked at Arn and asked:

    "If you are sessful, this will be your eighth upgrade, correct?"

    "What is the sess rate?"

    "To insert for the first time, it¡¯s about 50%, but the sess rate to upgrade is 12.5%."

    Arn pulled out his two sabers and ced them on the counter and put the optical fossil on the sabers. He ced both hands on the optical fossil and said:

    "Upgrade."

    The five different colors lit up, and the lights started dancing on top of the sabers. Arn looked at the brilliant colors and saw the lights mixing inside the sabers and smiled.

    Bebe watched, astounded, and said:

    "Was it a sess?"

    "Yes, it was," Arn swung his sabers lightly. "Yes, I like it."

    "What¡¯s the deal with upgrading?"

    Bebe exined:

    "Basically, a weapon¡¯s performance and its inner structure increase by 20%, but if you increase it multiple times, it increases its performance exponentially each time you are sessful."

    Junhyuk realized what they had meant by increasing it by the 8th time and looked at Arn and wished he had the same power. Arn felt a lot better and looked back at Junhyuk.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    "OK."

    After they left, Arn took the lead and thought about something and stopped. He extended his hand to Junhyuk. Junhyuk looked at the hand, and Arn said:

    "My 41G."

    Junhyuk opened his eyes ever so slightly and looked at Arn. Didn¡¯t Arn say it was a small sum?

    Arn talked straight at Junhyuk:

    "Money is still money."

    Junhyuk shrugged and said:

    "I don¡¯t have any gold coins."

    "It¡¯s OK."

    After Arn spoke, a te showed up on his hand. It was just like Bebe¡¯s te.

    "Put your hand on it."

    Junhyuk ced his hand on it, and, above it, a notice for 1875G showed up.

    "It¡¯s 41G, right?"

    "Yes."

    After the 41G was taken out, 1834G remained. Junhyuk knew he mustn¡¯t upset Arn.

    "Thanks for letting me borrow it when I really needed it."

    "There won¡¯t be second time."

    "... OK."

    Junhyuk followed Arn. At one point, Arn stopped and said:

    "When you buy things, you think it¡¯s a good thing to buy runestones, but it¡¯s better to purchase basic equipment. Of course, it¡¯s not easy to collect the amount to buy one, so you should save your money."

    Junhyuk relocated to Arn¡¯s side, smiled and said:

    "Thanks for the advice."

    "Hm," Arn scoffed and walked quickly. Junhyuk followed right behind.

    ---

    Following Arn, he arrived at the central watchtower. There were many people in front of it: the four heroes and Sarang, and hundreds of minions who had been brought there by them.

    Junhyuk was astounded and asked Arn:

    "Is it already time for a full scale attack?"

    Arn nodded.

    "Yes. This time we were very sessful, so we opened up the central road. Now, we will deploy all remaining minions and attack."

    A full scale attack made Junhyuk worry. He had already experienced one of those. They would utilize all remaining minions in the Dimensional Battlefield, and, using those minions, they attacked the castle. The enemy¡¯s castle had superior defensive capabilities over regr watchtowers.

    Last time, the battle did not go well, so they had to fight for a long time. The full scale attack took ce at a muchter time. The war itself took a month, but, now, everything was going well, and it would be over soon.

    The problem was that whether attacking a watchtower or the castle, the main burden fell on the minions. That was because the minions were in the greatest numbers and were the easiest to kill.

    Meanwhile, the heroes destroyed the castlel or the watchtower.

    The enemy heroes had disrupted their movement, and thest full scale attack had resulted in a massacre of allied minions. Junhyuk had survived because he had activated his power, and the heroes told him to stay behind.

    However, Junhyuk was used as bait to draw in enemy minions.

    This full scale attack would result in another massacre of allied minions. Only the heroes could save the minions. It was a battlefield, and that was full scale attack.

    Junhyuk refused to look at the minions. It was not good to draw their attention. He didn¡¯t have the power to save them.

    Arn took Junhyuk to the rest of the group.

    "Are you ready?"

    "Yes."

    Vera looked at Arn¡¯s saber and smiled.

    "Was the upgrade a sess?"

    "I was lucky."

    "I¡¯m looking forward to its power."

    Vera looked at Junhyuk and asked:

    "Did you activate your second power?"

    "Yes. It¡¯s spatial relocation."

    Veraughed.

    "It¡¯s another high lever power, but he doesn¡¯t have any attack powers."

    "Maybe it¡¯s because he is only trying to stay alive. Hecks the will to kill his enemies."

    "Is that why?" Vera grabbed Junhyuk by the chin and pulled his face toward her, smiled and said: "Congrattions on making it to the expert level."

    "Thank you."

    "I don¡¯t know what kind of power you will activate in the future, but do look after me." Vera had her arm around Junhyuk and looked at Sarang. "In this full scale attack, we will do without that child."

    "That¡¯s good to know."

    Full scale attacks meant that minions would go to their deaths. There was no reason to refuse Vera¡¯s offer.

    "You should guard her well."

    "I will."

    ---

    During a full scale attack, enemy heroes usually popped up when a castle wall got destroyed. Junhyuk would use his force field then.

    If the enemy heroes did not aim for him, he could protect Sarang without using his field.

    Vera smiled and shouted.

    "Now, everybody attack!"

    After Vera spoke, the minions started to move. Sarang was about to follow the lead group when Vera approached her. Junhyuk went behind them, practicing his spatial relocation.

    On the road to the castle wall, they found the trail of the destroyed watchtower left behind. Passing by the second watchtower, the minions started to whisper among themselves. They couldn¡¯t see any enemies, only destroyed enemy camps, so they were feeling relieved. However, they shouldn¡¯t let their guards down.

    The castle was different from a watchtower. The number of archers on the walls was much higher, and the walls¡¯ defensive power was different. The allied heroes would attack in an all-out mode, but the enemy heroes would be cautious to engage.

    In the end, the minions would die while attacking the castle walls.

    Junhyuk thought heroes were scary. Heroes put minions in harm¡¯s way when the minions were of no use to them anymore.

    That¡¯s why heroes used items to destroy the castle while the minions were in front of it.

    There was no need to tell them what would be taking ce, since there was nothing he could do.

    Junhyuk sighed and concentrated on using his second power at will. He kept practicing spatial relocation, but held his breath when he saw a ck castle from far away.

    The castle walls were about seven meters high, and, in front of them, there were many enemy minions.

    They had to number around a hundred, but they also had archers, and a hundred was not a small number. When allied minions fought enemy minions, arrows strangely only hit the allied minions. Even though it was a close quarters fight, the enemy minions had the advantage of having archers behind them.

    The distance was closing when Arn lifted his hand. All allied minions stopped, and Arn turned.

    "This is a full scale attack!"

    The minions swallowed their saliva, and Arn continued coldly:

    "If you survive this battle, you will return to your world."

    The minions looked at each other. They were all d they could go home. Arn pulled out a small marble from his waistband.

    "Attack!"

    With his shout, the small marble shone. A light shed at the minions, and their eyes looked different. The minions were crazed, and they ran toward the enemy.

    Arn stepped back and said:

    "Here theye."

    They could see over the attacking minions. The castle gate opened, and the enemy heroes walked out. Arn smiled and said:

    "Let¡¯s go."

    Junhyuk held fast to his sword and followed Arn.

    This time, he would also survive, and he would return to his world, to his life.

 Chapter 29: The Fall 1

    Chapter 29: The Fall 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Minions who were crazed did not look after themselves. If they had told ordinary people to take the castle, they would have run away after going against a few arrows.

    That marble had been used to prevent them from running, making them wild, so that enemy minions wouldn¡¯t be able to push them aside.

    Enemy minions were usually wild. Ordinarily, wild enemy minions would push them back, forcing them to take a defensive position, but, at that moment, it was different. The allied minion¡¯s battle spirits had been woken up, and, with the numerical superiority, they soon put pressure on the enemy minions.

    Then, the archers showed up on the castle walls. There were fifty archers, not too may, but they were different from ordinary minions. Their unified attack showered the minions with arrows.

    The minions who used their shields to protect themselves survived, but those who did not, did not make it. If one did not protect oneself, an arrow would surely strike one¡¯s face.

    Because of the archers¡¯ attack, the minions had to lift their shields, and, soon, they lost their bnce, and many fell.

    Junhyuk looked at the battlefield and saw others running toward him. They were the heroes who had lost thest Hanta. Because of them, he gained valuable items, but his advantage was not that high.

    This time, they didn¡¯t attack at full speed. When Minota had been absent, Libya had been killed, so they had to be thinking about the previous battle. Warren, Ellic and Grangsha were at the front. Minota would protect Libya this time, and Libya¡¯s magic was extremely dangerous. They were trying to protect Libya, so the allied heroes also changed their strategy.

    Arn signaled Junhyuk to stop and stepped forward. Halo stood right next to Arn and Nudra, and Vera stood next to Diane.

    Junhyuk was standing behind the heroes and looking at the enemy.

    His job was to create a force field at the most opportune time and to stay alive.

    If they didn¡¯t kill the heroes, the full scale attack would mean nothing, and the enemy would kill them, and the allied heroes would lose the battle.

    Junhyuk looked for an opportunity.

    Ellic stepped forward and shouted:

    "Are you not scared? You came back so soon."

    Arnughed a little and said:

    "You dropped some items and you still have all that bravado*."

    Arn¡¯s positioned himself exactly where Libya¡¯s magic wouldn¡¯t reach him, and Ellic was standing where Vera¡¯s magic wouldn¡¯t hit him. Arn looked at Ellic and said:

    "You dropped a bloody gauntlet. I will use it well."

    "You asshole!"

    Ellic cursed and ran straight toward Arn.

    "Stop!"

    Grangsha shouted quickly, but Ellic was already on his way to Arn. Arn stepped aside of the path of Ellic¡¯s rush, and Vera¡¯s fire spear flew in.

    Bang!

    Ellic halted for a moment, and they attacked him in full force. Halo swung his katana, and Arn also swung his saber.

    Ellic was the focus of the attacks while Grangsha and Warren ran to Ellic¡¯s aid. Arn looked at them approaching and shouted:

    "Nudra!"

    Nudra front kicked Grangsha. He was pushed back while Warren kept going, and Diane¡¯s arrow flew in, aiming at Grangsha.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck!

    Warren ignored the arrow on his arm and ran faster. If they let him run any further, Vera and Diane would be in danger.

    Arn swung his saber at Warren who was passing by him. Warren intended to ignore Arn and continue running.

    sh!

    However, when he got hit by Arn, Warren changed his mind. His chest had been opened wide, and he was seriously wounded.

    "Hoowwl!" Warren howled, and Arn, Vera and Diane froze. Warren¡¯s eyes turned red, and his wounds healed quickly.

    While Arn was frozen, Warren lunged toward Vera.

    Junhyuk extended his hand toward Vera. Usually, he used his force field on Arn when Arn attacked way out front, but now wasn¡¯t Arn¡¯s time.

    Vera could inflict heavy damages on the enemies, and, if she died, the allies might lose the battle.

    Warren¡¯s ws aimed at Vera¡¯s neck when, in the nick of time, a force field appeared around Vera.

    Clonk!

    Warren grinded his teeth in frustration, and turned to look at Junhyuk.

    He had heard from Minota that he had been killed while trying to kill Junhyuk, but they had to kill him. If not for the present, then for the future.

    Warren¡¯s attack did not work against Vera, and he turned to Junhyuk.

    Vera threw her fire spear at Warren¡¯s back, and Diane showered Warren with her arrows. Warren did not care about his wounds. With his blood-red eyes, he showed powerful regenerative capabilities. He could afford to get hurt.

    While Warren ran, Arn ran just behind him.

    Junhyuk lifted his sword against Warren, and Warren rolled up his lips. He was scoffing at the sight. A novice couldn¡¯t fight a hero. Warren knew Junhyuk¡¯s gesture of lifting his two-handed sword could be hisst act, and he swung his ws.

    Junhyuk could get killed, and he knew his attack wouldn¡¯t work. He had learned that by attacking Minota the previous time. He simply did not have enough attacking power to destroy a hero¡¯s defenses.

    As Warren¡¯s ws closed in, Junhyuk used spatial relocation and moved. Shooting for the maximum distance, Junhyuk saw the surroundings around him change and saw Warren extremely confused.

    Warren was swinging his ws at the empty air when Arn shed him with his saber.

    "Gargh!"

    Warren¡¯s back had a huge gash, and, suddenly, an arrow prated his forehead.

    Diane was preparing to reunch her attack. Warren fell to the ground, and Junhyuk sighed in relief. Facing a hero head-on was a chilling experience, even if he had the means to escape. If anything had gone wrong, he would have been killed instantly.

    Within the force field, Vera winked at Junhyuk and lifted her hands to the sky. She meant to destroy her enemies with a single blow and prepared her strongest power: meteor.

    Ellic was fighting Halo fiercely, and Grangsha was going back to Nudra.

    Far away, Minota and Libya were running toward the front. Libya threw an ice spear.

    They were trying to escape Vera¡¯s magic and were approaching fast. If anything went awry, the meteors would hit empty ground.

    The ice spear hit Halo.

    Crash!

    Halo was fighting Ellic head-on and was unable to avoid getting hit by the ice spear. When one was hit by an ice spear, his movements slowed down and his attacking speed decreased as well.

    His whole body slowed down and he was hit by Ellic¡¯s attack. Halo staggered.

    Nudra stepped forward to rescue Halo. He saw Grangsha going toward him and jumped in the air and kicked Ellic.

    Bang!

    Nudra¡¯s kick was not that powerful, but its force pushed back his enemies. Ellic was pushed back and was now facing Arn. Arn didn¡¯t hesitate and swung his saber at Ellic.

    ng!

    Ellic had blocked Arn¡¯s attacks twice when he was hit on the side by multiple arrows. Ellic tried to, but it was not easy to dodge Diane¡¯s arrows.

    Ellic¡¯s movements had be unnatural because of the arrows lodged on his chest, and Halo ran toward him. Halo¡¯s movements had slowed down, but he stillunched an attack.

    Quickly, Halo closed in on Ellic and shed Ellic¡¯s leg. Ellic knew he was toote and lifted his hammer.

    He banged the ground with his hammer, making concentric rings which created shockwaves. Arn and Halo staggered and stepped back. Ellic saw them back off and ran toward Minota.

    Ellic passed Grangsha and reached Minota and Libya when the meteors fell from the sky. Vera calcted where they would be, and the meteors hit them exactly where they were.

    "Move!"

    Minota shouted, but Ellic had already used his power to escape and could not change his direction in the middle of using his power.

    Minota protected Libya with his arms.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    Ellic fell down after being hit by the meteors, and Minota was burning with ck mes. It was different from before, the ck messted longer.

    Maybe she was using a continuous attack.

    While Junhyuk watched, Vera made a firewall in front of Grangsha.

    They had already lost two heroes, and Grangsha was standing where no meteors had hit, but was still in danger.

    Grangsha did not move forward, but started to move back.

    "Retreat!"

    Minota looked at Arn¡¯s group and focused on Junhyuk. Minota¡¯s chilling look made Junhyuk uneasy, and Minota said:

    "We wille back after we recover."

    They retreated quickly, and Junhyuk sighed in relief when Arn spoke:

    "OK. While they are gone, we will destroy the castle," and to Junhyuk he added: "You made the right call."

    Arn was important, but Vera was the nucleus of the allied attack. Of course, he would protect her.

    Junhyuk grinned and said:

    "Are we going to attack the castle¡¯s gate?"

    Arn looked at Diane and said:

    "Diane, you take care of the archers on the castle walls."

    "All right."

    Arn looked at Junhyuk:

    "You will be helping the minions."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk would take a generation to destroy the castle¡¯s gate with his attacking power. Vera looked at Sarang and said:

    "You should stay behind. You might get killed by enemy archers."

    "OK."

    The group moved toward the castle walls. Minota¡¯s group had retreated, and the castle¡¯s gate was closed. Junhyuk made up his mind and ran.

    The crazed minions were pushing back the enemy minions, but they were getting killed quickly by the enemy archers. Hundreds of minions had been there at the start of the battle, but now only about a hundred allied minions remained, and enemy minions numbered at about forty.

    Just to calcte casualties, the allies had a higher casualty rate, but now the heroes were involved, so the situation would change quickly. Junhyuk ran toward the minions, but the crazed minions did not make way for him to pass. He stepped on the minions¡¯ shoulders and jumped toward the enemy minions.

    A shadow fell on an enemy minion¡¯s head, and Junhyuk swung his sword down on him.

    Tck!

    The minion was sliced in two. It had taken him a lot of energy, but it was an effective way to attack and to affect their will to fight psychologically. Junhyuk swung his sword again.

    His sword swings sliced arms and necks.

    Among the minions, Junhyuk could be an unique and absolute figure.

    Then, a cloud of arrows showered down on him, but he had no intention of being hit.

    Junhyuk disappeared and showed up to the right side of the enemy minions¡¯ formation. Tens of arrows hit the ground where Junhyuk had been standing, and he smiled.

    He was loving his newly activated power.

    ------

    bravado - a bold manner or a show of boldness intended to impress or intimidate

 Chapter 30: The Fall 2

    Chapter 30: The Fall 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The archers at the top of the castle walls were very skillful. The only way to block their shots was with a shield, and they were strong and urate.

    They also had a very special buff when they attacked heroes. It was different from attacking minions because minions could block with their shields.

    It was possible the hosts of the Dimensional Battlefield had created archers. When archers attacked heroes, they could cause serious damage to them. Of course, archers wouldn¡¯t start fights against heroes. However, when heroes attacked the castle, then the archers concentrated their attacks in response, and even heroes could not ignore that.

    So, when there were no enemy heroes left, like at that time, they killed the archers first. There were fifty archers left.

    Diane aimed and released.

    Thuck!

    An archer was hit on his forehead and fell. Diane calmly aimed again and released the bowstring. Again, another archer fell.

    "Forty-eight left."

    Diane pulled the bowstring and looked at Junhyuk. All of the archers¡¯ attention was focused on Junhyuk.

    "I don¡¯t have to worry."

    Junhyuk was doing well on his own.

    ---

    The first archers attacked before Junhyuk escaped by using his spatial relocation. Junhyuk got out of the archers¡¯ range and looked at the ongoing battle.

    The minions had lost their minds. Some of them were winning while some were losing. Junhyuk was waiting for the cooldown time of spatial relocation and getting ready to use it again. When he had three seconds left, he jumped forward.

    This time, he was near to where the allied minions were winning. If he went to a ce where his allies were losing, he might kill three minions, and that would not make a big difference, but in a ce where the minions were winning, the situation was different.

    Junhyuk lunged forward, stepping on an allied minions¡¯ shoulders, and, while hended, he stabbed an enemy¡¯s head. The enemy minion fell, and, while Junhyuk got up, he stabbed him again.

    When Junhyuk showed up, a minion turned to look at him, and he died with an arrow stuck to the middle of his forehead. Junhyuk quickly lifted the minion to cover his body.

    The enemy archers¡¯ skill was really something else. If anyone did not have his shield up, he would die for sure, but a dead minion could be used as a shield.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck, thuck, thuck!

    He heard countless noises. Junhyuk threw the dead enemy minion away and started swinging his sword again.

    To his left and right, enemy minions fell dead. Junhyuk realized he didn¡¯t need spatial relocation.

    He only needed to continue like this. The enemy archers aimed at him again, and Junhyuk killed another minion and lifted him up. Again, the dead minion¡¯s body shook from the arrows.

    If he continued, he could easily push back the enemy. That¡¯s when Diane shouted:

    "Get out!"

    Junhyuk threw the dead minion away and his eyes widened. All of a sudden, Minota was on top of the castle wall. He saw Junhyuk and just jumped down.

    Minota was four meters tall and fell from a seven-meter high wall, and the pressure from the drop was enough to make Junhyuk¡¯s hair stand.

    He was already making his way to the rear, but the shock from Minota¡¯s drop had an effect on him, and he staggered.

    Junhyuk moved back and saw Diane¡¯s arrows flying. They were intended for Minota, but he ignored them and kept charging after Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk really felt the danger he was in.

    Minota was being decisive and leaned over and rushed toward Junhyuk. He stepped on the minions like a bulldozer, and Junhyuk turned around.

    He was not sure about Minota¡¯s rushing distance, but he had to dodge at the right moment.

    Doosh, doosh, doosh, doosh!

    Junhyuk could feel the rushing Minota¡¯s touch on him and pulled himself out. When the environment around him changed, he just began to run toward the right.

    That¡¯s where the allied heroes were.

    Minota witnessed Junhyuk¡¯s disappearance and stopped rushing to look around. About five meters away, he saw Junhyuk running toward the heroes and he smiled coldly.

    "You are dead now!"

    Minota ran after him, killing minions with his stomps, but Junhyuk was not worried about it. There were some crazed minions who tried to attack Minota and got kicked by him like bouncy balls and killed.

    However, their attacks slowed Minota down, and Junhyuk was able to reach the allied heroes.

    Halo lunged in first. Swinging his katana while rushing, he was able to cover more distance than the others. Halo shed the rushing Minota¡¯s side, and Junhyuk felt relieved.

    Minota tried to surprise attack him, but he was able to escape. Now, it was up to the heroes to deal with him.

    However, even with his side shed, Minota did not stop rushing after Junhyuk. Minota was four meters tall and at least twice Junhyuk¡¯s size.

    Minota closed in fast. When Junhyuk felt his death approaching, Arn flew in with his saber. Arn swung his saber, and Minota¡¯s eyes started bleeding bloody tears.

    sh!

    Minota couldn¡¯t continue chasing Junhyuk with his eyes gone. He swung his ws like crazy.

    If he ever grabbed him, he would kill him, but he was now dealing with heroes. Arn dodged Minota¡¯s ws and cut his arm. With his arm cut, Minota lifted his leg and stomped the ground.

    Doosh!

    Arn tried to move, but he was still within range of the shockwaves and staggered. Minota crouched and sweeped the ground with his paws. Arn moved, and Halo appeared from behind him and stabbed Minota.

    Junhyuk could see Halo¡¯s katana sinking into Minota¡¯s chest and was relieved. Even if Minota did not die, he had to be seriously wounded. Then, Minota split in two. One attacked Arn, and the other attacked Halo. Even if he couldn¡¯t see, he was still able to fight those that were close to him.

    However, it was more like spasmodic* movements near death. Junhyuk felt relieved watching it all, when Vera shouted:

    "Move!"

    Junhyuk did not know what she meant and lifted his head and saw a figure above the castle wall. With wings like snowkes, Libya was standing there.

    He knew of her ability. She jumped up high and, when shended, she used her ice power around her. At that moment, she was trying to use her power on him.

    Not only Minota, but Libya was after him as well. They gave up on that battle and, instead, concentrated on killing Junhyuk. The cooldown time for spatial relocation wasn¡¯t finished, so he couldn¡¯t really escape.

    In the air, Libya pped her wings softly and flew toward Junhyuk. Junhyuk looked at her and held on to his two-handed sword.

    Libya smiled with confidence.

    Bang!

    Libya fell, and ice concentric* circles formed around her. She lifted her head, and Junhyuk smiled at her. He was covered by his ivory force field.

    If possible, he wanted to use it on the heroes, but now was not the time. He had to survive first to help others.

    Libya looked extremely surprised, and Junhyuk swung his sword.

    sh!

    A scratch appeared on her neck, and some blood poured out. Junhyuk¡¯s eyes beamed while looking at her. He thought all the heroes were the same, but it turned out Minota was especially strong. Of course, he couldn¡¯t kill Libya with a scratch, butter, when he became stronger, he would be able to.

    He would have the ability to kill heroes.

    Her eyebrows shook slightly and her pride was hurt by being injured by a novice. She couldn¡¯t forgive him. Her eyes looked cold, and she lifted both of her hands.

    Junhyuk distanced himself from her. His force field onlysted ten seconds, and even one strike from her would kill him.

    There was no reason for him to stay at the front not doing much.

    Junhyuk escaped quickly, while Libya made an ice flower and threw it up. Flower petals spread to all directions. Even if one petal grazed someone, that person¡¯s movement speed and attack speed decreased.

    Libya made an ice wall around her and shouted:

    "Grangsha!"

    Grangsha showed up on top of the castle wall. It looked as though they had nned to attack Junhyuk one by one. He jumped down and ran.

    Vera¡¯s fire spear and Diane¡¯s arrows were for Libya, but Grangsha took the shots instead. Junhyuk needed to move quickly. They had decided to have him killed. This was more dangerous than thest time.

    Then, Minota fellpletely, and the people regrouped. Halo was the first to swing his sword against Grangsha.

    Klunk!

    Grangsha blocked it with his shield, and Arn came up fast and swung his saber.

    Klunk!

    Grangsha was good at using his shield, but he was not able to shield himself from two attacks. Instead, he swung his sickle, making both of them step back.

    When Nudra joined the fight, Libya jumped up high. Looking at her, Vera scoffed and threw a fire spear.

    Boom!

    Libya blocked Vera¡¯s attack by using both of her arms. Of course, even if she blocked the fire spear, the fire would catch on her and continue the damage.

    Libya was being constantly attacked by allied heroes.

    Bang!

    She fell, and her cold energy spread, affecting those around her. The three heroes who were attacking Grangsha all froze. That¡¯s when Grangsha started spinning.

    That was Grangsha¡¯s highest level attack. While spinning, he used his sickle to sh everyone around him. Libya had frozen them, slowing them down so they couldn¡¯t move.

    Nudra quickly tried to kick Grangsha, but Libya stood in front of him and deflected Nudra¡¯s attack. Meanwhile, Grangsha was spinning, and his sickle went everywhere.

    sh, sh, sh!

    Blood sttered.

    Arn¡¯s blood, Halo¡¯s blood and Nudra¡¯s blood spurted like fountains. They had experienced Grangsha¡¯s highest level attack, and then theyunched attacks of their own.

    Grangsha¡¯s attacked left an opening at the end of it. Seeing that opening, Arn swung his saber and sliced Grangsha¡¯s leg. While Gransha staggered, Halo sliced the arm that held a shield.

    Even though Grangsha use his highest level attack, they had the superior physical constitution and defensive power. So, they counter attacked. Facing three heroes, there was nothing more Grangsha could do.

    With one leg sliced and his shield gone, Nudra appeared on top of him.

    Thump!

    Nudra kicked Grangsha¡¯s head and pushed his head to the ground, Junhyuk sighed in relief. Junhyuk had thought he had survived the enemy heroes¡¯ attacks when Grangsha smiled at him.

    When Junhyuk looked at him, he thought suddenly:

    Where is Libya?

    Junhyuk looked for her and found her quickly.

    Libya was holding out both arms, and, from her hands, pure-white, condensed ice came at him like a waterfall.

    ------

    spasmodic - urring or done in brief, irregr bursts.

    concentric - circles, onerger than the other, that have amon center.

    when you throw a stone in ake, waves of concentric circles form from the point where the stone hit theke.

 Chapter 31: The Fall 3

    Chapter 31: The Fall 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The force field had disappeared long ago. If he was hit by the icy wind, he would surely die. Junhyuk moved to his left through spatial relocation.

    It¡¯s was a huge relief that the cooldown time for spatial relocation was so short, and he was able to use it. When his surroundings changed, he began to run.

    He knew all about her power, having encountered it before. For five seconds, Libya was able to turn and continue using her ice storm. It had a long range, and he thought her power was really deadly.

    There was a reason as to why Libya was in charge of the enemy heroes¡¯ attack.

    Libya turned toward Junhyuk, and the ice chased him. When the ice storm hit the minions, they all froze.

    Arn, Halo and Nudra ran toward Libya, and the archers showered them with arrows. They all ignored the rain of arrows and tried to kill Libya, trying to put an end to her deadly power.

    However, Junhyuk could get hit first, before they had the chance to stop her.

    He ran with all his might and saw Vera running toward him. Vera looked at him and shouted:

    "Get on the ground!"

    Hearing that, Junhyuk threw himself belly first on the ground. Vera stood in front of him to block the ice storm.

    ck, ck, ck!

    The strong ice wind was freezing her quickly. Libya¡¯s seemingly unending ice storm finally ceased, and Vera was covered with white ice all over.

    Diane loosened an arrow toward Lybia. The ice storm was Lybia¡¯s ultimate power, and it was over, so she was very tired.

    Suddenly, Diane¡¯s arrow hit Lybia in the middle of her forehead. Because of the shock, Libya¡¯s head turned, and a running Arn shed her with his saber.

    It looked like both attacks had delivered the final blow together.

    Diane notched another arrow and shouted:

    "Move aside! We need to take care of the archers and destroy the castle¡¯s gate!"

    Arn, Halo, and Nudra move out of the range of the archers while Diane shot her arrows with shy speed.

    Previously, Diane had worried about the heroes popping up from somewhere, but now, she was just aiming at the archers, and the difference in speed really showed.

    Junhyuk made sure Libya was dead and got up. In front of him stood Vera, covered in ice.

    "Vera."

    Junhyuk moved toward her, mumbling, when her body shook. The ice broke, and Vera looked at him:

    "I did not do a good job."

    "What?"

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t understand what she had meant. If she hadn¡¯t protected him, he would¡¯ve been dead.

    Vera walked to him and tapped his armor.

    Crack, crack!

    The armor had been frozen and broke into bits. Vera exined calmly:

    "Libya¡¯s ice storm decreases defensive power. Things like armor freeze and break into pieces. Her ice storm is deadly."

    Junhyuk saw the pieces of his broken armor and looked at Vera.

    "Are you OK?"

    "I¡¯m OK."

    Vera was shivering slightly. She was not in good condition. Then, Arn went over and asked:

    "How are you?"

    Veraughed a little.

    "They don¡¯t have any heroes. They will fall soon enough."

    "Take care of yourself. We don¡¯t have time to go back."

    "Sure."

    Arn took Halo and Nudra and ran toward the enemy minions. Minota had run wild, and Libya had used her ice storm. They both killed every minion except for Sarang, who had stayed behind.

    Diane killed every archer, and the remaining minions were taken care of by Arn, Halo and Nudra.

    Junhyuk pulled something out of his chest and gave it to Vera:

    "You should take this."

    Vera caressed Junhyuk¡¯s head.

    "It only helps novices recover. It has no effect on us. It won¡¯t help me, and I don¡¯t need it." Vera hugged Junhyuk¡¯s shoulders and continued: "Their strategy was to kill you first. It means your powers are that dangerous. A high level rank force field bes even more dangerous when you are able to transfer it. They have to kill you first in order to have a chance in the next battle."

    Junhyuk swallowed his own saliva, and Vera smiled and said:

    "They were trying to kill you while we tried to save you. You are valuable to us."

    Junhyuk asked carefully:

    "Do I have toe back next time?"

    "Of course."

    "Next time, they will target me from the beginning."

    "Yes."

    Vera tapped Junhyuk¡¯s head lightly with her own.

    "When you return, you should train harder. If possible, activate another power."

    "Can I activate another power?"

    "How far your powers will go or if your powers will stay as is, that I don¡¯t know."

    Junhyuk realized he had to activate more powers. Next time, he would be their primary target, so he had toe up with a n.

    "Whew."

    While he let out a sigh, the gate was destroyed. Vera signaled for Sarang.

    "Let¡¯s go in."

    "Yes."

    An astounded Sarang went up and joined Junhyuk and Vera. He put on a bitter smile and said:

    "Let¡¯s go in. The heroes haven¡¯t had time to reincarnate, so it will be over soon."

    "Are you OK?"

    Junhyuk checked himself out. His armor had broken, and his muscles were showing, but he was not hurt. Without Vera, he would¡¯ve been just like his armor, in pieces, but somehow he was OK.

    "I¡¯m fine."

    He entered the castle with Sarang. In front of the castle, there was a giant golem. The golem was guarding the entrance, and he must¡¯ve been sixteen feet tall. He had both defensive and offensive powers suited to his size.

    Even a hero could not fight a golem one-on-one. He was that powerful. Yet, the heroes ran toward thest obstacle, the golem.

    Arn took the lead. He ran first and shouted:

    "Force field!"

    Junhyuk ran after him, measured the distance and created a force field.

    When the force field covered Arn, the giant golem swung its fist down. The fist was blocked by the ivory force field, and Arn swung his saber.

    Arn had the golem¡¯s attention, and the other heroes attacked it. Halo aimed at the golem¡¯s arm while Nudra kicked it instead of using his power.

    ng, ng!

    Diane¡¯s arrows were very useful in dealing with the giant golem, but ten seconds was not that long.

    Arn shouted at Nudra:

    "Nudra!"

    Nudra was waiting for the right moment and front kicked the golem, pushing it back. They concentrated their attacks, and the golem fell over.

    Arn ran toward the golem. It swung its fist down, but Arn dodged it and swung his saber.

    ng, ng!

    Arn swung his saber so that he could block the golem¡¯s limbs while Halo aimed for its head, but the golem was not easily fooled and headbutted Halo.

    Bang!

    The damage from the giant golem¡¯s attack was different. Halo staggered, and the golem kicked Arn, throwing him in the air. Arn rolled on the ground, got up, and Vera shouted:

    "Step aside."

    Nudra stepped back, and, soon, ck fire me meteors fell from the sky.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    The meteors did not fall over a wide space, but were concentrated on the giant golem. Wrapped in giant ck mes, the giant golem fell, and Arn shouted:

    "Let¡¯s destroy castle!"

    Arn swung his saber, and a blue membrane showed up around castle.

    The castle was protected by a blue protective force field, but when the blue force field was destroyed, the castle itself would copse. That force field needed to be destroyed. It would decide the oue of the battle.

    Junhyuk stepped forward holding his two-handed sword. The force field around the castle was huge, and Junhyuk¡¯s attack would have little effect on it, if any, but he wanted to help out and return home.

    Sarang also used her energy bolt.

    The force field slowly cracked, and they continued to attack. Then, something ran toward them from inside the castle.

    Warren was the one running, and Nudra stepped forward. Nudra front kicked Warren, and Warren dropped back while Diane shot her arrows at him.

    Warren tried to block the arrows with both arms to protect his weak spots, but Diane was aiming at his legs. The arrowsnded on Warren¡¯s legs, and Arnunched himself against him.

    While falling, Arn swung his saber, and Warren blocks it with his ws.

    Chh-ng!

    Halo went up and stabbed Warren¡¯s side with his sword.

    "Howl!"

    Warren howled, and Vera¡¯s fire spear hit him in the head. Warren staggered, and Arn sliced his head off.

    There were five heroes. A reincarnated hero facing them alone was an act of suicide. Within the castle wall, Ellic looked outside and saw Warren get killed. The five heroes were destroying the castle¡¯s force field, and Ellic swung his hammer at the ground, and his eyes beamed with madness.

    Even a crazy Ellic knew there was nothing he could do at that moment. He looked at Junhyuk, who was hitting the blue force field.

    "You."

    With his hammer, Ellic pointed to Junhyuk with a cold grin on his face.

    "Next time, I will kill you for sure."

    Junhyuk swung his two-handed sword, and the blue force field shattered.

    Boom!

    The blue protective field was gone, and the castle copsed. Ellic disappeared, and Junhyuk made up his mind:

    Next time, he would activate another power. If he did not, he might get killed by Ellic¡¯s hands.

    Arn stood behind Junhyuk and said:

    "A person who doesn¡¯t stop will take the lead."

    Junhyuk turned around, and Arn looked down at him and said:

    "Work hard. Hard work does not tell lies."

    Arn turned around, and Junhyuk made up his mind again: He would work harder, just like Arn had told him, and he would survive no matter what.

    Vera waved at him while disappearing, and Sarang walked toward him and shouted:

    "Bro, what happens now?"

    Junhyuk looked at her and smiled.

    "We go home."

    "Really?! But you are not disappearing."

    Sarang was disappearing as well. Junhyuk talked to her softly:

    "It¡¯s a good thing you survived."

    "Big bro! How do I contact you...?"

    Sarang shouted in desperation as she disappeared. Junhyuk saw the white light. It was time to return.

 Chapter 32: First Day At Work 1

    Chapter 32: First Day At Work 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    She stirred.

    Sarang was in front of her desk when she stirred and got up. Haesook Lim had been trying to cover her with a nket. She turned her head, saw Haesook and was stunned.

    "You didn¡¯t answer me. If you are sleepy you should sleep on your bed."

    "Mom!"

    Sarang ran and hugged her mom, and her mom gently tapped her back.

    "What? Did you have a nightmare?"

    Was it a dream? Is it OK to call it a dream? Everyone who had spoken with her had died. Would you call that a dream?

    Libya had looked like a fairy, and there had been the oxen person, Minota, and Warren, the werewolf. Had it all been a dream? However, when she met them, how scared had she been? It wasn¡¯t a dream. It was real for sure.

    Still, hugging her mom, it all felt unreal.

    "Mom, what day is it today?"

    Haesook looked at Sarang, sighed deeply and held her wrists, pulling her closer. She ced Sarang on her bed and said:

    "Do you remember you have a test tomorrow?"

    Sarang grimaced a little at the thought of a test. She had spent more than five days on the Battlefield of Dimensions, but the test day had not passed.

    She did not feel well about it.

    Haesook caressed her daughter¡¯s hair and said:

    "Go to sleep. I will wake you up at four. You could study a little then and go to school."

    "OK."

    Haesook ced a nket on her and left the room, turning the lights off. Inside her dark room, Sarang thought about what had just happened.

    She thought about destroying the force field around the castle and about Junhyuk. When she saw him the first time, he looked familiar. Now, she remembered him vividly because she had fought alongside him for several days.

    Sarang extended her hands outside her nket.

    "Was it really a dream?"

    What about the basics of magic she had learned from Vera? Was that also a dream?

    Sarang thought about her energy bolt. Then, specks of light coagted around her hands. She was used to gathering light around her hands beforeunching her energy bolt.

    Sarang looked at the lights on her hand. Suddenly, she got up and stared at the bright lights and gulped.

    "Is this for real?"

    ---

    Slowly, Junhyuk looked around. His hospital room hadn¡¯t changed. He sighed of relief, and moved his toes.

    He could move easily, and that meant his shin had also healed, so heughed a little.

    "I can¡¯t fool them. I should ask them to remove the cast next week."

    Junhyuk moved his cast-covered leg lightly and ced his head on the bed. He had barely survived his second trip to the Battlefield of Dimensions, but he could not rx.

    "Do I have two weeks, again?"

    Could he survive his next trip? When would he be summoned again?

    In his first trip, he hadn¡¯t done anything, but his second trip had been different.

    Since his power level advanced, he was able to transfer his force field and he changed the flow of the battle. The battle on the first trip hadsted more than a month, but, this time, it was over in less than five days, and his contributions had a lot to do with it.

    However, the enemy had concentrated their attacks on him. He understood that, from then on, he was the front man. Even if he used his force field on himself, it onlysted ten seconds. Also, he could use spatial relocation every thirty seconds, but spatial relocation did not cover long distances.

    He could only relocate up to five meters at a time, and the opponent could cover that distance with one or two paces.

    His powers had to evolve. He had to shorten the cooldown times, or his powers had to evolve.

    So, Junhyuk decided to test his powers soon.

    This time, he had gotten many items, and they should help him out the next time he was summoned. He was deep in thought when he felt something on his chest.

    "This is...?"

    There was a pendant on his chest with three colored runestone stuck to it. Junhyuk looked for something else on his chest, and he found it stuck to his hospital gown.

    Junhyuk had paid 500G for it. It was his potion. He whispered, looking at the potion:

    "How did it get here?"

    It had treated a broken arm and a broken leg in an instant; it tasted like poison, but its effectiveness was the best. It had power like no other medicine.

    Junhyuk looked at the potion and ced it against his chest, inside his clothes. He bought it to save his life, so he should treat it with care.

    He looked outside, and watched over the nightlife. Soon, he could only think of the face of one person.

    She was wearing sses and looked patronizing - a woman. He was thinking of Eunseo and he shook his head and closed his eyes. The potion could cure her.

    However, the potion tasted like poison. It had a taste from hell, so it wouldn¡¯t be possible to sneak in and give her the potion. He might have to make her pass out to get her to drink it.

    Even more important, they had announced that her case was impossible by modern medicinal standards, so it would be a hassle if he gave her the potion. They said that if one held on to jewelry, it would only bring blood. He should be more careful.

    Junhyuk decided to think about it carefully. He shouldn¡¯t be careless, whatever he decided.

    ---

    A week passed by quickly, and Junhyuk learned more things. His pendant worked properly, so his power was double what it had been before. He could lift his bed, which surprised him.

    Also, his interpretation pill worked as well. He could understand foreign broadcasts from any TV station. He could flip through Chinese and English channels and understand everything.

    It had cost him 100G, and he thought it had been expensive, but he would¡¯ve needed more than that in the real world to understand allnguages.

    Junhyuk decided to use all his time to try to upgrade his powers. When there were others around him, he browsed "how to use a two-handed sword" on his smartphone.

    He had swung it without any skill, so he needed some proper training. With his naked eyes, he had been able see what his opponents were trying to do.

    Of course, he had only mimicked their motions and he did not know what kind of mindset he needed to have to wield his sword, but their movements gave him a lot of clues.

    When there was no one around he practiced using his powers, but just because he used his powers often didn¡¯t mean they would evolve. However, he could use his powers more easily.

    Every thirty seconds, he could use spatial relocation. He was not too concerned with the changing scenery, but, at that point, he could relocate over six meters.

    It was just like Arn had said: hard work did not betray you. His powers did not evolve, but he made good advances.

    That day, he was getting discharged. In the morning, he punched the casts around his arm and leg.

    Crack, crack!

    At once, the casts broke, and Junhyuk got up easily. Until then, he had tuned his leg muscles lying down, but it was different to work them out while walking.

    He took a few steps and checked on the condition of his legs. He heard something outside his room, and the door opened. The doctors who were in charge of VIP rooms came in.

    Dr. Guak, the head of the department, and his subordinates came in. They saw Junhyuk without his casts and were all surprised.

    Dr. Guak was the first to collect himself and asked:

    "How is you leg?"

    Junhyuk jumped up and down easily and said:

    "I felt OK, so I got rid of the cast, and everything looks fine."

    Dr. Guak frowned a little. Junhyuk was a special patient. ST Capsule¡¯s Director Kim had asked them to look after him. So, they watched him closely, but he seemed to be OK and wanted to leave. Everything was very shocking.

    "How did you get rid of the cast?"

    "I hit it against the ground, and it broke in one blow."

    "What if your leg isn¡¯tpletely healed?"

    Junhyuk smirked, and Dr. Guak sighed and looked at the chief resident.

    "Take one more X-ray, and notify ST Capsule. If we don¡¯t find anything, we will discharge you."

    "Thank you."

    Junhyuk got another X-ray. Since he was in a VIP room, he did not have to wait. He went to Dr. Guak¡¯s office to look at the results.

    Dr. Guak looked really surprised.

    "Honestly, we thought it would take three weeks. You fell from a high cliff, and, even though you only broke your leg, we should be more careful."

    "I know."

    "You¡¯ve healed really fast."

    That was because he had been to the Dimensional Battlefield, but there was no need to talk about it. Dr. Guak looked at him and said:

    "ST Capsule agreed to pay for everything, so we contacted them. There will be a person from thepanying to help you with the discharge procedure."

    Junhyuk got up and bowed.

    "Thank you for taking care of me."

    Dr. Guak shook his head and extended his hand. Junhyuk took the doctor¡¯s hand, and Dr. Guak smiled.

    "Congrattions on getting well."

    "Thank you."

    Junhyuk went to his room and opened the cab. He had already prepared something to wear. He changed clothes and sat on his bed, pulling his legs toward himself to exercise his stomach. It was better to workout each muscle during an exercise, than to exercise just sitting around.

    While he was exercising his abs, he turned the TV on to CNN, and saw that W.A.N.C.S. was trying to make every Friday a worldwide holiday.

    "Are they going to do it?"

    It had already been three months since the first abnormal narcolepsy patient, and massa affected even more people. They were creating more patients by causing idents.

    They were not for sure about anything, and it was not easy to make every Friday a holiday, but the power W.A.N.C.S. possessed was beyond imagination.

    Their opinion was being epted by each nation. There would be a holiday every Friday, soon.

    Junhyuk watched the news when someone knocked on the door. He got up, stretched out his torso and said:

    "Come in."

    The door opened, and a man wearing a ck suit walked in. He looked familiar, but, when he moved, a surprising face appeared.

    Wearing her sses and with the same haughty expression on her face, Eunseo who came in.

 Chapter 33: First Day At Work 2

    Chapter 33: First Day At Work 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk did not expect a visit from Eunseo and was really surprised, but he looked at her calmly, collected himself and greeted her:

    "Hello."

    He had been surprised by her visit, but Eunseo was even more surprised. They told her his injuries were small considering from how high he fell, but he would still needed more than three weeks topletely recover. However, Junhyuk waspletely healed and standing before her on his own two feet.

    "Are you really OK?"

    Junhyuk lightly jumped up and down and replied:

    "My family is known for having strong bones."

    Eunseo knew he was lying, but had no choice but to ept his exnation. She did not know anything about the Dimensional Battlefield and had to rely on his ount.

    Eunseo nced away from Junhyuk¡¯s focus and said:

    "Congrattions."

    "Thank you."

    Junhyuk thought about the potion, but decided to wait. ST Capsule had an ongoing research project. If it was sessful, she would recoverpletely.

    If she didn¡¯t heal, he could think about itter. He had evolved into an expert from a novice, and his contributions in killing enemies increase manyfold, so he could easily buy more potions.

    Eunseo operated her fully automated wheelchair toward Junhyuk and handed him an envelope. As he took the envelope, she moved away and said:

    "Inside it, you¡¯ll find your employee certificate and a memo on ST Capsule¡¯s Strategy nning Department¡¯s current project. You¡¯ve been assigned to the Strategy nning Department already, so you have to report to work starting next week, and, just like other new employees, you will have to go through a probationary period. If you don¡¯t want to fall behind during your probation, you should study the current project and understand it. So, you should read that material thoroughly."

    After listening to her exnation, Junhyuk smiled. ording to her exnation, she had looked after him rather well.

    "Thanks for paying close attention to me."

    Eunseo fixed her sses and turned away slightly.

    "You should report to work on Monday."

    After she spoke, she drove her wheelchair away from him and left, and Junhyuk opened the envelope.

    Inside were an employee certificate and a heavy document.

    It concerned a coboration project between ST Capsule and an American roboticspany.

    "Is that even possible?"

    Junhyuk looked over the information on the document at once and was really surprised. It was over fifty pages of dense information.

    "I have work to do over the weekend."

    After Eunseo left, a guy came in, and Junhyuk looked at him. The guy handed him discharge papers and said:

    "You may leave right away."

    "Thank you."

    Junhyuk took his discharge papers and picked up his bags. Starting that day, he would be busy.

    ---

    Junhyuk went home on Friday, told his family about his being discharged and slept. In front of his house, at the entrance, there was a package he had ordered.

    He picked up the package and went in. Inside, he opened the package and took out the contents. It was a dulled bastard sword.

    Junhyuk swung it lightly.

    sh!

    Even though it was dull, Junhyuk swung it like he could cut a man up, and not just straws. He swung it a few more times and looked for videos on his phone.

    The videos showed people training against each other with swords, so he had a hard time practicing alone, but was able to learn some basic moves.

    Junhyuk looked around his room and smacked his lips. The room was small, and he could only do basic stabs and shes because of the space.

    "I will practice what I can do now."

    It took more work than working out his muscles. He swung his sword a few more times and smacked his lips again.

    "Is it too light?"

    He could handle a two-handed sword with just one hand, and that was because of his strength runestone.

    He thought about ordering something else and swung his sword again, slowly at first, then quickly.

    SLASH!

    The sword made a loud noise by slicing the empty air.

    Practicing in a small room applied limitations to his swordsmanship, especially when handling a two-handed sword like a bastard sword.

    Nevertheless, he did not hit any objects in his room or damaged any walls. That was because he was ustomed to using a sword.

    However, he did not realize he was used to handling a sword, but was still really into practicing and learning.

    He practiced with the sword for three hours, and then took a shower. After the shower, he went to the refrigerator and took out a can of beer, drank it in one shot and looked over the documents. The ST Capsule¡¯s coboration project was something out ofic books.

    "Is this really possible?"

    When he saw the fully automated wheelchair, he thought that the mechanical engineering was really advanced, but this project was even more shocking.

    Junhyuk concentrated on the documents. He was already two weekste for work, and he should work harder. They were all on probation, but Jangho and Somin were elites.

    School grades didn¡¯t necessarily correspond to work performance, but they were, in fact, ahead of him.

    "I will catch up to them."

    Arn¡¯s advice transcended the Dimensional Battlefield. Junhyuk looked at the documents and focused on the project and what it was trying to aplish.

    ---

    Wearing a suit and a backpack, Junhyuk stood in front of ST Capsule¡¯s headquarters and lifted his head to look at the building. That was the third time he was there, but the first time as an employee.

    Junhyuk wore his name tag and walked with energy. Someone behind him spoke to him.

    "You are here?!"

    Junhyuk turned and looked at the person. It was Mr. Jang, and he was smiling.

    "Hello!"

    He nodded, and Mr. Jang walked next to him and checked him out head to toe.

    "I heard you got discharged. That¡¯s really astounding. You fell from such a height and got out so early."

    "I have really strong bones."

    "I hope you are energetic."

    Junhyuk, then, checked out Mr. Jang¡¯s condition. He had dark circles under his eyes.

    "Are you okay?"

    "I shouldn¡¯t tell you since you just got discharged from the hospital, but I¡¯ve been to my house only once this past week."

    "What?"

    "Since you will be working in our department, you should know. It¡¯s concerning our current project."

    "I heard about it from the department chief."

    "Hm? How did you meet her?"

    "I saw her in the hospital before I was discharged."

    "Hmm."

    Mr. Jang understood the situation immediately and nodded. Junhyuk fell from a cliff to save Eunseo. So, Eunseo could go see him.

    "First, let¡¯s go inside."

    "OK."

    In front of the entrance, there was a gate where everyone had to scan their name tags. Junhyuk followed Mr. Jang, scanned his and went inside.

    His parents had always wanted him to work for a major corporation. He was taking his first step toward that goal.

    Time spent in the Dimensional Battlefield should have destroyed his ability to have feelings, he thought, but he was feeling really nervous at that moment. Mr. Jang took Junhyuk to an elevator.

    "Our office is on the 9th floor."

    Waiting for an elevator, he heard a familiar voice:

    "Hello."

    Junhyuk saw Somin, who was wearing a beige-colored women¡¯s suit. He knew she was beautiful, but she was holding everyone¡¯s attention.

    "Hello."

    Somin smiled at Junhyuk.

    "I heard we will be working in the same department, but did not know you would be discharged so soon."

    "My family members have strong bones."

    "That¡¯s a relief! You look good."

    A momentter, an elevator arrived, and they all got in. It was morning, and everyone was trying to get to work. Junhyuk, Mr. Jang and Somin were pushed to a corner.

    Junhyuk got close enough to Somin to smell her perfume and felt odd. He had no rtionship with her, but then she leaned on him just a little bit.

    Why was this woman acting this way? So, he ignored her. He had no feelings for her. He thought she was pretty, but that was about it.

    Before the 9th floor, everybody else got out. There was more space, and Junhyuk saw Somin was a little sad.

    Junhyuk shook his head a bit, and the elevator arrived at the 9th floor. He followed Mr. Jang, who took the lead and said:

    "You are on probation, so you should try to learn what we do here. Read about the current coboration project."

    "OK."

    He continued following Mr. Jang to the Strategy nning Department¡¯s office. There were fifteen people inside.

    Mr. Jang went in and waved.

    "Everyone is here early."

    "Hello."

    Among them was Jangho, who saw Junhyuk and frowned. Junhyuk ignored him and, in a loud voice, greeted them.

    "Hello!"

    Everyone was surprised at his loud introduction, and Junhyuk smiled and introduced himself.

    "I¡¯ve been assigned to the Strategy nning Department. My name is Junhyuk Lee. Please, take good care of me."

    "Take good care of us."

    He greeted everyone, and Mr. Jang showed him his seat. After taking his seat, he worried about what he should do. Then, a mountain of files appeared in front of him.

    He lifted his head and saw Mr. Jang smiling.

    "It¡¯s about our contributions to the coboration project with Robotics. Focus. If you have questions, ask Jangho."

    "Mr. Jangho Kim?"

    "He¡¯s been here for only two weeks, but he already understands everything."

    "OK."

    He knew Jangho did not like him, so the thought of asking him questions gave Junhyuk a headache. Therefore, he decided to focus on the project on his own. After Mr. Jang left, Junhyuk turned to the files.

    Robotics was a major corporation in America. They had started by making robots for the military, but they jumped into the civilian sector, and he was curious as to why and curious about their coboration with ST Capsule.

    He found out one more thing about the project: W.A.N.C.S. was eagerly participating in it.

    Junhyuk was surprised again by the influence W.A.N.C.S. carried. He knew ST Capsule had ties to W.A.N.C.S. because thepany made capsules for abnormal narcolepsy and massa patients. This new project also had ties to them.

    ST Capsule was a major corporation in South Korea, but,paring it to Robotics, it still had many weaknesses. This new coboration project was goaded by W.A.N.C.S.

    Junhyuk was reading the files when people got up from their seats. Junhyuk got up as well and saw Eunseo on her automated wheelchair.

    She looked pretentious, and everyone greeted her. Junhyuk nodded at her like everyone else.

    Eunseo exchanged nces with Junhyuk and went into her office like nothing happened.

    He hadn¡¯t cared when Somin had leaned on him, but now he felt sad because he felt Eunseo had ignored him.

    Junhyuk shook his head a little, sat and looked over his files. Then, his phone rang. He looked around, and everyone told him to pick up the phone, so he did:

    "Strategy nning Department."

    "Mr. Junhyuk Lee?"

    "Yes, this is him."

    "Please,e to the chief¡¯s office."

    He felt good that Eunseo was looking for him and got up from his seat.

    "I will right there."

 Chapter 34: First Day At Work 3

    Chapter 34: First Day At Work 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The chief¡¯s office was really spacious. There were high-ss sofas and tables, and arge desk was in front of a window.

    Eunseo offered him a seat:

    "Please, take a seat."

    Junhyuk sat on a sofa, and she drove her wheelchair to stand next to the sofa.

    "Did you look over the documents?"

    "Yes. I got the files this morning and I¡¯ve been going over them."

    "Did you understand the material?"

    "I will need a little more time with it."

    Eunseo looked at him asked:

    "By the way, do you speak English? When I went to give you the discharge papers, you were watching CNN."

    Junhyuk smiled ever so slightly.

    "I¡¯m not bragging, but I speak over tennguages."

    "Tennguages?! Your application did not mention anything about that."

    "I didn¡¯t want to brag."

    Junhyuk scratched his head, and Eunseo looked at him seriously.

    "I hope you are not lying about the tennguages."

    "Of course!"

    "How fluent are you in thosenguages?"

    "I have no problem conversing or writing up documents."

    "You speak, read and write in tennguages?"

    "Yes."

    "I am surprised. I¡¯ll have to check on what you are telling me, but, if you are being honest, we will be working together for quite some time."

    She might want to use him as an interpreter, but he smiled at the thought of working with her. Eunseo fixed her sses and said:

    "Let me know if you have any problems."

    "OK."

    "Work hard today."

    "I will get going."

    Junhyuk said goodbye and went outside. He took his seat and looked over his files. A whileter, a shadow appeared behind him.

    Junhyuk lifted his head and saw Mr. Jang standing there, smiling.

    "Do you want to have lunch with me?"

    He checked his watch, and it was already lunchtime. He had been so focused that time had passed without him noticing. Junhyuk arranged his files and got up. Mr. Jang looked around and said:

    "Jangho and Somin, you shoulde with us. You are all new employees."

    Somin smiled and asked:

    "Do you want to have sausage soup again?"

    "It¡¯s the best! The best!"

    Jangho didn¡¯t utter a word, and just stood behind them. Junhyuk put on his jacket and backpack. He followed Mr. Jang to Granny¡¯s Sausage Soup Restaurant. Mr. Jang said the ce was famous.

    Junhyuk had seen it on the inte, so it should be good. It was lunchtime, and many people were standing in line. Since it was a soup ce, the people ate quickly and left fast.

    The line shortened, and the group was able to get inside.

    Mr. Jang did not ask what the others wanted and just ordered:

    "Granny, four sausage soups."

    "OK. Just a moment."

    Mr. Jang wiped his hands with a wet towel and said:

    "So, did you read over those files?"

    "Yes, I haven¡¯t finished, but I understand what¡¯s going on."

    "Really?"

    Junhyuk also wiped his hands with a wet towel and asked:

    "However, aren¡¯t we losing something by coborating with Robotics? That¡¯s what I feel."

    "Yes, you¡¯re correct."

    Mr. Jang looked around and spoke in a hushed tone:

    "Looking at engineering, their contribution isrger than ours."

    Jangho, who hadn¡¯t spoken so far, started talking:

    "However, Robotics is a military supplier. Considering the fact they are making medical equipment, that will favor the world¡¯s opinion of us. I don¡¯t think we are losing anything.

    "We don¡¯t have the name recognition like Robotics does just yet, but, if this coboration is sessful, we will grow significantly."

    Junhyuk nodded and asked:

    "By the way, is it really possible?"

    Mr. Jang smiled.

    "It¡¯s possible. The trial stage is already over."

    "That¡¯s amazing!"

    Robotics was the best in robotic engineering. They said they discovered a new territory: making robotic arms and legs for prosthetics.

    To use robotics as medical equipment required enormous sums of money, but first, they would use it on abnormal narcolepsy patients. The research was being supported by W.A.N.C.S., and they also secured the supply route.

    The experimental stage was over. When the prosthetics went on sale, people would believe the research. It would be costly for people without limbs, but it was still a revolutionary step.

    Somin was arranging spoons and said:

    "Should we work with Robotics on marketing?"

    "Concerning marketing, Robotics will let us do our job because they¡¯ve been making military equipment, so people don¡¯t think too highly of them."

    "Is that right?"

    Mr. Jang smiled and said:

    "When the coboration bes a sess, we will be really busy."

    "Busier than we are now?"

    "Of course!"

    Everyone sighed, and the soups came out. Mr. Jang picked up his spoon, smiled and said:

    "Eat well so that you will be strong enough to work."

    Junhyuk heard him and took a spoonful of his sausage soup.

    "It¡¯s delicious!"

    Granny was cing soups at the table next to him. Suddenly, she pped Junhyuk¡¯s back very hard. Junhyuk almost went face-first into the soup, and he turned around toin. Granny smiled at him.

    "Of course, it¡¯s delicious. You should eat a lot."

    "I will."

    "You don¡¯t have to say anything nice. You are paying to eat."

    Granny left, and Junhyuk smiled and picked up his spoon. He had to survive at all costs in order to enjoy moments like this.

    Mr. Jang looked at him and asked:

    "Delicious, isn¡¯t it? There¡¯s no ce like this around here."

    "Right."

    Junhyuk thought it was really delicious. Somin was tired of eating sausage soup, but picked up her spoon. Jangho also began eating.

    They went to the office after finishing lunch. Mr. Jang smiled and said:

    "Do you want to have a smoke?"

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t smoke."

    "Really? Jangho, do you want one?"

    "Sure."

    Jangho followed Mr. Jang, and Somin asked:

    "Should we have some coffee?"

    "Sure."

    He had no reason to keep his distance from her, so he followed her. She got two coffees from a vending machine, brought them over and asked:

    "Do you have a lot of work?"

    "I¡¯ve only read half of the files I¡¯ve been given."

    Somin smiled a little.

    "That¡¯s nice. The workload depends on the day, so you might get more files."

    "Really?!"

    He already had enough files for a day. It would be like that every day, and that could be a problem. Junhyuk needed to train. It was an unwee situation.

    "When do we get off work?"

    "Don¡¯t think about it. We are on probation, so we can¡¯t get off before the others do it first."

    Junhyuk realized that he needed to work out while he read the files, and, in two weeks, if he had to workte on Friday, he had toe up with an excuse to get off work.

    He was thinking about making excuses on Friday when Somin talked to him:

    "What are you thinking about?"

    "It will be tough from now on."

    Somin smiled and said:

    "You should learn your job fast. They don¡¯t go easy one you just because you are on probation. You have to make suggestions to improve the workflow. Jangho already made two suggestions."

    "Really?"

    He knew Jangho would work well, but he did not know how fast Jangho would actually work.

    "I should work harder."

    "Let¡¯s work harder."

    Somin made a fist, and Junhyukughed and made a fist of his own.

    "Work harder!"

    After finishing his coffee, he was told to report to the chief¡¯s office and headed there. Inside the office, Eunseo was looking at her tablet. When he walked in, she lifted her head and asked:

    "Did you have a nice lunch?"

    "Yes, how about you?"

    Eunseo nodded and said:

    "The advertisement photo shoot has been scheduled."

    "Already?"

    Eunseo nodded and continued:

    "We should do it as soon as possible for the benefit of thepany. Here is the contract."

    Eunseo pushed the contract forward, and Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened.

    "The pay is that high?!"

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the contract. Eunseo fixed her sses and grinned. He lifted his head, and she spoke as usual:

    "It¡¯s an ST Capsule Ad. Even though you are an employee, didn¡¯t you expect to get that much?"

    "I really..."

    He did not imagine that amount and lowered his head.

    "Thank you."

    Eunseo thought Junhyuk always disyed his gratitude honestly and fixed her sses.

    "You should sign the contract."

    Junhyuk pulled out a pen and signed the contract, but he still couldn¡¯t believe it. He hadn¡¯t had that much money in his entire life, and he was earning it all at once.

    ---

    On the 12th floor of ST Capsule¡¯s headquarter, there were two men and a woman standing in the chairman¡¯s office.

    Looking rxed, one man sat on a chair and asked:

    "How is the progress?"

    With her hair braided and up, the woman answered calmly:

    "First, the new battery¡¯s effectiveness has been confirmed. One needs to recharge it once a day, so it could be a problem, but, once charged, it works for twenty-four hours. It will be possible to market it, so don¡¯t worry too much."

    "I already know about the engineering quality of Robotics, so I won¡¯t worry anymore."

    "Trust us, Mr. Chairman."

    A man wearing sses listened and said:

    "W.A.N.C.S. is really cooperating."

    "I knew the president would understand."

    "Mr. Chairman, we are still looking for the people you¡¯ve mentioned before."

    He was sitting, rxed, but he slowly got up. The current ST Capsule¡¯s CEO Doyeol Kim walked to a window and looked outside. He looked at the night and the scenery and answered:

    "There is nothing you can do."

    Doyeol Kim made a fist with his hand until his knuckles turned white.

    "Over there, minions have less than a one in 10000 survival rate."

    "Going by that rate, shouldn¡¯t there be at least ten survivors?"

    "It depends on the rate. Until now, there have been no survivors, so, we might get some of them all of a sudden. Don¡¯t trust the rate too much."

    Doyeol looked at Elise, who was from Robotics, and asked:

    "What about that thing you¡¯ve been preparing?"

    "A thousand are ready."

    "That might be too few?"

    "It requires secrecy. There is nothing we can do."

    "We need at least 10,000."

    "I will get it done."

    Doyeol looked out the window and said:

    "Tell the president I will visit himter."

    Gukhyeon Ang, the W.A.N.C.S. South Korean Bureau Chief, smiled and said:

    "I heard he will return soon."

    "I will see him then."

    "I will tell him."

    Elise and Guheyon left, and Doyeol touched the ss window. His hand shook lightly.

    "Can¡¯t I go back?" Doyeol murmured and made a fist with his hand.

 Chapter 35: Survivor 1

    Chapter 35: Survivor 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    It was eleven o¡¯clock at night.

    The people who workedte usually used thepany dormitory and showers, but Junhyuk exchanged goodbyes with his coworkers and went home.

    He could work out his muscles while at work, but it wasn¡¯t possible to practice his swordsmanship there. Working out his muscles did not attract the attention of others.

    It was difficult to do two things at the same time, but he had gotten used to it. Also, he had activated two powers and escaped from death multiple times. All of that had made his soul grow.

    To keep up with his soul, he couldn¡¯t bezy about working out his muscles. He leftpany at eleven o¡¯clock an got home at 11:40 p.m. Junhyuk took off his clothes and took a shower. The shower was to forget a very tiresome day. Then, he picked up the bastard sword ced by the entrance of his apartment.

    They say that if one does not pick up his sword often, one will lose his sense with the sword. Before he swung his sword, he made a force field. With the force field around him, he used spatial relocation.

    He teleported from the entrance to the window then to the entrance again. Then, he turned and swung his sword.

    His attack wouldn¡¯t work against heroes yet, but the spatial relocation could be used everywhere else, so he should practice more.

    "I can do it."

    Junhyuk had no intention of letting go of his powers or his life in South Korea.

    During the cooldown time, he practiced his swordsmanship. He learned to use the two-handed sword and practiced untilte.

    At five o¡¯clock, He was covered in sweat and took a short shower. Wearing his exercise clothes, he went outside. He was going to the mountain by his house and ran fast. He didn¡¯t sleep all night, but his eyes were beaming vigorously, and his lower muscles were toned.

    The dawn¡¯s wind felt different. His physical condition was out of an ordinary person¡¯s range already. Both his soul and his body were.

    It took him less than five minutes to get to the top of the mountain, and he ran back. While on his way down, he had to dodge people climbing, which required a keen sense of bnce, but he did it easily, like he was floating on water.

    He went down and climbed the mountain again six times. He returned home, drank a cup of cold water and took another shower. After that, he ate a little and went to work.

    The subway was already filled with people even though he was early. Junhyuk took a short nap on the train. He only slept for a moment, but when he woke up he realized he was at his stop.

    Junhyuk yawned loudly, got off the subway station and went to his office.

    From the dormitory, one or two people had their towels around their necks. Mr. Jang saw Junhyuk andughed a little.

    "Hello!"

    Junhyuk greeted him energetically, and Mr. Jang waved as he spoke:

    "You should¡¯ve slept here. You didn¡¯t have to go home. We have more space, so shouldn¡¯t you spend the night here?"

    "I don¡¯t sleep easily anywhere."

    Mr. Jang shrugged and continued:

    "Do you have your photoshoot today?"

    "Yes."

    "You should do well."

    "I will do my best."

    Junhyuk went inside his office and saw more files. He was reading files on Robotics, and thought about Jangho making two suggestions already.

    He didn¡¯t want tog behind, so he needed to fully understand the deal on the coboration project.

    People started toe in, and Junhyuk greeted them one by one. After everyone came in, he really focused on his files. His concentration had gone up, so he was able to read faster.

    He was still reading his files when the people around him got noisy and got up from their seats. Junhyuk got up on reflex and saw Eunseo.

    Everyone greeted her, and Eunseo personally called for Junhyuk:

    "Junhyuk,e to my office."

    Everyone looked at him. He was a little embarrassed, but it felt good. After arranging his files, he went to Eunseo¡¯s office. There was another person with her.

    "Hello?"

    Junhyuk nodded at him, and Sukhoon Kim, whom he had met before, had his hands in his pockets and lifted one hand.

    "I heard you got discharged, and that you have strong bones. That¡¯s something else! Everyone in the hospital was surprised."

    Junhyuk smirked awkwardly, and Sukhoon looked at Eunseo and said:

    "For today¡¯s appointment, should I go instead of you?"

    "No, I will go. It¡¯s better that I go."

    "I told you, I am not trying to teach you anything."

    "I know."

    Sukhoon shrugged and said:

    "You should do as you please."

    Sukhoon walked up to Junhyuk and smiled.

    "Ourpany¡¯s image will change because of you. Do well."

    "I will do my best."

    Sukhoon waved and left. Eunseo checked Junhyuk out from head to toe, drove her wheelchair toward him, gave him a tabletputer and said:

    "It¡¯s the content for the advertisement. Look it over."

    There was content which Junhyuk disliked on the tablet and he frowned.

    "I need to meet them?"

    ¡¯In fact, their families want to meet you."

    "They do?"

    Eunseo nodded and replied:

    "It¡¯s because abnormal narcolepsy patients do not require treatment for the first hour, so the first responders rescue themst, but after one hour, they can fall under a massa and die."

    Junhyuk thought about it. After one hour, the protection from abnormal narcolepsy disappeared. After that, they were like normal people. Without the soul, the body died if they were not rescued quickly.

    "I already have their consent."

    The content was mostly about Junhyuk rescuing citizens. On that day, they had already interviewed other people, and Junhyuk had to meet with people affected by abnormal narcolepsy and read a few lines.

    It wasn¡¯t too difficult.

    Junhyuk tried to give her the tablet back. Eunseo shook her head and said:

    "It¡¯s being given to you by thepany. It¡¯s your personal item now."

    Junhyuk was a little surprised, and Eunseo fixed her sses and asked:

    "Have you checked to see if your contractual remuneration is in your bank ount?"

    "No, not yet."

    Yesterday, he had workedte and gone home to practice, so he didn¡¯t have time to check.

    Eunseo thought about his hands shaking at the agreed amount, and still he had not checked his ount. He was showing different sides of himself to her.

    "Let¡¯s talk while we move."

    The automatic wheelchair moved, and men opened the door for her. They stood in front of the elevator with her. Junhyuk walked behind her and checked out the expressions on their faces.

    They had to be bodyguards and they looked well-trained.

    Junhyuk was not talking and stood beside them, waiting for the elevator. The elevator arrived, and she went in first, then the bodyguards.

    Junhyuk stood next to her awkwardly. Eunseo exined it curtly:

    "You will get on a van where you will get made up and, when van gets to hospital, you will act as it¡¯s on the outline."

    "OK."

    The elevator stopped on the underground floor, and Eunseo said:

    "I will see you at the hospital."

    "Yes."

    Eunseo left with her bodyguards, and someone walked over to him:

    "Mr. Junhyuk Lee?"

    "Yes. That¡¯s me."

    "Nice to meet you! I am Yeonah Park. Come this way."

    He follow Yeonah to where a fancy van was waiting. Junhyuk stopped in front of the van, and another woman got out. She was wearing sses and a scarf. She took out a ruler and said:

    "Nice to meet you! I will be your coordinator for today. My name is Sunhae Lee."

    "I am Junhyuk Lee."

    "Let me measure your first."

    Junhyukplied calmly. He spread both his arms, and Sunhae spoke quietly:

    "Take off your jacket."

    Junhyuk took his jacket off and again spread his arms. Sunhae took his measurements and said:

    "You have quite a body."

    "Thank you for yourpliment."

    Junhyuk¡¯s body was not yetplete, but it was heading there. His muscles weren¡¯t too big, but he was still muscr. Sunhae took his measurements and smiled.

    "You have a good fit. I will bring out some clothes that will match you well."

    Sunhae looked at Yeonah and said:

    "We are going to Haewon Hospital, right?"

    "Yes, the photoshoot will begin an hour from now."

    "We have enough time."

    Sunhae measured Junhyuk¡¯s wrists.

    "I¡¯ll see youter."

    After she said that, she got in a car and left. Junhyuk looked at her leaving, and Yeonah pointed to the van and said:

    "We are also busy. Get in the van."

    Yeonah offered him a seat in the van, smiled brightly and said:

    "We have to do your makeup on the way, so we must be busy. Take a seat."

    Junhyuk took a seat, and Yeonah opened her makeup box and said:

    "I will use my magic on you on the way, so close your eyes."

    Junhyuk chuckled and closed his eyes. The van began to move slowly, and Yeonah started her "spell."

    It took thirty minutes to get to Haewon Hospital¡¯s parking lot. The van arrived, and Sunhae opened the door. She brought three suits and put each of them on Junhyuk, taking pictures each time, and sending the pictures somewhere. Soon, she nodded and said:

    "You shall wear the second suit."

    Junhyuk obliged and changed into the suit. The second suit was grey, had a slim waistline and natural shoulders.

    Junhyuk finished changing into his suit, and Yeonah touched up his makeup again.

    "Now, open your eyes."

    Junhyuk opened his eyes, and Yeonah looked at him calmly.

    "When we get a chanceter, would you like to work with me on a different project?"

    "What?"

    "You have a strong impression, and the makeup works well on you. A little dark impression will work well on the camera."

    Junhyuk shook his head. He was already busy working and didn¡¯t want another part-time job. Yeonah gave him her business card.

    "If you change your mind, give me a call."

    Junhyuk took her business card and got off the van. From a distance, he could see Eunseoing up toward him.

    She saw Junhyuk and fixed her sses.

    "Let¡¯s go. The team is waiting for us."

    She looked a little embarrassed, and he followed her and whispered:

    "How do I look?"

    He didn¡¯t have a chance to look at himself in a mirror. Moving in front of him, Eunseo whispered back:

    "OK."

    She whispered so low that he might not have heard her if he hadn¡¯t been paying attention. The automated wheelchair picked up speed, and Junhyuk followed her with a smile on his face.

    That day¡¯s shooting was inside one of the double rooms at Haewon Hospital.

    When they arrived at the room, they could see people in front of it: a middle-aged woman, a high school student, and another woman in her thirties.

    They all nodded at Eunseo, and she introduced Junhyuk to them:

    "This is Mr. Junhyuk Lee."

    She introduced them to Junhyuk:

    "These are the family members of the people who were hurt in that ident."

    Junhyuk nodded and said:

    "You must be very worried."

    A middle-aged woman walked up to him and bowed.

    "Thank you. On that day, my husband didn¡¯t have to work, but went out to see his friend and got in that terrible ident."

    "Right. Luckily, no one died."

    The woman in her thirties walked up to him and bowed.

    "You were trying to save my husband, risking your own life. If you did not rescue him then, my husband would have died from the explosion. Thank you."

    "It¡¯s OK. Anyone in the same situation would¡¯ve done the same."

    Junhyuk himself didn¡¯t know why he did what he did. It was just that people needed help, so he only thought of rescuing them.

    The high school student only bowed and did not speak. He seemed a little disgruntled, but his father was in aa, so Junhyuk understood where he wasing from.

    Eunseo spoke to the family members:

    "So, today we will spend time shooting the advertisement as we¡¯ve agreed. If something happens to the patients, we will contact you. So, you may all take a rest for the day."

    "No. We should stay with them."

    Eunseo shook her head. Her arrogant impression did not allow for any objections.

    "You might interrupt the photoshoot. I am very sorry."

    The family members left, and Eunseo looked at Junhyuk.

    "It¡¯s a simple shoot, but we will continue until we are satisfied with the results. So, get ready."

    "I¡¯m already ready."

    He had already memorized his lines. They opened the double bedroom, and Junhyuk could see two capsules and the two patients in them inas.

    In front of the capsules, there were lights, a microphone, and the camera equipment. Junhyuk took a deep breath and bowed.

    "Do look after me!"

 Chapter 36: Survivor 2

    Chapter 36: Survivor 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The video and photo shoots progressed without any difficulty. The most important part was what Junhyuk¡¯s eyes gave off.

    As Junhyuk touched the capsules, his eyes had to resonate sympathy.

    Junhyuk knew that something had happened to them at the Dimensional Battlefield. Their souls had died, and neither would wake up. If anything went wrong, he would be in same situation, so his eyes demonstrated a lot of sympathy.

    Junhyuk felt a sense of belonging with them.

    How scared had they been? They did not have a choice, but were summoned and died on the Dimensional Battlefield. He, himself, could have been killed by a wolf while with Michael.

    He reminisced about that moment, and his eyes naturally shone with sympathy. The director and Eunseo both shouted the OK.

    Junhyuk still had his hand on the capsule when he looked at the camera.

    "Anyone can experience abnormal narcolepsy. Your family is not an exception. ST Capsule is another member of your family, and we will be there with you."

    Junhyuk finished his lines, and the director gave him the thumbs up. He collected himself and looked at Eunseo. She drove her wheelchair toward him.

    "First, we have a satisfactory photo. We are not a hundred percent, so we will shoot just one more time."

    Yeonah fixed his makeup, and Junhyuk asked:

    "When will this broadcast?"

    "If we shoot it fast and edit, then, starting Thursday, it will go to all broadcastingpanies."

    Junhyuk was a little surprised. They shot and broadcast it so fast!

    Eunseo read his mind:

    "When you have money, nothing is impossible."

    Junhyuk thought over ST Capsules¡¯ attitude toward this advertisement. The makeup was done, and Junhyuk got up. The director saw him and yelled:

    "We are shooting it again!"

    ---

    It was Thursday morning at busy subway station.

    Junhyuk took an early train to work. He heard people murmuring and woke up. He had been taking a short nap, and people¡¯s voices woke him up, so he was a little irritated and looked around. People were looking at their phones and talking about him.

    Junhyuk turned on his own smartphone and found out what was happening. They told him the ad would go out on Thursday, and it was already out.

    He felt shy and was going to stay by the door when his phone rang. His parents¡¯ number showed up on the caller ID.

    "Hello."

    "Son! I am watching you on TV right now!"

    It was his mother, Haejung Kim, and she spoke so softly that it made Junhyuk smile bitterly.

    "I¡¯m just a model."

    "My son is a star?"

    "Because thest ident became a societal issue."

    "Right."

    Junhyuk scratched his head and said:

    "I will pay you a visit on Saturday."

    "Right. Then, we will see you on Saturday, son."

    He hung up, and the phone rang again. His high school ssmates¡¯ numbers showed up on the caller ID. They didn¡¯t usually call him up, so Junhyuk decided to answer all the calls.

    From the subway station to work, there were twenty calls. Junhyuk hid his face with his hands.

    "This..."

    A a thirty-three-foot-tall and sixty-foot-wide banner with thest scene in the ad, when Junhyuk touched the capsule and said his lines, was on the side of the ST Capsule building.

    Junhyuk shook his head and moved fast.

    "It looks fine," said the voice that sounded behind him.

    It was Mr. Jang walking toward him with Jangho. Mr. Jang had a toothpick between his teeth, and he smiled at Junhyuk.

    "The photo looks really good!"

    "It¡¯s all makeup and lighting."

    "Even so, you will be the face of ourpany."

    Junhyuk sighed deeply and said.

    "It¡¯s only for now. I hope they will take the banner down soon."

    Mr. Jang smiled.

    "They won¡¯t take it down while you are under contract! I saw it on TV, and it¡¯s really good!"

    Junhyuk shook his head and quickly went inside. Everyone was looking at him throughout the day.

    In the subway station, people looked at him. In hispany, everyone saw the giant banner, and everyone recognized him.

    Junhyuk noticed people¡¯s nces and went to his office. He opened up his files when Somin and the other female coworkers came to his desk and greeted him.

    "The photo looks really good!"

    "Don¡¯t say a word. I¡¯m so embarrassed that I am looking for a hole to hide myself inside."

    "There might be a fan club!"

    "I hope not."

    Somin smiled and went back to her seat, and Junhyuk started to read over his files. He understood the big picture. Now, he had to contribute on how to improve the coboration project.

    Then, people got up from their seats, and Junhyuk got up as well. On her wheelchair, Eunseo nodded slightly and said:

    "So, does everyone know they are trying to make every Friday a holiday?"

    "Yes."

    "Starting next week, Fridays will probably be holidays. Even if it doesn¡¯t be a national holiday, thepany will take Fridays off, so be aware of that."

    Junhyuk smacked his lips. He would return to the Dimensional Battlefield on the following day.

    Eunseo continued:

    "Don¡¯t workte tomorrow. Get off from work on time."

    Everyone smiled. Eunseo moved toward her office and stopped and looked at Junhyuk.

    "The ad campaign is a sess. You did well."

    Junhyuk was shy. Eunseo went to her office, and everyone started working on their assignments.

    ---

    It was Friday.

    The roads had fewer cars, but it was not an official holiday, and there were still many people on the subway. He did not want to experience hell at the station, so he got up really early.

    He started walking to his work and saw a parked delivery truck. The driver had his head tilted backward and was sleeping.

    He must be really tired!

    Junhyuk yawned hard and ran to the subway station. That day, he would get off work on time and go home and prepare to be summoned again.

    His powers had evolved a little bit. To survive in the battlefield, he had practiced with his sword. He would survive no matter what happened this time as well.

    He ran toward the subway station and looked at his watch. It was 6:59 a.m.

    "Today¡¯s first wave is almost over."

    Starting at six in the morning and nine times after that, in two hour intervals, people were afflicted by abnormal narcolepsy worldwide. Each time, 600 people were affected. Every week, 6000 total were affected.

    Junhyuk had seen the delivery driver. His window had been open, and JunHyuk had run toward the subway station.

    Even if the delivery driver was in an abnormal narcolepsy state, his car was stopped, so there was no risk for an ident. Considering the world poption, 600 was a small number.

    Junhyuk took the stairs to the underground at seven o¡¯clock.

    ---

    "Huk!"

    The delivery driver¡¯s eyes opened. His name was Sanghoon Hyeon. He checked his body parts, looked around and breathed deeply.

    "Whew."

    What had he just experienced? He had been looking for the delivery address when he dropped to a ce taken by a bright light. They had called him a minion, and he had had to follow them.

    Life over there had been like life in hell.

    People like him had died, and he¡¯d gotten scared and run away to a forest. There had been a man who had had a simr built to his who had told him to just follow him.

    In the forest, he had seen a golem. Dealing with the golem, the ten-foot man managed to kill it. Sanghoon picked up a thing left by another.

    "Right!"

    Sanghoon checked his chest and pulled out a dagger, a red dagger.

    "It isn¡¯t a dream?!"

    For a month he had survived in the forest because of his dagger. When he had met monsters in the forest and gotten hurt, all he had needed to do was to attack with his dagger, and it healed him.

    His wounds had healed, and he had be used to hunting, and managed to kill monsters.

    When he did kill them, he was healed and felt good.

    He thought for a moment, and there was madness in his eyes. No one else could understand him.

    Sanghoon licked his lips and looked at one of his rearview mirrors and was surprised. He did not look like himself.

    He shook his head and put his dagger away. He looked for the delivery address and looked at his watch.

    "Seven o¡¯clock? It¡¯s only been an hour?!"

    He wasn¡¯t sure because he couldn¡¯t really sleep, but it felt like he had spent a month in the forest. What happened? He stopped thinking and looked again for the delivery address.

    First, he was working, so he should concentrate. The past month felt like a dream, but it had only been an hour in South Korea. It couldn¡¯t have affected his work schedule.

    Sanghoon picked up the packages and started to run.

    ---

    As promised, thepany let workers go home on time. Mr. Jang suggested dining out on a day like that, and everyone followed him.

    Junhyuk went up to Mr. Jang carefully.

    "Mr. Jang."

    "What¡¯s the matter?"

    "I am not feeling well. Can I go home?"

    "What? It¡¯s for new employees. Why do want to go home?"

    "I am sorry."

    Junhyuk tried to look the most remorseful he could. Mr. Jang looked at him and said:

    "I really want to take you with us, but I don¡¯t want to force it since you are not feeling well. OK."

    "Thank you."

    "We should get off work at the same time."

    "Yes."

    The Strategy nning Departments¡¯ workers were standing in front of the elevator when Somin came up to Junhyuk and asked:

    "The dinner is for new employees, so why do you have to go home?"

    Junhyuk looked strained and replied:

    "I¡¯m not feeling well. I¡¯m sorry."

    "You don¡¯t have to apologize to me. Go home and take a rest."

    "Enjoy your dinner and go home."

    The elevator arrived, and everyone went to the first floor. Outside the building, Junhyuk apologized to everyone and headed home.

    "I¡¯m sorry. Enjoy your dinner."

    "I feel bad. I thought I was going to have a drink with ourpany¡¯s model."

    "Buy me dinner next time," he replied.

    His coworkersughed at Junhyuk¡¯s suggestion.

    "OK. Go home and rest."

    "OK."

    The female coworkers looked disappointed, Junhyuk saw them go away, sighed and looked at his watch. It was six o¡¯clock. He would be summoned to the Dimensional Battlefield at eight o¡¯clock, so he still had two hours.

    However, considering the time it took to get home, he had to hurry. He had to get home and prepare to go to the Dimensional Battlefield.

    He also wanted to prepare everything in case he did note back from there.

    Junhyuk hurried and started to run when he saw a female high school student looking at the banner. She was holding the straps of her school bag with both of her hands, and she looked familiar to him. As she lowered her head, her eyes met his.

    "Big brother!"

    Junhyuk stopped running and looked at her.

    "Sarang?"

 Chapter 37: Survivor 3

    Chapter 37: Survivor 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Sarang realized that what she had experienced was not a dream and, at first, she felt astounded, but that soon turned to fear. She did not know when they would summon her again to the Dimensional Battlefield, so she wanted to look for Junhyuk. However, she only knew his face and not anything else about him, so it was difficult to find him.

    Then, a week passed by without her being taken to the Dimensional Battlefield, and that included a Friday. She felt relieved, but another Friday was approaching, and she got really scared again.

    Then, on that Thursday, she saw Junhyuk on TV. The TV subtitles said he was an employee of ST Capsule, and she jumped with joy. After school, she went straight to the ST Capsule¡¯s HQ and she saw the huge poster with Junhyuk¡¯s photo. She was appreciating the photo when Junhyuk came out and she became overjoyed upon seeing him.

    Junhyuk, on the other hand, looked really surprised. Sarang hopped to him and looked up at him. On the Dimensional Battlefield, she really had to look up, but, in the real world, he didn¡¯t seem so tall.

    Still, his beaming eyes were the same as before. He just looked really surprised.

    Junhyuk was surprised by Sarang¡¯s entrance. His coworkers were walking behind him, and their eyes widened ever so slight while looking at them, especially Somin. Her eyes were shooting daggers at him, and it was enough to drill a hole on Junhyuk¡¯s back.

    Junhyuk awkwardly smiled and turned. Mr. Jang smiled and said:

    "I thought you weren¡¯t feeling well, right?!"

    Junhyuk faked a cough and introduced Sarang.

    "She is my cousin."

    Everyone had suspected that and looked at Sarang. She turned away from their gazes and looked at Junhyuk. Junhyuk winked at her, and Sarang smiled brightly and bowed.

    "Hello. I am Sarang Kim."

    Sarang had big eyes and a good disposition. She was wearing her school uniform, which made the male coworkers choke. They really liked her. The female coworkers felt ufortable with the male coworkers.

    Mr. Jang grinned and said:

    "A cousin?"

    "Yes, I haven¡¯t seen him for a long time. Could I borrow him for the day?"

    Mr. Jang thought she was cute, and she spoke well. Heughed and said:

    "He isn¡¯t feeling well. Ms. Sarang, you should take good care of him."

    "Yes, I will."

    Sarang took Junhyuk¡¯s arm and said:

    "Then, we will be going."

    Junhyuk smiled awkwardly, bowed and left. Looking at him, Mr. Jang shrugged and said:

    "Don¡¯t think anything immoral and let¡¯s go to dinner. Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t engage in any immoral behavior. He isn¡¯t a sugar daddy. Rtionships aren¡¯t based on money."

    He wasn¡¯t too distant from them and heard everything being said. Junhyuk looked at Sarang and sighed.

    He had already guessed why she came to see him, but why did it have to be that day? He would be summoned to the Dimensional Battlefield soon. He wanted to lie down in his house, and that left him with just one hour.

    "I only have about thirty minutes."

    "Is your house close by?"

    "No."

    "Then, let¡¯s go together."

    Junhyuk looked at her straight, and Sarang smiled and said:

    "On the way, I could ask you questions on what I¡¯m curious about."

    "OK, let¡¯s go."

    Sarang and Junhyuk got on the subway and were among a crowd. It was busy, and the hellish subway was not a good ce to talk. Junhyuk was able to make a path and ced Sarang against a pole by the door.

    He had three times the strength of an ordinary person, so he stood with force and made space.

    "Who is pushing?"

    Someone yelled from the opposite side, but Junhyuk ignored it and talked to Sarang:

    "We should whisper."

    "OK."

    "What were you curious about?"

    Sarang looked around and said:

    "It wasn¡¯t a dream, right?!"

    Junhyuk nodded heavily. Sarang swallowed her saliva and asked:

    "Will they summon me again?"

    Junhyuk worried for a moment and answered:

    "I¡¯m not sure."

    "Why?"

    "You are a minion."

    Sarang tilted her head.

    "What does that mean?"

    Junhyuk sighed and replied:

    "They summoned me because I was a novice. They think they can use my power. Heroes can summon me based on their contract."

    Sarang¡¯s big eyes widened, and Junhyuk continued calmly:

    "Of course, no minions had survived the first battlefield I went to. So, I¡¯m not sure if they will summon you again or not."

    "Then, maybe I don¡¯t have to go back?"

    "Right."

    "Hmm."

    Sarang worried and asked:

    "If they summon me, what do I have to do?"

    Junhyuk looked her in the eyes and said:

    "Do as I taught you."

    Sarang saw Junhyuk¡¯s beaming eyes and felt as though she had already been summoned to battlefield. His aura was strong, and it wasn¡¯t only affecting her. Other people were stepping away from him.

    He continued calmly:

    "Focus on staying alive."

    Sarang sighed.

    "How can I survive without you?"

    Junhyuk worried a little. In fact, Sarang¡¯s survival had had a lot to do with Vera¡¯s care. If a hero didn¡¯t look after a minion, that minion would end up dead.

    That was because heroes were ruthless.

    He caressed her head.

    "Practice."

    "What?"

    "Practice what you¡¯ve learned from Vera," he continued calmly. "I practiced what Arn had taught me ceaselessly to catch up to my soul¡¯s growth, but, because of it, the battlefield became a little safer.

    She nodded.

    "In any case, I have been practicing hard."

    It was fun making an energy orb. It required a high level of concentration. Her focus level went up and so did her grades at school.

    She spent the same amount of time studying, but her concentration level decided her grades, and her memory skills also improved. She didn¡¯t know why.

    "Hard work does not betray you, so practice harder."

    "I will."

    Junhyuk wondered and looked at her and asked:

    "By the way, did you tell your parents where you were going today?"

    "I did not."

    "What if they summon you to the Dimensional Battlefield?"

    Sarang smiled awkwardly. The first time, they had thought she had been sleeping, but what would happen if it happened again? Even if she returned from the battlefield, it would still pose a problem.

    She thought of something new and, with a bright smile, looked at him.

    "Big bro, can Ie over today?"

    He felt other people looking at him. He lifted his head and tapped her hard on the forehead, almost shouting an excuse:

    "You don¡¯t need an reason to visit a cousin¡¯s house!"

    People around him were suspicious of that, but their attention died down. Sarang put out her tongue and smiled:

    "He-he!"

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly.

    "It wasn¡¯t a bad idea, but next time don¡¯t wear your school uniform."

    She put her hand on her hips and said:

    "Why? Don¡¯t I look pretty?"

    "You also have to think about me!"

    Sarang realized the situation she had put him in and smiled.

    "I wore it so you wouldn¡¯t refuse to see me."

    He shook his head and said:

    "Let¡¯s talk more about itter at my house."

    "OK."

    It looked like she would give up easily, but she didn¡¯t. She followed Junhyuk, asking many questions about many things, and he had to answer all her questions on the way home.

    They arrived at his house, and he looked back quickly. She looked around in wonder, and he looked at her, sighed and opened the door to his house.

    It was his character to clean his house at all times, but having a girl over, especially a high school student, was something he did not expect.

    He opened the door and asked her toe in:

    "Come in."

    Sarang was smiling while she looked around the ce. Junhyuk took out a cold drink from the refrigerator, gave it to her and said:

    "I will go shower. Wait here!"

    "What? You are leaving me here to shower?"

    "Don¡¯t joke around."

    They had been to the battlefield field together, and it had been hell. Because of that, she felt more like a friend than a woman, and he could joke with her.

    Junhyuk went to the bathroom, and Sarang sat on his bed tapping her feet. A momentter, he had cleaned up. He gave her some workout clothes, took a can of beer out of the refrigerator and sat on a chair drinking his beer.

    "Go change."

    "Go where?"

    Sarang put the pants on underneath her skirt and also changed her jacket right there. She zipped her jacket and sat in front of Junhyuk, lifting her hand up. She made an energy orb with her hands.

    "I do it well, no?"

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know how a magician minion would evolve. So, he didn¡¯t have any advice.

    "Practice what Vera taught you. You will get better."

    "By the way, does this work here?"

    "Did you not check?"

    "If I break something with this, it will be a problem."

    Junhyuk ced his beer can on the desk and said:

    "Shoot."

    Sarang aimed her hands at the beer can, and the energy orb became an energy bolt and shot off.

    Bang!

    There was a hole in the can, and Junhyuk checked his wall. The wall did not have a hole, but it was damaged rather deeply.

    He looked at her and said:

    "You shouldn¡¯t use it on people."

    "I shouldn¡¯t."

    On the Dimensional Battlefield, she had used it on enemy minions without a second thought, but, in reality, its destructiveness was greater than she had imagined. Still, it could smash an enemy minion¡¯s head with just one shot.

    "But don¡¯t hesitate on the battlefield."

    "Of course!"

    Sarang knew what she had to do. She tapped her feet and said:

    "Big brother, is this your third time?"

    "Yes."

    She looked at him.

    "What happens if you go alone?"

    Junhyuk answered with his arms folded.

    "If I fall asleep, just go home."

    "What if I fall asleep as well?"

    "Then, we will meet on the battlefield."

    Sarang folded her arms.

    "If they don¡¯t summon me this time, does that mean I don¡¯t ever have to go back?"

    "I will ask them about it."

    "Hmm."

    Impressed, Sarang got up.

    "When you fall asleep, I will wait right here."

    "There is no need. I might never wake up."

    "That¡¯s all the more reason I should stay here."

    Junhyuk looked at her straight. Heughed at what she said and wrote down a phone number.

    "Here. My parents¡¯ phone number. If I don¡¯t wake up, call them up."

    Sarang got worried and gave him a phone number. He looked at it and looked at her.

    "What¡¯s this?"

    "I might not wake up either. You should call my house."

    Junhyuk looked at her and, all of a sudden, threw the notes in the garbage can. Sarang was surprised and shouted:

    "Big brother!"

    He looked at her.

    "We go together ande back together."

    "But..."

    No one knew what would happen on that cold battlefield. It wasn¡¯t easy toe back alive and together.

    Junhyuk looked at his watch andy down. It was almost eight o¡¯clock.

    "You should lie down," he told to her.

    "OK."

    Shey on the bed and put her hands on her pounding heart. Thinking about the Dimensional Battlefield scared her, so she thought of what Junhyuk had told her and felt relieved.

    They would go together and would return together.

    Sarang thought of Junhyuk and closed her eyes. The clock struck eight.

 Chapter 38: Strange People 1

    Chapter 38: Strange People 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Elise was reading the newspaper with ease when her subordinates showed up making loud noises.

    "Some of our people just went to the battlefield!"

    "How many of them?"

    "Five."

    Her subordinate handed her a tablet, and she looked at it and saw five people on the screen. She checked on their personal details report and asked:

    "What is their survivability rate?"

    "It¡¯s about three percent."

    "What if the five of them work together?"

    "Then, it¡¯s about ten percent."

    "That sounds good."

    Minions had about 0.01 percent survival rate on the Dimensional Battlefield, but if they trained at a high level and fought together, the survival rate increased to ten percent.

    "In an hour, one of them might have survived, so get their bodies in one ce."

    "OK."

    Her subordinates went away, and she ced her hand on the left side of her desk. The desk sensed her hand, and five screens were produced on it.

    They all focused on Elise.

    "We got people who went to the Dimensional Battlefield."

    On the far right screen, an old man spoke:

    "How many of them?"

    "Five."

    The people on the screens responded optimistically.

    On the far left, Doyeol Kim spoke:

    "What¡¯s their chance of returning alive?"

    "They have a three percent chance, but, if the five of them work together, it could increase to ten percent."

    "Do they know the rules of the battlefield?"

    "We taught them well."

    On the far right, the old man smiled and said:

    "I¡¯ll be waiting for the hour to pass."

    "I will give you good news."

    "I look forward to it."

    The five screens disappeared, and Elise got up from her seat. It was not the time to read her newspaper.

    "So, shall I go?"

    The Robotics Lab¡¯s top director, Elise, wore a white gown and went out of the room.

    ---

    He had his hands up, trying to calcte the time it took for the light to disappear. When he opened his hands, Junhyuk looked around the white-lit room. On the side of the wall, there was a number.

    It said 8834G.

    During thest siege, he had been targeted by heroes, and his contribution to killing heroes had gone up, so there was quite an amount.

    "I just need a little bit more."

    His target was 10,000G. All he had to do was contribute in killing one more enemy.

    Junhyuk checked himself out. His armor¡¯s color had darkened. The deep green armor was far lighter than the one he wore when he was a novice.

    It was so light, he worried about it¡¯s defensive power. It did not feel heavy at all.

    "Nevertheless, armors have no meaning against heroes."

    His armor had gotten stronger, but it was still like a piece of paper to a hero, so he shouldn¡¯t even worry about it, and it would still protect him against minions¡¯ attacks.

    Junhyuk finished his gear check when a soft voice spoke again. It was already the third time, but he didn¡¯t want to hear it.

    [Wee. You are being summoned to the Valley of Death.]

    Junhyuk was waiting to receive his two-handed sword, but, instead, two swords showed up.

    "Two swords?"

    He had practiced using a two-handed sword like crazy, but now he was an expert, and received two swords. He didn¡¯t know anything about dual-wielding swordsmanship.

    "Nothing ever goes as nned."

    Junhyuk sighed and picked up the two swords. Soon, a door appeared. When Junhyuk went through, he heard the voice again:

    [You¡¯ve activated two powers and became an expert. You have right to reincarnate one time as an expert.]

    He wasn¡¯t expecting it, so he asked:

    "Is that for real?"

    The voice did not answer and, instead, continued as usual:

    [Expert 01 deployed.]

    That meant he was the first human expert, and he had no intention of bing a missing number.

    "I will survive whatever it takes."

    Outside, he saw people crowded against each other. Junhyuk looked at therge crowd, and his attention stopped at a group of people who looked suspicious.

    Most people did not understand what was taking ce, but the group of people acted differently. They must¡¯ve known each other and gathered up in one ce.

    They didn¡¯t look surprised at all. They looked trained for any possible situation.

    Still, this was a dangerous ce for minions to survive, but if anyone had the will to survive, they might be of help. Junhyuk continued to look around him.

    Since he became an expert, he grew to be six feet, five inches, so he could easily look at the minions. Junhyuk looked and heard a voice:

    "Big brother!"

    Junhyuk felt d, yet disappointed. He did not know Sarang would be summoned again. Maybe she was called back because she survived with him or for a different reason, but they were together again.

    "Excuse me."

    Junhyuk went by the other minions and stood in front of Sarang. She was holding a magic staff and a shield and was looking at Junhyuk.

    "Big bro, did you get taller?"

    "Yes."

    "Your armor has alsopletely changed."

    His armor looked totally different from the other armors. Junhyuk smiled bitterly.

    "I think it¡¯s for experts."

    Sarang stood next to him and said:

    "Will you keep your promise?"

    "Of course. We will return together."

    He did not want to lose arade with whom he had fought together. They waited for a moment, and the door opened. People walked in. One was the eight-feet-two-inches Arn, and the other was the six-feet-five-inches Vera.

    They saw Junhyuk and went over to him.

    Arn and Vera stood in front of him, and Junhyuk spoke first:

    "Starting with the expert level, one reincarnation is possible. Is that true?"

    Arn and Vera looked at each other and shrugged.

    "We begin as heroes, so we are not sure. You should ask Bebe."

    The dimensional merchant Bebe should know, and Junhyuk nodded.

    "I just need little more money. I will ask him then."

    Arn chuckled and nced at the crowd.

    "From here to there follow me!"

    Arn spoke and stepped forward, and Vera said:

    "Sarang Kim, I summoned you."

    Sarang knew Vera was looking after her, but she wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about the situation. Should she feel resentment or gratitude for being summoned? She did not say a word.

    Vera gave her a big hug and said:

    "Even if I hadn¡¯t summoned you, they would¡¯ve done it anyway, but other heroes wouldn¡¯t know how to utilize your power. It¡¯s better to be with me than die needlessly."

    Sarang answered meekly:

    "Thank you for summoning me."

    Vera looked at Junhyuk:

    "And Junhyuk will be with you. It will be less dangerous."

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "This time they will target me. Wouldn¡¯t it be more dangerous to be next to me?"

    "We have to wait and see."

    The smiling Vera put her arm around Junhyuk. Now that he was six feet, five inches, he could stand next to her.

    "Let¡¯s go. We have to walk a lot today."

    Junhyuk moved without hesitation. Arn took the lead, and Junhyuk followed him and also noticed that the suspicious people were among the group.

    The group was made up of thirty people plus Sarang and Junhyuk. It was arge number, so Junhyuk asked Vera:

    "Are we going to Watchtower immediately?"

    "No," Vera smiled and answered. "We are going to the enemy¡¯s forest."

    "So, we will hide in the forest and hit them?"

    "Yes, just likest time. We will hide and hit."

    "Then, why do we need so many minions?"

    "We need them," Arn said upon reaching the castle¡¯s gate. "From now on, don¡¯tg behind. We are entering a forest. If you¡¯re slow, it will mean your death."

    Junhyuk noticed Arn exin it more considerately. Arn started running fast when the gate opened. To keep up with Arn, the minions had to run very fast. It was like a near-death experience.

    Junhyuk matched his pace and asked:

    "Why are we running so fast?"

    "We have to be in position and seize their route, so we have to hurry."

    Vera spoke and looked at Sarang.

    "Magician minionsck physical strength. You should help her."

    Junhyuk offered his hand and grabbed Sarang by her wrist. Vera looked at her and asked:

    "Did you train hard?"

    Sarang nodded, and Vera added calmly:

    "Ordinarily, one has to activate a power to be a novice, but a magician minion who trains continuously will be acknowledged as having a power. Of course, it¡¯s difficult to be acknowledged as having a power, but training makes a difference."

    "Can she be a novice, then?"

    "Yes."

    Vera looked at Sarang again.

    "You only have the energy bolt ability. If they consider that ability deadly enough, you could be a novice."

    Junhyuk listened and looked at Sarang. Novices had different survival rates from minions. Of course, if she were attacked by another novice, she would have less of a chance, but she wouldn¡¯t die easily by the hands of the enemies.

    Sarang looked at Vera.

    "What do I have to do?"

    "Practice what I¡¯ve taught you and practice hard."

    Sarang made up her mind.

    "I will do my best."

    Junhyuk became an expert. When he was a novice, he was matchless against minions. Sarang had to work hard to increase her survival rate.

    The group advanced to the forest. Previously, they used to look for monsters, but, this time, they wanted to avoid monsters.

    Junhyuk helped Sarang¡¯s with the running and noticed some people weregging behind. They slowed down considerably and soon would be out of the group.

    Junhyuk let go of Sarang and approached the slow group.

    "Look here."

    The five of them looked at Junhyuk: four men and one woman. Their eyes looked full of strength, and their breathing was regr. They didn¡¯t look tired at all.

    "If you fall behind in the forest, you will die. Speed up."

    The five of them looked at each other, and a man stepped forward.

    "Don¡¯t mind us and be on your way."

    Because of the interpretation pill, Junhyuk understood thempletely. He looked at the man and said:

    "I am not joking. You don¡¯t look tired, don¡¯tg behind. If not, you will die."

    "We will follow you soon."

    Junhyuk saw others in the slow group holding their weapons. If he continued to goad them, they might attack him.

    Even though minions couldn¡¯t hurt him, he didn¡¯t want to fight allies.

    Junhyuk did not have a chance to say anything because Veraughed and said:

    "Don¡¯t mind them. You and Sarang aregging behind."

    Junhyuk knew Arn wouldn¡¯t wait for them. He smiled bitterly and spoke for onest time:

    "Follow us. I will lead."

    Junhyuk and Sarang were about to run, and the man asked:

    "Are you human?"

    Junhyuk looked really surprised and answered:

    "I¡¯m human."

    After he finished speaking, Junhyuk, Sarang and Vera left. The man spoke again:

    "That guy isn¡¯t a minion."

    "There is a person who isn¡¯t a minion among humans?"

    The man nodded and said:

    "Try to remember his face. If one of us survives, make sure to report him."

    Everyone nodded.

    "We will follow them."

    After the man spoke, they cautiously entered the forest. They looked at ease with their situation, but this was the Dimensional Battlefield.

 Chapter 39: Strange People 2

    Chapter 39: Strange People 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk sped up and caught up to Arn.

    "Five people were left behind."

    Arn nced at him and said:

    "I saw it."

    "Do we just keep moving?"

    Arn stopped for a moment.

    "Now is the time for fighting. We can¡¯t take care of the people who stay behind."

    Junhyuk did not tell Arn that theygged behind intentionally. He looked back and nodded.

    "I understand."

    "Let¡¯s go."

    Arn moved again. They soon reached the riverside.

    "Cross."

    Arn crossed first, then the minions followed him. From far away, the antas showed up.

    Junhyuk pulled out both of his swords and was looking at the minions crossing when Vera extended her hand.

    "Go first."

    Vera made a huge firewall that blocked the antas from getting any closer.

    It was getting hot enough for the surface of the water to sizzle and boil. Junhyuk was once again reminded that everything was easier when he was apanied by a couple of heroes. He sheathed both swords and followed Arn.

    They crossed the stepping stones safely, and Junhyuk saw Sarang was tense, so he caressed her helmet gently.

    "Whew! I didn¡¯t know it would be so easy to get across."

    "That was due to Vera."

    "Right."

    Vera crossed the stepping stonesst and said:

    "We don¡¯t have time. Let¡¯s hurry."

    "OK."

    They all followed Arn and hid in the field of reeds, where they¡¯d been before. They took the very stressed minions with them and hid. They were all holding their breaths, and Arn went over to Junhyuk.

    "You¡¯ve trained hard."

    "Yes."

    "Did you collect a lot of money?"

    Junhyuk smiles bitterly.

    "I have 8,834G."

    "Then, if this surprise attack works out, you will have 10,000G."

    "If I stay alive."

    It was possible that he wouldn¡¯t survive. He had be the main target, but Arn did no really care.

    "You will survive."

    "I hope so."

    "If you survive, you should buy weapons from Bebe."

    "Weapons?"

    He thought weapons would be very expensive, but Arn continued calmly:

    "They only give you basic weapons, but the things Bebe sells are different."

    Vera stepped forward and exined further:

    "With 10,000G, you will be able to afford the weapons you want."

    "Are weapons really expensive?"

    "Bebe has some stuff that¡¯s cheap."

    "Why would I want a weapon?"

    Arnughed a little and answered:

    "The weapons they give you have no other power other than increasing your attack. If you want something good, you must upgrade it at least five times."

    Junhyuk looked at Arn¡¯s sabers.

    "Are they like your sabers?"

    "No. I brought them here myself. It¡¯sparable to the most highly upgraded weapons they sell here. So, I only increased their durability."

    "So, after upgrading, I could get something like your sabers?"

    "Something like them, but before the increased durability."

    Heroes used very special weapons. Junhyuk realized he could get something like that, and Arn continued:

    "If you pay more, you have more options. Also, depending on the upgrade, you could get a magic sword."

    "There are magic weapons?!"

    Junhyuk was really surprised, and Arn thought it was ridiculous.

    "Of course! However, when people get those kinds of weapons, they tend to get careless."

    That was something heroes like Arn would say. If it made you safer, wouldn¡¯t it be nice to own a magic sword?

    Junhyuk was worrying when Vera spoke:

    "There is nothing wrong with magic, but it¡¯s effectiveness is not that great, especially when dealing with heroes."

    "Wouldn¡¯t it be better to own one?"

    "Right, but when you add magic upgrades, the cost goes up."

    Junhyuk had cold sweats.

    "How much?"

    "Twice the price of an ordinary upgrade."

    Junhyuk sighed, and Arn looked at him and said:

    "More importantly, think about which weapon you want."

    "All right."

    At that moment, he was the mostfortable with a bastard sword, but he had only practiced with it by himself and wasn¡¯t sure of what he really wanted.

    He was worrying when Arn whispered:

    "They areing."

    Junhyuk was tense and saw them over the reeds: Ellic and Warren, along with twenty minions, were moving toward them.

    Junhyuk¡¯s expression stiffened when he saw Ellic.

    "It¡¯s Ellic!"

    Ellic was really wild. When he was focused on something, he didn¡¯t see anything else. If he wanted to kill Junhyuk, he would not care about his own death.

    In any case, Ellic could reincarnate. Junhyuk had heard he could also reincarnate, but he wasn¡¯t sure. Anyhow, it was best to not get killed.

    He was filled with dread.

    "Then, we should kill Ellic first," Arns said and looked at Vera. "Sorry, but you will have to get their attention."

    "Are you going to use it?"

    "To kill them with certainty, I have no other choice, but you have to bring them over."

    "Don¡¯t worry."

    Vera spoke and looked at the minions.

    "Advance!" Vera shouted, stepped forward and shot off her magic.

    Ellic saw the fire spear heading toward him andughed.

    "Right! Just likest time! I knew you would be hiding in the reed field!"

    Ellic blocked the fire spear with his hammer, but was still pushed backward. However, that¡¯s when Warren stepped forward. Warren shortened the distance at once, and Vera lifted her hands.

    Soon, a firewall zed.

    Vera made three fire orbs and hung them in the air. Warren jumped over the firewall.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    Vera had guessed Warren would be jumping, and Warren was hit by the exploding fire orbs.

    "Aargh!"

    Warren screamed and retreated, and Ellic rushed through the firewall, but Vera had already escaped.

    Ellic continued rushing, and Vera threw another fire spear.

    "That won¡¯t work!"

    Ellic blocked the fire spear with his hammer and shortened the distance between them. Vera threw fire orbs at him and hid in the reed field.

    "You are too slow!"

    Vera couldn¡¯t hide herself, and Ellic rushed in again.

    Bang!

    Vera bounced back, and Ellicughed and rushed toward her. Suddenly, he saw Arn getting ready for him.

    "Shit!"

    He tried to escape, but Arn pulled out his sabers and shed at him. Ellic knew he couldn¡¯t escape and hammered the ground.

    Bang!

    The hit created a huge shockwave, but Arn¡¯s sabers reached him first.

    Ellic¡¯s chest was open, and blood started pouring out of it like a fountain. Ellic staggered, and Vera¡¯s fire spear hit him on his open chest.

    "Aaargh!"

    Ellic staggered some more, and Warren ran toward them. Warren did not hesitate. However, Arn ignored Warren and threw a saber.

    Tck!

    The saber was stuck to Ellic¡¯s forehead, and Warren ran toward Vera. She was a magician, and her defensive power was lower than the others. He knew about that.

    Arn still had a saber and aimed it at Warren¡¯s ribs.

    "Hoowwl!"

    Warren howled, and Arn stopped. Vera made a firewall, but Warren easily shed through it and aimed his ws at her.

    Then, an ivory-colored force field appeared.

    ng!

    Vera moved back because of the shock and was safe. Warren looked over to her.

    "Novice!"

    Warren jumped up and stepped on the force field. Junhyuk had seen Vera in danger and had used his force field on her. At that moment, looking at Warren jumping, he began to run.

    He was running toward Arn, but he had to dodge Warren first.

    Junhyuk collected his thoughts and faced Warren. One mistake would mean his death. Warren saw Junhyuk running and prepared his ws.

    "You are an expert now!"

    Warren realized Junhyuk had on different equipment and stomped the ground. Being an expert didn¡¯t help, and Warren¡¯s ws aimed at Junhyuk.

    He was holding both swords. Maybe he could block it, but Warren¡¯s attack power was very high. So, that was not a good idea.

    Junhyuk concentrated on the ws. They looked like they would slice through his swords. When the ws were about to hit him, he moved using spatial relocation.

    Warren¡¯s ws shed through empty air, and Junhyuk appeared behind him. He had trained, so he was used to the changes in scenery.

    After he used spatial relocation, he ran like crazy. He covered twenty feet at once with spatial relocation and ran to Vera.

    She gave him more time to run by making a firewall behind him. Junhyuk saw the force field around her, and ran toward it to save time.

    Junhyuk gambled, and it was sessful. It was his force field, and he had no problem getting inside it.

    Clunk!

    He was surprised by the shock created by Warren, who was already hitting the force field.

    "How long do I have?"

    Warren shed at the force field with his ws. Soon, the force field would disappear, and Junhyuk knew that. He hoped that Arn woulde to him soon.

    Maybe Arn had heard his wish because he suddenly showed up above Warren¡¯s head and swung his saber.

    sh!

    Warren howled loudly after being hit by the saber:

    "HOWL!"

    Warren¡¯s howl had the power to freeze body movement. Arn froze, and the force field disappeared. Warren pushed Arn away and extended his ws.

    Junhyuk blocked the ws with his swords.

    Clunk!

    The shock was big enough to make both swords sh against his own armor, and Junhyuk dropped to the ground. He rolled on the ground, and Vera ced her hand on Warren¡¯s chest.

    "So close!"

    Boom!

    Warren¡¯s chest exploded, and he was bounced back. Arn moved again and swung his saber at Warren.

    Even though his chest had suffered an explosion, he blocked Arn¡¯s saber with his ws and still looked at Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk was bearing the pain and trying to get up, and Warren¡¯s eyes suddenly became all red.

    Soon, Warren¡¯s wounds were healed. It was phenomenal to watch Warren healing, but it meant death for Junhyuk.

    He blocked Arn with his arm, stomped the ground and jumped. Vera quickly threw a fire spear, but Warren dodged it and jumped over her.

    Warren was running toward Junhyuk. No one was between them. Junhyuk clenched his jaw and gripped his swords tightly.

    He focused his thoughts on facing Warren, who was running toward him. There was nowhere else to run.

 Chapter 40: Strange People 3

    Chapter 40: Strange People 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Warren went up to Junhyuk at once and swung his ws at him. Junhyuk thought about what he could do in that situation:

    Attack or sh Warren? Impossible.

    Run away? Impossible.

    In the end, all he could do was buy more time. If he did not die, Arn and Vera were just behind Warren, and they could save him.

    Junhyuk saw Warren¡¯s wsing toward him and also knew that if he blocked them head-on, he would just be blown back. His swords were within range of Warren¡¯s attack, but he also knew it was still dangerous.

    Junhyuk decided to hit Warren¡¯s ws. He did not know if it was possible.

    Junhyuk¡¯s sword sliced through the air aiming at Warren¡¯s wrist. He was highly focused and was catching up to Warren¡¯s speed.

    Warren ignored Junhyuk¡¯s attack on his wrist and swung his ws.

    Shink!

    Even though it was very small, he had scratched Warren. Since bing an expert, his attack power increased, and he was able to inflict a wound on the werewolf.

    Warren ignored his wound and extended his paws. Junhyuk¡¯s arm was pushed back, but it was a small push. Still, Warren¡¯s ws grazed Junhyuk¡¯s face.

    Everything happened very slowly for Junhyuk. He tilted his head and bent backwards. He was getting closer to Warren, but it was the only thing he could do now to survive.

    His cheek was cut, but Junhyuk had prevented his head from being perforated. However, he was still in danger. Warren knew his right paw attack had failed and was about to wing his left paw.

    This time, there was no other ce to go.

    Junhyuk saw Warren attacking his ribs, and he ced his right arm above his ribs and held fast to his sword. Above his sword, he could see Warren¡¯s ws approaching.

    ng!

    Junhyuk felt the shock and felt his body get off the ground. He had at least a few broken ribs. While he was still in the air, Warren swung his right ws. There was no way out.

    Quickly, he lifted his sword above his head. The only thing he could do was try to block the attack.

    ng!

    To think his sword¡¯s durability could withstand it was wrong. His sword broke into pieces, and, if he hadn¡¯t tilted his head, it would¡¯ve been crushed. Instead of his head, his shoulder was shattered into pieces. His shoulder was broken, and his arm was torn off.

    Warren seized the opportunity and opened his mouth wide. He meant to devour him. Then, suddenly, a fire spear hit Warren¡¯s back, but Warren was using his healing power.

    Even though the fire spear was burning his back, Warren ignored it and bit Junhyuk.

    Chomp!

    Warren¡¯s became devoid of expression not because he bit Junhyuk¡¯s head, but because he was biting Arn¡¯s saber. Arn had shown up and swung his saber at Warren¡¯s mouth.

    Warren, who had bitten Arn¡¯s saber, tilted his head. Even though he was using healing mode, he had his head sliced through. Healing was impossible now.

    Warren moved slightly, and Junhyuk rolled on the ground.

    From Warren¡¯s point of view, he had to use that opportunity to kill Junhyuk. Warren ignored the other attacks on him and tried to kill Junhyuk.

    If he wanted for Arn to let go of him, Warren had to howl, but he had a saber in his mouth, making that impossible. Then, another fire spear hit his back.

    Warren still had the saber in his mouth when he aimed for Arn¡¯s ribs and swung his ws. The fire spears on his back did not extinguish easily. The damage continued to pile on, and Warren¡¯s healing power had its limit.

    Warren had to kill Junhyuk, and Arn had to let go of him first.

    Arn was still holding on to his saber and used his elbow to block Warren¡¯s attack. He knew this fight was to keep Junhyuk alive.

    Warren¡¯s w bloodied Arn¡¯s elbow, but Arn pushed his saber in harder. Warren was biting the saber hard, but Arn was stronger.

    Bit by bit, Warren¡¯s mouth was torn open, and Warren couldn¡¯t just keep on chasing Junhyuk. He lifts his leg and kicked Arn on the stomach.

    However, Arn used his arm to deflect Warren¡¯s paw, and Warren was left wide open, so Arn attacked him. Warren¡¯s mouth was torn some more, and another fire spear hit Warren on the thigh.

    Warren couldn¡¯t howl with his mouth like that. His thigh was on fire, and he could no longer endure Arn¡¯s attack. Arn tripped and staggered Warren, putting him on the ground. He swung his saber, and Warren grabbed one of Arn¡¯s arms and, using his other paw, aimed his ws at Arn¡¯s chest.

    It was such a short distance that it wasn¡¯t possible for Arn topletely dodge that attack.

    ng!

    Even so, Warren¡¯s ws stopped short of Arn¡¯s chest. The de of Arn¡¯s saber had stopped Warren¡¯s ws. Arn held on to his saber, and smiled, showing his teeth.

    "It¡¯s too bad."

    He knew how to handle his sabers in closebat. Arn swung his saber in a wide circle, and Warren¡¯s arm started to bleed.

    "Time for you to just die."

    Arn saw Warren¡¯s bloodied wrist and twisted his other saber, which was still stuck to Warren¡¯t mouth. Warren¡¯s mouth was being torn apart, and Warren got mad, stomping his paws against the ground.

    Arn kneed Warren¡¯s chest and pushed harder against Warren¡¯s mouth with his arms. Arn¡¯s muscles became bigger, and Warren¡¯s mouth split faster.

    Tck!

    In the end, Arn tore Warren¡¯s mouth and, in the process, split his head in half. Warren¡¯s eyes looked at Arn, and Arn smiled and pushed his saber against the middle of Warren¡¯s forehead.

    "I can¡¯t give him to you. Understand?"

    Warren disappeared slowly, and Arn turned to look at Junhyuk.

    His shoulder was bleeding heavily, and he was standing on the spot where Ellic had died. If Arn hadn¡¯t thrown his saber on time, he too would¡¯ve been in danger.

    "Why are you just standing there?" Arn collected Junhyuk¡¯s torn arm and said, "Do you have a potion?"

    "Yes."

    "That¡¯s good. I will hold it, so drink the potion," Arn said while holding Junhyuk¡¯s torn arm against his shoulder.

    Junhyuk drank the potion. The potion¡¯s healing power attached his torn arm back to his shoulder, but Junhyuk looked crushed. The potion¡¯s taste was hell. He felt less pain when his arm had been torn off than when he drank the potion.

    Junhyuk slowly moved his arm. It was still painful, but he was able to do it.

    "This is really something else."

    "It¡¯s because you are at a low level," Vera said, and Junhyuk smiled bitterly.

    Arn tapped on Junhyuk¡¯s helmet and said:

    "You did well."

    "I thought I was going to die."

    "The important thing is that you are still alive."

    Arn picked up the dropped equipment from the ground. Ellic dropped a ck glove, and Warren dropped an earring. Arn smiled.

    "These are valuable things," he said and looked at Junhyuk. "Do you have any potions left?"

    "No, I don¡¯t."

    "It looks like they are only trying to kill you. You should have more potions."

    "Then, are we going to the dimensional merchants?"

    "Yes. We should go to Bebe."

    "Both of them are dead. Isn¡¯t this a good opportunity to push?" Vera said.

    "That¡¯s right, but this battle depends on whether we can protect him or not."

    Vera looked at Junhyuk coldly. It was true Junhyuk¡¯s presence posed a problem for the enemy. He was just an expert, but his powers were of very high level.

    "We should go, but we can¡¯t stay for long. When we have the opportunity, we should use it." Arn said.

    "I understand." Junhyuk replied.

    "So, think about which weapon you want to get on the way."

    Junhyuk nodded, and Arn looked around.

    "I forgot about them."

    The minions were still fighting. He had been dealing with the heroes who attacked Junhyuk, and forgot about the minions.

    Junhyuk held on to what remained of his sword and ran toward them, and, while running, he picked up another sword dropped by an allied minion. He wanted to use two swords since that¡¯s what he was given.

    Junhyuk was an expert. When he was a novice, he was already superior to minions.

    sh!

    He blocked with his left sword and stabbed the enemy¡¯s neck with his right. He continued his attack, and the minion was split in half.

    Previously, it had been difficult for him to slice a minion in two, but now it was easy.

    Junhyuk saw two simultaneous attacks against him and lifted his sword. When the enemy axe touched his sword, he thought about a video he had watched on inte.

    It involved a two-handed sword, but it was possible with his current sword.

    ng, ng, ng!

    He couldn¡¯t draw one axe to the direction he wanted, but it was close enough. Junhyuk drew in both axes and shed the minions¡¯ necks. Then, he heard Arn shouting:

    "Don¡¯t waste time with minions!"

    Junhyuk turned, and Vera and Arn took care of the rest. The allied minions did not suffer much.

    There had been twenty-five minions at the start. Now, there were twenty. There were a lot more surviving minions than usual. The fights among the heroes were short, and Junhyuk, Arn and Vera took care of the rest.

    Junhyuk lowered both swords and lifted his head.

    He wasn¡¯t very dexterous, so it wasn¡¯t easy for him to use both swords. It was easier for him to use the right one. Then again, he had practiced what Arn had taught him, and was still able to use both. The difference between his arms was small.

    He would rather be holding a shield and a sword, but, as he was, he could mount an immediate attack in any situation.

    Dual-wielding was less destructive than using a two-handed sword, but he could attack continuously. Arn¡¯s sabers were an example. He liked having two sabers more than he liked Halo¡¯s sword.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    The group began moving, and Sarang joined Junhyuk. He drank the potion, reattaching his arm to his body, but his armor was still bloodied.

    "Big brother!"

    Sarang looked at Junhyuk, worried.

    "I¡¯m OK."

    "But..."

    It had been a serious wound. When Junhyuk shed with Warren, it had been difficult to tell what was happening when Junhyuk broke his shoulder.

    She had been really worried when she saw Junhyuk¡¯s arm fall off. If Arn hadn¡¯t helped, Junhyuk would¡¯ve died.

    It was astounding to see the arm reattached, but Junhyuk still did not look good. He spun his arms in circles and said:

    "You saw me fighting minions."

    He tapped his own shoulder. The shoulder had broken and turned bloody, but he was OK now. He still felt strange, but, overall, he was feeling fine.

    Sarang looked at him calmly, extended her hand and touched his shoulder. Even though it had blood on it, his shoulder looked OK.

    "Big brother, don¡¯t die."

    Junhyuk pushed hard against Sarang¡¯s helmet.

    "Didn¡¯t I tell you? We will return together."

    After Junhyuk spoke, Sarang¡¯s fear disappeared as if it had been a lie. She had felt like a strong person like Junhyuk could die, which had made her freeze, and she hadn¡¯t even been able to use her energy bolt.

    Junhyuk¡¯s speech seeped into her heart, and she was no longer scared.

    "Right. So, if you die, I won¡¯t stand for it."

    Junhyuk knew she was worried about him and smiled. It was good to know someone was worried about him.

    "Don¡¯t worry. I definitely won¡¯t die."

 Chapter 41: New Weapon 1

    Chapter 41: New Weapon 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    They moved covertly. At the front, there was a man taking the lead, and his name was Chris. For that assignment, they had done over twenty simtions, but the preparation time had been short.

    He had been the first person assigned to this project, but he had only been at the project for a hundred days.

    It was a relief for him to know that the group wasposed of veteran soldiers. The cost of their physical training had been astronomical.

    Chris checked out the forest and lifted his fist. The group got into position easily and stopped. Chris showed two fingers and pointed to his left.

    Two members of the group moved and went left. Chris held his breath and started walking. Behind him, two other members followed. Ahead of him, there was a two-tailed lion sleeping soundly. It was the size of an ordinary lion.

    Chris was stone-faced. Around the lion, there were small knolls made of blue and red jewels. Their assignment was to retrieve some jewels from that ce, but they never heard of the existence of the lion.

    Chris looked back, and the others nodded. They needed to retrieve the jewels. It was the first time they saw that lion, but they were told about the monsters they would be encountering.

    The monsters were stronger than ordinary beasts, but, in preparation, they had fought against drugged up beasts. Each one of them was prepared to fight a beast and beat it, and now there were five of them in one ce. A lion would be no match for them.

    Chris¡¯ eyes moved. The two to his left grabbed hold of their swords and slowly approached the lion. The remaining three would draw the lion¡¯s attention while the other two would finish the lion off.

    That¡¯s the best way.

    Chris ran to the front, and the other two followed him closely. Chris and two others stopped, and the lion opened its eyes when they crossed into its territory. It had two pupils in each eyeball. All four pupils were directed toward Chris, and Chris realized something was seriously wrong.

    Its murdering aura was different from that of ordinary drugged up beasts.

    He lifted his shield quickly. All three of them lifted their shields as they¡¯d been trained, and the lion pounced.

    Craack!

    It was strong enough to crush the shields. They had stopped the attack with their shield, but they were pushed back. They had learned about the shields and how to use them before arriving at the Dimensional Battlefield. They¡¯d been trained to block 50 percent of the attack with their shields, but the lion¡¯s attack was much stronger than they¡¯d expected.

    Then, two of them went around the lion and stabbed it with their swords. It was as if the lion also had eyes on the back of its skull. It grabbed the two by their wrists with its tails and mmed them on the ground.

    Bang!

    Their heads were crushed into pieces. Chris had to make a decision. First, they had to stay alive.

    "Disperse!"

    At the same time they all dispersed, the lion chased one that was farthest away from Chris, and bit the man¡¯s neck.

    Meanwhile, Chris went over to the spot where the lion had been sleeping, picked up some blue and red jewels, put them inside his shirt and looked back. The lion was running toward another member.

    This battlefield had a low survival rate. Even if he saved his team member, he couldn¡¯t deal with the lion. Chris decided to get all the jewels he could and hide. He thought that would be the best option.

    Chris began to run. Behind him, he could hear his team members screaming. He ignored them.

    "They are not my realrades."

    He was a hired mercenary. It would have beenughable if he had cared about camaraderie. Chris just ran away. The lion grabbed a cadaver with its teeth and looked around. Chris was no longer in its territory.

    The lion sat and took its time eating the bodies.

    ---

    They went to the dimensional merchants and saw Bebe dozing off. Bebe saw them and weed them.

    "You came?"

    Arn went over to him and said quickly:

    "First, two bottles of potion."

    "Potions? They won¡¯t work on you."

    "I am not going to use it on myself."

    Bebe pushed the te toward Junhyuk.

    "Since you are an expert, you get a 5 percent discount. It¡¯s 950G. Pay it up."

    Junhyuk did not say a word and put his hand on the te. It showed 11,834G. That decreased by 950G, and 10,884G remained.

    Junhyuk was d since he could buy a new weapon with that amount. He looked at Bebe.

    "I want to buy a weapon."

    "Hm... Since you have over 10,000G, you can afford basic weapons."

    "Yes."

    Bebe hummed, opened his book and said:

    "Some of these weapon types may exist in your world and others may not. Take a look."

    "It will still be a basic weapon," Arn said.

    "They are basic weapons, but do you think humans could have made these weapons?"

    Arn did not answer. Junhyuk looked at the weapons. Among them, he found something he had not fathomed as a weapon: a teddy bear.

    "What¡¯s with this teddy bear?"

    "It¡¯s used for summoning magic. It¡¯s basic and requires upgrades to really use it well."

    Junhyuk shook his head and talked about the weapon he was looking for:

    "I want to buy dual swords."

    Bebe looked at him and gave a big smile:

    "It¡¯s not a bad thought, but dual swords don¡¯t exist. You have to buy two basic swords separately."

    Junhyuk worried about the price.

    "How much does that cost?"

    "Each sword is 10,000G."

    He could only buy one sword, and his expression turned sullen. Junhyuk asked carefully:

    "I heard it was possible to upgrade it as a magic sword. If I did that, would I have to upgrade both swords?"

    "Of course!"

    "That will cost twice as much!"

    Bebe crossed his arms and said:

    "That would be bad, huh?!"

    Junhyuk had renewed hope, and Bebe smiled and continued:

    "I have a conscience. I will give you a 30 percent discount, but I have to charge you full price for one of the swords."

    Junhyuk sighed. That would still cost 170 percent of the original price. It was a lot more than what he was expecting.

    Bebe smiled:

    "But the 30 percent discount only applies toward upgrades. You have to pay the full price for the sword itself."

    Junhyuk went back to the book. There were all kinds of weapons, and he picked out a longsword.

    "I will take this."

    "The price is 10,000G. With your discount, it will be 9,500G."

    Junhyuk¡¯s stomach did not feel so well, but he still put his hand on the te. The number decreased to 1,384G.

    Bebe gave him the longsword. He had lost one of his swords during the battle. With that longsword, he had his dual swords.

    Junhyuk checked out the long sword.

    ---

    [Bebe¡¯s Basic Longsword]

    Attack level multiplied by ten.

    Dimensional Merchant Bebe¡¯s Basic Sword: Basic level weapon. It increases its owner¡¯s attack power by ten times. It can be upgraded for more power.

    ---

    Junhyuk swung the longsword lightly. He could handle it very easily, and it was hard to believe it was a longsword.

    Junhyuk lowered his sword slowly.

    "Could you tell me more about upgrades?"

    "It¡¯s cheap to upgrade it for the first time. It¡¯s only 1,000G. After that, 2,000G, 4,000G, 6,000G, 8,000G, 10,000G, and 20,000G upgrades are possible. After the 7th upgrade, no more upgrades are possible."

    It cost over 51,000G to fully upgrade one of his swords.

    Junhyuk was curious and asked:

    "How do I make a magic sword?"

    Bebe touched his chin and answered:

    "That costs a lot more. Precisely, it costs twice more. You have to choose your property or attribute and start with the first upgrade."

    "Then, if I pick an attribute, it¡¯s possible to use some magic?"

    "Of course, but it¡¯s effectiveness will be small. You will need at least five upgrades for it to be effective against a hero."

    Junhyuk nodded heavily. It was pricey, but he thought having a magic sword would help him.

    "So, I need 2000G."

    "That¡¯s right, but there¡¯s one more thing. Upgrades don¡¯t get VIP discounts."

    He had to pay the full price. His face turned rigid, and Bebe crossed his arms and said:

    "So, that¡¯s how it is."

    Junhyuk sighed and asked:

    "Can I ask you one more question?"

    "What is it?"

    "I can¡¯t carry this weapon where Ie from. Is there a way to hide it?"

    He had taken a potion to his world, and that meant he had to take his sword back, but he couldn¡¯t carry it in public.

    Bebe shook his head.

    "Did you say you came from Earth?"

    "Yes."

    "If you can¡¯t carry a weapon like this, it must be a nasty ce."

    Bebe opened his hands and said.

    "There are two ways."

    Bebe closed the book and opened it again. The two ways were disyed in the book.

    "You have to buy a space pouch, but that is very expensive. It has a height, width, and length of ten feet and it costs 10,000G."

    Junhyuk shook his head hard. Bebe knew how he would react.

    "You can¡¯t afford it now. Then, there is another way. You could engrave the sword to you and summon it."

    "Summon it?"

    Bebe showed his palm. There was a strange tattoo on top of it.

    "Just like this."

    Bebe closed his palm and opened it again, and a huge hammer appeared on top of it.

    "You don¡¯t have to call for it when you summon?"

    "That depends on your will. So, if your will is strong, you don¡¯t have to make a sound, and you don¡¯t have the time to chant during a battle."

    Junhyuk agreed. During a battle, there was no time to utter a few words. He could get killed trying to speak.

    "This is not so expensive."

    "How much?"

    "Engraving costs 1,000G. There is no discount."

    It was cheaper than he expected, and he thought for a moment.

    "Then, I want to engrave it."

    Bebe did not speak and instead pushed the te forward. Junhyuk put his hand on it. He had 384G left. He used to have a lot of money, and it was all gone.

    "Where do you want it?"

    Junhyuk showed him his right wrist, and Bebe pulled out a box.

    "Then, give me your sword."

    Bebe pulled out a small bottle from the box while Junhyuk handed him the sword. Bebe poured the bottle¡¯s contents on the longsword, and that engraved the sword.

    He engraved Junhyuk¡¯s wrist with the same mark and looked at him.

    "It will be easier to summon and return your sword if you name it. Now, think about hiding it."

    Junhyuk closed his eyes and thought about making the sword disappear. He felt the mark itch, and his sword vanished. He looked around, and Bebe smiled.

    "Think about summoning it. If it¡¯s difficult, say the word."

    "Summon!" Junhyuk said.

    His longsword appeared on his hand, and he swung it lightly. He looked satisfied.

    He could easily handle his new longsword and he could hide it any time he wanted. Arn spoke up:

    "We don¡¯t have the time for this. Let¡¯s go."

    They went there to get potions and equipment, so Junhyuk asked Bebe:

    "How much does extra armor cost?"

    "Basic armor?" Bebe smiled slyly and showed two fingers. "Armor starts at 20,000G."

    He was surprised that armor cost more than a sword, but Bebe thought nothing much of it and exined:

    "You assemble suits of armor. You must buy each piece to be able to use the entire armor, and I sell the full suit."

    It would take a long time to buy extra armor. Junhyuk stopped again and asked Bebe:

    "Is it possible to reincarnate once when you be an expert?"

    That was the most important question.

    "Right. You get one reincarnation."

    As Bebe answered, he felt relieved. Arn called out to him again.

    "We should move."

    "Yes, I¡¯m going."

 Chapter 42: New Weapon 2

    Chapter 42: New Weapon 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    They walked out of the dimensional merchants, went through the forest and arrived at the enemy watchtower. They were situated on a road behind the watchtower. Just like the castle walls, the watchtowers had archers on standby.

    Archers did not have a high attack power, but, when heroes were fighting nearby, there was usually magic involved to help allied minions and archers inflict heavy damage.

    When there were no heroes fighting, they attacked minions who were simply passing by.

    They didn¡¯t usually guard the rears of watchtowers very well, since whoever wasing from behind had to go through a lot of obstacles.

    Arn scoped out the back road.

    "We will pass the watchtower and attack from behind."

    It wasn¡¯t easy to pass by a watchtower. When the enemies ran back to their watchtowers, it was not easy to catch them.

    Junhyuk worried, and Arn looked at the minions.

    "Our targets are the enemy heroes and not the watchtower. Get your shields up to guard against the rain of arrows and just run through. Don¡¯t forget."

    The minions were bait to draw the archers¡¯ arrows. They nodded, and Arn looked at Junhyuk and said:

    "We are numerically superior, so don¡¯t use your force field. Save it. The enemy will target you again."

    "I understand."

    Junhyuk nodded, and Arn used his hand to signal. Soon, the minions got up, holding their shields.

    "Move."

    After Arn spoke, the minions began moving. They were holding their shields and looked strained. Behind them, Sarang and Junhyuk followed.

    The archers on the watchtower saw the minions and started shooting their arrows.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck!

    The arrows got stuck on the shields, and the minions didn¡¯t die and started running. Junhyuk was following their lead when his eyes met with the eyes of one of the archers.

    Junhyuk was not carrying a shield, and he was tall enough to make a good target. The archer shot, and the arrow left the bow and flew toward him. Junhyuk pulled out his sword.

    He was holding his sword with his left hand and swung it.

    Thung!

    He hit the arrows urately. Even though he was an expert, he was surprised with himself and with what he had just done. Arn walked up from behind and said:

    "You are very precise."

    That could be because he had an uracy runestone. Arn ran forward, and Vera walked up next to Junhyuk.

    "You need uracy if you want to use dual swords, especially someone like you, who needs more training."

    Junhyuk¡¯s expression became rigid. Maybe he needed more runestones, but he had decided to spend his gold on the summoning magic for his longsword. He looked ahead.

    They passed the watchtower, and, from far away, they saw Minota.

    Halo was dealing with Minota, and they were evenly matched, going back and forth. Minota turned around to look, and the minions were drawing the archers¡¯ arrows. Behind the minions, Arn and Vera were approaching.

    Minota tried to withdraw when he saw Junhyuk. Minota went straight for him.

    Junhyuk knew Minota wanted to kill him. Halo shed Minota from behind. His side was shed, but Minota didn¡¯t stop. Minota ran wild, and Arn jumped up.

    Arn aimed his sabers at Minota¡¯s head, but Minota blocked it with his arm.

    sh!

    His arm was bleeding, but Minota pushed Arn aside while he was still in the air. Minota had the size advantage, or maybe it had been because Arn was in the air, but Arn was pushed way back.

    Vera understood why Minota was running wild and quickly made a firewall.

    "Woo, woo, woo!"

    He mooed from deep inside his belly and rushed through the firewall. Minota was running fast toward Junhyuk when Vera threw a fire spear. Junhyuk moved aside.

    If he stood behind the minions, the minions would die needlessly.

    While Junhyuk moved aside, Minota split in two using doppelganger. One of the Minotas fought Halo and Arn while the other continued to run toward Junhyuk.

    Minota went through Vera¡¯s magic, and that scared Junhyuk. He consented that he was the bait to draw Minota.

    Junhyuk put out his right hand.

    "Summon."

    A longsword appeared in his hand. He held his other sword with his left hand and looked at Minota.

    Minota saw Junhyuk wan¡¯t running away, rolled up his upper lip, and stomped the ground.

    His rush was really fast. He had been far away just a moment ago, but now he was just in front of Junhyuk, who ran toward Minota.

    To buy more time, he would use spatial relocation. Before he touched Minota¡¯s horns, Junhyuk relocated.

    At once, he was behind Minota, and he turned his body and saw Minota stopping. His spatial relocation distance had increased to twenty feet, and it only took Minota one or two steps to cover that distance.

    Minota was trying to step on Junhyuk. If Junhyuk allowed that, he would die, so he stepped aside.

    Thump!

    The shock had been big enough to make Junhyuk leave the ground. He heard Arn shout:

    "Be careful!"

    Junhyuk looked toward Arn and saw Minota¡¯s other half was running toward him. Arn shouted as soon as Minota began to run, but Minota¡¯s horn was already in front of him.

    The ivory color exploded forward, and Minota¡¯s horn hit Junhyuk.

    Bang, bang!

    Like a ser ball, Junhyuk bounced off a long distance. He bounced toward the watchtower and mmed against it, which stopped him. Then, he saw both Minotas running toward him.

    The force fieldsted ten seconds.

    To kill Minota within that timeframe, he had to stay close to the allied heroes. He didn¡¯t retreat. Instead, Junhyuk ran toward the Minotas.

    The Minotas lowered their heads and rushed, both rushing toward him.

    He couldn¡¯t escape both Minotas without his spatial relocation ability, so he was hit again and bounced toward the watchtower again.

    Junhyuk felt the arrows dropping on his force field.

    Minota was trying to corner him against the watchtower and save time. Minota was moving toward the watchtower when Arn went for him.

    Arn stepped in front of Minota and swung his saber. He shed Minota¡¯s shoulder, but Minota ignored the pain and hugged Arn¡¯s waist.

    Arn scoffed, and swung his saber against Minota¡¯s head. Minota tried to block the attack with his horn.

    Thuck!

    Minota¡¯s horn was really strong and was not broken by the saber¡¯s attack. Minota was still hugging Arn when the archers started shooting their arrows. When archers attacked heroes, their arrows received a magical buff.

    Arn couldn¡¯t deal with Minota while they were shooting arrows at his back.

    He pulled out his other saber and stabbed Minota¡¯s arm, but Minota kept running. Arn knew he couldn¡¯t dodge the arrows going for his back, and tried to slice Minota¡¯s arm off.

    Minota was still hugging Arn when he rushed toward Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to go bouncing again, so his back faced the watchtower.

    Bang, bang!

    Minota¡¯s horn hit the force field, but Junhyuk was not pushed back. His back was on the watchtower, and he pushed Minota back instead.

    Junhyuk had to seize that opportunity. Soon, the other Minota would be rushing toward him.

    He had to take care of one of the Minotas at that moment.

    Junhyuk ran toward Minota, and Minota lifted his paws up high. There was a little time left on the force field, and Junhyuk sped up.

    Boom!

    He barely escaped Minota¡¯s paws. Then, Junhyuk turned around and swung his longsword.

    sh!

    When he had been a novice, he hadn¡¯t been able to scratch Minota. With his two-handed sword, he had only been able to scratch him, but now, he shed Minota.

    It wasn¡¯t a deep cut, and Minota gave off heavy resistance. It took him more energy than when he sliced a minion in half, but the important thing was that he could hurt Minota.

    Junhyuk managed to sh Minota¡¯s Achilles¡¯ tendon, and Minota staggered. Arn had five arrows on his back and still swung his saber at Minota.

    "Argh!"

    Minota tried to strike Arn with his horn, but Arn made circles with his sabers and finally gouged out Minota¡¯s eyes. Minota screamed, and Junhyuk looked back.

    The remaining Minota was running toward him. That Minota had been deeply wounded by Halo¡¯s and Vera¡¯s attacks, but was already in front of Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk stepped forward. He had two seconds left on his force field. He had to block the attack within that time.

    Junhyuk went toward him, and Minota scoffed and rushed.

    Bang!

    He blocked the attack just before the force field disappeared. The watchtower stopped Junhyuk¡¯s bounces again, and he watched the force field disappear.

    Vera shouted at him:

    "Move!"

    One Minota had lost his eyes and got his neck cut off. The other Minota also had serious injuries, and there was some distance between Junhyuk and him.

    What does she mean by move? He thought about it, but moved anyway.

    Thuck!

    An arrow prated his shin through his armor. The archers on the watchtower were all aiming at him. The problem was their bodies were shining.

    That was because they were being helped by the watchtower¡¯s magic. It was different from an ordinary attack. Their magic arrows even worked against heroes, and their arrows prated an expert¡¯s armor as if it were a piece of paper.

    "Ha-ha-ha! You will die in this ce!"

    The grievously wounded Minota cursed Junhyuk, and Junhyuk rolled on the ground. Even heroes had a difficult time blocking arrows. He was only an expert.

    The arrows hit the spot where Junhyuk had been as he rolled.

    Thuck!

    He couldn¡¯t dodge all of the arrows, and one of them hit his shoulder. He couldn¡¯t even roll on the ground anymore because of the arrows on his shin and shoulder.

    Then, Halo¡¯s sword stabbed through Minota¡¯s neck, and Minota fell down. Minota screamed and howled and looked at Junhyuk with a smile. He still wanted to kill Junhyuk, right up to the moment of his own death.

    Junhyuk got angry. He could not die like that.

    With the arrows stuck to his body, he rolled again, causing severe pain. Then, an arrow hit him on the ribs.

    Minota smiled hard, and Junhyuk shouted:

    "I¡¯m not going to die, you filthy ox!"

    Minota was disappearing, and Junhyuk moved by spatial relocation to stand in front of him.

    Junhyuk pushed his longsword into the middle Minota¡¯s forehead as Minota was disappearing.

    Minota was dying and probably did not feel pain.

    However, he still had the crazy, murdering spirit in his eyes.

    Junhyuk was now well outside the range of the watchtower archers, and he shouted at Minota:

    "Lower your eyes, you filthy ox!"

 Chapter 43: New Weapon 3

    Chapter 43: New Weapon 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The heroes were attempting to kill the archers and destroy the watchtower while the minions acted as targets for the arrows. It would¡¯ve been nice to have Diane, but she wasn¡¯t present, so Veraunched fire spears instead.

    Halo was attacking the watchtower with his minions when a protective force field showed up around it. When they broke the force field, the watchtower would be destroyed.

    It was a good idea to kill the archers first if there was a way, but, if there was no other way, they had to destroy protective force field. The watchtower would crumble, and the archers would be crushed.

    Junhyuk turned and looked at Arn. He was pulling out the arrows from his back. It looked painful, but he was devoid of expression.

    Arn pulled out all of the arrows, and took out a potion and drank it. Potions did not fully work on heroes and, when they did, they only helped with small wounds, but, this time, it worked well enough to stop the bleeding and to heal him.

    Arn walked to Junhyuk and looked over his wounds. His shoulder, ribs and shin were prated by arrows. Arn sat in front of him and said:

    "I will pull them out."

    "Yes, please."

    He didn¡¯t dare pull the arrows out himself. Arn did not hesitate and pulled one out. Junhyuk clenched his teeth down hard and tried not to scream.

    It started to bleed, but Arn¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, and he pulled out the two remaining arrows. When he pulled out the arrow that had gone through Junhyuk¡¯s ribs, Junhyuk started bleeding profusely.

    Arn put his hand on the wound and said:

    "Drink a potion."

    Junhyuk pulled out a potion and hesitated. He was dying, yet it tasted awful. He had a new respect for Arn who drank it without changing his expression.

    Junhyuk drank the potion, and many expressions shed across his face. It tasted like poison, but its effectiveness was certain.

    Arn lifted his hand from the wound, and it no longer bled. Junhyuk moved and got up slowly. Arn looked at the watchtower and said:

    "Why did you provoke Minota?"

    Junhyuk thought it over and sighed.

    "He made me angry."

    Minota cursed him and said that even if he was killed, he would kill Junhyuk. Junhyuk didn¡¯t regret what he said to Minota. Arn grabbed him by the shoulder and said:

    "In this battle, concentrate on surviving."

    "OK."

    He could use his force field on a hero at a decisive moment, but, in this battle, every enemy hero would try to kill him.

    If he wanted to survive, he had to save the force field for himself.

    He would use spatial relocation and the force field on himself and survive.

    The watchtower crumbled, and Arn looked at Halo.

    "Do you want to move with me?"

    Halo nodded. They¡¯d destroyed the watchtower, so they had some time. They would kill the enemy heroes in the meantime.

    Halo joined them, and Junhyuk knew having Halo increased his survival rate. His side moved along with four heroes.

    They could win.

    The group gathered the minions. The minions had arrows stuck to their shields, and there were thirty-four minions left.

    "We move."

    Arn spoke, and everyone walked. The minions following them saw Junhyuk and whispered among themselves. They were confused by Junhyuk and mistook him for a hero, but Junhyuk had no intention to exin it to them. He just walked next to Sarang.

    Sarang was worried about Junhyuk because he had almost been killed by arrows, but reminded herself of his promise that they would return together. He drank the potion, and his wounds healed. It looked as though he would keep his promise.

    It looked like the enemy heroes were targeting Junhyuk. She wanted to help him out, so she wanted to be a novice. She practiced what Vera had taught her diligently.

    While she walked next to Junhyuk, she made an energy orb on her hand, dispersed it and repeated the process.

    They had walked for a while and reached the end of the forest. Arn¡¯s face turned rigid.

    "They were attacked?!"

    The situation looked bad from where they were standing. Ellic and Warren were attacking the watchtower with another hero, wearing a mask and a ck cloak, whom they had never seen before.

    Junhyuk asked:

    "Who is that person?"

    "Grangsha is no longer qualified to be here, and that¡¯s the recement."

    "A new hero..."

    "I don¡¯t know what kind of power that person has."

    Arn looked at Halo.

    "We should attack before we lose our watchtower."

    Halo nodded, and Arn looked at Vera.

    "We will draw their attention. Send in a very big one."

    "OK. Take the minions with you."

    Arn nodded and looked at Junhyuk.

    "We are not sure what they have, so stay here and protect Vera."

    "Is that OK with you?"

    Arnughed a little.

    "I¡¯m OK. After Vera uses her magic, they will concentrate their attacks here, so you should protect her."

    Junhyuk had the force field to protect Vera. It was a relief to know he could get inside the force field with her.

    He nodded, and Arn signaled to advance.

    "I will get going."

    The protective force field around the watchtower wouldn¡¯tst long. They had to hurry.

    Arn ran, and Ellic and Warren looked at him. They saw Arn with some minions, and Ellic told Warren:

    "I will take care of him. You go to the watchtower."

    However, Warren shook his head.

    "There is one more."

    Behind Arn, Halo also ran toward them. Arn got close enough to Ellic and jumped in the air. Ellic held fast to his hammer.

    "Skia, you take the watchtower."

    The hero wrapped in ck clothing nodded and began hitting the force field around the watchtower.

    ng!

    Ellic¡¯s hammer parried Arn¡¯s saber. Halo attacked Warren with his sword in a sh of light. Both of them mounted their own attacks.

    Ellic lifted his hammer high and mmed it.

    Boom!

    A chain of concentric, circr shockwavesunched against Arn, but he blocked them with his saber. Ellic was aiming for Arn when the archers on watchtower hit him on his back.

    It would take longer for the watchtower to be destroyed, and it wasn¡¯t easy to fight Arn while being attacked by archers. Ellic held his hammer close to his body and rushed toward Arn.

    Ellic meant to fight him outside of the archers¡¯ range.

    Arn dodged Ellic¡¯s rush and ran toward Skia. Ellic was expecting Arn to fight him, but instead he ran toward Skia. Ellic shouted:

    "Arn!"

    There wasn¡¯t much time. Ellic was thinking he would destroy the watchtower and then take out the two heroes, so he followed Arn.

    Arn did not know what kind of power Skia had, so he attacked with his saber. Skia turned to face Arn.

    Skia saw Arn first, then Ellic running behind him. If Skia fought Arn, Ellic would take care of the watchtower.

    Skia parried Arn¡¯s saber with a dagger.

    ng!

    Skia frowned and looked at Arn. Arn¡¯s strength was beyond imagination. Arn pushed and greeted Skia.

    "I¡¯m Arn."

    "I¡¯m Skia."

    Skia tried to attack, but Arn used his other saber. Skia was also holding two daggers and blocked both sabers.

    "Hm."

    Arn looked very interested and began to attack continuously. Skia parried with the daggers, but was pushed back. Arn looked at Skia andughed.

    "You don¡¯t counterattack?"

    The allied heroes being attacked gave the watchtower archers magical power. So, Skia only parried and didn¡¯t counter.

    Arn felt Ellicing from behind and jumped up. He moved to where Halo and Warren were fighting.

    "Warren!"

    Warren looked back, but Arn was already swinging his saber. Warren howled aloud:

    "Hoowwl!"

    Warren¡¯s howl froze Halo and Arn. Ellic seized the opportunity and attacked the tower.

    ng!

    Ellic looked at Arn and scoffed.

    "Sorry, but this is our victory!"

    Ellic dropped his hammer on the watchtower. The force field around the watchtower changed color and disappeared, and the watchtower crumbled. The archers were crushed, and Ellicughed out loud.

    They had Warren, Ellic and Skia.

    "Die!"

    Ellic and Skia ran toward Arn. Arn stood next to Halo and smiled. Ellic realized what was happening when meteors dropped from the sky.

    "Vera!"

    They had thought that only two heroes hade to fight for the watchtower, but Vera had been secretly preparing her attack.

    There was no room for escape.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    ck med meteors hit them hard, sounding loud explosions. It was her most destructive power, and they were seriously wounded. The meteors attacked them directly. There was a very low chance they would survive.

    It was too bad the allies had lost a watchtower, but they could still win. Arn grabbed his saber, and Ellic shouted:

    "Kill Vera in the forest!"

    At that, Skia ran toward the forest. Arn tried to intercept Skia, but Skia was too fast for him.

    Arn lost Skia, but had confidence in Vera and Junhyuk. Both of them could deal with Skia.

    Meanwhile, he would kill Ellic and Warren.

    Arn moved toward Warren, and Warren¡¯s eyes turned red. Warren was already healing, and Arn shouted:

    "Kill Ellic first!"

    Halo aimed his sword at Ellic, and Ellic scoffed.

    "You must think I¡¯m a joke."

    Ellic lifted his hammer. Ellic¡¯s hammer gathered a strong energy around it.

    ---

    Skia discarded the ck cloak and ran toward Vera. Sheughed and created a firewall. The ck mes around Skia meant that Skia had been wounded by the meteors. Vera wouldn¡¯t be an easy opponent.

    Skia jumped above the firewall and moved quickly.

    Vera threw a fire orb at Skia.

    Boom!

    Skia looked about to be hit by the fire orb but vanished. It did not look like the fire orb killed Skia.

    Vera quickly made a fire spear when Skia rose from Vera¡¯s shadow and swung a dagger.

    sh!

    Vera was shed on her back and was bleeding heavily. Vera threw her fire spears, and Skia blocked them with daggers.

    Boom!

    Skia stepped back andunched an attack on Vera. She wasn¡¯t prepared. Skia¡¯s dagger aimed for Vera¡¯s neck.

    Then, an ivory-colored light covered Vera.

    Clunk!

    The dagger bounced off. This was not Vera¡¯s power. Skia heard there was a novice with a power like that, so Skia looked for Junhyuk. He moved inside the force field.

    Skia realizes that Junhyuk was the novice Skia had heard about.

    "You! We have to kill you for sure!"

    Skia shouted, and Junhyuk collected his breath. They had to think Junhyuk was a joke if they were all trying to kill him, and that made him angry.

    "I¡¯m not going to die for you!"

 Chapter 44: Skia 1

    Chapter 44: Skia 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Skia smiled and tapped on the force field with one of the daggers.

    "I heard itsts ten seconds. When it¡¯s over, you¡¯ll be dead," Skia dered.

    Vera¡¯s eyes widened, and she made a fire spear:

    "Ten seconds? You¡¯ll be dead in five!"

    Vera threw her fire spear, and Skia blocked it with the daggers.

    Boom!

    Skia was pushed back by the force of the spear, and, where Skia stood, there rose a firewall. The firewall started underneath Skia¡¯s feet, and soon, Skia was engulfed in mes.

    Skia ran toward Vera again and understood the power of the force field. Magicians usually had strong attack power and relied on that power when fighting. Magicians who were heroes needed to be eradicated.

    Such a magician now had a ten-second force field.

    It had about five seconds left, but she was still dangerous. However, Skia was confident that the five seconds would pass without incident.

    Skia¡¯s body disappeared gradually.

    Vera looked left and right, searching for Skia, and said:

    "You don¡¯t know anything because you just got to our level."

    Vera made a fire orb behind her back and a fire spear on her head. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t understand what she was doing, but she made certain there was a firewall on her shadow.

    The force field disappeared, and Skia jumped out of Vera¡¯s shadow. Skia was again engulfed by the mes from the firewall.

    "Argh!"

    Boom!

    That¡¯s when a fire orb exploded, and, when Skia staggered backward, Vera turned and threw the fire spear.

    Boom!

    "Argh!"

    Skia had attacked after being hit by meteors and, now, was hit by a fire orb and a fire spear. Skia no longer resisted and started disappearing.

    Vera looked at Skia andughed.

    "All I needed was five seconds!"

    Skia looked at Vera and turned to look at Junhyuk. If it weren¡¯t for the force field, Skia would have killed Vera the first time Skia attacked. Skia realized that Junhyuk needed to be liquidated first.

    Skia boasted, but was now dying, and Junhyukughed at Skia. Vera told Junhyuk:

    "Next time, be more careful."

    Junhyuk turned, and Vera walked to Arn, saying:

    "Skia has the power to seep into the opponent¡¯s shadow and attack from behind. Skia delivers fatal blows. If it weren¡¯t for your force field, I would¡¯ve been killed."

    Junhyuk looked at the spot where Skia had been standing. Skia was an assassin hero. If Skia could kill Vera, Skia could kill him in one blow.

    Junhyuk thought about how to avoid Skia the next time they met. He had seen Skia hiding in the shadow for five seconds, and that meant Skia could pop up at any moment. Skia was the worst opponent.

    "I still won¡¯t die," Junhyuk spoke to himself and looked at Vera.

    Ellic and Warren had both been hit by the meteors, but Warren was alreadypletely healed.

    The fight was neck-and-neck between Halo and Warren, but Arn was winning against Ellic. Ellic was covered in wounds, and Junhyuk watched how Arn used his sabers.

    Dual swords were different from dual sabers. Sabers were used for shing, but Junhyuk had learned about blocking and parrying, and Arn¡¯s muscles were astoundingly developed. Every time he swung his sabers, Junhyuk could see Arn¡¯s muscles moving.

    Ellic was also a hero, but he used a heavy hammer, yet Arn was fighting easily against him. Arn was avoiding the enemy¡¯s blows and mounting his own counterattacks.

    Vera joined the battle and decided the oue. She threw a fire spear at Ellic and a fire orb at Warren.

    Ellic blocked it with his hammer, but Arn seized the moment to slice Ellic¡¯s legs. Ellic fell, and Arn shed the fallen Ellic¡¯s neck.

    Meanwhile, Warren began trying to escape. On his four paws, his speed was incredible. Soon, there was a firewall in front of him, blocking him from escaping further.

    Warren tried to jump over, but Halo attacked in a sh of light. Halo ran forty feet and swung his sword to cut Warren¡¯s back.

    "Hooowl!"

    He howled, but it was the end of the escape. Arn was already on Warren and shed Warren¡¯s back. Warren ground his teeth and swung his arms, but Arn blocked it with his sabers to save more time.

    Vera threw another fire orb, and Junhyuk sighed, relieved. This was a victory.

    Arn picked up the items left by the enemy heroes.

    "You did well."

    Vera spoke curtly:

    "Skia is so stupid, but Skia specializes in assassination. Skia can kill by seeping into one¡¯s shadow."

    "Grangsha was an easier opponent."

    "However, Grangsha had a high level of defensive power."

    Grangsha could block magic using his shield. Comparing Skia to Grangsha, Skia had no defensive power.

    Arn handed Halo the items dropped by Warren and said:

    "What do you want to do? Wait for Nudra or turn back?"

    Halo looked east, and Arn said:

    "OK. Let¡¯s go help Diane."

    Junhyuk attacked the remaining enemy minions. When the watchtower fell, the enemy minions attacked the allied minions. The allied minions who apanied Arn were reduced to twenty-five.

    Behind the twenty-five remaining minions, Sarang was throwing her energy orbs. Sarang was very urate and, while Junhyuk ran to her, she killed three enemy minions.

    The enemy minions were running toward her. Junhyuk ran toward them and used the sword he had just purchased, and his eyes widened.

    He could cut through an enemy minion¡¯s armor like paper. His new longsword was no match for minions.

    He could see why Arn had persuaded him to save 10,000G to buy new equipment.

    He killed three minions in two breaths. The first attack was a sess, and he swung his longsword left and right, slicing two other necks.

    Junhyuk ran toward the remaining minions and took care of business. Twenty allied minions survived.

    "Let¡¯s go help Diane."

    They would move as a group, giving no opportunities to their enemies. Even so, the enemy might gather arger number of troops.

    Calcting the time for reincarnation for three dead enemy heroes, they had time to help out Diane.

    With twenty minions, the group moved quickly. They went across the forest and met with Diane, who happened to be a fine archer for the allies.

    Diane was supposed to be facing Libya, but there were two of them pressuring her.

    Minota and Libya were attacking, and Diane was next to the watchtower, using her bow.

    "It¡¯s Minota. Let¡¯s go."

    Minota had reincarnated and gone there as soon as possible. Arn and Halo ran together, and Vera prepared her fire spear.

    Libya was attacking Diane and saw Arn and Halo running. She made an ice flower and sent it at them. The small petals of the ice flower covered both of them.

    Arn jumped past the cloud of petals covering him.

    Libya dodged him, and Minota rushed.

    Bang!

    Minota rushed hard at Arn, and Arn bounced away. Minota turned around and saw Junhyuk standing behind Vera. He smiled, baring his sharp, shiny teeth.

    "Ha-ha-ha! You came!"

    Minota rushed toward Junhyuk, and Junhyuk ran to a spot behind Vera and murmured:

    "Ellic is crazy, but that ox is crazy as well."

    Veraughed at him.

    "Stay alive!"

    She created a firewall, but Minota passed through it. He was engulfed in mes, but kept rushing toward Junhyuk, who was very scared.

    Minota had an incredible build. He was so wild in his rush that Vera dodged him and threw her fire spears.

    Junhyuk followed Vera around.

    "You can¡¯t hide behind her!"

    Minota ran toward him. Vera stepped in front of Junhyuk, and he made a force field around them.

    Thunk!

    The collisionunched Vera and Junhyuk against a tree.

    "Grr! That force field!"

    Vera threw her fire spears, and Minota blocked them with his arms. Suddenly, he saw Halo heading toward him from behind and mooed:

    "Woo, woo, woo!"

    He kicked at Halo with his hind legs, and Halo blocked it with his sword, but was bounced back, and Minota used his doppelganger ability.

    Vera was not capable of fighting both Minotas.

    She made a fire orb, and Minota kicked the force field.

    Bang!

    The force field bounced away with them inside, and Minota smiled:

    "You are being pushed, unable to use your magic."

    Junhyuk regretted making the force field for the two of them. He should have made himself bait, and used the force field on Vera. Vera threw her fire orb, hitting one Minota, while the other Minota kicked the force field again.

    Junhyuk felt the ten seconds would go by quickly.

    Halounched another attack, but Libya stood in front of him.

    Thump!

    Libya had escaped from Arn and decided to attack Halo. She stomped once and icy circles spread on the ground. Junhyuk was inside the force field, but when the force field disappeared he would feel the ice under his feet.

    That ice slowed people down. Junhyuk had to escape, but it was all around the force field. Still, he could use spatial relocation.

    Junhyuk was worrying when Vera shouted:

    "The force field is disappearing. Step on me and run!"

    Junhyuk could jump, but he still couldn¡¯t escape the ice. He decided to run first, then use spatial relocation.

    He lowered his body, and she made a firewall in front of Minota to block his vision. Junhyuk stepped on Vera¡¯s shoulder and jumped.

    He jumped as far as he could, but stillnded where there was ice. His armor began to freeze, and his body froze as well.

    Minota was running toward him.

    Junhyuk was about to move when Diane shouted at him:

    "Stay where you are!"

    Suddenly, an arrow hit the center of Minota¡¯s forehead. Diane killed a Minota instantly, but the other one was running toward Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk moved by spatial relocation.

    Bang!

    A tree broke, and Minota lifted his head. Junhyuk also saw Libya in midair. Libya looked beautiful as she turned and fluttered her wings, but Junhyuk cursed at her.

    Libya¡¯s eyes met Junhyuk¡¯s, and he was scared stiff. She turned in the air and flew toward him.

 Chapter 45: Skia 2

    Chapter 45: Skia 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk only had two power, and both force field and spatial relocation had a cooldown time. That meant he couldn¡¯t use any of his powers, but that didn¡¯t mean the heroes would leave him alone.

    Libya was in the air, and everyone attacked her, but they did not stop her from crashing into Junhyuk. Even if the heroes attacked her, they couldn¡¯t save him.

    It couldn¡¯t happen like that.

    Libya started her descent into Junhyuk, and it was supposed to only take a moment, but that moment felt like a long time.

    A dangerous situation resulted in an increased thought concentration, and Sarang only thought that she had to stop Libya, even for just a moment, and her wish came true.

    Sarang made an energy bolt, and it shone brightly and flew with lightning speed. The bolt moved so quickly that it felt like everything else had slowed down.

    The lightning-speed energy bolt hit Libya dead on.

    Boom!

    Libya¡¯s eyes widened as her body came to a sudden halt. Everywhere else, time moved normally, but Lybia¡¯s time seemed to have stopped.

    Arn cut Libya¡¯s wings, and Vera threw a fire orb at her. Libya was exploding, and five arrows flew in a row toward her.

    The arrows hit her on the chest, and she dropped from the sky.

    It all happened suddenly.

    Time passed for her again again, and Sarang realized that her power had evolved with herst attack. Libya was dying, and her eyes darted at Sarang with hatred.

    Sarang felt scared, but soon realized that she had saved Junhyuk. Minota was looking at Sarang.

    "What is this?!"

    Minota looked at the new novice and faced a dilemma. Should he kill her or leave?

    Junhyuk walked over to the new novice, and said while shielding Sarang:

    "Filthy ox, you failed!"

    "What?!"

    Minota rushed toward Junhyuk. Lybia¡¯s death had shocked him, but his target was Junhyuk.

    Arn showed up in front of the charging Minota.

    Bang!

    Arn bounced off, but he stopped Minota¡¯s rush. Halo stabbed Minota, who had stoppedpletely, and Vera hit him with a fire spear.

    Lastly, Diane¡¯s arrow hit Minota with precision. Even he couldn¡¯t stand the attacks, and his body started to disappear.

    Junhyuk smiled at Minota. He had felt anxious because of that ox. If it weren¡¯t for Sarang, Junhyuk would surely be dead.

    Junhyuk threw the longsword he was holding. The sword flew like an arrow and struck the middle of Minota¡¯s forehead.

    Minota was disappearing, and the longsword was stuck to him. Minota¡¯s eyes were filled with hatred, and Junhyuk lifted his hand slowly and proudly showed the ox his middle finger.

    "Take this!"

    Minota¡¯s eyes were filled with even more hatred, and Arn said:

    "You stayed alive."

    Junhyuk looked at Sarang. Everyone looked at Sarang.

    Sarang¡¯s face reddened as the heroes looked at her. She didn¡¯t even know what she had done.

    Vera ran and gave her a big hug. Sarang¡¯s face was buried in Vera¡¯s chest, and Junhyuk looked at her and said:

    "Did her power evolve?"

    "That¡¯s right. She is a novice now."

    Junhyuk looked at Arn.

    "What power is that?"

    "She stopped her opponent. It¡¯s not just restraining. No movement is possible, and it has to do with stopping time. Just like your force field, it¡¯s a high ranking power."

    Junhyuk looked surprised, and Sarang smiled.

    Arn crossed his arms and murmured:

    "That¡¯s it! Humans have high ranking powers. This type of power activation is rare among all other races."

    "Right. No human has be a hero, but their activated powers are all high ranking."

    "Previously, did humans also activate high ranking powers?"

    Vera had her elbows on Sarang¡¯s head and answered:

    "They were middle ranking, but that¡¯s still significant."

    "You are right." Arn said and nodded. He looked at Junhyuk.

    "Is this the third power?"

    Junhyuk shook his head and asked:

    "What do you mean?"

    Vera ced her forehead against Sarang¡¯s forehead.

    "You said we summoned you, right?"

    "Yes."

    "This battlefield allows five team members. You may also bring novices, but just five of them."

    Junhyuk understood what she meant.

    "You don¡¯t mean five novices, but five powers, correct?"

    Arn nodded.

    "Right. Heroes must participate in the battle."

    "So, you mean other champions may apany heroes?"

    "Right. We are allowed to carry only extra five powers and, depending on the powers, they could change the course of the battles, like right now."

    "Then, can enemies also bring five powers?"

    Arn spoke calmly:

    "For humans, those who have activated their powers are few in number. Instead, humans activate high ranking powers. However, the enemies are different. You met them before, right?"

    "Yes."

    "I don¡¯t know what they will bring this time, but you better be careful."

    "Caution and more caution is my motto."

    Arnughed and looked toward the North.

    "This battle is almost over."

    Many heroes had died. The team battle would decide the winners and losers. Arn looked at Junhyuk and Sarang. Vera was hugging Sarang and said:

    "You can¡¯t take Sarang."

    "It¡¯s up to you, but you must train her so that she can use her power at will."

    "I will train her."

    "OK. Then, we will take down the watchtower and join Nudra."

    They all looked at the watchtower. Junhyuk turned to look at Sarang.

    "Thanks."

    "Don¡¯t mention it."

    Sarang was pleased that she had saved Junhyuk and be a novice. They would stay together.

    Junhyuk asked Sarang:

    "Should we help them?"

    "Yes."

    The watchtower was being destroyed by four heroes. There was nothing they could do to help, but Junhyuk said:

    "Hurry up."

    "Yes."

    The group moved to join Nudra, and Junhyuk and Sarang walked next to the heroes, but soon, Vera grabbed Sarang. If she wanted to use her power at will, Vera needed to train her.

    Junhyuk walked next to Arn and looked him over. Arn frowned and said:

    "If you have something to say, say it."

    "I want to learn dual-wield swordsmanship."

    "Dual-wield swordsmanship?"

    Arn took out his sabers while walking, swung them and said:

    "It¡¯s not like you are carrying a shield and a sword. Dual-wield swordsmanship requires skill. First, you have to be skilled in attack and defense. The left hand may be on defense or the right hand may be on defense, and both can follow up an attack. Defensive power and continuous attacks are the things that ovee your enemies."

    Arn swung his saber, and Junhyuk swung his longsword. Arn said:

    "I will teach you the basics of dual-wield swordsmanship, but my saber is used for shing, and it¡¯s different from your longsword."

    "I know."

    "So, you should learn on your own."

    Junhyuk nodded and swung his longsword repeatedly. Defense and attack. Continuous attacks. Right and left hands went on defense, then on offense.

    His flow was very awkward. Junhyuk hadplete control over his muscles, but it was still awkward.

    Arn showed him how to swing. It was for shing, but it looked very natural.

    All of his movements were straightforward, but if one had to block those movements, that person would end up dead.

    Junhyuk mimicked the movements, but very awkwardly. Arn showed him a few more swings and said:

    "It takes more than a day or two."

    "I know."

    Junhyuk knew Arnpleted his swordsmanship on the battlefield, and it would take more than one lesson, but he was excited to learn.

    "Speed up," Arn said.

    After he spoke, Arn began running, and Junhyuk ran while swinging his swords. The group moved quickly.

    They joined Nudra and looked over to the enemy camp.

    "They are all there."

    The five of them were in one ce. It¡¯s was time for the team battle, and the enemy was also aware of that.

    Junhyuk scoped out the enemy heroes who were aiming for him.

    Ellic had his hammer on his shoulder and wasughing at Junhyuk, and, behind him, Minota was snorting. Skia was tapping Skia¡¯s neck with a dagger.

    Warren was still angry with him, but was not targeting him. He was fixated on Arn.

    Junhyuk looked for Libya. Her eyes were set on Sarang, and Junhyuk stood in front of her.

    Arn told him:

    "They brought novices."

    He noticed two novices among the enemies.

    They knew about the enemy heroes¡¯ powers, but the novices were different. They didn¡¯t know anything and had to be careful.

    "Power is important, but it¡¯s more important to know how and when to use that power."

    Junhyuk nodded heavily. He, himself, thought about the timing of his powers. He might not even have the chance to use his own powers.

    Vera grabbed Sarang by her shoulder and said:

    "Your power is still irregr. So, stay behind."

    "Yes."

    Sarang nodded heavily, and Vera stepped forward and asked:

    "What shall we do?"

    "We fight."

    Arn took a step forward, pulled out a saber and said:

    "Let¡¯s begin!"

    Arn shouted and ran toward the enemy camp. They¡¯d been working together for a long time. Arn ran and Halo and Nudra followed him, while Vera and Diane prepared their attacks.

    Junhyuk held his swords and stood in front of Sarang. The enemy heroes¡¯ attention was fixed on him, and he did not feel rxed.

    The other novices took the minions and started running at the front.

    Even if they stopped all enemy heroes, they still had to stop the enemy novices and they didn¡¯t know what their powers were. The mysterious novices ran toward him, and Junhyuk shouted:

    "Pick up your shields!"

    The minions lifted their shields. There were twenty allied minions, one expert and one irregr novice. The enemy had forty minions and two novices.

    Junhyuk looked at them coldly and gripped his swords.

    It didn¡¯t matter what powers they had. At the end, it would be him left standing.

 Chapter 46: Skia 3

    Chapter 46: Skia 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The heroes shed against each other, and the distance between the minions shortened.

    The enemy minions were led by their novices. They were wild, and that was due to their tribal nature.

    Junhyuk grabbed his swords and looked at them, preparing. Their armors did not pose problems. Bebe¡¯s basic longsword cost 10,000G, and it was able to tear the armors apart. The main problem was the novices¡¯ powers.

    One of the novices was huge, and he stepped forward and yelled:

    "Kill that guy!"

    Junhyuk realized that the enemy heroes had already told the minions and novices about him. When he was set against enemy heroes, he was like a mouse in front of cats, but he did not want to hear a mere novice mouthing off.

    Junhyuk went straight toward the novice. The novice saw Junhyuk running toward him and lifted both of the hammers he was holding and smiled cunningly. Junhyuk¡¯s longsword hit the novice.

    At that moment, the novice¡¯s body turned to stone.

    Clink!

    The longsword bounced off, and Junhyuk was really surprised. Then, a hammer dropped toward his head, but Junhyuk moved aside quickly.

    The other novice aimed for his ribs and swung his hammer.

    ng!

    Junhyuk held the longsword with his right hand and blocked the hammer. He could no longer hold off the hammer with just one hand.

    The novice who turned to stone also swung his hammers, and Junhyuk dodged him while frowning.

    "Is it some sort of petrification?"

    The novice had a surprising increase in defensive power, but his movement speed had decreased. Junhyuk distanced himself and circled around them, aiming for the other novice, but the first novice, the one who petrified himself, began calling an attack on him. The minions surrounded him, and he had a difficult time moving around.

    The allied minions were holding their shields up to protect from attacks, and it was not possible to ask them for help.

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue and ran toward the novice who had the ability to petrify. The stone novice dropped both hammers on Junhyuk¡¯s head, but Junhyuk was so focused that he was able to block the attacks.

    He dodged the stone novice and ran toward the novice on his left because he did not know what power that novice had. Still, it would be good idea to kill that novice before he had a chance to use it.

    Then, the stone novice smiled cunningly again and attacked with his hammers. The stone novice had done that before, and Junhyuk dodged both hammers again, curious as to why the stone novice continued to attack in the same manner.

    Junhyuk counterattacked, but suddenly, there were shockwavesing from the ground.

    "What?!"

    Junhyuk was ten feet above the ground. He didn¡¯t expect that, and knew that he wouldn¡¯t be heavily injured, but he was in the air and couldn¡¯t control his body. Both novices aimed for him with their hammers.

    Junhyuk was superior in physical makeup to the novices, but he couldn¡¯t dodge their attacks while in the air.

    He was dropping to the ground and saw the stone novice changing his bodyposition. The novices meant to attack him while Junhyuk fell. The stone novice had only meant to draw Junhyuk¡¯s attention.

    "They are idiots," Junhyuk uttered these words and, when the novices¡¯ hammers closed on him, moved by spatial relocation. He stood behind the stone novice, and his longsword prated the novice¡¯s neck.

    "Arg-glug!"

    The novice vomited heavy amounts of blood, and Junhyuk pulled out his longsword and looked at the other novice, who looked anxious. The stone novice died, and the other novice was angry rather than scared and swung his hammer. Junhyuk lifted his longsword.

    ng, ng, ng!

    The novice was agitated, and his attack pattern became simple. Junhyuk parried the novice¡¯s attack with his sword and moved to the novice¡¯s side and swung his longsword. The novice dodged by moving his head, but still had his carotid artery cut.

    Blood gushed out, and the novice held his neck with one hand and swung his hammer with the other. Junhyuk could see openings when the novice swung both hammers, and at that moment, the novice was swinging just one hammer.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t hesitate and hit the hammer with the sword in his left hand.

    ng!

    Experts were stronger than novices, and Junhyuk hit the hammer with force. Following that, Junhyuk stabbed the novice with his longsword. The novice did not dodge or block, and the longsword went through his body.

    "Argh!"

    The novice vomited blood, and Junhyuk kicked his chest hard. His dead body flew toward the enemy minions. Junhyuk swung his longsword to clean the blood dripping from the de.

    Two dead novices. Their attacks had been excellent, but Junhyuk had used his spatial relocation to crush their simultaneous attacks. It all depended on how one used one¡¯s powers.

    Junhyuk saw the minions heading toward him. The novices might give him trouble, but minions stood no chance against him.

    Junhyuk massacred the minions and looked over to where the heroes were fighting. He still had his force field and he could use it on an allied hero, but first, he scoped out the enemy heroes who might be after him.

    ---

    The heroes¡¯ team battle didn¡¯t show an absolute advantage for either side. Each hero knew how to use his or her power to the fullest. When a team battle took ce, what decided the momentum were the powers they¡¯d brought into the fight.

    Junhyuk was able to help Arn out big time, and Arn fought well, but at that moment, theycked Junhyuk¡¯s power, so both sides were evenly matched.

    Lybia and Skia were fighting Arn and Halo at the front, and just behind them, Minota went wild.

    Ellic and Warren were trying to get to Vera and Diane, but Nudra stood between them.

    It looked as though both sides were evenly matched, but soon, Skia made the difference. Skia disappeared and reappeared from Halo¡¯s shadow and swung a dagger.

    Halo staggered, and Minota rushed him, sending him into the air.

    Skia and Minota¡¯s next target was Arn, but Nudra joined him quickly. Skia escaped Nudra, and Ellic and Warren ran toward Vera.

    Vera¡¯s magic was very potent. They wanted to pay her back for what she had done before. Skia also ran toward Vera, but then, saw Junhyuk killing the two novices.

    Skia had had confidence in the novices. Even though their powers had been low ranking, Skia believed the two novices could have taken care of Junhyuk, but Junhyuk had finished them and was massacring the minions.

    Vera made a firewall, and Skia¡¯s mind was made. In the past, Junhyuk had used his force field on the heroes. Without his force field, Junhyuk was just another expert.

    Skia looked at Ellic trying to destroy Vera¡¯s firewall. Skia hid behind Ellic and, soon, Skia hid in Vera¡¯s shadow.

    Ellic attacked from the front, and Skia would get Vera from behind. For assassins and magicians, taking the lead was important.

    Vera saw them both and tried to retread, but Ellic gave her no room to do so.

    "Where are you going?!"

    Ellic hammered the ground, and concentric circles spreaded out from the spot he hit. The circles surround Vera just as Skia popped out of her shadow.

    Diane was fighting Warren and couldn¡¯t help.

    Skia¡¯s dagger shed Vera¡¯s back.

    "Argh!"

    Vera bled from her back, and Skia continued shing her. Soon, an ivory-colored force field surrounded Vera.

    Thunk!

    "Of course."

    The force field was something with which they had to reckon, but it was also like a lifeline for Junhyuk. Without it, he could die.

    Skia saw Vera weaving her magic and escaped. Skia moved toward Junhyuk, closing in fast.

    Junhyuk faced a dilemma. He had used his force field on Vera to save her. He had meant to be inside the force field with Vera, but Skia moved very fast and was already between him and the force field.

    Vera was readying her magic when Ellic hit the force field, and the force field bounced away with her. The enemy heroes knew all about the force field at that point.

    Junhyuk held his swords, and Skia moved toward him. His skill was not match for Skia. He had to escape, but couldn¡¯t think of anything.

    Junhyuk looked into Vera¡¯s eyes. Vera signaled him with her eyes and made a firewall in front of Skia. Junhyuk ran to the left side of the firewall.

    Skia jumped over the firewall and continued chasing Junhyuk. A fire orb appeared in front of Skia.

    Vera knew Skia would continue chasing him, so she made the fire orb, and it exploded, slowing Skia down. Junhyuk got closer to Vera.

    Skia moved quickly, but Junhyuk got inside of the force field.

    "Whew!"

    Junhyuk gathered his breath, and Vera said:

    "Be very careful!"

    "Of course."

    Ellices went toward them with his hammer, and Vera threw a fire spear at him. Ellic blocked it with the hammer, and Skia hid behind him.

    "That force field won¡¯tst forever!"

    Junhyuk looked for Skia, who was hiding behind Ellic. If Skia disappeared, it meant Skia had moved to a shadow. They had to restrain Skia.

    Vera attacked Skia, who was still hiding behind Ellic. A firewall appeared behind Ellic, and Skia moved back from it.

    Vera smiled at Ellic.

    "It¡¯s toote."

    "What?"

    Nudra showed up from behind and kicked Ellic. Ellic was pushed forward to Vera, and she threw another fire spear. It was a direct hit on Ellic.

    Boom!

    Ellic was hit by the fire spear, and Nudra lifted both hands. Nudra created a strong wind and pushed Ellic. Ellic turned around, and a fire orb hit the back of his skull.

    Boom!

    Ellic was strong, but not strong enough to withstand attacks from Nudra and Vera. Ellic was dying when Junhyuk realized that Skia was gone.

    "Skia is gone!"

    Vera frowned and shouted:

    "Everyone, be wary of the shadows!"

    Vera created a firewall behind her back and a fire orb on Junhyuk¡¯s back. They were preparations for the worst.

    The force field disappeared.

    Junhyuk was very strained as he looked around and couldn¡¯t find Skia.

    "Where is Skia?"

    Skia could hide in a shadow for five seconds, but they did not know when Skia had disappeared. There was a fire orb on Junhyuk, and he held fast to his swords.

    The fire orb would explode first, before Skia had the chance to attack him.

    Boom!

    Skia jumped out from Junhyuk¡¯s shadow, and the fire orb exploded. Junhyuk looked at Skia as Skia disappeared into thin air again.

    Vera shouted:

    "Move!"

    Junhyuk moved by spatial relocation as Skia started turning into smoke. Junhyuk relocated twenty feet and swung his swords. The swords didn¡¯t touch anything.

    Junhyuk sighed in relief, but suddenly, he felt a burning sensation in his chest. He looked down slowly and saw a dagger sticking out of his chest.

    Skia whispered in Junhyuk¡¯s ear:

    "I told you I would kill you!"

 Chapter 47: Evolution 1

    Chapter 47: Evolution 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    "Didn¡¯t I tell you I would kill you?" Skia whispered, taunting him.

    An opponent was getting killed. Junhyuk was being taunted and felt death approaching alongside pain and fear, but he felt one more thing.

    He felt terrible fury.

    Skia was killing him and scoffing at the situation, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t stand it.

    He couldn¡¯t just die. If he died, he would take Skia with him.

    This mindset moved Junhyuk¡¯s body. He grabbed the de prating his chest with his hand. His hand was bleeding and being torn, but he did not mind it. He couldn¡¯t even feel the pain because he was filled with great fury.

    Skiaughed a little at Junhyuk, who held on to the dagger¡¯s de.

    "Time for you to go."

    Junhyuk lifted his left hand and grabbed the whispering Skia¡¯s hair. Skia twisted the dagger.

    Junhyuk was holding Skia¡¯s hair as an expert, and Skia was a hero. Skia couldn¡¯t forgive him. Skia meant to give him more pain by trying to twist the dagger, but the dagger didn¡¯t move.

    "What?"

    Skia was confused, and then Junhyuk whispered in Skia¡¯s ear:

    "Do you think I will die alone?"

    Junhyuk spoke and disappeared. He couldn¡¯t use the force field, and spatial relocation still required additional time. Suddenly, he appeared next to Vera.

    Junhyuk was still holding on to Skia when he appeared. Vera didn¡¯t care how Junhyuk had managed to use spatial relocation with Skia in tow.

    At that moment, Junhyuk was sacrificing himself to kill Skia. Vera understood Junhyuk¡¯s wish and threw a fire spear at Skia¡¯s back.

    Boom!

    "Gah!"

    Skia tried to escape, but Junhyuk was still holding on to the de and the hair. Skia was hit with another fire spear.

    Boom!

    Since Skia was an assassin, Skia didn¡¯t have a strong constitution and was almost dead. It would take just one more attack, but Skia couldn¡¯t drop the dagger.

    Skia pushed the dagger deeper into Junhyuk. Skia couldn¡¯t twist or pull the dagger, but it was possible to push it in further. The part of the de prating Junhyuk¡¯s chest became longer.

    Skia swung the dagger held by the left hand and cut Junhyuk¡¯s arm with the hand that was holding Skia¡¯s hair.

    sh!

    Junhyuk¡¯s arm dropped, and Skia tried to move to another shadow.

    "No!"

    A shout rang out almost like a scream. Skia¡¯s head turned, and a long sh of light flew at Skia. It was very fast, and it only took a blink of an eye to reach Skia¡¯s head.

    The light hit Skia¡¯s head, and Skia began disappearing.

    Vera was making another fire orb when she turned to look and saw Sarang standing there. Her energy bolt was only strong enough to tickle heroes, but her power was different.

    Her activated power couldn¡¯t be ignored by heroes. Her power stopped time, but it was apanied by some small damage. Skia died from her power inflicting that small damage.

    Sarang ran toward Junhyuk, and Vera stood in front of her. Libya had already experienced Sarang¡¯s power and was targeting her.

    Sarang held Junhyuk.

    "Big brother!"

    Junhyuk was already disappearing.

    Junhyuk¡¯s lips moved, but he couldn¡¯t make any sound. Sarang started to cry, and his body disappearedpletely.

    Vera made a firewall to cover Sarang and said:

    "Experts have one reincarnation. He will be back."

    Sarang was covered in tears and looked at Vera. Vera continued:

    "If you want to see him again, retreat. They know about your power."

    Sarang collected herself. Junhyuk told her to stay alive, and she couldn¡¯t just stay there.

    She had to survive and meet Junhyuk again.

    Sarang got up, and Vera asked her:

    "Your power, can you sense the cooldown time?"

    That was the second time Sarang had used her power, and this time, she focused on the cooldown.

    "I have forty seconds remaining."

    "You can fire it once every minute?"

    With small damage and the ability to stop time, her power might be as useful as Junhyuk¡¯s.

    Vera stood in front of her and created a fire orb.

    ---

    Death.

    With death came terrible emptiness. The time spent there was both just a moment and an eternity. He passed through a dark space and opened his eyes. He was in the same room he appeared in every time he was summoned there.

    He was in the white room, and Junhyuk saw the amount of gold coins he had amassed.

    It said 11,384G.

    That was over 10,000G already. Shaking his head, he looked over hispletely fixed armor. There were no wounds.

    If he didn¡¯t have to pass through the thick, empty space, he would not have believed that he had died. Then, a deep-toned voice rang out:

    [You¡¯ve died once. You have 0 reincarnations left on this battlefield.]

    Junhyuk frowned and lifted his head. There were two swords in front of him, and he picked up only one of them.

    "Summon."

    Bebe¡¯s longsword appeared in his right hand. He was dual-wielding again, and his eyes beamed.

    "I should¡¯ve been more careful."

    Vera had been in danger, but it was still a mistake to use the force field on her. Still, if they lost the team battle, he and Sarang would surely die. So, he helped her, but he ended up dead.

    He decided that in the future he would use his powers more carefully.

    [You may exit through the main entrance.]

    Junhyuk walked toward the door.

    [Expert 01 deployed.]

    He went out of the door, and there were hundreds of minions talking among themselves. They would all die in a team battle or defending the allied camp.

    He looked at them and looked at the castle¡¯s gate.

    He had never died before, so he had never returned to the castle. Junhyuk was worrying about what to do when he heard Arn¡¯s voice:

    "What are you doing?"

    Junhyuk turned and asked him:

    "What brings you here?"

    "I died."

    Arn looked over his body andined:

    "Crap. I lost the gloves in the ice wall."

    He had never seen Arn wearing gloves and looked at him dumbfounded. Arn said:

    "What are you looking at? Let¡¯s move!"

    "OK."

    What it really meant was that Junhyuk couldn¡¯t make it to battlefield by himself, so Arn also got himself killed to take him back. He felt very grateful. Arn looked at the minions protecting the castle.

    "Follow me."

    The minions got up after hearing Arn. Arn¡¯s whole body exuded energy, and every minion was scared of him, following him without a word.

    However, those who spoke afterward would die. If they used items on minions, the minions would be more useful, but the heroes did not treat minions as humans. The heroes found it easier to use fear on the minions.

    Junhyuk walked behind Arn and said:

    "I need to purchase another weapon."

    "A weapon? Do you have the money?"

    "Yes."

    Arn hesitated and lifted his hand. The minions stopped, and Arn looked up at the sky and said:

    "All right. We will go, just the two of us."

    "What about the minions?"

    "Nudra is supposed toe here."

    Arn grabbed Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder.

    "We don¡¯t have the time. Run."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk followed Arn and ran. He wanted to buy another sword.

    ---

    He was running with Arn when he noticed something moving. Arn was disinterested, but Junhyuk looked at it.

    Something was moving inside the forest.

    "Something ising this way."

    "Why did you stop?"

    Arn frowned, and Junhyuk summoned his long sword.

    "It¡¯s a person."

    Rustle, rustle.

    Through the forest trees, a face showed up. It was a familiar face. One of the five who hadgged behind. He didn¡¯t look so good and was running.

    He must¡¯ve lost his sword, and he was only holding a shield, but the shield was heavily damaged.

    He ran and rolled toward them.

    "Please, save me!"

    He was shouting in English, and Junhyuk saw the thing behind him, a two-headed wolf. Junhyuk had never seen a two-headed wolf.

    He ran and swung both of his swords.

    nk, nk!

    Both heads bit in his direction, and each took a hold of one sword, but Junhyuk wasn¡¯t very scared.

    He had experienced anger at the time of his own death, and the wolf¡¯s murdering spirit only seemed funny. Maybe it was because he had faced the heroes¡¯ murdering aura too many times.

    He could withstand the wolf¡¯s huge force. It was different from when he was a minion, when he would¡¯ve been dropped to the ground. Now, he was an expert.

    There was a significant difference in strength between minions and experts, and he was also a carrying a strength runestone.

    The wolf was trying to drop him using its two front paws, but he kicked the wolf¡¯s stomach.

    Thud!

    The wolf was pushed back, and Junhyuk grabbed his swords. Arn said to him:

    "Your power. You used it during the cooldown time for sure, and while carrying another person."

    Junhyuk listened to him, and Arn continued:

    "Your powers has evolved."

    "You¡¯re saying I should check?"

    "Right."

    Junhyuk jumped toward the wolf. The wolf attacked with both heads, and Junhyuk swung his swords.

    nk, nk!

    The wolf bit both swords again, and then Junhyuk used spatial relocation. He was on the wolf¡¯s back and swung his swords, slicing both of the wolf¡¯s hind legs. The regr longsword only scratched it, but Bebe¡¯s longsword cut and sliced a leg.

    Junhyuk wanted to buy more weapons. The wolf swung its fluffy tail. The tail¡¯s hair stood up and was sharp enough to stab someone

    Junhyuk focused on himself out and used spatial relocation.

    He was under the wolf and pushed his swords in from underneath the wolf¡¯s jaws. Both swords went up each of the wolf¡¯s heads. The wolf died without resistance, and Junhyuk cleaned his swords.

    Arn asked him:

    "Can you use it continuously now?"

    "Yes, continuous relocation is possible, but the cooldown time increased to forty seconds."

    "That¡¯s not too bad."

    This evolution was not bad at all, but in reality, it was very good. He could use two spatial relocations in a row, and that increased his survival rate.

    Junhyuk picked up eight gold coins and looked at the tired man.

    "Are you okay?"

    Chris was not himself and looked at him. He moved from ce to ce. Is it possible to teleport?

    He couldn¡¯t deal with two-headed wolf, but Junhyuk had killed it by himself. Chris needed his help.

    "Please, help me."

    Junhyuk stared at him nkly. He must¡¯ve been chased by monsters.

    "You must follow us."

    "Don¡¯t worry about it."

    Chris made up his mind that he would survive by following Junhyuk, and Junhyuk looked at Arn and said:

    "It¡¯s better to have more minions. Follow us."

    Arn took the lead, and Junhyuk followed him. Chris picked up his shield and followed his new lifeline.

 Chapter 48: Evolution 2

    Chapter 48: Evolution 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Standing in front of the castle walls, Sarang looked at Vera.

    "Why is big brother noting back?"

    Vera was looking at the castle and answered calmly:

    "Arn died. They wille back together."

    "Is that right?"

    "By the way, how is your item?"

    "This?"

    Sarang lifted her hand and looked at a ring on her index finger. The ck and silver colors were mixed exquisitely, and Vera said:

    "It¡¯s a nice dropped loot."

    "It is a nice item, isn¡¯t it?"

    Sarang touched her ring. She had watched with anger when Junhyuk died and had shot her power and killed Skia. The ring was dropped by Skia.

    ---

    Ring of Shadows (Inherent Item)

    Moving speed +5.

    One power¡¯s cooldown time may be skipped once. (recharge time: 24h)

    Special powers were carried over with essories, but there was a limit of one power per essory. In the past, there was a legendary figure by the name of Dark Shadow that used this ring.

    ---

    Sarang touched her ring with care and asked:

    "Can I keep this ring? Is that OK?"

    Vera caressed Sarang¡¯s head and said:

    "You killed Skia. It¡¯s yours now."

    "But..."

    "essories have an ownership number limit. If you don¡¯t keep it, you¡¯ll have to sell it, and since it¡¯s yours, it¡¯s no use for us heroes."

    Sarang touched her ring again, and Vera saw minions standing outside of the castle¡¯s gate, and behind the minions, there were people leaning against the castle¡¯s wall.

    Five heroes were gathered in one ce. They were not attacking because they were worried there could be more people hiding.

    ---

    Minota crossed his arms and looked at Libya.

    "Shall we just attack?"

    "There aren¡¯t many minions left, and they are not all there yet," Libya agreed.

    "But I can¡¯t see Nudra."

    Minota, despite his heavy size, liked to use his brain. On the Dimensional Battlefield, among contracted heroes, stupid heroes were rare. Heroes had the apex position on the Dimensional Battlefield, and their abilities were astonishing.

    Ellic tapped the ground lightly with his hammer.

    "What are you worried about? You think they are hiding hundreds of minions somewhere?"

    "That will be Arn¡¯s job. It¡¯s just weird that Nudra isn¡¯t there."

    Ellic shook his head hard and looked at Warren.

    "We should attack now."

    Warren was worried and spoke up:

    "Arn hasn¡¯t regrouped. We will win if we attack now."

    Skia, who had been quiet, stepped forward and said:

    "That little girl, I can kill her, right?"

    Skia spoke, and everyone¡¯s attention was fixed on Sarang, who stood behind Vera. She was a novice who had activated her power.

    "We will fight as a team first, then you can kill her. Last time, you tried to kill an expert and got yourself killed, and we lost that team battle," Minotained and Skia frowned.

    "Surely, you were the one who told me to kill him!"

    Minota snorted hard.

    "So, do you think you did well?"

    "I did not do anything wrong."

    There was a coldness between the two, and Libya asked:

    "Why are we fighting amongst ourselves?" She looked at Minota and Skia. "We should fight as a team, not as individuals. We should win this team battle first. We will kill them first, and the remaining people should be easy enough to killter."

    "OK."

    Libya looked at Sarang and said:

    "When that child uses her power, I will hold her. Then, don¡¯t worry and take her."

    Minota nodded and stepped forward. Arn was the strongest among them. He had high defensive and attack powers. Without him, they had a good chance of winning.

    Nudra could be hiding and could jointer, but they still had the advantage.

    Everyone followed Minota. Skia stayed with Libya, and Minota, Ellic and Warren took the lead.

    "Woo, woo, woo!"

    Minota mooed like an ox, and they all shouted. Minota dashed first, and Ellic and Warren followed him. They all moved very fast.

    They ran, and a firewall appeared ahead of them. The firewall was made up of ck mes, and they had to go through it first.

    Minota went through the firewall, and Vera and her group retreated without looking back.

    "He is not here yet! Chase them!" Minota shouted, and Ellic and Warren sped up.

    Warren hunched over and shouted:

    "I¡¯ll bite them!"

    He began running like crazy on his four legs and closed in quickly on Vera and her group.

    ---

    Junhyuk purchased a longsword from Bebe and engraved it to his wrist. Chris was looking around him when Junhyuk looked at him. Chris realized that this was a really safe ce and asked Junhyuk:

    "Could I stay here?"

    Junhyuk looked at Chris nkly. Chris had to have an obsession with keeping himself alive. Junhyuk looked at Arn, and heughed a little.

    "If you stay here, you can¡¯t return to your world. Is that OK?"

    "Is... is that right?"

    Bebe touched his chin and said:

    "Correct. This ce is in a different dimension. It¡¯s separate from the battlefield, and you can¡¯t return to your reality from here."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know about that, and Chris sighed:

    "Then, I will go with you."

    Arn looked at Chris like he was a useless minion and said:

    "We should hurry."

    Arn¡¯s mood changed, Junhyuk asked him:

    "What¡¯s the matter?"

    "They are being chased by enemies. Hurry!"

    "OK."

    Junhyuk saw Arn running at full speed and frowned. Heroes moving at that speed were astounding. Junhyuk follows him with all his might, and Chrisgged behind.

    Arn ran and said:

    "Just follow this road. I will go first."

    Arn ran as he said that and soon disappeared. Junhyuk waited for Chris and ran with him. Chris asked him:

    "Why aren¡¯t you in hiding instead of following him around?"

    Junhyuk answered:

    "Being with them is the safest option."

    Chris didn¡¯t believe him. By being with them, he had to be on battlefield!

    Junhyuk said:

    "Follow me. It¡¯ll be dangerous."

    Chris nodded and followed him. He was surprised. Junhyuk was so tall and also had a great constitution. Chris had been trained specially for that, but how could Junhyuk run so fast?

    Chris heard a loud noise, and his body froze.

    "If you don¡¯t want to end up as monster meal, you should join the minions. That¡¯s the way to survive," Junhyuk told him.

    Minions did not die easily except during team battles. Junhyuk took the lead, and Chris followed him and saw the team battle for the first time.

    A fire spear flew across the field, and there was a monster with an ox¡¯s head. It was like watching a movie and one very different from reality.

    "What¡¯s going on?"

    He hadn¡¯t heard about that at all. If he had known about the team battles, he would not have taken the job even if they paid him millions. Junhyuk yelled at him:

    "Join them!"

    Chris collected himself. Not far from the heroes, the minions were fighting the enemy minions. It did not look safe to him, but he knew the forest was even more dangerous, so he joined them.

    Joining the minions, Chris began fighting. A green-skinned minion swung a hammer at him, but Chris managed to block.

    Enemy minions were dangerous for sure, but less threatening than the monsters he had encountered in the forest. Anyone who had been trained would surely be able to fight enemy minions.

    Chris picked up a dropped sword and began fighting minions with his sword and shield.

    ---

    Junhyuk ran and saw Vera bloody and Sarang standing next to her.

    "Sarang!"

    "Big brother!"

    Sarang was relieved after seeing Junhyuk. He stood next to her and asked Vera:

    "What¡¯s going on?"

    "There is no time for talk. Concentrate on the battle."

    Junhyuk looked over the battlefield.

    It looked like Arn had just saved the situation by joining in. Among the enemies, he spotted Skia standing at the very back, with an arrow stuck to the shoulder and trying to brush off ck mes. Lybia, who also had ck mes on her, was next to Skia, and they both looked seriously wounded.

    Everything was OK with Warren. Ellic and Minota were also heavily wounded.

    Arn waste, but was now dealing with Minota and Ellic simultaneously. They were both engulfed in mes, and Arn was dealing with them easily.

    Vera vomited blood, and Sarang asked Junhyuk while crying:

    "What do we do, big brother?"

    Junhyuk looked at her, Vera waived her hand and said:

    "Don¡¯t worry about me. Halo was blocking for me while Iunched meteors, and Skia attacked me. If it weren¡¯t for Sarang, I would¡¯ve been killed."

    "You got hurt while trying to save me."

    Junhyuk looked curious, and Vera exined it to him:

    "After Iunched the meteors, Skia came using the shadows, but Sarang hit Skia with her power. Time stopped, and Diane shot her arrows at Skia. Skia tried to kill Sarang, and I stepped in."

    Vera threw herself in to protect Sarang. Junhyuk could understand how she got hurt. If she had given up on Sarang, Vera could¡¯ve killed Skia, but she didn¡¯t and got hurt in the process."

    Junhyuk stood in front of them and looked over at the enemy camp.

    Nudra had not arrived yet. The enemies were heavily wounded, but his side was not doing well either.

    Halo had been targeted by the enemies when the meteors fell and was now being pushed back by Warren.

    Diane was doing better, but some of her body was frozen, which was a sign that she had been attacked by Libya.

    After Arn joined in, he started pushing Minota and Ellic, but the bout was still indecisive. Junhyuk knew that to control the flow of battle he had to decrease the number of enemies.

    They had all been hit by Vera¡¯s meteors, and the damages were heavy. Junhyuk looked at Vera.

    "Can you use your magic now?"

    "I can, but Libya and Skia are out of range."

    They were well behind the engagement line. Junhyuk felt that Skia was the most dangerous.

    "By seeping into shadows to move, how far can Skia travel?"

    Veraughed.

    "I checked it. It¡¯s about sixty-five feet."

    Right now, they were separated by 150 feet. That meant Skia couldn¡¯t get there. Junhyuk looked at Vera.

    "I heard you were in danger while I was at the dimensional merchant. Is it possible tomunicate?"

    "By using an item, it¡¯s possible tomunicate. Why?"

    "Then, tell Arn to attack Skia and Libya."

    "What about Minota and Ellic?"

    "Use a firewall to block them, and when Arn attacks, Skia may seep into a shadow and run away, then you should attack Skia. You can damage them then!"

    "Right. We also have Diane."

    "Then, please. When Arn attacks, I will make force field."

    "OK."

    Vera pulled out a crystal ball from her robe, closed her eyes and created a firewall in front of Minota and Ellic. Arn abandoned them and jumped. He was aiming for Skia, and Junhyuk made a force field around Arn.

    As Arn attacked, Skia just disappeared. Skia had to have seeped into a shadow.

    Arn did not chase after Skia, but he went after Libya.

    Libya tried to run away, but Arn swung his saber.

    Crack!

    Her wing was shed, but she managed to escape and join Minota and Ellic. She was trying to use her magic when Arn went after her.

    With the force field around him, Arn chased after her without hesitation.

    Then, Skia appeared behind Halo. Skia¡¯s dagger shed Halo¡¯s back, and Warren attacked him as well. Warren¡¯s ws were stuck to Halo¡¯s chest. No one had expected that.

    Vera had been waiting for Skia to show up again and used her magic continuously. Fire orbs and fire spears flew in a row toward Skia, and Skia turned.

    Skia smiled slyly and, as the fire spears approached Skia, Skia disappeared.

    Junhyuk was very tense. Skia had the ability to parry attacks. Skia dodged, but it didn¡¯t mean Skia could cover all that distance.

    After the fire orbs and spears went by, Skia showed up and ran toward him.

    Five arrows flew toward Skia. Skia used the daggers to cover weak spots and kept running toward him.

    Skia was closing in when Junhyuk grabbed hold of both longswords and ran toward Skia.

    "I will kill you."

    Skia swung the daggers, and Junhyuk relocated to the left. As Junhyuk disappeared, a sh of light blinded Skia¡¯s eyes.

    Skia had been hit by it before. It inflicted a small damage, but Skia had been so seriously wounded before that it ended up in death. Now, however, Skia was healthier. Skia tried to move but couldn¡¯t.

    Skia frowned as a fire spear and a arrow hit.

    Boom! Thluck!

    The fire spear hit Skia on the chest, while the arrow hit Skia on the neck. Skia couldn¡¯t move, and the heroes did not miss the chance to hit Skia¡¯s weak spots. Skia looked awful and started to disappear.

    Junhyuk went over to Skia and lifted a longsword.

    "This time, you are dead."

    Skia could move again and shouted:

    "You dare kill me!"

    sh!

    Junhyuk cut Skia¡¯s neck, and Skia¡¯s head flew off in the air. The world shifted around Skia¡¯s head as Junhyuk swung his swords.

    Skia¡¯s spinning head was sliced in four different parts, and Junhyuk stepped on the pieces.

    "Don¡¯t mess with me."

 Chapter 49: Return 1

    Chapter 49: Return 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Skia disappeared, and four remained.

    Among them, only Warren had not been hurt. The problem was that Warren killed Halo. After Halo died, there was no one left to protect Vera and Diane. Warren ran toward the two of them.

    With the force field around him, Arn killed Libya and was now fighting Minota and Ellic. His force field only had three seconds left.

    However, when the force field disappeared, if his side supported him well, Arn would still be able to deal with Minota and Ellic, since he was not wounded.

    The problem was there was no one to deal with Warren.

    Junhyuk stood in front of Vera. Warren¡¯s eyes beamed after he saw Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk took the front after he stepped forward to kill Skia. Behind him were Vera and Diane. Sarang was at the far back. Junhyuk took hold of his swords.

    He had fought Warren before. Thest time, he had almost died, but more importantly, he survived. He just needed time to kill Warren, and if the worst came to worst, he would just escape.

    Junhyuk did not step aside, and Warren howled:

    "Hoooowl!"

    Junhyuk¡¯s body froze. In that situation, he could get killed in just one blow. He broke into cold sweats.

    Then, from behind Junhyuk, Sarang hit Warren with her energy sh.

    Warren stopped right in front of Junhyuk. Both of them were frozen and stared at each other.

    However, Junhyuk¡¯s side had two heroes preparing their attacks. A fire spear flew over Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder and hit Warren¡¯s face, and a firewall appeared between Warren and Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk moved back by using spatial relocation. From the back, Junhyuk watched Warren attempting to open the firewall with his ws when Diane hit him on the face with arrows.

    Diane was holding her bow, and it was her time to attack. Warren turned his head, but an arrow tore his left eye up.

    Ahead of him, there appeared a fire orb.

    Boom!

    Warren stepped back because of the continued attacks. He was already seriously wounded and, if he continued to attack Junhyuk, he might be killed.

    Warren looked over at Arn. He was fighting two Minotas because of doppelganger, and Ellic was missing a leg.

    "We retreat!"

    Warren went back quickly. Minota rushed at Arn and began to run back. Vera looked at all of that andughed a little.

    "You must be joking."

    Vera made a fire spear and hit Minota¡¯s back while he was running.

    Boom!

    "Argh!" Minota screamed, and Diane¡¯s arrows hit him in a row.

    Finally, Minota turned grey and disappeared.

    This team battle was a victory.

    Ellic was missing a leg already when Arn shed his neck. Arn picked up the dropped loot and walked over to the others.

    "How are you?"

    "I didn¡¯t die, so it¡¯s OK. I will heal on the way back."

    "We don¡¯t have time to go back."

    "When Nudra joins us, we will attack."

    Arn was holding his saber when he looked at Junhyuk.

    "Follow me. We will take care of the minions."

    "OK."

    Arn ran while swinging his sabers. Looking at Arn, Junhyuk also swung his swords. It was still awkward, but he wanted to learn from Arn and he was getting better.

    Junhyuk and Arn sheathed their swords, and there were no more minions. Junhyuk picked up the gold coins and looked over to the surviving minions. There were only five left. They had fought well, but the enemy minions were stronger on the battlefield.

    Junhyuk felt good there were surviving minions.

    Soon, Nudra joined them. He saw the team battle was over andughed.

    "Then, we will bring an end to this fight."

    "Right! Let¡¯s go."

    Nudra brought 300 minions with him, and they all moved toward the castle.

    There were only fifty minions in front of the castle. Their side had 300 minions and the heroes.

    The opposing side had Warren, and the four other heroes had died. Junhyuk¡¯s side had a good chance at winning.

    "Can Warren block us by himself?"

    Arn pointed with his chin and answered:

    "Warren¡¯s healing ability is astounding. He might draw our attacks while being supported by the archers and buy more time. As time passes, he will wait for the others¡¯ resurrections."

    "It¡¯s a matter of time."

    "Of course."

    Arn looked at Diane.

    "Decrease the number of archers on the castle."

    "Count on me."

    Arn pulled out a small marble from his waistband and shouted:

    "Attack!"

    All 305 minions moved. They shed against the fifty enemy minions, and the archers loosened their arrows. The archers were already known to be urate. The allies couldn¡¯t rest easy just because they had the numbers advantage.

    Diane shot the archers on the castle wall, and she dropped them one by one until Warren stepped forward. He meant to buy more time.

    Junhyuk looked at Warren.

    "Sarang, can you use your power?"

    "Yes."

    "Then, we will act as bait for Warren."

    Junhyuk stepped forward, and Warren looked at him. Warren knew Junhyuk had the force field power. Junhyuk looked at Warren, then at Arn.

    "If the gate is destroyed, will Warren step forward?"

    "It looks that way."

    Arn did not hesitate and stepped forward. He walked on a straight path toward Warren. Arn was courageous, and Warren frowned.

    Arn could destroy the walls without attacking Warren.

    Warren thought about fighting Arn, but he was not an easy opponent. If he attacked, Arn would counterattack. The archers shot their arrows, but they could all die from the heroes¡¯ attacks.

    Warren could not decide what to do. Meanwhile, Arn got closer. Warren sighed and decided to attack.

    Warren attacked him, and Arn merely defended. Warren got in range of a fire spear.

    Vera threw her fire spear and ran back out of range from the archers. She timed it perfectly, and Warren took the hit from the fire spear and aimed for Arn.

    "Hoooowl!"

    With his howl, he froze Arn and continued his attacks. Warren¡¯s attacks left Arn wounded, but Arn only smiled.

    Warren felt goosebumps and stepped back, but Nudra was already dropping on him.

    Thunk!

    Warren felt his knees weaken, and his paws were stuck to the ground. The archers shot at Nudra, but Nudra ignored them and generated a strong wind against Warren.

    Fwoosh!

    Warren was pushed outside of the archers¡¯ range. He tried to escape, but Nudra kicked him.

    Nudra¡¯s kick pushed the opponents back, and Warren was pushed toward the allied line. While all that happened, Nudra was shot by three arrows, but he finally got himself well out of range.

    Warren knew it was toote to go back and looked at Junhyuk.

    "At least, I will kill you!"

    Junhyuk saw Arn jumping down on Warren. While being attacked by Arn, Warren closed the gap between himself and Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk waited for him. When he was about to be wed, he moved by spatial relocation. Junhyuk now stood in front of Vera, but Warren had expected that.

    Warren looked like he was bent on killing Junhyuk, even if he got killed. Warren had given up on this round of team battles.

    He rushed toward Junhyuk, and Junhyuk smiled.

    Warren was wounded by Nudra, Arn and Vera. He could probably only withstand two more blows.

    Junhyuk gripped his swords tightly and leaned forward, which pleased Warren. Warren swung his ws again, and Junhyuk used spatial relocation.

    This time, he appeared behind Vera, and she threw a fire orb at the spot where he had been standing.

    Boom!

    Warren staggered, and his eyes turned all red. Warren had an astounding healing power, and he was showing it now, but then, Sarang sent her energy sh against him.

    Warren was no longer healing, and his wounds remained open.

    Diane shot him in the middle of his forehead, and he couldn¡¯t even move.

    Warren turned grey, and Arn beheaded him. Warren had tried to buy more time for himself, but Nudra had kicked him within the allies attacking range, and he died.

    He had tried to kill Junhyuk, but he hadn¡¯t known Junhyuk¡¯s powers had evolved.

    Arn ran as soon as Warren died. He started hitting the castle walls, and Junhyuk ran toward the enemy minions.

    The allied minions were crazed, but they had decreased in number due to the archers. There were only half of them still alive.

    However, that was still a good number of survivors.

    Junhyuk started killing the enemy minions. The archers no longer had a buff since the heroes weren¡¯t fighting.

    Junhyuk lifted a dead enemy minion to block arrows and started massacring them. Arn had been correct in saying he had needed new weapons. The minions were no match for him.

    Before he finished ughtering the minions, the gate was destroyed. Arn went over and finished the remaining minions.

    "We go in."

    Inside the castle, Junhyuk frowned. Skia had already resurrected and was among the golems ying with the daggers.

    One of them had to die, but Skia might get help from the golems.

    He could use his force field to deal with the golems, but now was not the time.

    Junhyuk was indecisive, and Arn provided the solution:

    "Attack!"

    After Arn spoke, the minions all went inside. The surviving minions ran toward the golems, and Arn stepped forward.

    "Be careful."

    Arn was aware of Skia. Junhyuk¡¯s eyes met Skia¡¯s, and Skia smiled.

    Skia¡¯s stare was full of poison.

    Junhyuk measured the distance between the two. It was too long for Skia for to seep into a shadow, but he couldn¡¯t becent. If anything went wrong, he could get killed.

    Arn ran toward Skia, and Skia did not expect Arn could be so ignorant in his attack and stared nkly at him.

    Arn¡¯s swung his saber at Skia, and Skia disappeared. On his right, the golems swung their fists.

    Bang, bang!

    Arn dropped back, and Skia showed up. Skia had fixated on Junhyuk.

    Skia¡¯s range was sixty-five feet, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t let Skia get any closer.

    Junhyuk used spatial relocation. He could get hurt by running away since Skia moved much faster than him.

    After seeing Junhyuk relocate, Skia eyes sharpened. Junhyuk moved once, and Skia tried to seep into his shadow.

    Arn ran toward Skia again. He dodged the golems¡¯ attacks and shed Skia¡¯s back. Skia knew Junhyuk was still more than sixty-five feet away.

    Skia would take another step and seep into his shadow while allowing Arn to attack. Skia had to kill Junhyuk, and the next battle would be much easier.

    Skia went a few feet closer, trying to use the shadow power.

    Junhyuk moved by spatial relocation again and stood behind Vera.

    Skia was hit by Vera¡¯s fire spear and five of Diane¡¯s arrows. Skia tried to lift the daggers when Junhyuk began to stab Skia from behind.

    "Argh!"

    Skia was small and turning grey, Junhyuk clicked his tongue and shook his head.

    "I told you to not to mess with me."

 Chapter 50: Return 2

    Chapter 50: Return 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    If other heroes were to disrupt him, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do it, but when there were no heroes, Arn could deal with the golems by himself, even though they were strong.

    At that point, a golem was crazed and massacring the minions who were attacking him. The golem was not looking at the heroes.

    Vera¡¯s meteors fell on the golem.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    The golem staggered in big steps, and Arn ran and swung his saber. He attacked the spot where Vera¡¯s meteors had done heavy damage, and a part of golem was destroyed.

    Inside the castle¡¯s force field, Libya appeared. She saw that part of the golem was already broken and sighed. She needed the golem¡¯s help to fight four heroes. If not for that help, she had no chance.

    She couldn¡¯t let the golem be destroyed. She made an ice flower with her hands. The ice flower broke into petals, and cold chills covered the minions who were attacking the golem.

    The heroes might withstand that attack, but the minions all froze in a moment. All of the minions within the range of the attack fell, frozen, and the golem swung his fist at them.

    Crack, crash!

    Most of the minions were broken into little shards of ice, but Diane shot an arrow and hit the golem in the head.

    Bang!

    After being hit by the meteors, the golem¡¯s functions were already low, and so it was destroyed by the arrow. Libya bit her lips, but did not dare to step out of the castle¡¯s force field.

    Four heroes were standing there, and Libya was frustrated for being stuck.

    Junhyuk realized he had survived that battle. Meanwhile, he got himself killed once, but being an expert had helped him. He sighed in relief and contributed to destroying the castle¡¯s force field by swinging his longswords alongside Arn.

    Libya could stille out, so he was prepared to use his force field at any moment while he continued to swing at the force field.

    There were only two surviving minions, and they stayed close to Junhyuk. One of the survivor¡¯s face looked familiar.

    He had survived OK, but he was crazed and hitting the castle¡¯s force field like a madman. It was hard to speak to him.

    Then, Ellic showed up, standing next to Libya. He looked at the situation and clicked his tongue and he saw Junhyuk destroying the castle¡¯s force field, standing behind Arn, so he talked to Lybia.

    Libya shook her head, but Ellic lifted his hammer and said:

    "I will do it."

    After he spoke, he rushed out.

    ng!

    Arn blocked him but was pushed back. Meanwhile, Ellic was holding his hammer high in the air and said to Junhyuk:

    "Die."

    Ellic dropped his hammer, and Junhyuk moved by spatial relocation.

    m!

    Ellic mmed the hammer and created shockwaves, but Junhyuk was out of range. Junhyuk looked at how far he had moved. Not only could he use spatial relocation twice in a row, but the distance had also increased.

    He had moved thirty-three feet, and Ellic went toward him. He was hit by Vera¡¯s fire spear and Diane¡¯s arrows but still moved toward him.

    This battle was over, but if Ellic wanted to give him more gold coins, Junhyuk would not refuse.

    "Come on!"

    Junhyuk shouted, and Ellic¡¯s eyes widened, and he ran. Holding his hammer, he approached, and Junhyuk looked at the others.

    The heroes were concentrating their attacks. Did Ellic think he could kill him?

    Ellic was about to smash Junhyuk with his hammer when Junhyuk created a force field.

    Thunk!

    The hammer bounced off, and Ellic stepped on the force field and went over it.

    Junhyuk was curious about what he was doing, and Ellic rushed from behind.

    "What?"

    He was pushing the entire force field toward the castle. The other heroes were dumbfounded.

    Only two minions were attacking the castle¡¯s force field, and that was not enough for the job. Ellic was risking his life to deliver Junhyuk to Lybia, who was making an ice spear.

    Minota showed up, standing behind Libya.

    "Shit."

    They were risking their lives to kill him.

    The force fieldsted for ten seconds. Ellic was out of energy and stopped pushing when, suddenly, Arn beheaded him.

    Ellic had a smile on his face when he died.

    Minota went out and used his doppelganger ability. Two Minotas were stepping on the force field.

    Crunch, crunch!

    Half of the force field was underground, but Junhyuk did not panic and shouted:

    "Destroy the castle¡¯s force field."

    There were three seconds remaining. If all heroes concentrated their fire power on the castle, they could shatter the force field. Then, this battle would end in a victory.

    Arn did not hesitate and hit the force field. All heroes began attacking the castle¡¯s force field, and Minotaughed at them.

    "That¡¯s an interesting way to fight."

    After Minota spoke, the two Minotas rushed at Nudra and Arn. Vera and Diane continued their attacks against the castle.

    Libya was making an ice spear to use against Junhyuk, and he couldn¡¯t retreat. Junhyuk hit on the castle¡¯s force field with all his might.

    In two seconds, he had hit the castle four times, but he wanted to contribute more.

    Junhyuk¡¯s force field disappeared, and Libya threw her ice spear. Junhyuk ran away while hitting the castle¡¯s force field.

    Libya¡¯s ice spear traveled in a single direction. If he ran sideways, he could dodge it. Junhyuk ran to the side, still hitting the castle, and Minota ran after him.

    "Woo, woo, woo!"

    Junhyuk knew he did everything he could do, and he hit the castle onest time and ran toward Minota.

    The active time for Minota¡¯s doppelganger ability ended, and only one Minota remained. He stomped the ground and rushed hard toward Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk¡¯s concentration was at an all time high. Minota¡¯s speed was really high, and Junhyuk looked at him intently and, all of sudden, used spacial relocation.

    Junhyuk was just behind Minota, and Minota quickly turned around. He was really fast and decided to rush Junhyuk.

    Clung!

    Junhyuk swung his longswords but still absorbed the shock. He dropped to the ground, and Minota tried to stomp him. Junhyuk thought he might get killed, and his hair stood up, but then, an energy st hit Minota. It was Sarang.

    Junhyuk got up quickly, and Libya threw another ice spear between Minota¡¯s legs. He did not have time to dodge and had already used up spatial relocation and the force field.

    He tried to block it with his swords.

    Bang!

    With a loud noise, the ice spear thinned out and disappeared as it went through Junhyuk¡¯s chest.

    Minota moved again, but he was also disappearing. He looked behind him, and the castle was falling down. Minota thinned out and said to Junhyuk:

    "I will kill you next time."

    As Minota spoke to him, Junhyuk grinned and pped him. Minota was vanishing, but he had made the ox plenty angry.

    "Filthy ox, I will make money out of you."

    He was killed but would resurrect. Junhyuk would kill him multiple times and collect items from him.

    Minota was not excited and smiled instead. Junhyuk felt a chill.

    Minota disappeared, and Arn walked over.

    "You OK?"

    "Yes."

    It was really scary at veryst minute. He could¡¯ve been killed by the ice spear, but the castle copsed right on time. If it hadn¡¯t, he would¡¯ve been killed.

    Arn did not speak much and waved his hand and disappeared. The other heroes were gone as well. Sarang, Junhyuk and two minions remained.

    The two minions were out of breath. They were still crazed, and Junhyuk looked at Sarang.

    "Big brother."

    "I will see you in my room."

    Sarang nodded and thinned out. Junhyuk felt a strong light hit his eyes and closed them.

    ---

    Junhyuk slowly opened his eyes and saw the ceiling of his own room. This time, he had experienced death.

    It made him scared, and he shivered.

    Junhyuk got up slowly.

    "Big brother."

    He turned his head, and Sarang jumped down from the bed and hugged him, and they both fell on the ground.

    Thump!

    "Ouch!"

    He hit the back of his skull on the ground and frowned. Sarang buried her head in his chest, then lifted it and asked, shouting:

    "We survived right?!"

    "Right."

    Sarang got up and started dancing to her own beat. Junhyuk smiled as she danced.

    "What are you doing?"

    "It¡¯s a ceremony of joy, don¡¯t you see?"

    Sarang grabbed him and got him up. Holding his hands, she danced, and Junhyukughed.

    Until then, he hade back alone. This time, he was sharing the joy of surviving with someone else.

    They both danced, and Junhyuk rested on the bed and watched her dance. Sarang got tired and sat on the chair, spinning the chair in circles. She hit the desk as she spun and stopped.

    "Ouch!"

    "Are you all right?"

    Sarang cried andughed, and Junhyukughed with her.

    "Big brother."

    Junhyuk looked at her, she tapped her stomach and said:

    "I¡¯m hungry."

    Junhyuk looked at his watch.

    "Should we dine out?"

    "No, we should order pizza."

    Junhyuk looked at her. She was sitting on his chair with grin on her face, and he smiled.

    "It¡¯ste. Is that OK for you?"

    "They think I¡¯m at the library."

    Junhyuk used his cellphone to order pizza. She requested a soda and a sd as well. She was still sitting on the chair and looked at her hands. The ring was still on her left index finger.

    "What¡¯s that?"

    "I got it from the battlefield, but I did not know I could bring it with me."

    "An item from the battlefield?"

    "Ah, I didn¡¯t tell you about it. Skia dropped it."

    Junhyuk looked at her ring and then at his own hands. Both wrists had engravings on it.

    "Summon."

    Two swords showed up. Junhyuk held both swords and felt no need to buy any other weapon.

    Sarang looked surprised, and Junhyuk put the swords away.

    "Oh, you are something else! You earned an item."

    "Do you envy me?"

    "Yes. I envy you."

    Junhyuk agreed with her. Sarang puffed her chest and ced both hands on her hips, making a superhero pose.

    "You should serve me. Do you know how many times I saved you?"

    "Right. Do look after me."

    Sarang looked at Junhyuk. If it weren¡¯t for him, she would¡¯ve been killed way before. Sarang stared at Junhyuk, and he became a little embarrassed.

    "The delivery iste."

    "They will be here in thirty minutes."

    Sarang thought Junhyuk was cute and got up. She grabbed Junhyuk¡¯s chest and pulled him toward her.

    "What?"

    She kissed him on the cheek, and Junhyuk got all red.

    "Big bro, thanks," she whispered in his ear.

 Chapter 51: Return 3

    Chapter 51: Return 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Suddenly, Chris opened his eyes and began to act crazy.

    "Ha-ha-ha-ha!"

    His eyes were full of madness, and the researchers were dumbfounded by his behavior and went up to him.

    He was tied to a bed and restrained, but he was trashing so much, he might break free.

    Elise looked at him with her arms crossed.

    "Give him a tranquilizer."

    The researchers gave him a tranquilizer by injection.

    "Ugh!"

    He looked around him with ufortably creepy eyes and soon fell asleep. Elise was looking down at him and slowly walked toward him.

    "PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), but this behavior is unexpected."

    Elise looked at him for a moment and began searching his body. Inside his clothes, she found two gems. She took them and looked at them.

    Elise had a blue colored gem on her hand and whispered:

    "One Mana Stone."

    She picked up another stone with her thumb and index finger.

    "What is this?"

    Elise looked at the gem and pushed it toward a researcher who was standing behind her. The researcher ced the gem on a te. Elise turned her head and said:

    "First, search his body thoroughly."

    "Yes."

    She walked toward the door and stopped to look at the researchers.

    "Thoroughly," she pressed the point one more time and went outside.

    The researchers took Chris¡¯ clothes off and examined his body. Elise went back to her office and ced a hand on the desk.

    Soon, five screens rose from the desk. Their faces were full of expectations, surrounded by a thickyer of curiosity. Elise spoke calmly, giving her report.

    "One survivor. The rest of them did not make it back."

    The people on the screens were not interested in those who did not make it back, but they were told there was a survivor and were all very interested in that.

    "So, did he bring back anything?"

    "One Mana Stone and an unknown red gem."

    "Oh!"

    Everyone looked very interested, and Elise smiled and reported:

    "First, we are examining his body. After that, we will find out what happened right away."

    "We will be waiting."

    "Have some confidence in me."

    The screens turned off simultaneously, and Elise got up from her seat. Then, one screen turned back on, and Doyeol Kim appeared in it.

    "Do want something?"

    "How is the survivor doing?"

    "He is experiencing more than PTSD. We gave him a tranquilizer."

    "Is that right?" Doyeol thought hard and said "OK. I will be expecting good news."

    "Trust me."

    Themunication ended, and Elise tapped her index finger on Doyeol¡¯s screen.

    "You... What are you hiding?"

    ---

    A big kiss from a woman! It was not the first time, but he still had a hard time looking at Sarang while the two ate pizza because she was still in high school. Sarang thought Junhyuk was being funny, and she smiled and ate her slice. She thought it was delicious.

    "Big brother, I have something to ask."

    "Yes? What?"

    Junhyuk collected himself and swallowed the pizza he was chewing. Sarang put her slice down and asked:

    .

    "What¡¯s so good about bing a novice?"

    Junhyuk thought for a moment and answered:

    "First, for me, after bing a novice, my physical strength and conditioning went up. When your soul¡¯s ability goes up, the body tries to keep up. So, I followed Arn¡¯s training technique, and the results were phenomenal."

    Junhyuk unted his biceps, and Sarang touched one with her index finger and was astounded.

    "It¡¯s totally like a rock."

    Junhyuk smiled a little and said:

    "The most important is that your soul¡¯s ability has increased. You have many times the strength of an ordinary person."

    Sarang shook her head a little and said:

    "I don¡¯t feel any extra strength."

    Junhyuk crossed his arms, mulled it over and said:

    "First, you are a magician novice, so I am not sure what will happen. Maybe your mind will grow exponentially."

    "My mind?"

    "Yes. Don¡¯t you feel anything different since you became a magician novice?"

    Sarang shook her head and lifted hands. Suddenly, she made an energy orb.

    "Because I have to concentrate to make this, my concentration has increased."

    "Concentration? When you became a novice, your concentration might have increased a little. You might consider doing meditation for your soul."

    "Meditation?"

    "Yes," Junhyuk smiled and continued: "But you must not neglect your body. Do you know the saying healthy body, healthy mind? So, every morning, you should do some light jogging or ride a bicycle, do other basic exercises and, when you have time, meditate. When you are alone, you should practice your newly acquired power."

    "I don¡¯t have a ce to practice."

    There was no ce to practice energy st, and Junhyuk got worried.

    Right now, Sarang had a power that ordinary people called supernatural. If her power was discovered, crazy people would want to dissect her. Even if they didn¡¯t dissect her, she would be the object of many experiments.

    Sarang smiled.

    "Big brother, can I practice it here?"

    "Here?"

    "This is the safest ce. No one will find out."

    Junhyuk crossed his arms. He made the most scary expressions he could make.

    "Aren¡¯t you scared of me?"

    "Should I be?"

    Her big eyes were already bigger, and she tilted her head down. Junhyuk sighed:

    "OK..."

    Junhyuk thought it would be good for her to develop her power further. That was the way to survive the Dimensional Battlefield, but they couldn¡¯t practice together, especially if he came homete.

    "How far are we from your home?"

    "By bus, it takes two stops."

    "That close?"

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk pulled out his keychain, took out his spare key and said:

    "You shoulde alone. Don¡¯t bring anyone."

    "Don¡¯t worry."

    Junhyuk pushed the key forward, and Sarang covered the key with both hands. He tried to not to give in. He was an expert and was trained in Arn¡¯s technique. He held on to the key, and

    Sarang tried hard to get it from him. Junhyukughed and said:

    "You may use the room in exchange for cleaning it, OK?"

    "Ch, Cheap!"

    "Cheap?"

    Junhyuk pulled the key toward him, and Sarang was about to cry.

    "OK."

    Junhyuk let go of his hand, Sarangughed.

    "All right! I got a safe house."

    "You will be alone. It¡¯s not a safe house..."

    "Still, now I have a ce to practice."

    She was right. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t been able to practice when his parents were around. She couldn¡¯t talk about her powers to anyone. At such a young age, she must¡¯ve been very worried.

    Junhyuk, himself, had been stunned when he experienced it for the first time. Fortunately, he had no sign of injuries or stress disorders.

    "Your soul grew, and you will be fine, but when you have problems, you should call me any time."

    "Then, give me your number."

    Sarang pushed her hand forward, and Junhyuk unlocked his phone and gave it to her. Sarang punched in the number on her phone and smiled:

    "I got the number."

    Junhyuk shook his head and picked up another slice of pizza. She asked him:

    "Do we have to go back in two weeks?"

    "Yes, that¡¯s correct."

    "Hm. I cane back here when it¡¯s time, right?"

    Junhyuk took a bite of his pizza and said:

    "That¡¯s a good idea, but don¡¯t wear your school uniform next time, and don¡¯te to mypany. Juste here instead."

    "I can do that!"

    "You can¡¯te to mypany."

    For now, they had told them they were cousins, but they wouldn¡¯t believe it forever.

    Sarang picked up a slice of pizza.

    "This time, some minions survived!"

    Two minions had survived, but they were still crazed, and he didn¡¯t know how to stop their madness.

    "Right."

    "You think they will be fine?"

    "What?"

    "They were crazed because of an item. Maybe they¡¯ve returned in that state..."

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly.

    "They will be sent to a mental hospital."

    Sarang sighed deeply.

    "Also, heroes are too much."

    Junhyuk agreed on that point. Minions were not human to heroes. Minions were pieces on a chessboard. Not more, not less.

    "Minions are lucky if they are chosen."

    Vera had taught her with care. If not for that, she would¡¯ve been in the same position as the other minions. Both of them were very lucky.

    She got her power, became a novice and did not end up like the minions.

    Sarang sat and hugged her knees, rocking herself back and forth.

    "Whew! I have a lot to study. I am a senior and, now, I have to train as well. It¡¯s too much."

    "Your concentration went up. Doesn¡¯t that make it easier to study?"

    "Boo, boo... Studying is never easy in this world!"

    Sarang jeered, and Junhyukughed and took another bite of his slice.

    "It¡¯ste. Go home."

    "Whoa! Aren¡¯t you going to walk me?"

    "You are wearing your uniform. They¡¯ll think I¡¯m a pervert."

    "It¡¯s reallyte, and I am still in high school!"

    There was no one that could threaten her because she had her powers. She could kill anyone she wanted to, but she couldn¡¯t use her powers in public. Junhyuk shook his head.

    "OK. I¡¯ll walk you home."

    "All right!"

    Sarang got up and took off the workout clothes he gave her. He was looking at her without thinking when she pulled down her pants underneath her skirt, and he turned his head quickly.

    Sarang folded the workout clothes, ced them on the bed and strapped on her backpack.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    Junhyuk walked next to her, and felt other people¡¯s stares shooting daggers at him. Every time someone looked at them, he talked to that person.

    "I am her uncle. Uncle."

    Sarang thought he was funny and took his arm.

    "You!"

    "What, cousin?"

    Junhyuk let go of her and realized how scary a girl wearing a school uniform could be. She should¡¯ve been wearing normal clothes.

    The two of them arrived at her apartmentplex, and people continued to stare disapprovingly.

    "Go in."

    "Big brother, until next time."

    Sarang waved, and Junhyuk got worried.

    "I should get a car."

    However, it was still too early. He had money from his advertising gig, but he shouldn¡¯t waste his money, yet he still wanted to buy a car.

    On his way home, Junhyuk thought about getting a car. Sarang was on the elevator and thought about what to put Junhyuk¡¯s phone number under.

    "My Mr. Junhyuk? My love Junhyuk? Big brother Junhyuk? House owner?"

    Sarang thought about it for a long time, and the elevator stopped, and she inserted Junhyuk¡¯s phone number as "Mine."

 Chapter 52: Encounter 1

    Chapter 52: Encounter 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    After work, he was heading to his studio apartment when he saw some people gathered in front of a unfinished vi. They were male and female students from a nearby high school. Sanghoon Hyun, himself, used to smoke cigarettes when he was in high school.

    "They must be having a good time."

    Sanghoon spoke, continued walking and, suddenly, he heard a scream.

    "Gahh!"

    Sanghoon took a good look at them and saw a female student among the male students. She looked really scared, and the buttons of her uniform were undone. He walked toward them.

    "What¡¯s going on here?" Sanghoon asked them while walking, and two male students looked at him.

    There were five male students and one female student. All of them were surrounding another female student. At once, the full picture came into view.

    "Mister, go about your way!"

    A high school student went over and looked at him, and Sanghoonughed at the boy.

    "Let the girl go. Then, I¡¯ll be on my way."

    Sanghoon spoke, and the studentsughed.

    "Mister, the world is a scary ce."

    "I know."

    One of the students threw a punch really fast, but Sanghoon dodged it easily and hit the student¡¯s stomach.

    "Ugh!"

    That student fell down, and another screamed and also tried to punch him.

    "Why this son of a bit..."

    Sanghoon tilted his head, escaped the punch and hit the student on his stomach. The two fallen students couldn¡¯t speak and were just holding on to their bellies.

    "You never heard of Youngdeung District¡¯s crazy dog?" Sanghoon asked.

    When he was in high school, he used to get in a lot of fights. After finishing school, he tried to fit into society, but he wasn¡¯t well educated or had any certificates. In the end, he worked as aborer.

    However, he had no regrets. Without his past rough experiences, he would not have survived that nightmare that had been pure hell.

    "Kill him!"

    The remaining three students attacked him, and Sanghoon couldn¡¯t dodge all of their attacks. Their punches grazed him, but he paid them back each time with a punch of his own. He hit one on the chin, and then, there were only two left.

    One of them grabbed him by the waist, trying to tackle him to the ground, and another went behind him. Sanghoon kneed the one trying to tackle him.

    When the student fell over, Sanghoon grabbed him by the shirt and threw him at the one who wasing from behind. Then, he punched the student on the pit of his stomach.

    "Ugh!"

    The student was drooling as he fell.

    There were two female students, and only one of them had her shirt unbuttoned.

    The other female student took a picture of Sanghoon¡¯s face with her phone and said:

    "You should be more careful."

    Sanghoon took her handphone, threw it on the ground, stepped on it and replied:

    "No, you should be more careful. If I meet you again, I will kick all of your asses."

    The female student stepped back and ran away.

    "Take your friends with you," he shouted after her.

    Sanghoon looked at the five fallen male students and looked at the girl with the unbuttoned shirt. She was crying, and he walked up next to her and asked:

    "Are you OK?"

    "Th-thanks."

    "Be more careful. Don¡¯te outte at night."

    The student gave him a big bow and ran away. Sanghoon yawned and lit up a cigarette.

    Thunk!

    He felt a shock to the back of his skull, and the whole world shook. Sanghoon dropped to the ground, and everything turned red. Then, he saw one of the male students holding a brick.

    Heughed at Sanghoon.

    "Son of bitch! He thinks I¡¯m a loser."

    Sanghoon staggered while trying to get up. The blood on his neck felt warm.

    "I went easy on you."

    "Die, you son of a bitch!"

    He swung the brick, and Sanghoon frowned.

    Usually, one doesn¡¯t use a brick in a fight unless one is trying to kill. He swung the brick, so he meant to kill me.

    Sanghoon already knew everything about his opponent¡¯s character.

    He tried to grab the arm holding the brick, but his eyesight was shaky.

    Thuck!

    His forehead was torn, and he staggered again.

    "Get the hell up! Stomp him!"

    All five students began kicking and stepping on Sanghoon. He covered his weak spots and tried to get up, but he was losing consciousness.

    Am I dying like this?

    Soon, he realized that something had changed in him. He was suddenly feeling well and he pulled out a dagger from his jacket. The dagger looked red, and he swung it at the ankle of one of the students kicking him.

    "Argh!"

    He cut a wide gash on the student¡¯s ankle, and the high school student stepped back. The other four were surprised, looking at the scene.

    "What? You are bleeding!"

    "That asshole has a knife on him!"

    The four remaining students all went for him. They meant to take the knife away from him, but his own wounds were healing fast. Meanwhile, the one that had his ankle shed was bleeding out and losing consciousness.

    Sanghoon got up andughed.

    "Holy shit! Yeah... Why should I be forgiving?"

    His eyes were filled with madness, and the students didn¡¯t know what to do. Sanghoon walked toward them like a beast.

    ---

    There was no work on Saturdays.

    Junhyuk used the entire morning to practice using his powers and his swordsmanship. He even browsed the inte for dual-wielding swordsmanship and practiced those moves. At noon, he took his lunch,y on his bed and checked out his tablet.

    He checked his emails. The inbox was full of emails from Somin, mostly about thepany. He studied them and thought he owed her a meal.

    He was an expert and had survived again, so his concentration was surprisingly high. Within two hours, he had read the equivalent of one book and could point out the importance of what he had read.

    He sighed.

    "I have work to do."

    Now, he saw the full picture on the coboration project between ST Capsule and Robotics and he understood its impact.

    It required an astronomical amount of money, but it would be a giant step for mankind.

    Mechanical prosthesis would be possible.

    It wasn¡¯t like creating the Six Million Dor Man*. If man had a ¡¯one¡¯ in a power scale, that power would increase to ¡¯1.5.¡¯

    If they increased the power output any higher, there could be idents. The subjects would be like speeding cars. If two people held hands, one shouldn¡¯t break the other¡¯s hand, and they¡¯d tuned the power output down for such asions.

    Junhyuk moved slightly and turned on the TV. It was time for the news.

    "Breaking News: This morning, on a yground, five bodies of high school students were discovered. The cadavers looked mummified, and the National Crime Scene Investigation joined the case."

    The screen was blurred to cover up the graphic content, but the report was still creepy.

    "Mummified?"

    Junhyuk checked it out on the inte. The news was all over it.

    Someone had posted a picture of the cadavers, and they sure looked like mummies. They were skinny, only skin and bones, and there were five of them.

    "Are they shooting a movie? Is this even possible in real life?" There were manyments like that on different blogs.

    Junhyuk looked at the TV and frowned.

    "What is the worlding to?"

    Something wasn¡¯t right.

    "The Dimensional Battlefield exists. I shouldn¡¯t be so surprised."

    Junhyuk shook his head and got up. He would move around, develop his powers, empty his head, and think about what his opinion would be on the coboration project.

    Jangho pointed to the fact that Robotics was a military contractor, but was now involving itself in the medical industry. It couldn¡¯t be called a medical project, but it renewed people¡¯s hopes.

    It wasn¡¯t cheap. It usually cost the same as a sedan, but the people who were hurt by abnormal narcolepsy would be covered and be able to get it for cheap. It was just the beginning.

    Junhyuk summoned his swords and swung them, thinking it was all possible because of a new battery.

    Robotics had created the new battery It worked for twenty-four hours and it was electrically rechargeable. Due to this new battery, Robotics could be the world¡¯s leading corporation.

    The battery worked for military situations and for people¡¯s daily life. A smartphones¡¯ battery life was short. With this new battery, one could use a smartphone for over a week.

    "It¡¯s really something else."

    If they were only after profit, they wouldn¡¯t have coborated. When this coboration became a sess, the effectiveness of the new battery would be known worldwide, and so would the Robotics¡¯ brand.

    Just by selling batteries, their profits would skyrocket.

    Junhyuk used spatial relocation, swung his swords and said:

    "I must focus."

    He was thinking of what to say about the project and wasn¡¯t focusing on his swordsmanship. He had to be stronger to survive.

    When he had time, he had to focus on his powers¡¯ evolutions and on mastering his swordsmanship. He had to concentrate.

    Junhyuk closed his eyes, focused and swung his swords. He was swinging them a little differently from before and he liked what he was doing, so he continued swinging.

    Junhyuk was swinging his swords like there was no tomorrow when he heard a noise.

    Click.

    He sent his swords away and teleported to the door.

    Creak.

    The door opened, and Sarang was holding two bags with her. Junhyuk stared at her nkly.

    "What are you doing here?"

    "Big brother!"

    Sarang smiled and gave him both bags, Junhyuk took them, and she took off her shoes.

    She wasn¡¯t wearing her school uniform, but it was still very surprising.

    "Why don¡¯t you answer me?"

    "I am here to train!"

    "On a weekend?"

    "It¡¯s because it¡¯s the weekend," she said and took his arms. "When can I train if not on the weekend? On weekdays, I have to study tillte at night."

    Junhyuk knew she was speaking the truth.

    "But my room is so small. We can¡¯t train here at the same time!"

    Sarang merely answered:

    "I have to focus my mind and I can do that on a bed."

    Junhyuk sighed.

    "All right. By the way," Junhyuk looked at the two bags and asked, "what¡¯s all of this?"

    "It¡¯s our dinner."

    Junhyuk was surprised again.

    "Here?"

    Sarang took off her coat. Junhyuk ced the two bags on the countertop and hung the coat.

    She jumped on the bed.

    "Ah! That feels good."

    Junhyuk looked at her nkly. Sarang rolled on the bed and made an energy orb with her hands, and Junhyuk didn¡¯tin anymore.

    "Right. I told you coulde here, so I won¡¯tin. Practice hard."

    Junhyuk checked on the door, summoned his swords and began swinging again. Sarang had a smile on her face.

    She yed with the energy orb in her hands and looked at Junhyuk. Her eyes were dull.

    ------

    Six Million Dor Man - The Six Million Dor Man was a movie from 1973 in which an astronaut is seriously injured in a spaceship crash and gets rebuilt using robot parts.

 Chapter 53: Encounter 2

    Chapter 53: Encounter 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Chop, chop, chop, chop!

    Junhyuk sat on the bed, pretending to look at his tablet, and watched Sarang, who was wearing an apron, cooking. Junhyuk did not know what to make out of that situation.

    He used to cook ramen noodles every day for himself, so he shouldn¡¯t refuse someone cooking a nice, hot meal for him, but she was a high school student.

    They had spent time together in the Dimensional Battlefield and had saved each other¡¯s life. He also understood that she had to train at his house, but he was still hesitant.

    "Tch."

    If she were in college, he would¡¯ve dly spent time with her. He clicked his tongue and looked at Sarang.

    She was looking at her smartphone and moving around, so she had to be preparing something nice.

    Junhyuk expected a good meal and looked over the major points of the coboration project on his tablet. He was thinking about work when Sarang set the table.

    He pretended he was OK, but this was the first time a woman other than his own mother had cooked for him, so he was nervous.

    "Come and eat."

    Junhyuk put the tablet down on the bed and walked over to the table, which was filled with different dishes.

    "So?"

    There were fried mushrooms, boiled tofu with soy sauce, stir fried anchovies with almonds, beef BBQ and a tuna stew. The table was full of food. It all looked so pretty on the tes that he smiled.

    Sarang took a seat and smiled.

    "Eat up."

    "It looks delicious."

    Junhyuk took a spoonful of rice first. The rice cooker had cooked the rice, and rice always tasted the same. The rice cooker required the right amount of water and the right amount of rice, and that was it, but this rice tasted good.

    He dly chewed his rice and lifted his chopsticks, nervous. What should I eat first?

    First, he would try the beef. Junhyuk ate the beef and smiled.

    "Delicious!"

    He nodded and picked up the stir fried anchovies with almonds and was immediately surprised.

    It was sweet, too sweet! It tasted like melted lumps of sugar, but it wasn¡¯t enough toin about it. Smiling, Junhyuk ate the tofu with soy sauce.

    Salty! She must¡¯ve poured the whole bottle of soy sauce!

    However, Junhyuk kept his smile. He had already tasted the potion from hell, so he could smile at that food.

    Compared to the potion, even the anchovies tasted good.

    A human had to reach his lowest point to realize how happy he was, and a woman had cooked for him. He should be grateful.

    Junhyuk ate the fried mushrooms. The mushrooms were unseasoned, and she had just fried them. He could taste the mushrooms¡¯ aroma.

    "Delicious."

    He ate more rice and got a bit of the tuna stew. He used to think that all tuna stew were the same, but he realized how stupid he had been. He missed his mother¡¯s cooking. This stew was full of MSG, and the saltiness disrupted his pte.

    "Delicious."

    Junhyuk felt grateful that she had cooked for him, and he did not hold back anypliments. If he were toin when a woman cooked for him, there might not be a next meal.

    She had spent more than an hour in the kitchen cooking that meal.

    Sarang had a bright smile and picked up her spoon.

    "Then, it¡¯s my turn."

    She tried the tuna stew first.

    "Ptooey!"

    She suddenly spit out the tuna stew, but Junhyuk continued eating. Sarang began tasting all of the dishes and let out a Bronx cheer*.

    She had bought the beef at the mart and cooked it, and the mushrooms were just fried.

    For the rest of the dishes, she had browsed the inte for recipes. They all tasted like poison.

    Either too sweet or too salty! How can he eat so calmly? He was smiling and telling her it was delicious, and she felt very grateful.

    Sarang looked at Junhyuk and said:

    "Hm... Today, you fill up on the beef."

    She picked up plenty of the beef and ced it on his rice bowl. Junhyuk thought she was hrious and startedughing.

    He had lost his feelings and emotions at the Dimensional Battlefield and he felt like he was regaining them.

    Sarang looked at him and began tough at herself, then she ate the beef and mushrooms with rice.

    "By the way, big brother, did you watch the news today?"

    "About the mummified bodies?"

    "Right. How is that possible?"

    "Well, I spent time in the Dimensional Battlefield, so I wasn¡¯t too surprised."

    "That¡¯s different from this," she said and her eyes beamed. "Maybe it¡¯s the work of a vampire who sucks the blood out of people."

    "And?"

    "I will catch him. I have the power to do it."

    Junhyuk frowned. What¡¯s this young girl talking about?

    "Don¡¯t."

    "Why?"

    "Movies are ruining the younger generation. You are not a hero! It¡¯s a job for the police."

    "But..."

    Junhyuk looked at her seriously.

    "Don¡¯t do anything dangerous."

    Sarang smiled. Maybe she had just wanted to hear him say that.

    "What if the vampirees after me?"

    Junhyuk answered calmly:

    "Then, you should use your energy bolt on his leg and run."

    Sarang had the power to stop time, and now she could use an energy st instead of an energy bolt. She might blow the vampire¡¯s leg off, but it was better for her to be safe.

    Sarang smiled after Junhyuk said that.

    "What if the vampirees after us both?"

    "Then, you run. I will fight him."

    Junhyuk was a monster going by human standards. Experts had strength beyond ordinary humans, and he was also carrying the strength runestone and had his swords. If his opponents did not use guns, they would be killed.

    "What? What is that?! We should either run away together or fight together."

    Junhyuk knew she was just pretending and said calmly:

    "Then, as a magician novice, you should fight from the back. I will fight in the front."

    "Sure."

    Sarang smiled brightly, and Junhyuk looked at her and then focused on eating. Sarang also looked at him and focused on eating.

    ---

    On Monday morning, he was on his way to work when he watched the news on his smartphone. They had found another three mummified bodies. The police thought it was the work of an organized gang.

    "Societal justice and rescue?"

    The dead high school students had been bad and hadn¡¯t readjusted into society. Junhyuk stopped watching the news.

    He had practiced a lot this past weekend.

    Sarang had been there to train, but Junhyuk could use his force field at will.

    Junhyuk could make a force field on whoever he chose, so he practiced spatial relocation.

    It was now possible for him to grab someone and teleport with that person. He had practiced in his room and had moved only twelve feet.

    Still, he had managed to teleport with Sarang. At first, he could only teleport himself, but with practice, he was able to do it with her.

    The first time Sarang teleported with him, she was so happy that it still made him smile. Sarang had practiced the uracy of her energy bolt.

    She had practiced with empty beer cans on the desk while she satfortably on a bed. She could shoot continuously and change the intensity of the energy bolt.

    She had shot more than twelve beer cans, and Junhyuk had had to drink them all first. Sarang had drunk sodas because she was underage and,ter, she had became so full that she had had to stop practicing.

    They had practiced together for the entire weekend and had be much closer. They had talked about saving each other and had eaten meals together.

    They didn¡¯t eat on the Dimensional Battlefield, and it was not a ce for small talk.

    Junhyuk got off the subway and walked toward ST Capsule¡¯s building while moving his hands around. He was training dual swordsmanship and, since he couldn¡¯t swing his swords, he was just making the motions.

    He went into his office and found out he was the first to arrive. He smiled and pulled out his tablet.

    He checked on the notes he had made on the coboration project and looked for extra information on the project. Then, he logged into thepany¡¯s intr and studied more. The door opened, and people started toe in.

    "Good morning!"

    It was Mr. Jang and his male coworkers. They all smiled at him.

    "Did you have good time with your cousin?"

    "What? Ha-ha-ha, I bought her some pizza and sent her home."

    "You are a good cousin."

    Mr. Jang passed him by, and the other male coworkers whispered among themselves:

    "Told you. She is just a cousin."

    "Strange. It stinks of a crime."

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly and reminded himself that he had to be careful. If the others found out that they had spent the weekend together, he just might get in trouble with them.

    Junhyuk was concentrating on his work when Jangho and Somin walked in. Somin greeted everyone and, as she saw Junhyuk, she turned her head away and sat down.

    Junhyuk wanted to know what was wrong with her, but Jangho just smiled at him as he too took a seat. Junhyuk clicked his tongue and decided to improve his rtionship with Somin.

    He meant to take her out on a meal since she had helped him a lot.

    He thought about this and that when the elevator door opened, and Eunseo walked in with her bodyguards.

    She drove her fully-automated wheelchair with ease and greeted the workers.

    "One hour from now, we will hold a meeting in meeting room. Everyone should attend."

    "Yes."

    "Come prepared," Mr. Jang said as he watched Eunseo go into her office.

    "Yes."

    "And Mr. Junhyuk Lee and Miss Somin Jeon, make copies of these and ce them in the meeting room."

    "Yes!" Junhyuk answered energetically and picked up the copy materials. "How many copies do we need?"

    "Thirty copies should be enough."

    "Right."

    Junhyuk took the materials to the copy machine, and Somin walked next to him.

    "I will prepare the tea for the meeting."

    "I can help you."

    Somin looked at him, shook her head and went away.

    Junhyuk reviewed the materials he was copying.

    "Already?"

    They had set a date for the coboration between ST Capsule and Robotics. The official announcement was a month from then. The meeting had to be about what would happen next.

    Junhyuk made thirty copies and headed to the meeting room.

    Somin was setting up the table for the meeting, and Junhyuk followed her around and ced the copies on each seat. The preparation was finished, and there was still some time left, so Junhyuk looked at Somin.

    "How about some coffee?"

    Somin shook her head.

    "After the meeting."

    "Promise?"

    Junhyuk acted exaggeratedly, and Sominughed at him.

    "It¡¯s good to see youugh."

    "Don¡¯t bother."

    They went back to the office and reported to Mr. Jang, and he gathered the rest of the workers.

    "Everyone, go to the meeting room. I will go with the chief."

    "Yes."

    Everyone took their seats in the meeting room, and Eunseo walked in. She was with Mr. Jang, and Mr. Jang stepped forward to start the meeting.

    "The ST Capsule and Robotics coboration has an official date set. The project was a sess, and the announcement will be made a month from now. Also, Robotics has given us full advertising rights."

    The people buzzed. It would be good to have only one of thepanies in charge of advertising. The final approval had to be made by both parties, but ST Capsule had the advantage.

    Eunseo lifted her hand, and everyone quieted down and focused on her. She looked at Junhyuk.

    "And this coboration¡¯s advertisement will include Mr. Junhyuk Lee."

    Everyone looked at him, and he smiled awkwardly. He did not know if that was good or bad.

    ------

    Bronx Cheer - A fart-like sound made by sticking your tongue between your lips and blowing.

 Chapter 54: Encounter 3

    Chapter 54: Encounter 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The ST Capsule and Robotics¡¯ coboration turned into a fast current, and Junhyuk¡¯s work until then became meaningless.

    "I should concentrate on advertisement?"

    "Correct," Department Chief Eunseo said calmly. "This advertisement¡¯s shoot will take three days and two nights, so you should be free on theing Wednesday, Thursday and Friday."

    Maybe it was better this way? He had to go to the Dimensional Battlefield the following week, but the shoot was scheduled for that week.

    "I understand."

    "We already have the concept for the ad. Here."

    Eunseo sent the contents from her tablet to his, and he looked over the concept and was a little surprised.

    "So, I will travel with them for three days and two nights?"

    "Right. This time, the people who received their metal model prosthesis will be traveling with you. The concept is that people with metal models will be able to live a daily life."

    Junhyuk nodded calmly.

    "Right. Should I prepare something on my own?"

    "No, not really. The Marketing Department is supporting this shoot."

    "I will work hard."

    It was a jam-packed schedule traveling through South Korea. During the trip, they would check the effectiveness of the metal model. There was a scene at a hot springs and one ying a simple match of kickball.

    "There are six members in the group, including me?"

    "Yes. Tomorrow, there is a meeting, so don¡¯t bete. Don¡¯t try too hard. Empty your mind and just show that you are enjoying the trip," Eunseo looked him in the eyes. "However, realize that they no longer have a handicap and show it on camera."

    "I will."

    People with the metal model were no longer handicapped. They couldn¡¯t ovee every situation, but they could move their limbs freely.

    "Here are the profiles on the people you will meet. Look them over."

    She sent him more materials.

    "I will."

    "So, shall we sign the contract?"

    "What?"

    They already had a written contract? He worked as an employee advertisement model and still had money in his bank ount. He wanted to buy a new car, but hadn¡¯t been to a dealer yet.

    Eunseo looked calm and pushed a contract forward.

    "This ad is not just for ST Capsule. It¡¯s limited to this coboration project, but the metal model will be developed further, and the first impression is very important. So, we need another contract with you, Mr. Junhyuk Lee."

    "OK."

    He pretended to understand what she was saying and looked over the new contract. It was almost the same as the previous one, but the amount of money had doubled. Junhyuk was really surprised and lifted his head, and Eunseo said calmly:

    "We are a major corporation, and so is Robotics."

    ST Capsule couldn¡¯tpare with Robotics in size yet. He didn¡¯t think his pay would decrease, but he thought the current offer was too high.

    The ad would y for one year, and the offer was of over one million dors. Junhyuk shivered, but signed the contract and gave it to her. Eunseo signed it as well and gave him a copy.

    "So, please do your best."

    "I will."

    Junhyuk got up from his seat, and Eunseo said:

    "You weren¡¯t therest time when thepany dined out."

    Junhyuk was curious about how she found out, and Eunseo fixed her sses.

    "It was for a Strategic nning Department¡¯s dinner. I was there as well."

    "I am so sorry. I was feeling sick."

    "They told me your cousin came to visit you, a beautiful high school student?"

    Her voice was sharp. Was he imagining that? Junhyuk smiled awkwardly.

    "Since that kid showed up, she took care of me."

    It was effective to refer to her as a kid. There was a small change in Eunseo¡¯s cold expression. He couldn¡¯t describe how her haughtiness had changed, but he felt it had.

    "Go to the Marketing Department. Mr. Han has something to tell you concerning tomorrow¡¯s meeting."

    "I¡¯ll get going."

    Junhyuk went outside, and Eunseo smiled secretly and tapped on her tablet.

    ---

    The five men all had stories of their own.

    Sukho Kim was in histe 30s and used to be a painter; he lost his right arm in an ident. He put his dream of bing a famous painter on hold and became the first person to get a metal arm. After that, he started painting again. Junhyuk had seen the paintings, and the metal arm allowed him to have the delicate brushes of painter.

    Manwoo Jung used to be a ser yer. He was in an ident involving an abnormal narcolepsy driver and lost both legs. After that, he attempted suicide multiple times but was never sessful and, now, he received the gift of the metal legs and started ying ser again.

    Chulsu Anh was a chef with bright future, but he lost both arms. He had been equipped with metal arms and had started cooking again.

    Joseph Lim was a professional gamer who lost his left arm. He had held the number one spot in the rankings as a professional gamer. He had been an eager gamer, and when he lost his left arm, he left the pro league and started to y games with just his right hand. He used to beat his opponents by using just his right hand, and that created a stir in the gaming world. He now had a metal arm and might go back to being a pro.

    Jinsu Kim was a bus driver who lost his left arm and his right leg. Compared to the others, he had an ordinary job, but he was also able to get a metal arm and a metal leg.

    On Tuesday, he met them during a meeting, smiling and greeting them:

    "Hello! I will be making the ad with you. My name is Junhyuk Lee."

    They were all sitting inside of a coffee shop and were focused on using their new metal arms and legs. They all knew the differences between metal arms and legs and regr limbs, but the public couldn¡¯t know about the metal model yet. Mr. Han, from marketing, apanied Junhyuk.

    "Have you all met? Finally, tomorrow is the day we start the shoot," Mr. Han continued. "All you have to do is follow the program and enjoy the trip."

    Manwoo smiled and said:

    "Can I think of it as a reality show?"

    "Sure. That should be easy to understand."

    Mr. Han looked at Jinsu.

    "Tomorrow, we will be getting an RV, and I want you, Mr. Kim, to drive it."

    Junhyuk had the most problem with epting that. The trial period had finished for the metal model, but could they drive? Jinsu had driven for many years, and he would be OK. In South Korea, bus drivers were quite skilled at what they did.

    If something were to happen, there would be an ident, but the people making the ad were willing to take that chance. Junhyuk had to risk his own life to film the ad.

    Maybe, he was being paid a lot of money because it was dangerous.

    Luckily, Junhyuk would be riding shotgun. If something were to happen, he could step in.

    "They will give us cooking materials, and Mr. Anh will be doing the cooking. For the rest of you, just enjoy your camping trip."

    Since their idents, they hadn¡¯t been outside. To them, this trip was kind of a challenge, and the focus of the ad was to capture that challenge.

    Junhyuk went over each of their roles, one by one.

    "Then, enjoy your gathering, and tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m., we will meet at ST Capsule¡¯s building. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow."

    Mr. Han got up and asked Junhyuk:

    "You got a second?"

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk followed him to the counter, paid for a coffee and gave him the credit card.

    "This is a corporate credit card. Tonight, take them out to dinner and send them home."

    "I understand."

    There was no reason to refuse apany credit card. The corporation would pay for everything, so Junhyuk took the credit card, and Mr. Han tapped his shoulder.

    "Because of your ad, our corporate image has improved. Do well this time as well."

    "I will do my best."

    Mr. Han waved, and Junhyuk went back to the group. They were not yet used to each other¡¯spany, so Junhyuk told them:

    "We should go out to dinner. It¡¯s on me."

    Chulsu asked:

    "Then, may I suggest a restaurant?"

    "Of course!"

    A chef¡¯s rmendation on a restaurant couldn¡¯t be bad.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    They all showed a different side to them now that Mr. Han was gone. They ate their dinners and also had some drinks. Junhyuk sent them home in taxis and collected all of the receipts.

    Thepany would pay for all of that.

    He had meant to only drink a little, but he might have drunk too much. He had a nice buzz going and got in a cab and pulled out his cell phone.

    He was calling Sarang.

    The phone rang twice, and he heard Sarang¡¯s bright voice:

    "Whoa! Big brother! What¡¯s going on? You are even calling me!"

    Junhyuk told her:

    "Sarang. I won¡¯t be home from tomorrow until Friday."

    "Where are you going? Take me with you!"

    "It¡¯s apany trip, so NO."

    "So, you are calling me because the house will be empty?"

    "Right. Because you should know."

    "I understand, but I want you to bring me a present."

    Junhyukughed.

    "I¡¯m not going on vacation."

    "I know it¡¯s not a vacation! Bring me a present. For sure! Bring back two presents!"

    Junhyuk smiled.

    "You heard about the mummified bodies incident?"

    "I watched it on the news."

    "You never know, so stay home. Don¡¯te by."

    "OK. You won¡¯t be there."

    Junhyuk gave her the key so that she could practice. She was not understanding it right, but he didn¡¯t correct her. He was seriously worried that she might encounter the vampire while he wasn¡¯t there.

    "OK. I will be back on Friday. We will meet on the weekend."

    "OK. Have a safe trip."

    "OK."

    He hung up the phone, leaned back on the seat, and the taxi driver said:

    "Because of the mummy incident, there is a new urban legend."

    "Right."

    "The CSI* unit will report on it soon."

    He was talking to the taxi driver when he got a notification on his cell phone. It was Sarang, wearing her school uniform and giving him the Bronx cheer.

    Underneath the picture, there was a message:

    [When you get lonely, look at my picture. Do bring me a present. For sure! Two presents!]

    Junhyukughed.

    "Do you have something going on?"

    Junhyuk shook his head and looked out the window.

    "Nothing. I just got a funny message."

    The scenery outside the window passed by quickly, and Junhyuk looked at his cell phone. There was one more message.

    It was Sarang¡¯s picture, but this time she was smiling.

    [You are looking at my picture. He-he. Have a safe trip.]

    Junhyuk smiled warmly.

    ------

    CSI - Crime Scene Investigation, a unit of the police that who is responsible for identifying, collecting, preserving, and packaging physical evidence at the scene of a crime.

 Chapter 55: Encounter 4

    Chapter 55: Encounter 4

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The beginning of the 3-day trip went smoothly. Jinsu was a veteran driver in his 50s, and he drove well. He drove them to Mt. Sul-Ak, where everyone had an early lunch and started climbing the mountain.

    They followed the Daechung route, and Junhyuk worried about whether they could make it to the top on time. It took eight hours toplete the Daechung route for ordinary people, and hiking was usually tough on the body. He was worried about whether the people with metal models could make it there.

    The filming crew joined them, and Junhyuk watched the people with metal legs hiking calmly. However, the people with metal arms were different.

    The metal model was made out of a special alloy, but it still used iron, which made it very heavy, and the group members hadn¡¯t trained hard after their idents. Mainly, Sukho, who was a painter and spent most of the time in his studio, and Joseph, who was a gamer, had low physical fitness levels. After they got their metal models, they began exercising and did not have problems in everyday life, but they had to be tired from the hike since it had to do with physical fitness.

    Junhyuk decided to take their backpacks. He was about to take Sukho¡¯s and Joseph¡¯s backpacks when Manwoo, who used to be a ser yer, offered to take one of them.

    They made it to the peak of the Daechung route, pushing and pulling to help each other. At the top of the peak, Junhyuk breathed in deeply.

    He felt like he could touch the sky, and the wide mountain range also made him feel fulfilled. He could tell why people liked hike.

    Junhyuk gave a chocte bar to the camera operator and said:

    "You are really fit. That camera must be heavy, and you hiked all the way here."

    "You are something else, Mr. Junhyuk Lee. You had two backpacks on your back, and your respiratory rate didn¡¯t even increase!"

    The camera operator was tired and gasping. Junhyuk¡¯s constitution was above the human limit, and every morning, he climbed the neighborhood mountain multiple times at full speed.

    It made sense that he was in shape.

    "Ha-ha. I exercise regrly."

    Junhyuk checked on Sukho and Joseph and looked at Manwoo.

    "You are in good shape."

    Manwoo tapped his legs.

    "I have better legs than when I was in my prime. This should be easy."

    Junhyuk smiled and picked up the backpacks.

    "Shall we go down? Dinner is at the lodge."

    "OK."

    Everyone got up with renewed energy, but Sukho and Joseph moaned and groaned, and Junhyuk tapped them on their backs.

    "Tonight, we will bathe at a five-colored hot spring."

    Sukho and Joseph got up, and soon, the group moved down the mountain. Junhyuk took a picture of himself at the top and went down.

    After the hike, everyone was very tired.

    They got BBQ meat for dinner, thick pork necks and bellies, and they also ordered beer. After that hike, everyone had their fill.

    After dinner, they went to the hot spring that was filled by five different types of water. They were not yet known to the world, so they bathed away from other people at another, smaller space.

    It was for the shoot, but the hot spring was in an open-air space. They took off their clothes and got in the water.

    The metal models werepletely waterproof, and everyone enjoyed the hot spring.

    Manwoo was shocked by Junhyuk¡¯s body.

    "You got a nice build!"

    Junhyuk agreed without hesitation. At that point, he did have a nice build, but Manwoo¡¯s body was something else as well. After he gave up ser, he had to have exercised regrly.

    "Manwoo, you have a nice build!"

    "I am a ser yer. All I know is how to work on my body."

    Sukho was listening to them talk and asked Junhyuk about the pendant on his ne.

    "Aren¡¯t those a ruby, a sapphire and a topaz?"

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t let the others touch his pendant, so he picked it up and said.

    "It¡¯s a family heirloom. I inherited it, so I am not sure."

    Sukho was really astounded.

    "How can you draw inside the gems?"

    They were runestones, so the runes were written inside each stone. No one could read the runes, but it still took a special technique to write inside the gems.

    "Well, I only wear it."

    He talked his way out of it, and people were no longer interested. Junhyuk watched them enjoying their baths. Everyone there had been involved in an ident rted to abnormal narcolepsy patients, and they hadn¡¯t given up on their lives.

    After Chulsu lost his arm, he started visiting famous chefs to taste their dishes, and Joseph yed games with one hand.

    Sukho visited many exhibitions to keep up his sensibility as a painter. All of them did not remain in despair but were eager to live their lives.

    The bath in the hot springs was over, and so was the filming session, and the first night came to an end.

    The advertisement was about capturing the metal model¡¯s effectiveness. So, the next day, they went to the beach, and to show it live, they went into the water even though it was a chilly day.

    Junhyuk did not want to go into the water, but then he experience the strength of the metal arm. Chulsu and Sukho did not look strong, but by using their metal arms, they tossed Junhyuk in the water.

    The metal arm had 1.5 times the strength of an ordinary arm. Junhyuk could¡¯ve thrown them in water instead, but he didn¡¯t want to showcase his own strength.

    He walked out of the water, changed clothes and took another selfie with his phone.

    They visited a local herb park next and, in the evening, they all yed three-on-three kickball. Junhyuk and Manwoo were on different teams.

    Manwoo, as a ser yer, was really something else with his feet. He attacked, and Junhyuk defended, but there soon was a hole in Junhyuk¡¯s defense. Sukho and Chulsu did not y well since they had no interests in athletics.

    They yed for a long time, and Junhyuk¡¯s team lost. Manwoo offered to shake his hand.

    "You have a nice build and good athletic skills. You are really something else. Did you y before?"

    Junhyuk had never had time for kickball, so he smiled.

    "No, but I jog every morning."

    "Ha-ha-ha. Do you want to y real ser with me sometime?"

    He had only watched ser, and now Manwoo could y again.

    "If I get a chance."

    They ate their dinner, made a campfire and yed a few more games. He went to his room, and that¡¯s when he got a message. It was from Eunseo, who had arrived there that evening, and he went to her room.

    She was sitting alone in a huge room.

    "Have a seat."

    "OK."

    A woman was alone in her room, so he was extra careful. Junhyuk took a seat, and Eunseo smiled.

    "I¡¯ve seen part of the film, and it looks good."

    "That¡¯s nice."

    "So, we will make more than just amercial and make a special program instead."

    Junhyuk was surprised, and Eunseo continued calmly:

    "If they edit all of the footage, they will have about three hours worth of film."

    It made sense. They had filmed for two straight days.

    "But it¡¯s for a corporate ad. How do you make it into a special program?"

    "It will be more effective that way. We have already contacted some public TV stations. They will make a sample tape, and we will let them know, but it will happen."

    Eunseo was very positive there would be a special program on TV.

    "I understand."

    Junhyuk was surprised, and Eunseo consoled him.

    "It won¡¯t be a simple ad, and you will get paid for your participation in the special program."

    He would earn more money, so he smiled.

    "I didn¡¯t do anything."

    "You really fit into the ad¡¯s concept, and you are helping us."

    Junhyuk realized Eunseo was looking after him. If not, they would not have given him that kind of opportunity.

    "Thank you."

    "For what?"

    "For looking after me."

    Eunseo fixed her sses and spoke calmly:

    "You are mistaken. It¡¯s my job to develop the careers of the people under my supervision."

    Junhyuk scratched his head.

    "Then, what happens tomorrow?"

    "After breakfast, I will go back to Seoul."

    "But tomorrow is Friday."

    "I will pay your sry and the extra for your work, so don¡¯t worry."

    W.A.N.C.S. had turned Fridays into holidays. The heads of states had agreed, so Fridays were holidays in Korea, and on the other side of the Earth, Thursdays were holidays.

    Some countries had Thursdays and Fridays as holidays, and Junhyuk was jealous of the people in those countries.

    Eunseo wanted Junhyuk to work the next day and paid him for it, but it was still Friday! Eunseo looked at him.

    "As you already know, Mr. Jinsu Kim is over fifty, so he won¡¯t experience abnormal narcolepsy. There could be idents involving other drivers. We already know the event takes ce between 6:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. We will drive outside of that time interval."

    She took a while exining everything. No one knew why abnormal narcolepsy happened, but now people could avoid it. They would avoid idents on the road and work on Friday.

    Eunseo looked at Junhyuk and smiled.

    "Till thest shoot, do you best. You may leave."

    "Then, sweet dreams."

    Junhyuk bowed to her and left. Eunseo checked the footage on her tablet. She was especially interested in the bathing scene.

    ---

    The three days of filming were over, and the camping RV arrived at ST Capsule¡¯s building around 3:00 p.m. Junhyuk said goodbye to everyone and headed home.

    He was holding some stuff because of the demand to get presents. He had gotten mushrooms and honey.

    He was curious about how Sarang would react to her presents. If she refused them, then he would take the mushrooms and honey to his parents. He had something else for her.

    Junhyuk got home and was opening the door when he got a message.

    [Big brother, where are you?]

    Junhyuk replied curtly:

    [Home.]

    [You came back?]

    [Yes.]

    The messages came in real time.

    [I will head there after I¡¯m done here.]

    Junhyukughed and replied:

    [I am tired and will be sleeping. Ring the bell.]

    [OK.]

    Junhyuk took a shower and turned on the TV. The mummies incident was getting bigger.

    "Huh?! Twelve victims already?"

    The victims were criminals, but the number was too high. It had all happened in a week, and there were twelve mummies. The culprit was a real serial killer.

    They had found the culprit¡¯s DNA at a crime scene, but what good was that? They were not close to catching the killer. They had to have a suspect topare the DNA with, but they didn¡¯t have any suspects yet.

    "He is a troublesome guy."

    Junhyuk had no intention to go out, search for and catch the guy himself. He couldn¡¯t even take care of himself, but if he encountered the killer, he would catch him.

    "Is he really a vampire?"

    Junhyuk told her he would be sleeping, but he was only talking to himself. He summoned his longswords and practiced. He had practiced with his wrists, but now he had time to practice with real swords.

    Arn recognized Junhyuk¡¯s swordsmanship as a power, so he had to continue practicing and, maybe, he would activate another power.

    To survive, he had to be stronger.

    He didn¡¯t notice the time pass and kept swinging his swords when, suddenly, his cell phone rang. There was no one at the door, but Sarang was calling him.

    "Where are you?"

    "Big brother!"

    She sounded serious, and Junhyuk¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    "What¡¯s going on?"

    "Somebody is following me."

    Junhyuk sent his swords back and put on his jacket and his shoes.

    "Where are you?"

    "I got off the subway, and someone has been following me since the station."

    "Take the big road. Very few people could keep up with you when you run. Don¡¯t worry and run. I¡¯m going. Don¡¯t hang up."

    "OK," She said, and he heard her running.

    Junhyuk went out and ran like mad. Sarang couldn¡¯t be in real danger. If necessary, she would use her energy bolt, but they might arrest her for killing the person, and she couldn¡¯t reveal how she had gotten her energy bolt.

    Junhyuk ran like a madman and saw Sarang. He also saw someone following her. The person had his hands in his pocket and was also running, and Junhyuk felt something was wrong.

    Junhyuk ran fast, went up to her and ran past her. Sarang stopped running and stood behind him, gathering her breath.

    It was Friday, and there was no one outside. It was a big road, and there was no one walking.

    Junhyuk saw the man who was following her. He looked ordinary, but then he saw the man¡¯s eyes.

    They were frenzied and full of madness.

    That man must be insane.

 Chapter 56: Blood Sword 1

    Chapter 56: Blood Sword 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    After falling asleep on his bed, Sanghoon regained consciousness. He saw himself all bloodied, remembered the previous day and rushed to the bathroom to throw up.

    It was as if he were vomiting his own stomach. After a while, he got up, looked at himself in the mirror and was really surprised. He was covered in blood and started washing himself like crazy.

    He washed himself until his skin became all red, and then he washed himself again. Sanghoon called the deliverypany and requested a vacation. The deliverypany was full of people who wanted to work there despite the heavy workload.

    Anyone who could drive could work for thepany.

    However, Sanghoon had a good reputation in thepany and was able to take the vacation without beingid off. He got a week off. Then, he covered himself with a nket and started shivering. He turned on the TV, and the news was filled with the things he had done.

    He looked at the photos of the students on the screen and remembered everything.

    "Shit."

    He didn¡¯t want to do it. He had been protecting himself, in self-defense. Those students had tried to kill him, and he had defended himself.

    He reminds himself that it had been self-defense, but his body quivered like a skinny tree in the wind.

    Sanghoon looked at the clothes he took off, walked carefully toward them and picked up the bloody dagger, ringleader and orchestrator of everything.

    Sanghoon looked at it and clenched his teeth. It gave him joy, and it was not something you could experience by doing drugs.

    He looked at it, threw it on the bed and covered himself with a nket.

    "I won¡¯t ever use it again," he told himself, but within a day, he picked up it again.

    He still had one rationalized thought left in his mind: He wanted to kill bad people.

    He picked out the worms of society and, that day, he killed three gangsters.

    He was filled with joy and had regained his rationality. He was able to find his way home to his bed, but he hadmitted three counts of murder.

    Murder had been difficult the first day, but after the second day, he felt less guilty. His victims were criminals, and he told himself that, but every night he looked for new victims around Seoul.

    He didn¡¯t want to do it around his house. He looked for organized gangsters, and when he found them, he hunted them.

    Sanghooon was hunting on Friday night, and he was bustling with joy.

    There were many ces where people were rarely seen, and many people were doing bad things, but that day, he spotted a female high school student.

    As he saw her, his dagger spoke to him violently. He hesitated, but still stalked her. By that point, he had lost his mind.

    He stalked the student who walked ahead of him and grabbed his dagger, feeling a fiery thirsting from it.

    That child was different. He would enjoy it more.

    He was running after her like mad when a man jumped out in front of her. Sanghoon stopped and looked at the man.

    He was facing off against two people, but nothing had changed. He wanted to quench his thirst.

    Sanghoon¡¯s eyes were filled with madness.

    ---

    Junhyuk looked at him and did not know he was the one responsible for the mummified bodies, but Junhyuk could see the madness. He had his hand in his pocket, so he had to have some type of weapon.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t summon his swords. He could only pull out a small sword from his jacket.

    "Sarang, this is not a good ce."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk slowly stepped back, and Sanghoon followed him. Junhyuk told Sarang:

    "Don¡¯t use your power. He needs to be arrested."

    "OK."

    She couldn¡¯t use her powers in public, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t intend to use his swords. He could summon his swords, but the CCTV cameras might catch him doing it.

    Junhyuk and Sarang stepped back into an alley. It was a dead end.

    Sanghoon followed them and opened his mouth wide.

    "Ki-ki-ki."

    He was crazy and pulled out his dagger. There were blood stains on it, and it looked strange. Junhyuk realized what it was.

    "That dagger is from the Dimensional Battlefield!"

    It wasn¡¯t an ordinary dagger, and Junhyuk understood everything.

    "You are the vampire."

    Vampire. It¡¯s him.

    Junhyuk was devoid of expression as he looked around. He found no CCTV cameras and summoned his longswords. It wasn¡¯t safe to deal with the crazy man while he was holding an item from the Dimensional Battlefield.

    "Sarang, don¡¯t interfere."

    "Should I use my energy bolt?"

    "No. Don¡¯t step in."

    Junhyuk spoke curtly and stood in front of Sarang. He stepped forward as Sanghoon took a step back.

    Junhyuk smiled slowly.

    "Why? Do you feel something?"

    Junhyuk¡¯s soul was trained, and he was an expert. His soul was iparable to ordinary souls.

    Sanghoon drew blood by cutting his palm. His blood seeped into the dagger.

    "Ki-ki-ki."

    As the dagger collected the blood, Sanghoon turned very pale, and his madness became even more pronounced than before.

    He jumped toward Junhyuk, and Junhyuk ran toward him. If he got away, Sarang could be in dangerter.

    Junhyuk made sure Sanghoon had no other way to get to her and he swung his sword. Sanghoon crouched and dodged the attack.

    Junhyuk kicked him, and Sanghoon tried to stab the leg, but Junhyuk twisted his leg.

    Ba-gack!

    Sanghoon was hit by a downward roundhouse kick and hit his shoulder against a wall.

    Junhyuk looked at him as he got up.

    "You could block it?"

    Sanghoon staggered but lifted his arms. He had a lot of experience in bare-knuckle fighting, so he blocked the kick.

    He was only pushed back because Junhyuk was very strong.

    Sanghoon got up and set his stance. Junhyuk attacked again, this time with his swords, but was unable to cut him. Junhyuk knew what was happening.

    This wasn¡¯t a simple brawl.

    Junhyuk was above the human limit, and his attacks were also beyond the human limit. Sanghoon could fight him, which meant that he was also above the human limit.

    How is that possible?

    Junhyuk blocked the dagger with the sword in his left hand and kicked Sanghoon again.

    Thuck!

    He was thrown back ten feet, and as he got up, he cut his palm again. That made Sanghoon be even faster.

    Sanghoon went at Junhyuk, and he swung both swords in continuous attacks. He had learned how to sh from Arn.

    He wasn¡¯t using sabers, but Junhyuk had trained himself on the technique.

    Thak-thak-ck!

    With loud noises, Sanghoon was pushed back. Junhyuk didn¡¯t give him an inch of space.

    Sanghoon knew he was losing and jumped forward. Junhyuk almost cut him in half, but withdrew his swords just in time.

    He used the blunt side of the swords and hit Sanghoon on the shoulder, smashing it, but Sanghoon continued swinging his dagger.

    ng!

    Junhyuk handled him easily, and Sanghoon stepped back and stabbed himself in the his smashed shoulder. Suddenly, Sanghoon¡¯s arm became very skinny.

    It did not look like an arm anymore.

    "Ki-ki-ki-ki."

    Sanghoon moved again, and Junhyuk had to focus hard.

    ng, ng, ng, ng!

    Sanghoon swung his dagger with speed beyond the human limit, and Junhyuk felt like he was facing a hero, but he blocked the attack with a longsword and thought:

    "No. He is not a hero."

    His movements were fast, but his attacks were not strong enough. It was all show and no substance.

    Junhyuk sped up. He had fought Warren before and had been able to withstand Warren¡¯s pressure.

    Each side swung their de, and the tempo of the fight picked up, and the sound of metal on metal whistled out for a long time.

    aang!

    A single shaking and shing noise rang out, and Sanghoon stepped back and looked at Junhyuk. He couldn¡¯t have his way with Junhyuk, so he got angrier and lifted his dagger.

    Then, he stabbed himself in the stomach.

    "What?!"

    Junhyuk thought the man was trying to kill himself, but Sanghoon¡¯s body was bing skinnier, and ended up very skinny. All the fat in his body was gone, and only muscle remained.

    "Ki-ki-ki-ki."

    Sanghoon howled and jumped at Junhyuk.

    Clung!

    He got faster, and Junhyuk had a hard time blocking him.

    He had sacrificed himself to get more speed. Sanghoon was using his speed to kill Junhyuk, while Junhyuk wanted to arrest him.

    He was not on the Dimensional Battlefield. He didn¡¯t want to kill in South Korea, but he didn¡¯t think he could stop Sanghoon anymore. The man had made himself even crazier to kill Junhyuk and Sarang.

    How could he arrest him? He would have to cut the man¡¯s limbs off to arrest him.

    Sanghoon¡¯s dagger traveled fast, and Junhyuk¡¯s eyes beamed. He realized that Sanghoon essentially only had one arm at that point, and Junhyuk was using two swords. He could defend himself and he realized one more thing: the man sacrificed himself to gain more speed, including his arm. Even if he were faster, he was missing an arm, so his attacks were not bnced.

    Without bnce, his speed had a limit. Junhyuk understood Sanghoon¡¯s limitations and realized his own victory.

    Junhyuk stepped forward at the swinging dagger. He took a huge step to it and blocked it with his longsword.

    Shi-shiiiink!

    The dagger slid down the longsword, and Junhyuk elbowed him. He was too close to swing the swords, but Junhyuk¡¯s elbow hit the man¡¯s ribs.

    Thuck!

    Sanghoon¡¯s ribs broke, and he was bounced back and rolled on the ground. Junhyuk meant to see an end to all of that when Sanghoon smirked.

    Junhyuk thought he had to be crazy to smile like that with his ribs broken, but Sanghoon positioned himself with his dagger as if he had won.

    Junhyuk looked at himself. and realized he was bleeding out of his left arm. The dagger had sliced him without him noticing.

    "Ki-ki-ki."

    Sanghoon was healing really quickly. He shook and howled and looked at Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk felt the wound on his arm ache. This was more dangerous than he had expected.

 Chapter 57: Blood Sword 2

    Chapter 57: Blood Sword 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    She saw Junhyuk in danger and thought about stepping in many times, but the destruction her energy bolt¡¯s could cause went beyond tearing up beer cans. She could now drill a hole in a wall and she he was getting stronger and couldn¡¯t imagine using it on a human.

    On the Dimensional Battlefield, she blew enemy minions¡¯ heads like watermelons, and her energy st was even stronger. She even killed heroes with it.

    She couldn¡¯t just use her powers, but in case the worst happened, she generated an orb and stood by. She couldn¡¯t just use it, but if Junhyuk was in danger, she wouldunch the energy orb.

    Her opponent might die, but she brushed that thought to a corner of her mind.

    Junhyuk¡¯s left arm started moving unnaturally, and he looked at Sarang. Her eyes beamed with resolve, and he said:

    "Don¡¯t step in."

    "But..."

    "I will deal with him seriously from now on."

    Until that point, he had been trying to stop the man, but now it was different. He had to try to disarm the man at all costs. So, Junhyuk would aim for the man¡¯s right wrist.

    It wouldn¡¯t be easy to take the man¡¯s dagger from him, so Junhyuk was willing to cut the man¡¯s wrist.

    "This is in self-defense."

    Junhyuk told himself and stepped forward. Sanghoon ran toward him. The distance between the two closed, and Sanghoon continued to stab with his dagger. Junhyuk still couldn¡¯t move his arm, and Sanghoon stabbed at him at great speed. Junhyuk wanted to parry Sanghoon¡¯s attacks, but he couldn¡¯t because of his left arm.

    Junhyuk headed toward him. Sanghoon swung fast, but Junhyuk could still see the swings. Sanghoon¡¯s dagger was about to stab the middle of Junhyuk¡¯s forehead when an ivory-colored force field wrapped around him.

    ng!

    The stabbing dagger bounced off. The heroes¡¯ sword attacks would have pushed the force field back, but Sanghoon was not that strong.

    Sanghoon¡¯s dagger bounced off, and Junhyuk spun his sword in a circle. He tried to feel the movement of his sword and felt like he had cut Sanghoon¡¯s wrist, but he had only scratched it.

    Sanghoon pulled his wrist back extremely fast and did not get hurt. Junhyuk followed Sanghoon, but Sanghoon backed up and did not get caught by Junhyuk.

    Maybe he unted such a high speed because he had sacrificed his body to the dagger.

    Junhyuk wanted to cut his wrist. Then, Sanghoon stopped running away and ran toward Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk thought he would seize the opportunity and swung his sword, but Sanghoon stepped aside. He stepped on the walls of the alley, then stepped on the force field and ran toward Sarang.

    Sarang saw the crazed Sanghoon running toward her and did not hesitate. She fired her energy energy orb.

    Thunk!

    It made a small noise, but the result was not small. Sanghoon¡¯s left knee was smashed, and his leg waspletely torn apart. Sanghoon ignored everything and continue heading toward her. Sarang did not have the time to make another energy orb and fire it.

    Then, she was surrounded by an ivory-colored light.

    Junhyuk had teleported and stood in front of her. Without one leg, Sanghoon stabbed the force field and bounced off, and Junhyuk swung his sword again.

    He focused on the speed of his swing, putting everything behind it, and cut Sanghoon¡¯s elbow. The torn arm was still holding the bloody dagger, and Junhyuk swung again.

    Th-thack!

    Using the blunt side of the sword, he swung at Sanghoon¡¯s right knee. The knee bent awkwardly, and Sanghoon fell to the ground.

    Junhyuk stepped on his back and looked around.

    They had made a lot of noise, but the alley was still quiet. There were no CCTV cameras, and there was only a light by the entrance of the alley.

    Junhyuk looked around, and Sarang felt very nervous and tried to calm herself down. The enemy minions did not look like humans. They were of a green race, and she did not hesitate to use her power on them, but Sanghoon was different.

    He waspletely crazy, but he was still human, and she had blown his leg apart.

    Her heart pounded, and she wanted to check on Sanghoon. He had tried to stab her in the eyes.

    "Big brother!"

    Junhyuk was looking down on him when Sanghoon stabbed his torn arm with the dagger. Then, his body thinned one more time. He only had his muscles left, and now he was getting skinnier, almost like a mummy.

    "Ki-ki-ki-ki!"

    He let out his high-pitchugher, and Junhyuk lifted his sword again, but Sanghoon¡¯s body was very thin and started turning to ash.

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected that. Sanghoon was feeling ecstatic through it all andughed like a madman.

    Sanghoon disappeared without leaving any trace, making Junhyuk feel like he had imagined the man, but he could still hear theughter in his ear. He looked back at Sarang, and she couldn¡¯t hide her fear. Sanghoon had killed himself and enjoyed it. It all looked very disturbing.

    Junhyuk picked up the dagger, hid it in his chest, sent his swords back and went over to Sarang. She looked up at him and gave him a big hug, and he patted her back and whispered:

    "It¡¯s all right now. It¡¯s all over."

    Suddenly, Sarang started to cry hard on him.

    She was relieved and no longer scared, and the realization that she had torn apart a person¡¯s leg weighed on her. Hisugh while he died terrorized her.

    Sarang couldn¡¯t collect herself to be calm, and Junhyuk whispered to her:

    "We should leave this ce."

    They had made loud noises. There was no trace of it, but a person had died in that ce. He had basicallymitted suicide, but people would see it in a different way.

    As Junhyuk spoke, Sarang nodded in his chest.

    "Then, let¡¯s go."

    Junhyuk grabbed Sarang by the wrist and looked back as they left. Sarang smiled awkwardly.

    "Big brother, I can¡¯t move my legs."

    Junhyuk knew what she meant. It was too much of a shock for a female high school student, so he sat in front of her and offered her a piggyback ride.

    "Get on."

    Sarang didn¡¯t speak and got on his back. Junhyuk lifted her up and held the back of her knees with his arms.

    She was wearing a skirt, and he shouldn¡¯t touch her naked legs with his hands.

    Sarang felt relieved on his back, and his good manners even made her feel better. She held tightly to his neck, and heined:

    "I can¡¯t breath. Give me some room."

    "He-heh."

    Sarang held on to his neck even tighter.

    "Did you get me any presents?"

    "Is that important now?"

    "Of course! That¡¯s why I came here! If it weren¡¯t for the presents, I would not have to met that crazy guy."

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly.

    "I brought something."

    "Really?!"

    "Expect something nice."

    "All right!"

    Sarang was overjoyed, and he took her home while people looked at them with suspicion. He did not bother to say she was his niece and just went home.

    He told himself that he was carrying a patient, and people probably saw it that way. Inside of his room, he let go of her.

    "Do you want to wash up?"

    "I¡¯m OK."

    Junhyuk pointed to the bed.

    "Have a seat. Do you want some pants?"

    "I¡¯ll use the nket."

    Sarang sat on the bed and covered her legs with the nket. He felt d that she covered herself, realizing that he had a high school student in his bed again and he felt really awkward. He got up and got the presents.

    The packages looked very big, and Sarang beamed with expectation as if she had forgotten everything that happened that night.

    Sarang looked over the two packages.

    "Can I open them?"

    "Sure."

    Sarang opened the first present with great expectation. There were mushrooms inside.

    "What¡¯s this?"

    "Mushrooms. It¡¯s a delicacy from where I was."

    Sarang looked at him funny and grabbed the other present.

    "Can I open this?"

    "Of course."

    She opened it up without any expression on her face.

    "Big brother, are you making fun of me?"

    "What are you talking about? I was on a trip, and that meant I should bring back special, local products."

    "Big brother!"

    Sarang shouted out loud, and Junhyukughed. Heughed for a long time and he went over to her, grabbing her left hand. Sarang looked at him, and Junhyuk pulled out a bracelet.

    It¡¯s was made out of a jujube tree, also known as Chinese date tree, which was struck by lightning. He wasn¡¯t sure if the tree was really hit by lightning, but when Junhyuk saw the bracelet, he got a funny feeling.

    It looked good, and he ced it on Sarang¡¯s wrist.

    "It¡¯s made out of a jujube tree. It prevents idents and illnesses."

    "Do you really believe that?"

    She thought he sounded like a used car salesman, and she gave him a Bronx cheer. Junhyuk continued:

    "I am not sure what it is, but don¡¯t you feel anything?"

    Sarang looked at her bracelet. She looked at it for a long time and felt something.

    It was really small, but she did feel something, and it looked good on her wrist.

    "Why did you buy it?"

    "I wished for a safe return and to always be lucky."

    Sarang looked up at him, and Junhyuk caressed her hair.

    "So, do your best to return safely."

    She nodded and grabbed his hand. Junhyuk tried to pull it away when she closed her eyes and shouted:

    "Yeah! This is a luck transfer to big brother!"

    Junhyuk smiled at her. Luck couldn¡¯t be transferred, but he liked her wish.

    "I will take good care of it," she murmured as she looked at her bracelet.

    "Right."

    Junhyuk took out the dagger he had picked up, and Sarang was very curious and asked:

    "Is it really from the Dimensional Battlefield?"

    He nodded heavily and read the instructions on the dagger.

    ---

    Blood Sword

    Attack Power +10

    Strength Absorption Power = 10%

    If one uses his own blood, attacking speed increases by 10% and movement speed increases by 5%. Stacks three times.

    Sold at the dimensional merchants.

    ---

    The owner¡¯s attack power increased by ten, and when the owner hurt his opponent, he received ten percent of the damage done to his opponent. If the owner damaged himself, his attack speed increased by ten percent and his movement speed increased by five percent, but it could only be stacked three times. After the fourth time, the owner might get killed.

    He understood why Sanghoon had stabbed his own arms and stomach now. He had wounded himself more than four times. Even if Junhyuk had left him be, he would still have died.

    "This is something else."

    Sarang shivered as Junhyuk spoke.

    "What are you going to do with it?"

    "It¡¯s from the battlefield, so I will take it with me next time. It¡¯s potent, so I may use it."

    It was different from Bebe¡¯s basic longswords and it had to be very expensive. He would sell it or use it himself.

    "It¡¯s really something else."

 Chapter 58: Doyeol Kim 1

    Chapter 58: Doyeol Kim 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk thought there might¡¯ve been witnesses on the day the dagger¡¯s owner died and looked around the area carefully, but he didn¡¯t find anything out of ordinary. He had secretly gone back to the alley where the incident took ce, but didn¡¯t even find a drop of blood.

    That was because the Blood Sword absorbed all of it to thest drop.

    Junhyuk was curious about what kind of effects the Blood Sword would have on him, but decided not to check because he had seen Sanghoon cutting his own palm and turning crazy.

    However, he was curious about one more thing. He understood how Sanghoon thinned out and died, but his clothes had also disappeared into thin air.

    In any event, the mummified bodies serial killing was now over. Nobody had to feel afraid anymore.

    Junhyuk went to his parents¡¯ house on the weekend. Sarang had told him she wanted to meditate on weekends, and Junhyuk visited a car dealership on his way to his parents¡¯.

    The dealer told him that he should use half of his annual sry to buy a car, but Junhyuk, being a man, went beyond just half.

    His purchase would take over a month to be delivered, and he ordered full options for the car. When he returned home, he worked on dual-de swordsmanship and power training.

    He practiced two continuous uses of spatial relocation followed by stabbing the opponent¡¯s weak spot. He liked the fact that his attack was unusual, but he was missing something.

    "The attack¡¯s power is weak."

    He thought he would only be able scratch the heroes that way and realized that he was weak. To kill, he needed more powerful blows, and he shouldn¡¯t just wait for others to help him out. He felt that deep in his bones.

    Junhyuk spent the weekend practicing dual-de swordsmanship and his powers and went to work on Monday. Everyone was working, busy on the coboration project, but he had nothing special to do.

    He was thinking about what to do when Eunseo showed up for work and called for him. He felt relieved to be called over. Everyone was busy except for him, and he felt bad.

    Eunseo offered him a seat. He took it, and she picked up a remote control.

    She pressed a button, and blinds covered the windows of the room, a wall opened up, and a huge TV appeared.

    Eunseo started calmly:

    "We have edited the advertisement and the movie. The movie is three hours long and will be broadcasted in parts over three weeks."

    "Already?"

    "The announcement of the coboration will be three weeks from now, and so will the broadcast, but the ad will start running next week."

    "I see."

    Eunseo turned on the TV ¡ª it was a smart TV and it was connected to the building¡¯s intr ¡ª and they watched the videos.

    The ad was not long. Itsted only one minute, but it contained more footage than the previous one in which he had participated.

    The painter, Sukho Kim, was painting thendscape, and Manwoo Jung was kicking a ser ball. Chulsu Anh was cooking, and Joseph Lim looked cool ying games. Then, Jinsu Kim drove their camping RV. The scenes were in that order.

    It was a very short version of their camping trip, and Junhyuk smacked his lips. It was a good video. He was just embarrassed to see himself in it.

    Eunseo lifted her sses and said:

    "It will take a long time to watch the entire movie for broadcast. I will send it to you in an email."

    "OK."

    "You have to watch it. It came out really nice."

    "Oh... OK."

    He had applied himself at the shoot, but Junhyuk was embarrassed, and Eunseo looked at him.

    "The bathing scenes will be on the broadcast. You don¡¯t mind, do you?"

    "I don¡¯t mind."

    They had all been wearing shorts.

    Eunseo fixed her sses.

    "You will be the first to watch the ad and the movie. I will send them to my superiors, so don¡¯t show them to anyone else, not until it bes public."

    "Don¡¯t worry about it."

    Junhyuk smiled, and Eunseo nodded.

    "Then, you may leave. I will send that email right now."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk went out, and Eunseo reyed the ad. She watched the scenes containing Junhyuk carefully as she fixed her sses.

    ---

    There was a big screen in the auditorium, and they were watching a movie when ST Capsule¡¯s director Sukhoon Kim spoke:

    "Brother, it¡¯s a really nice movie."

    Sukhoon was sitting next to ST Capsule¡¯s president Doyeol Kim, but Doyeol did not speak. It was a three-hour long movie, and Sukhoon sipped on his tea while he watched the bathing scene.

    "He didn¡¯t look it, but he has a nice build."

    Doyeolughed at what Sukhoon said.

    "Right," Doyeol answered him, and as he saw the pendant hanging on Junhyuk¡¯s neck, his eyes widened.

    "That is...!"

    They could hear to conversation. Junhyuk exined it was a hand-me-down in his family, but Doyeol¡¯s eyes beamed.

    Sukhoon saw him and asked:

    "What¡¯s the matter?"

    "You said that he is an employee of thepany?"

    "You mean Junhyuk Lee?"

    "His name is Junhyuk Lee?"

    Doyeol whispered the name, and Sukhoon said:

    "When Eunseo fell from the hill, he fell with her. He is that guy."

    "He is that guy?!"

    Doyeol looked at Junhyuk on the screen and focused on his pendant.

    "I should meet him."

    "How about tonight?"

    "No. I¡¯m not in a hurry. You should check his schedule first."

    "I understand," Sukhoon answered calmly and smiled. "By the way, this is the first time you take an interest in an employee."

    Doyeol smiled and asked:

    "How is the coboration project going?"

    "We should ask Eunseo, but it¡¯s going well. Robotics is really cooperating, so things are going smoothly."

    "Right."

    "Brother, what did you do exactly?"

    "You don¡¯t have to know."

    Doyeol signaled with his hand, and Sukhoon got up and said:

    "I will tell the secretaries and make an appointment."

    "Right."

    Sukhoon left. Doyeol reyed the scene and closed up on the pendant around Junhyuk¡¯s neck. He was familiar with the writing on the pendant.

    "Runestones..."

    ---

    He got off work, turned on his smartphone and watched the movie. The beginning part was about the tragic stories of the people who spent time camping with him before they got their metal models.

    There were also scenes of the people getting their prosthetics, and then they went on the trip.

    He was on the trip with them. Junhyuk remembered it as a simple trip, but the editing magic transformed it intoughs and drama.

    They must¡¯ve interviewed them individually after the trip. They were really happy and thanking Junhyuk for going with them.

    He smiled bitterly.

    He only thought of it as a simple trip, but they were sincerely happy, and it made him realize the trip was also very tough.

    The three-hour movie waspartmentalized. Junhyuk got home, took a shower and started watching the movie again. He couldn¡¯t do anything about it now.

    He was a luggage handler in a reality show. The main characters were the people with the prosthetics, and he had just looked after them during the trip.

    "It¡¯s nice."

    He understood ST Capsule¡¯s power. The trip ended on Friday, and they did separate interviews and edited everything. He had to respect the editors¡¯ abilities and ST Capsule¡¯s power because it hired those editors.

    Junhyuks watched the entire movie, yawned really hard,y on his bed, and pulled out the Blood Sword. It looked as though it wanted to drink more blood.

    "It¡¯s a monster."

    Whoever had purchased it from the dimensional merchants, he didn¡¯t know. It may have been a hero. Junhyuk looked over it carefully and closed his eyes.

    "It feels good to be home instead of at work."

    The coboration project was ongoing, and everyone was still at work, but Junhyuk was working with the marketing department and got off work when they did.

    There were people still working at the marketing department, but Mr. Han was different. Mr. Han had offered him regr hours, and he had no reason to turn the offer down.

    Junhyuk could focus on training not only on weekends but on weekdays as well.

    "Right. I should sleep."

    He¡¯d been focusing on training and was really tired. Exercising needed rest. He had learned that the hard way. For the first time in a long time, he slept for a while.

    He got up at dawn and nned to climb his neighborhood mountain, but that day, he had a weird feeling.

    He stopped running and went home. He looked out of his windows, but did not notice anything.

    "What is it?"

    He felt like somebody was watching him, but he didn¡¯t find anybody. Junhyuk prepared to go to work. On his way to the subway station, he still felt like somebody was following him.

    Junhyuk got on the subway and knew it for sure. The morning subway was the hellish subway. There were so many people, it was not possible to follow him covertly, so Junhyuk saw the people following him. There were two men wearing ck suits. Junhyuk was certain they were following him.

    They were away from him, but they were following him.

    They got on two doors down and looked at him. He thought he should go meet them.

    Junhyuk walked across the hellish subway. His aura was enough for people to make a way for him.

    He walked over to the two men, and they look surprised.

    Junhyuk smiled at them.

    "You¡¯ve been following me since this morning. Who are you?"

    The two men denied the whole thing.

    "What are you talking about?"

    "You know what I am talking about!"

    The people around them began talking, and one of the men stepped forward and said:

    "You are mistaken. We will just move to the next car."

    Junhyuk watched them as they left. The peopleined about them moving, but they were so strong, they made a way.

    They went to the next car, and Junhyuk shook his head.

    They were well-trained. Why were they following him?

    Junhyuk frowned and murmured.

    "Sarang cannote over for a while."

    He had felt them when he went running that morning and at his house. They had to be professionals since he hadn¡¯t seen them until then.

    It was the hellish subway that turned them in. He didn¡¯t know why, but someone was watching him, and he had to be more careful.

 Chapter 59: Doyeol Kim 2

    Chapter 59: Doyeol Kim 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    He was looking at the view of Seoul through huge windows in the ST Capsule¡¯s presidential office when Doyeol heard a knock and said:

    "Come in."

    The door opened, and the head secretary walked in. The head secretary stood behind him and made his report.

    "Team 3 was following him, but he made them."

    "They are so ipetent!"

    "No, but he got really upset. It happened on the subway."

    "Hm." Doyeol nodded and said "OK. However, if he catches them one more time, that will be the end of Team 3."

    "I understand," the head secretary answered and left.

    Doyeol had his hands behind his back and murmured:

    "He survived that ce, so he must be very careful."

    Doyeol touched his chin, took a seat and called up his secretary.

    "Director Kim made an appointment for dinner. When is it?"

    "Thursday evening at six o¡¯clock at the Royal Hotel."

    "Thursday? I see."

    Doyeol rested his chin on his hands.

    "When I meet him, I will know."

    ---

    They started following him early in the morning. Junhyuk got to work and looked around at everyone. He was looking for the people following him, but didn¡¯t see any of them.

    "So, thepany is safe."

    Junhyuk took notice of everything around him and sat down. All of his coworkers had dark circles around their eyes. As the coboration project got going, they became less healthy.

    Junhyuk checked on the progress of the coboration. He had just been in amercial, but he still wanted to know what was taking ce. However, he did not find more about the project.

    Eunseo was looking for him, and Junhyuk went to her office. She told him calmly:

    "You have an appointment today at lunch time."

    "OK," Junhyuk answered, and Eunseo fixed her sses and looked at him.

    "I sent the videos to Robotics, and a team from Robotics wants to meet you. So, we have a lunch appointment."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk was not worried about it. It was a work thing, so he didn¡¯t have to spend his own money, and Eunseo was not the type to dine with him alone.

    Eunseo looked at him and said:

    "Then, I will see you at lunch."

    "You areing too?"

    She continued:

    "This time, they will speak English. Is that OK? We might want to bring an interpreter with us."

    "It¡¯s fine. I told you I speak some foreignnguages."

    He had bought thenguage pill. He didn¡¯t need an interpreter.

    "I will trust you then. You shoulde back to my office by 11:20 a.m."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk said goodbye and left. Eunseo opened her desk¡¯s drawer. The paper airne made out of Junhyuk¡¯s application was in it, and Eunseo shook her head.

    "Can I trust him?"

    She would know how good his English skills were after lunch.

    ---

    He read the materials on the coboration project. It was 11:10 a.m., and Junhyuk got up and went over to Mr. Jang.

    He was on the phone and hung up to look at Junhyuk.

    "What is the matter?"

    "Chief Eunseo asked me to join her for lunch with the people from Robotics, may I leave now?"

    "About the advertisement?"

    "It looks that way."

    Mr. Jang nodded.

    "I see. Don¡¯t make a mistake."

    "Of course!"

    "Enjoy your lunch!"

    "You too."

    Junhyuk nodded to the other people and headed toward Eunseo¡¯s office. He opened the door and found Eunseo and Director Sukhoon Kim inside.

    Junhyuk greeted him, and Sukhoon smiled.

    "We meet again," Sukhoon said.

    "Right. How is your health?" Junhyuk replied.

    "It hasn¡¯t been that long of a time. Let¡¯s go!" Eunseo interjected.

    "OK."

    Sukhoon pushed Eunseo¡¯¡¯s wheelchair. There was no need for that, but Sukhoon wanted to.

    They went down to the parking lot and got on a luxurious limousine. They went to a traditional Korean restaurant. It was supposed to be really extravagant and expensive.

    The limousine stopped, and a woman wearing a traditional Korean dress walked over.

    "We have a room reserved."

    "The other guests aren¡¯t here yet?"

    "No."

    Sukhoon looked at Junhyuk.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    "Right."

    Junhyuk thought about pushing Eunseo¡¯s wheelchair, but she moved ahead of them.

    They went into the reserved room, and Sukhoon told Junhyuk:

    "I watched the movie."

    "Thank you."

    "My brother wants to see you."

    "Your brother...?"

    Junhyuk started asking him, and Eunseo got really surprised and looked at Sukhoon. Sukhoon smiled.

    "Ourpany¡¯s CEO."

    "The president?"

    "Right. How about Thursday evening?"

    "That¡¯s fine."

    He should make some time for thepany. The president wanted to dine with him, and he couldn¡¯t refuse. Sukhoon smiled.

    "Then, I will tell him."

    They heard the woman who guided them announce someone:

    "Mr. Clinton from Robotics is here."

    "Tell him toe in."

    "I will guide him."

    Soon, the door opened, and two men came in. One man was in his 40s, and the other looked to be his secretary.

    Sukhoon spoke to him in English.

    "I didn¡¯t expect to see you in person."

    "Ha-ha-ha! I am in charge of the coboration project, so shouldn¡¯t I be here?"

    Clinton looked at Eunseo, and she nodded back at him.

    "I¡¯m not well. Please, excuse me for not standing up."

    Clinton bowed, took her hand and kissed it.

    "You look very beautiful. Had I known, I would havee earlier."

    Eunseo did not speak and fixed her sses, and Clinton turned to Junhyuk.

    "You must be him, the coboration project¡¯s ad model."

    "Nice to meet you. I am Junhyuk Lee."

    Clinton exchanged greeting, and Sukhoon offered him a seat.

    "Let¡¯s all seat."

    Everyone took a seat. The other man was Clinton¡¯s secretary and sat behind him. He didn¡¯t even look up, so he had to be a secretary.

    Sukhoon ordered food, and they soon brought many dishes. They were traditional Korean dishes, and there were more than thirty different items.

    "Let¡¯s eat first."

    They began eating, and Junhyuk was astounded by the taste of the food. It was all so expensive and delicious, and he liked it a lot.

    The meal was over, and Eunseo and Clinton conversed. Clinton looked at Junhyuk.

    "I watched the movie. It came out really nice."

    "It¡¯s just good editing. For my part, I just went on a trip."

    "Ha-ha-ha! You are modest."

    Clinton smiled.

    "This ad will go out to the entire world, and ABC will run a special broadcast."

    He hadn¡¯t expected that, and Clinton continued:

    "Don¡¯t worry. We think everything will work out fine."

    "It¡¯s good to know."

    "We want to cut the scenes at the hot spring. What do you think?"

    Eunseo frowned, and Clinton continued:

    "It¡¯s not really a necessary scene. Should we edit it out?"

    Eunseo looked at Sukhoon, and he nodded. It wasn¡¯t a problem. Eunseo thought about it and looked at Clinton.

    She still had the full version with herself, which she wouldn¡¯t give up so easily.

    "Do we have enough time left?" Clinton asked.

    "The bathing scene is about ten minutes. We should be able to edit it out."

    She didn¡¯t know why Clinton wanted to cut the scene, but she agreed and nodded.

    In South Korea, ST Capsule was a major corporation, but the Robotics brand was much bigger at the world stage.

    They had the power to make a deal with ABC.

    Clinton thought he had resolved the matter and asked Junhyuk:

    "On that scene, you are wearing a strange pendant. Could I see it?"

    Junhyuk was really surprised. He could see it, but he couldn¡¯t wear it. Whoever wore it had their defensive and uracy powers increase.

    If he wore it, he would find out about the pendant¡¯s power, and that it was not ordinary. Junhyuk untied his tie and showed it to him.

    "I am sorry. I will show it to you, but you may not take it."

    "All right! I¡¯ll just look at it."

    Clinton ced the pendant on his hand and looked at the engravings.

    "It¡¯s on film, but it is still astounding. What are these engravings?"

    "I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s just family heirloom."

    "Right."

    Clinton sat down again and smiled at Junhyuk.

    "I collect gems. I¡¯ve never seen one like that before, and it¡¯s engraved. I want it."

    Junhyuk did not speak. Clinton pushed the point.

    "Do you want to sell it to me?"

    "What?"

    "I will pay you five million dors for it."

    Sukhoon and Eunseo were surprised at the price, but he couldn¡¯t sell his runestones. He was curious.

    Do they know about the runestone? If not, they should just look like a sapphire, a ruby and a topaz, but why is he offering such a crazy amount of money for it?

    Then, he remembered the people he had seen that morning.

    They had been Korean, so he was suspicious but wasn¡¯t sure.

    Junhyuk needed to be careful.

    "I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s not about the money. I can¡¯t sell it even for ten million. Please understand."

    Sukhoon and Eunseo were surprised again. Junhyuk was not from a wealthy family, but he couldn¡¯t sell it for ten million dors?

    Clinton smiled at him.

    "I thought I would ask. If I made you feel bad, I apologize."

    Junhyuk saw the glimmer in Clinton¡¯s eyes, keenly, gleaming eyes. He should watch out for him.

    "I¡¯m OK. You don¡¯t have to apologize."

    They talked for a while and left. The limousine was heading back, and Sukhoon wanted to see the pendant.

    Junhyuk just showed it to him, and he shook his head.

    "There are no signs of any engravings, but he offered five million dors for it. He must be quite a collector!"

    Eunseo also looked at the pendant and nodded her head.

    "You are something else. You wouldn¡¯t sell it even for ten million dors."

    Junhyuk smiled, and Eunseo fixed her sses. He had been shocked by a 500,000-dor contract, but he couldn¡¯t sell it for ten million dors. She was curious about the pendant, but it was none of her business.

    Sukhoon and Eunseo were curious, but Clinton was different. He had to be more careful.

 Chapter 60: Doyeol Kim 3

    Chapter 60: Doyeol Kim 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    After he got the report from Sukhoon, Doyeol smiled bitterly. He should have taken care of it before Robotics found out. Eunseo sent her materials so fast, he did not have a chance, and now Robotics knew. Doyeol clicked his tongue and said:

    "Dinner is this Thursday?"

    "Yes."

    "And he won¡¯t sell it for ten million dors?"

    Sukhoon shrugged.

    "It¡¯s a family heirloom, and he doesn¡¯t want to sell it."

    "I want to see that pendant even more."

    "He just showed it to us when we asked."

    "But he did not take if off?"

    "No."

    He was sure that it was a runestone pendant, but runestones were for heroes!

    Doyeol shook his head and said:

    "Right. I will find out when I meet him."

    "Then, I will see you on Thursday."

    "OK."

    Sukhoon left, and Doyeol hit the desk.

    "Clinton! Then, he must be after it!"

    ---

    After the meeting with Clinton, Junhyuk was extra careful. He felt like someone was watching him, but he had no evidence.

    On his way home, he watched everything carefully, closed the curtains on his windows, turned on the TV, and trained. He practiced using spatial relocation and the force field. Then, he moved on to dual-de swordsmanship before going to sleep.

    Nothing happened during the week, and on Thursday, he joined Sukhoon at the Royal Hotel. Like Tuesday, they rode in a limousine, but this time, Eunseo did not join them.

    On his way to the Royal Hotel, Junhyuk realized how his life had changed. It was all because he had been to the Dimensional Battlefield and had gone beyond human limitations. Filming the ad had earned him more money than he had imagined.

    He had one and a half million won in his bank ount, and they would pay him more after the broadcast, and he had experienced many things he had not experienced before.

    He shouldn¡¯t let his guard down. Someone was watching him, and that meant somebody was curious about him.

    They got to the Royal Hotel and went to the top floor where the restaurant was. The host took them to a man, alone and without a secretary.

    Junhyuk looked at him and was surprised. ST Capsule was a powerfulpany, but he was still so young. He could be in his 40s, but his eyes were like nobody else¡¯s.

    He looked at Junhyuk and understood everything, Doyeol greeted him first, and Junhyuk did not want to make eye contact.

    "Nice to meet you. I am Junhyuk Lee."

    "Greetings. I am Doyeol Kim."

    Doyeol had a presence just by sitting across from him. He was very young and a CEO of a major corporation, so he couldn¡¯t be an ordinary man.

    He offered Junhyuk a seat.

    "Seat."

    Everyone sat, and Doyeol said:

    "I ordered for you. Is steak cooked medium OK?"

    "I like it."

    They brought out the soup, and Doyeol said:

    "Let¡¯s eat."

    Junhyuk ate his soup while checking out Doyeol. He was the president, so why did he want to see him? He didn¡¯t speak and just ate his meal.

    They finished their steaks and waited for their dessert, and all the while, Doyeol did not speak. Junhyuk was thinking that Doyeol might have just wanted to dine with him, and that¡¯s when Doyeol spoke:

    "Because of you, our image has improved quite a lot. I also watched your ad and the movie."

    "It¡¯s just a good concept."

    Doyeol smiled at him.

    "You are modest."

    Doyeol was serious when speaking to him.

    "Do you have any problems at work?"

    "I don¡¯t."

    Doyeol started drinking his tea when Sukhoon said:

    "Your pendant. I told him about our meeting with Clinton, and he was really curious. Can you show it to him?"

    Junhyuk looked at him and nodded. Sukhoon must¡¯ve made a report. Junhyuk pulled out his pendant, and Doyeol looked at it and smiled.

    "Clinton is interested, but you won¡¯t sell it even for ten million dors?"

    "No."

    "It must be precious to you."

    "You can¡¯t buy it with money."

    Doyeol didn¡¯t speak further about that.

    "I wish I had something like that."

    Doyeol was no longer interested and got up. Junhyuk got up as well, and Doyeol offered him his hand and grabbed Junhyuk¡¯s hand as hard as he could.

    "Do your best for thepany."

    "I will."

    Doyeol tapped on his shoulder lightly and looked at Sukhoon.

    "Take him home."

    "I will."

    Junhyuk watched Doyeol leave. They¡¯d dined, and he hadn¡¯t spoken much.

    He put the pendant back under his shirt. Doyeol hadn¡¯t looked at it carefully, and Junhyuk shook his head.

    "My brother is reticent, but he means to look after you," Sukhoon said.

    "What do you mean?"

    "He doesn¡¯t dine with his employees."

    Junhyuk frowned. He had to think about that situation. He wasn¡¯t special; he was just an employee.

    After meeting Clinton, he had developed the habit of being suspicious. It wasn¡¯t a good thing overall, but someone was still following him, so for now, it was a good thing to be suspicious of people.

    Sukhoon smiled at him.

    "I will take you home."

    "No need. I can go back on my own."

    "My brother will scold me."

    "My neighborhood is not a ce for a limousine," Junhyuk said.

    Sukhoon relented and smiled.

    "Keep it a secret from my brother."

    "Of course!"

    There was no need to meet Doyeol again, and he could keep it a secret. Junhyuk called for a taxi.

    Inside the taxi, Junhyuk looked at his pendant. They had all been focused on it.

    "I will ask him if I can hide this."

    He meant to hide it like he did his longswords. As he thought about it, his phone rang. Junhyuk looked at the number andughed. The screen read rade." He felt like someone was after him, so he changed the name of the number in his phone.

    "Why did you call?"

    "Whoa! Is that your attitude after answering a call from a high school student?"

    "Speak."

    "Big brother, what do we do tomorrow?"

    "I¡¯m thinking about it."

    Somebody was watching him, so he shouldn¡¯t get Sarang involved. Someone might end up watching her as well.

    "I have tomorrow off. So, should we go on a trip?"

    "No, not really."

    He would be defenseless for an hour, and that was a problem. He should pretend to be sleeping.

    "Can you sleep at your house at that time?"

    "I can. They won¡¯t bother me."

    "Right. Just make sure no one find out about it."

    "Then, tomorrow we will be sleeping at our own houses?"

    "Right. That¡¯s the only way."

    "I understand. We will meet there. See you tomorrow."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk hung up the phone and leaned back on his seat when the driver said:

    "It must be nice to have the day off tomorrow."

    Junhyuk looked at him. He was driving a private taxi and looked old.

    "One has to be over forty years old to drive public transportation on Fridays, isn¡¯t that right?"

    "Ah, you mean thatw? It passed. It passed with unbelievable speed."

    "Thatw had to be passed since it concerns the safety of the public."

    "Right? The young drivers protested, but they still passed it."

    The neww made sense. They should¡¯ve passed it a long time ago. After the neww was passed, people could use public transportation on Fridays without worry.

    Junhyuk answered the driver¡¯s questions perfunctorily* and looked out of the window. It was already time to return to the battlefield.

    "It¡¯s almost Friday."

    The next day, he would practice for the entire day. He had to prepare before going back. Every Friday from then on was a holiday, so that was a big relief.

    Junhyuk closed his eyes slowly. He needed to rest on his way home because he would train like crazy that night.

    ---

    Official world wide holiday.

    That Friday morning, he put a piece of tape across the gap between the door and the wall, so If someone entered his room, they would leave a trace, and he jogged around his neighborhood, but didn¡¯t notice anyone.

    He ran toward the mountain. He ran so fast that if someone was following him, he would know. He got to the top of the mountain, checked the path, and saw no one following him, but he was still suspicious.

    "They must be professionals!"

    He had doubts, and the doubts wouldn¡¯t go away easily. Was there any way to lose them?

    He needed to think about it some more.

    On his way home, he saw some parked cars, but there were no cars near his home.

    That day, he trained and had to go to the Dimensional Battlefield, and he didn¡¯t know what they would do. Junhyuk checked the tape and saw that nothing was wrong and went inside.

    He noticed nothing out of the ordinary, pulled down the blinds on the windows and turned on the TV. He was afraid someone was listening in, so he turned the TV on first and then summoned his swords. He would focus on his training until the time to go to the Dimensional Battlefield.

    He trained all day and, in the evening, he sat on his bed.

    At night, his TV was still set on a high volume when he pulled out his cell phone. A voice whispered back to him from the end:

    "Big brother!"

    "Are you ready?"

    "Yes."

    "Make sure no one finds out."

    "What about you?"

    Junhyukughed.

    "Can you hear it?"

    "You mean your TV?"

    "Right. Just in case."

    Sarang believed in everything Junhyuk said. He told her someone was watching him, and she was extra careful herself.

    "All right. I will see youter."

    "Right. Later."

    He hung up the phone andy on his bed. It was time for him to leave, and he pulled out the Bloody Sword.

    "Can I take this with me?"

    He got it in South Korea, so he wasn¡¯t sure if he could take it to the Dimensional Battlefield, but he held on to it. He checked the time and slowly closed his eyes.

    Soon, the bright light covered his vision.

    ------

    perfunctorily - doing something without being interested in it, with indifference.

 Chapter 61: Changes 1

    Chapter 61: Changes 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    By that time, he was used to getting there and naturally covered his eyes with his hands. The light disappeared, and he opened his eyes and looked at the number in the corner of the room.

    It said 8,390G.

    Thest time he checked, it said 383G, so he had earned 8,000G.

    The first magic increment increase cost 2,000G. One sword was eligible for a 30 percent discount, so one sword would cost 1,400G. Both swords together would cost him 3,400G.

    Junhyuk checked his chest for the Blood Sword and was relieved. He pulled it out.

    "I was able to bring this as well."

    It was from the Dimensional Battlefield, and he was able to bring it back. Junhyuk looked at the Blood Sword and smacked his lips.

    "I could sell this. It must be expensive."

    Heroes sold stuff they didn¡¯t use even though Bebe only paid them half of the original price. However, he might still get arge sum.

    Junhyuk checked on his expert gear and saw two swords. Those swords were free, and Junhyuk¡¯s eyes twinkled.

    "I¡¯ll use them for throwing."

    He could summon his own weapons any time he wanted to, so he would take these swords and use them as projectiles when he was in danger. He didn¡¯t know how to throw expertly, but he could do the basics.

    He couldn¡¯t throw them at heroes, but he could use them on minions and novices.

    Junhyuk girded the swords around his waist and heard a soft voice.

    [Wee. You are being summoned to the Valley of Death.]

    "What wee?!"

    He had heard it before and was not surprised.

    [You may exit using the main entrance.]

    Junhyuk went to the entrance, and the voice continued:

    [You¡¯ve activated two powers and became an expert. You may reincarnate one time as an expert.]

    "I have an extra life, but I¡¯ll save it forter."

    Last time, Skia had killed him. He had felt filthy by being killed, but that wasn¡¯t the issue. He could really have been killed and lost his soul!

    "Skia, that filth must¡¯ve alsoe back!" Junhyuk murmured, and the voice continued:

    [Expert 01 deployed.]

    Junhyuk took a deep breath and walked out. A hundred minions were talking among themselves. In that chaos, Junhyuk looked for familiar faces, but did not find any.

    It was a small change, but the others looked even smaller to him. Junhyuk shook his head and someone yelled at him.

    "Big brother!"

    Sarang was the one yelling, and he looked at her. She looked different. She had grown, and her armor had changed as well. The armor entuated the contour of her body, and she was much taller.

    Sarang looked like a model.

    "Big brother, look at this!" She said as she approached him.

    She was holding a two-handed staff. He thought of his own two-handed sword when he became a novice andughed.

    "Your attack power has increased."

    "Definitely!"

    Sarang looked at him and smiled.

    "I have one more news that will surprise you to the core."

    "What is it?"

    Is there something surprising in the Dimensional Battlefield? The fact that they were there was the most surprising thing.

    Junhyuk stared at her nkly as she showed him her hands. He looked at her wrist and shook his head.

    "Oh! You were able to bring it here?"

    "Right! Shocking!"

    Sarang was wearing the jujube tree bracelet.

    "How were you able to bring it here? It¡¯s not from here."

    "That¡¯s not all. It has attributes!"

    Sarang handed him the bracelet, and Junhyuk examined it, shocked.

    ---

    Jujube Tree Bracelet

    Add Lighting attribute to all of the owner¡¯s attacks.

    The God of Thunder has touched it. He only grazed it, but the God of Thunder is very strong, so the bracelet received the lighting attribute.

    Lighting attribute: increase attack by 3%, add stun (1s duration).

    ---

    "The God of Thunder grazed it?"

    "That must be about the lightning hitting the jujube tree."

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue.

    "I didn¡¯t know it would be an item here, and what¡¯s this about the God of Thunder?!"

    Sarang shrugged, and Junhyuk handed the bracelet back to her.

    "The things about the lighting attribute are nice!"

    "Right?!"

    Junhyuk realized the Dimensional Battlefield was not the only issue. He could get items from Earth and use them on the battlefield.

    He was thinking about it when Sarang asked him:

    "So, aren¡¯t you much taller?"

    "Is that so?"

    Junhyuk could feel it too, but he wasn¡¯t sure. Growing one inch from five feet, six inches was really noticeable, but growing an inch from five feet, nine inches wasn¡¯t easy to discern.

    He was talking to her when the door opened, and Arn and Vera walked in. They looked around and found Sarang and Junhyuk.

    Sarang hadn¡¯t grown much, but Junhyuk was very tall among the minions. Arn walked up to him andughed.

    "You trained hard."

    "I didn¡¯t rest."

    He was working, but when he transferred to marketing, all he did was practice. He had also slept less and trained more, so he was quite powerful.

    Arn measured his height.

    "Right. When you train your body, your soul will keep up."

    "Is that right?"

    "There aren¡¯t many experts who could fight you and kill you."

    Arn paid him a very rarepliment, and Junhyuk smiled brightly.

    "Thank you."

    "Don¡¯t thank me. I like guys who work hard."

    "You love them," Vera said.

    Arn didn¡¯t speak, and Vera looked at Sarang.

    "By the way, I checked, and the number of human novices has increased! What is your novice number?"

    Sarang shook her head.

    "They called me Novice 012?"

    Junhyuk was shocked.

    "Really?"

    "Yes."

    Arn touched his chin and said:

    "Bing a novice depends heavily on the person. If they are lucky, one battlefield may activate many novices. Still, it¡¯s a high number."

    Junhyuk had been the seventh novice, and Sarang was now the twelfth. That meant that there were four other novices, but it still didn¡¯t mean that novices had a high survival rate.

    They usually tripped up and got killed on the battlefield.

    "Are there any survivors?"

    Vera nodded.

    "Yes. I heard there are two survivors."

    "Maybe we could meet them?"

    Arn shook his head.

    "No. They are from a different battlefield. The enemy heroes must have them."

    Junhyuk thought there was no need to meet them, at least not in that ce.

    However, in South Korea, that was another matter.

    Arn lifted his hand and said:

    "From here to there, follow me!"

    Arn spoke, and this time no one objected. Unless a minion had half a brain, no one would object based on Arn¡¯s stature alone. If anyone objected, he would kill them.

    He took the lead.

    "The battlefield has changed."

    "How so?"

    "I don¡¯t know what they are thinking."

    Arnined while Sarang was asking Vera about her jujube bracelet. Veraughed at her.

    "It¡¯s a valuable item. We usually bring our own weapons. Reality and the battlefield intersect, and when youe here, things be valuable items. Low-ss heroes bring things and sell them at the merchants.

    "They sell items?"

    "Right. But Bebe gives them low prices, so I don¡¯t rmend doing it."

    Junhyuk was listening to the conversation between the two, and Arn said:

    "We used to use the forest to attack our enemies. Now, they put stronger monsters in the forests, so heroes might even die in them."

    "Are they that strong?"

    "Yes. And there are other monsters that could change the flow of battle. It looks like it takes three enemy heroes to kill one of the new monsters."

    "There are monsters like that here?!"

    He knew how strong heroes were, and if it took three heroes to fight a monster, that was really a big issue.

    Arn nodded heavily.

    "Yes. They let the dragons loose."

    "Dragons?"

    Junhyuk thought about the dragons he had read about in books. They were usually the main character¡¯s nemesis, all-powerful,rge lizards! Those were dragons!

    "Right. They are half-sized dragons. I don¡¯t know where they got them, but they lost some strength bying here, so we will be able to deal with the dragons."

    "Half-sized?"

    Arn nodded calmly.

    "Your world doesn¡¯t have dragons?"

    Junhyuk nodded.

    "At least not for real. They are fictional characters."

    "Then, you will meet one here, but be careful. Dragons could kill you in one blow."

    "Can¡¯t we avoid them?"

    "I told you already, they could change the flow of the battle."

    They would encounter dragons eventually, and Junhyuk sighed.

    "We won¡¯t go after the dragons. We should first find out how strong the monsters are."

    If there had been changes, they had to know for sure what those changes were. Junhyuk respected Arn as a warrior and thought he had a lot to learn.

    Junhyuk showed him the Blood Sword.

    "I have a question."

    Arn looked at the Blood Sword, and his eyes sparkled.

    "Where did you get it?"

    "On Earth. Someone was carrying this and went crazy. I had to fight him... I got it from him."

    "Hm. The Blood Sword is not the highest-priced core item, but it¡¯s still very expensive. You got lucky."

    "I am using dual swords. I can¡¯t use this."

    Arnughed.

    "Why would you want to use it?"

    "It has a lot of buffs..."

    "Do you want to use magic swords?"

    "Yes."

    "You should use one magic sword, and fuse the other with the Blood Sword."

    "Fuse?"

    Arn continued:

    "Right. Pay Bebe, and he will synthesize it for you. Its buffs will be transferred to your longsword, so don¡¯t worry."

    "OK."

    He thought he had a powerful item, and now there was a way to use it.

    Arn looked behind him and said:

    "I don¡¯t think we have enough."

    Junhyuk looked back, and there were dozens of minions following them.

    "What are you talking about?"

    "I want to go hunting for the new monsters."

    "They must be really strong!"

    "We have to find them first. Let¡¯s go."

    "Right."

    Arn moved with increased speed, and the minions followed him. They went into a forest.

    Junhyuk ran beside Arn and frowned once he got inside the forest.

    "What is that?"

    His soul had grown, and he sensed something ahead. Inside the forest, he felt something in the air that he hadn¡¯t felt before. Arn looked at him and said:

    "You have grown for sure."

    Arn scoped out the forest and said:

    "There are various types of monsters. Be careful."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk had no intention of dying in that ce. Arn ran for a while and signaled with his hand. The minions stopped, and Vera and Sarang stepped forward.

    "Is this the ce?"

    "Yes. I feel something strong."

    "Then, let¡¯s go."

    Arn pulled out a saber and took the lead. He stepped forward through the forest and saw something out of fiction. It was a werewolf, but the werewolf¡¯s height was shocking.

    "The werewolf¡¯s height..."

    Grrrr.

    Slowly, he lifted his head and looked at the beast. It was twenty feet tall. Warren looked and felt cutepared to that werewolf.

 Chapter 62: Changes 2

    Chapter 62: Changes 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk frowned after seeing the werewolf. It looked stronger than a hero, but the werewolf was not alone. Next to him, there were five cow-sized wolves.

    "Minions, take the wolves!" Arn shouted.

    The minions were nervous and did not move. They saw the werewolf the size of a building and couldn¡¯t move.

    "Collect yourselves!" Arn shouted at the minions in shock.

    The wolves jumped at the minions. They were aiming for Arn, but he dodged to the side. The wolves looked at Arn once and ran toward the minions.

    The minions still did not move, thinking about what to do instead. Ahead of them, a sword flew by and dropped a wolf in one hit.

    ng!

    "Shield yourselves!"

    Junhyuk shouted and threw another sword. He was very strong now, and another wolf was hit and fell.

    To Arn, the minions were like essories, but Junhyuk felt differently. The minions were frozen, but he couldn¡¯t let even one minion die.

    Junhyuk chased the wolves that were chasing the minions. He ran instead of using his powers.

    The minions lifted their shields. They heard Junhyuk and saw the wolves rushing toward them, but they couldn¡¯t attack, so they raised their shields instead.

    The wolves attacked them.

    ng!

    There were dozens of minions, but an individual minion couldn¡¯t fight the wolves alone. The wolves were stepping on three minions, and the other minions were just looking at them when Junhyuk arrived.

    He cut one of the wolf¡¯s neck and shouted:

    "Work together, then you will survive! Calm yourselves! Work in teams and don¡¯t die!"

    He jumped away. Arn, Vera and Sarang were engaged in a fight against the werewolf, so he had to join them.

    The minions wouldn¡¯t die. There were dozens of them, and they could kill a few wolves. There had only been five wolves, and he had dealt with three of them by himself.

    Junhyuk went away, and the minions started helping the three minions on the ground.

    Junhyuk wanted to concentrate. He watched the minions helping each other out and refocused his attention. His target was now the werewolf.

    The werewolf was trying to grab Arn with its ws. The ws were seven feet long, and they were not easy to dodge. Arn drew its attention while Vera and Sarang shot at it with magic.

    Vera was shooting her fire, and Sarang was shooting lightning. Their attacks were damaging the werewolf, but they were not decisive.

    Arn was drawing it in, but he couldn¡¯t fight it alone. Vera¡¯s and Sarang¡¯s attacks distracted the werewolf. Otherwise, Arn could have already been killed.

    Junhyuk extended his hand toward Arn. Soon, an ivory-colored light surrounded Arn, and afterwards, Arn really attacked the werewolf, much stronger than before.

    He couldn¡¯t be hurt, so he was not scared. The werewolf could push the force field back, but Arn was adroit* and not easily attacked.

    Arn fought him in honest, and Vera prepared her magic. She was working on her specialty, her meteors, and Junhyuk saw an opportunity.

    The werewolf was twenty feet tall, and it moved like a hero. If Junhyuk attacked it, he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape its reach.

    He wanted to support Arn, but the werewolf ignored Arn. It realized it couldn¡¯t wound Arn and looked at Sarang, who was shooting her lightning bolt at it.

    She was far from him, but the werewolf could reach her by just taking a step forward, since it was so tall. It took a step toward her, and Arn shed its back, but it ignores him.

    The werewolf walked closer to Sarang, and she couldn¡¯t move. That¡¯s when Junhyuk teleported next to her.

    It swung its ws and was about to hit her when Junhyuk grabbed her wrist and teleported again.

    Boom!

    The werewolf¡¯s ws hit the spot where they had been standing. They escaped in the nick of time.

    "Sarang! Use your power!" Vera shouted.

    Sarang used her energy st against the werewolf. The energy st had a lighting attribute, and it traveled like a bolt and hit the werewolf.

    The werewolf fell when the meteors crashed out of the sky.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

    That was Vera¡¯s best weapon. The meteors hit the werewolf hard, and it was seriously wounded, but it did not die.

    The werewolf was frozen, and Arn stabbed it deeply in the waist. The werewolf moved again and howled loudly.

    "HOOOWWL!"

    The forest shook with the howl, and Arn pulled out his saber and, in a sh, he sliced through the werewolf¡¯s neck.

    The twenty-foot werewolf was beheaded. As it died, they all heard a whisper in their ears:

    [The War Wolf Lord has been killed. For the next two hours, your healing power will be increased by 10 percent, and your opponent¡¯s movement speed will decrease by 10 percent with every hit yound. The enemy¡¯s movement-speed decrease can be repeated three times for up to 30 percent. If you die within those two hours, your opponent will take over these buffs.]

    Junhyuk was speechless.

    "He must¡¯ve been a buff monster."

    A purple circle appeared underneath him. The circle moved as Junhyuk walked, following him around and giving off a strange energy.

    Junhyuk looked around, and everyone who had attacked the werewolf now had a magic circle underneath them.

    Arn looked at his circle andughed.

    "This will help us when we fight the enemy heroes."

    "What are you going to do?"

    "There is one more buff monster, but before that, we will fight some enemy heroes. Then, we could hunt for the other monster."

    "Right."

    Arn turned and threw his saber at a surviving wolf.

    Thluck!

    The saber sliced the wolf¡¯s neck and flew back to Arn.

    "Follow me."

    Junhyuk counted the number of minions left. Five minions had been killed while dealing with the wolves, and there were forty-five minions left. It was bad that they had lost five minions, but now they knew how to survive.

    The enemy would inflict a heavier toll on the allied minions, so it was better for them to be taught by monsters.

    Arn ran fast.

    "We only have two hours. Hurry up."

    Junhyuk followed him and looked over at Sarang. She ran next to him and smiled.

    "Big brother, thanks."

    "For what?"

    "You saved me from that werewolf."

    Junhyukughed and caressed her hair.

    "I did what I had to do."

    Sarang smiled at him.

    "By the way, being in this battlefield is like ying a game."

    "A game?! We have to risk our lives here. It¡¯s not like a game."

    Junhyuk lifted his head and looked at the purple sky. They were risking their lives, and other beings were looking at them like it was all a game.

    He felt sick to his stomach.

    "I will meet them sooner orter."

    If he became a hero, he might meet them. When that happened, he would have a lot toin about, but first, he had to be stronger.

    Arn was in the lead, and they took care of other, regr monsters in the forest. Unlike before, the forest path now had monsters along it.

    They passed through the forest and came to a familiar ce. Minota and Halo were fighting each other there. Junhyuk saw Minota and frowned.

    Minota wanted him dead, but this time, the allies had a special advantage. His side had two more heroes, and they were all buffed. It would be easy.

    "Save your power. Minota wille after you," Arn told him.

    "Right."

    His side had more heroes, giving them the advantage, and Arn ran forward and shouted:

    "Attack!"

    Minota had brought fifty minions with him, but the allies were adding forty-five minions to Halo¡¯s fifty. They outnumbered the enemy forces.

    With the numerical superiority, the minions attacked with courage.

    Minota saw Arn and Vera and frowned.

    "They killed him already?"

    Minota rushed toward Arn who was heading toward him. Halo tried to attack him from behind, but Minota was already running.

    Bang!

    Arn was hit and bounced to the air and dropped to the ground.

    "It¡¯s really powerful."

    Minota started retreating toward his watchtower, but he looked slower. Arn had shed Minota when Minota rushed at him.

    Vera smiled.

    "Then, what about this?"

    Vera made a firewall in front of Minota. He was very slow at that point, but he still went through the firewall. His movement speed had decreased already, and it was decreasing again.

    Minota frowned.

    "What is wrong with me?"

    Minota couldn¡¯t will his body to move faster, and Arn said:

    "It¡¯s something from the new monsters. Now, time for you to die."

    Minota looked around and saw Junhyuk.

    "You are here as well!"

    Minota realized he was dying. It wasn¡¯t only Arn. There were three heroes, and he was slowed down. He knew he was dying.

    So, he decided he should take at least one of them with him to his death and he picked Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk ran away from Minota, and Minota was so slow that he did not catch him. Junhyuk smiled, and Minota used his doppelganger skill.

    One of the Minotas was not slowed down at all. The movement-speed decrease only affected one of them, but Minota hadn¡¯t known about that.

    Junhyuk frowned at one of the Minotas. Halo wasing to his rescue, but Minota would get to him first.

    Minota hunched over and rushed at him. He was closing in when Junhyuk teleported.

    Junhyuk appeared just behind Minota instead of moving far away and shed Minota¡¯s ankle.

    He only gave the ox one sh. He had practiced for this moment for a long time, and Minota¡¯s skin peeled off, and his muscle was damaged.

    It was not deep, but he was hurt.

    "Woo, woo-aa-argh!"

    Minota turned around to rush him one more time, and Junhyuk teleported. He was now standing behind Halo.

    He smiled at Minota, who was beyond angry.

    "Filthy ox, you are slow."

    Junhyuk was buffed, and he continued to attack, lowering Minota¡¯s movement speed with every hit. Minota was very slow now, and Halo showed a rare smile and ran toward the ox.

    ------

    adroit - skilful, skilled at using your hands or mind

 Chapter 63: Changes 3

    Chapter 63: Changes 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Minota¡¯s movement slowed down. He had no problem with his attack speed, but his movement speed decreased, and Halo attacked him, so he was unable to move.

    Minota knew he couldn¡¯t move at will, so he blocked Halo¡¯s attack with both arms and rushed toward Junhyuk. Even though his movement speed was low, rush was his power, and it wasn¡¯t affected by the debuff.

    Junhyuk had already used spatial relocation, but he smiled at Minota rushing at him.

    "Nothing will change."

    He created a force field around himself, and Minota rushed the ivory-colored force field head on.

    Thunk!

    The force field was thrown back and hit the ground once with Junhyuk still smiling at Minota from inside. Minota ran toward him.

    This time, he was not rushing, so his movement was slowed again. Junhyuk ran head on against Minota. Halo was attacking him from behind, so there was one thing Junhyuk should do.

    Minota saw Junhyuk running toward him and tried to kick Junhyuk. He ducked to dodge the kick and swung his swords. The swords shed Minota¡¯s ankle.

    The attack didn¡¯t damage him much, but it applied the debuff again. Minota swung his fist down, and Junhyuk sidestepped it.

    Boom!

    His movement speed was slowed down, but his attack speed was still fine, and his fist attack was impressive. Junhyuk escaped by rolling on the ground. He didn¡¯t have enough attack power to seriously damage Minota, and Minota was very strong.

    Minota wanted to chase after Junhyuk, but he couldn¡¯t because of Halo¡¯s interruptions. He couldn¡¯t rush, and because of his movement speed, he couldn¡¯t fight Halo. Halo also aimed at Minota¡¯s leg.

    Junhyuk¡¯s attacks had scratched him, but Halo¡¯s attacks were different. One blow from Halo was enough to damage the muscles.

    "Woo, woo, woo!"

    Minota mooed angrily and turned to face Halo. Halo took big steps back, and Minota snarled and ran toward him. That¡¯s when Halo used his light sh attack.

    The sh traveled sixty-five feet and shed Minota¡¯s ribs.

    "Ugh!"

    Halo moved again, keeping his distance from Minota. He couldn¡¯t fight Minota at close quarters. Halo moved toward Minota, and Junhyuk watched the battle.

    One Minota had been killed by Arn and Vera. The other Minota was being attacked by Halo.

    Halo was having his way with the ox when Vera and Arn joined him. It was over. The victory belonged to his side.

    "Ha-ha-ha!"

    Minotaughed loudly and hit Halo. He used his rushing power, and Halo could only block the attack with his sword.

    Clunk!

    Halo bounced toward the watchtower. It could¡¯ve been Minota¡¯sst struggle, but Halo ran toward him, and the people from the watchtower ran toward Halo.

    "Be careful!"

    Junhyuk discovered them first and shouted, and Halo turned to look. Halo saw Ellic holding his hammer and rushing toward him.

    Clunk! Boom!

    Ellic rushed him, and Halo bounced back. Junhyuk was watching all of this unfold and frowned.

    "What is that...?"

    Ellic rushed Halo, and there was an explosion. Halo bounced back because of that explosion. He was trying to find his bnce when Warren appeared from behind Ellic.

    They all had red-colored circles underneath their feet.

    "Is it buff?"

    He wasn¡¯t sure, but Warren and Ellic were indeed buffed. Behind Ellic and Warren, there were a hundred minions. The situation was about to take a turn.

    Junhyuk saw Ellic and Warren running and shouted.

    "Kill that filthy ox first!"

    Veraunched a firewall in front of Ellic and Warren to buy more time, and Arn finished off Minota.

    Minota had lost a lot of energy, so he couldn¡¯t withstand Arn¡¯s attacks and died. With Minota gone, the allies had three heroes, and the enemies were two.

    His side had the advantage, but Junhyuk was in a difficult situation. He could use spatial relocation, but he couldn¡¯t use the force field. He could get killed by stepping forward.

    The enemy wanted to get in closer to attack, but Arn and Halo were fighting them while Vera prepared her magic. Junhyuk stood next to Vera.

    "Sarang! Come this way!"

    Sarang also went over to Vera. However, Vera couldn¡¯t use her magic yet.

    Junhyuk stood in front of the two, and Veraughed.

    "Are you protecting us?"

    "Focus on your attack."

    "Don¡¯t worry."

    Vera created an fire orb that floated in front of Arn. Ellic and Warren had to go through the fire orb to attack Arn.

    She had bought more time by doing that and prepared a fire spear.

    Warren jumped over Arn and went after Halo. Arn and Ellic were fighting each other.

    Boom!

    However, when Arn blocked Ellic¡¯s attack, there was another explosion, and Arn had to take a step back. Junhyuk looked at Ellic carefully. He was not using any special powers, so that meant he was buffed.

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t wrong. When Warren attacked Halo, there was another explosion.

    Boom!

    Ellic¡¯s attacks were heavy and strong, but Warren¡¯s attacks were fast because he swung both arms to attack.

    The explosions continued, and Halo kept being pushed back.

    Junhyuk was watching all that and told Vera:

    "We have to slow them down and then attack."

    "Right. Sarang, attack with me. Aim for Warren."

    Sarang and Vera attacked Warren. Warren lifted his arms to block, but his movement speed was lowered. He was debuffed, and it was stacked twice.

    Junhyuk was not relieved even though he was slowed down. Warren had a special healing power. He could heal himself while getting hurt.

    Warren was slowed down, and Vera and Sarang continued their attacks. Sarang¡¯s attack was not strong enough, but Vera¡¯s attack was different.

    Warren chased after Halo, realized he had lost some speed and frowned. He then changed his target to Vera and Sarang.

    Warren had a jumping power, so his jump was not affected by the slow movement speed.

    He wasing down at the two when Junhyuk smirked.

    "Sorry, but you can¡¯t do that."

    Junhyuk grabbed both Vera and Sarang and teleported.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk andpany moved forty feet from the original spot. He had applied himself continuously, and the distance of his spatial relocation had increased.

    Warren turned his head and bared his teeth. Then, Halo attacked with a light sh. Warren blocked it, and countered with his own attack.

    Boom!

    Warren¡¯s ws touched, and there was another explosion. Halo frowned at the fact that whenever Warren attacked, there was an explosion.

    "There is an explosion when he attacks. Keep your distance from him," Junhyuk shouted.

    Warren ground his teeth, but Halo kept his distance, attacking him with light shes, and Warren couldn¡¯t stand it any longer and howled:

    "Hooowwl!"

    The howl froze Halo¡¯s movements, and Warren mounted his own attacks.

    Boom, boom!

    Halo staggered and stepped back. Warren¡¯s howl froze his opponents, and Halo was defenseless against the attacks and the buffed explosions.

    Then, Warren¡¯s eyes turned red. He meant to heal himself, and Junhyuk felt this could be a long fight.

    Vera smiled.

    "Halo, get ready!"

    Halo heard her and threw his sword above his head. Warren scoffed at the whole thing.

    "You think you can hit me with that?"

    Vera made fire orbs and spears and shouted:

    "Sarang!"

    "Yes!"

    Sarang shot her lightning st and hit Warren. Warren couldn¡¯t move, and the fire orbs and spears hit him continuously.

    Boom!

    Warren staggered, and Halo¡¯s sword moved in the air. It traveled like a bolt of lighting and hit Warren, piercing his chest.

    "Argh!"

    Warren had actually healed himself when he was struck by Halo¡¯s sword. Even though he had healed himself, he could only heal through one attack at a time.

    Warren had to withstand Halo¡¯s and Vera¡¯s attacks. This was Halo¡¯s power, Justice Rain from Above, and it took a long time to ready. He didn¡¯t use it often, but Sarang and Vera had helped him. Justice Rain from Above was rarely used, but it inflicted heavy damage.

    Warren staggered, and Junhyuk walked over to him. Warren ground his teeth while looking at him.

    "Do you want to die?!"

    He had a hole in his chest, but was still swinging his ws at Junhyuk. Junhyuk did not want to kill Warren this time. He didn¡¯t have enough attack power to do it.

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes shone, and he swung his swords against the Warren¡¯s ws and shed his wrist. It was a small cut, but he had shed him.

    Warren bared his teeth and tried to bite him, and Junhyuk teleported. It was not Junhyuk¡¯s job to finish him off.

    Warren chased after Junhyuk. Halo¡¯s sword had gone through his chest, and Halo used the sword to behead him. Warren¡¯s head flew into the air, and Junhyuk heard a soft voice whispering:

    [You took away the Smander buff. For the next two hours, when you attack, your attacks will have a fire attribute and inflict 50 additional damage. If you die within those two hours, your opponent will take over these buffs.]

    He had new powers. They onlysted for a couple of hours, but he could inflict additional damage. He had beencking in attack power, so receiving the buff was great news.

    He had no intention to fight one on one against a hero, but this new buff made a big difference.

    Junhyuk looked at the purple- and red-colored magic circles around his feet and smiled.

    "This is nice!"

    Ellic was still standing, but the opposing side had three heroes, and he realized what his position was and began trying to escape.

    He used rush to get out, but Vera created a firewall.

    He passed through the firewall and his movement speed declined. Junhyukughed at him. Ellic couldn¡¯t escape.

    Sarang shot a lightning bolt. There was red glint around it.

    Boom!

    Sarang¡¯s lightning bolt was very weak against heroes, but she was buffed by the Smander buff.

    Ellic frowned, and Arn showed up.

    "The buff is really strong."

    Arn jumped up and came down on Ellic. Ellic swung his hammer, exchanging blows with Arn. The allied side had three heroes, a buffed expert and a buffed novice.

    Junhyuk watched the events unfold. Ellic was moving backward, and the spatial relocation¡¯s cooldown time was over, so Junhyuk jumped.

    Had he run, he could have been killed. Junhyuk teleported to Ellic¡¯s back and shed him.

    Boom, boom!

    Surely, there was an additional fifty damage to every hit.

    "Ugh!"

    Ellic¡¯s body started thinning out. After his attack, he had meant to teleport away, but he stared at Ellic nkly. Ellic was disappearing, and Junhyuk tried to grab him but couldn¡¯t.

    Ellic slowly disappeared, and in his ce, a golden bracelet was left.

 Chapter 64: Synthesis 1

    Chapter 64: Synthesis 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk was really surprised when he heard a soft whisper:

    [You¡¯ve killed the hero Ellic. You have a right to the item he dropped. Will you pick it up? If you don¡¯t pick it up in three hours, the item will disappear.]

    Junhyuk listened with surprise and quickly picked it up. He looked at Arn, and Arnughed at him.

    "Congrattions!"

    "I can keep this?"

    "Ellic has dropped so many items already. I am sure this one will also be useful."

    Junhyuk read the bracelet¡¯s description.

    ---

    Pure Golden Knight Elder¡¯s Bracelet (Set Piece)

    Attack Power +10

    The Pure Golden Knight Elder used to carry this bracelet. In the past, he was called a legend and he carried items to increase his attack power. There was no one who could withstand a blow from him.

    Having aplete set increases the power of the item.

    ---

    "It¡¯s a Pure Golden Knight Elder¡¯s Bracelet?"

    Arn checked it out and asked:

    "Does ite in a set?"

    "It does."

    "Ellic is collecting the entire set and dropped one? He must not be feeling well."

    "Is it hard to collect an entire set?"

    Arn nodded.

    "It¡¯s definitely not easy. The items don¡¯t always show up at the dimensional merchants. If someone buys a piece of the set, that person has to die for it to go back in cirction. You can pick it up and keep it or sell it."

    "Then, there¡¯s only one of each set piece?"

    "That¡¯s right. There is only one set, and it¡¯s hard to collect the entire thing, but if you do, your power will increase by a lot. The item by itself is powerful."

    With this item alone, he could increase his attack power by ten. It had the same power as a longsword, so he shouldn¡¯t refuse to take it or use it. He was carrying two longswords, and that meant his attack power increased twice.

    Junhyuk put on the bracelet, and Vera walked over and put him in a headlock.

    "You stole my kill! You attacked him when everything was already over and killed him!"

    "Argh! I didn¡¯t! I was only trying to escape!"

    She gave him a noogie and said:

    "You did well."

    "What?!"

    She smiled at him.

    "You are important to us, but it¡¯s not easy for you to be a champion, so you should buy more equipment."

    "So, are you giving me your support?"

    "No," she said and smirked. "If you kill steal one more time..."

    Vera ignited a me on her hand, and Junhyuk dry swallowed his saliva.

    "... I¡¯ll just leave it to your imagination."

    If he had thought about it, he would¡¯ve realized that heroes were always eager to get more items. He had stolen Ellic¡¯s item from Vera, but she was kidding with him.

    "I will be more careful."

    "It wasn¡¯t intentional. I will let it go this time."

    Vera turned to Arn.

    "We need to clean up the rest."

    The minions¡¯ fight was intense. It was about 150 against 150, and that didn¡¯t happen often. They shed against each others, but the heroes were dead, so this was the allies¡¯ victory.

    Veraunched a firewall and split the enemies into two camps.

    Junhyuk was not just looking. He still had the Smander buff, and his double swords created explosions that massacred the enemy minions.

    Standing behind him, Sarang shot her lightning bolt, and the heroes joined the fight. It took them less than five minutes to ughter their enemies.

    Looking at the dead minions, Arn said:

    "Even if we move now, the buff will disappear, and we won¡¯t be able to catch them. We should go to Bebe¡¯s."

    Vera nodded, but Halo shook his head. Arn watched them both and nodded.

    "OK. Then, we will attack the watchtower. After that, Halo should join Nudra, and we will go to Bebe."

    Halo nodded, and Arn shouted:

    "Destroy the watchtower! Attack!"

    There were 120 surviving minions. They rushed toward the watchtower while Arn, Halo and Vera attacked it.

    After the tower¡¯s destruction, Arn gave Halo eighty minions. The minions were of little help when the heroes were fighting, but they were a big help when destroying the watchtowers.

    Arn took the other surviving minions to the dimensional merchants. They did not meet any enemies on the way and got there safely.

    Bebe was about to doze off when he saw theme in and waved at them.

    "You came!?"

    Arn went up to him and said:

    "I need an enhancement stone, and this guy has a lot to do today."

    "So?"

    Bebe gave him an enhancement stone and the te. Arn ced his hand on the te, paid and picked up the enhancement stone. Arn pulled out his sabers, put them on the counter and looked seriously at the enhancement stone.

    "What is the sess rate this time?"

    "It¡¯s 6.75 percent."

    It was low, but Arn didn¡¯t hesitate.

    "Enhance."

    A five-colored beam of light shot up and danced on the sabers. While Arn watched, the exquisite light seeped into the sabers, and heughed.

    "It¡¯s a sess!"

    Bebe clicked his tongue.

    "Ha! That¡¯s the ninth enhancement! It should be very sharp. There¡¯s a big difference between the eighth and ninth enhancements."

    "Yeah. The odds were crap, but I did it anyway."

    "You should know that the ninth and the tenth enhancements are totally different."

    "I know, but I can¡¯t do it now."

    "Right, you might fail and have your power decrease."

    Bebe shrugged and looked at Junhyuk.

    "So, what do you need?"

    Junhyuk extended his hand.

    "How much money do I have?"

    "Here."

    Bebe pushed the te forward, and Junhyuk put his hand on it. It was arge sum¡ª13,390G¡ªand Bebe whistled.

    "For an expert, you have earned a lot."

    Junhyuk was curious and asked:

    "Perhaps. Do you have anything rted to the Elder¡¯s item set?"

    "The Pure Golden Knight Elder¡¯s set?"

    "Correct."

    He wanted toplete the set, but Bebeughed and said:

    "I had some things, but Ellic bought them. Two bracelets."

    "Ellic bought them?"

    "Correct. He had three, including that one."

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes beamed. He wanted to kill Ellic again. Arnughed.

    "Do you want toplete the set?"

    "If possible."

    He looked at Vera, and she shrugged and said:

    "Good. It¡¯s a hero¡¯s dream to own aplete set, and you may dream."

    "Is that right?"

    "I will pick them up and sell them to you for cheap."

    "Thank you."

    Bebe stuck out his tongue at them.

    "You can¡¯t do that. I have to make a living."

    "It¡¯s fine. You are always too expensive."

    Bebeughed and asked him:

    "So, don¡¯t you need something else?"

    Junhyuk took out the Blood Sword.

    "I want to synthesize this with my sword."

    "Oh! Where did you get this?"

    Bebe was surprised to see the Blood Sword and looked at Junhyuk, who said calmly:

    "I got it from my world."

    "Hm. This can¡¯t be from your world. It¡¯s a magic sword."

    "I got it from a minion."

    Bebe touched his chin.

    "OK. If you synthesize it, the curse will disappear, but you won¡¯t be able to synthesize magic on top of it."

    "Is it possible to do regr syntheses?"

    "Yes. Regr syntheses will increase the Blood Sword¡¯s effects."

    "That sounds fine."

    Bebe ced the te on the counter.

    "The cost of the synthesis is five thousand gold."

    Junhyuk had the cold sweats. It was too expensive! He wanted toplete the Elder¡¯s set and needed to save money. He thought he needed to kill Ellic some more.

    "OK. Do it."

    "Which longsword?"

    Junhyuk hesitated and pulled out the right-hand longsword.

    "Pay first," Bebe said.

    Junhyuk ced his hand on the te, and the number decreased to 8,390G. He had earned five thousand gold since he had arrived in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    "It¡¯s strange. I only killed two heroes."

    Bebe took the longsword and the Blood Sword and pulled out a bottle.

    "What are you talking about?"

    "This time, I earned five thousand gold on the battlefield."

    "Is that so? Maybe it was because of the special monsters they brought in. They are expensive."

    "The contribution from hunting one monster is a thousand gold?"

    "I am not sure about the number, but it¡¯s more than that! So, should I start?" Bebe asked him.

    "Yes."

    Bebe pulled out a pink bottle and poured the contents on the Blood Sword. The sword melted slowly and covered the longsword. Once the Blood Sword covered the longswordpletely, Bebe hit it with a hammer.

    ng!

    The hit created shockwaves, and Junhyuk¡¯s hair stood up. Bebe smiled and said:

    "The synthesis is a sess."

    "Could it have failed?"

    "This type of regr synthesis does not fail."

    Bebe gave him the longsword, and Junhyuk inspected it.

    ---

    Blood Rune Sword

    Attack Power +25

    Fitness Absorption +10%

    When absorbing the owner¡¯s blood, attack speed increases by 10% and movement speed increases by 5%. Can stack three times.

    ---

    Bebe¡¯s Basic Longsword had been synthesized with the Blood Sword, and the attack power had increased to twenty-five. When the owner wounded an opponent, the sword would heal the owner by 10 percent of the attack.

    When it absorbed the owner¡¯s blood, the attack speed increased by 10 percent, and the movement speed increased by 5 percent, but it would only stack three times. The fourth attempt could result in death.

    The attack powers of the two original swords werebined with an additional increase of five. It had cost five thousand gold, but the result was satisfying, and the longsword looked different.

    It was a Blood Rune Sword now, and there were blood-colored runes engraved on the sword. He hadn¡¯t liked the shape of the original, but now it looked cool.

    "I like it."

    "Right. The Blood Sword itself is very expensive. It¡¯s more expensive than a magic enhancement. It will be useful."

    Junhyuk swung the Blood Rune Sword lightly. It left a trace of red in the air, and he smiled with satisfaction.

    "I want to add a magic power."

    "You should know magic enhancements are different from syntheses."

    "You mean you won¡¯t give me a 30 percent discount?"

    "There¡¯s nothing I can do."

    Junhyuk sighed.

    "I still want to do it. How much does it cost for the first magic enhancement?"

    "Two thousand gold."

    "Could you tell me about magic?"

    "Sure."

    Bebe pulled out a book and opened it wide. Above the book, various magic descriptions appeared, and Bebe kindly exined everything.

    He touched the me-shaped emblem and said:

    "The fire attribute explodes when you stab someone, dealing heavy damage."

    Junhyuk had experienced that with the Smander buff and liked the additional damage.

    Bebe touched the snowke emblem and said:

    "This is the ice attribute. When you stab someone with it, that person¡¯s movement and attack speeds decrease.¡¯

    "Sure."

    "In any case, it¡¯s hard to see any major effect on the first enhancement, especially against heroes."

    Bebe touched the bolt emblem.

    "This is the lightning attribute. When you stab someone with it, that person will be stunned."

    Junhyuk paid close attention as he listened. They were all good.

    Bebe touched the green water droplet emblem.

    "This is the poison attribute. When you stab someone with it, that person will continue to receive damage. When someone decides to hide, you can force that person to show up by stabbing them beforehand."

    It was a good attribute to use against Skia.

    Bebe touched the boulder emblem.

    "This is the earth attribute. It increases damage slightly and also increases your defensive power."

    Junhyuk thought about it seriously. He wanted to get them all, so he sighed and looked at Arn.

    "What do you think?"

    "You¡¯ll be using it. You decide."

    He thought for a long time, but it was time for him to make his decision.

    "I will pick this."

 Chapter 65: Synthesis 2

    Chapter 65: Synthesis 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk chose the ice attribute. He thought it would be better to debuff his opponents. It decreased attack and movement speeds, and he wanted both.

    He told Bebe, who smiled at him.

    "You chose well. Regardless of your options, if your opponents are heroes, always go with debuffs."

    Junhyuk was relieved to hear that he chose well.

    "Enhance it."

    "Pay up first."

    Bebe tapped on the te, and Junhyuk ced his hand on it. The enhancement cost was subtracted, and 6,390G remained.

    Bebe hummed and pulled out a bottle shining with a white-colored light. Meanwhile, Junhyuk summoned his left-handed longsword. Bebe poured the contents of the bottle on it.

    It was as though snowkes were dropping on the sword. It waspletely covered in a white light when Bebe hit it with a hammer.

    ng!

    Cold shockwaves scattered from the hit.

    The longsword now had white rune engravings along the de. The enhancement had been a sess.

    "Check it out."

    Junhyuk lifted the sword and inspected it.

    ---

    Frozen Rune Sword

    Attack Power +15

    Striking the opponent decreases the opponent¡¯s attack and movement speeds by 5%. Stacks three times.

    ---

    He had enhanced Bebe¡¯s Basic Longsword with the ice attribute. It increased the attack power to fifteen and, when it struck the opponent, it decreased the opponent¡¯s attack and movement speeds by 5 percent. It was possible to stack the effects three times, but it depended on the opponent¡¯s resistance.

    "It¡¯s affected by the opponent¡¯s resistance?" Junhyuk asked Bebe.

    "Correct, but it¡¯s a debuff, so it won¡¯t be very affected by resistance. If your opponent has magic defense, it will still debuff for over 50 percent of the ability."

    Half of the effect meant that, at the most, after three stacks, it would still inflict a 7.5-percent speed reduction. It wasn¡¯t much, but the difference might save his life.

    Junhyuk lifted the Frozen Rune Sword. He could see white runes shining along the sword and he liked it. He swung his swords. The blood-colored and white-colored traces in the air were exquisitely harmonious. It was quite the sight.

    Arn looked at this and asked Bebe:

    "Right now, the Blood Rune Sword has only been upgraded once, correct?"

    "Correct."

    "Then, the second upgrade would only cost four thousand gold since it¡¯s still a regr enhancement, correct?"

    Bebe nodded, and Arn called Junhyuk over.

    "Upgrade that sword one more time."

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes shone as he listened to Arn. Surely, when it received regr enhancements, the sword would be more powerful.

    "Do it for me."

    Junhyuk pushed the Blood Rune Sword forward, and Bebe passed him the te instead. Bebe was smiling, and Junhyuk put his hand on it. Four thousand gold was subtracted from the total, and 2,390G remained.

    Bebe started humming and pulled out a small sack. He put one of his big hands inside the sack and pulled out some starlight powder. He scattered the powder over the Blood Rune Sword, and the sword¡¯s blood-like color shone even brighter.

    Bebe hit it again with his hammer.

    ng!

    The strike generated shockwaves, and the Blood Rune Sword shone brightly. Junhyuk had his eyes half closed because of the light and went over to Bebe.

    "It¡¯s a sess. Take it."

    He took the Blood Rune Sword and inspected it. The attack power had increased to thirty-five, and the fitness absorption rate increased to 11 percent.

    "The attack power increased by ten?"

    "The first upgrade increased it by five; the second increases it by ten; the third increases it by fifteen."

    Bebe sat on the countertop and said:

    "The cost will increase exponentially."

    It was still a significant increase.

    "Can I use this on heroes?"

    Vera shook her head.

    "Diane and I do not invest on defense, so it might work on us, but it will not work against Ellic."

    However, he still thought it might work. Junhyuk smiled, and Vera signaled for Sarang.

    "Sarang, youe here and check on how much money you have."

    "OK."

    Sarang walked over to him, and Bebe smiled.

    "A new customer?"

    Junhyuk felt Bebe was taking advantage of them somehow. Sarang ced her hand on his te, and she had a lot of money.

    It said 6,535G.

    Junhyuk looked surprised and looked at Sarang.

    "When did you get all of that money?"

    Vera answered instead:

    "She hasn¡¯t spent any money, so she has a lot, and I will help her shop. First, give her anguage pill."

    Bebe took out anguage pill and pushed the te forward.

    "Pay first."

    Sarang paid to purchased thenguage pill and asked:

    "If I take this pill, then will I be able to read, write and speak all thosenguages?"

    "And listen."

    Sarang quickly swallowed the pill. She had wanted it the most among the things they sold in the Dimensional Battlefield. She was in high school, and the pill would help her with studying.

    "We should look at runestones."

    Vera hummed and picked out two runestones.

    "This and that one."

    "She won¡¯t have much money left."

    "When did you start worrying about your customers? Give them to her."

    "Pay first."

    Sarang trusted Vera, but not as much as Junhyuk. She quietly ced her hand and paid. Only 435G remained. Junhyuk was surprised at what they¡¯d purchased.

    Sarang got two low level runestones of types Junhyuk did not have: one low level intelligence runestone and one low level magic attack runestone.

    Junhyuk looked at Vera.

    "She won¡¯t have enough money to get a pendant!"

    "She won¡¯t need a pendant."

    Vera took out a long, pink arm warmer.

    "Insert them in here," she told Bebe.

    "You want to give this to her?"

    "Yes. I have something better for myself."

    "You could sell it."

    "You¡¯ll give me such a low price, it¡¯s not worth it. It would be a different matter if it were expensive."

    Junhyuk asked about it carefully.

    "This is a Runestone-Socketed Arm Warmer. It increases the power of runestones by 20 percent, and you can insert up to thirty runestones. You just insert them in the sockets here."

    Junhyuk gulped.

    "How much does it cost?"

    "I made it in my world. I spent fifteen thousand gold on it to install the sockets and the 20 percent increase to runestone power."

    Junhyuk¡¯s mouth was wide open, and Sarang protested.

    "It¡¯s too good for me. I can¡¯t ept it."

    "No, not really. I myself carry an item that increases runestone power by 50 percent. I made this arm warmer, so I can¡¯t really sell it to Bebe. I am your mentor. I want to give it to you."

    Junhyuk suddenly looked at Arn, his mentor, who was avoiding his gaze.

    He wasn¡¯t bitter at Arn. This was Vera¡¯s goodwill toward Sarang, so he shouldn¡¯t me Arn for anything.

    He should just be happy for Sarang.

    "Take it. Just worry about getting more runestones and socketing them."

    Junhyuk had to buy something more expensive to socket high level runestones, but Sarang didn¡¯t need to do that now. She bowed to Vera.

    "Thank you."

    "With your power, you are helping us big time. Stay alive."

    "Yes!"

    She meant to survive. Vera gave her a big hug, and Bebe finished inserting the stones in the arm warmer. Vera took it and gave it to Sarang.

    "Wear it."

    "Yes."

    Sarang put it on and looked at Vera.

    "This increases defense by ten and reduces spell cooldown by 10 percent."

    "I made it. It¡¯s potent."

    Sarang hugged Vera. Vera had a very nice body, and Sarang was buried in her chest. Junhyuk was envious, but not of the arm warmer.

    Vera petted Sarang¡¯s head and asked:

    "How much money do you have?"

    "I have 435G."

    "I will give you some money to carve a seal for the arm warmer."

    "Carve a seal?"

    "It¡¯s possible to carve seals for runestone socketed items. Junhyuk is wearing a pendant, but this arm warmer is easily spotted by heroes."

    Junhyuk asked:

    "After you carve the seal, do you still get the runestones¡¯ power?"

    "Of course!"

    Junhyuk thought about carving a seal for his pendant, but he would need a new pendant soon. It was full, so no more runestones would fit in it. He didn¡¯t want to spend an additional thousand gold to carve the seal. He needed to earn more money.

    Junhyuk was thinking it over while Vera smiled at Bebe.

    "Carve the seal."

    "Here."

    Bebe pushed his te forward again, and Sarang put her hand on it. Her savings were all gone, and Vera ced her hand on it to pay the rest. Bebe looked at Sarang.

    "Give me the arm warmer. Where do you want the seal?"

    Sarang showed him her left wrist.

    "Here."

    Bebe started the engraving process, meanwhile Sarang smiled at Junhyuk. Junhyuk realized she wanted a seal on the same spot he had made his, on the inside of her wrist.

    Sarang¡¯s seal was engraved, and she asked, surprised:

    "Does this mean my intelligence went up?"

    "Low level runestones increase it by five, and there¡¯s also the 20 percent increase from the arm warmer. Mathematically, you have many times the intelligence of an ordinary person, but that¡¯s only on paper."

    "Mathematically?"

    Vera nodded and said:

    "Right. Your magic capacity has increased, but be aware that your intelligence has increased, and not your wisdom. Still, your magic production has increased."

    Sarang started crying. That meant that she would have an easier time solving her math problems, and it meant she could study better. The items at the dimensional merchants were very effective.

    Vera smiled and petted her head.

    "When your intelligence goes up, your magic attack and your magic production increase as well, so you can fire stronger energy bolts more quickly. Your magic and damage capabilities have increased. So, whenever possible, increase your intelligence."

    "OK."

    "The magic attack runestone will increase your damage capability directly, so it¡¯s also useful."

    The intelligence runestone was red, and the magic attack runestone was blue, so they looked different. Her power had increased, and she would do more damage.

    Magicians could inflict tremendous damage.

    Vera continued while smiling:

    "Next time, you can get a yellow runestone to increase your defense or magic uracy. In fact, get a magic uracy runestone. Your power works on your opponents, but your basic attacks won¡¯t work unless you have uracy. The arm warmer already increases defense, so you can wait on the defense runestone."

    Vera kindly exined many things to her, and Sarang listened carefully. Junhyuk was jealous.

    Junhyuk knew she hadn¡¯t bought a lot, but had increased her abilities considerably.

    She had increased her intelligence by six, her magic attack by six, her defense by ten, and her spells¡¯ cooldown times decreased by 10 percent. It was a great deal for 6,100G.

    He wasn¡¯t too jealous. He had his Blood Rune Sword and he could hurt and wound heroes with it.

    "Done shopping?" Arn asked Vera.

    "Yes. That¡¯s about it."

    "Then, let¡¯s move."

    "Where to?"

    Arn smiled.

    "Just follow me. As we nned, we will win this battle."

 Chapter 66: Counter Jungle 1

    Chapter 66: Counter Jungle 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    They all quickly followed Arn into the enemy forest. Junhyuk caught up to him and asked:

    "So, where are we going?"

    Arn smiled and said:

    "Right about now, the heroes we killed should have reincarnated, and there is one ce they will all go to."

    "Are you going to take the opponent¡¯s buff monster?"

    "We shouldn¡¯t just take it," Arn said, beaming. "Before our enemies kill the buff monster, we will kill them, and then take the buff."

    Speed was the most important thing. Junhyuk ran faster, and Arn said:

    "Speed up!"

    The minions behind them huffed and gasped as they ran faster. Junhyuk ran next to Arn and looked at Sarang. She wasn¡¯t having a tough time following them.

    "Are you OK?"

    "I fine. I have increased movement speed."

    He looked at her again. She wasn¡¯t running but jogging and easily notgging behind.

    "You¡¯ll do well in PE!"

    "I¡¯m not an athlete and I don¡¯t want to be one. Running is enough for me."

    Junhyukughed and said:

    "That¡¯s good."

    They ran for an hour and arrived at a ce where they could hear loud explosions and the enemy heroes yelling.

    "Minota! Push this way!"

    "Right."

    Boom!

    When they heard the explosion, Arn signaled with his hand for everyone to quiet down. The minions stayed where they were, and only the four moved.

    Arn, Vera, Junhyuk and Sarang moved next to a clearing. There was a fierce battle taking ce in the open space.

    There was a creature with woman¡¯s face and ample breasts floating in the air. It was the monster. It had two wings instead of two arms and only one leg. It stayed in the air and dove to strike. Its attack was so powerful that the heroes retreated each time.

    "A harpy?"

    Arn inspected the harpy and said:

    "They will catch it soon."

    "What do we do?"

    "They are not too hurt because there are three of them, but they are all wounded in some way. We should use our strongest attacks."

    Arn looked at Vera, and she nodded and took out her staff.

    "They are not all in one spot. I can¡¯t be urate."

    "It¡¯s OK. I¡¯ll get them in one ce."

    Arn looked at Junhyuk.

    "When they concentrate their attacks on me, you know what to do."

    "I know."

    Even for Arn, it was dangerous to deal with three heroes at the same time. Arn couldn¡¯t take them all since they were attack-focused heroes.

    Junhyuk nodded, and Arn moved quickly. He went after Warren, who was taking the harpy head on.

    When Warren discovered him, it was toote. Arn had jumped and wasing down on the werewolf, swinging his saber at Warren¡¯s head.

    Warren tried to block with his arms.

    sh!

    He withstood the attack, but he lost an arm in the process.

    "Argh!"

    Arn smiled a little and swung the saber in his left hand. Warren moved away quickly, but still got shed on the arm.

    Arn was putting a lot of pressure on Warren, and Minota and Ellic rushed him from the left and the right. The two meant to pincer attack Arn in the middle.

    Arn didn¡¯t retreat and instead lifted his sabers high. Minota and Ellic were closing the gap when Arn was surrounded by ivory-colored light.

    ng!

    The two shed against the force field at the same time, and Arn didn¡¯t move. Minota and Ellic staggered from the collision.

    Arn threw his saber, and it flew toward Warren. There was no time to dodge, so Warren lifted his arm to block.

    sh!

    The arm was cut off, and the saber continued flying and struck Warren¡¯s chest. They hadn¡¯t seen the sabers deal so much damage before, and Warren gritted his teeth. All of a sudden, Arn was already on his tail and beheaded him.

    Warren went down easily because he had been fighting the harpy and couldn¡¯t deal with Arn¡¯s attacks, and Arn¡¯s attack power was far greater than before, allowing him to slice Warren¡¯s arm off.

    Warren had withdrawn to heal himself, but he had rxed too much while watching Minota and Ellic attack Arn, so he was killed.

    Arn turned around after beheading Warren, and Minota and Ellic went after him once more. They weren¡¯t worried about what had happened to Warren; they wanted to kill Arn before Vera joined the fight.

    He was covered by the force field, whichsted ten seconds, but he had already spent four seconds, so he would pressure them for six more seconds.

    The two were attacking him at the same time when Arn saw the harpy flying above them. The harpy was seriously wounded. He could take her first.

    Arn ignored them both andunched his saber. It struck the harpy in its chest.

    "Squawk!"

    However, the harpy didn¡¯t die from his attack. It flew toward him, and Ellic and Minota attacked him simultaneously.

    Arn didn¡¯t fight off their rushes. His job was to hold them in one ce.

    He leaned forward and used the force field to block Ellic¡¯s hammer. The hammer was deflected down, and Minota tried to kick him.

    Arn leaned back and dodged Minota¡¯s kick. He looked up at the sky and smiled.

    It was time for the meteor shower.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    Ellic and Minota were together in one spot, and the meteors hit them hard, decreasing their health, but the force field disappeared.

    "Die!"

    First, Ellic attacked him with the hammer.

    Bang!

    The hammer generated a shockwave, and Arn was pushed back. That¡¯s when Minota rushed at him, and Arn jumped at the harpy.

    He had only meant to escape from Minota and floated next to the harpy.

    Arnnded, and Ellic ran over, swinging his hammer.

    Thung!

    Even in that situation, Arn turned to face Ellic and deflected his attack, but the shock was too much to deal with.

    Arn was pushed back, and Ellic rushed again.

    Bang!

    Arn was getting irritated when Minota also rushed at him. The harpy was only after Arn since he had attacked her.

    He was missing one saber, and it was difficult for him to deal with Ellic and Minota at the same time even though both of them were hurt.

    Suddenly, a firewall burst out in front of Arn. Minota and Ellic couldn¡¯t lose him. They had to kill him before dealing with Vera. They understood the situation and went through the firewall after him.

    Junhyuk watched the events unfold. It was better for him not to get involved, but he couldn¡¯t just stand there.

    He thought about how to help Arn and looked at the harpy flying in the sky. It had a saber stuck to its chest. It had been attacked before they got there and had lost a lot of health.

    "OK."

    He jumped at the harpy as it went toward Arn. The harpy was in the air, and it was not a distance Junhyuk could cover just by jumping.

    So, he used spatial relocation to teleport above the harpy¡¯s head and swung his Frozen Rune Sword.

    sh!

    He cut the harpy, and its skin froze with ice. The harpy slowed down, and he used the Blood Rune Sword to stab its neck.

    He didn¡¯t know how the harpy had withstood the saber in its chest, but now it had a sword in the back of its neck and it was bleeding ck blood. Suddenly, he heard a soft whisper:

    [You¡¯ve killed the Gale Queen Harpy. For the next two hours, your attack power will increase by 33 percent. If you die within those two hours, you will lose the buff to your opponent.]

    The buff description was simple, but he couldn¡¯t understand how it worked at first. However, there was a white circle around his body.

    The harpy fell, and her dead body started disappearing. Junhyuk picked up the saber and threw it to Arn. He took it and swung it.

    sh, sh, sh!

    Arn¡¯s attack speed was astounding when he used his dual sabers, and he was now buffed.

    Arn was swinging his sabers multiple times, and a wind that dealt additional damageunched out from them after every couple of attacks. Arn swung very fast, and Ellic was losing.

    Ellic retreated, but Minota tried to step on Arn. He didn¡¯t chase after Ellic and, instead, retreated from Minota¡¯s attack.

    From behind Arn, a fire spear flew in.

    Boom!

    Minota staggered backward, and Ellic rushed by him toward Arn.

    Bang!

    Minota¡¯s and Ellic¡¯s continuous attacks bounced Arn backward. Then, a fire orb appeared in front of him. Minota and Ellic were in a hurry, but they couldn¡¯t just ignore the fire orb.

    When they saw the fire orb, they both turned back. They were winning against Arn, but now he had Vera with him, and it was not easy to chase him further.

    However, Junhyuk was standing alone.

    Minota and Ellic both ran toward him, and Junhyukughed a little and ran toward them. He had to pass through them to get to Vera.

    As Junhyuk ran toward them, Minota used his rush. Junhyuk ignored Minota and focused on Ellic. They were both attacking him just like they had attacked Arn simultaneously.

    Even if he teleported, Ellic was too close, but spatial relocation was only thing he could use at that moment. If he took on Minota¡¯s rush, he would be killed.

    Junhyuk teleported and passed by Minota, but Ellic lifted his hammer. Ellic was waiting for him, about to m his hammer down against him, and Junhyuk gritted his teeth, waiting for the impact. Suddenly, an electric st flew in.

    ZZZCRAK!

    Ellic stiffened and couldn¡¯t move. Sarang¡¯s magic stopped Ellic, and Arn ran toward him. Ellic had lost his strength, and Arn could take him.

    Junhyuk swung his sword without hesitation.

    The Blood Rune Sword shed against the gorget* covering Ellic¡¯s neck.

    Chink!

    The defensive power of Ellic¡¯s armor was certainly high. It looked like a piece of paper, but he had only managed to scratch it. Junhyuk continued his attack with the Frozen Rune Sword. As he swung his sword, a sharp windunched from the de and hit Ellic.

    Crack!

    The gorget broke, but at that time, Ellic was able to move again. He saw Ellic¡¯s eyes right in front of his nose, and it felt creepy. Ellic swung his hammer, but Arn was one step faster and swung his own saber.

    Thluck!

    Arn¡¯s saber was stuck to Ellic¡¯s head. Junhyuk watched Ellic¡¯s blood stter all over and moved aside. At that moment, Minota swept across the spot where Junhyuk had been standing. He had escaped in the nick of time.

    Arn shouted at him:

    "Get back!"

    Junhyuk had already nned to go back. He got behind Arn, held fast to his swords and exhaled.

    He always felt that way when fighting heroes. His heart beat like crazy, and he could hear it thumping.

    Junhyuk smiled.

    "Filthy ox, you are all alone."

 Chapter 67: Counter Jungle 2

    Chapter 67: Counter Jungle 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Minota was now by himself and stared hard at Junhyuk. He had been winning against Arn, and what had changed the flow of the fight was the death of the harpy and the buff it generated.

    The buff gave them an additional attack. Arn already had a strong attack, and when he was buffed, he was able to inflict even heavier damage, and now Minota had just a bit of health left.

    Was it possible for him to escape from that ce? Impossible. If Minota had to die, he wanted to take Junhyuk or another hero with him.

    Minota made up his mind and snarled and stomped the ground. He dug hard into the ground and ran. Arn saw him running first and stepped forward. He jumped and aimed for Minota, and that¡¯s when Minota hunched over and rushed.

    He had been expecting Arn¡¯s jump and was able to go through Arn and appear right in front of Junhyuk. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected the rush, and now he had to face Minota alone.

    Then, a ck firewall appeared right in front of Junhyuk, and a fire orb appeared behind him. However, these things couldn¡¯t stop Minota¡¯s rush.

    Junhyuk held tightly to his swords, and when Minota closed in, he squatted.

    ng, ng!

    His swords were pushed back, and he used the momentum toy on his back, but he still had to deal with Minota¡¯s stomps. He was extremely focused and, whileying on his back, he rolled to the side.

    Minota realized Junhyuk had escaped his rush and turned around, stomping the ground.

    Bang!

    Junhyuk was getting up when he was hit and and vomited some blood while being bounced around by the shockwave. He felt like he had lost his arms from the hit and he rolled on the ground to escape the next stomps.

    Minota¡¯s stomps created shockwaves that tore his armor and shook his internal organs. He was not dead, but he was seriously injured.

    Minota smirked as he looked at Junhyuk. Arn was running at him, but Minota was confident that he had enough time to kill Junhyuk.

    Minota used his doppelganger skill, and one Minota headed toward Arn while the other swung at Junhyuk. However, Junhyukughed at that.

    Minota¡¯s swipe was his basic attack, so Junhyuk still had a chance. He dodged the paw and swung the Frozen Rune Sword. It only grazed Minota¡¯s wrist, but the wrist was frozen.

    It wouldn¡¯t be much, but Minota¡¯s attack speed would decrease. Junhyuk turned around, swinging his Blood Rune Sword. He got lucky and shed squarely into Minota¡¯s ribs.

    The first blow had cut the skin, but the second blow had sliced Minota¡¯s muscles. However, he wasn¡¯t able to hit Minota¡¯s internal organs.

    These were small wounds for Minota, and he kicked in response. Junhyuk blocked the kick with his swords.

    Clung!

    He was pushed back, and it felt like his arm was going to fall off, but his organs felt OK. That was because he had attacked with the Blood Rune Sword and regained some health.

    Junhyuk was small, so even though the Blood Rune Sword¡¯s attack was weak, he was still healing quickly.

    Minota got angry that Junhyuk had been able to block his attacks. Junhyuk was only an expert, and an expert blocking his attacks was unforgivable.

    "Woo, woo, woo!"

    He mooed like an ox, and Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened. Minota was experiencing extreme anger. His attack speed and attack power would increase from then on.

    Junhyuk could end up seriously hurt, and he still felt like his arm had been torn off.

    Junhyuk breathed in deeply and looked at Minota, who swung at him. He couldn¡¯t block the attack. The damage would kill him.

    Then, a lightning bolt hit Minota¡¯s eye.

    "Aaaargh!"

    It was sheer luck. Minota closed his eyes, and Junhyuk sidestepped the attack.

    "Hooah!"

    Junhyuk swung his swords, shing through the empty air. Minota still had his eyes closed, and this was a great opportunity.

    His swordsnded on Minota¡¯s thigh. Junhyuk was satisfied that he was healing himself and was debuffing his opponent at the same time, but Minota kicked at him again.

    Clung!

    Minota¡¯s attack wasrge. Compared to Warren, his attack speed was slower. He was also debuffed, so his speed had decreased, but he was just so big that it was impossible to avoid himpletely.

    He had kicked at Junhyuk and would continue to attack. He grinned, and Junhyuk grinned back at him. Junhyuk took a defensive stance with his swords, and Minota rushed at him.

    Time is up.

    Junhyuk teleported and stood in front of Vera. Minota rushed at the empty space, gritted his teeth and turned around.

    Vera had the advantage at long range. She blocked his path with a fire orb andunched a fire spear at him.

    Boom, boom!

    He used his arms to block the spear and dodged the fire orb. Minota ran toward Junhyuk, stomping loudly, but Junhyuk just stared at him with a cool smile.

    Minota had lost a lot of health. If Junhyuk attacked with Vera, he would be able to kill Minota. The other Minota had already been killed by Arn.

    He had to buy more time.

    Minota closed in, and Junhyuk grabbed Vera and Sarang and teleported. They moved to a spot opposite of where Minota was standing.

    Minota turned around quickly, and Arn ran by Junhyuk and threw his saber. Minota decided to hit the saber with his horn.

    ng!

    The horn blocked the saber, but Arn was closing in quickly and jumped while Vera and Sarang attacked. Veraunched a fire spear, and Sarangunched her lightning bolt. Junhyuk just stared at Minota.

    "Woo, woo, woo!"

    He mooed and rushed toward Arn. That was hisst move. He was engulfed by ck mes and died. Junhyuk sighed, relieved.

    He was still not feeling well. Junhyuk was still wounded, but at least he was alive.

    Arn looked around and said:

    "Take care of the minions first."

    There were about thirty minions left. Their heroes had died, but they were still fierce and were running toward the group. Junhyuk ran to meet them.

    He hadn¡¯t beenpletely healed when he started attacking with the Blood Rune Sword, but by the time all of the minions were dead, he had fully recovered.

    The heroes did not help him get rid of the minions. Junhyuk and Sarang were enough to take care of all of them.

    Junhyuk and Sarang decided to rest after the job was done, and Arn and Vera walked over. Arn gave Junhyuk a talon that was over eleven inches.

    "Take it. It will be a useful synthesis item."

    Junhyuk checked it out.

    ---

    Gale Harpy Queen¡¯s Talon

    The Gale Harpy Queen¡¯s Talon is a rare drop. It¡¯s possible to use it as a synthesis item. After synthesis, the owner gets an extra attack at 10% damage.

    ---

    Junhyuk looked at Arn.

    "This is amazing!"

    "Right. Also, it¡¯s a synthesis item, but you don¡¯t have to synthesize it with a weapon. You could synthesize it with an ornament, and it would still be very effective."

    "How much is this?"

    "At least fifty thousand gold. It¡¯s a new synthesis item."

    "Yeah?"

    Junhyuk wondered if he should sell it.

    "Are you going to sell it?"

    "I think it might be better to sell it rather than using it for synthesis."

    Fifty thousand gold was enough to upgrade his longswords and spend in other areas.

    "Then, how about we trade?" Arn asked.

    "Trade?"

    Arn showed him his hand. He was wearing a golden bracelet.

    "For that?"

    "It¡¯s the Golden Knight Elder¡¯s Bracelet. It¡¯s part of the set. Ellic dropped it when he died."

    Junhyuk gulped. It was hard toplete a set even for heroes, and as he got more items for his set, he would get stronger.

    Junhyuk had meant to collect them, but didn¡¯t want to buy them because they were very expensive, and Ellic was carrying three.

    "A set item costs at least ten thousand gold. Bebe will ask for that much," Vera said to the pensive Junhyuk.

    "So, Arn would sell the item for how much?"

    "Fifty thousand gold. He offered you a nice deal!"

    Junhyuk wondered about that, and then nodded. He still wanted the Gale Harpy Queen¡¯s Talon, but set items were so hard to get.

    Junhyuk stared at Arn hard enough to drill a hole in his face.

    "OK."

    Junhyuk pushed the talon forward. He had been able to kill the harpy because he had been lucky. Other people had decreased its health, and he had been able to deliver the final blow.

    He wanted to make the trade.

    Arn took the talon and gave him the bracelet. Junhyuk put it on and inspected it.

    ---

    Golden Knight Elder¡¯s Bracelet (Set item)

    Attack +10

    The Golden Knight Elder used to carry this bracelet. In the past, he was called a legend and he carried items to increase his attack power. There was no one who could withstand a blow from him.

    Having aplete set increases the power of the item.

    Two-Item Set Effectiveness: Armor Piercing +35

    ---

    It was the first time Junhyuk saw that option.

    "What¡¯s this about set effectiveness and armor piercing?"

    "Oh! It has that ability? How much?"

    "It says thirty-five."

    Arn nodded.

    "That¡¯s why he is called a legend. With only two pieces of the set, it already does that!"

    "What are you talking about?"

    Arn crossed his arms and said:

    "It¡¯s ignoring the opponent¡¯s defenses. If one has less than thirty-five defense, you should be able to inflict heavy damage."

    "Then...?"

    "Look at Vera. She only has her basic defense. She has incredible attack power, but her defense is weak. Heroes usually have basic defense of 50, but Vera specializes in attack, so she has an even lower defense."

    "Correct. My defense is thirty."

    "That means that I could attack you with sess?"

    Vera nodded.

    "Out of the enemy heroes, Libya and Skia have thirty defense."

    Junhyuk made a fist. The Golden Knight Elder¡¯s set would ignore the opponent¡¯s defense and inflict damage with just two items. Skia was hard to deal with, but Junhyuk would be able to fight now.

    He was d that he would be able to fight heroes head on.

    Arn looked around and said:

    "It would be nice to synthesize now, but we are buffed, so we will go help Diane. If Halo joined up with Nudra, they won¡¯t need us."

    They had killed three enemy heroes. The enemy watchtower now only had two heroes while their side had three.

    Arn and Vera would join Diane, and victory would belong to their side.

    Junhyuk and Sarang would help them out some more.

    "Let¡¯s go!" Arn shouted, and the group moved quickly.

    They had a two-hour buff. It was not a long time.

 Chapter 68: Counter Jungle 3

    Chapter 68: Counter Jungle 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Diane was fighting Libya. Libya had ice powers, and her attack power was absurd. If Libya attacked continuously, Diane would die without putting up much resistance.

    However, Diane also had an astounding attack power, and if she attacked continuously, Libya could die as well, so both of them were being cautious.

    They exchanged some blows, but they knew each other very well, so neither of them was really hurt. Their minions were fighting in the middle of the battlefield, and both stood behind the minions, seldomly attacking. However, Libya¡¯s minions outnumbered the allied minions, who were almost all dead.

    Diane had to keep tabs on Libya, so she couldn¡¯t help the minions out, and they, in turn, were being pushed back toward the watchtower.

    Libya was pressuring Diane when she saw a group show up and frowned.

    "Damn!"

    She could see Arn and Veraing around the watchtower behind Diane. One additional hero was hard enough to deal with, and now there were two more.

    Libya ran away after seeing them. She had kept an eye on Diane, and when Diane started attacking minions, she took her chance.

    She looked at her watchtower, but didn¡¯t move toward it. Even with a watchtower backing her up, she couldn¡¯t fight three heroes by herself.

    Libya moved toward the allied forest. Diane stayed by her watchtower, and Libya followed the road to the left of that watchtower and stomped the ground. Suddenly, the road froze over.

    The icy road decreased the movement speed of the people who went through it. She wanted to slow down the allied heroes while running away.

    She looked back and saw that five people were following her: Arn, Vera, Diane, the expert Junhyuk, and the novice Sarang.

    "I will retreat for now, but we will meet again soon."

    ---

    Lybia ran away and turned the road to ice, and Junhyuk said:

    "Let¡¯s hold hands."

    This was a good enough time to try out the limit of his powers. The heroes joined hands. So far, Junhyuk could only teleport with people he could touch.

    ... and Junhyuk teleported while they held hands.

    It was the first time he was trying that, and it was a sess. They teleported beyond the icy road, and Libya tried to buy more time, but it was in vain.

    Junhyuk teleported again, and Libya gritted her teeth.

    The force field gave her so much trouble, and now she couldn¡¯t escape because of his spatial relocation. She looked back, frowned and started flying.

    Libya flew over the trees and went inside the forest. There was no road where she was headed, and she was trying to lose the group chasing her.

    Arn saw the trees, looked at Vera and said:

    "We will divide into two groups and hunt her down. I will go this way with Vera. Diane, you take Junhyuk and Sarang and go that way."

    Diane was dissatisfied.

    "I am not a babysitter!"

    "Babysitter? They will help you."

    She looked at Junhyuk and Sarang and stashed her bow on her shoulder.

    "Follow me. Carefully."

    Diane belonged to the elf race, and her speed inside a forest was impressive. It was not easy to follow her.

    Junhyuk nodded.

    "Don¡¯t worry."

    Diane turned to Arn and Vera.

    "Do you want to bet on who catches her first?"

    "That¡¯s an irrational concept," Arn said and ran.

    "Follow me. We will catch her," Diane told Junhyuk and Sarang.

    "OK."

    Both of them followed her and ran quickly in the forest. Diane was running on tree branches and was faster than them.

    Junhyuk had to run with all of his might to keep up with her. After running for a while, Diane signaled with her hand for them to halt.

    They stopped, and Diane pulled out her bow and said:

    "She ising this way."

    Junhyuk looked at Sarang and stepped forward to protect her.

    He ran toward the road, summoned his swords and shouted:

    "Stop!"

    Libya saw him and stopped running. She looked around and saw Sarang standing behind him, and there was a glimmer in her eyes.

    Surely, there had to be a hero around somewhere, but the heroes had to split up, so there couldn¡¯t be more than two hiding.

    She wanted to kill the two in front of her and then escape.

    Both of them had been a hindrance to her, and that was a good opportunity to get rid of them.

    Libya made an ice spear.

    "Where is your nanny? Children shouldn¡¯t be alone!"

    Sheunched the spear, and Junhyuk created a force field around Sarang and went inside it as well.

    Bang!

    The ice spear broke apart by hitting the force field, and Junhyuk ran forward. He didn¡¯t have a lot of time before Libya would run away again.

    He wanted to block her escape, and her eyes shone. She wanted to kill him even if she got killed in the process. She wanted to kill him twice, and then he would never be back again.

    Libya made ice flowers andunched them at Junhyuk.

    He was within her range. Then, Junhyuk teleported behind her and started swinging his swords continuously.

    sh, sh, sh, sh!

    He ignored her defense and attacked. The Blood Rune Sword had an attack of thirty-five, and the Frozen Rune Sword had an attack of fifteen. He was also carrying two Golden Knight Elder¡¯s bracelets which added twenty to each attack. The Blood Rune Sword was hitting for fifty-five, and the Frozen Rune Sword was hitting for thirty-five. He ignored her defensepletely.

    "Aaargh!" She screamed and ran forward.

    She hadn¡¯t been expecting that kind of attack from an expert. She had four snowke-like wings, and one of them was cut apart.

    She turned around and threw another ice pear, but Junhyuk used spatial relocation to escape.

    He joined Sarang and saw Libya take to the air. She was so angry that she changed her trajectory and mmed down on them.

    Bang!

    The force field was still there, and both of them had survived, but the force field was half buried underground. Libya stood on it and made an ice flower.

    "You dared to cut my wing?"

    When the ice flower exploded, it would generate an ice storm. He had already used two teleports, and she was standing on the force field.

    Libya wanted to kill them both at once, but when she turned to escape, an arrow flew at her. She felt Diane¡¯s attacking and tried to dodge it.

    The arrow didn¡¯t hit her on the head, but it went through her corbone. She was heavily wounded and wanted to flee.

    However, as Libya turned around, five more arrows flew toward her.

    She threw her ice flower toward the arrows, and the ice storm traveled forward from the impact, but Diane was out of range. Her shooting range was longer than Libya¡¯s magic range.

    Diane stood outside of Lybia¡¯s range and loosened another arrow. The tip of that arrow was covered by fire.

    "Sarang!" Junhyuk shouted.

    Sarang used her power. An electric st traveled from her and hit Libya. Libya was paralyzed, and Junhyuk walked out of the force field.

    He targeted her wings again. He was buffed, so he attacked with his swords and got extra attacks.

    sh, sh, sh!

    He cut two more of her wings, and Diane¡¯s exploding arrownded on her.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk attacked again right after the explosion. He crisscrossed his des on the ce where Diane¡¯s arrow hit Lybia¡¯s neck and beheaded her.

    He had been able to do that because of Diane¡¯s attacks.

    Libya¡¯s head flew off, and Junhyuk needed a moment to gather his breath. He hadn¡¯t been able to breathe while he was attacking her. With just one breath, he had cut her wings and sliced her neck. He felt like his heart was about to explode.

    "Whew."

    He exhaled and heard a soft whisper:

    [You¡¯ve killed the hero Libya. You have the right to pick up the item she dropped. Will you pick it up? If you don¡¯t, the item will disappear in three hours.]

    Junhyuk hesitated. Diane¡¯s attack had been decisive in killing Libya, but he did kill her at the end.

    He had been looking away when he killed Ellic, and now he had delivered the final blow again. The first time had been a mistake.

    Then, Diane walked over and grabbed his shoulder.

    "I¡¯m sorry!"

    "What for?"

    "I didn¡¯t mean to deliver the final blow!"

    Dianeughed.

    "How were you able to attack her? What happened?"

    Junhyuk showed her his arms, and she saw the Golden Knight Elder¡¯s bracelets.

    "Golden Knight Elder set items?"

    "Right."

    "I thought Ellic had those?"

    "He died and dropped them."

    Diane shook her head.

    "You killed Ellic?"

    "I was buffed with the Smander buff."

    "Really?"

    Junhyuk had helped them out with his powers before, but this time he had killed a hero. It used to be five versus five, but now it was more like five versus five and a half.

    Diane gave him a big hug. She was not sexy like Vera, but she gave off a fresh scent. His face got red, and Diane yed with his hair, messing it up.

    "Man. Pick it up before the item disappears."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk picked up the item Lybia dropped. It was only a handheld mirror.

    ---

    Ice Crystal Mirror

    Ice Magic Attack +25

    The Ice Kingdom Erusha¡¯s treasure, the Ice Crystal Mirror. It increases ice-attribute magic attacks and ice magic attacks.

    It looks beautiful.

    ---

    Junhyuk felt like he had heard about that kingdom before and murmured:

    "It¡¯s for ice magic!"

    "Yeah? I won¡¯t need it."

    "Is that so?"

    Diane ced her hand on his shoulder.

    "If you did not draw her attention, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to attack her. This belongs to you."

    "Thank you."

    In fact, Junhyuk hadn¡¯t done more damage than Diane, but she was giving it to him, and he felt grateful.

    Diane tapped him on the shoulder.

    "You should sell it and get new armor."

    "OK."

    Armor pieces cost 20,000G, and now he would be able to afford one.

 Chapter 69: Dragon 1

    Chapter 69: Dragon 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Libya had been killed, and after a while, Arn and Vera came through the way Lybia had used.

    "Did shee this way?"

    Diane nodded and put her arm around Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder.

    "Junhyuk drew her in and delivered the final blow."

    "The final blow?" Vera asked and turned cold towards him.

    Diane started waving her hand negatorily.

    "We got her because Junhyuk drew her in. He risked his life, so acknowledge him."

    "Is that right?"

    Vera petted Junhyuk¡¯s head and looked at Arn.

    "What do we do now?"

    Arn pulled out a marble and said:

    "I will contact Nudra and Halo."

    As Arn concentrated with his eyes closed, the marble began to shine in his hand. Junhyuk watched him contact Nudra and Halo.

    Arn opened his eyes and said:

    "We will go to Bebe first and meet them in the Valley of Dragonster."

    "The Valley of Dragons?"

    He thought they would be hunting one of the dragons Arn had mentioned before.

    "We are winning, so we will take down a dragon."

    Junhyuk was worried. Arn had described the dragons, and they sounded terrifying. Arn did not hesitate and started running.

    He was fearful, but they would have five heroes in one ce, so it would be possible to do it. Had he not witnessed their strength time and time again? The heroes were strong enough.

    They decided to visit Bebe. He was curious about how much Bebe would give him for the Ice Crystal Mirror. He really wanted to buy some new armor.

    On the way, they destroyed the watchtower that Diane had been attacking and went straight to Bebe.

    Bebe was yawning when they arrived.

    He saw theme in and smiled.

    "You came back quickly."

    Arn took off an earring and walked over to Bebe. The item looked to be a canine tooth, and he gave it to Bebe.

    He also took out the Gale Harpy Queen¡¯s Talon and said:

    "Synthesize them."

    "Oh! You¡¯ve got it already?" Bebe said and pushed the te forward. "It will cost twenty thousand gold."

    Arn frowned, and Bebe said:

    "These are new items, and synthesizing them will require the highest quality materials, so twenty thousand gold."

    Arn sighed deeply and put his hand on the te. The cost was taken out, and Bebe pulled out three bottles.

    "So, I¡¯ll be able to show my skills for the first time in a long time," Bebe said and poured the three bottles on the earring and the talon. The talon melted and seeped into the earring.

    Bebe pulled out a scroll and ced the earring on it. The scroll tore apart, generating a strong light that faded, leaving only the earring.

    A pure-white color surrounded the earring, and it looked quite unique. Bebe grinned and gave it back to Arn.

    "It¡¯s a sess. It was a big sess!"

    "Did you do it right?"

    "Put it on."

    Arn put the earring on and smiled.

    "It¡¯s a sess."

    "Don¡¯t feel bad about the twenty thousand gold. It was worth it!"

    "Right. The additional attack rate has gone up by 15 percent. It was worth it."

    Bebe touched his chin and murmured:

    "So, these monsterse alone to the battlefield. If you y it right, you¡¯ll have the right essories to increase your additional attack rate by 100 percent!"

    "They have a low spawn rate, and if they do show up, they are alone. If I wanted to do eight syntheses, it would take years."

    "But it¡¯s worth the trouble!"

    Arn nodded. If he increased his additional attack rate by 100 percent, it would just be the best way possible to attack.

    Bebe smiled and looked at the rest of the group.

    "Don¡¯t you want anything?"

    Junhyuk stepped forward, and Bebe¡¯s eyes widened.

    "Do you have more money?"

    "I want you to find that out."

    "Sure."

    Bebe ced the te on the counter, and Junhyuk ced his hand on it. The screen showed 13,390G, and Bebe was more surprised than Junhyuk.

    "You earned a lot!"

    "We killed four heroes and the Gale Harpy Queen. That¡¯s about it..."

    "If you killed the Gale Harpy Queen, it¡¯s understandable. It¡¯s worth three thousand gold."

    He already knew the buff monsters were worth a lot of money. Junhyuk pulled out the Ice Crystal Mirror, and Bebe said:

    "Libya must not be happy about that."

    "Yeah?"

    "Give it to me."

    Bebe took it and looked at himself in the mirror.

    "I am so handsome."

    Junhyuk thought about the Ice Crystal Mirror¡¯s description andughed. Bebe continued to look at himself in the mirror as he said:

    "So, there aren¡¯t many people who would buy this because of its description and attributes. I will give you thirty-five thousand gold for it."

    The offer of thirty-five thousand gold really surprised Junhyuk. He wasn¡¯t expecting it to be that high.

    Bebe asked him:

    "Are you selling it?"

    "Of course!"

    Junhyuk ced his hand on the te, and the number increased to 48,390G. His mouth was agape, and Bebe asked him:

    "So, what do you want?"

    Junhyuk thought about it. He wanted a new suit of armor. Armor was very expensive, so he hadn¡¯t thought about it before.

    "Can I look at some armor?"

    "Wise choice. Survival first."

    Bebe opened the book, and it flipped endlessly. Junhyuk looked at it and sighed.

    "Just show me what I can buy."

    "About forty-thousand-gold worth, right?"

    Bebe closed the book and opened it again, and five suits of armor showed up. Bebe began his exnation:

    "So, do you want to know more about defense? I told you thest time that a minion had a defense of one. Shields also have a defense of one, sobining the two, a minion has a defense of two, but a novice has a defense of five, and novices also have a magic defense of five."

    He understood that a novice¡¯s armor was superior to a minion¡¯s armor. He also had a defense runestone, so he could ignore minion attackspletely.

    Bebe continued calmly:

    "Since you became an expert, your basic armor has a defense and a magic defense of ten. You could ignore attacks from minions, but novices may still pose you problems."

    Junhyuk nodded, and Bebe pointed to a suit of armor.

    "It¡¯s possible to upgrade this armor five times, and you may also synthesize it with something else. It has a defense and a magic defense of 30! Astounding, right?"

    "What about the price?"

    "This one is the most basic one, and it costs twenty thousand gold. It¡¯s as I¡¯ve already exined."

    Junhyuk looked at the other suits.

    "What about this one?"

    It was a ck-colored suit of armor, and he liked the look of it. It would fit him well.

    "Check it out yourself. Press your finger against it."

    Junhyuk touched the image of the armor and inspected the item.

    ---

    Bebe¡¯s ck Armor (30,000G)

    Defense +35

    Magic Defensive +35

    Attack speed +5%

    Bebe sells it, and it increases the speed of the wearer. You can upgrade it five times, and the attack speed increases with each upgrade.

    ---

    Junhyuk liked the ability to increase his speed, but it was too expensive. Arn walked over to the pensive Junhyuk.

    "Basic armor sets are very much the same. This one or that one, it doesn¡¯t matter. You have to upgrade it, so buy something with the bonus option you like."

    "I understand."

    Junhyuk looked at the other pieces. Except for one, all of them cost thirty thousand gold, and they all had different options.

    The ck armor increased attack speed; the blue armor decreased the opponent¡¯s attack speed; the red armor increased attack; and the violet armor increased defense.

    Junhyuk thought about it and wanted to picked the ck armor.

    "Can I engrave and upgrade it?"

    "Sure. It¡¯s just like your swords."

    "I see."

    Junhyuk nodded and asked:

    "Then, do I get the effects while it is hidden?"

    "That¡¯s different for armors. You have to wear it to get the stats, but with the exception of defense, the bonus options will work."

    "I see."

    Junhyuk ordered the ck armor.

    "I will take this one."

    Bebe ced the te on the counter, and Junhyuk swallowed his saliva dry. The price was astronomical. He swiped his hand over the te, and the number decreased by thirty thousand gold.

    However, 18,390G remained. He didn¡¯t used to have that much money before, but now he was getting used to having arge sum.

    Bebe pulled out one ck armor from behind his counter, and Junhyuk walked over to him.

    "Take it off."

    "What?"

    "Take off your armor."

    "I can take it off?"

    Bebe smiled, and took off Junhyuk¡¯s armor. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t say anything. He was nowpletely naked.

    "Ahh!"

    He turned around, and Sarang was covering her face with her hands, but she had seen everything. He covered his male part quickly, and Bebe covered him with the new suit of armor.

    Click! Click!

    Junhyuk felt the full suit of armor shrinking to fit his body and smiled.

    "I did not exin it before, but it will hold your body¡¯s temperature even after hiding it," Bebe said.

    "I like it."

    That meant he could withstand heat and cold. It had been expensive, but it was worth it. It had nice bonuses.

    Junhyuk moved around. It was easy to move in it, and he asked Bebe:

    "How much would an upgrade cost?"

    "You can upgrade it five times. The first upgrade will cost ten thousand gold, but it will be worth it."

    Junhyuk asked carefully:

    "What about second upgrade?"

    "The second costs twenty thousand gold; the third costs thirty thousand gold; the fourth costs forty thousand gold; and the fifth costs eighty thousand gold."

    "Why is the fifth upgrade so expensive?"

    "You will see. Thest upgrade is special and really different."

    Junhyuk smacked his lips. It would cost two hundred and ten thousand gold in total, and it would cost him a lot more to upgrade everything.

    He sighed.

    "Engrave this for me."

    "Sure."

    Bebe moved his hand, and he took some big steps back. Bebeughed at him.

    "You have to take it off before I can engrave it."

    Junhyuk sighed.

    "Sarang, close your eyes," he said.

    "They are closed."

    He looked at her, and her eyes were still open. Junhyuk shook his head and asked Bebe:

    "Is there a changing room?"

    "Why do you need it?"

    Bebe quickly pulled off Junhyuk¡¯s armor and stopped his nagging.

    Junhyuk waspletely naked again.

    "Where do you want it?"

    Junhyuk thought about it and lifted his hand.

    "Over here."

    He pointed behind his ear, and Bebe nodded and said:

    "I will make it small."

    Bebe pushed the te, and Junhyuk put his hand on it, decreasing the number by a thousand gold. Bebe poured the contents of a small bottle on the armor and engraved it. It looked like a cross, but slightly different.

    Bebe waved Junhyuk over to him, and he made the same shape behind Junhyuk¡¯s ear.

    "Now, send it away."

    Bebe was holding the armor, and the armor disappeared.

    "Summon it."

    He summoned it and he was wearing his suit of armor.

    "I like it."

    Bebe smiled and asked.

    "Do you really like it?"

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk pulled out the two Golden Knight Elder bracelets.

    "Engrave these as well."

    "Where do you want it?"

    Junhyuk paid for the engravings and tapped the area behind his other ear. He was wearing his armor, and the armor clinked against his finger.

    "Right here?"

    "Sure."

    The number decreased by two thousand gold, and 15,390G remained. He was worrying about how much money he was spending when Bebe took his armor off again.

    Junhyuk covered himself, and Bebe said smiling:

    "You have to take if off before I engrave you."

 Chapter 70: Dragon 2

    Chapter 70: Dragon 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Bebe started engraving the Golden Knight Elder¡¯s bracelets. Meanwhile, Junhyuk looked at his pendant. He had some money to spend now, and he wanted a new socketed item to rece it.

    "Do you have a socketed item that will hold more than thirty gems, and how much is it?"

    Bebe kept engraving the bracelets while speaking calmly:

    "If you want to just insert thirty items, it will cost you just ten thousand gold, but if you want a runestone-performance boost option, then it will cost you a lot more."

    "How much more?"

    "For a 10 percent performance boost, the price increases by thirty thousand gold. The highest boost option, 50 percent,es at a premium, and it costs a hundred thousand gold more on top of all the upgrades."

    "Then, a 50 percent performance boost item¡¯s cost is two hundred and thirty thousand gold total?" (Editor¡¯s note: 10k+30k+30k+30k+30k+100k = original cost + first upgrade + second upgrade + third upgrade + fourth upgrade + fifth upgrade)

    "That¡¯s the cheapest one. If you want to change its shape, it will cost you more."

    Junhyuk mouth was agape because of the absurd price range, and suddenly, someone pped his butt.

    p!

    "Ack!"

    Junhyuk was very surprised and turned around to see Diane smiling at him.

    "You want to change your socketed item?"

    "That¡¯s a sexual harassment!"

    Diane shrugged and said:

    "You and Ie from different species, so it¡¯s OK. If you p a monkey¡¯s butt, do you call it sexual harassment?"

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t say anything, Dianeughed hard at him and pulled out an arm warmer.

    "Don¡¯t be angry. I want to give you this."

    "What is it?"

    "Vera gave Sarang a socketed item, something she had used before, right? I fought with you many times, so I want to give you something I don¡¯t use anymore."

    Junhyuk no longer felt angry that she had pped his butt, and instead, felt grateful, since she gave him a new socketed item. He felt like wanting to get his butt pped again.

    "Thank you!"

    Diane gave him the arm warmer and walked over to Vera, waving her hand.

    "It¡¯s really big!"

    Junhyuk frowned and inspected the arm warmer. It was made out of soft leather, and it felt really nice.

    ---

    Sherlock¡¯s Leather Arm Warmer (Runestone Socketed Item)

    Defense +10

    Runestone Performance +20%

    Skill: Jump (distance: 100 feet; cooldown: 2 hours)

    High Elf Arasha¡¯s eternal friend Sherlock died, leaving this leather item behind. Sherlock¡¯s jump skill may be used once every two hours.

    ---

    Junhyuk¡¯s mouth opened wide.

    "Can I really take this?"

    "It¡¯s fine. I have something better for myself."

    Surely, she did carry something better, but he was hesitant.

    "First, let me mark you with a seal," Bebe said to him.

    "OK."

    Bebe engraved the back of Junhyuk¡¯s neck and asked:

    "Are you going to engrave the arm warmer as well?"

    "Yes."

    Bebe had finished engraving the bracelets and pushed the te forward.

    "Here."

    He had gotten something really precious, and he wanted to seal and engrave it. Junhyuk paid the cost. He had 14,390G remaining, but he had gotten what he wanted.

    The seal for the arm warmer was engraved behind his ear.

    All of the engravings were finished, and he summoned the hidden ck armor. He was fully armored and felt a lot better.

    "Crap! I should have taken a picture!" He heard Sarang murmuring.

    Junhyuk sighed and untied his pendant.

    "Take out the runestones."

    "Removing a runestone costs fifty gold per runestone."

    In the beginning, he thought that was an unreasonable price, but now it didn¡¯t bother him at all. He had earned a lot of money.

    Junhyuk paid the 150G, and Bebe removed the runestones. Junhyuk summoned the Sherlock¡¯s Leather Arm Warmer and gave it to Bebe. Bebe inserted the runestones on it and asked:

    "Do you want anything else?"

    Junhyuk pondered for a moment, and thought it would be better to make himself stronger.

    "I want to upgrade."

    Junhyuk was prepared to spend more money, and Bebe gave him the te.

    "What do you want?"

    "Both of them."

    Junhyuk ced the Blood Rune Sword and the Frozen Rune Sword on the counter, and Bebe said:

    "It¡¯ll be the Blood Rune Sword¡¯s third upgrade, so that¡¯ll be eight thousand gold, and it¡¯s the Frozen Rune Sword¡¯s second upgrade, so that¡¯ll be four thousand gold. It¡¯s twelve thousand goldbined."

    "Do it."

    Junhyuk watched the gold being subtracted on the te. He was left with 2,240G, but by upgrading both swords, he would be able to deal with heroes.

    Bebe finished upgrading the swords and said:

    "You are something else to have this much money as an expert."

    "You should¡¯ve given me a discount. You are not helping."

    "Check them out."

    Junhyuk inspected his swords. The Blood Rune Sword¡¯s attack increased by fifteen, so now it was fifty, and the health absorption rate was 12 percent.

    The Frozen Rune Sword¡¯s attack was twenty-five, and the opponent¡¯s movement and attack speeds decreased by 6 percent with the possibility to stack three times.

    He felt he had spent his money wisely. He had a new socketed item, and even though it had a two-hour cooldown, he had a new skill: jump.

    Arn knew Junhyuk had spent most of his money and said:

    "Then, it¡¯s time to move."

    Their business was done, and Junhyuk smiled.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    Killing Libya had made Junhyuk stronger. Arn moved with the group, and they headed toward the Dragon¡¯s Valley, a new ce.

    ---

    Nudra had his arms crossed, and Halo was standing next to him without speaking. The group ran for three hours to reach them.

    Thendscape used to be a cliff, but it had changed into a small valley.

    Arn reached them and frowned.

    "Are those all of the minions left?"

    "That¡¯s right."

    Arn counted the minions and the minions he had brought with him. There were only eighty of them.

    "Can we actually take on a dragon with these numbers?"

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t guess or fathom how strong of an existence a dragon really was. The heroes wanted to throw the minions at the dragon to draw the dragon in.

    They wanted to see how strong the dragon was.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t take the minions¡¯ ce. He also valued his life.

    "Let¡¯s go!"

    Arn took the lead, and the heroes followed him. The minions followed the heroes. They were nervous, and Junhyuk was with them.

    There were a few escape routes, but it was scary to face a mysterious existence.

    There were cliffs to the left and the right of the valley that were about 130 feet high, but they felt higher, and the road between them was only ten feet wide.

    It was wide enough for two people to walk through, so if they had to flee, it would be really dangerous.

    Arn stopped on the small road and said:

    "Wait here."

    Everyone stopped, and Junhyuk walked over to Arn and looked over Arn¡¯s shoulder. It was quite the view. He had to gather his breath.

    After the small road, the valley opened into an empty space of about a hundred square yards, the size of a football field.

    However, it did not look that spacious. The mysterious existence was inside the valley, and from head to toe, it was about 164 feet long.

    It was so big that he got goosebumps just from looking at it. It had its eyes closed, and yet Junhyuk was extremely scared. He held tightly to his swords.

    Arn looked at the dragon and said:

    "We should probe it first."

    "Are we really going to kill it?"

    Could they kill it? It was huge!

    Arn pulled out a marble and said:

    "Attack!"

    It was something heroes used for the sieges at the end of each battle. The item released its power, and the minions turned mad, no longer scared. The berserked minions ran forward, all eighty of them, and Arn said:

    "I will take the lead with Halo. Nudra, protect Vera and Diane."

    "I will."

    Nudra¡¯s kick wouldn¡¯t help against the enormous dragon, but they attacked anyway. Arn ran with Halo and shouted:

    "Sarang and you, protect Vera!"

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to attack anyway. Then, the dragon slowly opened its eyes. The dragon¡¯s eyes were ten feet in diameter and looked incredibly scary.

    The minions ran toward the dragon, but it got up, and the minions failed to even reach its ankle.

    On his back, the dragon had four wings, and it said as it beat its wings:

    "How dare you?!"

    The dragon was livid. Its voice instilled fear in the berserked minions, and Junhyuk trembled as well.

    He was at least 170 feet away from the dragon, but he still felt a surge run through his body.

    "What is this?"

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t realize had spoken in a whisper, but Vera, who was readying her magic, answered him:

    "It¡¯s Dragon¡¯s Fear."

    He waspletely scared, but he shook his head and collected himself. The minions were running toward the dragon again.

    The dragon began to move. It moved a little closer and swiped its tail, batting some minions into the sky. It had an unbelievable attack power.

    Could they really kill it?

    As he thought about it, Arn and Halo took their positions against the dragon. Their sabers and sword looked miniscule.

    sh, sh, sh!

    However, their small weapons shed the dragon¡¯s ankle and drew blood from it. Junhyuk collected himself again. The dragon could have unbelievable strength, but the heroes were also strong.

    Then, Vera and Dianeunched their attacks.

    Vera¡¯s fire spear and Diane¡¯s arrows hit the dragon dead on, and the dragon beat its wings and flew up.

    Kunk!

    A blue membrane showed up from the sky and disturbed the dragon¡¯s flight.

    "You don¡¯t have enough strength to restrain a dragon!" It bellowed and opened its mouth.

    A giant me shoot out from its mouth, traveling toward Vera and Diane.

    They could get killed, so Junhyuk grabbed them both, and Sarang grabbed Vera¡¯s robe.

    They teleported to the right, and Junhyuk felt the shockwaves. That would¡¯ve been enough to kill him. He lift his head and checked on the dragon. The dragon¡¯s breath had been enough to evaporate the water below it, and now, a fog blocked his vision.

    "We are in danger!"

    Vera frowned and said:

    "I have to use all of my power. Protect me."

    "You have ten seconds."

    Junhyuk created a force field, and Veraughed and said:

    "That¡¯s fine. They will buy us more time."

    Junhyuk was able to see what was happening after the fog cleared. Arn and Halo were jumping up and down, one in each side of the dragon. Their attacks drew the dragon¡¯s attention.

    Vera prepared her meteors, and Diane also prepares an attack.

    Junhyuk knew they trusted him to protect them while they prepared their ultimates.

    "Please, don¡¯t pay any attention to us," he mumbled to himself.

 Chapter 71: Grave Danger 1

    Chapter 71: Grave Danger 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Arn¡¯s saber was certainly doing more damage to the dragon than Halo¡¯s sword. The dragon was strong, but its attacks did not work against either Arn or Halo.

    Both of them struck the dragon with their basic attacks, and when it attacked them, they used their powers. Arn jumped and attacked where the dragon wasn¡¯t expecting, and Halo used his sh-of-light attack on it while dodging its attacks.

    The dragon was livid at that point.

    It swung its long tail and breathed fire, but it couldn¡¯t catch them. So, it lifted its head and roared.

    "If this is all you¡¯ve got, you will die!"

    The dragon¡¯s chest lit up, and underneath its skin, a red light climbed up its neck. The dragon lowers its head and breathed fire.

    The dragon¡¯s fire breath was different from regr fire balls. The fire breath evaporated all of the water from the valley and scorched the ground. The dragon breathed the fire in a circle, burning everything in its path.

    Arn and Halo quickly escaped, but Vera and Diane couldn¡¯t move.

    Nudra was standing in front of them shouted:

    "Move aside!"

    After he spoke, Nudra flew up. He couldn¡¯t handle it. The fire breath had been going for three seconds nonstop, and it would continue.

    In that situation, you had to protect the people behind you.

    Junhyuk ran ahead and shouted at Sarang:

    "Get in the middle!"

    Sarang understood right away and stood between Diane and Vera. Junhyukunched the force field around Sarang, but it was not enough to cover Diane and Vera, who were on the edge of the field.

    "Crap!"

    Junhyuk wanted to protect them all. If he gave up on one of them, he would save two, but he wanted to save all three.

    So, Junhyuk stood in front of them.

    The mes approached, and Junhyuk clenched his teeth. To save his friends and kill the dragon, he could die.

    "Expand!"

    The mes traveled faster than Junhyuk¡¯s shout. They were right in front of him, and Junhyuk shouted louder:

    "Expand!"

    Then, the mes engulfed him, but he did not feel their heat. Junhyuk saw the ivory-colored force field surrounding him.

    He turned his head slowly and saw the force field had grown wider. It now had a fifteen-foot radius, surrounding him and the other three.

    In that situation, only people with long distance attacks could have struck the dragon, but now it was possible to make a force field wide enough to cover a group.

    The mes had no intention of dying out, flowing by the force field. They didn¡¯t know when the dragon¡¯s attack would stop and they wondered if they could survive it.

    The mes died down, and he lifted his head to look and saw Nudra kicking the dragon¡¯s head down.

    With the dragon¡¯s head on the ground, the fire breath only burned what was in front of it.

    That¡¯s when the dragon lifted its head. Nudra was trying to retreat when the dragonunched fireballs at him.

    Nudra was in the air and couldn¡¯t escape.

    Boom!

    Nudra was hit, and the dragon went after him while Arn and Halo attacked the dragon¡¯s ankle. They had been going at its ankle for a while and now, they could see bone.

    The dragon had been slowed down by those two, but it wanted to attack Nudra, since it was Nudra who had kicked its head.

    "It¡¯s ready!" Vera shouted, and meteors fell from the sky.

    When the dragon had tried to fly, a membrane had prevented it from doing so, but now it let the meteors through.

    The membrane had to be there only to restrain dragon.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    Even though the dragon was strong, after being hit by the meteors, the dragon was mortally wounded. He had lost two of its wings, and its head was being torn apart when Diane shot her arrow.

    Diane¡¯s attack had astounding pration power, and the arrow went through the dragon¡¯s left eye. It looked like a deathblow.

    "I¡¯ll kill you all!"

    The dragon was pure hatred and roared again. Even though they were surrounded by the force field, they still felt terror instilled by the roar.

    Veraunched a ck firewall. The firewall appeared from underneath the roaring dragon¡¯s feet. The dragon was so big, it had a hard time moving around and continued to lose health from the firewall.

    The dragon beat its two remaining wings and stomped the ground.

    Bang!

    The ground shook with the shockwaves. Junhyuk had to crouch to maintain bnce. He lifted his head, and the firewall had already disappeared.

    The dragon had to have felt that his long distance attack did not work and started rushing toward them. It was about 170 feet long, but it stood at about a hundred feet tall and it looked like a thirteen-story building was running toward them.

    The force field disappeared.

    Junhyuk grabbed his swords and looked at the dragon. Could he attack it? He had increased piercing attack, but looking at the dragon¡¯s thick scales, his attack might not work.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t worry about it anymore. The dragon was heading toward him. He had to either attack or escape, and Junhyuk decided to fight.

    "Sarang, move aside!"

    Junhyuk ran toward it. The dragon felt entirely different up close.

    It kicked. The dragon¡¯s feet were like speeding trucks. Junhyuk dodged to the side and swung his sword.

    Maybe it was because of the ck armor, but his attack speed had increased, even though it was a small change.

    -Crack!

    However, his attack was really short of being a sess. He only managed to smash the dragon¡¯s scales, but he watched the dragon¡¯s ankle being frozen.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to kill the dragon. He wanted to slow down the dragon¡¯s movement and attack speeds. The dragon realized it had slowed and became even angrier, swinging its tail at Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk teleported, escaping the tail strike. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape the tail by running.

    He was now standing by the other ankle and swung his swords at the dragon¡¯s bone. The ankle had already been skinned, and he was able to deal damage.

    Junhyuk decreased the dragon¡¯s movement and attack speeds and escaped. The dragon looked at him, when suddenly, Diane¡¯s exploding arrow hit its head.

    Boom!

    It focused on Diane, and she started moving away quickly and shouted:

    "I am sorry, but I am too fast for you!"

    Diane moved fast, but not fast enough topletely escape the dragon. It was so big that, being at the center of valley, whenever it moved, it could reach everything.

    Still, Junhyuk was relieved. The dragon was no longer paying attention to him.

    Junhyuk joined Sarang. She had no means to protect herself, so he wanted to stay with her. She hadn¡¯t dared attack the dragon, and held on to his arm.

    "Big brother, should I not attack that thing?"

    "You shouldn¡¯t draw its attention. It¡¯s hard enough to escape from it. I had to use my spatial relocation because it was the only way I could do it."

    "It¡¯s a difficult situation."

    "But you will help us out. Use your power in a decisive moment."

    "OK."

    Sarang prepared her power, readying herself for whenever she would be able to use it, and watched the battlefield.

    They were hunters who were hunting a great dragon like in a movie, and it made quite a show. It was scarier than impressive. It was different from watching it on a screen. They were experiencing it, and she might have to join the fight. She was waiting for the right moment to use her staff.

    Despite the dragon¡¯s heavy advantage, it was being wounded, but they couldn¡¯t escape from the dragon¡¯s attacks either.

    Nudra was covered in ashes after being hit by the mes, and Halo couldn¡¯t move his left arm. However, Arn attacked the dragon the most and had not been hit by a significant attack, but he looked to be getting tired.

    The dragon was winning because of its huge size. It was difficult to deliver a deathblow against something so big.

    Vera¡¯s firewalls were put out by the dragon¡¯s feet, so she began using fire spears instead. She also did not forget to use fire orbs to help out.

    Diane¡¯s attacks were very sharp and piercing, but she was unable to deliver heavy attacks.

    "I have to give them a chance."

    It was not easy to create an opportunity to attack the dragon, but Junhyuk¡¯s cooldowns were over, and he decided to try.

    He could withstand the dragon for ten seconds, and he wanted to try. They all had to attack within a ten-second period and bring the fight to an end.

    Junhyuk was about to step forward when he looked at the entrance to the valley. It was only ten feet wide, and he saw shadowsing through it.

    Only enemies could show up at the Dragon¡¯s Valley. There were no monsters in that ce except for the dragon.

    "Arn!"

    Junhyuk called out to him, and Arn stopped attacking and looked at him. Junhyuk pointed to the entrance of the valley.

    Arn was closer to the entrance than Junhyuk, so he could see some people gathering there.

    "Shit!"

    Even with five heroes, it had not been easy to deal with the dragon, and now they would have to deal with enemy heroes as well. The enemy¡¯s group was watching the dragon and the allied heroes fighting.

    They would still have to deal with the enemy heroes when they finished fighting the dragon, but they had to finish the dragon first, before engaging their enemies.

    "Full attack! Sarang!"

    Sarang was really nervous and focused and understood it right away. Sheunched her electric st and hit the dragon. It was suddenly paralyzed, and Arn jumped and attacked the dragon¡¯s neck.

    s-craack!

    The dragon had a thick neck, and the attack did not chop its head off. However, Arn was not alone. Hended as Halo swung his sword and open the wound on the dragon¡¯s neck wider.

    The dragon¡¯s neck was half open and bleeding when a fire spear and an exploding arrow hit it.

    Boom, boom!

    The dragon¡¯s wound opened wider. Then, Nudra jumped at it and was going to front-kick it, but it did not look like his kick would work.

    "Don¡¯t make meugh!"

    The dragon was no longer paralyzed and swung its tail, but Nudra kicked it first.

    Craaack!

    Nudra¡¯s attack tore open more of the dragon¡¯s wounds. The dragon was so heavy, that it was not pushed back, and instead, its neck was pushed back, opening more of the wound.

    Its neck no longer held up, and the dragon lost all of its health and died. They heard a soft whisper in their ears, and their bodies were surrounded by five-colored magic circles.

    [You¡¯ve killed the dragon Kaloyan. For the next two hours, you get a 30 percent increase to health regeneration rate, a 30 percent increase to movement speed, a 30 percent increase to attack speed, a 30 percent increase to defense, and when you attack, you will inflict an additional one hundred damage on top of your normal damage. If you die within two hours, you will lose yours buff.]

    This was an insane buff. That buff was enough to change the course of the battlefield.

    Then, the enemy heroes ran into the valley. They had been expecting the dragon¡¯s death to run in. They wanted to take the buff away from the exhausted allied heroes, and as the enemy heroes expected, the allies¡¯ condition was bad.

    This was the worst time for a team battle.

 Chapter 72: Grave Danger 2

    Chapter 72: Grave Danger 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The allied side wanted to stall for more time since they had a health regeneration buff, and potions really only worked on experts like Junhyuk and not well at all on heroes.

    Nevertheless, the heroes drank their potions. Vera and Diane frowned at the disgusting taste, but the other heroes were devoid of expressions. Maybe they had lost their ability to taste.

    "We will block their lead!" Arns said and started running forward.

    "Wait!" Junhyuk shouted back.

    Arn turned around, and Junhyuk extended his hand. Sarang was standing in the center of the group. Junhyuk had ced her there covertly, and heunched a force field around her.

    "For the next ten seconds, we should regain our health and attack them at full power!" He said.

    The entire force field covered them, and the enemy heroes stopped. They knew the power of the force field and were hesitant to approach.

    Arn chuckled.

    "That¡¯s not too bad."

    After he spoke, Arn threw his saber. The saber was meant for Warren, and Warren blocked it with his ws, but Arn¡¯s saber was upgraded, so it broke Warren¡¯s ws. He had blocked the saber, but Warren¡¯s most important weapons, his ws, were gone.

    Diane shot multiple times. At once, five arrows zoomed forward, and the enemy heroes busied themselves trying to block them with their weapons.

    Even though it was only for ten seconds, the allies could attack in any way they chose. Halo sent his sword up in the sky, preparing his most potent attack.

    Vera made a firewall behind the enemy heroes, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to retreat, and alsounched fire spears. This was a one-sided attack from the allies, and the enemies were enraged.

    "Kill Warren!" Arn shouted suddenly.

    He caught the returning saber and threw it again at Warren. Warren scoffed and was about to swing his left ws at it when Sarang stepped forward.

    The electric st passed by the heroes to hit Warren. He was paralyzed when the saber pierced his chest, and Halo¡¯s sword flew toward his head.

    Minota quickly kicked Warren to get him away, but Halo¡¯s sword still hit Warren¡¯s neck, beheading him.

    Warren died and disappeared along with the force field.

    Arn ran forward, shouting:

    "Junhyuk, Sarang, move toward the back!"

    They had used their powers, and as Arn shouted for them to move back, he ran toward the center of the enemy¡¯s formation.

    The health regeneration increased rate gave them extra health, but they were not fully recovered. They had lost a lot of health fighting the dragon.

    Arn ran and targeted Libya. Minota stepped forward to block with his horn.

    Clung!

    Arn¡¯s saber was so strong that it cracked Minota¡¯s horn. Minota¡¯s expression turned rigid, and Arn stopped. Then, the enemy heroes concentrated their attacks on him: Ellic¡¯s hammer, Minota¡¯s stomps and Libya¡¯s ice spear.

    Arn hadn¡¯t regained enough health to deal with all three of them. He parried Ellic¡¯s hammer, but Minota¡¯s stomps created shockwaves that made him lose his bnce. Then, an ice spear hit him.

    Boom!

    The ice spear slowed the opponent down. Arn was frozen, and Ellic swung his hammer. Halo sh attacked Minota and shed his ribs.

    "Argh!"

    sh attack had an increase movement speed and was surprisingly fast. Minota couldn¡¯t really respond to it, and Halo moved toward Ellic.

    Clung!

    Halo blocked Ellic¡¯s hammer, and Arn attacked Minota.

    They couldn¡¯t let Lybia be, but the enemies¡¯ defensive tactics was very strong, so they couldn¡¯t get to her. She looked at Vera and Diane, but decided to attack Arn.

    Arn¡¯s gear was of the highest quality, and it looked like he could kill them all by himself.

    Arn was still slowed down by the ice spear when Libya created an ice flower. The petals of the ice flower spread to all directions and damaged anything it touched.

    Vera threw a fire spear at Libya, but Lybia had alreadyunched the ice flower¡¯s petals.

    Craaack!

    The petals went everywhere, inflicting damage and slowing down opponents. Then, Minota ran toward Arn.

    Ordinarily, Arn would have blocked him, but he was so slow at that time that Minota pierced his stomach with his horn.

    "Argh!"

    Arn moaned, and Minota pulled both of Arn¡¯s arms. He was quickly losing health, and Junhyuk gritted his teeth.

    Junhyuk ran to save Arn, but he heard a screaming from behind him and turned to look.

    "Ahhh!"

    Nobody had know where Skia had been, but Skia¡¯s dagger was jutting out of Vera¡¯s chest.

    "Vera!"

    Junhyuk ran toward Skia, but Diane¡¯s arrows got to Skia first. The five arrows were fired in a row, but with the increased attack speed, all five arrows were about to hit Skia at the same time.

    Skia started fading, and the arrows flew through the empty air. Junhyuk knew Skia would show up again, and Skia showed up right in front of Diane.

    Junhyu teleported behind Skia and stabbed his sword at Skia, who was about to stab Diane. Skia ignored Junhyuk and continued to attack Diane.

    Vera was their most important hero, and she was dying. Skia also wanted to kill Diane. They would win this team battle because of Skia¡¯s contributions, so Skia ignored Junhyuk.

    Skia felt Junhyuk¡¯s attack wouldn¡¯t be that strong, so Skia swung both daggers at Diane, and she blocked them with her bow.

    Clung!

    That¡¯s when Junhyuk¡¯s sword pierced Skia.

    "Ugh!"

    Skia hadn¡¯t expected the attack to do much, but Junhyuk had just delivered the fatal blow. Skia tried to escape him, but Junhyuk was buffed with increased attack speed and continued his attack against Skia.

    Skia¡¯s speed decreased, and Diane loosened her arrows.

    Boom!

    It was a short distance, but the explosive arrow hit Skia, and Junhyuk swung the Blood Rune Sword at the staggering Skia¡¯s neck.

    sh!

    Skia was not beheaded yet, but Skia¡¯s vein had been cut, and blood poured out of it like a fountain. Skia swung the daggers at Junhyuk, but he teleported to stand behind Skia and finish the job.

    He beheaded Skia.

    "Ugh!"

    Skia¡¯s head flew up, and Junhyuk felt relieved. The heroes had attacked while in the force field, and the short distance explosive arrow along with Junhyuk¡¯s continuous attacks had killed Skia. He was wearing some pieces of the Golden Knight Elder¡¯s set and was able to ignore Skia¡¯s defense.

    Junhyuk picked up Skia¡¯s cloak and turned around to see Vera disappearing.

    "Vera!"

    Sarang was crying while hugging her. Vera had not died before, and Sarang was in shock. Vera caressed her cheek.

    "Stay alive."

    "I will. You should drink a potion..."

    Vera looked at Junhyuk.

    "Even if you die, protect Sarang."

    Junhyuk nodded heavily, and Vera disappearedpletely, dropping a red-gemmed ring.

    Junhyuk tried to pick it up, but he heard a whisper:

    [You don¡¯t have the right to pick it up.]

    He sighed and looked at the enemies. It was three versus four at that moment, and suddenly, he saw Arn get pierced by Minota¡¯s horn through his chest, and he too started to disappear.

    "Arn!"

    Arn couldn¡¯t die! Junhyuk had never experienced anything remotely simr to that situation, and Nudra said:

    "Protect Diane!"

    Was it possible to protect Diane? Junhyuk realized that he needed to stall for more time. He was still waiting for the cooldown time for spatial relocation to end.

    Diane was firing shots nonstop. She had an attack speed buff, and her attacks were extremely sharp.

    Minota was protecting Libya with his body, and all of Diane¡¯s attacks were focused on him. He was covered with arrows and used his doppelganger skill. He was also covered by the five-colored magic circle. Arn died and lost his buff to Minota. His health regen rate had increased by 30 percent, and that helped a lot.

    Minota ran forward, and Nudra extended his hands, generating a strong wind that pushed Minota back.

    Nudra kicked one of the Minotas and headed toward Libya.

    He was fast to begin with, and now that he was buffed, he seemed uncatchable, but Minota rushed at him and hit him.

    Both of them were buffed, and Minota headbutted him. Nudra bounced back, and Libyaunched an ice spear at him. He couldn¡¯t escape it, and Minota rushed at him again.

    Boom!

    Nudra staggered, and the second Minota rushed at him.

    Boom!

    He bounced away from the continuous attacks. He had lost most of his health fighting the dragon, and now he was barely alive.

    However, the enemies¡¯ attacks were not over. Minota rushed again, and behind him, he saw Libya flying through the empty air.

    Junhyuk grabbed Sarang by the hand and retreated. Lybia hovered up high and crashed on Nudra.

    Boom!

    Nudra¡¯s health was gone, and he started to disappear. Lybia was covered by the five-colored magic circle.

    Diane shot at her from a short distance, and Libya tried to escape, but Diane was too close.

    Libya staggered, and Minota rushed in.

    Boom!

    Diane lifted her bow, but she was still pushed back, and the second Minota rushed at her.

    "Aaargh!"

    Diane bounces off, and Libyaunched an ice spear. She saw the ice spear and moved in mid-air, loosening an arrow. The arrow hit Lybia directly in the neck, and Libya started to disappear, but her ice spear hit Diane in the chest. Diane dropped to the ground, unable to move, and Minota rushed at her.

    Craaack!

    Minota stepped on Diane¡¯s chest, and she wasn¡¯t even able to scream before she disappeared.

    From Junhyuk¡¯s side, Halo was the only hero alive. The enemies had Minota and Ellic.

    It was two versus one, and Halo couldn¡¯t handle both of them. He had lost a lot of health. Even if Junhyuk and Sarang stepped in, the situation wouldn¡¯t change.

    Junhyuk was worrying about what to do when Halo blocked Ellic¡¯s hammer and shouted:

    "Run away!"

    That was the first time he heard Halo speak. Junhyuk was staring at him nkly when Minota went toward Halo, and the second Minota went toward him and Sarang.

    Halo shouts again:

    "Stay alive! Run away!"

    After Halo¡¯s words, Junhyuk started running with Sarang. The entrance was blocked by the enemy, so Junhyuk ran toward the 130-foot high cliff that was blocking their way.

 Chapter 73: Grave Danger 3

    Chapter 73: Grave Danger 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    One hundred and thirty feet. It was the height of a fifteen-story building. Even while measuring its height, Junhyuk continued to run. The entrance was blocked, and there was only one escape route.

    Running toward cliff, Junhyuk looked back. Sarang, just like himself, had the dragon¡¯s buff, so they both disyed great movement speed, but Minota also had the buff.

    Minota already had a long stride. He was thirteen feet tall and running, shortening the distance between them. Junhyuk gritted his teeth. If this continued, Minota would catch them.

    "Sarang."

    "What?"

    "Go to the cliff by yourself."

    "What about you?"

    Junhyuk looked back once and said:

    "I¡¯ll follow you."

    "I¡¯ll help you."

    "No. I¡¯ll also run. Get there first though."

    "Big brother!"

    He pushed her forward and said:

    "We came together and will return together. Go!"

    Sarang ran with all of her might, and Junhyuk pulled out his swords and turned around. The doppelganger Minota had lost a lot of health, but he had zero chance of winning. Junhyuk knew that and wanted to hold him off just a little longer.

    "Filthy ox! The buck stops here!"

    Minota continued running and rushed ahead. He looked at the dangerous rush and sidestepped it, but he couldn¡¯t let Minota continue running.

    As he stepped aside, Junhyuk swung his swords. His strikes were coordinated and smooth. Junhyuk swung at Minota¡¯s ribs, and Minota¡¯s eyes opened wide. Minota stopped suddenly and swung his fist. Junhyuk put all his focus on Minota¡¯s attack and escaped it.

    Minota¡¯s attack speed had increased along with his movement speed, so Junhyuk did not try to block him and, instead, dodged and countered.

    Minota gritted his teeth at being attacked and lifted his hoof high and stomped the ground.

    Boom!

    Shockwaves shot out in concentric circles from where Minota¡¯s hoof hit the ground, and they made Junhyuk stagger. It was not just a simple stomp. It was Minota¡¯s power and it inflicted a lot of damage.

    Minota swung his fist at Junhyuk, who dodged it while staggering, and also swung his swords in response. Because of the Blood Rune Sword, he was regaining health.

    Junhyuk attacked three times consecutively with the Frozen Rune Sword, and Minota tried to attack again, but Junhyuk teleported away and started running again.

    Sarang was very far away, waiting for him. He ran toward her and briefly looked back. Minota¡¯s movement speed had decreased because of his attacks.

    Junhyuk was gaining some distance from him, and as he reached Sarang, they started running again. The cliff was right in front of them.

    Junhyuk stood in front of the cliff and clenched his jaw. Even though Minota had slowed down, he would be there any minute. There was no point in just standing there.

    He grabbed Sarang¡¯s hand, looked up and bent his knees. His muscles were tensed up, and Junhyuk used his new skill.

    "Jump!"

    The skill had a long cooldown, two hours, but it was the only thing he could do at that point.

    Junhyuk jumped with Sarang in toll. He knew he had power, but actually jumping over a hundred feet was impossible by human standards.

    However, the cliff was tall. After jumping a hundred feet, they still had a ways to go. The jump reached its highest point, and Junhyuk calcted the remaining distance and teleported.

    He had teleported once against Minota, so he had one remaining. Both of them teleported and saw the top of the cliff. Junhyuk stabbed the cliffside with the Blood Rune Sword and hung by there. The cliff must¡¯ve been taller than 130 feet because the spatial relocation did not make up the rest of way.

    Junhyuk calcted the remaining distance and looked at Sarang. She looked back at him, and he smiled and said:

    "You go up first and wait."

    "What?"

    It wasn¡¯t easy pulling a person with one hand. He pulled her up and threw her to the top of the cliff.

    "Aaahh!" She screamed andnded safely.

    He stabbed the cliff with his other sword and pulled himself up. Having two swords came in handy. He got to the top and rested while looking down.

    Minota was going crazy down below, and Junhyuk showed him the middle finger:

    "Take this."

    At the bottom, Halo was killing Ellic, but in the end, he was killed by Minota joining the fight. He watched everything and gritted his teeth.

    Atst, all of the allied heroes had been killed.

    "Wait! We will be right there!" Minota shouted from below.

    "You think you can catch us?"

    Junhyuk was not worried and got up, looking at Sarang. She asked him carefully:

    "What do we do now?"

    Junhyuk sighed.

    "We should go to the castle. We should be there when the heroes reincarnate."

    "You think we¡¯ll get there?"

    He wasn¡¯tpletely sure. The forest was full of monsters, and it wouldn¡¯t be an easy task.

    "We¡¯ll get back," he said.

    He took Sarang¡¯s hand and looked at Minota again. He was still down there, and Junhyuk gave him another middle finger.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    Minota watched them leave and said:

    "I will kill that son of bitch for sure."

    Ellicughed at him.

    "You don¡¯t have to say it, but I will be the one to kill him."

    "Where do you end up when you follow that road?" Minota asked,ughing.

    "There are two paths. What do you want to do?"

    "What do you mean? Whoever catches him will kill him."

    "OK."

    Ellic and Minota smiled at each other, turned around and started running.

    ---

    The forest was much more dangerous whenpared to before. They had already encountered three monsters. Luckily, the monsters hadn¡¯t been strong.

    However, he couldn¡¯t let his guard down. They had only encountered weak monsters, but with Arn, they had fought strong monsters that could only be killed by heroes.

    Junhyuk had just killed another ck lion when Sarang asked:

    "By the way, are we moving in the right direction?"

    "We are?!"

    There was no way to tell directions in that ce. There were no stars or sun, so he wasn¡¯t sure he was going the right way. He had been there before, so he trusted his senses, but he wasn¡¯t sure. Junhyuk looked at her.

    "Let¡¯s keep moving."

    "OK."

    Junhyukughed and followed a road inside the forest. They had run for a while when they saw a monster.

    Boom! Boom!

    It was a two-headed ogre. Junhyuk frowned.

    "Shit! That can¡¯t be..."

    It was a monster on a level that only heroes would be able to beat.

    "We should run, right?" He asked her.

    "I think so too."

    They couldn¡¯t kill it, even if they were buffed, and Sarang realized that too.

    "We¡¯ll walk back the way we came," he told her.

    "OK."

    Sarang and Junhyuk retreated, but the twin-headed ogre bellowed and ran after them. It wasing their way, and Junhyuk stopped.

    "Big brother!"

    He didn¡¯t mean to fight the ogre. It swung a tree trunk and mmed it, and Junhyuk swung his swords at the ogre¡¯s ankle.

    "Ugh!"

    The ogre kicked, and Junhyuk rolled on the ground. Junhyuk remembered fighting against Minota, and attacked the ogre three times with the Frozen Rune Sword and teleported out.

    He grabbed Sarang¡¯s hand, and both started running.

    "I¡¯m going crazy," heined.

    "I see that."

    The two-headed ogre threw the tree trunk, and Junhyuk teleported with Sarang.

    "Roooarr!"

    The two-headed ogre couldn¡¯t hold its anger in and ran faster. The ogre¡¯s movement speed was debuffed, and it couldn¡¯t shorten the distance.

    Junhyuk was running with Sarang when he heard the ogre¡¯s loud dying scream.

    "Aaaarrrghh!"

    He stopped, looked back and saw someone stepping on the dead ogre. With a giant hammer on his shoulder, Ellic was standing on the body.

    "I found them."

    Junhyuk saw a magic circle around Ellic and frowned. Ellic was buffed. There was no way to fight a hero alone. Skia had been different. Skia had a very low defense, but Ellic was the opposite.

    Junhyuk realized it wouldn¡¯t be easy to run away and stopped. Ellic took big strides and said:

    "You¡¯re smart. It¡¯s impossible to escape."

    Junhyuk looked at the forest. It wouldn¡¯t be easy get off the road. He couldn¡¯t jump and he had already used both spatial relocations, so he couldn¡¯t do anything.

    He still had his force field, but it onlysted ten seconds. It would take more than that to kill Ellic, so he sighed and stepped forward.

    "Sarang."

    "Yes, big brother."

    "I will hold him off. You run."

    "I don¡¯t want to," Sarang answered curtly.

    "I have one spare life, but you can¡¯t reincarnate. So run," he replied just a curtly.

    Sarang was speechless, and he continued:

    "You heard Vera. I have to save you even if I die. Go!"

    Sarang hesitated, but she turned around and ran.

    "Don¡¯t die! I¡¯ll kill you if you die!" Sarang shouted, and Junhyukughed at what she said and looked at Ellic.

    Ellic wanted him dead, badly. He was crazy at that point and said while twisting his lips:

    "You thought you could run away?"

    From his position, Ellic could not fathom a way for Junhyuk to get away, and Junhyuk believed that Sarang could, but Ellic thought Junhyuk wouldst about eleven seconds: ten seconds because of the force field, and the remaining second to kill him.

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "What are you talking about? I am not nning on dying."

    Junhyuk pulled out his swords and stepped forward. Ellic was speechless. Did Junhyuk mean to attack him? Skia had been killed because of Diane and not because Junhyuk had fought well.

    Ellic knew he only had a little health left after being beaten by Halo, but he thought he could handle Junhyuk.

    "Fine! I will tear you apart and kill that bitch too!"

    Ellic rushed forward holding his hammer, and Junhyuk ran toward him, shouting:

    "Give me the set item!"

 Chapter 74: Bouncing Back 1

    Chapter 74: Bouncing Back 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Dark Night Cloak

    Defense +5

    Evasion +2%

    Absolute Evasion +10%

    It looks cooler if you wear it on a dark night. People who value evasion more than defense wear it because it increases one¡¯s evasion chance.

    Absolute Evasion: the wearer evades basic attacks and powerspletely.

    ---

    Junhyuk got the cloak by killing Skia. He didn¡¯t think it would be very good, but he put it on anyway, only to find out it had interesting attributes.

    When fighting a monster while under absolute evasion, he would not be hurt at all and could mount his own attacks. He would be able to easily kill some monsters, but the chance of it working was the problem.

    The cloak only gave a 10 percent chance of absolute evasion. In other words, 90 percent of the time, it wouldn¡¯t work, and when the opponent was a hero, one blow could be deadly, so Junhyuk couldn¡¯t rely on the cloak alone.

    Right then, he had to fight. He had fought heroes before, and a hero¡¯s ordinary attack could be blocked by an expert like him. However, he would still get hurt, but it was better to block than getting hit.

    Ordinary attacks could be blocked or evaded, so he had to ce his focus on the opponent¡¯s special power, especially on ranged attacks or rushes, which could kill him instantly.

    He had to be aware of these situations, and Junhyuk approached Ellic. He had made up his mind that he might be killed in that ce, but he wanted to stall for as much as time possible in case he was killed. He was focused.

    Ellic saw Junhyuk heading toward him and scoffed at the scene, lifting his hammer. Junhyuk dodged Ellic¡¯s hammer while swinging his swords.

    Thung!

    Ellic¡¯s expression stiffened. Junhyuk was buffed and he was able to pierce Ellic¡¯s defense, damaging him. The strike inflicted a fixed amount of damage, and Ellic¡¯s high defense was of little value.

    Ellic was hurt by Halo and had lost a lot of health. Even though his health regeneration rate had gone up, he had not regained all of his health and he couldn¡¯t ignore the fixed amount of 100 damage to him.

    He understood all of that and swung his hammer fiercely, without exposing any weak spots. Junhyuk quickly swung his swords, attempting to hit and run, but he couldn¡¯t escape the hammer entirely.

    Junhyuk was being pushed back slowly. He had fought against Warren before, so he thought he could take Ellic on, but now he realized Ellic was a hero. Warren was wild, but Ellic was organized, and he hammered with purpose. He was slow, but when Junhyuk tried to attack his weak spots, he countered with his own attacks.

    Ellic was speechless, however. Junhyuk was only an expert, and his attacks weren¡¯t working. He wasn¡¯t very angry, but he wanted to put an end to that fight, so he lifted his hammer, but Junhyuk knew what wasing. Ellic was about to use his power.

    He mmed the hammer right when the ivory-colored force field surrounded Junhyuk.

    ng!

    As Ellic¡¯s hammer mmed the force field, it created a shockwave over Junhyuk¡¯s head. Inside of the force field, Junhyuk stared at him. Ellic was better than he had expected. Junhyuk had a 30 percent attack speed increase, but that was not enough.

    He decided to take extreme measures and used the Blood Rune Sword to cut his hand, staring at Ellic in the process.

    "You are dead."

    He cut his hand three times and heard a soft whisper:

    [You stacked three self-injuries with the Blood Rune Sword. You get a 30-percent buff to attack speed and a 15-percent buff to movement speed.]

    Junhyuk grinned and moved toward Ellic. The force field was still around him, and there was nothing Ellic could do.

    However, Ellic knew one way to deal with that. He could push the force field with Junhyuk inside, so he rushed. Junhyuk was not bounced back, however, because he swung his swords quickly.

    "Ugh!"

    Ellic had meant to push him with his hammer, but now he was barely able to block the swords¡¯ attacks.

    Clung, clung, clung!

    The attacks were different. Junhyuk¡¯s attack speed was faster than Ellic had expected. Ellic let three hits through his defense, and his movement and attack speeds decreased. Junhyuk smiled.

    "I¡¯ve got you now."

    Junhyuk was attacking a hero and pushing him around. Ellic frowned and swung his hammer. He kept attacking without worrying about defending himself.

    However, with increased movement and attack speeds, Junhyuk was able to put pressure on him. Little by little, his opponent was slowing down while he was getting faster.

    Normally, Ellic¡¯s defense would negate all of Junhyuk¡¯s attacks. However, this time, he had the dragon¡¯s buff, and the fixed damage was working well against Ellic.

    Ellic had thought the fight would be simple, but Junhyuk continued to inflict damage on him, so he started fearing for his life and retreated, realizing that he could end up dead.

    However, since Junhyuk¡¯s movement speed was faster than Ellic¡¯s, he chased after Ellic and continued attacking.

    His attacks were getting so fast that Ellic started getting hit more and more and had to focus on defense.

    Ellic blocked the attacks with his hammer, which stopped Junhyuk¡¯s advances. He didn¡¯t have enough strength to push the hammer away and, even with the force field, he couldn¡¯t bring the fight to an end.

    Ellic went on defense and waited. Junhyuk¡¯s force field onlysted for a total of ten seconds, so he had to wait to win.

    "Ha-ha-ha! Only three seconds remaining," Ellic said.

    Junhyuk gritted his teeth. There was nothing more he could do except to attack a few more times while the force field was still up.

    He did his best, but he was only able to hit Ellic twice in thest three seconds, and the force field disappeared.

    "Ha-ha-ha! Now, die!"

    Ellic decided to use his power because Junhyuk had blocked his previous attacks. He lifted his hammer, drawing energy around it. He wanted to scorch the earth within the range of his final and best attack.

    He mmed his hammer, and hammers fell from the sky like rain and much like Vera¡¯s meteors. Junhyuk teleported.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    Junhyuk sighed, relieved, and moved toward Ellic. Ellic had used his best attack, and by doing it, he had exposed a weak spot. Junhyuk took advantage of that to attack with his swords.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck!

    Ellic clenched his jaw as he was hit three times. Junhyuk was moving like a rat. He attacked quickly and withdrew just as quickly.

    The situation was getting dangerous for Ellic. He wanted to end it, so he rushed. Junhyuk was well within his range, and there seemed to be no way to escape, but he still had one more spatial relocation. So, he teleported, and Ellicughed at him.

    "Ha-ha-ha-ha! Soon, you will die by my hand."

    The force field and both spatial relocations were used up, and Ellic seized the opportunity to approach Junhyuk, who swallowed dry.

    He did his best. He did everything he could do.

    "Ahh..." Junhyuk sighed deeply and grabbed his swords. He would fight until the end, and Ellic scoffed at him.

    "If you died easily, I would go crazy!"

    Ellic swung his hammer. His basic attack wouldn¡¯t work, so he mmed it on the ground.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk could¡¯ve escaped the basic attack with his superior attack and movement speeds, but the hero¡¯s power was a different story. Shockwaves traveled through Junhyuk¡¯s body, causing damage to his internal organs.

    "Ugh!"

    If it were a direct attack, he would¡¯ve been killed, but instead, he staggered, and Ellic swung his hammer again.

    Ellic didn¡¯t want to use his power a second time because Junhyuk was wounded and couldn¡¯t escape.

    Junhyuk barely lifted his swords.

    ng!

    He didn¡¯t move away, taking in all of the shock. He was even more hurt, staggering again, while Ellicughed aloud.

    "Ha-ha-ha! That¡¯s right! You¡¯ve got nothing left!"

    Ellic¡¯s hammer dropped again, and Junhyuk lifted his sword while Ellic continued to m the hammer down on him.

    ng, ng, ng!

    "That¡¯s right! Block! Block it till the end!"

    With every attack, Junhyuk felt like his arms were being torn apart. If he gave up, Ellic would smash his head wide open, but he hadn¡¯t given up yet. He couldn¡¯t kill Ellic with his attack, but he could deliver a blow to his weak spot, which would keep him from chasing after Sarang.

    He looked for an opportunity to strike between Ellic¡¯s blows.

    "Big brother!"

    Junhyuk froze. That stupid girl hade back after he had told her to run.

    "I told you to run away!"

    Ellic smiles and turned to look at her.

    "You didn¡¯t have toe back. I enjoy hunting my prey."

    Sarang extended her staff and shouted:

    "I know what I¡¯m doing! Shut up and take this!"

    Sarang¡¯s staff fired an electric st, and Ellic was paralyzed. Junhyuk got up. He felt like his body had been pummeled, but now he had a great opportunity, so he focused on one ce, Ellic¡¯s neck.

    Junhyuk swung at Ellic¡¯s gorget, a steel cor protecting his throat. He dented it, and kept swinging at it. When he finally broke some of it, Ellic started moving again.

    Ellic had not been paralyzed for long, and Junhyuk was not a hero, so he couldn¡¯t kill Ellic within that short of a period.

    Ellic swung his hammer, and Junhyuk rolled on the ground to avoid it. Ellic swung too rashly, and he was able to escape.

    Junhyuk was getting up when Ellic swung his hammer again. It was not an attack that Junhyuk could block. He waspletely out of position to do it.

    .

    Instead, Junhyuk lunged forward. He would get hit, and he would probably die, but he also had to kill Ellic to save Sarang. So, he chose to counter attack. He ignored the hammer and aimed for Ellic¡¯s neck.

    That¡¯s when another electric st flew by. Ellic was paralyzed again, and the Blood Rune Sword went straight into his neck.

    "Ugh!"

    Ellic screamed, and Junhyuk pushed the sword deeper. Ellic¡¯s eyes shot open, and Junhyuk whispered in his ear:

    "Like I said, give me the set item."

    After that, he twisted the sword in Ellic¡¯s neck.

 Chapter 75: Bouncing Back 2

    Chapter 75: Bouncing Back 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Ellic¡¯s body fell and disappeared. Junhyuk sighed, relieved that he wasn¡¯t killed. Sarang walked over to him and grabbed his arm.

    "Are you OK?" She asked.

    Junhyuk grabbed her by the shoulders.

    "Are you crazy?!" He yelled.

    "What?"

    "Why did youe back?"

    She was surprised by the yelling, but he continued:

    "What if we hadn¡¯t killed him? Did youe here so we could die together?"

    Sarang¡¯s eyes were filled with tears.

    "How could I go?!" She yelled back.

    Her yelling caught him by surprise, and she kept going:

    "I couldn¡¯t leave you behind!"

    He looked at her, sighed and, without saying a word, he hugged her. She cried into his chest, and he sighed again.

    "Stupid, you have only one life."

    "I couldn¡¯t run away."

    He lightly caressed her back, and she stopped crying.

    "I¡¯ll forgive you just this once," he said.

    She looked up at him, and he caressed her cheeks and said:

    "Next time, I won¡¯t be so forgiving!"

    Sarang nodded slowly, and Junhyuk held her in his arms.

    "Thanks. You saved my life," he said.

    "Hm. You should¡¯ve thanked me earlier. Why did you get angry?"

    "I was joking, but I won¡¯t be as forgiving again."

    "Hm. OK."

    He tapped her back lightly. Then, he picked up the item Ellic had dropped and screamed silently.

    It was the very thing he was looking for, so he put it on and inspected it.

    ---

    Golden Knight Elder¡¯s Ring (Set item)

    Attack +15

    The Golden Knight Elder used to carry this ring. In the past, he was called a legend and he carried items to increase his attack power. There was no one who could withstand a blow from him.

    Having aplete set increases the power of the item.

    Two-Item Set Effectiveness: Armor Piercing +35

    Three-Item Set Effectiveness: Additional Fixed Damager +50

    ---

    He knew how important fixed damage had been in fighting Ellic, so he really liked the set.

    "It¡¯s a big deal."

    "Is it something good?"

    Junhyuk nodded and showed her the ring. It was made out of pure gold and shone in his hand.

    "Ellic will miss this the most, and it will help me big time."

    It had a fixed damage buff, so it would work against people with high defense, but fifty was not a lot. However, anything could happen. He had killed Ellic because of the fixed damage he had dealt, so he was really d for it.

    Junhyuk looked at her.

    "We should hurry."

    "Will we be OK?"

    "Ellic came this way, so Minota will be waiting for us in the opposite direction. We should move forward."

    "What if we meet another ogre?"

    "We¡¯ll go around it. It¡¯s not easy to deal with it."

    "Go around it?"

    Junhyuk smiled:

    "Teleport."

    They had retreated from the ogre, but Minota was looking for them now, so it would be dangerous to go back to where they came.

    To escape Minota, they would have to face monsters.

    Ellic had died, so the safest way was to follow in the direction he hade from.

    "Let¡¯s go to the castle!"

    ---

    One by one, they reincarnated. They walked out of the castle with Arn in the lead, grinding his teeth.

    "I¡¯m sorry."

    "What about?" Nudra asked with his hands behind his back.

    Arnughed a little.

    "Going dragon hunting and getting killed."

    Vera was behind him, cracking her neck to the left, then to the right.

    "Does anyone know what happened to the children?"

    Diane walked behind Vera and said:

    "They were alive up to the time I got killed. Don¡¯t know what happened to them."

    "They were alive?!"

    Diane nodded, and the door opened. Halo showed up. Diane looked at him and clicked her tongue.

    "Halo died, so the children must be dead. The entrance to the valley was blocked."

    Arn looked at him. Halo was thest one to get there, so he said:

    "They are alive."

    "What?"

    Junhyuk and Sarang were alive, and Halo spoke, which was even more shocking. The heroes all looked at him.

    "Are you done with your vow of silence?" Diane asked.

    "I was trying to save them. There was no other way," he answered calmly.

    "So, they survived?" Arn asked, curious, and Halo nodded.

    "I saw them going up the cliff."

    "The cliff?!"

    Diane pped her hands and shouted:

    "Sherlock¡¯s Leather Arm Warmer! The jump skill!"

    Halo fixed his sword and said:

    "But Ellic and Minota were still alive."

    Everyone¡¯s expressions darkened. Arn grabbed his sabers and said:

    "They climbed up the dragon¡¯s valley. There are two paths from the cliff. We¡¯ll split up in two groups."

    Arn looked at Vera.

    "Vera and I will take the right road, and Halo, you take Nudra and Diane and go to the left road. We should hurry."

    "OK."

    Arn took the lead, and the five heroes ran, turning into a rescue team.

    ---

    The forest was more dangerous than Junhyuk had expected. They encountered over ten monsters, and the buff had ended, so they struggled a lot. They met some monsters they couldn¡¯t kill, but they teleported away to escape. At that moment, they were resting on a big rock.

    "Are you OK?"

    "I feel like I¡¯m dying."

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly. He was the one who had dealt with the monsters. If it weren¡¯t for Bebe¡¯s ck Armor, he would¡¯ve been dead. Sarang shot her lightning bolt from behind him.

    Her magic helped big time, but he was the one who had fought the most.

    "We will rest here for a minute."

    "When will we get there?"

    Junhyuk looked at the sky. He didn¡¯t know what time it was and couldn¡¯t guess how long it would take. However, he should be the one worrying and not her.

    "We will be there soon."

    Sarang shook her head and asked:

    "Big bro, are you directionally challenged?"

    "No, I¡¯m not! They call me the human GPS."

    He got up.

    "We should get going," he said.

    "We just got here. Just one more minute."

    "We don¡¯t have time. We¡¯ll get there soon."

    "You just said that we would rest."

    Junhyuk grabbed her by the robe and pulled her up.

    "Rest at the castle."

    "Ugh..." Sarangined, and Junhyuk started walking. She kicked the ground and followed him.

    They had to get to the castle. They knew how dangerous the forest was from experience.

    Suddenly, Junhyuk heard some footsteps and frowned. He was familiar with the noise. He stopped her, and a three-horned, thirteen-foot shadow appeared above them. It was Minota.

    "I almost lost you."

    "How did you find us?" He asked, and Minotaughed.

    "Ellic reincarnated, and he contacted me to say he had lost to you, and that I should hurry."

    "So, you came here?"

    "That¡¯s right. We meet again!"

    Junhyuk sighed. He had killed Ellic, but time had passed, and Minota had to have regained all of his health. It wouldn¡¯t be possible to fight him now.

    Minota smiled at him, showing a row of teeth like a shark¡¯s along with his middle finger.

    "What is meaning of this gesture?"

    Junhyukughed at him and looked back at Sarang.

    "Sarang."

    "Yes."

    "It won¡¯t work this time."

    She looked at him. She knew they couldn¡¯t deal with Minota at full strength.

    "We have to go that way."

    "Back off. We can¡¯t deal with him."

    Minota listened andughed.

    "Ha-ha-hah. You want to escape?"

    Minota stepped forward, and Junhyuk summoned his swords.

    "Run away!" He yelled.

    Junhyuk took a step forward, but she grabbed him by the wrist.

    "Let¡¯s go together."

    "Sarang!"

    Sarang extended her staff and said:

    "Listen to me!"

    As she shouted, she fired an electric st. Minota was paralyzed, and Junhyuk clenched his jaw. There were no more options.

    He grabbed her and ran forward, not forgetting to sh Minota¡¯s side on the way. All of them had lost their dragon buffs, so he had to slow Minota down.

    "Woo, woo, woo!"

    He wasn¡¯t paralyzed for a long time and mooed loudly as soon as he could, lifting his hoof. He wanted to crush Junhyuk, but Junhyuk teleported.

    Boom!

    The shockwaves traveled in all directions, but Junhyuk was already far away. Minota rushed to shorten the distance. When he saw the three horns approaching, Junhyuk teleported again.

    The distance widened, and Junhyuk looked back. The distance was significant, but the cooldown for the rush was shorter than the one for spatial relocation.

    Minota would catch them.

    "Ha-ha-ha! Run! Escape!"

    It was time, and Minota rushed again. That¡¯s when Junhyukunched his force field.

    Bang!

    The force field was immune to all damage, but it could be pushed. They bounced away with the impact, and the distance widened. Junhyuk ran faster.

    He had used his powers. He couldn¡¯t just run. He wanted to try his best to survive.

    "Ha-ha-ha! You used all of your powers. You¡¯ll die soon!"

    Ten seconds passed by, and the force field disappeared. Minotaughed hard and ran.

    "Ha-ha-ha! It¡¯s almost time!"

    Minota rushed at him, but Junhyuk knew one cooldown was over and teleported away.

    "Aargh! Slippery sucker!" Minota said angrily.

    They had barely escaped, but that could be thest time. If Minota rushed again, they would be killed.

    "Shit! I came this far!" Junhyuk said through gritted teeth.

    Minota would kill him soon enough, and that would be a shame.

    "Ha-ha! You can¡¯t run!"

    Minota stomped the ground and rushes at him. Junhyuk pushed Sarang¡¯s back to get her away and pulled out his swords.

    sh!

    "Ugh!"

    He felt a heavy pressure on his arm and rolled on the ground. He got up to see Minota standing in front of him. Minota lifted his paws and smiled.

    "I got you."

    Minota mmed his paws down, and Junhyuk tried to block with his swords.

    sh!

    Junhyuk saw a man standing in front of him, and his back looked familiar. The man smiled at him.

    "You did well."

 Chapter 76: Bouncing Back 3

    Chapter 76: Bouncing Back 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk turned around, saw Vera standing in front of Sarang, and he sighed, relieved.

    "Retreat," Arn said.

    Junhyuk tried to do as he was told while watching Minota grind his teeth.

    "Fine! Today, I have to kill you!"

    After he said that, Minota used his doppelganger skill and rushed at Junhyuk. Minota¡¯s dangerous paws had almost reached Junhyuk when he was attacked.

    A ck fire spear zoomed in and disrupted Minota¡¯s focus. He blocked it reflexively instead of attacking Junhyuk.

    Boom!

    It was only for a moment, but it gave Junhyuk enough time to move back, and a firewall appeared in front of him.

    "Get over here!"

    Vera called for him, and Junhyuk went to her. Sheunched another fire spear at Minota, who was going through the firewall.

    Minota posed some danger because of his huge size, and after the fight began, he used his doppelganger skill.

    Junhyuk stood next to Vera, and Minota mooed coarsely.

    "Woo, woo, woo!"

    He approached, but Junhyuk blocked Vera. She was her strongest when she used her magic at will, and he wanted her to be free to do it.

    "Big brother!"

    Sarang shouted andunched her electric st at Minota. He was paralyzed, and Vera whistled and fired off her magic.

    Minota was standing inside of the firewall, receiving damage, when the fire orb hit him and exploded. Then, Vera followed through with another fire spear.

    Boom, boom!

    Vera¡¯s magic was working out beautifully. Only a short time had passed, but continuous attacks were what Vera did best.

    Minota¡¯s exorbitant health plummeted because of Vera¡¯s firepower, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t let his guard down. As expected, Minota rushed straight through the firewall, swinging his fist, and Junhyuk stepped forward to meet him. Vera¡¯s and Sarang¡¯s defenses were really low, so it was better for him to step in.

    ng!

    He blocked Minota¡¯s fist with his swords, but he paid a price for doing so and wasunched back. He rolled on the ground once and got up.

    Minota was really strong, but he had stolen Minota¡¯s attention, even if for a short while, and Vera¡¯s magic and Sarang¡¯s lightning bolt flew by him. Junhyuk held his swords up and said:

    "Are you holding on?"

    Minota tookrge strides toward him andughed.

    "I will hold on until I kill you!"

    Junhyuk dodged Minota¡¯s fist and swung his swords. He grazed Minota¡¯s elbow, and Minota started to bleed.

    Until then, he had only been able to scratch Minota, but thatst attack had made a deep cut. Minota¡¯s eyebrows twitched, and Junhyuk noticed it. The fixed damage was working, and Junhyuk was able to hurt him way more than before. At that stage, he could deal with Minota.

    Minota exchanged blows with Junhyuk and realized that Junhyuk was inflicting damage on him. His power was iparable to before.

    He could¡¯ve ignored Junhyuk¡¯s attacks before, but that wasn¡¯t the case now. It still wasn¡¯t a lot of damage, but he didn¡¯t have much health left.

    "Woo, woo, woo!"

    He mooed loudly and attempted a massive punch. Junhyuk parried the attack and countered with one of his own. Minota, who had been waiting for that, lowered his head and rushed.

    Junhyuk¡¯s spatial relocation was still on cooldown, and he was in the middle of attacking, so he wasn¡¯t expecting Minota¡¯s move.

    Then, the Dark Night Cloak fluttered, and Junhyuk spun away to the side.

    The 10 percent chance for absolute evasion pred in the nick of time, which made Junhyuk happy, and Vera fired a fire spear and fire orbs at Minota.

    Junhyuk swung his sword at Minota¡¯s ankle. Minota had used his rush, so the only option to close the gap between them was to run, but Vera had him locked down, preventing his movements.

    Junhyuk shed Minota¡¯s ankle, and because of the fixed damage, he was able to wound him much quicker.

    Minota watch Junhyuk spin away from his rush and lifted his hoof. He stomped the ground and Junhyuk teleported.

    Boom!

    The stomps created shockwaves, but Junhyuk showed up in the air, behind Minota¡¯s head, swinging the Frozen Rune Sword.

    Minota¡¯s neck was wounded, so Junhyuk stabbed at it with the Blood Rune Sword, but Minota didn¡¯t leave the back of his neck wide open, turning his head to dodge the attack. However, he didn¡¯t dodge itpletely, leaving a stream of blood leaking from where the sword hit. Minota ignored the pain and tried to counter with a backhand, but Junhyuk teleported behind Minota once more, but this time, he was on the ground.

    He was staring at Minota¡¯s butt because of the difference in their sizes and seized the opportunity. He put both of his swords together and shoved them in Minota¡¯s ass.

    "AAARRRRRGH!"

    He gave off a simr noise to when someone shes a cow¡¯s throat, and Junhyuk pushed the swords even deeper.

    "Just die!" He yelled.

    Minota tried to grab him, but he couldn¡¯t mount any serious attacks. Junhyuk dodged everything and pushed the swords further in.

    "AAAAAHHHH!" Minota screamed pitifully, and his body started to disappear.

    Junhyuk sighed and pulled his swords out.

    Minota was disappearing while fallen on the ground with his butt up high, and Junhyuk sat in front of him.

    "I thought you said you were going to hold out?" He said and showed Minota the middle finger again.

    "You don¡¯t know what this is? Go fuck yourself!"

    Minota disappeared, and Junhyuk saw an item drop. It was an earring that looked like a shark¡¯s tooth.

    Arn walked over,ughing.

    "Was this the main body?" Junhyuk asked.

    Arn shrugged and looked at the others.

    "Anyone hurt?"

    "No."

    Vera walked up to Arn.

    "Did you see it?" She asked him.

    "What?"

    "How Minota died?"

    Arn shook his head.

    "I didn¡¯t. I killed the other Minota and saw this one disappearing with his butt up high."

    Vera put her index fingers together in the shape of a gun and stabbed the air.

    "Junhyuk, did he really go like that?"

    Arn was surprised and looked at Junhyuk, who was picking up the item Minota had dropped.

    ---

    King of Beasts White Tiger¡¯s Tooth

    Deathblow +3%

    The ruler of the jungle, the King of Beasts White Tiger, has the sharpest tooth. It can kill an opponent with one blow. The chance for a deathblow is increased by 3 percent.

    ---

    Junhyuk picked up the item, inspected it and asked:

    "Arn, what is a deathblow?"

    Arn answered without thinking:

    "A deathblow is a fatal attack against an opponent. In the past, a crazy hero had increased his deathblow rate to 100 percent. He swept through the battlefields. They made a set item in his honor, but it¡¯s difficult to get deathblow items."

    "But why was he crazy?"

    Veraughed out loud.

    "Deathblow items are expensive, but their percentages are always small, and they don¡¯te with any other buff. Since it¡¯s a matter of chance, you need more than one. Therefore, a hero with a 100 percent deathblow rate is crazy."

    "Then, that hero was extremely lucky."

    "Yes, but no one has been that crazy since that hero."

    Junhyuk looked at the King of Beasts White Tiger¡¯s Earring. Deathblows were a matter of chance, and he knew how important the percentage rates were because of his Dark Night Cloak.

    The earring only had a 3 percent chance to proc. Junhyuk thought about it and put the earring on. It was the first time he pierced his ear, so it was painful, but it was nothingpared to what he had experienced so far.

    He decided to have a positive outlook about the earring. It had a low percentage rate, so he wasn¡¯t expecting much, and he could always sell it.

    He turned around and faced Vera. She told him not to deliver the final blow, but he had done it again.

    "I am sorry for taking the final blow," he said, scratching his head.

    Vera looked at his swords and swept her hands in the air, away from her body.

    "You smell! Go away!"

    "What?"

    "You¡¯re so cruel!"

    Vera started walking. Sarang followed her, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t know what to do. Arn stood next to him.

    "You did well."

    "I did do well, right?"

    "But then, did you have to kill him in such a nasty way?"

    Junhyuk scratched his head.

    "I saw a weak spot, so I took advantage of it."

    Arn shook his head.

    "Let¡¯s move. We should join the others for the team battle," he said.

    "We are going to a team battle now?"

    "They are missing some heroes, so now is good time."

    Minota had to reincarnate and rejoin the enemy group, and that would take time. Arn wanted to get it over with in the meantime.

    Junhyuk thought for a moment and asked:

    "Isn¡¯t there another buff monster left?"

    The enemy¡¯s buff monsters, the Smander and the Gale Harpy Queen, were dead, but there could be one more.

    Arn heard that and stopped. A smile creeped into his face.

    "I forgot about it!"

    He had been thinking about the dragon, so he had forgotten about the other buff monster. He pulled out a marble and closed his eyes. Junhyuk was waiting for Arn to deliver his message when Vera walked over.

    "What is going on?"

    "He is thinking about hunting thest buff monster."

    "That¡¯s right! There is another buff monster!" Vera said, excited.

    "We will meet where the buff monster is located. One of us will go to the castle and get the minions for the team battle. Sarang, wait."

    Vera pulled out a marble of her own and closed her eyes to send out a message, and Junhyuk stared hard at Sarang.

    "You didn¡¯t listen to me."

    "We came this way and met up with Arn and Vera. If we had gone the other way, we would both be dead."

    Junhyukughed and petted her head. Sarang was really fearless.

    "Next time, listen to me. I¡¯m worried about you. My heart is pounding."

    "He-he! Bro, you¡¯re worried about me?"

    Junhyuk sighed and flicked her head lightly.

    "Hey!" Sarangined about the pain and stomped the ground.

    Arn opened his eyes and smiled at the scene.

    "Let¡¯s go. Before the next team battle, we will kill thest buff monster."

    "OK."

    The group moved out, and Junhyuk took Sarang by the hand and followed the leader.

 Chapter 77: Bouncing Back 4

    Chapter 77: Bouncing Back 4

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    They came upon thest buff monster, and its appearance surprised Junhyuk.

    "Is that the mixture of a turtle and a snake?"

    The monster was a giant turtle with a snake for a tail. It was about sixty-five feet long, and it looked weaker than the dragon, but it still looked formidable.

    Everyone was there except for Nudra, and Halo looked at Junhyuk and smiled.

    "You survived."

    "Halo, if you hadn¡¯t yelled at me, we would have died on the spot."

    Junhyuk had been able to escape because Halo, who hadn¡¯t spoken even once before, yelled at him to tell him to get away.

    Diane walked over to Junhyuk, looked at his butt and smacked her lips.

    "I can¡¯t see your juicy butt because you are wearing that armor."

    Junhyuk hid his butt and said:

    "This is sexual harassment!"

    "I told you, we are of different species."

    Diane smacked her lips again.

    "We didn¡¯t find anyone. Did you?"

    "We came across Minota and killed him."

    "OK."

    Vera went up to Diane and whispered in her ear. They looked at Junhyuk every so often while whispering, and Junhyuk looked the other way. He knew what they were talking about.

    That¡¯s when Nudra showed up with 300 minions in tow.

    Junhyuk was surprised.

    "Are we killing this monster, doing the team battle and going straight for the castle siege?"

    "Correct," Arn continued calmly. "So, this time we hunt alone."

    They needed to save the minions for the siege, which meant that they wouldn¡¯t go back and would fight to the end, and wouldn¡¯t take them to hunt the buff monster.

    Arn¡¯s eyes turned to Junhyuk.

    "Youe with us."

    "Of course!"

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know how much damage he would be able to inflict on the buff monster. The monster had the body of a turtle, so its defense had to be pretty high, and he was d to have the fixed damage buff.

    Arn ran forward and shouted:

    "Let¡¯s begin!"

    Arn attacked the turtle with his saber. He aimed for the turtle¡¯s neck, but the turtle withdrew it very fast, and he ended up hitting its shell.

    ng!

    The saber bounced off the shell.

    "It¡¯s thick! Vera, hit it hard!" He shouted.

    "Fine!"

    Vera lifted up her staff, preparing her magic. Halo aimed for the turtle¡¯s tail, and Junhyuk went with Halo. Something was different now that Halo had started speaking. His aura seemed lighter, and he seemed freer. Halo ran with him and said:

    "I¡¯ll attack it first."

    "OK."

    Previously, Arn paired up with Junhyuk, but this time, Halo was taking him. Halo attacked in a sh. He covered a distance of sixty-five feet in a split second, and his sh attack wounded the snake¡¯s neck. The snake bared its poisonous teeth, and Junhyuk ran from behind and swung his sword.

    ng!

    He didn¡¯t do as much damage as he wanted, but the fixed damage worked well. The snake snapped at him, but he teleported to stand on top of its head, above the snake¡¯s eyes.

    The Blood Rune Sword went through one of the snake¡¯s eyeballs.

    Tack!

    The snake screamed and shook its head, and Junhyuk lost his bnce and was thrown off. He was falling through the air when the snake snapped at him again.

    The snake¡¯s attack was really fast, so Junhyuk teleported far away from it. He could see the snake¡¯s mouth exactly where he had been. If he hadn¡¯t been able to use spatial relocation, he would¡¯ve been killed.

    The snake¡¯s neck was stretched out from trying to attack Junhyuk, and Halo jumped and shed it with his sword.

    The attack was different from Junhyuk¡¯s. Halo¡¯s attack had pierced the skin, going deep into the snake¡¯s neck. The head had almost been sliced off, and Diane loosened some arrows at it in a row. Her attacks were very precise, increasing the gash on its neck.

    Halo swung his sword again, and the snake was decapitated.

    Right then, the turtle¡¯s head popped out, and it opened its mouth wide. Poison smoke billowed out of it while the turtle turned around.

    "Sarang!" Arn shouted.

    Sarang fired an electric st. The st hit the turtle and paralyzed it. The turtle had wanted to cover itself in poison smoke, but now it couldn¡¯t move.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    Meteors fell from the sky on the turtle¡¯s shell, but they also hit the turtle¡¯s head, and Arn swung his saber at it.

    The turtle¡¯s head was about to be sliced off when Nudra stepped in.

    Bam!

    Finally, the turtle¡¯s head was smashed to bits, and it was over. The turtle¡¯s body started to disappear, and everyone smiled. They heard a soft whisper:

    [You killed the Envoy Turtle. For the next two hours, your defense is increased by fifty. When you attack, you inflict a poison status of 200 damage over five seconds. This effect can be stacked three times. If you die within the time limit, you will lose your buff to your opponent.]

    It was a huge deal to be able to inflict 200 damage in five seconds, and it was possible to stack it. That meant they could do 600 damage in five seconds.

    That was a huge buff, and it also increased defense.

    Arn¡¯s eyes beamed.

    "That¡¯s too bad! We didn¡¯t get anything this time."

    He was talking about loot like they had gotten from the harpy, which had been very effective.

    "We need to get the team battle done in the next couple of hours. Hurry!"

    Everyone moved toward the central road, and they got to a ce where the enemy heroes were already gathered.

    There were four of them.

    Arn checked and saw they still had one hour left on the buff.

    "We attack!"

    He didn¡¯t wait and ran forward. The enemies were on the watchtower, and Arn rushed at them, leaving Junhyuk surprised. It was dangerous to have a team battle by a watchtower, but the heroes didn¡¯t care.

    As Arn advanced, Halo shouted:

    "Minions, attack the watchtower!"

    There were only fifty enemy minions at the watchtower to go against their 300.

    When the team battle started, the archers would attack the heroes, and the allied minions should attack the watchtower. Junhyuk followed the minions.

    "Destroy the watchtower!" Halo shouted at him.

    The watchtower posed a problem for the heroes, and Junhyuk could easily take care of the fifty enemy minions. He had a defense buff, so he could ignore all of the minions¡¯ attacks. Also, he had gotten so strong that his attacks would massacre them.

    The heroes were engaged in the team battle while Junhyuk ran toward the minions. He was confident that he would kill them all.

    He made sure to engrave it in his mind that it was important to destroy the watchtower. Berserked minions came at him, but Junhyuk¡¯s swords sliced and diced them.

    His attack power was so high, he didn¡¯t really push himself, but he still killed them easily. He had killed twelve minions when he came to a sudden stop.

    "What¡¯s going on?"

    Junhyuk was surprised, and an enemy minion approached. That minion looked shorter than the others, but at close inspection, he was hunched over.

    "A novice?"

    "Ha-ha-ha! I heard about you. They¡¯ve given me special instructions."

    "You think you can do something to me?"

    Junhyuk looked himself over. It wasn¡¯t a simple paralysis. A shadow was restraining him, and the restraint¡¯s effective time was long.

    Junhyuk shook violently, trying to move, but then a shadow appeared behind him. Skia popped out of the shadow and was attempting to stab him.

    "Big brother!" Sarang shouted.

    Junhyuk heard her andunched his force field reflexively. When the force field appeared, Skia¡¯s dagger bounced off of it, and he was no longer restrained.

    Junhyuk swung his swords at the enemy novice. The novice lifted his double axes, but Junhyuk was too strong. He pushed the axes down with one sword and swung the Frozen Rune Sword at the novice. The novice retreated quickly, but the sword grazed his neck.

    After that, Junhyuk ignored the novice and looked at Skia. The novice grabbed his neck, staggered and dropped to the ground, dying.

    The novice had a low pool of health and couldn¡¯t handle the 200 poison damage.

    Junhyuk attacked Skia, but Skia knew Junhyuk was immune to everything for ten seconds and retreated.

    However, Junhyuk had no intention of letting Skia go. His force field was up, so he wanted to catch Skia right then, or Skia would attack him again from behind when he attacked the watchtower.

    Skia saw him chasing. Skia just wanted to get away, but Skia was not scared of him.

    "How dare you?!"

    They were in the middle of a team battle, but Skia had attacked him because of his powers. His force field was dangerous to heroes engaged in a team battle. Skia wanted to kill him first, so Skia used a novice to do it, but the novice had failed.

    Now, Junhyuk showed no fear chasing Skia.

    Five seconds had already passed, and after another five, it will take just one heavy blow to take Junhyuk down. Skia wanted to run the clock on those five seconds and then attack.

    Junhyuk was getting worried about fighting Skia head to head. Skia was on defense, so he had toe up with something. That¡¯s when he cut his own hand three times with the Blood Rune Sword and heard a soft whisper:

    [You stacked three self-injuries with the Blood Rune Sword. You get a 30-percent buff to attack speed and a 15-percent buff to movement speed.]

    Junhyuk¡¯s swords started moving faster. His attack speed had increased, leaving Skia surprised, and he took the opportunity to cut Skia¡¯s elbow.

    "Ha!" Skia felt the fixed damage and frowned. "You are nothing!"

    Skia was livid and swung the daggers chaotically. Junhyuk knew he needed more than an increase to attack speed. Ellic was slow to begin with, but Skia was using double daggers. He needed more than a 30-percent, attack-speed increase to fight Skia.

    The opportunity came from elsewhere. An arrow flew in from behind Skia, and as Skia saw the arrow approaching, Skia thinned out and disappeared.

    Junhyuk knew Skia had to show up again to attack, and Skia¡¯s attack range was short, so he teleported away.

    As expected, Skia appeared swinging the daggers at the spot where Junhyuk had been standing. He was running to meet Skia when Arn¡¯s saber came down on Skia.

    Clung, clung, clung!

    Skia tried to withstand the attacks, but Arn¡¯s saber was not Junhyuk¡¯s swords, so Skia was forced back, and Arn shed Skia¡¯s ribs.

    "Ugh!"

    Skia staggered, and Junhyuk ran at Skia. Skia was out of powers, and Junhyuk joined the fight, pressuring Skia even more.

    Finally, Skia was beheaded. Arn looked at the dead Skia and saw an arrowing at them, so he grabbed Junhyuk and pulled him out of the way.

    Junhyuk looked around. He had been too focused on the novice and Skia to notice, but all enemy heroes were dead.

    "There were only three. Sarang paralyzed Libya, so we killed her first and took care of the other of two. Stupid Skia came after you and was easily killed by me," Arn calmly exined.

    Junhyuk was used as a bait to destroy the watchtower, and the team battle was easily won, so he shrugged.

    "Then, let¡¯s destroy the watchtower before we head to the castle and before they reincarnate."

    "Right."

    Arn smiled and shouted:

    "Destroy!"

 Chapter 78: Return 1

    Chapter 78: Return 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    While they were buffed, they did their best to destroy the watchtower, but when they arrived at the castle, there were five enemy heroes there.

    "The buff is gone. Will this be victory by the sword?" Arn asked, looking at them.

    Junhyuk scoped out the enemy camp and said:

    "They only have minions."

    Among the enemies, there were no novices. That meant that they would only have the support of the archers on the walls. So, the allies only had to win the team battle.

    "Are there a hundred enemy minions?"

    "It looks that way."

    The allied side had three times that number. The enemies had archers, but Junhyuk, as an expert, could help out with that. Junhyuk¡¯s powers could be used during the team battle, so they wouldn¡¯t send him in to kill minions, but once they did, he would massacre them.

    Arn thought for a moment and said:

    "Hey, Ellic."

    Ellic frowned and stepped forward, and Arn smiled a little.

    "You lost the entire set of Golden Knight Elder items. How do you feel?"

    "What did you say?"

    Ellic scowled and stepped forward, but Minota stopped him. Ellic turned around, and Minota frowned at him.

    "Stay calm. They have toe to us."

    Ellic breathed deeply and swung his hammer in a wide arc.

    "Come here! Just shut up and fight!" Ellic shouted, and Arn smacked his lips.

    "That¡¯s a simple guy who is about to lose his status. He must be angry," Arn said and looked at the group. "We probably have to go to them to fight."

    "Is that possible?"

    The arrows from the castle were quite dangerous, and when heroes fought, they were even more so.

    Arn pulled out a marble.

    "First, the minions will draw their attention. Then, we go in."

    Arn lowered his voice as he spoke to Junhyuk.

    "We will designate squads."

    "Is it OK to attack in groups?"

    "It will be," Arn smiled as he answered. "Sarang will be at the centerne, and you¡¯ll put a force field around her. As the squads advance, focus on Libya."

    Arn fixed his gaze on Sarang.

    "Your have a big part."

    "OK."

    "Before the force field disappears, we will kill Libya and attack Ellic. Then, we retreat."

    "Will Ellice after us?"

    "Of course! It works better when you tease him than when you taunt him."

    Arn pulled out a marble and yelled:

    "Attack!"

    After he yelled, the minions went berserk and rushed. Arn followed them, and Halo ran behind him, but Diane was the one to attack first.

    She was behind the group, but she had incredible range. Diane attacked Ellic, and he blocked it with his hammer. Then, Arn leapt.

    Warren was standing in front of his group and saw Arn and swung his ws.

    Shink, shink!

    Arn¡¯s saber was so sharp that it cut through Warren¡¯s ws, and the squad moved in. Halo used his sh attack at Minota¡¯s ribs, and Nudra ran and kicked Ellic.

    The leads on both sides exchanged attacks, and the archers shot down from the castle walls. It was a dangerous spot, but they were within range, so Junhyuk created a force field.

    Sarang was at the center, and the force field covered the entire squad. Arrows bounced off the force field, and Arn shouted:

    "Sarang!"

    Sarange fired her electric st. The leads of the groups had shaken up the enemy camp, so she had a clear shot at Libya.

    Libya was paralyzed, and Vera¡¯s fire spear and Diane¡¯s arrows flew at her, but Minota stood like a wall in front of her. Arn saw all of that and left his squad, jumped over Minota and swung his saber at Libya.

    She couldn¡¯t escape. Arn shed her chest, leaving a big gash. Before Arn had a chance to continue, Ellic rushed from behind, swinging his hammer.

    Clung!

    Arn rejoined his squad, and Nudra jumped forward and kicked Libya on the head before the paralysis wore off. Arn¡¯s attack had been critical, and Nudra damaged her head, so she had lost a lot of health. Then, a firewall rose from beneath her feet.

    "Aaaahh!"

    Three heroes had attacked her, and Libya died without doing much. At that point, Minota rushed toward them, but was only able to push the force field a little.

    Arn and Halo attacked Minota, and Warren howled at Nudra, who had taken part in killing Libya.

    "Hoool!"

    Nudra froze, and Warren¡¯s ws pierced his ribs, and Skia, who was already behind him, stabbed him in the back.

    "Ugh!"

    Libya was dead, but so was Nudra. They hadn¡¯t gained an advantage. Arn and Halo closed in on Minota.

    Minota had amazing health and strength, and his rush could be bothersome. He could also use his doppelganger skill, so it was a good idea to kill him early.

    They attacked Minota, but he realized that he was the next target and used his doppelganger skill.

    Both Minota and the allies retreated, but the allies attacked Ellic on the way back.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    Magic and arrow attacks zoomed by, and Arn and Halo did not look back, focused on escaping. The force field disappeared, but they were out of the archers¡¯ range.

    They didn¡¯t have much time before Libya would reincarnate, but they retreated, knowing that Ellic woulde after them.

    Ellic was livid and ran toward them, and nking Ellic from both sides, the Minotas ran with him. Minota wouldn¡¯t stop him, so he decided to join him along with Warren.

    Skia ran behind them, looking for any opportunities.

    Vera smiled.

    "Libya isn¡¯t there, so they don¡¯t have any range."

    She created a firewall andunched fire orbs, and behind her, Diane shot multishots. Five arrows flew across the field to hit the enemy heroes.

    Junhyuk stood next to Sarang and watched the fight. The enemycked range, but they were full of strength and health.

    Skia was probably the weakest opponent.

    Without the force field, Skia could seep into a shadow and attack Sarang. The heroes were also in danger.

    Junhyuk moved Sarang toward the back where Skia couldn¡¯t reach her. As Skia closed in, Skia disappeared. Skia couldn¡¯t be seen, and Junhyuk shouted:

    "Be careful! Skia is gone!"

    Vera set a fire orb on her shadow, and Diane ran forward. Diane¡¯s arrows were even deadlier at close range, and she focused them on Minota.

    Junhyuk moved Sarang further back, and Skia appeared behind Vera.

    Boom!

    Skia had wanted to surprise Vera, but was hurt by the fire orb on her shadow. Skia staggered, and Veraunched fire spears at Skia.

    Skia thinned out and disappeared. Junhyuk, who was watching everything, frowned.

    Sarang was out of range, but Vera was still in danger. Vera created a firewall behind her back and looked around, but Skia showed up to her left and stabbed at her.

    ng!

    She stopped Skia¡¯s attack with her staff, but Skia continued, and that was something Vera couldn¡¯t deal with at close range. As they came closer, Skia would be at an advantage.

    Junhyuk teleported behind Skia and used the Frozen Rune Sword to sh Skia¡¯s back.

    To Skia, Junhyuk was just a pest, and Skia couldn¡¯t turn around while fighting Vera, otherwise she would kill Skia.

    Skia tried to sidestep and block Junhyuk¡¯s second attack, but his first attack hade with debuffs, and Skia¡¯s movement and attack speeds had decreased.

    Veraunched a fire orb at Skia and grabbed Junhyuk¡¯s hand, and Junhyuk teleported away with her.

    Boom!

    Skia staggered from the explosion, and Veraunched another fire spear. At close range, Skia had the advantage, but at long range, Vera was superior.

    Skia was hit by the fire spear and staggered again. That¡¯s when Diane hit Skia on the back of the neck.

    "Ugh!"

    Skia was dying, mouth agape, and Junhyuk looked around. Minota, Ellic and Warren were attacking, and Halo was wounded, but Arn was fighting the three of them hard.

    Diane and Vera attacked at will, and the enemy had no way of winning.

    Junhyuk thought about going to help the minions, but Minota rushed Halo, and he was thrown off of his slot.

    Junhyuk ran toward Halo¡¯s spot. Skia was gone, so no one would attack him from behind. When Junhyuk arrived, Minotaughed loudly.

    "Ha-ha-ha! I¡¯ve been waiting for you!"

    Minota swung at Junhyuk, but he dodged to the side while swinging the Frozen Rune Sword. Minota¡¯s arm was cut, and the ice attribute froze his body. The other Minota came toward him, bumping his fists, and Junhyuk just stared at the situation.

    His job was to defend until Halo came back. It was dangerous to face two Minotas, but he couldn¡¯t give way.

    Arn was fighting alone against Ellic and Warren. There was fire support from behind them, so Arn could do it.

    Halo had been dealing with both Minotas when he wasunched away.

    Minota had been hit with a fire spear and arrows, but he was at full strength.

    He was thinking about fighting them alone when Halo returned.

    "Be careful."

    "OK."

    He would protect himself, and his objective was to stay alive.

    Both Minotas lifted their paws simultaneously, and Junhyuk retreated as far as he could.

    Boom! Boom!

    Two shockwaves were created simultaneously, and the shock felt stronger. Junhyuk thought he was out of range, but the simultaneous attack inflicted more damage at a longer range.

    Kunk!

    The impact shook his organs, and he vomited blood. Minota rushed toward him. It was a dangerous attack, but he had used both powers and was waiting for the cooldowns to end, so he lifted his swords. However, even if he blocked, he would still be in danger.

    Then, a lighting bolt flew by from behind him. Sarang wanted to help, but the lightning bolt wouldn¡¯t work against Minota.

    However, Minota was paralyzed. It was just for one second, but his power was gone. It only had a 3 percent chance to work, but Minota was paralyzed, and Junhyuk ran at him and stabbed him.

    This time, he stabbed Minota¡¯s balls.

    "AAaargh!"

 Chapter 79: Return 2

    Chapter 79: Return 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Minota was hunching over, holding his testicles, when Halo swung his sword and beheaded him. He was still holding his testicles when he disappeared. The other Minota rushed at Junhyuk. His eyes looked mad, and he was filled with hatred.

    Junhyuk teleported.

    Minota arrived at the spot where Junhyuk had been standing when he was hit by a fire spear.

    Boom!

    Even after being hit, Minota couldn¡¯t control his anger.

    "Argh! I will kill you!"

    Minota was so livid, he couldn¡¯t see anything else, so he chased after Junhyuk. Even though Minota had a lot of health, when he ignored his own safety, he became an easy target for the heroes.

    Diane¡¯s arrows and Halo¡¯s sword attacknded on him. He was dying, but he still had only one thing on his mind.

    "You son of a bitch! Wait and see!" He said, staring at Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk smiled a little and answered him:

    "I¡¯m sorry. It wasn¡¯t intentional."

    Minota couldn¡¯t speak anymore and disappeared. Junhyuk watched him disappear and turned around. Arn was also fighting, and Warren was heading toward him.

    Suddenly, Warren jumped and aimed for Diane. Warren¡¯s eyes were blood red, and that meant his health was regenerating.

    Veraunched a fire orb while he was in the air.

    Boom!

    He was hit by the explosion and dropped to the ground, and Diane shot her explosive arrow at him.

    Boom!

    Finally, Halo shed him with his sword, but then, Warren howled:

    "Woo, woo, woo!"

    Warren had positioned himself well, and Arn, Halo and Diane froze. Ellic then rushed toward Arn, pushing him away, and Warren headed for Diane, biting her neck.

    "Aahhhh!"

    Diane screamed, and Warren tried to stab her stomach with his ws. However, Junhyuk ran toward them and stabbed Warren in the eye.

    "Argh!"

    Warren was in pain and opened his mouth, letting go of Diane. Junhyuk grabbed Diane¡¯s hand and teleported away. Warren was irritated, but Halo shed him.

    Halo¡¯s sword went through Warren¡¯s thigh and stuck to the ground. At that moment, if Diane received any more damage, she would die.

    Warren swung his ws at Halo, but Halo ducked and dodged them and retreated. The sword was still stuck the the ground, and Warren was trying to pull it out when a ck firewall rose from beneath his feet.

    The firewall inflicted continuous damage, and Diane loosened more arrows at Warren. He tried to block with his ws, but he was only able to stop three arrows.

    Two arrows hit him along with a fire spear, and Warren died. Warren¡¯s body thinned out and disappeared, Junhyuk let out a sigh.

    "Are you OK?"

    Diane was bleeding from her neck, and Junhyuk applied pressure to the wound with his hand.

    "Thanks! I could¡¯ve been killed if you were a littlete."

    "It¡¯s OK."

    At that point, only Ellic remained, and Arn jumped at him.

    ng!

    Ellic blocked Arn¡¯s attack, but everyone was waiting to attack him. Ellic fought hard, but he would lose. Soon, Ellic fell, and Arn smiled.

    "Push!"

    Meanwhile, the number of minions had decreased by half, but the allies still had four heroes. This battle would also end in a victory.

    Junhyuk felt the end approaching.

    They had won.

    They tended to Diane¡¯s injury, and Vera used her magic on the archers.

    "Follow me," Arn told Junhyuk.

    "OK."

    Junhyuk ran with Arn toward the minions. Arn ran very fast, but he kept up with him, shing at their enemies.

    The minions were no match for Junhyuk, and he watched Arn¡¯s swordsmanship and tried to mimic it. They killed the minions, destroyed the gate and went inside. Arn cracked his neck and inspected the area inside the castle.

    Inside, there were two giant golems.

    "Vera, blow them up."

    "OK."

    Vera was preparing her magic when Arn ran forward. Halo joined him, and Junhyuk followed them. The golems saw the invaders in their territory and ran to engage.

    A golem swung its fist down at Arn and Halo, and Junhyukunched a force field.

    Boom, boom!

    In the past, he had only been able to put a force field around one person. Now, he could cover all heroes.

    Halo and Arn were fighting the golem when Junhyuk also stepped forward. He stayed inside of the force field because the golem could kill him with one blow.

    Junhyuk could inflicted fixed damage, and it helped out. The golem was hit, and the blow splintered parts of its body.

    Then, meteors fell from the sky.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    The golem staggered from the impact, and Diane¡¯s explosive arrows hit it head on.

    Boom!

    Parts of the golem¡¯s head came apart, and Arn jumped. Arn swung his saber, and the golem¡¯s crumbled to pieces.

    Meanwhile, Halo stabbed the other golem in the ribs. Golems were different from humans. Humans would die with a sword stuck to their ribs, but the golem swung at Halo,pletely ignoring the sword.

    Boom!

    Previously, Minota had been able to push the force field back a little, but the golem pushed half of it into the ground.

    They were stuck on the ground, and everyone attacked the golem.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    Everyone¡¯s attack was focused on the golem, and the golem went down. Arn started attacking the force field around the castle. Libya had reincarnated, but didn¡¯te out. She would be facing for heroes alone and would die like a dog.

    "We won¡¯t see herter." Arn said.

    Libya gritted her teeth, and Arn swung at the force field.

    Clung!

    "We meet again in two weeks?" Junhyuk asked him.

    Arn shook his head.

    "No. This time, we meet in four weeks."

    "In four weeks?"

    "Right. You didn¡¯t know?" Vera asked, smiling.

    "You didn¡¯t tell me."

    "We¡¯ve been on a winning streak, so this was thest battle. Now, we advance." Diane said while shooting arrows.

    "Advance?"

    "We will meet different heroes," Halo said, shing at the castle.

    He seemed d, but Junhyuk was nervous.

    "New heroes?"

    "Right. Five different heroes from before."

    "Isn¡¯t that dangerous?"

    Advancement meant they would fight at a higher level, and the higher levels had different heroes.

    It felt ominous. He understood the heroes he had been dealing with, but did not know anything about the new heroes he would encounter. He could get killed without lifting his swords.

    He was worried.

    "They will still only have four powers. Heroes summoned here have limits," Arn said while swinging his saber.

    That was for when heroes fought each other, but he wasn¡¯t a hero. Junhyuk wanted to be extra careful the next time he was summoned.

    That¡¯s when Skia showed up behind Libya. Skia stared at Junhyuk and disappeared. He did not expect Skia to fight four heroes, but nevertheless, heunched a force field.

    For the next ten seconds, Skia wouldn¡¯t be able to attack. Skia showed up a littleter, but was pushed back by the force field.

    "Shit."

    The four heroes looked at Skia, and Skiaughed.

    "This time you¡¯ve won, but this won¡¯t happen next time."

    "We¡¯ve advanced. There won¡¯t be a next time."

    "Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll follow you there."

    Skia waived a hand, preparing a power, but Sarang fired her electric st at Skia.

    The electric st was faster than the heroes¡¯ attacks, and Skia was paralyzed, unable to move or use a power.

    Everyone ran toward Skia. Arnunched his saber, and Halo used his sh attack. Skia was cut in the ribs, and Vera¡¯s fire spear hit Skia on the head. Diane¡¯s arrows hit Skia on the chest, and Junhyuk stabbed the same ce.

    "Ugh!"

    Skia had to feel bad. Skia thought Junhyuk woulde out of the force field, but Sarang had hit Skia, and Arn chopped off Skia¡¯s head.

    Arn caught the head in the air and said:

    "Don¡¯t be so stupid if you want to advance. Learn from it."

    Skia¡¯s head disappeared, and Arn picked up the item Skia dropped.

    "Destroy it all!"

    Everyone started pounding the castle¡¯s force field. Minota reincarnated, but didn¡¯te out. Junhyuk¡¯s force field was still up. There would be no meaning for him toe out then.

    Minota watched them while grinding his teeth.

    "You know this is not the end!"

    Junhyuk looked at him and shrugged.

    "You have to advance to meet me again."

    Minota¡¯s eyes widened, and Junhyuk felt chills looking at his cold stare. In this battle, Junhyuk had killed Minota by underhanded means.

    Minota stepped forward and said:

    "We will advance too. We will meet you then."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t answer, and instead, he hit the force field with the Frozen Rune Sword.

    Craaack!

    The force field and the castle werepletely destroyed, and Minota turned around.

    Junhyuk sighed. He had survived.

    He turned his head and looked at Arn, who grabbed his shoulder.

    "You are a big part in our advancement."

    "Not really. I survived because of you."

    Diane walked over and checked out Junhyuk¡¯s butt.

    "If you feel grateful, take off your armor."

    Junhyukughed and shook his head.

    "We meet in four weeks," Arn said.

    "OK. I¡¯ll see you then."

    Arn and the heroes disappeared, and Junhyuk looked at Sarang. She smiled at him.

    "Big bro, we are still alive."

    "Right."

    Junhyuk caressed her head.

    "It¡¯s a relief. We¡¯ll return together."

    Sarang smiled with her eyes.

    "We have a month before getting back?"

    "Right. Next time, listen to me more or else... Understand?"

    Sarang nodded.

    "I should be an expert so that I can reincarnate."

    Junhyuk agreed with her. She had to activate one more power, and it would be a huge relief. He watched her be surrounded by light and said:

    "You worked hard."

    "You too."

    The whole world was filled with light.

 Chapter 80: Novice 1

    Chapter 80: Novice 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk slowly opened his eyes, sighed and lifted his hand to see a ck gauntlet. Unexpectedly, he was still wearing Bebe¡¯s ck Armor, so he sent it away and got up.

    He still had the Dark Night Cloak on his back, and the Beast King White Tiger¡¯s Canine was on his ear.

    "I should¡¯ve engraved these."

    Junhyuk ced the things he had brought back next to the bed and inspected the ones that weren¡¯t engraved: the Dark Night Cloak, the Beast King White Tiger¡¯s Canine, and the Golden Knight Elder¡¯s ring. His expression turned serious.

    "I should put the cloak in my backpack, and I can¡¯t wear the canine."

    He felt like someone was watching his house, so he couldn¡¯t leave things there. Some of the things were worth over thirty thousand gold, and he couldn¡¯t afford to lose them.

    At once, he put them in his backpack and inspected his ring. The Golden Knight Elder¡¯s Ring was rather big. It was big enough to cover one section of his finger and it was easy to notice.

    "I should wear it around my neck."

    Junhyuk took off the pendant. He should have sold it, but he was too happy to get Sherlock¡¯s Leather Arm Warmer and forgot. Someone had helped him, so he thought about helping otherster if there was an opportunity for it.

    Junhyuk smacked his lips and put the pendant inside his backpack. He ced the Golden Knight Elder¡¯s Ring around his neck, and the Dark Night Cloak and the White Tiger¡¯s Canine also went inside his backpack.

    Junhyuk was seriously worried.

    "I can¡¯t engrave my entire body. Maybe I should get a bottomless bag for these..."

    At least one hundred thousand gold would be required to afford the bag, but he wanted to get it. He scratched his head.

    "I should equip myself for now, and I will get a bottomless bagter."

    The main thing was survival. To survive, he needed more items, so the bag wouldeter.

    Junhyuk thought for a moment and remembered that magical items from South Korea had value in the Dimensional Battlefield. So, he should find more of them.

    He was pondering about things when the phone rang. Junhyuk looked at the screen, and it showed rade." Heughed a little and picked it up.

    "Why did you call me? We saw each other a moment ago."

    "It¡¯s different from meeting on the battlefield. He-he!"

    "It¡¯s fine. Go to sleep."

    "I just called you!"

    "I know. Did they notice anything?"

    "No."

    "Go to sleep."

    "Fine. You should sleep too."

    "Right."

    Junhyuk wondered if she had had an ulterior motive for calling him, and he got up and walked to the window, looking outside.

    "It¡¯s a problem."

    As long as someone was watching him, he couldn¡¯t train, but he was even more worried about Sarang.

    "She needs a space to train."

    He decided to worry about itter and started practicing. He had gained a lot of understanding during that time and he had experienced livebat with dual des and was getting better.

    ---

    Doyeol was touching his chin when the executive secretary reported in.

    "We are listening in, but nothing serious happened."

    "Right."

    Doeyol thought for a moment and asked:

    "Did we get the equipment?"

    "They areing in three days."

    "When they arrive, use them to check it. If anything suspicious happens, report to me right away."

    "I will, sir."

    Doyeol was worried. He wanted the runestones, but he couldn¡¯t buy them. If Doyeol offered, he would get suspicious.

    Doyeol knew for sure that Junhyuk had been to the Dimensional Battlefield, but only heroes carried runestones.

    However, he couldn¡¯t let him be. Others knew of it too, and they had to be following him as well. He couldn¡¯t let the others act first.

    Doyeol gestured, and the secretary went out. He was pondering alone when his desk began to shine. Doyeol tapped on the desk, and five screens appeared. He greeted them with his eyes and focused on Elise.

    Elise had called for that meeting and she began to exin:

    "The red-colored gem could be used on the Regeneration Project."

    "Really?"

    "Yes. I already gave it to the project team, and they will report in soon."

    "That¡¯s good. What about the Mana Stone?"

    "It¡¯s being used for the Iron Soldier Project."

    Doyeol smiled. They had gotten the Mana Stone from the Dimensional Battlefield, and it was of use. That was a relief.

    A white-haired, middle-aged person spoke up:

    "How many can you make?"

    "About a hundred."

    "OK. Make the prototype."

    "Yes."

    "Do you have anything else to report?"

    "No."

    "Then, till next time."

    The screens turned dark, and Doyeol was about to get up when a screen lit up, and the white-haired, middle-aged mean appeared on it.

    "What is the matter?"

    "I heard from Clinton."

    Doyeol smiled bitterly.

    "We are investigating, but we found nothing special."

    "Is that so?"

    The white-haired, middle-aged man¡¯s eyes flickered, and he looked at Doyeol andughed.

    "I found something interesting on this side. You should take care of it. If anything happens, just let me know."

    "Don¡¯t worry. I can do anything in South Korea."

    "Ha-ha-ha-ha! That¡¯s correct. I expect good news."

    The man disappeared from the screen.

    "He must have found something big."

    He did not mention the runestone during the meeting, so they must¡¯ve already known.

    "I should check on it."

    Doyeol would send somebody to America.

    ---

    On Monday morning, Junhyuk heard people whispering. They were all staring at him.

    It was like the time when thepany ad came out, so he checked his smartphone and the inte, and there was the second ad involving him.

    He chuckled. Junhyuk¡¯s soul had grown, and nobody walked over to ask him questions.

    He arrived at thepany and found no one there, so he sat on his chair. He was checking out the coboration project when he heard footsteps.

    Somin walked up and greeted him.

    "I saw the ad."

    "Really?"

    Junhyuk was embarrassed, and Somin asked him:

    "Did you pierce your ear?"

    Junhyuk touched his ear. He had needed to pierce it for the Beast King White Tiger¡¯s Canine.

    "I don¡¯t feel so well."

    "With your body?"

    Junhyuk smiled awkwardly.

    "I only look well on the outside. I don¡¯t feel well inside."

    He meant that he had pierced his ear for health reasons, and Somin looked at his ear.

    "You should have something in it, otherwise it will close."

    "Is that so? This is my first time."

    Somin was up close to feel his ear and smiled warmly. He heard more footsteps approaching, and Somin also turned to look.

    Mr. Jang and Jangho and the other coworkers came in.

    "You two are doing good this morning."

    Junhyuk smiled awkwardly.

    "She¡¯s giving me advice."

    "Is that right?"

    Mr. Jang smiled and patted Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder.

    "This ad is a sess. The coboration project is already the number one search online. Your name is number two."

    "I didn¡¯t do much."

    "It¡¯s because you showed your face. I knew you would do well."

    Junhyukughed a little, and Mr. Jang whispered:

    "It will be on TV in two weeks. You¡¯ll be a star."

    "I don¡¯t think so."

    Junhyukughed, and Mr. Jang took his seat. Somin smiled at him and took her seat.

    Junhyuk shook his head. Somin felt different from Sarang. Sarang felt like a younger sister while Somin felt like a grown woman.

    The elevator stopped, and people came out. He could see Eunseo and Sukhoon Kim.

    Sukhoon was greeted by many people, but he motioned for Junhyuk, and took him inside Eunseo¡¯s office. Sukhoon pushed Eunseo¡¯s wheelchair and smiled.

    "The response to the ad is really hot. We are getting the most clicks on the inte."

    He turned on the Smart TV and showed him the search engine stats.

    At number one was the coboration project, and number two was Junhyuk. Starting at number three were other people on the ad. Robotics and ST Capsule, and the prosthetic arm and leg were all in the top ten.

    Junhyuk was relieved that the ad had been a sess.

    "The edited version will be broadcasted in two weeks."

    "That¡¯s nice."

    Sukhoon walked over and patted Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder.

    "It¡¯s a stroke of luck that we hired you as a worker model."

    Sukhoon patted him again.

    "Work hard from now on."

    Junhyuk nodded, and Sukhoon went out. Junhyuk looked at Eunseo. She fixed her sses and looked back at him.

    "Robotics is responsible for the foreign advertising, and the ad is doing good on foreign sites."

    "I¡¯m d."

    "I nned it all." She said while looking at him.

    "Thank you."

    Eunseo calmly inspected him. He was not griping, but being sincere. Eunseo continued to look at him, and she found he looked different.

    He was not taller but he felt like a giant. He was showing charisma, and she was even more interested in him.

    "You are getting a lot of requests for interviews."

    "Do I have to do them?"

    "I turned them down for the most part, but after the official announcement of the coboration project, I won¡¯t turn them down."

    He knew he had to do interviews. He had four weeks. If he only had two weeks, it might have been difficult for him."

    "The Interviews will be prearranged, and you will know the questions and answers, so don¡¯t worry too much."

    "I understand."

    "You may leave."

    Junhyuk was about to go out when Eunseo stopped him.

    "Why did you pierce your ear?"

    He felt like a lot of people were interested in his ear.

    "I heard it¡¯s good for your health."

    "You may leave."

    Eunseo turned her tablet on and searched for a fancy jewelry site.

    "He wears an earring?!"

    She looked for men¡¯s earrings and smiled a little.

 Chapter 81: Novice 2

    Chapter 81: Novice 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Guard Team Three carried out covert operations for ST Capsule. They were fitting the hideout with new equipment and talking among themselves.

    "Boss, is it OK to install something like this?"

    "It¡¯s OK. Anything unusual?" The boss asked the person in charge of the wiretap.

    "Maybe the person did it intentionally, put the TV is on a high volume, so the wiretap is not working. He is not speaking much either."

    "This will finish the job."

    They were installing something very heavy. It was some distance from the window and located in the shadows. It was an infrared heat signature detector.

    The boss installed it and turned it on. Soon, all of the heat signatures inside of Junhyuk¡¯s building were on disy. The boss focused on Junhyuk¡¯s room.

    His expression hardened.

    "What is going on?"

    Inside the room, a heat signature red up. Junhyuk was swinging something, and whenever he swung the object in his left hand, the screen of the heat signature detector became fuzzy.

    "Is he making cold air?"

    Then, something surprising was captured by the detector. Junhyuk moved from one end of the room to the other end of the room instantly.

    The boss¡¯ and others¡¯ eyes widened.

    "Nothing is wrong with detector, correct?"

    "Nothing is wrong."

    Then, Junhyuk¡¯s shape disappeared from one side of the room again to appear on the other side. The boss¡¯ eyes beamed.

    "This is really real."

    He was wondering why they had ordered him to watch an ordinarypany worker, but now he understood. Junhyuk ate dinner and turned up the volume on the TV. They knew that he was trying to hide.

    "I should report this right away."

    "We will continue to watch him."

    "Right."

    The boss took the infrared footage and went to the parking lot. He was about to get in his car when a car drove up and stopped in front of his car.

    The boss¡¯ expression hardened when four men got out of the car. He understood everything soon as he saw them. They were highly trained.

    "Where did youe from?"

    "We don¡¯t have time to talk. If you give us the footage, we will go away."

    He couldn¡¯t handle four guys, but he could make more of the footage he had in his hand, so he agreed to hand it over. One of the man picked it up when another man shot a taser at the boss, knocking him down.

    The man that took the footage looked up.

    "Let¡¯s go. Take him with us."

    They went up to Guard Team Three and used the tasers to restrain them. Both group were of equal strength, but the tasers made the difference.

    Everyone was on the ground, and one of the man looked around and said:

    "They have some nice equipment. Destroy everything."

    "Yes."

    They moved quickly inside Guard Team Three¡¯s hideout and collected everything, including the wiretap tapes. One of the man looked at the infrared heat signature detector.

    "He surely has special powers, but he is weak against state of the art weaponry."

    The man pulled out a cigarette, put it between his lips and walked over to the window. They were a good distance from where Junhyuk was staying.

    "They don¡¯t know."

    They had learned something Important. The man took a deep drag off his cigarette when his subordinates walked up to him.

    "Everything is ready."

    They cut the gas line and watched the gas flow out of it. Then, they turned the electric stove on and prepared for the explosion. As an elerant, they added petroleum.

    The members of Guard Team Three were still on the ground, and the man took another drag off his cigarette. When the other group arrived at the parking lot and got in their car, there was a huge explosion.

    Boom!

    ---

    Junhyuk was surprised by the sound of an explosion, opened the curtains and looked out of the window. It was far from his room, but he could still see it.

    He was suspicious of everything these days and looked at it carefully. He put on his backpack, went out and started to run.

    He was running toward the explosion site and saw a car pass him by. It was a Mercedes Benz, and he saw people inside of the car.

    He ran straight to the site and saw the entire building engulfed in mes.

    The whole vi was engulfed in mes, and people were watching it burn. The sound of sirens got louder, and the firefighters arrived.

    He saw the room on fire and had an idea. Even though it was burning, if he wore the ck armor, he could get inside.

    He thought about it for a moment and went up the building next to the vi. He could see the inside of the room through a window. It was full of strange equipment that was not at all normal in a room like that.

    He looked at it and decided to do an experiment. He wanted to use spatial relocation to get inside because he thought he might find something revealing.

    From the top of the building, he jumped over to the top of the burning vi and looked around. The smoke was giving him cover, and he summoned the ck armor and closed his eyes.

    While at the Dimensional Battlefield, he had only teleported to where he could see. Now, he wanted to teleport to somewhere he couldn¡¯t see.

    Junhyuk imagined the room he had just seen and teleported.

    The room was engulfed in mes when Junhyuk showed up. He didn¡¯t know how long the ck armor wouldst against the fire, so he inspected the room quickly.

    There were four men on to the ground, already on fire.

    It was toote to rescue them, so Junhyuk clicked his tongue and continued his search. All of the equipment was burning, and he could guess what it was.

    "A wiretap machine?"

    Junhyuk realized he should¡¯ve been more careful. He had only closed the curtains and turned the volume on the TV.

    In the middle of the room, there was a heavy machine, burning. It did not look like a wiretap machine and it had a camera on it.

    Junhyuk looked around and saw peopleing in and teleported out. He was on the top of the vi and sent the ck armor away. Then, he jumped over to the next building.

    The vi was filled with smoke.

    "I should be more careful," he told himself.

    Were they watching him with a camera from that distance? He had his curtain drawn. Is that even possible?

    Junhyuk realized they did not use simple cameras. That huge machine in the middle of the room was not just a camera. It wasn¡¯t a fluoroscope*. They had wanted to capture his movements through the wall.

    "Infrared?"

    It was something out of a movie. He was very intrigued and realized someone was interested enough in him to use that equipment.

    Junhyuk looked around the top of the building. It really looked like arson, so the people who had started the fire mighte back.

    Junhyuk looked at the people below. He inspected them out carefully, but no one looked suspicious. He widened his search, but he still didn¡¯t find anyone.

    "There was more than one group watching me."

    That was his guess, and he needed a new n. He didn¡¯t want anyone to know about his powers.

    "I need to spend some money."

    Junhyuk left the ce. He had something to do and he should move quickly.

    ---

    Bang!

    Doyeol mmed his fist on the desk and ground his teeth.

    "The entire Guard Team Three is dead?"

    "Yes."

    Doyeol had a serious expression and leaned back on his chair.

    "What happened?"

    "They became unidentified human corpses."

    "Do you know who did it?"

    "We checked the CCTV and found a suspicious vehicle, but it had been previously stolen."

    "That¡¯s right. They are serious and extra careful."

    Doyeol thought for a moment and asked:

    "What about the equipment?"

    "We installed it yesterday."

    "That means they filmed something with it. Send in another team with new equipment. Who could rece Guard Team Three?" He asked, caressing his chin.

    "Guard Team Six, but they are still raw."

    "It¡¯s OK. They won¡¯t be made by an ordinary citizen."

    "I¡¯ll get them ready."

    Doyeol waved his hand.

    "You may leave."

    The executive secretary left, and Doyeol caressed his chin again.

    "Are they doing this?"

    Someone was audacious enough to interfere, and he could guess who it was. Whoever it was, attacked and killed people working for him, but for now, he would be patient.

    Without evidence, he couldn¡¯t challenge the other party. They were in the same meeting group, but that didn¡¯t mean they were on the same level. Doyeol had been able to participate in the meetings because he had provided the mana stone.

    "But I won¡¯t let it slide."

    He had already hired someone to deal with the other side. Doyeol had to know what they were up to, and he had to find out more about Junhyuk.

    "I¡¯ll be busy."

    How many people had Doyeol stepped on to get to where he was now? Among them, there had been people that seemed he couldn¡¯t possibly go against, but he did not step away from a fight.

    ---

    Junhyuk wanted to buy a new house. It wasn¡¯t expensive to get one in his current district. If he were to purchase an old house, he would only have to pay for thend.

    Thend usually cost 950 dors. If it was close to road, it would cost over a thousand dors.

    However, he ended up purchasing an eighteen-hundred-square-foot house.

    It cost him over half a million dors, and he paid an extra fifty thousand dors to move in quickly. The owner wanted to move back with his parents, so he was able to move in within three days.

    After he moved in, he began restructuring the house. He paid a lot of money to build a living room and an extra room.

    After that, he wanted to coat the walls with lead. This cost a lot, but he wanted to prevent any monitoring from infrared detectors.

    Someone was watching him, and that someone might know what he was up to, but the important thing was for that someone not to find out what he was doing.

    He paid extra, and the construction was finished quickly. It only took one weekend, but it had involved more than ten workers.

    The exterior wall was finished, but they still had to work on the inner walls. The ground had not dried yet, so he couldn¡¯t ce any carpet.

    Junhyuk sent everyone out.

    In only a few days, he had spent a lot of money, but it was for his survival, and when he bought the house, he inspected it entirely.

    He considered hisst house and the house that was burned, and he made sure nothing was close enough to his new house.

    "I lost a lot of time."

    He started training again.

    ------

    fluoroscope - an instrument with a fluorescent screen used for viewing X-ray images without taking and developing X-ray photographs.

 Chapter 82: Novice 3

    Chapter 82: Novice 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The white light disappeared, and Jeffrey slowly opened his eyes. He turned his head left and right and realized he was restrained.

    "What...?"

    He was lying on his bed, waiting. If he was restrained, someone would be there shortly. He waited until a bunch of lights turned on. The lights were hard on his eyes until he got used to them and realized they wereing from the second-floor window.

    The lights were behind some men. Two of them were standing there, looking down on him. He didn¡¯t know who they were.

    Jeffrey checked them out and closed his eyes. He wanted to know how many men there were at his house.

    He guessed there were about ten men. He had gone to the Dimensional Battlefield, and that¡¯s when they restrained him. They had to be armed.

    It was annoying.

    Jeffrey sighed and said:

    "Why don¡¯t you introduce yourselves?"

    Because of the lights, he couldn¡¯t see the men¡¯s faces, but one of them spoke up:

    "You are not nervous."

    "I feel bad, but there is a need for a conversation."

    "Interesting fellow. We might be able to talk sensibly with him."

    A man with his hands behind his back spoke as well:

    "The name is Jeffrey. A Harvard University veterinary student. Age 22. Correct?"

    "Yes."

    "And you¡¯ve been to the Dimensional Battlefield twice now..."

    Jeffrey realized they knew a lot about him.

    "You know your information. What do you want to talk about?"

    "We are interested in the Dimensional Battlefield. Before you return to that ce again, you should make a deal with us."

    "A deal? Why don¡¯t you release me?"

    "Sorry. You must agree first."

    Jeffrey moved his head and said:

    "It looks like the deal would be one-sided."

    "That¡¯s not true."

    Jeffrey shook his head.

    "I don¡¯t know who you are, and you have me tied up, and now you want me to make a deal?" Jeffrey said, looking at the man who was looking down on him. "We should talk face-to-face."

    A huge wolf appeared. It was the size of a cow, and everyone became nervous. Jeffrey looked at the wolf. It walked over to him and destroyed the things tying his hands and feet.

    He got up and stretched, and the men surrounded him, aiming their guns at him. Jeffreyughed.

    "You leave me no choice."

    All of a sudden, Jeffrey was wearing a purple suit of armor.

    "Take him down!"

    The man staring at him shouted, and the guns fired off loudly, but the bullets bounced off the armor. Jeffrey cracked his neck.

    "You need a strong defense to survive."

    Jeffrey extended both of his arms, and a ten feet tall gori appeared next to him.

    "Take care of them," he said.

    The huge animals attacked the men shooting at him. They all fell with their pistols zing. They were torn apart, but Jeffrey didn¡¯t seem to mind.

    He looked at the man.

    "Are youing down?"

    "You are not a minion."

    "You didn¡¯t know?" Jeffrey said and smiled. "You messed with the wrong bull."

    Everyone went down, and Jeffrey looked at the wolf, and the wolf attacked the man.

    Crash!

    The window broke, and the wolf went inside of the room, but it was empty. Jeffrey hopped on the gori and inspected the second floor. It was all a bunch of equipment, and heughed.

    "They are careful."

    For fear that something might happen, the man wasn¡¯t there. Jeffrey looked around and said:

    "Spare no one."

    The wolf and the gori ran out. He kept inspecting the room and smiled.

    "If they want to be my enemies, so be it."

    Jeffrey looked for cash or things he could pawn. He couldn¡¯t lead an ordinary life anymore, and he needed money.

    He picked out a few things and walked out. With a signal, the wolf and the gori came to him, and Jeffrey sent them away and looked around.

    "What should I do now?"

    The road outside was barren, so he sent his armor away and left.

    He jumped over a wire fence, and a few cars approached him. There were three vans, and two men stepped out of them. Jeffrey just stared at them.

    Who are they?

    A grey-haired man stepped forward.

    "Mr. Jeffrey?" He asked.

    "Yes. Who are you?"

    "We are from ST Capsule. If you are being followed, why don¡¯t youe with us?"

    "ST Capsule?"

    "Yes. The CEO sent us."

    Jeffreyughed.

    "This is America. What can ST Capsule do for me?"

    "We will escort you to South Korea, where you will talk to our CEO."

    Jeffrey shrugged and smiled.

    "You are letting yourselves be known, so you must also want something. There is a condition."

    "Speak."

    Jeffrey pointed to the building from which he had walked out.

    "I wanted to live in peace and made a mess of things. Can you take care of it?"

    "Of course."

    Jeffrey smiled, and his eyes turned violent.

    "There is one more thing. Tell me who they were."

    "We will exin everything. Get in the car first. We are still in danger."

    "Well, shall we?"

    Jeffrey got in the car. As it started off, Jeffrey sighed. His pointless wandering was over.

    "What happened to my younger sibling?"

    "He¡¯s on a ne bound for South Korea."

    "I like you."

    Jeffrey leaned back on his seat and closed his eyes. He was going with their flow, but he didn¡¯t let his guard down. He had experienced how dangerous it was to trust someone while at the Dimensional Battlefield.

    He was the only one he could trust.

    ST Capsule would offer him a deal. He would talk to their CEO, and if they held him or his sibling hostage, they would know what kind of a guy he was.

    ---

    Over the weekend, they finished the construction, and Junhyuk trained. He didn¡¯t want to talk to Sarang on the phone. Someone could be wiretapping their phone conversation.

    He couldn¡¯t meet her either. He had made a space for him to train, and she also needed a space to train.

    More money was needed. So, he had to give her some money. If she had money, she could find somewhere to practice.

    Junhyuk withdrew some cash, careful to lose the tail on him. He was not an ordinary person and he could teleport to hide from people.

    He didn¡¯t tell her, and on Monday after work, he left his cell phone on his desk. It was possible to track him by using the phone¡¯s GPS.

    Then, he got on the subway. People couldn¡¯t follow him easily there. He would be able to catch anyone who tried.

    He arrived at Sarang¡¯s school by walking, running and teleporting eight different times from the top of one building to another. He ended at the top of the building next to Sarang¡¯s school.

    He had to give her money, so he waited until students started leaving the school one by one. Junhyuk spotted her.

    Her soul had grown, and she was easy pick out.

    Junhyuk dropped down and walked over to her. Sarang was talking to her friends when she saw him and ran toward him.

    "Big brother!"

    Junhyuk stopped her as she tried to give him a hug.

    "We are in front of your school."

    "Hm."

    "Follow me. I want to talk."

    "Get me something to eat."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk took her to a family restaurant, and she ordered her food with joy.

    "Is anyone following you?"

    "No."

    "Can¡¯t be so sure."

    "Why?"

    Junhyuk told her what had happened, and she listened attentively.

    "It¡¯s like a spy movie!"

    "I think so too."

    "Should we be meeting like this?"

    "No," he answered calmly. "They might wiretap our cell phones, so I left mine at my desk."

    "You don¡¯t know what will happen."

    "I know. After today, we might not meet again until the Dimensional Battlefield. We shouldn¡¯t talk on the phone."

    Sarang looked at him.

    "Why did youe to see me?"

    Junhyuk pulled an envelope out of his backpack.

    "Here."

    "What is this?"

    Sarang opened the envelope and gasped in surprise.

    "It¡¯s fifty thousand dors. Use the money to get a ce to practice. Get a studio or a loft, some ce where you can be alone," he exined calmly.

    Sarang was touched. That was arge sum of money, and he was giving it to her just like that. She thought he was very cool.

    "OK," she said and put the money away.

    "You shouldn¡¯te looking for me, and train on your own instead. Have you been practicing?"

    "Yes." She said, lifting her hand and generating a light orb. "I¡¯m very used to it now."

    "That¡¯s nice."

    Sarang¡¯s skills had improved. Junhyuk cut a piece of the steak and offered it to her. She felt happy and ate it dly.

    Junhyuk started to eat his port rib. He had been training, and now he could eat a lot more than he was previously able to.

    Sarang patted her belly.

    "That was delicious."

    Junhyuk caressed her head, picked up the check and stood up.

    "We should separate."

    "Really?"

    "Nothing good wille of staying together."

    "Hm," Sarang nodded slowly. "OK. I¡¯ll spend the money wisely."

    "It¡¯s not for shopping. It¡¯s for survival in the Dimensional Battlefield."

    "Trust me," she said and nodded. "Actually, can I buy a couple of things?"

    Junhyukughed.

    "Just two things."

    "Fine," he liked seeing her happy. "Just be as careful here as you are at the Dimensional Battlefield."

    "Don¡¯t worry."

    He patted her head gently and said:

    "We will meet on the battlefield."

    Junhyuk went away, waving his hand, and Sarang strapped on her backpack.

    "I have a fat wallet now. I feel full," she said and smirked.

 Chapter 83: Movement 1

    Chapter 83: Movement 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The white-haired, middle-aged man satfortably on a chair andughed.

    "They got us this time."

    They hadn¡¯t known how strong a novice was. Twenty trained men had gotten beaten, and the heavy artillery hadn¡¯t arrived in time.

    "They dared to touch my prey on American soil!"

    The middle-aged man touched his chin and said:

    "So, what happened to his younger sibling?"

    "That person has left already."

    "Where did the person go? Do we know?"

    "Not yet."

    "Ha-ha-ha! This is interesting."

    They were beaten. They could guess who it had been, but they had no evidence. This had all happened on American soil, so the others must¡¯ve been prepared.

    "OK. I will not regret anything nor hold grudges," the man said and looked at a man standing behind him. "They¡¯ve found someone who can teleport in South Korea?" he asked.

    "Yes."

    "I want to meet that person."

    "I¡¯ll get everything ready.."

    A little smile appeared on the man¡¯s lips.

    ---

    On Thursday, after he got back from work, he got a call he couldn¡¯t refuse. It was Eunseo, so he went back to work to see her.

    "Do you have time this evening?" She asked calmly.

    "Yes."

    "Let¡¯s go then."

    He got in a car with her, and they went toward the Royal Hotel, the same ce where he had dined with Doyeol, which made him nervous. However, he wasn¡¯t going to pick up the check, so he agreed.

    It looked like Eunseo was a frequent guest at the hotel. She ordered first and then sat on her chair.

    "Tomorrow, the film will be broadcast all over the world."

    "At the same time?"

    "It has to be during the world holiday, and it will be a special broadcast to increase its effectiveness."

    "That¡¯s the power of the Robotics brand, I see."

    "Robotics¡¯ power is well known throughout the world." She said and took out a tablet. "After the broadcast tomorrow, you will have five interviews scheduled for next Monday."

    "I understand."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t ask why she didn¡¯t tell him all that during business hours. She wanted to buy him a nice meal.

    "It¡¯s for the people who have been hurt, and this will be advertised," she continued.

    "I hope it goes well."

    "It will," she said, fixing her sses. "The interviews will take ce in one of ourpany¡¯s buildings, so don¡¯t worry."

    The food came out, and Junhyuk ate his meal with Eunseo. She did not speak during the meal so that he could eat his food.

    Doyeol didn¡¯t speak much either. It must be a family thing.

    Junhyuk was working on his food when Eunseo pulled out a small box. He looked at her, and she touched her ear and said:

    "When you pierce your ear, but don¡¯t wear anything, the hole closes."

    "Ah!"

    He touched his ear and looked at the small box.

    "Can I open it?"

    "You may."

    She spoke without any emotion, and Junhyuk opened the box. Inside the box stood an earring made out of onyx and tinum. She got it from Tiffany, and it looked expensive.

    "Thank you."

    Presents were made to be epted, and Junhyuk put it on. Eunseo looked at him once and concentrated on her food.

    "It looks good on you."

    Junhyuk smiled at her. She was feeling good, so that¡¯s all that mattered. Also, his ear had been healing because he had it pierced for the Beast King White Tiger¡¯s Canine, and had not yet bought an earring for it.

    After the meal, Eunseo offered to take him home, but he refused.

    After Eunseo left, Junhyuk touched his earring and looked up at the sky. In the center of Seoul, that night¡¯s sky looked very clear.

    "I should go home," he told himself.

    He was always careful on his way home. On the subway, Junhyuk looked around, but didn¡¯t find anything unusual.

    After he got home, he checked the CCTV recordings, and there was nothing special. The CCTV cameras covered every angle of his house, but he found nothing out of the ordinary.

    Junhyuk had already eaten, so he took a short shower and focused on his training. There was a bedroom and a living room. The house had a bed, a TV and aputer desk and nothing else.

    He found an empty spot and focused on his training. Soon, he had lost track of time. He practiced with spatial relocation and the force field while swinging his swords.

    He had trained for a while when he heard a noise outside. He checked on the CCTV feeds and saw two vans in front of his house.

    Ten men stepped out of the vans. They look around and jumped over the wall into his house.

    "Huh?!"

    Junhyuk was speechless as he just stared at them. His windows were protected as well, and the only way in was through the door.

    Junhyuk sent his swords away and turned off every light. They looked foreign and could be carrying firearms. They might even be responsible for the arson incident.

    Junhyuk sighed and summoned the ck armor. He had never faced firearms, but he wanted to protect himself and started thinking of how to capture them. He was going through ideas when a light flew over the doorknob, and they busted the lock and walked in.

    Junhyuk was sitting on his bed as he watched the people rush in.

    Five of the men had taser guns. The rest of them had guns with silencers. They found him and quickly surrounded him, but he just stared at them.

    "Junhyuk Lee?"

    "That¡¯s not me."

    Some of them inspected the rest of the house. The house had a simpleyout, and they didn¡¯t find anyone else inside of it, so they came back and looked at him.

    "You are not Junhyuk Lee?"

    Junhyuk felt no need to speak and got up. He wanted to knock them out and then question them. However, as he got up, they shot off their tasers, but he only felt a small sting.

    The ck armor was immune to magic, and the taser guns had no effect on it. Junhyuk was doing fine, so the men carrying guns took aim at his legs. He was worried.

    Ping! Ping!

    The bullets bounced off, and Junhyuk¡¯s worries went away. He ran at them and grabbed them by their wrists.

    Crack!

    Their wrists broke, and Junhyuk grabbed them by the elbow and threw them around. Four men were already on the ground, and Junhyuk kicked another, who wasunched away by the impact. He kicked two other men on their legs. Junhyuk¡¯s kicks were so powerful that no human could withstand them.

    Crack!

    Both men spun around and dropped to the ground. Three remained, and Junhyuk jabbed at two of them. He punched them hard.

    As for thest man, Junhyuk grabbed him by the shoulder, pushed him down and stared at him. He was the leader who had signaled the others with his eyes.

    "Are you ready to talk?"

    Junhyuk looked at the other men. Two men could still move around, but they couldn¡¯t move easily. Junhyuk¡¯s strength was far too destructive.

    He looked down at the man he was holding by the shoulders, pressing down harder, and the man wriggled in pain.

    "Argh!"

    He looked for his ID, but couldn¡¯t find one. That surprised him.

    "You guys came in here without a n? I will bury all of you if you don¡¯t talk. Who sent you?" He asked coldly.

    "Even if you kill us, you won¡¯t find anything," the man responded.

    Junhyuk looked at him and hit him on the back of the neck. The man lost consciousness, and Junhyuk kicked him and made sure everyone was down.

    After that, he looked at the vans outside. They had to have drivers, so Junhyuk teleported inside them. The first driver didn¡¯t know what to do, and Junhyuk knocked him out and moved to next van.

    He knocked out the second driver and waited. Forty seconds went by, and he teleported away with the driver.

    With two spatial relocations, he had both drivers inside of his house with the rest of the men. He duct taped all of them and thought about the situation.

    "What should I do with them?"

    ---

    Friday was a worldwide holiday, but local convenience stores were still open, so Junhyuk bought some wire and wrapped it around the men.

    When he got inside the house, he summoned the ck armor. They hadn¡¯t known if he was Junhyuk or not, so he would keep his face concealed.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t give them any food, and the wire was tied in a way to block cirction. Then, he grabbed the man giving out the orders.

    "I got rid of the vans."

    The man didn¡¯t speak, and Junhyuk continued:

    "I¡¯m curious. If you don¡¯t return, will they send more goons?"

    The man finally spoke:

    "You¡¯ll meet him. It¡¯s been scheduled."

    Junhyuk smiled, but he was wearing the armor, so the man could not see his face.

    p!

    Junhyuk pped the man on the chin, and the man passed out.

    "I can¡¯t talk to these people."

    He changed ns. He would have to use force, so he took another man and tied his wrists with the wire. The blood couldn¡¯t circte, and his hands turned blue.

    Junhyuk stared at him.

    "From now on, every time you don¡¯t answer me, I will cut the cirction on your hands and feet until they fall off. If you answer me, I will let you go."

    "How can we trust you?"

    "Don¡¯t trust me and lose your hands and feet. First, I¡¯ll get rid of a hand and a foot. Next, your I¡¯ll take an arm and a leg. Then, I¡¯ll move on to the next person. So, don¡¯t answer me if you don¡¯t want to."

    Junhyuk sat on a chair, and the tied-up man looked at the others. Junhyuk saw the man looking at the leader and asked:

    "Do you need his permission?"

    So, he kicked the leader lightly.

    "Ugh!" The leader moaned and regained consciousness.

    Junhyuk grabbed him and said:

    "He needs your permission. You can watch your men lose their hands and feet or you can talk."

 Chapter 84: Movement 2

    Chapter 84: Movement 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Finally, they started speaking. Junhyuk took the leader out to the living room.

    "Now, I will ask you some questions. Nothing good will happen if you lie," he said.

    The leader agreed to talk because he couldn¡¯t let Junhyuk cut the hands or feet of his subordinates, so he nodded.

    "Why are you chasing after this guy named Junhyuk Lee?"

    The man looked at him nkly.

    "You are not Junhyuk Lee?"

    "No, I¡¯m not."

    Junhyuk answered curtly, but the man was still suspicious. Junhyuk waited for him to talk more.

    "Someone wants to meet him."

    "Who?"

    "I can say it only if Junhyuk agrees to meet that person. We are sworn to protect the identity of our client. You can¡¯t get it from us by torture."

    Junhyuk thought for a moment. These guys were professionals. They wouldn¡¯t talk so easily.

    "The identity of the client is a secret..." Junhyuk wanted to know who the client was, so he said, "I have no choice. Without you, your subordinates will begin losing hands."

    Junhyuk went into his bedroom and tied every wrist with a wire. Their hands quickly turned blue.

    "The client¡¯s identity is a secret, so I will cut off your hands," he said.

    After he was done, he sat on a chair in front of the leader.

    "You¡¯ll be safe. Even though your subordinates will lose their hands, you¡¯ll be safe. Rx."

    As Junhyuk spoke, the man¡¯s eyebrows twitched.

    "Ah! First, what is your name?"

    "Thompson."

    "That¡¯s amon name."

    Junhyuk folded his arms and sat there without speaking. He needed to know who the client was even if that meant he had to cut everyone¡¯s hands off. He wouldn¡¯t budge.

    They didn¡¯t know that was really Junhyuk, and as the time passed, Thompson got more nervous. If there was no blood flow, it wouldn¡¯t take long for necrosis to set in.

    Thompson slowly lifted his head.

    "Untie them."

    "Are you going to talk now?"

    Thompson nodded, and Junhyuk walked over and untied their wrists. He closed the door behind him and sat on the chair, and Thompson started speaking.

    "Even if you find out who the client is, there is nothing you can do."

    "I just want to know who wants Junhyuk Lee."

    Thompson sighed and answered.

    "He is from the Rockefeller family. Charles Rockefeller, the current patriarch."

    "Rockefeller?"

    He couldn¡¯t have guessed it if he wanted to, so he crossed his arms.

    "Why does he want to meet him?" He asked.

    Thompson told him everything he knew.

    "He knows Junhyuk Lee has the ability to teleport."

    "Junhyuk can teleport?"

    "That is right." Thompson answered.

    "OK. That might be the case, but how did he find out?"

    "Some people who were watching him with an infrared heat detector got it on video."

    Junhyuk understood everything.

    "You are the arsonists."

    Thompson just stared at him.

    "Then, are you Junhyuk Lee?"

    "No, I¡¯m not."

    Junhyuk decided to deny that until the end.

    "OK. He might be able to teleport, but what does that have to do with the patriarch of Rockefeller family?"

    Thompson told him the truth.

    "Do you know about the Dimensional Battlefield?"

    "Dimensional Battlefield?"

    JUnhyuk realized the leader knew a lot more than he had originally guessed, but didn¡¯t let his surprise show.

    "What about it?"

    "So, you do know."

    "Yes, I do."

    Thompson continued calmly.

    "I only know that the Rockefellers have a big interest in the Dimensional Battlefield."

    "What does he want from Junhyuk Lee?"

    "He might have gotten his teleportation skill from the Dimensional Battlefield."

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly. He was in the big leagues now and he couldn¡¯t just go to America to take care of someone!

    He wanted to teleport between continents, but his teleportation skill only covered forty-two feet. The distance had increased by five feet.

    "OK. Before I let you go, I will give you some advice."

    Junhyuk grabbed Thompson by the shoulder.

    "I¡¯ll let you go this time because you talked, but remember one thing. Next time, I won¡¯t be so lenient," he said and applied pressure to Thompson¡¯s shoulders. "Next time, you will all be dead."

    His voice had a chilling effect after he had killed so many minions, and his aura wasrger than anyone Thompson had encountered before.

    Thompson realized he was serious and scary. He breathed shallow breaths, and Junhyuk continued:

    "Now, go to sleep."

    Junhyuk knocked him out and went into the bedroom and knocked all of them out, one by one. He untied them and gathered the film from the CCTV camera and headed toward the police station.

    He reported a home invasion, and went back to his house with the police. They arrested all of the men. He didn¡¯t want the police involved, but he had no other choice.

    The men had entered by breaking down the lock, and the evidence supported it. Junhyuk insisted he didn¡¯t know who had restrained them.

    At the police station, they also insisted they didn¡¯t know anything. They just asked for a phone call, got it, and called someone. After that, they were released in twenty minutes.

    Junhyuk watched an American diplomat whisking them away. Thompson left with them, and as he passed Junhyuk, he gave a slight bow.

    Junhyuk ignored him.

    When he heard the Rockefeller name, he had guessed its power was beyond imagination. If the Rockefellers could use their power in Korea, they would be untouchable in America.

    Junhyuk watched the car leave and murmured:

    "I know who they are. What should I do now?"

    He felt like taking a vacation to America and meeting the patriarch in person. He had enough power to kill a person. Instead, he looked up at the sky. He had lived all of his life in a country ruled by thew, so he had reservations about killing a man.

    "I will let this one go, this time."

    He hadmunicated his will. They had to answer him now. He might not like the answer, but there was nothing he could do. He didn¡¯t want to cross a line, and they had to be careful.

    ---

    After returning home, he turned on the TV. The special broadcast was on. At first, it had been a simple special broadcast, but then it turned into a worldwide special simultaneous broadcast. It was on the air with big advertisements.

    Junhyuk watched it and checked the Inte. There was a lot of buzz.

    The search rankings were all about the broadcast, and he saw his name on the list and scratched his head.

    "This could be a problem."

    His name was now famous, and Junhyuk shook his head.

    "No. This might actually be a good thing."

    The Rockefellers were after him. Modern society was ruled by money, and Rockefeller was the most powerful name in the world.

    He needed his own famous name so that the Rockefellers wouldn¡¯t be able to touch him. He could use his fame.

    Even if the Rockefellers could erase his name from the Inte searches, he had be famous before they were able to do that.

    "The interviews are on Monday..."

    That was a good opportunity. People had invaded his house, so the news would cover someone going after him.

    Junhyuk spent the weekend watching TV and training. His powers were his personal strength. He had to rely on his powers to protect himself.

    ---

    On Monday, he was at work waiting to be interviewed when Eunseo called for him. He went to her office, and Eunseo spoke somberly:

    "You¡¯ve had home invaders."

    "How did you know?"

    "The police called me."

    "They were there when I wasn¡¯t at home. The police arrested them in my room," he said calmly.

    "The intruders slept in your room?"

    "I know. I checked the CCTV for intruders, and the police went in and arrested them."

    Eunseo stared at him.

    "Why did an American diplomate to get them out?"

    "I¡¯m not sure about it myself."

    Eunseo thought for a moment and said:

    "They might ask you about this on today¡¯s interviews, but I don¡¯t want you to discuss it until the investigation is over."

    Junhyuk wanted to blow it all up during the interview, so he hesitated.

    "Why aren¡¯t you answering me?" Eunseo asked.

    "An American diplomat is involved. We should make an issue out of this to find out who they are."

    Eunseo¡¯s gaze sharpened.

    "You mean you don¡¯t trust us?"

    Junhyuk relented when she said that.

    "Fine. I won¡¯t mention it during the interviews. When you find out who they are, you should tell me."

    "I promise."

    Junhyuk decided to give in and take a step back.

    "I will do the interviews with you, so don¡¯t worry," she continued.

    Junhyuk knew she would be there to keep him on a leash.

    "I understand."

    "It¡¯s already time for the interviews. Let¡¯s go," she said after checking the time.

    "OK."

    Junhyuk, apanied by Eunseo, headed to the interview room. People were already there, and they were told Eunseo would do the interviews with Junhyuk.

    However, their first question was about the home invasion.

    "The first question is about the home invasion that happened this weekend. Please, tell us about it."

    Junhyuk answered calmly:

    "The police has all the information. I really don¡¯t know anything else."

    "It¡¯s out of the ordinary. Tell us something."

    "I have no furtherments on that topic."

    Junhyuk was decisive in his answers, and the reporter who was doing the interview realized there was no point in asking him further about it, so he changed the line of questions.

    After that, the interview went smoothly.

    "Did I make any mistakes?" Junhyuk asked Eunseo.

    "You did not."

    Eunseo had wanted to fix things if anything went wrong with the interviews, but that interview went fine.

    "If they ask you about the home invasion again, please answer them in the same way."

    "I will."

    Eunseo looked at the earring he was wearing and smiled slightly. The smile disappeared quicker than it had appeared.

    "Please do your best during the rest of the interviews."

    "I will."

    She fixed her sses and said:

    "Please, bring in the next reporters."

    Soon, there were other reporters. That day, they would do a total of five interviews. There were four remaining.

 Chapter 85: Movement 3

    Chapter 85: Movement 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Doyeolughed at Sukhoon¡¯s report.

    "Now, our employee model, Junhyuk¡¯s home invaders are rted to the Americans?"

    "Yes."

    "Did he lose anything?"

    "We didn¡¯t check on that."

    Doyeol nodded.

    "Clinton is more envious than you imagine. Go and ask him if he still has the pendant."

    Sukhoon thought of something and nodded.

    "I¡¯ll ask him ande back," he said.

    Sukhoon went out, and Doyeol called for his executive secretary.

    "They were all restrained, right?"

    "Yes, all twelve members were restrained."

    "They had to be responsible for what happened to Guard Team Three, correct?"

    "With over 80 percent certainty."

    Doyeolughed hard.

    "Surely, there is something about him."

    He knew it when he saw the runestones that Junhyuk was not an ordinary person. Now, he dealt with twelve armed agents! He was really something else!

    "Interesting. What happened means that he is also involved. It might even be because of thest time."

    "What are you going to do?"

    "He didn¡¯t lose his pendant, but I want to find out how he will respond first."

    "OK."

    "As for Guard Team Six, tell them not to make any mistakes. They can¡¯t handle him."

    "Yes, I will tell them."

    ---

    The interview was over, and Junhyuk was tired. He was thinking of drinking a cold beer when he was visited by Sukhoon.

    The interview reporters went away, and Sukhoon waved his hand at Eunseo and walked up to him. He bowed toward Junhyuk.

    "Did you lose anything during the home invasion?" He asked.

    Junhyuk liked that question. He had to get rid of the pendant.

    "I lost my pendant."

    Sukhoon¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    "You said you wouldn¡¯t sell it for ten million dors?!"

    "Right."

    "Why did you not report it stolen?"

    Junhyuk sighed.

    "It¡¯s a big issue now, and if I¡¯d told them I¡¯d lost it, it would create more problems."

    Sukhoon looked serious.

    "It must be someone who knew about the existence of your pendant."

    Sukhoon patted his shoulder as if to console him.

    "I will check up on it and I am grateful that you did not make a big issue out of it."

    Sukhoon left quickly, and Eunseo looked at Junhyuk.

    "You behaved well."

    "Thank you for thinking so."

    She looked at her tablet.

    "You¡¯ll be paid for the special broadcast. Since you are an employee model, we worked as your management. Your fee is for a hundred thousand dors."

    "That¡¯s a lot."

    "And Robotics spoke to ABC and other worldwide broadcastingpanies, and they also paid fees. The fifty-twopanies paid a total of ten million dors."

    "What?!"

    He was really surprised and stared at her, and she fixed her ssed.

    "Robotics and we received about ten times that amount," she said.

    It was an astronomical sum, and he stared at her, surprised. She continued calmly:

    "It will be deposited tomorrow."

    "Thank you!"

    Junhyuk had the physical strength, but he realized that he needed money to be powerful. He had spent a lot of money, but he had earned ten times that.

    He felt pure joy, and Eunseoughed at him. He looked at her, and her expression changed.

    "You worked hard today. You may leave," she said.

    "Thank you."

    He left overjoyed.

    ---

    Sukhoon made the report to Doyeol, and Doyeol left with his executive secretary. They are headed to a cabin in the city of Ilsan. The cabin was heavily guarded.

    Doyeol passed the front entrance, which was guarded by agents. He went inside and found two people there, a man and a girl.

    "Wee."

    The man spoke fluent Korean, and Doyeolughed.

    "Can we talk for a minute?" He asked.

    "Doe in."

    Doyeol walked to the living room with the man, and Jeffrey smiled.

    "What¡¯s the matter?"

    Doyeol drank the tea given to him by Jeffrey¡¯s younger sister.

    "I need your help."

    "My help?"

    Jeffrey sipped his tea.

    "I thought my job was to get you a mana stone and a blood stone?"

    "That¡¯s right, your job was to get them from the Dimensional Battlefield, but without your help, we won¡¯t know much about him."

    Jeffrey got curious.

    "Is he a novice?"

    "It looks that way. If not, wouldn¡¯t it be difficult for him to restrain twelve trained agents?"

    "That¡¯s an Interesting friend."

    Jeffrey heard there were three surviving novices. He heard one of them became an expert, but he didn¡¯t care. His was a high ranking power, so even if the opponent had two powers, he was confident.

    It had been said that only champions could kill heroes, but he was only a novice and had already been sessful at it. He used the gold to equip himself better.

    More than powers, the equipment decided the victors. An expert without equipment didn¡¯t scare him.

    "Should I bring him alive?"

    If he had minions with him, it would be difficult to bring him in one piece.

    Doyeol shook his head.

    "You don¡¯t need to bring him in. Just check on what kind of power he has."

    "That¡¯s not much. Where should I go?"

    "I¡¯ll get you a car."

    "Then, I¡¯ll be waiting."

    Doyeol got up, and Jeffrey¡¯s younger sister, Joanna asked him:

    "Brother, what did you talk about?"

    Jeffrey had eaten anguage pill, so he could understand Korean, but Joanna didn¡¯t understand anything. Jeffrey merely shrugged.

    "There is an interesting friend, and he wants to introduce me to him."

    "OK. But when can I go back to school?"

    "Soon. They are looking into it."

    It had been pleasant to talk to Doyeol. Doyeol was looking out for them and gave them quite arge sum of money. The mana stones and the blood stones could be found in a certain area of the Dimensional Battlefield. All he had to do was bring some back for a hefty amount.

    He still had to risk his life at the Dimensional Battlefield, but now he could make money out of it. He could be wealthy.

    It was a favor for Doyeol. It could be a novice, but Doyeol didn¡¯t ask him to kill or capture the guy. He only had to check on his power.

    It wasn¡¯t much, and he was curious. Hundreds of thousands had already been summoned to that ce, and just less than ten people had activated their powers, and there were only three surviving novices left.

    One of the people had activated another power and was now an expert, but the difference was miniscule.

    Jeffrey had a high ranking power and was curious about the other novices, but it was impossible for him to go looking for them.

    Doyeol was bringing Jeffrey to him. All he had to do was meet him.

    "I¡¯m confident."

    He looked forward to that meeting.

    ---

    The interviews came out, and the world was focused on him. He got the car he had ordered, so he no longer had to take the subway.

    The car was a Volkswagen Tiguan. It was new, and he spent a lot of money to get all of the options, but it was still his first car.

    If he had known his paycheck would be that high, he would have gotten a nicer car.

    A man should have nice cars and watches.

    After three days, the people¡¯s responses to the broadcast were still intense. Junhyuk became famous, and so did the other people in the broadcast.

    They were on TV every day. Only Junhyuk no longer had to do any advertising because he was an employee, but the others in the broadcast continued to advertise the metal models.

    The world¡¯s attention was focused on the metal models, and because of it, there were reporters around his house. Thepany didn¡¯t want him to do any more interviews, and the reporters knew about ST Capsule, so they did not force their way in.

    Junhyuk liked the fact that there were reporters around his house. People watching him would be spotted if they tried to break in again, so he felt content.

    However, that day, when he got to his house, he didn¡¯t see any reporters. He was curious about what had happened. When he got inside, he checked the CCTV recordings while he ate dinner.

    "The reporters went away."

    The Rockefellers had the power to withdraw those reporters, and Junhyuk thought he might have an uninvited guest that day. He was sure that it would happen.

    "Are they going to bring me answers?"

    He had warned Thompson, so Thompson could be bringing back some answer that night. Junhyuk checked his door and trained. He didn¡¯t want to getzy about training, so he trained every day.

    Usually, after work, he trained until 3:00 a.m. and slept for three hours and, at six o¡¯clock, he ran at a local mountain. After running for an hour, he got home, ate his breakfast and went to work.

    That day, he was training like any other day when he heard a car parking outside at 11:00 p.m.

    Junhyuk checked the CCTV feeds and saw a blonde man getting out of the car.

    He looked tall and had pale skin. Junhyuk wanted to hide his face regardless of who it was. Good people did not barge in before announcing themselves, unlike bad people.

    He turned off the lights and summed the ck armor. After a moment, the man rang the bell. The interphone showed his face, but Junhyuk did not open the door. The man rang the bell a few more times and jumped over the wall.

    "Right. He doesn¡¯t have any good intentions."

    Junhyuk sat and waited, and the man knocked at his door.

    "Mr. Junhyuk Lee?"

    Junhyuk ignored him, and he heard the manughing outside.

    "I don¡¯t want to do this, but you give me no choice."

    Crack!

    The lock broke, and Junhyuk smiled coldly. The door opened, and a blonde Jeffrey walked in to see Junhyuk.

    "Bebe¡¯s ck Armor?"

    After he spoke, Junhyuk was surprised. The man had been to the Dimensional Battlefield and knew about the dimensional merchant.

    He didn¡¯t have a chance to respond before Jeffrey summoned his purple armor.

    "Bebe¡¯s Violet Armor."

    Junhyuk knew what it was, and Jeffrey became nervous. Jeffrey was well-equipped, and he was wearing a suit of armor that cost over thirty thousand gold.

    He had wanted to take the advantage, but they were both wearing simr suits of armor. Still, he felt like he might have more power and said:

    "Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Jeffrey, a novice."

 Chapter 86: The Man Who Shouldnt Be Touched 1

    Chapter 86: The Man Who Shouldn¡¯t Be Touched 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The novice knew he only had one power and used it to fight. Junhyuk looked at him nervously, and Jeffrey extended both arms.

    "Introductions are over. Let¡¯s begin," he said.

    After Jeffrey spoke, an ox-sized wolf appeared. It was something out of the Dimensional Battlefield, one of the monsters. Junhyuk frowned.

    "Your power is summoning monsters?" Junhyuk asked.

    Jeffrey had his arms crossed and said.

    "Then, let¡¯s see your powers."

    Junhyuk realized that he had been nervous for no reason. If his power was monster summoning, there was no reason to worry. Junhyuk had been expecting something like Sarang¡¯s power. Monster summoning was nothing to worry about.

    There were monsters Junhyuk couldn¡¯t deal with, but those monsters couldn¡¯t be summoned by a novice.

    Junhyuk summoned the Blood Rune Sword and the Frozen Rune Sword. After he had summoned his swords, Jeffrey looked worried.

    "Magic swords?"

    Jeffrey had been to Bebe¡¯s store before. He knew how expensive Bebe¡¯s swords were, and Junhyuk was already wearing armor. Jeffrey couldn¡¯t understand where he had gotten the money to buy those swords.

    It was almost impossible for a novice to deliver the final blow on a hero. Heroes had very high defense, so it was not possible for a novice to pierce the heroes¡¯ defenses. Jeffrey had been able to deliver the final blow against some heroes because of his monsters¡¯ high attack power.

    However, Junhyuk had three items. They were not things that the heroes used, but they were still very expensive.

    "Go!" Jeffrey yelled.

    The wolf scratched the ground with its paws and ran, but Junhyuk scoffed at the sight. The wolf looked scary, but it was still the lowest ranking monster.

    Junhyuk ran and swung the Blood Rune Sword, slicing through the darkness. Red light shed against the wolf¡¯s mouth.

    ng!

    The wolf yelped when the Frozen Rune Sword pierced its neck. It shivered for a while and then disappeared. Junhyuk had dealt with a wolf before, when he only had a basic sword. Now, he was much better equipped. He couldn¡¯t lose even if he tried.

    Jeffrey¡¯s eyes twitched after watching his wolf get killed without any resistance.

    "You won¡¯t use your power?"

    Junhyuk swung his rune swords lightly and said:

    "If your power is monster summoning, you won¡¯t see my powers."

    Jeffrey smiled coldly.

    "Then, what about this one?"

    He summoned the ten-feet tall gori, but Junhyuk had seen one before. It was a monster ranked higher than the wolf, but it was still a low ranking monster.

    He had encountered one in the forest with Sarang and had killed it without her help.

    The ten-foot gori stood up inside of his house.

    Crack, crack!

    The ceiling light broke, and pieces of the ceiling started to fall. Junhyuk jumped at it, and the gori lifted its hands.

    The ceiling looked to be about to break, and Junhyuk shed the gori¡¯s leg.

    sh!

    He swung his swords left and right, slicing both of the gori¡¯s legs. Then, he stepped on the gori and cut out its arms.

    "Grraaarrrgh!" The gori screamed in pain, and Junhyuk kicked its chin.

    Thunk!

    When it lifted its head because of the kick, Junhyuk stabbed it with the Frozen Rune Sword. The gori shivered for a moment and then disappeared. Junhyuk stood up.

    "It¡¯s disappearing. Is it possible to summon it again?"

    Junhyuk looked at Jeffrey, who was left speechless by Junhyuk¡¯s performance.

    "How many times did you upgrade your swords?"

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t reply and instead sheathed the swords behind his back.

    "Can you summon anything else?" He asked.

    Jeffrey hesitated.

    "You... Are you an expert?"

    "Perhaps..."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t answer the question, but started walking toward Jeffrey, who stepped back as he approached.

    "If you are the answer from the Rockefeller family, I¡¯m seriously disappointed," he said.

    When he mentioned the Rockefeller family, Jeffrey stopped.

    "I wasn¡¯t sent by the Rockefellers."

    Junhyuk stopped walking and looked at him calmly.

    "Then, who sent you?"

    Jeffrey had no answer, and Junhyuk grinned.

    "You should pay for the house repair," he said.

    The ceiling was damaged, and Junhyuk wanted to get reimbursed. He ran and swung the Blood Rune Sword, but Jeffrey summoned a shield.

    Clung!

    Jeffrey wasunched back, hitting the front entrance. The entrance was crushed, which impressed Junhyuk.

    "You are wearing the violet armor and now you have a shield?"

    Jeffrey was too busy to answer. He had lived because of his violet armor and his shield. The armor couldn¡¯t stand a hero¡¯s frontal attack, but it was good enough to withstand the shockwaves they created.

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t a hero, and he hadn¡¯t expected that type of attack from an expert. Jeffrey felt like his arm was gone and his whole skeleton was shattering.

    Junhyuk walked toward him.

    "How long will you be able to stand it?" He asked.

    "Wait!"

    Jeffrey held his hands up to try and stop Junhyuk, but he wasn¡¯t interested in stopping. He ran at Jeffrey again and swung the Blood Rune Sword down at him.

    Clung!

    Jeffrey broke through the door and rolled on the ground outside. Junhyuk didn¡¯t follow him out. He didn¡¯t want anybody to see him with his armor and swords, so he stood inside under the shadows staring at Jeffrey. He didn¡¯t want to let Jeffrey get away. He was about to swing the Blood Rune Sword when huge wings appeared on Jeffrey¡¯s back.

    They looked like bat wings, and Junhyuk just stared.

    "You have wings?"

    The wings pped, and Jeffrey went up. A huge bat was holding on to Jeffrey¡¯s back. Junhyuk had only seen the wings at first and made a mistake.

    He had never seen that monster, so the bat took Jeffrey away as Junhyuk just watched.

    Jeffrey hadn¡¯t found out anything about Junhyuk¡¯s powers.

    "Is that an expert?"

    No. Being an expert only meant that a person had two powers. Their souls would be bigger than the novices¡¯, but it still didn¡¯t make any sense.

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t shown any of his powers. He had only used his equipment.

    "I must be going crazy."

    His minions had been no match for him. His minions had withstood bullets, and now they were both dead. It would take time for them to revive.

    "Next time, I¡¯ll get stronger minions."

    For the first time, he was looking forward to his next trip to the Dimensional Battlefield.

    ---

    Junhyuk watched Jeffrey get away, and the car outside also drove off. He sent his armor and swords away and inspected the front entrance.

    He could easily lift the front door by himself, but he was angry.

    "He called himself Jeffrey..."

    The man hade to another person¡¯s house and broken the front door and the ceiling. Junhyuk set the door aside andined.

    "This will cost over a thousand dors!"

    He was not just some ordinarypany worker and he was earning millions, so he didn¡¯t feel awful, but he wouldn¡¯t forget this incident.

    Junhyuk went inside the house.

    "If the Rockefellers didn¡¯t send him, it must¡¯ve been the people who got burned," he murmured.

    The people who had been watching him first, they might have sent him.

    "I easily found another novice."

    The novices who had activated their powers before Junhyuk were all dead. Only two novices that had activated their powers between Junhyuk and Sarang were still alive ording to Vera.

    One of them had to be Jeffrey. How did they get hold of him?

    "The Rockefellers know I have the power to teleport, so someone of simr capacity must have sent him."

    The enemies were powerful. They were powerful enough to get a hold of Sarang as well, and they had used an infrared detector on him.

    "I must warn her."

    Junhyuk thought about contacting her again andy on his bed. The door was broken, so he couldn¡¯t practice. He could see the house next door from where hey.

    "Next time I see him, I will make him pay for the repairs."

    That day, he let Jeffrey get away. He should¡¯ve been able to catch him however. All he had to do was jump.

    ---

    Doyeol heard Jeffrey was back, so he went to see him in Ilsan. When he got there, Jeffrey was lying on a bed.

    "What happened?"

    He had a hard time getting up, and Doyeolid him down again.

    "Tell me what happened."

    Jeffrey sighed.

    "That guy, don¡¯t go after him any more."

    "You met Junhyuk?"

    "I didn¡¯t see his face."

    Doyeol frowned, and Jeffrey exined:

    "He was wearing armor, so I didn¡¯t see his face."

    "Armor?"

    "They sell it at the dimensional merchant store."

    Doyeol didn¡¯t know about the dimensional merchant store, so he was curious.

    "Tell me more about the dimensional merchant!"

    Jeffrey knew Doyeol was just a minion and spoke calmly.

    "They sell stuff, dimensional things. They¡¯ve got a lot of stuff."

    "What do you need?"

    Jeffrey shook his head.

    "They only use pure gold coins, and you know how difficult it is to get those!"

    He knew a minion was worth one gold coin, so Doyeol smacked his lips. He didn¡¯t want the things from the dimensional merchants. He already had a mana stone and a blood stone. The red-colored gem was used on a new project, and he called it a blood stone.

    "I understand. What does wearing an armor have to do with not touching him?"

    "He didn¡¯t use his powers, but he crushed me."

    Doyeol froze. He knew about Jeffrey¡¯s power. Jeffrey had shown him the wolf and the gori, and they were immune to bullets and tore steel tes up like pieces of paper!

    "What happened to the wolf and the gori?"

    Jeffrey looked angry.

    "They were gone in a sh," he answered.

    "Huh!? Is that possible?"

    He thought it would require arge amount of firepower to kill both the wolf and the gori, but a person killed both of them!

    "I guess he is an expert," Jeffrey continued calmly.

    "An expert?"

    Experts were people with two powers. Jeffrey only had one power and hadn¡¯t been able to handle him. He had wanted to befriend Junhyuk since he had two powers.

    "He is an expert?"

    Jeffrey reaffirmed what he saw.

    "I didn¡¯t see his face."

    "But we knew that was a possibility."

    "Don¡¯t try to force anything on him."

    Twelve trained agents had been restrained, and Jeffrey hadn¡¯t been able to get close to him. Doyeol wouldn¡¯t do anything forceful.

    "I want him."

 Chapter 87: The Man Who Shouldnt Be Touched 2

    Chapter 87: The Man Who Shouldn¡¯t Be Touched 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    After Jeffrey¡¯s riotous visit, Junhyuk was able to live without problems. Jeffrey¡¯s side and the Rockefellers¡¯ side seemed to be aware of and calcting the amount of power he had. However, there was a limit to what they could do in the middle of Seoul.

    Jeffrey had tried his best, and his limitations were apparent. There were no more forced entries, and Junhyuk was able to focus on thepany events.

    Robotics and ST Capsule¡¯s coboration was a big sess. Online, the coboration project was the thing most talked about. They had scheduled a trial performance, a demonstration of sorts.

    Again, the power of money showed its strength. Small and mid-sizedpanies¡¯ events were postponed, and instead they would hold a trial performance of Robotics and ST Capsule¡¯s technology at COEX, the Convention and Exhibition Center.

    The demonstration would involve every member who had appeared on the broadcast. The guys had already appeared on many TV shows, and they looked excited in anticipation for the demonstration.

    Between them, with the exception of the bus driver Jinsu Kim, they had earned their living by being popr. The former ser yer, Manwoo Jung, frequented artsy TV shows, and the painter, Sukho Kim, regained his poprity, and his paintings became very expensive. Chef Chulsu Anh was invited to be the head chef of the Royal Hotel. Joseph Lim used topete with one arm, but now that he had the metal arm, he startedpeting professionally again.

    He met them inside the waiting room and exchanged greetings. Manwoo spoke first:

    "By the way, I didn¡¯t see you on any TV shows, Mr. Lee."

    "Mypany is managing me, and I haven¡¯t had many opportunities to go on TV," he answered calmly.

    "Yourpany won¡¯t let you be on TV?" Joseph, the youngest, asked, and Junhyuk merely shrugged.

    "They are just being cautious."

    "Hmm. I should¡¯ve been cautious as well, maybe? Nowadays, I do a lot of TV shows and I¡¯m quite famous, so people recognize me all the time. I¡¯m getting fed up with it."

    Chulsu gave Junhyuk a business card.

    "When you have time, pay me a visit. I¡¯ll treat you to a nice meal."

    "I heard about it! You really became a chef at the Royal Hotel."

    "That¡¯s right."

    Chulsu had been a famous chef to begin with. After he lost his arm, he kept applying himself and didn¡¯t lose his taste for food and finally returned as a chef. His food was like a work of art, and his skills earned him a spot at the Royal.

    Junhyuk took the business card and smiled.

    "When I have some time, I¡¯ll pay you a visit."

    "I¡¯ll treat you nicely."

    They smiled and conversed until one of the program¡¯s workers came in.

    "Everyone get outside."

    They all followed him outside, and an announcer introduced each of them. An interesting fact was that the announcer was travel variety show host MC Jaehyung Park.

    "There was this time when the special program was broadcasted, and when our show came on the air, nobody watched!"

    The audienceughed out loud, and Jaehyung Park continued:

    "These are the people who threatened the livelihood of our show. Introducing, the painter Sukho Kim!"

    Sukho got on stage, and the people stared at him. The screen onstage was showing an image of Sukho before he got his metal arm, and the people watched it quietly. Soon, the screen turned off, and Sukho lifted his hand, and the people apuded him loudly.

    "And he who almost became a legend in the ser world! The athlete, Manwoo Jung."

    Manwoo cartwheeled on stage, and everyone stood there astounded as he bowed slightly.

    "Former athlete," Manwoo said, showing his metal leg. "This gives me an unfair advantage, so I can¡¯t rejoin the professional league."

    Peopleughed hard, and the screen showed Manwoo. The people¡¯s attention was focused on him, and as Manwoo was introduced, Jaehyung smiled.

    "As for this person, I have, in fact, had a chance to taste his food. I even gave him my signature. He regained his ce as a chef, and joined the Royal Hotel. I¡¯m truly d that I can taste his food again. Let me introduce, chef Chulsu Anh."

    Chulsu took the stage, and the people went crazy. They were all exceptional men, but they had also suffered a lot in their lives. The screen depicted their suffering well, and the people were crazy about it.

    Junhyuk scratched his head. The other men had a right to be there, but he was not part of the metal model series.

    He was mulling over it when someone called him from behind:

    "Junhyuk."

    He turned his head and saw Eunseo there on her wheelchair. She looked at his earring, smiled and fixed her sses.

    "When did get here?"

    "I can¡¯t avoid an event like this, but how are you feeling?"

    He had never been on a stage, so he didn¡¯t know if he had stage fright or not. However, he had killed hundreds of minions and survived the Dimensional Battlefield, so he could endure some attention from random people.

    "I¡¯m feeling fine."

    Joseph and Jinsu were introduced, and they were about to introduce Junhyuk.

    "This guy has be a hot topictely. First, he helped out our citizens who were in danger, and then he consoled those who were injured in different idents. He¡¯s a caring guy. Because of him, I might lose my job as an MC. Introducing the city¡¯s kind hero, Mr. Junhyuk Lee!"

    Junhyuk felt embarrassed by the introduction. He nodded at Eunseo and went on stage, waving at the public and standing next to the other members.

    When he got on stage, the screen showed him rescuing the people from the bus. It also showed him talking with the other men. He felt embarrassed by the power of TV editing and bowed.

    Jaehyungughed and said:

    "They came here today to tell you about the metal series. Then, for the first demonstration, Manwoo Jung."

    Manwoo disyed his ser skills on the stage. He showed great ability, and Jaehyung walked over to him.

    "It¡¯s like you are in your prime. You wouldn¡¯t have any problems in a professional league," he said.

    "I miss that. Call me anytime you want to have a match."

    The audience was impressed, and the men demonstrated their talents in sequence. Sukhoo painted, and Joseph showed his gaming skills.

    Most of them had a demonstrable talent, but Jinsu and Junhyuk had no particr skills, so they helped out the other members with their demonstrations.

    However, they weren¡¯t finished.

    The demonstrations were over, and the metal model series¡¯ men went to their booth, signed autographs and took photographs. The metal model requiredplex instation when using it for the first time, so audiences couldn¡¯t experience it first hand.

    However, people were still impressed by what they saw. The world would sometimes take an evolutionary leap. Several decades ago, people didn¡¯t dream of flying, but now they were breaking the speed of sound and going to the moon!

    One of those leaps was at hand, and the people were very excited.

    Junhyuk talked to the other men after the demonstration and, afterward, he joined the rest of the people from hispany: Eunseo, Sukhoon, the administrative team and the practical affairs team.

    Junhyuk¡¯s stood behind Eunseo. She was pushing her wheelchair with her hands, and people were curious, but it looked like Junhyuk was helping her.

    They went around each booth and saw a team from Robotics, so they walked over and greeted them warmly.

    "Long time no see!"

    It was Clinton and the Robotics practical affairs team. Junhyuk¡¯s eyes twitched. After Clinton recognized his runestone, many unpleasant things took ce, and this time the pendant was lost, and he was the the prime suspect!

    The pendant was not really lost, but that¡¯s what he had told people.

    Eunseo was not happy to see him either, but Junhyuk smiled, and Sukhoon stepped forward and greeted him.

    "Mr. Clinton, you came a long way."

    "This is a big demonstration. I should be here!"

    Sukhoon and Clinton conversed, and Clinton looked at Junhyuk.

    "It¡¯s been a long time."

    "Long time."

    "Are you wearing your pendant today?"

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "Maybe you haven¡¯t heard, but it got robbed a while ago."

    "Is that right?"

    Clinton looked as if he heard it for the first time and seemed disappointed.

    "That¡¯s unfortunate. I really wanted it."

    "It¡¯s a family heirloom, so I¡¯ll find it."

    "Right. Let me know if I can be of help."

    "Thank you."

    Both teams joined up and moved together, and some reporters took pictures of Sukhoon and Clinton shaking hands.

    Junhyuk was obligated to move with them. He was the face of the ad, so he had to apany them.

    The coboration¡¯s demonstration was a big sess. Afterward, Junhyuk had to go to a dinner party with the group, and everyone was paying close attention to him.

    People gave him shots, but he didn¡¯t get drunk. He was extremely healthy, which enabled him to drink more than normal.

    After dinner, he felt tired and got a cab. It had been difficult for him to smile the whole time and greet all the different people. He had a newfound respect for famous people.

    By that point, he had a nice buzz going on when the phone rang. It was a new number, but he answered and heard a familiar voice.

    "Big brother!"

    "Hm. What¡¯s up with this new number?"

    "I¡¯m calling from a payphone just in case."

    "Good thinking."

    He had been tired, but after hearing her voice, he got reenergized.

    "What is the matter?"

    "Brother! I have a huge news!"

    "Big news? Did you win the lottery?"

    "Lottery?! I¡¯m underage!"

    "Right," he said andughed at himself. "What¡¯s the big news?"

    "My power evolved!"

    "Really?!"

    Sarang¡¯s power was quite unique. She paralyzed her opponents, which had helped him a lot! Every time she had paralyzed a hero, it had decided the oue of the battle.

    He was surprised that her power had evolved, but that wasn¡¯t a topic that they should talk about on the phone. Someone could be listening, and he wanted to meet her in person.

    "Where are you?"

    "Are youing over?"

    "Yes. We should meet and talk."

    "Then, meet me at the family restaurant where we atest time. I¡¯m hungry."

    "OK. I¡¯ll be right over."

    Junhyuk thought he had to work hard, just like the other days. He was far from the restaurant, and he wanted to get there by teleporting to lose anyone who might be following him.

    "This is a drag..."

 Chapter 88: The Man Who Shouldnt Be Touched 3

    Chapter 88: The Man Who Shouldn¡¯t Be Touched 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    He got off at an earlier subway stop and left his phone in a safe deposit box. Then, he teleported twelve different times topletely throw off anyone that might be following him and he finally arrived to meet Sarang.

    Sarang and Junhyuk went into the family restaurant. Junhyuk¡¯s face was red, and Sarang shook her head disapprovingly.

    "Why did you drink so much?" She asked.

    "It¡¯s part of working at apany."

    After he said that, Sarang smiled bitterly.

    "I want to graduate and drink some alcohol."

    "Alcohol!? What alcohol?" Junhyuk said. "When you graduate, I¡¯ll buy you a drink."

    "Really? At some ce really nice?"

    "I don¡¯t know what you mean by a nice ce, but I¡¯ll buy you a drink."

    The head chef of the Royal Hotel told him that he would treat him to a meal, so Junhyuk would take her there.

    They ordered some food and waited, and Junhyuk looked at her.

    "Right. How did your power evolve?"

    "Hm... I have to show you."

    "Did you get a ce to practice?"

    "Yes," she said and smiled. "I gave the guy some money and signed a contract for a year."

    "Good. If you need anything, just buy it."

    "I¡¯m doing that."

    Sarang¡¯s practice required targets, and the targets ended up being destroyed, so she needed a lot of money.

    At first, he gave her a lot of money by his old standards, but now he had plenty of money to spare.

    "It¡¯s dangerous for me to go to your new ce. I left my phone in a safe deposit box on the way here, but you never know."

    They couldn¡¯t be together for long, and it wouldn¡¯t be good if they ended up revealing where her new ce was.

    Sarang nodded and lifted her spoon and fork.

    "I have increased it to two."

    "Increased it to two?" Junhyuk asked and looked at the spoon, then the fork and then at her.

    "You mean two people at the same time?"

    Sarang smiled and nodded.

    "It really is incredible!"

    Sarang¡¯s paralysis power was already powerful enough on one person. Now, she could paralyze two people! She would be a big help.

    "He-he, right?"

    Junhyuk felt pure joy at her power¡¯s evolution.

    "That¡¯s nice. I was worried about you."

    "What about you big brother? Did your powers evolve?"

    "My powers are getting stronger, but they haven¡¯t evolved in one go."

    He could teleport farther than ever, but aside from that, nothing else had changed. Junhyuk hade to meet her with some difficulty, so he decided to tell her about everything.

    "By the way, be more careful. The Rockefeller family knows about my powers and is after me. Also, there is another group following me. They even have a novice with them."

    "A novice?"

    Sarang¡¯s eyes widened, and the food came out. She said she was hungry, so she ordered some cream spaghetti and a Cajun sd. Junhyuk wasing from a dinner party, so he wasn¡¯t hungry. They ate and talked. She heard about the novice with the summoning power, and her expression hardened.

    "He sounds incredible. How did he earn so much money?"

    "He must have picked up few left over items."

    "Did he kill some heroes?"

    "Just like us, he could have delivered the final blow."

    Sarang nodded. Heroes had to agree to contribute, but she had also gotten items that way.

    "I won¡¯t be able to deal with him."

    "He was wearing armor, so you¡¯re right."

    Junhyuk beat the daylights out of him. However, his armor couldn¡¯t be damaged by Sarang¡¯s current power. Junhyuk¡¯s attack was really powerful, but the man still survived.

    "So, don¡¯t reveal yourself, and when we get back there, you should equip yourself with nice items."

    "But armors are so expensive..."

    A basic suit of armor cost thirty thousand gold. One usually had to sell items to get one. When one killed a hero, they got paid five thousand gold.

    "It would be nice if you delivered the final blow."

    Sarang shook her head.

    "Honestly, my power is no good when ites to delivering the final blow."

    "You¡¯re right."

    Sarang¡¯s power was astonishing. The paralysis provided a huge opportunity to attack heroes, but it was no good for delivering final blows. Her power was about inflicting paralysis and not doing damage.

    "Anyway, you should get a suit of armor."

    "OK."

    Sarang heeded his advice on matters concerning the Dimensional Battlefield.

    "We don¡¯t have to wait long."

    Four weeks had gone by very quickly, and Junhyuk¡¯s house had been broken in multiple times in that interval.

    "By the way, how are your studies?"

    Sarang smiled.

    "As of right now, I¡¯m ranked first in my high school."

    "Really?"

    She patted her head gingerly.

    "My calction skills went up. Not only that, but my memory has also gone up a lot."

    "That¡¯s nice."

    With her skills at calculus and her increased memory, her grades were way up. Sarang rolled her spaghetti with her fork and said:

    "My parents let me do things now."

    Sarang must¡¯ve spent a lot of time at her new ce, but her grades went up, so her parents didn¡¯t bother her.

    "Where do you want to go to college?"

    She ate the spaghetti.

    "I¡¯m thinking about it. I might not get in."

    "What do you mean you might not get in?"

    "Our lives are like that of flies."

    Junhyuk had an extra life because he was an expert, but that was not the case for her. He pressed down on her forehead.

    "I told you, we wille back together."

    She smiled.

    "Yeah?"

    "Of course, so don¡¯t worry. Start nning for college."

    "I don¡¯t want to be a doctor, but I could be awyer."

    "You could be a prosecutor or a judge. It¡¯s a good path."

    Sarang talked to him and worked on her food. They finished eating and walked outside.

    "Now, be careful... and be careful," he said, looking at her.

    "I know."

    He was still worried about her. It was a relief that they hadn¡¯t found out about her yet.

    "Develop your power. You might not activate another power, but develop your destructive ability."

    Sarang took a pretend sparring position.

    "My capacity to be destructive is increasing. You¡¯ll be surprised!"

    "Right. Work hard! I¡¯ll be going."

    "Do we meet on the battlefield now?"

    "Probably."

    "I see."

    Sarang waved and took off running first. He stared at her go and began his trip back to the subway, teleporting many times and jumping over many buildings.

    He picked up his phone from the safe deposit box and got a taxi to his house. After he got home, he started training again.

    Sarang was working hard, and so should he.

    ---

    Height: six feet five inches. Built of specially polished titanium. It was a humanoid robot.

    The robot was surrounded by various mannequins, and Elise was standing in front of it.

    "Iron Soldier Prototype, begin testing," she said.

    The robots eyes lit up a beaming blue light, and the Iron Soldier Prototype started moving. The soft movements were the result of data supplied by the metal prostheses.

    "Left, ck mannequin. Eliminate."

    The Iron Soldier lifted its left arm and aimed at the mannequin¡¯s head. The left palm opened, and 14.5mm bullets shot out of it, smashing the head to pieces.

    "Right, blonde mannequin. Eliminate."

    Without looking, the robot aimed to the right and shot the blonde mannequin with 14.5mm bullets, destroying itpletely.

    ¡¯Behind you, long-haired female mannequin, curly-haired male mannequin. Eliminate."

    Without looking back, the robot turned and shot two bullets, and the mannequins were destroyed.

    "Ten-meter radius. Eliminate," Elise said.

    The Iron Soldier¡¯s shoulders opened up, and twelve small missiles shot out of them.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    The robot¡¯s surroundings were cleared.

    "Jump," Elise ordered.

    The Iron Soldier hunched down and jumped, reaching the thirty-two-foot ceiling. The robotnded, moving wlessly from beginning to end.

    Elise looked at the Iron Soldier and said:

    "Iron Soldier Prototype, testing over."

    The lightsing from the Iron Soldier¡¯s eyes shut down, and Elise looked behind her. There were fiverge screens with faces on them. They all looked impressed.

    The white-haired, middle-aged Charles Rockefeller spoke first.

    "Can it fly?"

    Elise shook her head.

    "It¡¯s possible, but with the mana stone we have, we could only make ten prototypes."

    "Energy is required..."

    "Flying requires a lot of energy."

    "How are its defensive capabilities?"

    "We don¡¯t know yet, but it could withstand a 120mm artillery barrage."

    "If hit directly?"

    "Yes."

    Those were the same specs of guns mounted on tanks. No one could stand up to the Iron Soldier.

    "Do you have to keep giving it orders?"

    "There is a live, 360-degree monitoring function. You can give it an order anytime."

    "What happens ifmunication breaks down?"

    Elise thought he worried too much. It¡¯s possible they would use an EMP against the Iron Soldier...

    "If that happens, the order is stored in the Iron Soldier. If captured, the Iron Soldier will self-destruct or try to make it back."

    An old man spoke up:

    "I like it. Make five of them."

    Charles Rockefeller agreed and nodded.

    "Each family gets five of them, and we keep the rest in storage for rainy days."

    Doyeol smiled.

    "It¡¯s a good idea."

    "Then, I¡¯ll make twenty-five of them," Elise responded.

    "How long does it take?"

    "If I have the money, it¡¯s possible to manufacture them simultaneously. Money is the issue."

    Charles Rockefellerughed.

    "The money will be there. I want it within two months."

    "It will only take a month."

    "I¡¯ll be expecting it."

    The screens turned off one by one, and Elise smiled. By making the Iron Soldier Prototype, she had prepared a lot of materials. She could make twenty of them easily.

    Putting it together, programming and tuning it would take time, but it would only take fifteen days to make twenty of them. Since she got the money, she would expand the manufacturing capacity.

    Elise was ordering the Iron Soldier to go back when a screen turned on. Elise looked at it. It was Doyeol.

    "What¡¯s the matter?"

    "What happened to the Blood Stone Regeneration Project?

    "ording to the regeneration project¡¯s team, we will hear from them soon."

    "Are we hopeful?"

    Elise already knew why he had so many expectations. She heard his younger sister was paralyzed from the waist down.

    "We expect good news."

    "Right. I understand. Tell me about itter."

    "I¡¯ll contact you."

    Doyeol disappeared from the screen.

    "The Physical Strengthening Project will also bear good news," she murmured to herself.

    With the blood stone, the Physical Strengthening Program was revived. Combining the Iron Soldier Project and the Physical Strengthening Project would yield a fruitful result.

    "And I will go down in history..."

    ...as a great scientist.

 Chapter 89: A New Hero 1

    Chapter 89: A New Hero 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Friday evening, 7:58 p.m.

    Junhyuk had his TV on and was lying on the bed. It could be hisst time doing that. In case he died on the Dimensional Battlefield, he had a will written. He hadn¡¯t thought about it when he was penniless, but now that he had more than ten million in his bank ount, he thought he should get one done.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t have any immediate family he had to support yet, so he left one million to Sarang and everything else to his parents.

    He could die, and Sarang could survive, so he wanted her to have money to train to continue to survive in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    Still, he wanted toe back alive.

    Junhyuk inserted the Beast King White Tiger¡¯s Canine on his ear and held the earring given by Eunseo in his hand. He thought of her, and a smile crept across his lips. Then, he ced her earring on his pillow.

    He also put the Dark Night Cloak on and moved the Pure Golden Knight Elder¡¯s rings from the chain around his neck to his fingers. It was 7:59 p.m.

    Soon, he would have to leave for the Dimensional Battlefield.

    A message popped on his phone. It was from Sarang¡¯s number.

    [We will meet soon.]

    Junhyukughed and replied:

    [Yes, we¡¯ll meet soon.]

    Junhyuky on his bedfortably. Soon, he would be covered by the bright light, so he waited, but nothing changed. He gave it a minute longer than normal, but after waiting for a while, everything stayed the same.

    He opened his eyes. It was 8:03 p.m.

    Junhyuk was supposed to have left for the Dimensional Battlefield at eight o¡¯clock, but the time had passed.

    "I¡¯m sure they said it was after four weeks?!"

    Then, his telephone rang. He knew it was Sarang¡¯s number, so he answered it, and she whispered nervously:

    "Big brother, what¡¯s happened?"

    Junhyuk decided to take a guess at the situation.

    "We¡¯ve advanced, so the summoning time has changed. Let¡¯s wait for a couple of hours to see if they¡¯ll summon us."

    "OK. Understood. I¡¯ll just go to sleep. They might summon me in my sleep."

    Junhyuk thought she lead afortable life andughed.

    "Do it. Meet youter."

    "Right. Meet youter."

    Sarang hung up the phone, and Junhyuk stared at the TV. The news was on, and it was about the metal series.

    After the coboration¡¯s demonstration, people had ordered a hundred thousand metal models. The worldwide order numbers were small, but they were still first time orders.

    After the first orders were fulfilled, people would speak nicely of the metal series. The metal series didn¡¯t have any side effects, and it enabled disabled people to lead normal lives. It cost about the same price as buying a new car, but people with some money saved up wanted to buy one even if it meant going beyond their means.

    Junhyuky on his bed. Those could be theirst couple of hours in Korea, but Sarang wanted to sleep.

    "She is an interesting girl."

    He decided to close his eyes. They didn¡¯t sleep on the Dimensional Battlefield. It was all about the soul, and they didn¡¯t eat either. They were anxious the whole time. Sarang was right in getting some sleep.

    He hadn¡¯t slept more than three hours each day because of training, so Junhyuk closed his eyes and waited to fall asleep. He thought he was getting there when the bright light covered his vision. He didn¡¯t sleep; he was summoned instead. The light disappeared, and he saw a number on the corner of the room.

    It said: 32,240G.

    Thest time he had checked, he had 2,240G. He was sure of that, so he didn¡¯t know where the extra thirty thousand gold came from. He had to have earned it during the dragon hunt and the three-time annihtion of the enemy heroes. Still, it was a lot of money.

    Junhyuk inspected his earring. If he sold it, it would him thirty thousand gold, so he would have sixty thousand gold. He felt like a wealthy person.

    Junhyuk took off the expert armor and was left naked, only wearing his cloak. He was alone, but it felt weird, so he summoned Bebe¡¯s ck Armor. He still had the Dark Night Cloak on and, for safety, he pulled out his swords.

    He sheathed the swords around his waist and heard a soft, low voice:

    [Wee. You are being summoned to the Valley of Death.]

    "I didn¡¯t want toe back," heined.

    He regted his breathing, and his head felt clear and lucid.

    [You may exit using the main entrance.]

    Junhyuk headed toward the entrance and heard further instructions.

    [You¡¯ve activated two powers and became an expert. You may reincarnate one time as an expert.]

    "I¡¯ll stay alive this time as well."

    After advancing to this level, he would encounter stronger heroes and risk his life.

    Junhyuk stood in front of the entrance.

    [Expert 01 deployed.]

    He walked out to a sea of minions talking to each other. No one was making a scene. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice.

    "Big brother!"

    He turned to look and saw Sarang. She walked over and grabbed his hands. Heughed a little and pressed down on her forehead.

    "It took two extra hours, but we came together."

    "Right," she said and looked around. "Where is big-sister Vera?"

    "Since when is she your big sister?"

    "She told me to call her that!"

    Junhyuk was left speechless. Then, the door opened, and a person walked inside. Arn greeted the both of them.

    "How are you?"

    Junhyuk considered the Dimensional Battlefield a ce where he had to risk his life, but Arn thought of it as a pic. He seemed to be doing well.

    "How are you?"

    "I¡¯m fine. I know we¡¯ll meet stronger enemies, so I¡¯m excited."

    "Do you know anything about them?"

    "No," Arn said curtly.

    "You two, follow me."

    "What about Vera?"

    "Vera left to go buff monster hunting already."

    "Then, where are we going?"

    Arn smiled.

    "You¡¯lle with me to check out our new enemies," he said.

    "Will we have support?"

    "Yes. After they are done hunting, they will join us."

    This could be dangerous. Everybody was hunting buff monsters, so the allies might not get there in time, and if the enemies showed up, they would die.

    Arn was not worried.

    "If there is danger, run," he said.

    "I can run away."

    Arn looked at them seriously.

    "We will meet very strong opponents. If there is nothing we can do, you two should survive," he said.

    As he said that, Junhyuk rxed a little. He was very confident about running away.

    Arn took fifty minions and headed out. They followed him calmly, taking a long, straight road headed to a watchtower. They wouldn¡¯t encounter any monsters on the way, but where they were headed, they would soon meet new heroes.

    Arn was happy and took easy, light steps, and the minions followed him while talking among themselves. Ordinarily, Arn would get angry, and Junhyuk thought the minions were too rxed.

    "Wait! Focus on me!"

    After Junhyuk spoke, everyone looked at him. Thenguage pill allowed one to converse with others in differentnguages. He talked, and everyone understood regardless of thenguages they spoke. The pill cost a hundred gold, and that was a good price.

    Junhyuk was speaking to them the same way heroes talked to minions.

    "This is the Dimensional Battlefield. If you want to survive, focus on your defense," he said calmly.

    The minions would fight minions. When they fought heroes, they would get killed, so there was no point in talking about it. After the exnation, they raised their shields.

    "Then, we¡¯ll speed up."

    While exining, their speed had gone down. Arn was leading and, like always, he didn¡¯t care about the minions, so Junhyuk led the minions and followed Arn.

    Arn looked at him.

    "You are all about minions!"

    "They will make a big difference."

    Arnughed and saw a watchtower far away and sped up. The group followed him. They got to the watchtower, and the enemy minions were already there.

    Junhyuk checked them out.

    "Are they riflemen?"

    He hadn¡¯t expected that the minions could be different. They wore armor and carried rifles. His side was carrying shields and swords, and they were carrying rifles.

    Arn was not worried.

    "Minions are stronger than you think. They can shield themselves from their attacks."

    Junhyuk looked at the minions, and they are dumbfounded. He looked over a the riflemen again and saw that the rifles had bays, and that they were ready for closebat as well. It was a big task for the minions to go against them.

    Then, Junhyuk looked over at the enemy hero. He was ten feet tall, wearing goggles and seemed very strong. He was wearing a leather jacket, and Junhyuk could see his muscles bulging through it.

    The most impressive part was his mechanical arm, which started at his elbow. The arm wasrge enough to cover Arn¡¯s upper body. It won¡¯t only hurt, it will kill you.

    "Is that a mechanical arm?" Sarang asked, and Junhyuk nodded heavily.

    The man was smoking a cigar.

    "He¡¯s a bit steampunky," Junhyuk whispered.

    "Steampunky?"

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t exin what he had meant.

    "In cartoons, in a highly developed societies..."

    Sarang looked at him strangely.

    "Big Brother, you like cartoons?!"

    "Most men watch cartoons as grown ups."

    Junhyuk wanted to focus on the enemy. From the enemy¡¯s watchtower to the allied watchtower, there were about 165 feet. Even for heroes, that was too far of a distance to exchange blows.

    The man wearing the goggles opened his mechanical fist, ced his cigar on it and exhaled deeply.

    "We will meet often. Let me introduce myself. I¡¯m Bater," he said.

    "I¡¯m Arn," he replied curtly.

    Baterughed and inhaled his cigar.

    Arn frowned. He would be fighting him, but he was just sitting there smoking his cigar. Arn was getting angry, and Bater cracked his neck lightly.

    "You got an expert and a novice. That¡¯s big!"

    "What about you?"

    "I could have someone, but I have no use for them."

    Arn stepped forward with a smile.

    "Let me see if your strength is as strong as your mouth."

    Bater looked at him.

    "Are you OK?"

    Arn pulled out his sabers and signaled for Bater with his chin.

    "Come here," Arn said, and Bater¡¯s eyebrows twitched. His pride had been hurt.

    "You earned your beating."

 Chapter 90: A New Hero 2

    Chapter 90: A New Hero 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk gulped and stared at Bater and his absurd arms. His looks resembled Minota¡¯s in regards to strength and physical fitness. In the team battle, he would be the leader of his team, and Arn would lead his. He seemed focused on attacking, so he didn¡¯t seem as sturdy as Minota or Grangsha.

    What type of a hero is Bater?

    He kept staring as Bater spoke to Arn.

    "You may receive help from those children standing behind you," Bater said.

    "If you are strong enough," Arn replied.

    Bater exhaled the cigar smoke for a long time and asked:

    "Then, shall we begin?"

    Bater ran forward. He wasn¡¯t using his powers. He wanted to test his opponent¡¯s strength first, so he punched at Arn.

    Clung!

    Arn swung against Bater¡¯s fist and took a step back. It became obvious that Bater had strength superior to Arn¡¯s, but Arn parried and counterattacked.

    Arn¡¯s swordsmanship was astoundingly fast and free. As he attacked, Bater went on defense from time to time. The thing was that his fists were so big that just by swinging them he was able to block Arn¡¯s attacks. Each of them was more effective than Grangsha¡¯s shield, and he had two of them. He was more dangerous than expected.

    They fought at close range, but then they moved a fair distance apart. They stared into each other¡¯s eyes, and Bater grinned.

    "You¡¯re not just trash talk."

    Bater looked at his mechanical fist. It was full of of small scratch marks, so he knew how strong Arn¡¯s saber was. Then, he hit his fits against each other and said:

    "Now, let¡¯s fight for real!"

    Without using their powers, they had had a taste of each other. Bater had more strength, and Arn moved faster than him. Now, it was time for them to check out each other¡¯s powers. Between them, there was a distance of about fifty feet. Both of them would be able to use his own power against the other.

    Arn never waited to be attacked, so he jumped in the air and dropped on Bater. Bater hadn¡¯t expected him to attack first, but heughed and lifted both arms to block.

    Clung!

    Simply swinging a sword was different from swinging while using powers, but each time one used his power, he had to wait for the cooldown, so using powers was not necessarily advantageous.

    And Bater was blocking the attacks with his arms, so he wasn¡¯t that hurt. He took a few steps back, but soon, stepped forward with his fists in front of him.

    Boom!

    The sh generated a loud noise, different from before, and Arn was thrown back. He was still blocking with his sabers, but it was obvious that he was hurt. He slid backward until he came to a stop, and Bater ran at him,ughing.

    "Time to get hot!" Bater said.

    He ran quickly and took a big step and punched at Arn. With his huge fists, he threw a one-twobo.

    Clung!

    Because of the shock, Arn was pushed back again. The shockwaves travelled through his sabers to his arm, and they felt like they were about to break. Bater was extremely strong.

    This guy¡¯s attack and defense are both at the highest level.

    Arn had thought he was the strongest hero among heroes who had advanced, but he realized he was weaker than Bater. He knew that from all the experience he had gained. He knew that the guy in front of him was slightly superior to him.

    Arn avoided attacking head-on and decided to attack him from the side. He felt like frontal attacks would have no meaning, so he decided for a hit-and-run approach, and Baterughed at him.

    "Are you scared?"

    Bater lifted his fist sky high and mmed it against the ground.

    Boom!

    Shockwaves extended out of the impact zone in concentric circles, and Bater hit the ground again.

    Boom!

    The shockwaves travelled farther and farther. Arn couldn¡¯t escape, and Bater mmed the ground.

    Boom!

    Three shockwaves were created, reaching Arn. Arn staggered and retreated, while Junhyuk watched everything. Bater had created the shockwaves in concentric circles that covered sixty-five feet.

    The first hit created a shockwave of sixteen feet in diameter; the second one had thirty-two feet in diameter; thest one reached sixty-five feet in diameter.

    The attack covered arge area, and it was very dangerous. Bater could rush the allied position and use his power to inflict massive casualties. He was that dangerous.

    Junhyuk looked at Arn. While Arn staggered, Bater took the time to puff on his cigar before running at him.

    "You¡¯re all trash talk."

    Bater yelled and tried to punch Arn, but he moved. He was hurt by the shockwaves, but Arn wouldn¡¯t just sit there to get hit. He dodged the fist, got closer to Bater and shed Bater¡¯s ribs with his saber.

    Bater had thought he was going to win and swung very wide with hisst attack. The momentary mistake left him with a deep wound. He no longer held the advantage in that fight.

    He had been winning after he used his power, but now he was losing. Bater stepped back, and Arn looked at him and grinned.

    "You¡¯re not ready to im victory yet."

    "Right."

    Bater was not hot-headed like Minota. Despite his heavy appearance, he was calm, and opponents like that were bothersome. Bater didn¡¯t threaten Arn, but he ran at him again. He attacked deliberately instead of being ovee by emotion, and Arn couldn¡¯t find any weak spots.

    While the two fought, Junhyuk looked at Sarang.

    "We should help him," he said.

    "Is it OK to interfere?"

    "We should hide your power."

    "What are you going to do?"

    "Just trust me."

    Sarang¡¯s power was useful in killing opponents, but if their opponent found out about her power, he would try to kill her first. JUnhyuk could escape by using his force field and teleporting, and if he died, he would reincarnate. However, Sarang couldn¡¯t, so it wasn¡¯t the time to disy her power yet.

    Junhyuk watched as Arn and Bater¡¯s fight became fiercer. They were going all out, drawing blood from each other.

    It looked like they were fighting evenly, but Bater was so muscr and big that Arn seemed to be in danger.

    Junhyuk understood he couldn¡¯t interfere. Bater¡¯s fists would pulverize him. There was only one way that he could help out. He focused on them and looked for an opening while they used their powers in battle. They weren¡¯t having a precise exchange of blows, instead swinging strong and wide. Arn would win the fight as soon as heunched the force field around him. Junhyuk approached them to make sure he was within range tounch the force field and kept watch on the fight.

    The fight became even fiercer, and Arn used his power. First, he dodged Bater¡¯s mechanical fist and attacked him continuously. His attacks shed like lightning.

    If Arn seeded, he would make quick work out of his opponent.

    However, Bater was nervous, so he was prepared and used his mechanical fists to block the attack, grinning.

    Arn didn¡¯t have the time to wait to use his power again, and Bater¡¯s power was ready for use. At close range, he could deliver one-twobos. Their destructive power was deadly to heroes. Bater was about to hit Arn when Arn smirked and moved to the side. Bater didn¡¯t understand. His fists were so big that even if Arn moved, they would still graze him, and when the punchnded, it would break Arn.

    And Arn smirked?

    He was contemting that reaction when Arn was covered by an ivory-colored light.

    ng!

    Bater¡¯s attacks bounced off the force field. Arn has this kind of power?

    Bater wanted to know everything about the force field. He tried to punch him, and Arn leaned away, and the attacks bounced off. Then, Arn countered. If Arn were to be hit with a frontal punch, Bater wouldunch the force field away with Arn inside, but Bater¡¯s attacks were just grazing the surface of the force field.

    Arn was using Junhyuk¡¯s power to the fullest.

    He continued to parry the attacks and counterattack. Bater¡¯s expression turned serious due to the counterattacks. Arn was ignoring defense while attacking, and there was little Bater could do about it.

    Bater continued to be wounded and retreated. Until that moment, they had been neck-and-neck, but now, Arn was winning.

    However, Bater had no regrets. Arn¡¯s force field disappeared after ten seconds, but during those ten seconds, Bater¡¯s health plummeted. Bater realized he had no health left and ran toward Arn.

    His specialty was rushing, even at close distance. He didn¡¯t stomp the ground like Minota, but he created explosions at short distances.

    Smoke billowed out of the mechanical arms. Bater¡¯s sudden rush was hard to defend against, so Arn used his saber to do it.

    Boom!

    Arn was pushed back. Meanwhile, Bater didn¡¯t hesitate and turned away. He knew he couldn¡¯t continue and had to escape.

    Arn had been waiting just for that moment, when Bater turned around and ran, andunched his saber.

    The saber was stuck to Bater¡¯s back, and Arn jumped. Hended and jumped again, and at that moment, Bater understood. His rush wouldn¡¯t work, so Bater turned around to fight him again.

    Clung!

    Bater defended himself, and Arn said:

    "This is the end."

    After he spoke, he swung his saber. He was stronger when he wielded two sabers, but he was still strong enough with one. Bater had one saber stuck to his back and couldn¡¯t handle any further attacks from Arn.

    The movement of Bater¡¯s arms became unnatural, and Arn stabbed him in the chest. They were facing each other at close range, and Bater took another drag off his cigar.

    "Whew! I didn¡¯t know about your force field. Is that your ultimate?"

    Arn had attacked continuously and shed him, and if throwing his saber was part of his ability, then the force field had to be his ultimate.

    Arn had no interest in answering Bater, who had been tricked by Junhyuk¡¯s power.

    "You can¡¯t win because of it."

    Bater started disappearing.

    "Itsts only ten seconds. Next time, I¡¯ll show you how it¡¯s really going to work between us," he said.

    Arn pulled out the saber from his chest and beheaded him with it.

    "We¡¯ll see about that when we meet."

    Bater disappeared, and Arn shouted:

    "Attack! Destroy the watchtower!"

    He took the lead, and Junhyuk followed him. After Bater¡¯s death, the next step was destroying the watchtower before the other heroes got there, giving the allies an advantage.

 Chapter 91: A New Hero 3

    Chapter 91: A New Hero 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk ran toward the watchtower to destroy it and saw the enemy minions forming a line and taking a kneeling position to shoot at the allies.

    "Shields up!" He shouted, and the minions lifted their shields.

    If they had been a momentte, they would have been killed while running. As soon as the minions lifted their shields, the enemy minions started shooting.

    Tack, tack, tack, tack!

    It was a relief. The shields could withstand the bullets, but many minions were still hurt and rolling on the ground. Being closer to the enemies, they had been hit on the leg or the shoulder where the shields couldn¡¯t protect them.

    Junhyuk rushed to the enemy camp with the bullets bouncing off Bebe¡¯s ck Armor. As he approached, the frontline riflemen got up and tried to use their bays against him while the backline continued to shoot.

    However, Junhyuk had reached the enemy line swinging his swords, so he sliced and diced the riflemen. Meanwhile, the archers sent out a volley. Junhyuk grabbed a fallen rifleman and used him to cover himself. The arrows hit the rifleman, and Junhyuk ran around swinging his sword again.

    No one could withstand his sword attacks. Junhyuk was sweeping through the enemy minions while Arn destroyed the watchtower. Arn was using the cadaver of a rifleman to shield himself while doing everything he could to destroy the watchtower. A downed watchtower would mean a lot. It made a big difference.

    Suddenly, Arn tensed.

    "Retreat!" He shouted.

    After the shout, Junhyuk retreated without hesitation.

    "Go back!" Junhyuk shouted, and the minions retreated.

    They were in close range of the riflemen, and it was not easy to disengage, but Junhyuk was wreaking havoc at the enemy line, so the minions were able to retreat.

    After everyone retreated, including Arn, Junhyuk looked over at the watchtower. There were people running toward them. Soon, they ran in front of the riflemen. They were covered in red-colored circles, so they had to have killed a buff monster.

    There are two of them.

    Junhyuk was d that Arn had spotted them first, but Arn just looked at the enemy.

    "They were faster," he said.

    As the two ran, their expressions hardened.

    "Hm. Is Bater already dead?"

    They were two heroes. One of them was a woman, and she had an eyepatch with a gem shaped like a skull. She wore rollerdes on her feet.

    Bater had mechanical arms, and she focused on her legs. She was also holding something out of a character.

    "Heroes have guns?!"

    On her right hand, she was holding a cuss, and her left hand held a pistol. She was ready for close- and mid-rangedbat.

    The person standing behind her posed a bigger problem. He has a thick beard and dark circles around his eyes. He was wearing what looked like abcoat, and the lower half of his body looked like a mechanical spider¡¯s body. It even had eight legs. He looked bizarre and he also seemed to be a hero. Both of them looked extremely dangerous.

    They were also buffed. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to deal with them.

    Junhyuk was freaking out when some more people appeared. It was Nudra and Vera, and they were covered by purple circles.

    His side now had three heroes while the opposite side had two. He was thinking his side had the advantage when another man appeared. Unlike the riflemen, he was holding a sword, but it wasn¡¯t an ordinary sword. It was big, and the back edge was serrated.

    Looking at his size, he was not a minion.

    "He looks like an expert," Junhyuk whispered, and Vera nodded.

    "Right. He looks dangerous."

    They didn¡¯t know anything about his power. Junhyuk¡¯s had high ranking powers, but if he got hit by that de, he would be killed.

    "Do you know anything about their powers?" He asked Vera.

    "I will when we fight them," she replied.

    It was important to have information about powers when fighting heroes. Vera turned around, and Nudra stepped forward. Arn was standing next to him. Vera and Nudra were thinking about fighting to get information on the enemies¡¯ powers, but Arn was tired.

    He had just fought a hard battle and was not at full health. Junhyuk walked toward him tounched his force field when Vera stopped him.

    "Don¡¯t interfere. Nothing good wille out of it."

    "But Arn is not doing well."

    "Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll support him."

    Junhyuk was relieved to hear that. He thought that Vera should be sufficient.

    "You should keep an eye on that guy," she said, pointing to the expert among the new heroes.

    Junhyuk had no means to fight at long range. If that guy used his power, he would know how to fight him. He was nervously staring at the expert, and Arn stepped forward. It looked like the rollerde woman was going to back up by hunching over, but she burst forward toward Arn at a high speed.

    Arn was surprised by the speed, and the woman swung her cuss.

    Clung!

    Arn¡¯s saber met her cuss, and she smiled.

    "Your name?"

    "Arn."

    "We will meet often. I¡¯m Regina. Nice to meet you."

    Regina smiled, and Arn swung at her. Regina tilted back and dodged his attack, lifting the pistol in her left hand as she did it.

    Boom!

    The pistol shot like buckshot, with arge spread, covering Arn¡¯s body. Arn tried to protect his weak spots, but he couldn¡¯t really escape.

    "That¡¯s a power."

    It wasn¡¯t a simple attack. If it weren¡¯t a power, Arn wouldn¡¯t be so hurt by it. Arn took a step back from the impact, and Regina was about to pull the trigger again when Nudra dropped in.

    Nudra kicked Regina, pushing her back. As that happened, Nudra retreated, but the mechanical spider-man stepped forward.

    "It was an one-on-one fight, and you interfered. Lower ss people are different."

    Nudra looked at him and said:

    "I¡¯m Nudra. What is your name?"

    The man with dark circles around his eyes answered:

    "Everyone calls me Doctor T."

    Doctor T stepped forward and signaled for Regina. She joined him, and Doctor T smiled.

    "Since there are three of you, you must feel confident," he said. "I will even those odds."

    His eight legs crawled quickly, and he rushed toward Nudra. Nudra extended his arms and released a strong wind, and the doctor was pushed back. However, unlike the others, Doctor T pierced the ground with his legs, eventually holding him in ce. He smiled coldly.

    "Got you."

    Small openings appeared in Doctor T¡¯s mechanical body, and small spiders poured out of them, quickly cocooning Nudra in their web.

    Nudra tried to move, but the web was too tight.

    Doctor T smiled, and Arn rushed forward. However, the doctor was faster, and he ignited the web. A giant me quickly engulfed Nudra, and Arn jumped up.

    "You, stop," Regina said and fired.

    Arn blocked the bullets in mid air using his saber and dropped on Doctor T.

    The doctor moved sideways like crab and dodged Arn¡¯s attack. However, he had been able to save Nudra because the fire had stopped.

    Vera, who had been watching, stepped forward. Sheunched a huge firewall right in front of the enemy heroes, giving Nudra enough time to free himself from the spider web. However, he had lost a lot of health.

    Their enemies were urate and powerful, and both Arn and Nudra had lost a lot of health.

    Junhyuk watched Doctor T. He didn¡¯t know the range of the doctor¡¯s spider webs. The webs could tie people up, something that he had not seen before. When someone was tied up, that person could be killed instantly. He realized the battles would be hard fought.

    Junhyuk looked back at the man who looked like an expert, holding the mechanical de, and the doctor gave him a signal.

    "Help me, Adolphe."

    The man called Adolphe stepped forward, standing just behind the doctor and Regina. Experts usually had supporting roles.

    What kind of power does Adolphe have?

    Junhyuk stood behind Vera just in case. Because they hadn¡¯t known their enemies¡¯ powers, his side had been severely hurt. Nudra and Arn were on the verge of being killed. It was a dangerous situation.

    He had to stop them. If the heroes were killed, he and Sarang would be in danger.

    Junhyuk stepped forward, and Arn said:

    "Kill Doctor T first!"

    Regina posed a lot of danger with her weapons, but the doctor was even more dangerous. Arn jumped, and Nudra followed him. Regina scoffed at them and ran ahead shooting. Nudra moved his body slightly, dodging the bullets. Then, a fire orb appeared in front of Regina. She was trying to move back when the orb exploded.

    Boom!

    Regina retreated, but Arn had already closed the distance, aiming for Doctor T. The doctor lifted his spider legs, trying to block Arn¡¯s sabers. The spider legs were sharp enough to be used for attack.

    Clung!

    Doctor T blocked Arn, and Nudra kicked him, pushing him back. Junhyuk watched Adolphe stab the ground with his mechanical de, and something came out of Adolphe¡¯s waist pouch. It looked like a boomerang that was aiming at Arn and Nudra. They dodged it at first, but the boomerang turned liquid and tied both of them up. That was Adolphe¡¯s power.

    Arn and Nudra were immobilized, so Regina aimed at them with her pistol, and Doctor T cast fire.

    "Ha-ha-ha-ha! Die!"

    Arn and Nudra had very little health left. However, an ivory-colored field covered both of them. Regina¡¯s bullets and T¡¯s fire bounced off of it, and Arn smiled from inside.

    "Our power is stronger."

    Adolphe¡¯s liquid rope disappeared, and Arnunched his saber at the doctor.

 Chapter 92: Adolphe, The Champion 1

    Chapter 92: Adolphe, The Champion 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Doctor T hit the flying saber as a fire orb appeared above his head and a fire spear flew against his chest. The doctor used both of his arms to block the spear, but he was pushed back when the fire orb exploded.

    At a distance, Vera was at her most dangerous, making expert use of her magic. Vera¡¯s magicbos were dangerous enough for the new heroes.

    Doctor T shot off his me as he was pushed back, but the force field defended against it easily. Vera erected a firewall, disrupting Doctor T¡¯s and Regina¡¯s visions. That¡¯s when Nudra left the force field, jumping high in the sky. Seeing that the firewall was blocking their sights, Nudra made a move.

    Arn also jumped. The firewall disappeared, and Nudra crash-kicked Regina¡¯s head, leaving her stuck on the ground. She had anticipating something appearing from beyond the firewall, but when Nudra dropped on her head, Regina didn¡¯t have a chance to dodge.

    As she was stuck on the ground, Arn jumped toward her. He was outside of the force field, and Regina aimed her pistol at him. However, he moved faster than her and, still in the air, he threw his saber at her. The saber made a sharp, slicing noise as it flew and sunk into Regina¡¯s chest.

    Her left eye widened, and Nudra, who was standing behind her, kicked her back. She was pushed toward Arn, and he pulled out the saber from her chest. She started bleeding like a fountain, and that¡¯s when Arn used his ultimate, his signature finishing move, attacking her seven straight times. Regina couldn¡¯t resist, and blood gushed out of her in all directions.

    Regina had received massive damage, and it didn¡¯t look like she would survive. However, that¡¯s when Doctor T wrapped Nudra with his spider web and lit the web on fire. The giant mes were burning Nudra up when Adolphe ran toward him. Adolphe was holding a mechanical sword, and, when it shone blue, he shed Nudra.

    Thaaaaack!

    The sword made a loud noise, and it sliced Nudra in half. Then, Adolphe sliced the ground, in a pattern, about twenty feet long in all directions.

    Nudra had already lost a lot of health when he was attacked and killed by Adolphe, and Adolphe¡¯s sword strike was not a simple attack. It was another one of his powers. He could tie people up with his liquid boomerang and do that special sword strike.

    Suddenly, Regina was also sliced half. She had already been badly hurt when Arn shed her across the waist. With Regina dying behind him, Arn stared at Doctor T. He was hurt by Vera¡¯s magic, but he still looked strong and he still had Adolphe.

    The allies had the numerical advantage, but that didn¡¯t guarantee victory. Arn had lost a lot of health, and, as he stared at the doctor, he lifted his saber.

    "Now you are all alone."

    He was alone, but he was not an easy opponent. He had used his spider web and mes and had to wait on their cooldowns.

    Arn had also used his power, but they still had Vera. He ran at him and swung his saber, but Doctor T used his legs to block. They fought at close range, and Vera erected a firewall against Adolphe so he wouldn¡¯t interfere.

    They separated Doctor T and Adolphe and attacked only one of them. Doctor T scowled at Arn. Arn¡¯s swordsmanship was precise, but he could still block his sword.

    That¡¯s when the doctor decided to kill all of them at once. Even if he tried to run, he wouldn¡¯t get away because one of them was buffed, and he had already lost his speed buff. There was only one thing to do.

    "I have no choice."

    Even without the spider web, he could be urate at that distance. Doctor T used two legs to block the sabers. While blocking the sabers, those two legs moved sideways and a small opening appeared on the mechanical spider. From those openings, missiles shot out toward Arn.

    Boom!

    Arn had his arms wide open and was badly hurt. The missiles were about seven inches long, but they were strong enough. Arn staggered backward, and the doctor approached. He could kill Arn with his legs.

    Junhyuk teleported behind Doctor T and swung his swords.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck!

    He swung three times, but was unable to deliver a fatal blow. Doctor T¡¯s senses were sharp, and he was able to minimize the damage but moving slightly. However, Junhyuk had struck with the Frozen Rune Sword, and it debuffed the doctor twice. Doctor T now had decreased movement and attack speeds, and as he turned to look back, Junhyuk stabbed him again and jumped.

    He stepped on the doctor¡¯s shoulder and kicked his chest while moving toward Arn. When Junhyuk stood in front of Arn, Doctor T lifted his legs.

    Junhyuk grabbed Arn by the shoulder.

    Thack, thack!

    The doctor¡¯s legs mmed on the ground, but Junhyuk had already moved back with Arn.

    Vera attacked the doctor, who couldn¡¯t escape her attack because of his debuffed movement speed. Veraunched a fire orb and a fire spearbo toward him. He was hit twice, and ck mes continued to burn him.

    "Hee-hee-hee! You¡¯ve got skill, but you can¡¯t win!"

    The doctor was using his eight legs to close in on Junhyuk and Arn when Junhyuk saw two boomerangs heading toward them.

    "Shit!"

    He had already used his teleportation and couldn¡¯t escape Adolphe¡¯s power. The liquid boomerang tied them both up.

    Doctor T moved in quickly and lifted his legs. They didn¡¯t have any special power, but there was nothing Junhyuk could do about them. His legs were strong enough to go up against Arn¡¯s sabers.

    Doctor T¡¯s legs shone brightly and were about to drop on them when a st of electricity hit him, leaving the doctor paralyzed. From below his feet, a firewall surged up.

    He was paralyzed and burning, and a fire orb appeared in front of him.

    Boom!

    The fire orb exploded, and Vera continued the attack with a fire spear, hitting the doctor directly on the head. After the loud explosion, he was pushed back, and Arn was able to untie himself. Adolphe¡¯s tying power was strong, but it didn¡¯tst long. After freeing himself, he ran at Doctor T and stabbed him deeply.

    "Aaargh!" the doctor scream, and Arn smiled coldly.

    "I got you."

    Doctor T¡¯s body started disappearing. The mes and Arn¡¯s sabers had been too much for him. Then, a blue-colored energy appeared on top of Doctor T¡¯s head.

    "Move!" Junhyuk shouted and dodged.

    However, the blue energy sliced through Arn and left a twenty-foot crack on the ground. Arn¡¯s health had been very low when Adolphe attacked him.

    Vera fired some magic.

    Boom!

    A fire orb exploded in front of Adolphe, but he kept running as he burned. He wanted to kill Vera, which surprised Junhyuk. Vera was a magician, and she had low defense. He may be able prate her defense, and that could be dangerous for her.

    However, Adolphe had used all of his powers. Without his powers he wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with Vera. She was a hero after all.

    Vera threw a fire spear at him. He tried using the mechanical sword to block but couldn¡¯t and was pushed back, still getting hurt by her.

    However, he started running again. Junhyuk also ran toward her, trying to think about why Adolphe wanted her dead so badly. Vera just had to keep her distance and she wouldn¡¯t get hurt.

    Adolphe ran and picked up the items dropped by Arn, and that¡¯s when Junhyuk realized it. When an expert died, he didn¡¯t drop items. That meant that Adolphe had risked his life to pick up the items.

    He only had one extra life, and he was using it now. Adolphe lifted his mechanical sword, but it wasn¡¯t the time for him to use his power yet.

    Junhyuk still had some distance to cover before reaching Vera, and suddenly, Adolphe kicked off the ground. Just like Halo¡¯s sh attack, Adolphe¡¯s sword pierced Vera¡¯s ribs, and she started bleeding heavily.

    "He has another power?"

    They thought that he only had two powers, but he had a third. Vera was paralyzed.

    Rushing and paralyzing the opponent, is that his power? He could tie people up; he had a twenty-foot sh; and he had one more power, paralysis.

    Junhyuk teleported himself to Vera, grabbed her and teleported again.

    nk, nk!

    After they both left, Adolphe¡¯s mechanical sword dropped to the ground where they had been standing. If he had been a momentte, Vera could¡¯ve been killed.

    Once away, Vera could move again.

    "He is a champion," she said.

    After she spoke, she extended her staff, and Adolphe started running toward her again, but now she had some distance between them. Vera set a fire orb on his back andunched a fire spear at him.

    Boom, boom!

    He was hit by the fire spear and pushed back onto the orb, which exploded. Then, a firewall rose from below his feet.

    "Ugh!"

    He was impressive tost that long. He had to have some kind of resistance to magic, or he had a lot of strength. However, he too had a limit.

    He was smiling while he started turning grey.

    "Till next time."

    Vera threw her staff against his face.

    Bang!

    A bump appeared on his head, and he disappeared. Vera grabbed her chest. It looked serious.

    "Can you destroy watchtower?" she asked.

    Junhyuk nodded. They didn¡¯t have many riflemen left, so he would massacre them and destroy the watchtower. There were many allied minions standing.

    "Then, do it."

    Junhyuk looked at Sarang.

    "Stay here with Vera."

    Sarang could get hurt by a stray bullet while attacking the watchtower, so he told her to stay, and she nodded.

    "Be careful."

    "Don¡¯t worry."

    "Destroy the watchtower! Attack!" Junhyuk shouted at the minions.

    The minions followed him because he could kill the riflemen, and Junhyuk took the lead to destroy the first watchtower.

    The first battle cost them two allied heroes, but they killed three enemy heroes and a champion, and they destroyed a watchtower, so they won. Still, it felt like they had suffered a heavy loss.

 Chapter 93: Adolphe, The Champion 2

    Chapter 93: Adolphe, The Champion 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    While Junhyuk was destroying the watchtower, Vera collected the items. She picked up the item dropped by Doctor T, but she couldn¡¯t take Regina¡¯s item.

    "Hmm... Two of them died and dropped items, but I could only find one."

    "Big sister, Arn picked up an item dropped by Bater," Sarang, who was standing next to her, said calmly.

    "Right. Then, we got two items?" Vera said and watched the tower be destroyed. "We should go see Bebe."

    The tower fell, and Junhyuk walked back to them with the minions. In total, with the previously surviving minions and the minions brought by Vera and Nudra, there were over 120 minions left. While sieging the tower, they had only lost thirty minions, which was good. The enemy had lost over a hundred riflemen. It was a big victory to the allied side.

    Vera got up.

    "Let¡¯s go see Bebe," she said.

    "Right."

    Junhyuk wanted to go. He hadn¡¯t activated a new power, so in the situation he was in, he wanted more items.

    Vera walked next to him on the way to the dimensional merchant.

    "Surely, they are difficult opponents."

    "Did you talk to the other heroes?"

    "Yes. Halo died, and Diane is still waiting."

    Usually Diane kept her distance while fighting, so it wasn¡¯t easy to kill her. However, Halo fought at the frontline, so the chance of him dying was high. Arn had almost lost his fight to Bater!

    "It¡¯spletely different from before."

    "These heroes are ranked higher, so there is nothing to be done," Vera said and shook her head. "Honestly, I didn¡¯t expect them to be this strong."

    They were strong. Furthermore, the heroes had strong and unknown powers. They hadn¡¯t seen everything yet, but the spider web and Adolphe¡¯s power already had paralyzing effects, and Bater could take advantage of that by using his rush. Their powerbinations were dangerous. In the team battle, they would be even more dangerous.

    Vera tapped Junhyuk.

    "You shouldn¡¯t worry."

    Junhyuk felt heavy, but he also felt that they needed him more than ever before. Then, he looked at Sarang.

    "Also, Sarang¡¯s power has evolved."

    "Is that right?"

    Vera turned to look, and Sarang nodded.

    "I can paralyze two people at the same time."

    Vera hugged her tightly and rubbed cheeks.

    "That¡¯s our Sarang!"

    Her power, the ability to paralyze two people, was powerful, but it was not a good idea to showcase her around the enemies. The goal was to keep her safe during this battle.

    They conversed and reached the dimensional merchant. Inside, they found Bebe yawning, and he waved at them.

    "We meet again. Have you advanced?"

    Vera nodded and ced some items on the counter, and her eyes sparkled. Including the bracelet Doctor T dropped, there were three items.

    "Do you have the Crimson Earring?"

    "I do. Do you want to buy it?"

    "Yes."

    "These items won¡¯t cover it in full."

    Vera extended her hand.

    "I know."

    Bebe looked at Vera¡¯s savings on his te and smiled.

    "You do have enough money!"

    Vera paid, and Bebe pulled out a small box from underneath the counter.

    "Since you¡¯ve advanced, you really need this."

    "I needed it before, but it was too expensive."

    "Yes. It costs over two hundred thousand gold, but it¡¯s effective. A fire magician like you will get interesting buffs."

    "I¡¯m spending a lot for it."

    Bebe opened the box and pulled out the earring. It had a small crystal hanging from the end, and inside of the crystal, there was a burning me. It looked extraordinary, and Vera put it on.

    "OK. I¡¯m done preparing," she said, looking at Junhyuk. "If you need something, now is the time."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk handed Bebe the Beast King White Tiger¡¯s Canine, and Bebe inspected it.

    "The Beast King White Tiger¡¯s Canine goes for eighty thousand gold. I can give you forty thousand gold for it. Will you take it?" he asked.

    Junhyuk already knew Bebe would give him only half of the ticket price, and he nodded.

    "I¡¯m selling it."

    Bebe pushed the te forward, and Junhyuk put his hand over it. The number disyed increased to 78,240G, his contributions in the killing of three heroes.

    Junhyuk put a lot of thought on how to spend it.

    "Do you have any items from the Golden Knight Elder set?"

    "I don¡¯t."

    He couldn¡¯t just wait for one of the set items to show up and hepared himself to Adolphe, the champion. Adolphe had superior strength, so Junhyuk ced his swords on the counter.

    "Upgrade them."

    "How do you want me to do it?"

    "How much will it cost?"

    "Your swords are magic swords, and magic upgrades cost as follows: eight thousand for the third, twelve thousand for the fourth, sixteen thousand for the fifth, twenty thousand for the sixth, and forty thousand for the seventh," Bebe answered, grinning.

    Junhyuk rolled his eyes at the price, but he answered calmly:

    "Then, upgrade the Blood Rune Sword, which is at level three, to level six and the Frozen Rune Sword, which is at level two, to level four."

    Bebe pushed the te.

    "Sixty-eight thousand gold."

    Junhyuk rolled his eyes again, but he still paid. Without upgrading his swords, he didn¡¯t feel confident enough to kill Adolphe. Adolphe had what it took to kill heroes, and Junhyuk wondered about getting items for defense. However, to kill, an upgraded weapon was the first step.

    The number on Bebe¡¯s te decreased, leaving only 10,240G. Junhyuk wanted to cry, but Bebe was smiling and proceeded to enhance both swords. He poured the powder over them and hammered both. At the end, he looked satisfied.

    "I did well. Check it out."

    Junhyuk inspected the swords.

    ---

    Blood Rune Sword (Level 6)

    Attack +125

    Health Absorption +15%

    When absorbing the owner¡¯s blood, attack speed increases by 10% and movement speed increases by 5%. Can stack three times.

    Bebe¡¯s Basic Longsword had been synthesized with the Blood Sword. At level six the attack increased to 125. When the owner wounded an opponent, the sword would heal the owner by 15 percent of the attack.

    When it absorbed the owner¡¯s blood, the attack speed increased by 10 percent, and the movement speed increased by 5 percent, but it would only stack three times. The fourth attempt could result in death.

    Frozen Rune Sword (Level 4)

    Attack +60

    Striking the opponent decreases the opponent¡¯s attack and movement speeds by 8%. Stacks three times.

    Bebe¡¯s Basic Longsword had been synthesized with the ice attribute. At level four, the attack increased to sixty. When it struck the opponent, it decreased the opponent¡¯s attack and movement speeds by 8 percent. It was possible to stack the effects three times, but it depended on the opponent¡¯s resistance.

    ---

    Upgrading them had increased his ability to inflict damaged. His swords were twice as strong. He had paid a lot, but now he could fight.

    Sarang stepped forward.

    "Could I check to see how much money I have?"

    "Sure."

    Bebe pushed the te forward, and Sarang ced her hand on it and frowned. She had eighteen thousand and five hundred gold. It was more than she had expected, but she never spent any money, so she felt frustrated. She thought that she had to deliver the deathblow on the heroes and earn more money.

    Vera looked at the two of them.

    "Are you done?"

    Sarang didn¡¯t want to spend her money and nodded.

    "Yes. Let¡¯s go."

    Vera waved goodbye at Bebe and went out first. The group followed her lead, and Junhyuk noticed the direction in which they were moving.

    "Are we not going to where Arn is?"

    "We need to regroup. Before the team battle, we have to kill them some more and take their items."

    Their powers couldn¡¯tpare to the enemies¡¯, so to finish them, they needed more items.

    "We are going to where Halo was. He was pushing the second tower and advancing, so we will kill the enemies there," she said.

    "Halo was killed, so the enemy must be strong!"

    "Communication has its limits. I heard he was a huge tank," Vera replied.

    "A tank?"

    Does that mean that he is stronger than Bater? Halo was killed by him, so he must have enough offensive and defensive power to deal with the allies.

    "Will Haloe?"

    "Arn went to defend the tower, and Nudra is going there as well. With Halo¡¯s help, we will kill one by one."

    "I am curious about his power," Junhyuk murmured. He was thinking that Minota had been a tank.

    "Whatever his power, we¡¯ll coordinate with Halo and get him. We also have you."

    Junhyuk nodded. He wanted to keep himself safe, but he still had to fight and use his powers. Halo and Vera could kill the tank, and Junhyuk and Sarang would help. It wouldn¡¯t be impossible.

    Junhyuk was anxious with anticipation for the new enemy, and he knew Sarang couldn¡¯t be a target. He looked at her.

    "Stay by my side when we meet the enemy hero."

    "I will."

    Junhyuk could create a force field or teleport, and she knew she would survive with him. He was running beside Vera when he saw the tower, destroyed.

    When the tower got destroyed, the minions in it also died. Junhyuk sent his respect to the dead and sighed. Vera¡¯s eyes turned cold.

    "Get ready. We¡¯ll meet him soon."

    Junhyuk ran forward nervously. The second tower was close enough for the enemies to be visible. A person stood above the riflemen¡¯s heads.

    He was thirteen feet tall, bald and with broad shoulders. The tank¡¯s size was simr to Minota¡¯s, and Junhyuk was curious about whether the tank looked like a monster.

    The man in front of the tower turned his head slowly. His chin was made of steel, and Vera looked at him and smiled.

    "Don¡¯t we need more than one hero?"

    "Halo!" Vera shouted and extended her staff.

    "I am over here."

    Halo was on the opposite side. His side had a tower, but their side was different. Without a tower, the enemy hero could go their way, and they had to fight him in an open field.

    Vera¡¯s attack was strong, but if she fought the tank alone, she wouldn¡¯t win. Junhyuk measured the distance between them and the enemy. He would teleport with Sarang and Vera if he felt they were in danger. The tank moved toward them without ncing at Halo.

    He had broad shoulders, a steel chin, and a brown, upside-down, triangr patch of hair on his chest. He looked like a regr tank, and Junhyuk grabbed his swords and stood next to Vera. If it got dangerous, he would teleport.

    The man ran, and when he got within forty feet, he became even faster. He wasn¡¯t just probing them. He had used his power to rush in, grab Vera by her waist and jump up.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t have the chance to react, and still in the air, the man ced her head between his knees and started spinning. Junhyuk thought the skill looked familiar.

    "A spinning piledriver?"

 Chapter 94: Adolphe, The Champion 3

    Chapter 94: Adolphe, The Champion 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    He was sure of one thing: if that continued, Vera¡¯s head would be crushed. Therefore, Junhyuk instinctively extended his hands, and just before Vera¡¯s head was about to hit the ground, an ivory-colored light surrounded her, and the enemy hero was pushed away.

    Boom!

    Veranded, leaving a hole on the ground. She felt dizzy, but was OK. Then, Halo ran from behind the enemy and used his sh attack to sh him in the ribs.

    The enemy was holding his ribs in pain, and Halo also entered the force field,unching his sword up in the air right after that. The enemy wanted to fight, and after that exchange, he looked at Junhyuk.

    "Bater was wrong."

    Bater had told them the force field was Arn¡¯s ultimate, making them all think the same, but now was not the time to argue about it. The important thing for Junhyuk was to save Vera. If Vera died, no one was certain of what would happen to Halo, so he had taken action.

    The enemy pounded his chest with his hand and pointed at Junhyuk.

    "What is your name?"

    "Tell me your name first."

    Junhyuk wanted to buy time for Halo¡¯s Rain from Above to bepleted, and Vera steadied herself and touched her earring. She was about to deliver a powerful blow. He was stalling for time, and his enemy smirked. His enemy had to be extremely confident in his defense and health.

    "My name is Jean Clo. I heard about your power. Is it immunity to magic and physical attacks?"

    He looked rxed, and Junhyuk stared at him nkly.

    "I¡¯m Junhyuk Lee. By the way, why aren¡¯t you running away?"

    "Escape?" Jean Clo smiled coldly and lifted three fingers. "You only have three seconds left."

    "It¡¯s enough time to kill you!"

    Jean Clo winked at Junhyuk.

    "Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t die and I will kill you."

    Junhyuk felt like what Jean Clo had said mighte true, but Vera scoffed at that.

    "Stay where you are if you can!" she said.

    Vera created a fire spear, but the spear looked twice its usual size. Junhyuk looked at it with surprise. However, Jean Clo used his arms to block it, so she created another fire spear and set a fire orb behind him. The fire orb was also twice its normal size.

    Jean Clo blocked the fire spear, but stepped back, exploding the orb.

    Boom, boom!

    The explosions were at a different level from before. Junhyuk knew it just by seeing it. Her magic was now much stronger than before. It was only an earring, but her magic was totally different.

    Jean Clo was damaged and staggered from the st. At that point, Halo hit him with Rain from Above. Halo¡¯s ultimate, Rain from Above, took a long time to set up, but it was effective. Jean Clo tried to dodge it quickly, but a gaping hole was left in his stomach. He opened his mouth and vomitedrge quantities of blood.

    As Junhyuk watched, he felt nervous. Jean Clo might not die after all. So, Junhyuk grabbed Sarang and ced her behind Vera just in case something happened.

    Suddenly, a huge firewall rose from under Jean Clo. The ck-med firewall was also different from before.

    He had a hole on his stomach and was being roasted. At that point, he should die. However, that would happen only if he didn¡¯t have something like Warren¡¯s powerful regenerative ability. That¡¯s when Junhyuk realized that Jean Clo might have something simr.

    "Be careful! He might regenerate!"

    Vera readied her magic, and Jean Cloughed from inside the fire.

    "Ha-ha-ha! Toote!"

    After shouting that, Jean Clo walked out of the fire. He had three blue energy rings turning around his body that were regenerating his health.

    "Shit!"

    Facing a tank like Jean Clo with that ability was like facing a disaster. The fire spear flew toward Jean Clo, but the three blue rings blocked it.

    Boom!

    The spear exploded and took out one of the rings. Halo took out his sword and ran in, trying to attack him, but the blue rings blocked him as well. Jean Clo had unbelievable regenerative capability, but the rings also blocked attacks. It was too much to believe.

    A fire orb exploded on Jean Clo, but it too was blocked by thest ring.

    He rushed toward Junhyuk, and closed in quickly. That was one of his powers. He covered sixty-five feet in the blink of an eye and grabbed Junhyuk¡¯s neck, lifting him up. Jean Clo was thirteen feet tall, and Junhyuk was well off the ground.

    He wanted to grab Junhyuk by the neck and m him against the ground. If he did that, Junhyuk would surely die.

    "We will meet again, friend." Jean Clo said.

    He was certainly dangerous. Two heroes were attacking him from all directions, but he ignored them and went after Junhyuk, an expert, because he knew about Junhyuk¡¯s power.

    Jean Clo started spiking Junhyuk against the ground, but just before Junhyuk hit it, he teleported away.

    Boom!

    Without Junhyuk, Jean Clo¡¯s hand crashed against the ground.

    "Friend, you have interesting powers."

    Junhyuk saw Jean Clo heading toward him again and gritted his teeth. Jean Clo was even more dangerous than Minota. He could fight against Minota, but this guy grappled you and, when he grappled you, he finished with deadly skills.

    Two heroes were attacking him, but he waspletely focused on Junhyuk. Minota was crazy, but this guy was even crazier.

    Even a tank had a limit, so Junhyuk ran toward him. He had a chance. Jean Clo saw him running, and his steel jaw dropped withughter.

    "Ha-ha-ha-ha! You are a man!"

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t trying to be a man, but he had gotten Jean Clo¡¯s attention. Now it was a matter of seeing how much time he would buy.

    Junhyuk ran toward him, and Jean Clo attempted to grab him in response. Looking at the huge hand, Junhyuk ducked. The hand grazed his helmet, and Junhyuk swung the Frozen Rune Sword. Like any tank, Jean Clo disyed amazing defense. His sword had an attack of sixty, and it wasbined with the Pure Golden Knight Elder set, but he was only able to leave a skin-deep cut that bled a little. Still, Jean Clo was now debuffed.

    Jean Clo made another attempt. If he captured him, Junhyuk would die. Junhyuk¡¯s hair stood on end, and he dodged the hand.

    "Oh!"

    He swung both swords at Jean Clo, setting the second debuff, and Jean Clo extended both arms. At that moment, Junhyuk realized that he didn¡¯t have what it took to fight him and teleported away, leaving Jean Clo to hug himself. Jean Clo could have killed Junhyuk, but when Junhyuk teleported, Jean Clo smiled.

    "You can teleport twice?"

    Even while being attacked, Jean Clo was analyzing Junhyuk¡¯s powers. He didn¡¯t mind dying once. All he wanted was to find out as much as possible about Junhyuk¡¯s powers.

    Then, a gaping hole appeared on Jean Clo¡¯s chest, made from the back. Jean Clo vomited blood and raised to fingers to point to his own eyes and then point to Junhyuk. That was his way of saying that he would be watching Junhyuk. After that, he started disappearing.

    "Interesting, friend. Next time, I will kill you."

    He didn¡¯t sound like he was joking. Minota and Ellic were crazy, but he was different. He analyzed Junhyuk¡¯s powers and, even though he was in danger, he still tried to kill Junhyuk. In future battles, Jean Clo would be focused on getting rid of him.

    The allies had quickly advanced to the next level, but these guys were prepared.

    "I¡¯m going nuts."

    Halo swung his sword in the air, cleaning the blood off, picked up the dropped item and walked to Junhyuk.

    "Are you OK?"

    "Yes."

    This time things turned out fine, but he couldn¡¯t be sure about the next time. Halo shook his head.

    "This guy is dangerous. If he takes the lead in the next fight, I won¡¯t know what to do."

    Halo was rarely despondent.

    "We need to do something," Vera said.

    "The Crimson Earring, when did you buy it?" he asked, looking at her earring.

    "I had no choice. I wanted to increase my firepower."

    Halo nodded heavily. These new enemies were powerful, and victory was not guaranteed. They had only fought Jean Clo and found their individual powers to becking. Also, they still had to fight in a team battle, so victory was not guaranteed. They were dangerous.

    Halo looked at Junhyuk and Sarang.

    "You two, just stay safe this time."

    "We can¡¯t do that," Junhyuk said, and Halo patted him on the shoulder.

    "Your participation is important."

    "That¡¯s right. You have a big part to y," she said, cing her arm around him.

    Junhyuk sighed.

    "We should take advantage of this victory. Where are we going now?"

    "We¡¯ll go to Diane."

    Vera tapped his back.

    "Let¡¯s go!"

    Vera took Sarang and ran joyfully. Halo sighed and looked at Junhyuk.

    "We advanced. Everyone will get new items. Don¡¯t worry too much."

    They would get better equipment, so he might not have to worry.

    "You got money?"

    "Don¡¯t worry. Everyone had been preparing to get equipment," Halo said and patted Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder. "Just continue the good work."

    Junhyuk nodded. He had contributed to the victory and to their survival. No one had to tell him to do it. If he didn¡¯t, he would get killed.

    He focused his attention on Sarang. If he died, she would die too and he wanted to prevent that from happening.

    The group moved quickly as they headed to where Diane was still waiting. They had to join her and destroy her enemy. Right now, they were winning and they had to make good use of that advantage.

    They ran in earnest and reached Diane. Her opponent was a woman wearing leather boots with two pistols and a rifle on her back. The allies were being pushed back because of the enemy riflemen. The allies had pressured the enemy heroes, but if the minions were pushed back, they would lose their positions.

    Junhyuk looked for the enemy hero. She saw the allied heroes and went to her tower. On the tower, she holstered her pistols on her waist and pulled out her rifle.

    "Watch out!" Diane shouted.

    He was not sure what she meant by that and just stared when the rifle went off.

    Bang!

    The bullet screamed through the air and hit Halo¡¯s shoulder. Halo had dodged just in time. If he hadn¡¯t, his head would¡¯ve been shot.

    Junhyuk looked back at the enemy hero.

    "This range is crazy!"

 Chapter 95: New Power 1

    Chapter 95: New Power 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Halo stepped back nervously, and Diane brought over some minions.

    "Be careful. When she uses her pistols, she has a shorter range, but she fires more often. However, she fires less often with the rifle, but the range and lethality increase," she said.

    "She is difficult. What¡¯s her power?"

    "Her name is Ki. When she uses her pistols, she can fire ten rounds. A single bullet doesn¡¯t do much damage, but if someone takes all taken shots, that person is a goner," she said while she nocked an arrow on her bow.

    After Diane said that, Junhyuk gulped. Ki is extremely dangerous!

    "And she has a type of jumping skill that she uses to get close or run away. She can also fire while in the air."

    With continuous fire and jumping, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to escape from her.

    "She aims when she uses her rifle just like I do with my bow."

    "Your bow is your ultimate attack."

    "I deal more damage, but her rifle¡¯s range is longer, and her preparation time is shorter."

    "Did you see her ultimate?"

    "No."

    So far, Diane had used deterrence to gather information on Ki, so she hadn¡¯t seen her ultimate.

    Junhyuk looked at everyone.

    "What are you going to do?"

    Halo also looked at the group.

    "Not much. Before the others arrive, we should get it done."

    "If we get close, she¡¯ll kill us."

    "We can block one bullet and, after that, we should get as close as possible. However, I¡¯ll use my sh attack to give chase when Ki jumps. With the exception of the first attack, we¡¯ll need your force field."

    Junhyuk nodded.

    "I have a favor to ask."

    "What is it?"

    "Let¡¯s leave Sarang at the tower."

    Halo looked at Sarang.

    "That¡¯s a good idea."

    "I can help!" Sarang protest, and Diane put a hand on her by the shoulder.

    "Her attack¡¯s range is longer than your power¡¯s range. Even if youe, you can¡¯t help."

    Sarang looked at Junhyuk, and he also ced a hand on her shoulder.

    "Wait here. We will be back."

    "Be careful. Don¡¯t die on me."

    "Of course," he said and shifted his gaze to Halo. "Let¡¯s go."

    Halo nodded.

    "You stand at the center," he said.

    Halo stood in front of Junhyuk. Vera and Diane stood to Junhyuk¡¯s left and right. They were ready.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    Halo looked back. The minions shielded themselves and rushed forward. They would be bait for the enemy riflemen. The group ran toward the enemy tower, and Ki aimed her rifle at Halo and pulled the trigger.

    Bang!

    Junhyuk witnessed the heroes¡¯ power. They could hit bullets in the air, and Halo blocked the shot. They got closer, and as they get closer, Ki pulled out her pistols. Diane had said the pistols had a shorter range, so she drew her bow and loosened the arrow. It flew as Ki hid herself among the riflemen.

    Boom!

    The explosive arrow killed many riflemen and injured Ki. The watchtower¡¯s archers responded with arrows of their own. Even heroes couldn¡¯t ignore the archers and the rain of arrows. They were a hundred feet out, which would take three seconds to cover running.

    "Let¡¯s begin!" Halo shouted.

    Junhyukunched a force field around himself. With him at the center, everyone ran as fast as they could, including Junhyuk. Soon, they would close in on Ki. She was firing her pistols along with the archers¡¯ arrows. The pistols popped off quickly like kernels of popcorn cooking, but they were still getting closer. Junhyuk¡¯s force field blocked every attack, and finally, they got close enough for the group to attack Ki.

    Wearing her Crimson Earring, Vera cast her magic first. A fire spear flew toward Ki, and she jumped back. Her jump covered a distance of about sixty-five feet.

    Diane shot off continuously. Five arrows flew toward Ki, and she couldn¡¯t dodge all of them. She was hit by two on the shoulder and, still holding on to her pistols, she turned to retreat.

    She moved very quickly and started putting some distance between them, and Halo clicked his tongue.

    "I¡¯ll get closer," he said and used his sh attack.

    Like a lightning bolt, Halo covered the distance and attacked Ki with his sword. She managed to block it with her pistol, but she was hurt because Halo had used his power.

    Ki staggered heavily, and Vera set a fire orb behind her. Vera¡¯s fire spear, and Diane¡¯s explosive arrow traveled through the air at the same time, and Ki aimed both pistols forward. Right then, the force field ran out of time, making her pistols look even more dangerous.

    Ki¡¯s dual pistols could create shockwaves, and she swept everything from all directions with the shockwaves.

    Boom!

    Halo wasunched back, and Junhyuk rolled on the ground with him. Vera¡¯s spear was closing in, but Vera staggered with the shockwave, and Ki took advantage of that to attack her.

    Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

    Ten bullets flew toward Vera. Ki¡¯s health was nearly gone, but she was still dangerous. Diane moved quickly and loosened more arrows, but Ki jumped again and escaped. Vera had been hit and was losing consciousness.

    Junhyuk gritted his teeth. Ki was dying, but while escaping, she was inflicting an insane amount of damage.

    Ki pulled out her rifle, and Junhyuk ran toward her. Ki was a marksman. She used her pistols for her ultimate, but she used her rifle for her regr attack. However, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t handle her regr attack.

    Ki could have equipped herself to boost her attacks, and everything about it was dangerous for Junhyuk, and yet, he still stepped forward.

    Halo had been pushed back, and it seemed like Ki had the highest movement speed among heroes. Junhyuk had to chase her down, so he ran as fast as he could while Ki aimed her rifle at him.

    "You are the man I need to kill."

    The rifle¡¯s shots weren¡¯t continuous, but each bullet was dangerous. Junhyuk focused and noticed that Ki wasn¡¯t retreating. He would be able to get close.

    Bang!

    As Ki pulled the trigger, Junhyuk teleported. That move was dangerous, and Junhyuk showed up right in front of her. The teleportation range was short, so he wasn¡¯t able to teleport behind her. Instead, he trusted the information Diane had given him.

    Because Ki was using the rifle, she couldn¡¯t reload and fire fast enough. He thought he had the advantage wielding two swords, so Junhyuk attacked her. Ordinarily, Ki couldn¡¯t be killed by Junhyuk, but at that moment, it was different.

    If he delivered the right blow, she would die. So, Junhyuk shed at her as fast as possible. If he couldn¡¯t kill her, he would still keep her busy and at that ce. Diane wasn¡¯t too far away. She would join him soon enough.

    Ki realized she couldn¡¯t escape alive, so she wanted to kill Junhyuk, but his attacks didn¡¯t give her an opening to use her rifle. She used the rifle to block them, but his swords moved faster and faster. He shed her ribs and her shoulder. The damage was mounting, so she put away her rifle and grabbed a pistol with her left hand. At close range, a pistol could kill him.

    Bang!

    The pistol¡¯s muzzle zed, but Junhyuk teleported again. This time, he was behind her and he swung his swords at her neck. Even though she was a hero, she couldn¡¯t survive an attack like that. A gash opened across Ki¡¯s neck, and blood gushed out of it like a waterfall. Junhyuk pushed the Blood Rune Sword deeper into her wound.

    "Gluck!"

    As Ki started disappearing, Junhyuk whispered in her ear:

    "You knew about me, but there is something you don¡¯t know."

    Ki turned to look at him.

    "The people who tried to kill me all died and leveled down. Remember that."

    Junhyuk moved the Blood Rune Sword sideways, beheading Ki, and he sighed, relieved.

    "Destroy the tower!" Halo shouted as soon as Ki died.

    Even though he was hit by the shockwaves, he was not in danger. Halo attacked while Junhyuk picked up the leather arm warmer Ki dropped and ran toward Vera.

    Vera was mortally wounded. It would be hard for her to stay alive. Diane was standing next to her, attacking the tower. However, Diane couldn¡¯t save her. When Junhyuk arrived, she sighed.

    "Take me out of the tower¡¯s range."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk carried her, inspecting her wounds. Vera¡¯s attack was higher than her defense, and her items only increased that gap. Ki¡¯s ultimate and continuous shooting had taken a toll on her. She wasn¡¯t dead, but she would die soon.

    "Are you hurt badly?"

    "Yeah. The crazy bitch did something so that the bleeding won¡¯t stop."

    Junhyuk was suddenly scared. Ki had a very high attack, and the wound kept inflicting damage. If he were to be hit, he would die.

    They are well out of the range of the tower, and Vera activated the return. She looked at him and smiled.

    "Be careful. I¡¯ll be back soon."

    He looked at her disappearing and looked at his hands covered in her blood and thought about how dangerous his new opponents were. He trusted the allied heroes, but some of them had already died once. He had to increase his attack.

    Sarang walked over and tapped him on the shoulder.

    "Big brother."

    Junhyuk turned, and she stared at him.

    "Must you put yourself in danger?"

    "I had to kill her."

    "I know that. You have to be more careful!"

    He had dealt with a hero alone, and Sarang¡¯s heart trembled. Still, Junhyuk understood where she wasing from and gave her a hug.

    "Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t die so easily."

    Sarang was shaking slightly, and Junhyuk watched the rest of the group approach after they destroyed the tower.

    "Are you OK?"

    "I was about to ask you the same thing. You are fearless," Halo said, and Junhyuk smiled.

    "I couldn¡¯t let her get away."

    "You did well."

    Halo patted his shoulder and looked at Diane.

    "We should go to the dimensional merchant."

    "Are we not giving the others a hand?" Diane asked, and Halo nodded, sheathed his sword and looked at her purposefully.

    "We can¡¯t continue like this."

    "True. I meant to go to Bebe¡¯s as well," she yawned and pped Junhyuk¡¯s butt. "Let¡¯s go."

    Junhyuk wanted to ask her if her hand hurt after pping his armor.

 Chapter 96: New Power 2

    Chapter 96: New Power 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Bebe noticed Junhyuk being back so soon and smiled at him.

    "What happened to Vera?"

    "Vera returned."

    Bebe nodded.

    "It¡¯s lucky that she wasn¡¯t killed."

    Halo walked over to Bebe.

    "I need the Wind God Bracelet."

    Bebe stared at him nkly.

    "Really? It costs two hundred and fifty thousand gold?"

    "I¡¯ve been saving to get it."

    Halo pulled out two items from his chest and extended his hand. Bebe pushed his te forward, and Halo looked at his sum. Bebe smiled.

    "You have enough. Are you buying it?"

    "Correct."

    "It¡¯s a good thing you are getting it. Does thatplete your set?"

    "I can¡¯t buy expensive items that fast!"

    "Yeah, set items cost too much."

    Bebeughed a little, and from under the counter, he pulled out a small box and opened it. A cutting wind rose out of the opening.

    Halo rarely smiled, but he did this time.

    "Now, I¡¯ve got it."

    He put the bracelet on and shed his sword lightly through the air. Gusts howled from the de.

    "Is that a set item?" Junhyuk asked.

    "Yes. I haven¡¯t collected all of the items in the set, but it¡¯s more effective now. Now, I can fight," Halo said, and Junhyuk trusted him.

    Halo looked at Diane, and she stepped forward and pulled out two items as well.

    "You got the Moonlight Quiver?"

    "You want it?"

    "It would be the greatest help."

    "It costs three hundred thousand gold. you know?"

    "I know."

    Junhyuk thought those items were extremely expensive, and Diane paid and picked up the quiver. She girded it around her waist and pulled an arrow from it. The arrow looked ordinary before, but now it had a soothing moonlight glow. She nocked it on her bow and smiled.

    "I am expecting something special."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know much, but he knew they¡¯d been saving up to buy those items, and Vera had also paid a lot for her item. Then, Bebe turned to look at Junhyuk.

    "Do you want something else as well?"

    "Wait a second."

    He hadn¡¯t inspected the item he picked up, so he did it then.

    ---

    Wind Lizard¡¯s Leather Arm Warmer

    Defense +15

    Attack Speed +10%

    Poison Damage +20

    Made out of a wind lizard¡¯s skin, this arm warmer increases defense by fifteen and attack speed by 10 percent. It also increases poison damage by twenty. It was made by hand.

    ---

    Junhyuk was really surprised by the buffs.

    "Isn¡¯t this really good?" he asked.

    "They are more advanced than we are, so their items should be of a higher quality. It would be very expensive," Halo said after inspecting it.

    Junhyuk was curious about the price and gave the Wind Lizard¡¯s Arm Warmer to Bebe.

    "How much is this?"

    Bebe checked it out and answered, "It¡¯s a good item... It¡¯s normally a hundred thousand gold. If you are selling it, I¡¯ll give you fifty thousand gold."

    Junhyuk measured his options. With the fifty thousand gold, he could upgrade his Blood Rune Sword a 7th time.

    "Think about it first. If you won¡¯t use it, you should sell it," Halo said, worrying about him.

    He understood the power of the Wind Lizard¡¯s Leather Arm Warmer. It increased attack speed and defense and added some fixed damage that would go through his enemy¡¯s defense.

    He was still thinking about it when Diane asked, "If you are keeping it, will you engrave it?"

    "Yes."

    "You¡¯ll have to get naked."

    Junhyuk sighed.

    "I¡¯m thinking about this seriously. Don¡¯t joke."

    "I¡¯m not joking."

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "I¡¯ll keep it."

    He could get fifty thousand gold for it, but he thought about it and he would be losing the same amount by letting it go. He also liked the buffs.

    So, he turned to Bebe.

    "Engrave it for me."

    "Where do you want it?"

    Engravings left him with tattoo marks. He didn¡¯t want anybody seeing them, so he wanted it some ce where people couldn¡¯t see.

    "Can¡¯t you engrave it over the same spot of a previous engraving?"

    "You mean aplex engraving."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know about that.

    "Is that possible?"

    "It¡¯s possible, but it¡¯s a difficult job, so the price is doubled."

    "So, eachplex engraving is two thousand gold?

    "Correct."

    Previously, he wouldn¡¯t have paid that much, but now he had some money and he didn¡¯t want tattoos covering his entire body. So, he chose to get theplex engraving.

    Junhyuk ced his hand on the te. He had 12,240G from his contribution in killing Jean Clo.

    "Do you just want the Wind Lizard¡¯s Leather Arm Warmer engraved?"

    "No. This one as well."

    He handed over the Dark Night Cloak, and Bebe smiled.

    "There is a limit of three forplex engravings."

    "Then, do it twice over here."

    He wanted to do it inside his left wrist. He paid, and the four thousand gold were subtracted, leaving him with 8,240G.

    Junhyuk felt awkward when Bebe took off his armor. He was naked and instinctively covered his butt with his hands.

    p!

    He was able to block Diane¡¯s hand that was about to p him. Still covering his butt, he red at her.

    "Stop it."

    "By the way, you forgot to cover your privates."

    "What?!"

    He was only covering his rear and not the front.

    "Big brother!"

    Junhyuks was about to turn around when Sarang covered her eyes with her hands. Junhyuk covered his front with the countertop by pushing himself against it and kept covering his rear with his hands.

    "Do it quickly!"

    "Right."

    Bebeughed and engraved both shapes on his wrist. It didn¡¯t take a long time, and Junhyuk wondered about having to pay twice as much for it. Diane was looking at his butt, and Sarang was looking at him naked. After being engraved, he quickly summoned the ck armor and looked at Diane. She wasughing hard.

    "We arete. Let¡¯s move!" Junhyuk said. He didn¡¯t want to argue with Diane and looked at Halo instead and asked, "Where are we going?"

    "The heroes are gathering on Arn. Vera is joining him. We should join him as well."

    "OK."

    Halo took the lead, and Junhyuk followed him. They headed to where Arn and Bater were fighting each other. They had taken the 1st tower, but if the enemy was there, they would be attacking their tower.

    Vera was alsoing, so the allies would have five people there. If the enemy heroes weren¡¯t all there, the allies would have the numerical superiority.

    The allies might lose other towers, but killing enemy heroes would work out the best, so the group moved quickly. The worst oue would be if Arn and Nudra got killed before they got there.

    ---

    The group moved diligently and reached Arn and Nudra. They were next to a tower, watching the enemy. It was a good thing that Vera was also already there. If not, they would have lost the tower.

    They were being attacked by Bater, Regina, Doctor T and Adolphe. Adolphe was attacking, but they were within Vera¡¯s range, and she was casting her magic. If the enemy attacked in full force, the allies might have been pushed back.

    The enemy was keeping their distance, and Regina had her pistols out. They could be preparing to push, but they might also just be waiting for someone else.

    Junhyuk looked at Halo.

    "They are waiting for someone."

    "It looks that way."

    The enemy had lost the 1st tower and couldn¡¯t get it reinforced. If the allies attacked, they might abandon their own tower. The enemy hadn¡¯t spotted them yet. If they had, they would have attacked. Halo, Diane, Junhyuk and Sarang were about to join them.

    Halo nodded, pulled out a marble and closed his eyes. He was telling the others they were there. His eyes opened a momentter.

    "Arn will move first. When the enemy engages him, we will attack them from behind."

    Junhyuk nodded. It was dangerous, but he still had to do it. If Arn got killed, there would be nothing to be done, but they went with the n.

    Arn and Nudra stepped forward, but Bater and hispany moved back. Still, the enemy heroes wanted to fight.

    As they retreated, Halo said, "Sarang will join us this time. Junhyuk!"

    "Yes?"

    "Stay with her, and if she is in danger teleport her away."

    Junhyuk nodded heavily. They could use Sarang¡¯s power. The allied heroes were powerful, but theyck powers to restrain or paralyze the enemy. However, the enemy was different. To deal with them, Sarang would be needed.

    Arn was far from the tower when Bater moved. Bater, their strongest hero, took the lead, and the other enemy heroes followed him. If they got within range, they would have a bigger problem. At that point, they were just feeling each other out, but the enemies had the power to close the distance very quickly.

    If they restrained the allies, they could kill an allied hero very quickly with their firepower. The allies also started moving.

    Halo had the same thought and said, "We should get closer." He looked at Diane and added, "We must attack first, before the enemy does."

    "Don¡¯t worry."

    Halo nodded and ran. Diane ran after him, and Junhyuk and Sarang followed her. If possible, they wanted to win the team battle, but at the very least, Sarang had to survive.

    The enemies saw Halo approaching from the rear, and Bater shouted, "Follow the n!"

    Bater rushed toward Arn. Regina dashed at high speed, and Adolphe and Doctor T followed her. They used all of their might to catch Arn andpany.

    "I will attack first," Halo said.

    After he spoke, he increased his movement speed. Halo was on high gear, and Junhyuk watched him go. His speed had increased 60 percent from his regr speed.

    He did not catch up with Bater and Regina, but he got to Doctor T and Adolphe. Junhyuk frowned. Doctor T and Adolphe could tie up their enemies, and had significant attack powers. Halo could be in real danger.

    As Halo closed in, Adolphe stabbed the ground with his mechanical sword andunched his boomerang. Halo tried to hit the boomerang with his sword, but it was not something you could hit, so he was paralyzed, and Doctor T advanced. Adolphe lifted his mechanical sword up high, and Junhyuk grabbed Diane¡¯s shoulder and teleported himself closer.

    Diane, who had also been teleported, was within range to attack the enemy. She took out five arrows at the same time and nocked them.

    "You did good. I will give you a spankingter."

    After she said that, the five arrows flew toward Adolphe and T doctor.

 Chapter 97: New Power 3

    Chapter 97: New Power 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    It was the first time he was seeing arrows glowing with moonlight. He was curious about the damage they would inflict, and Adolphe and Doctor T became their first targets.

    Doctor T was about to use the methrower on Halo, and Adolphe was running while carrying his mechanical sword. They were both hit by the moonlit arrows and staggered backward.

    Doctor T was hit on the right arm, and Adolphe was hit on his thigh. They both looked to be in great pain, and Diane readied another shot.

    "It was worth the price," she said.

    Diane shot another five arrows. They zoomed through the air in a row, and Doctor T lifted his legs. He blocked three arrows, but two arrows still hit him on the chest.

    "Ugh!" He moaned, in pain, and staggered farther back.

    She had used her power and not just an ordinary attack, and it inflicted extraordinary damage. Dianeughed a little and pulled on her bowstring again.

    "Deathblows delivery!"

    Junhyuk could guess at what she meant. Diane carried items with high attack that inflicted fatal injuries. She shot some more moonlit arrows, and Doctor T used his front legs to block. He couldn¡¯t block arrows shot with her powers, but he could block ordinary attacks. After blocking, heunched a spider web at her in response.

    Diane was tied up by the sudden spider web. She couldn¡¯t let go of her bow, but Halo was able to move again. He was already close to the enemy, so he used his lighting sh attack.

    The lighting sh attack was also different. As Halo moved, wind waspressed into the sword and, as he shed Doctor T¡¯s ribs, the wind was dpressed, opening a gash where the sword passed.

    Doctor T looked at himself bleeding and asked, ""What kind of damage is this?"

    In fact, Doctor T didn¡¯t have a lot of health. Compared to the other heroes, he had high attack and the ability to tie people up, which made him dangerous, but when attacked, he was not different from the other heroes.

    Diane¡¯s attack had delivered a massive blow, and Halo¡¯s attack was also very strong. Doctor T was about to die, so he used his methrower. The strong mes engulfed Halo, and the fire inflicted persistent damage. Halo wasn¡¯t tied up, so he wasn¡¯t hurt badly. If he had been, he would be in critical condition.

    Halo still had some fire on him when he jumped and swung his sword.

    The sword shed Doctor T¡¯s body, and his chest bled profusely. By the look of the amount of blood spilled, Halo¡¯s new item opened up injuries and made them bleed.

    Doctor T staggered, and Adolphe rushed after Diane. With his mechanical sword, Adolphe shed Diane¡¯s chest. She was paralyzed, and he lifted the mechanical sword up high. If he attacked with his sword, she could die.

    Junhyuk grabbed Diane¡¯s shoulder and teleported away. Adolphe mmed his sword down.

    Crack, crack, crack, crack!

    Adolphe¡¯s sword crushed the ground up to thirty-three feet way, but Junhyuk could teleport a distance of forty-three feet. He saw the crushed ground ten feet in front of him and sighed.

    Adolphe saw his power hadn¡¯t worked and rushed toward Diane again. He knew Diane had low defense and wanted to bring her to an end. However, Junhyuk stood in front of the rushing Adolphe. Since he was a champion, his attack was certainly higher than Junhyuk¡¯s. His powers were strong, and his ordinary attack also looked powerful.

    Still, if Junhyuk didn¡¯t stop him, Diane would die, and he couldn¡¯t let that happen.

    He had to hold him for just a moment. Whenever Diane could move again, she would kill that champion easily.

    They both used their powers. Junhyuk walked toward Adolphe, and Adolphe looked at him andughed.

    "I heard you have useful powers."

    He attacked with his mechanical sword, and Junhyuk dodged to the side. Adolphe twisted his waist and swung again. It all happened too suddenly, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t really escape.

    Adolphe¡¯s sword shed through the empty air. Junhyuk had been attacked, but he looked like a shadow. Adolphe¡¯s eyes widened, and Junhyuk smiled. That was the power of the Dark Night Cloak. Junhyuk had escaped, and he swung his swords at Adolphe, who blocked with his mechanical sword.

    However, Junhyuk had been practicing his swordsmanship, and with three continued swings, he shed Adolphe¡¯s thigh.

    Adolphe had already been hurt by Diane¡¯s arrow, and he couldn¡¯t really find his footing. The important thing was that Junhyuk had shed him with the Frozen Rune Sword, and Adolphe frowned.

    Adolphe realized he was debuffed. He was moving slower, and Junhyuk¡¯s attacks became faster. He tries to block, but he was shed five more times.

    The debuff was stacked three times.

    Junhyuk thought he had done enough and hit Adolphe¡¯s sword as he stepped back. Adolphe ran toward him, but was hit by five arrows in a row.

    Adolphe covered his weak spots, but Diane didn¡¯t aim for them.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck, thuck, thuck!

    "Ugh!"

    The five arrows hit him on the leg without the previous injury. With five arrows in one thigh, Adolphe stared at Diane, but she was slowly loosening another arrow.

    "That hurt."

    The arrow flew, but Adolphe blocked it.

    Boom!

    It had been an explosive arrow. As Adolphe blocked it, another arrow flew through the air and prated his neck.

    "Arrgh!"

    Adolphe started disappearing, and Diane ran and said, "Junhyuk, follow me!"

    She knew Junhyuk hadn¡¯t used his force field and ran with him.

    Halo had already killed Doctor T. He was hit by the methrower, but the damage had been minimal. Diane had killed Adolphe, so the allies had the advantage.

    Halo took the lead, and Diane, Junhyuk and Sarang followed him. Sarang was runningst, and Junhyuk frowned.

    Bater was rushing against Arn and stomping the ground. His attacks covered long distances and inflicted heavy damage, and Regina was also on the move.

    Regina¡¯s speed was amazing, and she swung down her cuss on Vera. Vera was in danger.

    Nudra kicked Regina, pushing her back. He tossed Regina toward Halo and Diane.

    Halo used the lighting sh attack on her back. The attack opened a gash on her back, and it started to bleed, so she turned and shot her gun at Halo.

    Boom!

    He was hit by buckshot and staggered. Regina ignored Halo, and at max speed, she moved toward Vera.

    Bater was fighting Nudra and Arn, and Regina was trying to kill Vera. That seemed to be their n. Their original n called for Doctor T and Adolphe to join them. They had meant to kill all three heroes by using their great attack powers. However, Doctor T and Adolphe were dead, so Bater was dealing with Nudra and Arn, and Regina was dealing with Vera.

    Regina was moving at great speed, shooting her pistol at Vera. Vera dodged the bullets and quickly set a fire orb in Regina¡¯s path. Regina slid away from the fire orb, but a firewall appeared in front of her. She had nowhere to go, and Vera threw a fire spear.

    Boom, boom!

    Regina was hit with the fire spear and staggered to hit the fire orb. Vera had upgraded her equipment, and her damage had increased, but Regina was not dead yet. She looked at Vera, lifting her eyepatch. It was a new power. Vera turned into a big rock.

    Petrification.

    Regina walked up to Vera and swung her cuss and shot her pistol.

    a-chink! Bang, bang, bang!

    Nudraunched a strong gust and pushed Regina back, but Bater rushed in.

    Boom!

    Vera was a big rock, and she broke into small pieces. She had been out of range of Junhyuk¡¯s force field, and Arn looked at Vera dying and ran toward Regina.

    From behind her, Halo jumps toward her. Regina spun and shot her pistols.

    Bang, bang, bang, bang!

    Arn and Halo had to find safe spots from her bullets. Her pistol attacks had the power to push people back.

    After seeing the petrification power, they knew all of Regina¡¯s powers, but she was quite dangerous. She was trying to retreat when five arrows flew toward her. Regina attempted to dodge them quickly, but was still hit on the shoulder and chest.

    She had already lost a lot of health because of Vera, and the two arrows delivered the deathblows.

    Regina turned grey, and Bater smacked his lips. They were losing. Bater inspected the field and then ran toward Diane.

    The other heroes saw Bater running toward her.

    Nudra jumped and downward kicked Bater¡¯s head. Only Bater remained, so he used his ultimate. Bater used both arms to block Nudra¡¯s attack, but was stuck knee deep into the ground.

    Arn and Halo ran toward Bater. At close range, only they could deal with Bater. Both had health, so they could attack Bater without dying. They were both attacking when Bater stomped the ground. They were both within range, and the ground shook and staggered them.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    Bater stomped three times, damaging them heavily. Meanwhile, Diane shot at him. Bater was stuck to the ground, and it was too easy for her to hit him with her arrows. The Moonlight Quiver also added extra damage.

    Even Bater couldn¡¯t ignore the injuries he received.

    Junhyuk was standing behind Diane. They were still not sure about the enemy¡¯s powers, so he was ready to use his force field at any time.

    Diane shot again, just to make sure. Her attacks were deadly, and Bater extended his fist toward her. There were about eighty-two feet between them, and Bater couldn¡¯t rush because he was knee-deep in the ground.

    Diane opened her eyes slightly and let go of her bowstring. That attack should kill him, and Bater also knew that. Then, steam came out of Bater¡¯s arms and the mechanical fists shot off.

    "Rocket punches?"

    They had to move. Junhyuk created a force field around Diane. The force field was covering Diane, Junhyuk and Sarang when it was hit by the fists.

    Boom!

    The force field was pushed back thirty-three feet. It was the first time the force field had travelled that far, and they turned to look at Bater.

    He was hit by the arrow and was disappearing. Their tensions loosened.

 Chapter 98: New Power 4

    Chapter 98: New Power 4

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The group gathered around the spot where Bater was disappearing, and Arn sighed.

    "Their ultimates are scary," he said.

    Junhyuk nodded in agreement.

    "The petrifaction was a surprise, but thatst rocket punch was shocking!"

    "What¡¯s a rocket?" Arn asked, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t know how to answer him.

    "We have something called a rocket. In any event, it¡¯s something very powerful."

    "Right. The entire force field was pushed back very far. Vera and Diane could have been instantly killed by it," Arn said and continued. "Anyway, did we just gain the advantage?"

    Junhyuk had a sudden thought, "They were waiting for someone toe!"

    As he finished speaking, they heard a loud gun noise.

    Bang!

    Junhyuk, who was holding Sarang¡¯s head, turned his head to look and saw Ki holding her rifle.

    "Diane!" Arn shouted and turned.

    Diane was bleeding from the middle of her forehead and started disappearing. She had already lost a lot of health from Adolphe¡¯s attack, and Ki had shot her weak spot. It was a fatal blow, and she had no other choice but to die.

    Junhyuk stood in front of Sarang and said, "They were waiting for those two."

    Ki and Jean Cloe out of the forest. Their n had been to gather the five of them and push the allies back. Junhyuk looked around.

    "We are at a disadvantage!"

    "We are three. They are two."

    "But we are all hurt." Arn frowned, and Junhyuk continued, "Let¡¯s go back to the tower."

    Halo agreed with him, "He is right. Without Diane, we should retreat until we can use the force field again. Then, we can rush and catch them."

    Arn thought for a moment and nodded.

    "Let¡¯s go back."

    Arn, Halo, Nudra and Junhyuk stood in front of Sarang. They could all deflect ordinary bullets. As they were retreating, Jean CLo ran toward them. Jean Clo knew that he couldn¡¯t let them get to the tower. Ki was also running, with her rifle in tow. Considering its range, she could kill any one of them at any minute. Junhyuk looked at Jean Clo and gritted his teeth. He had to retreat.

    "Everybody, hold on to me!"

    Everyone touched him, and Junhyuk teleported with everyone on him and escaped before Jean Clo got to him.

    Jean Clo watched as they got away, tapped his steel jaw and said, "Nothing will change."

    He would use his ultimate to chase them to the tower, and Ki would support him, making it difficult for them to escape. The allies had lost a lot of health already, and it was possible they might all die.

    To reverse the situation, Junhyuk thought he had to do something, even if it might not be easy. Ki and Jean Clo knew the allies werecking a long-ranged hero and approached. Behind them were riflemen. Junhyuk looked at them, and Jean Clo smiled.

    "You shoulde out. I¡¯ll show you what will happen if you stay in there."

    Ki positioned herself while she held her rifle. She pulled the trigger.

    Bang!

    There was a loud noise, and Junhyuk looked at the tower. An archer on the tower was dead.

    "I knew her range was long, but not this long," Junhyuk said and frowned. He looked at the others, and they were looking at Ki.

    "As soon as your force field is ready, we attack her."

    "What about Jean Clo?"

    Halo shook his head.

    "Ki does more damage. Jean Clo is strong, but he can¡¯t kill us with one blow."

    Arn nodded and said, "Jean Clo... I will deal with him."

    Halo nodded.

    "Be careful. If he catches you, it could get dangerous."

    "I¡¯ve already heard." Arn said and looked at Junhyuk. "Are you ready?"

    Junhyuk nodded, and Arn told Sarang, "Don¡¯te out until Ki is dead. You will help when we kill Jean Clo."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk also agreed with the suggestion.

    "Make sure Jean Clo can¡¯t use his ultimate. He won¡¯t use it at the start."

    "Trust me."

    Jean Clo would use his ultimate when his health was low, so they would use Sarang to finish him off. Everyone nodded, and thest archer fell from the tower and died. There was no meaning to the tower anymore.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    Arn and Halo took the lead, and Nudra ran after them. Junhyuk wasst.

    "Wait until she uses her power," Arn whispered.

    The distance was shortening, and Ki sat and readied herself. Jean Clo was in front of her and extended both of his arms. He was squatting, and it looked like he was finished getting ready. Junhyuk stared hard at Ki. He needed to stop her from shooting. The damage she inflicted with her attack was high, so he was very nervous. Then, Ki pulled the trigger.

    Bang!

    Junhyuk made a force field. The bullet bounced off of it, and Arnunched a saber at her. Ki jumped back, trying to escaped. While the force field was up, there was nothing she could do. She retreated, and Halo looked at Junhyuk.

    "Go after her!"

    Everyone touched Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder, and he teleported. They covered forty-three feet, and Halo boosted his movement speed by 60 percent and left the force field.

    Jean Clo rushed toward him, but Arn went after Jean Clo. Right when Jean Clo was about to attack, Arn swung his saber at his ribs. He stopped chasing Halo and tried to punch Arn instead.

    Jean Clo was very skilled with his arms, and Arn had to take a step back. However, Jean Clo had more tricks up his sleeves. He rushed toward Arn, but Junhyuk moved quickly to intercept and put the force field around him and Arn.

    "Right. I have to kill you first," Jean Clo said, staring at Junhyuk.

    Arn looked at Junhyuk once and jumped. He kept Jean Clo upied so that Jean Clo couldn¡¯t go give Ki support. Arn went in and out of the force field quick-attacking Jean Clo.

    Halo and Nudra closed in on Ki. She was now handling both pistols and started shooting.

    Bang!

    She pushed both of them back, re-equipped her rifle and pulled the trigger.

    Bang!

    Without the backing of a power, the bullets could be stopped.

    Jean Clo attacked Halo. His rush had a short cooldown, and once close, he grabbed Halo, who was trying to defend himself against the bullets. He held Halo by the neck and lifted him up. He was attempting a chokem.

    Junhyuk ran to them, but the force field disappeared.

    Boom!

    Jean Clo mmed Halo against the ground, and Ki¡¯s rifle fire hit and pierced Halo¡¯s belly. The enemy was working in unison. Ki was trying to help Jean Clo finish Halo off, so Nudra decided to attack her. She saw Nudra approaching, and she retreated, still shooting her pistols.

    She jumped, and Nudra tried to block her shots but was badly hurt. Before Halo got up, Jean Clo grabbed his leg with his arms and started spinning. Because of the motion, no one could get close.

    "The Giant Swing?"

    If Jean Clounched him, Halo would die from the impact. However, no one could get close to him while Jean Clo was spinning.

    Arn knew what to do and attacked Ki. He couldn¡¯t help Halo, but he could kill Ki, so both him and Nudra went after her.

    While they attacked Ki, Junhyuk thought of a way to help Halo. Then, a lightning bolt zoomed by and hit Jean Clo, leaving him paralyzed. Halo was still being held by the legs, but he shed both of Jean Clo¡¯s arms, which bled profusely. Then, Halo stabbed him on the neck. As Halo¡¯s sword pierced his neck, Jean Clo started moving again, so he threw Halo away and prepared to use his ultimate.

    A neck injury usually meant death, and Halo had a new item equipped that opened the wound even more. Jean Clo bled heavily and tried to use his ultimate instinctively. However, Sarang was faster. She fired another bolt, and he was paralyzed again. That¡¯s when Junhyuk jumped at him.

    Before he used his ultimate, Junhyuk had to kill him. Halo was thrown far away, so Junhyuk was the only one close enough. He wielded both of his swords and pushed them into the wound on Jean Clo¡¯s neck.

    It might have worked since Jean Clo¡¯s wound was already very wide, but Jean Clo¡¯s eyes widened and he said, "Bye, bye."

    Junhyuk tried to widen the wound even further, but Jean Clo was able to move again. He used his ultimate. A hero would have killed him, but Junhyuk couldn¡¯t do it in one attack. Junhyuk had walked into danger. Jean Clo¡¯s wound started healing quickly, and Junhyuk teleported away. Jean Clo¡¯s hands got close, and Junhyuk was almost killed.

    Jean Clo was going berserk. Halo was in serious danger, and he had lost most of his health. If he got grabbed, he would die.

    Junhyuk had used all of his powers. He couldn¡¯t help anyone with anything, so he went over to Sarang. However, Jean Clo went to help Ki instead of going after Halo. He grabbed Nudra by the waist and threw him in the air.

    No one could tell which side would win. Junhyuk was waiting for the cooldown to end and looked at Sarang.

    "Why did you interfere?"

    "I had to save Halo."

    She had done well. She had paralyzed Jean Clo, but Junhyuk wasn¡¯t able to finish him off. This was not Sarang¡¯s fault but Junhyuk¡¯s own shorings.

    Halo got up and went back to join the fight. Everyone had lost health, but the fight had to continue. If not, they would all be killed.

    Junhyuk and Sarang couldn¡¯t help. Nudra was thrown to the ground, and Arn¡¯s saber shed Ki¡¯s ribs. Halo looked for Jean Clo, but Jean Clo¡¯s blue glow had stopped. He grabbed Arn and choke mmed him to the ground, but Halo stabbed his ribs. Then, Jean Clo did something unexpected. He grabbed Ki by the waist andunched her. She flew over all of the heroes toward Junhyuk and Sarang.

    While airborne, she shot her pistols without hesitation. Junhyuk frowned while retreating. She wasn¡¯t aiming just for him. So, he hugged Sarang and was hit in the back by three bullets. The bullets pierced the ck armor easily, and Junhyuk vomited blood.

    Sarang stared at him with her big eyes.

    "Big brother?"

    Junhyuk was still hugging her and said, "Don¡¯t die."

    Bang, bang, bang, bang!

    He was hit again. Junhyuk knew he was dying. The bullets hadn¡¯t hit a weak spot, but he would die soon.

    Junhyuk looked back, and Halo attacked Ki with his lightning sh. She jumped away and dodged, thinking that Junhyuk would die soon.

    Junhyuk was dying, but the important thing was that Sarang was still alive. Her big eyes were quivering, and he touched her cheek.

    "Stay alive. We¡¯ll see each other soon."

    "No, don¡¯t! Big brother!"

    Junhyuk felt the world turning ck, and Sarang¡¯s voice hit his ears like a hammer.

    "Big brother!"

    There was a long shout, and a warm body enveloped his body.

 Chapter 99: Fishing 1

    Chapter 99: Fishing 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk was regaining consciousness. He opened his eyes, extremely surprised. Sarang was holding his helmet with both of her hands, and her eyes opened wide.

    "Big brother, are you OK?"

    "Yes. What happened?"

    He was staring at her in disbelief, and she was hugging him and crying.

    "It¡¯s a miracle! A miracle!."

    If Junhyuk had died, there wouldn¡¯t be anything strange about that. However, he had regained his health, and the continuous damage had also disappeared. Suddenly, he realized what had happened.

    "Did you just get a new power?"

    Sarang nodded.

    "It¡¯s a miracle! I was able to save your life."

    Junhyuk looked to the battlefield. Ki had been attacked by Halo and was pushed back. Now, she was aiming her rifle at him again. She saw that Junhyuk was still alive and was preparing to attack, but Junhyuk hugged Sarang and teleported.

    Bang!

    Ki¡¯s rifle fired, but Junhyuk and Sarang had already escaped. Sarang had to be saved no matter what the cost. Even if she had activated a new power, she would only get an extra life with the start of the next round. Right now, she was still progressing to expert.

    Junhyuk stood in front of her and asked, "What is the cooldown time of your new power?"

    "One minute."

    They had to know for sure what kind of power she had. He had been dying, and she saved him. It was a type of healing power, and maybe she could save the heroes too. Halo was badly injured. He had been hit by the buckshot, willing to sacrifice his own life to save them.

    They had dodged Ki¡¯s rifle, and Ki pulled out her pistols. Junhyuk and Sarang couldn¡¯t kill her unless somethingpletely unbelievable happened. So, she thought it was better to get rid of Halo first. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t very far away.

    The truth was that Halo¡¯s health was almost gone. If he were hit by a power attack, he would be killed, and Junhyuk decided he had to save him. Jean Clo had regained all of this health, and Arn and Nudra looked to be in serious danger. They couldn¡¯t help Halo.

    "Sarang, when the cooldown is over, use your power on Halo."

    After he said that, Junhyuk started running, and Ki turned to look at him. Her main target was still Junhyuk. Halo could reincarnate, but experts were different. She only had to kill him twice. So far, she had killed many experts who all had different powers. Considering all of the experts she has killed, Junhyuk had the most skill in battle, so she had to kill him.

    After killing him, she would kill Sarang because she had just gotten a new power. Sarang had saved Junhyuk from dying, which meant she had a high ranking power. Heroes only regained a little health by drinking potions, but it was a different story when they got healed by powers.

    So, Ki ran toward Junhyuk. Halo was almost dead, but he also took off to help him. Junhyuk looked at Halo and then at Ki. Her pistol¡¯s range was longer than the range he could cover with his swords. He could teleport one more time, but he wasn¡¯t sure how long he wouldst.

    As soon as Junhyuk got within her range, he dove sideways.

    Bang, bang, bang, bang!

    The shots almost hit him, but the bullets bounced off the ground, and he knew he had to buy more time. If Halo got healed, he would kill Ki. Halo had a new item, and he could inflict way more damage than before.

    Halo couldn¡¯t use his lightning sh attack yet, but he was ready to attack at any moment from outside of her pistol¡¯s range. Ki was surrounded by Junhyuk and Halo, and both were outside of her range.

    She couldn¡¯t jump at that point, so both sides were waiting for their cooldowns to end.

    Arn and Nudra were also at low health, but they could deal with Jean Clo. Jean Clo couldn¡¯ty a finger on either of them.

    On Junhyuk¡¯s side, both teams were checking each other out. Then, Sarang extended her arms. Halo was circling Ki and approached Sarang. Sarang¡¯s hands gave off a green-colored light, and from above Halo¡¯s head, green-colored powder started falling on him. His wounds were quickly healed.

    Ki ran toward Halo, shooting at him. It was a chaotic attack, but Halo blocked the bullets with his sword and used his lighting sh attack. He closed in on Ki and shed her ribs. Ki jumped in Sarang¡¯s direction, but Halo jumped in the same direction with her and attacked her in midair.

    Ki was bleeding heavily and was about to shoot at Sarang, but she countered, paralyzing Ki. Still in the air, Halo cut Ki¡¯s arm off. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t have done it, but Halo, being a hero, was different. He hadn¡¯t used his power on hisst attack, but he was still able to injure her badly.

    Before hitting the ground, Halo swung his sword three times, and Ki dropped to the ground covered in blood. She could move again, but Halo didn¡¯t let up. Blood spurted out of her neck, and she dropped. She started disappearing, and Junhyuk felt relieved. The allies now had the advantage. With Ki gone, they were up three to one.

    Jean Clo was holding on to Nudra and was spinning in midair.

    "Nudra!" Junhyuk shouted, but he couldn¡¯t save him.

    Boom!

    Nudra was on the ground, fading, and Junhyuk smacked his lips. Three had be two. However, Halo had regained his health, and he turned to Junhyuk.

    "We will take care of him."

    He ran and attacked, but Jean Clo blocked by using his arms. Jean Clo¡¯s elbow was cut and bleeding, and Arn jumped and attacked him from behind. In Jean Clo¡¯s position, it was better for him to attack Arn than attack Halo, who had regained his health. If he killed Arn, they wouldn¡¯t lose by a lot.

    Junhyuk watched Jean Clo pick up Arn. Arn shed his ribs, but Jean Clo still kept his grip on Arn¡¯s neck and lifted him up. He was about to chokem Arn when Halo rushed at him swinging his sword. Jean Clo lost his arm.

    He couldn¡¯t chokem with one arm and, instead, he hit Arn with his shoulder. However, Arn rolled on the ground and stood up again.

    Halo stabbed Jean Clo in the back. The sword pierced his torso and came out through his chest. Jean Clo couldn¡¯t scream, but he opened his mouth, and Halo spoke to him instead, "You lost."

    Halo pulled his sword out, and Jean Clo was left badly cut. He was bleeding like a waterfall, but he turned around and grabbed Halo¡¯s head. Jean Clo¡¯s gigantic hands were around Halo¡¯s face, but Halo looked rxed. Jean Clo had already lost his health and started to disappear.

    He died slowly. Halo swung his sword to clean the blood off of it and turned to Arn. Arn got up and was walking over when Sarang extended her arms, and the green powder dropped on him.

    He was healed and eximed in excitement, "That¡¯s an unbelievable healing power!"

    "How much were you healed for?"

    Junhyuk had a low health pool, but heroes were different. Their health pools were at a different level. Arn moved around and looked at Halo.

    "How about you?"

    "The continuous damage is gone, and I got healed for 30 percent of my health."

    "Right. I regained about 25 percent."

    Arn looked at Sarang. Her eyes were puffy from crying.

    "This healing power could give Vera and Diane half of their healths back," he told her.

    When heroes were at full health, they didn¡¯t die easily, but the allies who dealt the most damage had lower health pools. If she could give them half of their healths back, they could keep attacking the enemies for a much longer time. It was almost like Vera and Diane would have two lives.

    Arn continued, "But the enemy knows about your power now. You are not an expert yet, so you should try your best to stay alive." Then, he turned to Junhyuk, "If possible don¡¯t step in during a fight. Use the teleportations and the force field. We¡¯ll do the rest.

    Junhyuk could only attack Ki and Regina. If he attacked the rest of them, he would only be able to deal minimal damage. He hadn¡¯t been able to kill Jean Clo even when Jean Clo was seriously hurt.

    "What do we do now?" He asked Arn.

    Arn looked at Halo and said, "We will open this road. I will go to Bebe, and you take these two and destroy the 2nd tower."

    "OK. Where are we going after the 2nd tower?"

    Arn thought about it and answered, "To the dragon. If we can kill a dragon without them knowing, we will have the advantage in the next team battle."

    "Right. See youter."

    Junhyuk and Sarang followed Halo, and Sarang asked him, "You are notpletely healed, yet?"

    "When we start attacking the tower, I will have regained all of my health."

    They would get the minions to do the job, and the heroes wouldn¡¯t be in danger, so Sarang carefully made him another question, "I want to practice using my power. Is that OK?"

    Halo rarely smiled, but he did this time.

    "If it means regaining my health, go ahead."

    Sarang nodded and extended her hands. The warm, green-colored powder surrounded Halo, and he inspected himself.

    "Still 30 percent."

    Sarang nodded and looked at Junhyuk.

    "What about you?"

    "I¡¯mpletely healed."

    She smiled.

    "Good. If you are not dead, I¡¯ll save you."

    Junhyuk caressed her head.

    "Remember, you¡¯re the priority. You have to survive this round."

    "I know. You¡¯ll protect me!"

    "I will, but it¡¯s up to you to save yourself. If necessary, when I die, just run. OK?"

    She looked at him and smiled.

    "I¡¯m not sure I can do that, but I¡¯ll try."

 Chapter 100: Fishing 2

    Chapter 100: Fishing 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    It didn¡¯t take long for them to destroy the 2nd tower. The enemy minions were riflemen, so the allied minions kept their shields up while rushing in, and Junhyuk took the lead, dealing with the enemy minions. It was over quickly.

    The riflemen¡¯s attacks couldn¡¯t prate Bebe¡¯s ck Armor, so it was easy for him to deal with them. By the time they had finished killing the minions and destroying the watchtower, reinforcements hadn¡¯t arrived yet.

    The enemy heroes would reincarnate, and they would surely return to fight again, so the allies moved fast. They were going to the Dragon¡¯s Valley. Once they arrived at the valley¡¯s entrance, they met with the others.

    "Did you buy anything?" Halo asked Arn.

    Arn frowned a little and tapped his sabers.

    "I tried to upgrade these, but it failed. Their stats lowered."

    After Arn said that, everyone¡¯s expressions froze, but Junhyuk was curious about what had happened.

    "Didn¡¯t you upgrade it to level nine?"

    "Correct," Arn answered calmly, "The first upgrade failed, and they got bumped down to level eight. So, I tried upgrading them two more times, and now they are at level ten."

    When he finished speaking, everyone felt overjoyed. Arn replied their cheers by pulling out his sabers. They were covered in a soft light and looked different from before.

    Junhyuk inspected the sabers while Arn continued calmly, "The difference between the 9th and 10th upgrades will be felt by our enemies."

    Arn was full of confidence, and Junhyuk felt relieved. Halo turned around and looked back.

    "You didn¡¯t bring many minions."

    There were 150 minions total, and they would be needed when destroying the towers. Minions couldn¡¯t draw the dragon¡¯s attention.

    Arn looked back and said, "Then, let¡¯s go."

    "The enemy won¡¯t know?" Junhyuk asked him.

    "About what?"

    "That we are attacking the dragon."

    "They could guess."

    "Previously, when we fought the dragon, we lost a lot of health. Couldn¡¯t it be dangerous?"

    The new enemies had enough power to match up with them, unlike their previous foes. The allies could get killed without being able to do anything.

    "Maybe we should let them take the dragon?"

    "If we do that, they will get the buff. Do you think we could kill them then?"

    Everyone was paying serious attention to Junhyuk, and Junhyuk said confidently, "We could hide and, when the dragon is about to die, we could steal the kill."

    "Is that even possible?"

    "It would take time for the enemy to kill the dragon. We would wait and steal it."

    "But there is no ce where we can hide."

    Junhyuk pointed upward and asked, "What about up there?"

    He had run away with Sarang before. If they took that road, it would take them over an hour to get up there.

    "It takes too much time."

    Junhyuk looked at the minions.

    "We don¡¯t have to take minions. We could hide them and just jump up the cliff."

    "Jump?"

    Junhyuk smiled.

    "With my jump skill and by teleporting."

    Last time, he had gotten stuck on the tip of the cliff, but with two teleports, he could get up there. Arn was interested in the idea and looked at the others.

    "What do you all think?"

    "It¡¯s a good idea. Even if we can¡¯t steal the dragon kill, the enemies will lose a lot of health, and we can attack them then," Diane agreed, and the other heroes nodded.

    "Is there a ce to hide them?" Arn asked, looking at the minions.

    "There is the reed field. We could hide them there and we don¡¯t have a lot of them."

    Nudra led the minions to the reed field, and Junhyuk looked up. There was a path to get up there, but it would take a long time.

    The allies decided to take advantage of their enemies¡¯ weaknesses. They would go up the cliff and wait by where the dragon was.

    Nudra returned and said, "I hid them well."

    Arn looked at Junhyuk.

    "Then, can you take us all up there by yourself?"

    "I can."

    Diane lifted her hand up.

    "Give me a piggyback ride."

    Arn looked up for a moment and asked, "Are we going up this way?"

    "Yes."

    "Let¡¯s do it."

    Arn jumped, stepped on the cliffside and stabbed it with his saber. He looked up and repeated the jumping and stabbing until he was already at the top.

    "We can do it."

    Nudra thought for a moment and kicked off the wall. He had an easier time getting up than Arn did. After hitting the wall twice, he was up. Junhyuk was astounded.

    "He got up there without using his power!"

    "It¡¯s not impossible," even though Halo said that, he stood next to Junhyuk. Junhyuk stared at him nkly, and Halo said, "I won¡¯t get up there using juvenile methods."

    Halo got closer to him, and Diane ran up to Junhyuk and got on his back.

    "This is my ce," she said.

    "Hold my hand."

    Halo grabbed his right hand, and Vera stayed to his left.

    "Hug me tightly," she said.

    Junhyuk hugged Vera by the waist, and Sarang stared at her with her eyes slightly wider and hung by Junhyuk¡¯s neck.

    "I¡¯m sorry I got between your women," Halo said.

    Junhyuk smiled.

    "Let¡¯s go up."

    After speaking, he jumped a hundred feet in the air. At the peak of the jump, he teleported, but he was not at the top yet. So, he teleported again, and they all arrived at the top safely.

    Junhyuk looked around. There was a road leading to the center of the Dragon¡¯s Valley, and that meant that people could used that road..

    He looked up at the sky. This was his second time on the battlefield since the dragon first appeared. Since there is a road, does this mean that the people who designed the Dimensional Battlefield also thought about a situation like this?

    Arn moved first and said, "Let¡¯s go."

    The five heroes, Junhyuk and Sarang went to the spot Junhyuk and Sarang used to escape thest time. Junhyuk could see a gigantic dragon and shivered. It was hard for him to believe that he had fought a dragon before.

    Arn looked at the dragon and said, "After fighting us, the enemy knows that they need the dragon¡¯s buff to win."

    Thest team battle had gone to the allies. The enemies had botched their regrouping times, and the allies had killed them all and be stronger. Arn had sessfully upgraded his sabers, and the allies now possessed a healing power. They wouldn¡¯t lose. The most important priority was staying alive.

    This time, they would steal the dragon kill and, when the enemies lost their healths, they would attack and secure a victory.

    "We can¡¯t just jump down from here. We¡¯ll need to teleport," Arn said.

    Junhyuk nodded.

    "Just hold on to me, and we¡¯ll get down."

    Arn looked at the dragon.

    "I¡¯ll tell you when."

    "OK."

    Junhyuky on the ground, and Sarangy next to him. They were hiding from the enemy. The heroes crouched, doing the same.

    They waited. The enemies could ignore the dragon and start attacking the tower. Then, the allies would lose.

    They waited for an hour.

    Suddenly, the enemies showed up at the entrance of the Dragon¡¯s Valley. They had a hundred riflemen with them and they started nning for battle.

    They had probably dealt with the dragon before, and Junhyuk wanted to see how they would do it.

    They entered the valley and sent the riflemen head until they got within range. Their attacks might just scratch the dragon, but they had enough distance between them and the dragon to keep them safe.

    Jean Clo stepped toward the dragon. He usually had to grab someone to attack, so he couldn¡¯t do much against a dragon, but a hero was a hero. He punched the dragon, drawing its attention to him. The dragon swung its tail in response, and Jean Clo grabbed it. Jean Clo was such a strong tank that he tried to manipte the tail, but he couldn¡¯t. The dragon lifted its tail, and Jean Clo went up with it with a smile on his face.

    The other heroes started attacking. Doctor T shot off missiles, and Ki shot her rifle. Regina and Bater kept waiting.

    The dragon mmed its tail down, but Jean Clo jumped as he was about to hit the ground. The dragon¡¯s attention turned to Doctor T and Ki. Then, Bater rushed in with a punch.

    Boom!

    The dragon was hit and stopped. Bater delivered a one-twobo, and the dragon fixated on him. Ki continued shooting her rifle, and when the dragon came within range, Regina started to shoot it with her pistol.

    It looks like they were attacking the dragon in order, but soon, things changed. The dragon spewed fire, and the mes burned everything in their path.

    Junhyuk was curious about how the enemy would stop the dragon¡¯s breath. The allies had a force field, but they didn¡¯t.

    Jean Clo jumped and blocked the dragon¡¯s path. The mes burned everything, but he blocked it with his body, leaving the allies speechless, and the other heroes attacked the dragon. Their attacks were explosive.

    "They might kill it!"

    The enemy was sacrificing Jean Clo to kill the dragon. Jean Clo used his ultimate, and three energy rings appeared around his body, healing him quickly. However, the dragon¡¯s mes inflicted continuous damage, and soon, Jean Clo no longer had the energy around him and started burning very hard.

    Bater extended both arms, and his fists flew to hit the dragon.

    Boom!

    Clearly, that was a dangerous attack. Even the dragon was pushed back.

    "When do we go in?" Junhyuk asked Arn.

    "Not yet."

    Arn looked at the field. The dragon still had some health left. Then, the fire breath stopped, and the dragon lost more health.

    A dragon was still a dragon, and the allies had only killed a dragon due to the power of the force field.

    The dragon swept the ground with its tail, and the heroes jumped around like grasshoppers. The dragon rushed toward them, and Ki jumped, but the dragon still headbutted her. Ki was thrown away and fell to the ground. Doctor T used his methrower. Regina shot at it with her pistol, and Adolphe stepped in. He shed his mechanical sword from above to hit the dragon, and it was looking hurt. It could die soon.

    Arn grabbed Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder and said, "Let¡¯s move."

    Junhyuk grabbed Sarang and jumped down. The other heroes also jumped down from the cliff.

 Chapter 101: Fishing 3

    Chapter 101: Fishing 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Once he jumped down from the cliff, Junhyuk concentrated. Everyone had their hands on him, and he had the important role of getting all of them to the ground safely.

    As he was about tond, Junhyuk teleported. After reappearing, the heroes dashed forward. They knew that whether they did kill the dragon or not would decide the oue of the next fight.

    The heroes took off first, and Junhyuk ran after them, making sure to analyze the situation. He would help out at the right moment by creating a force field.

    Among the enemies, Jean Clo and Bater had used their ultimates. Therefore, they had be less dangerous than the others. However, the enemies who hadn¡¯t used their ultimates were still extremely dangerous.

    Junhyuk scoped out the enemy camp. They were focused on killing the dragon. Even when the enemy heroes found the allied heroes by the entrance, they continued attacking the dragon. The group hadn¡¯t arrived yet, and no one knew who would actually kill it, but the dragon was in a dire situation. It could be killed at any moment.

    The group was running fast, but they hadn¡¯t reached the dragon yet. In that situation, if they lost the dragon¡¯s buff, they would be at an extremely disadvantageous ce. The enemies weren¡¯t all badly hurt.

    Junhyuk looked at Sarang and offered, "Maybe you can heal the dragon?"

    "Wait a minute."

    Sarang extended her arms. Her hands shone with green light, and the green powder sprinkled down on the dragon. The dying dragon regained some health and got up.

    Sarang couldn¡¯t heal the dragon for a lot, but she had bought them some time, and they got closer to it. The distance was short enough for them to use their powers.

    Arn jumped, and Halo lightning-sh attacked the dragon, shing its ankle. Its scales splintered open, and blood started spurting out. Meanwhile, Arn got to the dragon¡¯s neck and shed it twice with his sabers.

    sh, sh.

    The gigantic dragon¡¯s head was lopped off. It all looked surreal.

    [You¡¯ve killed the dragon Kaloyan. For the next two hours, you get a 30 percent increase to health regeneration rate, a 30 percent increase to movement speed, a 30 percent increase to attack speed, a 30 percent increase to defense, and when you attack, you will inflict an additional one hundred damage on top of your normal damage. If you die within two hours, you will lose yours buff. If an enemy kills you, they will steal your buff.]

    Junhyuk knew the allies had killed the dragon. They got the buff, and they weren¡¯t wounded at all. In fact, Jean Clo and Ki were hurt, and some of them had already used their ultimates, so the allies had the upper hand.

    The enemy heroes looked surly. They were angry at losing the dragon kill and they wanted to fight. They thought all they had to do was take the buff from the allies.

    The dragon disappeared, and Arn dashed toward the enemy. He had the most health among the allied heroes. However, if they concentrated their attacks on him, Arn could die, and his attack now seemed meaningless.

    Junhyuk wanted to stop him, but someone else dashed faster than Arn. Nudra ran forward and front kicked Bater, who hit one of the walls around the valley and grabbed his head in pain while he stumbled around.

    So far, Junhyuk had only seen Nudra pushing the opponents back, and Bater was still dizzy from the impact against the wall. Nudra had only used his front kick to help the allies, and never before had an enemy bounced away and hit a wall.

    Jean Clo ran against Arn. He was using his rush, and Arn hunched over and ran faster. At once, Arn closed the distance, and his saber generated a spark. Arn¡¯s saber passed by Jean Clo¡¯s thighs. Both of them were shed through and started bleeding, but Jean Clo took a hold of Arn.

    Whenever Jean Clo grabbed someone, he could use one of his powers on that person, so he jumped with Arn in tow.

    Junhyuk thought about helping Arn, but it wasn¡¯t the right time. Jean Clo¡¯s attack was high, but Arn¡¯s health was also very high, so he couldn¡¯t kill Arn with one attack.

    Junhyuk looked back, and Vera had her staff in front of her, preparing to cast her magic. She wanted to use her ultimate, the meteors, and protecting her would be his task.

    Diane was shooting at the enemies.

    Junhyuk and Sarang had to be in the back, and he decided against putting the force field around Arn.

    Boom!

    Arn was mmed against the ground. Meanwhile, Halo and Nudra were dashing toward their enemies when Adolphe stabbed his mechanical sword on the ground and threw his boomerang at them.

    Both were instantly restrained, and Doctor T and Regina headed their way. Focusing their attacks on Halo rather than Nudra, Doctor T used his methrower, and Regina shot her pistol.

    Junhyuk decided to wait some more. No one was dying yet, and they were too far away for him to make a force field.

    Ki jumped and got closer to Halo. Their goal was to kills him. When Halo was released from Adolphe¡¯s power and could move again, Doctor T shot out the spider web. Halo was tied up again, and they kept attacking him.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t wait any longer. He couldn¡¯t let Halo die.

    Adolphe lifted his mechanical sword. A blue energy surrounded it.

    "Hold on!"

    Sarang held Junhyuk¡¯s hand, and Junhyuk grabbed Diane and Vera and teleported. They all found themselves behind Halo, and Junhyukunched the force field around Sarang. She had to survive at all costs.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    From the center, the ivory light that covered Sarang extended all the way to Halo, and all the attacks against them were nullified. Halo found himself inside the force field, and he wanted to retaliate.

    Heunched his sword into the air, preparing to use his ultimate. Doctor T, Regina and Ki frowned and were about to retreat when a meteor shower fell from the sky. The sky was filled with falling meteors, and they didn¡¯t have time to escape.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    It took a while to cast the meteor shower, so Vera didn¡¯t use it often. However, the enemies were all in one ce, attacking Halo, so she could concentrate the attack in one spot.

    Diane shot at the enemies while they were under the meteor shower. There was no need to focus the attacks on just one enemy. They are all wounded, and it was important to attack all of them.

    The moonlit arrows hit the heroes and Adolphe as well. They staggered, and Halo, using his ultimate, threw his sword at Regina, prating her stomach. Regina hadn¡¯t used her ultimate yet, so it was even better that she was getting hurt.

    They were all hit by the meteors, and she was hit by Halo¡¯s ultimate. Two ultimates had struck Regina, and it looked like she would die soon.

    Bater rushed.

    ng!

    He hit the force field and pushed it back. It wasn¡¯t a rocket punch, so the force field was only pushed back a short distance, but Bater was covering the enemy heroes¡¯ escape. Still, the allies had no intention of letting them get away.

    Ki started retreating, but a fire orb appeared in her path, and she hit it.

    Boom!

    She had been hit by the dragon¡¯s headbutt, the meteors, the arrows and the fire orb, so she started disappearing and died.

    Ki was gone, and Doctor T and Regina were next. Regina was hit by the meteors and Halo¡¯s sword, but Bater was shielding her, so Nudra stepped out of the force field and jumped, crashing down like lightning bolt.

    Boom!

    Nudra had used his ultimate to dropped on Regina¡¯s head. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t experienced it first hand, but he had seen it before and knew how powerful it was.

    Regina disappeared, and Bater shouted nervously, "Retreat!"

    The meteor attack had been too much for them to bear. The enemy tried to retreat, but the allies moved faster. Halo grabbed his sword and ran out of the force field, using his sh attack on the doctor.

    Doctor T tried to block the attack with his legs, but Halo was faster, and his sword shed through Doctor T¡¯s chest. While he was bleeding, Diane shot multiple arrows at him.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck, thuck, thuck!

    Doctor T was turning to face Halo when he was hit in the head by five arrows and started disappearing.

    Three heroes had died, and Bater looked worried. This was a valley. It was almost impossible to run away, and he wanted to kill at least one of them. He lifted his fists, looking for a target outside of the force field. Bater took a drag of his cigar and aimed at Halo.

    ng!

    Halo blocked the first attack with his sword, but Bater threw a one-twobo, and Halo was pushed back. Halo had blocked Bater¡¯s power, but that had left him seriously hurt.

    Halo staggered, and Vera and Diane stepped forward. Vera¡¯s fire spear and Diane¡¯s explosive arrows hit Bater on the back.

    Boom, boom!

    Bater staggered, and Halo struck with his sword. Bater lifted his mechanical arm to block, but Nudra also attacked him. Even though Bater had a lot of health, with four heroes attacking him, he would die soon enough.

    Nudra attacked him, and Bater was about to fall when Junhyuk saw someone running over to Halo. Adolphe rushed and shed Halo, and Halo was paralyzed. Even though Halo had some health left, if someone attacked him while he was paralyzed, he could die.

    Bater started raising his fist, which meant that he would use his shockwave attack, and the force field disappeared. Everyone was in danger. Junhyuk and Sarang were also in danger, and

    Sarang shot her electric st. Her st split in two, and one half hit Bater while the other hit Adolphe.

    Bater lost the rest of his health and disappeared with his fist raised in the air.

    The rest of the heroes attacked Adolphe. He was a champion, and taking all of the heroes¡¯ attacks was too much. He too disappeared.

    Junhyuk turned to look at Arn. He was fighting Jean CLo one-on-one. The rest of the heroes had been fighting very hard and hadn¡¯t noticed. Junhyuk watched Arn pushing his saber into Jean Clo¡¯s chest, and Jean Clo baring his teeth while looking back at Arn.

    "He-he-he! You got me real good."

    Arn didn¡¯t reply and instead pulled the saber out. Jean Clo bled out and disappeared, leaving Junhyuk astonished. Jean Clo had used his ultimate and lost some health fighting the dragon, but Arn had killed him in a two-man fight. The 10th upgrade was working out well.

    Arn looked at the group and smiled.

    "Sess!"

    They stole the dragon¡¯s buff and killed the enemy heroes. The allies hadn¡¯t lost anyone. It was aplete sess.

 Chapter 102: Equipment Skills 1

    Chapter 102: Equipment Skills 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    They had already pushed through the second tower, so if they wanted to, they could head to the castle. The enemies had no more towers and wouldn¡¯t try to meet the allies on the road.

    Arn thought about the situation.

    "I will go back and bring some minions with me."

    Nudra had his hands behind his back.

    "I need to see Bebe."

    "Go ahead."

    The others had already been to Bebe and upgraded their equipment, but Nudra hadn¡¯t had a chance to go there yet. If Nudra upgraded his equipment, they would be better prepared to deal with the enemies.

    Nudra looked at Junhyuk.

    "Are youing with me?"

    "Yes, I will."

    It wouldn¡¯t be a good idea to encounter enemy heroes on their way to their own castle, so he would use the time to visit Bebe, and Sarang had delivered a deathblow and picked up an item that she needed to sell.

    Junhyuk and Sarang decided to follow Nudra to Bebe, and Halo, Vera and Diane would take the minions to where the enemies¡¯ second tower used to stand. They had to hurry and get to Bebe before the enemies showed up. Arn would also have to hurry. They promised to meet before the enemy and went their ways.

    Nudra demonstrated his absurd speed. To follow him, Junhyuk and Sarang had to run so fast they smelled their own breaths. So, sooner than expected, they arrived at Bebe¡¯s Dimensional Merchant Store.

    Bebe was looking at a screen the size of a hand hovering in midair when he saw the group and smiled.

    "Are you here to get some equipment?"

    Nudra nodded, walked up to him and dropped some equipment on the counter. There were four pieces of gear, and Nudra extended his hand.

    Bebe pushed the te forward, checked the amount and asked, "Do you want to buy it?"

    "Of course! I¡¯ve been saving up for it!"

    "As you already know, it will cost you 250,000G."

    "Give it to me."

    Nudra paid for the item, and Bebe pulled out a pair of gloves, each of them embroidered with dragons.

    "Finally, the Dragon Gloves meet their owner!"

    Nudra put the gloves on and made a fist. At that moment, a visible, dragon-shaped aura surrounded his body.

    Junhyuk was surprised and asked, "What is that?"

    Bebe disyed clear salesmanship and answered, "They are called the Dragon Gloves and not just anyone can use them. The person has to attack using skills, and it doubles that person¡¯s attack power and increases the damage."

    It meant that Nudra could attack with power iparable to before. With the gloves on, he moved his body lightly.

    "If you want something, get it now."

    Junhyuk wanted to find out how much money he had, and the disy showed 35,240G. He had earned a lot. He thought about it for a moment and, finally, ced his Frozen Rune Sword on the counter.

    "I want the 5th upgrade."

    "That¡¯s 16,000G."

    Junhyuk nodded, and his earnings decreased to 19,240G. Bebe poured the shining powder on it and hammered it. Then, Junhyuk inspected it.

    After the 5th upgrade, the damage had increased by twenty-five, so it now dealt eighty-five damage, and whenever he hit an enemy, a 9 percent debuff would be applied. That meant that he could decrease his enemies¡¯ attack and movement speeds even more. It was worth the money.

    Junhyuk had nothing left to do, so he looked at Sarang.

    She had killed Bater and picked up an item. It looked like a gear nut, but it was a ring. However, it was so big that she could use it as a bracelet. The ring¡¯s buff rted to strengthening defense, so it didn¡¯t really fit with Sarang¡¯s persona.

    Sarang extended her hand and asked, "Could I check to see how much money I have?"

    "Of course!"

    Bebe¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at the sum.

    "Whew! You have earned a lot," he said, smiling at her.

    "You¡¯ve be an expert. Congrattions on bing a VIP at our store."

    "What?"

    Junhyuk shook his head and asked, "How much do you have?"

    Sheughed and answered, "39,500G."

    Junhyuk looked surprised, and Bebeughed and said, "Right, what do you need?"

    Sarang thought for a moment and ced the nut she had gotten from Bater on the counter.

    "How much would you give me for it?"

    Bebe looked at it andughed hard.

    "Bater died and dropped it?"

    "Yes."

    "He is definitely not feeling well," he said and picked it up. "It¡¯s called Makia¡¯s Nut, and every tank wants one. It¡¯s 150,000G, so I¡¯ll give you 75,000G for it."

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened. It was a really an expensive item, and Sarang was also surprised by the price.

    Bebe continued calmly, "If you sell it, you¡¯ll have 114,500G. There are a lot of useful items above 80,000G."

    Sarang didn¡¯t know what to do, and Junhyuk said, "She needs an armor. Do you have any rmendations?"

    Bebe pulled out his book.

    "Of course! As long as you have pure gold coins, you may purchase items beyond your imaginations."

    He opened the book, and an infinite number of armors came on disy.

    "It¡¯s different from what you showed me before..."

    "Of course! I only showed you the basic suits of armor."

    "If I upgrade my armor, will it yield simr results?"

    Bebe just smiled and didn¡¯t answer him.

    Junhyuk frowned, and Bebe said calmly, "These items are expensive enough to have buffs that can¡¯t be gained from upgrades."

    Junhyuk smacked his lips and inspected the list.

    "She is a magician. Show her something befitting her."

    "Right."

    Bebe closed the book and opened it again, still disying numerous armor suits. He pointed to a few of them.

    "What about these for a magician?"

    Junhyuk saw that the suits showed a lot of skin and frowned. Armor was very important in the Dimensional Battlefield, and he wanted to decline anything that showed a lot of skin.

    "Do you have anything else?"

    "I do."

    Bebe disyed two suits of armor.

    "Look at this one. This is the Blue Core Armor. It reflects 10 percent of damage taken, and has defense and magic defense of a hundred. It also increases the user¡¯s mana pool. It costs 100,000G."

    It was really expensive, but it had astonishing defense. Reflecting enemy damage was also an absurd buff. It was expensive, but it was worth the price.

    Bebe pointed to another armor.

    "This is the Red Core Armor, and people who want to be on offense wear it. It increases you magical powers. It increases magic damage by fifty and decreases the enemy¡¯s health regeneration by 75 percent. It also increases defense and magic defense by a hundred. It costs 110,000G."

    With wide eyes, he asked, "It decreases the opponent¡¯s health regeneration rate?"

    "Not always. It¡¯s something the Red Core Armor can do much in the same way as your jumping skill."

    Jean Clo had a high level self-healing power, and Sarang could use this armor to decrease its effectiveness by 75 percent, allowing her to fight him.

    "These are nice items, so why don¡¯t people buy them?"

    "These are nice, but the effect only works once per hour. It all depends on your opponent, and whether or not they have a healing power. The robes work better on magicians than the armor to increase their damage."

    Bebe kindly exined it all, but Junhyuk was interested in the Red Core Armor. He looked at Sarang, and she had a smile going from ear to ear.

    "I will get whatever you rmend."

    "Then, let¡¯s get the Red Core Armor and fight Jean Clo and his healing power."

    From Jean Clo¡¯s point of view, the Red Core Armor had the ability to be damaging. Sarangughed and extended her hand.

    "I will get the Red Core Armor."

    "Right."

    She put her hand on the te and paid for it, leaving her with 4,000G.

    Junhyuk interjected.

    "Give her the VIP discount."

    Bebeughed bitterly at him.

    "You are smart. When you pay the full price, I usually keep the difference."

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly.

    "By the way, when I bought the ck armor, you charged me full price."

    "It¡¯s in the past. There¡¯s nothing I can do," Bebe said and pushed the te forward. "Put your hand on it."

    Sarang ced her hand on it, and 5,500G were added back up. Her total was now 9,500G, and she smiled for having saved some money.

    Bebe whistled.

    "Don¡¯t stare at me like that! Benefitse only to those who look after themselves."

    Junhyuk reminded himself to be more careful next time. When he upgraded his basic swords, one of them had received a magical enhancement, and he had not been entitled to a VIP discount for that, so he didn¡¯t bother when he bought his armor.

    From now on, he would always ask for the discount. There was no one he could trust in this world.

    Bebe pulled out a helmet from underneath the counter, snapping Junhyuk¡¯s attention back. He thought about the time Bebe had left him naked and he couldn¡¯t handle looking at Sarang like that. However, he turned back around when Bebe simply ced the helmet on her head.

    "Can you do it without making her naked?"

    Bebe looked at Sarang putting the entire Red Core Armor suit on and tapped her helmet once she was done. Then, he lifted his finger away from it, simply pulling out the novice armor in the process, like magic.

    Junhyuk was surprised by it, and Bebe said calmly, "I just can¡¯t take off women¡¯s clothes."

    Sarang looked at Junhyuk and giggled.

    "Did you want to see me naked?"

    "What are you talking about? I was trying to hide you from Nudra."

    Nudra ran over and punched him.

    Wham!

    It was a light punch, but Junhyuk still went down. He must have had his brains scrambled because he was seeing two Nudras, and Sarang cast her healing magic on him.

    As the green powder covered him, he recovered and told Nudra, "I almost got killed!"

    "Do you want to die? You are the first person to insult my honor and survive!"

    Junhyuk tried to avoid speaking to him any further.

    "No, I don¡¯t want to die."

    He turned around, and Nudra scoffed and focused on his meditation. Sarang was asking Bebe some questions.

    "Is it possible to do aplex engraving?"

    "It¡¯s double the price."

    "Do it for me."

    Sarang paid the cost. While Junhyuk was looking, Bebe did something else that seemed dishonest. He twirled his finger on Sarang¡¯s helmet, and arge robe of light covered her body.

    "What is that?"

    "It¡¯s a service. I don¡¯t have changing rooms fordies."

    She was wearing a robe of light like a magical girl, and he had instead gotten naked in front of her.

    "Next time, do that for me as well."

    "Men don¡¯t get any service, unless you pay."

    Bebe finished theplex engraving on her.

    "Check it."

    Sarang summoned the Red Core Armor and smiled. The armor entuated the body and showed her curves. They didn¡¯t know who had designed it, but whoever it was had high fashion sense.

    She walked over to him and smiled.

    "Big brother, do you want to see it?"

    Junhyuk touched it to inspect it. She was showing off the item¡¯s attributes, and he could see the buffs descriptions.

    ---

    Red Core Armor (110,000G)

    Defense +100, Magic Defense +100

    Magic Attack +50

    Skill: Repression (1h Cooldown)

    It¡¯s a brand name suit of armor, and ites as part of the core series. The Red Core Armor increases defense and magic defense by a hundred. It also increases magic attack by fifty. It¡¯s inner core has the ability to repress the enemy every hour.

    Repression: the opponent¡¯s health regeneration rate decreases by 75 percent for twenty seconds.

 Chapter 103: Equipment Skills 2

    Chapter 103: Equipment Skills 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk was done buying from Bebe and walked out with Nudra. They were supposed to join up with the rest of the group in front of the castle wall, but they couldn¡¯t go there yet.

    They were only three people, and even though their strength had increased, their enemies had paralytic powers that they had to avoid.

    They were walking when Nudra frowned and said, "We need to pick up the pace."

    "What is the matter?"

    "They are being chased."

    Junhyuk frowned at what he said. The enemies weren¡¯t stupid. They knew they had the advantage and wanted to keep it that way by chasing after them, but the allies had not been captured yet.

    "How many are there?"

    "There are four of them."

    Nudra was already running at full speed. He was so fast that Junhyuk had a hard time keeping up, but he didn¡¯t abandon Sarang. The two of them made a big difference.

    "Howe there are four of them?"

    "I don¡¯t know."

    They were missing one. Where did that person go?

    It was a mystery, but the important thing was to rejoin the group and counterattack. When they killed their enemies, the castle would easily fall.

    They were still running when they encountered Halo, Vera and Diane fleeing. The three saw Junhyuk¡¯s group and waved at them.

    "They are right behind us."

    Junhyuk looked at the iing enemies. Regina was missing. Jean Clo was in the lead, and once they saw the allies regrouping, they slowed down. Adolphe was also with them, so they were about evenly matched.

    The allies got in position, and Jean Clo cracked his neck and said, "When we were fighting the dragon, you gave it to us good."

    Halo stepped forward and shed his sword across the air.

    "I don¡¯t want to talk. Let¡¯s begin."

    "You are hotheaded," Jean Clo said and sped his hands together. "We got beaten because of the dragon. I¡¯m not that easy."

    After he said that, Jean Clo stepped forward, but they couldn¡¯t focus on him. Halo had to keep him busy while the allies dealt with the other enemy attackers. Their enemies had to be thinking the same thing, and they even had another tank. He wasn¡¯t like Jean Clo, however. He had lower tanking capabilities than Jean Clo, but his attack was much higher. He could also rush.

    Indeed, Bater rushed ahead. He ran like a real tank, and Nudra stepped forward. He made a fist, and the dragon aura covered his body. Then, he front kicked the running Bater.

    Boom!

    Bater got pushed away, but Nudra also bounced back from their attacks shing. Nudra got up and dashed forward. His speed had really increased, so the Dragon Gloves had to be buffing him. He was quickly covering the distance when Doctor T shot his spider web. However, Nudra had already left the spot where Doctor T had aimed, and the web sprayed across the empty air. Nudra had jumped in the air to drop kick Ki.

    Boom!

    Ki had been aiming her rifle at him and couldn¡¯t move. She was a ranged attacker, and Nudra¡¯s kick took a toll on her. Then, Nudra released a strong gust from his hand on her back.

    Boom!

    Ki was pushed away and found herself within Diane¡¯s range. Diane let go of her bowstring, but Ki escaped the arrows by jumping. Nudra tried to chase after her, but Bater closed in on him, delivering a one-twobo.

    Boom, boom!

    He was hit not just once but twice. Nudra had put Ki in critical condition, but he himself was horribly wounded, and Ki had already retreated. Only Nudra was fighting at the front.

    Junhyuk quickly analyzed the battle. Jean Clo was facing Halo, and Halo was trying his best not to be grabbed by him. Halo was hitting and running to buy time, and he didn¡¯t look to be in danger. Jean Clo had many open, bleeding cuts across his body, Halo could win at any minute, and Jean Clo would use his ultimate soon. When he did that, Sarang could easily take care of him.

    The real problem was the situation in which Nudra found himself. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t put a force field on Nudra and he couldn¡¯t pull Nudra out because of distance between them.

    Suddenly, Nudra shouted, "Get Ki!"

    After he finished, he dashed after the fleeing Ki. Even without using his power, just by wearing his Dragon Gloves, his attacks looked different from before. Considering that Ki had lost most of her health, it could be the right thing for Nudra to sacrifice himself to catch her. Diane and Vera had already closed in and were attacking Doctor T and Bater.

    They wanted to keep them upied so they wouldn¡¯t be able to chase after Nudra. From the enemies¡¯ standpoint, Nudra was someone that had to be killed.

    Both sides were ying a game of cat and mouse. Nudra was after Ki, and Bater and Doctor T were after Nudra. Diane and Vera were after Bater and Doctor T.

    However, Ki wasn¡¯t just going to die. She pulled out her dual pistols, and Junhyuk shouted at Sarang, "It¡¯s her ultimate!"

    Ki¡¯s ultimate fired a shockwave and dealt enormous damage. If she gained some distance from Nudra, he would be dead. Someone had to stop her.

    Sarang extended arms. Her healing power had astoundingly long range. Nudra was right in the middle of the enemy line when the green powder sprinkled down on his head. At the same time, Ki fired the shockwaves.

    Boom!

    Nudra was pushed back, but he had already been healed, so he didn¡¯t die. Sarang¡¯s healing power had healed Nudra¡¯s health by 30 percent, but after the shockwaves hit him, he was still left with very low health. Ki¡¯s ultimate dealt very high damage.

    Diane was standing next to Junhyuk and whispered in his ear as she let go of her bowstring, "Ki is too far away. My continuous shots will get her. Let¡¯s go."

    Junhyuk grabbed her by shoulder and teleported. In a split second, they found themselves closer to the enemy line, and Diane loosed her arrows. Ki tried to block the shots with her pistols, but three arrows hit her, and she started disappearing.

    "Nudra!"

    Junhyuk shouted, and Nudra started running over to him. They had killed Ki, their target. The job was done. Then, Adolpheunched his boomerang at Nudra. It had the power to tie him up and paralyze him, and Nudra might not survive such an attack.

    Junhyuk knew that and tried with all his might to get to Nudra. When he was close to Nudra, Nudra was tied up by the boomerang. However, it wasn¡¯t a simple boomerang. He had thought that the boomerang only tied people up, but it also damaged them.

    Junhyuk frowned and extended his hand. Nudra extended his hand as well, and that¡¯s when Junhyuk saw that Bater had started dashing at them from behind Nudra and smiled.

    He would be able to teleport away when Nudra and he shook hands. Diane was already running to join them and ced her foot on Junhyuk¡¯s butt. Junhyuk frowned and teleported.

    He had used two teleports, but he had saved Nudra and killed Ki. As he sighed, Doctor T fired a small missile his way. Junhyuk was not a hero, and he couldn¡¯t survive it, even if it was small, so he cast a force field.

    Boom!

    The force field shook, but he had been just on time. He sighed again and looked back. With the force field up, Diane and Vera came into their own. Both of them focused on one person, the dangerous Doctor T. As they both started attacking him, Doctor T quickly retreated.

    Still, it didn¡¯t matter how much he ran, he couldn¡¯t get away. Junhyuk¡¯s running speed was faster than Doctor T¡¯s retreat. The force field was up, so he did not hesitate and ran deep into enemy territory.

    Both Vera and Diane still focused their attacks on the doctor, and Junhyuk looked for Adolphe.

    Adolphe knew he was in danger and moved quickly. He knew about the force field, and that itsted for ten seconds. He also knew that while it was up there wasn¡¯t anything that he could do, so he headed toward Bater.

    Doctor T was the target now, so Adolphe changed ns. Bater and Adolphe dashed toward Halo, who was still fighting Jean Clo and was now in danger. However, Halo had fought countless battles to stand there that day, so he used his lightning sh attack against Adolphe.

    Bater could have blocked it, but it was different for Adolphe. He tried to do it with his mechanical sword, but he had already been shed in his ribs. Bater threw a one-twobo at Halo, but he blocked it with his sword and ran inside of the force field As soon as he got in, heunched his sword in the air, readying his ultimate, and Junhyuk smiled.

    Halo knew how to use the force field, but he might notplete his attack, so he stood behind Nudra to buy more time.

    Doctor T had lost a lot of health because of the barrage of attacks, and Bater stood in front of him. He had a lot of health, so he wanted to shield him from magic and arrows.

    Junhyuk moved to the side and saw Doctor T about to be attacked. However, this time, Jean Clo blocked the attacks with his body. Jean Clo was bleeding all over, but he still took the blows. He had a lot of health to begin with, so taking the hits was easy.

    The allies wanted to kill Jean Clo as well. They had to make him lose a lot of health so that he would use his ultimate. However, they hadn¡¯t killed Doctor T yet, and the force field disappeared.

    Bater, Jean Clo and Adolphe were waiting for just that moment. The three of them rushed toward him, and Junhyuk stood in front of Sarang.

    But Sarang thought of something else. She stepped up and used her power to paralyze both Bater and Jean Clo.

    The heroes¡¯ rushes were dangerous. The two were paralyzed, but Adolphe did not stop rushing. He tried to sh Diane but was kicked by Nudra and forced back. Adolphe was rolling on the ground when Nudra dropped on him.

    Vera cast a firewall underneath Bater and Jean Clo, and the strong mes engulfed them both.

    Diane threaded her arrows between Bater and Jean Clo and hit Doctor T. The five arrows hit him. Doctor T hadn¡¯t tried to recover, and instead attempted to attack again. That¡¯s when he ended up shot by Diane¡¯s arrows, and now he started disappearing.

    There were two heroes remaining. With Adolphe, there were three, but Nudra was beating the living crap out of him. He didn¡¯t give Adolphe a chance to use his power. Wearing his Dragon Gloves, he was even a dangerous existence to heroes, and Adolphe died and disappeared once again.

    Meanwhile, Jean Clo and Bater regained their ability to move, but they were still being attacked by Diane and Vera. Then, finally, Halo dropped in on Jean Clo with Rain from Above, leaving a gaping hole in his stomach.

    Jean Cloughed maniacally and dashed forward. His body was quickly healing itself, and the three blue energy rings appeared around him.

    Sarang extended her hand.

    "Repression."

 Chapter 104: Equipment Skills 3

    Chapter 104: Equipment Skills 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Sarang was wearing the Red Core Armor, and a blood-colored light shot out of it, headed toward Jean Clo. The bloody light surrounded him, and thorns grew out of it, piercing his body. He winced and he could feel the thorns suppressing his ability to regenerate.

    Jean Clo stared daggers at Sarang. There were two other heroes, and he had ced his trust on his ultimate, but it no longer had any meaning. The hole in his stomach that had been closing stopped, and he would be risking his life if he continued to fight in that state.

    Junhyuk was dangerous, but he thought Sarang was even more so, at least for him.

    Jean Clo ignored his injury and rushed toward Sarang, but Halo stepped in front of her. Halo had gotten his sword back and was ready to face him, but that¡¯s when Bater lifted both arms, and mmed the ground with his fists.

    His power had a range of sixty-five feet and damaged everyone caught in it, so Junhyuk grabbed Sarang¡¯s hand and dashed quickly toward the rear.

    Boom! Boom!

    Bater had to punched the ground three times to generate shockwaves at max range . When he punched the ground a second time, Nudra front-kicked him. He was pushed back, and the third m didn¡¯t work. Junhyuk was now well out of range.

    Halo shed Jean Clo, but Jean Clo managed to take a hold of Halo and m him against the ground. Jean Clo was certainly an extremely dangerous enemy. Even though he was wounded, he still manhandled Halo. He grabbed Halo again and used his giant swing power to throw him far away.

    Junhyuk stood in front of Sarang. Vera and Diane kept attacking, and Jean Clo would die soon, but if Jean Clo grabbed him or Sarang, either of them would die immediately. If so, Junhyuk had to die before she did, and he blocked the path to her with that in mind. Jean Clo smiled and extended his hands.

    Junhyuk swung the Frozen Rune Sword at him, cutting his elbow, but he didn¡¯t let his guard down. A fire spear and some arrows had hit Jean Clo, but he was still trying to grab people. He wouldn¡¯t die from Junhyuk¡¯s attack.

    Junhyuk managed to cut him two more times, but Jean Clo grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up with one hand. Jean Clo¡¯s eyes beamed with killer instinct.

    "I¡¯ll show you."

    After he spoke, Junhyuk saw the world turn upside down. He was looking at the sky on his way to the ground when a fire spear hit Jean Clo in the head.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk mmed against the ground.

    "Ugh!"

    Jean Clo had been dying, and his power hadn¡¯t been at full strength, but he still dealt a lot of damage. Junhyuk¡¯s back was broken, and he saw the sky turning yellow. He grabbed his back and tried to get up.

    Bater one-twoboed Nudra and extended his arms toward Junhyuk. The rocket punches were ready, but the cooldown for Junhyuk¡¯s teleportation was not. He couldn¡¯t do anything in that situation.

    The rocket fists flew toward him. He was ready to die and tried to use his swords to block the attack. However, a wide-shouldered shadow appeared before him. It was Halo, and he took the hit instead.

    Boom!

    Halo had lost some health fighting Jean Clo, and now he was hit by Bater¡¯s ultimate, so he started disappearing. Halo was pushed back and hit Junhyuk, and Junhyuk rolled on the ground endlessly.

    After rolling for a while, Junhyuk got up. A row of arrows and a fire orb hit Bater, and he bounced back. Nudra created a strong wind and pushed him back even farther. Halo was disappearing, and Junhyuk frowned while looking at him.

    "Shit!"

    If Halo hadn¡¯t blocked the attack for him, he would¡¯ve been killed. Halo died in his ce, and he was grateful. That gratitude changed into fury toward Bater.

    Junhyuk lifted his head, saw Bater being pushed back nonstop, and ran toward him. Bater saw him, and gathered his thoughts. He exhaled some cigar smoke, intending to kill Junhyuk in any way possible.

    He rushed toward Junhyuk like a tank, and Junhyuk dashed toward him ovee by fury. The anger burned within him, but his head was cool. This was revenge for Halo, so he had to remain calm.

    Bater rushed in and swung his mechanical fist at him. Junhyuk watched the fist heading toward him, closing the distance between the them. When the wind pressure from the fist stung his eyes, Junhyuk teleported.

    He appeared again standing behind Bater and swung his swords. Junhyuk made a small cut on Bater¡¯s neck and felt much better.

    Bater felt Junhyuk standing behind him and attempted a backspin blow, but Junhyuk had already ducked to dodge any potential attacks. If Bater didn¡¯t use one of his powers, Junhyuk could dodge his attacks.

    Junhyuk moved like lightning and swung at Bater¡¯s neck again, but Bater wasn¡¯t an easy opponent. He raised his mechanical hand to cover his neck and grab one of the swords.

    sh, sh!

    Bater frowned. He was being attacked from behind, and he knew he could kill Junhyuk if he could deliver just one blow. He decided on jabs instead of long swings because even if the jabs were light, Junhyuk would still die if hit by one.

    Junhyuk knew that and had no intention of being hit. He teleported and quickly swung his sword. He attacked Bater¡¯s left leg three times and, when Bater attempted to punch again, he saw the fist approaching and dropped to the ground on his back. Bater¡¯s fist went past the back of his head, and Junhyuk got up and jammed the Blood Rune Sword into Bater¡¯s neck.

    "Ugh!"

    The blow was fatal, and the sword was stuck. Bater had lost all of his health because of the blow and was quickly disappearing.

    Junhyuk pushed the sword a bit more and whispered, "This is revenge for Halo."

    Bater fixed his eyes on him and opened his mouth, but Junhyuk wasn¡¯t interested in hearing him and pushed the sword horizontally. Bater was beheaded, and when his head rolled on the ground, Junhyuk stabbed it with his sword. The head was spiked on the sword and started disappearing.

    At that moment, he calmed down, his fury appeased.

    Junhyuk was getting up when Vera walked over to him and hugged him. He lifted his head, and she smiled at him.

    "You... I told you not to steal the final blow."

    "Sorry, I was very angry."

    Vera patted his helmet and said, "Good! You carried out Halo¡¯s revenge." Then, she looked at the item Bater dropped and added, "Check it out yourself."

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected to kill Bater, and there was a shiny, silver chain on the ground that could be worn as a bracelet. Junhyuk picked it up.

    ---

    Steel King Jax¡¯s Chain

    Defense +30

    Attack +10

    Health +200

    Jax, the Steel King, used to carry this chain. It was used as a bracelet, but was also a weapon. It increases defense by thirty and health by two hundred. It also increases the wearer¡¯s attack by ten.

    ---

    It was an item that benefited tanks the most. It only had a small increase of ten to attack. The bracelet¡¯s effectiveness was in itself different from the other items. The advanced heroes carried these, and one cost at least 200,000G.

    Junhyuk looked at it, put it on, and his eyes shot wide. His health increased by two hundred, and he could feel the life within him going up. It was a new experience for him.

    Suddenly, Nudra frowned and said, "We should hurry."

    Junhyuk turned around, and Diane also frowned and added, "We only have 150 minions."

    "It¡¯s possible."

    Junhyuk was curious about what they were talking about and asked, "What is the matter?"

    "We have to destroy the enemy castle¡¯s gate."

    Vera put her arms around Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder and added, "The bitch that didn¡¯t show up here, she sneaked by and destroyed one of our towers and advanced. The second tower was also crushed, and Arn went to deal with her but got killed."

    "Arn?"

    "That¡¯s right. He got killed by her ultimate."

    Regina¡¯s ultimate was petrifaction. Even a hero like Arn would die if he lost some health while under the effect of her power.

    "Then, she might get all of the towers and destroy our castle¡¯s gate?"

    "Halo is there. He will kill Regina and join us."

    Junhyuk understood the precariousness of the situation and nodded. The enemies had gathered as four while the remaining one went to destroy the towers. They had attacked the allies¡¯ weaknesses, but Arn had interfered with their ns.

    Arn had lost and died, but he had still slowed down her advance. So, before she destroyed the allied castle, they had to destroy the enemy castle first.

    Halo would reincarnate, and he would be able to deal with Regina, who had already lost some health.

    The group sped up. The enemy¡¯s castle didn¡¯t have heroes protecting it now, so they should be able to destroy it in a moment. On their way, they met the minions. When the enemy heroes started chasing them, they left the minions on the road. The minions didn¡¯t interfere in a fight among heroes and stayed safe.

    "Follow me," Nudra shouted forcefully and stepped forward.

    They arrived at the castle¡¯s gate. Two hundred enemy minions stood in front of the entrance, but the allies could deal with them. They didn¡¯t have any heroes backing them up.

    Nudra pulled out a small marble and shouted, "Attack!"

    As he shouted, the minions moved in like a massive iing wave. Junhyuk stepped forward. The enemy riflemen were of a different armed branch from the allied minions, but Junhyuk advanced all the same, massacring the minions while the heroes sieged the gate.

    Vera and Diane dealt with the archers while Nudra focused on the gate. Within five minutes, the allies had killed all of the minions and destroyed the gate. No enemy heroes showed up to give them any problems.

    Junhyuk went inside the castle and saw two golems.

    "Let¡¯s get the golems first," Nudra said once he saw them.

    "Is that possible?"

    Nudra nodded and looked at Vera. She readied her meteors, and while she prepared her magic, Diane nocked an arrow and aimed her bow.

    Both of them were using their ultimates, and Junhyuk stood in front of them. The crazed minions went after the golems, but the golems made mashed potatoes out of them.

    Vera cast her magic, and soon, meteors fell from the sky.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    Even the giant golems couldn¡¯t ignore the damage inflicted by the meteors, and they were looking at Vera when Diane released her arrows. One arrow traveled through the air to hit a golem in the eye, sinking deeper than the others.

    Nudra brandished his Dragon Gloves, and the dragon¡¯s aura covered him as he jumped. He kicked the goleming at him, and Diane and Vera continued their attacks on the other golem.

    Nudra dealt with one golem, and they were dealing with the other now. The second golem had been attacked by both ultimates, but had only lost half of his health.

    It ran, and Junhyuk blocked its path. He thought golems were annoying and teleported atop of the golem and sank his Frozen Rune Sword into the eye that had already been punctured by Diane¡¯s arrow.

    The golem tried to grab him, but Junhyuk teleported again and swung his swords. With Junhyuk¡¯s dual des, Vera¡¯s fire magic and Diane¡¯s arrows, the golem finally crumbled.

    Junhyuk sighed, but Sarang shouted, "The enemies areing!"

    The enemy heroes started appearing from the inner chambers of the castle.

    "Retreat!" Nudra shouted.

 Chapter 105: See You Again 1

    Chapter 105: See You Again 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    At first, the enemy heroes couldn¡¯te out of the castle. Even if the allies withdrew, the allies had three heroes, one expert and one novice. If they came out one by one, they would all be killed. So, after reviving, they stayed inside.

    However, once they had all revived, the allies would lose the advantage. Nudra knew that, and he left the half-destroyed golem behind and decided to withdraw.

    Junhyuk agreed with that decision. They couldn¡¯t waste time there. When all of their enemies revived, the allies might not be able to get out, so they retreated at full speed.

    Ki revived first. She brandished her pistols and shot at the minions attacking the golem. Her attack was so high, the minions couldn¡¯t block the bullets with their shields. The bullets went through the shields and killed the minions.

    If the allies tried to kill her, they could get stuck fighting and get swarmed, so they moved quickly toward the entrance.

    The allies had left the minions and run away, but they hadn¡¯t simply escaped. They were headed to a buff monster that lived near the enemy camp. Their enemies couldn¡¯t chase after them because the allies put a lot of distance between them, choosing the buff monster to gain the advantage.

    The monster was the Gale Queen Harpy. When Junhyuk saw what monster it was, he smacked his lips. If they killed the harpy queen, they would earn a useful buff.

    Nudra looked at it and said, "We don¡¯t have time. We have to kill it as soon as possible."

    "Buy us some time," Vera said.

    Nudra was wearing the Dragon Gloves and dashed. He closed in quickly and jumped at the harpy, stepping through a tree and kicking it.

    He hadn¡¯t used a power, but his kick was destructive. The Gale Queen Harpy twisted its body and dodged his kick, taking off from the ground. However, a moonlit arrow flew toward it, hitting its wing. The wing broke at the bone, and the harpy queen dropped a bit, and a fire orb appeared on its head.

    Then, a fire spear hit it, and it was pushed back, hitting the fire orb. The explosions continued as the harpy queen staggered, and Nudra jumped on its head and released a strong wind.

    The gust pushed the harpy queen to the ground, where it beat its wings attempting to move. The harpy queen flew low to the ground toward Vera. Vera quickly cast a firewall, but the harpy queen went through the ck mes, persisting in its path.

    Junhyuk teleported and stabbed the harpy queen on its ribs with the Frozen Rune Sword. He disyed strength iparable to before and opened a gaping hole on the harpy.

    The Gale Queen Harpy reflexively flinched away and beat its wings toward Junhyuk. He couldn¡¯t dodge the gale, so instead he held his sword up.

    Clung!

    The shock travelled through the swords and pushed him back. The harpy queen dashed over and used her talon to attack. He blocked the talon¡¯s attacks, but she continued to use her gale attack. He was wounded and stepped back.

    In the past, he might have been fatally wounded, but he had only lost one third of his health. The two hundred extra health made him feel different.

    The Gale Queen Harpy saw that Junhyuk had withstood its attack and came at him more ferociously. However, Diane¡¯s arrow hit it in the middle of the forehead. Diane had masterful skill and had been able to urately hit a moving target.

    The Gale Queen Harpy was pushed to the side by the arrow while Nudra dropped on it from the sky, and Vera¡¯s fire spear zoomed through the air toward it. The allies¡¯ attacks dealt more damage than ever before, and they easily killed the harpy.

    [You¡¯ve killed the Gale Queen Harpy. For the next two hours, your attack power will increase by 33 percent. If you die within those two hours, you will lose the buff to your opponent.]

    The voice told them they had gotten the buff, and white magic rings surrounded their bodies. Junhyuk turned around, and Sarang used her healing power on him. The green powder sprinkled over him, and he felt his healthing back.

    "Thanks."

    "Don¡¯t mention it."

    Vera came over and put her arms around him.

    "I got scared when she attacked you."

    "I¡¯m OK because of Bater¡¯s item."

    He showed her the chain bracelet, the Steel King Jax¡¯s Chain, and said, "I¡¯m wearing two bracelets in one arm."

    He had the Pure Golden Knight Elder¡¯s bracelets on both wrists, and now he was also wearing the Steel King Jax¡¯s Chain on one of them.

    He hadn¡¯t thought he could wear two bracelets on one wrist, and Vera exined, "You can wear ten rings and four bracelets total, two bracelets on each wrist."

    "I could wear ten rings?"

    Vera continued, "You could, but you¡¯d have to protect them."

    Junhyuk nodded. Heroes didn¡¯t have absolute superiority. Fighting meant to kill or be killed and dropping items that the enemies could pick up, and the heroes frequently got a bad deal. One had to sell the items picked up if they didn¡¯t work on him or her, but they usually only got half the price.

    It was important not to get killed, and Vera was right in saying he had to protect what was important.

    Nudra walked over.

    "Regina is dead. Now, Halo ising over, so we should rejoin him."

    "What about Arn?"

    "He will join us as soon as he revives."

    "The next battle will be thest one."

    Nudra nodded.

    "Yes. They areing quickly, and we have the buff for thest team battle."

    They had a chance because they had killed the buff monster near the enemy camp. The heroes who had reincarnated would be heading their way quickly.

    "Where is the battlefield?"

    "Where the giant golem is."

    The enemies¡¯ upper hand would end if the golem died, so they would try to the protect it.

    "What happens when the castle is attacked by Regina again?"

    Nudra said, "We have the advantage. If she attacks, some of us will use Return."

    Junhyuk looked at Sarang.

    "Be careful. We only have one fight left," he said.

    "OK."

    He hadn¡¯t died once and he would protect Sarang in the next fight. Junhyuk caressed her hair. He would protect her with his life.

    "Let¡¯s go," Nudra said.

    ---

    It had been a long time since everyone had gathered, and Junhyuk looked at Arn and frowned.

    "I lost because of her ultimate," he said.

    "Honestly, I was surprised. I thought you would win."

    Arn was still frowning.

    "I could¡¯ve won. Next time, I will."

    Is that possible? Arn should have used his ultimate first. His ultimate takes some time to prepare, but when he uses it, it¡¯s deadly.

    Arn¡¯s ultimate dealt a lot of damage, but it also had its weak points. On a one-on-one battle, it was one of the more disadvantageous ultimates.

    Arn shook his head.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    They walked past the destroyed gate and went inside the castle. The enemies were already there, surrounding the giant golem. Adolphe and Regina were missing.

    "She took a champion with her?"

    Arn looked back and said, "Hit the golem from a distance, and we will deal with the rest of them."

    "We don¡¯t have enough manpower!"

    Three allied heroes would deal with the four enemy heroes, while the others attacked the golem.

    "Don¡¯t worry," Arn replied. He stared coldly at the enemy camp and said, "We will deal with them."

    He had brought two hundred minions with him, so Arn pulled out a marble and shouted, "Attack!"

    The two hundred minions rushed toward the golem, and Junhyuk watched the enemy heroes stepping up. Three heroes approached, and Arn dashed toward them.

    Jean Clo gave up on protecting the golem and ran toward Arn. When close, Arn swung his sabers at him. Jean Clo started bleeding all over, but he ignored his injuries and rushed. His target wasn¡¯t Arn. Arn had a lot of health, and Jean Clo didn¡¯t want to attack him. He rushed toward the allied camp instead.

    Junhyuk looked carefully at Jean Clo, and noticed that he wanted to attack Sarang. He remembered her and decided that she was his ultimate target.

    While Jean Clo rushed, Arn was dealing with Bater, who delivered a one-twobo. Nudra stepped toward Jean Clo to contain him, kicking him. Jean Clo was thrown back, and a gun went off.

    Bang!

    Ki shot her rifle at Nudra¡¯s shoulder, and he started bleeding, but he ignored it. Ki had the highest attack among the enemies. The allies had to kill her first. With the enemies targeting Vera and Diane, the allies had to go for Ki.

    Junhyuk saw Doctor T moving slowly. The doctor had the ability to use his spider web to tie people up and paralyze them, so he frowned. He grabbed Sarang¡¯s hand and moved to the side of the battle.

    Doctor T was trying to ce the allied heroes on a straight line from him. When the allied heroes were in a line with him, he wouldunched the web at all of them.

    Junhyuk moved with Sarang, following Doctor T¡¯s movements.

    The doctor shot his spider web, and Arn jumped. Arn tried to go after Ki, but Nudra was tied up by the spider web.

    Jean Clo took the chance to grab Nudra and jump with him. Nudra couldn¡¯t move, and getting damaged was inevitable.

    Junhyuk was looking at Nudra when the doctor shot a small missile. Despite its size, they already knew how damaging it was.

    Boom!

    Halo was protecting the allied frontline and blocked the missile, but he was wounded in the process. However, he still had a lot of health, so he did the right thing.

    Bater rushed toward Halo and hit him, and Jean Clo mmed Nudra against the ground and moved toward Halo, who was rolling from the impact.

    The enemy heroes were behind the allied line. Even if if they killed Ki, the allies would be in danger.

 Chapter 106: See You Again 2

    Chapter 106: See You Again 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Jean Clo and Bater started running, and Doctor T used his eight legs to go across the battlefield. Junhyuk saw the enemies running and, still holding on to Sarang¡¯s hand, got between Vera and Diane. They started attacking the enemy heroes, and both of them ced their hands on Junhyuk. Vera touched his shoulder, and Diane grabbed his butt, and he teleported.

    They did not move back. Instead, they teleported to where Arn was, passing the running enemies and appearing right behind the doctor¡¯s back.

    Diane shot an arrow at Ki, who was exchanging blows with Arn. Vera cast a fire orb in front of Doctor T before he turned around, and sheunched a fire spear at him.

    Boom, boom!

    A series of explosions hit the doctor, and he was pushed back by the shock. Meanwhile, Junhyuk dashed forward still holding Sarang by the hand. Jean Clo and Bater changed directions and rushed back, and Doctor T turned around and fired the methrower.

    The strong mes covered Junhyuk¡¯s vision, and he hugged Sarang and rolled on the ground. Heroes could survive the methrower¡¯s attack, but Sarang would be roasted in a second. His tactic worked, and he escaped the mes.

    Meanwhile, Arn threw his saber, and it sank into Ki¡¯s chest. Ki had been fleeing from Diane¡¯s arrow and wasn¡¯t able to dodge the saber. She started bleeding heavily, and Arn jumped and swung his remaining saber at her throat. Finding herself in danger, she pulled out both of her pistols and fired, releasing the shockwave.

    Boom!

    The shockwave pushed Arn back, getting rid of him for Ki, but Diane¡¯s arrows struck her chest. The shockwave had a short range, and only those within it were affected by it. Ki couldn¡¯t dodge Diane¡¯s attacks. Arn had diminished her health, and Diane¡¯s attacks finished her off.

    Ki was dying, and Jean Clo and Bater turned and rushed toward Vera, but she couldn¡¯t fight those two alone and at the same time. Doctor T also joined them, firing the methrower. When he saw Vera retreating, he fired the missiles.

    Vera blocked them with her staff, but she was still heavily injured. She couldn¡¯t withstand the shock from the explosion and was pushed back. Jean Clo and Bater were running toward her when Halo and Nudra rushed toward them.

    They had the wind on their backs, and Halo used his lightning sh attack against Jean Clo¡¯s back. Nudra front-kicked Bater,unching him so hard that he passed by Vera. Bater got up, turned around and rushed. His rush¡¯s cooldown had ended, and he was close to Vera.

    Boom!

    Vera blocked him with her staff, but the shock threw her off, and she bounced back. Junhyuk grabbed her in midair and looked at Bater.

    He was already raising his fist up high, intending to m it against the ground to create shockwaves. Nudra quickly ran at him, but Bater was faster.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    The shockwaves headed for Junhyuk, and he took Vera and Sarang and escaped. Diane had run forward to kill Ki, so she was hit by them. Nudra, who had run to Bater, was also hit.

    Junhyuk had increased health, but he wanted to avoid the heroes¡¯ attacks. He stepped back after Halo walked over and stood in front of him. Bater ran at Halo and threw a one-twobo at him. Bater¡¯s huge fists closed in on Halo.

    Clung!

    Halo blocked it with his sword, but he still got damaged by the shock.

    Junhyuk knew they only had to wait a little longer. After killing Ki, Arn and Diane would join them, giving them the advantage.

    Arn pulled his saber out of Ki¡¯s dead body and ran to rejoin the group.

    Bater pushed Halo back, and then, Jean Clo rushed toward him, grabbing him and choke mming him.

    Boom!

    Halo hit his back against the ground and tried to counterattack, but Jean Clo had already passed him and was running toward Vera.

    Arn was a littlete in rejoining the group, but he jumped on Bater¡¯s back while Diane shot at Doctor T. Nudra was pushed back by the shockwave, but now, he focused his attacks on Bater.

    Jean Clo was still dangerous, and Junhyuk had already teleported twice, but he still stood in front of Sarang.

    "Step back," Vera said.

    "OK."

    Jean Clo blocked Vera¡¯s fire spear with his arms and extended his hands. Vera knew what it meant to be grabbed by him, so she tried to escape as fast as possible, but she wasn¡¯t fast enough. Jean Clo took a hold of her legs, swinging her around and throwing her.

    Halo got up and started running when Vera came flying against him. Jean Clo had taken the heroes out, and now, he started running toward Junhyuk and Sarang.

    His mind had a singr focus: attacking Junhyuk and Sarang. And Junhyuk knew who Jean Clo was after.

    This battle¡¯s victory seemed far away. Junhyuk could only die once. As an expert, he could reincarnate, but Sarang couldn¡¯t. She would be a proper expert once the next battle started, so Jean Clo was after her.

    Junhyuk stood in Jean Clo¡¯s path, but he scoffed at that and extended his hands. His hands were sorge, Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t be able to escape if Jean Clo grabbed him, so Junhyuk twisted his body and swung the Frozen Rune Sword.

    Because of the Gale Queen Harpy¡¯s buff, he attacked twice at the same time, and the debuff stacked. Then, Junhyuk kneeled and shed Jean Clo¡¯s shin with the Blood Rune Sword. Junhyuk moved around like a rat to try to escape Jean Clo¡¯s attacks, and Jean Clo was furious.

    He stared at Junhyuk, and Junhyuk knew he wouldn¡¯t escape the next attack, but he wanted to buy some more time.

    Halo and Vera were on the way to join the fight against Jean Clo, so Junhyuk swung the Frozen Rune Sword and cut Jean Clo¡¯s palm. However, Jean Clo managed to grab him. He held on to Junhyuk¡¯s legs and spun him around.

    The world spun around Junhyuk, and he felt himself be thrown somewhere. He was flying toward Vera and Halo, crashing against Vera and losing half of his health.

    Without the item, he would¡¯ve been killed by that attack. He realized again how dangerous Jean Clo was. Junhyuk and Vera fell over while Halo continued to dash.

    However, Halo was too far away, and Jean Clo was getting closer to Sarang. She couldn¡¯t afford to be grabbed. Junhyuk was dizzy, getting up, and Jean Clo extended his hand toward her. Then, Sarang shot him with her electric st. Jean Clo was paralyzed, and Sarang rolled on the ground to escape his grab.

    Halo passed by her and swung his sword at Jean Clo¡¯s elbow. Blood rushed out of his arm, but as soon as he started moving again, he attacked Halo, and Halo was not in situation where he could choose to escape. If he did, Sarang would be captured.

    Halo stood his ground, shing at Jean Clo, but Jean Clo ignored his injuries and grabbed Halo. Finally, Junhyuk understood something: Jean Clo had to be holding someone to use his powers, and, with the exception of his rush, his powers had quick cooldowns.

    Jean Clo was about to use the Spinning Piledriver on Halo, and Junhyuk knew he had to make a decision, so he cast the force field on Vera.

    She ran forward, covered by the field, and the force field got to Halo, pushing Jean Clo off of him. Halo got up from the ground and readied Rain from Above.

    Vera prepared a fire orb and a fire spear, but Jean Clo had gotten used to her attacks and just stood there. Her attacks pushed him back a little, and he saw Halo¡¯s Rain from Above and smiled. Then, Jean Clo started healing quickly, and the three blue energy rings appeared around him.

    Boom!

    Jean Clo knew about Sarang¡¯s healing suppression power, but he was still healing quickly, and one of the three rings blocked Halo¡¯s Rain from Above. He could block an opponent¡¯s ultimate and just eat up his enemies¡¯ blows.

    Jean Clo extended a hand toward Sarang, and she said, "Suppression."

    Sarang¡¯s Red Core Armor released a wave of bloody light that wrapped around Jean Clo¡¯s body, and the blue energy rings were unable to stop it. Once the bloody light wrapped around Jean Clo, thorns came out of it that pierced his body, but Jean Clo had already used his ultimate and looked satisfied.

    Diane jumped into the force field and shot an arrow at him. It was an ordinary arrow, but it took out thest two blue energy rings protecting Jean Clo¡¯s body.

    Arn and Nudra also went into the force field. Both could use the rest to regain some health.

    "Who needs healing?" Sarang asked them.

    Arn stepped forward.

    "Heal me first."

    Arn had the biggest health pool, but he had lost a lot of it fighting Ki. He had been hit by Ki¡¯s ultimate and had lost even more health against Bater.

    Sarang extended her hands toward him, and the light green powder sprinkled over his head, healing a chunk of Arn¡¯s health.

    "The enemy wants to kill Sarang. We should protect her."

    Nudra nodded.

    "Hurry! They are already attacking our castle¡¯s gate."

    Arn nodded. They had killed the first golem. If they killed the remaining three heroes, they would destroy the castle. They could do it before Regina and Adolphe did it, but they had to kill the heroes first.

    Arn squatted and whispered, "Junhyuk, when I tell you, teleport me behind Doctor T."

    Junhyuk nodded. Arn¡¯s ultimate took a long time to get ready, but it dealt an insane amount of damage. However, that also meant that Arn couldn¡¯t deal with the heroes outside of the force field at that moment.

    From within the force field, theyunched their long-ranged attacks, but soon, the force field disappeared.

    Arn¡¯s eyes beamed, and he shouted, "Now!"

    Junhyuk grabbed his shoulder and teleported. They appeared above Doctor T¡¯s mechanical spider body, and Arn quickly unsheathed his sabers, shing the doctor from behind.

    The blow was fatal, and Doctor T had already lost a lot of health. He couldn¡¯t withstand the attack.

    Bater and Jean Clo rushed toward Sarang at the same time.

 Chapter 107: See You Again 3

    Chapter 107: See You Again 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    There were only two enemy heroes remaining, and there was a limit to what they could do. If they did well, they might be able to kill two allied heroes. However, even if the allies lost two heroes, it wouldn¡¯t change anything.

    So, they wanted to get things ready for the next battle, and for that they had to kill Sarang. Both of them rushed at her, and Halo and Nudra stood in their way.

    Vera and Diane were attacking them, but Bater ignored the attacks and rushed at Halo, pushing him away. Halo blocked the strike, but wasn¡¯t able to keep his footing.

    While Bater rushed Halo, Jean Clo attacked Nudra, but Nudra kicked him. Jean Clo was pushed back, but Bater was standing next to him and struck Nudra with a one-twobo. After taking care of Halo and Nudra, Bater pointed his fists forward.

    Can Diane and Vera block that attack? Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure.

    Vera and Diane couldn¡¯t withstand Bater¡¯s ultimate, but Junhyuk couldn¡¯t rely on Halo either. He had been pushed too far back.

    Junhyuk teleported to stand right in front of Bater¡¯s fists. Baterughed and fired. The mechanical fists rocketed out, and Junhyuk swung his swords at Bater. Bater¡¯s fists hit him, but he still managed to cut Bater¡¯s elbow.

    Junhyuk was willing to die, but he wanted to debuff Bater first. Also, he thought there was a small chance he might survive since he had full health.

    Boom!

    The shock blew Junhyuk backward, and he knew he had no health left. Bater¡¯s attack had been fatal. One blow had drained Junhyuk¡¯s healthpletely, and he realized, again, how dangerous Bater was.

    Junhyuk was rolling on the ground, and Sarang stopped him and hugged him.

    "Big brother! Big brother!"

    She wanted to heal him, but she couldn¡¯t. She had already used her power on Arn and, even if she could use her healing power, she couldn¡¯t save him now.

    Junhyuk lifted his hand, held on to Sarang and whispered, "Don¡¯t die. No matter what."

    He had stopped Bater¡¯s ultimate, and the others were there to protect Sarang now.

    "Big brother! Stay awake!"

    He was already disappearing, and the heroes made a wall around Sarang.

    Junhyuk shouted at their backs, "Look after Sarang!"

    "Don¡¯t worry."

    Junhyuk looked at her.

    "See you again."

    "We will see each other again," Sarang answered him, and Junhyuk slowly closed his eyes.

    The whole world turned ck.

    ---

    It had no beginning and no end. He travelled through the darkness, opened his eyes and sighed, "Whew!"

    Junhyuk looked at the amount of gold he had rued: 32,340G. He thought he had earned a lot and shook his head.

    "Holy shit! Sarang can¡¯t die."

    Jean Clo and Bater were risking their lives to kill her. The allies had twice the number of heroes present, but that didn¡¯t guarantee her safety.

    [You¡¯ve died once. You have 0 revivals left on this battlefield.]

    Junhyuk summoned Bebe¡¯s ck Armor and just walked by the two swords in front of him. He didn¡¯t need them now.

    There was nothing he could do now. The battle would be decided before he could get back. He only wished for Sarang¡¯s survival.

    Junhyuk looked around the room and murmured, "Was it OK to die?"

    The enemy¡¯s fighting skill was truly astounding. The allies had spent every dime equipping themselves and gotten stronger, but the enemies were still hard to deal with.

    He trusted Arn, but he too had been killed and lost. Their enemies were truly strong, and to fight them, he wanted to be better prepared.

    [You may exit using the main entrance.]

    Junhyuk walked through the door.

    [Expert 01 deployed.]

    The castle was empty. Last time he died, he saw minions standing around, but now they were all on the battlefield.

    Junhyuk walked through the empty halls and heard a soft whisper.

    [The castle¡¯s gate has been destroyed. The enemy has advanced into the castle.]

    Danger shed in Junhyuk¡¯s mind. He thought the allies would win, but the enemy was already inside. Only the giant golems were left to fight the enemy.

    Junhyuk dashed quickly to the entrance and saw Regina with fifty riflemen. He frowned when he didn¡¯t see Adolphe.

    "I didn¡¯t see him at the castle either."

    He watched Regina. She was giving out orders to the riflemen to spread out and form a line. Once set, she ordered them to attack one of the golems, and they did.

    They had an interesting attack strategy. They attacked from one side, and when the golem moved to that side, the other side started attacking. They kept attacking unhindered, and Regina crossed her arms and looked at Junhyuk.

    "Look carefully. You¡¯ll see why I came alone."

    After she spoke, Regina dashed at the other giant golem. She swung her cuss and shed the golem. When the golem moved toward her, her roller des rocketed out, and she moved fast enough to escape it.

    She attacked as she moved, hitting and running, and the golem couldn¡¯t chase her down. Ki would¡¯ve shot at it from a distance, but Regina was attacking it while dodging its attacks.

    She could do the job all by herself.

    But the giant golems weren¡¯t stupid. Both of them attacked at the same time, and she was left with little space to move around. Even Regina had a limit.

    Regina was in danger, but she spun around, firing her pistol and pushing the golems back. She could kill both of them if she had enough time.

    Junhyuk inhaled deeply. Regina was able to deal with the golems because she had amazing speed. He couldn¡¯t allow the golems to be crushed, so he teleported behind Regina and swung the Frozen Rune Sword at her. Regina was shed on the back, and her movement speed decreased.

    Regina scoffed and turned around swinging her cuss at him.

    Junhyuk blocked her attack and shed her again. His attacks didn¡¯t do much damage, but he was going for the debuffs.

    Regina was slowing down, but Junhyuk was sweating cold. She attacked with the cuss and fired her pistol between swings. It wasn¡¯t easy to fight her. However, he was lucky enough to sh her three times, Then, he teleported next to the castle¡¯s force field and moved inside it.

    Regina gritted her teeth, but now her speed was not fast enough for her to deal with the golems.

    "You don¡¯t think I can destroy this castle?!"

    Regina continued to attack the golems, but they weren¡¯t made for a single hero to take on, so she used her skills and powers. At short range, she fired at them, and once the golems gathered, she spun around shooting.

    It looked like she had dealt with golems many times before, but her since her speed was low, the golems got through. She also had to wait for the powers¡¯ cooldowns to end.

    Junhyuk carefully watched the fight. Without him, Regina might have killed both golems, and with the riflemen shooting at the golems, they would crumble sooner orter. He couldn¡¯t let them be.

    He had to wait to teleport, but he could still use his force field. Junhyuk waited for an opportune moment and ran out of the castle¡¯s force field. Regina smiled.

    "Do you want to die?"

    She was already debuffed, and him being there meant that he had already died once. Experts could only revive one time, and Regina wanted to take care of him.

    Junhyuk ran toward her, getting ever closer. He had her attention, and the golems prepared to attack her from both sides.

    Regina wanted to kill him because he had no revives left. She smiled and ran toward him. Junhyuk knew one thing as he got closer to her, that she had killed Arn with her ultimate. He had to avoid it.

    He watched her carefully as they got closer, and Regina lifted her pistol. Junhyuk knew what she was up to, and he released the force field.

    ng!

    Regina fired, and the bullets bounced off the force field. Junhyuk got closer to her, decreasing the field¡¯s radius, and was able to attack her. He shed at her, and Regian scoffed while she retreated. However, a giant golem swung his fist at ther.

    Boom!

    The ground shook, but Regina managed to escape the fist. Junhyuk shed her leg. Her leather pant was cut, and the wound was small, but it was good enough. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t trying to kill Regina. If possible, he would, but he was really trying to buy more time or get her to retreat.

    He wanted the victory.

    Regina tried to escape, but she was having a hard time dealing with golems because of herck of speed.

    Junhyuk strained himself by exerting himself even more. Regina was angry with his tactics. She couldn¡¯t do anything because of the force field, and the two golems were attacking her. She was only in danger because of his debuffs, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t be.

    Junhyuk thought he could get her again, but when the force field disappeared, he retreated. He didn¡¯t want to die a second time.

    Regina spun around and fired her pistol at him. Both golems and Regina stepped back, and she ordered the riflemen to shoot at the golems. Regina moved toward the castle¡¯s entrance, and the riflemen attacked the golems.

    Junhyuk kept his attention focused on Regina. It would take a very long time for the riflemen to kill the golems alone, so the allies could destroy the enemy castle first.

    Then, Regina smiled at Junhyuk and dashed toward the golems again. The golems had already been injured by her, so whatever she did could kill them at any moment.

    Junhyuk knew the teleportation¡¯s cooldown was over and ran toward her. Regina sped up as the golems got closer and fired at them. The giant golems staggered, and Junhyuk dashed toward her. He could always escape by teleporting away.

    However, Regina lifted her eyepatch and used petrification on him. Junhyuk turned to stone and lost half of his health. He wasn¡¯t expecting her ultimate, and Regina approached him. Junhyuk gritted his teeth. He was paralyzed and he couldn¡¯t do anything. Death wasing his way.

    Then, a giant golem swung its fist down at Regina.

    Boom!

    She had to escape, but the other golem ran at her and kicked her back, pushing her forward, closer to Junhyuk.

    Regina was hurt badly, but she wouldn¡¯t let the chance to kill him be wasted. Right when she swung her cuss, Junhyuk was able to move again and teleported away.

    sh!

    She had swung her cuss at the empty air, but he appeared behind her and swung the Blood Rune Sword at her neck. He sliced her, and she started bleeding.

    It was a critical blow.

    Regina fired her pistol at him in response, and his armor was pierced, injuring his ribs. She hadn¡¯t used her power, so even though he was hurt, he didn¡¯t die.

    Then, Junhyuk stabbed her neck with the Blood Rune Sword.

    "Ugh!"

    As the sword punctured her neck, he could feel his wound recovering. Regina was in terrible shape, and she turned around swinging her cuss, but he teleported.

    He knew he could kill her, so he didn¡¯t go far. The Blood Rune Sword was still piercing her body, and he teleported back to the same spot where she had shed her cuss and stabbed her with the Frozen Rune Sword. The Frozen Rune Sword met the Blood Rune Sword hanging from her neck.

    Regina vomited blood, but she wasn¡¯t dead yet and fired at him. She thought he had used all of his powers and smiled.

    Bang!

    Junhyuk was already in the air. He had jumped as high as he could, but he could still see Regina bleeding out.

    She started disappearing, and Junhyuknded on her chest and smiled at her.

    "See you again."

    He was only able to kill her because of the golems, but he was still d. She disappeared, and he saw an item where her body had been.

    He picked up the leather belt, and the world started changing. Junhyuk lifted his head and looked toward the enemy castle. It had been destroyed.

    "We won."

    The world crumbled away.

 Chapter 108: W.A.N.C.S. Lab 1

    Chapter 108: W.A.N.C.S. Lab 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    A white light covered the world. After the light dimmed, Junhyuk opened his eyes. He was on his bed, conscious, and quickly picked up his cell phone. He wanted to find out about Sarang. Then, a message appeared in his phone.

    [It¡¯s me. I¡¯ve returned sessfully. He-he]

    Junhyuk was extremely relieved. Sarang was now an expert, and he was even more relieved by that.

    [That¡¯s nice. Get some rest.]

    [Big brother, go to sleep.]

    Junhyuk was sure Sarang was safe and lifted his hand. Thest item he picked up was wrapped around his wrist. It was a leather belt, and he inspected its attributes.

    ---

    Barbarian Belt

    Defense +20

    Attack Speed +10%

    Fixed Damage +20

    The barbarian warriors wore this belt. When they wore it, it increased their attack speed and defense. It took a significant amount of troops to fight these barbarians. The belt increases defense by twenty and attack speed by 10 percent. It also adds twenty to fixed damage.

    ---

    It was an impressive belt. Bater¡¯s Steel King Jax¡¯s Chain really increased health, and this belt helped with his attack. It increased attack speed and added fixed damage. Fixed damage was damage that ignored the opponent¡¯s defense, and its attribute was always useful when fighting someone with high defense.

    It was also a totally new item typepared to the items he already had. He put the belt around his waist and thought he wouldn¡¯t wear it outside. Instead, Junhyuk would engrave it with aplex engraving when he went back to the dimensional merchant. He rolled it up and put it in his backpack.

    Junhyuk stood in front of the mirror in his restroom. He had died again, and because of it, his eyes looked sunken.

    "I have to get stronger," he murmured.

    He was lucky to get back alive this time and he wanted to remain alive. For that, he had to take full advantage of the powers he already had and develop new ones. He wanted to train, but he had almost lost his mind in that battle and was extremely tired at that point.

    "I¡¯ll sleep tonight and train tomorrow."

    Junhyuky in bed and fell into a deep sleep.

    ---

    On Monday morning, he was listening to the radio on his way to work.

    "On Friday, at nine o¡¯clock, patients with abnormal narcolepsy woke up and killed twelve people. One of the patient¡¯s next of kin was also injured. W.A.N.C.S.boratory is running tests to make a diagnosis. Will they find more about abnormal narcolepsy?"

    Junhyuk shook his head as he heard the news. There should have already been survivors, but nobody in the world knew about them. That probably meant that the Rockefellers or others were involved.

    That this event was broadcasted was curious. Maybe it was because it had happened at a hospital, and the reporters got to it first.

    Junhyuk kept driving and murmured, "Is something different?"

    He thought of when he encountered the person with the Blood Sword. He acted as though he had lost his soul to the sword. However, even if this was a simr situation to the Blood Sword, they couldn¡¯t get rid of it so easily.

    "Will they do the right thing?"

    The survivors wouldn¡¯t be many. When they sieged the castle, some minions could have survived, but they would all be berserked because of the small marble. It would be hard for them to remain normal. If they couldmunicate, they would tell about the Dimensional Battlefield.

    It would be better if there were multiple survivors who told their stories at the same time. They would grab the world¡¯s attention, and people wouldn¡¯t be able to get rid of them easily. They would be strong, and the others wouldn¡¯t risk endangering themselves.

    Junhyuk tapped on the steering wheel and whispered, "They might start teaching shield and sword lessons."

    People couldn¡¯t learn to wield a shield and a sword in one day, and even if people practiced, their survival rate wouldn¡¯t be any higher. Heroes and archers pulverized minions.

    Junhyuk arrived at work, parked his car and took the elevator. He had a car now, so he didn¡¯t have to mingle with othermuters.

    Inside the elevator, Junhyuk checked the news on his smartphone. Until that day, there had been no news concerning abnormal narcolepsy patients. Now, people were very interested in these new survivors.

    The survivors had killed twelve at the hospital, and one of them was transferred to the W.A.N.C.S.b. He read the news and looked at the pictures of theboratory. He was suspicious of W.A.N.C.S., and they might use theboratory to hide things.

    The elevator got to the first floor, and the door opened. Some people walked in, and Junhyuk bowed at them.

    "Hello!"

    Junhyuk was still a new employee at thepany, and he liked that. He was only working as a model for ST Capsule because he couldn¡¯t refuse to.

    Doyeol and Sukhoon Kim had entered the elevator, and he greeted. Their secretaries were standing behind the two, and he bowed slightly at them.

    "The demonstration was a sess. They are apuding you."

    "I was just there."

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t using the metal prosthetics, and he thought he had done nothing except show up. However, Doyeol thought otherwise.

    Doyeol grabbed Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder and looked at his smartphone.

    "What is the news about?"

    Junhyuk showed him the screen and answered, "There were abnormal narcolepsy survivors, and the inte is all about them."

    "I saw it on TV. They attacked the people around them, right? One of the injured is a family member."

    Sukhoon nodded.

    "They aren¡¯t sure, but the survivors seem berserked and don¡¯t understand their current situation."

    Junhyuk guessed those two knew more about the situation than what the news reported, and Sukhoon looked at Junhyuk and chuckled.

    "We work with abnormal narcolepsy, so I checked it out."

    They sold capsules to abnormal narcolepsy patients. He should rightfully check things out. ST Capsule had already spent a lot of money, and it would probably spend more on the subject.

    "I hope you find out more."

    "Theb will let us know. We¡¯ll just wait."

    They conversed, and Junhyuk got off on his floor. He sat on his chair and looked at Eunseo¡¯s office. The coboration had been a sess, and everyone was too rxed. Nobody worked over the weekend.

    He cleaned his desk, turned on hisputer, and people started trickling in. Junhyuk greeted them one by one.

    The elevator door opened, and Eunseo moved out. She greeted everyone, and said to him, "Mr. Junhyuk Lee and Ms. Somin Jeon,e to my office."

    Junhyuk and Somin looked at each other. She didn¡¯t know anything, and both headed toward Eunseo¡¯s office. She was sitting on her sofa when they walked in.

    They sat down, and Eunseo said, "You did well during the exhibition."

    Junhyuk bowed slightly, and Eunseo looked at Somin.

    "Ms. Jeon, you¡¯ve worked hard."

    Somin bowed, and Eunseo continued, "The coboration is a sess, but did you hear about what happened over the weekend?"

    "Yes."

    It was about the survivor, and Junhyuk was also interested in the story.

    "W.A.N.C.S. will let us know when they find something, but if we are to get more information faster, we need people at theboratory."

    "You mean we should work there?"

    Eunseo nodded.

    "We already gave them a hefty sum of money, so we applied to send people over."

    Junhyuk was surprised. He had nothing to do in the Strategy nning Department. He worked mostly as a model, but Somin was different.

    Eunseo turned to Somin and said, "While over there, you won¡¯t work too much. And when the results on the survivor are delivered, you¡¯ll return here. Don¡¯t worry."

    Eunseo had already decided, and there was no reason to refuse, so she fixed her sses and continued, "Today, I will go with you to talk to theb supervisor. The appointment is at eleven o¡¯clock, so be ready in thirty minutes."

    "Yes."

    "Go get ready."

    Both of them walked out of her office, and Junhyuk scratched his head.

    "What should we take?"

    "We¡¯ll take our tablets with us and nothing else."

    Somin went back to her seat, and Junhyuk cleared his desk. He only grabbed his tablet and put it in his backpack. This time, maybe he would meet the survivors. He wanted to find out more about them.

    After thirty minutes passed, Eunseo came out of her office. Junhyuk and Somin were already waiting for her.

    When they got on the elevator, Eunseo asked, "Junhyuk, did you drive?"

    "Yes."

    "Then, take Somin with you. Do you know where to go?"

    "Yes," he said, and the elevator stopped.

    There were people following Eunseo, and they helped her get to her car.

    "Don¡¯t bete," she said.

    "Yes," he answered and walked to his car with Somin.

    When they arrived, she smiled at it.

    "You got a new car."

    "That¡¯s right. I got some money from the model work, so I bought it."

    He opened the door for her, and she got in. Junhyuk got in as well, and he typed theb¡¯s address into the GPS.

    "I¡¯ll drive safely."

    "Please do."

    Junhyuk and Somin talked while on the way to theboratory. They talked about the coboration project, and when she told him how much money thepany had earned, Junhyuk almost stopped the car.

    "They made that much?!"

    "Yes. The metal model is about $30,000. They sold about a hundred thousand units. Using simple math, they earned about $3 billion total. The project and the manpower came from Robotics, so we got just about 10 percent of the earnings, but that¡¯s still $300 million."

    Junhyuk thought about that astronomical sum and said, "That¡¯ a scary amount."

    "Right." Somin yawned and murmured, "This is only the beginning. We sold a hundred thousand models already. I have no idea how many more we will sell. We¡¯ll be rolling in money."

    Junhyuk also wanted money, but he shook his head. He already had plenty of it, and he didn¡¯t waste money. It wasn¡¯t in his character. His real work was in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    They arrived at theboratory, and he parked. Eunseo was already there. She took the lead and said, "Let¡¯s go in."

    Junhyuk looked at the huge building in front of him and frowned. The size of the building made him curious about their research.

 Chapter 109: W.A.N.C.S. Labs 2

    Chapter 109: W.A.N.C.S. Labs 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    When he got inside the W.A.N.C.S.boratory, Junhyuk looked at everything. There was a guide desk on the first floor, and Eunseo called for someone and waited. Some time passed, and a middle-aged man wearing a whiteb coat showed up.

    The man had hair carelesslybed and wore sses. He stepped forward and greeted Eunseo.

    "You came!"

    "I told you why we¡¯de."

    The man looked at Junhyuk and Somin and chuckled.

    "The temp workers, your friends?"

    "Yes, they are."

    "Follow me."

    The man lead the way, and Eunseo followed him on her fully automatic wheelchair.

    "You should greet them."

    The man stopped walking and turned around.

    "I¡¯m theb chief, Iltae Park."

    "Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Junhyuk Lee."

    "I¡¯m Somin Jeon."

    "You look familiar. Have we met before?"

    Eunseo answered him instead, "He is ourpany¡¯s model."

    "Ah! The metal series advertisement model." Iltae lifted his hand apologetically and continued, "I don¡¯t remember much outside of my interests. Please understand."

    Junhyuk wanted to say that Iltae was ab chief, which was beyond his own ability, but he decided not to. They got on an elevator, and Iltae pressed the button for the third floor.

    "I will show you your office, where you¡¯ll be working," he said.

    Somin smiled and asked, "What shall we work on?"

    Iltae shrugged and answered, "Do you know a lot about capsules?"

    "I can take care of them."

    "Good. This ce has a total of twelve hundred capsules. The centralputer is overseeing them, but we still need human help. You could help us out."

    "I understand."

    Iltae got off on the third floor and opened the door to an office. It looked like a space for temps. There were two desks and a telephone.

    "You will be working here. If you need anything, press ¡¯0¡¯ on the telephone, and it¡¯ll connect you to the guide desk," Iltae exined calmly."

    "I understand."

    "Then, you two stay here."

    Eunseo shook her head and protested, "Junhyuk, you should follow me."

    Iltae looked at her, shrugged and said, "Then, follow me." And added to Somin while pointing to the room next door, "That room is the rest area. You should get some tea."

    "OK."

    Leaving Somin behind, the group took the elevator and went to the fourth floor. The floor had people working busily, and they passed by them to get to a ce surrounded by ss.

    Behind the ss, there was a man restrained to a bed. Junhyuk watched the people, busy, as they worked on the man on the bed. It looked like the people were there to watch the man. There were ten of them.

    The man had his eyes open, but they stared nkly at nothing. Eunseo turned around, and Iltae said, "His destructive instinct didn¡¯t take his own safety into ount. When people tried to restrain him, he broke his own arm, but he didn¡¯t care about that and continued to attack them."

    "What is his condition?"

    "We gave him enough tranquilizer to put an elephant to sleep."

    "Is it OK to give him that much?"

    "We gave it to him in doses. We won¡¯t let him die."

    To them, the restrained man couldn¡¯t die. He had answers to what happened when people experienced abnormal narcolepsy.

    Junhyuk walked closer to the ss and looked at the man. Then, the man turned slowly to look at him.

    They saw each other, and suddenly, the man started moving. He was moving instinctively, and the people around him were surprised.

    Junhyuk could see the man¡¯s eyes. They looked like the eyes of the man who had held the Blood Sword and tried to kill him and Sarang. Maybe the man could recognize he was an expert?

    The man wanted something, but Junhyuk distanced himself from the ss. Iltae looked at the man and then at Junhyuk.

    "Do you know him?"

    "I¡¯ve never seen him before."

    "Hm."

    Iltae looked at Junhyuk, walked to ss and pressed the speaker button.

    "Give him more tranquilizers."

    They injected him again, and the man no longer looked at Junhyuk. Junhyuk watched as he turned his head, and they moved on after. They went to Iltae¡¯s office, and he ordered his secretary to bring them tea.

    Iltae sat down, and Junhyuk sat on a sofa. A momentter, the secretary came in with tea.

    Iltae sipped on his tea and said, "Without the tranquilizers, he was out of control. We are monitoring him, but we are not hopeful."

    "I understand."

    "That was the first time he showed any response to anything," he said and looked at Junhyuk. "He doesn¡¯t even recognize his own family, but he responded to you. That¡¯s something to be hopeful about."

    Eunseo looked at Junhyuk first and then at Iltae.

    "So, you need Junhyuk¡¯s help?"

    "He is a temp here. Why shouldn¡¯t he help?"

    Junhyuk frowned. He couldn¡¯t get out of that situation.

    "I understand. I¡¯ll help you with anything you need."

    "Thanks." Iltae smiled, looked at Eunseo and added, "We don¡¯t know anything, but when we do, we¡¯ll let you know."

    "Please, do."

    "Don¡¯t worry. Expect something good," Iltae said, staring intently at Junhyuk.

    ---

    Eunseo left, and Junhyuk was given a medical gown. This time he wouldn¡¯t just look across the ss, but he would meet the man in person instead. The man was sleeping because of the tranquilizers. His skin was very rough, and Junhyuk read the name on his chart: Jisuk Dong.

    "Are you giving him more tranquilizers?" Junhyuk asked.

    "If we try to listen to him, and we let him lose, he¡¯ll try to bite us."

    Junhyuk was curious. He didn¡¯t know him and he couldn¡¯t remember the faces of each of the minions in the battlefield. The minions also didn¡¯t know his face because he had been wearing Bebe¡¯s ck Armor. The minions might be able to recognize novices and experts, he thought. He wanted to know more.

    About an hourter, Jisuk woke up from the tranquilizer. He was half asleep and, when he looked around, he saw Junhyuk. Jisuk¡¯s eyes were extremely active, but he couldn¡¯t speak. There was something covering his mouth that prevented him from speaking.

    "Does he want to attack me?" Junhyuk asked while looking at Jisuk.

    Iltae stood next to him and asked, "Are you sure you don¡¯t know him?"

    "I¡¯m sure."

    "Let¡¯s find out!"

    Iltae gave the signal, and another person opened the muzzle on Jisuk¡¯s mouth.

    "Aaargh!"

    JIsuk was foaming at the mouth, and Junhyuk prevented the others from restraining him again and walked over to him.

    He pressed down on Jisuk¡¯s head. Jisuk tried to bite him, but Junhyuk was too strong for him. Junhyuk didn¡¯t look like he was exerting himself, but he had strength beyond ordinary men. Jisuk looked at him with envy, and Junhyuk shook his head.

    "We should stop. He is just too aggressive."

    "It¡¯s impossible tomunicate now."

    Junhyuk nodded.

    "Muzzle him."

    Junhyuk himself put the guard around Jisuk¡¯s mouth. He was strong, so he did it easily, but the people around him looked very surprised.

    "You are so strong!"

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t mind it too much. He hadn¡¯t used his full strength.

    "I like to exercise."

    He showed his biceps, and the eyes of the women among them beamed. Iltae shrugged.

    "Give him more tranquilizers. I don¡¯t know when he will stop that madness, but it¡¯ll be a matter of time."

    They couldn¡¯t do anything in the short term, and as Iltae spoke, Junhyuk nodded.

    "Right. Where should I go now?"

    "Just go get some rest."

    "I¡¯ll go see my colleague then, Somin."

    "Sure. When this man wakes up, I¡¯ll let you know."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk headed to where Somin was. She was drinking a cup of coffee.

    "Can you make me a cup as well?"

    "Sure. I don¡¯t have anything else to do," she said and made him a cup and ced it in front of him. "So, what did you do?" she asked.

    "Nothing," he answered, shrugging. "He is not in very good condition. He is afraid of people."

    "Is that right?" Somin thought about the news and shook her head. "Isn¡¯t it dangerous?"

    "No, not at all," Junhyuk said, showing his biceps. "I¡¯m strong enough."

    Somin giggled.

    "If anything happens, protect me."

    "Sure," He said, leaning back on his chair. "We have nothing to do."

    "Right. Even though we were sent here, there isn¡¯t much we can do."

    Someone knocked on the door, and two researchers walked in. They had a stack of documents on them.

    "Are you the temps?"

    "Yes."

    "These are the capsules under your care."

    Junhyuk looked at the documents.

    "There are at least a hundred!"

    The researcher answered, "It¡¯s only a hundred. Please understand there are twelve hundred capsules monitored by five people."

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t using anyone of anything.

    "I was getting bored. I¡¯ll do it! What should I do?" Somin asked cheerfully.

    "There is nothing much you can do. Follow us. I¡¯ll show you the capsules."

    Somin got up, and Junhyuk tried to follow her, but Somin shook her head.

    "Stay here. You have to help with the survivor."

    "Not at all! I¡¯ll go with you," he said and followed her anyway.

    They went to the second floor. There were rooms all the way to the end of the hallway, and each room had six capsules.

    "This is why this ce is sorge!"

    Junhyuk and Somin followed the researchers and learned about the capsule maintenance for the one hundred capsules under their care. They split them fifty-fifty between them.

    Junhyuk looked over the capsules he was responsible for and saw people sleeping inside. At least they looked that way, but he knew their souls were gone. Junhyuk touched one of the capsules and sighed. Then, he inspected them, and they were all working correctly.

    He stepped out of the room, and saw two researchers walking. As they passed by him, he stopped. They were wearingb coats, but their eyes and gait looked different. They didn¡¯t look like people who had worked their entire lives in ab. Because of their coats, they also didn¡¯t look like guards.

    "Wait!" Junhyuk called after them.

 Chapter 110: W.A.N.C.S. Lab 3

    Chapter 110: W.A.N.C.S. Lab 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The two researchers looked at each other and walked to Junhyuk. He just smiled at them.

    "I got dispatched here today. Do you work here?"

    One of the men stepped forward and answered, "That¡¯s right."

    "Good."

    Junhyuk kept smiling while he pointed to the capsules and said, "I want to ask you something about that capsule. Its readings are too high."

    In fact,pared to the other capsules, that one¡¯s readings were slightly higher than normal. The numbers indicated the amount of calories given to the patient. If they didn¡¯t know how capsules worked, they wouldn¡¯t be able to tell what the readings were for.

    Junhyuk thought that if they were researchers, they would be able to answer him correctly. They looked suspicious. That floor had a crew of five researchers, and Junhyuk had already seen two of them. He didn¡¯t think the two men in front of him were a part of the remaining three.

    Already inside the room, one of them walked toward the door. The room they were in wasn¡¯t too big, beingrge enough to only fit six capsules. The man looked around outside and closed the door. Junhyuk was watching him and kept smiling. They were acting very suspiciously.

    Junhyuk turned around to look at the capsules, goading the men in doing what he thought they would. As he turned to face the capsules, one of the man pulled out a syringe.

    "We should report the variations in these readings to the chief. What do you think?" he asked calmly.

    The man¡¯s image was reflected on the capsule, and he approached without making a sound. Junhyuk turned to face him, and the man didn¡¯t hesitate trying to push the syringe into his neck. Junhyuk had seen the other man walking outside to keep watch, and he grabbed the wrist of the man standing in front of him and forced the syringe into his neck. He injected the entire dosage, and the man fell. Junhyuk supported his body to the ground.

    The man keeping watch outside said, "Hurry up!"

    Junhyuk got up slowly and asked, "What¡¯s in the syringe?"

    As he spoke, the man turned around and put his hand in his pocket, quickly pulling out a pistol with a silencer. The man didn¡¯t have the chance to pull the trigger as Junhyuk grabbed his pistol and blocked the trigger with his finger.

    He didn¡¯t want to summon Bebe¡¯s ck Armor, so he just used his strength to prevent the man from pulling the trigger. The man quickly swung his elbow at Junhyuk, but he just yawned. He was used to dealing with much more dangerous individuals.

    Junhyuk blocked the elbow with his left hand, and the man closed in, attempting to knee him. Junhyuk dodged and elbowed the man on his throat. The man tapped his shoes against the ground, and a de appeared from one of them.

    "Don¡¯t y with me."

    Junhyuk stepped on the man¡¯s shoe, breaking the de and his foot. The man groaned, and Junhyuk grabbed him by the throat and threw him on the ground.

    "Ugh!"

    Junhyuk took the pistol away, twisted his arm and pinned him down. At that point, Somin, who heard strange noises, opened the door, and her eyes shot wide open.

    "Junhyuk, what¡¯s going on?"

    "Call the guards and theb chief!"

    "Yes, just a moment!"

    Somin ran out, and the researchers who worked on the capsules came in. Junhyuk inspected the five researchers, took theb coats off the other men and waited.

    Soon, the guards arrived with Lab Chief Iltae. They looked with surprise at the restrained men.

    ¡¯What is going on?"

    Junhyuk handed the restrained men over to the guards and got up.

    "I was checking on the capsules and going outside when I met them. They looked really suspicious, so I asked them about the caloric readings, and they tried to inject me with something."

    He pick up the syringe and gave it to Iltae, who gave it to a researcher.

    "Analyze its contents."

    "Yes."

    "You have thirty minutes."

    The researcher ran out, and Iltae continued, "Take these men to underground room five and tie them to beds."

    "Yes, sir."

    The guards took them away, and Junhyuk asked, "Aren¡¯t you reporting this to the police?"

    "I am not. We should find out more about them."

    Junhyuk shrugged and took a step back. There was nothing he could do now.

    Iltae patted his shoulder and said, "You are something else."

    The men looked to be really strong, and he alone had restrained them both. Iltae thought Junhyuk was special, and he wanted to watch him.

    "Do you want to join me in the interrogation?" Iltae asked.

    Junhyuk thought about it for a moment and nodded. He didn¡¯t want to get involved, but he was already involved and he wanted to know more about the men¡¯s intentions.

    ---

    The underground floor was spacious and had different security protocols to get inside. Every room was devoid of windows, and they were headed to room five.

    As he entered room five, Junhyuk saw the men tied up on the beds. The researcher arrived with the results of the syringe¡¯s content, and Iltae frowned.

    "Propofol?"

    "Yes."

    It was a strong tranquilizer used for full body anesthesia.

    "Did they have any IDs?"

    "No."

    Inside room five, there were two guards. Iltae and the researcher who had brought the report were also there. Junhyuk looked intently at Iltae.

    Iltae ignored Junhyuk¡¯s stare and said, "Find out how they were able to get in. Ourb¡¯s IDs aren¡¯t replicable."

    "Yes, sir."

    "From now on, increase out threat level by two."

    "Understood."

    Junhyuk watched the men answering quickly and felt like there was something unreal about it. It was like they were in the army. They were very organized. Why did Iltae bring him there?

    Iltae looked at Junhyuk and said, "Let¡¯s go outside."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk saw there were about ten rooms on that floor and asked, "What is this ce?"

    Iltae merely shrugged.

    "It¡¯s for our secret research. Do you want me to show you?"

    "No, I¡¯m fine."

    He didn¡¯t want to get too involved and be one of them. Iltae answered his cell phone and frowned.

    "Shit! Follow me!"

    They got on the elevator.

    "What is going on?" Junhyuk asked carefully.

    "Jisuk Dong¡¯s heart stopped."

    "Don¡¯t you have researchers with him? There were ten of themst time."

    "They all passed out."

    "Do you have CCTV cameras?"

    "I do, but let¡¯s look at Jisuk first. Then, we¡¯ll look at the CCTV footage."

    "Whoever it is, he¡¯s audacious."

    They broke in in the middle of the day and assassinated Jisuk? Had he only dealt with part of the team?

    They got to the fourth floor, and Iltae walked out quickly. There were researchers on the ground all over the ce, and the doctors were trying to save Jisuk.

    Junhyuk gathered all of the researchers in one ce. He couldn¡¯t help Jisuk, whose heart had stopped, so he checked on the researchers and found out they were still alive. The doctors kept working on Jisuk, but his heart didn¡¯t start up again, and they gave up on him.

    They talked among themselves and dered, "He is dead."

    Iltae shook his head.

    "Whoever it is, he is brazen and deliberate," he said and looked at Junhyuk. "Come with me to check the CCTV footage."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk was curious about who had been behind all of that. Iltae started talking as they waited for an elevator.

    "It all happened when I left my post to check on you."

    "Do you mean they came to me on purpose?"

    "Those two were distracting you from the real target."

    They got in the elevator.

    "You are skilled. If someone is after me, can you protect me?"

    "I¡¯m only a temp here?"

    "Protect me during work hours."

    "Since Jisuk is dead, my job here is done."

    "You think so?"

    Iltae was smiling, and Junhyuk frowned. Iltae knew better.

    They got off on the first floor and headed toward the guard room. They saw the guards looking at the monitors. There were thirty of them, and one of them spoke to Iltae.

    "You came."

    "Mr. Jang, what happened?"

    Jaeyoung Jang was the head of the security team at thatb, and he looked at Junhyuk and asked, "This is a ssified operation. Is it OK?"

    "Don¡¯t worry. Without this friend, we wouldn¡¯t have captured those two men."

    Jaeyoung nodded continued, "Watch this."

    He showed them the footage of Jisuk¡¯s room. All ten researchers were overseeing Jisuk when a person walked in. The person was wearing a motorcycle helmet and a ck leather jacket. He looked out of ce. How did he get in here?

    The person lifted the visor of his helmet and looked at the researchers, and the researchers simply passed out. One of the researchers took a syringe to the food station and injected it in the grape juice that was being given to Jisuk.

    After that, the researcher copsed.

    The person wearing the motorcycle helmet looked at the CCTV camera, turned around and disappeared. Junhyuk realized he was not an ordinary human being. He can control people with his stare and make them pass out?

    He had controlled them like puppets, and Junhyuk thought he had to have a special power.

    He looked at Jaeyoung and asked, "When did he leave?"

    "About five minutes ago."

    "Did you check the license te?"

    He could have a motorcycle te, but Jaeyoung¡¯s answered negatively, "The te didn¡¯t reveal anything useful."

    The te simply read "Mind Control." It wasn¡¯t possible to track him down.

    "It looks like a big motorcycle."

    "It¡¯s a 2012 Ducati 1199 Panigale."

    "Can you track it?"

    "We are on it."

    Iltae nodded and looked at Jaeyoung.

    "Make sure the media don¡¯t find out about this until we have the suspect in custody."

    "Yes, sir."

    "Then, take care and get to work."

    Iltae went out, and Junhyuk looked at the screen again and followed him out.

    "You worked hard today. Go home and see you tomorrow," Iltae told him.

    "I think I¡¯m done here."

    "See you tomorrow."

    Iltae smirked and turned around. Junhyuk stared at his back, frowned and shook his head. He wasn¡¯t interested in Iltae at that moment.

    "Is he another novice?"

 Chapter 111: Dispatch Work 1

    Chapter 111: Dispatch Work 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    A grey Ducati 1199 Panigale sped through the streets and used a ramp to get inside a parked truck. Once it got inside the five-tonne truck, the people waiting quickly closed the door.

    It was dark inside, and someone turned on the lights. Two men walked over, and the person got off the motorcycle and took off the helmet. She had short hair, pale skin and longshed blue eyes. A man stepped forward.

    "Wee."

    The woman looked at him, and he lowered his gaze. Sheughed at him.

    "Did the moneye in?"

    "Yes."

    She took her leather jacket off and ran her fingers through her hair. Another man walked over to her holding a chiffon blouse and jeans. The woman changed right there, not minding the men around her.

    "You got a motorcycle?"

    "Of course!"

    The truck was already moving, and the woman was done changing when a man showed her aptop and said, "You have a call from the prince."

    The woman took theptop and set it to the side. It was an online video call, and an Arabic-looking man appeared on the screen.

    "You took care of business," the man said.

    "I got paid well."

    "I can trust you."

    "If you have more work, just let me know."

    "I¡¯ll be in touch."

    The woman finished talking and felt the truck stop. She picked up a pink motorcycle helmet. Suddenly, the truck¡¯s rear door opened, and another woman wearing the same clothes as her walked in.

    The first woman looked at the men, pointed to her motorcycle and said, "That¡¯s my favorite horse. Give it a good paint job."

    "Don¡¯t worry."

    The woman waved lightly at them and got off the truck. There was a blue scooter parked in front of her. She was humming as she got on the scooter and left.

    The truck¡¯s door closed, and it drove off.

    ---

    Junhyuk signed a nondisclosure agreement, and he and Somin were called by Eunseo to go back to ST Capsule. On the way, Somin didn¡¯t speak much. She was scared because someone had been killed, so Junhyuk spoke to her first.

    "Don¡¯t worry. The temp work should be over."

    "You think so?"

    Somin was scared to go back to the W.A.N.C.S.b. The people who were associated with Jisuk¡¯s death seemed to be highly organized. She had only seen people like that in movies, so she was naturally afraid.

    "They dispatched us there to find out more information from Jisuk Dong when he woke up and not to look after the capsules."

    "Maybe."

    They had been there for only a day. If they came back that soon, the other workers might look at her funny, but she didn¡¯t care.

    "Don¡¯t worry."

    Somin looked around and asked, "Why did they kill Jisuk?"

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t have an answer. He could only guess, but he wanted her to know everything.

    "There might be people who don¡¯t want others to know the cause of the abnormal narcolepsy."

    "Why? There are two hundred thousand abnormal narcolepsy victims already. Finding the cause of it should be priority!"

    "It has to do with money."

    "Money?"

    Junhyuk shrugged.

    "Someone hired a professional killer to do the job. That person couldn¡¯t have done it if he didn¡¯t have money. Someone with money wanted more money."

    "I¡¯m scared."

    Somin shivered, and Junhyuk nodded slowly. He also thought that whoever was behind what happened was really dangerous.

    "Maybe the killings won¡¯t stop here."

    "What? What do you mean?"

    "There are multiple people who woke up from abnormal narcolepsy. Whoever it is, probably went after all of them."

    Somin frowned, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t say anything else about that. She would probably pass out from his stories. Somin remained silent, and Junhyuk focused on driving. They arrived at ST Capsule and went straight to Eunseo¡¯s office.

    It wasn¡¯t time to leave work yet, and Eunseo invited them in. She was frowning while looking at them both.

    "Ms. Jeon, the temp work is cancelled. You must be worried about what happened today, so get some rest and report to work on Monday."

    Somin was extremely relieved, and Eunseo continued, "You may leave now."

    Somin nodded and left. Eunseo turned to Junhyuk.

    "Chief Park told me everything. You saved the situation?"

    "No, Jisuk is dead. I didn¡¯t do anything to help him out."

    Eunseo shook her head.

    "Chief Park officially requested your presence at theb."

    Junhyuk thought about the chief for a brief moment, and Eunseo stared at him.

    "If you don¡¯t want to go, I will turn him down."

    Junhyuk pondered about it. The W.A.N.C.S.b posed him someplications. They didn¡¯t seem to be interested in finding the cause or the cure for abnormal narcolepsy, but they worked as if they were in the army.

    Ordinarily, he would¡¯ve refused since he didn¡¯t want to reveal things about himself. However, it was different now. The W.A.N.C.S. had benefactors, and among them was the Rockefeller family. The Rockefellers might be influencing theb. In a way, he understood the ce better now. It was like the enemy battlefield, but he didn¡¯t want to avoid it. He wanted to find out more about the assassination.

    "I¡¯ll go. I have nothing to do here."

    Eunseo fixed her sses and looked at him intently.

    "Then, you may go back. Report there tomorrow."

    "May I go home today?"

    "Yes, you may."

    "Then, I¡¯ll take my leave."

    Junhyuk said goodbye and went out. He took his bag and got in his car. They could call it temp work, but he would be in enemy territory, so he had to get ready.

    Junhyuk looked at his cell phone and threw it on the passenger¡¯s seat. He couldn¡¯t use it because they might have tapped it.

    "I should get a burner phone."

    Burner phones were against thew in South Korea, but he still wanted one. He also needed to get in touch with Sarang.

    He didn¡¯t know anybody who could get him a burner phone or who had a criminal record. He didn¡¯t know anybody in the criminal world and he thought he shouldn¡¯t try going against thew by himself.

    Then, he thought of someone whose business card he had. The man who had helped him during the bus ident, Chulho Park.

    He had his own money lending business called Chulho Capital, and he might be able to help Junhyuk, so Junhyuk drove to Chulho¡¯s business address.

    Chulho Capital was located in the Sadang District. Junhyuk saw the sign that read Chulho Capital and went inside. He opened the door and saw a few men working at their desks. They looked very big. The men nced at him and turned back to their work. Then, a woman walked over smiling.

    "Hello! What do you need?"

    "I¡¯m here to see Chulho Park?"

    The men working at their desks turned their attention back to Junhyuk, and he gave the woman the business card he was holding.

    "He told me to visit him."

    "And who would you be?"

    "Junhyuk Lee."

    "Wait here."

    Junhyuk sat on a sofa, and a man went outside. Junhyuk sensed the man standing guard outside of the door andughed. If anything happened, the man outside would block his path, but Junhyuk wasn¡¯t nervous. He could kill hundreds of them if he wanted to.

    Chulho stepped out of his office. He looked very rough andughed at Junhyuk.

    "Ha-ha-ha! You are famous!"

    Junhyuk got up and bowed slightly.

    "I meant toe sooner, but I had the chance to do it now."

    "I see that you¡¯ve been busy."

    They shook hands, and Chulho led him by the hand to his office.

    "Ms. Kim, two cups of coffee."

    Chulho sat Junhyuk down on the sofa in his office.

    "I saw your ads and the TV shows."

    Junhyukughed awkwardly, and Chulho continued, "Since the newscast that day, mypany¡¯s image has improved."

    Chulho had also helped out in saving the people that day. It was only right for his image to have improved.

    Knock, knock!

    The woman walked in with two cups of coffee. Chulho sipped on his and asked Junhyuk, "So, do you need anything?"

    Junhyuk hesitated for a moment.

    "I need you to do me a favor."

    "A favor? Do you need money? I thought you had made a lot from the ads!"

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "I don¡¯t need money. I need a burner phone."

    "A burner phone?" Chulho was interested now and leaned forward, asking, "What is going on?"

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly.

    "It¡¯s hard to exin. I just have a strange feeling."

    "What feeling?"

    "That someone is listening in on my phone."

    "A wiretap?" Chulho said,ughing hard and waving his hands negatorily. "You¡¯ve gotten funny since you became famous."

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t interested in Chulho¡¯s reaction.

    "Can you help me?"

    "Of course."

    "Get me two of them."

    Chulho¡¯s eyes widened slightly, and he stared at Junhyuk.

    "You need two? It¡¯s a woman issue."

    He knew it was for a woman. In fact, it was for Sarang, and Junhyukughed hard.

    "Is it possible?"

    "Wait here."

    Chulho got to his seat and dialed a number on his phone.

    "Tell Lee to bring me two burner phones."

    He sat back on the sofa, and a man walked in. The man didn¡¯t speak and ced two cell phones on the table and left.

    "In our line of work, we need to use burner phones. Understand that you can only use these phones for calls and text messages."

    "That¡¯s enough."

    He called a number with one of the cell phones, and the other phone rang. Chulho gave him both phones.

    "You have the numbers. They are ready to use."

    Junhyuk took the phones.

    "How much?"

    Chulho simply patted his shoulder and said, "We¡¯ve been to hell and back together. I can¡¯t charge you. Think of them as gifts."

    Junhyuk was sorry that he hadn¡¯te sooner.

    "Thank you."

    "Right. Feel like a drink tonight?"

    Junhyuk shook his head. He didn¡¯t have the time that night.

    "No, I should get going."

    Chulho shrugged.

    "If you are too busy, maybe next time."

    "Right. I will pay next time."

    "That¡¯s right. Famous people are different. I¡¯ll drink the expensive stuff."

    Junhyuk nodded.

    "I¡¯ll call you."

    "Sure. I¡¯ll wait for it."

    Junhyuk walked out and sat in his car. No one was following him, but he was not happy. He looked at the burner phones.

    "I should meet Sarang tonight."

    He wanted to give her a phone and tell her to be more cautious. She had the Red Core Armor, but she should still be careful.

    At theb, the person¡¯s power looked extremely dangerous.

    "Mind Control," he murmured, thinking back on the Paningale¡¯s license te.

 Chapter 112: Dispatch Work 2

    Chapter 112: Dispatch Work 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    He parked his car at least two subway stations away from the meeting ce, leaving his cell phone but taking both burner phones. He always had to be careful on his way to meet Sarang. Once he left the parking lot, he teleported across some buildings.

    He moved quickly because there were people on the streets and avoided areas with CCTV cameras, going from the top of one building to another.

    When the distance between buildings was short, he just jumped across them, and when the distance was long, he teleported. He got to the meeting ce in five minutes.

    This time, Sarang wanted to meet him at a famous meat franchise restaurant. She was standing at the entrance and waved at him.

    "Big brother!"

    "Let¡¯s go in."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t speak much and walked inside the meat specialty restaurant and took a seat. Sarang had a bright smile across her face and ordered her food.

    "Loins for five people, please."

    "Is anyone elseing?"

    "No, just the two of us."

    Junhyukughed and nodded.

    "That¡¯s all. We¡¯ll have Sprites for drinks."

    "OK."

    The waitress went away, and Junhyuk handed her the burner phone.

    "What is this?"

    "A burner phone. There is a number in it."

    Sarang looked at it and smiled.

    "Is it your number?"

    "Right. Don¡¯t use it for anything other than to call me, and use that phone when you call."

    "This is like a couple¡¯s phone."

    He shook his head and changed the topic, "Did you hear about the survivors?"

    "It¡¯s all over the news. Yes, I heard about it."

    "They are getting assassinated," he continued.

    "What?"

    "I met one of them, but he was killed."

    "Really?"

    "Yes. The others will probably be or have already been killed as well. Soon, it will be on the news."

    Sarang put her burner phone in her bag and whispered, "Is it the same people as before?"

    "I¡¯m sure."

    The waitress brought out the meal¡¯s side dishes and set the table. Junhyuk stopped talking for a moment but continued when she left.

    "And I saw a novice today."

    "A novice? You met one before. Is it the same person?"

    ¡¯No. This person has a different power. He controls minds."

    "A mental subjugation power?"

    Junhyuk nodded and borated, "He put nine researchers to sleep and used one to get what he wanted. He made him pick up a syringe and inject it, and then he also put that person to sleep."

    "He sounds dangerous."

    Junhyuk nodded.

    "Right, very dangerous."

    Even Junhyuk found him dangerous. What if he ordered him tomit suicide?

    "Don¡¯t look him in the eyes. He lifted the visor of his motorcycle helmet, so he must control others with his eyes."

    "But we don¡¯t know his face."

    Junhyuk agreed.

    "Just be extra careful."

    Sarang nodded.

    "OK."

    "One more thing." Junhyuk expounded on his encounter with Jisuk Dong.

    Sarang heard everything and asked, "Then, minions can recognize us?"

    "Possibly."

    The difference between minions and novices wasn¡¯t just power. The size of their souls were different. Maybe the survivors could see the size of an individual¡¯s soul.

    Sarang had a lot to think about, and the waitress came back and started roasting the meat. It was a ssy restaurant, so the waitress roasted the loins for them.

    They couldn¡¯t keep talking, so they just focused on eating. Junhyuk was astonished by Sarang¡¯s appetite. She was eating quite a bit.

    "Did you skip any meals?"

    "I get hungry," she said and then whispered, "I use up my energy quite often."

    She must¡¯ve been training to increase her powers, and she had been practicing and exercising her body. She had to be hungry.

    Junhyukughed and rolled up his sleeves.

    "We¡¯d like to order five more portions."

    He was quite muscr now, and he ate a lot more. Ordinarily, he ate a high-calorie diet. He was eating meat now, so he wanted more.

    Sarang smiled, and the waitress was surprised by their appetites. They finished their meal, and Junhyuk looked at the receipt and clicked his tongue. They ate fifteen portions, which were normally for fifteen people, and it came out to $600.

    Heughed and looked at her. She was drinking coffee for dessert, and Junhyuk said, "If something happens, I¡¯ll call you."

    "Don¡¯t worry."

    He caressed her head.

    "Practice hard."

    Junhyuk left, and Sarang touched her head and smiled.

    "Practice hard."

    She walked out energetically pumping her fists.

    ---

    In the morning, Junhyuk reported to work at the W.A.N.C.S.b. He thought he would never go back there, but he was back just as Iltae had expected. He went to Iltae¡¯s office, and Iltae gave him an ID card.

    "While you work here, use this."

    "Thank you."

    Junhyuk put it on, and Iltae said, "We found out who the intruders were."

    "You found Jisuk¡¯s murder suspect?"

    Iltae shook his head.

    "We don¡¯t know who he is, but we¡¯ve identified those two people you captured."

    "Where did theye from?"

    "There is a mercenary group in Germany, the Schterron Mercenary Company. They are from there."

    "How did you find out?"

    "Curious?" Iltae asked secretively, and Junhyuk shook his head. Iltae seemed to be joking, but he didn¡¯t want to nod.

    Junhyuk wanted to be inside the enemy territory, but he didn¡¯t want to fall for any traps.

    "We should put pressure on Schterron to find out what these two were looking for," Iltae said calmly.

    "Is that possible?"

    They were a mercenarypany and they would protect their clients, but Iltaeughed at his question.

    "You must not know it yet, but we have power beyond your imagination."

    W.A.N.C.S. was a global cooperative, so it had to have some influence.

    "We will investigate Schterron about what they were up to and find out if those two will take responsibility for Jisuk Dong¡¯s murder," Iltae said smiling.

    Junhyuk thought for a moment and asked, "So, does the W.A.N.C.S.b oversees every abnormal narcolepsy patient who has woken up?"

    "That¡¯s our job."

    "What about the ones in other countries?"

    Iltae nodded, and Junhyuk asked, "Then, are the other survivors also dead?"

    Iltae leaned back on the sofa and asked, "How did you know?"

    "The patients who woke up must know something important. If not, there would be no reason to kill them."

    "Hm!" Iltae nodded and spoke as if spitting out the words, "The other survivors are also dead. Whoever it is doesn¡¯t understand what danger the human race is facing."

    Junhyuk saw another side of Iltae. Maybe he became a researcher to save the human race.

    Iltae shook his head.

    "I must give you your assignments."

    "I could do anything."

    "Just continue what you did yesterday."

    Junhyuk tilted his head. What did he do yesterday?

    "Oversee the capsules."

    "Is that all?"

    "You don¡¯t have enough on your resume to do anything here. I can¡¯t use you as a guard, and you are a model."

    He didn¡¯t particrly enjoy overseeing the capsules, but he didn¡¯t speak out, nodding instead.

    "I understand. Shall I go to the second floor?"

    "Yes, they will exin more once you get there."

    "OK, I¡¯ll go now."

    Junhyuk got up, and Iltae smiled and said, "If I get something from Schterron, I¡¯ll inform you."

    Junhyuk left the office for his first day of work at the W.A.N.C.S.b. He went to the second floor to meet the researchers. There were two of them, and they had already met Junhyuk the day before. One of them got up and walked over to him.

    "I heard you¡¯ll being here."

    "We¡¯ll be working together. Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Junhyuk."

    "Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Daejoon Gil."

    Daejoon offered him a seat and a cup of coffee.

    "You¡¯ll oversee a hundred capsules. Finish your coffee, and we¡¯ll get out there, and I¡¯ll exin some more of the process."

    He already knew some, but Daejoon would go more in-depth. Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t refuse the help, so he drank his coffee and conversed some more. Afterward, he left to see the capsules he would oversee.

    Daejoon exined that he had to make reports when there were any changes to the capsules and other things to pay attention to. In any event, Junhyuk would use the centralputer to oversee the capsules, and he wouldn¡¯t be in the capsules¡¯ rooms. He only had to do what the centralputer couldn¡¯t. It seemed like an easy job, and Daejoon agreed with that assessment.

    "Before noon, you should check the capsules, and then do it again after lunch. You will have lots of time, so just do what you want in between."

    Junhyuk pointed to his ID card.

    "Can I get into the second floor?"

    "Yes. Starting with the third floor, you¡¯ll need different clearance."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t think Iltae just wanted him to work on the capsules. He didn¡¯t know Iltae¡¯s true intentions, so he would simply watch some more. He would be mindful of things and stay alive in that ce, but he needed cash just in case something happened.

    Nothing happened on the first day. When he got home, he trained some and went to bed.

    Something serious happened in the morning of the second day. Junhyuk noticed strange activity in the W.A.N.C.S.b and went to the second floor. Daejoon was waiting for him there.

    "Iltae is looking for you."

    "Iltae?"

    Daejoon nodded, but he didn¡¯t know why. Junhyuk went to Iltae¡¯s office. He was looking at theputer. He offered Junhyuk a seat and sat down of the sofa.

    "There is a problem," Iltae said, frowning. "Both of our suspects were killed yesterday."

    They were tied up underground! How did they die? That ce is well guarded.

    "Who killed them?"

    "One of our guards."

    "What?"

    Iltae was still frowning.

    "But the guard doesn¡¯t remember anything."

    Suddenly, Junhyuk thought of something.

    "Mind Control."

 Chapter 113: Dispatch Work 3

    Chapter 113: Dispatch Work 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Iltae nodded at the words that came out of Junhyuk¡¯s mouth.

    "You think so too? We were thinking the same thing."

    "But did hee in here in person to do the mind control?"

    "No. The guard went home and came back to work and used his own ID card to get inside. Then, he went underground and killed them both."

    "How long did it all take?"

    "He didn¡¯t hesitate, so less than five minutes."

    "Is there anything else strange about it?"

    Iltae looked surprised and stared at him.

    "Something else... His car¡¯s back bumper was dented. He probably had a small ident."

    "Do you know where the ident took ce?"

    "No, not yet."

    "Did you check the car¡¯s ck box?"

    Iltae shook his head.

    "The ck box disappeared."

    With the ck box, they could find out who had hit the car, but it being gone meant that whoever had done it was meticulous and deliberate.

    Junhyuk sighed.

    "What are you going to do?"

    Iltae sighed and said, "We should announce Jisuk¡¯s death. This will be done simultaneously across all W.A.N.C.S.bs. People will make an issue out of it, and a conspiracy theory will surface."

    "People might criticize theck of security."

    "Nothing we can do about it now."

    "How are you going to announce it?"

    "We can¡¯t reveal anything about the hypnosis, so the person who actually killed him will be a simple murderer. We¡¯ll use someone to pin it on."

    Junhyuk frowned, and Iltae continued, "There¡¯s nothing we can do. When people lose interest in the case, we will pull the person out of jail."

    "Is that possible?"

    Iltae nodded.

    "Of course! We only have to reveal Jisuk¡¯s death."

    Junhyuk nodded. There was no need to announce the deaths of the Schterron¡¯s mercenaries. Iltae got up from his seat.

    "Now you know."

    "If we knew where the ident took ce, could we check CCTVs cameras around the area and deduce what happened?" Junhyuk asked out of curiosity.

    Iltae smiled.

    "Mr. Jang is already on it. Did you want to go with him?"

    "I¡¯m here to oversee the capsules."

    "You should go. We¡¯ll pay you extra for the work."

    "I could help, but I can¡¯t catch the hypnotist."

    Junhyuk was trying to get out of it when Iltae tapped his forehead lightly.

    "This is what I want from you. You think fast and you have foresight. You should go with Mr. Jang."

    He thought about it for a moment and answered, "OK. I¡¯ll assist him."

    "Mr. Jang is waiting for you. Go."

    "At the first floor¡¯s guardhouse?"

    "Correct. Starting today, you¡¯ll be busy."

    Junhyuk got up, bowed and went out. W.A.N.C.S. was enemy territory, and it was now being attacked, but he wasn¡¯t sure about who was doing it and why.

    Junhyuk decided to go along with the guards. He went to the first floor, and found Mr. Jang looking at him.

    "The chief told us. Let¡¯s go."

    "OK."

    He was surprised by Mr. Jang¡¯s car. It was a 2014 Lamborghini Gardo Spyder, and Jaeyoung Jang looked proud as he said, "I enjoy speed, so I have a nice car."

    He wanted to ask if it had been very expensive. It cost hundreds of thousands of dors, and Junhyuk was curious about how he was able to afford one.

    "Get in."

    "Where are we going?" Junhyuk asked.

    "We contacted the Department of Transportation. We don¡¯t know the exact spot of the ident, but we know the area."

    "Is it covered by CCTV cameras?"

    "They thought of it, so there aren¡¯t many, but the surrounding area might have one."

    The engine started with a roar. The ident took ce just five minutes away from the W.A.N.C.S.boratory. There were no regr cameras around, but Junhyuk checked the area and found two private CCTV cameras.

    Jaeyoung saw them too.

    "Should we go over there?"

    They headed to a stew specialty restaurant. They wanted to check the recordings, so when they were inside, they asked to meet the owner. Then, Jaeyoung pulled out an ID and did something Junhyuk didn¡¯t expect.

    "We are from the CIA," he said, and the owner quickly made copies of the recordings.

    Once they walked out of the restaurant, Junhyuk asked him, "How did you get a CIA ID?"

    "I don¡¯t just have a CIA ID."

    Junhyuk realized that Jaeyoung wasn¡¯t an ordinary security officer. They got a copy of the other CCTV camera¡¯s recording, and Jaeyoung watched the two of them on hisptop.

    The car had stopped at a light, and another car hit it from behind. It was a small ident. The guard walked out of his car and approached the second car. The second car¡¯s window opened, and they talked, and the guard went back to his car right after. He went back to the second car for the second time and handed something over.

    "It¡¯s the ck box."

    Jaeyoung nodded. The guard had given the ck box to the second car himself.

    He got in his car and drove off, and the second car made a U-turn and disappeared.

    Jaeyoung got on his cell phone and called somebody.

    "Mr. Park, it¡¯s Jeayoung Jang. Run a search on a te for me, 02LU4231. The car is BMW X5."

    Junhyuk looked at the screen and ran the videos again. Neither recording had the face of the driver in the second car. The face didn¡¯t appear, but he was wearing a hat and he wasn¡¯t very big.

    "He didn¡¯t have much time, so he left these recordings behind."

    "He felt it was impossible for us to track him."

    Jaeyoung started the car.

    "We¡¯ll catch him."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t tell him the truth. If they caught the culprit, it would only create more problems. Whoever it was had the ability to control minds and might kill the people who were tracking him.

    ---

    Jaeyoung and Junhyuk were back at theb. Iltae called them in, and they went to his office.

    "Schterron insists that those two resigned their posts a while ago."

    Jaeyoung smiled bitterly.

    "They know the two men are dead."

    "Right. If not, they wouldn¡¯t have been so insistent."

    Iltae looked at Jaeyoung.

    "What happened with your investigation?"

    "We are running a search on the te, and we¡¯ll follow up on it."

    "Hm."

    Iltae was pondering everything when Jaeyoung¡¯s cell phone rang. Jaeyong had a short conversation on it and sighed.

    "Someone reported that car stolen this morning."

    Junhyuk nodded.

    "They are extremely careful. They wouldn¡¯t have used their own vehicle, and since he can mind control, he can get any car."

    It hadn¡¯t been stolen. The person had given up his own key.

    "Maybe the car¡¯s owner might remember who took his car?" Iltae suggest to Jaeyoung.

    "I¡¯ll check."

    Junhyuk got up with Jaeyoung, and Iltae said, "There will be an official announcement today."

    They couldn¡¯t keep it a secret. Junhyuk nodded and went out with Jaeyoung. As they got to the Lamborghini, Junhyuk said, "The announcement will create an uproar."

    "Yes."

    Jaeyoung frowned and started the car irritably. He was in charge of the security team. His pride had been hurt.

    Inside the city, Jaeyoung drove at 63 kilometers per hour. While in the car, Junhyuk focused on training his eyesight. The car was moving fast, and Junhyuk saw Jaeyoung calling someone. They talked, and Jaeyoung turned the car, going to the Seocho District. Once there, he parked in front of a building.

    "Where are we?"

    "At the BMW¡¯s owner¡¯s ce. Let¡¯s go."

    Jaeyoung went inside and showed his CIA ID at the front desk.

    "We are here to see Sukjoon Hong."

    "What about?" the front desk worker asked him.

    "A stolen car was used in a crime. We need to talk to him right now for our investigation."

    "OK."

    The front desk worker called someone up, and a man showed up in five minutes. He looked at Jaeyoung and Junhyuk. Jaeyoung looked like a CIA agent, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t. He looked familiar to the man, and the man shook his head.

    Jaeyoung walked toward Sukjoon.

    "Mr. Hong?"

    "Yes, that¡¯s me."

    "The owner of the BMW X5 with the te 02LU4231? You reported it stolen this morning."

    "Yes."

    "It was stolenst night. Why did you wait until this morning?"

    Sukjoon didn¡¯t understand the question.

    "I didn¡¯t see my car at the parking lot this morning. That¡¯s why I reported it stolen. What do you mean it was stolenst night?"

    "Come over this way."

    Jaeyoung took him outside of the building and showed him a film of the ident.

    "Do you see the intentional ident?"

    "That¡¯sst night."

    There was a timer on the recording, and Sukjoon frowned.

    "Where were you at about ten o¡¯clockst night?"

    Sukjoon became irritated, but Jaeyoung continued, "That¡¯s not all. The stolen vehicle is linked to a murder case. Where were you around tenst night?"

    "I went to a club with a friend."

    "Did you take your car?"

    "Yes."

    "How did you get home?"

    Sukjoon was getting worried.

    "I took a cab. I was intoxicated."

    "Why didn¡¯t you call for a designated driver and take a taxi instead?"

    Sukjoon frowned and nodded.

    "What? Why did I call a cab?"

    Junhyuk thought of something and asked, "Did you meet anyone? You might have given him your car key."

    "I gave him my car key? Are you saying I¡¯m a culprit?"

    Junhyuk turned to look at Jaeyoung, and Jaeyoung said, "Give me your friend¡¯s phone number."

    Sukjoon nodded and gave him the number. Jaeyoung called it up and walked away with Junhyuk.

    "We might see him giving up his car key," he told Junhyuk.

    "Right."

    Sukjoon didn¡¯t remember anything. He could have been hypnotized, but there was a third person who saw everything.

    They drove to the Bangbae District and stopped in front of a coffee shop and walked inside. They headed toward a man sitting there.

    "Mr. Dongho Lee?"

    "Yes. Are you the one who called me?"

    Jaeyoung showed him his CIA ID and sat down. Junhyuk also took a seat, and Dongho asked, "What is going on?"

    "Last night you went to a club with Sukjoon. Is that correct?"

    "Yes."

    Dongho didn¡¯t understand what was happening.

    "Sukjoon left his car behind and took a cab?"

    "I¡¯m not sure. He was drinking heavily and then he just left."

    Jaeyoung leaned forward and asked, "Did he meet anyone at the club?"

    "Sukjoon?"

    Dongho thought for a moment and said, "He was pestering a woman."

    "A woman?"

    "Yes, he was pestering her and got drunk and went outside by himself. I was alone for the rest of the night."

    Junhyuk and Jaeyoung looked at each other. He had only met a woman.

    "Do you remember what she looked like?"

    "She was a Caucasian with blue eyes. She had long blonde hair and attracted everyone."

    A blond, blue-eyed woman. Now they knew what she looked like, and they were sure she was behind the mind control.

    "What is the name of the club?"

    "Hongdae¡¯s Cocoa Club."

    "Thanks for your cooperation. If you remember anything else, call me."

    Jaeyoung gave him a business card, and both of them left the coffee shop and got in the Lamborghini.

    "Let¡¯s go."

 Chapter 114: Anna 1

    Chapter 114: Anna 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    They arrived at Hondae¡¯s Cocoa Club, but it hadn¡¯t opened yet. Jaeyoung and Junhyuk knocked on the door. They knocked for a while, and when the door finally opened, arge man appeared across the threshold.

    "We are not open yet."

    Jaeyoung showed him his ID and asked, "Is the owner here?"

    "He is not here right now."

    Jaeyoung stepped forward and said, "We are looking for a murder suspect. Your cooperation is appreciated."

    He heard it concerned a murder case and shivered.

    "Are you looking for a witness?"

    Jaeyoung nodded, and the man went inside and came back out.

    "Follow me."

    The man guided them to an office. They were cleaning up the club, getting it ready to open. Junhyuk saw many CCTV cameras as he walked to the office. If they were lucky, they would have a good shot of her face.

    They were introduced to the owner of the club, a young man smoking a cigarette. As they entered, he got up from his seat.

    "Have a seat."

    He was young for an owner, but Jaeyoung and Junhyuk took their seats, and the owner said calmly, "First, show me your IDs."

    Jaeyoung showed him his ID, and the owner shook his head.

    "CIA... Did you bring a warrant?"

    Jaeyoung answered him, "You might have to close the ce if we make an official visit."

    "Is that a threat?"

    "I don¡¯t joke."

    The owner looked at Junhyuk and shook his head.

    "And aren¡¯t you a model?"

    "That¡¯s just part-time work."

    The owner shrugged.

    "I don¡¯t want to get too involved." Junhyuk nodded, and the owner continued evenly, "OK. How can I help you?"

    Jaeyoung told him why they were there.

    "Can we checkst night¡¯s CCTVs recordings?"

    "Are you looking for your suspect in the videos?"

    Jaeyoung nodded, and the owner got up from his seat, brought out aptop and said, "Do it."

    They fast-forwarded the video looking for the person. Under the club¡¯s heavy lighting, they soon found a blonde woman, but she was dancing and didn¡¯t show her face to the CCTV cameras.

    "She knew the location of all of the cameras here," Jaeyoung said coolly.

    There were a total of seven cameras, and she didn¡¯t show her face once.

    "Perhaps you know this woman?" Jaeyoung asked the owner.

    The owner looked at the woman Jaeyoung was pointing at and shook his head.

    "I don¡¯t know that person."

    He seemed to be telling the truth, and Jaeyoung continued indifferently, "I need your waiters and DJs to gather here. We have to make a reenactment."

    The owner called the people on their phones.

    "They¡¯ll be here."

    Jaeyoung lifted theptop and said, "I need this to get her face."

    "Go ahead, but be careful with it."

    Jaeyoung headed out to the club¡¯s stage area. There were ten waiters and a DJ there. The owner told them calmly, "Your cooperation is appreciated. If you know something, you should tell these gentlemen. If you do not, you should reconsider working here."

    Everyone nodded, and Jaeyoung showed them the screen.

    "Does anyone know this blond woman?"

    The waiters looked and shook their heads.

    "Maybe it was her first time here?"

    Then, the DJ said, "I don¡¯t know her name, but shees in here with a different person each time."

    "You¡¯ve seen her before?"

    "Shees onto the stage from time to time."

    The DJ pointed at the ceiling.

    "She was under the lights, so I can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s the person I¡¯m thinking with different clothes, but I have a feeling it¡¯s her because of the way she dances."

    "Do you know her?"

    DJ shrugged.

    "I tried to seduce her a few times, but she usually disappears before my show is over."

    "How often does shee here?"

    "Maybe once a month. It¡¯s hard to see her frequently."

    Jaeyoung thought about it for a second and asked, "Can you tell me more about her appearance?"

    "She is white with really pale skin. She has long eyshes, and her blue eyes are beautiful. I can¡¯t tell you about her hairstyle because it changes every time shees in. I think she wears a wig," the DJ said calmly.

    "What about her eyes and lips?"

    "I¡¯m not sure. She wears makeup, and her features feel different every time."

    Jaeyoung nodded.

    "Thank you for your cooperation," he said and gave him his business card. "If she ever shows up again, call me."

    "I will."

    He looked at Junhyuk.

    "We¡¯ll do a reenactment."

    "Don¡¯t we need more information?"

    "It won¡¯t be urate."

    Then, the DJ spoke up again.

    "I followed her once. She was riding a Harley."

    "A Harley?"

    "A Harley Davidson FXSBSE CVO Breakout."

    "You know a lot about motorcycles."

    The DJ smiled.

    "It was the model I wanted, so I remember it."

    Jaeyoung nodded. She rode two motorcycle and both were very expensive. It would be possible to narrow the search.

    "Thank you for the information."

    Jaeyoung walked out with Junhyuk and said, "We¡¯ll find her soon."

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk wanted to prepare himself in case he met her. He either had to fight her without using his powers or he¡¯d knock Jaeyoung out first.

    ---

    Anna¡¯s short hair was wet as she opened herptop. A bald man with a Hakenkreuz tattoo on his chest appeared on the screen.

    "Thank you," he said.

    "Don¡¯t thank me. You didn¡¯t give me much time for this job!"

    "I¡¯m sorry. I had no choice. I paid you more than usual."

    "Don¡¯t ask me to do things like this again."

    "I understand."

    The man was done talking and disappeared from the screen. Anna dried her hair with a blowdryer and looked in the mirror, focusing on her eyes.

    "It¡¯s fun."

    The first time she went to the Dimensional Battlefield, she didn¡¯t think she could be powerful, but she had activated her power and survived. She was powerful.

    It¡¯s her world, she could kill anyone and she wouldn¡¯t leave any evidence behind.

    She smiled and heard a knock on the door.

    "Come in."

    A middle-aged Caucasian man walked in. He took the blow dryer away from her and said, "My daughter, do you have any prior engagements today?"

    "I¡¯ve already been to school, but I¡¯m going backter, so I don¡¯t have anything to do right now."

    "You should make some friends."

    Anna smiled.

    "Don¡¯t worry. I have many friends."

    "I¡¯m sorry you had to follow me here to South Korea."

    Anna grabbed his hand.

    "I¡¯m fine. I like South Korea, and I have many friends."

    The middle-aged man smiled and kissed her forehead.

    "Have fun at the school."

    "Yes, dad."

    "Are you taking your motorcycle?"

    "Yes."

    "Be careful."

    Anna smiled brightly, and the middle-aged man went out. She walked into the dressing humming.

    "What should I ride today?" she murmured.

    There were fifteen motorcycle keys on top of the drawer.

    ---

    Jaeyoung¡¯s ability was surprising. Before the end of the day, he brought in three names and showed them to Iltae.

    "We narrowed it to three names, but they are all males."

    Iltae looked at the list.

    "But you only have one Caucasian."

    "Yes, but he will be hard to investigate."

    "Right, he is a foreign diplomat..."

    Junhyuk realized something.

    "But the person we are looking for is a woman."

    Jaeyoung took out a tablet and said, "Stephen has a daughter. Her name is Anna, and she is an exchange student at South Korea University."

    Junhyuk stared at Jaeyoung.

    "She is a strong suspect."

    "What are you going to do?"

    "Stephen can¡¯t be contacted since he is a diplomat, but his daughter is different."

    "Where are you going to meet her?"

    "She went to school earlier today, but she still has sses to attendter, so we could meet her today."

    "Intentionally meeting her at a ce with a lot of people around?"

    "Something like that. We might find ourselves in danger when we talk to her."

    Both of them would be in danger, and Iltae asked, "Are you taking the snipers with you?"

    "Yes, I think I should."

    Junhyuk was surprised by their conversation.

    "You are taking snipers?"

    What were they doing in the middle of South Korea?

    Iltae answered him quietly, "We¡¯ll just restrain her. We can¡¯t kill her, and she is the rtive of a diplomat."

    Junhyuk realized what W.A.N.C.S. was capable of. They were talking about taking snipers to the middle of South Korea. They might even kill Anna.

    Iltae shrugged.

    "I¡¯ll pay you for tonight¡¯s work. Go with him."

    "OK."

    He would be OK. Since they were taking snipers, he wouldn¡¯t have to step forward to deal with Anna. Junhyuk and Jaeyoung got in the Lamborghini and headed to South Korea University. The support teams were following behind them in two cars.

    Jaeyoung hung up the phone and told Junhyuk, "She is attending a lecture."

    "How do you know?"

    "We are tracking her cell phone."

    The W.A.N.C.S. had many resources. The Rockefeller family was behind them in that regard. Who had actually ordered the killings against thepany¡¯s wishes? Junhyuk wanted to know. He didn¡¯t want to be swept by any of the bigger events surrounding him.

    They got to South Korea University and parked near the building where Anna was attending the lecture. Everyone got out of their cars.

    Jaeyoung positioned the support team here and there. They knew they wereing to a school, so they carried their firearms in bags. Jaeyoung walked over.

    "There is a resting area in front of the building. We will talk to her there."

    "Are you arresting her?"

    "We¡¯ll just meet her today. Just check her out."

    Junhyuk was nervous. It wasn¡¯t easy to read someone without looking into her eyes.

    "Are you going to look into her eyes?"

    "I will. If something happens to me, the snipers will deal with her."

    If not, Junhyuk would have to step in.

    Jaeyoung and Junhyuk went into the building. A few people recognized Junhyuk and came over to him, but they went away after meeting Jaeyoung. They went to a lecture hall and waited for a long time until people starteding out. A woman was talking to her friends while walking out. She had pale skin and longshes. She was quite beautiful.

    She saw Jaeyoung and Junhyuk and turned her head. She tried to look into Junhyuk¡¯s eyes, and he looked at her chin. He thought it was best to avoid her eyes.

    "Anna, can we talk for a minute?"

    "Where do youe from?"

    Jaeyoung showed her his CIA ID. She saw his it and shook her head. Then, she lifted her head and smiled brightly.

    "Right, where do you want to talk?"

    "There is an open area in front of the building."

    Jaeyoung took her out to the set up spot, and Junhyuk followed them. Anna was walking in front of him, and he prepared for the worst.

    The ce was crawling with snipers, and he couldn¡¯t use his powers to deal with her, but it should go smoothly. They were in a small resting area. Anna took a seat under a shadow, putting herself out of the snipers¡¯ range.

    She didn¡¯t look like an ordinary college student, and they were curious about her. She looked at Jaeyoung and Junhyuk and smiled.

    "What do you want to talk about?"

    Anna¡¯s blue eyes sparkled.

 Chapter 115: Anna 2

    Chapter 115: Anna 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Jaeyoung stared coolly at Anna and asked her, "Where were youst night around ten?"

    Anna was touching her chin and looked calmly at Jaeyoung. Then, she looked at Junhyuk. He was avoiding her eyes, and she felt like there was something weird about him, but didn¡¯t know what it was.

    "I¡¯ve seen you before. Aren¡¯t you a model?" Anna asked.

    "I have other jobs as well," he answered casually.

    "Hm. Your other job has to do with the CIA?"

    Anna felt dazed and looked at Jaeyoung again. He was looking at her directly. He had to be curious about her power. If not, he wouldn¡¯t be asking her questions about her whereabouts. So, one man was avoiding her, and the other was looking at her directly.

    She didn¡¯t know what they are thinking, but if anything happened, she knew how to deal with them.

    "I went to a club."

    "You left the club at exactly at 9:35 p.m. What did you do afterward?"

    "I went home. Why do you ask?"

    "At what time did you get home?"

    "Well, I went home and took a shower and went to sleep. I didn¡¯t check the time. I partied hard."

    Jaeyoung continued unfazed, "Then, do you remember the guy who was pestering you?"

    Anna realized Jaeyoung knew too much about what she had done. A smile creeped across her lips, and she said, "There was a guy, but I don¡¯t remember his face."

    Jaeyoung showed Sukjoon Hong¡¯s face in his cell phone.

    "Was this the guy?"

    "Well, it could¡¯ve been him." Anna said, shaking her head. She asked, "Why do you ask?"

    "His car was involved in a murder case. The car was stolen, and we are investigating the women he met."

    "Really? Nothing out of ordinary took ce."

    Her blue eyes sparkled, and Jaeyoung¡¯s eyes twitched.

    "I understand," he said, giving her his business card. "If you remember something, give me a call."

    "Sure," she got up and smiled. "Then, am I free to go?"

    Anna left, and Junhyuk asked, "What do you think?"

    Jaeyoung didn¡¯t answer him. Junhyuk thought he was acting strange. His eyes seemed to be nk, so Junhyuk grabbed his shoulder. Jaeyoung reacted by trying to twist Junhyuk¡¯s hand, but he was not powerful enough.

    Junhyuk grabbed him and said, "Pull yourself together!"

    "Let go of me! What are you doing?" Jaeyoung asked.

    He looked like himself again, so Junhyuk let him go and sighed.

    "I thought you were hypnotized."

    "I¡¯m fine."

    "What are you thinking?"

    Jaeyoung spoke calmly, "From the look in her eyes, I felt like I couldn¡¯t trust her, but we need to double check a few more things. She is the strongest suspect so far.

    "What are we going to do now?"

    "We should follow her."

    "Do we do it ourselves?"

    "Yes."

    Jaeyoung picked up his cell phone.

    "Evacuate the area," he said and looked at Junhyuk. "Get in the car."

    Junhyuk got in the car without protesting. The car moved slowly and then stopped. They could see Anna from where they were. She got on a motorcycle, a 2012 Ducati Diavel Cromo. He was curious about how she afforded her multiple motorcycles that cost tens of thousands of dors. She took off, and Jaeyoung followed her. Junhyuk frowned during the chase.

    "She is riding her motorcycle on car-onlynes."

    "It¡¯s against thew, but it¡¯s not important now."

    Anna turned her head, lifted her left arm and waved at them. Then, she sped off. Her motorcycle could maintain an incredible speed, and Jaeyoung also stepped on the elerator. They were on Highway 88 when Junhyuk looked at the speedometer. It said 100 km/h. The car moved fast, but it was unable to catch up.

    The car was going fast when Jaeyoung turned the wheel to the right. Junhyuk felt nervous. That side had no road.

    Boom!

    The car drove off the road, going through the guardrail on its way into the Han River. Junhyuk looked at Jaeyoung¡¯s eyes, and they were normal again.

    "She got us."

    They hadn¡¯t expected that. Junhyuk ced his hand on Jaeyoung¡¯s shoulder and looked at the iing surface of the water. Right as they hit the water, Junhyuk teleported. The car was under water and the airbags popped out. Junhyuk went over to the window and broke it with his fist from the outside. He made sure the window was broken and took Jaeyoung to the surface.

    "Ha!"

    Junhyuk saw Jaeyoung was himself again.

    "What happened?"

    Junhyuk frowned and answered, "I think she got us."

    "You mean by hypnosis?"

    "If not, you wouldn¡¯t have swerved through the guardrail and driven into the Han River."

    People were gathering around the area of the ident.

    "What should we do?"

    "Let¡¯s leave this ce. They will take care of the rest."

    Junhyuk and Jaeyoung swam to the shore. They were drenched, and the people watching came over to them. Jaeyoung took out his cell phone.

    "The phone was in the water."

    "It¡¯s waterproof." Jaeyoung answered curtly and made a call. Within three minutes, another car arrived at the scene, and they got in it.

    Junhyuk was covered with a towel.

    "What are you going to do?"

    "It¡¯s dangerous to approach her."

    "Are you going to arrest her?"

    Jaeyoung thought for a moment and answered, "We should ask the chief first."

    Junhyuk nodded, and the car headed to the W.A.N.C.S.b. When it arrived, both of them went in to meet Iltae.

    Iltae thought they looked like a couple of wet rats andughed hard.

    "Your Lamborghini is at the bottom of the Han River," Iltae joked.

    "I will get my revenge," Jaeyoung answered seriously.

    "You two are in good condition even though you were in a big ident."

    "I passed out, and Mr. Lee saved me."

    Iltae looked at Junhyuk.

    "You must be really strong."

    "I didn¡¯t pass out. Jaeyoung must¡¯ve been hypnotized," Junhyuk answered evenly.

    "Anyway, thanks for your help."

    Jaeyoung sat down and asked, "What are you going to do?"

    "We have a suspect, but she is being difficult."

    "Right."

    Iltae touched his chin.

    "I¡¯ll talk to my superiors. They¡¯ll know what to do."

    Iltae looked at Junhyuk.

    "You may leave. We have a suspect, and you saved Mr. Jang. If you involve yourself further, you¡¯ll have to register with us."

    "Then my work here is over?"

    "Take the rest of the week off. Report to work at yourpany next Monday. I thank you for your service."

    "Thank you."

    Iltaeughed hard.

    "You may leave."

    Junhyuk said goodbye and walked outside. He had experienced Anna¡¯s prowess and couldn¡¯t tell what really happened. That told him how powerful she was. He hadn¡¯t looked into her eyes, so he had been safe, and that told him something about her. Her power wasn¡¯t absolute. He could deal with her.

    Junhyuk got in his own car and tapped on the steering wheel.

    "What should I do?"

    He wanted to know if she was working for the Rockefeller family, but she was really dangerous. She used her hypnosis to kill people and she might want to kill him as well. Without his powers, he could¡¯ve been killed with Jaeyoung.

    Junhyuk closed his eyes, tapped on the steering wheel some more and opened his eyes.

    "OK. Let¡¯s go meet her."

    He didn¡¯t want to avoid her any longer. He wanted to know who hired her and he thought that day was a good day to do it. He moved quickly.

    He left his cell phone behind with the car and took public transportation to go to Anna¡¯s house. He opened his burner phone and looked at the time. It was eleven o¡¯clock at night., and he could see her through the window. She turned the lights off.

    At 11:35 p.m. a car arrived, and a man showed up in her room. She talked to him, and he left.

    "That must be Stephen."

    Junhyuk had some doubts after seeing father and daughter together, but he had made up his mind. She had killed a lot of people and almost killed him. And she would continue to kill, so Junhyuk summoned Bebe¡¯s ck Armor.

    He needed to avoid looking at her eyes and things would be easy. Junhyuk scoped out her house. It had a lot of CCTV cameras, but he could ignore them.

    He headed to her house, jumped sky high andnded on the roof. Then, he teleported inside her room. Junhyuk was moving through the darkness when Anna suddenly sat up on her bed.

    She is wearing a ck and yellow suit of armor. It was the first time Junhyuk was seeing it, which meant it was not one of the basic armor sets. Sarang wore 110,000G suit of armor, and Anna¡¯s cost about the same.

    He thought she was a novice, but now he was not sure. She might even have more gold than him. Sarang¡¯s armor had special powers, and Anna¡¯s armor probably did too. He couldn¡¯t just focus on her hypnosis.

    Junhyuk summoned everything he owned. He had to make an honest effort in the fight, but he still avoided her eyes. Anna frowned.

    "You know about my power."

    Anna extended her hand and picked up a drill.

    "I want to ask you a question," Junhyuk said.

    "What is it?"

    "Who hired you?"

    Annaughed.

    "I don¡¯t work for anybody."

    "Why did you kill Jisuk Dong and the Schterron¡¯s mercenaries?"

    Anna looked at him andughed again.

    "W.A.N.C.S. has a novice, and you are here to kill me?"

    Anna lowered her stance, and Junhyuk raised his swords.

    "You aren¡¯t going to answer me?"

    "Correct," she said smiling. "If you think you can deal with me just by not looking at my eyes, you are mistaken."

    Anna had finished speaking and dashed. She moved faster than expected, and he swung the Frozen Rune Sword at her.

    ng!

 Chapter 116: Anna 3

    Chapter 116: Anna 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Anna was using a sword that looked like a drill, and she blocked the Frozen Rune Sword with it, but the drill-like sword bounced away. She felt like she was about to lose her hand, and Junhyuk was stronger than she had expected.

    Anna tried to retreat quickly, but Junhyuk was faster. He swung the Blood Rune Sword down at her, and Anna held her sword with both hands, lifting it to block the strike.

    Clung!

    The sh forced her to her knees, and Anna realized she could die at any moment, so she used her hidden skill.

    "Shockwaves!"

    At that moment, her armor generated shockwaves that travelled in all directions from it. It happened suddenly, and Junhyuk was pushed back by the shock. Just before he hit a wall, he teleported. Anna was relieved and resting when Junhyuk appeared by her and grabbed her neck.

    Boom!

    He mmed her against the ground and aimed the point of the Blood Rune Sword at her neck, but Anna stabbed him in the ribs with her sword. He felt the shock from the stab and frowned. It had prated Junhyuk¡¯s defense, so its piercing stats had to be very high.

    Junhyuk grabbed her wrist and pulled the sword out from his ribs. He was bleeding heavily through his ribs, but he ignores it. He let go of her wrist and stabbed her shoulder with the Blood Rune Swords.

    Her armor had high defense, but his attack stats were higher, so the Blood Rune Sword went through, piercing her armor and her shoulder.

    "Aaargh!"

    She started screaming, and he grabbed her neck and mmed her against the ground again. He could feel his wound healing fast. He had been seriously wounded, but the Blood Rune Sword was taking care of it.

    Junhyuk looked at Anna.

    "Who do you work for?"

    She didn¡¯t look at him and bit her own lips slightly. Anna wasn¡¯t answering, and he twisted the sword stuck to her shoulder.

    "AAAAHHHH!"

    Junhyuk ignored the screaming and slowly pushed the Blood Rune Sword farther in. He could feel her bone breaking, and Anna¡¯s jaw cked, her mouth agape.

    With a loud noise, her door broke down, and two agents holding pistols came into the room. Anna had already returned her armor and was screaming while Junhyuk turned to look at the agents.

    "Save me!"

    The two agents shot at him without hesitation.

    Bang, bang, bang!

    Junhyuk ignored the bullets bouncing off of him and looked at Anna.

    A man was standing behind the agents, she extended her hand toward him.

    "Daddy! Help me!"

    Junhyuk¡¯s mind was shaken. He didn¡¯t want to kill her in front of her father, so he pulled the sword out.

    "Argh!"

    He held her neck and turned his head. Her father, Stephen, was shouting, "What do you want? I¡¯ll give you anything, just don¡¯t hurt my child."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t answer him and teleported. They appeared on the roof of the house, and still keeping a hold of her neck, he asked, "Who do you work for?"

    She had changed. Just before, she had been willing to fight him, but she couldn¡¯t deal with him effectively. She no longer used her power, and Junhyuk¡¯s teleport made her understand his power.

    She had attacked, but Junhyuk simply ignored it. She had considered her power as a novice and thought she could finish him with one blow, but Junhyuk¡¯s strength was beyond her imagination, and he wasn¡¯t even bleeding.

    Anna thought things over while Junhyuk tightened his grip around her neck. She couldn¡¯t breathe and shouted, "I¡¯m a mercenary!"

    She screamed, and he made sure he didn¡¯t look into her eyes.

    "Who is your client, and why did you kill Jisuk Dong and the Schterron¡¯s mercenaries?" he asked, keeping a hold of her neck.

    "Prince Al Jar asked me to kill Jisuk, and Schterron¡¯s President, Jonas, asked me to kill the mercenaries."

    "So you got paid to kill?"

    Anna wasn¡¯t answering him, and Junhyuk smiled coldly.

    "You don¡¯t value human lives."

    Anna finally understood him.

    "If you value human lives, let me live!" she said.

    "You know the value of your own life, so you should value theirs as well."

    Junhyuk raised the Blood Rune Sword.

    "I¡¯ll keep an eye on you. If you use your power to kill again, I¡¯ll be back for another visit."

    Anna sighed, relieved. Then, she saw the blood-colored de in front of her, and the world turned ck. She screamed in pain.

    "AAAAHHHH!"

    Junhyuk had sliced through both of her eyes and threw her off the roof. She was a novice and she wouldn¡¯t die from the fall. She fell screaming, and people gathered around her when shended. Meanwhile, Junhyuk headed to the opposite side.

    His teleportation¡¯s cooldown was over, so he used it to leave the residence. He moved quickly and sent his equipment away. The wound in his ribs had healed, but it left a blood stain on his clothes. He couldn¡¯t walk around like that, so he took off his shirt andined, "I need more storage."

    If he had storage he could carry extra clothes. He was only wearing a dark coat to hide the rest of the blood now.

    Junhyuk went into a public restroom. There was no one there, and he quickly washed his clothes. He got rid of the blood stain, put his shirt back on and headed toward the subway station nearby.

    He thought about buying new clothes, but he didn¡¯t want to draw people¡¯s attention. Thest train arrived at the station, and he kept his head down all the way home.

    When he got home, he threw himself on his bed. His injuries from the shockwaves and the drill sword had already all healed, and Junhyuk looked at his hand and frowned. Stabbing someone in reality had a different feeling than doing it at the Dimensional Battlefield. He felt rotten.

    He grabbed a cold beer from the refrigerator andy on his bed. His burner phone rang and he picked it up, hearing Sarang on the other end.

    "Big Brother, what¡¯s up?"

    "I¡¯m lying in bed. Why aren¡¯t you sleeping?"

    "I¡¯m a senior. I can¡¯t sleep. I sleep five hours per day to study."

    Junhyukughed. He had experienced high school himself. He used to think he was the center of the universe and would get irritated easily. Thinking about it, high school was a gateway to the future. Society wasn¡¯t forgiving, and harder obstaclesy ahead, beyond high school. He could picture Sarangining about it.

    "I was just training. I just wanted to call you."

    Junhyuk decided to tell her about what had happened that night. He only had Sarang on his side.

    "Today, I fought against another novice."

    "Are you OK?"

    Sarang was worried about him, and Junhyuk smiled.

    "I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m an expert."

    "You could¡¯ve gotten killed."

    Novices weren¡¯t something to be ignored. Their average strength wasn¡¯t hard to deal with, but novices had powers, and one of those could end up killing him. If Anna had used her hypnosis, he would¡¯ve been dead.

    "For this opponent, as long as you don¡¯t look into her eyes, you¡¯ll win."

    "So, what did you do?"

    "I made sure she wouldn¡¯t use her hypnosis again."

    "Did you kill her?"

    "No, I made sure she wouldn¡¯t use her eyes again."

    Sarang was silent for a moment, and then she said, "She can repair that if she goes back to the Dimensional Battlefield."

    "Yes, but I seared myself in her mind. If she does anything funny, I¡¯ll kill her then."

    Sarang didn¡¯t have an answer for him. She had been to the Dimensional Battlefield, and her feelings were numbed.

    "Her armor was something else! I couldpare it to yours. It had a shockwave skill that pushed the enemy back," he said.

    "She must have a lot of money."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t mention Anna¡¯s weapons. The drill sword had pierced his armor, and it was something Bebe might sell in his store.

    "Next time, tell me more about her. It sounds like she is someone I have to be careful with."

    "Yes, will do."

    "I¡¯m going to sleep now. I¡¯ll call you."

    "Right, go to sleep."

    Junhyuk hung up and looked at his phone. Using his burner phone, he could talk to her anytime he wanted to.

    He slowly closed his eyes. He didn¡¯t have to report to work for a few days, so he would train instead.

    ---

    Junhyuk woke up with his phone ringing. Iltae was calling him.

    He wanted him to go to the W.A.N.C.S.b immediately. Junhyuk knew it was because of Anna, but he pretended he didn¡¯t know anything and went.

    He hadn¡¯t returned his ID card and was able to go in unimpeded. At Iltae¡¯s office, he saw Iltae and Jaeyoung waiting. They looked serious.

    "What is the matter?"

    Junhyuk spoke first, and Iltae leaned back on the sofa and answered, "Anna, our suspect, was attacked."

    "Attacked?"

    "Someone broke into her diplomatic residence, and she lost her eyes and almost lost her right arm."

    Junhyuk sat on chair and said, "It must be someone who knows about her power."

    "Correct."

    Iltae looked at Jaeyoung.

    "You didn¡¯t do it, did you?"

    "No, I didn¡¯t."

    Iltae looked at Junhyuk, and he stared back. Iltae sighed.

    "It happened before I had the chance to talk to my superiors. We will keep an eye on the situation."

    Junhyuk nodded.

    "Why did you call for me?¡¯

    Iltae shrugged.

    "I knew you¡¯d be curious. You almost lost your life because of her!"

    "I don¡¯t want to get involved. I know how dangerous she is."

    "Is that so? OK."

    Iltae waved his hand.

    "You may leave."

    Junhyuk bowed, and Jaeyoung walked after him.

    "Junhyuk."

    He turned around, and Jaeyoung asked him, "Where were youst night, between eleven and twelve?

    "I was sleeping at home. Why do you ask?"

    "Nothing."

    Jynhyuk left, and Iltae walked out of his office and said to Jaeyoung, "You are suspicious of him."

    "It does look funny."

    Jaeyoung¡¯s eyes were fixed on Junhyuk, who is still waiting for an elevator.

 Chapter 117: Back To Battlefield 1

    Chapter 117: Back To Battlefield 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    W.A.N.C.S. was in charge of overseeing patients with abnormal narcolepsy, and all patients who woke up died on the same day. This was a big issue in the media. People talked of conspiracy theories, but on his way to work on Monday morning, Junhyuk thought that W.A.N.C.S. had pressured the media.

    Anna had told him about Prince Al Jar. He was one of the UAE princes, a billionaire that owned oil fields, and Junhyuk was naturally suspicious. The prince was antithetical to the Rockefeller family. So, a prince was involved.

    He browsed the inte for more information on Schterron, but he couldn¡¯t find anything new. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t a hacker, so there was a limit to what he could find on the inte. It was an international mercenarypany after all.

    Junhyuk reported to work earlier than his coworkers, cleaned the office and sat on his chair. Soon, he saw other workers arriving. He greeted some of them. As Eunseo reported to work, she called for him. Junhyuk went to her office, and she offered him a seat.

    "Theb chief contacted me. He is full ofpliments," she said.

    "I didn¡¯t do much there."

    "He is usually quiet, but heplimented you," Eunseo said calmly, staring at him. "They will wire the money to your bank ount. He¡¯ll pay you a hefty sum."

    "What is thepany¡¯s official position on this event?" Junhyuk asked carefully.

    She fixed her sses and said, "We were waiting for Jisuk Dong to wake up. Since he died, we will focus on dealing with the media. The media is ming W.A.N.C.S., and if we aren¡¯t careful, we will be misinterpreted."

    They were selling capsules, and if they were responsible for the patients not waking up, they would be med. Eunseo looked at Junhyuk.

    "We prepared a special TV broadcast because of the recent events. Thest one was popr, so you¡¯ll be cast with the rest of the group. Filming begins next week. Thest program was broadcast worldwide."

    "Is that right?"

    "Is there a celebrity you want to appear with?"

    "I can¡¯t think of anyone."

    "Then, we¡¯ll take care of the rest." Eunseo looked at her tablet and said, "I¡¯ll let you know when everything is scheduled."

    Junhyuk walked out, saw Somin and walked over to her.

    "Would you like a cup of coffee?¡¯

    Somin nodded and followed him outside. They sat in the rest area, and Junhyuk got two cups of coffee from a vending machine.

    "Are you OK?"

    "We just signed a nondisclosure agreement, so that¡¯s nice."

    Jisuk¡¯s death was a sensitive issue, and all they had to do was sign a media nondisclosure agreement about that day. Somin had pulled herself together from the shock of Jisuk¡¯s murder. After she left, the two mercenaries died, but he didn¡¯t tell her that. She stared quietly at him.

    "I thought you would stay over there much longer. You came back so soon."

    "They didn¡¯t need me."

    "What did you do over there?"

    "Oversee the capsules."

    Somin smiled.

    "It must¡¯ve been boring."

    "Something like that."

    In reality, he hadn¡¯t been bored. His car crashed into the Han River.

    "I got more work because of everything," he said calmly.

    "More work?"

    "A TV broadcast."

    "Again."

    He didn¡¯t borate, but he nodded.

    "Yes, and it will be broadcast worldwide again."

    "You¡¯ll be an international star."

    "Do you want my signature?"

    Somin broke out in a smile.

    "Thanks."

    "For what?"

    "Being worried about me."

    Junhyuk smiled.

    "The things about the murder are probably not a pleasant memory."

    "They are not, but I got paid time off and rested. I feel much better."

    "That¡¯s nice."

    Somin got up.

    "I¡¯m not working as a model, so I must get back to desk duty."

    Junhyukughed. She wasn¡¯t lying, so he drank his coffee and got back to work.

    ---

    Elise was taking in the aroma of her tea.

    "I didn¡¯t expect you would call me personally."

    Doeyol quietly sat in front of her and said, "I need to check a on few things."

    "Go ahead."

    "When will the iron soldiers bepleted?"

    Elise smiled and said, "They are being manufactured, and you will get yours within two weeks."

    "Right." Doyeol fixed his eyes at Elise and said, "You do know I don¡¯t have much power within the Pentagram."

    "Yes, you don¡¯t have enough power or friendspared to others," she agreed calmly.

    Doyeol smiled.

    "If I didn¡¯t have my mana stones, they wouldn¡¯t have included me."

    Elise didn¡¯t answer him. Doyeol¡¯spany, ST Capsule, was growing at a scary rate, but it was still smallpared to some of the otherpanies. If he didn¡¯t have the mana stones, the others wouldn¡¯t have supported him. However, he did have them, so he had joined the Pentagram, and the others were supporting him.

    His mana stone was being used in all researches, andter, Chris brought him another mana stone and a blood stone. They were being used in the Iron Soldier and the Regeneration Projects.

    Right now, they were training many people to survive the Dimensional Battlefield, but they were never sure of how many would return. That meant that the mana stone and the blood stone supplies could end at any moment. They were starting a revolution and they couldn¡¯t stop now.

    "If the supply of mana stones and blood stones keeps up, the Pentagram will have the power to shake the world."

    "Right."

    The Metal Series had shaken the world already. The Regeneration Project would revolutionize the medical field. They would control the mechanical engineering and biophysics markets and would be the leaders of the world.

    "But people are getting in the way."

    The Pentagram knew all about the Dimensional Battlefield, and there were others with that knowledge. This time, the survivors had been killed.

    "That¡¯s why I called you," he said.

    Elise frowned a little.

    "I want to stand atop the members of the Pentagram, so I need someone to help me. You should work for me."

    Elise smirked.

    "If I line up with you, I must abandon the others."

    "Right."

    She smiled, and her eyes beamed.

    "What can I gain from working with you?"

    "You¡¯ll get plenty of mana and blood stones."

    Her eyes widened. Those stones came from the Dimensional Battlefield. It was not something you could get at a supermarket. How could he maintain the stones¡¯ supplies? Elise looked at him calmly, and he was telling the truth. She had to tell him she would line up with him and she would get all the stones she needed. Those stones needed to be studied further, but they didn¡¯t have enough of them at that moment.

    Elise thought for a moment. If she refused him, he would find someone else to work for him. She was at the top of the mechanical engineering and biophysics fields, but he could find other people to work for him, and there were a few who couldpare to her in her fields. Doyeol could hire them instead of her, and her position would be in danger.

    "Can you prove it?"

    Doyeol picked up the briefcase next to him and ced it on the table. He pushed it toward her. Elise let go of her tea cup and opened the briefcase. Her eyes almost popped out, and she gasped.

    There was a mana stone and a blood stone in it, and both were bigger than fists. Elise looked at him stupefied.

    "How about it? Do you want to work for me?"

    The mana and blood stones were bigger than she had seen before. He could supply more, and the research would advance by leaps and bounds. She swallowed dry and stared at him. She had been busy, but he had called for her specifically.

    "What do you need help with?" she asked carefully.

    "Tell me what¡¯s going on with your research first, and make me a stronger iron soldier."

    Elise closed the briefcase and said, "These are for research. I¡¯ll need more for your stronger iron soldier."

    Right now, they needed to break down the mana stones into a hundred little pieces to make the iron soldiers, but if she had more of them, she could produce the iron soldier much more easily. Doyeol was waiting for her answer and pushed another briefcase forward. It was also filled with a mana and a blood stone.

    "I only need mana stones for iron soldiers!"

    "Think of the blood stone as a gift."

    These things couldn¡¯t be bought with money. Elise smiled and picked up the briefcases.

    "You will be the first to know about the research¡¯s results. If you need anything else, just let me know."

    "You made the right choice."

    She looked into his eyes and felt relieved. He would have had to find someone else if she had refused, but she couldn¡¯t even imagine betraying him.

    He had only had mana stones when he got into the Pentagram, but he had guts, and she thought he would eventually take control of the Pentagram.

    As long as he kept supplying stones, he would be at the top. Elise looked at the briefcases and smiled. Doyeol called for her personally, and she came. She made the right move.

    ---

    Elise left, and Doyeol sipped his tea. The door opened, and a person walked in. A blonde man, Jeffrey, sat next to Doyeol.

    "Is that the woman?"

    "She is the best engineer in the world and she just joined us."

    "Is that why you gave her stones worth $100,000 each?"

    Jeffrey didn¡¯t believe Doyeol at first, but Doyeol had paid him on the spot for the stones. He earned $400,000 dors from his trip to the Dimensional Battlefield. He brought back the four biggest stones he could find and he had also kept the monster who had been guarding them, the lion-like monster. He could summon it at any time now.

    "I need her to make me the leader of Pentagram. I need you more, but I need her as well."

    Jeffrey wasn¡¯t interested. His interests were his family, his life in South Korea and more money. They needed each other, and that was all for him.

    "Can you beat that armored guy if you see him again?" Doyeol asked him.

    ¡¯No, not yet."

    Jeffrey had just captured the lion monster, but he knew he still couldn¡¯t beat the armored guy. That guy hadn¡¯t even used his power, and he had defeated his pets. He had to be an expert, so Jeffrey couldn¡¯t deal with him yet.

    He would need to summon a buff monster to kill that expert.

 Chapter 118: Back To Battlefield 2

    Chapter 118: Back To Battlefield 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Filming was scheduled for the following week. After that, Junhyuk went to the marketing department from time to time for meetings about the movie.

    This was a cooperation between thepany and TV stations, and the marketing department held meetings every day. They also brought the five men with metal prosthetics to the office. The five of them had busy schedules, but they decided to appear on the broadcast. The metal models were given to them by thepany, and they wanted to help out.

    Once they gathered in one ce, they didn¡¯t have anything special to do. The marketing department and the program¡¯s director nned everything, and they listened and made suggestions.

    After one of the meetings ended on Thursday afternoon, Doyeol¡¯s executive secretary appeared in front of Junhyuk and greeted him.

    "The president wants to meet you."

    "Right now?"

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk bowed and followed the secretary to the president¡¯s office. The secretary knocked on the door and let him know that Junhyuk was there. The door opened, and they heard Doyeol¡¯s voice.

    "Come in."

    Junhyuk went in, saw a man sitting next to Doyeol and frowned. The pale, blond man had introduced himself previously as Jeffrey, a novice, which meant that Doyeol had sent Jeffrey to his house.

    Junhyuk decided to pretend that he didn¡¯t know him, and Doyeol offered him a seat.

    "Have a seat."

    Jeffrey smiled and extended his hand.

    "Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Jeffrey."

    "Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Junhyuk Lee."

    Junhyuk spoke perfect English, and Jeffrey said, "You speak English well."

    "I speak tennguages fluently."

    "Is that right?"

    Jeffrey spoke to him in a strangenguage, which Doyeol didn¡¯t understand, but Junhyuk did.

    "First time seeing me?"

    Junhyuk frowned.

    This time Jeffrey asked in yet anothernguage, "You really don¡¯t know me?"

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "Are you ying a joke on me?" Junhyuk asked.

    Jeffrey shrugged and leaned back on his seat.

    "He likes to joke around," Doyeol told him.

    Junhyuk remained silent, and Doyeol looked at him and smiled.

    "You got your filming schedule. Next week, right?"

    "Yes."

    "This broadcast is very important."

    "Eunseo told me about it."

    "Do it well. Just do what you¡¯ve been doing."

    Junhyuk nodded, and Doyeol smiled.

    "My friend here will work at the secretary¡¯s office from now on. He will work as an interpreter, and you¡¯ll meet him from time to time. He¡¯ll apany me when I meet with foreign buyers."

    "Right."

    Junhyuk looked at him, and Jeffrey still had a smile on his face. Jeffrey¡¯s eyes seemed to say that he knew who Junhyuk was. The stare felt burdensome to Junhyuk.

    Doyeol looked at Junhyuk and smiled.

    "You should cheer him on. Do look after him."

    "I¡¯ll do my best."

    "You may leave."

    Junhyuk got up, said goodbye and left, and Jeffrey asked, "Is it OK for me to work here?"

    "I don¡¯t care."

    "What about the Rockefeller family?"

    "They could guess about you, but even if they knew about this, they couldn¡¯t touch me. We are on equal grounds," Doyeol said and smiled deviously. "At least for now."

    Doyeol looked at Jeffrey and asked, "So, what do you think? Was he the guy in the ck armor?"

    Jeffrey shrugged.

    "Ordinarily, a person who speaks tennguages is highly educated, but his resume doesn¡¯t indicate that."

    "So?"

    "I¡¯m about 70 percent sure that he is the guy."

    "Right."

    Doyeol wanted to see Junhyuk¡¯s reaction. If Junhyuk had returned from the Dimensional Battlefield, Doyeol had to make him join his side. Jeffrey couldn¡¯t deal with him because he was on another level, so Junhyuk could bring him back a lot more.

    ---

    Junhyuk returned to his office and turned on hisputer, but he could only think about Jeffrey. Jeffrey hade after him. Why did I have to meet him now? Because they were curious about me?

    He had dealt with the people sent by the Rockefeller family, and Jeffrey came after that. Jeffrey had already told him that the Rockefellers hadn¡¯t sent him. He hadn¡¯t believed him then, but after seeing him with Doyeol, he was sure the Rockefellers hadn¡¯t done it.

    What kind of person is Doyeol? He funded W.A.N.C.S., so he had to be close to the Rockefellers, but Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure. Jeffrey called himself a novice, but he wasn¡¯t sure about that either.

    Junhyuk thought hard about everything and stared at theputer screen. He was deep in thought when a shadow appeared above his head.

    "What are you thinking about?"

    It was Mr. Woogun Jang, so Junhyuk bowed and smiled at him.

    "I was thinking about what concept I should go with for this broadcast."

    "Right."

    Mr. Jang patted his shoulder and said, "You¡¯ll do well."

    Junhyuk looked around and frowned.

    "Where is everybody?"

    He had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn¡¯t noticed anything. Mr. Jang smiled at him.

    "They went home. You were buried in your thoughts."

    "Is it already time to go home?"

    Junhyuk got up, but Mr. Jang had a few more words for him.

    "How about a drink?"

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk was feeling strained, so he decided to have a drink with Mr. Jang.

    ---

    They drank a few shots of soju, and he called for a designated driver, who drove him to his house. When he arrived, he saw a man standing in front of his house with his arms crossed. It was Jeffrey, and Junhyuk walked over to him.

    "Jeffrey, what are you doing here?"

    Jeffrey looked at him and smiled.

    "This is your house?"

    "Yes."

    "We are neighborhood cousins. Is that the expression in Korea?"

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t understand and just stared until Jeffrey pointed to the house next door.

    "I moved here today."

    Junhyuk was surprised. What was this guy thinking?

    Jeffrey smiled and said, "We should have coffee. Come over to my house."

    "I¡¯ll change into something morefortable and go."

    "I¡¯ll be waiting."

    Junhyuk went into his house, changed into his training gear and walked outside. Jeffrey took him to his house. Jeffrey hadn¡¯t unpacked all of his belongings yet, and suddenly someone ran to him. She was blonde and very beautiful, and she walked over to Junhyuk.

    "Hello, I¡¯m Joanna."

    "Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Junhyuk Lee."

    Junhyuk turned to look at Jeffrey. He took him to the dining table and looked at Joanna.

    "Some coffee, please."

    "OK."

    Joanna had already been heating water to make coffee, and Jeffrey smiled.

    "She is my younger sister. Isn¡¯t she pretty?"

    Junhyuk calmly looked at Jeffrey. Jeffrey had moved next door, and he thought Jeffrey was going to try to drive him crazy. He even thought about killing Jeffrey, but he just introduced his sister to him. Was he not thinking about fighting?

    "She is pretty," Junhyuk rxed and answered him.

    She brought them the coffee and stepped back. "Have a pleasant time. I have to unpack," she said and left.

    Junhyuk stared at Jeffrey.

    "Is this a coincidence?"

    Jeffrey shook his head.

    "No, it isn¡¯t."

    "Can you tell me what happened?"

    Jeffrey pulled out an envelope. Junhyuk took a look inside and found a bunch of $50 bills. There were $100,000 total, and he stared at Jeffrey.

    "It¡¯s for your house repair."

    Jeffrey was sure now, and Junhyuk knew it too, but he tried to deny it once more.

    "What do you mean?"

    "You didn¡¯t hear me? I went to your house when you weren¡¯t there and met an armored man. He told me he would get the money from me for the house repair."

    "You damaged my house?"

    "Correct."

    Junhyukughed a little and knew he couldn¡¯t deny it anymore. His eyes turned cold.

    "You knew, and you moved next door?"

    Jeffrey nodded.

    "We didn¡¯t get along well the first time we met, but it doesn¡¯t have to stay that way."

    "What do you mean?"

    "I heard the Rockefeller family is after you."

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes beamed, and Jeffrey smiled.

    "The Rockefellers are after me too. Without Doyeol¡¯s help, my sister and I would¡¯ve been killed."

    The Rockefellers were after Jeffrey, and Junhyuk was slightly moved by that information. Jeffrey continued, "Doyeol is protecting us."

    "Right."

    Jeffrey continued calmly, "But I can¡¯t just rely on one person."

    "What do you mean?"

    "I joined up with him, but it doesn¡¯t guarantee my safety. I have to make myself safe."

    "So?"

    Jeffrey smiled.

    "I want to be your friend."

    Jeffrey fought against me, and he wants to be my friend. What is he thinking?

    "My sister¡¯s safety is my top priority. If something happens to me, please, protect my sister."

    "Me? Why?"

    "I¡¯ll sacrifice myself and more for you."

    "What kind of sacrifice?"

    Jeffreyughed.

    "I moved here to find out whether or not you are a novice."

    "Doyeol¡¯s wish?"

    "Of course."

    "Why does he want to know?"

    Jeffrey pulled out a small, blue gem from his pocket and showed it to him.

    "Have you seen it before?"

    Junhyuk picked it up and looked at Jeffrey.

    "I¡¯ve seen it at the Dimensional Battlefield."

    "They need it to build the metal models."

    Junhyuk ced the gem on the table.

    "Things from the Dimensional Battlefield are extremely expensive in Korea!"

    "You learn fast. Doyeol is collecting people who can go to the Dimensional Battlefield. If you are a novice, he will pay you an astronomical amount to join his team."

    Junhyuk thought it over.

    "OK. I understand the situation. What can you do for me?"

    Jeffrey smiled.

    "If you don¡¯t want to be revealed, I¡¯ll hide your identity."

    "Until I decide to show myself, you¡¯ll hide that information. Is that right?"

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk smiled and whispered, "If I kill you, everything will be resolved."

    "They will get even more suspicious," Jeffrey answered him coolly, and Junhyuk smiled bitterly.

    "Your offer is hard to refuse."

    Jeffrey shrugged.

    "More importantly, we have powers and we must work together. We might have a better chance to survive in the Dimensional Battlefield that way."

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t speaking. He finished his coffee and got up.

    "I¡¯ll think about it."

    He turned, and Jeffrey asked, "By the way, are you an expert?"

    He left without answering, and Jeffrey stared at him leaving and whispered, "He is an expert."

 Chapter 119: Back To Battlefield 3

    Chapter 119: Back To Battlefield 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk went home and called Sarang on the burner phone. She picked it up, and a cheery voice greeted him on the other side.

    "Big brother, you don¡¯t usually call me first?!"

    "I have something to discuss."

    "Hm... I thought so."

    She was disappointed, and Junhyukughed and said, "The novice with the summoning power moved next door."

    "What?!"

    Sarang is surprised, and Junhyuk exined everything calmly.

    "He wants to be my friend."

    "He made a mess at your house thest time and now he wants to gain your trust?"

    "His conditions aren¡¯t bad, and I think I¡¯ll gain a lot by having him next door."

    "So, are you friends now?"

    "I think so."

    "Hm."

    "But I¡¯m hiding you from him. When I decide that I can trust him, I¡¯ll introduce you two."

    "I understand. I¡¯ll trust you."

    "Right, get some rest."

    "Go to sleep and dream about me."

    Junhyukughed, hung up andy on his bed. Was Doyeol an enemy of the Rockefeller family? He didn¡¯t know whether to trust Jeffrey, but he felt good about their agreement. He didn¡¯t know how to get information on Doyeol without him, and he could gain more information from Jeffrey.

    Junhyuk closed his eyes. He thought of what Sarang had said about dreaming about her, which made himugh.

    In his dreams, he did meet her.

    ---

    She was lying in bed with bandages around her eyes and around her right arm. Suddenly, Stephen got a phone call, and she listened in. He was on the phone for a while, and then he walked over, caressed her hair and said, "I have to go out for a moment. If you need anything, talk to the nurse."

    "OK. Be careful."

    Stephen went out, and she touched the bandages on her eyes. He had made her this way, the novice with the ability to teleport, and she frowned.

    "Next time, I will teach him a lesson."

    Her hypnosis hadn¡¯t worked, so she wouldn¡¯t use it on him. She would make more puppets and attack him with them. Therefore, she had to know who he was, but she didn¡¯t know anything about him. Still, she could take a guess.

    "His name is Junhyuk!"

    He had been avoiding eye contact with her, and she had looked into it. Jaeyoung¡¯s ident didn¡¯t have any casualties, which meant that Junhyuk wasn¡¯t an ordinary person. If he had the ability to teleport, he would have done so during that car ident. Jaeyoung was surely hypnotized, so she wasn¡¯t suspicious of him, but Junhyuk was different.

    With a knock on the door, two people walked in. Anna turned her head, and a person closed the door and leaned against it. Another person walked to her and stood in front of her bed.

    "How are your wounds?"

    Anna recognized the voice and frowned. The person saw her reaction and asked, "You know who I am?"

    "CIA Agent Jaeyoung Jang?"

    "You¡¯ve got a good memory."

    Anna didn¡¯t say anything else and shut her mouth. Jaeyoung continued, "I¡¯m really sorry about your ident."

    "Thank you."

    "The doctor told me you won¡¯t recover."

    "He told me the same."

    Jaeyoung tilted his head and said, "Then you won¡¯t be able to hypnotize people."

    Anna turned her head toward his voice.

    "What do you mean?"

    "You are lucky to lose just your eyes," Jaeyoung blurted out.

    A smile creeped across her lips, and he continued, "It¡¯s a small price to pay for my car. Oh! And thises from the top, but you will be deported."

    "Deportation?"

    "Your father just lost his status as a diplomat, and he will return to Germany."

    Anna was silent, Jaeyoung turned away slowly and said, "I hope I won¡¯t see you again."

    Anna listened to him walking away and smiled.

    "This is fun now."

    Without being able to get her revenge, she would be deported. She knew about their power, but she felt angry about her father losing his status as a diplomat.

    "They are acting deliberately."

    ---

    The Antique Library had a mismatched hologram in it. The hologram had four faces on it.

    Among them, was Doyeol, and he asked, "She¡¯s a novice. Why don¡¯t you want her?"

    The Antique Library¡¯s owner, Charles, the Rockellers¡¯ patriarch, opened his mouth.

    "Her power is a double-edged sword. If we could control her, we could do anything, but if she works for other people, we won¡¯t be able to deal with her."

    An old man with a long moustache said, "So you¡¯ve made up your mind?"

    "Yes. The things from the Dimensional Battlefield are valuable, but she worked against us and she is dangerous."

    Anna¡¯s hypnosis didn¡¯t leave any evidence behind. She was the best assassin, and the Pentagram had the power to arrange to have her meet anyone, which meant that she could kill anyone without a trace. However, that also meant that they had to be able to handle her. If she followed after people who had simr influence to the Pentagram, they would be in danger.

    "We will vote on what Charles has said. If you agree with him, raise your hand up," said the old man with the moustache.

    Charles raised his hand and the others followed him. One by one, the five of them all raised their hands, and Charles smiled.

    "Doyeol, take care of it this time."

    It would take ce in South Korea, so he would do the job.

    "I will," he said, bowing.

    Charles leaned back on his chair.

    "Then, till next time."

    The screen turned off, and Charles stroked his chin.

    "Have you found Jeffrey?"

    "Yes."

    His secretary was already in the library, and Charles smiled coldly.

    "Where?"

    "South Korea."

    "Right."

    Charles pulled a cigar from one of the desk¡¯s drawer, and his secretary lit it up.

    "He grew up," he said, smiling.

    ST Capsule¡¯s Doyeol had just joined the Pentagram. He was getting more powerful fast, but the others thought he was still weak. Doyeol didn¡¯t know his own ce.

    "He got a novice. What difference does it make?"

    Novices were valuable, but a novice alone couldn¡¯t change anything about the Pentagram. The Pentagram had power the to shake the world, and Doyeol was trying his best. He looked cute to Charles, like a kid trying to y with the adults.

    Charles exhaled deeply.

    "Just watch them for now. He hasn¡¯t betrayed the Pentagram, so there¡¯s nothing we can do at this moment."

    "I¡¯ll get on it."

    The secretary went out, and Charles took another drag and murmured, "Something very entertaining happened."

    ---

    It was already Friday night, and Junhyuk prepared for the Dimensional Battlefield. He was lying on his bed, wearing the Barbarian Bel, when he picked up the burner phone.

    She had been thinking the same thing. His phone rang, and Junhyuk looked at the number andughed.

    "Big brother!"

    "Are you ready and on your bed?"

    "Yes. I¡¯m on my bed thinking of you.

    "Why are you thinking about me?"

    ¡¯Hm. Are you embarrassed?"

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t reply, and Sarang roared withughter.

    "Big bro, did you see me in your dreams?"

    "No."

    "Whoa! I saw you in my dreams. You are too much."

    Junhyuk smiled.

    "Time to leave. Get ready."

    "OK. See you soon."

    Junhyuk hung up and closed his eyes. It was time to go. He would deal with strong enemies and fight fierce battles, and his heart started pounding.

    The white light covered his vision, and Junhyuk covered his eyes with his hands. The light disappeared, and he looked around, checking the amount of money he had: 34,240G.

    Junhyuk was satisfied. With that amount, he could get another upgrade. He wouldn¡¯t be able to get the seventh upgrade, but the sixth was affordable.

    Junhyuk took off the standard gear. Unlikest time, he was wearing the cloak and the belt. However, he still felt naked and summoned the ck armor. The standard swords wouldn¡¯t help, so he left them behind.

    [Wee. You¡¯ve been summoned to the Valley of Death.]

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly and inspected his equipment. He summoned everything he owned and sighed deeply.

    [You may exit using the main entrance.]

    Junhyuk walked and heard further instructions.

    [You¡¯ve activated two powers and became an expert. You may revive one time as an expert.]

    "Sarang has also be an expert this time."

    The enemy was very dangerous. It felt like a miracle that Sarang hadn¡¯t died even once.

    He had almost gotten himself killed twice.

    "I¡¯ll stay alive."

    Junhyuk heard a soft whisper.

    [Expert 01 deployed.]

    He walked out and heard the minions talking among themselves. Soon, a head popped up in the middle of them. It was Sarang.

    She was wearing the Red Core Armor and she crossed the sea of people by exuding an aura that the minions couldn¡¯t ignore. So, they made way for her. Her armor made an impression on them. The minions would be surprised to know that her armor had the same cost as the lives of one hundred and ten thousand of them.

    "Big brother!"

    Junhyuk saw the rest of her equipment.

    "Is that the standard expert equipment?"

    "Yes, I got these instead," she was holding an orb and a small crystal ball. "Expert magicians carry two items."

    Junhyuk inspected her new weapons.

    "If you want to hurt your enemies, you¡¯ll need new equipment."

    So far, they had focused on her survival, but now they could focus on her attack as well. The enemy tanks would be hard to defeat with her strength, but she could use her magic to some effect on the others. She had to increase her magic stat further and she would be able to deliver a deathblow.

    "Good idea."

    They had relied on the heroes until now, but the enemy team had a champion, Adolphe, so they should do more to help out.

    "Right. If you pick up one of the tanks¡¯ items, don¡¯t sell it and keep it for yourself."

    "Tank items?"

    "Yes. We have more space for more items. Get items that¡¯ll increase your health, and you¡¯ll survive."

    "Sure."

    Sarang knew how important it was to survive and agreed with him. They talked until the castle¡¯s door opened, and Arn, Halo and Vera walked in.

    Arn saw Sarang and Junhyuk, and walked over to them.

    "You are here."

    Junhyuk nodded, and Arn turned around.

    "Hurry up! We aren¡¯t taking any minions with us today."

    That meant that they had to move faster, and Junhyuk made fists with his hands.

    "Let¡¯s go!"

 Chapter 120: Variables 1

    Chapter 120: Variables 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    They moved very fast without the minions. If they took the minions, the monsters in the forest would have dyed their advance. However, they were three heroes and two experts, so they weren¡¯t in any danger.

    While they were running in the forest, Sarang said to Junhyuk, "Big brother, there is an expert other than the two of us."

    "What are you talking about?"

    "The voice said that I¡¯m the third expert?"

    Junhyuk stopped running and looked at Sarang. Vera joined them and said, "That¡¯s right. Someone from a different battlefield became an expert. It¡¯s rare to see two experts on one battlefield, and your news travelled fast."

    So far, he had only met novices, but now there was another expert. It was something to be cautious about. Even a novice was dangerous depending on his or her power. An expert was even more dangerous.

    "Do you know what kind of powers he has?"

    "I heard only a part of the story, so I am not sure, but it sounds like the expert has two offensive powers."

    "Sure," Junhyuk was envious since he didn¡¯t have any offensive powers. "He sounds dangerous."

    "To you? Why?"

    "Because he has offensive powers?"

    "No, you are superior to him," Vera said and shrugged. "Surely, an expert with offensive powers is strong, but your force field blocks all attacks, and you could just sh through him."

    "Right."

    He didn¡¯t have offensive powers, but his regr attack stat was high, and he had defensive powers. He could simply block any iing attacks.

    "Could you find out more about him for next time? I might end up meeting him."

    "You mean the expert with the offensive powers?"

    "Yes."

    "Why?"

    "I met some novices in South Korea, and they almost killed me," Junhyuk said calmly.

    Vera¡¯s stare turned cold.

    "Someone came after you?"

    "Yes."

    Arn turned back and asked, "What did you do?"

    "One of them is a hypnotist, so I gouged her eyes out. The other one became my friend."

    "A hypnotist?" Halo joined the conversation. "I heard about it. She¡¯s from a battlefield prior to ours. She made a huge mess of things."

    "A mess?"

    "Her allied heroes were all killed, and she controlled the enemies and got a triple-kill by herself."

    "What?"

    She killed three heroes by herself?

    "The enemy heroes that lost were at low health, and she used one to kill the other two."

    "Why did the third hero join the fight?" Sarang asked, and Veraughed at her.

    "They had just arrived at the Dimensional Battlefield. They didn¡¯t trust each other and they didn¡¯t know they were hypnotized, so they killed each other. It was breaking news."

    "She had nice equipment... So, that¡¯s how she got it."

    "Why didn¡¯t you kill her?" Arn asked.

    Junhyuk scratched his head.

    "I didn¡¯t want tomit murder."

    Arn stopped and grabbed him by the shoulder.

    "Keep this in mind: you are important to us. If you get hurt in South Korea, I won¡¯t leave it alone."

    "I understand."

    He hadn¡¯t seen Arn¡¯s killer intent in a long time. Vera tapped Sarang¡¯s shoulder.

    "That¡¯s right. If anything happens to you, I will go to your dimension and beat the crap out of you."

    That statement surprised Junhyuk, and he looked at Vera.

    "You can go to my dimension?"

    "Yes. It¡¯s bothersome, but I can."

    Junhyuk was dumbfounded. If heroes went to his dimension, things would end inplete disaster.

    "I¡¯ll stay alive."

    "Do it! if your own kind kills you, we will pay a visit to your dimension."

    He had to stay alive to save the Earth.

    Junhyuk looked around and asked, "Where are we going now?¡¯

    "We are going to kill the smander."

    "The smander?"

    Smanders were a type of buff monster that lived in the enemy territory.

    "That¡¯s right. The enemies will try to kill the smander first. We will kill it instead and attack them from behind."

    "We should hurry."

    They had to hurry to get to the smander first. If the enemies got there before them, they might try to attack the allies on the road. However, if the enemies decided to gather, things would be more difficult. The allied side had given up a tower to get the smander.

    "Let¡¯s pick up the pace."

    The heroes sped up, and Junhyuk felt like dying. Sarang had a movement speed stat increase, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t. He ran as fast as he could.

    They arrived at the smander¡¯s den and saw that the smander was still alive. It was fourteen meters long and spewed fire. Doctor T, Regina and Adolphe were fighting against it. They had hunted the smander for their team thest time as well.

    Arn looked at the fight and said, "The smander isn¡¯t doing well."

    However, it didn¡¯t matter. The allies had the superior fighting power.

    "We should start by getting one of them out first."

    It would help them big time if they could get rid of an enemy hero. Vera prepared to cast Meteor Shower, while Arn also readied his ultimate.

    He crouched and said, "Our target is Doctor T. Junhyuk, teleport me over there."

    "OK."

    Meanwhile, Doctor T tied up the smander with his spider web and fired his missiles at it. Adolphe¡¯s sword gave off some energy, and it sliced through the smander. Finally, Regina¡¯s barrage of shots hit the smander, and it died.

    They were then surrounded by red circles when Vera¡¯s meteors fell on them. The meteors fell from the sky and caught the heroes by surprise. They were all close to each other, and Vera¡¯s meteors hit them hard. Vera¡¯s earring gave her spectacr power.

    The enemy heroes looked around and quickly dispersed. They had to break to escape from Vera¡¯s meteors. Doctor T dashed to one side, and Junhyuk and Arn teleported in his direction.

    Doctor T fired the methrower, and Arn swung his saber.

    sh!

    Arn¡¯s saber traveled through the air, past Doctor T¡¯s skin, and he started bleeding and staggered.

    "Cowards!"

    Doctor T didn¡¯t have a lot of health. He had been hit by Arn¡¯s and Vera¡¯s ultimates. Both had time to prepare their attacks and inflicted critical damage. The doctor staggered, and Arn attacked him with seven continuous saber strikes. They all hit him.

    The doctor started disappearing, and Arn turned around. Junhyuk moved behind him, and Regina dashed toward them, aiming her pistol.

    Bang, bang, bang, bang!

    Her continuous shoots covered a decent range. Junhyuk had increased health, but it was not a good idea to be shot by her. He moved, and at the same time, Arn blocked for him. Arn was hit by the bullets, and a light green powder started falling on his head.

    He was wounded and getting healed at the same time. Junhyuk was impressed with Sarang¡¯s timing. Arn was soon healed andunched his saber at Regina. He threw his saber from close range, and she had a hard time escaping. Regina raised her cuss to block, but Halo attacked her back with his lightning sh attack.

    A long gash appeared on Regina¡¯s back, and Adolphe made his move. Adolphe stuck his saw-ded sword in the ground and released the energy boomerangs that constricted Arn and Halo¡¯s movements.

    Regina escaped the boomerang by using her increased speed. She was headed toward Vera. It was easy for Regina to deal with Vera because even though Vera had high attack, she had low health. Regina could kill her in a short time.

    Adolphe took his saw-ded sword out of the ground and rushed while Regina ran toward Vera. Junhyuk quickly cast a force field around Vera. Both Vera are Sarang were inside the force field, and Adolphe attacked it relentlessly.

    Clung!

    Adolphe¡¯s attacks bounced off the force field, and Junhyuk sighed. Adolphe had rushed and tried to attack them while Regina had wanted to get rid of Vera. He had barely averted disaster.

    Regina frowned and looked for Junhyuk, but he had already jumped. Arn closed in quickly, and Regina turned around and shot at him. Arn fell over, but the force field was safe. Vera cast a fire spear at Regina.

    Boom!

    Regina was pushed back, and as she moved backward, she hit a fire orb, causing a series of explosions. Vera¡¯s attacks made Regina stagger.

    Vera had already cast meteor, and the enemies had low health. Regina couldn¡¯t touch Vera, so she decided to escape. She had an extremely high movement speed, and by using her speed, she tried to get out of Vera¡¯s range, but Vera wouldn¡¯t let her go so easily.

    Halo went after Regina, and Arnunched his saber. She blocked Arn¡¯s saber and lost a few seconds, and Halo arrived swinging his sword.

    Clung!

    Regina was a bnced hero. Her health was high and her attack stat was also high, but heroescking unique powers were awkward, and Regina was one such awkward hero. When she was with the other heroes, the others couldplement herck of unique powers. However, she was alone now.

    She could still kill Vera, but Halo and Arn had joined in and she couldn¡¯t deal with all three. In a one-on-one situation, things would be different because of Regina¡¯s ultimate. Junhyuk was watching the situation when Regina lifted her eye patch and cast her ultimate. Then, he started to run. Halo was close to her and turned to stone. Regina shot at him continuously.

    Bang, bang, bang, bang!

    Halo¡¯s chest was covered in blood, and Adolphe swung his sword at him. A long, blue streak of energy dropped on Halo. Reginacked enough strength, but it was different with Adolphe¡¯s help.

    Halo¡¯s chest opened and blood started pouring out, and Regina tried to stab him with her cuss. However, the allied heroes counterattacked. A fire spear hit her back, and Arn appeared in front of her.

    sh!

    Arn wasn¡¯t toote to save Halo, but Adolphe went around him and swung his sword at Halo. He knew Halo was seriously wounded and he wanted to kill him before he started moving again.

    Heroes could die from critical hits, especially when they were seriously wounded. However, Adolphe was left frowning. His sword didn¡¯t hit anything.

    "Shit!"

    Halo was thirty feet from him. Junhyuk was standing behind him, looking at Adolphe.

 Chapter 121: Variables 2

    Chapter 121: Variables 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Haloughed about having escaped from Adolphe¡¯s attack.

    "Thanks," he said and used his lighting sh attack against Adolphe. Adolphe quickly raised his sword to block, but Halo shed his ribs, and he started bleeding profusely.

    "Ugh!"

    Halo got behind Adolphe, who had staggered, and used Rising Dragon, a spinning jump attack that shed Adolphe¡¯s back.

    Adolphe¡¯s back was bleeding in such a way that it looked like he had grown bloody wings. Halo wasing down from the air, and Adolphe blocked Halo¡¯s sword with his own.

    ng!

    Adolphe had been attacked twice and couldn¡¯t keep his footing. Junhyuk decided to join the fray. When Adolphe saw Junhyuk running toward them, he gritted his teeth. Because of him, Adolphe had lost the chance to kill a hero. He scowled, thinking he could even have gotten one of Halo¡¯s items.

    Halo and Adolphe were facing each other, and Junhyuk swung his sword at Adolphe¡¯s back.

    sh!

    Adolphe turned around, but it was already toote for him. His back was sliced through, and he was debuffed. Halo looked at him and smiled.

    "It¡¯s over," he said and aimed for Adolphe¡¯s neck. Adolphe turned and dodged, but he was focused on Halo, and his back was exposed to Junhyuk, who attack continuously and without hesitation. The debuffs piled up nonstop, stacking three times, and Halo beheaded Adolphe.

    His head rolled on the ground, and Junhyuk looked away. Regina¡¯s health was also gone, and she started disappearing, killed by Arn¡¯s and Vera¡¯s attacks.

    They had seeded in taking the smander¡¯s buff and they would head to the enemy tower and fight against whoever was there. Their target was Bater. They would kill him and destroy the second tower as well.

    Sarang cast healing on Halo. While he was being healed, Junhyuk looked around. So far, they had focused on the enemies and the monsters. He had been fighting and didn¡¯t have chance to look around. The gems that Jeffrey had shown him popped into his mind, so he was looking for something to take with him.

    Vera walked over and asked, "What are you looking for?"

    Junhyuk saw a lot of gems strewn around the smander¡¯s territory. Inside each of them, there was a small me. He picked up one.

    "Things from the Dimensional Battlefield are highly valued in South Korea. I want to take some back with me."

    Veraughed happily at Junhyuk. She inspected the gem he picked up and dropped it on the ground.

    "These are spirit stones. They are the lowest level gems, but not all lowest level gems are the same."

    She looked around, picked up a couple of small gems and gave him one.

    "If something like this will help you, you should take some back. What are you looking for?"

    "Blue gems. Maybe they are called mana stones?"

    "Mana stones?" Vera smiled.

    "The right mana stones can be found only at one ce in the Dimensional Battlefield. We¡¯ll get er."

    "Where are they?"

    "The Dragon¡¯s Valley."

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly.

    "We have to kill a dragon first to take some mana stones..."

    "That¡¯s right. Mana stones from the Dragon¡¯s Valley are of high quality."

    Junhyuk looked at the spirit stone and asked, "Where do you use these stones?"

    "It depends. The lowest level spirit stones give you fire, and you won¡¯t run out of it, but you have to make a pact with the spirit inside. It has no attack value."

    "Is that by your standards?"

    "Of course."

    Maybe they would be of value on Earth.

    Junhyuk stared at the spirit stone.

    "How do you make a pact?"

    "It¡¯s the lowest level spirit stone. Don¡¯t think too hard."

    Vera gave the other spirit stone to Sarang and said, "Hold it out with your hand and feel its energy. Then, summon it."

    Sarang and Junhyuk held the spirit stones in their hands and focused. They felt a warm energy permeate their hands and summoned the lowest level spirit stone¡¯s fire. The bird-shaped mes were small enough to hold in their hands.

    "Is this the lowest fire spirit?"

    "Yes, it¡¯s name is Kasha. Just summon it."

    "How do you summon it?"

    Vera shook her head.

    "You guys have sizable souls, and your souls have power, so just will it to make it your own and speak yourmand."

    Sarang responded quickly, "Kasha, you are mine now!"

    Kasha fluttered its wings and rubbed its beak against her hand. Junhyuk looked at his own fire-based Kasha.

    "Kasha. You are mine now," he said slowly.

    Kasha fluttered its wing and picked at Junhyuk¡¯s hand with its beak. It felt very warm, and Junhyuk smiled.

    "Among the lowest level fire spirits, I picked these two because they have the power tomunicate."

    "Communicate?"

    "No matter what distance, you two canmunicate through these two Kashas."

    "Really?"

    They had the burner phones, but the Kashas couldn¡¯t be disrupted by anything. It was a new method ofmunication, and he wouldn¡¯t refuse it.

    "Are these Kashas all connected?"

    "No. The rest of them have spirit power. Only these two have the ability tomunicate. The rest has the power to burn."

    "The power to burn? Does that mean we can make fires with these?"

    "That¡¯s right, and the fires can¡¯t be easily put out. Fire spirits just burns everything."

    Junhyuk thought the Earth could use these stones and picked up two more. Vera smiled at him.

    "But that is its only power. The battlefield has no use for them, so they are left here all over the ce."

    "I don¡¯t care. I won¡¯t use them here."

    Junhyuk thought of using them on Earth, which is why he took a few more. Sarang wasn¡¯t paying attention to what he was doing. She was ying with the Kasha on her hand.

    "Are you really going to help memunicate with big brother?"

    The Kasha nodded, and Sarang whispered into its ear.

    "Big brother," she said and blew her tongue at him.

    Junhyuk could hear everything because he was standing next to her. Then, his Kasha repeated what Sarang had said. It sounded just like her, and Junhyuk was left speechless.

    "You don¡¯t have to use your voice. Just focus on the Kasha and will it to do what you want," Vera said.

    Junhyuk focused on his Kasha.

    "Quit ying around."

    Sarang was surprised and looked at him. She smirked, focused on her Kasha, and her will was delivered to Junhyuk.

    "Big brother, you are cute when you are angry."

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "This is amazing."

    Veraughed and said, "Now, let¡¯s move. We¡¯ve lost a lot of time."

    "OK."

    They started running. Bater could already be trying to escaped after he heard the news of the other heroes¡¯ deaths. Before that happened, they had to catch him. They were three heroes and two experts, so they could easily do it.

    The group moved toward Bater¡¯s tower, but he wasn¡¯t there. There were no minions either, so they destroyed the empty tower. However, they gained nothing out of that.

    "We lost our own tower."

    Bater had destroyed one of the allied towers and taken his minions and retreated. The allies also destroyed a tower, but they felt empty.

    "What are we going to do?"

    "We destroyed each other¡¯s tower, so we move to the next tower and help Nudra out."

    The group changed its course. They didn¡¯t know where Bater was, so they had to change their n, running without rest to where Nudra was.

    Nudra was already in serious danger, and Bater had already arrived. Nudra was fighting Jean Clo when Bater intruded, putting him inplete disadvantage. Jean Clo and Bater could both handle the tower¡¯s attacks while they attacked Nudra, so he had a hard time dealing with the both of them.

    Nudra was all bloodied, and Arn shouted, "Junhyuk!"

    Sarang and the heroes touched him, and Junhyuk teleported. He took them closer to Nudra, and Arn and Halo dashed toward him at the same time. Arn jumped, and Halo used his lighting sh attack.

    They attacked Bater and Jean Clo. Meanwhile, Sarang extended her hands, and the light green powder fell on Nudra¡¯s head, healing him. Then, Nudra released a strong gust of wind.

    Boom!

    Bater was pushed back, and Arn and Halo got closer. Vera was preparing to cast her magic. She touched her earring, and Junhyuk analyzed the battlefield. Jean Clo was very hard to kill, but Sarang could suppress his healing power and possibly do it. If they were to kill one of them, it had to be Bater.

    Junhyuk stood in front of Vera and asked, "Do we kill Bater first?"

    "Yes!"

    Bater¡¯s attacks inflicted more damage than Jean Clo¡¯s. Everyone was thinking same thing, so they would all attacked him.

    Arn was dealing with Jean Clo. Halo and Nudra rushed after Bater while Vera also targeted him. Bater didn¡¯t have enough health to deal with three heroes.

    "We have to retreat!" he shouted.

    Jean Clo rushed toward Arn, but was shed on the ribs by Arn¡¯s saber. However, he grabbed Arn and threw him with a giant swing. Jean Clo had a lot of health, but his wild rush had enabled him to get a hold of Arn.

    While Jean Clounched Arn, Bater mmed the ground.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    The three shockwaves traveled toward Halo and Nudra and pushed them back. They tried to escape, but they couldn¡¯t let the enemy flee.

    "Sarang!"

    She didn¡¯t hesitate and cast her electric st on the enemies. Two lights flew out. One hit Jean Clo while the other hit Bater, and Vera cast a firewall where they stood. Her firewall inflicted continuous damage.

    Halo, Arn and Nudra attacked Bater. He was only paralyzed for a moment, but the three heroes took advantage of that to really hurt him. They were in the process of damaging Bater when Jean Clo grabbed Nudra. Nudra¡¯s health was very low, and Jean Clo was about to choke m him when something unexpected happened.

    Bang!

    Jean Clo lifted him up, and Nudra was shot in the middle of his forehead. He lost whatever health remained and started disappearing.

    Jean Clo mmed his body against the ground and smiled.

    "Now, we are evenly matched."

    Junhyuk saw Ki at the top of the tower. They didn¡¯t know what had happened to Diane, but now the heroes were indeed evenly matched.

 Chapter 122: Variables 3

    Chapter 122: Variables 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Jean Clo and Bater retread, but they came back, and Junhyuk breathed in deeply. Since they knew the allies had used all of their powers, they wanted to fight.

    Sarang had used her electric st and her healing power and had to wait on the cooldowns, so Jean Clo and Bater approached. Junhyuk analyzed the situation. Bater was hurt the most among the enemy heroes, but Bater had a lot of health overall and very strong attacks. Bater¡¯s ultimate was especially strong. They had to kill him first. If possible before he used his ultimate.

    Vera also looked at their situation.

    "Kill Bater first," she said, scowling and holding a fire spear in her hand. "We have to kill him within ten seconds."

    "OK."

    Arn and Halo ignored Jean Clo and ran toward Bater, but he scoffed at them. They were after him because he had low health, but this wasn¡¯t the first time he found himself in a situation like that. Because he had seen Ki running, Bater decided against withdrawing. Jean Clo ran toward Arn, and Bater went after Halo.

    Jean Clo and Bater both had rushing abilities, but their rushes had different characteristics. Jean Clo wanted to grapple, while Bater pushed his enemies away.

    They both rushed at the same time, and something unexpected happened. Jean Clo grabbed Arn, and Bater pushed Halo away. Only Arn was left in the enemy territory. He had the highest amount of health among the allies, but he was in a dangerous position. Jean Clo chokemmed him, and Ki fired some shots.

    It was the same pattern they had used when Nudra was killed, and they had three heroes in one spot. Even Arn could die in the blink of an eye. Ki¡¯s bullet flew toward Arn, and an ivory-colored light covered him.

    Clung!

    The bullet bounced off, and Jean Clo had to let go of him. Arn squatted. He was preparing his ultimate while Junhyuk ran toward him. Vera and Sarang were just behind Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk got to Halo, grabbed his shoulder and teleported. In a moment, everyone was within the force field. The force field covered Arn and spread, dividing the enemy in two groups. Jean Clo and Ki were by the tower, and Bater was on the opposite side.

    Halo used his lightning sh attack on Bater. He shed Bater¡¯s ribs, and a rising dragon appeared on his back. Bater¡¯s back was bleeding uncontrobly, and Vera¡¯s magic zoomed in. She cast a fire orb, and fire spears flew toward him. He blocked the spears with his fist, but the incessant attacks pushed him back.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    Three heroes had attacked him before Vera¡¯s attacks. Bater could feel his health going down and saw Halo, who was outside of the force field, and hit him with a one-twobo.

    Thunk!

    Halo blocked the attacks, but was still pushed back. Bater was going after him when Arn swung his saber.

    sh!

    Bater¡¯s back was left with a gaping hole, and his movement speed slowed down. Then, Halo shed Bater¡¯s neck with his sword. Bater disappeared, and Junhyuk moved. He was holding Sarang¡¯s hand and going the opposite way of Jean Clo and Ki. The force field was blocking their path, and Junhyuk had to get as far away as possible.

    Ki jumped, and Junhyuk hugged Sarang and teleported.

    Bang!

    She aimed for them but missed. Junhyuk and Sarang got up and saw Ki crashing down.

    "That was dangerous."

    The force field disappeared. Junhyuk had used all of his powers. They had managed to kill one hero, but they still had to fight Jean Clo and Ki, the enemies¡¯ best tank and marksman. It would be easier to deal with them now, but they would put up a fight.

    "How long?"

    "Twenty seconds," Sarang answered.

    Junhyuk¡¯s force field had two minutes left in cooldown, while the teleportation had forty seconds.

    "Let¡¯s retreat."

    Junhyuk and Sarang got out of Ki¡¯s range, and the heroes shed again. Jean Clo blocked the heroes¡¯ path by spreading his arms wide open, and Ki shot from behind him. They had to go through Jean Clo to get to Ki. If they let Ki be, she would deal a lot of damage.

    Junhyuk watched what was happening and murmured, "We could have used Diane."

    Diane had a shorter range than Ki, but she still made a huge difference. Vera¡¯s magic had a short cooldown, but she couldn¡¯t attack continuously like Diane. Her magic also had a shorter range than Diane¡¯s attacks, so she couldn¡¯t reach Ki.

    They had to kill Jean Clo first, but it was not an easy thing to do. Jean Clo had an enormous amount of health and defense. He didn¡¯t fall easily.

    Jean Clo was bleeding while fighting Arn and Halo, and he grabbed Arn. He was about to chokem him when Ki fired at Arn.

    Tink!

    The saber blocked the bullet, but Arn was chokemmed.

    Boom!

    Arn crashed against the ground, and Jean Clo grabbed him again, this time by his legs, and swung him around, throwing him at Halo. The two got tangled up and bounced away. Vera¡¯s magic flew toward Jean Clo. Fire spears and a fire orb caused a series of explosions that kept Jean Clo from rushing.

    Ki¡¯s range wasn¡¯t long enough to reach Vera, so she decided to kill Halo and Arn. Vera waspletely focused on Jean Clo. The first one to fall would lose the battle.

    Junhyuk could see the situation was going well for them. Jean Clo couldn¡¯t fight Halo and Arn alone, and Vera¡¯s magic could suppress him. The allies would win that exchange.

    "Big brother, I¡¯m ready," Sarang said.

    "OK. Let¡¯s help Arn."

    The allies wanted Jean Clo dead, and the enemies wanted Arn dead. Arn was also seriously wounded, so Jean Clo and Ki were aiming for Arn.

    Junhyuk ran in with Sarang. She stood behind Vera and extended her hands. The light green powder rained down on Arn¡¯s head. His injuries form Ki¡¯s shots started closing up, and Arn used his seven-sh attack on Jean Clo.

    Ki approached and pulled out two pistols. She saw Arn healing, but her pistols were lethal at close range, so she got further in and fired them. However, Halo stepped in front of Arn. His sword shed at unbelievable speed, and he stopped all of the bullets.

    Tink, tink, tink, tink!

    The bullets bounced off Halo¡¯s sword, and Arn attacked Jean Clo. Arnunched his saber at close range and hit Jean Clo on the shoulder.

    "Now, you are missing a saber!" Jean Clo said and grabbed Arn by the neck.

    Then, Sarang stepped forward and cast her electric st. Jean Clo was paralyzed, and Arn smiled.

    "This is your weakness."

    Arn¡¯s sabers were short range weapons, but Jean Clo had to get closer. He was paralyzed and still holding Arn when Arn shed him, cutting his artery.

    Arn wanted to lop Jean Clo¡¯s head off, but Jean Clo¡¯s arms were too long, and he was only able to slice the artery. With his artery sliced, Jean Clo started receiving damage. Arn¡¯s sabers had been upgraded ten times, and they were as sharp as possible.

    Arn cut off Jean Clo¡¯s arms, and they dropped to the ground. Then, Arn raised his sabers, intending to put an end to Jean Clo, but Jean Clo could move again, and three blue energy rings appeared around him to block Arn¡¯s attack.

    Clung!

    One blue energy ring was crushed, and Sarang stepped forward. Jean Clo was regaining momentum.

    "Suppress!"

    Sarang¡¯s Red Core Armor gave off a bloody energy that covered Jean Clo. Thorns came out of the energy and went into Jean Clo¡¯s body.

    "Shit!"

    Jean Clo had used his ultimate, and Sarang was suppressing it. His neck that had stopped bleeding for a moment started back up again, very intensely.

    Arn was very close to him, so he swung his sabers and destroyed the two remaining blue energies rings. Jean Clo grabbed him by the shoulder and smashed him against the ground. It was an invisible powerm, and as Arn rolled on the ground, Jean Clo kicked him like a ser ball.

    Arn¡¯s body went up in the air, and Ki fired at him. Halo wasn¡¯t there to protect him this time, so Arn raised his sabers, blocking the bullets.

    Arn crashed down, and Jean Clo retreated. Sarang¡¯s suppression was working against him, and he could die at any moment. He had already lost most of his health.

    As he was retreating, a firewall appeared in his path. Jean Clo¡¯s body burned, but he still managed to run away. Then, something flew toward him. It was a saber that pierced through the firewall and hit his chest.

    Jean Clo¡¯s eyes widened, and Arn ran at him and jumped, hitting Jean Clo¡¯s chin with his knee. Even without using weapons, heroes could kill. Jean Clo had used thest of his strength in the m and the kick.

    Suddenly, Jean Clo stopped healing, and Arn finished him off. He disappeared, leaving only one hero left.

    Ki fired her twin pistols to help her escape. Jean Clo died, and she jumped and ran toward her tower, but the allies couldn¡¯t leave her be.

    Junhyuk went after her and saw some minions by the tower. There were about a hundred riflemen standing there. Ordinarily, they could be ignored, but the tower¡¯s archers were dangerous to heroes if they fought alone.

    Junhyuk was curious about whether they would engage the riflemen when Arn shouted, "Attack!"

    Nudra¡¯s remaining minions would attack the riflemen and the archers, and Ki fired at them. Arn picked up his sabers and dashed. He wanted to seize that opportunity, so the heroes ran after Ki. Junhyuk and Sarang followed.

    The riflemen stood up, and one of their rifle¡¯s was shining. This wasn¡¯t an ordinary attack, so Junhyuk hugged Sarang and rolled to the side. The rifle sparked.

 Chapter 123: Variables 4

    Chapter 123: Variables 4

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The rifleman fired, and a light orb flew out of his rifle toward Halo and Arn. When it it got between the two, it exploded.

    Boom!

    The explosion covered a finite range, but it also generated shockwaves and inflicted damage. Arn and Halo were pushed away. When they got up, they heard the sound of a gun.

    Bang!

    They had expected that Ki would run away, but she had turned around and fired her rifle. Her timing was perfect, and she hit Arn¡¯s head. It was a fatal shot.

    Arn disappeared, and Halo used his lightning sh attack to cover fifty meters in a second and cut down the minion who had been too far away. The rifleman minion had gone through a power activation, and Halo was about to slice him to pieces. He was only wearing the minions¡¯ armor, so Halo could kill him with one blow. However, Ki stood in his way, already wielding her pistols, and pulled the triggers.

    Boom!

    Ki had used her ultimate, and Halo was thrown far away. She distanced herself from him and fired more shots.

    Bang, bang, bang, bang!

    Suddenly, he quickly spun his sword, which acted like a shield, and the bullets bounced off of it. Vera cast a fire spear. The target wasn¡¯t Ki but the minion who had activated a power and became a novice. The fire spear traveled quickly, so Ki blocked it with her own body.

    Boom!

    Ki¡¯s health was low, but Vera¡¯s spear didn¡¯t kill her.

    "Retreat!" she shouted after taking the hit for the novice.

    The novice turned and started running. Junhyuk¡¯s eyes beamed. He was standing behind Vera, and that novice could be more dangerous in the next team battle. He had shown his power just now, and it was an offensive one. It dealt a lot of damage. The attack¡¯s range was also good. He had to be killed.

    Junhyuk grabbed Halo and Vera and teleported. The group was now in front of Ki, and she had already used her ultimate, so she had to wait on the cooldown. At close range, the allies had the advantage.

    Halo and Vera attacked Ki while Junhyuk teleported once more. He appeared right behind the novice who was running away and swung the Frozen Rune Sword against the novice¡¯s waist. The novice rolled forward and dodged the sword. Junhyuk was astonished, and the novice turned around, still on the ground, and pointed his rifle at Junhyuk. The gun fired again, and the light orb exploded.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk had already used his teleportations, so he used his swords to cover his body¡¯s weak spots instead. However, the shockwaves pushed him back, and he was seriously wounded.

    He started getting up. He had been hit once, but he lost half of his health. Meanwhile, the novice got up and ran away. Junhyuk wanted to go after him, but his movement speed had decreased. He could kill that novice with one swing of his sword, but the novice was escaping. Junhyuk gritted his teeth. Because his movement speed was very low, the distance between the two widened.

    "OK." he said and cut the palm of his own hand with the Blood Rune Sword. He felt the darkness surround him. His health was very low, and he could be killed at any moment. However, his speed increased, so Junhyuk quickly closed in on the novice. He would catch the novice soon.

    Ki was busy with Halo and Vera and couldn¡¯t chase after Junhyuk. If Ki attacked him, he wouldn¡¯t be able to survive, but she didn¡¯t even have time to switch her weapons.

    Junhyuk chased the novice down and felt himself regaining his strength, but he didn¡¯t want to cut himself with the Blood Rune Sword again. As he approached, the novice started getting pale. Junhyuk was far better equipped than him.

    The novice had already seen his powers. His opponent wasn¡¯t a minion, and Junhyuk could kill him with one strike. The novice felt his hairs stand. He needed more time to reuse his power, but his opponent was speeding up toward him, so the novice stopped running and turned around, aiming his rifle at Junhyuk.

    "Stop!" he shouted.

    "Stop barking!" Junhyuk replied.

    Junhyuk dashed toward him, and the novice fired.

    Bang, bang, bang!

    The bullets bounced off Junhyuk¡¯s armor. The novice¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t strong enough to prate his armor. Junhyuk just needed to be aware of the novice¡¯s power. He could guess the cooldown of that absurd power, and it was probably around twenty seconds.

    The novice had attacked Halo and Arn first and reused his power on Junhyuk after twenty seconds had passed. Usually, offensive powers had short cooldowns. He would be able to use his power in a few seconds, so Junhyuk could end up dying first.

    However, he didn¡¯t want his pride hurt by getting killed by a novice nor by a hero. Junhyuk closed in quickly, and Sarang shouted, "Big brother! Watch out!"

    Junhyuk heard her and jumped.

    Bang!

    Ki had jumped and fired at him with her rifle. At that point, Ki¡¯s normal attack could kill him just like that, so Junhyuk jumped as high as he could using his skill. When he starteding down, the novice had a smile on his face. He aimed at Junhyuk and pulled the trigger.

    The gun fired a light orb, and Junhyuk was in the air, with no ce to hide. Ki was also getting ready to fire at him again.

    Junhyuk looked at them both and felt sorry. His cooldown time was up.

    Boom!

    The light orb exploded, but an ivory-colored light was surrounding Junhyuk. He wasunched further up because of the shock of the explosion but starteding down. Ki gave up after seeing the force field.

    The novice¡¯s eyes were filled with despair, and Junhyuk stepped forward and shed him with the Blood Rune Sword.

    sh!

    The novice tried to speak, but his head was lopped off. Junhyuk saw the head rolling on the ground and turned around.

    In the direction he was looking, Ki, who had been trying to kill him, got hit by Halo¡¯s Rising Dragon instead. She was shed across her back and started to disappear.

    Junhyuk sighed. He could have been killed. He had interfered prematurely and gotten hit, so Sarang walked over and healed him. He felt his health returning and smiled at her.

    "Thanks."

    Vera also walked over.

    "We have to destroy the tower. Let¡¯s go."

    "Yes."

    The minions had no chance. Junhyuk stepped forward and massacred them. Their bullets didn¡¯t work against his armor, and it didn¡¯t take a long time. They destroyed the tower and decided to take a break, being tired from all the fierce fighting.

    Halo stood in front of Junhyuk.

    "You did well. That novice would have posed a serious problem."

    "I thought so too. I tried my best."

    "Don¡¯t die on your own. Experts only have one extra life. If you get killed twice, it¡¯s over. Without you, we can¡¯t win," Vera said.

    Junhyukughed.

    "You are making me stay alive."

    "Stay alive," she said and pushed his head down hard.

    "Are theying here?"

    Halo nodded.

    "What happened to Diane?" Junhyuk asked.

    "She got killed."

    Vera sighed and said, "They are hard to deal with one on one."

    Halo nodded.

    "Their individual power surpasses ours. If we aren¡¯t careful, we might lose."

    They had gotten new equipment, but victory wasn¡¯t guaranteed.

    "But we won."

    "We should win. We have our cuties with us," Vera said,ughing.

    The allies had a lot of firepower, and Junhyuk and Sarangplemented them. Junhyuk got up.

    "What is our n?"

    "We gather and go to Bebe¡¯s."

    "All together? What if we lose our tower? Or lose our dragon?"

    "We¡¯ll be OK," Halo said calmly.

    "We might lose a tower, but we took down two of theirs. We have to upgrade at Bebe¡¯s to destroy their castle."

    Regina alone had destroyed a tower and the castle¡¯s gatest time. If the enemy gathered, they would be even more dangerous. Bebe¡¯s store was on the enemy¡¯s side, and the allies could move faster.

    Junhyuk decided to go with flow of the heroes. He wasn¡¯t influential enough to change their n, so he waited for the other heroes¡¯ arrivals. Diane arrived first, then Nudra and,stly, Arn. Their enemies didn¡¯t show up.

    Arn talked to group, "I used the Dragon¡¯s Valley path, but I didn¡¯t see any enemies. They must be hunting the buff monsters. Let¡¯s go."

    "OK."

    They had killed and been killed, but the allies were still there. The enemies failed to pick up any items, but the allies did. The group moved quickly. They moved as a group because they were afraid of getting picked off by the enemies if they got separated.

    They decided to upgrade their equipment and, after, they would go hunt the dragon before going to the enemies¡¯ castle. They couldn¡¯t lose the dragon. If they did, they might lose the following team battle. Vera told Junhyuk she would pick out mana stones for him, and he wanted them.

    The group finally reached Bebe¡¯s ce, but they encountered something unexpected in their path. In front of the Dimensional Merchant portal, the entrance to Bebe¡¯s store, they saw all of the enemy heroes gathered. They were also visiting Bebe and were blocking the way in.

    "Can we get in there?" Junhyuk asked.

    Their enemies had the advantage now, but Vera giggled and said, "This ce isn¡¯t that unfair. You can¡¯t fight once you get inside."

    Junhyuk inspected the enemies. Jean Clo and Bater were at the front, and Doctor T, Regina and Adolphe were behind them. Lastly, Ki had her rifle holstered around her shoulder.

    The allies¡¯ n didn¡¯t go well this time. They would have to fight their enemies without going into the Dimensional Merchant first. There was no way around it.

    Junhyuk gathered his breath, and Arn shouted, "Let¡¯s go!"

    The allied heroes dashed, and Junhyuk followed them. Right in front of the portal, the team battle was about to take ce.

 Chapter 124: Scuffle 1

    Chapter 124: Scuffle 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    They started getting close to the enemies, and Junhyuk quickly scoped out the battlefield. It would be a good idea to kill one of the enemy heroes before things started.

    "Let¡¯s kill one first by using our ultimates."

    Arn nodded and got in position. He stopped moving toward the enemies and prepared his Punishing Draw while Halo readied Rain from Above.

    Vera started casting Meteor Shower, but Jean Clo and Bater rushed at the same time. When Junhyuk saw them, he shouted.

    "Nudra!"

    Nudra was wearing the Dragon Gloves and was covered by the dragon aura. He kicked Jean Clo, but Bater passed by him. However, Diane¡¯s explosive arrow zoomed in.

    Boom!

    Bater was hit by it, but he continued rushing, and Junhyuk cast a force field. Sarang was at the center, and the force field covered everyone. Bater hit it, but was bounced back. They could try to kill him first, but they decided to take out Ki. However, Ki was set far away, firing at them with her rifle, and the allies¡¯ ultimates wouldn¡¯t reach her.

    After Ki, Doctor T and Regina were the priorities. They both had the ability to ensnare their opponents, so the allies had to take one of them out first.

    Meteors crashed from the sky right in the middle of the enemies¡¯ territory, which was a great idea. Both tanks, Jean Clo and Bater, had already stepped forward, so they were out of the meteors¡¯ range.

    The enemies dispersed to escape the meteors. Regina picked up Adolphe and escaped by using her absurd movement speed, and Doctor T went the opposite way.

    "Kill the doctor," Arn said.

    Halo¡¯s sword was hovering in the air. His ultimate took a while to prepare, but when itnded, it was unstoppable. It traveled faster than an arrow and couldn¡¯t be dodged. Nobody could escape it.

    Doctor T twisted his body, but his shoulder was cut off. Arn looked at Junhyuk, and he touched Arn¡¯s shoulder and teleported. They appeared in front of Doctor T, and Arn drew his saber.

    sh!

    Doctor T couldn¡¯t do anything. He was beheaded. The doctor didn¡¯t have a lot of health, and he had been hit by three ultimates, so he died.

    Arn grabbed Junhyuk and jumped.

    Bang!

    A bullet hit the ground on the same spot where Junhyuk had been standing. Arn returned to the force field and dropped him.

    "Regina!" he shouted.

    Regina¡¯s power could kill anyone at any moment. Arn had shouted as a warning, and Diane attacked her. Diane had been holding her shot until that moment, and suddenly, she let go of the bowstring. The arrow flew off, aimed at the middle of her opponent¡¯s forehead. Regina had a lot of speed, but the arrow was faster.

    Then, a shadow appeared in front of Regina. Jean Clo had run over, and Diane¡¯s arrow hit him instead. It stuck deeply into his shoulder. Nevertheless, Jean Clo stood in front of Regina and smiled expectantly.

    "Three more seconds."

    They¡¯d killed Doctor T, but if the enemies focused on one of them, the allies could quickly lose a hero. Arn looked at Halo, who was holding on to his own sword. They looked at each other and stepped out of the force field at the same time.

    Regina was hiding behind Jean Clo. If the allies tried to kill her now, they would fall under attack, so it would be a better idea to kill Bater first.

    Arn stepped forward and used his seven-sh attack. Bater was blocking with his arms when Halo used his lightning sh attack. The attack casually passed through other enemies in search of Bater¡¯s weaknesses. It was not possible to stop it.

    Halo shed Bater¡¯s ribs, moving behind him and following it up with Rising Dragon. Blood started pouring out of Bater¡¯s back, but the force field disappeared, and the enemies counterattacked.

    Halo was still in the air when Ki shot at him.

    ng!

    He blocked the bullet with his sword, but he was surprised. When Halonded, Jean Clo was already there to meet him and grapple him. Jean Clo jumped holding Halo¡¯s head between his knees. It was the spinning piledriver.

    No one was there to help Halo. The enemies were focusing their attacks on him while the allies focused on Bater.

    Arn stepped aside while swinging his saber, and five arrows passed by where Arn had been standing. Bater went after Arn, attempting a one-twobo, and was hit by the arrows. He staggered, and suddenly, Vera¡¯s fire spear hit his head. A fire orb behind him also exploded. The explosion was fatal. Bater had lost all of his health, or so the allies thought. Nevertheless, Bater fired his fists toward Vera.

    Junhyuk grabbed her and Sarang.

    Boom!

    Bater¡¯s fists were quick, but Junhyuk was faster. He hugged Vera and teleported, looking over the rest of the battlefield.

    Halo was on the ground, and Regina was shooting at him. He could die at any moment, so Sarang extended her hands toward him and sprinkled the light green powder over his head. Halo had regained some health, but with the enemies¡¯ attacks focused on him, he wouldn¡¯tst long.

    He tried to get up, but Ki shot him from far away. Regina was still shooting at him, and Halo quickly spun his sword. Halo made a shield in front of himself, and all of the bullets bounced off, but Jean Clo walked around the shield and grabbed him by the legs. Jean Clo threw him behind Regina, and the allies couldn¡¯t do anything.

    Ki approached Halo while firing her pistols. Halo tried to lift his sword to protect himself, but Adolphe attacked with his ten-meter energy sh.

    Boom!

    Halo was covered in blood, but Arn finally beheaded Bater, who bled out and disappeared. Bater had used his ultimate at thest second, while Nudra and Arn attacked him and made him take hisst breath. They had killed two enemy heroes, but Halo was also disappearing.

    This was a brawl, a scuffle.

    Arn held fast to his saber and looked at the enemies. Jean Clo had his arms extended and shouted, "Kill one by one!"

    Adolphe stabbed the ground with his saw de, and a blue energy boomerang flew off, ensnaring Arn and Nudra. With their feet tied, Jean Clo rushed, and Regina used her speed to follow him. However, Vera cast a firewall.

    The wall appeared in front of the two enemy heroes, but both went through it without hesitation. They weren¡¯t scared of the damage. They had to attack.

    Regina went through the firewall, and Arn swung his saber at her, but she raised her cuss to block.

    ng!

    She stopped moving forward, and an arrow headed toward her. She blocked it with her sword, but the arrow exploded.

    Boom!

    Regina staggered, and Nudra sted her with a strong gust of wind. They had decided that Regina was the most dangerous opponent.

    She was pushed back, but Jean Clo was already on Arn, grabbing him and jumping. Arn had attacked him, but Jean Clo had simply ignored it.

    Jean Clo had Arn. Vera wanted to finish Regina off, so she stepped forward to engage her, but Ki had jumped and was crashing down on them, firing her pistols at Nudra.

    Nudra tried to block the bullets with his arms, and Regina was hit by Vera¡¯s magic and staggered. Regina took her eyepatch off, and Nudra turned to stone.

    Boom!

    Jean Clo mmed Arn against the ground and went after Nudra, grabbing him by the neck and lifting him up. Arn tried to get up quickly, and Adolphe stepped into battle. He rushed toward Arn and used his boomerang again, and Arn couldn¡¯t move, so Junhyuk ran toward Arn. So far, he had been protecting Vera, but he also wanted to help Nudra and Arn.

    Arn and Nudra protected the frontline. If they died, the others would be massacred, so Junhyuk shed his palm as he ran forward. He shed it three times, using his increased movement speed to strike at Adolphe.

    ng!

    Junhyuk blocked Adolphe¡¯s attack aimed at Arn¡¯s neck and frowned. Maybe it was the difference in equipment, but the exchange cause his arm to formicate. Adolphe scoffed and stabbed at him with his saw de.

    Junhyuk swang both of his swords in response.

    ng, ng!

    Junhyuk had increased attack speed and, when Adolphe stabbed at him, Junhyuk blocked the attack and parried. His job was to buy as much time as possible until Arn could move again.

    Adolphe¡¯s de moved to the side, and Junhyuk shed him on the ribs with the Frozen Rune Sword. Adolphe¡¯s speed decreased, and Junhyuk had an easier time blocking him. Adolphe frowned and attacked fiercely. His attack speed was lowered, but he was very strong. Every time he attacked, Junhyuk felt his arm on pins and needles.

    Adolphe¡¯s sword was about to sh him when a saber popped up and blocked it. Adolphe had used all of his strength, but Arn simply stopped his attack. Arn was easily mightier than him, and he stepped in front of Junhyuk.

    "Kill him fast," Junhyuk said.

    "Right."

    Adolphe¡¯s powers were bothersome. They wanted to kill him quickly because of that and because the enemies were concentrating their attacks on Nudra. So, he swung his saber at Adolphe.

    Adolphe fought against him with the saw de, but there was a clear difference in swing strength, and Arn found an opening.

    Junhyuk also found some openings and stabbed Adolphe¡¯s armpit. The Blood Rune Sword went in deep, and Adolphe winced in pain.

    Arn shed his neck. The sword in Adolphe¡¯s armpit slowed him down and restrained him, and Arn beheaded him easily.

    Junhyuk was relieved that he had saved Arn. Nudra had died, but Regina was left half dead. Arn jumped over Jean Clo and dropped on Regina, cutting through her.

    Suddenly, Junhyuk saw a shadow looming above his head.

    "Ugh!"

    Jean Clo had walked over and grabbed his neck, lifting him up. The teleportation¡¯s cooldown hadn¡¯t finished yet.

 Chapter 125: Scuffle 2

    Chapter 125: Scuffle 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    During a scuffle, one had to take care of oneself. Junhyuk had stepped forward beyond his means to ensure the allied victory and was grabbed by Jean Clo. If Jean Clo hit him with a normal attack, he might survive. Junhyuk had high defense and increased health. However, Jean Clo had used one of his powers, so Junhyuk was sure that he would die.

    Jean Clo was about to chokem him against the ground. Junhyuk¡¯s mind was racing, sure that he would die. When suddenly, an electric st hit Jean Clo, leaving him paralyzed. Junhyuk quickly swung the Blood Rune Sword and the Frozen Rune Sword at the same time and cut Jean Clo¡¯s fingers.

    Jean Clo¡¯s hands started bleeding, and the hold weakened. Junhyuknded on ground and dashed toward Vera and Sarang. He couldn¡¯t teleport, and his running speed had its limit.

    Jean Clo started moving again and rushed toward him. Junhyuk tried dodging to the side, but Jean Clo¡¯s arms were too long for him to escape them. He grabbed Junhyuk by the legs, and the world spun around him.

    He felt like he knew what it would be like to ride a giant swing. Then, a fire spear flew in, hitting Jean Clo hard. However, even after he was hit, Jean Clo kept spinning and threw Junhyuk toward Ki.

    Ki had the superior attack stat. Even without using her powers, she could easily kill Junhyuk. He was so scared that his hair stood on end, but he kept thinking that it was not his time to die.

    Ki aimed the barrel of her gun at Junhyuk, and he realized that the cooldown for his teleportation power was over. He teleported.

    Junhyuk appeared above Jean Clo¡¯s shiny bald head, about forty-three feet up. Hended on Jean Clo¡¯s head and hopped over, leaving a footprint on his scalp. Jean Clo was furious and attempted to grab Junhyuk, but he teleported again, appearing where Vera and Sarang were.

    Jean Clo was huffing and puffing and dashed toward him. Then, Arn showed up behind Jean Clo. After killing Regina, he thought about killing Ki, but he decided to save Junhyuk and Sarang.

    Arn shed Jean Clo¡¯s back, and Jean Clo gave up on Junhyuk after receiving the wound. He turned around and bearhugged Arn. His thick arms wrapped around Arn, holding him in ce.

    Jean Clo ignored Diane and Vera¡¯s attacks and moved toward Ki, still holding Arn as he ran.

    Ki had the longest range, finding it easy to aim at someone who couldn¡¯t move, and Jean Clo was much stronger than Arn.

    Vera ran forward and raised a firewall in Jean Clo¡¯s path, but he ignored it and kept running. After that, five arrows hit his hamstrings, and although Jean Clo had a lot of health, the shots stopped his movement.

    He opened his arms by reflex, and Arn attacked with something like a sword dance. Jean Clo knew the damage would be high, and Arn repeatedly stabbed his ribs.

    The sound of gunfire echoed.

    Bang!

    Ki had used one of her powers for the shot, and the bullet pierced Arn¡¯s skull. He had resisted multiple attacks, but a single bullet had killed him. Jean Clo threw Arn¡¯s body away, pulled the arrows out of his legs and used his ultimate.

    Three energy rings surrounded his body, blocking the magic and arrows directed and him, and he started healing quickly.

    "Suppress!" Sarang shouted.

    The blood-colored light covered Jean Clo¡¯s body, and he said, "That bitch!"

    He gritted his teeth and looked at Sarang, who was suppressing him. Two blue energy rings had disappeared, so it was time to finish everything.

    "Follow me!"

    Jean Clo ran forward, attempting to quickly closed in on Vera and Diane to attack them both.

    However, they couldn¡¯t allow him to get closer to them. Ki had her long range, and Jean Clo wanted to attack them at close range while Ki gave him cover and used the distance to her advantage.

    Vera¡¯s magic destroyed thest of Jean Clo¡¯s blue energy rings, and Diane¡¯s arrows flew toward his thigh, hitting him and slowing him down. However, Ki got closer and started attacking.

    Bang!

    The sound of gunfire came first, and then, Diane was hit on the shoulder. She readied her shot, but her attack speed decreased. Meanwhile, Jean Clo rushed and his movement speed increased. With his rush, he could ignore his injuries and run faster.

    Diane was very close to him, and one of her arrows hit his stomach. It went all the way in, leaving only the feathers visible. Still, he grabbed her by the neck.

    Junhyuk had to protect her, so he shed at Jean Clo¡¯s ribs, but the wound wasn¡¯t deep. He was in the middle of attacking again when he heard another gunshot.

    Bang!

    The bullet hit his shoulder, and he was thrown on the ground. His left shoulder was smashed to pieces, blood pouring out of it.

    Before Jean Clo chokemmed Diane, Vera¡¯s fire spear hit him on the head, and he staggered. Diane shot him again at close range, but another sound of gunshot rang out. Her defense was lower than Junhyuk¡¯s, and the bullet took a toll on her.

    It smashed her corbone, and she started bleeding. Then, Jean Clo mmed her against the ground.

    Boom!

    Diane disappeared, and Junhyuk watched it all. Vera¡¯s fire orb appeared in front of Jean Clo and exploded.

    Boom!

    Jean Clo had lost a lot of health, and Sarang suppressed his ability to heal. Vera¡¯s magic and Diane¡¯s attack chipped the rest of his life, and he didn¡¯t survive.

    Jean Clo fell to the ground, and Vera ran past him. She had to get closer to Ki.

    Ki was using the distance in her favor. It wasn¡¯t a long distance, but the allies couldn¡¯t reach her. If Ki continued to attack, everyone would die.

    Her damage output was simr to Vera¡¯s. Vera dealt higher burst damage, but Ki could damage continuously. So, Vera ran ahead and prepared to cast her magic while Ki attacked first.

    Bang!

    The rifle took time to reload. After she fired a shot, Vera got closer. For Ki, every shot was important.

    Vera ran and twisted her body, but the shot still hit her shoulder. The pain traveled through her body from the bullet¡¯s hole, but Vera kept going. She finally had Ki within her range.

    Vera cast a fire orb andunched a fire spear first. Ki jumped and pulled out her pistols. The fire spear failed to hit her, and Kinded in front of Vera and started firing.

    Bang, bang, bang, bang!

    Vera was extremely injured, and Junhyuk became very nervous. She could die, and he had used all of his powers.

    Without his ability to teleport, he couldn¡¯t get close and he couldn¡¯t protect her from the bullets with his body.

    Sarang shot an electric st, seemingly using her item¡¯s power. Ki was paralyzed in front of Vera, and she raised a firewall underneath Ki¡¯s feet. The mes started burning Ki, and Vera cast a firebolt. It was just her ordinary attack and not one of her powers, so she failed to put an end to Ki.

    Ki started moving again and raised her pistols at Vera. At that point, they had both used up their powers, so the only thing left to do was to brawl. Ki had the advantage, and the situation turned from bad to worse.

    Shockwaves shot out of Ki¡¯s pistols.

    Boom!

    It was her ultimate, and the shockwaves pushed Vera back. She holstered her pistols and pulled out her rifle, positioning herself. Her goal had been to push Vera away.

    Bang!

    The sound of gunshot reverberated, and the bullet hit Vera in the middle of her forehead. Vera started bleeding and disappeared. Junhyuk took a hold of Sarang and started to run.

    Ki had used all of her powers, and they were out of her range as well.

    Sarang looked back, and Ki picked up an item dropped by Vera and started to follow them. She wanted to end it all and she was getting closer. There was a significant difference between their speeds.

    Junhyuk looked at Sarang.

    "Keep running!"

    "What?"

    "I¡¯m slow, and she is closing in."

    "But I can¡¯t survive on my own!"

    "I know, but don¡¯t give up."

    Sarang looked him in the eyes and said quickly, "Big brother, I too am an expert. I have one more life."

    "You do, but it¡¯s only one more life. I don¡¯t want you to feel what it¡¯s like to die. Don¡¯t give up."

    Sarang closed her eyes.

    "OK. Don¡¯t die, no matter what."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk pushed her back, and she started running with all her might. She was faster, and the distance between them was increasing.

    He looked back and saw that Ki was still getting closer. However, he was still out of her range. If she stopped to aim, he would get farther away from her.

    Ki started speeding up. She had powers and she could use her jump at any moment. If she jumped, Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t be able to escape her. Still, the cooldown for Junhyuk¡¯s teleportation was almost over, and he was faced with a dilemma.

    Should I run or should I face her?

    Without killing her, he couldn¡¯t get away, but he didn¡¯t have enough confidence to face her alone. It would be an one-on-one fight, and she could kill him with one shot.

    If he continue to run, Sarang could get much farther away from there.

    Ki smirked and jumped. She was holding her pistols in her hand, and the teleportation¡¯s cooldown ended. She had been injured by Vera¡¯s firewall, but Junhyuk decided to run.

    Bang, bang, bang!

    He teleported, and she changed to her rifle. He teleported again, appearing inside the forest, and ran.

    Ki changed targets and aimed for Sarang, who was still within range of the rifle. If she used her power to shoot, Sarang would certainly die. Junhyuk knew he had to kill her, but he was too far away, and there was no way to attack her.

    Ki was about to pull the trigger, and Junhyuk was ovee by emotion and swung his sword at her, still well out of range of her.

 Chapter 126: Champion 1

    Chapter 126: Champion 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Ki knew Junhyuk was a bothersome opponent, but she also knew that he didn¡¯t have an item that increased speed, so she would catch up to him eventually. Even if he teleported twice, she was confident that she would get to him. At that moment, she had the opportunity to get rid of Sarang, and her goal was to kill them both anyway.

    Ki watched Junhyuk leave her range and prepared to fire at Sarang. Junhyuk had used his teleportation twice already, so he wouldn¡¯t be able toe to her rescue anytime soon.

    Ki got in position and aimed her rifle at Sarang. She also saw Junhyuk stabbing the empty air well outside her range. She wanted tough at him, but something flew toward her neck, and she quickly stepped back.

    "Ugh!"

    Something had shed her neck, or at least, it felt that way. Soon, she started bleeding heavily and realized her injury had been critical. She wasn¡¯t wearing any protection around her neck, so it was a good spot to deliver a critical strike.

    Ki grabbed her neck and stared at Junhyuk. He was already running toward Sarang.

    "Did he activate another power?"

    ---

    Junhyuk realized that he had been ovee by emotion and shed at something, and Ki¡¯s neck was bleeding heavily. She didn¡¯t see it, but he definitely did.

    Junhyuk¡¯s sword teleported and appeared in front of Ki, shing her neck. The neck was bleeding heavily, having been sliced wide open. He had attacked her alright. It was a critical strike, and Ki was holding her neck. Meanwhile, Junhyuk ran toward Sarang.

    On the way, he could feel things change within himself. He had activated a new power and he felt for its cooldown time. His strike could teleport and hit his opponent.

    "Spatial sh?"

    Junhyuk quickly realized this power was a new power. Ki had the longest range among the enemies he had seen so far, but his new power had an even longer range. His new power¡¯s attack also teleported, so his enemies wouldn¡¯t have a chance to react.

    He didn¡¯t know if the enemies would be able to block it or not, but it was still a new power. And it was an attack power, so the cooldown was very short.

    "Maybe thirty seconds?"

    Regr attack powers usually had twenty-second cooldowns, but considering the strength of his new power, he would have to wait longer. Still, depending on how he chose to develop his power, he could shorten the time by practicing.

    Junhyuk caught up with Sarang and grabbed her hand.

    Ki retreated, letting Sarang get away from her.

    "Big brother, did you just activate a new power?" she asked.

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk looked at Ki and tried to guess the range between them. After activating his new power, he could feel its range, and she was within it.

    "There is no need to run now," he said, standing in front of Sarang.

    "What?"

    "I can kill her."

    "But..."

    Ki¡¯s attack stat was enormous, and she could kill Junhyuk with one regr shot. Her range was even longer than Vera¡¯s, but now Junhyuk¡¯s was longer still.

    His attack had a thirty-second cooldown, but Ki didn¡¯t know that, and there wasn¡¯t any need to tell her either.

    By that point, she had used all of her powers. She could jump to close the distance, but her jump also had a cooldown. So, they faced each other. Ki gritted her teeth and dashed. She knew he was out of her range, so she had to get closer.

    Junhyuk¡¯s attack was powerful, but he had to use his power, and she knew he had to wait on the cooldown. She had to kill him before the cooldown was over.

    She closed in on him, and saw Junhyuk smiling coldly while raising his sword. She felt goosebumps. He could kill her. Champions could kill heroes, and she couldn¡¯t let him be a champion. Even his new power was of exceptional rank.

    She had to kill him for good in this battlefield. If she killed him twice, he wouldn¡¯t be a champion, so Ki dashed, risking her life in the process.

    She got him within her rifle¡¯s range, but she didn¡¯t stop. Instead, she pulled out her pistols. Her rifle¡¯s attack speed was low, so she chose the pistols. They were enough to kill him.

    She was closing in, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t move. He was finally within her range, and she took aim and fired at him.

    Bang, bang, bang, bang!

    She thought he had decided the fight, but the ivory-colored force field appeared around his body. She had only been thinking about his teleportation, and in the meantime, the force field¡¯s cooldown had ended.

    The force fieldsted for ten seconds, and Ki frowned. She didn¡¯t know what his new power¡¯s cooldown was and had gotten too close. Still, she understood how imprable his force field was and started running away. Her pride had been hurt by a champion, but she had no other recourse.

    Junhyuk watched Ki running away and asked, "How much time do you need?"

    "I¡¯m ready."

    "Then, cast it."

    Sarang cast an electric st that hit Ki, leaving her paralyzed. She was nervous. She wanted to gain some distance, but they had gotten her. Ki turned her head to look and saw Junhyuk and Sarang approaching with the force field around them. Her mouth felt dry. They would kill her.

    Junhyuk kept some distance while walking toward her, but she didn¡¯t have much time. Junhyuk raised his sword, wasting time, and Ki could move again and started running.

    He didn¡¯t try to quickly close in on her. The force field would disappear, and his Spatial sh wouldn¡¯t be ready right away, so he let her get away again.

    The force field disappeared, and Ki pulled out her rifle. He was right within her range, and she wished he still had to wait some more and aimed at him.

    Junhyuk swung his sword, and Ki, surprised, dodged to the side. However, nothing happened. Ki had been duped, so she took aim again. She would kill him with one shot, but Junhyuk swung again.

    This time, Ki ignored him. She didn¡¯t want to be made a fool of again and allow his attack¡¯s cooldown to end. He guessed at what she would do and pretended to attack her at first. She thought he was wasting time again and pulled the trigger, but her eyes widened.

    Something sharp touched her neck. It felt cold as she pulled the trigger, but the bullet never came out. The world turned dark, and she only saw Junhyuking toward her. He had a huge smile on his face, and Ki knew she had to inform the others about his new power. Junhyuk had to be killed.

    Ki died and left an earring behind, and Junhyuk picked it up and inspected it.

    ---

    Obsidian Earring

    Attack +20

    Poison Damage +20

    It looks like a ck cat¡¯s eye, and it was made out of obsidian by the Meow Tribe¡¯s shaman. It increases attack and poison damage by twenty.

    ---

    Just this one earring could increase his ability to inflict damage by a lot. He liked it. His attack had increased by twenty, and it also dealt twenty poison damage. He already had the Wind Lizard¡¯s Leather Arm Warmer and, with this earring, he now dealt forty poison damage. He also already had the Pure Golden Knight Elder¡¯s set items, which gave him the ability to inflict fifty fixed damage, so he could deal a total of ny damage without caring about the enemies¡¯ defenses.

    He didn¡¯t want to sell his new item, and he looked at Sarang.

    "We¡¯ll go see Bebe."

    They would be safe inside the Dimensional Merchant. When they walked back to Bebe¡¯s ce, they saw the minions fighting each other. Junhyuk and Sarang joined the fight, and it turned one-sided. The minions couldn¡¯t scratch them.

    Junhyuk took the surviving minions inside the store through the portal. When Bebe saw the two of them, he asked surprised, "What happened? What about the heroes?"

    "They are all dead."

    "You two survived!?"

    Junhyuk nodded.

    "I¡¯ve activated a new power."

    "Huh? Already?" Bebeughed out loud and said, "You will soon meet that person."

    "Who?"

    "You¡¯ll know when you do," he said and didn¡¯t borate further, but he asked, "Do you need anything?"

    Junhyuk nodded and pushed his hand forward.

    "Can I check on how much I have?"

    "Sure."

    Bebe ced the te on the counter and ced Junhyuk¡¯s hand on it. A number appeared: 55,240G.

    Junhyuk smiled at the amount and ced the Blood Rune Sword on the counter.

    "Upgrade it for thest time."

    Bebe nodded, and subtracted 40,000G. That made Junhyuk feel unwell. It was a lot of money, but he had to get stronger.

    Bebe pulled out the ingredients ¡ª they were different from thest upgrade ¡ª and poured a ck liquid on the sword, covering it entirely. After that, he sprinkled a silver-colored powder on it and hammered it hard.

    ng!

    With a loud noise, the sword lit up and soon faded. Bebe was satisfied and smiled, but the sword¡¯s shape had changed. It had a fuller in the middle of de. The inner side of the de was silver, and the outer side was ck.

    Finally, it emanated a soft, blood-red energy. Junhyuk swung it lightly, and it felt better than before, so he inspected it.

    ---

    Blood Rune Sword (Rare)

    Attack +160

    Drain +20%

    When absorbing the owner¡¯s blood, attack speed increases by 10% and movement speed increases by 5%. Can stack three times.

    ---

    Bebe¡¯s Basic Longsword had been synthesized with the Blood Sword. The seventh upgrade made it a rare item, further upgrades were possible by using special stones. The attack power had increased to a hundred and sixty. When the owner wounded an opponent, the sword would heal the owner by 20 percent of the attack.

    When it absorbed the owner¡¯s blood, the attack speed increased by 10 percent, and the movement speed increased by 5 percent, but it would only stack three times. The fourth attempt could result in death.

    The sword¡¯s attack had increased, and the drain ability¡¯s power was surprisingly high. It all depended on the damage he dealt and the 20 percent increase. Because of all of his items, he could deal even more damage.

    Junhyuk smiled with satisfaction.

    "How can I get in touch with the allied heroes?¡¯

    Bebe was surprised by the question and pulled out a marble.

    "You need amunication item."

    "How much?"

    Nothing was free in that world, and Bebe smirked.

    It¡¯s 10,000G, but you are a VVIP now, and you get a 10 percent discount. So, 9,000G."

    The price was too high, but there was no other way. He had to contact the others and rejoin them.

    Junhyuk was left with 6,240G.

    When he pulled out all the things he had to engrave, he felt like crying. He had the Steel King Jax¡¯s Chain, the Barbarian Belt and the Obsidian Earring. It cost him 6,000G total, and he was left with 240G.

    "I¡¯m poor."

 Chapter 127: Champion 2

    Chapter 127: Champion 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Bebe finished theplex engravings on Junhyuk, and he stepped back. Sarang also wanted to shop. She was looking at different types of weapons because she wanted to improve her regr attack, so she needed a new weapon.

    Meanwhile, Junhyuk was focusing on themunication marble. He was told to focus on who he wanted to talk to, so he thought of Arn.

    Suddenly, he heard Arn¡¯s voice.

    "You survived?"

    Junhyuk answered with a smile, "Yes."

    Bebeughed while looking at him.

    "You are unfamiliar with it, but if you get used to it, you won¡¯t have to talk out loud."

    Junhyuk¡¯s face reddened, and he went back to talking with Arn.

    "What about Ki?"

    "I killed her."

    "How did you do that?"

    Junhyuk smiled.

    "I activated an attack power."

    "You are a champion?!"

    "Yes."

    He could hear Arnughing, which he rarely did, and Junhyuk was surprised.

    "Congrattions!"

    "Thank you. I¡¯m at the Dimensional Merchant. Should I wait here?"

    "No. I thought you two had died, so we were waiting for you to revive. But we have to move right now."

    "Where are you going?"

    "The Dragon¡¯s Valley."

    Junhyuk had guessed that¡¯s where they would be headed. Victory depended on whether or not they killed the dragon, but they had to be careful. While attempting to kill dragon, they had been killed before. They had also killed those attempting to kill the dragon.

    "Can you get there?"

    "I think so."

    Junhyuk had a gained a different power that inflicted a lot of damage. He was different from before.

    "Then,e right away."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk looked at the minions. He had to take them with him, and it would be a long way. The minions had already gone through a battle, and twenty of them had survived. So, he would take them with him.

    Junhyuk looked at Sarang. She was holding two orbs in her hands and thinking.

    "Big brother, which one is better?"

    Junhyuk looked at Bebe, and he calmly exined their attributes.

    "One orb increases electric-type damage, but it only works for electric-type attacks. The other one can be used for anything, but it only increases magic damage by seventy."

    He thought for a moment and looked at Sarang.

    "It¡¯s tough to choose. Maybe you should use the electric type?"

    "Hm."

    Sarang kept thinking, and Junhyuk looked at her and then at Bebe.

    "What about the price?"

    "They are the same price. They are higher level orbs than ordinary orbs, and it¡¯s possible to upgrade them. They cost 40,000G each."

    Sarang had 43,500G. She wanted to buy one and she would also find herself without money after.

    He thought some more and asked, "Does a magic attack increase affect her healing power?"

    "Yes."

    "Only of that type?"

    Bebe shook his head, and Junhyuk had his answer.

    "Don¡¯t buy a single attribute weapon. If you increase your total magic attack, your healing power¡¯s effectiveness will also increase. Buy the weapon without an attribute focus."

    Sarang agreed with him, and Bebe smiled. The healing power wouldn¡¯t change much, but even a small change could decide whether they won or not.

    "You have chosen well."

    Sarang bought the orb that increased her magic attack by seventy but had no other buff. However, that was enough.

    She paid for it and engraved it.

    "We should move now. We¡¯ll meet them at the Dragon¡¯s Valley."

    "OK."

    He took her and the minions out and moved quickly. It wouldn¡¯t be an easy road to their destination. If he were with the heroes, the monsters would beughable, but he was alone now.

    So far, he had crossed many paths at the Dimensional Battlefield and never gotten lost. However, on his way to the Dragon¡¯s Valley, he saw something and frowned. It was a twin-headed ogre, and he had run from it before.

    He could use his Frozen Rune Sword to debuff the ogre and run from it again, but it would take longer to get to the valley. Junhyuk¡¯s role was important if the allies wanted to maximize their potential to kill the dragon, so he sighed and stared at the twin-headed ogre.

    "We kill it."

    "Is that possible?"

    Junhyuk looked at the minions.

    "Stay back," he said with authority, and the minions did.

    The ogre ran toward them, and Junhyuk lifted his sword. There was some distance between them, and the ogre couldn¡¯t imagine being attacked. Then, Junhyuk shed the air. The attack teleported through space and beheaded one of the ogre¡¯s heads.

    "Aaaarrggh!" the twin-headed ogre screamed in pain from the lost head. It stomped its feet on the ground, and the ground shook, but Junhyuk just stared calmly at it.

    The Spatial sh was certainly superior. It covered a lot of space, and the opponent didn¡¯t have a chance to defend itself from the attack. He could kill the ogre that way.

    Aside from the buff monsters, the twin-headed ogre was the highest-ranking monster in the forest.

    Junhyuk watched as the ogre ran toward him. It had lost a head, but it was still fast. However, the ogre wasted time writhing in pain, so Junhyuk ran toward it and shouted, "Sarang!"

    She fired an electric st that paralyzed the ogre, and when he passed by the ogre, Junhyuk sliced one of its legs, leaving a trail of blood streaming from it.

    He could feel the power of his Bloody Rune Sword and the fixed damage that couldn¡¯t be ignored. Still, the twin-headed ogre wasn¡¯t a pushover. It started moving again and swung its club. The wind pressure from the blow passed by Junhyuk¡¯s head, and he teleported.

    Junhyuk was now standing behind the ogre, and he swung both of his swords. The damage skyrocketed, and the twin-headed ogre bled from its neck, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t behead it. There was a difference between his power and his regr attacks.

    The ogre was swinging his fists at him when Sarang¡¯s lightning bolt hit it.

    Zzap!

    Was she lucky? The ogre froze, just for a moment, but Junhyuk was able to save his teleportation and cut the ogre¡¯s thigh instead, the same ce he had cut before, leaving the bone exposed. Junhyuk retreated.

    Boom!

    The ogre¡¯s club mmed the ce where Junhyuk had been standing, but he had already left. He knew how much stronger he was now. He would have a champion¡¯s physique the next time he came to the Dimensional Battlefield, but his sight had already improved.

    "Is this a champion¡¯s sight?"

    He understood why Adolphe was so dangerous. Adolphe had been a champion for a long time and had many items. He was stronger than Junhyuk, but the gap was smaller now.

    "It will be better to get rid of him."

    He didn¡¯t know how many times he needed to kill Adolphe, but they had already killed him twice.

    Junhyuk watched the ogre going berserk. They were closer to each other, and Junhyuk moved his body. The ogre failed to hit him, and Junhyuk cut the same spot on the ogre¡¯s thigh. The ogre fell to its knees before him.

    Junhyuk sliced through the ogre¡¯s eyes.

    "Aaargh!"

    He stood behind the ogre and said, "It¡¯s not easy to kill you with a regr attack."

    He had had to attack three times in the same spot with his regr attack, and that only happened because he had acquired more powerful items.

    The ogre was maddened, and Junhyuk swung his sword at it.

    sh!

    His Spatial sh beheaded the ogre again. It stayed there for a moment and then dropped to the ground. The ogre disappeared, leaving something in its ce.

    "What item is that?"

    Junhyuk inspected it.

    ---

    Twin-Headed Ogre¡¯s Umbilical Cord

    The twin-headed ogre is stronger than an ordinary ogre. Its strength lies on its birth¡¯s umbilical cord. The cord is usually used as an ingredient that increases strength by five.

    ---

    Junhyuk stowed the item away.

    "We¡¯ll sell itter and split the sum."

    "But you killed it alone."

    "No, we worked together."

    Junhyuk started running again. The minions had watched him kill the ogre and didn¡¯t make a sound. They were more scared of the monsters than of the heroes, and Junhyuk had killed one by himself, so they were terrified of him.

    He took the minions to the valley, and there were already another hundred minions there.

    Vera walked over and hugged him tightly.

    "My Junhyuk has be a champion!"

    Heughed.

    "You taught me well."

    "That¡¯s right, and you know it!"

    Vera wasughing and punched his helmet. Meanwhile, Diane came over and pped his butt.

    SLAP!

    He was wearing his armor, so could barely feel it, and it seemed that she was obsessed with his butt. Then, Diane wrapped her arms around his neck.

    "What is this new power?"

    Junhyuk smiled and lifted his sword.

    "Step back for a moment."

    Everyone was curious and stepped back, and Junhyuk looked into the valley and shed the air. Far away, a crack appeared on a cliff. Everyone looked at the crack, and their eyes widened.

    "What just happened?" Diane asked, and Halo answered her instead.

    "Huh! Unbelievable! It travelled through space and cut it!"

    Nudra was also astounded.

    "As far as spatial range is concerned, is this the highest-ranking power so far?"

    Everyone looked at Junhyuk, and Arn summarized, "The force field is high ranking, the teleportation is high ranking and the Spatial sh is high ranking. This is the first time someone has all high-ranking powers."

    He had met many heroes, but Junhyuk stood out. Junhyuk smiled, and Arn frowned.

    "You¡¯ve activated a new power, but that will put you in danger."

    He understood what Arn meant.

    "They only have to kill you twice in this battlefield. Next time, you¡¯ll be a champion, so they will try to kill you before that happens."

    Junhyuk nodded heavily. There were five heroes and one champion who wanted him dead. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to stay alive.

    Arn looked at the group.

    "We can¡¯t use him as bait. He could get killed, so focus on defending him." Everyone agreed, and Arn smiled coolly and said, "I intend to win. Let¡¯s go kill a dragon."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk realized that Arn had thought about losing to keep him safe, and his chest was filled with warmth.

 Chapter 128: Champion 3

    Chapter 128: Champion 3

    ¡ª¡ª

    Trantor: Moliere

    Editor: SootyOwl

    ¡ª¡ª

    Dragon¡¯s Valley, the ce where the giant dragon was located.

    He was going up against the dragon again, and the dragon was emanating its superior aura. Junhyuk quickly scoped out his surroundings, but didn¡¯t see any enemies.

    Arn looked around and said, ¡°Take fifty minions and block the entrance to the valley.¡±

    The minions blocked the entrance, and Arn pulled out a small marble from his pouch.

    ¡°Attack!¡±

    The rest of the minions attacked the dragon. The dragon lifted its head, saw the minions running toward it and stood up slowly. Once up, it swung its tail, and the minions running toward it were swept by the tail and flew into a wall, crushed.

    Junhyuk looked around.

    ¡°They might attack us from behind.¡±

    ¡°They are heading this way. We have to kill the dragon first. Go all out,¡± Arn said and looked at Vera. ¡°Prepare your meteors.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Vera stepped forward and started casting her magic while Diane also readied her attack. They would use their ultimates and kill the dragon as soon as possible. If their enemies found out, they wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything.

    Halo started getting Rain from Above ready, and Arn worked on the Saber Draw. Junhyuk stood at the center, staring at the dragon. He could help anyone at anytime.

    The dragon looked far superior. Would my power work on it? He kept thinking about it until the heroes were done preparing.

    All of the minions had died, and the dragon looked in their direction. Vera raised her staff forward, and meteors crashed down from the sky on top of the dragon¡¯s head.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    The dragon writhed in pain, and Halo¡¯s Rain from Above hit it next. The dragon tried to move its head out of the way, but it failed to escape the strike. Rain from Above grazed its head, and pierced through the dragon¡¯s scales, making it bleed profusely.

    Diane¡¯s arrow whizzed through the air and hit the dragon¡¯s eye.

    Rrrooaaar!

    The dragon roared in pain and spun its body around, swinging its tail. When the tail was sweeping the ground, Nudra jumped. He went very high up in sky and dropkicked the dragon¡¯s head.

    Boom!

    The dragon was in the middle of turning and lost its bnce. Then, Arn, who had been watching the dragon, shouted out, ¡°Junhyuk!¡±

    Junhyuk took a hold of Arn and teleported. They appeared in front of the dragon¡¯s chest, the range of one teleportation.

    The dragon opened its mouth, and Arn drew his saber. Arn¡¯s saber came out in a natural circr sh, and the dragon¡¯s chest opened up and started bleeding heavily. Junhyuk teleported again, and the dragon bit down hard on the ce where they had been standing, but there was nothing left.

    ¡°OK. Let¡¯s begin our hunt,¡± Arn said.

    Arn and Halo dashed together. They ran, and the dragon lifted its head up high. Its neck started turning red, and Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Firebreath!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us. Launch your force field!¡±

    Junhyuk ran left and right and stood in the center of the group. Soon, the dragon¡¯s breath poured out of its mouth.

    Roooaaar!

    The dragon vomited a gigantic me that melted the ground, but Junhyuk hadunched his force field in time. It withstood the dragon¡¯s mes, but it had a time limit. Within those ten seconds, they had to close the dragon¡¯s mouth. If not, they would burned to death.

    Vera cast a firewall under the dragon¡¯s feet; Diane fired a series of arrows, and Sarang cast lightning bolts. They would inflict enough damage to kill the dragon soon, and Junhyuk looked at his sword. He wanted to know how powerful he really was.

    He nced at the dragon¡¯s neck and targeted it. The Spatial sh covered the distance between them and left an opening on the dragon¡¯s neck.

    sh!

    mes starteding out of the opening. The dragon¡¯s firebreath relied on the dragon¡¯s neck. With its neck cut, and mes pouring out of the opening, the breath quickly died down.

    Vera smiled and said, ¡°It sure deals some damage.¡±

    Vera cast a fire spear at the opening, and Diane also focused her arrows on the wound. The dragon tried to block the attack with its arms, but they were too much for it, so it stopped its breath altogether.

    Meanwhile, Halo and Arn moved around the dragon, continuing their attacks. Without using their powers, they attacked, and the dragon¡¯s scales were torn here and there, leaving each wound bleeding heavily. They were stronger than before, and they would kill the dragon before their enemies arrived.

    ¡ª

    At the mountain perch overlooking the valley, five heroes and a champion hid themselves. They were smiling as they watched the allies fight the dragon.

    ¡°We will return the favor the same way they stole it from us.¡±

    Doctor T was running his fingers through his chin and looking out at them. The allies were very strong. If this continued, they would kill the dragon at any moment. The force field seemed like a cheat. It was that strong, and the allies weren¡¯t getting hurt at all.

    ¡°Who will go?¡±

    They had to deliver the deathblow and steal the kill on the dragon. Ki, who had been listening, said, ¡°Let¡¯s all go. If not, we¡¯ll lose the dragon.¡±

    Doctor T smiled.

    ¡°OK. Our target is that champion.¡±

    He had heard about Junhyuk, and everyone agreed. He was too dangerous and he had to die. If he survived that round, he would be too powerful.

    Doctor T was staring at the dragon and said, ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    The doctor jumped off first, and the rest followed. As hended, he shot his spider webs in all directions. The webs had tensile strength, and the rest of the group used them tond safely.

    However, some of the allies saw them and shouted about the enemy presence, but the rest of the heroes were in no condition to pay attention to them.

    Doctor T fired his missiles, and Ki and Regina fired their pistols, but the dragon didn¡¯t die. As the dragon turned to look, Doctor T shouted, ¡°Bater!¡±

    Bater stopped running and extended his arms forward.

    ¡ª

    The dragon was almost dead when the enemy heroes jumped down from the top of the cliff.

    ¡°It¡¯s the enemy!¡± Junhyuk shouted quickly.

    The allied heroes heard him, but they couldn¡¯t do anything. Their job was to finish the dragon off, and losing the buff would spell their own deaths.

    The enemies kept their distance, and the allies had the greater probability of the killing dragon. There were five of them surrounding it.

    Then, Bater raised his arms. It was his rocket punch. If he fired, the dragon would die. No one knew how much health the dragon still had, but the rocket punch would certainly do the job.

    Junhyuk gritted his teeth. His cooldown had ended, but he waited. Bater¡¯s rocket punch went toward the dragon, and even the other enemy heroes started attacking the dragon, but just before the rocket punch hit it, Junhyuk used his Spatial sh.

    If the Spatial sh didn¡¯t kill the dragon, Bater would get the buff. Junhyuk was gambling a bit when swung his sword.

    [You¡¯ve killed the dragon Kaloyan. For the next two hours, you get a 30 percent increase to health regeneration rate, a 30 percent increase to movement speed, a 30 percent increase to attack speed, a 30 percent increase to defense, and when you attack, you will inflict an additional one hundred damage on top of your normal damage. If you die within two hours, you will lose yours buff to your opponent.]

    Five rings of different colors surround their bodies, and Junhyuk sighed, relieved. Had he failed, they would have lost the buff.

    The allies had the buff, and they only had minor injuries. It was dangerous to attack the dragon, but this time, they had used their ultimates from the get-go. They had blocked the dragon¡¯s firebreath once and killed it.

    They had used the force field to block the firebreath, butter, the dragon¡¯s tail swipe injured Halo. However, Sarang had used her healing power him. They weren¡¯t at full health, but the dragon¡¯s buff gave them a 30 percent increase to health regeneration. Soon, they would all be healed.

    However, the allies didn¡¯t have the advantage yet. The heroes had all used their ultimates while, on the enemies¡¯ side, only Bater had used his.

    After they took the buff, the enemies gathered together. Vera had already used Meteor Shower, so the enemies had some ck and time to attack.

    Jean Clo extended arms.

    ¡°Too bad. We could have killed him.¡±

    Doctor T extended his hand, and a small spider crawled up on it.

    ¡°That champion killed the dragon,¡± he said to the spider.

    Junhyuk wanted to say that he was still an expert, and experts only had two lives. The enemies were all focused on him just like Arn had said. They wanted to kill him even if they had to make sacrifices to do it.

    Arn and Halo stood in front of Junhyuk. The enemies would sacrifice themselves to kill him, but the allies would do the same to keep him alive. Junhyuk smiled at the situation, and Arn sized the enemies up.

    ¡°What shall we do?¡±

    ¡°There is no other way. We¡¯ll fight them normally.¡±

    A regr brawl did not favor the allies, but they had used all of their ultimates, and there was no other way. They had to just trust the dragon¡¯s buff and bring home the victory.

    Junhyuk stared at the enemies.

    ¡°What should I do?¡±

    Vera smiled at him.

    ¡°What should you do? We¡¯ll make a wall, and you just run.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°Stay alive.¡±

    Vera wasn¡¯tughing, and Junhyuk nodded slowly. The heroes were willing to die for him.

    That someone was willing to die for him made his heart swell. He wanted the heroes to stay alive, but he wanted to live as well.

    Junhyuk raised his sword.

    ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    The enemies had held a meeting of their own, and Jean Clo and Bater stepped forward. When they got closer, they would rush, so Arn and Halo also stepped forward.

    They approached each other, but the enemies¡¯ attack came from somewhere unexpected. Adolphe had been following Jean Clo and Bater, hidden behind them, and fired two blue energy boomerangs that tied Halo and Arn up. Then, Jean Clo and Bater rushed.

    They picked up speed like they were going to pass straight by Arn and Halo. So, Nudra quickly stepped forward and front-kicked Jean Clo, but Bater kept going.

    The allies had a n of their own. Bater¡¯s rushing path was now blocked by a firewall.

    Boom!

    As Bater rushed through it, a fire spear mmed against him. He covered his face with his hands, and an arrow hit his stomach.

    Boom!

    Bater was pushed back by the explosive arrow. Someone dashed toward Arn and Halo. Taking advantage of her speed, Regina approached and pulled out her pistol. She was within range.

    Vera cast another firewall. It wasn¡¯t intended to damage her, but to block her vision instead, but Regina didn¡¯t hesitate and fired at Junhyuk.

    Bang!

    The bullets went through the firewall, but Junhyuk had already moved. When Vera cast the firewall, he retreated.

    Suddenly, a spider web wrapped around Junhyuk, Doctor T¡¯s spider web.

 Chapter 129: Sacrifice 1

    Chapter 129: Sacrifice 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk was tied up by Doctor T¡¯s spider web. He got caught unexpectedly, and the spider web even injured him. Luckily, its main focus was restraining people. If it had been a damage-based attack, Junhyuk would have been half dead.

    Doctor T started firing missiles, and Junhyuk teleported. The missiles exploded where he had been standing, and Junhyuk retreated behind his allies and raised his sword.

    The enemy heroes were getting closer to him, but there was a wall of allies between them, and the allies attacked. The allied heroes targeted enemies with special powers, focusing on Regina first as she had the most dangerous ultimate.

    Arn started moving again, and he delivered a seven-shbo to Regina¡¯s back along with Halo¡¯s attack. Since they were buffed by the dragon¡¯s buff, each attack dealt a lot of damage. Regina¡¯s health was half gone, but she didn¡¯t deviate from her original target.

    She dashed at high speed and got between Vera and Diane. Once there, she tried to take off her eyepatch when an electric st struck her. Regina was paralyzed, and Vera¡¯s magic and Diane¡¯s arrow struck her. It seemed like she would die soon, but before that, she was able to move again. Junhyuk didn¡¯t hesitate and used his Spatial sh.

    Regina¡¯s neck was sliced and started bleeding heavily. She died without having a chance to take off her eyepatch. After the others had attacked her, she was unable to withstand the damage from the Spatial sh.

    They couldn¡¯t rx even after Regina died. The enemy was bent on killing Junhyuk. He had a prominent role in every team battle, and his new power was too powerful. They wanted him dead. Regina had died, but they were still inching closer to Junhyuk.

    Jean Clo grabbed Arn by his leg and swung him toward Halo. The two crashed and got pushed away by the force. Adolphe rushed at Nudra and cut him, paralyzing Nudra while Ki got even closer.

    Junhyuk was at the back of the allied formation. For Ki to get him, she had to get in range of Vera¡¯s and Diane¡¯s attacks, but she didn¡¯t care.

    Doctor T fired the methrower, and Vera and Diane had to dodge.

    At that moment, Ki looked through the scope of her gun and met Junhyuk¡¯s eyes. The force field was still under cooldown, but he could teleport once. If he teleported, he wouldn¡¯t escape the following time. Junhyuk frowned as he analyzed the situation and thought about blocking her attack with his sword.

    Ki pulled the trigger, and Junhyuk teleported.

    He moved to the side and saw a pir of blue energy shooting toward the sky. Adolphe was holding his saw de and had just delivered the thirty-foot sh.

    His sword strike traveled vertically, and Junhyuk could move horizontally to avoid his attack. Junhyuk dodged to the side with all of his might and frowned. He could feel what the five heroes and one champion were after.

    Arn jumped and tried to attack Ki, and Halo used his Lighting sh on Doctor T. Ki turned around and blocked the attack with her rifle, but Arn¡¯s jump was one of his powers, and she couldn¡¯t really block him and stay safe. Halo shed the doctor, and he started bleeding from his ribs.

    Jean Clo stepped forward to block Vera¡¯s attacks, and Bater rushed by Nudra and stood in the middle of the allied formation and pounded the ground.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    The allies didn¡¯t stop him and dispersed instead. His ground pound dealt damage and also created shockwaves, so the allies ran. Ki also jumped into the allied formation. She was holding her pistols and was still bleeding from Arn¡¯s attack.

    Junhyu didn¡¯t have any powers left, so he charged toward her. Ki fired continuously, and he tried to block the bullets with his swords. Then, someone appeared in front of him. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected anyone toe to his aid, but it was Nudra. Nudra¡¯s speed was high, and he was blocking the attack for Junhyuk.

    Nudra was hit by Ki and left all bloodied, but suddenly, light green powder started falling on his head. Sarang had used her healing power on him, and Nudra front-kicked Ki in the chest. She was pushed back, and Junhyuk sighed. She had used one of her powers and not some regr attack. He could¡¯ve been killed.

    Bater stepped forward. He had simply pushed the heroes away before, but now, he got close to Nudra and one-twoboed him. Nudra couldn¡¯t dodge the attack and was thrown back. When that happened, Jean Clo rushed into Nudra¡¯s spot like a moving tank. Diane shot her arrows at him, but he ignored the arrows stuck to his thigh and kept going until he grabbed Nudra by the neck.

    He lifted Nudra up and chokemmed him against the ground. Doctor T quickly approached by using his eight legs. He didn¡¯t have any speed-increasing powers, but his regr speed was the fastest among the enemies. When he got close enough, he fired more missiles.

    Junhyuk had been alert, and when the doctor came close to him, he quickly dodged to the side.

    Boom!

    Although he dodged the original explosion, the shockwaves created by it took some of his health, and his misfortune wasn¡¯t over yet. Jean Clo had mmed Nudra against the ground and headed toward Junhyuk. Jean Clo rushed, and Junhyuk watched with extreme care. Jean Clo blocked all of the other enemies¡¯ vision, and they couldn¡¯t see Junhyuk. He was so strong that he was being attacked by the allied heroes and still went after Junhyuk.

    As he approach, Jean Clo extended his arms, and Junhyuk held tightly to his swords. He had already run enough and couldn¡¯t do it anymore.

    Jean Clo¡¯s gigantic hands got close, and Junhyuk swung the Frozen Rune Sword, slicing his forearm. Junhyuk could cut him deeper than ever before, and that was the result of the buff and the better items. However, he was still weaker than Halo and Arn, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t stop there.

    With the buff in effect, his attack speed had increased, and he could swing faster than usual. Junhyuk spun around and shed Jean Clo¡¯s thigh. An arrow had already hit the thigh and was left stuck there, and Junhyuk made the wound deeper. Then, he crouched and swung again.

    Junhyuk shed and debuffed him while regaining his own health, but Jean Clo had a lot of health. He didn¡¯t look hurt at all. There was no way Junhyuk could kill him with regr attacks.

    Jean Clo became furious because Junhyuk continually escaped him. He swung his fists around, and Junhyuk dodged him again. However, Jean Clo finally took a hold of Junhyuk.

    He threw Junhyuk up to the sky and jumped behind him. As Junhyuk was falling head first, everyone stared at him. He was the team battle¡¯s main target. Then, Jean Clo grabbed him out of the air and used his screw piledriver on him.

    As Junhyuk approached the ground, a smile appeared on his face. The cooldown was over, and he cast a force field around himself.

    Thunk!

    With the force field around him, Jean Clo was pushed off. Junhyuk got back in position. He had ten seconds and he knew how valuable that time was for him.

    Should I use these seconds to run away? No, he still had to wait for the teleportation¡¯s cooldown, so he couldn¡¯t run away. The enemies were bent on killing him, and he reminded himself of how dangerous their rushes could be.

    Junhyuk was ready to die, but with him risking his life, the team battle had to end in a victory. If they could kill Ki, the allies would have the advantage. He had to kill one enemy, and even if he were killed, they would be victorious.

    After winning the battle, they would crush the enemy camp. Junhyuk felt sorry for the allied heroes who had risked their own lives for him, but he had to be a sacrifice. He had made up his mind, so he dashed forward.

    The force field pushed the enemies backward. Junhyuk wanted to kill Ki, and the allies saw Junhyuk running to the front, and their eyes beamed. They realized it was not possible to save him anymore. Had he ran away, they could have saved him, but at that point it was different.

    Halo knew what Junhyuk was trying to do. Ki had used her jump already, so she had nowhere to go.

    Halo closed in on Ki and shed her. She fired at him, but he ignored her and swung his sword. She hit him on the shoulder and on his ribs, but he shed through her ribs, leaving a gaping hole.

    Suddenly, Arn¡¯s saber flew in. She was already wounded on the ribs and tried to block his attack, but her stance was unstable. Diane¡¯s arrow hit her in the back, and she winced. She would die soon.

    Ki turned and looked at Nudra. He was heavily wounded and the closest to her. She wanted to die with him, so she fired her pistols at him.

    Bang, bang!

    She had used the shockwave, her ultimate, thinking she could kill him that way, but the force field covered Nudra. The shockwave hit it, but only pushed it back. Nudra was safe.

    Junhyuk had saved Nudra in the nick of time, and now, he used the Spatial sh to attack Ki. Blood poured out of her neck like a waterfall, and her eyes were full of venom, but she was already disappearing.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t stop there. He had lost his force field, and the enemy heroes would concentrate their attacks on him. He had already decided to sacrifice himself, but he wanted more before he died.

    Junhyuk picked up a small saw wheel dropped by Regina. Just like Adolphe, he had to pick up the loot at all costs.

    Seven seconds had gone by, and Junhyuk picked up another item, one that Ki dropped. It was a golden anklet. He checked his surroundings while putting his new items away.

    The enemy heroes stared coldly at him, and Junhyuk smiled cooly back at them.

    The allied heroes were inside the force field. There were three enemy heroes, Jean Clo, Bater and Doctor T, and a champion, Adolphe. The three of them had rushing abilities. and one could ensnare people. They were all gathered in one ce.

    Bater was bumping his fists against each other while puffing on his cigar. Jean Clo flexed his huge muscles. Doctor T fixed his sses and stared intently at Junhyuk. His mechanical parts twitched eagerly. Adolphe had his saw de held up high.

    "I will die, but this team battle belongs to us," Junhyuk told them.

 Chapter 130: Sacrifice 2

    Chapter 130: Sacrifice 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Jean Clo heard what Junhyuk had to say, opened his steel jaw andughed loudly.

    "With you gone, do you think we will lose?"

    He wasn¡¯t interested in listening to Junhyuk any further and ran toward him. He knew Junhyuk had used all of his powers and wanted to kill him right there.

    Junhyuk knew the allies would win that battle even if he died. He retreaded. If he had to die, he wanted to force the enemies to use all of their powers. Arn and Halo blocked the path towards him. They attacked Jean Clo at the same time, shing his ribs from left and right. With them torn, Jean Clo got ready to use his ultimate.

    If he lost all of his health, his ultimate wouldn¡¯t be effective. He had lost about half of his health at that point, so it was a good time to use his ultimate. Jean Clo pushed Arn and Halo aside, and ran toward Junhyuk.

    Sarang extended her hands toward him and said, "Suppress!"

    The blood-colored energy surrounded Jean Clo, but he already knew that would happen. Jean Clo had used his ultimate for one reason: to block Vera¡¯s and Diane¡¯s attacks.

    Vera cast her magic, and Diane shot an arrow, but the blue energy from his ultimate that was surrounding him blocked their attacks. Jean Clo ignored them and ran toward Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk raised his sword toward Jean Clo. His mind was very calm at that point. He knew what he had to do and he wasn¡¯t scared. Because he would die anyway, he would go all out. Junhyuk ran toward Jean Clo, who raised both arms. Is it because I¡¯m so calm? Junhyuk clearly saw the attack.

    Jean Clo was debuffed, and Junhyuk escaped his attack unhurt and shed his ribs. Jean Clo watched Junhyuk passing him by and horse-kicked him. Junhyuk got hit on the back and rolled on the ground.

    It wasn¡¯t Jean Clo¡¯s power, but Junhyuk lost 30 percent of his health. He clenched his jaw and got up, but Bater was already next to him, swinging his fist down.

    Bater had a lot of health, and Junhyuk had nothing to gain by getting hit, so he turned his body to the side and tried to dodge the fist. In nick of time, he made it. Then, he shed Bater¡¯s thigh with the Frozen Rune Sword and spun around to sh Bater¡¯s ankle with the Blood Rune Sword.

    Junhyuk regained some health with his second strike, but Bater wouldn¡¯t let him be. Bater took a stance and punched out in a one-twobo. Junhyuk could die. His hairs stood up, feeling nervous as he watched the fists approaching his face. The fists wereing in fast, but the electric st was faster.

    Bater and Doctor T were both paralyzed.

    Arn and Halo understood Junhyuk¡¯s mindset, so they focused on killing Doctor T rather than saving Junhyuk. Both of them attacked with critical hits, and Doctor T disappeared.

    Junhyuk jumped to escape Bater. That was only possible because Bater was paralyzed, but Adolphe rushed toward him and attacked.

    Junhyuk raised his swords quickly and blocked the attacked, but his body tightened in ce, and he lost some health. He had blocked Adolphe¡¯s power, but Adolphe still managed to damage him. If he hadn¡¯t blocked it, he would¡¯ve been killed instantly, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t move, and Adolphe smirked and swung his saw de. There was nothing Junhyuk could do.

    Suddenly, an explosive arrow flew in to help him out.

    Boom!

    Adolphe staggered from the explosion and raised his saw de high up. The thirty-food sword energy sprung from the de, and Junhyuk frowned. He still couldn¡¯t move, so he was ready to be hit by the sword energy, but Vera cast a firewall underneath Adolphe¡¯s feet. The firewall burned Adolphe, but he didn¡¯t move and mmed the energy down.

    Junhyuk was watching the attack when he was able to move again, so he quickly moved to the side to escape the sword energy. Adolphe was burning and couldn¡¯t keep his stance. The energy made a big hole on the ground where Junhyuk had been standing. Junhyuk had barely escaped getting sliced in half.

    He got up quickly, wanting to buy more time and thinking the allies would win without further casualties. Then, two thick arms wrapped around his waist. Junhyuk didn¡¯t turn around. Instead, he grabbed his swords and stabbed the arms, pointing the des toward his back. He felt his health filling up, but the world around him was already spinning.

    It was a backdrop, a wrestling move.

    This was also not a power, but it would still be deadly for Junhyuk, so he quickly stabbed the area behind his neck, where Jean Clo was standing.

    Jean Clo was wounded, but Junhyuk failed to do any further damage, and then, he felt the shock of his head against the ground.

    Boom!

    He finally lost all of his health, and watched the world disappear around him. Jean Clo dropped Junhyuk¡¯s body, and went straight toward Sarang, and Junhyuk looked at her.

    He had been willing to die. Victory belonged to the allies. When he died, the allies would the kill rest of the enemies, and the enemies wouldn¡¯t run away.

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes met Sarang¡¯s.

    "Stay alive."

    She couldn¡¯t hear him, but she understood what he said. The enemies wanted to kill him, and now he was dead, so they would go after her.

    Nudra stood in front of her, and the world faded around Junhyuk.

    ---

    Death visited again.

    He endured the harsh emptiness and felt his soul hardening. Normally, he could not have endured the emptiness, but once he did, it feel like he had aplished something important. Junhyuk yawned wide and patted his armor with both hands.

    "I won¡¯t die again."

    He had only one life left. He couldn¡¯t die.

    Inside the white-colored room, Junhyuk looked at the number disyed: 15,240G.

    He had been penniless, but now he had some money and inspected his new items. He wanted to know more about the items he had picked up. First, he looked at the anklet Ki dropped. Right of the bat, he was dumbfounded and overjoyed, quickly putting it around his ankle.

    ---

    Pure Golden Knight Elder¡¯s Boot (Set Item) (Changed Shape)

    Attack +10

    Movement Speed +10%

    The Golden Knight Elder used to wear this boot. In the past, he was called a legend and he carried items to increase his attack power. There was no one who could withstand a blow from him.

    Having aplete set increases the power of the item.

    Two-Item Set Effect: Armor Piercing +35

    Three-Item Set Effect: Additional Fixed Damager +50

    Four-Item Set Effect: 50% area of effect damage at a 10-meter radius.

    ---

    The shape had changed. Originally, it had been a boot, but now it looked like an anklet. He was more surprised by the fourth effect.

    "Area of effect damage?"

    Usually, when fighting heroes, fights took ce within limited-space arenas. He could now use his power to attack the enemy and increase his regr attack¡¯s range. He would deal 50 percent of his attack damage, but his attack would increase, and eventually, he would be able to kill his enemies by himself.

    "Now that¡¯s a set power!"

    Junhyuk stuck out his tongue and looked at the next item, it was the small saw wheel that Regina had dropped.

    ---

    Ore Booster (Boost Item)

    Movement Speed +5%

    Health +100

    Simply mount it on your boot, and it will increase your movement speed and heath. It¡¯s expensive, but effective. Movement speed increases by 5 percent, and health increases by a hundred points.

    ---

    Junhyuk ced it next to his anklet, and a soft voice whispered to him.

    [Do you want to mount the Ore Booster on you Pure Golden Knight Elder¡¯s Boot?]

    "Mount it."

    [It¡¯s now mounted.]

    Junhyuk was overjoyed. He used to be very slow inparison to the others, but now he could move faster than even Sarang.

    He got up and heard another whisper.

    [You¡¯ve died once. You have 0 lives left on this battlefield.]

    "I know."

    He had nice, new items, but he had to protect himself. He couldn¡¯t die again.

    [You may exit using the main entrance.]

    Junhyuk walked to the door, and the soft voice whispered.

    [Expert 01 deployed.]

    He wasn¡¯t a champion yet, but next time, the voice would whisper champion. He walked outside and pulled out a small crystal. Curious about the situation, he wanted instructions on what he should do.

    He thought about Arn and asked, "What happened?"

    "We killed them all."

    "Any casualties?"

    "None, and we protected Sarang."

    "That¡¯s good."

    Junhyuk was relieved. Sarang was safe.

    "Where should I go?"

    There was a moment of silence, and he answered, "Defend the castle."

    "What?"

    "Just likest time, Regina can sneak off and attack the castle. Protect it. The castle has archers, and you¡¯ll be safe."

    Junhyuk could protect the castle. He was confident of that. His attack range was longer than Regina¡¯s. However, the allies would be at a disadvantage on the next team battle.

    "Don¡¯t you need me?"

    "Don¡¯t worry."

    "But..."

    "I don¡¯t care if we lose the next team battle. You will be a champion on the next battlefield, and we will win the next time," Arn said seriously. He was saying the truth, but he was also worried. "Don¡¯t think we will lose without you either."

    Junhyuk inhaled deeply. If Regina came his way, the allies would have the numerical superiority and would have the advantage during the team battle. Arn didn¡¯t want Junhyuk dead, so Junhyuk had nothing more to say.

    "I understand."

    "The castle can¡¯te down. Protect it at all costs."

    "Don¡¯t worry about it and win."

    "Of course. Don¡¯t worry."

    Junhyuk put the crystal away and looked at the castle. He had only gone there with a purpose before and never really looked at it. The castle looked like a medieval structure, but it also had many differences. Junhyuk went over to where the archers were. The archers were buffed and could inflict heavy damage on heroes.

    He stood next to them and looked down. Regina could y a giant golem on her own, and she was a powerful woman. She woulde his way soon.

    "She will die by my hands."

    Regina had a lot of health, and even when she received critical hits, she didn¡¯t die easily. However, the archers would help, and Regina wouldn¡¯t get in the castle.

    Junhyuk leaned on the castle¡¯s parapet and thought of Sarang. He summoned his Kasha and talked to her. If she was thinking of him now, she would summon her own Kasha.

    "Sarang."

    The Kasha shook its head and looked at Junhyuk and opened its mouth, and he heard her voice.

    "Yes, big brother."

    Junhyuk chuckled and said, "Take care of yourself and stay alive at all costs."

    "Sure! You too, take care of yourself!"

    "Right."

    He was grateful to Vera because now he couldmunicate with Sarang through the Kashas. He finished speaking and leaned on the castle¡¯s parapet with the Kasha on his shoulder.

    "I will stay alive," he murmured, looking at the purple sky.

    He had sacrificed himself for the team and so he reminded himself what was most important to him as he gripped his sword tightly.

 Chapter 131: Sacrifice 3

    Chapter 131: Sacrifice 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Arn¡¯s group went straight to the enemy¡¯s tower, destroyed it and kept advancing before the dragon¡¯s buff disappeared. They had a few minions left, but they didn¡¯t care about that. They destroyed the second tower and moved toward the castle

    "Howe we haven¡¯t seen any enemies?" Halo asked.

    They had destroyed the second tower, and the enemies should¡¯ve been there to meet them, but nobody showed up.

    Arn stopped walking and said, "Perhaps they are all headed to our castle."

    As Arn said that, everyone got worried. So, they thought for a while, and he said, "Junhyuk has the force field and the teleportation. He will survive on his own."

    The enemies wouldn¡¯tmit their entire force to attacking Junhyuk, and if that were the case, he would survive. Also, if the enemy heroes left the castle, the allies had the superiority.

    "We will use our all of our powers to destroy the enemy castle. If we don¡¯t meet any heroes, we have to destroy their castle first."

    Vera smiled.

    "We will be faster than them."

    The enemy heroes had started out from the castle, but the allies point of origin was the Dragon¡¯s Valley. Since they started at different positions, if both side moved at the same speed, the allies would get to the enemy castle first.

    "Let¡¯s move."

    Sarang followed heroes and spoke to the Kasha perched on her shoulder.

    "Big brother."

    The Kasha replied, "What?"

    "We can¡¯t find any enemy heroes right now. Maybe they all went to our castle."

    The Kasha was silent for a moment and replied, "Is our side moving faster?"

    "Yes."

    "Then, don¡¯t worry about here. I will buy more time."

    That wasn¡¯t what Sarang meant to say, and she clicked her tongue.

    "Don¡¯t overdo it."

    "Don¡¯t worry."

    Sarang was done talking and ran fast. This battle depended on their timing.

    ---

    Junhyuk looked at the Kasha and murmured, ¡¯They are alling this way!"

    It wasn¡¯t a simple statement. Even with the support of the archers, it wouldn¡¯t be easy. The enemy would rush even when attacked by archers. They had to be confident they could kill Junhyuk before they themselves were killed and they would be moving as arge group. Junhyuk stood up.

    He was standing with the archers, looking down at the bottom of the castle and far away. From which direction are theying? They were probably close to where Bater had destroyed a tower, but his allies were moving much faster. He had to endure for some time.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to waste time on the castle wall, so he practice using his powers. The enemies needed some time to get there after all.

    The Spatial sh was a newly acquired power, and he didn¡¯t know what would happen if he continued practicing it. The damage inflicted could increase or the cooldown could shorten, so he wanted to train.

    He swung his sword using Spatial sh. It ripped the space in front of him and appeared far away. Junhyuk looked at the damage and decided to practice as much as possible.

    ---

    Sarang reached the gate of the enemy castle, and there were only two heroes protecting it: Jean Clo and Ki. Ki was standing on the wall, intending to attack with the archers.

    Without destroying the wall, with the exception of Vera and Diane, the rest couldn¡¯t attack because theycked range. Ki also had an incredible attack stat and enormous ability to deal damage.

    Arn looked at Halo.

    "It will depend on how quickly we kill Ki."

    Everyone nodded. Jean Clo was the tankiest, and he stood at the front. Ki had the highest attack, and she stood on the castle wall. While attacking the castle, she would attack them, and they had to endure it.

    There were only two, which meant that Bater, Doctor T, Regina and Adolphe were headed toward Junhyuk. He had many powers, but it would be hard for him to stay alive. To save Junhyuk, the allies had to destroy the castle as soon as possible.

    Arn looked at Sarang.

    "Don¡¯t step forward. Use your healing power on the heroes who lose half of their health."

    "Sure."

    He turned to Vera.

    "Start off strong."

    It would be best to use the ultimates. The Meteor Shower would fall on the castle even if Jean Clo approached them.

    Ki watched the heroes preparing their ultimates. Jean Clo popped his neck left and right. He could dodge the meteors, but Rain from Above was a different matter. The enemies had made ns to kill Junhyuk, but the allies¡¯ resolution was also strong.

    Jean Clo looked at Ki. She was getting ready to shoot, but the allies weren¡¯t within her range yet. He stepped back slowly and leaned against the castle.

    "OK! Let¡¯s go!"

    Even if they used their ultimates, they couldn¡¯t get to the gate without getting within range of Ki¡¯s shots. Jean Clo leaned against the gate and extended his arms. He would grab anyone that came close to him. Then, he watched the sky fill up with meteors.

    "It will hurt like hell."

    ---

    Junhyuk used his Spatial sh as soon as each cooldown ended. After a while, he saw the enemies approaching from far away. They had minions with them, and Adolphe and three heroes were there.

    Junhyuk stared at them and raised his sword. They didn¡¯t know, but he could deal damage to a wide area now. He nned to use the Spatial sh on whoever attacked first.

    The enemies positioned themselves far away, and Bater stepped forward and showed Junhyuk his fist. Bater raised his huge mechanical fist and took a heavy drag off his cigar, puffing out an enormous cloud of smoke

    "Come down here."

    "If you were me, would you go down?" Junhyuk replied, Bater frowned.

    Doctor T and Reginaughed hard, Bater smiled a bit. His smile made Junhyuk scared, and he shivered. However, at that moment, Junhyuk had the advantage.

    He took the time to speak with the Kasha on his shoulder.

    "The enemies are here. What¡¯s going on over there?"

    "Jean Clo is by the gate, and Ki is firing from the wall, but we will kill Jean Clo very soon," the Kasha said.

    Junhyuk looked at his enemies. They had moved very fast, even bringing minions with them. He thought the allies would be much faster.

    "You got here quick. How did you manage that?" Junhyuk asked.

    Regian smirked.

    "How? We ran."

    He knew that already. Last time, Regina alone destroyed a tower and the gate. She had disyed amazing speed, and he thought she was hiding something. Still, Junhyuk wasn¡¯t interested. They were right on edge of where Junhyuk could use his power. That gave away the amount of experience they had on the battlefield if they knew the exact limit of his power by watching him only a few times.

    Bater bashed his fists against each other.

    "Now, let¡¯s begin."

    The enemies would destroy the gate first, then kill him, or use long range attacks against him: Regina¡¯s pistol, Doctor T¡¯s missile, Bater¡¯s rocket punch and Adolphe¡¯s ten-meter sword strike meant that they were all capable of long range attacks.

    Junhyuk looked at whom he considered the most dangerous person: Regina and her petrifaction. He wasn¡¯t sure about the attack¡¯s range, but if he was petrified he would die. He could dodge the doctor¡¯s spider web by teleporting, but the petrifaction was different.

    He raised his sword, and Bater shouted, "Attack!"

    The riflemen usually used the distance to shoot, but they all rushed forward. They were trained in using bays for close rangebat, but by doing that, they were abandoning their strength in long range.

    As Bater ordered, the heroes approached.

    Bater rushed through his own minions and reached castle¡¯s gate and began pounding against it. The archers focused on the riflemen, and Bater¡¯s n worked beautifully. Junhyuk clicked his tongue and swung his sword at Regina. She dodged by using her incredible speed.

    Junhyukughed. He had been practicing the Spatial sh, so he knew they would try to dodge it. They could time their dodges with his swing and escape the Spatial sh. It was not impossible. Regina also had the highest speed, so she had the highest chance of dodging the sh. However, Junhyuk had already thought of how to deceive them: a false swing.

    He had swung just for the hell of it, and they dodged.

    Regina was moving at high speed and realized Junhyuk hadn¡¯t used his power, so she aimed her pistol and closed in quickly. Adolphe and Doctor T followed her closely.

    Junhyuk looked at them andughed. He had learned one more thing while practicing the Spatial sh: he didn¡¯t have to swing to use his power.

    He held tightly to the his frozen de and moved it just a little.

    Regina started bleeding profusely from the neck, but with her as the focus, a ten-meter radius area was his by a coldstorm of air.

    Doctor T and Adolphe didn¡¯t know what it was and stopped in their tracks.

    It was the fourth effect of the Pure Golden Knight Elder¡¯s set, and that was the first time Junhyuk had used it. He knew he would damage a wide area, but the magic sword¡¯s attribute and attack power boosted the effect further.

    Doctor T and Adolphe had lost their speed, and he had gotten more than he bargained for.

    Regina was holding her neck and continued moving closer to the wall, but she didn¡¯t know one thing. Because Junhyuk had attacked, the minions no longer held any meaning for the archers, and they fired at Regina.

    Even as she was targeted by the archers, Regina inched closer toward Junhyuk. He knew what she was trying to do and he ran.

    Regina removed her eyepatch, and the archers were petrified, but Junhyuk had already left the scene. She ran after him, but Junhyuk teleported to the original spot, and her face turned red with anger.

    He smiled at her.

    "Where are you going?" he said, but inside, he nearly died of fright. If he had been a momentte, he would¡¯ve been petrified and he wouldn¡¯t have survived.

    Junhyuk raised his sword. He had one more teleport and twenty seconds left for his next Spatial sh. Bater was pounding at the gate, so he had to make the buffed archers shoot at him. He inhaled deeply and jumped off the edge of the wall.

    Doctor T shot the spider web at him, and Adolphe rushed toward him. Junhyuk was tied up by the web, and Bater turned around. He wanted to finish Junhyuk with a one-twobo, but Junhyuk only smiled.

    The ivory-colored energy covered him and stopped all of the attacks. Junhyuk raised his swords and said, "For the next ten seconds, I¡¯ll have fun."

 Chapter 132: Close Call 1

    Chapter 132: Close Call 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The ten-second period was a short time, the shortest, but at that point, it was all the time in the world for Junhyuk.

    He had decided to kill Regina. She had already used her ultimate, and he had dealt some damage to her with his Spatial sh. After the time passed, he would be able to use the Spatial sh again.

    Junhyuk turned around and swung his sword at her, but Regina blocked it with her cuss. This time, he had swung the Blood Rune Sword, and a blood-colored shockwave spread out with her as the focus point.

    She was already mixed in with the riflemen. With her as the center, the shockwave covered a ten-meter radius and swept through the riflemen. The damage dealt was enough to kill them in one hit. Even with him only dealing half damage, the blow wasn¡¯t something a rifleman could withstand.

    The minions were dead. Inside the circle, only Regina, Doctor T, Adolphe and Bater remained.

    Junhyuk learned one more thing when he attacked Regina. Regina herself could block his strike, but with her as the center, the shockwave generated couldn¡¯t be blocked by the others. Doctor T and Adolphe had received damage, and he learned all he had to do from the damage they had received. Suddenly, he swung both of his swords like a whirlwind.

    Regina blocked his strikes easily. Junhyuk had been to the Dimensional Battlefield constantly risking his life swinging his swords, but Regina was a natural born hero. It had been very easy for her to block all of his attacks with her cuss. However, the people next to her continued to be affected by the shockwaves and receive damage. Then, the others finally retreated.

    Regina also retreated, and Junhyuk gave up on killing her for the moment. Previously, Junhyuk had jumped down from the castle wall without hesitation because he could return by teleportation. He wouldn¡¯t follow her now because he couldn¡¯t kill her. If he followed her it would mean dying like a dog on the street.

    He turned around and saw Bater with a smile on his face. His fists were pointing straight at Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk saw him, gritted his teeth and ran toward his assant, but Baterughed and fired the rocket punches.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk had the force field around him and wasn¡¯t hurt, but the rocket punches pushed the force field backward very far with him still inside, and he thought once again that Bater was a hard opponent to deal with.

    Two seconds remained, and he was twenty meters away from the wall.

    Junhyuk ran to the wall, but Bater had made up his mind and rushed after him. Junhyuk knew he couldn¡¯t teleport because he would fall short of the wall, but he couldn¡¯t allow himself to be rushed and pushed farther back. He teleported.

    He passed Bater and appeared close to the wall but still seven meters from the castle itself, and the force field disappeared.

    From behind him, Regina fired continuously. Junhyuk didn¡¯t turn around and used his jump skill instead. When he made it to the top, he turned to look at his enemies.

    Bater wasn¡¯t expecting him to escape and clicked his tongue. They all looked at him once and turned around. Even for heroes with high health, the buffed archers¡¯ attacks were too much to withstand. The rest of the riflemen were being massacred by the archers.

    They shouldn¡¯t have rushed in the first ce. Junhyuk had jumped down and attacked Regina, and his attacks had already killed most of the riflemen. The allied minions raised their shields and swung their swords to survive, and the archers gave them support. Most of the riflemen were dead. They had gotten too close to the archers and wouldn¡¯t survive.

    Junhyuk stopped looking at the dying riflemen. The heroes had distanced themselves from the archers, but now they were running toward the castle again and wouldn¡¯t leave Junhyuk in peace so that he¡¯d be able to use his power again.

    Junhyuk looked at theming and raised his sword. He might use Spatial sh again, so once the heroes saw him raising the sword, they dispersed instinctively.

    Heughed hard. The heroes knew the attack wasing, but they still couldn¡¯t escape it. That was the power of the Spatial sh. They couldn¡¯t run forever.

    Junhyuk wanted to kill Regina. She was applying pressure to her neck, and he wanted to attack the same spot. He was staring at her, and Regina retreated. If someone stepped in for her and attacked Junhyuk to give her cover, she thought she could kill him.

    The Spatial sh dealt a lot of damage. It traveled through the empty space and delivered a critical hit. It couldn¡¯t be blocked and it was hard to dodge. She couldn¡¯t risk her life on her own, so she retreated quickly, and Junhyuk decided on his next target.

    He wanted to pick someone who had a long range attack and chose Doctor T. The doctor was already bleeding heavily from his neck and the injuries he suffered from the shockwaves. The shockwaves had killed riflemen by the truckload, but Doctor T was still alive.

    Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh was a very strong power, but he couldn¡¯t kill a hero with one strike, at least not yet. However, Doctor T suddenly stopped in his tracks.

    He was holding his neck and retreated, and Regina took his ce. Her presence made Junhyuk frown.

    He had to attack the enemy to buff the archers, but he had already used his powers. He used the force field and the teleportation and was left with nothing to do from his position.

    Regina aimed her pistol at him, and Junhyuk breathed in deeply while staring down the barrel of her gun. She had also used all of her powers, and her attacks were powerful, but not as powerful as Ki¡¯s.

    Bang!

    Regina fired, and Junhyuk raised his sword. He blocked the bullet with it, but the bullet ricocheted and hit him on the shoulder. Even though he was wearing armor, the bullet went through. If it had bounced off in a different direction, he could¡¯ve been hit on the head.

    Junhyuk understood he had put himself in an unusually dangerous position, but he had made an attack, and the archers got the buff and focused on Regina. She frowned and retreated again. Junhyuk had pushed her back, but he couldn¡¯t rx yet.

    Bater was pounding on the gate again, but he would crash through it soon.

    Junhyuk stayed with the archers. The gate was destroyed, and Junhyuk retreated with them. It was time to give up the gate.

    Junhyuk went up to the gigantic golems and stood there, holding his sword. The golems were quiet, but when the enemies entered the castle, the golems would go berserk.

    He thought he could kill Regina by himself. If there were three attacking at once, Junhyuk could certainly die, but Regina and Doctor T had lost a lot of health. He could kill either of them to dwindle their numbers.

    He waited while standing next to the golems. The gate crumbled, and the enemies entered the castle. Bater, Regina, Doctor T and Adolphe walked in and cut down every remaining archer.

    They walked slowly and with fifty riflemen still following behind them. Having lost so many already, that was it for their numbers. However, there were no more minions to defend the castle. Only Junhyuk remained with one golem to his right and another to his left.

    The riflemen rushed in. They had already lost their ability to reason because of the item, but they attracted the golems

    Junhyuk observed the enemy. The heroes were waiting for the riflemen to get closer to the golems, and he understood the cards they were holding.

    The previous time, Regina hadn¡¯t used an item to make the riflemen go berserk, but now they were rushing toward the golems all crazed. Even if the heroes had used the item to make them fight against the archers, the effect persisted.

    Junhyuk stood between the two golems because he didn¡¯t want to stand within the range of the enemy. Then, he looked at the heroes with long range attacks and stepped forward again, swing his swords at the riflemen.

    With every strike, shockwaves boomed out of the center and swept through the riflemen. It all happened quickly.

    Adolphe tried to help the riflemen, but it was already over. He swung his saw de sword, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t block him. If he tried, Adolphe could paralyze him, spelling his doom. Junhyuk teleported instead and stood between the golems again. Adolphe stopped, and the golems started kicking.

    Boom!

    The heroes had to be careful with them. They were a lot more powerful than all of them. Adolphe got hit by the two golems, being sent far away while vomiting blood, and Junhyuk smiled.

    His Spacial sh would be able to kill Adolphe now. After the golems damaged him, the Spacial sh would kill him for sure, but Junhyuk wanted to save his power. He didn¡¯t want Adolphe dead yet.

    Bater approached, rushing past the golems, and mmed his fist on the ground, hard.

    Bam! Bam! Bam!

    Twenty-meter shockwaves stretched out from where his fist hit the ground, but Junhyuk had already been running away before Bater struck for the first time. He had been able to escape, but he saw that the two golems had gotten separated.

    Between them, he saw Doctor T running toward him. Regina was ten meters behind, following him.

    Junhyuk knew how dangerous they were and raised the Blood Rune Sword. Soon, Doctor T started bleeding again, and a shockwave spread out with him as the center of it.

    Junhyuk had thought he could kill him, but Doctor T was still alive. He still had a lot of health left in him and shot the spider web at Junhyuk, but Junhyuk teleported to escape, heading to the area inside the castle¡¯s force field.

    Regina clicked her tongue and said, "Kill him before he uses his power again!"

    They wanted to kill him before he could use the Spatial sh again. Meanwhile, she attacked the two golems. Regina could deal with them alone.

    She also had Bater, Doctor T and Adolphe with her. Doctor T had lost some health and retreated, but he was capable of long range attacks. Bater dealt with one golem, and Regina was firing her pistol at the golem standing behind Bater. They were keeping the golems separate.

    When a golem got close, they used their powers and attacked only that one. Soon, they killed one golem and just the other remained.

    Junhyuk felt he would be able to use the Spatial sh at any moment, but he didn¡¯t want to step in front of the heroes. It had been dangerous before, and now only one golem remained.

    "We are losing," he murmured nervously.

    The remaining golem didn¡¯t have much time left in him. The battle wasn¡¯t over yet, and it looked like allies would lose after all. Suddenly, Junhyuk heard a familiar voice.

    "Why should we lose?"

    He turned around and saw Arn and Halo standing there.

    "What happened?"

    "We died and revived."

    "What?"

    Arn¡¯s smile told him not to worry.

    "The enemy heroes are all dead. We will win."

    Arn and Halo ran out of the force field. Junhyuk felt no need to stay behind and followed them, using the Spatial sh again.

 Chapter 133: Close Call 2

    Chapter 133: Close Call 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Arn jumped, and Halo used Lightning sh. They attacked Bater and Regina, and both of them appeared suddenly. Doctor T rushed toward them firing the methrower. Huge mes engulfed them, but Doctor T suddenly felt a prick on his neck, and his eyes shot wide.

    He started bleeding, and half of his neck was sliced off. He had already been hit twice on the neck by Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh and, finally, he died.

    Junhyuk watched the doctor die and smiled. He had finally killed a hero, and while he died, a shockwave shot out of his body, sweeping through Regina and Bater. Both were being attacked by Arn and Halo and lost their footing. Meanwhile, Arn and Halo got in position.

    They stood in front of the golem, and Regina and Bater looked at each other. They knew how hard it would be to deal with two heroes alongside a golem. Bater looked into Regina¡¯s eyes and nodded. They were both looking at Adolphe using his power, the ten-meter sword energy.

    Adolphe¡¯s attack dealt significant damage, and neither Arn nor Halo wanted to be hit by it, so they dispersed to the left and to the right. Bater took advantage of the empty space to rush, but Junhyuk knew where he was headed. When they destroyed the gate and started fighting, Junhyuk¡¯s cooldown had already ended.

    An ivory color surrounded him and stopped Bater in his tracks, and he puffed out some smoke.

    "This time, we failed," he said.

    For the next ten seconds Junhyuk didn¡¯t engage in any fighting. He knew how hard it was to deal with heroes without his Spatial sh, so he stepped back slowly. Regina watched him and frowned, but there was nothing she could do about it. Junhyuk moved back ever so slowly until he got inside the castle¡¯s force field.

    He looked at the heroes and said with some confidence, "Next time we meet, I will be a champion."

    As he said that, Arn and Halo rushed toward the enemy heroes. Adolphe stabbed the ground with his sword, and two blue-energy projectilesunched out of it, tying them up in ce. Bater one-twoboed the golem¡¯s leg, and when the golem fell over, Regina fired at its head.

    Boom!

    The golem¡¯s head was smashed into little pieces, and it was unable to continue functioning. Bater jumped, heading to the castle¡¯s force field, and started punching the castle as hard as he could.

    Thunk!

    The force field shone blue and stopped Bater¡¯s fists. Arn ran up behind him and swung his saber, shing him. However, Bater ignored the saber while continuing to pound the force field. Regina dashed to the force field and shed it with her cuss while firing her pistol at it.

    It was as if they were attacking Junhyuk himself, and he frowned. The heroes were wounded and tired. Regina, who was bleeding from her neck, was specially so.

    Halo swung his sword at Regina, dealing further damage. Both were about to copse, but they continued to attack. Junhyuk could understand what they had in mind. They knew they couldn¡¯t kill Junhyuk or kill Arn or Halo. Adolphe helped out in killing the golem, but both Arn and Halo were at full health. If Doctor T were still alive, they¡¯d have gone after the two heroes. Their own castle¡¯s force field was already under attack, so they wanted to increase their chances of winning by destroying the allied castle¡¯s force field.

    Bater, Regina and Adolphe had the superior attack power as a group, but the castle¡¯s force field wasn¡¯t easy to destroy, and they were still being attacked by Arn and Halo. Regina was bleeding heavily from her back and turned around, firing her pistol. The shot had the power to push Arn and Halo back.

    Bater kept punching the force field as hard as he could.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    Three shockwaves appeared from his blows and pushed Arn and Halo further back. Junhyuk watched the whole thing speechless. They wanted to destroy the force field while under attack from Arn and Halo.

    Junhyuk gripped his swords tightly. If he stepped out, they would go after him instead of the force field. If he stayed, they would continue to plow through the force field. Their actions hadn¡¯t made sense at all at the beginning, but now they made all the sense in the world.

    Junhyuk gulped and teleported. Doctor T had dropped his sses when he died, and Junhyuk picked them up and saw Regina and Bater heading toward him. Adolphe also rushed at him, and he just watched them. He had done everything he could.

    If he stood up to Adolphe, he would get killed. He was about to teleport when Halo showed up like aet and shed through Adolphe¡¯s waist. The cut was deep, and Arn appeared out of nowhere and stabbed Adolphe¡¯s forehead. Adolphe didn¡¯t have enough health to survive the heroes¡¯ ultimates and disappeared. Junhyuk thought he had made the right decision not to use his teleportation.

    Bater and Regina both stared at Junhyuk, but did not stop hitting the force field as they approached. Junhyuk knew why. They both knew the maximum distance of his teleportation. Suddenly, Regina and Bater rushed at him at the same time.

    They closed in on Junhyuk, and he smiled. He had surely bought more time for the team. Junhyuk ran toward the both of them. He wanted to pass them by, but Bater got so close that he punched out at him, but Junhyuk teleported before getting hit.

    He was now in front of the force field, just a step away from it. He leaned forward to walk, and a bullet headed for his back.

    Bang!

    When Bater rushed, Regina knew that Junhyuk would teleport. She had pretended to boost her speed to chase him, but she quickly turned around and positioned herself so that she could shoot at him.

    Junhyuk teleported, but he wasn¡¯t quite inside of the force field. He had drawn them out by taking a few steps back, distancing himself further from the force field and digging his own grave.

    The bullet went through his back, but he fell forward hard. His armor had shattered where the bullet hit, but he was still alive. It was probably because of the item he had picked up from Regina. His health had increased.

    Another bullet bounced off the force field, and all he could feel was fear at that moment. He had made it inside the force field. If he hadn¡¯t, he would¡¯ve been killed.

    He had been defenseless when he got shot in the back.

    Junhyuk turned around, and Regina clicked her tongue. Suddenly, Arn shed her, but Regina boosted her speed to run away from him. Bater watched the whole thing, and he too ran away. Arn and Halo chased after them.

    They ran. They knew they had lost time by going after Junhyuk and they had lost the fight. Even though they lost, they didn¡¯t feel like they should die, so they ran in order to preserve their lives. Arn and Halo also used their full strength to chase after them.

    Regina would die with the next attack. She had been wounded by the Spatial sh, and Halo had sliced her back many times. They were bleeding out and retreating, and Junhyuk sighed and looked at the sses in his hand.

    ---

    Doctor T¡¯s sses

    Defense +20

    Eyesight +50

    Passive: Observation

    The crazy, lunatic Doctor T made these sses. They have been recognized as an item in the Dimensional Battlefield. It increases defense by twenty and eyesight by fifty. It also has a passive ability.

    Observation: It describes the health and mana of the opponent in percentages. If the opponent¡¯s rank is below yours, it also tells you their precise health numbers.

    ---

    Junhyuk liked the passive ability. He had never seen anything like it. When he fought heroes, he didn¡¯t know how much health they had left. He just guessed he had hurt them, but Doctor T had been aware of exact percentages.

    Junhyuk wanted to wear them, but he couldn¡¯t because of his helmet. He also couldn¡¯t take it off at that moment, but he stared at the sses and smiled. They added twenty to defense. He could wear them in South Korea and he didn¡¯t even have to engrave them.

    Junhyuk looked outside. The force field had disappeared.

    Nobody was attacking them, which meant only one thing: the enemy castle had fallen.

    "Sarang, did we win?" Junhyuk asked the Kasha.

    "The force field is gone. Did you survive?" it replied.

    "Sure."

    Sarang felt relieved. Junhyuk looked far away toward the North. Since the previous battlefield, they had fought separately in thest fights.

    "You survived. That¡¯s good."

    "What¡¯s good?"

    Junhyuk had heard an unexpected voice. Vera was standing right there.

    "You died?"

    "Who died? Me?"

    Vera walked toward him and gave him a blue gem the size of his hand. Junhyuk looked at her, and she smiled brightly.

    "The Dragon¡¯s Valley had some useful gems like this mana stone. I wanted to give it to you."

    "What about the castle¡¯s force field?"

    "It was already almost destroyed."

    Junhyuk was dumbstruck and just stared at her. Bater and Regina had risked their lives hitting the force field on his side. Seconds could have decided the victors, but Vera wanted to give him the mana stone.

    What if we¡¯d lost?

    "Thank you," Junhyuk said.

    They had already won, and he didn¡¯t want toin. If he did, he would get her fist. He was a champion, but he couldn¡¯t beat Vera yet.

    She caressed his hair and said, "You fought hard. If you didn¡¯t give us time, we¡¯d have lost."

    "It¡¯s good to win."

    Vera looked at the Dimensional Battlefield and said, "I¡¯ll see you next time."

    "Yes, I will be champion then."

    "Right, you are our champion."

    Junhyuk smiled at her. She had called him a champion, and he felt very proud. Champions had four lives, and he now had his Spatial sh. He would be even more brazen in the next battlefield.

    Adolphe always picked up items, so he should do the same, even if he died. He even had his teleport to help him pick them up.

    The world around him started disappearing, and he closed his eyes.

 Chapter 134: Contractor 1

    Chapter 134: Contractor 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The white light disappeared, and Junhyuk slowly opened his eyes. He raised his hands and saw that he was still holding the sses and the mana stone from the Dragon¡¯s Valley given to him by Vera.

    He inspected his body and found the lowest spirit stones used for burning. Junhyuk put the sses on first. He was a champion, so he should be able to see any expert¡¯s health numbers. Satisfied, he looked at the mana stone through the sses.

    Suddenly, he heard a voice.

    "You brought things back from the Dimensional Battlefield."

    The person with the voice hadn¡¯t made any noise besides speaking, and Junhyuk instinctively summoned his swords and swung at the ce where the voice came from. His opponent had seen his face, so he didn¡¯t summon his armor, but he had meant to kill his opponent when he swung the swords. Arn had warned him about getting killed in South Korea.

    However, he stopped the strikes just before they hit and saw an unusual person standing there. Light blue bandages were wrapped around his entire body. he was wearing a bowler hat and a trench coat like H.G. Wells¡¯ The Invisible Man. There were bandages even wrapped around his mouth.

    "How about putting your swords away?" he said.

    "Who would you be?"

    The bandages rolled up around his face. He must be smiling.

    "Nice to meet you. I¡¯m the Dimensional Battlefield¡¯s Chief Contract Manager for Team Three, Agenchra."

    "Contract manager?"

    "You may call me Contractor."

    Junhyuk was still suspicious of him and kept a hold of his swords as they talked, ready to use the Spatial sh at any moment. Agenchra saw that Junhyuk was still suspicious of him and shrugged. He put his hand inside his trench coat¡¯s pocket, and Junhyuk¡¯s sword closed in on his neck.

    He moved slowly, and said, "It¡¯s a notebook. I have to show you something."

    Junhyuk gave him some ck. He couldn¡¯t escape the Spatial sh anyway, so he could have some room. Agenchra tore up a page from the notebook and showed it to Junhyuk. The page hovered in the air as if it were stuck to a ss wall, simr to how Bebe showed him the equipment in his book.

    Junhyuk could see that he was really from the Dimensional Battlefield, but he could still have ulterior motives, so Junhyuk still kept his swords out.

    Agenchra pointed to the torn page and said, "It¡¯s a contract. Read it."

    Junhyuk scanned the page.

    "Are you kidding?"

    It was all written in very small letters and it was long enough to fill an entire wall. Agenchra thought for a second and said, "Then, should I summarize it for you?"

    "Tell me about the things I could gain and the things I will lose."

    Agenchra smiled and lifted his hand. A blue light rose out of his hand, and he pointed it toward the page. Part of the page erged.

    "You have be a champion and satisfied our lowest condition, so I have to pay you a personal visit," he exined calmly.

    Junhyuk read the erged text, and it was written in anguage he had never seen before, but he understood it due to thenguage pill. The Dimensional Battlefield contractor came because he had be a champion.

    Agenchra smiled and continued, "You became a champion earlier than we expected. We are surprised."

    "Surprised? Two hundred thousand people have already died on the battlefield!"

    Agenchra didn¡¯t really care about that.

    "We¡¯ve sent a million people from other ces and never got a champion. There are entire dimensions like that."

    Junhyuk eyebrows twitched. He realized they were willing to summon the entire poption of a from a dimension until they got a champion from there. He felt uneasy and he didn¡¯t hide his feelings.

    "So, my dimension has produced a champion. You won¡¯t summon anyone else from here, correct?"

    "No, you are wrong."

    Agenchra raised his hand, pointing to another part of the contract. Junhyuk looked at where he was pointing, and Agenchra added further, "This dimension has produced a champion. That means this dimension may produce others. The experiment will speed up."

    "Experiment?"

    "That¡¯s not something I can exin, but you will understand soon enough," Agenchra said calmly.

    "Soon?"

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk wanted more answers right there and stared hard at Agenchra. He wanted to hear more, and Agenchra pointed to another part of the contract.

    "You became the first champion from this dimension, so you will get additional benefits."

    "Additional benefits?"

    "You may attend a private Dimensional Battlefield."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t understand and stared at him.

    "So far, you¡¯ve gone to the heroes¡¯ Dimensional Battlefield in a supporting capacity. You may participate in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield used by champions. It¡¯s a smaller arena than the Valley of Death, but you will have unlimited revives there and a higher possibility of activating new powers. You even have the possibility of bing a hero if you participate."

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t expecting that. He wanted a bigger role in the Dimensional Battlefield, but he didn¡¯t expect there would be a Champions¡¯ Battlefield.

    Agenchra pointed to another area of the contract.

    "The Champions¡¯ Battlefield and the battlefield you¡¯ve been to are operated by different managers. You will have two two-week intervals of rest in South Korea for each battlefield. That means that if you leave for the Champions¡¯ Battlefield next week, you will rotate and go to one battlefield one week, and the other the following week."

    Junhyuk was speechless. They wanted him to fight every week? Still, the Champions¡¯ Battlefield had unlimited revives, so that was good.

    "Since there are unlimited revives, what¡¯s the penalty for dying?"

    "You learn fast, and that¡¯s an important facet."

    Agenchra pointed to another part.

    "On the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, you won¡¯t drop your items, but monsters will drop their ingredient items. Champions can die, but you will lose gold if you die."

    "Gold?"

    "Yes. Each time you die, you will lose 3,000G. When you kill someone, you earn 3,000G."

    "What happens if I don¡¯t have enough gold?"

    "You will go negative. If that¡¯s the case, you have to pay it back the next time no matter what. If you don¡¯t, each further participation will be taxedpound interest."

    Junhyuk was still in shock, and Agenchra continued, "On the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, no one has the advantage. Everyone has three powers, and no one has an ultimate. The fights will be on equal terms. You will be killed and kill and repeat. Unless you are a champion without fighting prowess, you will earn more money there, and like I said, champions don¡¯t drop their items on this battlefield."

    Junhyuk mulled it over.

    "OK. I¡¯ll participate. Since I¡¯m the first champion from my dimension, what happens to the other champions that rise up?"

    Agenchra was impressed by that question and checked his notebook.

    "You are very sharp. Every champion may use this battlefield. What I told you before was lip service."

    Junhyuk wanted to punch him. He had been duped by Bebe before much like that.

    "Since you are the first champion, there are some benefits," Agenchra continued.

    "What is it?"

    "When this dimension produces other champions, you¡¯ll be able to recruit them."

    "What do you mean?"

    Agenchra put the notebook away and answered, "On the single Champions¡¯ Battlefield, you will have the chance to pick your own members. However, that is only if your dimension produces more champions."

    Junhyuk thought for a moment.

    "Do you mean that team members change on this battlefield?"

    "Not every time. Members may change if someone bes a hero or if a member dies in his dimension."

    Junhyuk had gotten a good picture of the Champions¡¯ Battlefield.

    "Is that all?"

    "No. When you participate and win, you will get prizes."

    Prizes? Junhyuk wanted to hear more.

    "What kind of prizes?"

    "That changes in each battlefield, but every champion is satisfied with their prizes."

    They would fight harder over prizes. Even if it was some random equipment, it would cost tens of thousands of gold. Junhyuk crossed his arms.

    "What are the contract¡¯s conditions?"

    "The conditions are simple. You will do your best to be a hero. Until you be a hero, you will participate every two weeks. You have to make those promises."

    "What happens if I can¡¯t go?"

    "That won¡¯t happen."

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "Every time I go, I lose my soul to abnormal narcolepsy for an hour here, and I have to go every week?"

    Agenchra pointed to another part of the contract.

    "On the battlefield you¡¯ve been to, time in South Korea passes because you are acting as support, but on the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, time in South Korea won¡¯t pass," Agenchra exined.

    Junhyuk was surprised again, and Agenchra continued, "It¡¯s the same for the heroes you¡¯ve been fighting with and against. When the heroes are on the battlefield, someone may wish to harm them out of it, so time doesn¡¯t pass for them."

    "So, you keep them from being harmed by stopping time."

    "Correct."

    Junhyuk had no words for the amount of power they had. They could stop time, and he could only guess at what else they could do.

    Agenchra smiled and asked, "Are you going to sign?"

    "That¡¯s only for the Champion¡¯s Battlefield, correct?"

    "Of course."

    "I have one more question."

    "Ask me anything."

    "Why do heroes go to the Dimensional Battlefield?"

    "I can only answer that question when you be a hero. You aren¡¯t qualified for that information yet," he answered.

    "I¡¯m not qualified?"

    Agenchra nodded, and Junhyuk sighed.

    "I¡¯m trying to be a hero, so let me know the answer when I do."

    "Good decision."

    Junhyuk thought of something else, pulled out the crystal marble and thought of Arn.

    "What¡¯s the matter?"

    He couldmunicate with Arn form South Korea now and was overjoyed.

    "A contractor came by to talk about the Champions¡¯-only Battlefield."

    "Hm. I¡¯ve heard about it, but I started off as a hero, so I¡¯ve never been there."

    Yeah, you are special! Junhyuk didn¡¯t say anything.

    "Should I sign?"

    "They won¡¯t cheat you. Listen to everything they have to say. If you want, you may participate. You are responsible for yourself."

    Junhyuk slowly closed his eyes. He would make his own decision and be responsible for it. He opened his eyes slowly and looked at Agenchra.

    "I¡¯ll sign."

 Chapter 135: Contractor 2

    Chapter 135: Contractor 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Agenchra raised his hand, and the page that wasrge enough to cover a wall became a small piece of paper. He pointed to the paper, and the single sheet became two. Then, he held up both of the pieces of paper and looked at Junhyuk.

    "Put your hand on them."

    Junhyuk ced his hand on them, imprinting his fingerprint.

    "Repeat after me, ¡¯I, Junhyuk Lee, will do my best to follow this contract. I promise.¡¯ Easy, huh?"

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened slightly, and he said, "I, Junhyuk Lee, will do my best to follow this contract. I promise."

    When he said "promise," a chain made of lighte out of the paper and bound him to the contract. The light soon disappeared, and Junhyuk stared at Agenchra. He took one piece of paper for himself and gave the other to Junhyuk.

    "You should read it at least once."

    "I think so too."

    Agenchra smiled.

    "Then, be ready next Friday at 8:00 p.m. I wish you victory."

    "Thanks."

    Agenchra raised his hand and drew a big square in the middle of the air. He pushed the square, and a space opened. He went inside it and disappeared. He had said he was the Dimensional Battlefield¡¯s Chief Contract Manager for Team Three, and his powers were beyond what Junhyuk had imagined. Maybe even heroes couldn¡¯t touch people like that?

    Junhyuk shook his head and summoned his Kasha. The Kasha perched on his shoulder, and he said, "Sarang."

    "What is it?"

    He was hearing her voice, but it felt different from the phone. The phone feltputerized somehow, but the Kasha spoke in Sarang¡¯s voice. It was fun and astounding.

    "I want to know if you are safe."

    "I¡¯m good. Is there a problem?"

    "Something did happen. There is a Champions¡¯ Battlefield for champions!"

    "Really? Then you¡¯ll go to two battlefields?"

    "Yes."

    "Are you going to be OK?"

    Junhyuk chuckled and said, "I¡¯ll have infinite revives in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield."

    "That¡¯s nice!" Sarang answered cheerily, and Junhyuk fell on his bed. He had the contract in his left hand, and he ced the Kasha on his belly.

    "Because I became a champion, everything changes. A contractor came by."

    "A contractor?"

    "The Dimensional Battlefield¡¯s Chief Contract Manager for Team Three. I think management is bigger than I thought."

    "There must be a lot of behind all this. It has to be a big operation, bigger than we ever imagined."

    "Right."

    So far, he had only tried to survive the battlefield and didn¡¯t bother to find out more, but the more he found out, the more he understood that management was beyond his reach. They could stop time and summon people from different dimensions. You could very well say that they were like gods.

    Junhyuk got up.

    "Get some rest. Don¡¯t show your Kasha to other people, so use the burner phone."

    "Hm. I like the Kasha better."

    "Then, go to sleep."

    Junhyuk sent the Kasha away and got up from the bed. He looked over his contract. It was long enough to cover an entire wall of his home, but he could get through it. It contained a lot information, but he wanted to know more.

    It felt funny to read it at that point because he had already signed it. Arn had told him they wouldn¡¯t cheat him, and he trusted Arn.

    It was like getting insurance. They told you not to read the entire contract, and it all depended on how much the insurance agent could be trusted during the process. Friends who already had insurance would tell their other friends to trust the agent. Sometimes, people lost a lot of money by getting the wrong insurance, but Arn was like a mentor to him. Arn had saved his life many times and currently trained him. He trusted what Arn had said, but just in case, he was still reading over the contract.

    ---

    nes didn¡¯t fly on Fridays, so airports were packed on Saturdays. However, Anna got on the nefortably.

    Stephen and Anna took their seats at first ss. Stephen helped her get on the ne. She was still wearing sunsses, and her right arm was bandaged. She moved unnaturally.

    Anna sat next to her dad, and the secret service agents sat around them. There were only two of them in first ss, two other men.

    Soon, the ne took off, and Anna leaned back on her chair. She put her earbuds on, and Stephen sighed. He was a diplomat, and his daughter had been attacked by a robber and lost her eyes. Her arm wouldn¡¯t recover either. It would take a miracle for her to regain her disposition. She had always loved motorcycles, and Stephen felt guilty. He had lost his status as a diplomat. When they returned home, he nned to spend some time with her.

    The ne rose high up and leveled off. Two men from business ss got up and got into first ss, and the secret service agents tried to stop them.

    Pht, pht!

    They had turned to look at the business ss men when two other men in first ss got up and shot the agents. Other secret service agents in the ne got up, but the stewardesses were aiming pistols at their heads.

    Stephen felt nervous and stared at them. They weren¡¯t just aiming, but had already shot and killed some agents. Within the first ss cabin, there were four men and a stewardess. One of them walked over to Anna and took off her sunsses.

    Anna frowned and opened her eyes. The man staring at her put his pistol on her head. He inspected her face and decided she was the right target, but the man suddenly turned around and shot the other members of his own group. There were two other men aiming at her, and they were killed by that man, but the man himself was also killed by the other members of their team just before they died.

    The survivors all aimed at her, and she said, "Stop!"

    One man and a stewardess were surprised by it and looked at their own pistols. They couldn¡¯t move after Anna had spoken. She took her earbuds off and looked around.

    "I thought you woulde, but why didn¡¯t you wait?"

    "Are your eyes OK now?"

    Anna looked at Stephen and smiled.

    "Yes. Why don¡¯t you take a nap?"

    "A nap?"

    Stephen fell asleep, and Anna leaned him against the chair. She pulled out a satellite phone from her bag and called someone, delivering her answer.

    "I ept."

    "Ha-ha-ha! You made the right decision."

    "I¡¯m in the air. What should I do?"

    "Don¡¯t worry. Wang has sent a fighter jet, and it will be there soon. Shanghai Pudong International Airport has people working for Wang."

    "OK. My family¡¯s safetyes first. You know that, right?"

    "Sure. You¡¯ll be joining us, so that¡¯s the least we can do! You will be safer than my own family."

    The Algerian prince sounded happy, and Anna hung up. She looked at the man and the woman and walked over to the woman and smiled.

    "Go to the pilots."

    The woman obeyed hermand.

    "Tell them you want to get inside."

    The woman picked up a phone and spoke in it. Anna could hear the copilot, so she took the phone from the woman.

    "Open the door."

    The door opened, and the copilot looked nervous. Anna walked over to the pilot and whispered in his ear, "Make an announcement."

    "What are you talking about?"

    She looked at the pilot and smiled. His eyes looked weird, and Anna looked out of the window. A fighter jet approached from the China¡¯s direction.

    "The ne has technical issues, and we¡¯ll bending at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. Announce it."

    The pilot obeyed hermand, and Anna slowly turned around. She would follow the fighter jet to Pudong Airport, and the Pentagram wouldn¡¯t be able to touch her anymore.

    She looked at the woman and the man who had tried to kill her and said, "Tell me who sent you."

    Both despaired, but there was nothing they could do.

    ---

    Doyeol heard that Anna¡¯s ne hadnded at Pudong International Airport, and he knew his n had failed. He hadn¡¯t expected that.

    He called for a meeting with the other members of the Pentagram, and four faces appeared on the screens around him.

    "My n has failed," he said.

    Charles grimaced.

    "What happened?"

    "Theynded at Pudong International Airport instead, and Wang was involved."

    Charles sighed and shouted, "SHE IS JUST A NOVICE WHO CAN¡¯T EVEN USE HER POWER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

    "If she hadn¡¯t recovered, we would have killed her," Doyeol mumbled.

    Charles was filled with anger, and the old man who had been listening said, "Calm down. If we knew the Algerian prince and Wang would¡¯ve been involved, we should have acted differently. We shouldn¡¯t have relied on you."

    Doyeol felt extremely humiliated. They will kneel before me soon. At that point, they were talking as if it was all his fault, and Doyeol knew it was.

    If Anna went to the Algerian prince, that¡¯s one thing. However, if she recovered her power, this was the worst situation possible. She woulde after the members of the Pentagram at any moment.

    The old man said calmly, "If Wang took her in, we will know where she is. Charles, can you give out some orders in China? What are your numbers there?"

    "I have fifty agents at Pudong Airport right now. In two hours, I¡¯ll have two hundred agents in China."

    Doyeol just listened. He knew how powerful Charles was, and that he was different from himself. Charles could give out orders in China, not just in America. It was the power of money."

    If he was to stand tall among them, he had to change.

    The old man continued calmly, "I¡¯ll find out her location, and you take care of it."

    Charles looked at Doyeol. Doyeol felt humiliated, and he knew it.

    "I will."

    "Then, move out right away."

    The screens turned off, and Doyeol leaned back on his chair.

    "Whew!"

    He was very frustrated, but his responsibility had gone to Charles. If he could kill Anna, Doyeol would be grateful, and if not, he wouldn¡¯t be responsible anymore. It wasn¡¯t a bad situation to be in.

    "I should concentrate on my own safety."

    Anna used hypnosis, and he wasn¡¯t sure who could protect him. He would have to have Jeffrey guard him.

 Chapter 136: Distorted World 1

    Chapter 136: Distorted World 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    It did not take long for Junhyuk to understand what Agenchra had meant by elerating the schedule. He had already signed the contract, and there were a lot of breaking news stories with the start of that weekend.

    "I must be going crazy."

    Junhyuk was watching TV and pulled out themunication crystal. The news was full of stories about strange beings attacking tourist ships on the Han River. People said the beings had horns on their heads and would drag the victims under the river.

    "There are antas here?!"

    He focused on the crystal and heard Arn¡¯s voice. Arn sounded drunk, and he could feel that Arn was in fact buzzed.

    "Whazz the matter?"

    "The contractor told me my dimension had potential to produce more champions, and that things would speed up. Now, there are antas from the Dimensional Battlefield here!"

    "Hm... Really? My dimension already has heroes, so your dimension may experience those disturbances."

    "My dimension may experience it?!"

    "You have activated your powers due to your efforts to stay alive. Your dimensioncks motivation. To make them more motivated, they are creating an environment like that of the Dimensional Battlefield."

    "Then, management is trying to activate more powers here?"

    "Correct."

    Junhyuk was extremely shocked. Ordinary people couldn¡¯t deal with antas. He had fought them before, and it would take at least a small army to fight one.

    "Will there be other monsters?"

    "Don¡¯t worry too much. They will be easy in the beginning."

    "What if they send a dragon?"

    "Don¡¯t worry. If they send a dragon, that will happen muchter."

    "You mean they will sent one?!"

    "Also, don¡¯t treat the monsters the same way you treat monsters on the Dimensional Battlefield."

    "What do you mean?"

    "The Dimensional Battlefield has many limitations. They put limitations on the heroes and they do the same with monsters. You don¡¯t actually think a real dragon is that weak, do you?"

    "What about the antas?"

    "Sure!"

    Junhyuk felt like he had been cheated. His powers were the same in South Korea.

    "People will activate their powers."

    "That¡¯s difficult."

    "Don¡¯t forget one thing."

    "What?"

    "You got your abilities by fighting constantly, but people who activate their abilities suddenly are drunk with power. People like that are demons."

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t breathe. What Arn had told him was a serious issue.

    "The demons will be after you."

    "Right."

    "Don¡¯t get yourself killed in some stupid way."

    Junhyuk¡¯s mind was sharp now. He had made up his mind and he wouldn¡¯t die easily. He wouldn¡¯t hesitate to save his own life.

    "Don¡¯t die meaninglessly. If you die, I will go to your dimension and kill everyone."

    Arn wasn¡¯t joking. He had also said that his powers were limited in the Dimensional Battlefield, but they wouldn¡¯t be limited in Junhyuk¡¯s dimension. He couldn¡¯t guess at what Arn would do.

    "I¡¯ll stay alive."

    "Right. I¡¯ll go back to drinking."

    "Have fun."

    Junhyuk finished talking and watched TV.

    The arrival of the antas was only the beginning. The dimensional battlefield had many types of monsters inrge numbers.

    "Is South Korea the only country with antas?"

    There were many monsters, but Earth was bigger. On TV, the coast guard hard arrived at the Han River and started rescuing ships. Theyuncheds on the top and the bottom of the river to make sure the antas wouldn¡¯t escape.

    Junhyuk decided he would go there in person. It was a weekend, and he had time. The antas were there to force more people to activate their abilities, but he couldn¡¯t let innocent people die, so he got in his car and headed their way.

    ---

    Doyeol was watching the news and asked, "Jeffrey, do you know what they are?"

    Jeffrey was also surprised.

    "Those are antas. Why are they here?"

    "I¡¯ve seen them at the Dimensional Battlefield. So, I was right."

    "Yes."

    Jeffrey looked at Doyeol. He was focused on the TV and didn¡¯t notice Jeffrey¡¯s stare. Doyeol¡¯s phone rang, and he looked at Jeffrey.

    "I need to be alone. I want to think."

    "I¡¯ll leave."

    Jeffrey went outside, and Doyeol pressed a button. His desk opened up, and a screen rose in the center. There were five faces on the screen, and they were all frowning. The old man spoke first.

    "Do you recognize it?"

    "They are called antas, a type of monster."

    "Then, they are from the Dimensional Battlefield?"

    "Yes."

    "That¡¯s a tough situation. We have wolves showing up, so the army was sent to kill them. The wolves couldn¡¯t be killed by rifle bullets, so they had to use heavier firepower."

    Doyeol looked at Elise, who was also present.

    "Can iron soldiers fight against them?"

    Elise checked something in her notes and answered, "I have to check first, but if the army¡¯s firepower can deal with them, the iron soldiers will certainly be able to do it. However, there are too many wolves."

    "They killed some bats that showed up, and the bats left something behind. We analyzed it, and it is just like the mana stones. What do you think?" Charles asked.

    He showed them a very small, blue gem. It was much smaller than regr mana stones, but they didn¡¯t have to go to the Dimensional Battlefield to get it. The world had changed.

    "We can¡¯t allow other people to kill the monsters first."

    Charles nodded in agreement.

    "Only a few know the value of the mana stones. Before they find out about them, we have to hold a monopoly. Elise, speed up the production of the iron soldiers."

    The old man caressed his beard and said, "When production of the iron soldiers increases, we need a newpany to advertise them. How about Robotics?"

    Charles shook his head.

    "Doyeol will be a better choice. The coboration with Robotics allows him to have a good image worldwide. He should step up. We will have detachments all over the world to respond quickly to the incidents and build a monopoly on mana stones."

    Everyone looked at Doyeol, and he smiled.

    "OK. I will step up and be responsible."

    The others didn¡¯t like the spotlight, and Doyeol knew it too. That¡¯s why they gave him the position. If something went wrong, they would all me him like they did before, and so, they would continue to control the world.

    They thought they had the right to order him around, but they would regret giving Doyeol that chance. He looked at Elise.

    "Instead of the prototype, we need iron soldiers right away. We have to impress the public, so we need them right now."

    Elise checked her notes and said, "They will be ready right away. It takes three hours to have them fly to South Korea."

    "Sure. I¡¯ll be waiting."

    Doyeol knew he had to move quickly, and the old man looked at him calmly.

    "I¡¯ll send some people over. They will help you."

    "Thank you."

    Doyeol had to act subservient when necessary, but he would get stronger. That was his way to top.

    He lifted his head and asked, "What happened to Anna?"

    The old man and Charles frowned deeply, and he continued, "She can¡¯t hypnotize the iron soldiers. They¡¯ll deal with her. Elise, can we send each of them one iron soldier first?"

    "It¡¯s possible. Don¡¯t worry."

    Doyeol looked at the others.

    "We should make a special team to deal with her."

    Charles looked at him and nodded.

    "Then, we will put you in charge."

    "Trust me."

    The others hung up, and only one remained on the screen. It was Elise.

    "Is everything going well?"

    "Don¡¯t worry. When you get the newpany, invite me to your newb. I want to be close to you."

    "I¡¯ll give you the best instations."

    "I¡¯ll be expecting that."

    The screen turned off, and Doyeol was left alone. He pressed a button on his phone and asked, "Did we send a team already?"

    "Yes. I will send you the video."

    "Do it."

    Doyeol called for Jeffrey, who was waiting outside. Jeffrey walked in and saw that Doyeol wasn¡¯t watching TV, but a brand new video instead.

    He looked at the screen and said, "It¡¯s not just one anta."

    "The Han River has three. The police arrived at the scene quickly and sealed off the area."

    Jeffrey shook his head.

    "Sealing it off won¡¯t work."

    "What do you mean?"

    "You can¡¯t kill them with pistols."

    Antas were famous at the Dimensional Battlefield. Pistols wouldn¡¯t work against such monsters. Rifles wouldn¡¯t work either, so they would need heavy artillery to deal with them.

    "You mean they wille out of the sealed area?"

    "Yes. At least, I think the army should step in."

    Doyeol looked at the screen.

    "Let¡¯s watch. If the police can¡¯t do it, then the army will go in!"

    Jeffrey watched the antas swimming in the Han River and worried about people getting killed before the army arrived.

    ---

    They were stopping the cars, and Junhyuk parked far away. He walked over, but there were too many people, so he couldn¡¯t get close and looked around instead. He had his sses with him and he could see very far away because of them, so he went to the top of a building to scope out the situation.

    The police haduncheds around them. The three antas were swimming around, with the police surrounding them. They were SWAT and all of them were holding K1Apact assault rifles used by the armed forces. Ordinary police officers would be killed by the bushels, but the special team was different.

    They were just standing there, and Junhyuk checked his smartphone and murmured, "Are antas only in South Korea?"

    Abroad, they had wolves and bats.

    "Only the lowest ranking monsters crossed dimensions?"

    The monsters just dropped from the sky. At least, it felt that way to him. People were responding slowly, and many were dying.

    Junhyuk turned his head to look, and the antas started moving. The police weren¡¯t crossing the sealed area, so the antas started swimming in a circle and attacked the officers.

    The SWAT members fired. The shots felt more like warning shots because they were shooting at monsters. Their rifles could only scratch the antas. One of them bit a SWAT member and dragged him below the surface.

    Junhyuk could no longer stand there. He understood why management had sent those monsters, but he didn¡¯t agree with them.

    "Don¡¯t me me."

    He jumped down from the building wearing the ck armor.

 Chapter 137: Distorted World 2

    Chapter 137: Distorted World 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Hended on the ground below and broke through the blockade without care, dashing forward. As he ran, he felt something had changed. He hadn¡¯t noticed it before because he had been training at home, but his run was different. The wind felt different against his body because his speed had increase even further.

    He ran to where the people were standing. Many of them had crossed the sealed area to look at what was happening. They watched the SWAT member get bitten by the anta and they screamed and ran away.

    Junhyuk had an easier time running when the people made way. They noticed him running, but they were busy running away, swept by fear. Junhyuk was wearing the Dark Night Cloak and scoping out the area ahead.

    The anta was about two hundred meters from the shore, and Junhyuk thought he would have to swim and became seriously worried. Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh covered fifty meters, so he was about two hundred meters short.

    He wanted to get as close as possible and shorten the distance, so he crossed the sealed area. Then, he ran as fast as he could and pushed off with both legs, jumping a distance of thirty meters. It was beyond the human limit, but he was still shy of covering entire distance. While in the air, he started wondering if it was possible to use his jump skill mid-jump and decided to check.

    He activated the skill and stepped on empty air and jumped again, learning something knew about his skill in the process.

    He could jump at least thirty meters without his skill and he had used his skill to jump another one hundred meters at a thirty-degree angle. Seventy meters remained between him and the anta, and he still had to cover twenty meters of that, so he teleported. He tried to shoot for the maximum teleportation distance and was extremely surprised by the oue.

    Junhyuk had teleported over fifty meters. Previously, he could only teleport about thirteen meters, but now it was over three times that. The anta was still far away, so he couldn¡¯t strike it normally, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t hesitate and used his Spatial sh.

    Two antas had surfaced, aiming for the SWAT members, and Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh sliced through one of their necks, and the blood-colored shockwave generate from its body impacted the other anta.

    They were shredded to pieces, and the SWAT members instinctively looked at Junhyuk, shocked.

    Bang, bang, bang, bang!

    All of the bullets bounced off his armor, and he dove into the water.

    Ssh!

    He dove even deeper under the surface. Below the water, he looked around and frowned.

    "This is right."

    There were over ten antas swimming underwater. He didn¡¯t know where they¡¯de from, but there were many, and he couldn¡¯t fight underwater. Hended at the bottom of the river and pushed off to surface again, making a ssh. He spun around in the air andnded on a police boat.

    Thunk!

    The boat shook, and the SWAT members aimed at him.

    "There are more than ten monsters in the water! Pull yourselves together!" Junhyuk shouted.

    After he spoke, the SWAT members looked at each other. Theirmander stepped forward and said, "Secure the area!"

    They were all still aiming at Junhyuk. They didn¡¯t know where he hade from, but he had killed the monsters, something that they couldn¡¯t do with their rifles.

    Junhyuk lowered his swords and looked around. Soon, the antas surfaced with their long horns. They formed groups and headed toward the boat Junhyuk was on. There were exactly twelve of them, and the SWAT team didn¡¯t know what to do. They had only prepared for three, and now, there were twelve. They panicked.

    Themander started quickly calling out orders.

    "Send more teams! Call the army! We can¡¯t handle them!" he shouted loudly.

    Junhyuk looked at the antas. They weren¡¯t going to wait for the SWAT team and jumped on the boat. The SWAT officers shot at them, but they failed to inflict any damage at all. Junhyuk dashed toward an anta that had its mouth open and swung the Frozen Rune Sword.

    The anta¡¯s head split in two, and a freezing shockwave swept through the antas. Three of them died, all white and frozen and dropping to the bottom of the river. Junhyuk realized that his weapons¡¯ effectiveness had also changed.

    His weapons somehow knew that the SWAT members weren¡¯t the enemy, so they weren¡¯t hurt at all, but everything around them was swept clean. The police boat was frozen, and the water around the boat was as well.

    "What just happened?"

    The SWAT officers stared at their rifles, speechless. They were having difficulty breathing from the cold around them, and Junhyuk realized that if he continued swinging the Frozen Rune Sword, they would freeze to death.

    He stepped out of the boat and onto the frozen river. Seven more antas rushed at him, and Junhyuk swung the Blood Rune Sword again because now he was aware of the effect the Frozen Rune Sword had on the environment.

    The antas came at him ferociously, and that made them easier to kill. They were grouped up, and he could kill many at time. Thest two surviving antas dove deep into the water after the exchange, trying to hide.

    "Running away?"

    Thes couldn¡¯t stop the antas, so Junhyuk dove after them. The two were fleeing from him, and heughed at the scene. Unlike before, they couldn¡¯t get away now. Junhyuk used the Spatial sh, killing one, and teleported. Because he could cover fifty meters, he appeared on top of the other anta¡¯s back.

    The anta pped its wings and surfaced, and Junhyuk unceremoniously stabbed it on the head. It died, and a blood-colored shockwave extended out of it.

    The anta¡¯s body dropped on the water, and Junhyuk stepped on it and used his jumping skill. All of the antas were dead, and he had to get out of there. Junhyuk jumped toward the border of the sealed area. He dove in the water,nded at the bottom of the river and started swinging his sword.

    He was underwater, but it didn¡¯t restrain his movements, and he moved forward swinging his sword.

    They had sealed the area withs, and Junhyuk sliced through them with the flow of the water. He was wearing armor, but current was strong, and he would soon be far from there.

    Junhyuk also ran at the bottom of the river, passing underneath two bridges and walking ashoreter. He didn¡¯t want to attract any attention while getting out of the river, so he checked that there was nobody around, hid his items and teleported.

    He cleaned himself and looked around. The current of the water was faster than the officers running, so nobody had been able to follow him. Still, he didn¡¯t leave any traces.

    On his way back, he kept an eye out for CCTV cameras, avoiding them all, andined. He shouldn¡¯t have dived in and should¡¯ve just moved toward the shore instead. Now, he was downtown. He teleported once, covering fifty meters, and people disappeared from sight. Then, he did it again for a total of a hundred meters. He had also taken off his armor so people wouldn¡¯t recognize him.

    Once he got back to his car, Junhyuk took off his shirt and squeezed it before getting in. He had parked very far away from the area. People had stopped looking for him, and he teleported to the driver¡¯s seat, leaned back andughed hysterically.

    The SWAT team had fired at him, but he had learned something new: he hadn¡¯t actually been powerful when he was an expert.

    Junhyuk took the road away from area. He drove off, and his burner phone rang. He answered it.

    "Big brother! Are you crazy?"

    "You saw it too?"

    "Of course! It¡¯s all over the TV! The inte is filled with it! Why did you do it?"

    Junhyuk parked the car and said, "The Dimensional Battlefield monsters are here because management wants to produce more champions."

    "It¡¯s because of you?!"

    "Don¡¯t talk like that. I activated my powers to survive."

    "I¡¯m sorry."

    "No, you don¡¯t have to be sorry. I knew why the monsters were there, so I couldn¡¯t stay home," Junhyuk said and leaned back on his seat and stared into the sky through the car¡¯s sunroof. "I couldn¡¯t watch people die, so I stepped in."

    "I understand." Sarang was silent for a moment and continued, "Is South Korea the only one to have antas?"

    "I¡¯m not sure yet."

    "I could run across them. What should I do?"

    Junhyuk knew the answer to that and told her, "Kill them."

    "Is that OK?"

    "Sure. Your own life is your priority. Don¡¯t die so easily."

    "He-he. I won¡¯t die easily."

    "And keep your real identity hidden."

    "Sure. If not, my life would changepletely."

    Junhyuk wanted to say that the world had changedpletely.

    "Let¡¯s be cautious."

    "Sure. You take care."

    He hung up and pulled out hismunications crystal, thinking of Arn.

    "Why did you call me again?"

    Arn sounded frustrated, and Junhyuk exined everything.

    "My powers seem enhanced here in South Korea."

    "Of course! Being a Champion isn¡¯t just about activating powers. It also means your soul has grown, and your abilities will also increase. The growth of your soul affects your powers."

    "Then, my powers are strengthened forever?"

    "No. That¡¯s only over there. At the Dimensional Battlefield, you will have simr or only slightly better powers."

    "That¡¯s too bad."

    He could do wonders with his new powers at the Dimensional Battlefield, but Arn told him it was impossible.

    "My weapons are enhanced as well. The Frozen Rune Sword froze everything around me."

    Arn remained silent for a minute and said, "It follows its owner¡¯s growth."

    "If I grow stronger, my weapons will grow with me?"

    "Yeah."

    Junhyuk summoned the Frozen Rune Sword and inspected it. It would grow with him.

    "Don¡¯t think about power," Arn said.

    Junhyuk pulled himself together. Arn had already told him sudden power would turn people into demons.

    "Don¡¯t make me kill you," Arn continued.

    Arn was worried about Junhyuk, and he knew it too.

    "That won¡¯t happen."

 Chapter 138: Distorted World 3

    Chapter 138: Distorted World 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Doyeol was watching TV and was surprised by the person appearing on the screen. The antas made good enemies for the iron soldiers and were a good reason for the iron soldiers to be introduced. Ordinary weaponry didn¡¯t affect the monsters, and police needed to use heavy artillery. With that in mind, the iron soldiers could fight the monsters, and their introduction would¡¯ve been timely.

    It would¡¯ve been too bad that the police on the boat would¡¯ve been killed, but as more police got killed, the people would¡¯ve cheered for the iron soldiers. Yet, one man destroyed Doyeol¡¯s dreams, and he looked at Jeffrey.

    "Is that the person you¡¯ve met?"

    "Yes."

    "It that Junhyuk?"

    "There a 50 percent chance."

    Junhyuk asked him not to reveal his identity, and Jeffrey waspletely sure it was him on the screen, but he told Doyeol something else.

    Doyeol looked at the screen and said, "Leave me alone for a moment, please."

    "Sure."

    Jeffrey went outside, and Doyeol pressed a button. Elise appeared on screen. She also seemed very surprised.

    "The events aren¡¯t unfolding correctly."

    "When will they get here?"

    "In less than twenty minutes."

    "Hm."

    Elise was biting on her pen and murmured, "The man who is being called the Dark Knight, are his weapons from the Dimensional Battlefield?"

    "What is the Dark Knight?"

    "That¡¯s what they call him on the inte. He is getting a lot of attention."

    "Too bad."

    "Right... he ruined the iron soldiers¡¯ debut."

    Doyeol sighed.

    "What about his weapon¡¯s abilites?"

    "I¡¯m not sure, but the shockwaves know who his friends are. It¡¯s worth some research."

    "Is that right?"

    He wasn¡¯t sure who the man was. He could guess, but he wasn¡¯t sure and he wanted to watch some more. The world was experiencing a distortion, and that distortion was bringing about changes to what humans could do. The man they called the Dark Knight had to reveal his identity eventually.

    "Who is sending out orders?"

    "I am. Where do you want them?"

    "Send them to headquarters."

    "OK."

    He sighed, leaned back on his chair and sighed again. He had lost the advantage of people being focused on the antas and lost the marketing opportunity.

    "There must be more."

    They were flying from America, and that took a long time. But when they got there, they could be deployed at any moment. He was leaning back on his chair, looking at the TV, when the screen showed the appearance of a new monster. Doyeol jumped out of his seat.

    "Jeffrey!"

    Jeffrey came in, looked at the TV and frowned.

    "It wasn¡¯t just the antas."

    This time, a huge bear had appeared. When the bear stood on its hind legs, it was five meters tall. The bear didn¡¯t appear in Seoul but in Mt. Sek instead, and there were more than one. The antas were the lowest ranking monsters in the Dimensional Battlefield, and the bears were ranked higher than them. The bears were going wild, and nobody could stop them.

    "Shall I go?"

    Jeffrey had the power to deal with the bears. He didn¡¯t care about the attention Junhyuk was getting, but people were getting killed, and he wanted to help.

    "No. Soon, I will be able to deal with them my way."

    Mt. Sek had many hikers, and there were already many casualties. It was a mountain, so people couldn¡¯t really run away, and they died falling off the cliffs.

    Jeffrey looked at the screen and turned around, thinking of Junhyuk. He had thought Junhyuk was an expert, but now his powers didn¡¯t look normal. The feed had shown Junhyuk teleporting, and after that, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t reach the antas, but when he swung his sword, the antas died.

    He killed them with one strike, but more importantly, he swung from a distance. He could have killed Jeffrey if he really wanted to. Jeffrey had escaped by holding on to the bat, but Junhyuk could have killed him. He let Jeffrey get away, and Jeffrey¡¯s best idea so far was to make friends with him.

    ---

    Junhyuk was seating in his car, browsing the inte andughed.

    "Dark Knight?"

    He had been wearing the ck armor and ck cloak, so they were calling him Dark Knight. The SWAT team had attacked him, but he focused on killing the antas. With the dead corpses of the antas floating to the surface of the river, and the corpses of the SWAT team members that died appearing, Junyuk was looking even better.

    Junhyuk checked the news, saw the headlines and frowned.

    "Mt. Sek?"

    The bears were on Mt. Sek, and he had seen them before. They weren¡¯t that strong. Junhyuk could kill them, and even Sarang, with her new weapons, could do the same. The problem was the distance. It would take him at least two hours to get there. If he sped too much, they might find out who he was.

    Junhyuk kept searching for an answer on what to do when his burner phone rang. He picked it up and heard Sarang¡¯s voice.

    "Big brother, huge bears have shown up. Aren¡¯t they ranked higher than the antas?"

    Junhyuk pulled himself together. The Dimensional Battlefield¡¯s managers were responsible, but he had ruined their n. Management wanted to produce more champions, but Junhyuk couldn¡¯t just watch people die.

    He gave up on hiding his powers from other people. The world didn¡¯t know his identity and called him by the Dark Knight moniker.

    Was it because I killed the antas that higher-ranked monsters were there? If I interfered again, would they send monsters ranked even higher?

    If they sent buff monsters, he wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with them alone. It took at least two heroes to handle one of them.

    "Correct. Maybe because I killed the antas they sent higher-level monsters."

    "What are you going to do?"

    He thought it over for a moment.

    "I should help, but it will be best if I don¡¯t have to interfere. If they send higher-level monsters, even the army won¡¯t be able to kill them."

    "You are saying that, but when people are in danger, you always interfere!"

    Junhyuk chuckled. The Dimensional Battlefield was different from South Korea. He couldn¡¯t just watch innocent people die in his dimension. He couldn¡¯t let people die when he could save them. Then, he thought of something he had seen in a movie.

    "Great poweres with great responsibility."

    He felt like people were dying because of him.

    "Do you want me to go with you?"

    "No, not yet."

    People could still be tracking him at that point, so he couldn¡¯t move around with her.

    "Just live your life for now. However, if something happens, don¡¯t hesitate. OK?"

    "I understand. Be careful."

    Junhyuk sighed and decided to move. He started driving and turned the radio on. There was only news concerning what was happening at Mt. Sek. The army stationed nearby moved into the area. They could stop the huge bears from killing people.

    "That must be it."

    Antas were the lowest-ranked monsters, and heavy artillery might have worked on them, but the bears were different. They had thick skin, and the artillery might have no effect. As Junhyuk drove down the highway, he bit his lip.

    "Can the army stop them?"

    If the army couldn¡¯t do it, the number of casualties would increase, and people would eventually activate their powers. However, a person couldn¡¯t deal with those monsters just by activating a single power. Just like him when he first activated his force field, doing it didn¡¯t mean he could kill monsters.

    But if someone activated a power, that person could run away if he wanted to.

    "They don¡¯t have a n!"

    He was angry at Dimensional Battlefield¡¯s managers again, but he wanted to watch the events unfold. The other countries still had monsters at the lowest tier showing up. South Korea was the only one with monsters at a higher tier, so he thought he couldn¡¯t be hasty. Otherwise, he might attract even stronger monsters.

    "What should I do?!" Junhyuk shouted and mmed on the elerator. He was driving at 180 kilometers per hour.

    ---

    The army arrived, sealed the area with barbed wires and started evacuating people. Meanwhile, all three bears gathered in one ce.

    They sent the army in under themander of the 11th Mechanized Infantry Division. He had a map open in his headquarters and asked, "What is the casualty count for sealing the area?"

    "One squad was annihted. They were buying time for us while we sealed off the area."

    "I¡¯ve lived too long to witness something like that," the division¡¯smander said, frowning. "Is the artillery ready?"

    "The bears are within range," the artillery leader answered.

    "OK. How about tanks?"

    "Yes, sir."

    "Then, begin the attack."

    The orders had already been given to kill the bears, and there was no need to hesitate. There had already been over a hundred casualties when the order was given.

    They had watched as the police couldn¡¯t do anything against the fish monsters, so they activated the army.

    The 11th Mechanized Infantry Division was given the responsibility. They intended to use the heavy artillery, and if that didn¡¯t work, they would get something more powerful.

    The division¡¯smander pounded on the desk.

    "Attack!" he ordered, and the nning officer transmitted the orders to the other officers. The artillery unit began firing, filling the air with noise.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

    The ground shook, and the noise stopped.

    "What happened?" themander asked calmly.

    Themunications officer checked and reported back, "The three bears are attacking the artillery unit."

    "Did we kill any?"

    "All three are wounded, but none are dead."

    "Which other unit is nearby?"

    "The 20th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, sir."

    "Evacuate the artillery unit and bring in the mechanized infantry."

    "Yes, sir."

    He gave them quick orders, but the situation wasn¡¯t going as he had nned.

    ---

    The artillery unit thought they could kill the bears when they first opened fire, but the bears were stronger than they had expected. Their skin was burned, and they were wounded in ces, but they kept moving freely. The bears ran across the mountain, but got stopped by the K1 88-Tanks.

    The tanks fired 105mm rounds at the bears.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    The artillery unit had fired at a fixed position and hadn¡¯t hit any of the bears directly. However, they changed their target and concentrated on a single bear, killing it.

    Rrroooaar!

    The bear screamed, staggered and fell, but the soldiers did not rejoice. There were two remaining, and while the soldiers reloaded, the bears got dangerously close.

    They scratched at a tank and tore the armor te off as if it were a piece of paper. The tanks fired while the soldiers fired the K6 Heavy Machine Guns, but they couldn¡¯t wound the bears, and the soldiers got scared after watching the bears tear the tanks appart

    The bears couldn¡¯t be dealt with by humans.

    One of the bears stood up, disying its ws when a small missile zoomed through the sky.

    BOOM!

    There was a loud explosion and mes engulfed the bear. The soldiers were surprised and looked up to see something well beyond their imaginations.

    It was a two-meter tall, golden human. There was smokeing out of its right shoulder, and the iron soldiernded in front of the bear.

    Thunk!

    The iron soldier extended its arms, and its forearms opened up and fired fourteen tiny missiles toward the bear.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

    And more mes engulfed thest bear.

 Chapter 139: Guardians 1

    Chapter 139: Guardians 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Screeech!

    Junhyuk was driving on the highway when he heard the news on the radio. He mmed the breaks and parked by the rest area.

    "What is this?"

    "The Iron Soldier Model 01 is a robot that made its appearance on Mt. Sek, disying scary firepower and killing the bears. ST Capsule¡¯s Doyeol Kim is now holding a press conference. We¡¯ll connect you to it live."

    "Iron soldier?"

    Junhyuk searched the inte in his smartphone, looking for the iron soldier. Doyeol¡¯s breaking press conference was everywhere. The iron soldier¡¯s appearance was sudden, and the press conference helped spread the news all over the world.

    Doyeol¡¯s press conference was being broadcast live on the inte, and Junhyuk found a link to watch it. Jeffrey was standing behind Doyeol. The announcer made a speech, and Doyeol stepped up.

    "The monsters were killed by the iron series robot. It was invented jointly by ST Capsule and Robotics. There was no right time to introduce them, but the world was under attack by monsters, and we decided we needed to deploy them."

    Doyeol paused and looked at the reporters.

    "So, we created Guardians. We will do our best to stop the monsters. We promise."

    Doyeol had dered the establishment of Guardians. All of the reporters got up, and he raised his hand to calm them down.

    "I will only take three questions," he said and pointed to one of the reporters.

    "I¡¯m Junghwa Lim from Korea Daily. The iron soldiers showed up at an opportune time. Did you expect the appearance of monsters?"

    Doyeol smiled and said, "You are mistaken about that. We made the iron soldiers to maximize the metal model¡¯s functionality. If you watch today¡¯s performance, the iron soldier is still in the experimental stage. They are under development, but when we saw the monsters, we couldn¡¯t just sit and watch."

    The reporters were going wild, and Doyeol pointed to another.

    "Korea Broadcasting¡¯s Gukhawn Kim. I¡¯m curious if in fact the iron soldiers could stop the monsters showing up all over the world. There are over a hundred ces with monsters. Could Guardians stop them all?"

    "Guardians has over a hundred iron soldiers in production. We were able to stop the bears that showed up in Korea, which the army couldn¡¯t do, and we will only deal with monsters that the army has no answers for. Also, the iron soldiers can fly and be deployed faster than any army."

    The reporters went wild again, and Doyeol pointed for thest time.

    "I¡¯m Sungho Lim from Donga. Weapons are illegal in South Korea. Isn¡¯t there an issue with the deployments of irons soldiers in South Korea?"

    "We are willing to makepromises with the Korean government. We will use the iron soldiers only to fight monsters and won¡¯t use it in any other way."

    The reporters raised their hands, but Doyeol got up and said, "This is the end of the conference on Guardians. We are not just talk and we¡¯ll be proactive in every scenario."

    Doyeol left, and Junhyuk watched the screen with a nk stare. He hadn¡¯t known about the iron soldiers¡¯ existence. Modern science can deal with monsters from the Dimensional Battlefield?

    They were confident, and the situation was getting out of hand. The appearance of the bears made things worse. The Dimensional Battlefield managers didn¡¯t want iron soldiers to stop the monsters.

    He would see where they were going with that.

    Junhyuk leaned back on his seat and looked up at the sky.

    "What shall I do now?"

    They could stop the monsters without him, and he shouldn¡¯t step in anyway. He had only wanted to watch the events unfold, but when people died, he stepped in. Junhyuk had thought they wouldn¡¯t be able to stop the bears, but they didn¡¯t need him anymore.

    "Should I just see what will happen next?" he murmured, staring at the sky.

    Depending on how well Guardians performed, the Dimensional Battlefield managers could send even stronger monsters that couldn¡¯t be dealt with by them.

    Junhyuk started driving again. It was time for him to go home.

    ---

    Right after he got home, he was lying on his bed when he decided to check the distance he could teleport. He couldn¡¯t teleport at home anymore because the distance had increased, so he thought he needed a new ce to practice. All of his powers had increased, so he couldn¡¯t keep practicing at home.

    He was checking the inte for a new space when the doorbell rang. Junhyuk knew he wasn¡¯t expecting any guests, so he looked at the interphone¡¯s screen and frowned.

    "Jeffrey?"

    Jeffrey was holding a six pack of beer and said, "How about some beer?"

    Junhyuk thought about Jeffrey standing behind Doyeol earlier and opened the door. Maybe he knew a lot about Guardians.

    Jeffrey looked around andughed.

    "Your ce is really empty."

    He kept it spacious to train, so like Jeffrey said, it was empty. Junhyuk got a small table and said, "I don¡¯t have any appetizers..."

    "I thought so, and I brought something."

    Jeffrey pulled out some beef jerky, and Junhyuk chuckled. He got a few tes and set the beef jerky on one.

    "Busy day?"

    "Since the monsters started showing up, yes."

    Jeffrey got a beer can and smiled.

    "Did you see the Dark Knight? It¡¯s all over the inte."

    Junhyuk took another can and answered, "I saw it. He has quite the power."

    Jeffrey saw through Junhyuk¡¯s denial andughed out loud.

    "Surely, he has to be an expert. Teleportation and long range attacks, I¡¯m very curious."

    Junhyuk opened the can, and sipped on it. He had no reply to what Jeffery had just said.

    "I¡¯m more curious about Guardians¡¯ iron soldiers. They must be powerful to kill those bears."

    Jeffrey had guessed at why Junhyuk opened the door and smiled.

    "I saw today¡¯s battle on TV. The robots are capable of flight. Beforending, that one used its weaponry to burn and kill the bear."

    "Is that even possible?"

    "The robot fired small missiles that were actually napalm bombs. The bears were roasted."

    Junhyuk wondered if his ck armor could withstand the napalm bombs. His magic defense was lower than his regr defence, so he wasn¡¯t sure he could. However, he could teleport and use his Spatial sh to destroy one of the iron soldiers. He felt confident he could win in a fight.

    Jeffrey stared cooly at Junhyuk.

    "Modern science has evolved beyond my imagination," he said.

    "Can Guardians¡¯ iron soldiers kill other monsters?" Junhyuk asked.

    "Today¡¯s show isn¡¯t everything. Don¡¯t worry about it for a while."

    "For a while?"

    Jeffrey looked calmly at Junhyuk.

    "Why are the monsters here? Why now?"

    "The abnormal narcolepsy also came without warning."

    Jeffreyughed.

    "That¡¯s right."

    Junhyuk emptied the can.

    "I¡¯m done drinking."

    "I¡¯m not done yet."

    Jeffrey seemed rxed, but Junhyuk thought he was shameless. However, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t let his guard down around him. He had survived the Dimensional Battlefield so far.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know which battlefield he was on, but he was a novice, and that was something. Experts had an extra life, but novices had to survive in there, and that took more than just a power.

    Jeffrey was smiling now, but he had to have a strong desire to live.

    "Keep drinking."

    Junhyuk chewed on the beef jerky and looked at Jeffrey. He drank slowly and asked, "What a difficult thing it is to be an expert!"

    "What is an expert?"

    Jeffrey forgot where he was and answered, "An expert is someone who has activated two powers. It¡¯s hard to activate one power, so how hard must it be to activate two?"

    Junhyuk thought it wasn¡¯t that hard. There were only a few novices, and now there were two experts. The rate was higher than Jeffrey thought. Considering all of the people summoned to the Dimensional Battlefield, the rate was still low however.

    "The Dark Knight has two powers, and they are exceptional. He can teleport a distance of fifty meters, so even heroes can¡¯t chase him down."

    If he could teleport that distance at the Dimensional Battlefield, he wouldn¡¯t be killed ever, but over there, he could only cover a thirteen-meter distance.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to talk about it.

    "This ce, the Dimensional Battlefield, I can¡¯t fathom at what it¡¯s like. However, to survive, it seems important to gain your allies¡¯ trust rather than antagonize them."

    "How do you earn your allies¡¯ trust?"

    "If your allies are willing to die for you, your survival rate will increase exponentially."

    Jeffrey shook his head.

    "You mean those haughty heroes?"

    Junhyuk nodded calmly. He knew why Jeffrey had that attitude, but the heroes had told him they would die in his ce, and their health went down because they tried to save him.

    Was it because they needed him?

    That¡¯s part of it, but Junhyuk had fought with them, so he thought of them as hisrades.

    Jeffrey looked at Junhyuk and shrugged.

    "It¡¯s something to think about," he said and emptied his beer can. "I¡¯ll put the rest of them in your refrigerator and I¡¯lle back again."

    "If you do that, I¡¯ll drink them all!"

    "No worries," he said and got up. "Today, Doyeol asked me about the Dark Knight. I told him nothing."

    "Really?"

    Junhyuk was very rxed, and Jeffrey shrugged and turned to leave. He walked to the door, put his shoes on and asked, "I meant to ask you, where did you get that old pair of sses?"

    "I have bad eyesight nowadays."

    Jeffrey¡¯s eyes beamed, but he shrugged and turned around. Junhyuk was wearing an antique pair of sses, and they had to be from the Dimensional Battlefield. Still, he wouldn¡¯t ask. He had seen Junhyuk¡¯s power and he didn¡¯t want to die.

    Jeffrey said goodbye, and Junhyuk watched him with his sses and thought Jeffrey was a capable person. He had 150 health and 200 mana. Ordinary humans only had 10 health, so Jeffrey was impressive.

 Chapter 140: Guardians 2

    Chapter 140: Guardians 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Even after the monsters¡¯ appearance, time passed normally, and it was time to report to work. On Monday morning, Junhyuk headed there.

    The shoot for the broadcast had been scheduled for that week, but all the world was talking about were the monsters, and no one knew what would happen next. Celebrities who had been scheduled for the shoot declined to participate, so the broadcast was postponed indefinitely.

    Junhyuk listened to what had happened and nodded. It wasn¡¯t the time to be making a movie, and he understood that.

    The Han River monsters and the Mt. Sek monsters, after those two events, no more monsters appeared in South Korea. If the monsters kept appearing endlessly, they would have sealed certain areas off, but no more monsters showed up.

    However, the possibility made people even more nervous. No one knew when or where the monsters might show up next, and people were afraid, so they started seeking someone to save them. The Dark Knight and Guardians were hot subjects when it came to that.

    Guardians ced an iron soldier in South Korea and deployed fifty iron soldiers to countries around the world. There were monsters all over the world, and some hadn¡¯t been killed by the armies of those countries, or their responses had been too slow. In the end, the iron soldiers killed all of the monsters. The lowest-ranked monsters couldn¡¯t deal with the iron soldiers¡¯ firepower.

    Junhyuk reported for work, but he had nothing to do because the filming had been postponed indefinitely, so he watched the iron soldiers killing monsters on the inte. He didn¡¯t know much about them, but he could end up meeting and fighting one. At least, he thought so.

    The Rockefeller family owned the iron soldiers, so he was preparing himself in case he had to fight them and analyzed the iron soldiers¡¯ astounding abilities online.

    One iron soldier carried twenty-eight small napalm bombs, and their palms opened up to a 14.5mm anti-aircraft rifle. Their destructive power was astonishing. The iron soldier made sure the enemy didn¡¯t approach by keeping its distance, and its long range firepower was just amazing. It also responded very quickly.

    Junhyuk could only teleport twice, so he started thinking he would have a hard time if there were more than three iron soldiers. If the iron soldiers gathered in one ce, he could kill them with the shockwaves, but if not, he would have a tough time.

    Junhyuk was going over strategies to fight the iron soldiers when his office phone rang. He picked it up, and it was Eunseo.

    "Please,e to my office."

    "I¡¯ll be right there."

    He hung up and headed to Eunseo¡¯s office. Sukhoon was inside with her, and Junhyuk was surprised when he saw them. Ordinary people didn¡¯t have health above twenty, and people didn¡¯t usually have mana. Eunseo had twenty health and ten mana.

    The sses read soul power. People said strong bodies embodied strong souls, so people with stronger constitution on average had higher health, but still, Eunseo¡¯s health was unexpected, and she also had mana.

    He couldn¡¯t call her a novice, but among minions, she would put up a fight. Maybe she could be a magician minion. As soon as he saw them, Junhyuk greeted them, and after, he thought about her. Sukhoon greeted him as well and offered him a seat.

    "Filming is cancelled. You must feel bad."

    He felt just fine. That only meant he could train some more.

    "I¡¯m OK."

    Sukhoon looked at Eunseo and then asked Junhyuk, "What do you think of Guardians?"

    "Guardians? They are our defense against the monsters."

    They had established Guardians and announced it the day before, and the world was already going wild over it. When the soldiers were deployed, they could actually stop the monsters.

    Sukhoon smiled and said, "Right. Guardians is like that. I don¡¯t know when my brother thought of Guardians, but with the iron soldiers, the world is a different ce."

    The monsters¡¯ appearance had already changed the world, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t express his opinion and merely agreed with Sukhoon.

    "Right."

    "So, what I¡¯m saying..."

    But Eunseo cut him off, "I will tell him."

    "Yeah? You will?"

    She fixed her sses and looked at Junhyuk.

    "Guardians will be operated by the lowest number of personnel possible. We just need researchers and repairpeople. We don¡¯t need anybody else."

    It was where they housed the iron soldiers, and Eunseo continued, "I will take the position as Guardians¡¯ CEO."

    "What?!"

    Guardians¡¯ CEO position couldn¡¯t just go to anybody. It was natural for the position to go to a family member, but Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected that.

    Sukhoon shrugged and said, "Surely, she is capable of bing a CEO. She is a good manager."

    Junhyuk stared at Eunseo. She was crippled from the waist down, but she still had her charisma. No, the truth was she had even more charisma than before. She would do a great job as their CEO.

    "Congrattions!"

    She adjusted her sses and looked at him.

    "Will you transfer to Guardians with me?"

    "What?!"

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t imagined that at all. He was shocked, and Sukhoon continued calmly, "ST Capsule owns Guardians. When you transfer, you won¡¯t quit your job as thepany¡¯s model. However, you would just be bored here, so you should go and establish Guardians with her."

    Junhyuk wanted to smile bitterly. Even he knew he didn¡¯t fit in with the Strategy nning Department. He had more fun doing advertising jobs and hanging out with people. The people in the Strategy nning Department saw Junhyuk as someone who had been hired as a marketing ploy.

    He was an inte sensation, and that¡¯s why he became an employee. Then, he saved Eunseo from an ident. However, after joining the department, he worked mainly as a model. He thought it over for a moment. Should I go to Guardians? He was still under contract for his model work, so he couldn¡¯t quit.

    Junhyuk stared at Eunseo. Why did she call for me? The only information I¡¯ve given her is that I am fluent in tennguages.

    "What will I do there?"

    "Guardians was established with a moment¡¯s notice. We must begin from the start. We have to meet with government officials for adjustments and send documents to countries worldwide. It won¡¯t be hard to get the cooperation from other countries, but we have to have the agreements on paper."

    It concerned making stepping stones for thepany. Junhyuk thought he could do more with Guardians, but he didn¡¯t want any overtime work.

    "I feel positive about the transfer, but make me a promise."

    "What is it?"

    "I won¡¯t do overtime work."

    Sukhoonughed hard.

    "Ha-ha-ha! I really like you. Right. You should speak your mind when necessary."

    Eunseo adjusted her sses and said, "I guarantee normal work hours."

    "What about sry?"

    "The sry will be the same, and you will continue to work as ST Capsule¡¯spany model."

    "I will appear on ads and get paid extra?"

    "Correct."

    Junhyuk nodded. The extra money meant hundreds of times the regr annual ie. He made good money while working as a model, so he wouldn¡¯t refuse it. Then, Junhyuk thought about the mana stone he had brought back. If he sold it, he wouldn¡¯t even have to work anymore. He was tempted to do it, but he put it on hold. He could afford anything he wants now, so he shouldn¡¯t be greedy.

    "Where is thepany?"

    "We need aboratory, so we will renovate a factory in the city of Paju."

    "When do I transfer?"

    "If you¡¯ve made up your mind, just sign the contract. You will transfer when you are ready, and I¡¯ll take care of any other issues."

    Junhyuk hesitated and asked, "When I get there, I can see the iron soldiers?"

    "Yes, that will be part of your job, but you won¡¯t give them orders."

    If he could see the iron soldiers up close, he would learn more about them.

    "I¡¯ll do it."

    Junhyuk had decided, and Eunseo pushed the contract forward. He read it quickly and signed it, giving the document back to Sukhoon, who asked, "Why are you wearing those old sses? You are the face of ourpany."

    JUnhyuk¡¯s sses were round-shaped, and he deserved thatment. Next time he visited the Dimensional Merchant, he would change their shape just like the Pure Golden Knight Elder¡¯s boot.

    He felt the need to wear sharper-looking sses.

    Eunseo took the contract from Sukhoon and said, "The transfer isplete. Spend today packing your belongings. We will have a goodbye party tomorrow. Starting on Wednesday, report to work at Guardians¡¯ headquarters."

    Junhyuk got up from his seat, bowed and left.

    "Eunseo, why don¡¯t you take someone more capable?" Sukhoon asked her.

    "There are plenty of capable people already."

    At that point, Junhyuk was on the verge of bing an icon. Guardians would have plenty ofints about his hire, but Junhyuk would silence all of the critics. He was already famous around the world and he would help them meet different people from many countries. They would say that it was all because of Junhyuk¡¯s starpower, but that power couldn¡¯t be ignored either, and he would learn how to do his daily assignments.

    Eunseo adjusted her sses and said, "You should have taken the CEO position. I¡¯m sorry."

    "You shouldn¡¯t be sorry. Doyeol didn¡¯t think I would do a good job."

    Sukhoon wasn¡¯t disappointed. He didn¡¯t want that kind of responsibility yet, and Guardians wouldn¡¯t bring in any profits.

    "I¡¯ll be going."

    Sukhoon saw Junhyuk packing his belongings. As Junhyuk finished, people walked over to him, and he smiled and exined things. The people were left surprised. Some of them were envious, but most were sincerely happy for him and shook his hand.

    Sukhoon murmured, "Why does Doyeol want Eunseo and Junhyuk?"

    He understood Eunseo bing a CEO, but he didn¡¯t understand why Doyeol wanted Junhyuk to apany her. It was a secret to Eunseo because Sukhoon had merely mentioned his name, and Eunseo agreed right away and had him transferred. However, Sukhoon was still curious.

 Chapter 141: Guardians 3

    Chapter 141: Guardians 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The goodbye party for Junhyuk and Eunseo was simple. They held it at the best beef barbeque restaurant and spent a fortune, so most people didn¡¯t feel bad because the two were leaving. Many people were sad because Eunseo had to leave, but only two people felt the same way about Junhyuk.

    Somin and Mr. Jang were saddened by the news. Mr. Jang just gave him some encouragement to do well once Junhyuk got to his new job, but Somin was filled with sorrow. At the end, Junhyuk told Somin to call him anytime she wanted to, while Jangho stared hard at Somin. Junhyuk, however, didn¡¯t care about Jangho¡¯s stare.

    Somin was very happy that Junhyuk¡¯s had said that, and Jangho stared her down again, but Junhyuk just ignored him. In any event, Junhyuk didn¡¯t have time to date. He felt guilty meeting other women other than Sarang.

    Once the simple goodbye party was over, Junhyuk headed home. He arrived, fell on his bed, pulled out his tablet and looked for information on the city where he was going to work. It wouldn¡¯t be easy tomute to Paju, so he decided to buy a new house there.

    He felt guilty about owning two houses, but he was earning enough, and it was necessary. Junhyuk thought about his new house. It needed to berge, at least fifty meters across, so that he could practice teleporting.

    There weren¡¯t a lot of options. Only three houses fit the criteria, and he would visit them all the next day.

    He called Sarang on the burner phone.

    "Whoa! Why did you call me first?"

    "I¡¯m transferring. Starting tomorrow, I report to work at a different ce," he said calmly.

    "That doesn¡¯t make any sense! You gave up on your dream job?"

    "It¡¯s owned by the samepany, and I get paid the same. I¡¯ll also continue to work as a model."

    "ST Capsule owns the otherpany?"

    "The newly created Guardians."

    "Why did you transfer?" Sarang asked, surprised.

    "I wanted to learn more about the iron soldiers."

    "Won¡¯t it be dangerous?"

    "It¡¯ll be fine."

    She didn¡¯t think Junhyuk would die, so she quickly agreed.

    "Where is the newpany?"

    "Paju."

    "Really?! That¡¯s so far."

    "I have to move there."

    "Then, you won¡¯te see me anymore?"

    "I could, and I¡¯ll see you every two weeks."

    "Hm... We don¡¯t even have time to eat a proper meal over there."

    Junhyukughed.

    "Friday, I have to go to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. We¡¯ll dine together on Thursday."

    "Hm... Can you meet me?"

    "I¡¯ll wear a disguise, so don¡¯t worry."

    Sarangughed brightly and whispered, "My mom is here. I need to hang up."

    "Right. Sleep tight."

    Junhyuk hung up and raised his hand. He stared at it and slowly closed his eyes, mumbling, "I have to find a suitable house."

    ---

    In the morning, he got a message on his phone and put the address in the GPS and drove to Guardians¡¯ headquarters in Paju.

    It was a repurposed and renovated factory,rger than ST Capsule¡¯s headquarters. Junhyuk was stopped by the guards at the huge entrance and showed them the employee ID given to him by Eunseo.

    One of the guards verified it and opened the gate. Junhyuk felt the security was top notch and drove in. Therge parking lot only had five cars parked in it. Junhyuk parked his car and went inside the building, realizing the security was tighter than he had expected. He saw a female worker behind a desk and walked over.

    "Hello."

    "Hello," Junhyuk greeted her, and the female worker smiled.

    "The CEO is waiting for you."

    "Where do I go?"

    "Head to the third floor."

    Junhyuk walked toward the elevator and had to pass through a metal detector. He turned around, and the female worker smiled at him.

    "It¡¯s for safety."

    Junhyuk went through, and it scanned his body using a blue light. Once that was over, he got on the elevator and went to the third floor. Soon, he saw the door to the CEO¡¯s office and opened it to find a bunch of secretaries inside.

    Among them, he saw some familiar faces. The bodyguards who followed Eunseo around and looked well-trained each had ten health. The sses showed him the strength of their souls, but they also had physical strength.

    The secretaries weremanded by a woman, and the woman also had ten health. She definitely wasn¡¯t ordinary. They were all strong, and he felt awkward.

    "I¡¯m Head Secretary Dohee Anh. The CEO is waiting for you."

    He wasn¡¯tte, but Eunseo was already there. Junhyuk showed her his ID and said, "Guardians¡¯ Junhyuk Lee."

    Guardians didn¡¯t have separate departments. Junhyuk would oversee Guardians, but he didn¡¯t know who was who yet. Dohee took him into Eunseo¡¯s office, and he saw her there. She offered him a seat and moved closer to him on her wheelchair.

    Junhyuk sat, and Eunseo told Dohee, "Two cups of tea, please."

    "Yes, ma¡¯am."

    Dohee came back with the tea and left.

    "I sent you everything by email," Eunseo said.

    Junhyuk checked his tablet and was surprised at the amount of unopened emails. It didn¡¯t look simple.

    "There¡¯s an iron soldier in the hangar. Let¡¯s go see it," she said.

    "Can I?"

    She nodded.

    "We are responsible for everything in the Executive Department. Our main priority is the iron soldiers. There is a repair team and a research team, but the responsibility lies with us."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk was d that he could get closer to the iron soldiers, and Eunseo sipped her tea.

    "I will introduce you to the head of the Development Department we scouted."

    "Is it a famous person?"

    "It¡¯s the former head of the development team at Robotics, the actual inventor of the iron soldiers."

    Junhyuk was curious to meet that person. He wanted to see an iron soldier¡¯s powers and check to see if the current energy system was enough to keep it operational. He definitely wanted to meet the inventor.

    Eunseo finished her tea and took Junhyuk to the hangar. There, he saw an actual iron soldier for the first time. It was a two-meter tall humanoid robot and it looked clumsy.

    "It looks odd in real life."

    He thought it would look sharper, and someone said in a dry tone, "Nothing can be done about that. To equip itself, it has to berge, and because it isrge, it carries heavy equipment."

    Junhyuk turned around and saw a woman with her hair tied up. He thought Eunseo was strong, but the woman was stronger. She had thirty health and twenty mana. The woman couldn¡¯t be a novice yet, but she would make a strong minion.

    Eunseo looked at her and said, "This is the person I want to introduce you to, Development Chief Elise."

    Junhyuk felt that she had replied sharply, but that had to be because Junhyuk had said something unpleasant about the iron soldier.

    "Nice to meet you. I¡¯m the Executive Department¡¯s Junhyuk Lee."

    "Development Department Chief Elise."

    She stood next to Junhyuk and looked at the iron soldier.

    "As I told you just now, to deal with monsters, it needs heavy artillery. When we analyzed the bears¡¯ skins, we found that it couldn¡¯t be pierced by ordinary firepower."

    Elise spoke slowly, and Junhyuk stared at the iron soldier.

    "I¡¯ve witnessed the power of iron solder. It¡¯s killing monsters all over the world."

    "Right. State-of-the-art weaponry is installed on every iron soldier, and they are killing the monsters, but we have a lot more to show."

    "That wasn¡¯t everything?"

    Elise smiled.

    "Of course not. They are state-of-the-art machines. The powers disyed so far are just the tip of the iceberg."

    Junhyuk looked at the iron soldier.

    "I want to see it, its true power."

    Elise shook her head, and said, sounding very proud, "That won¡¯t happen. The monsters can¡¯t bring out the best of the iron soldiers." And she whispered, "Maybe the Dark Knight will do the job."

    "The Dark Knight?" Junhyuk asked and turned to her.

    Sheughed.

    "The Dark Knight killed the Han River monsters by himself, disying amazing power. He has abilities beyond modern technology."

    Technology couldn¡¯t match Junhyuk¡¯s powers. Beyond even novices and experts, as a champion, he had supernatural powers.

    Junhyuk stared at the iron soldier. It hadn¡¯t disyed all of its power, and Junhyuk frowned. He had already thought it would be difficult to deal with one, and Elise was telling him that wasn¡¯t all.

    He turned to look at Elise and asked, "How many employees do you have?"

    "I¡¯m alone," she answered.

    "What?"

    She smiled and continued, "More urately, I¡¯m with Zaira. But she is an artificial supeputer. I¡¯m alone with my robots."

    Junhyuk looked at Eunseo, and she said, "She brought her things with her. The equipment she put in this ce costs over $500 million."

    The iron soldier was special and state of the art, and they had already spent $500 million on its inventor. She had brought things with her and had an artificial supeputer. Guardians probably had invested over $1 billion.

    It was understandable why the security was tight. They had all that equipment there. Elise guessed at what he was thinking and smiled.

    "No one can break in here. Zaira could spot anyone trying to do it."

    Junhyuk nodded and looked at Eunseo.

    "What is our priority here?"

    "Theposition of cooperation documents," she answered.

    He thought that would be boring, and Eunseo said, "We have rough drafts done. You just have to trante them."

    "Count of me for that," he said confidently, and Eunseo looked at Elise.

    "Elise, you are doing well."

    "Don¡¯t worry. Since I have unlimited support, I will show you what can be done as a scientist."

    "I expect big things."

    She turned to Junhyuk and said, "I¡¯ll take you to your office."

    Junhyuk followed Eunseo and disappeared. Elise watched him through a hangar window. Once he hadpletely disappeared, she said, "Zaira, what do you think?"

    "His physicality is quite powerful. It¡¯s beyond human limitations."

    "Is something special about him?"

    "He has three items that need to be analyzed and he has a hidden pure mana stone with him."

    "A mana stone..." she said, smiling brightly. "Just like Doyeol had guessed."

 Chapter 142: New Novice 1

    Chapter 142: New Novice 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk had impressed Eunseo big time that day. She had written the official cooperation documents, and he had very nicely tranted them into tennguages. He sent her the cooperation documents and asked, "Every time an iron soldier is deployed, it costs a lot of money. Can it be sustained by the monsters¡¯ residual product?"

    Junhyuk¡¯s cooperation document stated that they wouldn¡¯t be paid at all for the iron soldier¡¯s deployment. Instead, they would get the leftover monster materials.

    Eunseo was not worried and answered, "Guardians is a way to stop the monsters. We aren¡¯t here to make money."

    "That¡¯s fine, but Guardians still requires an astronomical amount of money to run!"

    They didn¡¯t use ordinary weaponry when the hunted for monsters, and Junhyuk was curious about how that would work.

    Eunseo adjusted her sses and said, "I know what you are curious about. The iron soldiers use weapons supplied by the defense industries. They make new weapons and advertise them that way."

    After making new weapons, they had to find buyers. If their weapons could be used against the monsters, it would be an advertising boon for thosepanies. The iron soldiers umted data while fighting monsters, and during the process, the weapons could be showcased to the world.

    "And we want the monsters¡¯ residual materials so that we can study their weaknesses. If the army kills the monsters instead of us, we will still buy the materials so that we can analyze them further."

    "Research the monsters¡¯ leftover materials?"

    "Some monsters¡¯ materials are already on their way here. Chief Developer Elise will analyze them."

    Junhyuk was surprised.

    "Elise is alone with her supeputer. Can you give her that many assignments all at once?"

    "I have ess rights for her supeputer, Zaira. Don¡¯t worry about information monopoly."

    But Elise had created Zaira, and wouldn¡¯t she only reveal information she wanted to?

    Eunseo cleaned up her desk and said, "You¡¯ve worked hard today. We will hire more employees for the Executive Department. Meanwhile, it¡¯ll just be the two of us."

    Junhyuk looked at his watch and smiled. It was time to go home, and Eunseo was taking care of the rest of the business.

    "What are you doing after work today?"

    "It¡¯s a longmute, so I¡¯m looking for houses around here."

    "Good thinking. Longmutes can be taxing."

    "Yes. I already know which houses I¡¯m seeing, and I¡¯m nning to sign a contract for one today."

    "I¡¯ll see you tomorrow."

    Eunseo went out, and Dohee followed her. Junhyuk watched her go and then packed his belongings and looked around the Executive Department¡¯s office. He was the only employee in thatrge office. That day, he had Eunseo working with him, so he wasn¡¯t bored. Soon, however, he would be because he would be working there alone.

    "But I get to leave at the right time!"

    The newly establishedpany allowed him to get off work on time, and he was grateful. Junhyuk hummed, got his bag and went to his car. He would go look at three houses, and he would get one.

    He looked at all three houses. One of the houses had been overadvertised online, the other had an owner that would take another month to move out. At thest house, the owner was moving abroad and needed someone to move in right away. The house wasrge, and Junhyuk liked its structure.

    The garden was big, and the building itself was alsorge. He especially liked its huge underground floor. Diagonally from end to end, it was about sixty meters long and it was arge space.

    The floor had plenty of exercising equipment, and there was a boxing ring in the center. The owner¡¯s father used to be a boxer, but he was living abroad on business now.

    Junhyuk could buy the house for cheap. It was 1,652 square meters, and he paid $2 million for it. He decided to pay in cash and put down a $200 thousand deposit. He would pay the rest in cash when the owners moved out, and they told him they would move out by Friday.

    If they did, Junhyuk could renovate the house on the weekend, so he agreed.

    He looked at the ce. Housing in Paju was cheap inparison, but he was still lucky to get such a big house. Two million dors was a lot of money, but it was cheap for the size of the house. They prefered cash, so he had been able to lower the price. The going rate had been much higher than what he had paid.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to settle down in Paju, but he had no regrets. He would earn more money, and if not, he would sell the mana stones to Jeffrey. Then, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about money again.

    He had spent $2 million, but now, he had the space he wanted to train. The price had been worth it. He couldn¡¯t spend money if he died, so he needed to invest on his training, and he felt good about it.

    Junhyuk got in his car, started the engine and called Sarang with the burner phone. He wanted to talk to someone, and the first person he thought of was her. The burner phone rang three times, and Sarang picked up.

    "Tomorrow, the Sun will rise from the West. Are you going to keep calling me first?"

    "Don¡¯t be silly. I went to work today and signed the contract for a new house."

    "You bought a new house? And went to Paju for work?"

    "I needed space to train and I didn¡¯t have a choice."

    He needed to renovate the new house, and renting created problems.

    "Is it arge house?"

    "You¡¯ll be shocked when you see it. It cost me $2 million."

    "ARE YOU CRAZY?!?!" she shouted at the mention of the price, and Junhyuk held the phone away from his ear.

    "I am not crazy and I have the money," he said.

    "This is a lot, too much! Are you that wealthy?"

    "You didn¡¯t¡¯ know?"

    "If you can afford a $2 million house, you have to be wealthy. I will leech from you."

    "Look for a ce where I can disguise myself."

    "I already have."

    Junhyukughed.

    "I learned more about the iron soldiers. I need to be more cautious."

    "Why?"

    "They haven¡¯t used the iron soldiers at full power for the monster hunts yet. It¡¯s equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry far beyond our imagination."

    "Are you there to learn more?"

    "That¡¯s right, but one day wasn¡¯t enough to learn much. I¡¯m also there to work. I¡¯m not a bum."

    Sarang smiled brightly.

    "Have a housewarming party."

    "Sure. I¡¯ll send you the invitation."

    He was afraid there was someone always following him, but now his teleportation had increased. He could cover a hundred meters if he teleported twice. With that distance, no one could keep up.

    Junhyuk was driving.

    "See you tomorrow," he said.

    "Be careful."

    Junhyuk hung up and stepped on the elerator. It was alreadyte, and there weren¡¯t many cars on the road, so he drove fast.

    ---

    Second Day at Work

    On Thursday, he wanted to get to work before Eunseo, so he woke up at dawn and got there by eight o¡¯clock. Eunseo wasn¡¯t there yet, and Junhyuk passed through the metal detector and went to his office to read the cooperation documents again.

    While he was reading, Eunseo arrived at work with her team of secretaries. Junhyuk walked out of the office and greeted her.

    Eunseo bowed toward him and said, "Today, we have five international conference calls. I¡¯ll need you for simultaneous interpreting."

    "Sure."

    She looked at her watch.

    "We start at ten. Take the cooperation documents to the meeting room and get ready."

    "Yes, ma¡¯am."

    Eunseo went to her office, and Junhyuk gathered the documents. He had tranted them in ten differentnguages, so he went to the meeting room and took a seat.

    At 9:50 a.m., Eunseo entered the meeting room and moved her wheelchair next to Junhyuk.

    "The first meeting is with China. You won¡¯t have any problems, correct?"

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk pulled out the documents in Korean and in Chinese and ced them in front of Eunseo and waited. Dohee walked over to one of the walls and pressed a button. A seventy-inch monitor slid down from the ceiling, and its screen turned on. Dohee pressed more buttons, and a person appeared on the screen.

    Junhyuk saw who it was and was surprised. After connecting with China, he couldn¡¯t believe at who had appeared on the screen. It was Jowee Jhang a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China. Junhyuk didn¡¯t know who he was, but he had an impressive title.

    China¡¯s Communist Party had 73 million members. The Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China was the very top of those people, and there were only nine senior members in it. The man was a high ranking member of the Politburo, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t think he would have the time to participate in that conference call.

    At ten o¡¯clock, Mr. Jhang appeared with an interpreter, and Eunseo bowed toward him.

    "Nice to meet you, Guardians¡¯ CEO Eunseo Kim," Jowee said, bowing slightly.

    "It¡¯s good to see you, Jowee Jhang."

    They started a light conversation, and Junhyuk acted as the simultaneous interpreter. He didn¡¯t have any problems keeping up, so Jowee and Eunseo started the serious conversation.

    Jowee raised the cooperation documents and asked, "These cooperation documents don¡¯t have anypulsory enforcement. Isn¡¯t that right?"

    "Of course."

    "If that¡¯s the case, we won¡¯t sell the monsters¡¯ residual products. You need to recognize that the residual materials belong to China even when resulted from iron soldiers killing the monsters."

    Eunseo adjusted her sses, and Junhyuk could see that she was ufortable.

    "When the Chinese army kills the monsters we will relinquish the residual materials, but when iron soldiers kill the monsters, we have the rights to the leftovers."

    Jowee smiled coldly.

    "You sound very dangerous. Is it OK if China expels the Guardians?"

    "No, we will augment our detachment in China. Guardians needs more than ten ces to support China effectively from the monsters."

    "Then, why don¡¯t you cooperate?"

    "The monsters situation requires worldwide attention, so research on the monsters must continue."

    "So, we will do our own research."

    "There are many different types of monsters showing up all over the world. China has blood wolves, and they only appear there. To research more about them, we need the leftover materials."

    Joweeughed.

    "You don¡¯t have any ulterior motivation?"

    Eunseo didn¡¯t speak further and stared at him. Junhyuk, who had been interpreting so far, looked at her. She wasn¡¯t giving an inch while dealing with one of China¡¯s leaders. Jowee was about to speak when his assistant whispered something in his ear. He frowned and looked at Eunseo.

    "Let¡¯s talk another time," he said, and the feed cut off suddenly. Junhyuk thought Jowee had been rude and didn¡¯t have any manners, but Elise appeared on the screen.

    "There is another worldwide monster attack. Korea has monsters at the Seoul National Cemetery. Allow me to deploy the iron soldier."

    Eunseo nodded and said, "Deploy the iron soldier!"

 Chapter 143: New Novice 2

    Chapter 143: New Novice 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The monsters had been quiet for a while, but now they reappeared. However, Junhyuk hadn¡¯t thought that the monsters would disappear after one wave.

    They had appeared suddenly, and the nervous group headed to where Elise was. When Junhyuk arrived at the Development Department he was really surprised by the size and amount of monitors. They covered a wall that was about two floors high and were disying a quickly-changing panorama of downtown Seoul.

    "Different from what I had imagined, they fly low."

    He had thought the iron soldiers would fly at high altitudes, but that wasn¡¯t the case, and Junhyuk thought they probably scared people. Elise saw Junhyuk¡¯s surprise andughed at him.

    "Don¡¯t worry. The low flights impress people and also work as advertisements."

    Junhyuk nodded.

    "What about the monsters? What are they?"

    Elise had her arms crossed and murmured, "Something unexpected. I thought they would show up in America. Zombies."

    "Zombies?"

    He had met the undead before. They resided in dark ces, and he felt better it was zombies. They were vulnerable to physical attacks.

    "Is there only one kind?"

    Eunseo asked, and Elise nodded.

    "But there are many of them, and the national cemetery is a meaningful ce. Can we really destroy it?"

    Eunseo fixed her sses and said, "You must act before people are hurt, and a small amount of destruction will be OK. You must act quickly."

    "Don¡¯t worry about it. I see Seoul National Cemetery."

    The iron soldier was recording, and the national cemetery had turned into a pandemonium. There were car idents all around it, and people had gotten out of their cars and started running wild.

    Behind them were the zombies. It was the middle of the day, and there were twelve zombies, but they moved really fast.

    Unlike in the movies, they covered long distances in a short time to bite people. As the zombies ran around killing people, Junhyuk clenched his fists. His heart was pounding from watching those people die.

    The screen showed the iron soldier¡¯s arm. It opened, and small missiles shot out of it. The zombies were the target, and the missiles hit them urately. The zombies moved fast, but the missiles were faster.

    The iron soldier used napalm bombs, and soon the national cemetery was engulfed in mes.

    As Junhyuk watched, he asked, "Have the people been evacuated?"

    Elise nodded.

    "No one there is alive, and the napalm¡¯s range won¡¯t reach any survivors."

    That meant that, in a short time, the zombies had killed a lot of people. Junhyuk could see that the zombies¡¯ moved too quickly for a normal human. There were at least twenty dead at the cemetery.

    They lost their lives in such a short time!

    Junhyuk watched the zombies getting killed. Surely, the iron soldier was powerful.

    Elise looked at the screen.

    "There is movement inside the cemetery. Entering."

    The iron soldier flew up and the screen changed. It entered the cemetery and found many bodies lying there, but the cadavers were getting up. Elise clicked her tongue.

    "That¡¯s a problem. Just like real zombies, there is contagion."

    "The iron soldier can¡¯t stop them alone?"

    "It would be better to keep the iron soldier there. People could carry the contagion, and that would be dangerous."

    Junhyuk watched.

    "If ordinary firepower can¡¯t stop them, can anyone stop them?"

    In the movies, zombies got their heads blow off. However, if ordinary guns couldn¡¯t pierce their skulls, how could they be stopped?

    The iron soldier flew around and started shooting. On the screen, controlling the iron soldier felt like the person was ying a video game. The guns didn¡¯t kill the zombies, and they started moving quickly, looking for survivors.

    The lone iron soldier couldn¡¯t deal with the zombies multiplying, and Eunseo received a phone call. She hung up and said, "The capital¡¯s Mechanized Infantry Division will move in and seal off the national cemetery."

    It was a good thing that the army had moved quickly, but it would be a serious problem if the soldiers became zombies.

    Elise operated a few things, and the iron soldier flew higher and circled around the area, firing at the zombies on the ground. It targeted the distant zombies, and the zombies headed away from the bullets. However, that¡¯s exactly where the iron soldier was located.

    The iron soldier headed toward the zombiesing at him. Its hands appeared on the screen, tearing up a zombie¡¯s mouth. Blood sttered on the screen, but the iron soldier didn¡¯t stop and obliterated the zombies. However, not all zombies were interested in the iron soldier, so only a few had actually engaged him.

    "They are getting away," Eunseo said, and Elise frowned.

    "If the mechanized division seals off the area, we can keep them inside."

    "What if they break through the barricade?"

    "Then, the problem will get bigger. The iron soldier has used all of its long range weapons."

    "That can¡¯t be. Kill them at any cost."

    Elise nodded and said, "There are five zombies remaining. I will begin the hunt."

    The iron soldier flew up again, tearing the corpses nearby. It was flying low enough to touch ground and it grabbed a zombie. It was moving very fast. If that continued, the iron soldier would clean up the cemetery of zombies. It killed four zombies, and thest was heading toward some ce unexpected. It was going to a restroom.

    The zombie broke down the door and headed inside. When the iron soldier got there, a scream rang out from inside.

    "Aaahhh!"

    It was a woman¡¯s scream, and everyone frowned, staring at the screen. The iron soldier looked inside the restroom. The zombie¡¯s face appeared, and the iron soldier moved quickly. If the woman was bitten, she would have to be killed. If she had not, they had to save her. The iron soldier entered and was trying to grab the zombie when something strange happened.

    The zombie went into the stall and something shot out. It moved so fast the screen couldn¡¯t capture it. Zombies moved beyond human speeds, but it moved even faster. It disappeared quickly from the screen, unlike any human movement.

    The iron soldier captured the zombie and killed it. As it turned its head, the woman had run away from the restroom. Elise saw her and knew it. The woman had to be killed.

    "She got bitten by the zombie. I must kill her."

    The iron soldier took off looking for the woman. She had ran over a hundred meters already. When the iron soldier caught up to her, she just sat down on the grass and stared at it. Everyone knew about the iron soldiers, and she was crying, seemingly relieved.

    Eunseo looked at her through the monitor and said, "Bring her here. We have to check if she has been bitten or not."

    Elise smiled and operated the iron soldier. The iron soldier extended its hand, and the woman took it and stood up.

    "You¡¯ve encountered zombies. I will take you to Guardians¡¯ HQ, and we will check to make sure you are OK and get you home," the iron soldier said.

    "Is that true?"

    She had survived a pandemonium and was thinking about going to the police, but the iron soldier spoke first, "You will be morefortable with us."

    "OK."

    The iron soldier hugged the woman and took off. It wasn¡¯t flying low this time. Instead, it rose very high over the city¡¯s buildings.

    "Ahhhh!" the woman screamed, and the group looked at each other.

    Eunseo spoke first.

    "Can she move that fast because she was bitten by the zombie?"

    Elise shook her head.

    "She moved faster than the zombies. It was a short distance, and she fell, but she is faster than the zombies."

    "Then, what happened?"

    "I don¡¯t know, but the feed couldn¡¯t keep up with her speed. It¡¯s not normal."

    Elise looked at Junhyuk watching the iron soldier flying with the woman.

    "God only allows suffering that can be endured. That woman might be the key to solving the monsters situation."

    Junhyuk turned to look at Elise. That woman had activated her power, bing a novice. Elise said she was the key to solving the monsters situation and realized she had to know a lot more. Doyeol had Jeffrey with him, and Elise might know about the Dimensional Battlefield. Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to reveal his identity and started feeling helpless.

    The screen showed Guardians¡¯ HQ. The iron soldier had returned. Itnded at the hangar, and Eunseo looked at Elise.

    "Let¡¯s go together."

    "Yes, but before that we have to seal them off."

    A cylinder ss container covered the iron soldier and the woman, and smoke wafted inside the ss.

    "What is happening?"

    "It¡¯s an antiseptic. I don¡¯t know about the zombie virus, but other infections can purged."

    Elise got up and said, "Let¡¯s go together."

    Eunseo followed Elise with her wheelchair, and Dohee and Junhyuk followed them toward the hangar. The ss enclosure rose again, and a woman walked out coughing.

    "What is this?" The woman asked, and Dohee walked toward her.

    "This is Guardians¡¯ HQ. You might have been carrying a contagion, so we cleaned you up. Please understand," she said and pointed to a room. "You may change your clothes over there."

    The woman looked at herself and nodded.

    "Right."

    She was covered in dirt, and her shoes¡¯ heels were broken. She followed Dohee, and Elise turned a screen on.

    "I have her identity. Her name is Sora Shin, and she used to be a track runner. After a knee injury, she quit."

    Junhyuk now understood why she became a novice. Her desire to live and to run became one and activated a new power, speed.

    Activated powers could be used right away at the Dimensional Battlefield. If she could run a hundred meters at high speed at the Dimensional Battlefield, she could escape anything.

    Junhyuk looked at the room where she was. He had witnessed someone activating her power, and it was refreshing.

    Sora walked out of the room, seemingly more rxed, and Junhyuk checked her stats. Two hundred health and fifty mana, she was very physically-focused.

 Chapter 144: New Novice 3

    Chapter 144: New Novice 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Sora walked out, and Eunseo moved forward. She kept kept staring at Eunseo riding her automatic wheelchair.

    "Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Eunseo Kim, Guardians¡¯ CEO."

    "Nice to meet you."

    Sora already knew about Guardians. It was huge, international news. At least on Earth, everyone knew about it. People who had survived monster attacks knew even more. She also didn¡¯t expect the CEO to be around her age.

    Eunseo introduced Elise to Sora.

    "This is Guardians¡¯ Development Chief, Elise. She will exin everything to you."

    Elise stepped forward.

    "Nice to meet you. The zombies were simr to zombies in movies, but they were faster than expected. The people who were bitten by them carried a contagion and became zombies themselves. Do you understand?"

    "Yes."

    Sora thought of what had happened and shivered.

    "We used a form of disinfectant on you as soon as you got here with the iron soldier, but we still need to draw your blood and run a few more tests on you," Elise added.

    Sora wasn¡¯t feeling well, and Elise continued calmly, "I promise it won¡¯t be dangerous, and the data we collect here will be sent to the Center for Disease Control. They already know about your rescue and they need more data from you."

    After the mention of the CDC, Sora became very nervous. While listening, she started worrying about whether she had been bitten by a zombie. She didn¡¯t even know how she had run away from it, but she understood what they were telling her and she was definitely nervous.

    "We will run the tests and let you know," Elise told her.

    "OK."

    Elise thought of something else and said, "You can¡¯t use anymunication devices in here. We jam all connections to the outside."

    "But I have to call home!"

    Elise nodded.

    "We will call your home, and, without the results of the tests, you¡¯d be just giving your family something else to worry about."

    "I understand."

    Elise smiled and said, "Please,e this way."

    Sora followed her, and Eunseo looked at Junhyuk.

    "Junhyuk, you may go back to the executive office. You¡¯ll receive a lot of calls, but remember that we don¡¯t know anything yet. Soon, we¡¯ll make a list of casualties."

    "OK."

    Eunseo saw Elise returning and asked her, "When can we have the results for Sora Shin?"

    Elise answered calmly, "The blood test will tell us if she¡¯s carrying the contagion within five minutes."

    "What?" Junhyuk was surprised and asked the question without realizing.

    "We only have to check one person, and it¡¯ll take five minutes. If there were more, we would need more time," Elise exined calmly.

    She looked at Eunseo.

    "Are you calling Doyeol?"

    "I should. This was Guardians¡¯ first mission," Eunseo said and added, "If this happens anywhere else in the world, let me know everything about the iron soldiers¡¯ results."

    "I will."

    Eunseo looked at Junhyuk.

    "Then, you run control from the Executive Department."

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk went to the office, and just like Eunseo had said, the phones were going crazy. He was really surprised by the titles of the people calling, but he calmly answered all of their questions. They couldn¡¯t reveal the identity of the woman. They were keeping her safe and running blood tests on her. He told them to wait for the result. The people on the other side of the line screamed out their titles at him, but Junhyuk just answered unfazed.

    Since the phones were going wild, he answered them in the sequence by which phone call came in first. Time passed quickly. He had been answering calls for a long time when the door opened, and people came in.

    It was Doyeol and Jeffrey. They saw him talking on the phone, and Doyeol walked quickly toward him, extending his hand. Junhyuk handed him the receiver, and Doyeol said coldly, "We will make a list of casualties soon!"

    He was done talking and pulled the phone¡¯s cord out. Junhyuk had wanted to do it, and Doyeol did it without hesitation.

    "You must be having a hard time," he said calmly.

    "No, I¡¯m not."

    He hade to Guardians and tranted the cooperation documents. Since then, he had had nothing else to do. It was only his second day at work.

    "Follow me."

    Junhyuk followed him without question. Jeffrey greeted him with his eyes, and Junhyuk nodded slightly toward him.

    When Junhyuk looked at Doyeol, he found out he had a surprising amount of health.

    He had fifty health and was clearly not an ordinary minion. His soul¡¯s size was entirely different. Powerful people have big souls, Junhyuk thought. He didn¡¯t want tog behind, so he walked fast.

    Doyeol headed to the meeting room. Eunseo, Dohee, Elise were there, and Sora was sitting on a chair opposite of them. Doyeol walked in, and she stood up. He bowed lightly toward her.

    "Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Doyeol Kim."

    "Hello."

    Sora had been preparing for an employment opportunity. When she was young, she was a bright track star. However, after injuring her knee, she started studying again and, now, she was getting ready for the workforce.

    That day, she had gone to the national cemetery to visit her father who was buried there. Her interview would be on the following day, but the incident happened first. Doyeol was an important figure for Sora, important enough that she didn¡¯t look him in the eyes.

    Doyeol signaled to the chair.

    "Have a seat. I want to talk to you."

    "Yes."

    Sora sat, and Doyeol also took a seat. A secretary came into the room bearing some tea. Eunseo had her bodyguards, but this was the first time Junhyuk realized they had an extra secretary.

    Eunseo told Doyeol to drink his tea, and he stared at her.

    "The blood test is negative. She doesn¡¯t have any symptoms," she said first.

    Sora sighed deeply, feeling relieved, and Eunseo adjusted her sses.

    "We haven¡¯t revealed your identity, so don¡¯t worry about that either."

    "Thank you."

    They had rescued her from the zombies and hadn¡¯t revealed her identity. She was very grateful.

    Eunseo looked at her and said, "You aren¡¯t carrying the contagion, but we have one more thing to tell you."

    "OK. Please speak."

    "Your speed when escaping the zombie is inhuman. We think it¡¯s a type of supernatural power."

    "A supernatural power?"

    "Yes. Humans don¡¯t have that kind of power."

    Sora pressed her chest with her hand, and Eunseo continue, "The monsters¡¯ appearance is a worldwide disaster. Do you understand?"

    "Yes."

    "We quickly introduced the iron soldiers to fight monsters, but we don¡¯t know what kind of monsters will show up. We found another possible way of dealing with monsters through you."

    "Through me?"

    Sora became nervous, and Eunseo continued calmly, "You earned your supernatural power while dealing with a monster."

    Sora frowned slightly.

    "Are you going to have me fight these monsters?"

    Eunseo shook her head. She was devoid of expression and not joking at all.

    "But we wish that you participate in our research."

    "Research?"

    "You are the first person to activate a supernatural power by encountering a monster. If we study you, we may find ways to deal with them."

    "That means I won¡¯t have to fight the monsters?"

    Eunseo nodded, but Sora hesitated.

    Doyeol had been listening and said, "You must be thinking we¡¯ll treat you like an alien from outer space. I¡¯ll give you some advice. We are only interested in how you activated your power, where that power came from, and how we can use that power. I promise you won¡¯t be in harm¡¯s way."

    Sora was still hesitant, and Doyeol made a signal with his eyes. Dohee pulled out a document and gave it to Sora. She looked at it, and her eyes widened.

    "I told you, saving humanity rests on you. If you help us out, we will give you a small sum in return," Doyeol said calmly.

    "A small sum?!"

    Sora looked at the number, and her eyes lost focus. If she agreed, they would give her $10 million. When they found ways to use her power, they would recognize her contribution and give her an additional $1 million a year.

    "Are you joking?"

    Doyeol¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t move, and he said, "I don¡¯t have the spare time to make jokes. I took a helicopter here to tell you that."

    Sora wasn¡¯t feeling well. Doyeol was too charming for her.

    "So, if I agree right now, you will give me the money right away?"

    "Sure. Only, you have to sign a confidentiality agreement and, while research is underway, you may not contact the outside world."

    "If I can¡¯tmunicate with the outside world, how do I know I¡¯ll be safe?"

    Doyeol chuckled.

    "Don¡¯t worry about that point. We just want to keep it a secret. You may contact your family."

    Sora smiled and bowed. Junhyuk wanted tough aloud but couldn¡¯t. Sora had the power to run away from that ce if she wanted to. Unless they put her in a sealed room, no one could follow her around because of her power.

    Doyeol asked Sora, "How about it? Are you going to sign?"

    Sora asked carefully, "If I agree to this, whichpany will I belong to?"

    Doyeol looked at Eunseo.

    "Surely, you¡¯ll belong to Guardians."

    Eunseo knew what Sora wanted to find out.

    "You¡¯ll be a researcher in the research team."

    Sora made up her mind and smiled. She had almost died and had activated her power. For that, she was given the biggest opportunity of her life.

    "I will. I will," she said.

    "Good."

    Doyeol looked at Eunseo.

    "We¡¯ll give you a detailed schedule and further information."

    "Thank you."

    Sora bowed to Doyeol, and he looked at Eunseo.

    "We hired her, but I want to talk to her alone."

    "OK."

    Eunseo went out, and Junhyuk started following her, but Doyeol called for him.

    "Junhyuk, stay for a moment."

    Junhyuk looked at Eunseo, and she nodded, so he stayed behind in the meeting room. Doyeol looked at Sora.

    "So far, we made the official contract. Now, it¡¯s time for the unofficial contract."

    "Unofficial contract?¡¯

    Sora started feeling uneasy, and Doyeol crossed his hands together and said, "It¡¯s about the Dimensional Battlefield."

    Junhyuk shivered slightly, and Doyeol looked at him.

    "Junhyuk, take a seat."

 Chapter 145: Contract 1

    Chapter 145: Contract 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk eye¡¯s met Doyeol¡¯s, and he looked at Jeffrey, who shook his head, seemingly saying that he didn¡¯t say anything. Junhyuk knew that, and Doyeol was confident. It all depended on what Doyeol wanted, and Junhyuk had to make his mind up.

    While talking to Arn, Junhyuk learned one thing: the most important thing was his own life. If someone threatened his life, he had to kill that person without hesitation. He reminded himself of that and sat down. He could teleport, so sitting down meant nothing to him.

    As he sat, he stared at Doyeol. It wasn¡¯t time to reveal his identity yet, and he wanted to listen to what Doyeol had to say. After Junhyuk took a seat, Doyeol looked at Sora.

    "Now, it¡¯s your turn to listen. Have you heard of the Dimensional Battlefield?"

    "No," she said, shaking her head.

    Doyeol continued calmly, "The Dimensional Battlefield summons abnormal narcolepsy patients, and if they die there, they fall in a permanenta. Their souls die."

    "What?"

    They had said that they didn¡¯t know anything, but Doyeol exined it all. They had to know a lot more about abnormal narcolepsy, and Sora became very nervous. The public didn¡¯t know anything. Only people like Doyeol knew, and people with powers simr to hers. Sora knew she had to keep that a secret.

    Doyeol smiled brightly at her, and Sora realized what he was talking about. Doyeol knew it too.

    "The Dimensional Battlefield is a hard ce to survive for ordinary people, but you have activated your power and have a higher survivability rate. I want to propose a conditional partnership."

    "What is it?"

    "I¡¯ll give you information on the Dimensional Battlefield, everything I know. You stay alive in that ce and, when you return, you bring back these items with you."

    Doyeol showed her a mana stone and a bloodstone. Their sizes were about the same as a thumb. They were rather small. Junhyuk had one the size of a fist byparison.

    "What is that?"

    Doyeol showed her the blue gem and said, "This is a mana stone. We were able to manufacture the prosthetics because of it."

    Sora picked it up. The stone was shining blue, and she was mesmerized by it.

    "What you are holding is used to fuel the iron soldiers. We can make one iron soldier with a stone of that size."

    She was stupefied, and Doyeol continued, "We have plenty of money, but we can¡¯t purchase mana stones with it."

    Sora carefully put the mana stone down, and Doyeol held the blood-colored gem.

    "This is called a bloodstone. We are researching it for the Regeneration Project. If we are sessful, we will open a brand new door in the field of medicine. However, we need more of them."

    Sora listened to him and realized those weren¡¯t for her. She had just been attacked by zombies, and after the iron soldier rescued her, they ran tests on her. Events unfolded, and she got paid $10 million for signing a contract with an annual sry of $1 million. She had be one of Guardians¡¯ researchers and she wanted to live her life without being envious of others.

    She had just heard about the Dimensional Battlefield, and Doyeol said he would tell her everything about that ce if she agreed to gather the two gems ande back. She gulped.

    "When I bring back these stones, what do I get?"

    Doyeol saw that Sora had taken the bait and smiled.

    "When you bring them back, we¡¯ll pay you depending on the stone¡¯s grade and we keep the stones."

    "What is the going rate?" Sora asked carefully, and Doyeol showed her his fist.

    "A mana stone the size of my fist goes for $100 million."

    "What?"

    A hundred million dors was an astronomical amount.

    "Each is them is $100 million?"

    Doyeol looked very serious.

    "Of course."

    She gulped again.

    "How do you know I will go to the Dimensional Battlefield?"

    Doyeol put the stones away and answered, "Until now, we didn¡¯t know who would go. But you¡¯ve activated your power, so they will summon you for sure."

    "How certain are you?"

    "You are the first one to activate a power in this world. The Dimensional Battlefield has a few who have activated their powers. They are summoned there on a biweekly basis."

    "A biweekly basis?!"

    "I¡¯m sure of that."

    Sora realized that there was a high probability that she would be summed, and she took a moment to think.

    "I can¡¯t talk to anybody about this."

    "Of course. Secret is key."

    "But isn¡¯t it a good idea to tell people about the Dimensional Battlefield?"

    Doyeol shook his head.

    "If we tell, we will only create mass panic and confusion. No, it¡¯s not a good idea."

    She sighed deeply and looked at Junhyuk. If it is a secret, why is he telling Junhyuk? She stared at him, and Doyeol also looked at him.

    "I told you to stay because I have a proposal for you."

    "What is it?"

    Doyeol took out his his smartphone and said calmly, "I want to purchase your mana stone."

    Sora looked at Junhyuk. If mana stonese from the Dimensional Battlefield, and he has one with him, that means that he has been there! Does that mean he also has powers?

    As soon as Junhyuk heard what Doyeol said, he release his intent. Doyeol had arge soul, but it was not big enough topare it to Junhyuk¡¯s. To begin with, a minion¡¯s soul couldn¡¯t bepared to the soul of champion, and he had been to the Dimensional Battlefield many times, activating powers and polishing his soul. Also, as an expert, he had died, and that had erged his soul as well.

    When Junhyuk release his intent, Doyeol became unable to breathe. As soon as he felt Junhyuk¡¯s intent, his forehead started sweating, but he didn¡¯t relent.

    "You have a mana stone. It¡¯s different from the other mana stones. We have to research it and bring about big advancements so that we can stop the monsters."

    Junhyuk understood why Doyeol had wanted him to stay. Sora was still there, and Doyeol had spoken to him directly. He had two agendas. Doyeol wanted Sora to trust him, and he expected Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t do anything while she was there.

    Junhyuk thought it over for a moment. Doyeol was confident in his assertion, so that meant that he already knew Junhyuk had a mana stone with him. Junhyuk didn¡¯t know how he had found out, so if he decided to refuse, he might have to use force.

    Jeffrey and Sora were also there, and they were close. One Spatial sh could kill them all. However, he would be a murderer, and they would chase after him forever. Also, Sora hadn¡¯t done anything, and he would feel guilty about killing her.

    Junhyuk thought about the things he could gain and agreed. Doyeol was so nervous that he was shaking, but he didn¡¯t drop his smartphone.

    Junhyuk looked at him and said, "If it¡¯s different from the other mana stones, you must know its price."

    As Junhyuk spoke, Doyeol¡¯s expression eased, and he said, relieved, "Of course."

    "How much will you give me for it?"

    "The purity is different. For something simr to the previous one, I would have paid $100 million, but you must be paid five times that amount. So, $500 million. How does that sound?"

    Doyeol was strong in delivering his proposal. Going by pure physical strength, Junhyuk would have killed him, but in South Korea, he overpowered Junhyuk. Still, Junhyuk knew his mana stone was totally different from other mana stones. Vera had given it to him personally, so he shook his head, and Doyeol smiled bitterly.

    "Right now, I only have $500 million in liquid assets, but if you gave it to me, I would give you $200 million worth of ST Capsule stock shares."

    He was willing to give him $200 million in shares, and Junhyuk¡¯ eyebrows twitched. He could be a shareholder of ST Capsule. Thepany¡¯s annual dividends were of 7 percent. If he held $200 million in shares, that would trante to $14 million in yearly dividends.

    They would tax him like crazy, but he would still be extremely wealthy, and that was on top of the $500 million. He pondered his options seriously. If he had money, he wouldn¡¯t have to work. He needed more money to train to survive, and Doyeol¡¯s offer benefited him.

    "I have conditions of my own."

    "Speak."

    Doyeol knew the contract was almost made because Junhyuk hade up with conditions.

    "People are following me. Take care of them."

    Doyeol frowned slightly.

    "To do that, we must follow you around."

    To protect him, they had to follow him around, but Junhyukughed out loud.

    "Do it without following me. If you put surveince on me, the contract is over."

    Doyeol thought about it and answered, "I see. I will try"

    "I¡¯m selling my mana stone, but that doesn¡¯t mean I will be working for you."

    Junhyuk looked at Jeffrey, and Doyeol nodded. Doyeol didn¡¯t need him. He needed his mana stone, and Junhyuk had decided to deal with him instead of making him an enemy.

    "Of course, but promise me something."

    "Please, go on."

    "I want a monopoly on your mana stones."

    "You don¡¯t have enough cash now. You even gave me stocks!"

    Doyeolughed loudly.

    "If you agree, I will pay you the same price in the future."

    Junhyuk stared intently at Doyeol. He was not the lying type. Doyeol was confident that he woulde up with a way to pay him, and Junhyuk pondered about it.

    "If you keep it a secret that you purchased it from me, I¡¯ll give you a monopoly."

    "Thanks."

    Doyeol operated his smartphone and showed it to Junhyuk. A notification appeared on Junhyuk¡¯s smartphone, and he looked at it. The $500 million had been wired to his sry ount.

    Doyeol smiled and said, "Don¡¯t worry about tax. I¡¯ll take care of it."

    Junhyuk pulled the mana stone out. Vera had given it to him personally, and Doyeol¡¯s eyes beamed.

    "You will get your shares by tomorrow."

    Junhyuk knew that contract had changed his life forever.

 Chapter 146: Contract 2

    Chapter 146: Contract 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Sora watched the deal being made, and her eyes widened. She had been really surprised by the $10 million signing bonus and the $1 million annual sry, so she lost touch with reality after hearing that mana stones and bloodstones were worth $100 million.

    She hadn¡¯t received her $10 million signing bonus yet, so she had a hard time believing it all. However, right in front of her, they agreed to a $700 million contract for some random stones that were used for the iron soldiers as a new energy source. She was perplexed by the price, and her jaw hung open.

    Junhyuk was now worth hundreds of millions, and Sora just stared at him. She hadn¡¯t seen it before, but she realized that he was the world-famous employee model for ST Capsule. Junhyuk was already a star on the inte and the world. That star was someone who had survived the Dimensional Battlefield and had his own powers. Sora¡¯s eyes beamed.

    They told her she would certainly go to the Dimensional Battlefield, and he had to know a lot about that ce. Junhyuk¡¯s eyes were resolute, and she couldn¡¯t talk to him at that moment.

    Junhyuk made the deal and checked his bank ount. He had been paid $10 million for his films, but now the ount said $510 million. He had enough money to do anything he wanted, and Doyeol told him he would take care of the people following him. So, he could focus on his training again.

    Junhyuk thought for a moment and said, "OK. Next time I get the stones, I¡¯ll let you know."

    "Sure! I¡¯ll be expecting it. It doesn¡¯t have to be mana stones or bloodstones. If you get something from the Dimensional Battlefield that you want to sell, just let me know. You won¡¯t be sorry."

    "I¡¯ll do that."

    Junhyuk got up.

    "I don¡¯t want anyone aside from those here today to find out about what has transpired here."

    Doyeol agreed.

    "Of course. I meant to ask you same thing."

    "And find someone to work as an employee model."

    "You want to quit?"

    "As soon as you get someone, I¡¯ll quit. Do you want penalty fees for the breach of contract?"

    Doyeolughed very hard.

    "Ha-ha-ha-ha! What do you mean? We¡¯ll make it look like we made a mistake. Is that OK?"

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk looked at Sora.

    "Sora, can you keep the secret?"

    She knew that only a few people in the world knew about the battlefield and she nodded. Junhyuk looked very scary. She couldn¡¯t think of anything else but to nod. When Junhyuk turned around, she sighed.

    He went out of the door and inhaled deeply, but he still had one thing to do. Junhyuk sat in his office and started writing on a piece of paper. Once he finished, he folded the paper, put it inside an envelope and went to see Eunseo.

    Junhyuk went to the CEO¡¯s office, and Dohee announced him. He went inside at Eunseo¡¯s invitation.

    "What did my brother want?" she asked.

    "It¡¯s a secret. I can¡¯t tell you."

    Eunseo frowned a bit, and Junhyuk handed her the envelope.

    She read it, raised her sses and asked, "You are quitting?!"

    "Yes."

    "You are quitting Guardians?"

    "Yes, and ST Capsule is letting me go as a model."

    "For what reason?"

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t feel like talking, and Eunseo looked at him and said, "You are quitting on your second day. That is a surprise."

    "I want to live my life. It¡¯s my choice."

    "But we don¡¯t have enough people working here. It will take some time for your resignation letter to go through."

    Junhyuk could understand her reasoning.

    "I will report to work until you find someone. Do you need a month?"

    Eunseo nodded.

    "A month will be plenty."

    "Then," he said and got up.

    "Elise discovered more things about what happened today. Look it over and email me. You may go home after," she said matter-of-factly.

    "OK."

    Junhyuk walked out and headed toward the Development Department. Elise wasn¡¯t at her seat, so he waited. She came running with serious look on her face.

    "Can I see your files on what happened today with the monsters? The CEO wants me to," he asked her.

    Elise looked at him, tapped on her tablet and said, "I¡¯ve used Zaira to give you ess. Check yourputer at the Executive Department."

    "I don¡¯t have an ID or a password."

    Eliseughed at him.

    "Go and check," she said and ran to her office.

    Why is she so busy?

    Junhyuk looked at the closed door and thought of Doyeol. Elise was the inventor of the iron soldiers, and he could guess what she was doing. Junhyuk stared at the closed door and clicked his tongue.

    "Zaira knew about it?!"

    He wasn¡¯t sure how Doyeol knew about his mana stone, so he thought of Elise and Zaira, and the answer was right there. Junhyuk had already made a deal with Doyeol, but he thought it would be funny if he asked him a few questions now.

    He went to his office and turned hisputer on. The screen showed his face, and Junhyuk looked around. He had already been given ess.

    [You have ess to today¡¯s iron soldier¡¯s deployment. Do you want to ess it?]

    Junhyuk was nervous, and when he heard the voice, he responded.

    "Show it to me."

    Fifty video feeds opened in sequence. Junhyuk looked at the fifty feeds, impressed with theputer¡¯s effectiveness. They were high quality feeds, and all fifty were ying at the same time. The office¡¯sputer was far more advanced than his personal one.

    He watched the feeds and saw the events that unfolded and frowned. Fifty iron soldiers had been deployed, but there were still casualties. Suddenly, one of the feeds showed the Chinese army attacking the iron soldier.

    "Hm."

    China wanted the residual materials from the monster extermination. He hadn¡¯t expected the Chinese army to attack the iron soldier, but the iron soldier didn¡¯t shoot back. If it did, it would create an international disaster.

    Junhyuk witnessed the power of the iron soldiers and shook his head as he watched all of the screen. With the exception of China, the iron soldiers had handled all of the monsters. However, he also saw a monster that he had never seen before.

    "I¡¯ve never seen the entirety of the Dimensional Battlefield."

    Junhyuk watched thebat on the screen and murmured, "I could get this type of information here..."

    He knew that, on Earth, money and information meant power and he had some money at that point. He didn¡¯t have enough to control people, but he had the means to earn more. However, information was different. As Junhyuk looked at the screen, he shook his head.

    He thought about how to live his life in South Korea and said, "Combine the feeds into one file."

    [Apression program will be used. Viewing of thepression is only possible within Guardian HQ.]

    "I don¡¯t care."

    The feeds all joined into one video, and Junhyuk was left speechless. It was new technology, but it was also fifty feeds beingpressed into one file. He shook his head and sent it in an email to Eunseo. He also sent what Zaira had told him and looked at the screen again.

    He had decided that he wanted to leave thepany. There was a lot to do. He wanted to train and search for items on Earth that he could take to the battlefield. He hadn¡¯t had money before, but now, he wanted to buy whatever he could and take those things to the Dimensional Battlefield to see if he could use them as items.

    He wanted an iron soldier, but that was too expensive. He couldn¡¯t buy one with his $500 million. Still, he might not even be able to use the iron soldier at the Dimensional Battlefield. Its attack power was high, but the heroes¡¯ defenses couldn¡¯t be broken through, meaning it would just be another piece of junk.

    "I should look into antiques."

    He could find them in museums and shops, and they might carry powers.

    Junhyuk smacked his lips.

    "I need something to tell me what can be used at the Dimensional Battlefield."

    The Dimensional Merchant had everything, so Bebe might have something that could analyze objects from South Korea. He would ask Bebe about that the next time he was at the battlefield. Junhyuk got up and grabbed his belongings.

    "I get off work early today."

    He still had time until he had to meet Sarang, but it was a long way to Seoul, and he had to take an alternate route to avoid other people. He was looking forward to what she would say about the deal he had made that day.

    ---

    He was wearing a hood, a t-shirt and sunsses so that people wouldn¡¯t recognize him. People wouldn¡¯t be able to tell even if he were a movie star. He went to meet Sarang dressed like that, and that time, she wanted to go to a different restaurant.

    "Is it a sushi ce?"

    "It¡¯s a famous sushi ce."

    "Did you get a private room?"

    "Of course! Let¡¯s go in."

    She wasn¡¯t wearing her school uniform, so Junhyuk didn¡¯t feel the pressure of being seen with her and went inside. He took his hat off inside the private room, but didn¡¯t take off the hood. He ordered some food and looked at her.

    She was smiling brightly. She was happy, and he could tell.

    "I quit my job today."

    "What?!"

    He had just transferred and then resigned right after. Sarang was very surprised and asked about it, and Junhyuk told her about the deal he had made that day.

    "Vera gave me a mana stone, and he knew I had it, so I sold it. I have some money now, so I don¡¯t feel like working at thepany."

    "People win the lottery, and they go wild. They don¡¯t end up doing well."

    Junhyukughed at her.

    "I got more than if I had won the lottery."

    "How much?"

    He told her about the money, and Sarang¡¯s eyes twinkled.

    "The $500 million got transferred immediately, and I¡¯ll get another $200 million in stocks."

    Sarang stared at him and shouted, "Big brother!"

    Junhyuk was surprised by it, and Sarang stared hard at him.

    "Today is not April Fool¡¯s Day. Don¡¯t joke like that!"

    Heughed and showed her his smartphone with his bank ount. Sarang couldn¡¯t keep her mouth shut and looked at him again.

    "Big brother!"

    "What?"

    "I¡¯m lightheaded."

    Junhyuk massaged her forehead with his thumbs.

    "Let¡¯s eat."

    The sashimi came out, and Junhyuk took a bite. Sarang ate as well.

    "Big brother, should I ask Vera to give me a mana stone as well? With just one, I can change my life."

    "Well, ites from the Dragon¡¯s Valley. Unless we kill the dragon first, it will be hard to get one. But when we score a victory, you should ask her for one."

    "You¡¯ll sell it for me?"

    "I charge a 30 percent fee."

    Sarang felt betrayed and shivered, and Junhyukughed at her.

    "I¡¯m joking."

    "Big brother!" Sarang shouted again, and Junhyuk caressed her head and smiled.

    "I¡¯ve earned some money, but I need more."

    "Five hundred million dors isn¡¯t enough?"

    "To survive in South Korea, I need more power, and more money means more power."

    He had felt something with Zaira that day. To have information like that in South Korea, he would need more money.

    The mana stone deal had changed his life, and he looked to reach even higher levels in South Korea.

 Chapter 147: Swamp of Despair 1

    Chapter 147: Swamp of Despair 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Thepany didn¡¯t open on Friday, and Junhyuk was resting at his home, gathering his thoughts. He didn¡¯t mind going to Dimensional Battlefield that day. Even if he died, he wouldn¡¯t die. However, he was notpletely carefree. So far, he had only had a supporting role to the heroes, but this time, he would be a leader in the fight.

    In that new battlefield, he could earn a lot more money. Champions usually had high defense, but his attack, especially his new power would crush them.

    Junhyuk raised his two longswords: the Blood Rune Sword and the Frozen Rune Sword. The Blood Rune sword had been upgraded, and was now a rare item. He looked at the Frozen Rune Sword and murmured, "Will I be able to upgrade you this time?"

    He absolutely needed to do it. Junhyuk knew that and obsessed over it. Once he finished upgrading the sword, he would buy more runes. From then on, he would have to earn a lot more money. He wanted to use that battlefield as a stepping stone for doing so.

    Junhyuk swung his swords and returned them. He let go of his anxiety andy on his bedfortably. His burner phone rang loudly.

    Junhyuk picked it up and heard Sarang¡¯s voice.

    "Big brother! It¡¯s tonight at eight o¡¯clock, right?

    "Right."

    "You will be leaving soon."

    "Yes."

    "Make a lot more money."

    Junhyukughed. She sounds like a wife talking to her husband!

    "I will kill as many as possible."

    Not all champions were the same. He had the Spatial sh, but he wasn¡¯t sure if he could kill Adolphe.

    Junhyuk finished talking to Sarang and stayed on his bed with his eyes closed. Soon, it would be time, his first time at the champions-only Dimensional Battlefield.

    He had to have fallen asleep, but the white light pounded his cornea, and he appeared in a familiar room. Junhyuk looked at the number on the wall: 23,240G.

    Since he had be a champion, his earnings for killing heroes were different.

    "This time, each kill is worth 3,000G. I¡¯ll make more."

    Junhyuk looked around and heard a soft voice.

    [Wee to the Swamp of Despair.]

    That Dimensional Battlefield was different, and he wanted to stay in the room and find out more about that ce. Then, a full suit of armor appeared before him.

    [Those without their own armor may wear it.]

    Junhyuk inspected the suit. It wasn¡¯t better than an expert¡¯s basic suit of armor, so he summoned Bebe¡¯s ck Armor and inspected everything he had. He owned more equipment now and he was stronger than ever before. Junhyuk gathered his breath, making to go outside.

    Suddenly, he heard a voice he had never heard before.

    [I will tell you about the Swamp of Despair. This ce will group you with two other champions, and you may follow two roads to attack your enemies. Both roads have watchtowers, and it¡¯s a good idea to stay on them.]

    He still didn¡¯t understand the situation, so he kept listening intently. That was his first time there, so it would be good for him to have an idea of the ce before going into battle.

    [Between the roads, you¡¯ll find a swamp. There is a high-ranking magician sealed in that swamp. If you help the magician, you will receive buffs. They may change the flow of the battles ahead, so if you can, you should give the magician the needed help.]

    Junhyuk thought the high-ranking magician was just like the dragon, but he didn¡¯t have to kill the magician. Instead, he had to help the person out. It was different from what he had thought, and he wanted to hear more, but the soft voice came back.

    [You may exit by the main entrance.]

    With that, Junhyuk realized the exnation was over and walked through the door.

    [This is the champions-only Dimensional Battlefield. You have unlimited revives, but you will lose 3,000G each time you die. Keep that in your mind and enjoy the battles.]

    He thought they were nicer at the champions-only battlefield.

    [This Swamp of Despair¡¯s victory prize is a Spatial Bag. Its height, length and width are five meters. Do your best to ensure victory.]

    Junhyuk was all ears. The Spatial Bag was normally too expensive for him to get, and they would just give it to the victor. He had to win. He pushed through the door, and the voice dered:

    [Champion Junhyuk Lee deployed.]

    They didn¡¯t call out a number, but referred to him by his name, and he was very proud to be a champion. He opened the door. There were numerous minions standing there, but they weren¡¯t people minions. They looked like lizards and stood on two feet.

    Junhyuk looked at them and murmured, "Lizardmen?"

    The battlefield was called a swamp, so the minions were lizards. Junhyuk looked around. He was at the champions-only battlefield, so there had to be other champions there.

    He saw some people standing there. They were a head taller than the lizardmen, and Junhyuk walked toward them, analyzing them.

    One man had bandages all over him and blue eyes. His eyes told Junhyuk that he had to be someone important. Junhyuk realized the man was also a champion, and he wanted to know more about him. He had to know more about his enemies¡¯ powers, but it was also good to know his allies.

    It was easy to tell the other was a champion just by looking at him. He was over three meters tall and broad-shouldered. He was holding a staff with horns on it, and Junhyuk guessed he was some sort of troll. He walked over, and the troll greeted him.

    "You must be the new champion."

    "Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Junhyuk Lee."

    The troll smiled.

    "I¡¯m Kaljaque. We¡¯ll get along fine."

    Kaljaque looked at the man wrapped in bandages, and Junhyuk also looked at him.

    "Aktur," he answered.

    Junhyuk looked at them and asked, "It¡¯s my first time at the champions¡¯ battlefield. Can you tell me more about what needs to be done?"

    Kaljaque smiled.

    "Compared to the Valley of Death, it¡¯s smaller. Take either road and destroy the enemy castle, and it¡¯s over."

    "If you know that, why don¡¯t you do it then?"

    Aktur had some nasty things to say about Kaljaque, but he only smiled and didn¡¯t respond. Aktur looked at Junhyuk.

    "Fighting itself is simple. I will take one road, and you two go up the other one. Don¡¯te over to my road," he said and signaled for the lizardmen. "Follow me."

    Aktur left, and Junhyuk got a little nervous. Allies had to fight together, and Aktur had told him not to go over to his road. He was anxious about that.

    "Why is he acting that way?"

    Kaljaque answered matter-of-factly, "We¡¯ve lost ten times straight."

    "Ten times straight?!"

    "Right, and in the meantime, a champion got killed," Kaljaque answered.

    "Killed?!"

    Kaljaque signaled for the lizardmen and said, "He got killed in his hometown. He was a champion... What a senseless death."

    Junhyuk was already aware that he could be killed in South Korea.

    Kaljaque continued, "And you are our new member, but you just became a champion. He is not very happy."

    Junhyuk sighed and asked, "What do they mean by ¡¯help out the high-ranking magician at the swamp?¡¯"

    "There will be a message, and you can help the magician out. Just one champion is enough, and they won¡¯t ask you anything difficult. When you help, they will give you a buff, but an enemy champion will also try. You need to stop that champion from helping."

    Junhyuk thought it was some kind of quest. Aktur and Kaljaque didn¡¯t seem fast enough, but he had items that increased his speed, so he should go help out the high-ranking sorcerer.

    "Then, I will go with you on that road, and I¡¯ll go help the sorcerer."

    "That¡¯ll work."

    Kaljaque called for a hundred lizardmen and smiled.

    "Then, let¡¯s move?"

    Junhyuk followed him. Outside, he saw the sky was purple andughed at it. It was a long road ahead. He followed Kaljaque outside the castle and was shocked when he looked at the roads.

    "What is that road?"

    There were walls of me about twenty meters tall on each side of the road, but the road didn¡¯t feel hot at all. Junhyuk wanted to put his hand on it, but Kaljaque stopped him.

    "Don¡¯t do it. The mewall damages champions who touch it. It¡¯s really hot."

    Junhyuk stared at it. He was thinking about pushing the enemy champions into it to deal damage.

    "I¡¯ll push the opponents against it."

    "They are thinking the same thing," Kaljaque said and smiled.

    "What are your powers?" Junhyuk asked.

    "My powers? Why?"

    "I need to know. We must cooperate."

    "You are a strange fellow. Kill your enemy on your own."

    Junhyuk was very surprised. They didn¡¯t cooperate at all. How can they win? They lost ten times straight, so that was the reason. He could end up part of the losing team, and if he lost, he would lose money quickly.

    "Tell me about your powers."

    Kaljaque stopped and looked at him.

    "Then, I will show you on the way."

    Kaljaque suddenly rushed forward, covering a distance of fifteen meters. Maybe he hasn¡¯t fully developed his power. The distance is short.

    He stopped rushing and swung the staff with thorns on it.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    A three-hit continuous attack. It¡¯s not like Bater¡¯s shockwaves, but it will still deal some heavy damage.

    "Graaaaahhl!"

    A howl. The howl rang on Junhyuk¡¯s ears, so he frowned and asked, "What kind of power is that?"

    "The howling paralyzes the enemy. Enemies within ten meters are paralyzed for three seconds."

    He was powerful enough, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t believe that they had lost ten times straight. Either the enemy was strong, or his allies didn¡¯t use their powers enough.

    Kaljaque looked at him.

    "So?"

    "Astounding powers."

    "Right? My staff will make cookie dough out of them."

    He didn¡¯t ask why they had lost ten times. Kaljaque was very happy with Junhyuk¡¯spliments, and Junhyuk figured out how to deal with him. Compliments worked not only on whales, but also on trolls.

    Kaljaque rested his staff on his shoulder.

    "Just trust me."

    He didn¡¯t ask what powers Junhyuk had, and Junhyuk started getting a headache. He wanted to win prizes, but he was drawing a nk. How can I win with them?

    "Ha-ha-ha-ha! Behind my back is the safest ce in the universe."

    Kaljaqueughed hard, and Junhyuk wanted to smash the back of his skull, but he didn¡¯t.

 Chapter 148: Swamp of Despair 2

    Chapter 148: Swamp of Despair 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The watchtowers at the Swamp of Despair looked like they were built by barbarians whenpared to the watchtowers from the Valley of Death. The swamp was surrounding them, and they looked hastily built, but the watchtowers had to have some magic protection.

    Junhyuk looked at the lizardmen archers atop the watchtowers. They were sticking their tongues out while they looked at the enemy camp. When Junhyuk looked that way, he saw that the enemy also had lizardmen. It was a champions-only battlefield, and the champions would decide who would win since the minions were the same kind.

    Their road had two enemy champions. If both of them had gone over to Aktur, he would have had to kill them. Both champions looked special, however.

    "They don¡¯t have humans here?"

    The heroes were mostly humanoid, but the swamp waspletely different, starting with the champions standing in front of them.

    One was a three-meter tall, four-armed, grey-skinned monster. He only had one eye, but he carried four weapons: a short spear, a longsword, an axe and a hammer. At first nce, he looked dangerous.

    The other, standing next to the monster, was a female centaur, she had the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a horse. There was a spear on her back, but she was holding a horn bow.

    Junhyuk took stock of them and asked Kaljaque, "What kind of powers do they have?"

    "We will know when we fight them. Why are you so curious? Don¡¯t fight with your brain."

    Junhyuk now understood and agreed with Aktur about the troll, but the troll had to contribute. He couldn¡¯t just send him on the enemies¡¯ path. They would kill Kaljaque and make money, getting even more equipment. It would quickly go from bad to worse.

    "This is my first time fighting here, and I¡¯m worried. You¡¯ve fought them before, so you must know!"

    ¡¯Ha-ha-ha! That¡¯s right. I fought them for a long time."

    Kaljaque pointed to the four-armed, one-eyed monster.

    "His name is Lugos. His skin turns ck if you hit him, and I think he feels less pain that way."

    He must mean Lugos buffs his own defense.

    "When his arms double in size, be very careful. If he swings your way, it hurts a lot."

    He means Lugos increases his muscle mass to attack.

    "Lastly, be careful when he stomps the ground. It creates strange shockwaves that send you up in the air."

    Junhyuk looked at Lugos. His size and defensive power meant the champion was some type of tank.

    "What about that woman with the horse¡¯s body?"

    "Her name is Gyulsean. She shoots her horn bow from a distance. She is hard to deal with."

    A long-range attacker. She will be difficult.

    "When she closes in, she uses rushes with her spear. It hurts you bad and also pushes you back."

    Junhyuk looked at the mewall next to him. Touching it would damage him and push him back. He had to be aware of it.

    "What is the distance of her rush?"

    "I¡¯m not sure. I haven¡¯t measured it. It must be longer than my own rush."

    Junhyuk expected it to be fifteen or twenty meters. He could cover that with his teleportation.

    Kaljaque raised both of his hands.

    "When she is close to you, she will spear and throw you. Be careful. She has killed many people that way."

    He knows she has those powers, but he still got killed by her many times, Junhyuk thought and smiled bitterly.

    "A tank and a full-range damage dealer. Hard to deal with. How do you fight them?"

    "How do I fight them..." Kaljaqueughed, raised his staff and shouted, "Attack!"

    "What?!"

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t have time to respond. He and the lizardmen were already running.

    "What about the watchtower?!"

    "We will kill them first!" he shouted and ran forward.

    The enemies had smiles on their faces. Gyulsean pulled her bowstring slowly, and Junhyuk felt better. When Gyulsean shoots her bow, Kaljaque will stop, and we won¡¯t be attacked by the watchtower, he thought. If they were attacked by the watchtower while fighting the enemies, they would be easily killed.

    Gyulsean fired, and Kaljaque turned his head, but was hit on the shoulder and should have stopped then, but he kept moving.

    "You can¡¯t make me stop!"

    He moved faster, and Junhyuk despaired at the sight. Can I actually win with this guy?

    Gyulsean fired again while she retreated, and Lugos stepped forward. Lugos was so much bigger than him, but Kaljaque didn¡¯t care.

    "Come here, Lugos!"

    Kaljaque rushed forward, covering fifteen meters in an instant, but Lugos didn¡¯t care. The one-eyed monster wasn¡¯t ignorant at all. He was very calm.

    Boom!

    Kaljaque¡¯s rush looked very stupid, but the hit created quite a shock. The giant Lugos was pushed back and staggered, and Kaljaque swung his staff at him without hesitation.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    The three-hitbo! That¡¯s his power! Why is he using all of his powers now? Lugos won¡¯t die from his attacks, and he seems strong!

    Lugos raised his four weapons to block, but the shockwaves pushed him backward. Kaljaque kept moving forward, and the watchtower started attacking him. Each arrow was powerful. Junhyuk could see it with his eyes, and the lizardmen engaged in dogfights.

    At that time, Junhyuk got behind Kaljaque. Lugos was strafing to one side while fighting, and Junhyuk noticed that too. He was making way so that Gyulsean could attack, but the most important thing was to get out of the tower¡¯s range.

    Gyulsean saw Lugos making way, and instead of shooting an arrow, she rushed with her spear.

    Boom!

    The rush hit Kaljaque in the ribs andunched him away. Junhyuk watched him bounce five meters away and understood her power. Gyunsean put more emphasis onunching her opponent than simply striking him. In terms of damage, it was lower than Kaljaque¡¯s rush, but she could use her power in many different ways.

    Kaljaque was pushed back and shouted loudly, "You coward! Your rush again?!"

    At first sight, Lugos and Gyulsean showed coordinated and powerful attacks. They were cooperating with each other and easily dealing with Kaljaque.

    Junhyuk ran over to Kaljaque, touched his back and teleported.

    "Hm?"

    When he opened his eyes, Kaljaque saw that Lugos and Gyulsean were farther away, so he looked back.

    "Cool your head and then fight."

    "What are you talking about?! Did you see me being attacked?"

    Junhyuk inspected Kaljaque. He was looking to see how much of Kaljaque¡¯s health had gone down. The enemies¡¯ attacks were fierce, but he still had half of his health left, and it was regenerating at incredible speed.

    Gyulsean¡¯s attacks weren¡¯t weak, so Kaljaque¡¯s health had to be higher than Junhyuk had imagined. He was also regenerating quickly, so he had to be a tank-type champion.

    Tanks needed to rush and grab the enemy¡¯s attention, but diving in took timing as well. He was just being ignorant and he could get himself killed.

    Kaljaque saw his lizardmen getting maimed and tried to run back, but Junhyuk grabbed his arm.

    "What?" he shouted, and Junhyuk shook his head.

    "Let¡¯s retreat."

    "Why?"

    "We are being attacked by the tower, and we can¡¯t fight them both that way."

    "You should help out. I will take one down, and you take one down. Since you can teleport, you deal with Gyulsean."

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "Gylsean¡¯s attack range is longer than the distance of my teleportation."

    "While you get close to her, I will distract them."

    Junhyuk stared at him. His eyes were very serious, and Kaljaque felt extremely dumb. Junhyuk had seen him rushing and thought Kaljaque only cared about himself. When he told him he would distract the enemy, Junhyuk understood he could also think about others.

    "We have to retreat."

    "Then our minions will be killed."

    "If the minions all die, we can still kill the champions. That will be better."

    Kaljaque stared at him. If the minions died, that was the end, and killing champions sounded better. Junhyuk had just arrived, but he knew Junhyuk was right. However, he had never retreated before. He is a troll warrior.

    Kaljaque looked at the enemy and smacked his lips.

    "If we retreat, can we win?"

    "When we are outside of the tower¡¯s range, I will fight with you."

    "If we don¡¯t retreat?"

    "I won¡¯te."

    "Even if I die?"

    Junhyuk nodded heavily.

    "To win, I must not."

    Kaljaque shouted, "Retreat!"

    The lizardmen heard him and got back slowly. They were different from men in that they did it orderly. They had been trained the right way, so they weren¡¯t all dead. Twenty of them remained. While they retreated, the enemy champions didn¡¯t do anything.

    The enemies just kept staring at them while Junhyuk took Kaljaque and retreated to his own tower. Then, they started talking among themselves.

    Kaljaque started pounding the ground with his staff and ncing at his enemies. He also didn¡¯t forget toin.

    "Warriors are suppose to fight until their heads get crushed. We are teasing them, and I don¡¯t like it."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t answer and just kept paying attention to what the enemies were up to.

    "Without that tower, we will win."

    "I trust what you say."

    Junhyuk knew the opponents didn¡¯t know about him, and he wanted to use that to his advantage. So, Kaljaque had to get their attention.

    The enemy champions talked for a while before stepping forward along with their eighty surviving lizardmen.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t care about the lizardmen minions. He could kill them all with a few strikes, but he wanted to watch how the enemies responded.

    He looked at Kaljaque. His muscles were twitching, and Junhyuk noticed that his health had gotten over 60 percent. In just a short period, he had regained 10 percent of his health, and Junhyuk was shocked by his ability to regenerate.

    Kaljaque acted like and had the powers of a troll.

    The enemy was just outside of the range of the allied tower when Kaljaque took his staff and started running.

    "Attack!"

    Junhyuk followed him and sighed deeply. He had to fight with that troll and gain experience in the battlefield, but he already had a headache.

 Chapter 149: Chance of Victory 1

    Chapter 149: Chance of Victory 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk ran after Kaljaque. He had already made a promise, and Kajaque had 60 percent of his health left. That time, he could die.

    Lugos hadn¡¯t used his powers yet.

    Junhyuk was running while Kaljaque was hit by Gyulsean¡¯s arrows, but he kept going. Because Junhyuk was running behind Kaljaque, he wasn¡¯t hit by any arrows.

    Gyunsean didn¡¯t rush, so Kaljaque was able to do it. He ran full throttle, and Lugos stood in front of him. He started swinging his four weapons, and his body turned ck.

    Boom!

    Kaljaque¡¯s rush delivered a huge shock, but the all-ck Lugos stood his ground, and Junhyuk inspected him. The color change was a type of power, and when using that power, he received less damage than normal.

    So, Junhyuk had to buy more time until Lugo¡¯s resistance buff ended. That¡¯s when Kaljaque raised his staff and pounded him three times.

    What is this troll doing? He is so stupid! Kaljaque wanted to use the flow of events to knock the opponent down. Junhyuk closed in on them, but Gyulsean arrived first and tripped Kaljaque. He was the one knocked down.

    Kaljaque tripped and fell within the range of the enemy tower. When the enemy got closer to maximize their range, Junhyuk should have pulled him away, but it was toote for that now. Junhyuk analyzed the situation. He didn¡¯t know the enemies¡¯ healths, so he couldn¡¯t use his Spatial sh yet.

    Junhyuk approached them, and Lugos stepped forward. His huge eye was beaming in excitement, and he shouted, "You are a newbie!"

    Lugos got closer and stabbed at him with the short spear. The muscles of his arm tightened with the motion of the very sharp stab, but Junhyuk dodged his attacks and swung the Frozen Rune Sword, shing his forearm.

    As Junhyuk cut him, he was d he had done it. Junhyuk had thought Lugos would be ignorant and strong, but his defense wasn¡¯t as strong as he had thought. His forearm tore up, leaving a huge wound, and a shockwave stretched out from him with a ten-meter radius.

    The nearby lizardmen were swept by the shockwave and died, and the rest of the lizardmen scattered.

    Junhyuk felt more confidence from shing Lugos¡¯s forearm than from the lizardmen he had killed, and because of that confidence, he started attacking the enemy.

    Lugos had four arms, but his attack speed wasn¡¯t that fast. Each of his blows was powerful, but his speed overall was quite slow. After getting his forearm shed, his movement speed decreased.

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t an easy opponent, especially for someone like Lugos. He had fought against heroes many times over, and fighting was part of him now. He was highly focused and engaged on Lugos, but Lugos was making his hairs stand up. Lugo¡¯s attacks were that dangerous.

    Junhyuk carried items that enhanced his attack rather than his defense or health, so if Lugos managed to hit him, it would hurt a lot.

    He was tied up with Lugos, and Kaljaque was exposed to attacks from Gyusean and the tower, and his health was plummeting fast. Junhyuk could see it.

    "Kaljaque! Retreat!"

    Kaljaque retreated from the tower¡¯s range and attacked Gyulsean, but Gyulsean disyed amazing ability to move. She had horse legs and she moved differently. Gyulsean moved quickly and prevented Kaljaque from retreating any further.

    She dodged Kaljaque¡¯s attacks and skillfully stabbed him with her spear. Junhyuk would have a tougher time dealing with her than with Lugos.

    He saw that Kaljaque had 20 percent of his health left. Champions didn¡¯t have ultimates, so if the tower concentrate its attacks on him, he would surely die. If Kaljaque died, Junhyuk would be alone, so he knew he had to use his power right then.

    Each time Junhyuk attacked, Lugos lost 7 percent of his health. Because of Lugos defensive power and hisrge health, Junhyuk knew the Spatial sh wouldn¡¯t kill him yet. Junhyuk kept thinking, and Gyulsean rushed toward Kaljaque.

    Boom!

    Kaljaque was pushed five meters back, and that could be fatal. He only had 7 percent of his health left. Even if he ran, if the tower attacked him, he would die. Junhyuk had to save him. Kaljaque was almost dead, and Gyulsean approached him. Lugos made the right choice and left Junhyuk behind to go after him as well.

    Lugos had 70 percent of his health left. Even if Junhyuk shed him, he would still survive, but Kaljaque would die from a single blow. Lugos¡¯ arm erged to twice the size, and Junhyuk looked at Kaljaque. He hadn¡¯t lost his spirit yet. Even with Lugos and Gyulsean running toward him, he shouts, "Graaaahh!"

    Suddenly, Gyulsean and Lugos were paralyzed, and Junhyuk realized that Kaljaque had used his power. Kaljaque had paralyzed the two and swung his staff at Gyulsean.

    The tower¡¯s archers were attacking him, and he had only 3 percent of his health left. Still he wasn¡¯t thinking of escaping, but wanted to kill the enemies instead. Junhyuk thought about what he was doing and became angry, but he remained patient.

    Junhyuk could still save him. He extended his hands, and an ivory-colored light surrounded Kaljaque, and Kaljaque stopped swing his staff and stood there dumbfounded.

    "Run!" Junhyuk shouted loudly, and Kaljaque collected himself and started to run. When he ran, the force field pushed Lugos and Gyulsean aside. The paralysis from the howling was gone, and they both attacked Kaljaque.

    Kunk, kunk, kunk!

    Because Kaljaque¡¯s health was low, they thought they could kill him. However, after pounding on the force field a few times, they realized the force field around him would block all physical attacks.

    They frowned and looked at Junhyuk, but he had already close in on Gyulsean and was swinging his sword down on her. She raised her spear to try to block his attack.

    ng!

    The shockwave spread out, but Gyulsean wasn¡¯t wounded at all, so Junhyuk tried to stab her again. She blocked him again, and he used the Spatial sh with the Blood Rune Sword.

    Gyulsean felt a prick on her neck and twisted her body, but the Spatial sh had hit her, creating another shockwave.

    "Argh!"

    He watched her health drop. It had only been one blow, but it was a critical strike. The Spatial sh took 70 percent off of her health. She had already lost 10 percent while fighting Kaljaque, so she only had 20 percent of her health left.

    Gyulsean waspletely surprised by the sudden amount of damage and retreated. Junhyuk didn¡¯t chase her down. Instead, he grabbed Kaljaque and went back to his tower.

    "Look! We are supposed to fight together!"

    "Kaljaque, one more strike and you will die."

    "But they are..."

    "If you die first, we can¡¯t win."

    Kaljaque gritted his teeth, but retreated anyway. Before the force field disappeared, they put a good distance between their enemies. Junhyuk turned and looked at Gyulsean. She was holding her neck and drinking a potion.

    She had started with 20 percent, and after drinking the potion her health was at 50 percent. The Spatial sh could deal damage equal to 70 percent of her health. The next one would kill her.

    Then, Junhyuk looked back at Lugos, whom he had been fighting. He had started with 70 percent of his health, but it was down to 50 percent. When he struck with the Spatial sh, the shockwave dealt half of the total possible damage to Lugos, meaning the pure Spatial sh could take out 40 percent of Lugos¡¯ health.

    When the cooldown was over, by his calctions, he could kill at least one enemy. Before the force field disappeared, Kaljaque drank a potion. He was also aware that he had to regain his health.

    His health increased by 15 percent, leaving him at 18 percent, and Junhyuk learned that Kaljaque¡¯s health was twice that of Gyulsean. He could understand Kaljaques¡¯ style of fighting now, and how he had survived the battles. He had to have items that increased and regenerated his health.

    Junhyuk stood in front of him.

    "We¡¯ll wait twenty-five seconds."

    "Waiting for your power?"

    "Yes."

    "Then their powers will also return."

    "But without my power, we can¡¯t fight."

    As Junhyuk said that, Kaljaque thought for a moment, but he soon agreed. Just a moment before, Junhyuk had been engaged in battle with Lugos, and each time Junhyuk attacked, he created shockwaves that killed most of the lizardmen. There were thirty lizardmen left.

    Kaljaque could also deal with the lizardmen alone. One hit meant one death, and he would continue to attack and kill all lizardmen, but he couldn¡¯t sweep through them with shockwaves.

    "Is that your power?"

    "What?"

    "Making shockwaves that damage your surroundings."

    Junhyuk stared at him.

    "Now you are curious about my power?"

    "Yes. It¡¯s the first time I see that kind of power."

    Junhyukughed.

    "It¡¯s an item¡¯s effect."

    "An item? Is there such thing?"

    Junhyuk answered him. He was not a hero, so he couldn¡¯t lose his item and answered everything.

    "It¡¯s an item set effect. It¡¯s hard to build a set, but when the set isplete it has astounding effects."

    "Cool. So, your powers are the force field and the teleportation? What is the other one?"

    He had been running, so he couldn¡¯t see the Spatial sh. Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to keep secrets from his allies, so he told him calmly, "When we fight again, I will show you."

    "I¡¯m looking forward to it."

    As they talked, Kaljaque recovered more of his health. It was now up to 20 percent. The enemies had also regained some health, but that had to be because of potions.

    Junhyuk inhaled deeply.

    "This time, you take Lugos. I will take Gyulsean."

    "Can you kill Gyulsean? Can you even get close to her?"

    "Don¡¯t worry about it."

    He wasn¡¯t thinking about getting close. He would kill her from a distance and then attack Lugos. If the allies had another long range attacker, things would be much easier. If someone took out 30 percent of Gyulsean¡¯s health, Junhyuk would take care of the rest. However, they didn¡¯t have such a person. He had to do the best with the circumstances he was given.

    The enemies were scared of him and didn¡¯te close. When Junhyuk was fighting Lugos, he generated shockwaves that hit Gyulsean and swept through the lizardmen. Knowing that the lizardmen were useless, they decided not to use them.

    They were standing by the tower and realized their cooldowns were over. Both side¡¯s cooldowns were over. Junhyuk still had some time left for the force field, but he couldn¡¯t wait any longer. The enemy champions started making their move because their powers were at their disposal. If Junhyuk made Kaljaque wait any longer, he would get into another predicament just like before.

    He took a step back.

    "Second round. Let¡¯s begin."

    "OK."

    Kaljaque ran forward pell-mell, and Junhyuk knew he had to be careful. He couldn¡¯t control Kaljaque, so he had to clean up Kaljaque¡¯s shit for him.

 Chapter 150: Chance of Victory 2

    Chapter 150: Chance of Victory 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Kaljaque was running without looking back, and Lugos and Gyulsean saw that and started retreating. This time, they were luring him into their range, and he wasn¡¯t thinking of stopping.

    Kaljaque¡¯s strong rush was aimed at Gyulsean, but the enemy wasn¡¯t interested in making way for him. Lugos stepped forward and tried to stop his rush. Junhyuk took some steps back, and Gyulsean took out her bow and readied an arrow.

    Kaljaque¡¯s health was only at 20 percent. If the enemies used their powers on him, he could be killed. Gyulsean was drawing her bowstring, and Junhyuk saw that she was within his range and swung his sword. Before she had a chance to release the arrow, a gash opened on the side of her neck, and she started bleeding out. It was a fatal blow, and Gyulsean¡¯s eyes widened. She didn¡¯t understand how or why she was dying. She didn¡¯t understand Junhyuk¡¯s powers yet.

    [You¡¯ve killed Gyulsean and earned 3,000G.]

    Gyulsean disappeared, and Junhyuk scoped out the battlefield. Once Gyulsean died, the shockwave swept the lizardmen nearby away. They had thought they had to stay out of Junhyuk¡¯s way, so they had gathered around Gyulsean and were killed as a group.

    Kaljaque wasn¡¯t interested in Gyulsean¡¯s death and headed toward Lugos, whose body turned all ck to stop his rush. Lugos was shocked that Gyulsean had died, and his single eye opened wide.

    Junhyuk headed towards Lugos, who had already engaged Kaljaque. Junhyuk saw Kaljaque raising his staff and got the urge to curse him out, but he remained calm. Lugos has already turned ck, and he won¡¯t be able to inflict a lot of damage. Why is he trying that again?

    He quickly approached Lugos. Lugos was focused on dealing with Kaljaque rather than Junhyuk. Kaljaque had very little health left, and Lugos¡¯ goal was to kill him. He had to be thinking that.

    Lugos swung his four weapons, damaging Kaljaque. The tower also attacked him, but he ignored it and kept fighting Lugos. Kaljaque had 5 percent of his health left and couldn¡¯t keep fighting Lugos. Junhyuk shed Lugos¡¯ ribs with the Frozen Rune Sword, touched Kaljaque and teleported.

    Kaljaque had been pounding on Lugos, but now there was some distance between them, and he swung at the empty air and frowned.

    "Why are we running again?!"

    "Do you really want to die?" Junhyuk shouted back, having lost his patience.

    Junhyuk was angry, and Kaljaque was dumbstruck. Junhyuk had been patient and paid himpliments, and his anger surprised Kaljaque. He turned his head to look at Lugos, who was running toward them. From Lugos¡¯ point of view, Kaljaque only had 5 percent of his health left, and he really wanted to kill him.

    Lugos had 50 percent of his health left, and he seemed confident that he would still kill Kaljaque even if he were attacked by Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk stood in front of Kaljaque and said, "Both of us can survive and kill him, so stay back!"

    Lugos came really close to them, but he was out of range of the tower¡¯s supporting fire. The amount of health he had left meant that Junhyuk would have to attack him eight more times to take him down.

    Junhyuk was highly focused and headed toward Lugos. He didn¡¯t give Kaljaque a chance. If he had, Kaljaque would be killed.

    Junhyuk stepped up, and Lugos swung hard. Lugos¡¯ four arms and four weapons made it hard for Junhyuk to find a weak spot. Junhyuk stopped heading after him and stepped aside, so Lugos passed him by and headed to Kaljaque.

    Kaljaque was very happy that Lugos wasing for him. He had regained 1 percent of his health and now had 6 percent total and might be able to withstand two of Lugos¡¯ blows.

    Junhyuk moved quickly behind Lugos, and Kaljaque howled suddenly, "Graaaahh!"

    The sudden howl was timed perfectly, and it paralyzed Lugos. Then, Kaljaque mmed his staff against Lugos¡¯ head.

    Crrraaack!

    He dealt a lot of damage to Lugos¡¯ head, and Lugos lost 12 percent of his health in one hit. It looked like a critical hit to Junhyuk, and he wanted to seize that opportunity, so he swung his sword.

    Junhyuk shed Lugos¡¯ back, damaging him. His back was defenseless, and Junhyuk inflicted 10 percent of damage to Lugos¡¯ total health. His health dropped from 50 to 28 percent, but once he could move, he stomped the ground.

    Boom!

    The shockwave rose from the ground, sending Junhyuk and Kaljaque into the air. Junhyuk clicked his tongue. There was a gap between him and Kaljaque, and he couldn¡¯t touch him. He couldn¡¯t teleport.

    Lugos¡¯ arms erged to twice their normal size, and he looked at Kaljaque. All four arms were double their size, and it looked like Kaljaque would die soon.

    The shockwave had also damaged them, and Kaljaque only had 1 percent of his health left. Junhyuk decided to take a chance. He teleported by himself underneath Lugos¡¯ chin and stabbed upward through his head with the Blood Rune Sword. He expertly avoided hitting bones and stabbed upward, delivering a critical hit.

    Lugos lost a lot of health. It decreased by 15 percent, leaving him with 13 percent left. Junhyuk pushed the Blood Rune Sword deeper and stab his eye with the Frozen Rune Sword.

    It was another critical hit, and Lugos lost another 10 percent of his health and was left with 3 percent. He had also lost his eye, but he tried to attack Junhyuk. However, Junhyuk was close to his chest, and his arms were too thick at that point to grab him, and Junhyuk wasn¡¯t interested in being attacked.

    His health would decline rapidly if Lugos hit him with a strong attack, and he might even die, so Junhyuk pulled his swords out and crawled between Lugos¡¯ legs, appearing on the other side. Lugos attacked the empty air, and Kaljaque mmed his staff on him.

    Craaaack!

    Lugos only had 3 percent of his health left, and that single blow took hisst breath away. Junhyuk watched Lugos disappear, surprised. He had practically killed Lugos by himself, but Kaljaque stole the kill from him.

    [Kaljaque killed Lugos.]

    The Swamp of Despair had a announcement system that toldbatants who had been killed by whom. Junhyuk heard the voice, and his eyebrows twitched. Kaljaqueughed very hard.

    "Ha-ha-ha-ha! What do you think? I saved you."

    Junhyuk wanted to p him, but he was hisrade. So, Junhyuk exhaled deeply and pulled himself together.

    "Worry about your health."

    "Don¡¯t worry. I have the fastest regenerative power among champions."

    He was speaking the truth. He was regaining health as he talked. Then, Kaljaque turned back and shouted, "Attack! Destroy the tower!"

    The lizardmen followed his order and ran. Junhyuk wanted to contribute and also saw Kaljaque running.

    "Kaljaque!"

    Kaljaque had regained some health, but he only had 2 percent of his health left. The tower wasn¡¯t buffed, but an attack from the tower would still kill him. However, Kaljaque didn¡¯t look back at Junhyuk even after he shouted, so he was hit with an arrow and staggered. Junhyuk ran to him and stepped on his shoulders, blocking the iing arrows.

    "Retreat!"

    "I want to destroy the tower."

    Junhyuk stopped the arrowsing toward them and shouted, "You will be killed!"

    "When you are killed by the tower, you don¡¯t lose any money."

    What the hell is he talking about?! Junhyuk wanted to pry his head open and look inside. The lizardmen went for the tower, and the archers began attacking them instead.

    Junhyuk looked at him and asked, "How did you survive the Valley of Death?"

    "Hm... Simple. When you have only one life, just stay inside the castle."

    "What?!"

    He sounded extremely stupid, and Junhyuk felt sorry for the heroes who fought with him.

    "Don¡¯t step in until you¡¯ve regained your health. I will siege the tower."

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes gave off a very sharp look, and Kaljaque felt very stupid and avoided them.

    "OK. Do it fast. If not, I will step in."

    Junhyuk had heard enough, and turned and ran. The lizardmen were attacking the tower, and Junhyuk swung his sword. The tower had a force field, but it was much weaker than the one in the Valley of Death.

    They didn¡¯t look strong at all, and their force field was also weak, so Junhyuk struck fast and the tower¡¯s force field quickly crumbled.

    The tower was almost destroyed, and Junhyuk looked at Kaljaque. He was already attacking with his staff with only 3 percent of his health left. Junhyuk wanted toin, but he didn¡¯t. It would have been like reciting poetry for the troll¡¯s ears.

    Crraaaaack!

    The force field was gone, and the tower was destroyed. Junhyuk sighed and looked at Kaljaque. He looked very proud.

    "It¡¯s been a long time since we destroyed an enemy tower first."

    "Kaljaque."

    "Yes?"

    Junhyuk spoke to him calmly, "Kajaque is a warrior. I can tell from your powers and the courage you¡¯ve shown here today."

    Junhyuk felt no need to respect him any further and talked down to him, but Kaljaque didn¡¯t realize that.

    "Ha-ha-ha! You are very wise."

    "But..." Junhyuk started and stared at him so hard he was about to drill a hole in Kaljaque¡¯s face. "You must know when to use your courage. Otherwise, you are just gold coins for the enemy."

    "What?"

    "In singlebat, you may do as you wish. We are all champions here, and there won¡¯t be any difference."

    "I like one-on-one fights."

    Junhyuk nodded.

    "Right. So, only get in one-on-one fights."

    "What?" Kaljaque looked baffled, and Junhyuk rified it even more.

    "When you are in the tower¡¯s range or there are two champions facing you, just step back."

    "Stepping back isn¡¯t the way of a warrior."

    Junhyuk was angry, but he said patiently, "On the Valley of Death, you said that when you get down to yourst life you stay inside the castle."

    "Sure, that¡¯s the right way to do things, but we have unlimited revives here. Why do I have to stay back?"

    "When you die, the enemy earns 3,000G, and it will make the enemy stronger."

    Kaljaque bit his lips andined, "But warriors don¡¯t step back."

    He was very stupid and stubborn. Junhyuk realized he couldn¡¯t reason with him, so he grabbed Kaljaque¡¯s forearm.

    "This time we killed two!"

    "Ha-ha-ha! Right. I killed one of them by smashing his brains in."

    Junhyuk was the one who almost killed him, and he wanted to go over it, but didn¡¯t.

    "Right. Just do as I tell you, and you will kill many more and be stronger."

    "Stronger?"

    "Sure. Your equipment will get better, making you stronger."

    "Correct."

    "When you are stronger, you will kill three champions by yourself."

    Kaljaque was listening now.

    "That will happen soon."

    "Sure. Real warriors can do that."

    "Ha-ha-ha-ha!. Right. Real warriors."

    "Right. So, do as I tell you."

    Kaljaque pounded on Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder.

    "Don¡¯t worry. Just trust me."

    Junhyuk looked at him and still felt nervous. He had said that, but he might still run straight toward the enemy camp at any time.

    Junhyuk had topliment him often and indoctrinate him more.

    "Then, shall we move?"

    "Let¡¯s. We should get to the castle before Aktur does."

    Junhyuk really wanted to pry Kaljaque¡¯s head open.

 Chapter 151: High Ranking Sorcerer 1

    Chapter 151: High Ranking Sorcerer 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk crushed the tower and advanced, but he felt like he shouldn¡¯t advance too far. If he did, he might encounter a group of enemies, and that would be difficult.

    "Should we bring more lizardmen?"

    There were only ten lizardmen left. With that amount, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to siege the castle.

    "Then, you should go."

    "We should all go. You¡¯ll be alone and you might meet an enemy."

    "I should kill them."

    Junhyuk had thought that he could have a normal conversation with Kaljaque for a moment, but he gave up on that idea.

    "We should move together."

    "Do what you like."

    Kaljaque hummed and swung his staff while he walked, and Junhyuk sighed.

    "Nothing is happening on Aktur¡¯s side."

    "Drakey is hard to deal with. Aktur will have a hard time with him."

    "What are Drakey¡¯s powers?"

    "Why are you so curious?" Kaljaque said, but he thought for a moment and continued, "Drakey has two heads and four legs, and he shoots soundwaves. They are dangerous. They shake your organs."

    "What is the range?"

    "It¡¯s longer than my rush, but I¡¯m not sure."

    Junhyuk wanted to ask how he had fought him, but didn¡¯t and asked about other things instead, "What about the other powers?"

    "He can escape like an eel. For a certain time, no attack will work against him."

    It sounded like an absolute dodge. Junhyuk would have to be careful. He could escape the Spatial sh that way, and that meant that every second counted in the fight.

    "For how long?"

    "About 3 seconds?"

    Junhyuk realized that his own powers were awesome.

    "Right."

    Kaljaque crossed his arms and said, "He has one more frustrating power. It¡¯s like summoning a tornado, but he makes a water pir and sucks everything around it. It deals a lot of damage and it hurts a lot."

    "How big is the space the sucking force affects?"

    "About a five-meter radius?"

    So within a ten-meter diameter, it sucked the opponents and inflicted damage. It would be hard to deal with. He could be the strongest enemy among the other champions, but Aktur was dealing with him for now.

    Aktur might actually bepletely different from Kaljaque and actually be OK.

    "What are Aktur¡¯s powers?"

    Kaljaque thought Junhyuk was asking too many questions, but his eyes were so focused and serious that he answered, "Since he is a mummy, he has a cursing power. When he curses the opponents, they slow down."

    "What is his range?"

    Kaljaque shook his head a little and took five steps forward and said, "This much?"

    Kaljaque could only give estimates on everything, but Junhyuk listened to him carefully. That Dimensional Battlefield¡¯s three-on-three confrontation would be the team battles. He wanted to prepare for them and learn more about Aktur¡¯s powers.

    Kaljaque thought of something and extended his arms.

    "Finally, he has the power to summon skeleton soldiers. He summons three skeleton soldiers, and they fight with us. They deal some damage."

    Junhyuk would ask Aktur about his skeleton soldiers and how much damage they could inflict.

    "Do they work on enemy champions?"

    "They stay active for twenty seconds, and the power has a long cooldown, but together, they deal the same amount of damage as Aktur himself."

    That meant that each skeleton dealt about 30 percent of Aktur¡¯s damage. It was a lot. If they lured the enemies in and summoned the skeletons, it would be like there were two Akturs fighting.

    Junhyuk thought he could kill one enemy right away when the team battle began. Of course, Kaljaque¡¯s powers weren¡¯t bad either. The howling had a paralysis effect, and his rush would hold at least one enemy down. However, Kaljaque didn¡¯t have a clue about how to time his attacks.

    Junhyuk had learned a lot about the enemies he had fought already, but he hadn¡¯t met Drakey and was curious about him.

    "Does Drakey have high attack or high defense?"

    "It¡¯s about the same?"

    That meant that Drakey was a bnced type, and Junhyuk was about to ask something else when he heard a soft voice.

    [The High-Ranking Sorcerer in the Swamp of Despair has awoken. Lend him the help he needs, and he will give you a reward.]

    Junhyuk listened to it and looked at Kaljaque.

    "Kaljaque, where is the High-Ranking Sorcerer?"

    "In the Swamp of Despair. Go in from here, and they will be gathering there. You won¡¯t get lost."

    "OK. I¡¯ll head there. You go back to the tower."

    "Why?"

    "Just in case. If two enemiese after you, it could be difficult."

    Kaljaque thought for a moment and said, "Don¡¯t worry. You go. The buff will be useful when you get it."

    "OK. I¡¯ll return soon."

    Junhyuk headed to the High-Ranking Sorcerer, and Kaljaque smiled and murmured, "The enemy has also sent someone to the High-Ranking Sorcerer. If anyonees this way, it¡¯ll be just one of them, so why should I bother going back?"

    Kaljaque rested his staff across his shoulders and signaled for the lizardmen.

    "Let¡¯s go," he said and headed toward the enemy camp.

    ---

    Junhyuk headed to where the High-Ranking Sorcerer was. He had an item that increased his speed and thought he would get there first.

    He ran for a while and saw a few of the monsters in the Swamp of Despair. Perhaps he could take a mana stone or a bloodstone from that ce back with him, but the important thing was to get the buff.

    Junhyuk shed through some monsters on the way and dashed forward. He ran until the road ended, and a huge swamp appeared ahead of him. There was an ind in the middle of the swamp, and he thought that was where the sorcerer was sealed.

    Junhyuk saw stones sticking out of the swamp at three-meter intervals and ran. On his way to the ind, he realized he was the first to arrive. However, once he stepped on a stone, a person appeared on the other side.

    It was Gyulsean. When she saw Junhyuk, she started running quickly. Junhyuk thought that she might have difficulty hopping through the stones because her bottom half was that of a horse, but she scoffed at him and moved in a way that almost seemed like she was flying. They would both get to the ind at the same time, and Junhyuk thought he might have to fight her.

    Gyulsean got there first and shot an her arrow at him. Junhyuk blocked it, but he thought he was going to fall from the stone path, so he teleported and started running again. She hadn¡¯t expected Junhyuk to teleport, so she got nervous and pulled out her spear.

    "This ce is not for you!"

    Gyulsean¡¯s stab was much faster than Lugos¡¯, but Junhyuk saw the spearing toward him and responded calmly. He didn¡¯t want to block because he could fall in the process, so he simply moved his head and dodged.

    Gyulsean¡¯s stab was fast, but Junhyuk had fought heroes that were faster, so he easily dodged her attacks. He approached her and swung the Frozen Rune Sword. Gyulsean had high attack and movement speeds, and he wanted to decrease them.

    A white shockwave expanded from the strike, and Gyulsean was slowed down. She didn¡¯t care about her lower speeds, however, and swung her spear. That time, Junhyuk used his sword to block.

    Clung!

    The shock sent him off to the side, but he made it on the the ind. On solid ground, Junhyuk had no reason to lose.

    Junhyuk was about to attack when Gyulsean stabbed at him with her spear. He fell to the ground, and Gyulsean pierced his body with it. She wanted to throw him. That was her power. She had been attacking normally and suddenly switched to her power. It was something she learned to do after spending a long time in battlefields.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t respond. He was hooked on the spear andunched in the air. Meanwhile, he remained calm. He had seen the same tactic used on Kaljaque. She could onlyunch him about ten meters, and Junhyuk wanted to know the exact distance.

    Kaljaque had said it was about ten meters, but now Junhyuk knew it was ten meters. Before hended, he teleported and appeared above Gyulsean¡¯s head, swinging the Blood Rune Sword down. Gyulsean barely sidestepped and blocked his attack.

    Clung!

    Junhyuk raised the Frozen Rune Sword and attacked. Again she blocked it with her spear and moved to the side. Hended and stared at her. She had 85 percent of her health left, and Junhyuk kept looking at her while moving to the center of the ind.

    Gyulsean¡¯s stabbing motions restrained his movements, and he realized why Kaljaque couldn¡¯t get out of her range at the tower. She had kept him contained. Junhyuk knew that if he fought her, he would end up with his back to the swamp.

    He took a step forward, straining himself. The spear grazed his shoulder, and Junhyuk got even closer and hit the spear.

    Clung!

    She was skilled with her spear, but Junhyuk¡¯s continuous attacks were hard to defend against. Gyulsean was getting tired, and he sensed the victory was his. When her health dropped to 70 percent, he would kill her with one use of the Spatial sh. At that point, her health was at 75 percent.

    Junhyuk wanted to keep attacking, and she was still stabbing at him. His own movements had to be big to escape from her attacks. Her big swings would reveal her weak spots as well.

    Then, he decided to distance himself. It was time to use the Spatial sh. However, suddenly, Gyulsean rushed.

    Boom!

    She was using her power, and the way she connected it with her regr attacks was really smooth. Junhyuk was pushed away.

    He bounced five meters back, and his feet touched the swamp.

    [You have fallen in the Swamp of Despair. Your ability to escape has decreased by 70 percent, and your movement speed has decreased by 95 percent. If you don¡¯t leave the swamp within ten seconds, you will die.]

    Junhyuk stepped back on the ground, and Gyulsean was drawing her bow and smiling. He just stared her down.

    Gyulsean¡¯s bow had a long range, butpared to Diane¡¯s shooting speed, Gyulsean was twice as slow.

    So, he wanted to wait for the first arrow and then attack. Gyulsean let go of the bowstring, and the arrow made a loud noise, flying toward Junhyuk. He didn¡¯t wait any longer and used his jump skill.

    While in the air, he used the Spatial sh.

    "Ugh!"

    She had looked up at him when he jumped, raising her head and leaving her neck exposed. Blood started gushing out of it. She had 5 percent of her health left and switched to the spear.

    Junhyuknded and quickly ran toward her. They were very close, and she tried to stab the middle of his forehead.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t dodge. Instead, he released his force field, and the spear bounced off of it. His sword went through her heart, and Gyulsean lost the rest of her health. Junhyuk stepped on her body to pull the sword out.

    Her body fell into the swamp.

    "Yeah, you go in there."

    [You¡¯ve killed Gyulsean and earned 3,000G.]

 Chapter 152: High Ranking Sorcerer 2

    Chapter 152: High Ranking Sorcerer 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Gyulsean disappeared, and Junhyuk slowly turned and looked around the ind. It wasn¡¯t big and it was full of tree stumps and roots. There was a muscr man tangled in the roots. He had a huge canine sticking out of his mouth and green-colored skin. He was staring at Junhyuk in wonder.

    "You have interesting powers."

    "Are you the the High-Ranking Sorcerer?"

    The man shook his head.

    "No. I¡¯m the Peerless Sorcerer, thest and best sorcerer of the Rogenchra continent."

    "Then, what are you doing here?"

    The man stared at Junhyuk as he said that.

    "Are you here to criticize me? Don¡¯t you want the buff?"

    "No, it¡¯s nothing like that. I¡¯m just curious. There¡¯s also a dragon at the Valley of Death."

    "Are youparing me to a dragon?"

    Junhyuk realized that the man had a lot of pride and didn¡¯t want to argue with him.

    "What do you meanpare you to a dragon?"

    "Hmm..." The man was bothered by Junhyuk and shook his head. "I don¡¯t have to exin my situation to you. Go north, and you¡¯ll find an ant. Bring me the ant¡¯s fruit."

    "Shall I kill the ant?"

    "Do what you must."

    The man waved his hand, and Junhyuk bowed and asked,

    "I¡¯m Junhyuk Lee. What is your name?"

    "Ha-ha-ha! Thunder has called on me. I am Hatma."

    "I¡¯ll get it for you quickly."

    "I¡¯ll be waiting."

    Junhyuk bowed before him again and asked, "Could I ask you a question?"

    "What is it?"

    "Do you know where the Dimensional Merchant is in this ce?"

    Hatma was dumbfounded by the question and just stared at him.

    "Why are you asking me?"

    Junhyuk scratched his head and said, "This is my first time in the Swamp of Despair."

    "Right. You haven¡¯t been a champion for long, then?"

    "Yes."

    Hatmaughed hard.

    "But you have amazing powers."

    "Thank you."

    He bowed again, and Hatma pointed with his hand.

    "Follow that road, and you will find the ant. The road next to it leads you to the Dimensional Merchant."

    "Then, I will bring you the fruit first."

    "The ant won¡¯t be easy to deal with. Be careful."

    "Thanks for worrying about me."

    Junhyuk bowed again and followed the road Hatma had shown him. He had told him the ant wouldn¡¯t be easy to deal with. Being a monster, the ant could be stronger than Junhyuk expected.

    He ran for a while and heard a soft voice echo.

    [Kaljaque has been killed by Lugos.]

    The voice sounded off suddenly, and Junhyuk frowned.

    "What did this troll do?!"

    Gyulsean wasn¡¯t there, and Lugos had to have been alone. Junhyuk would¡¯ve understood if it was one-on-one fight, but there was something fishy about it.

    "I told him to retreat to the tower."

    With the tower¡¯s support, he couldn¡¯t have lost. With the buff, he would have won any one-on-one fight. It looked like Kaljaque didn¡¯t follow his instructions.

    "What am I going to do with that troll?"

    Junhyuk sighed and ran fast. He was headed to where the ant was. The first thing to do was for him to take the fruit from the ant. Then, he would take the fruit to the sorcerer and get the buff. Kaljaque wasn¡¯t with him, and he couldn¡¯t expect anything from him. The allies had only lost 3,000G so far.

    "Maybe it¡¯s a good thing that we¡¯ve only lost 3,000G."

    Heroes lost their items, sopared to the heroes¡¯ battlefield, that wasn¡¯t bad. His opponents wouldn¡¯t get strong with every fight.

    Junhyuk ran, and a huge empty space appeared in front of him. He stopped. There was only one huge tree in the center of that space and nothing else.

    "Ant?"

    He looked again, but couldn¡¯t find anything that looked like a monster, so he shook his head and approached the tree. It was about twenty meters tall, and he stood in front of it thinking that the tree was truly humongous. It was at least the size of a seven-story building, so it was natural that Junhyuk felt it was big.

    He looked around carefully. There was supposed to be an ant somewhere, but he could only see the tree. Junhyuk looked up the tree and saw a fruit hanging from the top. It was a twenty-meter tall tree, and the fruit was stuck to its branch, and Junhyuk quickly learned who the owner of the fruit was. He quickly took some steps back.

    Fwoosh, fwoosh!

    The roots of the tree came out of the ground and grabbed at the empty air, going back down after. The twenty-meter tall tree began to move.

    Boom! Boom!

    The tree had thick roots and started using its roots to go toward him. I was wrong! It isn¡¯t an ant. It¡¯s an Ent! Junhyuk wondered how he would go about fighting it. As he did, the tree swung its branches at him. The long branches swooshed through the empty space, but there was no ce for Junhyuk to hide. The branches were that long.

    Junhyuk moved back and escaped. The tree kept moving, and Junhyuk could observe it. He wanted to know how much health the tree had and used his Spatial sh.

    Crack!

    It was an Ent. Junhyuk could deliver critical hits on humans, but he didn¡¯t know where a tree¡¯s weak spots would be. The bark tore apart and flew off. He didn¡¯t know where he had hit, but the tree lost 20 percent of its health. The Spatial sh was Junhyuk¡¯s main weapon, and he had only dealt 20 percent of damage to it. The tree would be hard to deal with.

    Junhyuk inhaled deeply, and the Ent swung its branches angrily. There was no ce to hide from them, so Junhyuk teleported and appeared on the spot where the tree was standing and swung his sword.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck!

    Junhyuk¡¯s attacks were sharp, but his three consecutive hits had only dealt 10 percent of damage to the Ent. He retreated.

    Crack, crack!

    Roots rose form the spot where Junhyuk had been standing. He was nervous and moved sideways to attack the branches. The tree was huge, and its range and attack motions were huge. It was hard for him to find ces to hide from its attacks.

    He could dodge the root attacks, but he couldn¡¯t find a space to hide from the branches. He teleported and attacked again. Junhyuk¡¯sbos chipped at the Ent¡¯s health.

    The Ent had about 50 percent of its health left, and it sent a sharp branch toward him. Junhyuk deflected it with his swords, but the branch came down on his head.

    ng!

    Junhyuk was bounced back and barely got himself steady to look at the Ent. Its mouth opened, and very powerful branches shot out of it. Junhyuk knew he had already lost 10 percent of his health with that single hit.

    "Is this its power?"

    The Ent wasn¡¯t speaking, but it kept swinging the branches. Junhyuk got out of the range of the branches altogether and looked around. It was a spacious lot, and at the edge of the space, there were a lot of tall trees.

    He moved to the edge, and the Ent became very angry and chased him down, all the while swinging its branches. Junhyuk leaned on a tree. When the Ent swung at him, Junhyuk ducked forward, just close enough to the ground to almost hit it.

    Behind him, he heard the trees breaking and falling and felt the branch moving. As soon as that happened, he ran toward the empty space in the middle of the area, cutting through the branches and escaping again.

    He went back to the edge of the area and leaned on a tree, gathering his breath.

    The Ent was turning around, and he wanted to attack it again, but he saw a branch shooting forward and barely dodged it. The branch prated the tree on which he was leaning.

    Thunk!

    It was gut wrenching, but that had to be the Ent¡¯s power, and it had a cooldown. He would have his chance. Junhyuk ran and cut up more branches. As the branches broke off from the trunk, he heard a scream.

    GGRRROOOOAAAAAARR!!!!

    The scream shook the earth, and he staggered. However, his attacks had been sessful. The Ent had lost 20 percent of its health.

    "Was that its weak spot?"

    Junhyuk closed in on it and wanted to attack the same spot, but the branches covered the Ent, and roots rose from the ground.

    The Ent had 30 percent of its health left, and Junhyuk had made up his mind. It was time to decide who won and who lost.

    Heunched the force field, ignored the branch attacks and swung his swords hard. Junhyuk¡¯s attacks decreased the Ent¡¯s health, but it also swung its branches hard.

    Boom!

    If the branches hade from the side, he would have been pushed aside. However, the branches came down on him, pushing the force field downward. The force field was stuck to the ground, but Junhyuk continued his attacks. The Ent had 10 percent of its health left, and when the force field disappeared, Junhyuk retreated.

    He couldn¡¯t die while fighting the Ent.

    A branch fell on the spot where he had been standing. Junhyuk¡¯s attacks had debuffed the Ent. Its attack and movement speeds had decreased, so Junhyuk could escape from it and distance himself from the Ent. He ran to the opposite side of the clearing, and the Ent moved its huge trunk and chased him down.

    Junhyuk looked at it, gathered his breath and smiled.

    "Now is the time."

    He used the Spatial sh. The strike covered the distance and delivered the final blow to the Ent. A red shockwave expanded from the spot, and the End crashed down slowly.

    Boom!

    The Ent fell, and Junhyuk picked the fruit from its branch.

    [You¡¯ve acquired the quest item Ent¡¯s Fruit. Be careful. If you die, you will drop the quest item.]

    It was the first time Junhyuk had heard about quest items and that he would drop it if he died. He wanted the buffs from the High-Ranking Sorcerer and he had already fought a fierce battle for the quest.

    He had gotten the quest first this time, but if someone ever got the quest before him, he could kill that person to steal the quest. It was just like stealing the dragons from the enemies at the Valley of Death.

    Junhyuk looked around checking that nobody else was there, and he took the fruit and started running. He thought about going to the Dimensional Merchant, but he wanted the buff first.

    He ran for a while until he saw the swamp where he would soon meet Hatma and exchange the item for the buff.

    Junhyuk stepped on the stepping stones and saw someone on the ind. It wasn¡¯t Hatma. The four-armed Lugos was standing at the end of the stone path. He was a tank and he would be bothersome, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t think he would lose. He was about to step on the ind when, from behind Lugos, a two-headed enemy appeared.

    "Drakey."

    Drakey was supposed to be fighting Aktur, and Junhyuk scowled.

 Chapter 153: High Ranking Sorcerer 3

    Chapter 153: High Ranking Sorcerer 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk stopped running forward and measured the distance to the enemy. There were about thirty meters in between them, with ten stepping stones remaining until he reached the ind. He faced a serious dilemma. If he got closer, his enemies would surely attack. Lugos would block his path; Drakey would use his power; and Junhyuk would fall into the swamp.

    Junhyuk¡¯s jump was still under cooldown, so he couldn¡¯t get any closer for now. He just stood there, and Lugos waved his index finger from side to side.

    "Give me the Ent¡¯s fruit."

    "I won¡¯t."

    "Then, you will give it up when you die."

    Junhyukughed out loud and said, "If I don¡¯t get any closer, you won¡¯t either!"

    The stepping stones were a hard ce to fight. The enemies couldn¡¯t easilye to him, so Junhyuk decided to use all of his powers to lure them in.

    "You have toe here," he said, raising his sword.

    His enemies looked at the Frozen Rune Sword, and Junhyuk pulled the Blood Rune Sword from the scabbard on his back and immediately used Spatial sh.

    "Ugh!"

    Both of Drakey¡¯s necks had been cut, and blood gushed out of them. He staggered,and lost 50 percent of his health, but Junhyuk agreed that Drakey¡¯s stats were bnced. His defense was certainly higher than Gyulsean¡¯s. Lugos was also hurt in the process.

    Junhyuk smiled coolly.

    "Stay there and die."

    Drakey quickly drank a potion, which increased his health by 20 percent, leaving it at 70 percent. Junhyuk just stared at him rxedly while on the stepping stones. His power had a range of thirty meters, and Drakey and Lugos couldn¡¯t just stand there.

    Lugos ran first. Fighting on the stepping stones was dangerous, so Junhyuk looked back. There were twenty stepping stones behind him, covering a distance of about sixty meters. As Lugos ran toward him, Junhyuk raised his swords.

    Lugos was crossing the stones, but Junhyuk knew Drakey had to be behind him. Lugos didn¡¯t have a long-ranged attack. He had to attack from at least three meters away, so unless he crossed the stones he wouldn¡¯t be able to reach Junhyuk. Some of his weapons had a longer reach, but fighting on the stepping stones meant that they both had a chance to fall into the swamp.

    Lugos was stronger than Junhyuk, so he had the advantage. However, his health wasn¡¯t greater. Junhyuk stepped back as Lugos came closer. If both sides tried to escape, there would be no ce to go, so Junhyuk headed to the center of the stepping stone path.

    Lugos followed him, takingrge strides toward Junhyuk. Drakey attacked first. He opened his mouth, releasing sound waves. Junhyuk felt the danger, but didn¡¯t just leave. He wanted to know the damage the sound waves would inflict so that he could fight Drakeyter on.

    He couldn¡¯t cut sound waves, so he covered his body with his swords.

    Boom!

    The sound waves hit, and Junhyuk was pushed back. Before he went too far, he stabbed a stepping stone with his sword and used it to hold his weight.

    "It hurts."

    He had lost 30 percent of his health. Drakey¡¯s attack dealt a lot of damage. It wasn¡¯t a fatal hit, but still inflicted heavy damage.

    Junhyuk bnced himself, and Lugos appeared close to him and stabbed at him with the short spear. He ducked and dodged the spear, swinging his sword in response. Junhyuk cut Lugos¡¯ hand. He was too far from Lugos, so cutting his hand was all he could do

    Lugos was at the center, and a shockwave spread out from him that made Drakey grunt in pain. Drakey had been right behind Lugos, but he decided to retreat a bit. Meanwhile, Junhyuk was attacked again and countered with his own attack, generating another shockwave. Drakey was hurt again and retreated way back, measuring the range of Junhyuk¡¯s shockwaves.

    "That¡¯s a useful power."

    He only had one long range attack, his sound wave, so they had to get close, but the shockwaves would kill them. Every time Lugos was attacked, another shockwave was liberated. Both of them had to take turns when fighting Junhyuk. The stepping stones were too narrow for them to coordinate attacks on him.

    Drakey went way back and prepared his attack, and Junhyuk merely smiled at him. Lugos had to fight him alone. Drakey couldn¡¯t help at that point. His sound wave was on cooldown, and Junhyuk would kill Lugos before the time was up.

    Junhyuk increased his attack speed, and Lugos counterattacked. He was powerful. Each time Junhyuk blocked, he felt like he was about to fall into the swamp. Still, while fighting Lugos, he learned new things. From his point of view, it wasn¡¯t a good thing that Lugos was able to swing all four weapons.

    Before Lugos could attack with his four arms, Junhyuk stabbed him quickly and continuously, keeping Lugos on lockdown.

    He controlled the flow, and Lugos became furious.

    "Graaaah!"

    Lugos stomped his feet, and Junhyuk clicked his tongue. Shockwaves rose from the ground that sent him into the empty air and took 10 percent of his life away. He hung in the air for a while, and when hended, it would be in the swamp.

    As Lugos waited for Junhyuk tond, he raised his weapons trying to attack him in the air, but Junhyuk teleported.

    Junhyuk appeared on his back and kicked, jumping off. Lugos lost his bnce and started falling into the swamp, but he stabbed a stepping stone with his weapons to keep himself up. However, Junhyuk didn¡¯t have time for him and dashed toward Drakey.

    Drakey scoffed at him. His cooldown was over, and Junhyuk would lose. He measured Junhyuk¡¯s speed and summoned a tornado.

    Junhyuk was running when a tornado appeared in front of him and sent him into the air. He lost 15 percent of his health and teleported again. As he appeared behind Drakey, he swung his sword.

    sh!

    Junhyuk¡¯s sword only grazed him even though Drakey didn¡¯t dodge. Junhyuk felt like he was cutting air. Drakey turned around and swung his spear. Junhyuk raised his sword, but it got deflected, pushing him off from the stepping stones. Drakey opened his mouth and released the sound wave.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk fell into the swamp.

    [You have fallen in the Swamp of Despair. Your ability to escape has decreased by 70 percent, and your movement speed has decreased by 95 percent. If you don¡¯t leave the swamp within ten seconds, you will die.]

    The sound wave had dealt another 30 percent of damage to him. At that point, he had 15 percent of his health left and he was in the swamp. He had lost 95 percent of his movement speed, and there was no way for him to escape. Junhyuk gritted his teeth and tried to move his feet, but he couldn¡¯t get out.

    He was slowly drowning and thought he had used his teleports too soon. Then, someone with bandages all over started running toward him. It was Aktur.

    "Aktur!" Junhyuk shouted, and Aktur ran faster.

    Drakey turned toward Aktur. Junhyuk wished Aktur would save him, but he had to face off against Drakey. Still, Junhyuk tried his best to move toward Aktur.

    Drakey wasing toward him, and Aktur extended his hand. Drakey had to cross the stepping stones, but three skeleton soldiers appeared, and he stopped. Meanwhile, Aktur extended his hand in Junhyuk¡¯s direction. His bandage unwrapped and flew toward Junhyuk, wrapping his wrist.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t have time to respond before the bandage pulled him out of the swamp, and he jumped to where Aktur was standing. Aktur retreated to another stepping stone.

    Junhyuk sighed and stood on the stepping stone where Aktur had been standing.

    "Retreat! We¡¯ll fight on the ind," Aktur shouted.

    He used the stepping stones to get to the ind, and Junhyuk followed him quickly. Both escaped, and Drakey and Lugos went after them, but stopped thirty meters shy of the ind. Junhyuk and Aktur were already there.

    Drakey stared at them. The ind was a far better ce to fight than on the stepping stones. Junhyuk had a thirty-meter long-ranged attack, and Aktur could pull enemies twenty meters away.

    He knew they couldn¡¯t win.

    Lugos appeared behind him and asked, "What are we going to do?"

    "We have to retreat," Drakey answered, and Lugos thought for a moment.

    "Let¡¯s."

    "We¡¯ve lost the buff. Let¡¯s save ourselves."

    "Nothing we can do. They still have Kaljaque, so we¡¯ll get one buff out of him."

    Drakeyughed and turned around.

    "Let¡¯s turn back now. They mighte after us."

    Lugos and Drakey turned, and Aktur said, "Give him the quest item. We¡¯ll get the buff and chase after them."

    Junhyuk agreed and went over to Hatma. He offered him the Ent¡¯s fruit, and Hatma opened mouth.

    "Put it in."

    Junhyuk put the fruit in his mouth, and Hatma chewed it. Junhyuk was speechless. He had almost died getting it, and Hatma was just eating it.

    "It¡¯s delicious," Hatma said.

    "What about the buffs?"

    "Wait."

    Hatma¡¯s muscles started swelling, and the roots restraining him broke off. There were still branches around his arms, but Hatma put his hands on his chest and opened his mouth.

    "I call on you, Thunder. Hatma says that you will move faster than the wind and strike harder than thunder."

    [The High-Ranking Sorcerer¡¯s buff is applied. For one hour, your movement speed and your critical hit rate increase by 10 percent. When you deliver a critical hit, the opponent will receive 305 additional damage. If you die, the enemy will take the buff.]

    Junhyuk was surprised and stared at Hatma. Hatma smirked and looked back at him.

    "Kill everyone! Now you know why they were trying to take the quest I¡¯d given you!"

    Junhyuk nodded.

    Hatma was restrained by the trees again and said, "See youter."

    The trees wrapped him and pulled him half underground, to the center of the ind. Junhyuk approached him and extended his hand, meaning to pull him out.

    "Hatma!"

    Hatma smirked and said, "Until the next battlefield."

    He wentpletely under, and Junhyuk realized that was supposed to be his seal and felt bad for him.

    "Buried alive."

    He clicked his tongue, and Aktur stared at him.

    "What are you doing? We will lose them."

    "Let¡¯s go."

    Aktur took off first, and Junhyuk went after him. They headed in the direction Drakey and Lugos had gone, but the two hadn¡¯t run away. They were waiting at the end of the stepping stones.

    When Aktur saw them, he smiled coldly.

    "He-he-he. They want to die."

    Junhyuk agreed with him. They were buffed and couldn¡¯t lose even if they tried. It would be difficult to fight on the stepping stones, but the buffs were very powerful.

    Aktur was already running, and Junhyuk ran after him.

 Chapter 154: You Too 1

    Chapter 154: You Too 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk ran with Aktur. As they got closer, Drakey stepped forward. It wouldn¡¯t be good if either Junhyuk or Aktur fell into the swamp.

    "I¡¯ll attack first."

    Aktur hadn¡¯t seen Junhyuk¡¯s powers and tried to slow down, but Junhyuk shouted, "Just keep running!"

    Aktur did, and as he run, Junhyuk raised his sword. When Junhyuk raised his sword, Drakey dimmed.

    "Don¡¯t go into Drakey¡¯s range!" Junhyuk shouted after seeing him.

    "He is using Absolute Dodge already?! Is he in his right mind?" Akturmented darkly and stopped.

    Junhyuk also stopped, and Drakey smacked his lips.

    "Did they read my mind?"

    Drakey was still fifty meters from Junhyuk, but he had seen Aktur¡¯s moves and instinctively used Absolute Dodge. However, Junhyuk didn¡¯t attack at all. He and Aktur were out of Drakey¡¯s range, maintaining the deadlock.

    Drakey stepped back, and Lugos stepped in front of him.

    "His range might be longer than we imagine."

    Junhyuk stopped, and Drakey wondered about his range.

    "I will take him," Lugos said, smirking at Drakey¡¯s observation.

    He was confident in his own strength, and Aktur looked at Junhyuk.

    "I¡¯ll take the front," Junhyuk said and used all of his strength to jump.

    He jumped over Aktur andnded on a stepping stone. He had jumped over six meters and swung his sword. The enemies saw him swing the Frozen Rune Sword and protected their necks. Then, Junhyuk used the Blood Rune Sword to deliver a Spatial sh.

    "Ugh!"

    Drakey was hit on the side of the neck and started bleeding. He held the wound and staggered. Having already used Absolute Dodge, he couldn¡¯t get away. The hit was powerful, and he trashed violently. It was a critical hit, and Drakey lost 65 percent of his health, leaving him with only 5 percent.

    Junhyuk ran forward, and Lugos, watching him, raised his weapons. Aktur ran next to him and said, "A fifty-meter attack? That¡¯s some power! It also deals a lot of damage!"

    "Drakey only has 5 percent of his health left. One hit should kill him," Junhyuk said, speeding up.

    "Then, you kill him. I¡¯ll take Lugos."

    Junhyuk thought of Kaljaque. Kaljaque had killed Lugos when he had no health left and told Junhyuk to be thankful. He shook his head and sped up.

    Junhyuk got closer to them, and Drakey stepped forward, summoning a tornado in front of Junhyuk. He couldn¡¯t be hit by it. He had regained some health, but he only had 15 percent of his health left.

    When he saw the tornado, Junhyuk shouted to Aktur, "Come here!"

    "What are you talking about?"

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t answer and instead extended his hand behind him. Aktur picked up the pace and grabbed his hand, and Junhyuk teleported with him.

    They passed by the tornado, and Aktur¡¯s eyes widened.

    "Teleportation?"

    Drakey saw Junhyuk teleporting andunched the sound wave right away. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t get hit by them either, so he teleported again. Aktur became extremely surprised by the continuous teleportation, and Drakey had used all of his powers.

    Aktur had a dark smile on his face.

    "I¡¯ll take Lugos," he said, and Junhyuk nodded in agreement.

    Even if Lugos came after him, Junhyuk could still kill Drakey.

    At that point, Junhyuk had increased his movement speed, and Drakey didn¡¯t have any powers left. He moved quickly toward Drakey, but Lugos appeared between them and stabbed with the short spear.

    Junhyuk was on thest stepping stone, and he jumped over Lugos, who raised his head to look at Junhyuk. However, Aktur was already throwing his bandages toward him. Lugos was surprised and stepped aside. Junhyuk made the jump and looked back at Aktur. His bandages were on the ground, unable to wrap Lugos.

    "Are you just messing with me?!" Lugos shouted.

    While he did that, Aktur closed in, swinging his w-like nails. Lugos blocked the strike with his weapons, and Junhyuk headed toward Drakey.

    Drakey saw himing and swung his sharp spear, but Junhyuk blocked it and counterattacked. Junhyuk attempted a series of fast attacks and learned that Drakey was extremely proficient with the spear.

    It was natural that champions would be skilled with their weapons, with the exception of Kaljaque, and Junhyuk realized he was in serious danger fighting Drakey like that. He only had 15 percent of his health, and Drakey had 5 percent. Junhyuk had more health, but he could be killed by one use of Drakey¡¯s powers.

    Junhyuk trusted Aktur, but he didn¡¯t let his guard down. While fighting Drakey, he distanced himself from Lugos because Lugos could use his feet to create shockwaves that could send Junhyuk into the air.

    Drakey¡¯s cooldowns were shorter than Junhyuk¡¯s cooldown for the Spatial sh. His sound wave only had a twenty second cooldown, and Drakey could use it at any moment. However, Drakey also analyzed things. He couldn¡¯t win if the situation continued as it was. Junhyuk was focused, and his sword moved freely. Drakey had a hard time finding any openings.

    Drakey was quite skilled at creating chances with his spear, but Junhyuk expertly blocked all of his attacks. It had been a long time since Drakey had fought someone with that much skills. He had been dealing with Kaljaque, who just swung his staff stupidly and ignorantly, or Aktur, who attacked with his nails. Junhyuk was a new revtion to him, but Drakey couldn¡¯t retreat. He felt the cooldown was over, and so was the wait.

    "Die!"

    Drakey opened his mouth andunched the sound wave, but Junhyuk just smiled and raised the force field around himself. The ivory-colored light surrounded his body, and Junhyuk moved forward.

    The sound wave bounced off the force field, and Junhyuk closed in and cut Drakey¡¯s neck.

    [You¡¯ve killed Drakey and earned 3,000G.]

    Junhyuk turned, and saw that Lugos was still fighting Aktur. Aktur had summoned the three skeleton soldiers and was suppressing Lugos, but Lugos¡¯ health was still at 50 percent. He was a tank, and it was hard to deal with him.

    Lugos watched Drakey die and stomped the ground.

    Boom!

    The shockwaves sent Aktur into the air, and Lugos¡¯ arms doubled in size. Aktur had 80 percent of his health left. Junhyuk had used the Spatial sh, and the shockwave from had taken 20 percent of Lugos¡¯ health. Aktur hadn¡¯t won yet. It all depended heavily on his weapon.

    Aktur shed him with his nails while Lugos attacked with all four weapons. Without using his power, it would be hard to damage Lugos, but Junhyuk wanted to help him out. Lugos had erged his arms, and the swings wereing down on Aktur when Junhyuk jumped in front of Lugos.

    Lugos had seen Akturnd and struck, but Aktur was already in the force field by that time.

    Clung!

    Aktur was astonished by the field.

    "This is awesome!"

    "Let¡¯s attack him together."

    "I¡¯ll kill him. He¡¯s mine."

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk knew the cooldown for the Spatial sh was over and swung at him.

    "Ugh!"

    Lugos was hit on the side of the neck and was left with 10 percent of his health.

    Junhyuk stepped back.

    "Is this enough?"

    Aktur smiled and stepped forward along with the skeleton soldiers. Junhyuk thought he would have a fine time with Aktur. He gave Lugos up and he was sorry to lose the 3,000G, but he had a new ally, and that was good enough.

    Aktur finally managed to kill Lugos.

    [Aktur killed Lugos.]

    Aktur looked at Lugos¡¯ corpse and then at Junhyuk. His blue eyes looked noble, and he smiled as he stared at Junhyuk.

    "You took Kaljaque and won. I thought you would be useful, and you surely are powerful. We will make a good team."

    "Thanks for thinking so."

    Aktur asked him, "What are we going to do now?"

    "I want to visit the Dimensional Merchant."

    "Yeah? Go ahead. I will attack the tower on my side."

    "What about Kaljaque?"

    "It would be nice to concentrate our attacks, but if you can use him, he could stay on your side and put pressure on our enemies."

    "What if the enemies concentrate on your side?"

    "Don¡¯t worry about me running away. No one can chase me down."

    Aktur could curse his enemies, slowing them down, and summon skeleton soldiers to back him up. He would be safe.

    "OK. I¡¯ll go to the Dimensional Merchant first and then find Kaljaque. We will deal with the enemies and rejoin you. We need to be together to bring an end to this battle."

    Aktur shook his head andined, "Shit! A team battle with Kaljaque?"

    "There is no other way"

    "When I think about it, I feel like it would be better to get cancer."

    Junhyukughed out loud.

    "I agree. Do you know what cancer is?"

    Akturughed and said, "I took thenguage pill, so I know. I told you something that you can understand."

    Aktur raised his hand.

    "Then, you take over my struggles."

    "OK."

    Wanting to see Bebe, Junhyuk split from Aktur and ran. He reached the Dimensional Merchant and saw Bebe. He was touching his chin when he saw Junhyuk and smiled.

    "That¡¯s right! You became a champion!"

    Junhyuk presented his hand.

    "Tell me how much money I have."

    "Sure."

    Bebe ced the te on the counter, and Junhyuk put his hand on it.

    It disyed 39,240G.

    It was more than Junhyuk had expected. He had killed three champions while at that ce and helped killing two more, so he was curious about how he had earned that money.

    Junhyuk looked at him, and Bebe shrugged.

    "When you kill a champion on the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, you get 3,000G. When you help kill a champion, you get 1,000G. Killing the quest monster gets you 5,000G. The quest monster only appears once in each battlefield, so it¡¯s a good idea to kill it. Are you still curious?"

    Junhyuk shook his head. The calctions were correct.

    "Are you buying anything?" Bebe asked.

    Junhyuk put the Frozen Rune Sword on the counter.

    "I want to upgrade it a sixth time."

    "Twenty thousand gold," Bebe said calmly.

    Junhyuk ced his hand on the te and the 20,000G got taken out. While Bebe was upgrading it, Junhyuk removed his sses. Bebe finished the upgrade and looked at Junhyuk.

    "What about the sses?"

    "Is it possible to change their shape?"

    "Shape changes are more expensive than engravings. The shape changes, but you have to wear it as usual to receive the attributes."

    "How much?"

    "Ten thousand gold."

    "What?"

    "But I could make it into any shape you want. I could even make it into a belt. Impressive, right?"

    "How about a discount?"

    "That¡¯s possible. Do you want a discount?"

    Junhyuk nodded and extended his hand. The te took out 9,000G, and Bebe smiled like a crafty merchant and looked at Junhyuk.

    "How do you want it?"

 Chapter 155: You Too 2

    Chapter 155: You Too 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    "Any shape?"

    "Sure."

    "Can you make it contact lenses? Will I have to take them off?."

    "Items aren¡¯t supposed to be taken off, so you won¡¯t feel ufortable even if you don¡¯t take them off."

    "I could wear them to sleep?"

    "Sure."

    "Then, make the lenses."

    Bebe pulled out various potions and said, "But remember one thing: when you be a hero and die, you will lose your item regardless of whether you¡¯ve fixed it somewhere or not."

    "I understand."

    Bebe poured some type of magic liquid on the sses and sprinkled magic powder over them.

    "Do you want me to make round lenses?"

    "Just regr lenses."

    "Right."

    Bebe held the sses and pped his hands.

    Zap!

    The sses disappeared, and Bebe had two lenses on his hand.

    "I¡¯ll put them on for you."

    He thought Bebe¡¯s hands would be too big for Bebe to put them on him, but Bebe did it well. Junhyuk closed his eyes a few times and smiled.

    "This is reallyfortable!"

    "I made them the same color as your eyes. You won¡¯t have any problems and you can also wash them."

    "Thank you."

    "It¡¯s business. Don¡¯t thank me."

    Junhyuk was set to go back to the battlefield when something came to his mind.

    "I¡¯m trying to bring items from my dimension here. Is there an item to detect such items?"

    "You mean a detector?"

    Junhyuk was staring at Bebe full of hope, and Bebe nodded.

    "Sure. I have everything here."

    "How much is it?"

    "It¡¯s really expensive."

    Bebe opened a book and exined, "Look at these. Items have powers on the battlefield. This detector looks for items in a ten-meter radius. More expensive detectors cover arger area."

    "What about the ten-meter radius detector?"

    "A hundred thousand gold. Cheap isn¡¯t it?"

    "Cheap?!"

    "Think about how it helps you bring things here from your dimension. I¡¯ll even buy the things I find useful from you."

    "I¡¯ll use the useful things myself."

    "You are right, but there is a limit to how many items you can carry. You could sell them and earn money and, with that money, upgrade your items. That¡¯s the first step to bing a legend."

    "A legend?" Junhyuk asked, and Bebe thought he was too nonchnt.

    "Why are heroes fighting like hell?"

    "Well..."

    "Items are expensive, and they are looking for ways to be stronger. But most importantly, they are trying to be legends. Bing a legend means that you are superior to everyone. The Hall of Legends will have your name etched on it, and heroes with their names at the Hall get special rewards."

    Junhyuk finally learned why the heroes were fighting and advancing through rounds. He didn¡¯t know what the special rewards were, but they had to be impressive for the heroes to be fighting like hell.

    Junhyuk showed him his hand.

    "Discount?"

    "Sure. You don¡¯t have a lot, so you have to get the 9,000G detector."

    "Is it possible to upgrade it?"

    "It is."

    "I¡¯ll get it."

    He wanted to do his own legwork, so Junhyuk put his hand on the te, and 9,000G was subtracted. He received a five millimeter cube in return.

    "How do I use it?"

    "When you find something, it changes color. Within one meter, it will get red, and you will know what kind of item you¡¯ve found."

    One meter? Would I know which item to pick out without the detector? He had a chance now, unlike before. And what about within a ten-meter radius? That he couldn¡¯t do. He would have to keep focusing, and he couldn¡¯t do that the whole time. It would be nicer to own the ten-meter radius detector, but it was better than nothing. He could also upgrade it. It would be expensive, but he could start now.

    Junhyuk took the cube and said, "I¡¯ll go earn more money."

    "Do it. I¡¯ll have more things here."

    "I look forward to it."

    Junhyuk was about to go out when Bebe threw a rock at him. Junhyuk caught it, and Bebe smiled.

    "It¡¯s a bonus."

    "What is this?"

    "A return stone."

    Junhyuk was surprised by the return stone, and Bebe smiled.

    "It¡¯s rechargeable. Each return is 500G. Not much at all!"

    "How many times has it been charged for?"

    "Basically, it has been charged three times. Three charges allow for one return. However, when you activate it, you can¡¯t be attacked for ten seconds. After you use it, you have to recharge it."

    "It must be expensive. Why are you giving it to me?"

    "It is expensive, but I don¡¯t think you will die. So, you will use the return stone a lot. You¡¯ll have to recharge it many times. I¡¯m investing on you."

    "Thank you. I¡¯ll make good use of it."

    Junhyuk bowed toward Bebe and headed outside. He had to find Kaljaque. Just the thought of it made him start getting a headache, but he still had to do it.

    He had been running for a while looking for Kaljaque when he heard a soft voice.

    [Guylsean killed Kaljaque.]

    Junhyuk stopped running. He had a full-blown headache.

    "Why this troll!?!"

    He took out the return stone not expecting to use it so soon, but he had to meet Kaljaque upon his revival. The world turned white, and Junhyuk was standing in the room where he had started. He opened the door and went out. Kaljaque was very angry.

    "Kaljaque!"

    Kaljaque spouted out quickly, "Good thing you are here! I had the buff so I fought and died. They attacked me. There were two of them. They are cowards."

    "The two of them were together?"

    "No. One of them came out of the forest."

    That was a relief. If Kaljaque had trusted his buff too much and fought two of them from the start, Junhyuk would have pped him. He sighed instead.

    "First, we will stay at our tower and join Aktur. Then, we¡¯ll push for the enemy camp."

    "Good thinking."

    Kaljaque propped his staff on his shoulder.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    Kaljaque took the lead, and Junhyuk followed him and became curious.

    "The enemies had to reincarnate, and it had to take time. Where did you meet them?"

    "Around the enemy tower."

    Junhyuk wanted to ask why he had gone there, but he remained patient. If he asked, his headache would grow.

    "This time, listen to me carefully, and we will kill them both."

    "If we can kill them, I will listen to you."

    Junhyuk wanted to say that he had to listen to him anyway, but he didn¡¯t say it. Their tower was destroyed, but Lugos and Gyulsean were not there.

    He pulled out hismunication device and thought of Aktur.

    "Aktur, do you see champions on your side? We can¡¯t find any?"

    "Drakey is here alone! Be cautious."

    "Right. We are advancing now."

    Drakey was over there, so there could only be two champions on his side. There was no need to worry.

    "Let¡¯s go to the tower."

    "Right."

    Kaljaque wasn¡¯t thinking much. They moved past the broken tower and followed the path, running for a while until they found the enemy tower.

    Gyulsean and Lugos were at the enemies¡¯ second tower. The buffs had already ended, and it was time to fight again. So, Junhyuk looked at the enemies and whispered, "I can attack from fifty meters away. I can attack before Gyulsean attacks, so when we get closer, take the lead. When Gyulsean gets blocked from long range, rush and take Lugos. I will kill Gyulsean first and help you kill Lugos."

    "OK."

    "Then, let¡¯s go."

    Kaljaque dashed forward first, and Junhyuk followed him while unsheathing his swords. They ran together, but the enemy response was different from before. Before, Gyulsean would have attacked with her long range attack, but now, Lugos took the lead and was closing in. Gyulsean was behind him, keeping herself hidden. Junhyukughed hard.

    "Good thinking!"

    Lugos could survive Junhyuk¡¯s attack. Junhyuk could only take 40 percent from Lugos¡¯ health, but he didn¡¯t care and used his Spatial sh anyway.

    "Argh!"

    Gyulsean had been hiding behind Lugos, so she had to be confident. Then, she was hurt and screamed. When Junhyuk heard her, he shouted, "Now!"

    Kaljaque rushed forward, and Lugos turned ck. The two shed, and Junhyuk passed by them and jumped. As Junhyuk was about to pass by Lugos, an arrow flew in his direction. However, Junhyuk teleported, getting closer to Gyulsean. His teleport had gotten him just shy of reaching her.

    Gyulsean shot again, and Junhyuk raised his sword.

    ng!

    The arrow bounced off, but it still damaged him. Junhyuk gritted his teeth and got closer, and she pulled out her spear.

    Gyulsean only had 30 percent of her health left. As Junhyuk approached her, Gyulsean stabbed at him with the spear. They exchanged blows, thinking about when the other side would use its powers.

    If neither side used its powers, Junhyuk would have the advantage. He had dealt the first blow, and his opponents health was greatly reduced.

    Drakey was skilled, but Gyulsean was also a great spear user. Since her lower body was that of a horse, he could call her ancer. She was really good. He couldn¡¯t deliver any significant hits or knock her down. Gyulsean wasn¡¯t letting him get any closer either.

    Then, Kaljaque ran toward Junhyuk.

    "I¡¯ll help."

    Junhyuk wanted to shout at him to stay put. Kaljaque couldn¡¯t help, and Lugos attacked him from behind. Even so, Kaljaque went over. He got closer to Gyulsean and howled.

    "Graaaahhh!"

    Gyulsean was paralyzed.

    "You did well!"

    Kaljaque¡¯s power worked better than he expected, Junhyuk swung his sword at the paralyzed Gyulsean.

    The attack created a shockwave that deal some damage to Lugos, who had been chasing Kaljaque. The important thing, however, was to kill Gyulsean first.

    She had 20 percent of her health left, and three seconds was enough to kill her.

    Junhyuk wanted to attack her with abo, but Kaljaque was already raising his staff behind her back. Junhyuk stabbed her once, and Kaljaque stomped the ground.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    Junhyuk watched as Gyulsean slowly disappeared.

    [Kaljaque killed Gyulsean.]

    That was the second time, and Junhyuk was really angry. Kaljaque just smiled and said, "I helped you. Now, let¡¯s kill Lugos."

    Kaljaque moved toward Lugos, and Junhyuk stared at his back.

    Is he doing this intentionally? Kaljaque might be intentionally keeping an eye out for the deathblows. The troll might be more intelligent that he thought, and he wanted to check. Is he doing it on purpose or was he just born that way?

    "Then, I¡¯ll kill Lugos."

    "Do it."

    Junhyuk saved his Spatial sh and ran toward Lugos.

 Chapter 156: You Too 3

    Chapter 156: You Too 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Lugos had about 70 percent of his health left. They both ran toward him, and Lugos scowled at Gyulsean¡¯s death. Because he was under attack from both of them, he started going toward the second tower.

    They couldn¡¯t lose Lugos at that point. If he reached the tower¡¯s range, they would lose the two-to-one advantage.

    "Block him!" Junhyuk shouted, and Kaljaque stood in his way, swinging his staff. Kaljaque was huge, and Lugos couldn¡¯t pass by him.

    Junhyuk attacked Lugos¡¯ back, and he stomped the ground.

    Boom!

    The ground shook with the shockwaves,unching Junhyuk and Kaljaque into the air. Lugos¡¯ arms erged, and he attacked Kaljaque, who had been blocking his path, with them.

    Bang!

    Kaljaque blocked two attacks, but let the other two got through. He waspletely bloodied, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t use his power. He couldunch the force field, but didn¡¯t feel the need to do it at that moment.

    Kaljaque was attacked twice, but he still had a lot of health left. It took a lot to deal with his entire health pool. When he tried to kill Gyulsean, he was attacked on his back and was left with 70 percent. Now, he had been attacked by Lugos and had 60 percent left. He had blocked half of the attacks, but still lost 10 percent of his health. Lugos was obviously powerful. If Junhyuk had been hit by that, he would¡¯ve lost 30 percent of his health.

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure about Kaljaque¡¯s defense, but he recognize that Kaljaque¡¯s health was superior to his own. Lugos had to be a tank, but he also had a significant attack stat as well. It wasparable to Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh. He specialized in attack and inflicted a lot of damage.

    Junhyuknded and quickly took some steps back. Lugos¡¯ stomp had inflicted 10 percent of damage to him. So, he just watched Kaljaque exchange blows with Lugos. Both had items that buffed defense and health, so nobody was winning. If one of the sides used its power, he could deal a lot of damage, but without using a power, the fight was going very slow.

    Junhyuk pondered for a moment and joined the fight. Lugos had four arms, but that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t have a weak spot, and neither Junhyuk nor Kaljaque were weak.

    They attacked him without using their powers, and Lugos started losing health. When Lugos had 30 percent of his health left, Junhyuk looked at Kaljaque and thought, If he is an intelligent troll, he will attack now. He could kill someone at 30 percent of his health.

    Kaljaque howled, and Lugos was paralyzed. So far, the fight had been even, but he could win the fight by using his howl.

    Kaljaque howled because the cooldown had ended, but Junhyuk was still suspicious. He could have done it specifically to kill Lugos. Kaljaque rushed.

    Boom!

    Lugos lost 10 percent and couldn¡¯t defend himself, so he was pushed back into the mewall. When he touched the mewall, he lost another 5 percent. Junhyuk had already heard the mewall was hot, but didn¡¯t expect Lugos would lose that much health.

    Lugos sprang forward, and Kaljaque raised his staff. Junhyuk was sure of it then. The troll was intelligent. If he struck three times, Lugos would die. He had 15 percent of his health left, and Kaljaque knew it and was looking to deliver the deathblow.

    Junhyukughed.

    Kaljaque had no intention of giving up on trying to kill Lugos, but Junhyuk also felt no need to give up on Lugos, and his Spatial sh was ideal to finish the job.

    He saw Kaljaque striking the ground, and Lugos trying to block, so Junhyuk used the Spatial sh to split the side of Lugos¡¯ neck deeply.

    "Ugh!"

    It was a critical hit, and the Spatial sh took 40 percent out of Lugos¡¯ health. He only had 15 percent, so he died from the strike.

    [You killed Lugos and earned 3,000G.]

    Kaljaque smacked his lips. He had used everything he had to kill Lugos, but the Spatial sh got to him first, taking his chance away.

    "Thanks for helping me kill Lugos," Junhyuk said calmly.

    "When I help, you can kill anyone."

    "Thanks for listening to me."

    Honestly speaking, he hadn¡¯t listened. He was using his intelligence to deliver the deathblows.

    However, Junhyuk made a decision. He would have Kaljaque in the front as a tank, but even if he was in danger, Junhyuk wouldn¡¯tunch the force field. He would only use his teleportation and force field, if Kaljaque was about to get killed.

    There would also be no yielding to Kaljaque. He would save the Spatial sh, and if opportunity arose, he would deliver every deathblow. Maybe he would give them up to Aktur, but he wouldn¡¯t allow Kaljaque to get any more of them.

    Kaljaque looked at the tower.

    "Destroy the tower."

    "Surely, we will get this one."

    With the second tower destroyed, the castle would be right in front of them, and their enemies would soon gather on that side. Aktur could kill Drakey and crush the tower on his side. Victory woulde soon enough.

    "Let¡¯s begin."

    It only took the two champions to crush the tower. That was more than enough, and as Kaljaque took the lead, Junhyuk remained undamaged.

    Once they crushed the tower, Junhyuk looked at Kaljaque.

    "We will join Aktur and kill Drakey and crush the remaining tower. We¡¯ll get to the castle soon. If Drakey is killed, there will only be two enemies at the castle, making things easier."

    "OK."

    The two moved quickly, looking for Aktur.

    ---

    Kaljaque and Junhyuk found him, but Drakey wasn¡¯t there. He was alone, attacking the tower. He looked at Kaljaque and turned around again, pounding the tower. Junhyuk and Kaljaque joined in, and they quickly destroyed it.

    Aktur looked at Junhyuk.

    "Drakey heard about you killing the other two and retreated."

    "Right."

    Drakey was smarter than expected. He had analyzed things on the go and made the quick decision to retreat.

    Junhyuk smiled.

    "OK. Let¡¯s go to the castle!"

    "Right."

    Aktur took the lead, and Junhyuk followed. Kaljaque was inst ce and said, "I¡¯m here as well."

    "Don¡¯t talk. Just follow us," Aktur said harshly, and Kaljaque rested his staff on his shoulder and followed.

    Junhyuk learned from Aktur¡¯s attitude toward Kaljaque that the intelligent troll had duped not only him. He wanted to be more cautious from then on and walked next to Aktur. Kaljaque led the lizardmen.

    There were a hundred lizardmen following them. It was time for an all-out attack.

    "What¡¯s different from the Valley of Death?" Junhyuk asked as they moved.

    Aktur looked at his nails.

    "This ce has three champions and only one golem, but the golem is stronger than a champion. We have to attack it from a distance."

    "What about archers?"

    "We have archers here, but there are fewer than at the Valley of Death. However, don¡¯t ignore them."

    "It won¡¯t be easy. The enemies will stay where they are."

    Aktur looked at Kaljaque.

    "We¡¯ll send him in and lure one out. Then, I¡¯ll kill him. Who do want to lure?"

    "We need to kill someone annoying. How about Drakey?"

    Aktur smiled sinisterly.

    "I was thinking the same thing. Drakey has a long range attack. We¡¯ll lure him out, and I will summon the skeleton soldiers. You and I will also attack him."

    Kaljaque spoke up from behind, "Who do I rush and get?"

    Aktur answered without looking at him, "Kill anybody you want. When you get in danger, just retreat."

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk turned to look at Kaljaque. He dealt the deathblows in certain situations, so Junhyuk was very confused by the troll. Just like Aktur had said, just looking at the troll would give him cancer. However, he could use him when he was in need of a body and not a brain. That¡¯s where Kaljaque would thrive.

    "Then, we can attack. There would only be two left, and we can kill them easily. Gyulsean has low health, so we should attack her first. Lugos would best," Aktur said calmly.

    "If it goes as nned, it¡¯ll be easy."

    "I expect a lot from you."

    "Don¡¯t expect too much. I¡¯ll do my best."

    Aktur smiled sinisterly and kept going.

    They arrived at the enemy castle with a hundred lizardmen and three champions. With that few champions, the first team battle would decide the flow of the battle. They had to kill their enemies there and advance into the castle to kill the golem. Then, it would be over.

    Even if the enemies reincarnated, they would do so one by one, and the allies would win.

    "You remember the n?" Aktur asked.

    "Sure," Kaljaque answered him in a carefree manner.

    "We attack with the lizardmen. The archers will focus on the lizardmen, and the enemy will respond. Kaljaque, you attack first. Kaljaque rushes, and we will lure Drakey out. Don¡¯t deviate from the n," Aktur said, and Kaljaque stepped forward.

    "Don¡¯t worry about it. Attack!"

    Kaljaque didn¡¯t want a detailed exnation, so he shouted and the lizardmen followed him. The lizardmen were aggressive, so they followed his orders even without the use of an item.

    They ran, and Kaljaque followed them. Junhyuk didn¡¯t know how to feel about him. Is he courageous or just stupid?

    Still, he was taking the lead, so Junhyuk had to follow him.

    "Let¡¯s go," Aktur told Junhyuk.

    The enemies would use their powers, but they if they stayed behind Kaljaque, they would be safe. They had Kaljaque take the lead for that reason.

    Kaljaque could rush to safety, and the rest would depend on Junhyuk. If he used the force field on him, Kaljaque wouldn¡¯t be hurt at all, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t tell him he would. Aktur knew about the force field and hadn¡¯t included it in the battle n. That had been intentional on Aktur¡¯s part, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t care.

    If Kaljaque was about to get killed, he wouldunch the force field around him. Junhyuk ran with Aktur and inspected the enemy. The n was set, but it depended on how their enemies would react. They were ready to improvise at any time.

    The first team battle of the Swamp of Despair was about to begin.

 Chapter 157: Its A Relief 1

    Chapter 157: It¡¯s A Relief 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Kaljaque ran at full force, and Lugos stepped forward from the enemy camp. Kaljaque¡¯s rush gave off quite a shock, and he could strike three times in a row against Gysean or Drakey, dealing heavy damage against them. So, Lugos had to jump into Kaljaque¡¯s path.

    Although Kaljaque¡¯s actions were stupid, that didn¡¯t mean his attacks would be ineffective. Even as Lugos got in position, Gyulsean and Drakey didn¡¯t made a move. Both of them had long range attacks, but they still allowed Kaljaque to move in closer. They wanted him to be within the archers¡¯ range.

    Junhyuk looked at Aktur.

    "If something goes wrong, will Kaljaque just die?"

    "Don¡¯t let that happen."

    A noble light shone from Aktur¡¯s blue eyes, and he took off. Junhyuk ran after him, and Kaljaque had already rushed. Kaljaque swung his staff, and Lugos turned ck to take the hits.

    Clung!

    Lugos was hit by Kaljaque, and Gyulsean quickly dashed from behind him and stabbed at Kaljaque with her spear. She hooked andunched him toward the enemy camp. Lugos was blocking his path, and Kaljaque was surrounded by all three champions. He was also within the range of the castle, so he started losing health fast.

    Aktur arrived andunched his bandages. They wrapped around Drakey, and Aktur pulled him toward himself. Junhyuk gripped his swords tightly. They had nned to attack Drakey, but he had a lot of resistance.

    With the pull, Drakey lost 20 percent of his health. Aktur summed the skeleton soldier right away, and all three of them rose from the ground. In response, Drakey summoned the tornado at the center of the skeletons.

    They had expected Drakey to resist, but they didn¡¯t ount for his tornado. Junhyuk started getting pulled into the tornado, but he teleported away. He couldn¡¯t do anything about the health he had lost, but he wouldn¡¯t let Drakey get away.

    Junhyuk appeared behind Drakey and shed at his back. However, Drakey shimmered away, and the sword sliced through empty space.

    Absolute Dodge.

    Drakey was bent on getting away from them. He was using all of his powers, and Junhyuk knew he couldn¡¯t attack the champion for three seconds. Still, he wouldn¡¯t let him get away. An arrow zoomed through the air behind Junhyuk, and he turned to dodge, but it hit his shoulder, damaging him.

    Drakey wanted to take Junhyuk out before the tornado dissipated andunched the sound wave. His sound wave would deal 30 percent of Junhyuk¡¯s total health in damage, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to be hit by it, so he teleported again.

    He appeared next to Drakey and swung his sword, but the three seconds hadn¡¯t passed yet. Therefore, because of the Absolute Dodge, he sliced through the empty air again.

    Drakey ran through an open space. If he went back into the archers¡¯ range, the n would fail. Junhyuk thought about using the Spatial sh when Aktur extended his hands and said sinisterly, "Escape? In front of me?"

    A pool of ck ink covered the ground, and hands came out of it to hold Drakey¡¯s ankle. Drakey gritted his teeth and turned around holding tightly to his spear. His movement speed was cursed. He couldn¡¯t escape, and when he turned, Junhyuk was already there swinging his sword.

    ng!

    When fighting Drakey while without using his powers, Junhyuk had a hard time delivering any meaningful hits. If he wasted any more time, Kaljaque would die.

    He started getting worried, and Aktur came over. His skeleton soldiers were still there, and the four of them attacked Drakey at the same time. That¡¯s when Junhyuk found an opening and exploited it, shing Drakey¡¯s ribs.

    Up to that point, Junhyuk hadn¡¯t been able to inflict any damage on Drakey, but he had just delivered a critical hit that took off 12 percent of Drakey¡¯s health. For one hit, it was quite the damage. Junhyuk tried to continue the attack, raising the Frozen Rune Sword, but Drakey blocked it with the spear.

    ng!

    When he blocked Junhyuk, the skeleton soldiers shed Drakey¡¯s back. They didn¡¯t deal a lot of damage to him, but Drakey was being attacked from all sides and started losing focus. He could only block Junhyuk and Aktur, so he allowed the skeletons¡¯ attacks to go through. However, the skeleton soldiers¡¯ attacks couldn¡¯t be overlooked.

    Drakey¡¯s health fell to 50 percent, meaning that one Spatial sh would kill him. Junhyuk faced a dilemma when, suddenly, Aktur shouted, "You kill him!"

    Junhyuk wanted to save the Spatial sh, but this was not the time to do it. He didn¡¯t want to let Kaljaque get any deathblows, but he had to kill Drakey and win the battle.

    The Spatial sh cut through Drakey¡¯s neck.

    "Ugh!"

    It was a fatal blow, and Drakey stopped breathing.

    [You killed Drakey and earned 3,000G.]

    Drakey was dead, and he turned to look at Kaljaque, who only had 10 percent of his health left. He could get killed at any moment.

    "Save him!"

    Victory wasn¡¯t assured yet, and Kaljaque had to live, so Junhyukunched the force field on him.

    "Come this way!"

    The force field pushed Lugos back, and Kaljaque escaped. He started running, and Gyulsean shot her arrows at him but missed.

    Kaljaque returned, and Junhyuk said, "You fought hard."

    Aktur stood in front of Kaljaque and said, "Drink a potion."

    Kaljaque drank it and stared at the enemy camp. Lugos and Gyulsean had retreated, and Junhyukughed at them.

    "They are scared."

    Aktur smiled sinisterly and answered, "Don¡¯t give them time to revive. Time is on their side."

    "Right."

    After Kaljaque drank the potion and regained his health, he stepped forward.

    "Let¡¯s go attack right now!"

    After drinking the potion, he had 26 percent of his health left and dashed forward without looking back. Aktur smiled sinisterly.

    "This is a good time to use his skills," he whispered softly and ran.

    Junhyuk ran after him. The lizardmen were engaged in a fierce struggle, and Junhyuk looked at the castle wall. There were only a few archers, but they were buffed. He couldn¡¯t ignore their attacks and he knew it. So, he thought of sweeping the lizardmen away.

    Junhyuk ran toward the enemy minions and swung his sword. Lugos and Gyulsean were leaning against the castle wall and didn¡¯t have time to respond before he killed a lizardman.

    He cut through the lizardman¡¯s stomach, and a shockwave spread from him, sweeping the rest of the enemy lizardmen. They fell quickly, and the allied lizardmen got some breathing room.

    They looked at Junhyuk running, and he said, "OK. While we deal with the enemy champions, you deal with the castle¡¯s force field."

    "We don¡¯t need them!"

    Kaljaque ran forward and attacked Lugos. He might even have gained some sense as he used his powers from the start. Junhyuk thought they had a good chance of winning, but Kaljaque¡¯s health was too low.

    Junhyuk ran with Aktur, and Aktur raised his hand forward. The bandages wrapped around Gyulsean, and he pulled her toward him.

    The skeleton soldiers¡¯ cooldown was longer than Junhyuk had imagined, but pulling Gyulsean was already very impressive. Junhyuk and Aktur attacked her simultaneously, but she wasn¡¯t just taking the hits. She rushed suddenly toward Junhyuk, pushing him toward the mewall.

    Gyulsean¡¯s rush pushed her opponent for five meters. He still had to wait to teleport, so he hit the wall, surprised.

    The rush took off 20 percent of his health, and the wall took off another 10. He was still on the wall when Gyulsean attacked him with the spear. Junhyuk parried the attack with his sword and moved to block her path. He stood in her way and swung his sword, but Gyulsean blocked it the spear. She was hard to handle with just his swordsmanship.

    However, Aktur was also there, and he scratched her hind legs with his nails, giving Junhyuk an opening. Junhyuk took it and shed at her again.

    Gyulsean was quickly losing her health and attacked Junhyuk. He didn¡¯t move or give her a path out. Instead, he continued to pressure her with his swings.

    She pretended to block his sword, but pushed her spear farther in, hooking it on his back and throwing him. Junhyuk lost 15 percent of his health with the throw, and he hit the wall again, losing an additional 10 percent.

    In a moment, Junhyuk had lost half of his health, and Gyulsean took the chance to run by him and away from the wall. However, when she passed him, Junhyuk swung the Frozen Rune Sword at her body. She had a lot of speed, but he had debuffed her. So, her speed decreased, and she couldn¡¯t get away.

    Junhyuk stood in front of her again, Aktur attacked continuously. Again, she started losing health quickly.

    When she had about 75 percent of her health left, Junhyuk felt that the Spatial sh cooldown was over, and he used it right away.

    "Aktur!"

    Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh cut through her neck, taking 70 percent of her health with it. Aktur stabbed her with his nail. It went through her chest,ing out of her back, and Junhyuk heard a soft voice.

    [Aktur killed Gyulsean.]

    Junhyuk would have stolen the kill had it been Kaljaque, but he wanted a good rtionship with Aktur, so he yielded the deathblow to him.

    "Thanks," Aktur told him.

    Meanwhile, Kaljaque was still fighting Lugos and had lost a lot of health. He had about 5 percent left, and Lugos had 70 percent while the two exchanged blows.

    Kaljaque could die at any moment, and Junhyuk shouted, "Come here!"

    He howled suddenly.

    "Graaaah!"

    Lugos was paralyzed, and Kaljaque passed through him, but the archers shot him in the back. Kaljaque had 1 percent of his health left when Junhyuk was finally able to touch him.

    Junhyuk teleported and retreated while Aktur took over the fight with Lugos. They attacked each other, and Junhyuk looked at Kaljaque.

    "Wait here. You can¡¯t die, you know?"

    "But Lugos is mine!"

    "Then, you can deliver the final hit," he said, but he wouldn¡¯t let Kaljaque do it.

    If Kaljaque rested, he would quickly regain his health. Leaving Kaljaque behind, Junhyuk went toward Aktur and joined the fight against Lugos.

    The archers concentrated their attacks on Junhyuk and Aktur, and Junhyuk was losing and regaining health. In any case, he wouldn¡¯t allow every arrow to hit him.

    Lugos knew he was alone against the two, and his body turned ck. He was standing his ground. Junhyuk and Aktur seemed unable to deal significant damage to him, and the enemies could revive as time passed.

    They exchanged small amounts of damage, but Lugos was losing his health little by little. However, Junhyuk¡¯s cooldown was over. Lugos had 20 percent of his health left. Junhyuk had 40 percent of his health left, and he teleported back. As Junhyuk moved back, Kaljaque dashed forward. He had 15 percent of his health and rushed Lugos.

    Lugos¡¯ health was low, and Kaljaque raised his staff. That¡¯s when Lugos stomped the ground.

    Boom!

    Kaljaque and Aktur flew in the air, but Junhyuk was out of reach and sliced through Lugos¡¯ eyes with the Spatial sh.

    [You killed Lugos and earned 3,000G.]

    "Junhyuk Lee!" Kaljaque shouted, still in the air and extending his hand to attack, but Lugos was already dead.

 Chapter 158: Its A Relief 2

    Chapter 158: It¡¯s A Relief 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Kaljaquended and dashed angrily toward Junhyuk.

    "I wasn¡¯t toote. I was able to save you," Junhyuk said right off the bat.

    Kaljaque looked surprised and tried to speak, but Aktur interjected, "You keep being loud, and if the enemy revives, I will kick your big ass."

    Kaljaque looked at Junhyuk and Aktur, then ran frustrated toward the castle. The enemy champions were all dead, and they had to act quickly. If all of their enemies revived, they would lose their advantage.

    Kaljaque knew that too and pounded at the castle wall. The castle¡¯s protections didn¡¯t hold, and twenty lizardmen survived. Junhyuk had been attacking the gate with them and entered the castle. Inside the castle, Junhyuk quickly killed all the archers left on the castle wall and looked inside. The golem was standing there.

    So far, he had supported the heroes in fighting the golems, but now he had to kill the golem himself. Drakey had been killed first, and he was already standing next to the golem.

    "Champions revive that fast?" Junhyuk murmured and started walking down from the wall. The golem was stronger than a champion, so even if all three of them were still alive, they couldn¡¯t let their guards down.

    Junhyuk looked at Kaljaque. His absurd regenerating power gave him 20 percent of his health back, and he was still gaining more. When he was not fighting, his regeneration rate was much faster than when he was engaged inbat.

    Junhyuk finally got down from the wall.

    "We should¡¯vee sooner rather than stood there talking nonsense."

    Aktur clicked his tongue and looked at Junhyuk.

    "Tell Kaljaque to regain his health, and you bring the lizardmen inside. We¡¯ll pull Drakey again."

    "Can we do it so easily?"

    "I¡¯ll do the pulling."

    Junhyuk looked at Kaljaque.

    "Wait here."

    Kaljaque pouted but didn¡¯t answer.

    Aktur uttered a few words for his benefit, "If you want, go and get yourself killed. I don¡¯t care."

    Aktur tone was sharp and harsh, but Kaljaque didn¡¯t answer.

    "What are you doing?! Attack!" Aktur shouted at the lizardmen.

    They went toward the golem, and the golem started moving. Before Drakey also moved, Junhyuk ran and said, "I¡¯ll get his attention."

    "OK."

    Aktur followed him, and Junhyuk looked at the golem. At that moment, the golem was stepping on the lizardmen. However, when Junhyuk attacked Drakey, the golem would focus on him. Junhyuk was aware of that and still ran toward Drakey. He wanted to get Drakey¡¯s attention, so Aktur could find an opening to pull him.

    Drakey saw Junhyuk approaching and stepped back. Soon after he had died, Gyulsean had died, so she would revive soon. When she did, the allied champions would be in serious trouble.

    Drakeyunched a sound wave against Junhyuk. That was his most potent attack, so Junhyuk teleported right away, appearing next to him while wielding a sword.

    ng!

    Drakey had already witnessed the teleportation, so he was ready to react. The golem turned and dashed toward Junhyuk. Drakey and the golem attacked him at the same time, making it very dangerous for Junhyuk. He dashed quickly behind Drakey, blocking Drakey¡¯s path to the castle¡¯s force field.

    Drakey turned around, and Aktur¡¯s bandages wrapped around his neck. Aktur started pulling Drakey toward him while the golem attempted to pound Junhyuk with its fists. Junhyuk dodged it and headed for Aktur.

    Drakey summoned a tornado while being pulled. Aktur had a lot of experience fighting him, so he hadn¡¯t summoned his skeleton soldiers yet and gotunched instead. Junhyuk dodged the golem¡¯s attempts to step on him and went to help Aktur. Kaljaque rushed toward Drakey.

    He intended to prevent Drakey from retreating, so he rushed and howled. At that point, Kaljaque didn¡¯t have a lot of health. If possible, they had to help him. Akturnded and summoned the skeleton soldiers, Junhyuk decided to leave the situation to Aktur and turned to face the golem. It had to die anyway.

    He watched the two attack Drakey and stood in the golem¡¯s path. The remaining lizardmen were attacking it from behind, and the golem tried to step on him. Junhyuk rolled to the side and brandished his sword.

    Crack, crack!

    That golem was different from the ones at the Valley of Death. There, Junhyuk couldn¡¯tnd a proper hit on the golems. It never felt like he was hitting them. However, right now, his strikes had an effect.

    Junhyuk was stronger, but the golem was also weaker at the Swamp. Still, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t just ignore it. The golem was stronger than a champion. Since he couldn¡¯t ignore the golem¡¯s attacks, he focused on dodging the blows and countering them. Then, he heard a soft voice.

    [Aktur killed Drakey.]

    "Aktur!" Kaljaque suddenly screamed, and Junhyukughed aloud.

    Aktur also didn¡¯t yield kills to Kaljaque.

    Kaljaque was throwing a tantrum, and Junhyuk had to get him under control.

    "Come here and help!"

    Aktur came over and joined the fight, and the golem started getting crushed. However, Kaljaque wasn¡¯t helping. Junhyuk looked at him, and he was just standing there, frowning.

    "Retreat!"

    Junhyuk was turning around when an arrow zoomed in. He turned quickly attempting to dodge it, but the arrow sank into his shoulder, pushing him backward.

    "Shit! Revived already?!"

    Gyulsean was outside of the force field drawing her bow again. Junhyuk tried to step forward when Kaljaque ran by him.

    "She is mine!"

    Kaljaque had regained his health, but he couldn¡¯t kill Gyulsean by himself. The golem was still standing. However, Kaljaque didn¡¯t see anything else. He approached her wielding his staff and swung mindlessly, but he still dealt her some heavy hits.

    Gyulsean could escape and counterattack, but Kaljaque wasn¡¯t alone. Junhyuk looked at Aktur. He was wing the golem with his nails.

    "Go help him!"

    "Right," Junhyuk responded. As he ran, he shouted at Kaljaque, "I will help you!"

    "I don¡¯t need it!"

    Kaljaque had lost two chances to kill champions, and he was feeling slighted. So, he yelled that he didn¡¯t need help. However, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t concede to him.

    "If time passes, Lugos wille. That¡¯s a problem." Junhyuk said and aimed at Gyulsean¡¯s side, and Kaljaque swung his staff. He didn¡¯t swing it against her, but toward Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk quickly stepped back, and Gyulsean stabbed Kaljaque in the ribs.

    "Don¡¯t interfere."

    Junhyuk thought the troll had gone crazy. He wanted to Spatial sh him but didn¡¯t.

    "Come here and help," Aktur shouted at Junhyuk.

    He stared at Kaljaque and turned to face the golem. If they killed the golem they would win, even if Kaljaque was killed by Gyulsean.

    He joined the fight, and the golem was crushed. Aktur¡¯s nails crushed the golem¡¯s head, destroying itpletely.

    Junhyuk looked at the fallen golem and turned to look at Kaljaque. That¡¯s when he saw Lugos approaching him. Lugos had revived.

    Boom!

    As Lugos arrived, he stomped the ground, sending Kaljaque into the air. Gyulsean switched to her bow and shot him in the arm. Her arrow hit him, leaving him with 8 percent of his health. He could be killed, and Junhyuk faced another dilemma. He could save Kaljaque with the force field, but questioned whether he should do it.

    While he thought about it, Lugos¡¯ arms erged and struck Kaljaque.

    "Aaagh!"

    Kaljaque started disappearing. Junhyuk¡¯s little hesitation had killed him, and Junhyuk felt bitter about it.

    "We don¡¯t have time. Kill Gyulsean," Aktur told him.

    Aktur dashed first, and Junhyuk followed him. Junhyuk looked at Kaljaque disappearing. He was turning gray and still holding his staff.

    "Who me?! You think I will die this way?!"

    Junhyuk tried to ignore him.

    "What?"

    "I will kill everyone!"

    Kaljaque had started disappearing, but he wasn¡¯t dying. Aktur also stopped.

    "Really?"

    Aktur looked at Junhyuk, and Junhyuk¡¯s asked, "Revive?"

    "Did he activate a new power?"

    Gyulsean and Lugos were also looking at him. Kaljaque waspletely healed, and he was bigger than before. He was four meters tall, and his eyes beamed as he raised his staff.

    "Die!"

    Boom, boom, boom!

    He struck three times and he was stronger than ever before. Gyulsean lost her healthy quickly, leaving her at 50 percent. Junhyuk didn¡¯t hesitate and used the Spatial sh on her.

    [You killed Gyulsean and earned 3,000G.]

    Kaljaque looked at him and shouted, "You stole from me again?!"

    Junhyuk retreated instinctively. If he hadn¡¯t, Kaljaque¡¯s staff would¡¯ve hit him. Meanwhile, Lugos retreated into the castle¡¯s force field.

    Kaljaque walked toward Junhyuk, and Aktur got in between them.

    "Stop!"

    Kaljaque looked at Aktur.

    "You are same! You dare to steal from me?!"

    Kaljaque swung against Aktur, but Junhyuk touched him and teleported to the castle¡¯s force field. Kaljaque was crazy and rushing toward them, and Junhyuk asked, "Kaljaque, did you be a hero?"

    "Yes."

    "Then, we won¡¯t see you again?"

    "Yes."

    Kaljaque swung his staff, and Junhyukunched the force field.

    Clung!

    The staff bounced off.

    "Then, destroy the castle."

    Aktur knew where Junhyuk what getting at and pounded at the castle¡¯s force field. Junhyuk joined in, and the force field started to lose its resistance quickly. It was weaker than the one at the Valley of Death.

    Kaljaque kept attacking them both, meaning to kill them, but they just ignored him and managed to destroy the castle¡¯s force field.

    Junhyuk turned around slowly, and Kaljaque stared at them.

    "You two stole from me. Now, I won¡¯t see you again."

    Aktur smiled sinisterly.

    "You are a hero now. I won¡¯t see you again. Congrattions on bing a hero."

    Junhyuk saw Kaljaque disappearing and said, "It¡¯s a relief that you are a hero now."

 Chapter 159: R-Project 1

    Chapter 159: R-Project 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    As the world disappeared around him, Junhyuk was relieved, thinking that everything was over. He had won his first battle at that Dimensional Battlefield and he wouldn¡¯t have to meet Kaljaque, the troll, again.

    The world turned white, but when he opened his eyes, he was not in his room.

    Everything remained white, and as he looked around, a square box appeared in front of him. He looked at it and heard a soft voice.

    [The Swamp of Despair¡¯s victory prize is in the box. Please, check on it.]

    Junhyuk was d it was a prize and put his hands on the box. It opened up, and a small orb appeared.

    [The victory prize is a Spatial Bag. Only the owner can open it, and when you ce your hand in it, you can pull out whatever item you ced inside.]

    Junhyuk pushed his hand inside the orb, and a five-meter cube space appeared like a hologram. He thought of a space in it and pushed his hand inside, and the hologram moved to that ce.

    "Whoa."

    Junhyuk pulled the spirit stones from his chest and ced them in the corner of the Spatial Bag. He pulled out his hand, and the hologram disappeared, leaving just the orb in its ce.

    [You may grab the Spatial Bag with both hands to relocate it.]

    He grabbed it with both of his hands and moves it toward the left side of his chest. He pushed his right hand in again, the hologram reappeared, and he took out the spirit stone.

    Junhyuk smiled. With it, he could carry whatever he wanted.

    [When you want to look for an item in the Spatial Bag, just think about it, and you¡¯ll be able to pull it out without looking.]

    It was the first time Junhyuk was using the bag, so he was grateful for the exnations. He thought about the spirit stone and pushed his hand inside. Before the hologram appeared, he grabbed it and pulled it out.

    "OK."

    Junhyuk smiled and put all of the spirit stones back in the bag.

    [The next Champions¡¯ Battlefield is in two weeks. We will see you next time.]

    As the voice finished talking, the world turned bright white. Junhyuk closed his eyes, but the light still pounded his cornea. When he opened his eyes, time hadn¡¯t passed. He got up slowly and looked at the left side of his chest. The orb was there, but only he could see it. He pulled out the two spirit stones again and smiled.

    "I got it now."

    The bag was too expensive. He had thought about buying it muchter, but now he had it. Smiling, he ced the spirit stones back inside and got up.

    The Spatial Bag followed him around. It was fixed in ce by holding it with both hands. He teleported, and the bag remained in the same spot by his chest.

    Junhyuk pulled out his burner phone and heard the voice he wanted to hear.

    "Big brother?"

    "Right, it¡¯s me."

    "What happened? You¡¯re already back?"

    "Right, time stopped for real. I was there for a while, and time didn¡¯t pass here."

    "Did you win?"

    "Sure."

    "Right! I thought so."

    Junhyukughed and said, "I had a tough time there."

    "What happened?"

    "I met a troll."

    "A troll?"

    "Yes. I¡¯ll tell youter."

    "OK. You must¡¯ve just returned. Rest easy."

    "Right."

    He hung up the phone andy on his bed, thinking about what to put inside the Spatial Bag.

    ---

    Doyeol was with Elise, looking at a screen shown to them by Zaira. Two men were lying on beds.

    "Both of them have broken spines and have lost movement below their waists," Elise exined calmly.

    "Right."

    People who lost the movement of their lower body experienced some leg muscle deformation even if they were cared for. Their legs looked skinny, so the onlookers could see that they were impaired.

    "Both have not used their legs for more than ten years. Their muscles have atrophied. I¡¯ll begin the experiment."

    Their spines were connected to a tube, and red liquid was being injected through it. They shivered with each injection. Both were restrained, but changes happened quickly and so did the screaming. Their muscle mass increased within ten minutes, and they started moving.

    "We injected the R-Potion from the Regeneration Project into their spines to repair their impaired nervous system."

    "Just the nervous system?"

    "We can¡¯t do anything about amputations yet."

    "Right."

    Doyeol was still satisfied. With that, Eunseo could recover.

    Elise looked at the screen and watched the men get up.

    "We can¡¯t do anything about amputations, but other regenerations are possible. For example, putting muscles back into atrophied legs."

    Doyeol nodded, and Elise showed him another screen.

    "There is a theory that beings that hallucinate have nervous systems. These metal models can use that nervous system to allow the user to move freely. The R-Potion can regenerate that nervous system, so that the metal models can recover from any injury."

    "Right. Then, if webine the Regeneration Project with the Iron Project, it will have a synergistic effect."

    "Yes."

    Doyeol looked at Elise.

    "OK. This is the Regeneration Project. What about the other project?"

    "Zaira."

    As Elise spoke, the screen changed, and other people appeared on it. There were ten soldiers, and they were doing a different experiment. A person was shot, but he ran and cut through a machine gun with a knife. Another person dodged the bullets, and another person punctured the steel te with a knife.

    "The muscle strength is up to three times normal. When one uses his muscles to their limit, that person will tear the muscles apart, but the bloodstones enable quick recovery. So, we produced soldiers that go beyond human limitations."

    "Awesome. How are they against heavy firepower?"

    "That type of weaponry can take out limbs, so we can¡¯t heal them yet. But one can always dodge. They will make better agents than soldiers."

    "True. That¡¯s good thinking."

    Only soldiers woulde under heavy firepower, so having them as agents would be best.

    "As for project results, how many do you have?"

    "Only ten that are known to Pentagram. I will send each member two of them."

    Doyeol looked at Elise, and she smiled.

    "And since you gave me the higher quality bloodstone, I can supply you ten more. They will alle here. Their muscle strength if five times normal, and their regeneration rate is better."

    "Put four at Guardians. I will take the remaining six."

    "I thank you for that."

    Doyeol got up.

    "So, the experimental stage is over?"

    "So far, we ran secret experiments on two thousand people. They all signed confidentiality agreements. What are you going to do?"

    "I don¡¯t want to wait anymore," Doyeol said, got up and looked at Elise. "Take care of Eunseo. Set up a date."

    "I need time to prepare. You just want the regeneration? Or...?"

    Doyeol thought for a moment.

    "Will she feel the difference?"

    "She will feel her muscles enhancing and she¡¯ll have to get used to them, otherwise things could get funny."

    Doyeol touched his chin.

    "Even so, make sure she recovers. The Guardians¡¯ CEO position can be dangerous."

    "I will set the date."

    Elise smiled, and Doyeol answered, "Please do."

    ---

    It was Saturday, and Junhyuk was overseeing the construction at his new house. The power of money was impressive. They were even working on the weekend.

    He saw a caring his way. It stopped in front of him, and Doyeol and Jeffrey got out.

    "Why are you here?"

    "I heard you would be moving here, so I wanted to pay you a visit."

    Junhyuk frowned, and Doyeol looked at the construction.

    "Don¡¯t worry. I took care of the business you mentioned. There is no one here."

    "Are you sure?"

    "Sure. If someone is still following you, you may breach the contract between us."

    Doyeol was strong, so Junhyuk gave up.

    "Then, that¡¯s a relief."

    "What are you working on?"

    "Instion," he answered.

    It looked like they were building the instion, but he was cing foil inside as well. Junhyuk looked at Jeffrey.

    "We were neighbors, so we must separate."

    "I am moving in next door," Jeffrey quickly answered him.

    Junhyuk was surprised, and Jeffrey smiled. He also had hundreds of millions of dors, so he could afford the new house.

    "We are still neighbors."

    Junhyuk looked at Doyeol.

    "Did you know?"

    "I told you, to stop people from following you, I have to keep watch."

    "You also agreed not to follow me around!"

    "I have my limits. Can¡¯t you understand?"

    He looked at Jeffrey. He seemed like a nice person, and Junhyuk shrugged.

    "Nothing I can do now."

    It would be nice to have Jeffrey around to help him get stronger. Jeffrey should be the strongest after him in South Korea. Doyeol looked around.

    "Then, I will be going."

    "Be careful on your way."

    Doyeol left with Jeffrey, and Junhyuk shook his head and looked at the house. They were working hard to finish the job that weekend.

    "I have a lot to do."

    He looked at his wristwatch. The cube item detector was inside of it. He would use it to find more items in South Korea. He had wanted to do it with Sarang, but people could easily recognize him. He was known throughout the world, so he couldn¡¯t do whatever he wanted.

    Junhyuk touched his chin.

    "I could get items to change my appearance."

    So far, he wore hats and hid his face. If he asked Bebe, he might even be able to change his face. Then, people wouldn¡¯t recognize him.

    "I have to earn more money."

    It was a long road ahead. He had to get new equipment and he wanted items that he could use in South Korea from the Dimensional Merchant. He needed more gold coins.

 Chapter 160: R-Project 2

    Chapter 160: R-Project 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    They were able to finish the construction on the weekend, and when he reported to work on Monday, a huge weight was off his shoulders. He didn¡¯t have to travel from Seoul to Ilsan, hence saving time, and he could train at home. He had the space to practice his teleportation as much as he wanted.

    The changes allowed him to train without limitations, so he didn¡¯t mind spending the money on the construction and the move.

    Since bing a champion, his powers in the real world had reached an entirely different level, and Junhyuk wanted to practice and get used to them.

    He had filled a vacancy in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield that existed because a champion had died in his dimension. If he wanted to survive in the real world, he had get stronger in reality. For that, he had to get used to his powers there.

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t imagined something like Zaira existed. If he was to survive state-of-the-art technology, he needed his own ns. He wanted his own Zaira, but that would be too expensive.

    "They need able people."

    Junhyuk parked his car at the Guardians¡¯ parking lot and thought about many different things. After parking, he went inside the HQ, passing through the metal detector. He had put the things he needed in the Spatial Bag, so even though he went through the metal detector, Zaira wouldn¡¯t know what he was carrying. She couldn¡¯t read through another dimensional space.

    He had just taken a seat at his desk when he got a phone call. He picked it up, and it was Eunseo on the other line.

    "We will renegotiate our terms with China. Bring the monster rted materials to the meeting room by 9:30."

    "Sure."

    Until they found someone to rece him, he was still an employee. Junhyuk gathered the videos Zaira had showed him on the Chinese incident on his tablet. He took the materials to the meeting room, made tea for Eunseo and took a seat. Soon, the door opened, and Eunseo came in. She was with Dohee, and behind her, there were two men.

    Junhyuk looked at them and was surprised. They had fifty health each. Because Junhyuk stared at them, Eunseo camly exined, "These are the new members of the Guardians¡¯ security team."

    Using ordinary people as a measurement, their health limits were astonishing. They had a third of Jeffrey¡¯s health, and he was a novice.

    Eunseo operated her wheelchair and took her ce. Dohee pulled the TV down, and Eunseo looked at Junhyuk.

    "Can I see the videos from China?"

    "Wait a minute, please."

    He worked on his tablet, and Dohee came over and fed the images to the TV screen. It showed the iron soldier being attacked.

    "The iron soldier was attacked first."

    Eunseo was touching her chin staring at TV and said, "We did the right thing by not attacking. If possible, we have to avoid forceful confrontations." She fixed her sses and continued, "We cannot beckadaisical about this either. Other countries might confront the iron soldiers in the same manner. We must pressure them."

    "We are dealing with China. Is that possible?" Junhyuk asked carefully.

    "This monster situation involves every country. Even if China has a defense system of their own, if they aren¡¯t cooperating, we must make an issue out of it," she said calmly.

    Junhyuk knew they were dealing with the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China and was unsure, but he decided to trust her. At nine-thirty, the Chinese delegates appeared on screen.

    Jowee the member from the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party was on screen. He sat on his chair and smiled.

    "What is the matter? It¡¯s too early in the morning."

    "We need an exnation concerning this situation."

    "Exnation?" Jowee shrugged. "Didn¡¯t Ms. Guardian CEO tell us that when we exercise our own military, we don¡¯t have to sell the residual product from the monsters?"

    "Yes, but you attacked us. We want an exnation."

    "That¡¯s not true!"

    The Chinese had attacked, and Jowee was denying it. Eunseo showed him the videos of what had happened.

    "As you can see, you attacked first, and we simply withdrew."

    "The sitemander must¡¯ve thought the iron soldier was a threat. Privatepanies shouldn¡¯t have interfered with a military operation," Jowee was extremely calm as he said that.

    Eunseo rarely smiled, but she was smiling now, and her smile looked dangerous.

    "This was the first time our property was attacked. We didn¡¯t do anything, but the next time we will make an issue out it."

    "Do you mean you will fire back the next time?" Jowee said grimacing.

    Eunseo wasn¡¯t shaken and answered, "We must protect our own property. If necessary we will use force. I must tell you one thing: if you go to a site with monsters before we do, we won¡¯t interfere with it. If we get to it first and are attacked thereupon, we will fire back in order to protect our property."

    "You sound dangerous."

    "I¡¯m not sure if you know this, but our actions are supported by W.A.N.C.S. and the U.N. I will provide them with the videos concerning this event, and you should prepare to answer them."

    "How much power do you think they have on Chinese soil?"

    "We¡¯ve told you our position on this matter," She said, feeling no need to continue the conversation, and Jowee¡¯s eyebrow twitched. "So, we will end this conversation," she added.

    "If you treat me this way, you will regret itter!"

    Eunseo didn¡¯t answer, and instead, she hung up. Junhyuk watched Jowee¡¯s angry face disappear from the screen and looked at Eunseo.

    She looked back and ced a piece of paper in front of him.

    "Trante this page. We will send it to W.A.N.C.S. and the U.N. with the video."

    "I understand."

    For Junhyuk, the trantion was easy. He took the document, and Eunseo operated the screen. Soon after, Elise appeared on it, and Eunseo asked, "How is the research going on the monsters¡¯ corpses?"

    "So far, we have fifteen different monsters. We are finished with the research on the different species and are evaluating the best weapon to use against each of them. We¡¯ll soone up with the most potent weapons for all fifteen species."

    "OK. Tell me right away when you are finished. Send the information to every country, but when you have results on the Chinese monster, don¡¯t tell them anything."

    Elise smiled.

    "Good thinking. I was wondering about what to do with the Chinese side."

    "We will fire back if the iron soldier is attacked again by the Chinese. Just don¡¯t make any civilian casualties, but prepare to fight back."

    "Just don¡¯t create civilian casualties, right?"

    "Right."

    Junhyuk already knew the iron soldiers could do it all without creating civilian casualties. He had watched the zombie situation, and the iron soldier had made a killing field out of the surroundings.

    It might have to change weapons in to avoid civilian casualties, but if the Chinese touched an iron soldier again, they would be embarrassed.

    "How is Ms. Sora Shin?"

    "We are still investigating. Do you want a report?"

    "I will head over," she said and turned the TV off, turning back to Junhyuk. "Do the trantion, please."

    She went out on her wheelchair, and Junhyuk smacked his lips. He had already given her his resignation letter, so she didn¡¯t want to let him know what was going on with Sora.

    He cleaned up the meeting room and went back to his office. While he was tranting, he kept going over all the events. Doyeol had covered up the incident. They had saved Sora, the novice, and people knew there was a rescue, but they didn¡¯t know who it was.

    No one really knew about Sora.

    Junhyuk thought of her. She had the highest movement speed and she specialized on survival, She also had a lot of health. Her attributes looked like a tank¡¯s, so she shouldn¡¯t be running away. Instead, she should be chasing her enemies.

    "Sora Shin."

    Doyeol had told her he would tell her more about the Dimensional Battlefield. Jeffrey was with her, so her starting line was different from other people.

    "What about the security team I saw today?"

    They didn¡¯t look like a normal security team because their attributes were far above those of regr humans. Compared to novices, they were weak, but they still had five times the amount of health of regr humans.

    Junhyuk kept thinking for a moment and came up with a theory.

    "The mana stones made the iron soldiers, so they were made from the bloodstones!"

    They had to be buying the bloodstones because they had a use for them. They couldn¡¯t be as powerful as the iron soldiers, but bloodstones had a use of their own. They were for humans.

    Junhyuk had some time, and Zaira allowed him ess to fifty other videos. He was watching an iron soldier deal with monsters. The iron soldier carried heavy artillery and had more firepower than a fighter jet.

    He wanted to learn more about their weapons, so he watched carefully. The iron soldier killed the monster and took care of their bodies.

    Two iron soldiers were picking something up, and Junhyuk stopped the video.

    "Is that a mana stone?"

    A light blue gem dropped out of the monster¡¯s corpse. If it was a mana stone, there would be conflict over who owned it.

    "The Chinese must know it too!"

    Junhyuk stared at the screen and shook his head. Mana stones were expensive. Even mana stones from monsters should cost several hundreds of thousands of dors. He also wanted the money, but he couldn¡¯t interfere.

    "If I interfere, they¡¯ll send even more monsters"

    ---

    Sora was enjoying the track around theb. Eunseo watched her and asked, "What is the result?"

    Elise turned on a few screens.

    "On average, she has superhuman powers, and her powers are increasing slowly."

    The screen showed aparison of Sora¡¯s physique to an ordinary person¡¯s. Elise tapped on the microphone and said, "Ms. Sora Shin. Use your power."

    Suddenly, Sora disappeared from sight, and Elise calmly exined, "Sora can run a hundred meters in one seconds. She can also do it backwards."

    "A hundred-meter dash in one second? Can you use that power on other people?"

    Elise shook her head.

    "We don¡¯t know how she got it. We did a blood test and found that her blood is different from others."

    "Her blood is different?"

    "She has an inherent wavelength. If we use that information, we will find more people with powers."

    As Elise spoke, Eunseo fixed her sses and watched Sora running on the track.

 Chapter 161: R-Project 3

    Chapter 161: R-Project 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    They were having a family dinner, and Doyeol spoke first, "Eunseo."

    She raised her head, and Doyeol smiled at her.

    "I heard about what you did with the Chinese. Soon, W.A.N.C.S. and the U.N. will put pressure on them."

    "That¡¯s fast," she said.

    Doyeol forked the asparagus and ate it nonstop.

    "We established Guardians, but thepany belongs to others as well."

    "Right."

    It was using Robotics engineering, and worldwide corporations were helping out covertly. She knew it already. The world¡¯s most powerful families were also connected to it.

    Doyeol smiled and said, "Don¡¯t worry about the Chinese."

    "Sure. Thanks for paying attention."

    "Whoa! Our Eunseo said thanks!" Sukhoon shouted, surprised.

    Eunseo looked at him coolly, and he turned away and drank his ss of wine. Doyeol looked at the two and smiled.

    "The Regeneration Project is a sess."

    "Really?"

    Eunseo disyed a rare response, and Doyeol looked at her.

    "Yes, the initial experiment is over."

    Sukhoon looked at Eunseo.

    "I can see your high kick again."

    "Big brother," Eunseo said in a somber tone, and Sukhoon turned around again.

    Doyeol exined some more, "Within the Regeneration Project, we have a special project. It¡¯s called the R-Project."

    "R-Project?"

    Doyeol nodded slowly and put his fork and knife down.

    "The world knows about the Regeneration Project, but we will use an R-Potion from the R-Project on you."

    "Is it effective?"

    "It¡¯s regeneration far beyond human imagination, and you will have strength many times that of ordinary humans."

    Sukhoon put his wine ss down and looked at Doyeol.

    "Big brother, that sounds very dangerous!"

    "The initial experiment is over, and I don¡¯t want Eunseo to get hurt again! There will be many who oppose Guardians."

    "If it¡¯s that dangerous, I will take her ce."

    "You can¡¯t," Doyeol answered curtly and continued, "We will do it after the meal."

    Sukhoon looked at her, and she adjusted her sses.

    "Sure."

    ---

    Junhyuk only did a few things at Guardians HQ. The administration of iron soldiers was handled by Elise.

    He picked up the phone calls and transferred them to Eunseo. However, Eunseo hadn¡¯te to work that day. His superior wasn¡¯t there, so it was his job to y around. Still, he couldn¡¯t just y. Zaira was watching everything that happened in that ce.

    Junhyuk browsed for dual swordsmanship on his smartphone. The WMA (World Masters Athletics) was reenacting middle age swordsmanship, and he spent his time watching it.

    Knock, knock!

    Junhyuk heard the knocking, and the door opened. Elise walked in.

    "Do you have time?"

    He looked around.

    "It looks that way?"

    "How about lunch with me?"

    Junhyuk nodded and got up. He was curious about Elise. She had made the iron soldiers and was Zaira¡¯s owner. She was a true genius scientist, and that piqued his curiosity. He followed her to thepany restaurant and saw a woman already dining there.

    "Hello," Sora greeted him, and Junhyuk greeted her back.

    She was eating a lot of beef, and Junhyuk smiled and said, "You have a good appetite."

    Sora smiled.

    "I started running again, so I¡¯m not worried about getting fat."

    Elise helped her out.

    "She is exercising a lot. She won¡¯t get fat from eating that much."

    Junhyuk nodded. He also exercised a lot, but people didn¡¯t know about it. He trained by what Arn had taught him and also ate a lot, more than anyone he knew.

    Junhyuk also took a teful of beef, and Sora said, "You must also exercise a lot!"

    When she looked at him, he didn¡¯t have huge muscles, but his muscles were as hard as stones.

    She smiled and asked, "What sport do you y?"

    "I just exercise for my health."

    She stared at him. Sora knew what kind of person he was. He had been to the Dimensional Battlefield.

    She couldn¡¯t reveal the truth about him, but he had powers. Sora was running again because she knew she would be going to the Dimensional Battlefield and she wanted to survive. Doyeol had told her about that ce where they treat human lives like that of flies. She couldn¡¯t rest if she wanted to survive. Jeffrey had also taught her about things there. He told her about heroes, and that she needed to get along with them.

    She didn¡¯t know which heroes she would meet, but Junhyuk might have more advice for her, so she wanted to get along with him. However, she didn¡¯t have the chance to meet him often. She wanted to ask him about the battlefield, but she had signed a confidentiality agreement, so she couldn¡¯t ask him anything.

    Elise was next to them. She didn¡¯t bring anything up and just continued eating. As Sora ate, Elise ate a sd and asked him, "You¡¯ve resigned?"

    "Yes. When they find a recement, I¡¯ll quit."

    Sora looked at him. She would also quit if she had the money he had at that point. However, she needed to get a few mana stones, or a really big one.

    Elise smiled.

    "That¡¯s too bad. We didn¡¯t even have dinner outside."

    "Maybe for my goodbye party?"

    Elise took out a business card and whispered, "We¡¯ll have drink together. Give me a call."

    Junhyuk smiled and gave her his business card.

    "I don¡¯t have a new business card."

    "That¡¯s OK. It¡¯ll be valuable if you don¡¯t use them in the future."

    Sora was chomping her food down and extended her hand. Junhyukughed and gave her a card as well. She took it and smiled.

    "I¡¯ll give you one when I get a business card."

    "You can give me your number."

    Junhyuk handed her his smartphone, and Sora typed her number in. Elise watched the exchanged and asked him, "You were watching the iron soldiers. Did you find anything new?"

    He realized she kept records of the people who watched the iron soldier videos. He had a high-endputer in his office, but he wouldn¡¯t use it from then on.

    "Concerning China, I was watching to see if we have evidence to support us. However, there are strange things left over by the monsters¡¯ corpses."

    Elise smiled.

    "You watched it carefully. Right. Our research is not only to kill the monsters. So far, their body¡¯s are foreign to us, and they possess a high research value. We could use them to research armor, and we may also learn other valuable things."

    She pulled out a mana stone. It was really small, and the color wasn¡¯t clear, but he had seen it on the screen. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t expecting to see it, and Sora was surprised as well.

    "That...?"

    "It¡¯s from the a monster¡¯s corpse. We call it a mana stone and we get energy from it," she said and ced it on the dinner table. "This could propel changes to the scientific world that could save us centuries of research."

    She tapped it with her finger and continued, "I think the monsters are gift from God. Scientists will apud their appearance."

    "They are too dangerous to be God¡¯s gift."

    "We can control them. Don¡¯t sell scientists short. We can know something is dangerous, but also be able to control it."

    Junhyuk looked at Elise. She was one of Doyeol¡¯s people, so she might know everything about him.

    "You mean the mana stone is not known to the scientific field. Why are you telling us?"

    Elise smiled.

    "If you see it on the road while walking, bring it to me. It doesn¡¯t look like much, but it¡¯s worth $1 million. It¡¯ll be like winning the lottery."

    She lowered her head and said.

    "The scientific world doesn¡¯t know of them yet, so I¡¯ll purchase them myself. Do you understand?"

    "Sure."

    Elise tapped her business card in front of him.

    "When you find some, call me. I will pay for them."

    Junhyuk learned something strange about her tone. His eyes beamed, and she smiled. They exchanged looks as if they were talking just to each other. This woman isn¡¯t just working for Doyeol.

    He picked up the card and said, "I will call you... if I find some."

    "Stones simr to those are OK too. We don¡¯t know much, so if you find anything strange, call me."

    Junhyuk nodded and got up.

    "How about some coffee? Which kind do you want?" he asked.

    Elise smiled.

    "Espresso, please."

    "Milk coffee for me," Sora said.

    He got them their coffee and smiled at Elise. He had to be careful with her. Junhyuk drank his coffee, and he smiled every time his eyes met Elise¡¯s.

    ---

    Junhyuk yed all day long, and it was time to go home. He always got off work on the dot and wished every day was like that day.

    When he walked outside, a car arrived.

    It was Eunseo¡¯s, and Junhyuk was getting off work. He wanted to greet her, so he waited for her.

    The car parked, and people came out.

    Dohee and the security team members got out first and took the wheelchair out. Junhyuk walked over, and Dohee took Eunseo to the wheelchair. He wanted to greet her, but he stopped suddenly.

    Eunseo had had twenty health and ten mana. He had been surprised before, but now she had seventy health and ten mana.

    She had beente that day, but she couldn¡¯t have increased her health like that in one day.

    She looked at him.

    "Going home?"

    "Yes. It¡¯s after five."

    He always left work promptly, and Eunseo shook her head.

    "Anything happen?"

    "No. No one called either."

    "Yeah? You may go."

    She nodded and went inside the building. He watched her with eyes slightly widened.

    "What¡¯s going on here?"

 Chapter 162: Surprise Attack 1

    Chapter 162: Surprise Attack 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Wednesday.

    Junhyuk was the only employee in the Administrative Department. He was given ess to the online applications for the Guardians program. Without Zaira¡¯s help, they would¡¯ve been unable to sift through them. That many people had applied.

    After Junhyuk handed in his resignation letter, they began epting applications that previous Friday, so only four days. However, since Guardians was already known throughout the world, a surprising number of people had applied.

    The Administrative Department had five employee openings, but ten thousand people had applied. That was one spot for every two thousand applicants.

    Junhyuk was able to judge the applications with Zaira¡¯s help. He wanted to at least nce over all of them, and looked through a condensed version of the pictures and qualifications. He was leftpletely surprised.

    "Threenguages is the minimum."

    He quickly went through the pages. His eyesight was really good, so he spent about one second in each page with Zaira¡¯s help, looking at pictures and qualifications.

    He was going through the images when he said, "Stop."

    The screen stopped, and Junhyuk added, "Go back three people."

    The screen went back three applications, and he smiled.

    "Is this a coincidence?"

    It was Soyeon Shin¡¯s picture. Her qualifications were certainly lower than the other applicants. She had good grades, but she didn¡¯t graduate from the best university or was fluent in threenguages like the others.

    Her English score was really good, but not as good as the others. Junhyukughed hard and set her application as qualified. Eunseo had told him to pick only one hundred applicants out of all of them. They were looking for his recement, and had given him a big responsibility.

    He included Soyeon Shin on the list and murmured, "Qualifications aren¡¯t everything."

    After he told himself that, he got up.

    "I told her I would take her out and I didn¡¯t. I hope she gets this job."

    Guardians was a part of ST Capsule, but the annual sry was very high. If she got hired, he would forgive himself for not taking her out and breaking their promise.

    Heughed and murmured, "Knowing the right people is important."

    Junhyuk went over all ten thousand applications and selected the hundred he liked. They all had simr qualifications, so he picked out from the pictures he liked.

    He made the list with all one hundred people and asked Zaira, "Can you send them emails and messages and make phone calls?"

    [Yes. When would the interviews take ce?]

    "Interviews will be next Monday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Divide them in two groups of fifty for the interviews. Can you make calls?"

    [Certainly.]

    Zaira answered and simultaneously sent out emails concerning the interviews and the online applications and called them individually. She spoke with the one hundred people and recorded the conversations. Junhyuk listened to the one with Soyeon.

    She sounded really happy, and Junhyuk smiled while he listened. He thought of her jumping with joy. Zaira finished all of the phone calls.

    [What is your rtion with Soyeon Shin?] she asked him.

    Junhyuk fake-coughed and said,

    "What are you talking about?

    [You were listening to the phone call, which is why I¡¯m asking you.]

    "Don¡¯t bother. I just know her a little."

    After that exchange with Zaira, he was reminded one more time that she was not simply a superputer. She sounded like she was twisting the facts.

    He sighed.

    "Send the list."

    The printer lit up, and the list came out. He picked it up.

    "I will go talk to the CEO. Meanwhile, send notifications to the people who didn¡¯t make the list."

    [I will do it.]

    He finished judging the applications with Zaira¡¯s help and took the list to Eunseo. Dohee guided him to her office, and when Eunseo saw him holding the documents, she extended her hand. He handed them to her, and she looked them over.

    "The list of the people who passed?"

    "Yes. I selected a hundred people and sent them the interview date."

    Eunseo nodded.

    "The interviewers will be me, you and Dohee."

    "Me?"

    "We are looking for your recement, so certainly," she said and continued. "If you want somebody, you may hire that person. I will give you a free pass."

    "What?"

    "I can do that at least that much," she added.

    "Thank you."

    He underestimated her power.

    "There are only three interviewers, and we are only hiring five people. I¡¯m giving you the right."

    Because he knew it was Eunseo, he smiled. She saw him smiling at her, looked down at the documents and said, "You may leave."

    "Then, I¡¯ll be going."

    He bowed to her and left. Eunseo raised her head. She was smiling ever so slightly.

    She shook her head and got up from her wheelchair, walking around lightly and kicking suddenly.

    Woosh!

    She shook her head again.

    "I need more time to get used to it."

    ---

    He had judged ten thousand applications, and that wasn¡¯t easy. With Zaira¡¯s help, however, Junhyuk had finished before noon. Now, he was getting ready to be seeded by his recement.

    "Since I got here, I only did trantions and interpretations and picked up the phone."

    Guardians kept the world safe and peaceful, and he was one of its only employees, but he didn¡¯t have anything to do. He smiled bitterly and, with Zaira¡¯s help, he made a list of phone numbers he had to give to the recement.

    The recement would do his own trantions, so he didn¡¯t spend a lot of time in preparation to leave his post.

    He didn¡¯t get online. If he did, Zaira would know what he was up to. Instead, he looked at dual swordsmanship on his smartphone and looked around. He felt like someone was watching him, and suddenly he got a response.

    [Do you want materials on dual swordsmanship?]

    "Are you watching me?"

    [I just want to help you.]

    Junhyuk knew Zaira was connected to Elise. If he gave Zaira an order, Elise would know of it too, so he thought about it.

    He was already looking for things on dual swordsmanship, and Zaira knew it. He couldn¡¯t hide it from her.

    "Give me materials on dual swordsmanship."

    Quickly, Zaira showed him all kinds of materials from pictures to videos of ancient dual swordsmanship techniques revived in the modern era. He couldn¡¯t find those on the inte on his own.

    He had made the right decision and he moved his hands lightly while watching the videos. So far, Junhyuk had learned by watching Arn¡¯s saber techniques. Arn was a hard teacher to find, and his swordsmanship focused around shing.

    Longsword dual swordsmanship was totally different from dual swordsmanship with sabers. Junhyuk realized that from watching the videos.

    "Show me something on dual swordsmanship with sabers."

    Many screens came up, and Junhyuk learned the difference between the two styles of swordsmanship. He could improve.

    "Can you send me these by email?"

    [I will do it right now.]

    Hepared and contrasted the styles of swordsmanship while moving his arms. He was definitely learning more about dual swords.

    ---

    Zaira was disying the screens to Elise, and sheughed while watching.

    "He is using you. He must know something."

    Elise controlled Zairapletely, and Junhyuk was using her anyway. He was revealing something about himself.

    She looked at the other screen and saw Eunseo moving around lightly.

    Eunseo didn¡¯t know it yet, but Zaira controlled everything at Guardians. Elise looked at her and smiled.

    "She is better than I thought."

    The trained agents took a long time to get ustomed to their new bodies, but Eunseo was getting used to it faster than them. She was still using her wheelchair just in case, but she would soon get used to itpletely.

    "It¡¯s easier to use a fully automatic wheelchair."

    Elise also wanted that wheelchair. Sheughed hard and looked at the screen with Sora Shin.

    "Novices use two-handed swords?"

    Sora was training with a two-handed sword, but it would take her more than a few days. It would be better for her to just run away from conflict.

    Elise had heard about heroes. Sora should just run away from them to keep herself alive, she thought. She turned off all screen, pulled out some documents on the monsters species and murmured, "I must make new weapons."

    ---

    Junhyuk watched the monitor until it was five o¡¯clock and got up. It was nice he was able to go over the materials on theputer, but it would be even better to practice at home.

    He went out and saw Eunseo and Dohee.

    "Are you getting off work?"

    "The superiors must get off first, so that the employees will feel less pressure."

    Junhyuk smiled. If Eunseo got off work first, he would be more at ease. In any event, he didn¡¯t even care. She nodded at him and operated her wheelchair, moving forward. She wanted to get out of the door first, and Junhyukughed and slowly walked toward the door.

    Eunseo took the lead, and the security team members got in her car. Junhyuk bowed to them and got in his own car. He downloaded his emails and watched the videos on dual swordsmanship as he started driving home.

    Once he got out of Guardians HQ and reached the crossroads, he saw shadows loom over him. He turned to to look, and there were container trucks to his left and right. There were four of them, and he inspected them. Junhyuk saw Eunseo¡¯s car in front of him and looked at his phone.

    While he was watching the videos, the light changed. The trucks started off, and one of them sped up. The trucks positioned themselves to the left and right of Eunseo¡¯s car while one stayed behind the car. Junhyuk felt something sinister was happening.

    He didn¡¯t head home. Instead, he got on highway and called Eunseo on her cellphone.

    It rang, and he heard her voice.

    "CEO."

    "What is the matter?"

    "Right now, container trucks are surrounding your car. Is anything the matter?"

    "Get down!"

    He heard Dohee¡¯s voice, and loud noisesing from the container truck.

    Rat-a-tat-tat!

 Chapter 163: Surprise Attack 2

    Chapter 163: Surprise Attack 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk knew there was a shooting happening, and he summoned the Pure Golden Knight Set and the Blood Rune Sword. He drove closer to Eunseo¡¯s car and used the Spatial sh on the front wheels of the container truck that was just behind her car.

    The Spatial sh cut through the front wheels and generated a blood energy shockwave that shed through all six wheels of the truck. Without the wheels, the truck skidded off the road. Junhyuk turned the wheel and elerated.

    The RPM went up as he sped up, and his car passed the skidding container truck. Once it was gone, he could see the whole situation. There was one truck on each side of her car, and the other trailer was blocking it from the front. The front one had opened the container door, and there were five men firing machine guns.

    Eunseo¡¯s car had been badly hit. Everyone inside it might have already died, but the driver was still holding on to the steering wheel. He had ducked and was trying to get away, but he couldn¡¯t because the trucks were in the way, and the shooting continued.

    There was someone still alive, so Eunseo could also be alive. Junhyuk extended his hand,unching a force field around her. Even without looking, he could now create a force field around whoever he wanted.

    Eunseo¡¯s car waspletely covered, so the bullets bounced off, and the trucks on either side were pushed away. Junhyuk drove closer. He passed her car and crashed against the truck with the five guys with machine guns. They were just standing there with nk stares.

    Crash!

    Junhyuk was driving a VW Tiguan, and the front bumper was crushed. The people holding the machine guns staggered from the shock. Then, he overtook Eunseo¡¯s car and stepped on the breaks smoothly.

    Her car crashed against the Tiguan, and Junhyuk changed gears to reverse and elerated.

    Screeeech!

    His car¡¯s tires smoked out, and the two cars slowed down slowly. The member of the security who was driving her car stepped on the breaks, and the two cars slowed quicker. The container truck also slowed down...

    ... and turned around.

    It made a U-turn, leaving long skid marks on the road, and Junhyuk looked at it. The driver in Eunseo¡¯s car reversed, made a U-turn and drove off. He was probably going back to Guardians HQ.

    They had picked the highway as the ce for their surprise attack because they couldn¡¯t do anything at the HQ. With the iron soldier on site, they couldn¡¯t attack the HQ.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t get out of his car and also made a U-turn, looking at the container truck. They were on the highway making turns against traffic. The other cars stopped suddenly, and there are multiple additional idents.

    The trucks ignored the idents and continued on their path. Junhyuk clicked his tongue at their audacity.

    "They are bold!"

    There were three trucks, but only two made sessful U-turns and chased after Eunseo. The other was totaled while trying to make the turn.

    He watched the two trucks. Suddenly, he put his car in reverse, turned the wheel and mmed on the elerator.

    The other cars on the highway saw the multiple idents and started slowing down, and Junhyuk was able to reverse between them. He was weaving through the other cars, but the trucks didn¡¯t care about them. They were hitting the other cars, pushing them to the side and elerating.

    Junhyuk watched the way they were driving and gripped the Blood Rune Sword tighter. The cooldown was over, and he used the Spatial sh again. He hit the front wheels of the left truck. Once the wheels were gone, the blood energy shockwave spread out and took out the front wheels of the truck on the right.

    They had been speeding up, so when the wheels were taken out, the two crashed against each other.

    Crash!

    Once they crashed, the containers fell off, skidding off the road and creating additional idents.

    Junhyuk stopped his car and got out slowly. The highway looked like a battlefield, and he sent the Pure Golden Knight Set and the Blood Rune Sword away and walked over to the containers. Some people got out of them, and Junhyuk looked at them and frowned.

    "Chinese?"

    The five were wearing suits with blood dripping down them. They pulled out their guns, and Junhyuk ran toward them. They were trying to aim at him, but they were dizzy from the ident. So, he was able to get to them before they started shooting.

    He grabbed the wrist of one of them before he had a chance to shoot and twisted it.

    Crack!

    They all had ten health, so they had trained to their limit and they shot at Eunseo. Junhyuk had no intention of forgiving them. One man pulled himself together and managed to shoot at him, but Junhyuk ducked, closed in and hit the man¡¯s chest.

    He elbowed the man¡¯s neck, and his opponent¡¯s mouth hung open, and he fell to the ground. Another man aimed at him, and Junhyuk spin-kicked him in the chin.

    It all looked cinematographic. The opponent flew one meter into the air with the kick. However, when Junhyuk turned around, two bullets were fired at him, and he didn¡¯t have time to escape.

    He couldn¡¯t teleport, so he was hit on the stomach, but he didn¡¯t feel anything.

    He was curious about it, but ran toward them. The people who shot him just stared nkly at him, and Junhyuk front kicked one of them. He rolled in the air,nded and moved on to the other man, taking him out.

    Junhyuk had to find out who was behind that attack, so he ced them in the backseat of his car and drove between the crashed cars and away from the mess. People would notice if he drove backwards. He had wasted no time taking care of the Chinese men, so it was not good for him to be noticed.

    Once he got out of the area of the ident, he turned around and drove to Guardians HQ. It was a relief that his Tiguan was still drivable after the idents. The front bumper was crushed, and the back bumper was also smashed.

    Junhyuk thought the car was amazing to still be working. He also thought of having to get a new car and cursed under his breath while he continued to the HQ. It was pandemonium there.

    The security guards were out, and a helicopter was flying over the building.

    Junhyuk¡¯s smashed car drove in, and the security guard stopped him.

    "Let him pass," he heard a sharp voice say.

    He parked his car in the parking lot and looked around. Eunseo¡¯s car was covered in bullet holes, and he ran toward her.

    Dohee was copsed in front of the car and bleeding heavily. Eunseo had blood all over her and was applying pressure to Dohee¡¯s wounds.

    "Are you OK?" Junhyuk asked, and Eunseo raised her head and her eyes beamed.

    She had picked up a call from him and lifted her head, and the container truck in front of her opened its door, and people appeared holding machine guns. Dohee pushed her head down, and the shooting started. Dohee had been hit, and the bullets kept hitting her.

    She couldn¡¯t bare the pain, and a loud noise came from behind her car, and something happened. An ivory-colored light surrounded their bodies.

    Eunseo felt that wasn¡¯t the first time a miracle happened. The bullets bounced off, and the trucks on each side of the car were pushed off.

    Eunseo was very astonished, and then Junhyuk¡¯s car passed her. She was staring with surprise as his car went through the ivory-colored light and crashed against the truck ahead of her. Then, Junhyuk seemed to be stopping his car, but reversed and stopped her car.

    Eunseo¡¯s car was being driven by a member of the security team, and he made a U-turn and drove back to Guardians HQ.

    The security team was going crazy, and everyone was on alert. They took Dohee and looked over her, but her condition was worse than expected, so they called an emergency helicopter, and Eunseo was now applying pressure to her. And that¡¯s when Junhyuk got there.

    He saw she was covered in blood but still breathing on her own. Her health was now at thirty. Her new health had saved her.

    The helicopter arrived, and peoplee out from it. They approached Dohee, checked on her, gave her first aid and took her with them.

    Junhyuk watched Dohee getting on the helicopter and looked at Eunseo. Her clothes showed signs of injuries, but she looked safe.

    "I got a few people from the scene of the ident."

    Eunseo was very surprised and got up suddenly. Junhyuk was even more surprised than her. She ran toward his car, looking at the assants with sharp eyes.

    Those were the people who tried to kill her.

    She made a signal with her finger, and the security team came over.

    "Take them inside and put them in detention," she said and turned her head around. "And go back to the scene of the ident, and bring back the rest of them. Don¡¯t leave anyone behind."

    "Understood."

    The security team moved out, and Eunseo looked at Junhyuk.

    "Thanks for everything."

    Junhyuk looked at her.

    "Your legs are healed?" he asked, and she pulled herself together. She had been too excited and stood up in front of him.

    "I am sorry I didn¡¯t tell you before. We can¡¯t talk about the Regeneration Project yet."

    "The project is a sess?"

    "Yes."

    "That¡¯s nice."

    He was sincerely d that she was healed, so he conveyed his feeling to her.

    Eunseo adjusted her sses.

    "I will give you the right reward for your help."

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "I¡¯m just d that you are OK."

    Junhyuk had heard the shooting on his phone, so he didn¡¯t hold back any of his power. He had wanted to hide his powers, but he didn¡¯t care about that in order to save Eunseo.

    She avoided his eyes and looked at his car. It was all smashed because he had tried to save her.

    She touched his Tiguan and looked at him. The ivory-colored light protected her from the bullets, and then he appeared. She had to investigate him further.

 Chapter 164: Surprise Attack 3

    Chapter 164: Surprise Attack 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk looked at his car.

    "I should walk home."

    "I¡¯ll call you a cab."

    "No. It¡¯s not that far. I could run home, and the situation with the roads won¡¯t be good for cars."

    The highway waspletely shut down. There were big idents, and the roads were a quagmire. Like Junhyuk had said, it wouldn¡¯t be a good idea to walk home.

    "You might be in danger. You¡¯ll need a security team to go with you."

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "I wasn¡¯t their target. Things just happened that way, but they won¡¯te after me again."

    Eunseo looked around. There were just enough security team members to guard her. The others were out.

    "When you get home, send me a text message."

    "I will."

    Junhyuk said goodbye and headed out. She watched him leave through the front gate and entered the building. Elise was looking at the information on the monitors with Zaira¡¯s help. Eunseo walked in, and Elise turned to look at her.

    "Zaira, check the CEO¡¯s condition."

    A light came down and scanned her from head to toe.

    [Her body has finished recovering. There is some bleeding, so she should be in the infirmary.]

    Eunseo shook her head.

    "I won¡¯t got to the infirmary," she said. Then, she looked at Elise and added, "Did you find out who was behind this?"

    Elise looked at the monitors and said, "All five of them belong to China¡¯s Ministry of State Security (MSS), the Chinese intelligence and security agency. They quit their posts sometime between five and ten years ago."

    The screen disyed the pictures of their work as spies. Eunseo looked at them and asked, "Where did you get this information?"

    "We hacked the MSS, but we have had a hard time tracking their actions. They all quit their posts, so it¡¯s hard for us to find out what they¡¯ve been doing since then. Their information is all analog, so even Zaira can¡¯t hack the system."

    "So, China is behind this?"

    "Do you want to me investigate Jowee Jhang?"

    "I want everything on him."

    Things had changed since the negotiation with China. Former MSS agents were behind the surprise attack, and this could mean a diplomatic war. South Korea had little to gain from a diplomatic war with China. Guardians wasn¡¯t a part of South Korea and didn¡¯t have its military backing. They worked for W.A.N.C.S. and the U.N., and China had tried to assassinate the Guardians¡¯ CEO.

    They had failed, so it was time to find out who was responsible. For that, Eunseo and Elise needed evidence.

    "What about the scene of ident?"

    Elise smiled.

    "The TV stations are going crazy. The news is going out worldwide."

    Three stations were covering the incident, and the international news was showing the scene. It had to be that way. There had been seventy-two crashes and a shooting on South Korean soil. With the target being the Guardians¡¯ CEO, everyone was in an uproar.

    Eunseo looked at the monitors and asked, "What is that?"

    Elise smiled.

    "Someone on the scene filmed it. It¡¯s all over inte."

    Junhyuk was fighting the agents. Eunseo hadn¡¯t expected him to be such a good fighter, and her mouth hung wide.

    "It¡¯s on the inte?"

    "It¡¯s spreading like wildfire."

    "Erase everything."

    Elise turned to look at her.

    "Are you sure?"

    "Erase all the files. Can you erase other people¡¯s files?"

    Elise smiled.

    "You know I can," she said and touched the screen. "Zaira, you heard her!"

    [I will begin.]

    Many other screens were on ying the video all over the inte. Elise handed Eunseo a cup of coffee while Zaira deleted all of the files online. Eunseo took the coffee, and Elise smiled.

    "Warm yourself."

    She nodded and heard Zaira¡¯s voice.

    [I¡¯ve blocked all files, and 123,582 downloaded files are being chased and deleted. Also, I deleted the original file. I will also block simr files on the inte.]

    Eunseo nodded and sipped her coffee. She felt her body warming and looked at Elise.

    "I must go to the hospital and check on Dohee."

    "I¡¯ll alert the security team and call for a helicopter."

    "Sora Shin¡¯s power wavelength detector... how long before it isplete?" Eunseo asked nonchntly.

    "Basically, we have a short range detector, but we¡¯ll have to wait for a long range one. When weplete the long range detector, we will send one to each of the Guardians¡¯ bases."

    She heard that, handed Elise the cup back and said, "We will talk more after the hospital."

    ---

    Junhyuk walked home. The highway waspletely sealed in an entire different way from being empty of cars like most days.

    He thought about what had happened that day.

    "Jowee Jhang."

    He thought of China and that man. Jowee had to be behind all of that as there was no other person who wanted the Guardians CEO dead.

    At that moment, Guardians was a hot-button issue. The world was watching the Guardians CEO, so Jowee had to be very audacious.

    Junhyuk looked to the East and clenched his fists. Jowee hadn¡¯te after him, but he couldn¡¯t let it be. He was deep in thought about the men when his burner phone rang. Junhyuk picked it up, and Sarang sounded very worried on the other side.

    "Big brother, are you OK?"

    "Me? I¡¯m fine."

    "I saw it on the inte. Didn¡¯t you get hit by a bullet?"

    "Yes, but I¡¯m OK."

    "Really?"

    Junhyuk pressed his fingers against his eyelids and answered, "Yes. It¡¯s probably because of my items¡¯ defenses."

    "Phew! Big brother, your inte videos have all been erased. Everyone is curious."

    "What are you talking about?"

    "The files concerning you can¡¯t be uploaded to the inte. All files are being deleted. Nothing concerning you can get on the inte."

    "People can¡¯t upload anything?"

    "Yes. Nobody can upload, and everything is being deleted. Do you know what¡¯s going on?"

    He shook his head and thought of something. He knew of something that could monitor the inte and delete files. The Guardians¡¯ supeputer Zaira could do it, but he hadn¡¯t expected that.

    He wasn¡¯t sure if Zaira could get in to personalputers and delete files.

    "I can guess, but I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ll call you back."

    "OK, but who is behind all this?"

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue.

    "Guardians had problems with China. I think it¡¯s the Chinese."

    "Then you should¡¯ve been more careful. The videos showed you beating the crap out those people, so they mighte after you again."

    "Then, they must know who they¡¯ve awoken."

    Junhyuk thought of what Arn had told him. He must kill those whoe after him, and Sarang realized what he was thinking.

    "Big brother! When is your housewarming party?"

    "Housewarming party?"

    "You moved, so you have to invite people over! Are you thinking about not inviting me?"

    Suddenly, he felt more rxed.

    "I¡¯ll invite you."

    "Really?"

    "Yeah."

    Jeffrey was living next door, but he could teleport in and out of his house without anyone noticing, and he had to include Sarang in any housewarming party.

    "I¡¯ll invite you for this weekend."

    "You promise? I¡¯ll have time this weekend."

    "Yes."

    "Then, talk to youter."

    Feeling more rxed, he hung up and kept walking. Once he got home, he turned the TV on. All stations were covering the seventy-two crashes on the highway and the shooting incident that took ce on broad daylight.

    Junhyuk opened a can of beer and watched the TV.

    There were seven dead and eighty-three wounded. It was a disaster. He drank his beer and crushed the can.

    "They¡¯ve caused this disaster!"

    In fact, they had onlye after Eunseo. If Junhyuk hadn¡¯t attacked, the casualties would¡¯ve been lower since no one would¡¯ve made U-turns on the highway.

    However, he med everything on them.

    He teleported to the refrigerator, took out another can of beer and drank it all in one shot. Junhyuk connected his smartphone to the TV and brought up the materials Zaira had sent him.

    He summoned his swords and trained while watching the videos. He was able to mimic a few movements, but he had to adapt them to his style.

    Not everyone had humanoid forms at the Dimensional Battlefield. Doctor T had eight legs, and Bater was much bigger than him. The videos showed fights against human enemies, so he had to adapt them to nonhuman entities. Junhyuk imagined an enemy and adjusted the movements.

    His swords soundly split the air.

    ---

    Eunseo was sitting on her wheelchair in front of the operating room. The Regeneration Project couldn¡¯t be known to the world yet, and since she had been shown riding her wheelchair already, she couldn¡¯t walk around normally.

    She waited until a doctor came out and spoke to her, "The tough part is over, but even if she recovers, she won¡¯t be the same."

    "Is there a problem?"

    "We pulled a bullet out of her spine, and she will be paralyzed from the waist down."

    Eunseo touched her head and asked, "She¡¯ll be like me?"

    The doctor looked grave and nodded.

    "It¡¯s a miracle she survived."

    Eunseo sighed deeply.

    "She¡¯ll survive?!"

    "Yes."

    "Can you transfer her?"

    The doctor was surprised by the question and answered, "She¡¯ll survive, but transferring her is difficult."

    "Give her whatever she needs."

    The doctor nodded.

    "I will do my best."

    He went back to the O.R., and Eunseo took out her cell phone and called someone. It rang three times before she heard Doyeol¡¯s voice.

    "I¡¯ve been calling you. What happened?"

    "Some people shot us. My cellphone was destroyed in the process."

    She had gotten a new phone from the security team.

    "Elise told me what happened. Jowee is behind all of this?!"

    "Yes, I already ordered an investigation."

    "I¡¯ll look into it as well."

    "Thanks, big brother. I must ask you a favor."

    "Anything."

    "Dohee was hurt protecting me. She¡¯s a paraplegic now, and I want to help her."

    Doyeol was silent, and Eunseo continued, "Without her, I would¡¯ve been killed."

    "OK. I¡¯ll get things ready."

 Chapter 165: Monster 1

    Chapter 165: Monster 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk was training when he heard the doorbell. He teleported to the basement and went over to the inte. From the inte, he saw Jeffrey standing there, waiving some beer.

    "I¡¯m not having a housewarming party!" he said over the inte

    "I want to talk to you about what happened today," Jeffrey said, smiling.

    Junhyuk opened the gate and teleported to the front door. He wiped his sweat off with a towel before opening it, and Jeffrey crossed the threshold astounded.

    "It¡¯s much better than my house!"

    Junhyuk looked at the house next door. It was about the same size as his.

    "You are joking."

    He stepped aside, and Jeffrey walked in and smiled.

    "This house looks like a house."

    "Are you teasing me?"

    He had a training space in the basement, and the upper floor had furniture. He wasn¡¯t done decorating yet, but it didn¡¯t get in the way of his daily life.

    He offered Jeffrey a seat at the living room and made a fruit tter to go with the beer. Being an expert with a de, it didn¡¯t take long for him to cut everything. Once he brought the tter out, Jeffrey opened a can of beer and handed it to him. Junhyuk gulped the cold beer down, ate some apple and asked, "What did you want to talk about?"

    Jeffrey took a drink of his own and said, "I heard former MSS members were behind the attack. There were thirteen of them, and you captured five. Two of the eight died on the scene; two more were seriously injured and hospitalized. The police are watching them."

    "What about the rest?"

    "They didn¡¯t get them."

    Junhyuk took care of the agents who got out of their cars, but whoever remained inside got away.

    "Then, they aren¡¯t out of danger yet."

    "Don¡¯t worry too much. We are using Zaira to do a long range investigation, and we got the R-Agents working the case."

    "R-Agents?"

    Jeffrey put the can of beer down.

    "The agents were created by using bloodstones to maximize their regeneration rate. Their muscle strength is many times that of ordinary people, so the stones were just right for making agents."

    "I didn¡¯t know they could do that with bloodystones!"

    Jeffrey smiled.

    "By using things from the Dimensional Battlefield, we are advancing. The project was led by Doyeol and Elise."

    "Right."

    Jeffrey emptied his can, picked up another one and said, "This Friday, it¡¯s extremely likely that Sora Shin will go to the Dimensional Battlefield."

    Junhyuk stared at him, and Jeffrey smiled and said, "She should be on our side."

    "Her?"

    "This will be her first time at the Dimensional Battlefield, but she has a higher chance of surviving than other minions. We should help her!"

    Junhyuk stared at him. Doyeol was leading the world, and Jeffrey got a lot of information by being next to him. It was like he was spying Doyeol.

    "But there isn¡¯t a ce to meet her. Guardians HQ is under Zaira¡¯s supervision."

    "Elise already knows a lot about the Dimensional Battlefield. Even if she learns anything, she can¡¯t changed the flow of it."

    Junhyuk thought for a moment and asked, "I¡¯ll give her some advice. If she returns, I¡¯ll get closer to her."

    "Good thinking."

    Jeffrey emptied his can and got up.

    "May I leave the rest of the beer in your refrigerator? You¡¯ve got a really big one."

    "Do it."

    Jeffrey was rxed. It was his personality, and Junhyuk agreed with the beer situation. Jeffrey left, and Junhyuk took the beer and teleported them to the refrigerator. He ced the cans inside, teleported to the basement and summoned his swords.

    "Advice on the Dimensional Battlefield..."

    He thought about what to say to Sora and swung his swords.

    ---

    Junhyuk walked to work and saw a helicopter. He waited for the helicopter tond in the parking lot. The security team came out first, and Eunseo moved out after.

    She was earlier than usual, and Junhyuk went over to greet her.

    "You are early."

    Eunseo moved the wheelchair over, looking up at him.

    "Follow me."

    He followed her to her office, and she offered him a seat. Junhyuk knew she could walk, but didn¡¯t ask her about it.

    "How is Dohee doing?"

    Eunseo frowned.

    "We need the Regeneration Project to help her, but she will live for now."

    "That¡¯s nice."

    He was relieved that Dohee had made it. He had seen at least ten bullet holes in her. Eunseo looked at him.

    "I want to thank you officially."

    Junhyuk became embarrassed and scratched his head.

    "I did what anyone would do."

    Eunseo adjusted her sses, hiding her mouth with her hands while she smiled.

    "You saved me and captured the attackers. I am grateful and I will certainly repay you."

    "What happened to them?"

    "We¡¯ve identified them, and they are currently under interrogation. We are gathering evidence on who ordered the hit."

    "They are Chinese. China must be behind all of this!"

    "We¡¯ve started investigating. It¡¯s a long range investigation, but we will track them soon. When we find out who did it, we won¡¯t forgive that person."

    "Right."

    Eunseo looked at him.

    "We have a small problem. Two of the attackers are unounted for. Until we find them, I will put a security team on you."

    "Please, don¡¯t do that. I can protect myself."

    "They carry guns. Please, ept my offer."

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "I¡¯m really OK. Use that manpower to help catch the culprits. If possible, before the day is over."

    Eunseo looked at him and gave out a short sigh.

    "OK. I will do my best. Today will be busy. You may leave."

    Junhyuk bowed to her and headed to the Administrative Department. He soon understood what she had meant when she said the day would be busy. All of the phones were ringing like crazy.

    ---

    Ribs were on the menu at Guardians HQ, and Sora had a te full of them. She was eating them with enthusiasm. Feeling antsy that she might have to go to the Dimensional Battlefield, she used the food to calm herself.

    She was working on her te when a shadow loomed over her. When she raised her head, she saw Junhyuk smiling with another te full of beef ribs.

    "May I join you?"

    Sora nodded. He saw the bones she had left and said, "I have to work hard to catch up to you."

    Sora looked at him.

    "Are you OK?"

    "Me?" He plugged his ear with a finger and answered, "I¡¯ve been on the phone about a hundred times today. My ear hurts, but I¡¯m fine. They are paying me well."

    Sora lowered her head and whispered, "But you don¡¯t need more money."

    He smiled at her.

    "They will pay me until I quit. I shouldn¡¯t refuse my sry."

    She was also smiling, and Junhyuk stared at her.

    "After the meal, how about some coffee with me? The roof has a little park, so it¡¯s a good ce for coffee."

    "Sure!"

    Sora really wanted to talk to him.

    Junhyuk showed her a piece of rib and said, "Then, let¡¯s get to work."

    They smiled at each other and ate, piling bones on top of each other. After, they made coffee and went to the roof.

    Once they arrived at the small park, Sora stared at him and said first, "Please excuse me, but I want to ask you about the Dimensional Battlefield!"

    He stared at her.

    "When you get to the Dimensional Battlefield, find out about your heroes."

    "Jeffrey told me the same thing. I must get close to them."

    "Correct. Heroes are the leaders of the Dimensional Battlefield. If they take your side, you will survive."

    "About the survival rate, is it hard toe back alive?"

    "So far, hundreds of thousands died there. Only a few have survived."

    Sora started feeling nervous, and Junhyuk continued calmly, "Don¡¯t get too scared. To survive, you must do what is necessary. It¡¯s different from South Korea. Steel your mind to survive."

    "Survive?"

    In South Korea, survival meant fiercepetition, but what Junhyuk meant was survival itself. She had to do anything to survive.

    Sora inhaled deeply to shake off her nerves, but she still felt nervous.

    "Your power is important over there. You have a very high movement speed, so use it well," he continued calmly.

    "I should run away?"

    "When you are facing a hero, but the allied heroes might use you to lure the enemies in. Only your power can help you."

    "You mean I should run."

    "When you get there, use your power. Check it out first. I¡¯m not sure if you can run a hundred meters there."

    She could run a hundred meters, but she could only do it for one second. Within that timeframe, she covered that distance on Earth. However, she wouldn¡¯t have more time even if the distance at the battlefield was shorter.

    "You should use your power to survive."

    "OK."

    Sora was being told different things between Junhyuk and Jeffrey, and she pondered the information.

    "And work on improving your power," he said calmly.

    "Powers can improve?"

    "Sure. Right now, you cover one hundred meters. It might increase to two hundred. The one-second timeframe could increase to two."

    "I didn¡¯t think that was possible."

    Sora was surprised, and Junhyuk continued, "And there is a very little chance, but you might activate a new power."

    "Activate another power?!"

    He realized there had been limits to what the others had told her. They told her about the Dimensional Battlefield, but hadn¡¯t given much detail.

    Junhyuk told her what she might get from visiting Bebe.

    "The first power you activate makes you a novice; two powers make you an expert; three powers make you a champion; and finally, four powers make you a hero."

    "So people with four powers are called heroes?!"

    Junhyuk knew she was carefully paying attention.

    "Right. After activating four powers, one bes a hero."

 Chapter 166: Monster 2

    Chapter 166: Monster 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    After giving Sora some advice after lunch, he was back to taking phone calls. Countries from all over the world were calling, and he spoke with them in their ownnguage. Suddenly, the siren went off, and he raised his head.

    Zaira was making an announcement and ying the video feed on theirputers.

    [There is a monster at the Guardians HQ parking lot. The highest emergency protocol has been issued.]

    Weeeee, kchunk!

    Steel tes about fifty centimeters thick came down and covered the walls. Junhyuk got up and tapped on the wall. He was astonished.

    "Did we have this type of protection?"

    Soon, a screen with Zaira¡¯s feed appeared on the wall.

    [A never-before-seen monster has appeared. The iron soldier is awaiting deployment.]

    Junhyuk had also never seen that monster before. He had seen a lot of monsters, but that one looked entirely different.

    "It looks sturdy!"

    There was a sevenyered shell on its back, and the shell was covered in spikes. It was about five meters tall and it stood on four feet. Suddenly, it swung its tail, smashing the helicopter that wasnded there. It was very powerful. The monster looked around and crouched.

    Junhyuk heard Zaira.

    [Iron soldier deployed.]

    The screen changed, and the iron soldier appeared. It was outside and it extended its arms toward the monster, firing small napalm bombs.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    There was an uproar of explosions, and mes covered everything, but the monster appeared through the smoke and swung its tail against the iron soldier.

    The iron soldier was pushed back and hit the wall. Crushing the normal outer wall, showcasing the steel tes that covered the entire building. The hit dented the steel.

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue and looked at the monster. He didn¡¯t know much about it, but he was sure of one thing: it had high defense.

    The iron soldier¡¯s attacks were useless against it. The iron soldier flew up and extend his arms, shooting bullets from its palms without a single miss. However, all of them bounced off the shell on its back, leaving Junhyuk astounded.

    "It¡¯s really dense!"

    The iron soldier¡¯s attacks were useless against the monster¡¯s shell. Also, the fact that the monster appeared at Guardians HQ was very significant.

    "They don¡¯t want iron soldiers?"

    The administrative personnel from the Dimensional Battlefield wanted people to activate their powers. Because a champion hade from Junhyuk¡¯s dimension, they started putting monsters on Earth.

    The monsters were there to get people to activate more powers, but the iron soldiers killed the monsters. They had to have changed their minds. So, they sent a new monster to kill iron soldiers.

    Junhyuk wanted to keep watching. He might have to step in at some point, but not just yet. He saw weapons in the iron soldier that he hadn¡¯t seen before. It carried state-of-the-art weaponry, but the monster wasn¡¯t dying.

    The shell on the monster¡¯s back wasing off, but it wasn¡¯t enough to kill it. They were at the highest threat alert level, so the phones wouldn¡¯t work, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t have to answer any more calls.

    Junhyuk just rxed in his seat and watched the iron soldier fight. The iron soldier flew up high and put its hands together.

    Suddenly, its chest lit up, and a me beam shot out of its hands. Junhyuk was watching it all and got up from his seat.

    "That¡¯s?!"

    Boom!

    It pressurized energy and shot it, and it looked a lot like Vera¡¯s fire orb. The shock was so big, it shook the entire steel-walled building.

    Junhyuk kept watching the monitor. Just now, the iron soldier had shown him something new. Could the armored monster withstand it?

    The smoke cleared, and the monster appeared with half of the shell on its back gone.

    The iron soldier saw it and extended its hand. Its chest lit up again, but the monster crouched and jumped. The iron soldier quickly evaded, but the monster¡¯s tail grew and hit the iron soldier.

    Bang!

    It was an entirely different attack from before, and the iron soldier bounced away. Part of its torso was broken.

    The monster rolled up into a ball in the air, and the spikes surrounded its entire body. Then, it started spinning, heading toward the iron soldier.

    The iron soldier tried to escape, but the monster was quicker to close in and crash against it.

    Crack, craaaack!

    The iron soldier tried to stop the monster with its hands. However, the monster was spinning too fast, and the shock was too powerful. The impact smashed the iron soldier¡¯s hands, but the iron soldier managed to stop the monster¡¯s spin.

    However, the monster¡¯s spikes grew in size.

    They pierced through the inner mechanism of the soldier¡¯s arms, and Junhyuk clicked his tongue. The administrative personnel from the Dimensional Battlefield wasn¡¯t easy to deal with.

    "But it¡¯s a relief!"

    If they had sent buff monsters, the iron soldier wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything about it. They had sent a monster of simr strength to the iron soldier, so they knew what they were doing.

    "They didn¡¯t send a disaster."

    He kept watching. The iron soldiers arms were pointed at the monster, and its chest lit up. Another high energy beam shot out.

    Boom!

    The monster¡¯s shell was already gone, so the energy went in and exploded. The building shook again. Junhyuk looked at the monitor, saw a shadow and clicked his tongue.

    "That wasn¡¯t enough?!"

    The monster appeared. The iron soldier had possibly exploded. It wasn¡¯t appearing on the screen.

    [The iron soldier has stopped functioning.]

    Junhyuk inspected the monster¡¯s condition. It was torn up like a used rag, but it was still moving around. The monster swung its tail against the wall, piercing the steel tes. At that point, Junhyuk sacked his lips. The monster was more dangerous than he had expected.

    "Should I step in?"

    He summoned the Pure Golden Knight set items. If he summoned his swords, people would find out who he truly was, so he couldn¡¯t do it.

    He stood in front of the wall. Although he was able to smash through it easily, he didn¡¯t do it.

    "Come within my range."

    Zaira continued filming, and he knew the monster¡¯s exact location because of that.

    [The monster is inside the building. Use the emergency exits and evacuate for the bunker.]

    The ground opened up, and he was even more surprised. By using that path, he could reach the bunker safely. However, if he did, he would be too far from the monster.

    So, he waited instead of moving. The monster was in the building, running around looking for people. Junhyuk thought everyone had already used the emergency path to get to the bunker. It was fast and it wasing toward Junhyuk.

    "It¡¯s capable of searching?!"

    Zaira came back on.

    [Move to the bunker.]

    A steel wall came down, blocking the monster¡¯s path, but it was torn apart. The monster had tore it up like a piece of paper, and the defense system wouldn¡¯t hold against it.

    The defense system was made to hold against any human attacks, but the monster was from another dimension, so the defense system had room to improve.

    He looked at the escape route. It wasn¡¯t shaped like stairs. If he went in, he would slide down, so he couldn¡¯t do it yet.

    [Last warning! The emergency route will be sealed soon.]

    Junhyuk went toward the emergency path opening and focused on the noisesing behind his door. The monster wasing his way. He couldn¡¯t see the video feed, but he could guess. However, he wasn¡¯t sure about the distance. Without knowing the exact location, he wouldn¡¯t attack.

    Junhyuk stood in front of the escape route and looked over at his office¡¯s door.

    Boom! Boom!

    The monster was close, and the wall shook. Junhyuk balled his hands into fists, and the escape route started closing.

    [Emergency escape closing.]

    To prevent the monster from reaching the bunker, the escape was being sealed.

    Junhyuk watched it closing and looked at the steel wall.

    Boom! Boom!

    He heard the monster¡¯s loud footsteps and jumped toward the emergency route while swinging his fist toward his office¡¯s door.

    The Spatial sh covered the distance and hit the monster, but Junhyuk had used it with his fist. It was the first time he had tried it, but it was possible. The Pure Golden Knight set items had a lot of attack attributes, so even without using a weapon, he dealt a lot of damage.

    He slid down the escape route, and the monster was left smashed behind the steel wall thanks to the spatial attack. The shockwaves created by the attack destroyed the steel tes covering the hallway.

    Junhyuk was sliding toward the bunker that was located in the basement. When he got close, the slope ttened, and hended on his feet.

    He saw that everyone was there, and they were all looking at the monitor.

    The video showed the monster¡¯s body and a mess in the halway. Junhyuk quickly sent his Pure Golden Knight items away.

    He learned that he could change the direction of the Spatial sh depending on the weapon he used. When using a sword, the shockwaves traveled sideways. However, when using his fist, they made a ball.

    Without using his weapon, the damage was lower, but he still killed the monster with his bare hands. He might not have been able to do it normally, but the monster¡¯s shell was already gone from the iron soldier¡¯s attacks.

    He didn¡¯t know what the personnel from the Dimensional Battlefield would think about what had happened, but he did what he had to do. If he hadn¡¯t, the monster would havee into the bunker as well.

    Junhyuk watched the monitor, and Eunseo came over to him on her wheelchair. She raised her sses and asked sharply, "What did you do?"

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Why didn¡¯t you follow the order to escape?"

    She sounded icy, but he knew what she really meant. She was worried about him, and Junhyuk smiled awkwardly.

    "I¡¯m sorry. I was nervous and I couldn¡¯t move."

    Eunseo stared at him hard and sighed. She turned and looked at Elise.

    "How did the monster die?"

    Elise was looking at several screens and answered, "Some invisible shockwaves appeared. They appeared inside the monster¡¯s stomach."

    Elise looked hard at Junhyuk, and he smiled and said, "The iron soldier must have damaged the monster enough to kill it."

    She smiled at that, and he avoided her attention.

 Chapter 167: Monster 3

    Chapter 167: Monster 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The new monster attack happened only at Guardians HQ. It didn¡¯t show up in any other ce.

    Junhyuk watched them taking the monster¡¯s body and smacked his lips. They found a bloodstone in the monster, and bloodstones cost as much as mana stones, so he was annoyed because he was the one that killed it.

    He looked at Elise, and she was controlling Zaira and looking at the monitors.

    "The iron soldier is destroyed. What are you going to do?"

    Elise stopped working and looked at Junhyuk.

    "The iron soldier is getting improved. This monster was sent here to test the iron soldier¡¯s powers, so I¡¯ll deploy the iron soldier MK-II."

    "There is a MK-II?"

    "I got a hold of a high quality mana stone," she said, staring him down.

    He turned away.

    "Even with an increased output, the iron soldier won¡¯t be enough!"

    Elise nodded heavily.

    "I will research this monster¡¯s corpse and analyze its structure. I made weapons to deal with the previous monsters by researching them. If this monster has a simr structure, I will make something for it."

    He looked back at her. The monsters were getting stronger, and she felt she could make weapons to deal with even stronger monsters. The woman was a genius among geniuses.

    She smiled at him.

    "Are you surprised?" Her eyes twinkled, and she whispered in his ear, "I¡¯m more surprised with you."

    He smiled awkwardly.

    "We don¡¯t have any casualties."

    "Right. How long are you going to stay with us?"

    Elise turned the monitor, and Junhyuk looked at her, baffled. The monitor disyed the current time, and Junhyuk looked back. Eunseo was operating the monitors and looked at him.

    "You may leave."

    "Then, I¡¯ll be going."

    A surreal event had taken ce, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about it now. He couldn¡¯t even make ims to the bloodstone. However, he had killed the monster, so he expected them to send an even stronger one. Things would get moreplicated.

    Junhyuk looked around the bunker.

    "How do I get out?"

    "You can use thedder."

    Elise pressed a button, and adder came down from the ceiling. He walked up to it and felt someone looking at him. When he turned, he saw it was Sora.

    She looked at his eyes and smiled furtively. Junhyuk nodded to her and began climbing. Sora would go to the Dimensional Battlefield, and that might be thest time he would see her. He climbed silently. If she returned, he would talk to her more.

    Junhyuk saw the mess in the parking lot. The helicopter had exploded, and the building¡¯s brick wall was broken through, disying the steel tes inside.

    "This will be a hassle."

    He wanted to leave before the reporters got there. On his way home, he picked up his burner phone.

    "Big brother!"

    Sarang sounded happy, and heughed and exined what had happened that day.

    "Guardians HQ was attacked by apletely new monster."

    "Are you OK?"

    She was always worried about him, and Junhyuk smiled.

    "I¡¯m fine. But this new monster couldn¡¯t be killed by ordinary weapons. It smashed the iron soldier to bits."

    "Really?"

    "It will be on the news soon. The Dimensional Battlefield¡¯s administration sent it, and it only happened at Guardians HQ.

    "If the iron soldier was destroyed, who killed the monster?"

    "Me."

    She was silent for a while before saying, "If you killed it, they will send even more powerful monsters!"

    "Nothing I can do now. If I hadn¡¯t killed it, it would¡¯ve killed many people," he said and continued, "This monster targeted the iron soldier. The HQ is the only ce it attacked. Things could be different from before."

    "True. By the way, I will see you tomorrow."

    "Yeah, back to the battlefield."

    He was a champion, but he still had to survive. Sarang was an expert, so he felt better. However, he couldn¡¯t let his guard down.

    "See you tomorrow."

    "Right, see you."

    He hung up the phone and headed home quickly. He nned to spend the rest of the time up to the next day learning new dual sword techniques.

    ---

    Friday, 8:00 a.m.

    Junhyuk had trained all night when, suddenly, he got a text message. Jeffrey had sent only a couple of words.

    [Sora Shin deployed.]

    Junhyuk felt strange. So far, he hadn¡¯t known many people going to the Dimensional Battlefield.

    Many people went to the Dimensional Battlefield each week, but it was not a huge number whenpared to the poption of Earth.

    However, this time was different. He knew Sora. He had dined with her twice and given her advice. His advice weren¡¯t secret, and they would help her.

    Sora had looked at him as if he held her life in his hands, and he was a little nervous, but he had given her good advice. If Sora returned, he would include her in the allied camp like Jeffrey had proposed.

    At that point, Sora was living at Guardians HQ, but they would release her soon. He might keep a close watch over her. She had only activated one power, but she could activate more. She could be a champion or a hero. Only the heavens knew.

    Junhyuk texted Jeffrey.

    [If she wakes up, let me know.]

    ---

    He thought about training, but he felt uneasy, so he sent his swords away and teleported to the first floor. He sat on the bed and watched TV. The news was covering the event from the day before.

    It was good for him to watch the news about the monsters. Iron soldiers were bing a symbol of hope, but they had to remain honest. The news said that the iron soldier had killed the monster, but they weren¡¯t showing the battle. They only had footage of Guardians HQ.

    The news¡¯ focus was that the monster had only appeared at Guardians HQ. They were saying that many scientists would research the cause, but Junhyuk knew that only a few people knew the truth.

    He browsed the inte and read people¡¯s responses to the incident. They were scared of the monsters, and some were writing about the end of the world. People had bigger reactions when the monsters first showed up. The appearance of the iron soldier gave them hope, and even newer monsters were killed by them.

    The iron soldier was the world¡¯s hope, but it had been destroyed, which made people despair. They talked about how the monster had only shown up at Guardians HQ and thought it was a warning against the iron soldiers, predicting that stronger monsters would appear.

    Junhyuk shook his head severely.

    "This can¡¯t be."

    Defeatism just killed minions and prevented people from activating new powers.

    He kept shaking his head while hey on his bed.

    Suddenly, he got a new text message. It was nine in the morning, so Junhyuk got up quickly and checked his texts.

    [Sora Shin returned.]

    He looked at the text, and his eyes widened.

    "She survived!"

    Survivors from the Dimensional Battlefield were rare, and Junhyuk only knew a few novices. She had activated her power on Earth and she had returned. That was a big moment. She was lucky, but more survivors would return.

    Junhyuk looked for her phone number on his phone and sent her a text.

    [Congrattion on your return.]

    Hey in bed again, and his phone rang. It was Sora, and he picked it up.

    "Can we talk now?"

    She sounded shaky, and he guessed at the state she was in. She had to have faced death many times, so she needed to rx more than anything.

    "Are you OK?" he asked.

    "Yes. I¡¯m OK," she said, but a momentter, she went back on it. "NO! I¡¯m not OK!"

    Of course, Junhyuk could empathize with her. He had felt the same way the first time. He hadn¡¯t felt like himself, and time passed differently over there.

    One couldn¡¯t survive with Earthly morals at the Dimensional Battlefield. When one returned to their dimension, the shock was too great.

    "You did what you had to do," he said calmly.

    "But..."

    "Trust me. You did what you had to do."

    She was silent, and he heard her sobbing.

    "Can I trust you?"

    "Trust me."

    The silence passed, and Sora stopped sobbing and answered, "I trust you."

    She was herself again, and Junhyuk was relieved.

    "I will buy you a drinkter. Then, we will talk some more."

    She sounded chipper and answered, "Get me something very expensive!"

    Junhyukughed loudly.

    "You choose. I can get you anything you want for a drink."

    "I¡¯ll be waiting."

    He hung up thinking she could adjust to any situation. Then, he got up and summoned his swords. Sora had returned, and that was a good thing. He knew her, and she had returned. This time he had to return alive.

    "At least four times."

    That was how many times he had killed Adolphe, and still Adolphe kept showing up in the battlefield. That meant that champions had four revives.

    This time, he also had the Spatial Bag. At that point, he needed the bag to bring things back from the Dimensional Battlefield, specially things that he didn¡¯t want to engrave. He needed the bag to hide them.

    The Spatial Bag wouldn¡¯t help him much in battle, but he was getting stronger step-by-step. That week, Junhyuk hade to understand dual swordsmanship and trained in what he learned. It would help him a lot.

    He couldn¡¯t do much at all with his normal attacks, but his Spatial sh and Doctor T¡¯s sses would help him get deathblows. He wouldn¡¯t just do it every time because Vera might kill him, but he wouldn¡¯t just stand there.

    "I have to get stronger."

    He had killed a monster on South Korean soil and he would have to face stronger monsters. Junhyuk himself had to get stronger. He wanted to be a hero and he had the items to make him stronger.

 Chapter 168: The Power Of Money 1

    Chapter 168: The Power Of Money 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Sora had gone through abnormal narcolepsy and returned alive, and reports about the Dimensional Battlefield were sent to the Guardians¡¯ CEO. Sora didn¡¯t try to hide what happened, and Eunseo worried about what to do with the reports.

    She told Doyeol everything that was on her mind¡ªhe was like a spiritual guide for her¡ªand Doyeol looked at her sitting on her wheelchair and walked over to her. He grabbed her hands and lifted her up.

    Once she stood up, he calmly exined, "Now, you also have to know."

    She gulped. Doyeol offered her a seat, made her a tea and said, "Abnormal Narcolepsy happens when souls from this dimension are called to the Dimensional Battlefield. Over there, the souls must fight, risking their lives in the process. A few of those souls will activate their powers."

    Eunseo froze while listening to the story for the first time, and Doyeol poured himself some scotch and drank it.

    "If they die at the battlefield, they will never wake up here again. So, most of those patients don¡¯t wake up."

    "You knew?!"

    Doyeol nodded heavily.

    "Yes, I knew," he said and continued, "I know you are shocked, but the Dimensional Battlefield can¡¯t be known yet."

    "Why?"

    Her expression was rigid, and Doyeol raised his ss of scotch, pointed to her and said, "Our Regeneration and Iron Soldier Projects depend on mana stones and bloodstones from the Dimensional Battlefield."

    As she listened, she understood the entire situation, the reason why Doyeol didn¡¯t want people to know about the Dimensional Battlefield.

    "We must make it public."

    "Not yet."

    "Big brother."

    She remained set, and Doyeol red at her.

    "I told you not yet."

    "More people returning alive means more mana stones and bloodstones."

    "Yes, and other people will also have ess to them."

    "Big brother!"

    He gulped down his scotch and said, "I won¡¯t repeat it again. If you go public with this information, you will be removed as Guardians CEO."

    Eunseo¡¯s eyes twitched, and Doyeol put his ss down.

    "You know it already, but there are people who helped us secretly who know about it too. If you know what kind of people they are, you won¡¯t say anything to keep us safe."

    Eunseo bit her lips and, listening to him, she came to a different conclusion. She couldn¡¯t just go public and she would have to think of another way.

    "I understand."

    ---

    It was time for him to leave, and Junhyuky on his bed. He hadn¡¯t slept the entirety of the previous night and that day so that he could train. However, at that point, he wanted to rest andy on his bed and closed his eyes.

    It was time for him to go to the Dimensional Battlefield, and he had a lot to tell Sarang. She knew she would meet him at the Dimensional Battlefield, so she hadn¡¯t called him that day. Junhyuk closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep, but his burner phone vibrated, and he got a text message.

    He looked at it andughed.

    "I thought so."

    [Big brother, see you soon.]

    Junhyuk texted her back.

    [See you soon.]

    He put the phone down and closed his eyes. Once he fell asleep, the world turned white.

    He opened his eyes slowly and checked on his gold: 16,240G.

    Junhyuk made sure he had the correct amount from what was left from the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. He inspected the new standard armor, and it was better than the expert¡¯s armor, but not by much.

    Junhyuk took off his helmet and summoned his equipment, looking at the standard equipment in front of him.

    Experts got two swords, but there were long spears for champions.

    "Champions use long spears?"

    He summoned his swords instead.

    [Wee to the Valley of Death.]

    Junhyuk inspected his equipment and lightly moved his body.

    [You may exit through the central door.]

    He walked to the door, but the exnation continued.

    [You activated three powers and became a champion. You may revive five times.]

    Just as he had expected, Junhyuk knew he could die more times, but he didn¡¯t want to do it. He felt an extreme emptiness when he died and he didn¡¯t want to feel it again.

    Once he stood in front of the exit, he heard the soft voice.

    [Champion Junhyuk Lee deployed.]

    Champions didn¡¯t go by numbers and were instead called by name. It felt different for him, but he walked out proudly. Just like Adolphe, whenever there was an item on the ground for him, he had to pick it up.

    He didn¡¯t want to die, but he still couldn¡¯t give up on the items.

    Junhyuk went out the door and saw the minions talking among themselves. As he passed them, he realized he had grown taller. He was now 2.3 meters tall, and the minions made way for him. He was looking for Sarang, and soon, she appeared, making her way through the minions toward him.

    "Big brother!"

    She hugged him by jumping on him, and heughed and tapped her helmet.

    "Long time no see," she said smiling.

    Junhyuk pushed her down.

    "Don¡¯t forget."

    "What?"

    "You are still a high school student."

    "What about it?"

    "Don¡¯t hug me like that."

    "Hm."

    She pouted, and he saw some peopleing through the gate. Arn and Vera came in and waved once they saw him.

    Arn simply waved, but Vera jumped toward him and hugged him. He couldn¡¯t move, and she shouted, "I knew you¡¯d win!"

    "What?"

    Junhyuk wanted to know what she was talking about and pushed her away.

    "What are you talking about?"

    "I knew you¡¯d win at the Champions¡¯ Battlefield."

    "I also knew I¡¯d win."

    She put him in a headlock and continued, "You rascal! You are too cute. Everyone wants to see you."

    "Me?"

    "Right. You."

    Junhyuk was curious and looked at Arn, and Arn patted his shoulder.

    "Everyone bet that you would win."

    Curious, Junhyuk asked, "You mean you bet on me to win at the Champions¡¯ Battlefield?"

    "Right."

    Junhyukughed very hard.

    "Is that possible?"

    Vera smiled.

    "Heroes can use their gold coins to gamble on the Champions¡¯ Battlefield."

    "You must¡¯ve earned a lot."

    Arn nodded.

    "Thanks to Kaljaque, your team had lost ten times straight, and they thought you¡¯d also lose. Considering Kaljaque¡¯s record, they thought you¡¯d lose. You were just a variable. The odds where 20:1 against you."

    Junhyukughed.

    "So, you bet on me?"

    "Sure! We trust you!"

    "And you earned a lot?"

    "More than you can imagine. The three of us need to go to Bebe. We¡¯ll go there with you."

    Junhyukughed again.

    "That¡¯s nice. You must¡¯vee out really well."

    Vera headlocked him and said, "Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll get new equipment and fight."

    Arn and Vera took the lead, and Junhyuk followed them.

    "I want to sell the Twin-Headed Ogre¡¯s Umbilical Cord. How much will Bebe give me for it?"

    Vera answered, "The original price is 50,000G, but Bebe will only pay you half of that, so 25,000G."

    Arn stopped and looked back.

    "Talk to Diane. She wants to upgrade her bowstring, so she might pay you the full price."

    "So, 50,000G?"

    "It depends on Diane."

    Junhyuk wanted to sell it to her at full price. It was expensive after all, but he had to meet her first.

    They arrived at Bebe¡¯s, and Bebe waved at them. He saw Junhyuk and smiled at him.

    "Thanks to you, I did some business. Thanks."

    "Bebe can bet?"

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk shook his head and stepped back. He wanted to upgrade the Frozen Rune Sword onest time, and it would cost 40,000G. He didn¡¯t have enough money yet, but he would earn more in the battlefield.

    Arns stepped up and made a purchase.

    "Do you have the King¡¯s Bracelet?"

    Bebe touched his chin and looked at Junhyuk.

    "You must have some money on you!"

    "Not as much as you, but I have a good amount."

    Bebe pushed the te.

    "The King¡¯s Bracelet is the most expensive item among set items, you know?"

    "I know. You can¡¯t sell it even though you have it?"

    "Only a few people are collecting this set."

    Arn ced his hand on the te, and Bebeughed.

    "OK. One King¡¯s Bracelet. I will give you a discount, it¡¯ll total to 400,000G. Will you buy it?"

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know if he heard it correctly. The Pure Golden Knight set items were about 100,000G, but a bracelet was 400,000G. It¡¯s too expensive, even for a set item!

    Bebe pulled the bracelet out. It was surrounded by a dark energy, and Bebe smiled.

    "I thought you would focus on your attack."

    "The King¡¯s set items give you increased attack and health. I¡¯m buying it because of that."

    "It¡¯s been tough on your health since you¡¯ve advanced, huh?"

    Arn put the bracelet on and nodded.

    "Yes, to deal with the new monsters, I need and entirely new set of equipment."

    Junhyuk learned that Arn had bought it to increase his health. It wasn¡¯t as high as Jean Clo¡¯s but Arn had about as much health as Bater now.

    Arn looked at him and smiled.

    "A single item can¡¯t change the flow of things, but set items are different."

    "Do you have any other King¡¯s set items?" Junhyuk asked.

    "I didn¡¯t buy it, but I picked one up thanks to my good luck."

    If he picked up something that expensive, he is definitely lucky.

    Vera stepped up.

    "I need the me Flower Orb."

    Bebe stared at her.

    "What about your weapon?"

    "I¡¯ll sell it."

    Bebe clicked his tongue.

    "As you know, the me Flower Orb is 800,000G."

    "I know. You should give me at least 300,000G for my staff."

    Bebe shook his head, and Vera ced her hand on the te. Bebe clicked his tongue again.

    "You must¡¯ve bet all of your assets on your friend. How much did you earn?"

 Chapter 169: The Power of Money 2

    Chapter 169: The Power of Money 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Vera took the me Flower Orb from Bebe and held it in one hand. It was a sphere, and inside that sphere there was an eternal me burning bright white. It looked like it belonged to fire mages.

    Vera purchased it and smiled, "And give me upgrade stones, five of them."

    "You want to upgrade it five times?"

    "I need to at least do the basic upgrades."

    Each stone was worth 50,000G, so she was spending 250,000G like it was nothing. Junhyuk was dumbfounded, and he understood why the heroes were so happy to see him.

    Vera took the upgrade stones from Bebe and used them. She upgraded it five times in sequence and was sessful. Junhyuk was dumbstruck again.

    It already looked like the item was effective, and she had upgraded it five times. She had a smile from cheek to cheek, and Junhyuk asked carefully, "Did it get buffed?"

    "Its basic attack hasn¡¯t improved much, but the fire magic damage has increased by 30 percent."

    Junhyuk was very surprised. All of Vera¡¯s magic used fire, so she had increased her damage by 30 percent. She would be more powerful than ever before.

    Vera had finished and kept smiling.

    "We are done. Let¡¯ go."

    "Have the other heroes also been here?" Junhyuk asked carefully.

    Arn showed a rare smile.

    "Yes. The three of them have equipped themselves and headed to the same ce. They should be up there already."

    Vera spun the me Flower Orb on her hand and said, "Then, as we nned, we will take the lower path, and the first group will move to the center."

    Junhyuk watched them get new equipment, and the other three had done the same. This battlefield would be doable. They took the lower path and saw people destroying their tower.

    Bater, Regina and Adolphe were damaging it with the riflemen.

    There were two heroes, a champion, and fifty riflemen, and they had nearly destroyed the tower. Junhyuk looked back, and his side wanted to move fast, leaving the minions behind.

    Arn, Vera, Junhyuk and Sarang arrived. The minions wouldn¡¯t change the oue of the battle, so he wasn¡¯t worried.

    "What should we do?"

    Vera smiled brightly, spinning her orb in her hand and said, "They haven¡¯t seen us. We will hit them hard from the start."

    She was using her ultimate, and Junhyuk stood in front of her. Arn held his position for her and her ultimate, meaning to advance at any time. Sarang stood behind Junhyuk. Before the enemies had a chance to see them, Vera would use her ultimate, and Junhyuk and his team would have the advantage.

    Is that a relief?

    The tower¡¯s defenses were almost gone, and the enemy was fiercely attacking it. The battle had just started, so if they could destroy a tower, they would have the advantage. However, because of that, they were so focused on the tower that Vera finished casting.

    If the enemies had found out beforehand, they might have been able to escape, but the meteors fell from the sky onto their heads while they attacked the tower.

    Regina responded first. She moved at high speed. However, she still lost 40 percent of her health in the escape. If she hadn¡¯t dashed away, the damage would¡¯ve been much higher. Even though she escaped the impact, she was still getting hurt. Lesser ck mes dealt continuous damage, so her health decreased by 2 percent with each passing second.

    Junhyuk looked at Bater. He had only lost 25 percent of his health from the Meteor Shower¡¯s direct hit, but he was also losing 2 percent of his health every second.

    Bater turned and ran toward the allies. He wasn¡¯t very fast, so he was hit by another falling meteor that took another chunk of his health on impact. Things were going well.

    Although he was only a champion, Adolphe had only lost 50 percent of his health, but he was also losing health continuously. The ultimate had been a big sess. The enemies had lost half of their healths, so this fight would be easy for the allies.

    Junhyuk wanted to kill one of two, so he needed to time his Spatial sh correctly. He went for Regina since she had the highest probability of dying from the hit.

    Adolphe ran and stuck his saw de on the ground. Suddenly, two blue energy boomerangs took flight. So far, nobody had been able to escape them. As Junhyuk watched the boomerangs, Arn jumped. The enemies were running toward the allies, so Arn quickly closed in on Regina and attacked her.

    Her ultimate was the most dangerous. To prevent her from using it, Arn attacked her first. Junhyuk smacked his lips.

    Arn had made up his mind on Regina, so Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t be able to deliver the final hit. If he did, Arn would get angry.

    He looked at Bater¡¯s eyes instead of Regina. Bater had a lot of health, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to kill him with the Spatial sh. He needed to time it right.

    Arn jumped, and the blue energy boomerang tied Vera up. The other boomerang turned and suddenly flew toward Junhyuk. He wouldn¡¯t escape from it, so instead he want to put an end to his problem. Bater advanced like a tank and pointed his fists toward Junhyuk. To stop him, Junhyuk felt necessary tounch the force field.

    Bater closing in and punched right when Junhyuk¡¯s force field came out, and Bater¡¯s fist pounded against it.

    The force field shook, and Bater was pushed off. Junhyuk looked at Vera. She had cast the meteors and was now casting her magic against Bater.

    The fire spear and the fire orb made a series of explosion that hit Bater and took 30 percent of his health. He had 35 percent left.

    Arn was putting a lot of pressure on Regina. He jumped on her and dealt his 7-Hit Combo. She was left with 30 percent of her health.

    They were both down to 30 percent, but their health pools were different, Bater basically had more health overall than Regina. He and Adolphe turned away from Junhyuk¡¯s group because they had the force field around them. For ten seconds, nothing would get through, and their attacks had no meaning.

    They ran toward Arn.

    Junhyuk saw an opportunity in their change. Arn had 85 percent of health, and it was from a big pool, but if they focused on him, he could die.

    It was a close-quarters battle, and Junhyuk could strike with the Spatial sh. The shockwaves made concentric circles, and they would deal half of the damage. Time woulde for him to act.

    Adolphe shed Arn¡¯s back, and Arn was paralyzed. Regina shot her rifle on him, and Arn started losing health quickly. Bater came up to him and one-twoboed him. The three were attacking him, and Arn lost 40 percent of his health. If that continued, Arn would die first.

    Vera cast a firewall. Since she changed weapons, Vera¡¯s fire magic dealt more damage. Bater and Adolphe stood in the firewall, quickly losing their healths, so they stepped back. Adolphe wanted to finish Arn off and raised his sword. If the 10-meter blue energy strike hit Arn, he would lose the rest of his health, and Bater was also attacking him.

    Junhyuk wanted to grab a hold of Arn and teleport, so he was about to move, but Vera said first, "Wait. We can kill them both."

    She threw a fire spear that would deal 30 percent damage to Bater. He had 35 percent of his health, and she could kill him. Arn started moving again andunched his saber at Regina. It was a short distance to throw, and Regina couldn¡¯t escape.

    She was left with 15 percent of his health, and Junhyuk shouted, "Sarang!"

    Sarang shot her electric st. Before they had the chance to use their powers, Adolphe and Bater were paralyzed. After that, Vera¡¯s fire spear hit Bater. He was pushed into an orb that had already been set, and it exploded, leaving him with 3 percent of his health.

    Junhyuk seized the opportunity and used his Spatial sh.

    Bater was hit in the back of his neck, and his mouth hung loose. It was a critical hit, and the strike created shockwaves. The blood-colored concentric shockwave swept the other enemies away. Bater vomited blood and fell, and the shockwave hit Adolphe as he tried to retreat. Regina was holding her eyepatch and started bleeding heavily. She disappeared.

    Arn was about to behead her, so he stopped and turned slowly.

    "Junhyuk."

    "I¡¯m sorry."

    He hadn¡¯t known that would happen. Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh had killed Bater, and the shockwave killed Regina. She only had 10 percent of her health left after Arn¡¯s attacks. The Spatial sh delivered a fatal hit, and the shockwave killed Regina.

    One hit, two kills.

    Junhyuk had only wanted to kill one, but they had both died, Arn and Vera¡¯s eyes were changing, and he understood why.

    Arn aimed his saber at Junhyuk and moved to his side.

    Clung!

    Adolphe blocked the attack, and Arn decided on an all-out attack against him. Sarang used her regeneration power on Arn.

    Adolphe had a lot of health left, but Arn¡¯s attack was superior. Even without using his power, he exchanged blows that left Adolphe cornered.

    Vera wasn¡¯t just watching it all. She cast a fire spear at him, and Adolphe quickly lost his health. Arn lowered Adolphe¡¯s saw de with one saber and shed his neck with the other. Adolphe gritted his teeth and stared hard back at Arn, and Arn shed deeper through him before he had the chance to speak.

    He didn¡¯t want to listen to Adolphe¡¯s stupid barking. After watching Adolphe disappear, he turned around, put his head on Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder and said, "I earned a lot because of you, so I¡¯m forgiving you."

    "I¡¯ll be more careful."

    "Use your Spatial sh as the first strike. You¡¯ll have the chance to use it again, so don¡¯t save it from now on."

    "The first strike is honest."

    He had sinned, so he just agreed. Arnughed at Junhyuk and patted his shoulder.

    "We won. Take your things, and we¡¯ll move."

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk picked up the items left by Regina and Bater, and Vera put him in a headlock.

    ¡¯You! What did I tell you?"

    "Sorry!" he shouted.

    "Don¡¯t forget it. This wasst time," she whispered in his ear.

    "Yes."

    She patted his shoulder lightly.

    "OK. But then again, don¡¯t be afraid of thest hits. Use your power at important moments."

    "I understand."

    Just like Arn had said, he should deal the first strike. He had killed two at the same time, so they were murdering him with their res. Junhyuk picked up Regina¡¯s cogwheel and Bater¡¯s steel bracelet and smiled away from Arn and Vera.

 Chapter 170: The Power of Money 3

    Chapter 170: The Power of Money 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk quickly inspected the items.

    ---

    Madness Gear (Socket Item)

    Attack Speed +5%

    Attack +10

    Simply socket the item to a bracer, and it will increase your attack and attack speed. It¡¯s expensive, and its effectiveness is well known. Attack speed increases by 5 percent, and attack increases by ten.

    ---

    He could socket it to his gauntlet, and it would increase his attack and attack speed. Regina usually dropped socket items, and he was grateful.

    He could sell it to Bebe, but he would only get half the price, so he wanted to use it for himself. The boost in attack was as good as a Pure Golden Knight Bracelet. It wasn¡¯t a set item, but Junhyuk was happy, and he inspected the steel bracelet as well.

    ---

    Iron Wall¡¯s Steel Bracelet

    Defense +40

    Health +300

    Essential for any tank, it gives the wearer high health and defense. It increases defense by forty and health by three hundred.

    ---

    Junhyuk had no intention of bing a tank. His ideal hero was Arn, who was a bnced type, and attack received a bigger focus in bnced heroes. That¡¯s if he could be a hero. In the current situation, he picked up the dropped items and wore them. If he sold them to Bebe, he wouldn¡¯t get much out of them.

    Junhyuk put the Iron Wall¡¯s Steel Bracelet on and felt his health increasing.

    "Whew!"

    He socketed the Madness Gear on his gauntlet and made a fist. He had killed two heroes with one attack. He had experienced a lot of danger in his life, but he could now earn a lot more. Junhyuk smiled with satisfaction and looked back. Arn and Vera were killing the remaining minions. He looked at the allies¡¯ tower. Its force field was nearly gone.

    "We don¡¯t have any minions with us, but we will destroy the tower. Sarang has a regenerative power, so we won¡¯t lose any health."

    Junhyuk nodded and went toward the enemy tower. It had no riflemen, just archers, and it would be easy to take it down.

    Arn attacked first, and the rest of them followed him. Sarang used her health regeneration on Arn, and they were all topped up while destroying the tower.

    Their tower¡¯s force field was almost gone, but it was still standing. The allies were winning.

    Arn looked at the destroyed enemy tower, pulled out a crystal ball and closed his eyes. He wasmunicating with the other heroes, and Junhyuk just stared at him.

    Then, he opened his eyes.

    "In the upper area, only one enemy hero appeared, so they killed him and destroyed the tower. They want to meet us in the center, so let¡¯s go."

    "Yes."

    Three had attacked one and killed the hero. Junhyuk¡¯s group attacked two, so there had to be another two in the center, and attacking the center would mean killing all enemy heroes.

    Both groups had destroyed a tower. The allies were winning, and they had to hurry. They ran toward the central tower. The heroes from the upper path would join them. As the group ran, they saw the other heroes by the tower.

    Their tower was already destroyed, and Junhyuk smacked his lips.

    "Thinking about it, the first tower was nearly destroyed."

    If two enemy heroes came this way, the tower would¡¯ve been destroyed. Arn and Vera had been together, and the other allied tower was almost destroyed. It was bound to happen without any allied heroes in that ce.

    Junhyuk looked around, and Diane walked over to him and pped his butt.

    p!

    He covered it with both of his hands and looked back. Diane was just standing there, smiling at him.

    "I earned a lot because of you."

    He thought he had a chance, so he pulled out the Twin-Headed Ogre¡¯s Umbilical Cord.

    "Arn told me you want to enhance your bowstring? How about this?"

    Diane took it, looked it over and smiled.

    "I couldn¡¯t find any when I was hunting. You got one?!"

    "Do you want to buy it?"

    She blinked.

    "You want money from me! Are you selling it?"

    He smiled and pulled the cord from her hand.

    "If you don¡¯t want it, it¡¯s fine."

    Junhyuk turned around, and Diane gave out a heartyugh.

    "You can¡¯t take a joke. I¡¯ll buy it."

    He turned around smiling, and Diane summoned her te.

    "Put your hand on it."

    He did, and it disyed his gold: 19,240G.

    He had gotten items instead of money for killing the two heroes. He only got money when he helped in killing a hero, so he hadn¡¯t gotten much this time around. However, he got two more items, so it didn¡¯t matter much. Still, it was better to have more money, and he wanted to upgrade his equipment.

    Then, the number shot to 79,240G, and Junhyuk looked at her. Diane smiled at him with her eyes.

    "I gave you some more."

    "It¡¯s not just some!"

    "Don¡¯t worry. I needed the item."

    Junhyuk was curious about how much they had bet on him, and Halo walked over and pushed his helmet down.

    "They destroyed the central tower and retreated."

    Arn thought for a moment and said, "Two isn¡¯t enough to kill a dragon. We¡¯ll destroy their tower and find a buff monster."

    "We are five. It¡¯s better for us to go kill the dragon now," Halo suggested, and Arn nodded in agreement.

    "It might be too early, but it¡¯s still a good idea. What do you think?"

    "Sure."

    Everyone agreed, and they dashed out to destroy the tower. With five heroes on one tower, it was too easy. They pulverized it quickly and headed toward the Dragon¡¯s Valley. Junhyuk looked at Vera.

    "Can you give me another mana stone?"

    "You want things from the Dimensional Battlefield?"

    "Yes. If you have anything else other than mana stones, I¡¯ll take it."

    "You are greedy."

    Nudra said, "Don¡¯t take too many things from the Dimensional Battlefield."

    Junhyuk looked at him, and Nudra continued, "If you find things from the Dimensional Battlefield in your dimension, it means the distance between the two is decreasing."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Are you the first champion?"

    "Yes."

    "Then, they¡¯ll send monsters there."

    "How did you know?" Junhyuk asked.

    "We are heroes, so it doesn¡¯t concern us, but when champions rise, they send monsters to make more champions."

    Junhyuk nodded heavily.

    "It¡¯s a mess. They started with low-ranking monsters, so I killed them. But they sent stronger monsters."

    "Right. It isn¡¯t easy to deal with the administration. Don¡¯t do too much, or they will send even stronger monsters."

    Junhyuk had learned his predictions were right, and Nudra continued, "When you take things from here, the distance between the Dimensional Battlefield and there will decrease. More monsters will appear in your dimension as a consequence."

    "The appearance of monsters increases just by taking things from here?" he asked.

    Sarang was listening and said, "Iron soldiers need to use mana stones to deal with the monsters!"

    Nudra smiled bitterly.

    "From a snake¡¯s venom, you can make its antidote. When there is a problem, there is a solution."

    "What about it? When you take things from here, more monsters will show up. To deal with those monsters, you need more things from here," Vera said.

    Junhyuk nodded, and Vera whispered to him, "The lowest-ranked spirit stones can be used to kill monsters."

    "Is that true?"

    Spirit stones burned everything, and Elise might be able toe up with a new weapon by studying them.

    Junhyuk wanted more things from the Dimensional Battlefield. He would sell them, and they would research them to help them fight monsters in the future. He would put the things in the Spatial Bag, and they woulde up with new ways to fight monsters.

    He saw the Dragon¡¯s Valley from far away and looked at Sarang.

    "This time, you take some."

    "Really?! I can?"

    Mana stones could be worth $700 million, and Sarang was nervous. Junhyuk smiled at her.

    "You are qualified to own one, but don¡¯t sell it. Keep it. Monsters will appear, so sell it when you have to."

    "OK."

    She smiled, d that she would own something worth $700 million.

    Vera looked at Junhyuk.

    "The mana stonese from the Dragon¡¯s Valley, but there are other things out there as well. You can find bloodstones from the buff monster Wolf Warlord."

    "Yeah?"

    He could also get a nice amount for bloodstones.

    Diane, who had been listening, asked, "Why are you taking stones back?"

    "What should I take back?"

    She touched a tree.

    "This tree is different from what you see in your dimension. It can produce things on apletely different scale."

    "Will there be more monsters if I take this back?"

    Dianeughed aloud.

    "It could happen, but it will help you more than it hurts."

    She broke off a twig and gave it to Junhyuk.

    "Take it back with you."

    He took it and put it in his Spatial Bag, and her eyes widened.

    "Really?! When did you get a Spatial Bag?"

    "It was the reward from the Champions¡¯ Battlefield."

    She smiled and looked at the trees.

    "Don¡¯t just take anything you want. Ask me about the trees. If not, it may be dangerous for your dimension."

    He became nervous about what she had said, and Diane pped his butt loudly.

    "Just take what I give you."

    He knew the heroes would have the most knowledge. They gave him a mana stone and told him where to find bloodstones. If he had time, he will go after the Wolf Warlord and take the bloodstone with him. Diane¡¯s gift might also be expensive.

    It was a good thing he had a good rtionship with the heroes. They talked and arrived at the Dragons¡¯ Valley. Junhyuk looked at the group.

    "We don¡¯t have any minions with us?"

    "Why? Scared?"

    "NO!"

    Minions could only draw the dragon¡¯s attention at the start. There was no reason to be scared, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t have to take the lead.

    "Then, let¡¯s go?"

    Arn lead the group to the narrow entrance of the Dragon¡¯s Valley. The dragon was sleeping. Junhyuk learned something new. He was a champion now, and his soul was bigger, so he learned that the dragon was really dangerous. He could see it much better now.

    Arn stepped forward.

    "We¡¯ve upgraded our equipment. Kill it before the enemy gets here."

    Arn dashed forward, and Junhyuk followed him. A small spider was watching all of their movements at the Dragon¡¯s Valley.

 Chapter 171: Dilemma 1

    Chapter 171: Dilemma 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Arn took off, and Halo ran after him. Vera went further in and readied her meteors. The dragon was raising its gigantic body, and Junhyuk gulped. He couldn¡¯t believe the dragon was actually limited. That was Kaloyan, the dragon.

    Junhyuk relearned that dragons were supreme existences, summoned his dual swords and stared at it. Sarang put her hand on his back.

    He looked at her, and she asked smiling, "Big brother, are you scared shitless?"

    "You sound so pretty," he said to her and felt his nerves ease. Looking at the dragon again, he added, "That¡¯s a restrained dragon. I¡¯m scared of what it might do at our dimension."

    Even funnier to him were the heroes who were hurting the dragon. In a one-on-onebat-situation, heroes couldn¡¯t kill a dragon, but when there were many heroes, they got it done. Those were heroes.

    Junhyuk watched them and knew he was still far from being one of them. He had to get stronger.

    Arn and Halo got the dragon¡¯s attention. Arn had raised his health, while Halo had increased his attack. The dragon was bleeding profusely, and Halo was certainly different from before.

    The dragon didn¡¯t stop bleeding. It looked like Halo had equipped himself with a damage-over-time item. Halo swung his sword quickly, so adding damage over time would be the most effective.

    Nudra protected Vera, and Diane was waiting with her bow drawn. She had to have bought new items, so her attack would be critical to the dragon.

    Arn and Halo kept the dragon upied while Vera cast Meteor Shower. From the sky, inmed meteors fell and hit the dragon hard.

    Rrroooaaar!

    The dragon roared, beat its wings and swung its tail. Arn jumped, and Haloy on his stomach on the ground.

    The dragon had a lot of health, and it wouldn¡¯t have been killed even if all meteors had hit it. Now, it was going wild, but Diane winked at Junhyuk.

    "I got something as well. Look."

    Diane loosened the arrow, and it flew across the empty air. The arrow shone with two moonlight glows. When it hit the dragon¡¯s eye, the moonlight energies rushed into it.

    Rooooaarr!

    The dragon stomped around, and Diane moved, smiling at Junhyuk.

    "What do you think? It¡¯s killer, huh?"

    "What was that?"

    "The arrowhead gets two additional energies, and each energy deals an additional 10 percent damage. I got that kind of item now. It¡¯s more expensive than an ordinary weapon, but I got it because of you."

    Every attack dealt an additional 20 percent damage. It was definitely not an ordinary item, and Diane was one of their main attackers. If she got such an item, she would be the most dangerous hero.

    Junhyuk turned to looks at the valley¡¯s entrance, and something appeared from it. It was two huge fists. He quickly extended his hand, but Diane was hit in the back before he could get to her. She bounced to the front of their formation, and Junhyukunched a force field around her.

    Bater¡¯s rocket punches hit her, but she wasn¡¯t dead. She had lost 70 percent of her health, however. The enemies were surprise attacking from the rear, and Bater wasn¡¯t alone.

    Junhyuk hadunched the force field, and bullets ricochet off of it. Those were certainly from Ki.

    "We have enemy heroes at our backs!"

    They didn¡¯t intend to steal the dragon, but were instead attacking while the allies fought the dragon. Unless the allies got out of the valley, they would also be attacked by the dragon. The enemies had joined forces with it.

    "Killer timing," Junhyukined, and Sarang stood next to Vera.

    "We have to block the entrance."

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Please, cast your firewall!"

    Then, Bater and Jean Clo ran through the valley¡¯s entrance. They were big and had the highest health, so they dashed to block the allies¡¯ way out.

    Sarang cast her electric st on the two of them, and both were paralyzed. Then, Vera cast the firewall, dealing continuous damage. The mes dealt the highest damage, and Bater and Jean Clo started losing their health.

    "Kill Bater!" Vera shouted.

    She threw a fire spear, and Diane shot five arrows that were covered by ten moonlight glows.

    Boom!

    Vera¡¯s fire spear hit Bater head on, and he staggered. That¡¯s when Diane¡¯s arrows all hit him along with the ten moonlight energies. Vera had also already set a fire orb, and there were a series of explosions. Bater suddenly lost half of his health. Considering Bater¡¯s health was very high, Vera and Diane¡¯s weapons were putting an amazing damage disy after the upgrades. They would be able to kill him before the forcefield dissipated.

    Junhyuk kept an eye on Jean Clo and grabbed Vera and Diane and teleported. The enemies wereing through the entrance, and the allies were now in their path. Jean Clo tried to avoid the firewall, but he couldn¡¯t because the force field was blocking his path. So, he continued to take damage.

    Bater retreated after seeing the force field, but Junhyuk used his Spatial sh as Bater was stepping back. Like Arn had said, the enemycked regenerative powers, so it was a good idea to use the Spatial sh more frequently.

    The Spatial sh hit the back of Bater¡¯s neck, and he vomited blood. The strike created a shockwave that swept through the others.

    Bater lost 20 percent of his health. He had already lost half of his health, so now he had 30 percent left. Sarang regenerated some of Diane¡¯s health, bumping her from 30 to more than 50 percent.

    The allies had the upper hand, but two heroes were fighting the dragon. Things could turn at any time.

    Arn read Junhyuk¡¯s mind and shouted, "Block them for a moment! We¡¯ll kill the dragon first and give you support."

    It wasn¡¯t easy to kill a dragon. Vera¡¯s and Diane¡¯s ultimates had hit the dragon hard, but it still had a lot of health left.

    The force field and the firewall were blocking the entrance, and Diane fired five more arrows. They zoomed out with ten moonlight glows and hit the people trying to enter the valley. Bater had 20 percent of his health left, and Nudra moved out.

    He was covered by the Rising Dragon and front-kicked Bater, who was pushed back and left with 5 percent of his health. Nudra was now on the enemies¡¯ side and extended both hands. Gusts wooshed out of his hands, pushing back Jean Clo and hitting Bater, who disappeared.

    The enemies¡¯ had surprise attacked and almost killed Diane, but the allies managed to kill Bater first with their concentrated attack. Their powers had grown exponentially. Junhyuk witnessed the power of money and looked at the enemies¡¯ side. They kepting, and the force field disappeared.

    It was time to fight head on, but his side only had three heroes. They were fewer in number and alsocked a tank who could take the lead and block. Jean Clo tapped his still chin and approached.

    "You got us at the beginning."

    Junhyuk realized his situation wasn¡¯t great. Arn and Halo were fighting the dragon, and the dragon wasing their way. He saw the dragon approaching and thought of something. Dragons breathed in a straight line, so it would be nice if the dragon decided to breathe fire on the allies.

    He pulled out a crystal and spoke to Arn.

    "Lure the dragon so it can breathe our way!"

    "Good thinking. Wait few more seconds."

    "Don¡¯t let them get away from the valley¡¯s entrance. Stay close to me. We must teleport," he whispered to his group.

    "OK," Nudra said.

    Nudra had the highest health among allies, so he had to take the front. Vera and Diane attacked. During their cooldowns, the allies used their normal attacks, but since the upgrade, even their normal attacks were deadly.

    Jean Clo ran ahead first, and the attacks were focused on him. Noise of gunfire sounded out from behind him. Ki had the longest range, and Vera staggered and stepped back. Ki dealt absurd damage. Vera had been hit once, but she lost 25 percent of her health.

    Adolphe stepped up and struck with the 10-meter blue energy. The allies had gathered in one ce to block entrance, so the blue energy could be deadly.

    The Spatial sh was under cooldown, but Diane shot an arrow with two moonlight glows.

    Boom!

    Adolphe was hit, and the activation of his power was cancelled. She had just bought them more time.

    Regina took Bater¡¯s ce and pulled out her pistol and cuss. Junhyuk realized something: Doctor T wasn¡¯t there.

    "Where is he?"

    Junhyuk looked for him, but Doctor T wasing down from one of the walls. When he saw Junhyuk looking for him, he fired the spider web.

    The doctor had aimed for Nudra, so Nudra was tied up, and Jean Clo grabbed him and jumped up. He started spinning in the air while someone shot Nudra¡¯s back. Nudra could end up dying.

    Junhyuk realized the cooldown for the Spatial sh had ended, but he couldn¡¯t attack Jean Clo at that point. He looked for another target for his power. He could do the most damage to Ki, but he couldn¡¯t kill her with one hit.

    While he thought about what to do, Adolphe stabbed his sword into the ground. Two blue energy boomerangs flew out, one wrapping around Vera and the other around Diane. All allied heroes were tied up.

    Junhyuk stopped hesitating and used the Spatial sh. It traveled toward Doctor T, hitting the his neck in a critical hit. Doctor T had focused more on attack, so his defense was low, and he lost 40 percent of his health. The shockwave from the strike swept through Regina and Adolphe.

    Then, Jean Clo finally mmed Nudra against the ground.

    Boom!

    Nudra got up staggering, and Junhyuk heard Arn, "It¡¯s time."

    "Nudra!" Junhyuk shouted.

    Nudraunched a whirlwind that sent all of the enemies back toward the entrance. Then, he retreated over to Junhyuk. All of the heroes touched him, and he grabbed Sarang¡¯s hand. Junhyuk turned to look and saw the dragon¡¯s firebreath heading their way. He teleported, and the dragon¡¯s breath covered the valley¡¯s entrance.

 Chapter 172: Dilemma 2

    Chapter 172: Dilemma 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The dragon continued to breathe fire. It was hard to block its superior power without the force field. There was only one other way to withstand it, and Jean Clo stepped forward, extending both his arms to block the firebreath. To survive, he used his ultimate. Three blue rings surrounded him, taking the damage for him, and he started regaining his health quickly.

    Junhyuk looked at Sarang, and she nodded and extended her hands.

    "Suppress!"

    The blood-colored light started out of Sarang¡¯s chest and flew over, wrapping around Jean Clo. Soon, thorns shot out of the blood-colored cloud, suppressing his health-regenerating ability. Jean Clo grinded his teeth. Without regaining his health, even he couldn¡¯t withstand the dragon¡¯s breath.

    Junhyuk had thought he could sweep the enemies away with the dragon¡¯s breath, but his thinking fell short. The allied heroes dodged the breath, and the breath covered the valley¡¯s entrance. As nned, they attacked the enemies with the breath, but the allied heroes were the ones that threatened the dragon.

    So, once the dragon spewed its breath, it raised its head in search of his assants. The giant mes travelled through the valley wall, heading toward Junhyuk¡¯s group, and Junhyuk clicked his tongue.

    "Shit!"

    He grabbed Sarang¡¯s hand and started to run, wanting to get as far away as possible from the dragon¡¯s breath. Then, he saw Nudra soaring. Nudra was covered by the Rising Dragon and drop-kicked the dragon¡¯s head.

    Boom!

    The head mmed against the ground. After Nudra¡¯s ultimate, the dragon¡¯s breath stopped chasing Junhyuk.

    The enemies had lost a lot of health, and if the allies could get the dragon¡¯s buff, they would win. Junhyuk turned around to look, and the allied heroes had to be thinking the same thing as they took off for the dragon.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t check the dragon¡¯s health, but it had been hit with three ultimates. It looked like a used rag at that point.

    Arn drew the dragon¡¯s attention while Halo prepared Rain from Above. The dragon had been bleeding all this time, and Rain from Above could finish it off.

    The dragon raised its body and swung its tail. Just before Halo was about to use his ultimate, the tail hit him and pushed him against the wall.

    The dragon stepped on Halo and attempted to bite Arn, who had been running toward him. Arn twisted his body to dodge, but the dragon grabbed him with his w. Arn swung his saber at the dragon¡¯s w, but it didn¡¯t care and opened its mouth wide to bite him off.

    "You can¡¯t do that!"

    Veraunched a fire spear that hit the dragon¡¯s chin, and Diane shot her arrows. The arrows flew at the dragon in a row, hitting it. The dragon howled and roared, turning around to swing its tail at them.

    As the tail approached Vera and Diane moved quickly, trying to escape it. Diane moved back, and Vera fell forward, dodging the tail.

    They were both feeling safe, when suddenly, the enemies counterattacked. Small missiles zoomed toward Diane¡¯s back and exploded.

    Boom!

    Diane was pushed forward from the shock, bouncing toward the dragon. Jean Clo approached her and grabbed her neck, lifting her up and mming her down. She had about half of her health at the start, but after both attacks, Diane was left with 10 percent of it. Before Diane could get up, she was hit by a bullet.

    Bang!

    She turned grey, and Junhyuk clicked his tongue. She was the most dangerous attacker among the allies, and they had lost her.

    Arn cut the dragon¡¯s fingers and climbed up its forearm. The dragon beat its wings and soared straight up. Above the valley, there was a that prevented the dragon from flying up, but it could still jump up with the help of its wings.

    Heading upward, the dragon turned its head to try to bite Arn.

    ng!

    Arn blocked the dragon¡¯s teeth with his saber.

    Meanwhile, the rest of the enemies advanced into the valley. Using her high movement speed, Regina closed in on Vera and swung at her with the cuss. Vera used her me Flower Sphere to block the attack, and Regina fired at her with the rifle.

    Bang!

    The rifle dealt a lot of damage from short range, and Vera had low health. She was badly hurt. However, Vera was still a magician regardless of the range.

    Boom, boom!

    A fire orb exploded in front of Regina, and she was pushed back. A fire spear chased her. After the series of explosions, Regina made up her mind and took off her eyepatch.

    Vera was paralyzed, and Doctor T approached and sted her with the methrower. The mes covered Vera¡¯s back, and Ki closed in, shooting her with the pistol. Vera disappeared. Both of the allied attackers had died.

    Junhyuk took Sarang and headed to the opposite direction of the dragon. Nudra, Halo and Arn were engaged with it, so if the enemy heroes caught Junhyuk, he would die. As he was running, however, he heard a soft voice.

    [You¡¯ve killed the dragon Kaloyan. For the next two hours, you get a 30 percent increase to health regeneration rate, a 30 percent increase to movement speed, a 30 percent increase to attack speed, a 30 percent increase to defense, and when you attack, you will inflict an additional one hundred damage on top of your normal damage. If you die within two hours, you will lose yours buff.]

    Once he heard that, Junhyuk turned around.

    The dragon was bleeding from its neck, and Arn was standing there. Then, Arn took off. Kaloyan¡¯s buff was significant. The allies had lost two attackers, and there were four enemies remaining, but they had been hit by the firebreath, and each had about 40 percent of his or her health left.

    The allies could still win.

    Junhyuk took Sarang to where Halo was standing.

    "Stay back," he said to both of them as they arrived.

    Junhyuk had to wait for his cooldowns to end. Without his powers, he couldn¡¯t interfere with the heroes fighting among themselves. Halo passed them by, running toward Regina, and used his sh Attack. Regina¡¯s ribs were cut, and Halo turned around and continued shing at her.

    Each time his sword cut through her, she bled like a fountain. Regina was quickly losing her health until it came close to bottoming out.

    Adolphe came over and shed Halo. Halo was paralyzed, and Regina turned around, firing her pistol at him. He was pushed back, and Adolphe used his 10-meter energy strike. Halo didn¡¯t have a lot of health left. He had been hit by the dragon¡¯s tail and stepped on by the dragon. After Regina¡¯s shots and Adolphe¡¯s rush, he had about 20 percent of his health left.

    If the distance was shorter, he could still have killed her, but she had put some distance between them. Ki was still among the enemies, and she pulled her trigger. Halo¡¯s sword moved like a sh of light, and he used it as a high-speed shield to knock the bullets away.

    Ki clicked her tongue, and Doctor T joined in. With his eight legs, he crawled over and fired his small missiles.

    Boom!

    Halo blocked them with his sword, but the explosion left him with very low health. He only had 3 percent of it when Jean Clo suddenly appeared behind him. Jean Clo grabbed his legs and spun him around. Halo was a death¡¯s door.

    When Jean Clo let him go, Nudra caught Halo, but the giant swing also dealt some damage. After taking that damage, Halo disappeared. Nudra had just wasted his time.

    Doctor Tughed aloud, "He-he-he! Aeback?"

    The allied situation wasn¡¯t great. Arn and Nudra were still around, but Nudra had 30 percent of his health. All of the enemies had low health, but there were four of them. If they included Adolphe, there were five.

    Arn stepped up and shouted, "Junhyuk!"

    "I¡¯m ready."

    The cooldown was over, and he stepped forward. Sarang was standing next to him. Arn ran by Nudra, and Junhyuk shouted, "Regina¡¯s health is low!"

    Arn didn¡¯t hesitate andunched his saber. Regina blocked it with the cuss, but the saber throw was itself a power. With her low health, she couldn¡¯t block itpletely and disappeared. Arn was already swinging his saber at Jean Clo when she died.

    Jean Clo blocked it with his elbow, and Doctor T fired the spider web, tying Arn up. While Arn was tied up, the enemies counterattacked. Jean Clo grabbed Arn by the neck and lifted him up while Ki prepared to shoot.

    Junhyuk had already been getting closer and touched Arn. He teleported Arn away, avoiding Jean Clo¡¯s chokem. They had escaped, but they weren¡¯t safe yet. Ki was still preparing to fire.

    While she didn¡¯t, Junhyuk looked at the enemies and said, "Doctor T¡¯s health is at 30 percent, Jean Clo¡¯s at 30 percent, Ki¡¯s at 52 percent and Adolphe¡¯s 40 percent."

    After calling out their healths, Nudra dashed forward. He front-kicked Doctor T, who was pushed back and hit the wall.

    Doctor T now had 22 percent of his health, and Nudra let him be,unching a strong gust against Jean Clo, who had been attacking Arn. Jean Clo was pushed back and left with 20 percent of his health.

    Ki didn¡¯t felt like she had time to snipe, so she ran and fired her pistols at Nudra, who started losing health quickly.

    Nudra had 10 percent of his health when Arn finally got out of the spiderweb. He got loose and jumped, trying to sh Ki in the process, but she jumped as well and escaped the attack. He let Ki go, and saw Doctor T still staggering. Arn threw a saber at him. The saber sank into Doctor T, leaving him with 2 percent of his health.

    Arn was trying to take his saber back when he was thrown at Regina. Adolphe had sunk his de into the ground, and two blue-energy boomerangs flow out, tying Arn and Nudra.

    It happened at just the right moment, and Junhyuk clicked his tongue, raising his sword.

    "Use it!" Arn shouted.

    Junhyuk heard him and, without hesitation, used the Spatial sh. He had measured the distance to the enemy, and the sh went deep into Jean Clo¡¯s neck.

    "Ugh!"

    Jean Clo lost 15 percent of his health, and the shockwave swept around him. Doctor T and Adolphe were struck by it. Doctor T disappeared, and Adolphe was left with 20 percent of his health.

    Junhyuk was gripping tightly to his swords when he heard the sound of gunfire.

    Bang!

    He quickly turned his head thinking it was Ki¡¯s shot and saw Nudra disappearing. Jean Clo, Ki and Adolphe were still alive from the enemies¡¯ side. The allies had Arn, Junhyuk and Sarang

 Chapter 173: Dilemma 3

    Chapter 173: Dilemma 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk inspected the enemies. Jean Clo¡¯s health was at 6 percent, Ki¡¯s at 54 percent and Adolphe¡¯s at 20 percent. Among them, Ki was the most dangerous, but there was no way to kill her. She had the longest range and was in the back.

    Junhyuk looked at Arn. He had 43 percent of his health left.

    Jean Clo could already regenerate his health fast, and now that he had Kaloyan¡¯s buff, he was quickly regaining it.

    Arn looked at Jean Clo and asked, "Force field?"

    "Still twenty seconds left."

    "It¡¯s a tough situation," he said and looked at Ki readying another shot. "We kill Jean Clo first."

    "Are you OK without your saber?"

    "Do look after me."

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly, and Arn stopped speaking and dashed forward. He was running empty-handed, and Junhyuk followed him.

    Jean Clo knew all he had to do was kill Arn, and they would win. Junhyuk teleported. Regina had died, and from the spot where she had disappeared, Junhyuk picked up a saber and threw it at Arn. Jean Clo had already grabbed Arn by the neck and was lifting him up, and Arn grabbed the saber and cut Jean Clo¡¯s forearm. Once that happened, the shot rang out.

    Bang!

    The bullet hit the middle of Arn¡¯s forehead. It was a critical hit, taking off 30 percent of his health. Junhyuk was very scared. Arn had 13 percent of his health remaining. If the chokem went through, he would die.

    Junhyuk ran toward Jean Clo, but Adolphe blocked his path. Junhyuk¡¯s expression darkened, and he said, "Move aside."

    "I won¡¯t."

    Adolphe wielded his saw-ded sword, and Junhyuk took a step forward. He had already used his teleports, so he couldn¡¯t help Arn. He had to deal with Adolphe, but Adolphe had also already used his powers and couldn¡¯t get rid of Junhyuk easily.

    Meanwhile, however, Arn could be killed.

    Two electric sts flew in, one hitting Jean Clo and the other Adolphe. Both were paralyzed, and Junhyuk seized the opportunity to stab Adolphe¡¯s neck with the Blood Rune Sword. Because he was paralyzed, Adolphe allowed the critical hit, losing 15 percent of his health. Junhyuk used the Frozen Rune Sword to sh through Adolphe¡¯s ribs, and he disappeared.

    Arn was pushing his saber into the middle of Jean Clo¡¯s forehead. Jean Clo was also paralyzed and couldn¡¯t escape the fatal hit. He disappeared, and Junhyuk felt more confident.

    The allies would win. Only Ki remained.

    However, his confidence disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. Ki had spent a long time on the battlefield and could read the situation. She ran, firing her pistols.

    Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

    The seven shots hit Arn, taking the rest of his health, and he disappeared. Arn was dead, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t wait around. He dashed toward Ki. Junhyuk still had to wait on the Spatial sh¡¯s cooldown. It was almost over, but he had to stay alive until then.

    Ki fired her pistols at Junhyuk as he ran toward her. He knew he couldn¡¯t survive if he got hit. She had the highest attack among his enemies and the allied heroes as well. He rolled on the ground, but he couldn¡¯t escape her that easily. A bullet grazed his shoulder, and he lost 10 percent of his health. He wasn¡¯t expecting to lose that much from the pistols. She was attacking normally and not using a power. So, he looked at her nervously, and she closed the gap between them, cing her pistol against his forehead.

    "Got you."

    He didn¡¯t have a chance to reply before she pulled the trigger, but the cooldown for the force field was over. The ivory light covered his body, and the bullet bounced off of it.

    Sarang also entered the force field and fired an electric arrow at Ki. Sarang¡¯s basic attack didn¡¯t do much damage. When Ki was hit by it, she lost 2 percent of her health. She had Kayn¡¯s buff and 54 percent of her health remained. If things stayed that way, Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t be able to kill her.

    He swung his swords. The Frozen Rune Sword quickly shed her, and Ki lost 5 percent of her health. He continued to attack, and Ki retreated quickly. She couldn¡¯t attack him with the force field around him, so she decided she needed to step back. However, Ki thought wrong.

    In thest battlefield, Ki lost her boot item, and Junhyuk got it from her. Now, he had her boost in movement and he could move faster than her. Ki had been cut by the Frozen Rune Sword, so her speed had decreased. The distance between them was diminishing.

    She realized that retreating wouldn¡¯t be easy, but she couldn¡¯t let herself be attacked for ten seconds, and Junhyuk had the Spatial sh. If it hit, it could be fatal, so her life was definitely in danger.

    Ki clicked her tongue and turned around. Junhyuk shed with his swords, and Ki blocked the strikes with her pistols. Meanwhile, Sarang continued to fire her electric arrow.

    Ki could deal with Junhyuk alone, but she was letting herself be hit by Sarang. She was losing 2 percent of her health at a time, but if that continued, things could turn dangerous.

    Junhyuk was astonished while attacking her. She wasn¡¯t attacking, but defending instead, and she was impressive. Junhyuk¡¯s dual swordsmanship couldn¡¯t hit her once. However, Sarang was slowly picking away at her.

    Sarang was getting used to her electric arrow and started looking for Ki¡¯s weak spots.

    Ki¡¯s health was at 40 percent, and Junhyuk realized he could use the Spatial sh. He needed to time it just right to finish her off, but the force field only had three seconds left.

    Junhyuk swung his swords, and Ki learned something from his attacks. He was about to use the Spatial sh, and the force field had little time left.

    She knew the range of his Spatial sh. It was longer than her own, so she jumped to put some distance between them. She got away from him, but he could still cover the range with the Spatial sh. Then, she put her pistols away and pulled out her rifle, aiming it at him.

    She had jumped away from him, but he could still use the Spatial sh. He dashed forward as the force field disappeared, and Ki smiled and pulled the trigger. Junhyuk gritted his teeth and turned.

    Bang!

    He heard the gunfire and felt like he had lost his shoulder. He avoided a critical hit, but he was extremely damaged. With one bullet, he lost 50 percent of his health. If it had been a critical hit, he would¡¯ve been killed.

    Junhyuk shed with the Frozen Rune Sword, and Ki moved. She thought she could dodge the Spatial shpletely or at least a critical hit. However, he knew what she was thinking, which is why he swung the Frozen Rune Sword first. The Blood Rune Sword had a greater attack.

    He could use the Spatial sh without swinging his sword, so he used it with the Blood Rune Sword, shing her neck.

    "Ugh!"

    As it happened, she lost a lot of her health, and as she lost health, Junhyuk regained some of his. The Blood Rune Sword dealt a lot of damage, and he regained a lot of his.

    Junhyuk saw that Ki has 3 percent of her health left. He had been just short of killing her, and she turned around and closed in on him, brandishing her two pistols. She could kill him that way, but Junhyuk¡¯s teleport was out of cooldown.

    She pulled the trigger, and he teleported. Suddenly, he appeared next to her and started swinging his sword. He could kill her with one hit. Junhyuk¡¯s attack could deal 5 percent of Ki¡¯s health, but she turned toward him and smiled.

    Bang, bang!

    She had ced her two pistols in front of her and fired the shockwaves, her ultimate. Junhyuk bounced away from the shock. He hit a wall, and his health fell to its lowest. Ki walked over and fired her pistols.

    He could die, but he wasn¡¯t worried about it and teleported again. He couldn¡¯t kill Ki at that point and he knew there was nothing else he could do, so he teleported to where Doctor T died and picked up the gloves the doctor dropped. Once he did, Ki shot him.

    His health was gone. The world started disappearing around him, and he saw Sarang.

    "Run!"

    Ki had regained 1 percent of her health, leaving her with 4 percent, and Sarang couldn¡¯t deal with Ki¡¯s attack. Junhyuk had health-boosting items, but she didn¡¯t have any. She wouldn¡¯t survive any of Ki¡¯s attacks. She had to run.

    Suddenly, Sarang fired her electric st. It was still under cooldown, which meant that she had used her item. Ki was paralyzed, and Sarang fired her electric arrows. Ki started disappearing, and Junhyuk watched it all as his vision turned nk.

    The harsh emptiness loomed over him again.

    ---

    "Cough!"

    He gasped for breath and looked around. Junhyuk had revived in the white room, and he touched his forehead. He could feel it over himself every time he died, and he didn¡¯t want to experience it again.

    Junhyuk looked around him and saw the amount he had earned: 102,240G. He thought 30,000G of it belonged to Sarang and inspected his new item, Doctor T¡¯s glove.

    ---

    Precise Mechanical Glove

    Intelligence +100

    Defense +10

    uracy +50

    Doctor T made this. It may be his finest creation. The glove itself has intelligence and has supported the doctor. It increases intelligence by 100, defense by 10 and uracy by 50.

    ---

    Junhyuk smacked his lips. It would be a really good item for Sarang.

    "I should give this to her instead of the 30,000G!"

    Most items were at least 200,000G, and selling them would him 100,000G., but he wouldn¡¯t charge her.

    He summoned the Kasha.

    "Sarang, are you alive?"

    The Kasha¡¯s wings fluttered.

    "I¡¯m going to the Dimensional Merchant."

    Junhyuk smiled.

    "Hide in there. I will be there soon."

    The allies had died as had the enemies. However, their enemies hadn¡¯t picked up any items, so the allies should have the advantage.

    "I¡¯m itching for round two."

 Chapter 174: Two Of Them 1

    Chapter 174: Two Of Them 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    [You died once. You have four revives remaining in this battlefield.]

    "I don¡¯t intend to die any more."

    He had four revives left, but he didn¡¯t want to die. Each time he died, he felt deep psychological pain. He would grow from the pain he felt, but there was no such need.

    [You may exit through the central door.]

    He walked through it and heard a soft voice.

    [Champion Junhyuk Lee deployed.]

    As he walked toward the castle¡¯s gate, he saw the allied heroes. They were gathered there, smiling bitterly as they saw Junhyuk.

    "You were killed as well?"

    "But Sarang is still alive."

    "Yeah?"

    Sarang was still alive, which meant the enemies hadn¡¯t picked up any items. Everyone was d about that.

    "I¡¯m supposed to meet her at the Dimensional Merchant," he said.

    "Good thinking. If she can get there, she¡¯ll be safe."

    They couldn¡¯t fight inside the merchant, so that was the safest ce as long as she didn¡¯t run across any enemies at the entrance.

    Arn looked at the group.

    "What should we do?"

    They had destroyed all of the enemies¡¯ first towers, while their enemies had only destroyed the one in the central path. The allies had the advantage.

    The group was deep in thought when Halo said, "Let¡¯s push center. The enemies will be there as well."

    "What about Sarang?"

    Vera shook her head.

    "We have to move as a group. If we go after Sarang now, everyone has to go, and the enemies will push the second central tower. We will have a team battle first and then look for her."

    I agree, but the allies will need Sarang¡¯s power in the team battle! It won¡¯t be easy without it.

    Vera read his mind and ced a hand on his head.

    "We¡¯ll win. Don¡¯t worry."

    He heard her, puffed out his chest and said, "Let¡¯s go."

    It would be better if the enemies didn¡¯te through the center. The allies would destroy their tower and advance. However, with all the other first towers remaining, they had to go through the middle path. It would be a true team battle to decide who was stronger.

    Arn selected three hundred minions. He wanted to rush the enemy, taking more than half of their total minions. Heading to the central tower, they passed the first destroyed tower and advanced, but the enemies were nowhere to be found.

    Junhyuk frowned, and Arn said, "They must¡¯ve gone somewhere else." He pulled out a saber and added, "OK. Who will get the towers first?"

    Arn ran ahead first. The center road was shorter, so the allies would destroy the second tower and head to the castle first.

    Junhyuk looked at the group and asked, "What about Sarang?"

    Arn took a moment and said, "Can you go alone?"

    "Me, alone?"

    "The enemies have to be gathered as a group. If not, their formation will crumble. So, go alone."

    "Will you be OK without me?"

    Vera put her arm around him.

    "Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll be fine without you."

    The heroes looked at him and told him not to worry, so Junhyuk shrugged and said, "OK. I¡¯ll be safe on my own."

    "Right. Get Sarang and bring her to the central castle wall."

    "OK."

    The heroes moved to the second tower while Junhyuk headed toward the Dimensional Merchant. It was rare for him to be moving by himself. As he walked, he kept a close eye around himself.

    He was a champion, so he was not scared of most monsters. The twin-headed ogre was strong, but he could still kill it. He could use the Spatial sh, and if that didn¡¯t work, he could draw it out.

    As he headed to the Dimensional Battlefield, he killed two monsters on his way. Once there, Junhyuk used the portal to get inside. Outside, a spider kept watch of his movements.

    ---

    Junhyuk saw Sarang inside, and when she saw him, she gave him a big bear hug. Heughed and patted her back.

    "It¡¯s OK. You came here all by yourself."

    Sarang nodded.

    "I was doing some shopping."

    "What do you want?"

    "I was just browsing. I have 40,500G now."

    "That¡¯s a lot!"

    "I think it¡¯s because I¡¯m an expert."

    Junhyuk pulled the Precise Mechanical Glove out.

    "Sarang, I have to give you 30,000G. Can I give this to you instead? It boosts intelligence, and I can¡¯t use it. I don¡¯t want to sell it to Bebe. He would only give me half price."

    Bebe spoke out, "I heard everything!"

    Junhyuk smiled and showed her the Precise Mechanical Glove. Her eyes widened.

    "This is amazing! It adds a hundred to intelligence!"

    Junhyuk looked at Bebe.

    "What is its original price?"

    "It¡¯s 250,000G."

    It was a good idea to pick up items and make exchanges. Junhyuk looked at her, and her eyes beamed while she nodded.

    "Thanks! I¡¯ll use it well!"

    He smiled and asked, "What did Ki drop?"

    Sarang showed him a pauldron, a type of shoulder armor.

    "It increases evasion, defense and focus!"

    "Focus?"

    Junhyuk looked at Bebe, and he added, "Some powers take a long time to cast. If an enemy attacks, you can be disrupted. However, if you have focus, that won¡¯t happen."

    Kis had a lot of power, and among them, her sniping took a long time to prepare. She had to have that item to increase her focus so she wouldn¡¯t be interrupted.

    Junhyuk thought the pauldron would be a good item for Sarang. The enemy heroes had dropped nice items. It was better to use them rather than sell them.

    He could use his powers right away, so he didn¡¯t need focus.

    "You need evasion and defense. Take good care of it."

    "You don¡¯t want me to sell it?"

    "It¡¯ll be better to use the items over selling them."

    Sarang nodded and took the pauldron and the glove.

    "What did you want to buy?" Junhyuk asked her.

    "Bebe told me there were some nice items in the 40,000G range."

    She might get items that increased her magic attack, but good items cost over 80,000G. It would be better to save for now over buy something.

    "The best items are all expensive. Buy one return stone and save your money."

    "A return stone?"

    "How much is a return stone?" Junhyuk asked Bebe.

    "It¡¯s 5,000G."

    "What about the discount?"

    Bebe smiled.

    "Right. You¡¯ll get a discount."

    Junhyuk looked at her.

    "I have a higher discount rate, so I¡¯ll buy it for you."

    Bebe shook his head.

    "You may only carry one return stone. Also, when you own one, it¡¯s assigned to you. You can¡¯t give it away."

    Junhyuk thought Bebe wasn¡¯t easy to deal with, and Sarang stepped forward.

    "I¡¯ll buy it."

    She bought one, and Bebe calmly gave her an exnation.

    "It has been charged three times. When you use it, you are immune for ten seconds."

    "I understand," she said and looked at Junhyuk. "Are you getting anything?"

    Junhyuk pulled the Frozen Rune Sword out and said, "I want to upgrade this."

    Bebe pushed his te.

    "Is this thest upgrade? It¡¯s 40,000G."

    "Do it please."

    The 40,000G was subtracted, he was left with 62,240G. Bebe sprinkled some powder over the Frozen Rune Sword. The powder dropped over it like falling stars, and Bebe hammered it hard.

    Bang!

    A gust of wind wooshed out, and Junhyuk watched the Frozen Rune Sword change. The de was thicker, and it had turned white. Bebe gave him his sword back, and Junhyuk inspected it.

    ---

    Frozen Rune Sword (Rare)

    Attack +140

    Striking the opponent decreases the opponent¡¯s attack and movement speeds by 12%. Stacks three times.

    ---

    He had enhanced Bebe¡¯s Basic Longsword with the ice attribute. It increased the attack power to 140 and, when it struck the opponent, it decreased the opponent¡¯s attack and movement speeds by 12 percent. It was possible to stack the effects three times, but it depended on the opponent¡¯s resistance.

    After upgrading it seven times, it had be a rare item. Further upgrades were possible with the use of upgrade stones.

    Junhyuk wanted to upgrade his armor. Bebe¡¯s ck Armor could be upgraded, which would increase its attack speed buff.

    He made Sarang turn around and told Bebe, "Upgrade my armor."

    "Right."

    "The first is 10,000G; the second is 20,000G; and the third is 30,000G, correct?" Junhyuk asked calmly.

    "Correct."

    "Do it three times."

    He really wanted tomit, and Bebe pushed the te forward. The 60,000G was subtracted, leaving him with 2,240G.

    Bebe sprinkles the powder three times, hammered it and smiled.

    "It worked out well. Look."

    Junhyuk could see the ck armor was a little more polished.

    ---

    Bebe¡¯s ck Armor (+3)

    Defense +95

    Magic Defense +95

    Attack Speed +11%

    Among basic suits of armor, this one increases the wearer¡¯s attack speed. After the third upgrade, its defense and magic defense increased to ny-five, and the wearer¡¯s attack speed increases by 11 percent.

    ---

    Junhyuk was satisfied with the stats.

    "Defense has increased."

    "Thanks to the upgrade."

    Bebe ced the helmet on him, and as he put it on, he thought of something else.

    "Is there an item that changes the way people see my face?"

    "A transformation item?"

    "Just for the face?"

    "You mean a mask," Bebe said with eyes slightly widened. "What do you want it for?"

    "How much is a mask?"

    "It depends. A single-face mask is 2,000G, but a multi-face mask costs around 10,000G."

    Junhyuk was relieved.

    "Just give me a single-face mask."

    Bebe pulled out a thin sheet of vinyl and asked, "Do you want any particr shape?"

    "Just something different from my face now," he answered.

    "I¡¯ll give you a sharp, angr shape."

    Bebe put the mask on himself, and he looked mean. He had small lips and sharp eyes. People would avoid someone like him.

    He pulled the mask off, and Junhyuk put his hand over the te and asked, "Discount?"

    "Yes. Give me 1,800G."

    He had 2,240G, but after the purchase, only 440G remained. However, he had gotten something important.

    "Can someone tell I¡¯m wearing the mask through scientific methods?" he asked.

    Bebe shook his head.

    "No one can tell you are wearing a mask, but someone might measure your proportions and figure out who you are."

    Junhyuk was curious if anyone was willing to do that. Then, he put the mask in the Spatial Bag and smiled.

    "I can buy anything here."

    "Sure. As long as you have money."

    Junhyuk nodded and looked at Sarang.

    "Let¡¯s go to the castle¡¯s central wall. We should help."

    "OK."

    He walked out of the portal with her and heard something approaching them from behind. He frowned as soon as he saw them. Doctor T and Adolphe were staring back at them.

 Chapter 175: Two Of Them 2

    Chapter 175: Two Of Them 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Doctor T was smiling at Junhyuk.

    "You aren¡¯t scary at all."

    Junhyuk stood in front of Sarang, and the doctor shook his head.

    "I came back here to kill you. I can¡¯t let you get away."

    Junhyuk measured the distance between them: twenty meters. Both Adolphe and Doctor T could attack from that range, so he and Sarang stepped back. Doctor T, still smiling, approached slowly.

    "Don¡¯t think about running away. I won¡¯t let you get away."

    Junhyuk thought for a moment. He could use the Spatial sh and take 40 percent of the doctor¡¯s health. After that, he had to take another 20 percent of Doctor T¡¯s health within thirty seconds, but the doctor¡¯s attack stat was really high. Fighting for thirty seconds wouldn¡¯t be easy.

    "What are you going to do?" Sarang whispered in his ear.

    "I¡¯m thinking."

    If there were two heroes, he would run without even thinking about it. However, their enemies weren¡¯t that strong. Of course, Doctor T and Adolphe wouldn¡¯t be easy either. The doctor had incredible attack, and Adolphe had a lot of health. Adolphe was also just a champion and wouldn¡¯t drop an item if he died. He needed to be killed five times, but Adolphe wouldn¡¯t leave the castle after dying four times.

    Junhyuk looked at the doctor and said, "We kill Doctor T first."

    "Is that possible?"

    "What¡¯s the range of the electric arrow?"

    "About twenty-five meters."

    "OK. Let¡¯s do it."

    He swung the Frozen Rune Sword, and Doctor T dodged. Then, Junhyuk stepped back while using the Spatial sh with the Blood Rune Sword.

    "Ugh!"

    The Spatial sh took 40 percent of the doctor¡¯s health, and the shockwave swept through Adolphe. When they were both pushed back, Junhyuk grabbed Sarang¡¯s hand and started to run.

    Sarang created and threw an electric arrow. It hit Doctor T. The arrow¡¯s damage had increased. On Ki, Sarang had only been able to deal 2 percent damage at a time, but she dealt 4 percent damage to the doctor.

    Junhyuk realized he could kill the doctor. If he killed Doctor T, Adolphe could be ignored. Adolphe was dangerous, but he would have the force field to deal with.

    Doctor T boosted his speed as Junhyuk ran away. His speed with the use of his eight legs was incredible. Junhyuk had movement speed buffs, but he couldn¡¯t get away from the doctor. The distance between them was about twenty-two meters.

    He was out of Doctor T¡¯s attack range. His hairs stood up while trying to maintain the distance. At any moment, Doctor T could use the spider web on him. Junhyuk had the force field, but he wanted to save it forter.

    Adolphe was chasing after them, but he was slower than the doctor and wasgging behind. Junhyuk felt better as the distance from Adolphe increased. Sarang could attack while running, so she hit the doctor again. Junhyuk wanted to get a bit farther away.

    He wanted to use the Frozen Rune Sword to decrease the doctor¡¯s speed, but he also just wanted to keep running away, thinking he would be able to kill the doctor. However, there was another variable.

    A three-headed wolf walked out of the forest, and it was as strong as the twin-headed ogre. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t stop. It would be the worst oue if he did, so he dashed toward the three-headed wolf, and the wolf opened its maw wide.

    The wolf spewed fireballs. That¡¯s why it was dangerous. Junhyuk ran as close as possible to the fireball and teleported. With that one teleport, he passed by the fireball, and it hit Doctor T and Adolphe.

    If Adolphe had enough time, he could kill a twin-headed ogre on his own. He was better equipped than Junhyuk, but they were chasing after people at that moment. The fireball covered him, and Doctor T took to the trees, hopping from branch to branch.

    The wolf looked at Doctor T, and Adolphe rushed toward it, shing the wolf. The wolf got paralyzed, and Doctor T dropped on it, crushing the wolf.

    Craaack!

    One of the wolf¡¯s head crumbled, and Doctor T used the methrower. He wanted to kill Junhyuk, but he needed to deal with the wolf first. The mes roasted another of the wolf¡¯s head while Adolphe beheaded thest.

    Junhyuk had gotten far away, and another electric arrow zoomed in.

    Pzzzzt!

    Doctor T raised one leg to block the arrow, but it still damaged him because of its attribute. It dealt 2 percent damage, and Doctor T started running madly. Adolphe ran after him.

    Junhyuk had gained some distance, but looking at the electric arrow, he had only gained three meters, and Doctor T realized Junhyuk was trying to kill him, so it would be moreplicated toe up with a chance.

    Doctor T extended his hand toward Junhyuk. A small spider flew toward him, travelling faster than an arrow, and Junhyuk swung his sword instinctively.

    ng!

    The spider bounced off, and Doctor T gained five meters. Heunched the spider web, and Junhyuk teleported. It was hisst teleport, but he had to use it at that point. The force field was ast resort.

    He kept running with Sarang. Without her, he couldn¡¯t kill Doctor T. They were about twenty-five meters away, but they could lose the five meters at any moment.

    He checked on the doctor¡¯s health. There was exactly half of it left, so Junhyuk made up his mind.

    "Kill Doctor T."

    "Is that possible?"

    "I can use the Spatial sh."

    They had run for thirty seconds, so now was their chance. He could take care of the other 10 percent, but if he used the force field, the doctor would run away. He had to get close to Doctor T, so he measured the distance between them.

    "I¡¯ll go at it alone."

    "Will you be OK?"

    "I will. Use Heal on me."

    Sarang nodded, and Junhyuk used Spatial sh without thinking too much.

    "Argh!"

    The doctor learned again how dangerous the Spatial sh was, and Junhyuk could use it just by looking at his target. It didn¡¯t take any significant motion.

    Doctor T lost 40 percent of his health, leaving him with 10 percent, and Junhyuk jumped. As he did, Doctor T fired the small missile.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk blocked it with his sword, but was still pushed back by the shock. It was only a single missile, but it was effective. He lost 45 percent of his health, putting him closer to death.

    The small missile dealt physical and fire damage at the same time. It was unlike Ki¡¯s sniping. Junhyuk¡¯s defense was higher than his magic defense, so it decreased Ki¡¯s sniping damage.

    He hit the ground and light green powder fell over him, regenerating 45 percent of his health. It was Sarang¡¯s healing power, and Junhyuk walked toward the doctor. He only had 10 percent of his health, and Junhyuk felt he could kill him.

    As he got closer, Adolphe dashed toward him swinging the saw-de sword. Junhyuk crouched and shed with the Frozen Rune Sword, cutting Adolphe¡¯s ribs. Adolphe swung again, but Junhyuk disengaged and swung his sword at Doctor T. The doctor used two of his legs to block.

    Junhyuk had learned something from the fight. Heroes could easily handle Junhyuk¡¯s swordsmanship at close range. His swords wouldn¡¯t work against the doctor, and he would die if he remained in that ce.

    An electric arrow hit Doctor T again, and he lost 4 percent of his health, leaving him with 6 percent. Junhyuk had to dodge Adolphe again, but that¡¯s when Doctor T fired the methrower.

    Then, an electric st hit him, and Doctor T was paralyzed and started disappearing. Sarang had improved her electric st, so she dealt thest hit on thest 6 percent of the doctor¡¯s health.

    Junhyuk watched him disappear and turned to face Adolphe.

    Adolphe had lost 40 percent from the shockwave and another 7 percent from Junhyuk¡¯s and Sarang¡¯s most recent attack. He had 53 percent remaining, and it was imperative to down his health quickly.

    Junhyuk swung fast. Within two seconds, he had shed Adolphe three times, taking 46 percent of his health. Adolphe was left with 7 percent of his health, but he started moving again. So, he swung the saw-de sword, pushing Junhyuk away.

    Adolphe sank his sword in the ground, and two blue beams of energy wrapped around Junhyuk and Sarang. He stepped back, igniting the ten-meter-long blue sword energy, and Junhyuk smiled at him.

    "You lost."

    Junhyukunched the force field. The ivory light surrounded him and Sarang, and Junhyuk dashed forward and stabbed Adolphe in the chest.

    Adolphe knew no attacks would work against him now, but he could still block. However, while he was fighting Junhyuk, another electric arrow hit him. It took 5 percent of his health and left him paralyzed, and Junhyuk swung his swords.

    Adolphe¡¯s mouth hung open, and he disappeared. Junhyuk was extremely relieved. He had barely survived.

 Chapter 176: Win Or Lose 1

    Chapter 176: Win Or Lose 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Doctor T dropped an earring, and Sarang picked it up and looked at Junhyuk.

    "You did well. If he had hit me with the methrower, I would¡¯ve been killed."

    The methrower didn¡¯t kill in one hit, but it dealt damage over time. He couldn¡¯t have teleported, and if he had been hit by the mes, and if Adolphe had attacked him, things would¡¯ve turned dangerous.

    He could have used the force field, but he still wouldn¡¯t be able to kill the enemies.

    Sarang bit her tongue softly.

    "Sorry."

    Junhyukughed and said, "It¡¯s OK. What have you got there?"

    Her eyes widened after inspecting the item, and she looked at Junhyuk. She let him check the item out. He looked at its attributes and thought Sarang had done the right by picking it up. Junhyuk would have thought about its original price and of selling it.

    ---

    Ste Earring

    Intelligence +20

    Attack Speed +5%

    This earring is made out of a star¡¯s energy, and it increases intelligence by 20 and attack speed by 5 percent.

    ---

    It would be at least a 100,000G item, but Junhyuk felt Sarang could put it to use over selling it. Items with intelligence should go to her to make her more effective.

    "Can I give you some money?"

    Junhyuk pushed her helmet down hard.

    "If you pick up a Pure Golden Knight set item, give it to me."

    "OK."

    He knew how powerful set items were. If he collected all of the Pure Golden Knight set, he would be much more powerful.

    He grabbed her hand.

    "Let¡¯s go to the castle wall."

    "Wait," Sarang said smiling. "I need to engrave my equipment."

    They weren¡¯t far from the Dimensional Merchant, so she should engrave her items.

    "Right. Let¡¯s do that first."

    They headed toward the Dimensional Merchant, and Sarang got aplex engraving from Bebe. She also got a mask. It was possible that someone would find out about her at any moment, so she got the mask, and Junhyuk agreed.

    ---

    The enemies were standing in front of the castle walls, and Arn said, "They are attempting to grow some brain cells."

    All of them were out in front of the wall, even Adolphe, and Vera looked at them and said, "They went beyond our expectations."

    The enemies hadn¡¯t gone center. Instead, they had attacked top and bottom at the same time and destroyed the second towers of each path and returned. They had given up on the second tower in the center, which is why they took top and bottom. If they could win the team battle in the castle wall, they would have the advantage.

    "Did they attack Junhyuk?"

    "Doctor T and Adolphe did, and both died."

    "Then, they must¡¯ve reincarnated."

    Everyone nodded, and Arn smacked his lips and asked, "Why are they sote?"

    To fight all out, the allies also needed their full strength. Without it, they wouldn¡¯t be able to kill the enemies, especially with the castle wall behind them.

    Halo turned to look and smiled.

    "Here theye."

    The heroes turned and saw Junhyuk and Sarang heading their way. They waited for them to arrive and said, "You two did well."

    "We were lucky," Junhyuk answered smiling.

    He had been lucky to kill both Adolphe and Doctor T. He had waited calmly for the Spatial sh¡¯s cooldown so he could kill them both.

    Junhyuk looked at the enemies and smacked his lips. There was a lot of killing intent emanating off of them, and it made his skin crawl. After he became a champion, Junhyuk could feel the enemie¡¯s aura more urately. In that ce, the heroes¡¯ powers were restrained, and he wondered how powerful they would be in their own dimensions or in South Korea.

    Junhyuk pulled himself together at the sound of Arn¡¯s voice.

    "They are all there, and we have to get inside. The enemies have put everything into this team battle."

    If either side had a member missing, they would¡¯ve lost the team battle. Both sides wanted to win, and Junhyuk could feel their resolve.

    Arn looked back.

    "Then, let¡¯s go in!"

    Even if the allies waited, the enemies wouldn¡¯te out, so they had to make the first move. Arn pulled out a small marble and shouted, "Attack!"

    The minions went berserk and rushed forward. They had their shields up, and the heroes ran after them. Arn and Halo were leading the heroes.

    The allies could cover a long distance in a short period, so they ran hunched over, advancing while dodging Ki¡¯s shots.

    The enemies also moved. Jean Clo stepped forward, and Bater bumped his huge mechanicals fists against each other and moved forward slowly. Ki got in position.

    Bang!

    Ki fired, and Arn was hit on the shoulder and started bleeding. He already knew he had to tank at least one shot and sped up. Jean Clo rushed toward him, and he thought it wouldn¡¯t be good to get grabbed. Jean Clo closed in, and Arn jumped. Jean Clo tried to grab him, but only caught air, and Arnnded among the enemies¡¯ second line of defense.

    Regina and Doctor T were stationed at the second line, and Regina blocked Arn¡¯snding with her cuss. His jumped damaged her, but she prevented him from advancing farther. Doctor T fired the spider web at him, and while Arn was tied up, the enemies concentrated their attacks on him.

    Junhyuk had been watching and used the Spatial sh. Arn had told to him to use it as the first hit, and Junhyuk shed Ki¡¯s neck. She lost 40 percent of her health, and the shockwave swept through Adolphe, who had been protecting Ki, and he lost 20 percent of his health.

    Ki fired her pistols at Arn, who was still tied up.

    Bang, bang, bang, bang!

    Her pistols, Doctor T¡¯s methrower and Regina¡¯s pistol took half of Arn¡¯s health. The enemies wanted to kill him first, and Junhyuk frowned. He could use the force field on Arn now, but it wouldn¡¯tst long. As Junhyuk was thinking, Vera shouted, "Put the force field on Arn!"

    He stopped hesitating andunched it, and the ivory light covered Arn¡¯s body and blocked everything. Arn took an offensive stance. He wanted to use his saber¡¯s quickdraw. While he prepared his ultimate, Vera touched Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder and shouted, "Junhyuk! Go to Arn!"

    Everyone touched him, and Junhyuk teleported. He appeared next to Bater and outside of the force field, so he had to teleport again. After the second teleport, Junhyuk stood next to Arn. Sarang use Heal on Arn, and he drew his saber, shing the space ahead of him.

    He aimed for Regina, and she was hit by the ultimate, quickly losing a lot of health. Regina was bnced-type hero, and she had some defense and health, but Arn¡¯s ultimate took 50 percent of her health.

    His ultimate took a long time tounch, but it was very powerful because of it. Regina was difficult to deal with, so Arn attacked her. After that, everyone focused on her. Diane loosened her arrows, and Vera touched her earring and cast her magic. The fire spear and fire orb created a series of explosions, and Regina disappeared. Diane¡¯s arrows were much stronger than before, so when Vera¡¯s magic hit Regina, she lost the rest of her health. Arn had used his ultimate, but the concentrated attacks had killed her.

    Junhyuk turned to look at Halo, and he left the force field, attacking with his lightning sh attack. His sword moved like lightning as he shed Ki in the ribs, but she continued to fire at him.

    Bang!

    Ki lost a lot of health and used her ultimate. If one kept saving their powers for too long, they would be wasted. Ki wasn¡¯t saving it. The shockwave pushed Halo back into the force field.

    "What are you going to do?"

    Arn wasn¡¯t worried.

    "Kill Ki."

    She had 40 percent of her health left, and Arn threw his saber while Veraunched a firewall. Huge mes came from the ground and engulfed Ki. The saber hit her, and Ki started losing health quickly. She tried to escape by jumping, but Diane shot at her. Ten arrows zoomed through the air, and the arrowheads hit Ki. She dropped to the ground and disappeared.

    Arn jumped.

    "Doctor T!"

    Their target was dead, so the important thing was to find the next one, and that was Arn¡¯s role. When he jumped, the force field disappeared.

    Doctor T blocked with two legs, and Arn positioned himself and used the seven-shbo. Jean Clo and Bater rushed in, and Nudra covered himself in the Rising Dragon and generated a strong gust that stopped their rush.

    Both bounced back, and Junhyuk became very nervous. If either of them came after him, he had no powers left and wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with it.

    Doctor T felt pressured and fired the small missiles. The five allied heroes were focusing their attacks on him, and the doctor would die. The enemies were divided between the front and the back. Doctor T¡¯s side had archers and Adolphe.

    Once the small missile hit Arn, Adolphe wielded his saw-de sword. Rushing and shing, he took 30 percent of Arn¡¯s health.

    Junhyuk wanted to go help Arn, but Sarang grabbed him by the waist and pulled him down. Both of them rolled on the ground as two mechanical fists flew by.

    Boom!

    They couldn¡¯t do anything, and Arn disappeared. Bater had used his ultimate to kill Arn, and Adolphe sunk his sword into ground, and two blue energy beams shot out and tied Vera and Diane up.

    They were in the back of the allied group, Jean Clo and Bater run toward them. Nudra had already stopped their rush, but he couldn¡¯t deal with the two alone. They needed Halo.

    Junhyuk ran toward Doctor T and Adolphe and shouted, "Stop Bater!"

    Halo passed by him, running toward Bater. Nudra was trying to block Jean Clo¡¯s path, and Junhyuk blocked Doctor T with his swords.

    "You may not advance."

 Chapter 177: Win Or Lose 2

    Chapter 177: Win Or Lose 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk could courageously block Doctor T because he knew the doctor had used all of his powers. He had also used all of his powers, but he could still stand in the doctor¡¯s way. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t damage heroes with normal strikes, but the enemy heroes also couldn¡¯t hit him with normal strikes. His swordsmanship had improved that much.

    He blocked both of Doctor T¡¯s legs with his sword and tried to counterattack, but both sides needed to wait until their powers returned. Doctor T blocked Junhyuk, but he still received fixed damage, and since Junhyuk had used the Spatial sh early, he would be able to use it again soon.

    Junhyuk had blocked the doctor again when Adolphe lifted his saw-de sword, and the ten-meter blue energy surged out of it. Two heroes were tied up behind Junhyuk, and Adolphe was targeting them. Junhyuk was fighting Doctor T and frowned because he couldn¡¯t do anything.

    Sarang shot her electric st.

    Adolphe and Doctor T were paralyzed.

    Junhyuk slid between the doctor¡¯s legs and swung his swords. Both the Blood Rune Sword and the Frozen Rune Sword shed the mechanical spider parts continually, and the shockwaves swept through Adolphe, damaging him.

    Suddenly, he heard Vera¡¯s voice.

    "Move!"

    Junhyuk hopped to the side, and the fire spear zoomed by, striking Doctor T¡¯s head. Adolphe¡¯s restraining power only prevented movement, so Vera could still use her powers. Ensnared heroes that had long range attacks could still use their powers while tied up.

    Doctor T was hit by the fire spear and pushed back, hitting a fire orb, causing a series of explosions. Doctor T had been hit by Arn¡¯s seven-shbo and the explosions, and that left him with 40 percent of his health.

    Then, an arrow with two energies hit the doctor.

    Boom!

    After the explosive arrow hit him, he only had 15 percent of his health remaining. The Spatial sh could kill him, but Junhyuk still had to wait for the cooldown to end.

    Doctor T, who had been under attack, was now free to move. He used the methrower, and the long mes spewed out. Junhyuk quickly ran to the side, but the mes burned his shoulder. That¡¯s when he knew the cooldown was over.

    Junhyuk used the Spatial sh, and Doctor T¡¯s mouth hung wide. The Blood Rune Sword¡¯s Spatial sh made Doctor T disappear, and its shockwave swept through Adolphe. Junhyuk felt himself regaining his health and ran toward Adolphe.

    Thuck, thuck!

    He wanted to kill Adolphe, but two arrows hit him, one on the shoulder and the other on the ribs. So far, Doctor T had had his back to the archers. Now, he was dead, and Junhyuk was their target.

    Junhyuk writhed in pain and rolled on the ground. He picked up the white gown dropped by the doctor and put it in his Spatial Bag. When he got up, Adolphe was already there, swinging the saw-de sword down on him.

    Adolphe was debuffed, and his attack speed was slow. Vera shot a fire arrow, and Diane fired her arrows at him. Both were saving their powers against Adolphe, and normal attacks would still deal heavy damage to him. Sarang was also helping out, and Adolphe disappeared.

    Two more arrows hit Junhyuk, and he lost half of his health.

    Adolphe was dead, and Junhyuk tried to get out of the archers¡¯ range. Jean Clo and Bater were fighting. If Junhyuk got to them, he would be clear of the archers.

    Jean Clo had done a giant swing on Nudra, and Nudra rolled on the ground, got up and ran. Junhyuk analyzed the situation. Jean Clo and Bater were fighting Nudra and Halo head on. Jean Clo had about 72 percent of his health while Bater had 65 percent.

    Bater had been injured by Halo¡¯s attacks, which created wounds that didn¡¯t heal easily and kept bleeding.

    Bater was covered in blood, and Junhyuk shouted, "Bater¡¯s health is lower!"

    Arn was dead, so they needed someone to assign the next victim. A firewall rose from underneath Bater¡¯s feet. The huge mes engulfed Bater, and Diane shot at him as well. Bater¡¯s health dropped below the halfpoint. Halo had been waiting and swung his sword down on him, and Bater countered Halo with a one-twobo, pushing him back before he had a chance to swing his sword.

    "Let¡¯s go to the wall!" Bater shouted.

    Only he and Jean Clo remained. They needed the archers¡¯ help, and the allies had to prevent them from getting to the wall.

    Jean Clo tried to grab Nudra, but he jumped way high and dropped down on Bater¡¯s head.

    Boom!

    He kicked Bater¡¯s head multiple times, and Bater¡¯s body went in the ground up to his knee. Nudra¡¯s Dragon Kick was his ultimate, and Bater was left with 10 percent of his health. He had a lot of defense and health, but there was little he could do at that point.

    Halo appeared in front of Bater and swung his sword down. The sword cut down vertically, and Halo jumped and shed again. After that, Bater disappeared. They had focused their powers to kill him.

    Halo startednding, and Jean Clo used the momentum rued from running and shoulder-checked him. It wasn¡¯t a power, but the shock was intense, and Halo never actually hit the ground. Jean Clo pushed him away and ran. The allies had to stop him.

    Nudra boosted his movement and blocked Jean Clo¡¯s path, but he grabbed Nudra by the neck and lifted him up.

    Jean Clo got hit by Vera¡¯s and Diane¡¯s attacks, but he didn¡¯t care and chokemmed Nudra. Junhyuk clicked his tongue and dashed toward Jean Clo. His steel jaw opened, and heughed aloud.

    "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

    Jean Clo rushed toward Junhyuk. He had already used the giant swing, but he still had the screw piledriver. To use that, he had to jump from the ce where he stood. Junhyuk wanted to buy more time, so he also ran toward Jean Clo. Jean Clo blocked the Frozen Rune Sword with his elbow, grabbed Junhyuk and jumped.

    Junhyuk started falling upside down, but his heart felt weird, and he teleported. Jean Clonded, but Junhyuk was far away. Nudra front-kicked him, and Jean Clo was unable to get to the castle¡¯s wall and bounced back. He left a long trail on the ground before opening his arms and running again.

    When Jean Clo was pushed back, Halo started using Rain from Above. As Jean Clo started running to the wall again, Rain from Above dropped on him like a sh of lightning. Jean Clo used his ultimate, and three blue energy rings surrounded his body. Rain from Above took one of the rings out.

    Jean Clo¡¯s ultimate had blocked Rain from Above, and Vera and Diane attacked him. Their goal was to destroy the rest of the blue rings. Sarang moved her hands toward him and said, "Suppress!"

    The blood-colored energy surrounded him, and thorns burst out of it, piercing Jean Clo. He red at Sarang and ran forward. They couldn¡¯t allow him to get to the castle.

    Halo stood in front of him. Without Arn, Halo was the right person to fight Jean Clo. He sliced through Jean Clo¡¯s leg and stepped aside while Nudra dashed over. Jean Clo was like a tank, but he couldn¡¯t get by two heroes. He grabbed Nudra¡¯s fist, and hit Nudra¡¯s neck with his elbow. Nudra spin-kicked the back of Jean Clo¡¯s head.

    Jean Clo staggered, and Diane¡¯s multi-shot hit him. Veraunched a fire spear at him as well, and a fire orb exploded against his back. Jean Clo gritted his teeth. Junhyuk¡¯s cooldown was over, and he used the Spatial sh. He didn¡¯t want to be med for stealing a kill.

    After Junhyuk used the Spatial sh, Jean Clo¡¯s health hit 8 percent. The heroes attacked him simultaneously. Halo¡¯s sword pierced his stomach, and Nudra kneed his chin. Both Diane¡¯s arrow and Vera¡¯s fire arrow hit his neck.

    "Argh!"

    Jean Clo stared intensely at Vera and disappeared. Everyone attacked at the same time, but Veraughed aloud and walked over.

    "I killed him."

    Diane smacked her lips and said, "Pick it up. It¡¯s time to finish this."

    The minions attacked the riflemen and less than a hundred survived. Junhyuk ran and shouted, "I will take care of the minions."

    He could generate shockwaves that swept through the surrounding area. He was so powerful that he was better than the heroes at massacring minions. The shockwaves had a radius of ten meters and cleaned up all of the minions. Vera and Diane took care of the archers.

    The gate remained, and Junhyuk destroyed it and went inside.

    Once they saw the golems, Vera said, "I will cast Meteor Shower, and we¡¯ll start."

    "OK."

    The enemy heroes hadn¡¯t revived, so the minions drew the golems¡¯ attentions while Vera cast her meteors. She could inflict a lot more damage, and the golems were seriously injured. They went after her, and Nudra and Halo each took a golem. Diane shot her arrows.

    They were dealing with the golems very quickly. Each of the heroes had a new item, and it made a difference.

    Junhyuk also didn¡¯t waste time. He used Spatial sh against a golem, and the golem crumbled soon after.

    Sarang used Heal on Junhyuk twice, and the other golem died within five minutes. The group quickly moved to pound the castle¡¯s force field. It was breaking apart when the first revived hero apparead.

    Regina appeared inside the force field, but she saw that both golems had already been destroyed. She didn¡¯t leave the force field, and the group destroyed the castle. It crumbled, and Junhyuk gathered his breath.

    "We have a lot more power, and it¡¯s serving us well."

    Vera smiled.

    "Right. Those enemies will be gone with the next round." Junhyuk turned, and Vera put her arm around him and whispered, "One more round and we advance. We¡¯ll keep putting our trust in you for next round."

    "Already?"

    "We are winning," she said and kissed his cheek. "Where did we find you?"

    Sarang stared hard at them, and the world disappeared around the group.

 Chapter 178: House Warming Party 1

    Chapter 178: House Warming Party 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk returned to his room and sighed deeply. He had survived that time as well, so he opened the Spatial Bag and pulled out a whiteb coat.

    ---

    Crazy Doctor¡¯s Coat

    Defense +20

    Evasion +4%

    It can be used in the ce of a cloak. It increases defense and evasion. When wearing the coat, people will think you are smart.

    ---

    The stats were better than what he normally used, but the coat didn¡¯t have the absolute evasion skill like the Dark Night Cloak. However, the basic stats were superior, and Junhyuk felt it would be better to change.

    He put the Crazy Doctor¡¯s Coat on andughed.

    "I¡¯ll wear this and maybe I¡¯ll sell the Dark Night Cloak."

    His burner phone rang, and he picked it up, hearing Sarang¡¯s cheery voice.

    "Big brother! Don¡¯t forget about tomorrow!"

    "I won¡¯t! I¡¯ll transform and meet you."

    "OK. See you tomorrow."

    Junhyuk hung up the phone and took the coat off, cing it back inside the Spatial Bag. He put the mask on. It covered his entire face, and after putting it on, his face looked cool and sharp. The eyes were narrower, and his lips were thinner. His eyes had a deep, dangerous glint to them. He sharpened his stare and was surprised. He had killed numerous minions and opponents and emanated the killer intent he had rued through his eyes. Even a serial killer would be scared of that glint in his eyes.

    Junhyuk thought no one would bother him in a busy street and took off the mask. He looked at his face andughed.

    "A totally different person."

    He stretched a bit and summoned his swords. They had evolved. At that point, he couldn¡¯t get through the heroes¡¯ defenses with regr attacks, but when he became more skilled, he would be able to hit them.

    Junhyuk teleported to the basement and practiced his dual swordsmanship. Previously, he imagined random opponents, but now, he thought of the opponents he had faced, and his training was much more effective.

    ---

    Five monitors came on, and Doyeol frowned and asked, "What¡¯s the situation?"

    Elise was on one of them and exined, "There are 232 survivors, and we¡¯ve located all of them. However, those are just the survivors who reported returning alive on the inte. We can¡¯t be sure of the number if some of them haven¡¯t gone online."

    Everyone frowned, and Mr. Rockefeller said, "They may stay offline, but we¡¯ll find them. Tap on all phone conversations."

    Elise frowned and said, "Zaira doesn¡¯t have the ability to do all of these things. She can¡¯t listen to all phone conversations."

    "Don¡¯t worry about that. We don¡¯t have the same capability as Zaira, but we have ways to listen in. We just need to listen for conversations about the Dimensional Battlefield. It won¡¯t be difficult," Charles saidughing.

    Doyeol sighed and asked, "Do you know what happened?"

    "ording to our investigations, they were summoned to the Dimensional Battlefield, but they refused to follow the heroes from the castle and survived. None of them knows what is outside of the castle," the old man said.

    "Simply because a hero changed his mind?" Doyeol asked.

    "We don¡¯t know that yet. They don¡¯t know much more, but we should protect each of them."

    He said protect them, but Doyeol knew he meant detain them.

    "I¡¯ll pay close attention to the situation as it develops," Doyeol said.

    The screens turned off one by one, and Doyeol leaned back on his chair with a frown. They were all trying to hide the Dimensional Battlefield. Meanwhile, hundreds hade back alive. They¡¯d written about it on the inte, but Zaira was able to erase it all. If she hadn¡¯t, the Dimensional Battlefield would get out to the public. The survival rate was so low over there, this was the first time that many people came back alive.

    "What is going on at the Dimensional Battlefield?"

    ---

    Saturday morning.

    Before going out, Junhyuk looked at himself. He couldn¡¯t wear the mask then, so he put it in the Spatial Bag.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t take his car. He wanted to use public transportation to mix with other people and, if something happened, he¡¯d pull himself out the situation. When he walked out of the gate, his neighbor¡¯s gate opened, and Jeffrey stepped out. Junhyuk shook his head.

    "How did you know?"

    "I saw you walking in the garden."

    "You can see my garden?"

    Jeffrey nodded.

    "As you can see, my house has three floors, and I have great vision."

    Novices were superior to ordinary people, and Junhyuk smiled bitterly.

    "What is it? You are waiting for me early in the morning?"

    "You went to the Dimensional Battlefield at ten o¡¯clockst night, correct?"

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t answer, and Jeffrey continued, "I must be right."

    Junhyuk touched his shoulder and looked at him icely, "Maybe you know too much?"

    "I just guessed," Jeffrey said and smiled. "Last night, there were over a hundred surviving abnormal narcolepsy patients who went at ten and returned at eleven. Do you know what happened?"

    Junhyuk thought about what had happened on the battlefield. At the beginning, the heroes hadn¡¯t taken any minions. They went to Bebe¡¯s and went to the Dragon¡¯s Valley. Near the end, the heroes only took half of the minions to push the central tower and the castle wall. The other half of the minions must¡¯ve survived. They stayed safe inside the castle.

    "What happened to them?"

    "They are arresting all of them."

    "How did they find them?"

    Jeffrey showing him his smartphone and said, "The inte is being monitored. If someone writes about the Dimensional Battlefield, they erase it and deploy an arrest team."

    "Zaira?"

    Jeffrey nodded.

    "If you put something on the inte, they¡¯ll be watching."

    "Sure. What about the people they arrested? What are they going to do with them?"

    "I don¡¯t know that much. They want them to stop spreading the news about the Dimensional Battlefield. That¡¯s all I know."

    Junhyuk realized Jeffrey had some skills of his own. Doyeol didn¡¯t tell him everything, and Jeffrey had found that information by himself.

    "Are you going to work?"

    "Yes, even on weekends. I need to demand that they increase my sry."

    Junhyuk smiled and waved at him.

    "If you find out where they are holding those people, let me know."

    "Are you going to rescue them?"

    "I don¡¯t know, but if I know where they are, I might."

    Jeffrey shrugged.

    "I¡¯ll look into it, but don¡¯t expect too much. I don¡¯t want to be Doyeol¡¯s enemy."

    "I know."

    Junhyuk hailed a cab. He had to meet Sarang that day. The cab took him to Ilsan, and he got on the subway and headed to the meeting spot. Junhyuk got off at Euljiro-1 station and went into the restroom.

    He put on his mask and opened the Spatial Bag, changing clothes with the ones he had left in there, and teleported to somewhere else. The distance of his teleportation had increased. Every time he died, his soul grew, and his soul¡¯s growth helped boost his powers. Junhyuk could teleport through a distance of sixty meters, and he started thinking of other ways to move around the city.

    He had transformed, and people wouldn¡¯t recognize him. Junhyuk got on the subway again and headed toward Jonggak station.

    He had a sharp face, and people avoided him. He got off at Jonggak and headed to a pizzeria. Sarang wanted pizza for brunch, and Junhyuk waited outside the restaurant. Many people passed him by, and a woman walked over to him. She had long hair and sses, and he thought she seemed arrogant. He thought of Eunseo.

    When she came up next to him, she said, "Do you have the time?"

    "Don¡¯t joke around."

    The woman stared at him, and he whispered in her ear, "Your health and mana are superior to everyone else¡¯s."

    "Hmm... Doctor T¡¯s sses."

    Junhyuk pushed her head down.

    "Let¡¯s eat brunch."

    They took their seats inside the pizzeria and ordered. He looked at her. She looked mature, but he told himself again that she was still in high school. Then, he looked at her and thought of what Jeffrey had told him.

    "The minions that were with us, half of them stayed in the castle and returned alive."

    "Really? Howe no one knows about it?"

    Junhyuk looked around and whispered, "They are getting arrested. If I find out where they are, I¡¯ll rescue them."

    "Wouldn¡¯t it be dangerous?"

    "I¡¯ll take my equipment, and it¡¯ll be OK."

    While geared up, Junhyuk¡¯s defenses were superior even to an iron soldier¡¯s. He had gotten stronger with all the gold he had spent. Nothing could hurt him on Earth. If there was something that could, it wouldn¡¯t be a weapon. His attack was beyond anything they had on Earth, so he wasn¡¯t worried.

    "Can Ie with you?" she asked him.

    "No," he answered curtly and changed the subject. "How are your powers?"

    "Not good."

    "Dying improves your power."

    "Are you telling me to die once?"

    Junhyuk smiled. If Sarang died once, her soul would grow, but he didn¡¯t want that to happen.

    "I¡¯m just letting you know."

    "Anyway, what are you doing today?"

    "I¡¯m going to look at some antiques."

    "Antiques?"

    He nodded.

    "If I¡¯m lucky, I¡¯ll get some items that will help on the battlefield."

    Sarang looked at her jujube tree bracelet.

    "Find me something like this."

    "I¡¯ll work on it."

    The pizza came out, and they ate it. The masks didn¡¯t get in the way of the food. Junhyuk liked his mask, and it made himfortable. He didn¡¯t have to care about other people. He had gotten that mask because he didn¡¯t have any money, but he would get one that changed into many different facester.

    After finishing their meals, they both walked around the Insa District looking for antiques. They entered the third antique shop, and the cube in his watch changed colors.

    "Found one!"

 Chapter 179: Housewarming Party 2

    Chapter 179: Housewarming Party 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk walked around the antique shop and saw the cube changing color. While walking around the ce, he found a ring. It was green jade, and there was a picture inside. The picture had the body of a dear and the head of a sparrow. There were horns on the head. It also had a tail that looked like a snake.

    The picture was quite small, and anyone with poor eyesight wouldn¡¯t be able to see it.

    Junhyuk picked up the ring, and the old man who was looking at him said, "$10,000."

    He was surprised by the price, but the old man continued, "It has a deep history."

    "It looks very old, and it has something inside," he said.

    The old man pointed with his index finger, and Junhyuk gave him the ring.

    "This is Byrum," the old man said, looking at the ring.

    "Who is Byrum?"

    "It¡¯s the god of wind, y¡¯know?"

    "A god of wind?" Junhyuk replied incredulously.

    "Right."

    "If it¡¯s so old, howe it has a picture inside? It looks like it was drawn byser."

    "Why don¡¯t you trust me? Do you think I¡¯m lying?"

    "It has a picture of a god of wind. I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s an antique."

    "You don¡¯t have to buy it."

    "Right."

    Junhyuk started heading out, and the old manughed loudly and stared at him.

    "Hu-hu-hu! Why are you so quick to make up your mind? We mustpromise."

    Junhyuk looked back at the old man.

    "I¡¯ll give it to you for $8,000."

    "$1,000."

    "You aren¡¯t prepared topromise," the old man said, shaking his head.

    "$5,000."

    "$2,000."

    "$3,000."

    Junhyuk looked at him and nodded.

    "OK. Do you take credit cards?"

    "If you pay by credit card, it¡¯s $4,000."

    Junhyuk stared at him, and the old man smiled and asked, "Are you using your card?"

    "I¡¯ll get the money."

    "Cash only. No checks."

    Junhyukughed.

    "I¡¯ll be back."

    Both of them went out, and the old man smiled and said, "$3,000! I made some money today!"

    ---

    He purchased the ring for $3,000 and looked around at other ces but found nothing. Then, he entered a traditional tea house with Sarang, drank some tea and said, "I can¡¯t find anything else."

    "Yeah. My legs hurt."

    "Sedentary," he said andughed at what she had said. Sipping his tea, he looked at the ring and murmured, "It¡¯s an item, but is it worth $3,000?"

    Sarang showed him her jujube tree bracelet.

    "If it¡¯s as effective as this, it¡¯s worth it."

    "Right."

    Junhyuk would go to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield the following week and he could check on it with Bebe then. The $3,000 wasn¡¯t a lot for him, but he wished it would be effective. If he found any item at that price, he should get it.

    Sarang smiled at him.

    "Today is the housewarming party. Let¡¯s go!"

    "Already?"

    "Can I sleep at your house today?"

    "Don¡¯t talk nonsense."

    After eating brunch, he spent four hours looking for antiques and only found the ring. If he headed back then, he would arrive home in the evening.

    "Drink your tea. Let¡¯s go."

    Sarangughed, drank her tea and got up. Junhyuk got on the subway toward Ilsan with her. After the subway, they took a cab to his house. They got off nearby, and he took off his mask. Jeffrey knew he was out of the house, so he shouldn¡¯t teleport. He walked in, and Sarang walked alongside him, still wearing her mask. She took it off once inside, looked around and smiled.

    "This is your house? It¡¯s really nice."

    Junhyuk took a can of soda out of the refrigerator and gave it to her.

    "I practice in the basement. Wanna see it?"

    "Sure."

    He grabbed her hand and teleported. Sarang looked around, astonished.

    "Whoa! I¡¯m totally jealous."

    Junhyukughed and flipped a switch. Targets came out of the wall, and Sarang pped, even more impressed.

    "I made it for you. Try it out!"

    "Can I?" She asked, and he nodded.

    Sarang extended her hand, and the electric arrow hit the target. Junhyuk was impressed.

    "You must¡¯ve been practicing!"

    "I practice every day." She let him know that she didn¡¯t y around and she shrugged and added, "I have some time to practice."

    Then, Sarang turned to look at him.

    "Big brother."

    "What?"

    "I can¡¯t practice my healing power."

    "So?"

    "You must help me."

    Junhyuk frowned at her.

    "You want to decrease my health?"

    "I have no other choice."

    Sarang could kill an ordinary person with her powers, but Junhyuk could withstand them. He sighed and summoned his equipment. Junhyuk extended his arms sideways, and she shot and electric arrow at him.

    Bzzzzt!

    "It hurts like hell," he mumbled.

    He had lost 8 percent of his health, and Sarang extended her hand. The light green powder sprinkled over him, and he regained his health.

    Junhyuk gathered his breath, and Sarang smiled awkwardly.

    "You lost a fraction of your health. I can¡¯t be sure about my power."

    "You want to get my health to the bottom?"

    "I want to know what I can do!"

    "Your healing power can restore my health," he said.

    He had no intention of being hit by her again, and Sarang stuck her tongue out at him.

    "Then, let me hit you every two minutes."

    "Are you joking?"

    Sarang smiled.

    "I¡¯m not."

    Junhyuk thought she wanted to hurt him and worried about it.

    "That is..."

    The interphone rang, and Junhyuk teleported and picked it up. Jeffrey was holding more beer on one hand.

    "Why are you here?"

    "Housewarming party! Party!"

    He showed his other hand and he was holding toilet papers. Junhyuk stared at him, and Sarang appeared.

    "Who is it?"

    "I told you about the tamer," Junhyuk answered.

    "Ah! The novice?"

    "Right."

    "I want to meet him."

    Junhyuk stared at her.

    "Are you crazy?"

    Sarang put her mask on.

    "What about now?" she said and continued, "I want to meet him. I¡¯ve never met other survivors."

    "You don¡¯t want to meet him."

    "Big brother."

    Junhyuk looked at the interphone and at Jeffrey smiling and holding the beer. Jeffrey wanted to tell him something, and Junhyuk sighed.

    "Don¡¯t let him know you are an expert. He can tell, and people mighte after you."

    "Can I pretend I¡¯m your girlfriend?"

    "It¡¯s only pretend."

    She stuck her tongue out at him, and Junhyuk opened the door for Jeffrey and teleported upstair. He had wanted to send Jeffrey away, but if things continued that way, she would continue to hit him with her powers.

    He sent his equipment away and waited by the front door.

    Jeffrey walked in, saw her and was surprised.

    "Who is this?"

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t have a chance to reply before Sarang hugged him and said, "Girlfriend."

    He stared at her, and she took Jeffrey¡¯s beer and toilet paper. Sarang offered him a seat, and Jeffrey quickly epted it. Junhyuk looked at them both and sighed. He sat down, and Sarang made a fruit side dish and brought it out. She sat next to Junhyuk, and Jeffrey shrugged.

    "I didn¡¯t expect you to have a girlfriend."

    "So?" Junhyuk replied coldly, and Sarang elbowed him.

    "Why are you so irritated? He is here for the party!"

    Jeffrey smiled brightly at her.

    "Right?! You must not know, but he is often irritated."

    "Jeffrey," he said, and Jeffrey shivered and turned to look elsewhere.

    Sarang handed him a can of beer.

    "How did you be friends?"

    Jeffrey looked at Junhyuk and answered, "I¡¯m his neighbor. I live next door."

    "Then, invite us to your house next time," she said and stared at Junhyuk. "You haven¡¯t invited just him already, have you?"

    "No. How about next weekend?"

    "I¡¯ll be there."

    "Why are you making promises?"

    She smiled.

    "You are being difficult."

    "You have something to tell me?" Junhyuk asked Jeffrey.

    "I¡¯m here for the party!"

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "Then, drink some beer and go."

    "Can I bring my little sister here?"

    "What?"

    Sarang interjected.

    "Bring her over."

    Jeffrey picked up his cell phone and made a call. Junhyuk sighed and decided to have a party. Joanna came right away, and Junhyuk felt ufortable with her there. However, she was on good terms with Jeffrey and Sarang, so Junhyuk just drank his beer.

    Sarang got along with Joanna. She spoke a little Korean, but Sarang had taken thenguage pill and talked to her in English.

    Jeffrey¡¯s eyes widened a little, and he got curious. That¡¯s when Junhyuk elbowed her.

    "I¡¯m going to get more drinks. Let¡¯s go."

    Sarang shook her head.

    "You go alone."

    Junhyuk stared at her, and she got up. Once outside the house, he said, "Don¡¯t make any mistakes. You can speak English, but that¡¯s it."

    "You know I have a higher intelligence than you."

    Junhyukughed.

    "Just be careful."

    As he walked, he looked around. Doyeol had taken care of the people following him and just left Jeffrey, but he still didn¡¯t trust Doyeolpletely.

    He bought appetizers for the beer and more alcohol. The beer cans could be taken to the refrigerator, and Sarang went to the kitchen with Joanna.

    "Did you find out something?" he asked Jeffrey.

 Chapter 180: Housewarming Party 3

    Chapter 180: Housewarming Party 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    After Junhyuk finished speaking, Jeffrey lowered his voice and whispered, "What are you going to do with Sora?"

    "We¡¯ve scheduled a meeting. How are you going to convince her?" Junhyuk asked.

    "We might have more money than Doyeol¡¯s friends, but Sora has ties to Doyeol. It will be difficult to bring her into our group."

    "Yeah?"

    "Make her understand the situation. You¡¯ll be able to get through to her better than me."

    Junhyuk thought for a moment.

    "I told her I¡¯d buy her a drink. I¡¯ll talk to her then."

    Jeffrey pulled out a pen.

    "Use this before you talk to her."

    "What is that?"

    "It detects listening devices and jams them as well."

    "That could be useful."

    Jeffrey nodded.

    "I¡¯m guarding a VIP, so I¡¯m able to get my hands on things like it."

    Junhyuk inspected the pen while Jeffrey continued nonchntly, "Also, there is a new novice."

    "A novice?"

    "There was a fire in Japan, and a building was totally destroyed by it."

    "And it wasn¡¯t on the news?!"

    "It was on TV, but Japan censored it. They were on site to find out what exactly transpired."

    "Inte censorship?! Like Zaira?"

    "Right. I found out because I was with Doyeol. They erased everything before people had a chance to find out. Zaira gathered the information and showed it to Doyeol."

    "Why do you think it¡¯s a novice?"

    "The building was entirely destroyed by the fire, and it took less than one minute. There was no trace of it left."

    Junhyuk was very surprised. The fire sounded like Vera¡¯s mewall.

    "That¡¯s too strong for a novice!"

    "It¡¯s not technologically possible, so they are guessing it¡¯s a power."

    "How are they going to find him?"

    "People are already looking for him in Japan. Our side has also sent R-agents over there to try to win him over."

    "If R-agents are involved, it¡¯ll be more like capture than persuasion. Is that even possible?"

    "The novice only has the fire power. It¡¯ll be the only power, but he will also have a lot of health. He may have some equipment, but it was most likely his first deployment, so he won¡¯t have a lot of it..." Jeffrey said calmly.

    "Even if he delivered a deathblow, he won¡¯t have earned much in his first deployment."

    It¡¯s possible the novice isn¡¯t well-equipped, and the R-agents can regenerate. Even more importantly, they are well-trained.

    R-agents were trained in weapons handling and had regenerative ability. The novice would have a tough time dealing with them.

    Jeffrey smiled and said, "Many will die, but when they find him, they will catch him."

    "If he destroyed the entire building with fire, he will probably have PTSD."

    "They must catch him before he burns down another building."

    "Right."

    "The appetizers is here," Jeffrey whispered.

    The tes came out, and they both talk nonplussed. Since Joanna was there, they wouldn¡¯t talk about the battlefield. Dinner was beer and appetizers, and after it, Junhyuk was finally able to kick Jeffrey out of the house.

    He left, and Junhyuk told Sarang the information he had received.

    "They have a novice in Japan?" she asked.

    "Yes. The novice has a dangerous power, and he probably has PTSD. It¡¯s a delicate situation."

    If it had happened in South Korea, he might have looked for the novice. He would have definitely found the novice and wouldn¡¯t just let him be.

    "So, what are they doing about it?"

    "The R-agents with their regenerative ability stepped in, and they will find him soon."

    "I heard you talking about Sora Shin. What were you talking about?"

    "You heard?"

    "I wasn¡¯t too far away."

    Her focus was better than her hearing, which was how she had heard the conversation. Junhyuk had thought the appetizers hade out too quickly, so she had to have heard everything while preparing them with Joanna.

    He sighed and replied, "We¡¯ll keep you hidden, but it¡¯s good to know other novices and, if possible, make them your friends."

    "Hm. Turn the novice to our side? That could be interesting."

    "Right."

    "She can run fast?"

    "Yes. I¡¯m curious about whether she was able to run on the battlefield."

    "You don¡¯t have any ulterior motives?"

    Junhyuk flicked her forehead.

    "Don¡¯t be stupid. Go home now."

    "I¡¯m hungry."

    "You ate most of the appetizers!"

    "Make me some ramen! I don¡¯t expect any fancy cooking from you."

    He stared at her and sighed.

    "Fine. Only because you are hungry. But can you stay out thiste?"

    "They trust me."

    Junhyukughed and prepared the meal. He made an omelet and miso soup and took it to Sarang.

    "It looks nice!"

    "Looks? Taste it."

    She took a spoonful of the miso soup, and her eyes widened.

    "It¡¯s delicious!"

    "I¡¯ve been living by myself for a while. Of course, it¡¯s delicious."

    She smiled brightly and worked on her meal. Junhyuk smiled at her. It was good to watch someone eating the meal he had prepared. It was different from eating alone.

    She slurped on her spoon and gave him the thumbs-up.

    "The woman who marries you will get something delicious like this every day?"

    "Maybe," he answered and got up. Sarang took the tes.

    "I¡¯ll help you with the dishes."

    "OK."

    He washed the dishes with her. Sarangthered and rinsed them while Junhyuk wiped them and put them away. He looked at her once the dishes were done and found that she had wiped her nose while washing dishes, and there was some foam on it. Junhyuk wiped it off for her.

    "Thanks."

    "You, too."

    She smiled, and heughed.

    "Let¡¯s go. Your parents will get worried."

    "Can Ie again to hang out?"

    "You can. Jeffrey knows your face with the mask. Just walk in the front door."

    "OK."

    They left the house, got in a cab and headed to the Ilsan subway station. He walked her to the subway. Sarang took off her mask and looked at herself in a mirror at the station, and Junhyuk waved good-bye as she left. After that, he headed home.

    His house felt empty. Just moments before, Jeffrey, Joanna and Sarang had beenughing in his living room. Junhyuk felt lonely for a moment and shook his head lightly. Then, he teleported to the basement and summoned his swords, swinging them.

    The feeling of loneliness went away, and he rxed. Practicing his swordsmanship helped him gather his thoughts.

    ---

    The basement at Guardians HQ wasn¡¯t only an escape route. It also contained ab imprisonment cell. There were people looking into it. A woman was confined behind the sturdy ss enclosure, and Doyeol was watching her. Her eyes and ears were covered, and she was wearing a straightjacket.

    "Is that enough to restrain her?" Doyeol asked Elise.

    She smiled and said, "She has a special power, but without an ignition source, she is useless. However, once the fire starts, she can keep it going."

    "She burned down a building?"

    "Yes. She can increase the fire¡¯s temperature to 3,000 degrees celsius."

    "She¡¯s a human napalm bomb."

    "Yes, she is. Because of the R-agents, we found out she could start a fire by sight."

    "Is that why her eyes are covered?"

    Elise nodded and said, "She ignited a series of fires that killed three R-agents."

    "That¡¯s a big loss."

    There weren¡¯t many R-agents. The iron soldiers were machines, so unlike them, they had carefully selected people to be R-agents. They needed to check on whether they were loyal, so it was more difficult to produce R-agents than iron soldiers, and they had lost three agents, even with their regenerative ability.

    They had captured the novice without any government finding out about it. It had been possible because they had taken Sora¡¯s blood sample and found out about the wavelength in a novice¡¯s blood.

    "She has PTSD, so she has to rest first," Doyeol said calmly.

    "She needs continuous tranquilizer injections and therapy. Do you know a psychologist?"

    "I have one already."

    Elise knew how fast Doyeol worked, and she looked at the monitors and said, "Sora also needs therapy."

    "Right. Did she bring anything back?"

    "No, not yet."

    "It¡¯s nice that she came back alive!"

    Jeffrey had a power that helped increase his survival rate. They had thought Sora wouldn¡¯t survive the battlefield, but she had. It would be difficult at first, but the more she went there, the more things she would gather and bring back. She also had her own power. By using her 100-meter dash in one second, she would be able to gather stuff.

    Doyeol looked at Elise and said, "Don¡¯t tell Eunseo anything about Asuka."

    She nodded calmly. Elise was working for him and not Eunseo. Eunseo had already told Elise to reveal the Dimensional Battlefield to the public, but Doyeol had vetoed that. After talking to him, Eunseo was now going with the flow.

    However, it didn¡¯t look like Eunseo was following Doyeol¡¯s instructions. Still, she knew Elise was also working for Doyeol and didn¡¯t mention it anymore.

    They had apprehended Asuka and they knew how Eunseo would respond to that.

    Doyeol looked at Asuka and said, "And keep this a secret from Pentagram as well."

    Elise stared at him.

    "Yes."

    Novices had different powers, and they wanted to run research on those different novices with different powers. Elise was trying to find a way to induce powers just like the novices¡¯ on ordinary people.

    Doyeol left, and she looked at Asuka through the ss, smiled and said, "Let¡¯s work together, Asuka."

 Chapter 181: New Employee Interview 1

    Chapter 181: New Employee Interview 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    It was Sunday, and he had finished lunch and was in the middle of training when he got a text message.

    [Can you buy me a drink today?]

    [Can youe out?]

    A momentter, Sora sent another one.

    [They won¡¯t let me go out yet.]

    He imagined her whimpering and chuckled.

    [I¡¯ll go to the HQ tonight. Let¡¯s drink at the park. I¡¯ll bring drinks.]

    [Thank you.]

    He turned the TV on and watched the news.

    "Both the inte and the news are being censored?"

    A building had beenpletely destroyed by fire and many people had probably died. It had only briefly made the news, but then it was subdued, so it wasn¡¯t possible to get any information about it from the TV or the inte.

    "I have to make more money."

    He opened the Spatial Bag and pulled out the leaves.

    "How much are you worth?"

    Whether it was Doyeol¡¯s money or Elise¡¯s money, he needed more money to make himself more powerful. Elise wanted to buy stuff behind Doyeol¡¯s back, but if she paid well, he wouldn¡¯t refuse her.

    Obviously, Doyeol told him to bring back mana stones and bloodstones, but this was something else. He ced the leaves back into the Spatial Bag and got up.

    Not wanting to think about it anymore, he went to the basement and trained until night.

    ---

    Guardians HQ was still going through reconstruction from the destruction. The iron solder was helping with the construction, and it was moving along quickly, but it had only been a few days.

    Junhyuk had some fried chicken and beer with him. He saw the construction underway and sighed. They wouldn¡¯t be able to enjoy their beer in the garden. Then, he saw the rooftop was also destroyed, sighed again and sent a text.

    [Where are you? I¡¯m here, but they are doing construction, and I can¡¯t find a ce to drink.]

    [I¡¯ll head over now.]

    He waited by the front gate, and Sora walked out of the building and over to him quickly. She looked nervous, and Junhyuk spoke to her first.

    "I came from the parking lot and got surprised. The backyard may still be OK. Wanna go there?"

    "Sure."

    They went to the back of the building, and Junhyuk saw the backyard was still intact, so he sat down. He set up the chicken and beer while Sora sat still, biting her nails. She looked different from before.

    Junhyuk sat in front of her and poured her some beer in a cup.

    "Shall we drink?"

    Sora emptied her cup right away and looked at him.

    "Can you give me another, please?"

    So, he did. Sora drank three cups that way and sighed.

    "Thanks."

    He looked at her calmly and asked, "How was it?"

    She had already told Elise, but not in detail. Sora looked at him and said, "The enemies had a hero troll. Had it not been for him, we would¡¯ve lost."

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure he heard correctly.

    "The enemies had a hero troll?"

    "Yes. He rushed and followed up with a three-hitbo. He was a troll. You could kill him, but he still survived."

    "Kaljaque?"

    Sora nodded.

    "Correct. That¡¯s his name. How did you know?"

    He smiled bitterly. Kaljaque had be a hero and left the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, and Sora had met him.

    "You were fighting alongside the allied heroes."

    "That wasn¡¯t always the case. They used me as a bait to lure Kaljaque. I was just bait," she said shivering.

    Junhyuk knew the feeling. It was same for him when he went to the battlefield for the first time, but he could stand his ground for ten seconds. She was fast, but her opponents were heroes. Her health was rather high, but heroes could kill her just by grazing her at her current stage, so she used her one-second run to get away.

    "Did Kaljaque take the bait often?"

    Sora smiled and replied, "He ran like crazy every time he saw me!"

    Her power wasn¡¯t a danger to heroes. Even though she ran fast, she didn¡¯t have any attack powers. Perhaps when she got some equipment that would change, but at that moment, she was harmless. Kaljaque was being himself if he had tried to kill her.

    "That¡¯s a relief."

    "Do I have to go back?" she asked him tentatively.

    Junhyuk nodded heavily.

    "Yes. They¡¯ll call upon you again in two weeks and at the same time."

    "I have to relive that hell?"

    "Earn some money and get some equipment. Even a single item can keep you from dying."

    "I know, but it¡¯s so expensive."

    Sora had met Bebe, so Junhyuk told her what to get to survive. Zaira was monitoring thepound, so he didn¡¯t tell her what to get in exact detail. When he told her about the items, he noticed her feelings toward him. Her eyes sparkled, and he could guess what was on her mind. It wouldn¡¯t be hard to be friends with her.

    ---

    They drank all of the beer, but neither of them was drunk. People had chicken and beer to get buzzed and not to get drunk.

    Sora got up and pped her cheeks lightly.

    "I should be going."

    Junhyuk nodded. Sora was more focused on surviving now than being nervous like at the beginning of the evening. The important thing was for her to not feel separation anxiety between this dimension and the Dimensional Battlefield. There was a limit to what he could do for her.

    She told him that she would have a psychologist working with her, and starting the following day, she would have regrly-scheduled therapy.

    She has to go back in two weeks. Can she get better within that time?

    Still, therapy was better than getting no help.

    She bowed to him and went back inside, and Junhyuk cleaned up the ce.

    He was about to leave when he saw Elise. She walked over to him.

    "Chicken and beer?"

    Her Korean was fluent. Elise was certainly a genius.

    "Yes."

    "Sora was extremely nervous. I was worried about her."

    "I was able to help her a bit."

    She sat where Sora had been sitting, touched her chin and looked at him. He stared back, and she whispered, "I thought we would drink together?"

    "Yes."

    "Then, where is my beer?"

    "I drank with Sora today."

    Elise pouted, saying, "Sure. I¡¯m not curious about that now." She crossed her arms and asked, "What did you bring back this time?"

    Junhyuk stared at her and pulled out a leaf. Her eyes sparkled.

    "I need to tell you something," he said. "I don¡¯t know what this is for."

    "I¡¯ll look into it."

    "This isn¡¯t for mechanical engineering."

    "Bioengineering was my minor."

    "You should pay me fairly. I¡¯m not sure what this can do, but I think I should get paid the same amount as a mana stone," Junhyuk said.

    Diane, the Elf, had handpicked it for him, and Elise swiped her tongue across her lips.

    "Can I check it first?"

    She ced a hand in the air, and it turned into a screen. Junhyuk frowned. Zaira was monitoring the ce. She had to be monitoring the entire HQ.

    Elise scanned the leaf and smiled.

    "It¡¯s not from this dimension. Its structure is different." She put the leaf down and added, "Things from the Dimensional Battlefield have different prices depending on how you use them. However, this is the first deal between us, so I¡¯ll give you a fair price: $100 million."

    Junhyuk felt grateful to Diane. The next time she pped his butt, he would let her.

    "I¡¯ll wire the money to the bank ount you used with Doyeol," she said while operating the screen.

    "Thanks."

    "You don¡¯t know anything about this leaf?"

    "I didn¡¯t even know about the mana stone or the bloodstone, so of course I don¡¯t know."

    "I¡¯ll do some research on it and let you know," she said and showed him her smile. "Thanks for selling it to me."

    "I don¡¯t care who buys it. I don¡¯t belong to anyone."

    "Then, bring me something next time as well."

    "As long as you pay."

    Elise could pay him $100 million, so he could make deals with her. That also diminished the distance between them. She would be a good source of information.

    Elise got up and took the leaf.

    "I should get going."

    "You should."

    He had been paid, so he didn¡¯t want to keep her any longer. She went in, and Junhyuk sat on a chair and looked at the sky. He could see a few stars.

    Once he got up, he murmured, "They are reasonable."

    Junhyuk had killed some monsters, so he thought the Dimensional Battlefield¡¯s administration would send even stronger monsters, but they hadn¡¯t.

    The chicken and beer had been his dinner, and it was time to go home.

    ---

    After facing a 1-percent-chance eliminatory round, they were all gathered there for the interviews. However, thepany would only select five out of the hundred, and the other applicants looked very confident.

    Soyeon was feeling nervous, but she pulled herself together by lightly pping her face. Guardians was an internationalpany. They operated the iron soldiers, which fought and killed monsters. Guardians HQ had been attacked, but no one was hurt, and they were creating even stronger iron soldiers at that point.

    Everyone showed up for the interview.

    Soyeon had thought fewer people would show.

    They called her number along with four other people. The five of them would be interviewed at the same time.

    She went into a room and tried to familiarize herself with the interviewers.

    The Guardians¡¯ CEO, Eunseo, was wearing her sses. Another woman sat next to her, and she looked strict. Soyeon looked at the woman, and her heart pounded. A man also sat with them. He was looking at some documents when Soyeon took her seat. When she saw his face, her mouth moved without her realizing.

    "Mr. Banana Milk?"

 Chapter 182: New Employee Interview 2

    Chapter 182: New Employee Interview 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk was focused on the interviews, and as Soyeon¡¯s turn to be interviewed came, he looked closely at her credentials. She certainlycked experience and other qualifications whenpared to other applicants, but he also knew how diligent she really was.

    Junhyuk turned to look at Eunseo, and she spoke first, "Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Eunseo Kim, CEO of Guardians."

    From the beginning, Eunseo spoke in English. The applicants all had to speak fluent English to work there, and Junhyuk was a bit worried. Soyeon¡¯s application said she was fluent, but holding an actual conversation was something else.

    Eunseo asked the applicants about the appearance of monsters and their thoughts on it. They answered her in perfect English. So far, most applicants gave her simr answers. They thought of Guardians as Earth¡¯s protectors, and Eunseo listened to their answers looking as superior as ever.

    No one had really grasped her attention with an answer.

    Then, it was time for Soyeon to give her answer. She gathered herself and said in perfect English, "The appearance of the monsters has something to do with abnormal narcolepsy."

    Eunseo focused on her, and Soyeon continued calmly, "It¡¯s been a while since the first abnormal narcolepsy case. Itself, it¡¯s quite an unusual event in human history. You could say it¡¯s an abnormal circumstance, and another abnormality followed, the introduction of monsters. It¡¯ll be hard to find a connection between the two, but they must be connected. It¡¯s not an ident that the two happened around the same time."

    Eunseo looked at Junhyuk and asked, "Are you talking about a conspiracy?"

    Soyeon shook her head.

    "These are supernatural events and not based on human conspiracy."

    Eunseo stared cooly at Soyeon and slowly opened her mouth.

    "That¡¯s your opinion."

    Junhyuk knew he had a free pass, but it depended on how Eunseo felt about it. However, Eunseo had spoken to her the same way she had spoken to him in his interview. If that continued, he would feel burdened to hire Soyeon.

    Soyeon felt awkward as the interview continued, and Junhyuk looked at her and sighed.

    Eunseo was finished with her questions, so Dohee followed with questions of her own. Her questions were naturally sharp, and a few failed to answer them adequately.

    Junhyuk looked at her expressionless. She had been seriously wounded, but now she was healed and present. He saw that she had the same qualities as R-agents.

    When Dohee turned her attention to Soyeon, the emergency siren went off.

    [A monster has appeared in Ilsan Lake Park. Iron soldier MK-II is ready for deployment.]

    "Deployment granted!" Eunseo shouted right away.

    Those whose interviews had ended had already left.

    "I¡¯m sorry, but today¡¯s interviews will be postponed. Those who haven¡¯t finished their interviews will be notified within two days for a follow up."

    "Yes."

    The applicants were nervous and got up from their seats. Eunseo operated her wheelchair and spoke quickly, "Dohee, let¡¯s go to Elise."

    "Yes."

    "Junhyuk, stay here and take control. Until the monster is subjugated, take these people to the evacuation shelter."

    "Will do."

    Dohee and Eunseo left, and Junhyuk went over to the people who were still there.

    "Until the monster is taken care of, let¡¯s all go to the evacuation shelter. I¡¯ll guide you."

    They were still working on rebuilding, but the priority at Guardians HQ had been the evacuation shelter. The emergency evacuation shelter had been safe thest time, but just in case, they had also built an evacuation shelter on the 1st floor, and that¡¯s where Junhyuk took the group.

    There was nothing in the shelter. It was located on the 1st floor, but if something happened, they could easily relocate to the shelter in the basement. Zaira was in control of everything.

    Junhyuk guided the group to the shelter and tried to close the door. Then, Soyeon walked over to him and asked, "Do you remember me?"

    "I was supposed to take you out to dinner, but I¡¯ve been too busy," heughed and answered. Then, he looked around and added, "This ce is safe. Please, go in."

    Soyeon had something on her mind, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t speak further and closed the door, remaining outside. The situation was precarious, and he decided to watch how it would unfold. Last time the HQ was attacked, the building was heavily damaged, so no one was in the hallways. Junhyuk ran and reached Elise¡¯s office.

    The door opened, and Junhyuk could see the screens.

    There were antas at Ilsan Lake Park. They had already appeared at the Han River, but these were a little different from the previous ones.

    "They are walking onnd?"

    As he blurted that out, Eunseo turned to look and nodded.

    "They are moreplicated than the ones that showed up in the Han River. They are all over theke anding from all directions."

    The monsters were jumping up and down, looking for victims. The MK-II was standing at the center of theke, firing small missiles in various directions. The missiles chased the monsters down and exploded, surprisingly disying significant firepower.

    The missile first prate a monster¡¯s hide and then exploded. It was the most effective way.

    "The monsters have thick hides, but the iron soldier is able to prate them easily."

    "It¡¯s still in the experimental stage, but we researched their structure and made a dposition liquid. It¡¯s working, but it still needs guidance. Bullets won¡¯t work. It requires small missiles," Elise said nonchntly, but what she said was very surprising.

    Junhyuk focused on the screen again, and the screen panned quickly. The monsters were approaching people, and the MK-II grabbed one of their mouths with its hands.

    There had been some people on dates there, and some of them were paralyzed with fear.

    [Evacuate the area.] It said in Zaira¡¯s voice.

    After the MK-II spoke, it flew up holding the monster¡¯s mouth. There were other monsters left, so the iron soldier shoved its hand inside its mouth and started shooting. The monster¡¯s insides weren¡¯t that strong, so the shooting tore its mouth like a used paper towel.

    The MK-II flew around, hunting the monsters. Meanwhile, another of Zaira¡¯s sirens rang out.

    [There is another type of monster in the parking lot. Iron soldier MK-II is ready for deployment.]

    It was good to know that there were two MK-IIs stationed at the HQ. They had done so just in case of another attack, but at that moment there was only one present.

    The MK-II was certainly more powerful than the previous iron soldier model. They had upgraded its weapons and increased its firepower. Can it stop the monsters?

    Junhyuk had dealt with monsters before, and he thought these monsters were stronger than before.

    "Deployment is granted."

    The other MK-II was deployed, and two feeds appeared on the screen.

    The thing broke out of the ground. It had six legs and a thick shell on its back. Unlikest time, the shell didn¡¯t have spikes, but its size was entirely different. It was five meters tall and it started to destroy the buildings. It¡¯s force came from its size as it began pounding against the buildings.

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue while watching.

    "Even if we rebuild, if other monsters show up, we won¡¯t be able to keep buildings intact?!" he said.

    Eunseo sighed.

    "Don¡¯t worry. We are also building other instations on another site."

    The Dimensional Battlefield monsters¡¯ target was Guardians HQ. Even if it moved, new monsters would still show up there.

    The iron soldier MK-II appeared before the monster. Guardians HQ had numerous cameras, and those were filming the monster from different angles.

    It swung its fist at the iron soldier. Despite its heavy build, it moves quickly, but the MK-II was faster. The iron soldier flew up and let out a barrage of small missiles.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    The missiles exploded, generating a field of smoke, so the iron soldier flew higher above it. The smoke cleared, and the monster raised its head and spewed a green liquid that looked to be sticky.

    The MK-II escaped, and the monster stomped the ground and jumped. The whole building shook from the shock.

    "Can the applicants survive these tremors?"

    "They are already in the basement. Unless there is a direct attack, they will be safe. The problem is how to kill that monster," Elise said cooly.

    The new monster was different from the one previously. It got hit with eight missiles, but it was still fine, which showed how strong it was.

    Junhyuk sighed and asked, "Will it work?"

    Elise shook her head.

    "Ordinary attacks won¡¯t work."

    The iron soldier was using its entire arsenal, but they hadn¡¯t made weapons forrge monsters yet.

    Junhyuk was staring at the huge monster, astounded by its defense. The iron soldier was equipped with modern artillery and nothing was working. The iron soldier might not be able to win.

    Elise watched the situation and said, "It¡¯s stomach looks to be weaker than its backside. I¡¯ll focus the iron soldier¡¯s firepower on it."

    Eunseo wasn¡¯t worried and responded, "Do it. Is there a problem?"

    "The iron soldier¡¯s new weaponry only has three charges. If it doesn¡¯t kill the monster within those shots, the monster will get inside likest time."

    Eunseo knew how dangerous that was and, devoid of expression, she asked, "Did we kill all of the monsters in Ilsan Lake?"

    Elise checked the screen and answered, "There are no signs of more monsters."

    "Then, have it returned here and use the new weapon."

    "Understood."

    Elise gave out new instructions, and the iron soldier MK-II moved quickly. It dodged the monster and ced its hand on the monster¡¯s stomach. A stream of light travelled from the MK-II¡¯s chest to the palm of its hand, and a beem rushed out.

    Boom!

    The building was insted with steel tes, but they still heard the explosion.

    The monster dropped backward and rolled on the ground. The skin on its stomach was torn open, and it was oozing green blood, but it was not dead yet. The monster rolled into itself, turning into a ball. With it protecting its belly, the iron soldier was out of tricks.

    Elise¡¯s expression hardened as she looked at the screen.

    "We are moving to the basement."

    Junhyuk felt the entire room move. With Zaira¡¯s hardware in the room, the room itself started moving to the basement.

    The monster had rolled up into a ball and was rolling toward the building. They could see it on the screen.

    Boom!

    The iron soldier dodged, and the monster hit the building. Some of the building crumbled, and they felt the shock from the room they were in.

    Junhyuk grabbed Eunseo¡¯s skidding wheelchair and looked at the screen. The iron soldier was still the monster¡¯s primary target, so it turned around.

    "Can the new weapon attack its backside? What is the sess rate?" Eunseo asked.

    "It¡¯s less than 40 percent."

    Eunseo fixed her sses and said, "Do it."

 Chapter 183: New Employee Interview 3

    Chapter 183: New Employee Interview 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The huge monster rolled toward the iron soldier, and the MK-II extended both of its hands. Soon, its chest lit up, and the energy gathered on its palms. The energying from each hand joined together to create an orb, and the iron soldier fired it toward the monster.

    The orb travelled quickly like a lightning bolt and hit the monster.

    Boom!

    The monster bounced back, damaging the building. Junhyuk was watching all of that and sighed.

    "The building won¡¯tst long."

    "If we can stop it, the building won¡¯t be a problem." Elise¡¯s eyes beamed, and she added, "The iron soldier¡¯s weapons system has been upgraded sincest time, and it¡¯s not like it¡¯s not working. If we develop weapons forrge monsters, it will be easier to deal with them. When considering a huge monster such as this one, we will need to produce a better dpositionpound. The problem is time."

    "The problem is time."

    The new, stronger monster had shown up within just a few days. The biggest problem had been that they hadn¡¯t had enough time to prepare. They could make the dpositionpound quicker if that was Zaira¡¯s sole focus, but they couldn¡¯t allow Zaira to work on only one thing.

    Elise¡¯s eyes sparkled, and she added, "The hide on its back has been torn. Now, we may attack once more, but the iron soldier won¡¯t be able to fly for thest attack."

    "When will the iron soldier MK-II that was deployed to the park return?"

    "In one minute."

    "Then, lure the monster toward the parking lot."

    The iron soldier MK-II stood on the ground. The monster destroyed what was left of the building, but in the process, it must have stepped on something that turned all of the monitors off.

    "What is the matter?" Eunseo asked.

    "The electricity has been shut down. Emergency power wille on soon," Elise answered casually.

    The screen came on again, and Elise looked at the it and murmured, "Thirty seconds before arrival. Luring it to the parking lot."

    The iron soldier moved to the parking lot, and the monster headed toward it. The monster¡¯s body filled the screen. It might notst thirty seconds.

    The iron soldier quickly flew up, and the monster stopped rolling and spinning and got up, shooting the green liquid. The iron soldier tried to dodge, but the monster was expecting that. It appeared exactly at the ce where the iron soldier moved to and grabbed the MK-II, mming it against the ground.

    Boom!

    After that, the monster opened its mouth, and the screen turned green.

    "Destroyed."

    "It¡¯s not here yet?"

    "It¡¯s here now."

    Another screen was showing the huge monster still holding the iron soldier MK-II, lifting it up and mming it against the ground.

    "Attack now."

    The flying iron soldier MK-II raised its palms, gathered the energy and attacked. The beam went through the opening in the monster¡¯s back and came out through its stomach.

    "Aaargh!" the monster screamed and threw the iron soldier it was holding, which was now a broken piece of junk.

    The other iron soldier flew up so high that the huge monster seemed to be the size of its hand.

    "The damaged iron soldier can self-destruct by using its remaining energy. It will be enough to kill monster. Shall I try?" Elise asked calmly.

    "What is the drawback?"

    "The expense of it is the problem, of course. You already know the cost of a single iron soldier MK-II."

    "Do it."

    "OK," she said, taking over the controls. "The broken pieces of the damaged iron soldier MK-II will be detached."

    The monster had mmed it to ground many times, and the iron soldier was covered in the green liquid the monster had spewed. The iron soldier¡¯s arms and legs detached from the torso, and the screen showed the monster spitting the green liquid toward the iron soldier flying above it.

    Elise looked at Eunseo. Eunseo nodded, and the iron soldier flying in air extended its hands. It started gathering energy, and the monster, who could sense danger, rolled into a ball. The damaged iron soldier fired its engine and flew toward the monster, entering through the hole on the monster¡¯s back anding out through its stomach.

    The monster was still balled up when the damaged iron soldier self-destructed.

    Boom!

    There was a huge explosion, but the monster had been balled up, so the explosion was contained within it. If the monster hadn¡¯t been in a ball, the explosion would¡¯ve levelled the building.

    The monster tipped and fell, and Elise smacked her lips.

    "It¡¯s size will help us in our research of monsters."

    Junhyuk felt like Elise had been quite audacious. The iron soldier could have killed everyone, but she chose to do it anyway. That wasn¡¯t the only thing he noticed, however. Eunseo had also ordered the self-destruction. Both women were very daring.

    Elise operated the controls and said, "The monster is not responding."

    "Whew," Eunseo sighed deeply and looked around.

    "You did well."

    "I just watched."

    Junhyuk looked at Elise.

    "What happened to the applicants?"

    Elise looked at the feeds and said, "They were moved to the basement, so they should be safe. The path to where they are is also clear."

    Junhyuk looked at Eunseo, and she said calmly, "Let¡¯s make sure everything is OK. Then, we¡¯ll let them out."

    He smiled bitterly.

    "Everyone will give up on applying for the job."

    They had to have felt vulnerable and at risk. Do they still want the job? Guardians protected the Earth against monsters, but HQ was the most dangerous ce when it came to monsters.

    They kepting after the Guardians HQ. Other facilities only had one iron soldier on standby, and those facilities could be destroyed if the monsters focused on them.

    Elise remained in control and said, "The iron soldier has retrieved the monster¡¯s body. There is no danger now."

    Eunseo looked at her, smiled and said, "The interviewees will want to get out of here quickly."

    Junhyuk nodded and asked, "Should I go to them?"

    "Let¡¯s all go," Eunseo said, but Dohee shook her head.

    "You can¡¯t go while using the wheelchair."

    Eunseo looked at Elise, and Elise said casually, "I could stream an announcement. Do you want to do it?"

    "Yes," Eunseo nodded.

    Elise took a camera and zoomed it on Eunseo. Eunseo collected herself. The screen split into two feeds, one side showed Eunseo, and the other side showed the nervous applicants.

    Eunseo looked at them and spoke coolly, "Everything is fine now. The monster has been killed, and there is no danger. You are all scared from the sudden attack. Monsters are attacking the entire world, and you should learn that, here at Guardians, we are doing everything in our power to stop those attacks."

    The applicants hadn¡¯t actually seen the battle, so they didn¡¯t know one of the iron soldiers was destroyed.

    "I will contact you again. Mr. Lee will guide you out of here. Just follow him."

    Eunseo was finished speaking and looked at Elise, who turned the camera off and looked at Junhyuk.

    "Go through that door over there, and you¡¯ll find adder. Climb it, and you will see the iron solder. It has already cleaned the mess, so you should be OK."

    "Sure."

    He opened the door and climbed up thedder. Outside, Junhyuk could see the aftermath of the battle between the monster and the iron soldiers. The parking lot was a mess, and the main building was mostly destroyed.

    Junhyuk looked around and murmured, "But the iron soldier stopped the monster on its own."

    Honestly, he hadn¡¯t expected that. He hadn¡¯t wanted to step in, and the iron soldiers were able to take care of the situation, even though they had lost one.

    Junhyuk looked for the remaining MK-II. He walked toward it and saw at hatch next to it. The iron soldier opened the hatch for him, and he stepped inside, going down adder. He opened a door at the end of the hall at the bottom, and inside, he found the frightened people.

    "You may use thisdder to climb up."

    The people were disorganized and started fighting to get to thedder, but Junhyuk stood in front of them and said, "Don¡¯t fight. Form a line. You were all given numbers for the order of your interview, so maintain that order. Female applicants go first."

    The female applicants lined up and climbed thedder. Junhyuk let them get out first mainly because they were wearing skirts. Then, he let out the male applicants. Junhyuk was thest to leave.

    Outside, he saw Soyeon waiting for him. She saw him and said, smiling, "Mister!"

    Junhyuk looked around.

    "Why are you still here?"

    "I thought it was safe now."

    "Don¡¯t you see people running away?"

    He realized the iron soldier had already left, but Soyeon extended her hand to him and said, "Give me your business card."

    Junhyukughed and gave her a business card. He was about to quit work, but his private phone number would remain the same.

    "Here."

    She took the card and ced it inside her purse.

    "Thanks, I will give you a call."

    "Call me, and we¡¯ll dine out," he replied,ughing.

    "I¡¯ll look forward to it."

    "You may leave. Everyone has already left."

    Soyeon bowed to him and left, and Junhyuk decided to head back.

    "They have to find someone to rece me."

    He shook his head. The monster had appeared during the interviews and scared off the applicants. He raised his head, looking at the sky.

    "Maybe it was intentional?" But he thought the idea was silly and smiled bitterly. "I should get back."

    He was walking back to Eunseo when he saw a woman standing far away. She was wearing tattered clothes, and her hair was long. She was giving off a funny aura, and when she saw Junhyuk, she started running away from him.

    He watched her do it.

    "A novice?"

 Chapter 184: Asuka 1

    Chapter 184: Asuka 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk watched the novice running away from him and guessed who it might be. She had to be the one Jeffrey had referred to, a novice who had burned down an entire building.

    He realized that she had already been caught. Junhyuk had heard that Doyeol had already sent R-agents for her, but hadn¡¯t expected to see her there.

    He thought about running after her, but before he had the chance to move, some people exited the building. Two men ran after her. One of them was naked and had burns all over his body, but he was healing quickly.

    Junhyuk guessed that they were R-agents.

    The woman running away had decent firepower, but she wouldn¡¯t get rid of the R-agents with her speed. Her basic health was superior to theirs, but that only meant that her soul was stronger. She probably hadn¡¯t had the time to increase her physical strength to match her soul yet.

    Junhyuk watched them move about, then he used thedder to get to where everyone was. He went down, and Eunseo was there to ry some information.

    "You may leave work now."

    "It¡¯s not time yet."

    "There is nothing for you to do here if you stay."

    The Administrative Department was destroyed. Junhyuk looked at Elise. She checked the monitors and looked at him.

    "The Administrative Department is gone. Even Zaira can¡¯t get in."

    He sighed and looked at Eunseo.

    "Then, I will be heading home."

    "You worked hard today. There will be more work to be done tomorrow."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t hesitate further and left. He went outside and looked at the destroyed buildings. It was all in ruins, but there were people working inside some of them, and he was impressed.

    "I¡¯ll have a lot to do tomorrow."

    Monsters had shown up. There had only been a few casualties at the park, but there could be more victims around the world. On his way home, he checked the inte through his smartphone for news. He knew the news had already been filtered and censored, but he still wanted to check.

    He didn¡¯t have to search much of the inte. The important details had made it into the news anyway. Monsters had appeared around the world, but the ces where iron soldiers had been deployed did not incur high casualties. However, the ces without iron soldier received massive losses. So far, there were only fifty iron soldier bases.

    "If the monsters appeared more often, the iron soldiers wouldn¡¯t be effective!"

    They needed mana stones to make iron soldiers. To collect the necessary mana stones, they needed more than just Jeffrey making trips to the Dimensional Battlefield. They brought mana stones back every two weeks, but they needed more. The stones weren¡¯t just used for iron soldiers.

    The metal models also required mana stones, so there would be continued demand for them.

    He didn¡¯t know how long it took to make an iron soldier, but it took an enormous amount of money. If things continued that way, they wouldn¡¯t be able to stop the monsters anymore.

    Junhyuk looked at the sky.

    "What are they ying at?"

    The Dimensional Battlefield¡¯s Managers could always let more powerful monsters loose, monsters that could easily destroy the iron soldiers. But they weren¡¯t doing that.

    Junhyuk realized he couldn¡¯t solve anything by worrying and walked home. Nowadays, he didn¡¯t drive and walked to and from work instead. Because both monsters had appeared in the parking lot, it was easier to walk now.

    ---

    Doyeol was really surprised.

    "Asuka escaped?! What are you talking about?"

    Elise was on the screen and showed him a few more video recordings.

    "While fighting the monster, there was a power outage. It looks like she used that moment to escape."

    Doyeol was looking at the monitor andughed gleefully.

    "The fire is hot. Howe she is not burned by it?"

    "We don¡¯t know if she is immune to all fire or if it¡¯s only the one that she starts, but she is definitely immune to the fires she starts."

    "So, she burned her blinds and restraints."

    "Yes."

    "Are you sure about her power now?"

    "Firestarter, mes that induce other mes. When she escaped, her mes started at least five other fires in chain reactions."

    "You mean she caused at least five fires over 3,000 degrees celsius?"

    "Yes. When she burned down the building, she had also started five different fires in chain reactions."

    "She burned down a building with just five fires!?"

    "She is born to burn. She could burn down anything she wanted to."

    "So, are you chasing after her now?"

    "The enhanced R-agents and retrieval teams are after her now."

    "We can¡¯t let people know that she is in South Korea. We need to quickly take care of situation. I¡¯ll also dispatch someone."

    "OK."

    "It¡¯s too bad we can¡¯t catch her by using iron soldiers."

    "People are on the lookout for them. That could be a problem."

    "Does Eunseo know about this?"

    "No, not yet."

    "That¡¯s good. After we retrieve her, we¡¯ll move her to a different location."

    Doyeol turned the monitor off and sighed. Asuka was a human torch. He wanted to know how she started the fires, so he needed to catch her.

    "All because the monsters appeared."

    Doyeol clicked his tongue and looked back at Jeffrey, who had been standing there the whole time.

    "I have a favor to ask."

    ---

    Asuka stole a motorcycle and looked back at the people chasing her. They had been engulfed in mes, but healed quickly.

    While escaping, Asuka had encountered those people with the fast healing ability. Without hitting their weak spots, she couldn¡¯t kill them. They turned away whenever a fire started, so they weren¡¯t hit directly and healed themselves while chasing after her.

    They had fought her a few times before and knew things about her, so they kept up while keeping a few inches out of her range. At first, there had only been two men, but now there were six carsing after her.

    Asuka gritted her teeth and looked back.

    They were keeping a thirty-meter distance because they knew about her power, but they didn¡¯t know everything about her.

    "Don¡¯t me me for it," she said and looked back. A caring toward her was engulfed in mes. The mes arched up to the sky hitting the cars that were following her.

    Five chain reaction mes

    That was Asuka¡¯s power. She knew it instinctively how to use it the most effective way. The chain reaction induced fires among four cars that had been chasing her. Four of the six cars were on fire, and the others stopped.

    Asuka stopped the motorcycle and looked back.

    "Don¡¯t chase after me anymore," she said and zoomed off.

    She had regained her consciousness afterpletely burning down a building. She had been scared of what she had done and went into hiding, but soon, there were peopleing after her.

    To escape them, she created another fire. She had learned how to survive at the Dimensional Battlefield. Many people had died because of her fire, but she no longer cared and just wanted to escape. However, people continued toe after her, and eventually, they got her.

    When she regained consciousness, she couldn¡¯t see or move even a finger. She couldn¡¯t even use her power. But there was an earthquake where she was being held. She thought she would die, but she decided to take a chance. She burned the blinds over he eyes and her restraints.

    While escaping, she learned that she could control her power more precisely. Not only could she start a fire, but she could concentrate that fire in one spot.

    She escaped without burning down the ce where she was being held.

    Now, she had stopped the people chasing after her. She was riding her motorcycle when she saw cars appearing in front of her. There were five of them.

    She could have lit them all on fire, but that would block the road, so she weaved left and bit her lip. Because of the shock of returning from the Dimensional Battlefield, she had burned down an entire building, and people were still chasing after her.

    "If you want to die!"

    At the Dimensional Battlefield, she had learned to kill others to survive, and she knew what would happen to her if they captured her. Asuka looked back.

    They were keeping a thirty-meter distance, but they also didn¡¯t really know about her power. A fire started on the road and a chain reaction took over the cars chasing after her.

    When the fire appeared on the road, the cars turned, but by that point, they were already on fire. Three cars stopped suddenly.

    Asuka sighed because she had killed again, but continued on on her motorcycle. Then, someone burst through the mes.

    She looked back and her expression hardened. A huge wolf was heading toward her. The mes burned up and disappeared, and what remained were the fires that she hadn¡¯t started, the ones caused by burning the cars¡¯ gas.

    The wolf wasn¡¯t hurt by the fire and kept running. It closed in quickly while Asuka kept on the motorcycle.

    She had stolen a motorcycle used for deliveries, and there wasn¡¯t any more speed to it. The wolf was catching up.

    It jumped. A shadow loomed over her head, and she mmed the break and turned. She stepped on the ground with her left foot, using it for leverage, and the motorcycle left skid marks on the road.

    The wolf jumped over her,ing for her again, and Asuka felt like the wolf was familiar to her somehow.

    "A monster from the Dimensional Battlefield?"

    The wolf didn¡¯t scare her. Asuka looked at it and her eyes shed.

    "I can kill you anytime."

    Asuka¡¯s power had a twenty-second cooldown. A fire started on the middle of the wolf¡¯s forehead, and it chained to its chest and legs.

    Fwoosh!

    She had wanted to kill the wolf, so the wolf was engulfed in mes and died. Asuka felt the danger had passed and turned the motorcycle away. However, a shadow appeared in front of her.

    She tried to escape, but the motorcycle wasn¡¯t moving even with the wheels turning. She turned her head and saw a gori lifting the back of her motorcycle. It was three meters tall and was only using one hand to keep her in ce. The other hand was heading toward her, and the gori flicked her forehead hard.

    "Tack!"

    After that attack, Asuka lost consciousness.

 Chapter 185: Asuka 2

    Chapter 185: Asuka 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk was at home eating dinner when he saw huge mes not very far from his house and decided to find out what was happening. He knew how dangerous a novice with PTSD was. Sora only had the power to run, and that didn¡¯t make a scene, but the novice from Japan had burned down an entire building.

    In such a situation, they couldn¡¯t just let that novice be. She could kill innumerous people.

    The problem was that they weren¡¯t sure about that novice¡¯s power. Even Junhyuk could be killed if he wasn¡¯t careful.

    He walked out of his house and ran toward the mes. Soon, another fire started. They appeared in sequence, which meant that either the situation was precarious or the novice had gone berserk. At that point, Junhyuk felt obligated to stop the fire and teleported to where the fire was.

    When he arrived at the scene, there were two cars burning up and three more cars stopped there.

    The head of arge wolf appeared in front of a car as it came running over the fire, and Junhyuk realized that Jeffrey was also there. The wolf ran toward a woman riding a motorcycle, and she turned around and lit another me.

    "Twenty-second cooldown?"

    Regardless of the opponent, when someone had a dangerous power, it was always a good idea to find out its cooldown time.

    Junhyuk watched as a chain reaction started on the wolf, and it burned to death. It was possible he wouldn¡¯t be able to survive a fight with that novice. The chain reactions could focus on a single person, and there were five of them. He felt that she was overpowered.

    He hadn¡¯t been hit by her power, but it looked as dangerous as the Spatial sh.

    However, even she couldn¡¯t do much during its cooldown. All of a sudden, a gori raised the back of her motorcycle and knocked her out. Junhyuk had calmly watched the entire thing and sighed.

    Jeffrey had restrained her, and she would return to her cell. Doyeol couldn¡¯t be tricked twice. He was not easy to deal with.

    Junhyuk watched as the agents took her and turned around. There was no longer any reason for him to step in.

    "That¡¯s a relief."

    He thought about asking Jeffrey about the incidentter and headed home.

    ---

    They injected her with a tranquilizer so she wouldn¡¯t regain consciousness.

    "Is this ce safe?" Doyeol asked while looking at her.

    "She won¡¯t be able to escape so easily. We all saw how her power works."

    Asuka could create mes, but she had to do it in sequence. They came out almost all at the same time, but the fires had to happen in sequences of five. Thick walls wouldn¡¯t keep her enclosed, but thin walls that were also cold and fireproof would work.

    There were twentyyers of thin walls surrounding her. If she wanted to destroy the walls, she would have to use her power at least four times.

    Within that time, even if she used her power once, the cell would fill with gas, and Asuka would fall asleep. Unless there was another monster attack, this would work to restrain her.

    Doyeol looked on Asuka and asked, "Can you wake her up?"

    Elise operated the controls. Zaira was also in control of that ce, and Elise said, "She¡¯ll wake soon."

    Doyeol watched silently as Asuka came to. She looked around and gritted her teeth.

    "Do you think you can hold me here?"

    Within a moment, the high-temperature mes burst in sequence, and five holes appeared in the fireproof walls. Then, a gas starteding out from the ceiling, and Doyeol said, "Shut it off."

    Elise stopped the gas, and Doyeol walked without speaking. Jeffrey was standing behind him, and Doyeol smiled and added, "You may follow me."

    "Even I can¡¯t protect you."

    "You can stay here if you wish."

    Before Jeffrey had a chance to reply, Doyeol opened the door to Asuka¡¯s cell and went inside. She stared angrily at him, but her cooldown wasn¡¯t over yet.

    Doyeol showed her the palms of his hands, pulled up a chair and sat in front of her. Asuka looked at him intently and said, "I can roast you anytime I want to."

    "I know that."

    "Then, why are you sitting in front of me?"

    "First, you should listen to me. Then, you can decide whether to roast me or not," he said smiling.

    Asuka stared at him silently, and Doyeol, still smiling, continued, "I guess you activated a power at the Dimensional Battlefield, am I right?"

    She didn¡¯t reply and just stared at him.

    "There is an arrest warrant for you in Japan," Doyeol added. "Release her."

    Asuka was free to move again, and she looked at him, surprised. Doyeol calmly pulled out a tablet and gave it to her.

    "It¡¯s the Japanese Cab¡¯s investigation team¡¯s report. The Information Headquarters and the Public Security Intelligence Agency are both after you. We brought you here quickly, but they found out who you are."

    Asuka realized the Japanese knew who she was, and she couldn¡¯t live in Japan anymore.

    "What will happen to me if I¡¯m captured?"

    "You killed twelve people in the process of burning down that building. The problem is that one of the people killed was an army general."

    She sighed.

    "They will execute me."

    "They won¡¯t, but they will work you like a ve."

    Asuka looked at him.

    "OK. I understand I can¡¯t go back to Japan, but how are you different from the Japanese government? The people who captured me weren¡¯t ordinary people, especially thatst thing that knocked me out. You can only find that at the Dimensional Battlefield."

    "Is it time to introduce myself?"

    Doyeol smiled, pulled out a business card and gave it to her.

    "I am ST Capsule¡¯s CEO Doeyol Kim."

    "ST Capsule is Guardians¡¯ parentpany."

    "So, I don¡¯t have to exin that," he crossed his arms and continued, "Guardians was established to stop monsters, but that¡¯s only a front. We are here to gather things from the Dimensional Battlefield to save the world from destruction."

    Asuka started shaking a little, and Doyeol continued calmly, "I want you to work for us."

    She had wanted to work for them as well. Before she went to the Dimensional Battlefield, she had already known about Guardians.

    Now they wanted her, and she no longer felt like a monster. Instead, she was someone who could stop monsters. She felt like activating her power had been her destiny, but then she thought of something else and raised her head.

    "But what about my family...?"

    "We¡¯re way ahead of you. They¡¯ve all been brought to South Korea."

    She realized how scary Doyeol could be, and her eyes widened a little, but she asked, "OK. Can I ask you about the contract¡¯s conditions?"

    ---

    Junhyuk reported to work and saw that they had cleared most of the debris. The iron soldier was very powerful. It was even better than heavy machinery.

    He watched as the iron soldier unfolded steel walls that had been destroyed during the attack. He was standing there when Dohee approached him.

    "We¡¯ll be working from the basement. The surface has to be cleared before we move back."

    "The Administrative Department?"

    "We decided to use the bunker as the Administrative Department. You should meet with the CEO first. Follow me."

    Junhyuk followed Dohee to where Zaira¡¯s hardware was located and climbed down thedder to where Eunseo was. She hadn¡¯t left work since the day before.

    She fixed her sses and looked at him.

    "I must tell you a few things first. The Administrative Department must organize files concerning thest monster attack and check on the amount of monster bodies that will be arriving today."

    "I understand," he said. Junhyuk was d he had some work to do.

    "Then, you may start. Zaira will help you, so it¡¯ll be easy."

    Zaira had helped him before, and Junhyuk nodded calmly. He said goodbye to Eunseo and climbed down thedder to the bunker.

    Once there, he shook his head.

    "Surprising."

    Like usual, his "office" had a desk, aputer, a fax machine and a printer. He sat on the chair and booted hisputer. It quickly turned on, and he heard Zaira¡¯s voice.

    [How can I help you?]

    "I don¡¯t have a lot to do to be honest."

    [As you know, each nation will send us the monsters¡¯ bodies today. I¡¯ll show them to you.]

    Junhyuk was surprised by the amount.

    "There are a lot of them!"

    Zaira had worked with Junhyuk before and gave him the documents at his pace. He checked them quickly and said, "Before the bodies get here, I want to see a list of casualties for each nation."

    Soon, the screen disyed the list of the deceased from this monster encounter, and Junhyuk clicked his tongue.

    "There were extensive casualties. Was there anyone who activated his or her power during this attack?"

    [You don¡¯t have clearance for that information.]

    Junhyuk sighed and said, "Fine, then show me the footage."

    Fifty different feeds appeared on the screen, ying the recordings, and Junhyuk paid close attention to them.

    "y it at twice the speed."

    He watched the video from China and asked, "China deployed an army, but they didn¡¯t do anything. What happened?"

    Jowee from the Central Politburo was still there, but they didn¡¯t to anything.

    [You don¡¯t have clearance for that information.]

    Junhyuk frowned and said, "Can you connect me to the CEO?"

    [Of course.]

    Soon, another screen appeared with Eunseo in it. She looked a little surprised.

    "The Chinese army was deployed, but they did not move. Can you tell me what happened? Considering Jowee¡¯s stance, that¡¯s hard to believe."

    Eunseo fixed her sses and said, "Jowee hasn¡¯t been seen since the attack. He is missing."

    "Is that even possible?"

    Jowee was one of the most powerful figures in China. It was hard to believe that he had gone missing.

    "They are investigating his disappearance. Maybe it was pressure from W.A.N.C.S. and the U.N., but they are keeping their promises. There won¡¯t be any trouble from China, at least for now."

    "That¡¯s good to hear."

    Junhyuk was still curious, so he asked, "Did anyone activate a power from this attack?"

    Eunseo looked around herself and said, "They found people in Ennd and India, but we don¡¯t know for sure."

    "Right."

    There were more novices now, and it had happened faster than ever before. The Dimensional Battlefield¡¯s managers had seeded in their goal.

 Chapter 186: Meeting 1

    Chapter 186: Meeting 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Zaira helped out big time with all the work for the Administrative Department. Junhyuk finished everything before lunchtime, but realized that the restaurant had also been destroyed.

    "Should I eat out?"

    He was about to get up when he received a message on hisputer. It was from Eunseo.

    [Let¡¯s have lunch together.]

    Junhyuk had no reason to refuse, and he had been wondering what to do about food.

    [I¡¯ll head your way.]

    He walked out and climbed thedder. Outside, he saw Dohee giving Eunseo a piggyback ride. Dohee ced her on a wheelchair and got on the phone, and Junhyuk walked over to her.

    "Not having a restaurant is a hassle."

    Eunseo looked at him and said, "We should use the temporary HQ."

    "Temporary HQ?"

    "I sent an email with the address. It will take another fifteen days for the HQ in Seoul to bepleted, so we rented a building in Ilsan. After lunch, we¡¯ll pay it a visit."

    She could rent out a building just like that, and Junhyuk wondered what she couldn¡¯t do without hesitation.

    A car arrived, and Eunseo looked at Junhyuk.

    "Let¡¯s go together."

    "Sure."

    Dohee walked over and ced Eunseo inside the car, and Junhyuk sat next to her. While the car moved, she started speaking to him.

    "Tomorrow, bring the applicants to the temporary HQ."

    "I¡¯m not sure we¡¯ll even get five of them."

    "If they are all scared and don¡¯t want to work for us, we have no reason to hire any of them," she said coldly and did not speak further.

    Eunseo was looking out of the window, and Junhyuk looked at her, realizing she was in a tough spot. Guardians was the symbol of hope for the world from the monsters, but the monsters¡¯ consecutive attacks had destroyed the HQ, leaving no buildings standing.

    While she looked out of the window, she thought of something.

    "Do you like Korean food?"

    "I do."

    Eunseo didn¡¯t say anything else, and the car drove for ten more minutes before arriving at an upper-ss Korean restaurant. She got on her wheelchair and went inside.

    She must¡¯ve been a frequent customer because the staff recognized her and guided her to a room. Inside, Eunseo told Dohee, "I want to dine with him alone. Is that OK?"

    Dohee left, and the foods started to arrive. Eunseo had to have made a previous reservation, and the food came out one item at a time. She raised her chopsticks and said, "Let¡¯s begin."

    "Let¡¯s."

    Junhyuk dined with her. The food came out in sequence, and she did not speak during the meal. They both ate quietly. When they finished their meal and the dessert came out, Eunseo looked at him.

    "I have a big favor to ask you."

    "Does it have to do with work?"

    She had said it was a favor, but he had a feeling it wasn¡¯t work-rted. Junhyuk was right. She shook her head and said, "I want to you to meet someone for me."

    He didn¡¯t know why that had to be a favor, but Eunseo fixed her sses and added, "No one must know about the meeting."

    He calmly stared at her, and she pulled out a USB-drive and gave it to him. Then, she wrote an address on a napkin.

    "You have to do it after work today. I already contacted them."

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t feel burdened by the idea and picked up the drive. In any event, he didn¡¯t think he would be in danger while meeting anyone.

    Eunseo smiled at him.

    "Thanks. It doesn¡¯t have to do with work, and I will repay youter."

    "No. I¡¯m sorry I have to quit, but I¡¯m happy to help out."

    She finished the dessert and asked, "Then, should we head to the temporary HQ?"

    "Sure."

    Eunseo left the room, and he followed her. Dohee got in the car, and they all headed to the building at Ilsan. Once Junhyuk saw the building, he clicked his tongue.

    "This is it?"

    "Right."

    It was a seven-story building at Ilsan Lake Park. They had wanted to rent it for a while, but it was toovish. Junhyuk had a hard time believing in it. The building had been recently built, and they were renting all of it.

    Each department was assigned to a different floor, and Junhyuk¡¯s Administrative Department would take the 3rd floor. There wasn¡¯t anything special on that floor. It was a huge office space with a few desks.

    Because they were looking to hire five new employees, there were six desks on the floor. The extra one was for him.

    Junhyuk looked around, and Eunseo looked at him and said, "Zaira is also in control of this ce. However, while Zaira can¡¯t help to the same extent as the original site, Zaira is still efficient here."

    "That¡¯s nice."

    He had worked with Zaira and was aware of how much Zaira coulde in handy.

    "Report here starting tomorrow."

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t care where he had to go. He looked around once more and then at Eunseo, and she started moving out on her wheelchair and said, "Let¡¯s go back to HQ. We have a lot of work to do."

    Once they returned to HQ, Junhyuk worked on his assignments with Zaira¡¯s help. He immediately email and called all one hundred applicants requesting that theye to work the next day.

    He listened to all the conversations at the same time. There were many voices, but Junhyuk wanted to pick out Soyeon¡¯s voice in the exchange and was sessful. She sounded calm even though she had encountered a monster thest time she was at Guardians.

    He thought she might show up again. Zaira told everyone about the temporary HQ and reported the job to Junhyuk.

    [I¡¯ve contacted everyone.]

    "Thanks."

    Junhyuk¡¯s office phone rang, and he picked it up. A Guard at the entrance was calling him about the monsters¡¯ bodies that had arrived from the airport, so he took Zaira¡¯s reports on the monsters and went outside.

    The containers were showing up one after the other. They were still rebuilding the facilities, so the bodies would be ced in a special refrigerator. Despite the monster attack, the special refrigerator was still intact because it was located away from the main building.

    Junhyuk guided the containers to the refrigerator and started to check their contents. Excluding South Korea, forty-nine nations had sent specimens, and their sizes all varied. Once at the refrigerator, he saw that the specimens were all frozen, and there were people opening the containers, so he was able to inspect the contents.

    There were monsters Junhyuk had never seen before.

    It was possible the monsters weren¡¯t just from the Dimensional Battlefield. Junhyuk inspected each of them, and they all look like used rags.

    He was about to leave the storage refrigerator when a monitor popped up, and Elise appeared on screen.

    "How are the specimen?"

    "They are all frozen, but the iron soldiers are too powerful. They are all disfigured."

    "I thought so too. We are recruiting researchers for the new monsters. When they gather, we will be able toe up with new weapons against huge monsters."

    He looked back at the containers and asked, "Is this ce safe?"

    "Only monsters will be able to break in by force. Don¡¯t worry."

    Junhyuk nodded and looked at her.

    "Then, I¡¯ll lock the storage refrigerator."

    He put his hand on the screen where Elise had appeared. The monitor scanned his fingerprints and locked the door. He walked out and looked at the building. That was part of the Administrative Department¡¯s duties, but he hadn¡¯t done it before. Once he quit, the new employees would have a lot more to do.

    He headed to Eunseo¡¯s temporary office. She didn¡¯t have her own room at the moment, so she shared a room with Zaira¡¯s equipment. Once there, Junhyuk made his report.

    "I sent emails to the applicants and called them as well."

    Eunseo didn¡¯t speak.

    "And I¡¯ve stored the monsters that arrived from the airport in the storage building."

    "Overseeing the bodies is a new task for the Administrative Department. Is it difficult?"

    It took hours to ce specimen in storage, but Junhyuk shrugged and replied, "It¡¯s nothing. When the new employees get here, I won¡¯t have much to do. It¡¯s nice that I can be of use."

    "Thanks for thinking like that," she said and looked at the screen. "We have to move before tonight, so gather your things. While you were in the storage room, I sent boxes to your office. Just ce your things in them."

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk said goodbye to Eunseo and went to his office to pack his things. He didn¡¯t have any more work, and it was five o¡¯clock when he finished gathering everything. He was getting ready to go when Eunseo appeared in hisputer screen.

    "It¡¯s five. You may leave."

    "I will go ahead."

    She looked around once and looked at him, and Junhyuk smiled at her as if to tell her not to worry. She didn¡¯t want Zaira to find out she had asked him a favor.

    "Then, I¡¯ll get going."

    She nodded slightly, and Junhyuk left his office and climbed thedder. The iron soldier Mk-II was working in ce of the heavy machinery, and there was still some debris left.

    They would be moving to the satellite HQ, but he felt that they would be back in the main HQ soon enough.

    On his way out, he understood that nobody should know about the secret meeting and headed home. There, he put his mask on and teleported out of the house. Then, he took a cab to Ilsan, and headed into the subway. He had to go to Seoul¡¯s Heukseok District, which was currently going through redevelopment. There were many new apartments, but there were still underdeveloped areas. He was heading into one of those areas that day.

    The building was cramped up among other buildings behind the national cemetery, in a poorer area of town. The ce he was looking for was underground, and Junhyuk started growing wary of the favor because the conditions were so decrepit. However, he had made a promise, so he would meet this person.

    He had the USB-drive and some memos with him when he knocked on the door to a basement.

    "Who is it?"

    "I have to give you something. There was an appointment."

    "Just a moment."

    The door opened, and a head popped out. The person looked to be in his early twenties and probably not gone through military conscription yet, but his head was shaved.

    He looked around and looked at Junhyuk and pushed his hand forward.

    "Give it to me."

 Chapter 187: Meeting 2

    Chapter 187: Meeting 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk was having a hard believing that that crock of a person was who Eunseo had sent him to meet. The interesting thing about him was that he had ten health and twenty mana.

    Still, Junhyuk didn¡¯t feel like he hade to the wrong ce, so he gave the guy the USB-drive.

    The man took it and tried to close the door, but Junhyuk kept it open. The man hesitated for a moment while Junhyuk checked the inside of his house. There was only a light from aputer¡¯s monitor and no other. However, including theputers in the living room, there were a total of fiveputers.

    "What, what do you want?"

    Junhyuk looked at the man calmly. He is wearing his mask, so he looked naturally mean, much like a cold-blooded killer.

    "Do you have anything to say?"

    The man looked at Junhyuk and said, "You¡¯ll be able to see it tomorrow at ten o¡¯clock, so be sure to deposit the money."

    "Tomorrow at ten o¡¯clock. OK," Junhyuk said and ced his hand on the man¡¯s shoulder. "Name?"

    The man grimaced and asked, "Why do you want to know?"

    Junhyuk¡¯s lips twitched. As his lips move up, the man got nervous and answered, "Sungtae Kwak."

    "Age?"

    He had already revealed his name, so he answered obligingly, "Twenty-three."

    "Military service?"

    "I¡¯ve done it."

    He had a baby, boyish face, but he had already been in the army. Junhyuk pushed his hand forward.

    "Identification."

    Sungtae showed him his ID, and Junhyuk looked over it and returned it to him.

    "I will remember you, so don¡¯t do anything funny."

    He didn¡¯t only speak, but gestured threatenly with his body as well. Junhyuk¡¯s soul was muchrger than other people¡¯s, and Sungtae was afraid. Sungtae was about to pee his pants, but Junhyuk stopped there and tapped his shoulder lightly.

    "Then, I will check back tomorrow at ten and deposit the money."

    Concerning the deposit, Eunseo had to know about it. She had to have made the contract herself. However, he didn¡¯t tell her about the deadline of ten o¡¯clock because he feared Zaira might find out about it.

    Junhyuk stepped aside, and the man closed the door and locked it from the inside.

    Junhyuk pretended to go up the stairs, but carefully eavesdropped instead. He could hear Sungtae¡¯s voice from inside of the room.

    "Whew! I almost peed my pants. His eyes were scary!"

    Junhyuk chuckled and quietly left that ce. At ten o¡¯clock the following day, he would know what Sungtae was capable of. He had a lot ofputers, so it had to concern that.

    "What is he up to?"

    Elise was in charge of theputers. She had Zaira, and Junhyuk knew how capable Zaira was. Zaira could do anything, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t understand why Eunseo hadn¡¯t used Zaira.

    He shook his head and headed home.

    ---

    In the morning, he reported to the temporary HQ and waited for ten o¡¯clock. There were some applicants, and Junhyuk told them to go eat lunch and return by two o¡¯clock. The new employees would be taking over Junhyuk¡¯s tasks, so he had time find out what would happen at ten o¡¯clock.

    At ten, he went on the inte and was significantly surprised.

    "What is this?"

    There was only one thing on the inte. Every news website and every TV channel only showed the news. It was about the Dimensional Battlefield. Junhyuk checked every portal on the inte, and every single site he visited had information on the Dimensional Battlefield.

    It had been tranted in a few differentnguages, and some foreign sites were also covered with information on the Dimensional Battlefield.

    "This is impressive!"

    Zaira could easily do that because she was a supeputer, but Sungtae didn¡¯t have a supeputer. He had only a fewputers, so the results were surprising.

    "Was it for fun?"

    At ten o¡¯clock, the inte had been covered with information, but it only took five minutes for it to disappear, and Junhyuk was curious.

    "Zaira, did you do it?"

    [You don¡¯t have authorization.]

    Junhyuk chuckled and raised his hand.

    "Right."

    That was even more shocking. If Zaira was behind that, it took her only five minutes to delete the contents from the inte.

    He wanted to see Sungtae again if Sungtae hadn¡¯t already run away. He shook his head and browsed the inte. Portal sites worldwide had been hacked by him, but there was no mention of him.

    Someone had been in charge of it, but his name didn¡¯t appear anywhere online. Junhyuk searched the inte for five minutes, and he just wasn¡¯t there. Then, Junhyuk looked at something else.

    "People will find out about the Dimension Battlefield."

    The inte no longer had information on the battlefield, but there were no other supeputers like Zaira anywhere else.

    Hard copies couldn¡¯t be stopped. People would talk among themselves. It wouldn¡¯t be like on the inte, but mouth-to-mouth gossip also travelled fast. Soon, everyone would know about the Dimensional Battlefield.

    "Why did she do it?"

    Sungtae had done that, and Eunseo was behind him. Junhyuk thought Eunseo had found out about the Dimensional Battlefield because of Sora Shin. She hadn¡¯t used Zaira to spread the news, which meant that Doyeol had been against the idea. He finally understood the situation and leaned back on his chair.

    "Whew!"

    Leaning back on his chair, he thought for a moment. Sungtae Kwak, Junhyuk had been looking for someone like him.

    "He hasn¡¯t run away yet," Junhyuk said and concentrated back on his work.

    ---

    After lunch, only three people showed up. Soyeon was among them.

    Junhyuk smiled at her. She sounded collected and she hadn¡¯t given up on finding employment.

    Eunseo looked at them and said, "Nice to see you all. You had all received high marks on your interviews. Thank you foring again." She handed Junhyuk some documents and continued, "All three of them have passed. Starting Monday, report to the Administrative Department. Until the reconstruction is over, report here for work. We will move to Seoul soon. Be aware of that as well."

    "Yes!" the three of them answered loudly.

    Eunseo looked at Junhyuk and said, "Give them a tour of thepany and tell them what you do. You may divide the workload among them."

    "I understand."

    She left, and Junhyuk looked at the new employees.

    "Follow me."

    Junhyuk took them to each floor and told them what they do. In fifteen days, they would be moving, so he didn¡¯t go into a lot of detail. He took them to the Administrative Department. There were six desks there, and Junhyuk said, "Pick a desk and take a seat."

    The people took their seats, and Junhyuk told them what they would be doing. There wasn¡¯t much to do, but as he spoke, everyone paid attention. Junhyuk went over their applications and divided the work between them.

    Among them, Sukjoon Shim had superior foreignnguage skills, so Junhyuk gave him foreign cooperation documents and exined what he had to do.

    Junhyuk already knew what to do with the new employees, and dividing the work did not take a long time.

    Giyil Kim was next, and Junhyuk told him about the monitors the Administrative Department was responsible for, and he told him about the monitors that controlled the iron soldier¡¯s deployment. Giyil paid close attention to it all.

    Atst, Junhyuk looked at Soyeon Shin.

    "And Soyeon, you will be doing this job."

    It was the new assignment, the specimen administration work went to her, and Junhyuk smiled and continued, "Then, review your individual jobs. After that, you may leave for the day. Monday is your first day of official work, so don¡¯t bete."

    "Yes!" they answered him mightily.

    Soyeon was still standing there, and Junhyuk said, "Go have a drink with your coworkers. Don¡¯t stand around here. I haven¡¯t forgotten about buying you dinner, don¡¯t worry. You may leave."

    "OK."

    She bowed to him and looked into her bag, pulling out a box of banana milk for him. Then, she headed to the elevator where the others were. Junhyukughed and drank the banana milk. He gulped the sweet liquid down and threw the empty box in the trash can.

    "Time is passing slowly today."

    He wanted to go see Sungtae Kwak, but time was at a standstill. Junhyuk sat down on his chair and told Zaira, "Show me something on dual swordsmanship."

    He had asked Zaira for that before, so she quickly showed him some footage on dual swordsmanship. Junhyuk watched the footage, and soon, five o¡¯clock came around. He went into the CEO¡¯s office and told her he was leaving. Eunseo nodded, and Junhyuk headed home.

    From his house, he teleported outside while wearing his mask. Junhyuk tried to get a cab and murmured to himself, "When they move to Seoul, should I buy a new house like this one?"

    He could do it. He had plenty of money. But it was still an annoyance.

    "I could still use this house."

    Junhyuk used public transportation to get to Sungtae¡¯s house. He headed to the basement and eavesdropped. Inside, he heard the sound of aputer, which meant Sungtae was still in his apartment.

    Junhyuk knocked.

    No one answered, and Junhyuk said calmly, "Open the door. If not, I will destroy it."

    No one answered, and Junhyuk grabbed the door knob and twisted it by force.

    Craaack!

    The handle broke, and he went inside. Theputers were the only things turned on, and there was no other sound. No one was inside.

    Junhyuk looked around and walked slowly. The ce was very quiet, and Junhyuk found a room with the door closed.

    He walks over and said, "Sungtae Kwak."

    A small whimper answered him from inside, and Junhyuk stood in front of the door, "Come out. I want to speak to you."

    No one answered, and Junhyuk grabbed the doorknob. Suddenly, a hole appeared on the door, and Junhyuk felt a gunshot. He kicked the door, breaking it down, and Junhyuk saw two men in suits.

    Sungtae was tied up. Junhyuk had seen those two men before. They were R-agents. Sungtae had a lot of skill, but they had gotten to him.

    Junhyuk entered the room and heard another gunshot. They were about to shoot again when he ran at them. The R-agents aimed for him, but Junhyuk¡¯s speed was buffed, and he was moving too fast.

    He was already behind an R-agent when he hit the agent¡¯s wrist, making him drop his pistol, followed by a kick to the agent¡¯s neck. Junhyuk saw the other man aiming for him and also grabbed the agent by the wrist and snatched the pistol away. Then, Junhyuk stepped on the agent¡¯s knee.

    Craaack!

    Junhyuk knew they had regenerative abilities, so he didn¡¯t give them a chance. He wanted to hurt them more. They could probably reattach their limbs if they were torn apart.

    An agent tackled him, and Junhyuk grabbed him by the shoulder and kneed him. The agent fell down, and Junhyuk stepped on him, breaking his leg to pieces. Then, Junhyuk grabbed Sungtae.

    "Can you walk?"

    "What? Yes!"

    Junhyuk untied him.

    "Pick up your stuffs if you need anything. You must flee from this ce."

    "Over there!"

    Junhyuk turned around and saw the R-agents regenerating and standing up. Heughed at them. With a cold stare, he smiled, and the agents shivered.

    "Move aside if you want to stay alive."

 Chapter 188: Meeting 3

    Chapter 188: Meeting 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    The R-agents crouched nervously. One man pulled a knife from his ankle, and the other pulled a knife from a holster on his chest. Junhyuk looked at them and clicked his tongue.

    They were both highly trained. Even though they were scared, they didn¡¯t withdraw.

    He looked back. Sungtae was standing behind him with his face in the open. They knew it now. Junhyuk wanted to move with Sungtae in future, and he had to make sure he could.

    He looked at the R-agents. One of them was moving toward the fallen pistol, and the other is walking toward him.

    He slowly walked toward the man heading his way, and the man swung his knife. The man was highly trained, but he was facing Junhyuk. He grabbed the knife with his hand, and hit the man on the ribs.

    "Ugh!"

    R-agents had high regenerative abilities, but they didn¡¯t have a lot of defense. Junhyuk¡¯s hit had damaged him, and one blow had destroyed the man¡¯s internal organs. The R-agent vomited some blood, and Junhyuk grabbed his head and mmed it against the ground.

    Craack!

    The head caved in and blood sttered everywhere, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t care. He was wearing a mask, but they knew what Sungtae looked like. For Sungtae, Junhyuk had to take care of the business at hand.

    He raised his head, and the other agent had already picked up the pistol. Again, it wouldn¡¯t work on Junhyuk, so heughed at the situation, but the agent wasn¡¯t aiming at him.

    Junhyuk dove instinctively.

    Thuck!

    With a light sound, the bullet traveled toward Sungtae, but hit Junhyuk, bouncing off his back. Sungtae had been its target, and Junhyuk had rescued him.

    He pushed Sungtae under a desk and ran toward the agent. Even though the agent realized that the gun didn¡¯t work against Junhyuk, he couldn¡¯t give up his strongest weapon.

    Thuck, thuck!

    Two bullets flew out, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t flinch, running and punching the agent instead. The R-agent dodged the first punch and tried his knife. However, Junhyuk punched the agent¡¯s neck and palm-struck the agent¡¯s jaw.

    Craack!

    The jaw cracked, and Junhyuk mmed against him, elbowing his nose as a follow-up. The agent¡¯s face caved in, and Junhyuk mmed him to ground. Looking at the pools of blood on the ground, Junhyuk grimaced.

    Arn had told him not to hesitate to kill in order to preserve himself, but that was the first time he had killed humans in cold blood, and his heartbeat went up.

    He looked at the two fallen men and said, "We have to get out quickly. Get your stuffs."

    "Yes!"

    The two men had died right in front of Sungtae. Junhyuk had killed them to save him, but Junhyuk had done it with his bare hands, and he was terrified.

    He gathered his things quickly, and Junhyuk said calmly, "No one must see you. Pick up only the things you need, and erase the other materials."

    "But..."

    Junhyuk stared at him coldly, and Sungtae shivered and quickly packed his bag. He packed a notebook and external hard-drive, and then quickly wiped hisputers.

    "I¡¯m done."

    Within five minutes, Sungtae had finished packing. Junhyuk nodded, summoned the Pure Golden Knight¡¯s set, and told him, "You may leave first. Wait for me in front of the door."

    "OK."

    Sungtae left, Junhyuk destroyed all of theputers with his fist.

    Boom!

    After that, he walked over the broken pieces, destroying them further, and looked at the R-agents. Their heads were smashed in, but they were still moving. Thinking of it, their bodies had been burned, but they had regenerated. They wouldn¡¯t die.

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue and looked down at the R-agents.

    "I warned you to step aside."

    He could use the Spatial sh, but he didn¡¯t want to leave any evidence, so Junhyuk returned the Pure Golden Knight Boots and stepped on one R-agent.

    St!

    The damage he dealt was different from just stepping on them. The R-agent¡¯s head exploded, and he kicked the other agent¡¯s head as well to make sure their health hit zero. Then, he ced their corpses in the Spatial Bag. He would have had a hard time cleaning the scene at that ce if he hadn¡¯t.

    He picked up a few pieces of paper and rolled them up. He turned on the gas stove, and lit the papers on fire. Then, he threw the burning pieces of paper on the ground.

    "This should be enough," he said.

    There wouldn¡¯t be bodies, and the mes should take care of the remaining evidence.

    Junhyuk walked outside and saw the smoke billowing out.

    "Did you justmit arson?" Sungtae asked nervously.

    "Run, if you don¡¯t want to be caught as an arsonist."

    Sungtae was about to cry, and Junhyuk ran with him, grabbing Sungtae¡¯s wrist and running for areas that were empty of people. They ran for a while and grabbed a cab. The cab took them to Sillim District, which was full of motels. Junhyuk rented a room, and the motel¡¯s owner looked at them judgingly, but they ignored him. Once in the room, Junhyuk went into the bathroom while Sungtae sat on the bed.

    There was some blood spatter on his clothes, and Junhyuk took a quick shower. He got some training clothes from the Spatial Bag and walked out.

    Sungtae was trembling, and Junhyuk said, "Go wash yourself."

    Sungtae turned to look at him and asked, "Did you kill them?"

    "They knew what you look like, so I had to kill them."

    Junhyuk sounded nonchnt about killing people, and Sungtae was nervous. Meanwhile, Junhyuk sat on a chair and repeated, "Go wash yourself."

    "Sure!"

    Sungtae ran to the bathroom, and Junhyuk pulled out some clothes from the Spatial Bag for him to change into. Junhyuk turned a chair backward and sat leaning forward on the backrest, thinking about what to do.

    First, he had to rid of the bodies.

    Corpses wouldn¡¯t decay inside the Spatial Bag. But he didn¡¯t want them there with his valuables, so he thought about dumping them in the ocean.

    "I will need a boat."

    He would get a seafaring boat and leave no evidence. Then, he would tie the bodies to something heavy and dump them.

    "Shit!" he cursed.

    Killing them hadn¡¯t had to do with his survival, but he had already done it.

    "It was for Sungtae."

    If they had gotten to Sungtae, who knows what would have happened to him. He reminded himself that it had been to save someone. While he thought about it, he gripped the chair so hard, he broke it.

    Junhyuk sighed deeply, and Sungtae walked out. He was wearing a bathrobe, and Junhyuk pointed toward the bed with his chin. Sungtae sat down, and Junhyuk threw him the clothes.

    "Put these on."

    "Yes."

    Sungtae did so very obligingly, and Junhyuk continued calmly, "Today at ten o¡¯clock... did you get paid well?"

    "I got the money promised to me," he answered.

    "How much?"

    "A hundred thousand dors."

    "A hundred thousand dors?"

    Sungtae smacked his lips and said, "I¡¯ve been sending viruses all over the world and was in control of a hundred thousandputers, so that¡¯s how I did what I did. I thought I couldst ten minutes, but the supeputer was too much for me. It got rid of it all within five minutes, but I still earned my money!"

    Junhyuk stared at him.

    "You only got paid $100 thousand for that?"

    "What?" Sungtae couldn¡¯t speak, and Junhyuk smiled at him.

    "I will make you an offer you can¡¯t refuse."

    Sungtae was nervous, but Junhyuk continued, "I will buy you a supeputer, and you will work for me. I will pay you an annual sry of $500 thousand."

    "A supeputer costs an astronomical sum."

    "This time, a supeputer stopped your work. How much does a supeputer like that cost?"

    "The materials themselves cost a lot, and a supeputer like that costs hundreds of millions."

    "How about $200 million," Junhyuk said nonchntly, and Sungtae nervously did a spit-take.

    "I want a $1 million annual sry."

    Junhyuk smiled coldly, and Sungtae asked carefully, "Then $800 thousand?"

    Junhyuk stared at him, and Sungtae asked again, "Then, $600 thousand?"

    Junhyuk got up, and Sungtae shouted out, "I¡¯ll work for $500 thousand, but you need to get me a supeputer!"

    "How much do you think you¡¯ll need?"

    "A hundred million."

    "Can we purchase it anonymously?"

    "I can get the hardware through a special supplier. I didn¡¯t have the money before, but with it, it won¡¯t be a problem."

    Junhyuk walked over to him and ced his hand on Sungtae¡¯s shoulder.

    "I¡¯ll pay $300 million for the supeputer, and your sry will be $1 million."

    "Th-thank you."

    Junhyuk looked at him and added, "For the time being, stay here. I¡¯ll prepare aodations for you. How much space will you need for a supeputer?"

    "At least a three-storied building with 3,600 sq. feet."

    "Sure, I¡¯ll get it ready," he said and took a thousand dors out of his wallet and handed it to him. "I don¡¯t know how long it will take. Take this money and don¡¯t use anything that can be traced."

    "I can¡¯t live on that amount for a month."

    Junhyuk thought Sungtae wasn¡¯t an ordinary person even if he looked dumb. His life was in danger, but he still negotiated his sry and he wanted more money for now. Junhyuk gave him another thousand dors and the number to his burner phone.

    "If you need anything, call me on this phone."

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk walked to the door, but turned back and said, "Don¡¯t even think about running. Think about what they will do to you if they catch you."

    "I won¡¯t betray you."

    "I will contact you on the weekend. Meanwhile, get in touch with your supplier for the supeputer."

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk was about to leave when he stopped again, "Just in case, erase all your information from the inte."

    "I¡¯ll wipe everything."

    Junhyuk had nothing more to say and walked out. He had a lot to do. First, he had to purchase a building. After he spent the $300 million, he would have $300 million left. He would look into a 3,600 sq. feet, three-storied building.

    If possible, he would get a ce near a subway station, but that would be expensive. Still, he was willing to spend some money.

    "I need to bring back a mana stone next time. If not, I will go homeless."

    There was the possibility that he wouldn¡¯t get any mana stones. Last time, he had been unable to bring one back, but he would bring one back, or a leaf. It wouldn¡¯t be too difficult.

    From now on, he needed more money. He had thought he had a lot of money, but as he started spending it, it went away at incredible speed.

 Chapter 189: New Partner 1

    Chapter 189: New Partner 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Doyeol was looking at the faces on the monitors, frowning. Charles Rockefeller was speaking, "Are the R-agents in South Korea not well trained? Don¡¯t you realize the damage it did to us?"

    "I know that."

    "The hacker is quite skilled and could seriously damage us. If we had him, he could work for us, but if he works for the opposition, he could be a hindrance!"

    Doyeol sighed, and Charles turned to Elise and asked, "Don¡¯t you have the CCTV recordings from Zaira?"

    "Someone erased all recordings from the CCTV cameras nearby," she said calmly.

    "Do you mean someone moved before we did?"

    "We hadn¡¯t expected the R-agents to fail, so we didn¡¯t check soon enough. Also, right now, Zaira is analyzing the specimen from thest battle and developing new weapons," she said. "You don¡¯t mean to tell me a hacker is more important than weapons forrge-scale monsters, do you?"

    Charles clenched his mouth, and the old man said, "We shouldn¡¯t just me it on CEO Kim. The R-agents were killed, so maybe there is a novice involved."

    Doyeol nodded heavily.

    "There is a high possibility of that."

    "You¡¯ve already lost that novice from Japan. By the way, what happened to the novices that appeared in Ennd and India?"

    A blonde, middle-aged woman on the monitor spoke up calmly, "We got the novice from Ennd, but we lost the one from India."

    "Disappeared?"

    The woman nodded, and the old man sighed deeply.

    "They¡¯ve begun moving in earnest."

    Doyeol looked at the screen Elise was on.

    "What power did the novice that appear in India have?"

    "The power to encase people in a water bubble. Once inside, the people drowned."

    "Just one person at a time?"

    "Yes."

    "If we find where that novice is we will get them, but it will be difficult to find them."

    "By the way, Anna went over to that side, so they have two novices! We only got one novice this time. Seems we are in a tough spot," Charles said.

    Doyeol doesn¡¯t speak. He had two novices working for him, but he didn¡¯t want to reveal that.

    "Did you lose all of the agents? If so, we¡¯ll send more of them from our side," Charles told Doyeol.

    "I¡¯ll find that hacker, so don¡¯t worry."

    "Is that so?"

    Charles looked funny, and the old man raised his hand up.

    "The hacker gave us some problems, but CEO Kim is fighting the monsters effectively, so don¡¯t me him so much. We trust that you will find that hacker. It¡¯s entirely up to you."

    "I understand."

    The old man looked at the others.

    "Is there anything else in the agenda?"

    Everyone shook their heads, and the screens turned off. Doyeol held his forehead and murmured, "What¡¯s happened?"

    The R-agents had not reported back, and Doyeol was taken aback by that, but the recordings of the CCTV cameras around Sungtae¡¯s ce were all erased. Sungtae¡¯s photos were erased as well. He was a fine hacker, Doyeol knew that, and he was able to take care of himself, but that was too much for Doyeol.

    Zaira couldn¡¯t find the hacker either.

    Doyeol sighed deeply and got up from his seat.

    "Focus on finding that hacker."

    "Yes."

    The Security Chief left, and Doyeol held his forehead again. Whenever something went right, something bad always followed.

    ---

    Eunseo sat on her automated wheelchair and looked outside. Dohee walked over and gave her a USB-drive.

    "Any trace of him?"

    "No."

    "Everything is erased?"

    "Yes, I erased everything myself."

    "Just hope we aren¡¯t toote," Eunseo said and fixed her sses. "You may leave for now."

    "Yes."

    Dohee left, and Eunseo inserted the USB-drive in herptop and stared at the screen. It showed the video of two men running away in the middle of the night. She paused the video and inspected the face of one of the men. He looked cold. How did he know Sungtae and how had he rescued him?

    Considering the skills of the R-agents after Sungtae, the cold-looking man had to be more powerful than she imagined.

    Without letting Doyeol know about it, Eunseo had needed Sungtae to do something, and now he hadpletely disappeared from the radar. When she found out Doyeol had been looking for the hacker, Eunseo quickly stepped in, but she had been toote.

    After Sungtae¡¯s apartment burned down, Eunseo ordered Dohee to erase all nearby CCTV recordings.

    "You could help us big time."

    That mysterious man, he had suddenly shown up and rescued Sungtae while taking care of the R-agents.

    She fixed her sses and looked at the man on the screen again.

    ---

    He reported to work on Thursday, and the only thing he did was prepare for the new employees. There were no monsters, and after work, Junhyuk visited Chulho Park.

    Chulho greeted him very warmly and said, "A famous person like you! What are you doing here?"

    Junhyukughed and answered, "I have a favor to ask."

    "What is your favor?"

    "I need more burner phones."

    "Are those useful to you?"

    "When I need to keep something secret, theye in very handy."

    Chulho made a call, "Tell Mr. Lee to bring me two burner phones."

    Someone knocked, and a man entered. He ced two burner phones on the table, bowed and left.

    Chulho handed Junhyuk the two burner phones and said, "Last time, I gave them to you for free in consideration for our rtionship, but this time I must charge you. But I will give them to you for cheap. Each of them is $100. How about it?"

    "Thank you."

    Junhyuk handed him the $200 and took the phones. He was about to get up when Chulho asked him, "Did you hear about what happened yesterday?"

    "The incident at ten in the morning?"

    "Right, about the Dimensional Battlefield."

    "I was at work, so I didn¡¯t really look into it."

    "Yeah? There is a ce called the Dimensional Battlefield, and the people afflicted by abnormal narcolepsy go there. If they survive the battles taking ce there, those people can return."

    Junhyuk realized that what Eunseo had done had changed people¡¯s attitude toward narcolepsy.

    "Then, what do they have to do to survive over there?"

    "Train with a sword and a shield? Over there, they can only fight by using a sword and a shield."

    "Is that the middle ages? A sword and a shield?"

    "You didn¡¯t know? Now, the inte is flooded with searches on swords and shields."

    Junhyuk thought that was for the best. Minions would have a higher chance of survival if they trained with a sword and a shield. At that moment, Zaira was controlling online information about the Dimensional Battlefield, but if more people returned alive, more people would know about it.

    "Then, I should practice."

    "My workers are all training. You should prepare for the worst as well."

    "Yes, then I will see youter."

    "Right. Let¡¯s have a drink togetherter."

    Junhyuk said goodbye, walked outside and went to the subway station. On his way home, he went in a public restroom to put on his mask.

    ---

    He gets off at the station in Sillim and went to the motel where Sungtae was staying. Sungtae was eating Budae jjigae (sausage stew) and waved at Junhyuk when he saw him.

    "Have you eaten?"

    "No."

    "Should I order another?"

    "I¡¯m OK."

    Junhyuk gave him a burner phone and said, "Use this to make calls."

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk is done, but when he was about to leave, Sungtae spoke up, "Did you do it yourself?"

    "Do what?"

    "I was trying to erase my image and the CCTV recordings, but they had already been wiped."

    Junhyuk frowned and said, "I didn¡¯t do it, which means someone else erased them."

    "Then, they know my face."

    Junhyuk sighed, "We should move. We¡¯ll avoid CCTV cameras. And hide your face."

    "Sure."

    Sungtae worked on his sausage stew. After, Junhyuk took him outside, and both of them ran down a narrow alley. Sungtae is wearing a hat and avoiding the cameras. They took the subway and get off at Seoul University Station to look for another motel.

    Junhyuk rented a room and said, "If possible, don¡¯t show your face to anyone."

    "Sure. But there is a limit to how much I can run..."

    Junhyuk looked at him calmly.

    "Tomorrow night, I will help you stay hidden, so wait."

    "Tomorrow night?"

    "It¡¯s just so you are aware."

    He didn¡¯t exin any further, and Sungtae smacked his lips.

    "They want to meet on Saturday concerning the supeputer, is that OK?"

    Junhyuk pondered a moment.

    "I haven¡¯t got a building yet."

    Sungtae showed him hisptop and said, "I didn¡¯t know how much you were willing to spend, but there are many buildings in the Guro District. I checked out one of buildings, it has three stories and it would house a supeputer."

    "Yeah?"

    "When we set up the supeputer, it will be good idea to do it under the pretext of establishing a newpany. It will take a lot of electricity to run it, so how about a venture capital firm?"

    "What will it do as apany?"

    "I invented some things and haven¡¯t patented them yet, so how about developing those things."

    "Do you need a supeputer for the job?"

    "We just need them as an excuse for anybody investigating from the outside."

    Junhyuk thought for a moment.

    "Sure. How much is the building?"

    "It¡¯s a ten-story building for $40 million."

    "Fine. I¡¯ll buy the building. We¡¯ll make use of all floor, so find out where you can put the supeputer."

    Sungtae had expected that answer, so he smiled and asked, "Can I name thepany?"

    Junhyuk remained silent and stared at him, and Sungtae scratched his head.

    "I was joking."

    "I¡¯m the owner. Don¡¯t forget it."

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk stared at him and said, "Tell them we will meet on Saturday."

    "Sure!"

    Sungtae was overjoyed, but Junhyuk ignored him and walked outside. He called thepany selling the building. The building was new, so whoever bought it could move in right away.

    Someone picked up the phone, and Junhyuk said, "I¡¯m trying to buy one of your buildings. Can I see it now?"

    "Of course! Where do you want to meet?"

    "Guro Station."

    He hung up the phone and headed toward Guro Station. He will buy it in his own name, but he would pretend he was buying it for someone else, so he didn¡¯t take the mask off.

    At Guro Station, Junhyuk met a bald, middle-aged man, who smiled and offered him a seat in his car. Junhyuk got in the backseat and looked out of the window.

    "Do you want to see something in particr?"

    "There is a newly built ten-story building. Let¡¯s go there."

    "Yes, sir."

    The man sounded very respectful, and that had to be because the building is very expensive. They got there, and Junhyuk looked at the building andughed. Sungtae had picked it out. It was a fair distance from the subway station, but he still liked it. It was new, and he liked how fresh it looked.

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected to buy a new building in downtown Seoul, but he followed the middle-aged man inside. They got to the tenth floor, and Junhyuk looked out at the view of the skyline at night and said, "I¡¯ll buy it."

 Chapter 190: New Partner 2

    Chapter 190: New Partner 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    He was told that they couldn¡¯t do business on Friday, so he scheduled to buy the building on Saturday. Junhyuk headed home. After he got there, he took off his mask and looked into the mirror.

    After meeting Sungtae, he had spent a lot of money, but that meant that he was getting stronger in the real world.

    "It¡¯s a good thing that I met him."

    He had met him because of Eunseo, and Sungtae turned out to be better than expected. If Junhyuk gave him a mask, he would be able to relegate his works to him. Making apany and running thatpany¡¯s activities would be Sungtae¡¯s responsibility.

    Junhyuk shook his head lightly. The next day, he would have to go back to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, and he wanted to rx. This week, he had had a lot to do, so he hadn¡¯t had time to practice.

    He teleported to the basement and started to train when his burner phone rang. Junhyuk picked it up, and Sarang was on the other side, speaking cheerfully.

    "Big brother! You go to the battlefield tomorrow, right?"

    "Right. What¡¯s going on?"

    "I just wanted to hear your voice, so I called."

    "Is that all?"

    "No. Recently, I¡¯ve started taking stray cats or wounded dogs to my house and healing them. And now I can heal two at the same time!"

    "What?"

    "My power has evolved!"

    "Really?! That¡¯s amazing!"

    She already had a lot of healing power, and now she could heal two people at the same time. That couldpletely change the flow of battle.

    Just like Junhyuk¡¯s force field, it was a useful power.

    "I¡¯ve been too busytely, but it¡¯s nice that your power has evolved. How did youe to heal stray cats?"

    "The cats just follow me now."

    "Try not to draw too much attention to yourself."

    "And I have to spend a lot of money to buy them food."

    "Don¡¯t worry about the money. Next time we meet, I¡¯ll give you some more. Don¡¯t let the cats follow you around."

    "Are you giving me an allowance?"

    "Your power has evolved, so I¡¯ll give you some money."

    "Cool! Big brother, I love you!"

    "You are being too loud. I¡¯m hanging up."

    He wanted to tell her about Sungtae, but it would be better to tell her in person.

    "Hm. Be safe tomorrow."

    "Right."

    He hung up and focused on his training. Kaljaque wouldn¡¯t be there the next day, so it would be easier.

    "What will they give award me tomorrow?"

    Junhyuk had earned a Spatial Bag thest time, and that had been very useful to him. He expected to win and to get a new item for his victory.

    "It¡¯s for winners-only."

    His opponents were quite powerful. They would have a hard time winning if it was just two of them. Junhyuk wished they would partner with a new, useful champion and swung his dual swords.

    ---

    Friday, eight o¡¯clock in the morning.

    The white light surrounded Junhyuk, and he appeared in the familiar room. He looked around and checked his earnings: 33,440G.

    There was a lot of money, and he heard the soft voice.

    [Wee to the Swamp of Despair.]

    "I don¡¯t need the basic equipment," he said.

    Unlike before, someone heard what he said, and the basic equipment didn¡¯t show up. Junhyuk checked on his equipment. He was stronger than ever before and, without Kaljaque, he should win.

    Then, he raised his hand and checked on the new ring.

    ---

    Ring of the God of Wind

    Attack +5

    Attack Speed +10%

    The God of Wind controls the wind, and his power is in this ring. It increases attack power slightly and significantly increases attack speed. Attack power increases by five and attack speed increases by 10 percent.

    ---

    "Cool!" he shouted.

    He hadn¡¯t expected the ring to be that effective. He hadn¡¯t been sure about obtaining weapons from the real world, but that ring was superior in its effectiveness.

    "Maybe I should rob a museum?"

    He hadn¡¯t been to any museums, but he might find more items in those. He was thinking about it when a kind voice exined a few things to him.

    [In the Swamp of Despair, three champions make up one team. By using either or both of two roads, you may attack the enemy. Both roads have watchtowers, so it would be a good idea to not approach them casually.]

    He had already fought there, so he understood the exnation better.

    [...and between those two roads, there is a swamp. In the swamp, there is high-ranking sorcerer. When lend him a hand, he will buff you. It could change the flow of battle, so help him if you can.]

    The high-ranking sorcerer¡¯s buff was surprising. It was difficult to get the andplete that quest. The enemies were aware of it as well.

    [You may exit through the main door.]

    Junhyuk stood in front of the door.

    [This is the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. You have unlimited revives, but each time you die, you lose 3,000G, so be aware of that.]

    He wanted to earn more money to get stronger.

    [The reward for victory in the Swamp of Despair will be a Runestone Bag. You may choose one of the highest runestones of each color from the bag. Do your best to win.]

    Junhyuk¡¯s ears perked up. The highest-quality runestones were very expensive, and they would give three of them to the winner. He had to win no matter what.

    Junhyuk pushes door, and the soft voice whispered:

    [Champion Junhyuk Lee deployed.]

    He walked outside and saw the lizardmen standing there. They were already familiar to him, so he found Aktur and headed to him. Aktur was standing with arms folded, and Junhyuk waved at him.

    "You came!"

    "Nice to see you!"

    Akturughed and said, "It¡¯s nice we won¡¯t have Kaljaque, but this new one iste."

    "He may bete because he is new."

    Junhyuk had also been busy listening to the exnations when he got there the first time.

    Aktur¡¯s eyes glinted blue, and he said, "As long as we don¡¯t get troll, we¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m hopeful."

    "Right."

    Junhyuk stood next to Aktur and looked around. He didn¡¯t know anything about the new champion and just hoped that the new champion wouldn¡¯t be a troublemaker likest time.

    A sharp voice echoed behind the lizardmen, "Why are you blocking my path?!"

    The lizardmen wereunched in many directions, and only a champion could treat allied lizardmen like that. However, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t see his face.

    The size of a champion¡¯s soul was bigger than that of a minion, but he still couldn¡¯t see him. Aktur was curious as well and looked for the new champion. The new champion¡¯s appearance was unusual.

    The lizardmen made way. The path was cleared, and the champion headed their way. Junhyuk saw him and murmured, "Gon?"

    He looked like a cartoon! He had a huge head, thick legs and a long tail. He was also entirely red. When he approached, Junhyuk could see that he wasn¡¯t even as tall as his waist. The new champion raised his head.

    "How did you know my name?"

    Junhyuk, curious, asked, "Your name is Gon?"

    "My name is Gongon. I am a member of Red Dragon Tribe. Where are we?"

    "You didn¡¯t hear the exnation?"

    "I heard it, but I am a dragon! Why do I have to be in this dump?!"

    Junhyuk thought he was the loudmouth-type and looked at him, "This is the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. Powerful championse here from many different dimensions to fight."

    "They must not know about my tribe¡¯s power. I¡¯m a hatchling, and they brought me here!"

    Junhyukughed bitterly. Arn had already told him that dragons were strong, but the battlefield management had captured dragons and use them as buff monsters. Even if the entire Red Dragon Tribe wanted to fight, they couldn¡¯t handle the battlefield management.

    Junhyuk looked at Gongon and then Aktur and said, "I¡¯m not familiar with this ce and I don¡¯t have anything to show Gongon. Do you want to go with him?"

    Aktur looked at Gongon and said, "I¡¯m not the type of person to teach anyone anything."

    After saying that, he turned around and added, "I will take upper road."

    Junhyuk looked at Gongon and covered his face with his hands. That hatchling didn¡¯t know anything, it fighting alongside him gave Junhyuk a headache.

    "Nothing I can do."

    Junhyuk took a knee and looked into Gongon¡¯s eyes.

    "Gongon,e with me to the lower road."

    "Why should I?"

    Junhyuk felt like beating him up, but he said calmly, "There is a reward for winning in the Dimensional Battlefield."

    "A victory reward?"

    "Didn¡¯t you hear?"

    "Something about runestones. What do you want to do with it?"

    "It¡¯s a very nice item that can make you stronger."

    Thinking he could get stronger, Gongon¡¯s tail started wagging, and JUnhyuk smiled.

    "I¡¯m not sure, but I¡¯ll tell you what I know. Let¡¯s go."

    "Perhaps."

    Gongon stood next to him, and Junhyuk looked at Aktur as he took fifty lizarmen with him.

    "I¡¯ll be going."

    "See youter."

    Aktur looked at Gongon and added, "Do well."

    He left, and Junhyuk took fifty lizardmen with him, and both he and Gongon and started to move.

    "What are your powers?" Junhyuk asked.

    Gongon shook his head.

    "Powers?"

    "You must have powers."

    "Wait a second."

    Gongon opened his mouth and spewed a jet of me. It looked like a handheld fan and it covered a distance of twenty meters.

    Junhyuk was satisfied with the range, and it could envelop all three enemies within the me.

    Gongon pondered some more and, this time, headbutted a tree next to him. He covered twenty meters in the rush, and the tree broke in half. Then, he shook his body and light emanated from it. The light shifted into a three-meter tall existence.

    "What is that?" Junhyuk asked.

    "It¡¯s a transformation."

    Gongon raised his w.

    "When I keep this up, it feels like my body is stronger."

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure, but it looked like that power increased Gon¡¯s attack and defense. He couldn¡¯t keep it up for a long time, however. After twenty seconds, Gongon looked like a hatchling again.

    "I can¡¯t keep it up! What is this ce?"

    Junhyuk raised his hand, and the ivory-colored force field covered Gongon¡¯s body.

    Gongon looked at it and asked, "What is this?"

    "My power. It¡¯s a force field and it will protect you."

    When the force field disappeared after ten seconds, Gongonined, "This ce limits all powers?!"

    Junhyuk nodded and said, "I can also teleport."

    He appeared behind Gongon, and the dragon smiled.

    "That¡¯s an interesting power."

    Then, Junhyuk showed him the Spatial sh. Far away, a tree was sliced in half, and a glint appeared in Gongon¡¯s eyes.

    "What?! That attack?!"

    "It goes through space to sh the enemy. It¡¯s my only long range attack."

    "A human that has the ability to cover long distances?"

    Junhyuk smiled.

    "Until you familiarize yourself with this ce, why don¡¯t you listen to me?"

    Gongon¡¯s tail tapped Junhyuk¡¯s chest.

    "I like you. I will trust you for now."

 Chapter 191: New Partner 3

    Chapter 191: New Partner 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk took Gongon to where the enemy had been waiting. Gyulsean and Lugos were present.

    After seeing them, Gongonined, "A centaur? And what about that one-eyed monster?"

    "The centaur is called Gyulsean. She is highly-skilled with a spear, and her rush will push you back. In closes range, Gyulsean uses her spear to flip you," Junhyuk calmly exined.

    While staring at Gyulsean, Gongon hit the ground with his tail a few times.

    "What about that monster?"

    "His name is Lugos. He wields four weapons and, when his body turns ck, he can cut the damage received by half. For the ten seconds when his arms erge, he can deal twice as much damage. When he stomps the ground, the shockwaves canunch you into the air."

    "He must be strong!"

    "Yes. He is their tank."

    "What is a tank?"

    "People with high defense are tanks. Some tanks have high attack as well."

    Gongon looked them with his huge eyes and said, "OK. For now, I will listen to you, but I will make my own judgements when I fight them."

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk scoped out the enemy camp and led the lizardmen to the front. The enemies were still standing around their tower.

    Seeing that, Junhyuk gave the next exnation, "Do you see the archers on the tower?"

    "Sure."

    "You don¡¯t have to pay attention to them ordinarily, but when you fight enemy champions, they get buffed. And they can really hurt you then. That¡¯s why our enemies are staying where they are."

    "They mean to fight where they have the advantage?"

    "They don¡¯t know who you are, so that must be their goal."

    "In other words, they are cowards?"

    Gongon was smiling and Junhyukughed.

    "You can think that way."

    "So, what do we do?"

    Junhyuk pulled out the Blood Rune Sword and said, "If they get hit by something big, they¡¯lle out?"

    "Something big?"

    Junhyuk nodded and measured the distance between them. As he approached them, the enemies stepped backward. But even if they did retreat a little, they wouldn¡¯t get out of the range of the Spatial sh.

    If they withdrewpletely, Junhyuk could take the tower.

    Finally, Lugos stepped forward. Junhyuk didn¡¯t pay him any attention and ran forward, using his Spatial sh.

    "Ugh!"

    Gyulsean was retreating when her neck started spurting blood. She lost 75 percent of her health. Junhyuk was dealing more damage than before, inflicting an extra 5 percent to her, and he stepped back.

    The archers shot their arrows at him, but he escaped them and looked at Gongon.

    "Gyulsean only has 25 percent of her health left."

    "How do you know that? She does look like she is hurt."

    Junhyuk smiled.

    "You can find everything in the Dimensional Battlefield. It¡¯s an item¡¯s ability."

    "Hm."

    Gongon saw Lugos stepping forward and swung his huge head around, using his thick legs to stomp the ground.

    "What shall we do?"

    Gongon was going with Junhyuk¡¯s n, and he smiled.

    "Let¡¯s find out what you can do."

    Gyulsean was drinking a potion at the back line, and Junhyuk quickly analyzed the situation. Her health was back to 45 percent, and Lugos was standing in front of her like a steel wall.

    There were also archers, but Junhyuk wasn¡¯t worried.

    "Wait twenty seconds."

    "Why twenty seconds?"

    "I¡¯ll be able to use my Spatial sh again."

    The Spatial sh was fearsome because the enemy had no means to recover from its damage, especially Gyulsean, who had already drunk a potion. Once the cooldown of the Spatial sh ended, she would die.

    At the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, buying time was extremely disadvantageous to the enemy. They couldn¡¯t stand the situation, and Lugos ran forward. Even though the enemies had the tower behind them, the allies could kill them easily with the Spatial sh.

    Lugos wanted mount an attack when there was no chance of the Spatial sh being used. He ran forward and Gyulsean ran behind him. They knew they could die in twenty seconds, so they decided to attack then.

    As the enemies ran toward them, Junhyuk said calmly, "Wait."

    "Until when?"

    "Until they are out of the tower¡¯s range."

    Gongon nodded and hunched over.

    "I can wait."

    Gyulsean was within range, so she loosened her bowstring. An arrow flew toward Gongon as he stepped forward.

    Thuck!

    Gongon was hit on the shoulder and grimaced.

    "It hurts more than I imagined."

    "Of course, it hurts."

    Lugos ran toward them. He was not rushing, but he closed in fast and swung his weapons. It was a four-weapon strike, and Gongon had stepped forward again.

    Thuck, sh, sh, thuck!

    Gongon ran forward bravely, but he couldn¡¯t do anything and bounced back. Junhyuk caught him and teleported. They appeared well behind their formation, and Junhyuk checked on Gongon¡¯s condition.

    He had been hit by an arrow and Lugos¡¯ four-weapon strike, but he had only lost 20 percent of his health.

    He was frowning and breathing hard, and Junhyuk murmured, "You are stronger than you look?"

    Junhyuk had enhanced his defensive equipment, but that was the first time Gongon was at the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, and he was practically naked. Even so, they had barely damaged him, which meant that his basic defense was far different from Junhyuk¡¯s. What would happen if Gongon wore armor?

    When Gongon¡¯s size changed, his defense increased. At that point, he would beparable to Jean Clo defense.

    Lugos closed in and swung his weapons, so Junhyuk sent Gongon back and blocked Lugos.

    ng!

    Lugos attacked with all four weapons, but Junhyuk had experience fighting champions, so he looked for an opening and attacked. Even if the attack wasn¡¯t a direct hit, he still inflicted continuous, fixed damage. The situation favored Junhyuk.

    He shed Lugos in the nick of time, and Lugos frowned. He lost 8 percent of his health. If they kept exchanging ordinary attacks, Junhyuk would have the advantage, and the Blood Rune Sword would heal his health.

    Gylsean was nearby and loosened another arrow. At that time, Junhyuk quickly grabbed Gongon and teleported over Lugos, shouting, "Hit her!"

    Gongon didn¡¯t hesitate andunched out. He "flew" over twenty meters and struck Gyulsean. She had had 45 percent of her health, but the hit left her with 15 percent. It hadn¡¯t been fatal, but the damage was significant.

    "Gongon! Breath!"

    Again he didn¡¯t hesitate, breathing the fan-like me, which covered Gyulsean.

    "Aaargh!" Gyulsean screamed aloud and roasted. Then, they heard a familiar voice.

    [Gongon killed Gyulsean.]

    Junhyuk now knew how much damage Gongon could deal. He could take away 45 percent of Gyulsean¡¯s health with his attacks.

    Also, Junhyuk was wearing his armor, and Gongon¡¯s defense was about equal to his without having to wear anything.

    Gongon looked cute, but he was far stronger than Junhyuk. His powers were a different story, but Junhyuk felt good that Gongon was his ally.

    Lugos approached them from behind, but Junhyuk heard his footsteps and turned. Lugos¡¯ arms had erged, and he swung a hammer and an ax, and Junhyuk wanted to put an end to the battle.

    He raised the force field, and Lugos¡¯ attacks bounced back.

    "Gongon! Transform!" he shouted quickly.

    "That¡¯s a good idea!"

    Gongon grew bigger and swung his fists at Lugos. However, Lugos blocked the attack with his spear.

    Junhyuk understood the problem. Gongon had superior physical ability, but hecked experience, and ordinary attacks wouldn¡¯t work. The transformation increased Gongon¡¯s might, but he had to use normal attacks. At that point, the transformation was useless.

    Gongon allowed an attack from Lugos.

    "Ouch!"

    He stepped back, losing 7 percent of his health. That was all Lugos could do.

    The cooldown for the Spatial sh was almost over, and Gongon kept on fighting Lugos.

    Lugos could wield four weapons at a time, and Junhyuk himself had a hard time dealing with him. Gongon was fighting him with bare hands, so the results weren¡¯t great. Still, Gongon was gaining experience. Even though Lugos had four weapons, Gongon had two arms and two legs, and he swung his tail around. He was getting used to fighting and was able to block Lugos¡¯ attack and punch him in the chest.

    Boom!

    Lugos staggered and stepped back, losing 10 percent of his health. Gongon had strength.

    He could fight like that for twenty seconds, and one hit dealt 10 percent of damage to Lugos¡¯ health. The opponent wasn¡¯t stupid, but if a hit connected, Gongon could kill someone with that transformation.

    "Well rounded?"

    He had heard dragons were strong, but it went beyond Junhyuk¡¯s expectation.

    Lugos stepped forward. His skin was turning dark, and Junhyuk knew that he was trying to run away.

    He stood in Lugos¡¯ path. The force field had disappeared, but he couldn¡¯t let Lugos get away. For his part, Lugos didn¡¯t care and ran toward Junhyuk. Because of the difference is size, Junhyuk would be pushed back, but he didn¡¯t just stand there waiting for the hit.

    Lugos ran, and Junhyuk sidestepped him and shed Lugos¡¯ legs. He didn¡¯t deal a lot of damage, but he used the Frozen Rune Sword to prevent Lugos from getting away.

    Lugos slowed down, and Junhyuk approached him from behind and shed at his back with the Frozen Rune Sword.

    Lugos was hit on the thigh and slowed down even more. Junhyuk had upgraded the Frozen Rune Sword, and it was showing its power.

    He had been hit by three strikes, and his movement speed had been lowered to half, so he couldn¡¯t get away. Junhyuk circles around and stood in front of him.

    Gongon walked over and stood next to him. The transformation was over, and he swung his tail, tapping the ground. He stared at Lugos.

    Lugos looked at both of them, and his eyes widened slightly. He had used two of his powers, but had been unable to make a dent. He also knew that the Spatial sh¡¯s cooldown was over. He wouldn¡¯t survive that time.

    He had made up his mind and swung all four arms, staring at Junhyuk.

    "You killed Gyulsean, so I will kill Lugos," Junhyuk told Gongon.

    "Do you get something if you kill someone directly?"

    "More gold."

    "Gold?"

    "It¡¯s the currency they use in the Dimensional Battlefield."

    Gongon looked at Lugos and swung his tail.

    "Sure! I get one. You get one. I like it."

 Chapter 192: Quest 1

    Chapter 192: Quest 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Lugos was extending his arms and running toward them. Junhyuk started heading towards him and said, "Can you use your powers again?"

    The cooldown for attack powers was usually twenty seconds, so Gongon nodded his head and replied, "I can use my headbutt and breath."

    "Then, use them both now."

    Gongon did not reply. Instead, he ran toward Lugos and headbutted him. Lugos raised his arms to block, but he still staggered from the hit. Gongon¡¯s headbutt dealt a lot of damage, but it didn¡¯t push or stun the opponent.

    Lugos had 50 percent of his health left, but after being hit, he was left with 33 percent. One hit had taken away 17 percent of his health. It was strong. Considering Lugos¡¯ defense, it¡¯s an astonishing blow.

    Gongon did not stop, however. He inhaled deeply and breathed out mes. The fan-like mes covered Lugos entirely. When Gyulsean died, she had only had 15 percent of her health, so Junhyuk couldn¡¯t measure the extent of the damage, but this time, they would find out how much damage the mes could inflict.

    Gongon¡¯s mes covered Lugos, and he lost 12 percent of his health. He had 21 percent left, and Junhyuk ran forward and shouted, "I will kill him!"

    Gongon nodded and stepped aside. Junhyuk saw Lugos and swung his sword. Lugos tried to escape from the Frozen Rune Sword, but it was toote. His neck had been cut, and it bled like a fountain.

    "Tsk!"

    Lugos moaned, staggered and soon disappeared.

    [You killed Lugos and earned 3,000G.]

    Junhyuk¡¯s capacity to deal damage had gone up, and using the Spatial sh, he killed Lugos. Lugos disappeared, and Gongon approached Junhyuk while wagging his tail and asked, "What do we do now?"

    "We destroy the enemy tower."

    Gongon looked at the tower and asked, "It doesn¡¯t hurt if I just get hit?"

    "It still hurts, but if the lizardmen fight first, they won¡¯t focus on us."

    "Hm," Gongon understood the situation. "Then, let¡¯s destroy it."

    "Attack!" Junhyuk shouted at the lizardmen.

    They had been waiting for that order, so they dashed toward the watchtower. When Gongon breathed fire at Gyulsean, the mes had also killed some enemy lizardmen. While the lizardmen attacked the tower, Junhyuk and Gongon supported the attack, and the tower was quickly destroyed.

    They decided to push on further. They had been lucky to destroy tower so quickly, so they wanted to push on to the second tower. While they were heading toward the second tower, Junhyuk heard a soft voice.

    [The restrained high-ranking sorcerer in the Swamp of Despair has woken up. Help him out, and he will reward you.]

    Gongon¡¯s eyes opened wide, and he looked at Junhyuk.

    "High-ranking sorcerer? Should we be rewarded by sorcerer?"

    Junhyuk remembered that the rewards from the high-ranking sorcerer were quite good. He tried to exin, but he was talking to a dragon, and Gongon didn¡¯t fully understand.

    "Just like your powers are reduced here, the high-ranking sorcerer¡¯s powers are also reduced. However, he can still buff you, and the results are impressive."

    It wasn¡¯t just a powerful buff, it could decided the victor. Among the allies, Junhyuk had highest chance toplete the quest and to fight off enemies who would be trying to take on the quest themselves.

    Junhyuk looked at Gongon and said, "Wait a second."

    He sent his intentions to Aktur.

    "Aktur, I am trying to do the sorcerer¡¯s quest with Gongon. Can I take him?"

    "If you move together, the enemies will push on that path."

    "Even if it means giving up a tower, it will be a good idea to show Gongon what a quest is. And more than one enemy might show up on the quest. I could fight them off with him."

    Aktur remained quiet for a while and then asked, "How is Gongon?"

    "He has some useful powers and he follows me. If I teach him right, he will be a big help."

    "Then, give up a tower. I¡¯ll keep an eye on the the situation. I may join youter. Go and do your quest."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk was done with themunication and looked at the hatchling.

    "Gongon, let¡¯s go."

    Gongon looked at the road and asked, "Both of us are going?"

    "Right. Even if we lose a tower, you should learn about quests and the sorcerer."

    Gongon thought for a moment and nodded.

    "Right! I want to learn more about this ce, so I should go with you."

    Gongon should learn theyout of the battlefield, and he would learn more. They ran in the direction of the high-ranking sorcerer, and Junhyuk found out that the dragon¡¯s movement speed was much lower than his.

    If he wanted to get to the sorcerer first, he would have to leave Gongon, but he continued to run with the dragon instead.

    They had run for a while when Junhyuk said, "The high-ranking sorcerer is at the Swamp of Despair. All roads lead to the swamp, so don¡¯t worry about getting lost."

    "You thinks it¡¯s possible for a dragon to get lost?"

    Junhyukughed and answered, "I¡¯m not sure."

    Gongon didn¡¯t pay attention and kept running. They got to the swamp. It was huge, and there were stepping stones about every three meters leading to an ind in the middle of it.

    "Can you cross?"

    "Are you kidding me?"

    Gongon might be slow, but by using his thick legs, his ability to jump was impressive. He jumped over to a stone in one try and looked back as if waiting for apliment.

    Junhyuk gave him a thumbs-up and said, "You look cool!"

    Gongon smiled and wagged his tail. He felt good, and Junhyuk made his way through the stepping stones.

    Gyulsean appeared on the opposite side. Her movement speed was already well-known. Because he had items that boosted his speed, Junhyuk did not think he would lose in a race, but Gongon was with him at that point. He wouldn¡¯t be able to outrun run with the dragon in tow.

    Gongon was away of the situation and jumped over the stepping stones, but he was still slow.

    Junhyuk jumped to the stone where Gongon was standing. The dragon was surprised and tried to jump, but Junhyuk grabbed him. He saw Gyulsean drawing her bow and smiled.

    "Are you alone?"

    "What do you think?"

    He looked behind them and saw Lugos standing there. He had moved to block their path of retreat.

    Gongon, still being held by Junhyuk, looked back and asked, "What are you going to do?"

    Junhyuk answered nonchntly, "They made a mistake."

    "What?"

    "They areing at us one at a time."

    Gongon looked ahead and smiled, "Right."

    Junhyuk ran toward Gyulsean. She drew her bow as he approached. Junhyuk was still holding Gongon while he measure the distance between her and them.

    Lugos approached from behind, but Junhyuk and Gongon were heading toward Gyulsean at greater speed.

    Just outside of the range of Gyulsean¡¯s arrows, Junhyuk used his Spatial sh. One could not see it in action, but Gyulsean¡¯s neck opened, and she started losing health quickly.

    She only had 25 percent of her health left, but she loosened the arrow when Junhyuk got within range. It flew fast, and Junhyuk teleported right away. The arrow missed because of the teleportation, and he shouted, "Go! Gon!"

    Gongon jumped, heading toward Gyulsean, and he headbutted her. The hitnded.

    "Argh!"

    [Gongon killed Gyulsean.]

    Gyulsean screamed and disappeared. She hadn¡¯t thought about her Junhyuk and Gongon¡¯sbo could kill her even if her attack was high.

    "That was a sess."

    Gongon wagged his tail, but when he turned around, he shouted, "Behind you!"

    Junhyuk turned around to look, and Lugos was already flying toward him. If Junhyuk tried to stop the attack, he might fall into the swamp. However, he wasn¡¯t worried and he teleported in Gongon¡¯s direction instead. He ran the rest of the way and stood next to the dragon, looking back at Lugos.

    Lugos stopped running and stared at the two. He had already fought them two-against-one and knew the situation wasn¡¯t good. So, he turned around and retreated.

    Junhyuk faced a dilemma as he saw Lugos running away. He could catch up to Lugos, but fighting on the stepping stones meant that he could fall into the swamp. He was worrying about what to do when Gongon said, "I¡¯ve killed one. That one is yours."

    He made up his mind. If he let Lugos go, he would interrupt the quest¡¯s progression. So, it would be better to kill him then.

    Junhyuk grabbed Gongon with one arm and said, "I have to run so be understanding."

    "I amfortable and nice!"

    Junhyukughed and runs. Gyulsean was as fast as him, but Lugos was different. Distance between them decreased, and Lugos started worrying.

    To fight them both, Lugos had a better chance of winning on the stepping stones. He thought for a moment, and decided to ce himself in the safest spot. He remained at the end of the swamp and turned around, brandishing his four weapons. Junhyuk was four stepping stones away from him.

    In that situation, Junhyuk could very well fall into the swamp. He could use the Spatial sh, but he didn¡¯t like the location of the battle, so he stopped, and Gongon raised his head.

    "Why aren¡¯t you attacking?"

    "Wait for a moment."

    He had run so fast, that his teleportation was still under cooldown. However, Lugos wasn¡¯t running away, waiting for him instead.

    The cooldown ended, and Junhyuk cracked his neck to the left and to the right and said, "I¡¯ll say it again don¡¯t fall into the swamp. If you do, you will need help to get out."

    "You will help me."

    "Lugos will interfere, so don¡¯t fall."

    "I¡¯m thinking about falling."

    Junhyuk lifted Gongon and said, "Don¡¯t step in until I tell you to."

    "Don¡¯t worry."

    Junhyuk ran, and Lugos¡¯ eyes gleamed. He had fought JUnhyuk before, and he was powerful. He would surely teleport, so Lugos had to be ready.

    Junhyuk closed in and teleported behind Lugos. He had meant to push Lugos toward the swamp, but Lugos stomped the ground.

    Boom!

    "Shit!"

    Both Junhyuk and Gongon wereunched in the air. Lugos¡¯ arms erged, and the two had nowhere to find footing and had to block Lugos¡¯ attacks.

    ng!

    Both of them blocked the attacks, but both fell into the swamp.

    [You¡¯ve fallen into the swamp. Chance of escape decreases by 70 percent. Your movement speed decreases by 95 percent. If you don¡¯t get out within ten seconds, you will die.]

 Chapter 193: Quest 2

    Chapter 193: Quest 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    It wasn¡¯t fine that they had dropped in the swamp, and there was some distance between the two. Junhyuk extended his hand and shouted, "Hold on!"

    Gongon extended his hand, but his arms were too short, so Junhyuk sighed and shouted, "Your tail!"

    Gongon turned his body around and extended his tail, but it wouldn¡¯t reach. Junhyuk inched closer to the dragon, but Lugos was already upon him, swinging his weapons.

    In the swamp, their movement speeds were considerably low. Therefore, they couldn¡¯t escape Lugos¡¯ attacks, so they used their own weapons to block, sinking them deeper into the swamp.

    Then, Junhyuk used the powers he had been saving. He teleported and hugged Gongon first. Then, he used the jump skill. He jumped high and went over Lugos. Once hended, he let go of Gongon.

    Gongon shook his head and body to get himself clean and bared his teeth.

    "You dare make me fall into a swamp?"

    Junhyuk ced his hand on Gongon¡¯s head, who turned to look at him, and he said, "Don¡¯t get excited during battle. Make your chest hot, but keep your head cool."

    Gongon didn¡¯t say anything else and was no longer furious.

    Junhyuk knew the dragon could normally remain furious and not have to calm down. He was a dragon and powerful enough to crush his regr opponents with his powers even when furious. However, things were different at the Dimensional Battlefield. There, everyone had limits ced on their powers. Dragons were weaker than in reality, and heroes were weaker than in their own dimensions.

    So, Gongon couldn¡¯t trust his powers too much and run around mad. In the battlefield, other champions could kill him.

    After Gongon calmed down, Junhyuk said, "Let¡¯s go."

    He had been waiting for that, so he smiled and ran.

    Boom!

    Lugos blocked him with all four arms, but some of the damaged pierced through. Junhyuk ran toward Lugo, and just before Junhyuk got to him, Gongon breathed fire.

    The two attacks hit in abo, and Lugos lost 30 percent of his health.

    Lugos swung his weapons toward Gongon, but the dragon had made up his mind and transformed, blocking Lugos¡¯ attacks.

    After he transformed into therger form, Gongon had difficulty fighting as a full-scale dragon. He kept on fighting Lugos until Junhyuk arrived.

    Meanwhile, Junhyuk looked for the right moment to sh Lugos¡¯ leg. When cut by the Frozen Rune Sword, one also lost attack speed. Even so, the transformed Gongon kept fighting Lugos and started getting used to his fighting technique.

    If Lugos lost some attack speed, Gongon could pummel out attacks.

    Lugos could feel the danger, and his body darkened.

    Thunk, thunk, thunk!

    Only half of the damage went through, but the three-hitbo hit, and he lost 15 percent of his health. Lugos steadied himself, and Junhyuk strafed to his back and swung the Frozen Rune Sword again.

    After the cut, Lugos lost more of his attack speed, and Gongon seized on that. Despite how he looked, Gongon had a natural fighting sense. After Lugos lost some attack speed, Gongon¡¯s attacksnded on him directly.

    Lugos started losing health quickly. Even while cutting the damage in half, each hit cost him 5 percent of his health, and he only had 45 percent left.

    Lugos was looking to counterattack and swung his weapons right as Gongon¡¯s transformation ended. The dragon had been over three meters tall when Lugos started his swing, so he ended up shing the empty air, leaving himself wide open.

    Junhyuk seized the opportunity and cut Lugos¡¯ back, putting him at 39 percent health. His Spatial sh was out of cooldown, but he was waiting for Lugos¡¯ body to return to normal, so he ran toward Gongon.

    The diminished Gongon swung his tail to attack, but his stance was different form when he was erged. All of his ws and tail were used for both powers when transformed, but now Gongon could only headbutt, use the ws on on his feet and tail to attack normally, leaving himself wide open as well. He exposed himself to a hammer attack, but Junhyuk grabbed him and rolled on the ground.

    Boom!

    Lugos mmed the hammer down, and Junhyuk saw that his body started turning gray again and used the Spatial sh.

    The side of Lugos¡¯ neck was cut and started gushing blood. Then, his body disappeared.

    [You killed Lugos and earned 3,000G.]

    Junhyuk was still holding Gongon when he said, "Killed him."

    "You did well. Now, do we go meet the sorcerer?"

    Junhyuk nodded and, still carrying Gongon, started to run. He crossed the stepping stones and met with the high-ranking sorcerer. Hatma was tied up, and Gongon asked when he looked at him, "Hey, can I untie you?"

    Hatma looked at dragon and then at Junhyuk.

    "What is this hatchling? Is today his first day?"

    Junhyuk nodded, and Gongon frowned. He went over to Hatma and kicked the roots of the tree.

    Hatma frowned, and Gongon said, "You are just a sorcerer. What are you talking about? I could kill you."

    "Ha-ha-ha! Just a sorcerer?!" Hatma bared his teeth and said, "If I weren¡¯t tied up, I could beat the crap out you."

    "Do you want to die?"

    They exchanged a flurry of words, and Junhyuk thought of what Hatma had told him before. He was a very powerful sorcerer. To Hatma, Gongon looked cute andughable.

    So, Junhyuk butted in and stopped the arguing.

    "We are here to help you."

    "Hm."

    Hatma seemed ufortable, and he looked at Gongon and asked, "What is your name?"

    "Ha-ha! Are you qualified to know my name?"

    Hatma stared coldly at him and said, "Remember this: my name is Hatma, who was called by thunder. You are just a hatchling, unaware of anything. When you return to your ce, ask the Dragon Lord. Ask him about me, and the Dragon Lord will know who I am."

    "Ha-ha-ha! Don¡¯t make meugh. You remember my name."

    Junhyuk lifted Gongon and looked at Hatma. He looked at them and said, "This time, bring me the golem¡¯s nucleus.

    "The golem¡¯s nucleus?"

    "Right. Follow this road, and you will meet a golem. Destroy his nucleus and bring me the remains."

    Junhyuk looked at road and asked, "Doesn¡¯t this road lead to the Ent?"

    Hatmaughed.

    "It depends."

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "I¡¯ll back."

    "Do so."

    Junhyuk thought about leaving Gongon behind, but decides to take the dragon with him, just in case something was guarding the golem. He lifted the dragon in a hug and crossed the stepping stones. It wasn¡¯t an issue to move with Gongon like that. Considering the dragon¡¯s movement speed, it was better that way.

    "What kind of quest is this? Just killing a golem?" Gongon murmured.

    "It¡¯s not just a golem. I fought an Ent before, and it was strong."

    "Laughable. It¡¯s only an Ent?"

    Junhyuk sighed and said, "Let¡¯s go."

    He ran for a while and saw the ce where the Ent had been. It had turned into something like a public cemetery. Junhyuk looked around and let go of Gongon.

    "Where is golem?" the dragon asked after stomping the ground.

    "Somewhere around here."

    Gongon inhaled deeply and shouted suddenly, "Bone Golem! Come out! Don¡¯t make me wait!"

    Soon, skeletal hands came out from the ground of the cemetery, and skeletons surrounded them.

    "They look scrappy," Junhyuk whispered.

    "Right?"

    Gongon started to run around, headbutting skeletons and mming his tail against them, smashing them to pieces.

    Junhyuk joined in and destroyed the rest. The skeletons were all gone, and the bones gathered in one ce.

    Chuk, chuk, chuk, chuk!

    They rose up into a four-meter wide at the shoulders, five-meter tall golem. It looked awkward, and Junhyuk smacked his lips.

    "Where is its nucleus?"

    Gongon looked at the golem andined, "I can¡¯t do much here."

    What he had meant was that if he were his normal self, he would easily find the nucleus. Junhyuk ignored him, gripping tightly to his swords.

    The golems giant fist swept the ground, aiming at Junhyuk, and he yelled, "Dodge!"

    However, Gongon shook his head and ran toward the golem.

    Boom!

    The fist hit him, and the dragon bounced back.

    "Gon!" Junhyuk shouted.

    Once hended, Gongon gritted his teeth.

    "Shit. It hurts!"

    Junhyukughed. Gongon had lost 10 percent of his health. He hadn¡¯t been wise, but know Junhyuk knew how strong the golem¡¯s attacks were. Still, he had looked pathetic flying in the air.

    Junhyuk moved forward, and the golem swung at him. With the huge fisting at him, Junhyuk teleported and appeared on top of the golem¡¯s shoulder. He didn¡¯t know where the nucleus was, so he wanted to attack every ce where it might be.

    He hit the golem hard on the head.

    ng!

    The blow created a shockwave, and the golem¡¯s head was smashed, but the golem swung its arm, aiming for Junhyuk. He jumped down from the golem¡¯s shoulder as the golem twisted around, attempting to elbow him.

    "Ugh!"

    Junhyuk blocked the blow, but still bounced back. He was just getting up as Gongon rushed the golem and headbutted it.

    Boom!

    The golem¡¯s leg shattered, and it leaned forward. Gongon transformed and low sweeped the other leg.

    Boom!

    It shattered, and the golem fell forward on the ground. Junhyuk stepped forward.

    The golem was getting shattered, but it was also healing quickly.

    As the transformed Gongon bore into the golem, he shouted, "Where is damn nucleus?!"

    Junhyuk had been wondering about that too. He was also destroying parts of the golem, but they couldn¡¯t find the nucleus, and the golem was regenerating quickly.

    Gongon breathed on the golem, burning its chest, and the golem punched the dragon in return. Gongon rolled on the ground from the impact, and the transformation ended. He looked damaged as he got up.

    "Junhyuk, do you have any ideas?"

    Junhyuk stepped back and said, "What happens when the nucleus is destroyed?"

    He could generate a shockwave for that, so he sent his swords away and raised his fist.

    "There is no other way. We will beat the crap out of him."

 Chapter 194: Quest 3

    Chapter 194: Quest 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    When using his swords, he could a lot of damage, but the shockwave dispersed only horizontally with the sh. However, when using his fist, things were different, the shockwave dispersed in an orb-like manner. Still, the damage was much lower than when using a sword.

    Junhyuk punched toward the bone golem. The fist hit it, generating a massive shockwave.

    Boom!

    The bulk of the damage had toe from the weapon. In general, damage from equipment buffs was not strong enough. However, fixed damage from equipment buffs went through directly.

    It didn¡¯t matter where the golem¡¯s core was. The shockwave swept through a radius of ten meters, covering the entire golem. Junhyuk kept dodging its attacks and punching it.

    Boom, boom!

    The bone golem¡¯s healing rate decreased, and Gongon walked over. He inspected the golem carefully, and his eyes sparkled.

    "Found it!" the dragon shouted, and headbutted the area. He flew like a cannonball, hitting the golem¡¯s ribs to find the core between the broken bones.

    Boom!

    The core¡¯s shell was destroyed, and the bones that made up the golem fell to the ground. Junhyuk looked at it as he walked over. Gongon, who had been covered by the massive pile of bones, burst outining, "When I return, I will kill many undead to release my anger."

    Junhyukughed and looks for the core among the bones, and he quickly found an object the size of a fist shining.

    [You¡¯ve gained the Golem¡¯s Core. Be careful! You always drop quest items if you die.]

    Gongon had heard the same thing and looked at Junhyuk.

    "When we die, we drop it?"

    "Correct."

    "We killed the golem, but the quest¡¯s reward can be imed by our enemies?"

    Junhyuk nodded, and Gongon continued toin, "Can¡¯t let that happen. I put some effort into getting this item."

    Then, the dragon extended his short arms toward Junhyuk and said when Junhyuk stared at him, "Carry me."

    "What?!"

    "You carry me so we can return quickly. We can¡¯t bete."

    Junhyukughed and picked up the hatchling. He held Gongon to his side and followed the road. Meanwhile, he sent a message to Aktur.

    "Aktur."

    "What is the matter?"

    "Where is Drakey?"

    "He¡¯s reviving. I¡¯m destroying the enemy¡¯s tower."

    Junhyuk thought that things were happening like before.

    "Can youe to the Swamp of Despair. Our enemies might gather up there."

    "Already moving."

    "Meet up soon."

    Junhyuk ran diligently with Gongon in his arm. On the way, Junhyuk kept an eye to his surroundings. He was worried that he might meet with an enemy.

    He ran for a while and got to the Swamp of Despair, but there were others already there. The enemies were on the ind. Aktur showed up on the other side, and Junhyuk sent him another message.

    "What are you thinking?"

    "We have to go in at the same time."

    Junhyuk looked at the enemies and sighed. The ind was on a swamp, and they would concentrate in one direction.

    "It might be dangerous for you, Aktur."

    "I will go in first and, when they focus on me, I¡¯ll retreat. It will be nice if I can fight them on the stepping stones."

    Junhyuk nodded and shouted, "Let¡¯s go!"

    He started running with Gongon, but despite his expectations, all three enemies went after him. They knew how strong Junhyuk and Gongon were together.

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue. That was not a good turn of events, but the allies were stronger than in the previous battlefield. Even so, they didn¡¯t know how Gongon would perform on a three-versus-three fight.

    As he ran, Drakey stepped forward. Drakey was a difficult opponent, and Junhyuk turned to Gongon and said, "Hold on tight."

    Gongon used his hands and tightened his grip around Junhyuk¡¯s arms, and Junhyuk used the jump skill. By jumping, he went over the enemies to stand behind them. Hended and stared at them, and they clicked their tongues and turned around. They had wanted to take advantage of the numerical advantage, but they had failed, so they gathered up.

    Junhyuk kept searching for an opportunity, and the Spatial sh cut Gyulsean¡¯s neck. She quickly lost a lot of health, and Junhyuk closed in by teleporting andunched Gongon.

    "Gon! Go!"

    The dragon flew through the air ready to headbutt the centaur, but their enemies had been watching the events unfold, and Lugos stepped forward and blocked Gongon¡¯s path.

    The Spatial sh had generated a shockwave that had hurt Lugos, but he still had a lot of health. After being blocked by the cyclops, Gongon stood up, inhaled deeply and released his firebreath.

    The mes covered the enemies, and Aktur joined in, heading toward them.

    "Why are you in a hurry?" Junhyuk asked.

    "Seize the opportunity!"

    Junhyuk ran as well, and Gongon rolled forward and mmed his tail against Gyulsean, who was low on strength. She disappeared. In this battlefield, she hadn¡¯t been able to fight at all and just kept dying instead.

    [Gongon killed Gyulsean.]

    Aktur realized the situation was changing fast and asked, ¡¯Who shoud I grab?"

    "Lugos!"

    Drakey had absolute dodge, so he would be hard to pin down. Aktur knew that and grabbed Lugos by the neck and pulled him toward the allies. While that was happening, Aktur also summoned the skeletons.

    Junhyuk knew he and Aktur could kill Lugos.

    "Gongon! Block Drakey!

    "Right!"

    Gongon transformed and engaged Drakey. Another benefit of his transformation was that itsted for twenty second, and when that ended, he could use his other powers. Its defense worked as well as Junhyuk¡¯s force field, but the force field¡¯s cooldownsted ny seconds. Also, Gongon could continue to fight while transformed.

    Gongon engaged Drakey, while Junhyuk and Aktur took care of Lugos. After Aktur summoned the skeletons, Lugos¡¯ body turned dark, and he tried to rejoin Drakey. However, Junhyuk prevented his escape by shing his thigh. It was easier to damage Lugos with the three skeleton soldiers as backup. Junhyuk shed him three times, and Lugos gritted his teeth.

    His defense was buffed, and he still had half of his health, so, even though his movement speed was debuffed, he still tried to runs away. Akturughed at the sight.

    "He is cute," he said, and ck hands rose from the ground. Lugos was so slow at that point, that he stopped moving.

    Lugos realized that he couldn¡¯t run away, so he turned around and swung his weapons. However, his body started to go back to its normal color, but he stomped the ground at that time.

    Boom!

    The skeleton soldiers, Junhyuk and Aktur were sent into the air, and Lugos¡¯ arms erged as he struck at them. His attacks sent Junhyuk and Aktur flying back. He only had 30 percent of his health, but the allies were thrown into the swamp.

    [You¡¯ve fallen into the swamp. Chance of escape decreases by 70 percent. Your movement speed decreases by 95 percent. If you don¡¯t get out within ten seconds, you will die.]

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t hesitate and teleported out. He quickly closed in on Lugos and swung his sword, but the cyclops blocked the attack.

    ng!

    Junhyuk joined the skeleton soldiers still attacking Lugos and while that was happening, Aktur tried to get out of the swamp. However, he had lost 95 percent of his movement speed, so he was having difficulty getting out.

    Junhyuk cornered Lugos and shouted, "Use the skeleton soldiers to get out!"

    The skeletons went to help Aktur while Junhyuk continued to pressure Lugos. The cyclops had already lost his movement speed, and, despite having four arms, he was getting damaged by Junhyuk¡¯s attacks.

    The Frozen Rune Sword sweeped in, and Lugos blocked it with the ax. Then, he pushed it away with the hammer. Lugos stabbed with the short spear, grazing Junhyuk¡¯s ribs. He was very skilled with his weapons, and Junhyuk was injured, but Junhyuk countered to regain his health.

    The Blood Rune Sword dealt damage to the enemy while healing Junhyuk, and Lugos¡¯ health was nearly depleted.

    Meanwhile, Junhyuk felt the Spatial sh returning and shouted, "Aktur! You kill him!"

    Lugos had little health left, so Junhyuk ignored him and ran toward Gongon. The allies had the advantage, so Junhyuk left Lugos for Aktur.

    "Gongon, I¡¯ll take care of him."

    Gongon had 60 percent of his health left while Drakey had 50 percent. When Gongon heard Junhyuk, he was no longer transformed. Before disengaging, Gongon smiled and attempted to headbutt Drakey, but Drakey used the absolute dodge.

    Drakey knew how much damage that headbutt would¡¯ve dealt, so he used the absolute dodge to keep himself safe and prepared to counterattack. Meanwhile, Junhyuk picked up Gongon and released the force field.

    ng!

    Drakey saw the force field and frowned. The absolute dodge onlysted for three seconds, but the force fieldsted for ten, so he ran toward the stepping stones.

    Junhyuk ran after him, still holding Gongon, and Gongon smiled and said, "It¡¯s time."

    Absolute dodge ended, and Gongon breathed fire. The mes covered Drakey¡¯s back, and Drakey felt himself losing some health and sped up. He had 35 percent of his health left, and Junhyuk used the Spatial sh.

    However, his two heads moved, one to each sie, and the Spatial sh went through the empty air between them.

    "What?"

    It was very difficult to read the timing of that attack, so until that point, the Spatial sh had never failed. How did Drakey dodge it?

    Drakey smiled and turned around.

    "He-he-he! Lucky!"

    "Maybe?"

    "That¡¯s right. My item gives me absolute dodge."

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue. He also had an item with absolute dodge, but it only gave him a 10 percent chance, and that rarely happened, but Drakey¡¯s had worked at the right moment.

    He looked at Junhyuk and said, "Don¡¯t be so surprised. I¡¯ve increased my absolute dodge rate."

    Junhyuk could upgrade his equipment, and so could his enemies. Drakey¡¯s absolute dodge rate was now much higher.

    "Even without the Spatial sh, I will still kill you." Junhyuk said, dashing forward, and Drakey smiled.

    "The force field is done."

    Drakey extended his hand, and a whirlwind appeared atop the stepping stone, wrapping around Junhyuk and Gongon. Junhyuk knew he was about to fall, so heunched Gongon away.

    While flying through the air, Gongon extended his hand.

    "Junhyuk!"

    Junhyukughed and said, "It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll kill Drakey, so hold on to him for me."

    He fell into the swamp.

    [You¡¯ve fallen into the swamp. Chance of escape decreases by 70 percent. Your movement speed decreases by 95 percent. If you don¡¯t get out within ten seconds, you will die.]

 Chapter 195: Siege 1

    Chapter 195: Siege 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Drakey made Junhyuk fall into the swamp and startedughing.

    "You should die there!" he said and turned to run away.

    Gongon went after him, shouting, "Stop!" However, he didn¡¯t have any items and he couldn¡¯t keep up, so Drakey was putting some distance between them.

    Junhyuk watched Drakey run away while he tried to get to the stepping stone. He still had to wait on his teleport¡¯s cooldown, so without that, it didn¡¯t look like he would get out of the swamp. He made his way slowly and heard a soft voice.

    [Aktur killed Lugos.]

    Junhyuk turned back and saw Aktur running toward him after having dispatched Lugos. Gongon had gone after Drakey, so Junhyuk could only rely on Aktur at that point, but he was still very far away.

    "Aktur!" Junhyuk shouted, and Aktur ran toward him, extending his hand. The bandageunched forward, flying toward Junhyuk. He grabbed it, and Aktur pulled him out. Junhyuk was able to get to the ind and started running. Each of the other members of the allies had killed one, so it was his turn to kill an enemy. Gongon was running in front of him, but he wasgging behind, so Junhyuk picked him up and continued.

    Aktur looked at Junhyuk andughed, "He is having a hard time."

    "You can¡¯t call this a hard time."

    Junhyuk could kill Drakey with the Spatial sh, but he ran away. It would be a problem if the Spatial sh failed again.

    Junhyuk sped up. Unlike Gyulsean, Drakey didn¡¯t seem to have invest much on his movement speed. Junhyuk was inching closer, and he inhaled deeply.

    "I should get closer."

    "How?"

    Instead of replying, he teleported. The gaped shortened considerably, and Junhyuk threw Gongon, yelling, "Go!"

    Gongon flew him, ready to headbutt. Drakey turned sideways, dodging the attack. It looked like the absolute dodge had worked again. The cooldown for the Spatial sh had ended.

    "Escape this again!"

    Junhyuk used the Spatial sh, and dove forward, but the absolute dodge didn¡¯t work that time.

    "Ugh!"

    The Blood Rune Sword shed, and a gaping hole appeared on Drakey¡¯s neck. After the shockwave, Junhyuk teleported again. His sword cut through Drakey¡¯s neck again, on the opposite side of the first sh.

    Drakey started disappeared, and Junhyuk spoke a few words, "If your absolute dodge is not at 100 percent, don¡¯t unt yourself."

    [You killed Drakey and earned 3,000G.]

    Junhyuk looked at Drakey¡¯s corpse and said, "Let¡¯s go finish the quest."

    Gongon, who was standing next to him,ined, "We should havepleted the quest first and then killed him."

    Junhyuk smacked his lips.

    "We didn¡¯t have time."

    Gongon looked at Aktur.

    "It takes time toplete a quest?"

    Aktur smacked his lips and said, "It usually takes a while, so we should try to prevent the enemies toplete their ns first."

    Junhyuk nodded and looked at the dragon.

    "Let¡¯s finish the quest, and then we¡¯ll go look at some items."

    The dragon raised his head at the mention of items, and Junhyuk caressed Gongon¡¯s head and said, "Let¡¯s finish the quest first."

    Junhyuk walked toward Hatma and pulled out the Golem¡¯s Core while Hatma opened his mouth.

    "Put it inside my mouth."

    "This is not for eating!"

    "Don¡¯t bber."

    He ced the core inside Hatma¡¯s mouth, and the sorcerer chew it. Then, Hatma smacked his lips and showed them his tongue. Junhyuk looked surprised.

    "The Golem¡¯s Core tastes really good."

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "You ate everything..."

    "Are youining?"

    "No, I¡¯m not."

    Hatma¡¯s muscles twitched, and branches restraining him broke off. He strained to break free from some of them, gathering his hand to his chest, and said, "I¡¯ve been called by thunder. I, Hatma, will give you power to move faster than wind and strike harder than thunder."

    [The high-ranking sorcerer¡¯s buff is applied. For one hour, your movement speed and your critical hit rate increase by 10 percent. Critical hits deal an additional 30 percent damage. If your enemy kills you, he will take the buff.]

    After being buffed, Junhyuk looked at Hatma. The roots restrained the sorcerer again, and he looked at Gongon.

    "Hatchling, when you return, go and ask about me."

    "He-he-he. Right! I will certainly ask."

    Hatma was wrapped by the roots and disappeared, and Gongon looked at Junhyuk.

    "He talks so big about himself!"

    "He is very confident in himself. When you return, you should ask about him."

    "When I return, I will ask about many things."

    Gongon grinded his teeth, and Junhyuk shrugged.

    "Aktur, what are you going to do?"

    "Right now, I am saving up money."

    "Then, I¡¯ll take Gongon with me. What about you?"

    Aktur thought for a moment and said, "Before our enemies reincarnate, I will go and gather the lizardmen. I feel like I could sweep through our enemies with one push."

    Junhyuk looked at him and asked, "Is it OK to win so easily?"

    "Doesn¡¯t matter. We lost ten times straight."

    "Right."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t say anything else and started on his way to the Dimensional Merchant. Gongon, who was running behind him, asked, "We aren¡¯t in a hurry?"

    "No."

    "Hm."

    The dragon clicked his tongue, but Junhyuk ignored him while letting him keep up. He couldn¡¯t leave Gongon behind.

    Considering what had happened that far, Gongon had earned a spot on his team, so they ran together and got to the Dimensional Merchant¡¯s portal.

    Gongon looked at it and frowned.

    "What!?"

    "This ce sells items."

    "This portal looks suspicious."

    "What are you talking about?"

    "This portal is twisting dimensions. How is that possible? A dimensional portal doesn¡¯t make any sense here."

    Junhyuk saw Gongon¡¯s surprise,ughed and picked up the dragon while heading inside.

    "Argh!"

    Gongon screamed while going in, but nothing happened.

    "Do you know how dangerous a dimensional portal is?" the dragon shouted at Junhyuk once inside and got a shrug in response.

    "This ce is safe."

    "Don¡¯t make meugh! It¡¯s a big deal to open a dimensional portal, but it¡¯s not possible to keep it open this long...!"

    "Why are you so noisy?" Someone suddenly eximed, and Gongon turned and frowned.

    Bebe was caressing his chin, just sitting there.

    "You are just a yeti!"

    Gongon made to headbutt him, and Junhyuk tried to stop him, but he couldn¡¯t stop a power activation. Gongon flew across the air, but Bebe grabbed his head. Bebe had big hands, and Gongon¡¯s head was entirely covered by one of them.

    Bebe lifted Gongon by the head and looked into his eyes.

    "Hey, hatchling."

    "My name is Gongon."

    With his head gripped by Bebe¡¯s hand, Gongon attempted to kick, but he couldn¡¯t reach Bebe.

    Bebe looked at Gongon and then Junhyuk.

    "This is the new champion?"

    "Yes."

    "You didn¡¯t make the contract yourself."

    "What are you talking about?!" Gongon screamed, and Bebe lost interest and let him go.

    Boom!

    Bebe made a slight movement with hand, and Gongon flew off, hitting a wall. The wall crumbled, and Gongon fell on the ground. The dragon had high defense, so he shook his head and transformed.

    "unt yourself some more!"

    Transformed, Gongon ran forward, but Bebe raised his hand pped the dragon¡¯s face, hard.

    p!

    Gongon spun in the air and hit another wall. Junhyuk was astounded. Bebe was stronger than had imagined, and he felt he had been right all this time for not challenging the yeti.

    Gongon grabbed his face and looked at Bebe, who justughed, "Baby. You don¡¯t know whoes in here, so lower head and stay quiet."

    Gongon was angry, and he got up. Junhyuk stood in his way and said, "Gon!"

    "Step aside!"

    "Gon!"

    Gongon inhaled deeply and said, "Junhyuk, I like you. So, step aside."

    Junhyuk extended his hands toward him.

    "This ce is the Dimensional Merchant. If you have gold coins you can buy anything. You¡¯ll like it here."

    Gongon touched Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder and said, "I better like this ce."

    "I told you, they have everything here."

    The dragon was no longer angry and went back to his regr size. Gongon walked over to Bebe, jumped on the counter and stared at the yeti.

    "If I ask the dragon lord about you, will he know you?"

    Bebeughed.

    "I¡¯m Bebe. Go head and ask him about me."

    Gongon nodded said, "Fine. Your things, show me what you got."

    "How much gold do you have?"

    "Why? Does it cost just to look?"

    Bebe smiled.

    "No, that¡¯s not the case. Go ahead and look around."

    Bebe opened a book for the dragon, and Gongon¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    While he perused the book, Junhyuk went over to Bebe.

    "Can I see some items?"

    Gongon was enjoying himself, and Bebe pushed a te forward. Junhyuk put his hand on it, and 49,440G popped up.

    "What do you need?"

    He thought for a second. He could upgrade his armor again with 40,000G, and his armor would get stronger with each upgrade. However, after some time, he shook his head. He wanted to settle his problems in South Korea first.

    "I want another mask."

    "A basic mask?"

    "Yes."

    Bebe pushed the te forward.

    "What are you trying to do?"

    "I just need it."

    Junhyuk put his hand on it, and the total decreased by 1,800G. After pulling out a mask, Bebe asked, "What kind of face do you want?"

    "A slightly fat and dumb face."

    "Right."

    He tried on the new mask, and it seemed just right. He looked at himself, very fat, andughed.

    "I like it."

    If Sungtae wore it, no one would recognize him.

    "Sure. So far, everyone likes my masks," Bebe said while handing it to him.

    Junhyuk put the mask away in the Spatial Bag, and Gongon said, "You have good some stuff here."

    Bebe looked at him.

    "You are well-spoken for a hatchling."

    Junhyuk looked at Gongon, but the dragon just shrugged his tiny shoulders.

    "I learned from my father."

    Bebeughed and said, "Why are you holding on to 100G?"

    Gongon was confused, but he said, " The Andes Tribe candy. I heard about it from my father. Give me one."

    "Payment first."

    Gongon paid the price, and Bebe got the candy. The dragon put it in his mouth and his eyes widened.

    "Holy shit! It¡¯s the bomb! Give me a hundred of these!"

    "Gon!"

 Chapter 196: Siege 2

    Chapter 196: Siege 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Trantor: Moliere

    Editor: SootyOwl

    ------

    Gongon sucked on the candy and turned his head to look at Junhyuk.

    "Why?"

    "You can buy other things with gold. Why are you buying candy?"

    Gongon smiled and put his short front arms on Bebe¡¯s te.

    "Charge it."

    Bebe smiled and said, "Paid." Then, he gave the dragon a hundred pieces of Andes Tribe candy. Gongon took them and ced them inside his Spatial Bag. At which point, Junhyuk became very surprised he had one of those.

    "Gon, you have a Spatial Bag?!"

    "This is just the basics. I¡¯m a dragon with significant magic control," he said, smiling. "Even though I¡¯m hatchling."

    Junhyuk grabbed his head and asked, "How big is it?"

    "This? It¡¯s not that big. The length, width and height are all ten meters, so it¡¯s a thousand cubic meters."

    Junhyuk¡¯s mouth hung open. It was extremely impressive.

    "Do you have another one?"

    Gongon ate another piece of candy and said, "I have three others that I made. One has five-meter measurements, another one has seven-meter measurements and thest has nine-meter measurements."

    Junhyuk sighed deeply.

    "You can make more when you return?"

    "Sure. It requires special materials, but I could get those," Gongon said while eating another piece of candy. "My father can provide me the materials."

    "If you sell one, you could get a lot of gold," Junhyuk said evenly.

    "What?! Really?"

    The dragon looked at Bebe.

    "Give them to me, and I¡¯ll tell you the price."

    Gongon pushed two of the bags forward.

    "The seven-meter and the nine-meter ones."

    Bebe looked at them and smiled.

    "You must¡¯ve made this when you were an amateur. They are very rudimentary."

    "What?!"

    "However, they are still valuable. The seven-meter one is 100,000G, and the nine-meter one is 200,000G."

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes shot wide.

    "What did you just say?"

    "The seven-meter one will sell for 200,000G, and you already know I only pay half the price."

    "But if you keep spending gold..."

    "So? There are only a few beings who can make Spatial Bags."

    Junhyuk felt sick to his stomach. He had risked his life to earn gold, but Gongon had done it while sucking on candy.

    "I¡¯ll sell them," Gongon said calmly.

    He extended his hand over the te and easily earned the 300,000G. Then, he opened the book and said, "Give me this one."

    "Only a few people know of it. It will suit you."

    "I knew it just by looking at it. This weapon is for a dragon, and when I transform, it will as well."

    "So, is this what you want to buy? It¡¯s 300,000G."

    "That¡¯s right! Give it to me quickly!"

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue. A 300,000G weapon had to be useful with a price like that. Gongon¡¯s attack stat was already high, but he became even stronger.

    Bebe gave him the weapon. It was a w small enough to fit into Gongon¡¯s hands. It was very small, but it still cost 300,000G, which left Junhyuk speechless.

    "Would you buy the five-meter one?"

    "Show it to me."

    Gongon handed him the bag, and Bebe clicked his tongue.

    "I can¡¯t buy this. It¡¯s too rudimentary."

    The dragon twisted his mouth and said,"You aren¡¯t buying it?"

    "Correct."

    So, he looked at Junhyuk and asked, "Do you want it?"

    "What?!"

    "It¡¯s not as useful as the other ones, but it will still work. Take it," Bebe said nonchntly.

    Junhyuk extended his hand, saying, "Gon, I love you."

    "You don¡¯t have to love me," Gongon said, smiling and wagging his tail slowly.

    "We are all equipped, so let¡¯s go!"

    Junhyuk took his new Spatial Bag and stepped forward, but Gongon stopped in front of the portal, so he picked up the dragon, and they walked out.

    Gongon¡¯s body was shaking as he looked around andined, "Is that really safe?"

    "It¡¯s safe. I haven¡¯t been hurt so far."

    "Is that so?" Gongon shakes his head and added, "Let¡¯s go! Where are we going?"

    "Wait."

    Junhyuk pulled out hismunication crystal orb and called Aktur.

    "Aktur, we just came out. Where are you?"

    "I¡¯m taking the upper path."

    "Let¡¯s meet at the second tower of that path then."

    "Yes, sure."

    "You are talking to Aktur?" Gongon asked.

    Junhyuk nodded, and Gongon closed his eyes butined, "My telepathy won¡¯t work. How are you doing it?"

    "With this," and Junhyuk showed him the crystal orb.

    The dragon shook his head and said, "Youmunicate with that?"

    "Right. I can even use it tomunicate with another dimension from my dimension."

    "What?!"

    Gongon was really surprised. He went back inside the portal. Different from before, he was unafraid that time. A momentter, he walked out with amunication crystal in his hand.

    "How did you buy it?"

    "I didn¡¯t have enough money, so I sold a few things I owned. Bebe didn¡¯t want to buy anything other than the Spatial Bags at first, but I got this for cheap. It was a good deal."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know why Gongon thought the crystal was that important, but he listened to the dragon.

    "OK. Now, time to move. If Aktures across our enemies, he will be in danger."

    Gongon raised both of his arms, and Junhyuk looked at him and said. Like a child, Junhyuk held him to the side of his torso.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    Gongon had another piece of Andes Tribe candy on his mouth and was sucking on it while wagging his tail. The piece of candy cost 20G, but Gongon didn¡¯t care about it. He waspletely shameless.

    Junhyuk had risked his life to hunt heroes to earn his gold, but Gongon had earned his by selling his Spatial Bags. He had received 300,000G at once, so 20G was insignificant to him.

    Junhyuk took Gongon and headed to the second tower. There, they met up with Aktur, who was taking the tower down.

    "What about the enemy?"

    "No one there."

    "They aren¡¯t after us. Are they preparing for a siege?" Junhyuk mumbled, shaking his head.

    "I think so. Only the siege remains," Aktur said evenly. "Unlike towers, the castle¡¯s gate can only be broken through by us, while the archers attack us from above with their arrows."

    Junhyuk smacked his lips and said, "We¡¯ll destroy the tower before moving on."

    Aktur shrugged. "Right. We have to do what we must," he said.

    The second tower crumbled, and Gongon extends his arms toward Junhyuk, but Junhyuk ignored the dragon.

    "We aren¡¯t in a hurry. They¡¯ll be waiting for us."

    "Hm."

    Gongon smacked his lips and followed him. Aktur looked at the dragon and then at Junhyuk, saying, "Don¡¯t give him a bad habit."

    "What?!" Gongon frowned, and Junhyuk smiled bitterly.

    "Rx. Aktur is still sore about thest partner he had."

    Gongon ate another piece of candy and said, "Pick me up instead."

    Junhyuk sighed and ced Gongon on his side.

    "Why do you like being picked up?"

    "Dragons are wise, and I don¡¯t have to exert myself to move that way."

    "Like a carriage?" Junhyuk asked, smiling bitterly.

    "It¡¯s not like that. You are special," Gongon said, staring at Junhyk. "Can you give me a ride on your neck?"

    "That¡¯s fine."

    Junhyuk started to run. Aktur, who wasn¡¯t interested in the conversation between them, also picked up the pace, and they soon arrived at the castle to see their enemies standing in front of the castle wall.

    All three enemy champions and their lizardmen were there.

    Gongon said, "I can destroy the castle¡¯s gate with one firebreath."

    Junhyuk put him down and touched his head.

    "Don¡¯t forget, we have to pull one before you can fight."

    "I know, I know."

    Gongon extended his short front arms, and the w on his hand shone brightly.

    "Time to use it."

    Junhyuk had been expecting it too. Gongon¡¯s attack stat had already been high without a weapon, so Junhyuk expected good things from him after he acquired the w.

    Aktur looked at the enemy camp.

    "What shall we do?"

    Junhyuk thought for a moment a. It was dangerous to go into the enemy camp, but it was also dangerous for Aktur to pull an enemy champion out. Most of them had longer ranges than him.

    "You should pull them over here," Gongon said, looking at Aktur.

    "Right."

    "Then, bring us the two-headed monster. The centaur will die from mine and Junhyuk¡¯s attacks anyway."

    Aktur looked down at the dragon, "He has absolute dodge. When he uses it, I can¡¯t get him."

    "Then, bring us that four-armed monster."

    Aktur looked at Junhyuk, who smacked his lips in reponse.

    "Lugos can¡¯t run away, so it would be a good idea."

    "Then, just likest time."

    Junhyuk looked at Gongon.

    "I have to go in anyway to kill Gyulsean. They will attack me," Junhyuk said.

    "How many hits can you take?"

    "Even with my defensive power, I can¡¯t be hit more than twenty times."

    "Can the enemy tie me down?"

    "Drakey has a whirlwind that will lock you down."

    Gongon thought for a moment, and then hit Junhyuk¡¯s chest with his tail.

    "Then, you should save me."

    "You speak so carelessly."

    Gongon looked forward, and Aktur said, "Then, let¡¯s begin."

    They would kill Gyulsean first and pull Lugos toward them. There was no issue.

    Junhyuk had picked Gongon up to his side and started running. On his right hand, he held the Blood Rune Sword while on his left he held Gongon.

    Gyulsean readied an arrow after seeing them. She knew what Junhyuk was trying to do. She couldn¡¯t withstand the Spatial sh followed by Junhyuk attack, but Gyulsean wanted to deliver some hits in the meantime.

    Junhyuk saw her. He could kill her without being hit, but carrying Gongon was problematic.

    "I¡¯ll take a hit."

    Junhyuk used the Spatial sh, and Gyulsean¡¯s neck spurted blood. The shockwave went through the enemy champions and their lizardmen. Those lizardmen within range all disappeared.

    Junhyuk picked up the pace.

    Gyulsean let go of her bowstring. The arrow hit Junhyuk on the shoulder. He was wounded, but he kept approaching the enemies. When he was within range, he shouted, "Go! Gon!"

    Gongon wanted to try his headbutt, but Lugos stood in front of him, so Gongon used the firebreath instead. After Gongon¡¯s mes, Gyulsean disappeared. She had just managed to hit Junhyuk on the shoulder with an arrow.

    [Gongon killed Gyulsean.]

    Killing a champion was good, but arrows rained down from the sky. The archers had been waiting for them, so Junhyuk teleported and picked up Gongon from behind.

    Lugos and Drakey rushed toward them, but Junhyuk teleported.

    Boom, boom!

    The two struck the ground while Junhyuk took Gongon out of the range of the archers.

    "You did well!" Gongon shouted, and Junhyuk smiled and ced him on the ground.

 Chapter 197: Thanks To You 1

    Chapter 197: Thanks To You 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Trantor: Moliere

    Editor: SootyOwl

    ------

    Junhyuk and Gongon left the archers¡¯ range while Aktur was extending his hand toward Lugos. Aktur¡¯s bandages flew out and wrapped around Lugos¡¯ neck and pulled him.

    Even if Lugos were pulled, Drakey had no other recourse, so he ran toward Aktur. The enemies wanted the supporting fire from the archers, but that would be meaningless if all champions were to die. Grimacing, Drakey ran and created a whirlwind.

    The whirlwind sucked Junhyuk, Gongon and Aktur in, leaving Lugos to retreat. Watching him running away, Aktur extend his hand, and shadow hands raised from the ground to hold Lugos in ce while the whirlwind faded.

    Junhyuk dropped to the ground and ran toward Lugos, swinging the Frozen Rune Sword. Meanwhile, Lugos swung his hammer back at Junhyuk. The cyclops still had his attack speed, and he didn¡¯t think he would lose the exchange.

    ng!

    The Frozen Rune Sword got deflected, and Junhyuk naturally turned his body and struck with the Blood Rune Sword. Unlike is the past, he made use of a stabbing motion. He had trained in dual-swordsmanship and learned to stab. It was rare for him to do it in an actual fight, but the stab¡¯s sharpness exposed his enemy¡¯s weakness.

    The stab went through Lugos shoulder, and he frowned and swung his ax. Junhyuk pulled the sword out and spun to escape the attack.

    Boom!

    The ax mmed on the ground as Junhyuk dodged it, and someone passed by him.

    "I¡¯ll take care of it!"

    Gongon had transformed and was running forward. Gongon was three meters tall, and both of his hands had three sharp ws. mes covered the ws, and Gongon attacked with them. Lugos swung the short spear instinctively to block. One of Gongon¡¯s ws bounced off, and he swung with the other one, shing right through Lugos¡¯ ribs.

    Junhyuk saw that the dragon¡¯s ability to deal damage had increased. One hit took away 13 percent of Lugos¡¯ health, so the damage had increased by at least 30 percent. Junhyuk¡¯s body wasn¡¯t strong, and he depended heavily on weapons to deal damage. However, Gongon could already deal a lot of damage from the start, so a 30 percent increase was astonishing.

    Lugos could also see that Gongon¡¯s damage had increased. None of them were waiting for Drakey toe to the rescue. At the same time, Lugos used all four of his weapons.

    Aktur ran forward while summoning the three skeleton soldiers, and Lugos started getting sloppy. Even though he had four weapons and the skill to use them, he was dealing with other champions.

    With the skeleton soldiers added to the mix, Lugos kept leaving openings that were getting attacked, and the damage was pilling up. They weren¡¯t attacking him with powers, but he quickly lost a chunk of his health.

    Drakey ran toward him and released the soundwave, which pushed back all three of them. However, Lugos only had 40 percent of his health left, so Aktur shouted, "Kill Lugos!"

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t hesitate. The cooldown for the Spatial sh had ended, and he used it. Drakey had gotten closer, so that was an opportunity to attack both of them at once. The Spatial sh cut through Lugos¡¯ neck, and a red shockwave expanded from it.

    "Ugh!"

    [You killed Lugos and earned 3,000G.]

    Lugos disappeared with his eyes wide open, and the group looked at Drakey. He had been running toward them, but he clicked his tongue and stopped. Drakey had lost some health already, so if he strained himself, he could easily get killed, so he retreated. The group thought about chasing him, but stopped because of the archers.

    With the archers¡¯ help, Drakey made it inside of the castle.

    "Why is he running away?"

    "There¡¯s nothing he can do now. He is alone," Gongon asked and Junhyuk calmly replied.

    Drakey was alone, and at that moment, he could only stay inside of the castle with the golem and wait. That was his only recourse. That way, he could give up the castle without dying because every time a champion died, they lost 3,000G.

    Gongonughed and looked up the castle wall.

    "How do we take care of them?"

    "We could use long range attacks."

    Junhyuk told him to wait and readied the lizardmen. The enemy lizardmen were getting in position as well. Then, the Spatial sh¡¯s cooldown ended.

    "The archers on the castle wall are a nuisance, but we¡¯ll sweep them out first."

    Drakey wasn¡¯t there, so it wouldn¡¯t be a difficult task. Junhyuk signaled when his Spatial sh was ready and started toward the castle. The lizardmen ran with him in the lead, and Junhyuk used the Spatial sh on the archers on the way. The attack killed many, and the shockwave it generated swept through the lizardmen.

    Half of the lizardmen had already died, and Junhyuk lifted Gongon up.

    "Please use your firebreath," Junhyuk said andunched the dragon. In the air, Gongon breathed the fan-like fire, killing the archers.

    Without them on the castle wall, the lizardmen ahead posed no more problems. It was rare to find a specialist in minions like Junhyuk. He ran toward the lizardman, swung his swords, and the lizardmen fell. The shockwaves made quick work of them, and Gongon said, "That¡¯s a nice power? I couldn¡¯t find any items that could do that."

    "It¡¯s a set ability."

    "A set ability?"

    "Yes."

    Gongon had learned something interesting, and his eyes gleamed.

    Junhyuk pointed to the gate and said, "We have to destroy the gate before they revive."

    "Sure!"

    Gongon started hitting it and the others joined him. Then, Junhyuk looked at the lizardmen and thought of something, Do lizardmen talk about the Dimensional Battlefield once they return to their dimension? Are they like humans?

    He became curious about a few things, The lizardmen were berserked, so would they be OK once they returned?

    The gate crumbled, and Gongon advanced to see a huge golem, and heughed.

    "That¡¯s just a golem! What are they trying to do?"

    "You can¡¯t deal with it alone," Junhyuk said, and Gongon cracked his neck left and right and stepped forward.

    Junhyuk ced his hand on Gongon¡¯s head, adding, "And Drakey is still there."

    Drakey was standing behind the golem, meaning to protect the castle¡¯s force field.

    Gongon looked at Drakey and asked, "That is the guy who has absolute dodge?"

    "Correct."

    "What are you going to do?"

    Gongon raised his head to look at Junhyuk, who started thinking.

    "Aktur, can¡¯t you pull Drakey?"

    "There¡¯s a significant chance I can¡¯t."

    That meant they had to fight Drakey with the golem, and Junhyuk smacked his lips.

    "With his absolute dodge, it won¡¯t be easy. We will do our best. Kill the golem first."

    "Sure!"

    Gongon¡¯s body moved slightly, and he tried to step forward, but Junhyuk grabbed his head again.

    "Wait! The lizardmen will get its attention first."

    Aktur stepped forward.

    "Attack!" he said coldly, and the lizardmen rushed out. Junhyuk believed that their aggressiveness would help in situations like that. He didn¡¯t have to induce them to madness.

    The lizardmen ran, and Gongon mumbled, "They are aggressive!"

    "It¡¯s a good thing."

    The massive golem kicked them, and they died with punctured stomachs.

    "Let¡¯s begin," Junhyuk said.

    He ran out with Gongon after him. While they ran, Junhyuk kept an eye on Drakey. The golem was more powerful than a champion, and Drakey would help it out, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t think he would lose.

    The matter at hand was to not get killed and win. Junhyuk ran forward, but he didn¡¯t use the Spatial sh. The lizardmen were keeping the golem upied, so he swung the Frozen Rune Sword, shing through the golem¡¯s leg and slowing it down. Gongon rushed forward and kicked it.

    Ordinary attacks wouldn¡¯t destroy the golem, but they had wary of Drakey. When Junhyuk and Gongon attacked, Drakey used the whirlwind.

    They were covered by the wind, and the golem swung its fist.

    Junhyuk teleported and appeared behind Drakey. He swung the Frozen Rune Sword at Drakey¡¯s back, but Drakey swiped with his spear to block the attack. He looked around, and stabbed at Junhyuk with it.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to fight Drakey one on one. He didn¡¯t think he would lose, but his real job was to hold Drakey there.

    "Kill the golem first!"

    "YES!"

    The other two attacked the golem. The golem, however, wasn¡¯t an easy opponent. Itunched Gongon off and mmed Aktur against the ground. Still, it was getting hurt.

    Drakey, who was dealing with Junhyuk, smiled.

    "This is fun."

    "What is?"

    Junhyuk heard horse hoofs behind him.

    "Shit!"

    He turned to look, and Gyulsean already had her spear toward him. She tried to attack him, but he teleported to appear on top of the golem¡¯s shoulder, next to its head, and stabbed it with his sword.

    Crash!

    The golem had already lost health, so it was destroyed after the strike. Then, Junhyuk inspected the allies¡¯ condition.

    Gongon had lost 30 percent of his health while Aktur has lost 50 percent. They had fought the golem in the whirlwind, which was how they had been so hurt. However, Junhyuk had been saving his Spatial sh so that he could kill Gyulsean quickly. With her gone, he would deal with Drakey.

    He stood next to Gongon.

    "We have to finish this before Lugos revives."

    "We¡¯ll earn more money if we kill them more times."

    "That¡¯s right, but we have to take it easy. We haven¡¯t won yet."

    Gongon nodded and stepped forward. His defense stat was extremely high, and he enjoyed taking the lead. Maybe it was a condition of Gongon¡¯s pride, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t stop him.

    Junhyuk ran with the dragon, and they saw that Gyulsean was near the castle¡¯s force field. If he used the Spatial sh, Gyulsean would enter the force field, so Junhyuk smacked his lips.

    "Kill Drakey first!"

    Junhyuk was worried that his Spatial sh might fail, so he decided to use it between average strikes.

    Drakey could use his absolute dodge, and his power wouldst for three seconds.

    Junhyuk and Gongon had started, and Aktur joined them in going after Drakey. When they finally reached him, Drakey used his absolute dodge.

    For three seconds, Drakey had no enemy. Before the three seconds ended, Drakey went inside of the force field. Even if they had tried to stop him, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to.

    Once Drakey entered the force field, Gongon frowned and kicked it, yelling, "Cowards! Come back out here!"

 Chapter 198: Thanks To You 2

    Chapter 198: Thanks To You 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk had his hand on Gongon¡¯s head and said, "Wait for Lugos toe out. We¡¯ll go and destroy the castle¡¯s force field in the meantime."

    He and Gongon moved to the side and started pounding on the force field. While watching their force field being destroyed, the enemies frowned at the situation, but they didn¡¯te out.

    Junhyuk had kept an eye out on the enemies. Lugosing out meant that they would have to engage him again, but for him, he could always go back inside the force field, so it was like they were fighting at the frontwn of their enemies¡¯ house.

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue and said, "Be careful. He can run away anytime."

    "Sure. It¡¯s been a while since I fought cowards," Gongon said and continued to strike at the castle¡¯s force field diligently.

    The situation didn¡¯t favor the force field. They continued their pounding, and the force field started to shake. Finally, the enemies came out. Lugos was the sturdiest, so he came out first.

    He turned dark immediately and stomped the ground. Since he used his powers as soon as he came out, Junhyuk, Gongon and Aktur wereunched into the air. The enemies were aware of the gravity of their situation, and Gyulsean came out shooting an arrow against the allies in the air.

    Junhyuk blocked the arrow with his sword, but he still received damage. The impact pushed him back, and Gyulsean set her bow aside and pulled out her spear. Finally, Drakey also came out.

    Drakey opened his mouth, and at that moment, Junhyuk didn¡¯t think twice before raising his force field. He set it with himself in the center, and Drakey¡¯s soundwaves pushed the force field back.

    Still in the air, they were all pushed back by the soundwave, but the enemies had used their powers. Lugos had already used two powers, so the situation favored the allies. If the enemies went back into their castle¡¯s force field, the allies would destroy the castle.

    Junhyuk used the Spatial sh. Gyulsean had lost her chance to retreat and was hit by Junhyuk¡¯s power again. Her neck was cut, and blood sttered on the ground. Her eyes shot wide. She could die at any moment.

    Junhyuknded and looked at Gongon. Without saying anything, Gongon flew in a headbutt toward Lugos while Gyulsean went back behind the castle¡¯s force field. Before she was able to heal and return to the battlefield, the allies had to put matters to an end.

    They still had Junhyuk¡¯s force field. Aktur showed Junhyuk his w-like nails and asked, "What are we going to do?"

    "We can¡¯t destroy their force field within the few seconds we have, so we have to kill them first."

    "OK," Aktur said and ran forward, extending his hand in the direction of the enemies. From the ground, shadow hands rose to grab Lugos and Drakey. Meanwhile, Gongon used his firebreath.

    The huge mes covered the enemies, and Junhyuk took a deep breath. There was something he had to do while Gyulsean was away, so Junhyuk touched Gongon an Aktur and teleported. They appeared between the castle¡¯s force field and the enemies remaining outside of it.

    They had blocked the enemies ability to retreat, and Junhyuk looked at Gyulsean. Within the force field, she was drinking a potion and regaining her health. She was frowning.

    Junhyuk stopped looking at her and looked at the other enemies.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    The group started their attacks. Junhyuk turned to face Gyulsean. She coulde out and interfere, so he stayed to deal with her. The allies were attacking and blocking the enemies¡¯ ability to retreat. If Gyulsean didn¡¯t interfere in some way, the allies would have the advantage.

    She closed her eyes and raised her spear. It wasn¡¯t one of her powers, but Junhyuk kept looking at her while his own force field disappeared.

    She came running out. Junhyuk knews she was quite skilled with her spear, but he thought she was being stupid. Aktur and Gongon had already pushed Lugos and Drakey back, and that¡¯s when she came out to face the three champions.

    Her health was at 50 percent, so she could die at any moment.

    He smiled thinking about her stupidity and raised his sword. While she ran, Gyulsean pointed her spear forward, and something unbelievable happened. Behind her, there appeared ten running centaurs. They looked translucent, like souls, and they were all running toward them. Junhyuk grabbed Gongon and Aktur and teleported.

    The centaurs remained, stilling after them.

    "Is that a new power?"

    Aktur nodded.

    "She kept dying without doing anything, so maybe she activated a new power in desperation?"

    Even after teleporting, the centaurs kept charging at them.

    "Aktur, do we have to kill them?"

    "Is there such deadly blow?" he said and summoned the skeleton soldier, making them charge against the centaurs. They shed, and soon, both some centaurs and all skeletons disappeared.

    Crack!

    The soldiers were crushed as some of the soul centaurs disappeared. The three skeletons along with three centaurs were gone, but the enemies still had seven left.

    Suddenly, a whirlwind formed.

    "Shit!"

    They were drawn into the whirlwind while the centaurs closed in. The centaurs attacked, taking off a good chunk of the allies¡¯ health. Each centaurs had an attack equivalent to 30 percent of Gyulsean¡¯s attack. In other word, that power had a total attack, with all ten centaurs, of 300 percent of Gyulsean regr attack.

    Gongon lost half of his health, and Aktur was left with 20 percent of his, but the enemies had used all their powers. Junhyuk had 70 percent of his health and swung his sword. The shockwave from Junhyuk¡¯s attack swept through the centaurs. He wasn¡¯t sure if they disappeared on their own or because he had dealt damage over what they could handle, but they were all gone.

    However, while they were all gone, he didn¡¯t regain any health from it, possibly because they were just souls.

    Everyonended, and Junhyuk dashed out first. Gyulsean shot an arrow at him, but the arrow passed him by as he lifted his sword. He realized that the 10 percent chance for absolute evasion had worked and he went forward.* He wasn¡¯t aiming at Gyulsean. The shockwaves were enough to kill her even though he had to damage her first.

    Junhyuk aimed for Lugos and swung his two swords at him. Lugos also swung his weapons.

    ng!

    Junhyuk parried Lugos¡¯ ax, and he strafed to Lugos¡¯ side, swinging the Frozen Rune Sword. The sword cut through Lugos¡¯ ribs, and he slowed down. Then, Gongon, already transformed, ran toward Lugos. He had decided to help Junhyuk and joined in the attacks against the four-armed champion.

    The both of them concentrated on Lugos, and Gyulsean and Drakey decided to approach Junhyuk. Then, suddenly, a roll of bandages flew toward Drakey and pulled him.

    The twin-headed champion was pulled away, and Junhyuk and Gongon kept attacking. Gyulsean was being ignored, so she ran and hooked Gongon with her spear and threw him back.

    Once Gongon was out of the way, Gyulsean and Lugos joined attacks on Junhyuk, and he blocked Gyulsean as she rushed him.

    ng!

    From close range, the rush pushed him back, and he mmed against the castle¡¯s force field.

    Lugos and Gyulsean attacked him, and Junhyuk bent forward, parallel to the ground. Lugos¡¯ ax and Gyulsean¡¯s spear passed through the empty air where his torso had been. Then, he stood straight and realized his Spatial sh was ready.

    As previously nned, he wanted to attack Lugos and let the shockwave take care of Gyulsean. However, she had be a hero, so her health and attack were higher.

    Still, he felt that he had to kill her, so he swung the Blood Rune Sword toward Lugos, who raised his hammer to block. Then, Junhyuk¡¯s sword disappeared.

    "Watch out!" Lugos shouted, but the sword was faster. A cut appeared on Gyulsean¡¯s neck, which she hadn¡¯t expected, so she couldn¡¯t really responds. A red, circled shockwave expanded from her neck.

    [You killed Gyulsean and earned 3,000G.]

    She had be a hero, and he had killed her, but he still only earned 3,000G. Junhyuk smacked his lips and focused his attacks on Lugos. The four-armed champion only had half of his health when Gongon joined the fight again.

    "Can I kill this guy?"

    Junhyuk nodded.

    "I¡¯ll help you a little and leave."

    Gongon was still transformed, and Lugos¡¯ arms were erged. However, Junhyuk had attacked struck him twice with the Frozen Rune Sword, so Lugos was considerably slow and was leaving many openings. Gongon was beating the crap out of him, so Junhyuk left to engage Drakey.

    Aktur was fighting Drakey, but he was being pushed because he didn¡¯t have any powers left. He was also at low health, with only 10 percent left.

    Drakey could kill him at any moment, but when Junhyuk joined, Drakey frowned. Gyulsean had be a hero, so they thought they had superiority in that team battle, but she was dead and Lugos was in danger. Drakey wanted to kill Aktur, but he had also used all of his powers, and Aktur was on defense.

    Now, Junhyuk was also attacking him, so there were two of them to deal with.

    Junhyuk could sh him with the Frozen Rune Sword, and Drakey would lose speed, so he had to fight Junhyuk first.

    Junhyuk attacked Drakey, but the twin-headed champion¡¯s absolute dodge was working fine. Still, he couldn¡¯t keep doing it forever. It worked about 50 percent of the time, but Junhyuk attacked faster, and the Frozen Rune Sword finally shed Drakey.

    Then, he heard a familiar voice.

    [Gongon killed Lugos.]

    Lugos was dead, and Junhyuk was certain the allies would be victorious. Drakey frowned and swung his spear, meaning to distance himself from the group, but Gongon flew toward him.

    Boom!

    Drakey¡¯s absolute dodge didn¡¯t work, and Gongon¡¯s headbutt mmed against him, leaving him with 20 percent of his health. Junhyuk had wanted Aktur to kill with Drakey, but Drakey had been about to kill Aktur.

    Drakey attacked.

    "Gongon! mes!"

    Gongon inhaled deeply and blew it out. Drakey was approaching quickly and extended his spear. The firebreath failed. Drakey escaped it with his absolute dodge, and the spear mmed against the hatchling.

    "Argh!"

    Gongon wasunched back, and Junhyuk dash to Drakey, swinging his sword. Drakey¡¯s blood sttered on the ground from Junhyuk¡¯s attack, and Gongon, angry, returned swinging his tail.

    The tail mmed hard against Drakey¡¯s head while Aktur¡¯s w-like nails pierced his neck.

    "Tsk!"

    [Aktur killed Drakey.]

    Drakey fell, and Junhyuk smiled.

    "That¡¯s nice! You killed him!"

    Aktur shrugged.

    "Let¡¯s end it."

    Everyone pounded on the castle¡¯s force field, quickly destroying it.

    Junhyuk looked at Gongon, who raised his head, and touched the dragon¡¯s head.

    "It¡¯s all thanks to you."

    Aktur agreed, "This is much better than before."

    Gongon smiled and wagged his tail slowly.

    "I¡¯ll contact you if I get bored."

    The hatchling smiled with themunication crystal in his hand. Then, the world disappeared around them.

    ------

    *Editor Note: I thought he was wearing the Doctor¡¯s Coat. He put it on in Ch. 179, and I don¡¯t remember him changing it back.

 Chapter 199: New Employees 1

    Chapter 199: New Employees 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Trantor: Moliere

    Editor: SootyOwl

    ------

    Gongon disappeared, and the world around him shattered. Junhyuk clenched his hands into fists. Kaljaque was gone, and Gongon hade because of it. They had been able to win easily.

    He had been victorious in all of his battle, but he wasn¡¯t sure when hest enjoyed a victory like that. He was smiling hard as his surroundings turned white.

    In front of him, there was square box, which he thought contained the reward for his victory.

    [Here is the reward victory in the Swamp of Despair. Inspect it.]

    Junhyuk thought of the reward¡¯s description and touched the box. It opened, and three gems floated out.

    [The reward for your victory, the highest quality runestones. You may take each colored runestone and wish for the runestone you want of that color.]

    He touched the red runestone, and various types of red runestones came up as options. He didn¡¯t hesitate and chose an attack runestone. It was of the highest quality and increased attack by sixty. He had gained strength iparable to before and was feeling deeply satisfied.

    He touched the yellow runestone and invested in defense. His defense would increase by sixty as well. Then, he touched the blue runestone and selected uracy.

    [The highest quality runestones will be delivered to you, and they will be socketed to an item automatically.]

    Junhyuk was surprised by that and raised his arm. Every runestone had been socketed to his item. He didn¡¯t need Bebe.

    "I like it."

    He tapped his arm and smiled. His attack and defense had both increased.

    [The next champions¡¯ battlefield will take ce two weeks from now. We will see you there.]

    After the voice spoke, the world shone blindingly again. Junhyuk closed his eyes and waited for the light to stop pounding at his cornea. Then, he opened his eyes. Time really hadn¡¯t passed.

    He got up and picked up his burner phone. Soon, he heard Sarang¡¯s bright voice, "Big brother! Did you win?"

    "I¡¯ll tell you about it when we meet, but the result was victory."

    "What was the reward?"

    "A set of three of the highest quality runestones."

    "That¡¯s huge!"

    Junhyukughed and replied, "If you activate another power, you cane to the champions¡¯ battlefield."

    "Then, I won¡¯t be able to go with you to the Dimensional Battlefield. I won¡¯t."

    "Don¡¯t talk like that. You must be stronger. And be a champion and a hero."

    "It was just talk. Don¡¯t get too riled up."

    "I have to go out. I¡¯ll call you."

    "Don¡¯t forget it!"

    He got up, put on his mask and teleported. After he left things to seem like the house was still upied, he left to meet Sungtae.

    He got to the motel where Sungtae was staying, knocked on the door and waited.

    "Who is it?"

    "Open up."

    He spoke simply but coldly, and Sungtae opened the door. When he saw Junhyuk¡¯s face, he stepped back slowly. Junhyuk followed him inside and took a seat. After he sat on the bed, he pulled out a mask and handed it to Sungtae.

    "Put it on."

    Sungtae picked it up, astonished.

    "Is it some kind of spy thing?"

    Sungtae pulled it with his hands, and the mask extended, so he ced it on his face.

    "It feels like skin, and I can breath easily."

    It was not an average mask. It cost 1,800G, which meant that it cost 1,800 ordinary souls.

    "If I put on some sses, it¡¯ll be perfect!"

    He looked like a meathead. Sungtae looked at himself in the mirror and fixed his posture a few times. He hunched his shoulders and bent over. His appearance had surely changed.

    "This thing really works!"

    "I told you not to worry."

    Sungtae smiled and looked at him.

    "Did you buy the building yet?"

    "Yes."

    "We put it in ourpany¡¯s name."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t understand and looked at him, and Sungtae handed him a few documents. He looked it over and frowned.

    "KST Company?"

    "You don¡¯t like it?"

    "They are your initials, Kwak, Sungtae?"

    Sungtae scratched his head.

    "We can always change it."

    Junhyukughed and asked, "The name isn¡¯t important. What kind ofpany are you thinking of?"

    "It¡¯s a shellpany. It exists only on paper."

    "To whom does it belong?"

    Sungtae gave him a piece of paper.

    "Max?"

    "Yes. That¡¯s the shellpany¡¯s most powerful shareholder¡¯s name. There is a lot of information on him, but there is no picture of him."

    "Do you want to use my picture?"

    "Correct! If we do that, it¡¯ll be perfect."

    Junhyuk took a moment to think. He had wanted to buy the building under his name, but if he did that he would attract attention from others. They needed a supeputer in the building, and it would be better to buy it under a foreign name.

    He didn¡¯t have supeputer like Zaira and he had already spent half of his capital. It was not the time to reveal himself yet.

    Junhyuk looked at Sungtae. The man was telling him which road to take, so Junhyuk ced a chair in front of him and sat.

    "We have to talk."

    "About what?"

    Sungtae¡¯s expression changedpletely, and Junhyuk continued calmly, "I am your employer."

    "I¡¯ll be loyal to you."

    "Sure. Some things you did have crossed some lines."

    Sungtae became anxious as Junhyuk spoke. Junhyuk had killed people without any remorse. He didn¡¯t want to cross him.

    "Sorry if I crossed the line!"

    Junhyuk stared at him without speaking, and Sungtae realized how heavy the silence was. He bowed deeply, and Junhyuk got up.

    "If you want to do something, report to me first. Understand?"

    "I understand."

    "I like the effort you are putting into things. You may use my picture," Junhyuk said.

    "Then, I will take a picture of you now." Sungtae took the picture with cell phone and bowed again, saying, "Next time, I will report to you first."

    Junhyuk remained silent until he thought of something, "Biggest shareholder... Do you mean that there are other shareholders?"

    Sungtae started sweating heavily, and Junhyuk smiled cooly at him.

    "There is one other shareholder. He has 5 percent of the shares while Max has 95 percent." Sungtae smiled awkwardly and added, "It¡¯s in there."

    Junhyuk looked into document and back at Sungtae.

    "So, you took stock options on your own?"

    "It would be better to have a publicpany..."

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly. He had taken the shares, and Junhyuk had to watch him more carefully.

    "Fine. You will promote me on the inte, but can you create legal evidence on me?"

    "Of course! The person who will sell me the supeputer will work as a broker. I will ask him for documents for you," he said.

    "How much?"

    "Each identification will costs $10,000."

    "Including yours, so do we need two?"

    "You are quick."

    "Tell him to make two then."

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk thought for a moment and said, "We will buy the building and get the supeputer and the IDs first. Tell him to meet you early tomorrow morning."

    Sungtae nodded, and Junhyuk left. He felt better having Sungtae do all of the work. On his way home, he looked up into the starry sky. He was friends with Jeffrey, and Sarang was on his side, but shecked power. He was working with Sungtae to increase his power in South Korea, but he was still very weak by society¡¯s standards.

    "Next time, I will bring back something that will make me a lot of money."

    While looking at the stars, he thought of Gongon.

    "Gongon?"

    "Whew! I increased mymunication crystal¡¯s ability."

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Can you see my face?"

    Surprised, Junhyuk said, "I can see you! Can you see me?"

    "No. You haven¡¯t increased your crystal¡¯s ability. I can just hear you."

    Junhyukughed. Gongon was sucking on a piece of candy.

    "You were supposed to ask some questions when you returned, no?"

    "Shit! My own father sold me out."

    "To the Dimensional Battlefield?"

    "Right. And I asked about Bebe and Hatma, and he told me to be careful. They mighte after me in my dimension."

    Bebe and Hatma were scary. Junhyuk knew that and nodded.

    "Next time, be more careful."

    "Right! I will be. He is only a sorcerer... Why is he so scary?"

    Gongon finished the piece of candy and started sucking on another one.

    "I am on my way home. Call meter," Junhyuk said.

    "OK, right! Next time, I¡¯ll increase your crystal¡¯s ability as well."

    "Thanks!"

    After the conversation, Junhyuk felt good that he had befriended Gongon. The hatchling had given him a Spatial Bag, and he might even give him more stuff.

    "I¡¯m worried about what will happen when he goes to the Dimensional Battlefield."

    Gongon was very proud. On the champions¡¯ battlefield, everyone was the same, but heroes were different. Nothing good woulde of annoying them.

    "Next time, I¡¯ll teach him about it."

    Gongon listened to him, so he would kindly exin things.

    ---

    On Saturday, before noon, Junhyuk met with Sungtae, and they went to the Gangnam district. Sungtae was worried about going to a crowded ce, but they went to a small coffee shop.

    They were meeting someone, and that person probably thought it would be better to meet in a crowded ce. Junhyuk sat down, and Sungtae ordered a coffee and took a sit. He was sipping on his coffee, when a foreigner came over and sat down next to them.

    He was slightly bald and wellbed. The man touched his chin and said, "That is a really nice transformation."

    He attempted to grab Junhyuk¡¯s coffee, but the man saw his eyes and took Sungtae¡¯s coffee instead, sipping on it. Sungtae smiled at the man.

    "Bro, long time no see!"

    "Right! We met when you dropped out of school."

    Sungtae smiled.

    "You heard about what we need?"

    "I heard, but do you know how much it will cost?"

    "I know. But safety is more important."

    The man wiped his sweat with a handkerchief.

    "What do you see me as?"

    Junhyuk, who had only been listening until then, asked, "Your name?"

    When he spoke, the noisy coffee shop became very quiet. He directed the question to the man, and the man wiped his face.

    "I¡¯m Brian."

    He pulled out a package and gave it to Brian.

    "Things," he said.

    Brian pulled out a couple of passports and IDs from his bag, and Junhyuk took his and gave the rest to Sungtae. Then, he approached Brian slowly.

    Brian gulped.

    "The money is ready. When are you going to be ready?"

    "It¡¯ll take about two weeks."

    Junhyuk¡¯s lips twitched.

    "I¡¯ll give you five days."

 Chapter 200: New Employees 2

    Chapter 200: New Employees 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Trantor: Moliere

    Editor: SootyOwl

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    Brian left so fast that he almost seemed like he was running away, and Junhyuk looked at Sungtae.

    "I see that we¡¯ll be using a swiss bank ount, do I have sole ess?"

    "¡¯Max¡¯ has ess."

    "Thepany needs $350 million?"

    "To begin with," Sungtae said, and Junhyuk smiled bitterly and got up from his seat.

    "Let¡¯s go. It won¡¯t be good idea if others see you. I¡¯ll take you home."

    "Could I apany you to buy the building?"

    "What are you going to do?"

    "Thepany is making a big purchase, so I¡¯m curious."

    Junhyuk smiled and replied, "Don¡¯t be nonsensical. Go home and stay there."

    "I understand."

    Sungtae was a good social climber. Junhyuk did not speak further. He took Sungtae home and went to sign the purchase. It was a contract, but Junhyuk couldn¡¯t pay the down payment right away. The money hadn¡¯t been transferred to the Swiss bank yet.

    He told the owner of the building that he would wire the money the following Monday, and they finalized the terms of the contract, and he left. He picked up his burner phone to hear Sarang¡¯s bright voice.

    "What is the matter? You are calling me first?"

    "Where are you?"

    "I¡¯m training."

    "Can you put on your mask ande out?"

    "Sure. Where should I go?"

    "Let¡¯s get something delicious. Can youe to Guro station?"

    "Yes!"

    He found a coffee shot near Guro station, ordered himself a cup of coffee and stared out of the window. Before he finished his coffee, Sarang, wearing her mask, showed up.

    She looked condescending and walked fast. She was probably d to see him. He chuckled as he watched her. Then, he offered her a seat and said, "I wanted to give you something. That¡¯s why I called you."

    "What is it?"

    He pulled out the Spatial Bag Gongon gave him and handed it to her. The Spatial Bag was normally invisible to others, but as Junhyuk handed it to her, she figured out what it was.

    "This is... !"

    "A Spatial Bag," he said and continued calmly, "ce it somewhere you findfortable. Other people can¡¯t see it."

    "OK." She smiled and added, "This is really nice!"

    "Each of its sides measures five meters."

    "Thanks!"

    He shrugged.

    "I got it for free."

    "For free?!"

    "Yes," and he told her about Gongon.

    She listened to everything, and her eyes sparkled. She touched her cheeks and tapped her feet on the floor.

    "I want to see him! What does Gongon looks like?"

    "Why?"

    "I think he is cute!"

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "Well..."

    "Show me! You can see his face!"

    "I can¡¯t show it to others."

    "Really!?"

    Then, he told her about hispany, "I am setting up a shellpany to buy a building and a supeputer."

    "Are you serious!?"

    "Yes. I¡¯ll have it on Monday."

    "How much is the building?"

    "Do you want to see it?"

    "Show it to me."

    The building was near Guro station, so Junhyuk took her there and showed her the building. She stared at it, astonished.

    "This is really yours?"

    "That¡¯s right."

    "Big brother, can we have dinner on the roof?"

    "On the roof?"

    Sarang nodded passionately, and heughed and replied, "We can only get fast food."

    "I don¡¯t care."

    They got hamburgers and walked behind the building. Then, Junhyuk teleported them to the top of the building. She was at the very top of a ten-story building and happily sat on the ledge.

    "That¡¯s dangerous."

    "If I fall, you¡¯ll use the force field or teleport to save me, so..."

    "You are brave."

    He sat next to her and handed her a hamburger. She swished her feet and ate her meal.

    "This is your HQ?"

    "Right."

    "I¡¯ll get some mana stones next time."

    "Sure. I¡¯ll do the same. I¡¯m spending my money too quickly here in Korea. I need more."

    She drank her Coke andughed.

    "I thought it would be enough if I could eat and live, but it seems I need more."

    "Just because you can eat and live doesn¡¯t mean the world is a safe ce."

    She remained silent, taking a big bite out of her hamburger. Junhyuk was sitting next to her, eating his own hamburger, and he also swished his feet lightly.

    Those were simple burgers, but they were eating somewhere different, so it all tasted delicious. Junhyuk chewed on his bit and mumbled, "Should I take some to Gongon?"

    Gongon was weak against food, so it would be a good idea to keep him well fed.

    ¡ª

    On Monday, he reported to work at Ilsan and prepared to greet the new employees. His job was to transfer his workload to them, but when he got there, he saw a desk he hadn¡¯t seen before.

    "Is there someone else?"

    That couldn¡¯t be the case. We¡¯ve filled the five slots, so why would there be another desk?

    He was going to see Eunseo and opened the door, and one of the new employees was already out there.

    "You came early?"

    "It¡¯s my first day!"

    Soyeon looked nervous, and he offered her a seat. He would ask Eunseo about the new deskter. Soyeon had arrived first, but the other employees showed up too. They sat on their desks, and atop each of them there was a worker¡¯s manual.

    He looked at them.

    "Read over your manuals and ask me if you have any questions."

    Junhyuk nned to spend his morning on the work transfer. Then, they heard the clicking of high heels outside.

    He turned around, the door opened and a familiar woman walked in. He looked at her and wondered who she was. She had 150 health and 300 mana.

    "Nice to meet you. I¡¯ve been assigned to the Administrative Department today. I¡¯m Tsubasa."

    "Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Junhyuk Lee."

    She was the woman with the ignition power that had been found in Japan. It was the first time he heard her name, but he was aware of her power. He realized the new desk was meant for her and offered her a seat. Tsubasa sat down, and Junhyuk walked over to her.

    "Did they tell you about your work?"

    "No. They told me I would find out about it here."

    He thought for a moment before saying, "You¡¯ll do the same job as Soyeon. She¡¯ll be moving the monsters¡¯ bodies into storage, and it¡¯s a lot of work."

    "Sure."

    He thought Tsubasa was fluent in Korean and realized something else. She too had taken thenguage pill, so she fit right in at the Administrative Department.

    She would be working with Soyeon, and he made that decision to make use of her power. At least, if anything happened, Soyeon would be safe with her.

    Junhyuk assigned them some work and went to look for Eunseo. Outside of the CEO¡¯s office, he saw Dohee, who guided him inside. Junhyuk was offered a seat, and once he sat down, he asked Eunseo, "Today, someone showed up who we did not select. Could you tell me about that?"

    "My brother suggested her. I checked it already, and she¡¯s fluent in manynguages," she answered.

    Doyeol had suggested her, and of course he did. Jeffrey had captured her.

    He looked at Eunseo and realized something else. With Tsubasa¡¯s attack power, she had the ability to protect Eunseo. HQ had been attack by monsterstely, and Tsubasa could be Eunseo¡¯sst line of defense.

    She looked at him.

    "How long will it take to train them for all of the work?"

    "Two weeks should be enough."

    "Do you mean you will quit in two weeks?"

    Junhyuk nodded, and Eunseo hid her face.

    "We will have a congrattory party for the new employees. It will also be a good bye party for you."

    "You don¡¯t have to do that."

    "I want to. Don¡¯t refuse."

    He nodded and said, "OK, but I have a favor to ask."

    "What is it?"

    "Could I go out for a while?"

    "You may. Will it take long?"

    "No. I¡¯ll be back soon enough."

    "If you arete, you may go home from there."

    Junhyuk smiled at her.

    "Thanks for looking after me."

    He went out, and Eunseo watched him leave. She sighed and leaned back on her wheelchair, looking at the ceiling and shaking her head as he went out. Dohee entered, and Eunseo said, "Let¡¯s go to the Development Department."

    "I¡¯ll take you."

    Eunseo headed to the Development Department where Elise was located. Zaira couldn¡¯t functionpletely in that building, but Elise could still make use of her. She was there, working.

    Eunseo looked at the things piled in front of her. There was arge orb with electrodes attached to it. Elise had been inspecting it, but she turned to face Eunseo.

    "You came?"

    Eunseo approached her and asked, "How is it going?"

    "It¡¯s going well. If everything goes right, it will be ready in three days."

    "Three days?"

    Elise nodded, and Eunseo looked at the things piled up before her. She fixed her sses and murmured lightly, "I¡¯m looking forward to it."

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk headed to a bank. It was still before noon, and he entered and headed to the VIP room. He walked briskly and a worker approached him. Junhyuk took a seat, and the worker brought out a cup of tea.

    "You look familiar."

    He had worked as a model, and his face was well known, but Junhyuk just said, "I want to see the department manager."

    "Please, wait a minute."

    The worked shook his head and left. Meanwhile, Junhyuk sipped on his tea and waited. A bald, middle-aged man walked in.The man saw him, smiled and handed him a business card.

    "Nice to meet you. You were looking for me?"

    Junhyuk looked at the worker who started entering the room, and the manager chuckled and waved him off. The worker left, and the two of them remained.

    "How can I help you?"

    Junhyuk smiled, "My face is well known, so I have a favor to ask you."

    "Sure. How can I help you?"

    Junhyuk pushed his bank book forward. The manager looked at it and looked at him, and Junhyuk said nonchntly.

    "The transfer has to be made anonymously. No one can know."

    "That¡¯s possible. I¡¯ll do it myself."

    Junhyuk handed him the bank ount number, and the manager looked at it.

    "That¡¯s a Swiss ount."

    Junhyuk smiled.

    "The transfer is ratherrge. Is it possible?"

    "It is. How much do you want to transfer?"

    He smiled again.

    "$350 million."

    "What?!"

 Chapter 201: New Employees 3

    Chapter 201: New Employees 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Trantor: Moliere

    Editor: SootyOwl

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª

    The money was transferred to the Swiss bank, and afterward, Junhyuk checked the ount by phone. He was able to see that the money had, in fact, been transferred, which showed the impression he had made on the department manager.

    Only the two of them were inside the VIP room, and the manager felt the pressureing from him and almost peed his pants.

    "I¡¯m joking. Keep this a secret."

    "I¡¯ll do it."

    Junhyuk said goodbye and went back to work. He headed to the development department, and Elise was surprised to see him when he got there.

    "What is going on?"

    "Could we talk, just the two of us?"

    Elise nodded.

    "It¡¯s not even lunchtime yet. Shall we lunch together?"

    "Sure. I¡¯m buying."

    They walked out of thepany¡¯s grounds and looked for a nearby restaurant. Unexpectedly, Elise looked for a fermented miso soup ce.

    They sat down at a restaurant with a strong miso aroma, and Elise ordered her soup, looking satisfied. Junhyuk looked at her.

    "Do you like this ce?"

    "Unless one enjoys a culture¡¯s traditional food, one can¡¯t understand that culture."

    Sometimes, Junhyuk thinks she had taken anguage pill because she was extremely fluent in Korean. He looked at her calmly and said, "I have a favor to ask."

    "A favor?"

    He handed her a spoon and filled her cup with water.

    "I am not sure what Zaira knows, but I have to spend some money, so I¡¯ve transferred some money to a Swiss bank ount."

    "I know."

    He knew that was because of Zaira.

    "Can you make sure you are the only one who knows about this?"

    Her eyes widened slightly, and she stared at him.

    "Why do I have to do that?"

    Junhyuk shrugged and replied, "I¡¯ll bring back many more things from the Dimensional Battlefield to earn some money. If you want to buy those things from me in the future, isn¡¯t this a small favor to ask?"

    Sheughed.

    "In other words, I could buy them from you exclusively?"

    "If you keep me hidden from other people¡¯s attention."

    She stared at him for a moment and lifted her spoon, "Let¡¯s eat first. We¡¯ll talk moreter."

    He probed her aura and realized that she would do what he had asked. Then, he took his spoon, and together, they ate their fermented miso soup. It had a really strong aroma, and they were satisfied with their lunch. After finishing it, they got coffee from a vending machine and, while holding their cups, they headed back to thepany.

    Elise took a sip of her coffee.

    "If you let me purchase any item you bring back, I will agree to your demand."

    "How much can you hide me from others?"

    "I can¡¯t hide basic stuff. Doyeol is already interested in you."

    "Then, what can you hide?"

    "I can hide the things you request from here on, like your money transactions," she said calmly.

    "Keep my assets hidden, and I¡¯ll let you know about other requests."

    "Sure. Will do."

    "Do you have enough capital?" he asked evenly.

    The things he acquired at the Dimensional Battlefield were very expensive, sometimes in the hundreds of millions. She had to have a limit.

    "Don¡¯t worry," she said smiling, and Junhyuk stared at her quietly.

    For a simple scientist, she had quite bit of money. Elise looked back at him andughed.

    "Don¡¯t be too surprised. Do you know how many patents I have? And I¡¯m Robotics¡¯ Head Researcher and one of its shareholders."

    He was seeing a side of her he didn¡¯t know. They stood in front of their building, and she smiled at him.

    "Lunch was delicious."

    Junhyuk waved lightly at her, and when she walked away from him, she said a few more words, "Also, the leaf I bought from you, I learned a few things from it. It¡¯s amazing! If possible, I would like the three¡¯s seed and fruit."

    "I¡¯ll look into it."

    She waved and headed back to work. Elise went down to the Development Department, and Junhyuk headed to the Administrative Department.

    Others had finished their lunch and were on their way back to work. When Junhyuk saw them, he greeted them.

    "Was your meal delicious?"

    "Yes."

    Then, Junhyuk went over the worker¡¯s manual and as much as he knew about the job.

    ¡ª

    Wednesday night.

    Junhyuk was wearing his mask, standing next to Sungtae. Sungtae had new,rge sses on and was wearing a backpack. He lookedpletely different from before.

    "This is the ce."

    "It feels different in person than looking at it in a picture."

    "Let¡¯s go in."

    He opened the door with a key, and they took the elevator to the top. They got to the tenth floor, and Junhyuk said, "This office is mine."

    "Ha! Then, let me have the ninth floor."

    "Do as you please. With the exception of my office, you may use the building as you like."

    "Really?!"

    "Yes. Save three stories for the supeputer. We have a lot to do. Also, take care of the building."

    Sungtae the notebook he had brought with him.

    "For the building¡¯s security, I¡¯ve already looked into somepanies. They are expensive, but they¡¯llpletely safeguard the building. The most famous securitypanies in this world are Germany¡¯s Ste, America¡¯s Special One and China¡¯s Yellow Dragon."

    "We can¡¯t use Ste."

    He had fought against Ste before, so he couldn¡¯t work with them. Therefore, twopanies remained: American¡¯s Special One and China¡¯s Yellow Dragon.

    "So, those two are the only options that work for us?"

    "They are pricey, but they are the only ones we can trust. They are skilled at what they do."

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue. He trusted neither the Americans nor the Chinese.

    "Then, look for Korean securitypanies, somebody cheap."

    "Somebody cheap?"

    "Right. We¡¯ll just buy the entirepany."

    "It¡¯ll cost you."

    "It won¡¯t be too expensive."

    "Right."

    Junhyuk calmly continued, "The securitypany will take care of the building, but what about the supeputer?"

    "Brian will install the supeputer. We are preparing a program to oversee it. If it doesn¡¯t work out, we¡¯ll have to hire some people. I have some friends from my college days. You should hire them."

    "Where did you go?"

    "MIT."

    Junhyuk felt the discrepancy in both of their educations and clicked his tongue.

    "Sure. Do it. Did Brian call?"

    "Tomorrow, we will get our things."

    "I won¡¯t be here tomorrow. Can you do it alone?"

    "By the way, can I sleep here today?"

    Junhyuk sighed.

    "You can. I¡¯ll sleep here today as well."

    No one could recognize Sungtae because he was wearing a mask, but his safety wasn¡¯t guaranteed. It would be better to sleep there and report to work the next day.

    "Do you want to y a game with me?"

    "What game?"

    "A World War game."

    Junhyuk trusted his reflexed, so he yed the game, but for the next few hours, he lost big to the core of his soul.

    ¡ª

    At 3:00 a.m., Junhyuk saw container trucks in front of the building. The containers opened and various electronics were taken out.

    Junhyuk was looking down from the tenth floor. Brian was standing next to him.

    "I got the things you requested."

    Junhyuk looked at him, and Brian felt nervous.

    "I¡¯ll make sure everything is alright, and then I¡¯ll wire you the money," Junhyuk said.

    "Of course."

    They started at three in the morning, and it took them four hours to unload everything. Even so, the speed of the work was amazing. Brian and his team were fast and urate. Everything was installed and working within those four hours.

    They told him the work was done, and Junhyuk and Sungtae stood in front of the supeputer. Sungtae turned it on and rubbed his hands together, his eyes sparkling.

    "Then, shall I begin?"

    He connected hisptop to the supeputer and uploaded something. Junhyuk watched him. Once the upload was done, Sungtae¡¯s hands shed, and Junhyuk pressed his shoulder.

    "How is it? Is theputer working OK?"

    Sungtae was typing obliviously on the keyboard, but he recognized Junhyuk¡¯s voice and said, "Yes, it¡¯s working fine."

    "Then, I¡¯ll wire him the money."

    "Ah! Wait a moment." Sungtae¡¯s fingers flew across theptop¡¯s keyboard, and he showed it to Junhyuk, "Check it out."

    Junhyuk looked at Max¡¯s Swiss bank ount with all the transferred money and raised his head. Brian looked at the expectantly.

    Junhyuk presses "Enter," and the money was wired. He looked at Brian, who checked his smartphone and bowed back to him.

    "Whenever, whatever you need, let me know. I can get you anything on Earth."

    "An iron soldier?"

    Brian broke into cold sweats.

    "That¡¯s not possible yet."

    He had said yet, and Junhyuk realized Brian wasn¡¯t an ordinary broker. It was good to know him.

    He grabbed Brian¡¯s shoulder and said, "As long as you keep it a secret, I will call you from time to time."

    "Call me anytime!"

    Sungtae was busy typing, and Brian looked at him and smiled.

    "Tell him I¡¯ll call himter."

    Junhyuk nodded, and Brian disappeared with the container trucks. Junhyuk looked at Sungtae, still typing busily, and looked around the mainputer room. It didn¡¯t look like Zaira yet, but Sungtae would fill things in.

    He tapped Sungtae¡¯s shoulder.

    "Let¡¯s do thister."

    "I can¡¯t go out very far."

    He hadn¡¯t expected that. Junhyuk shook his head and went outside, taking the subwaymonly known as hellway. He was wearing his mask, and the subway wasn¡¯t too packed yet.

    ¡ª

    Eunseo looked at the machine Elise was showing her.

    "It¡¯s finished."

    "Yes, it¡¯s finished."

    "Can you sweep with just one machine?"

    "Yes, you can sweep South Korea with this."

    She looked at Elise and asked, "How many would you need to cover the entire world?"

    "Measuring by area, we¡¯d need 1,494 machines. We have one already, so we need 1,493."

    Eunseo sighed and said, "We need it for major cities. How is the production of iron soldiers?"

    "We¡¯ve increased the production line, but weck important materials, so there is a limit to production."

    "Make as many as you can."

    "I will until I reach the limit."

    Eunseo nodded and was about to leave when the orb with electrodes attached to it started to move. The machine made a noise, surprising Eunseo, and Elise turned one of the monitors on and said, "A monster attack is expected in a location."

    Eunseo looked at the machine and asked slowly, "Where?"

    Elise frowned and said, "Seoul Station."

 Chapter 202: Monster Hunt 1

    Chapter 202: Monster Hunt 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    [A monster is expected to appear at Seoul station. All employees evacuate to a shelter.]

    The sudden broadcast made the new employees nervous, and Junhyuk turned to them. Before he had a chance to say something to them, the whole building shook. They got more nervous, and Junhyuk looked at each of them. Of all of them, only Tsubasa looked rxed.

    "Don¡¯t panic. The quake just now was caused by the deployment of the iron soldier."

    "Really?"

    "We have two iron soldiers stationed here. Even if something were to happen, we would be safe. Follow me."

    Junhyuk knew he could protect himself from any situation and was very rxed. His demeanor made the others feel less nervous.

    He guided them to the basement shelter. The shelter had been made by repurposing the basement parking lot and covering it with steel on all sides. Junhyuk entered and saw that the others were already there.

    Everyone in the building was now inside the shelter. They could sit and watch things unfold on arge TV screen. Junhyuk knew that the image feed wasing from the iron soldier¡¯s perspective, and his eyes gleamed.

    He was wondering if it was a good idea to show them the battle. Then, Dohee came out from a room inside the shelter and called for him.

    "Mr. Junhyuk Lee. Please,e this way for a moment."

    He entered the room and saw Elise, Eunseo and Sora. Sora saw him and waved at him dly. He bowed slightly to her, and Eunseo offered him a seat.

    "Just in case, there is another iron soldier preparing for deployment."

    "That¡¯s a relief, but are you expecting the appearance of a monster?"

    "Correct," Elise said proudly. "We invented a machine that can predict when monsters will appear."

    "Is that even possible?"

    "How we made it is a secret, but it¡¯s possible."

    "With what kind of dy can you make the prediction?"

    "Right now, within three minutes."

    The iron solder was flying over Seoul, broadcasting a message.

    [A monster is expected to appear at Seoul station. Evacuate the area immediately.]

    People moved quickly. They knew about the iron soldiers and trusted them. They all believed what it said and ran fast. People thought of monsters as things that massacred people, and they all were busy fleeing. Seoul station was evacuated, and the image in the feed descended as the iron soldiernded.

    Elise, who was looking at herputer, said, "We have three seconds."

    Junhyuk thought the machine was more precise than he had given credit. The iron raised its head, and the sky turned dark. Ten huge bats appeared.

    They were just like the one Jeffrey owned, and Junhyuk grimaced. If even one of those got away, there would be huge repercussions.

    The iron soldier¡¯s back opened, and missiles shot into the sky. The bats opened their mouths as the missiles approached and released supersonic waves at them.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    The missiles exploded in the air, and the iron soldier raised both of its hands. From there, a spray of bullets shot out in the direction of the bats.

    Their wings were shredded, and Junhyuk was left astonished.

    "What happened?"

    Elise smiled and said, "The recently hired scientists coated the bullets in the monster dposition liquid. It renders the monsters¡¯ defenses useless."

    There was a limit to how many missiles the iron soldier could use, but it had a lot more bullets. The iron soldier fired like he was trying to make Swiss cheese out of the bats, and some of the bats fell from the sky.

    Five bats had fallen, and the others counterattacked. They flew in, releasing supersonic waves. Three bats attacked the iron soldier. One bat flew toward Seoul station, and the other flew toward Namdaemun, Seoul¡¯s South Gate.

    The iron soldier flew up, cracking the ground underneath, shooting and killing the three approaching bats. Then, it chased after the one that had gone to Seoul station.

    The bat released supersonic waves at the station¡¯s shrine, shattering the ss surrounding it.

    Screams were heard from within the shrine, but the iron soldier arrived, peppering the bat with bullets and killing it.

    Only one bat remained, and screams could be hearding from the South Gate. The iron soldier zoomed off quickly. Junhyuk was thinking that the iron soldier could easily kill the remaining bat when he heard the emergency siren go off.

    Elise looked at the monitor and frowned.

    "We¡¯re expecting another monster attack."

    "Where?"

    Eunseo turned to look, and Elise answered calmly, "Where Guardians HQ was located."

    "They don¡¯t know we¡¯ve moved."

    "Right."

    Elise turned around, and Eunseo fixed her sses and said, "We have to go and meet them. I¡¯ll allow the iron soldier¡¯s deployment."

    Soon, the whole building shoot, and another screen appeared. While watching it, Junhyuk asked, "Why does the building shake before the iron soldier¡¯s deployment?"

    Elise answered, "It¡¯s on roof."

    He wanted to ask why she was using the roof if it would be safer to deploy from the basement, but he turned to the screen. The bat that was heading to Namdaemun was flying acrobatically, trying to get away. The iron soldier couldn¡¯t hit it.

    Even if the iron soldier shot precisely, the bat was moving erratically. It was always flying low and in between buildings. There were people still running on the streets, and the iron soldier could injure someone identally.

    The bat did not attack the people below, but the crowd had broken into a stamped, and some people had been hurt.

    Eunseo asked, "Can it move faster?"

    "It can. It can break the speed of sound. But the shockwaves from that will destroy the area."

    "OK. Can you evacuate the people from Namdaemun?"

    "Yes."

    "Once the evacuation isplete, use of speed of sound is allowed."

    "There will be coteral damage."

    "Guardians will reimburse the city for the destruction," Eunseo said, and Elise quickly operated herputer. All of the speaker at the gate red evacuation orders, and people quickly moved inside the buildings.

    "Then, I will increase its speed," Elise said.

    She entered somemands, and the image changed very quickly. Screams and the sound of broken windows were heard from every direction, but the iron soldier had already made its way to the bat and was holding onto the bat¡¯s wing.

    The bat turned around, wing at the iron soldier. The bat grabbed the iron sodier¡¯s leg, swinging it around and mming the iron soldier against a nearby building. The iron soldier kept its aim on the bat, and bullets shot off from its hand toward the bat¡¯s face.

    Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-ta!

    The bat¡¯s face was destroyed, and everyone was relieved, but Elise frowned.

    "Another monster attack is expected at Seoul station."

    When Junhyuk heard that, he frowned.

    "Did they just open a door and let them keeping?!"

    Elise frowned and answered, "I¡¯m not sure what you mean by that, but I will redeploy the iron soldier to Seoul station."

    "Do it."

    They looked at the screen to see the same type of monster that had appeared in Paju. At the time, the iron soldier had had a hard time with it, but its weaponry had improved, so it would be able to handle it this time.

    The fight started, and Junhyuk asked calmly, "Can the iron soldier deal with it?"

    Elise bit her lips.

    "It¡¯s time to see what the new weapons can do."

    Junhyuk was relieved. Paju was far away. If the iron soldier lost, people would die, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to help them. The iron soldier¡¯s new weaponry wasn¡¯t too different from its previous weaponry. The only difference was that it was designed for huge monsters. They were basically the same, but specialized differently. Those monsters couldn¡¯t fly, so the iron soldier seemed to be winning.

    However, the monster was not ordinary. While its hide was being destroyed, it was taking time to do it.

    "Another five bats have appeared," Elise said calmly.

    The iron soldier flew up to shoot the bats, and Elise saw herputer light up again and eximed, "Shit!"

    Everyone looked at her, and she continued, "There¡¯ll be another monster attack."

    "Is it going to Paju?"

    "No, it¡¯sing toward our building."

    Junhyuk gulped.

    "Wait! Three minutes is not enough time for us to evacuate the building!"

    Elise looked at the monitor and continued, "We have to block the monsters to one side, but that looks difficult right now."

    "Then, what do we do?"

    "Bring the security team members inside," she told Dohee.

    Dohee went out and brought in five men. When Junhyuk saw them, he realized they were R-agents. Once inside, Elise walked over to a wall and pushed hard against it. The wall opened to disy a stash of firearms.

    She smiled at Dohee, "These are intended for huge monsters. Can you handle firearms?"

    Dohee nodded and signaled for the R-agents. They selected what they liked and also took some ammunition.

    "The locations have ovepped, and there is no way to know if it¡¯sing from the air or from the ground. I don¡¯t know how strong monster will be, but it won¡¯t be easy to kill."

    She meant to say that it was possible the monster might not be killed simply by shooting at it, then she sighed and continued, "If a monster does show up, buy some time until the iron soldier returns."

    The R-agents have quick regeneration powers. so she wanted them to act as decoy until the iron soldier could join the fight.

    Junhyuk was a little nervous. The R-agents were being deployed, but they were only a bit stronger than minions, and they didn¡¯t know what kind of monster would show up. Normally, R-agents posed no problems for the monsters.

    "We have 2 minutes. Protect the entrance to the shelter," she said calmly.

    Dohee signaled, and the R-agents left quickly. Then, Elise looked at Sora. That made Sora curious, and she stared back at her.

    "And our shelter¡¯s final boss is you," Elise said calmly.

    "Me?"

    Sora became nervous, and Elise, smiling, pushed against the wall where the firearms had been located one more time. The wall turned, and the disy changed, and two-handed sword appeared.

    Sora just stares at her, and Elise shrugged.

    "Are you familiar with it?"

    Sora gripped the two-handed sword and looked at Elise.

    "What do you want me to do with it?"

    "It¡¯s a longsword designed for huge monsters, and it¡¯s also been coated with dposition liquid."

 Chapter 203: Monster Hunt 2

    Chapter 203: Monster Hunt 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    There were three monitors in the room. One screen showed the iron soldier fighting bats, and another showed the iron soldier fighting the monster with the shell. Thest screen had a feed from inside the building.

    Elise looked at them and gulped.

    "Ten seconds before another monster attack."

    They hadn¡¯t been able to predict monster appearances before, so this time they were more numerous.

    Junhyuk walked over to Sora. She looked nervous while swinging the longsword with her hands.

    "The agents will be able to kill the monster," he told her.

    "I¡¯m hoping for that as well." She rested the longsword against her shoulder and said, "Wait!"

    Sora stopped talking and used her power. Inside that small space, her movement was astounding. She covered a short distance at high speed while extending her sword forward. There was a spark in her eyes.

    "This is working."

    Junhyuk knew that Sora¡¯s blow was not ordinary. If she used it right, it would work just like Halo¡¯s attack. In the Dimensional Battlefield, her strike wouldn¡¯t be recognized as a power. Considering her attack power, it would be better for her to run away from heroes rather than attacking them.

    However, things could be different when she fought monsters, and in case of Sora, she can move really fast during that second. During that time, she was able to run and attack as well.

    Junhyuk walked up to her and asked, "How many times can you attack?"

    She tilted her head and replied, "If all goes well, about three times?"

    If within that second she could swing her sword three times, that would be of great help to her. However, even though she had a lot of health, she didn¡¯t know which monster she would be facing. So, it might not help much.

    "Swing twice and use the remaining time to run away."

    She had faith in him, so she nodded.

    "The monster¡¯s appeared on the roof!" Elise shouted.

    On the roof, a dimensional portal opened, and two ck jaguars stepped through. They looked like normal jaguars, but they each had three eyes.

    When Junhyuk saw them, he grimaced. The jaguars were there to fight iron soldiers, so they had to know the previously-deployed monsters¡¯ defenses had failed. Management probably also knew that the iron soldiers weren¡¯t on site at the moment, and they had sent the jaguars, which meant that those jaguars had to have some special power.

    They appeared on screen, and one of the jaguar¡¯s middle eye shone bright, lighting up. Then, the ck jaguar took off running and disappeared from the screen. Then, it tore through the elevator doors and jumped down the shaft. The monitor couldn¡¯t keep up with it.

    As Elise watched, she said, "One of them took the west elevator, and the other took the east."

    The R-agents quickly moved toward the elevators, and Junhyuk balled his hands into fists. He was curious to know if the R-agents¡¯ weapons would work against the monsters.

    There were cameras in the elevator and the hallways, and two R-agents went to each elevator. One agent stayed back to protect the entrance to the shelter, just in case. The R-agents took aim at the elevator doors and waited. There was a moment of deathly silence, and then the loud noises started.

    Boom!

    The startling sound hade from the basement, and the people in the shelter screamed. However, Junhyuk had no time to pay attention to them. The elevator doors had been crushed, and the ck jaguar rushed out.

    Rat-tat-tat-tat-at!

    After all the noise, one of the ck jaguar¡¯s shoulders was bleeding. Obviously, the agents had aimed for the head, but the monster was far too quick. The bullets prated the skin, but the knockback wasn¡¯t significant. The jaguar measured three meters from head to tail, and the agent¡¯s guns weren¡¯t enough to stop it, unless they hit a weak spot.

    The jaguar dashed forward, shing one R-agent on the chest and biting the other on the shoulder. The R-agent had moved his head to the side quickly to dodge a bite to the head. When the jaguar bit down, the agent pressed the muzzle of his gun against the monsters head and pulled the trigger.

    Rat-tat-tat-tat-at!

    The jaguar moved its head, and the bullets missed. However, some were still able to hit the jaguars chin and forehead. Still, the R-agent was getting his shoulder crushed in the process.

    Meanwhile, the other R-agent recovered from the chest wound and fired multiple rounds at the jaguar, who swung its tail and wrapped around that agents neck. The jaguar pulled the R-agent closer and wed at him. The agent¡¯s head was split in half, and Junhyuk winced.

    Even for an R-agent, he was too hurt to recover. Then, the R-agent who had been bitten ran toward the jaguar. The ck jaguar opened its mouth in an attempt of another bite, and the agent shoved the muzzle inside of it and pulled the trigger.

    Rat-tat-tat-tat-at!

    Things were different from just hitting the jaguar on the chin. This time, the bullets prated the jaguar¡¯s head, and its movements slowed down considerably. Everyone was relieved at the sight, but the jaguar sliced the R-agent in half with both of its paws.

    A shiver ran through everyone that was watching the feed, but nobody screamed.

    Sora had been to the Dimensional Battlefield and was used things like that. The others, however, were strangely calm.

    As Elise watched the screen she said, "West ispromised. East is still engaged."

    She was cold, but realistic. Junhyuk watched the west feed, where the ck jaguar was twitching and shaking its head. It was staggering and it seemed hurt, but it was stilling.

    Elise looked at it and looked at Eunseo.

    "Shall I activate the trap?"

    "What trap?"

    "It¡¯s a ymore mine. There are marbles coated in dposition liquid inside, but the building might get destroyed."

    "What about the shelter?"

    "Even if the entire building falls, the shelter will be still safe. But it might be a long time before we are rescued."

    Eunseo fixed her sses and pondered about it.

    Sora stepped forward and said, "I will go out for now."

    Everyone looked at her, and she grabbed the longsword.

    "The total distance is seventy meters, so I coulde back in one second and still deliver one attack."

    Eunseo shook her head.

    "It¡¯s too dangerous."

    Sora rested the longsword on her shoulder.

    "Right now, that jaguar can¡¯t run. I¡¯m confident in my ability to run, so don¡¯t worry."

    "When you attack, you could get counterattacked. As you can see, one of their attacks could kill you," Eunseo said, and Sora smiled nervously.

    "I¡¯ve already met that monster at the Dimensional Battlefield. It¡¯s half dead, and I can get it."

    She sounded courageous, but Eunseo was still worried.

    "When Sora uses her power, her physical condition gets maximized, so she has a chance to kill it," Elise said.

    "What do you mean?"

    A graph appeared on screen, and Elise continued, "Sora¡¯s power isn¡¯t just running fast. Humans moving at that speed must avoid hitting other objects and require superior eyesight and reflex. Sora will be under better conditioning. She will be OK."

    Junhyuk had just learned something new about Sora. Not only could she run fast for one second, but her reflexes and senses were heightened as well.

    Eunseo kept thinking, and Elise said, "In ten meters, we won¡¯t be able to use the trap."

    Eunseo looked at Sora and had a hard time saying her next words, "Do it."

    Sora smiled and looked at Elise.

    "Open the shelter door."

    She started walking, and Junhyuk hesitated. If she were wearing armor, he wouldn¡¯t be so worried, but she just winked at him and walked toward the door. Sora was carrying a longsword, and the employees that saw her whispered among themselves.

    Junhyuk focused on the screen. Soon, a shadow appeared, and the ck jaguar¡¯s head was within reach. Before anyone could shout, Sora was back inside.

    Elise closed the door and smiled.

    "Just as expected."

    While moving at high speed, the force inflicted by the strike was different. She had beheaded the jaguar and gotten back.

    Junhyuk gave her a thumbs up. She was shaking a little, so he could guess how nervous she might¡¯ve been. She had showed a lot of courage.

    Sora smiled brightly at him and stood in front of the door.

    Everyone cheered for Sora, but then Elise spoke quickly, "East has been breached."

    Everyone looked at the monitors, and Elise continued, "Both Namdaemun and Paju monsters have been killed, and the iron soldiers are returning."

    "How long will they take?"

    "They are flying at the speed of sound, so the iron soldier from the South Gate will take one minute, and the one from Paju will take thirty seconds."

    "Understood."

    Both screens showed the remaining ck jaguar, and only one R-agent was still alive. Sora was nervous, but she walked back outside, and Junhyuk followed her.

    "How long is your cooldown?"

    "I have to wait another ten seconds."

    She had to wait, and the iron soldiers hadn¡¯t returned yet. It would take one of them thirty seconds to return and another ten seconds to get to the basement. However, the R-agent engaged with the jaguar was buying them more time.

    The jaguar hadn¡¯t been hurt much, and it seemed to understand the power of the gun the R-agent was holding.

    Junhyuk clenched his fists staring at the door. He heard the loud gunfire from outside, but it stopped within three seconds.

    Then, he summoned Sherlock¡¯s Leather Bracer, and the Smander Leather Bracer. He wore them underneath his clothes, so no one noticed. He still had his hands balled up. After summoning both items, his defense rose to fifty-five, making him able to withstand the monster¡¯s attack.

    Sora could kill it, but he had to wait on her power¡¯s cooldown.

    It would be better if the door didn¡¯t break.

    Boom!

    It cracked, but it didn¡¯t break.

    Boom!

    It cracked again, and the employees screamed. They had enough courage to work there, but their lives were in danger, so they were losing their poise.

    Junhyuk started thinking about how many would choose to remain with thepany, and Elise shouted, "The door will be fine, but the wall mighte down!"

    She meant that the door was solid steel, but that wasn¡¯t the case for the walls. The door cracked again, and part of the wall fell over.

    Junhyuk got behind the door and supported it with his back. Then, there was another shock against the door.

    Boom!

    After the impact, Junhyuk felt he could support the door. His strength had increased by 20 percent with Sherlock¡¯s Leather Bracer, and he had seventy-four times the amount of health an ordinary man had. The door wouldn¡¯t break.

 Chapter 204: Monster Hunt 3

    Chapter 204: Monster Hunt 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk leaned against the door to block the way, and Sora held the sword to her side and said, "My power is back."

    "Let¡¯s wait to see if the iron soldier returns. Maybe the door will hold until then."

    He thought it would be better if the iron soldier engaged first. Sora¡¯s defense was shoddy.

    The ck jaguar also seemed to becking in defense, but its reflexes were quite dangerous. It couldn¡¯t get through the door, and the iron soldier, with its superior defense, would be able to deal with it. However, Sora might get torn apart like the R-agents.

    Junhyuk rested his back against the door, and Soyeon Shin also leaned on the door to support it.

    Boom!

    "Aaahh!"

    Soyeon had showed courage in following Junhyuk, but was surprised by the impact and screamed. Because she was being courageous, the other employees approached and did the same.

    Tsubasa stared at them and stood behind Soyeon. If something dangerous happened, Tsubasa¡¯s attack could hold the jaguar back.

    When people came over and leaned against the door, Junhyuk felt something strange. He realized they all had courage and wouldn¡¯t quit thepany.

    Boom!

    They felt another shock through the door, and everyone gritted their teeth. Even while anxious, they remained courageous.

    Junhyuk looked around, and suddenly, it all became very quiet. He looked at the monitor and saw the ck jaguar crouching, getting ready to pounce. While it prepared, its w were getting longer. Seeing that, Junhyuk pushed the employees away, and the jaguar tore a hole in the door, attempting to get in.

    Junhyuk had barely escaped the ws.

    It had taken time for the jaguar to use its ws, and they were sharp enough to tear through steel doors. The jaguar poked its head through the opening on the door and bared its teeth.

    "Aaaahh!"

    Junhyuk looked at the monitor. The jaguar¡¯s head was through the door, but its torso was exposed on the other side.

    "It¡¯s here!" Junhyuk shouted, and the jaguar looked at him. Then, the loud sound of gunfire rang out.

    Rat-tat-tat-tat-at!

    The iron soldier MK-II¡¯s arms were powerful. It shot at the jaguar¡¯s ribs, peppering it with bullets, and Junhyuk headed toward Sora.

    She seemed relieved to see the jaguar¡¯s head being pulled back. After pulling out his head, the jaguar pounced on the iron soldier.

    The iron soldier fired at the jaguar, tearing a wall along with one of the jaguar¡¯s legs. However, it got closed to the iron soldier and wed at it.

    The MK-II lost an arm, and the jaguar wrapped its tail around the iron soldier and mmed it against the ground. The iron solder revved its engine, attempting to get up, but the jaguar was already on it, wing at it and decapitating the iron soldier.

    The iron soldier¡¯s defense wasn¡¯t enough to deal with the ck jaguar. That was when the other iron soldier arrived and got to the jaguar by taking the elevator shaft.

    The jaguar turned away from the decapitated iron soldier, and the other soldier wasing out of the elevator, firing at the monster. The ck jaguar kicked the fallen iron soldier, which flew in the air and blocked the iing bullets.

    The iron soldier stopped shooting, and the jaguar pounced on it and sliced its head. It possessed astonishingly fast and strong single blow.

    Junhyuk understood something. That ck jaguar was an assassin. It had been sent to destroy iron soldier. What itcked in defense, it used in single strikes to destroy the MK-II.

    After destroying both soldiers, it ran toward the shelter. By then, it had lost one leg, and its torso was full of holes.

    The jaguar broke down the door, and Junhyuk grabbed a chair next to him. Once the jaguar entered the shelter, Junhyuk threw the chair and shouted, "Sora!"

    While the jaguar sliced and diced the chair with its ws, Sora used her power. The jaguar tried to swing at her, but she dodged it, and sliced the monster¡¯s torso. It had already been damaged in the ribs by the iron soldier, so she sliced it in half. Still, she didn¡¯t stop there, finally beheading the ck jaguar.

    Then, she retreated.

    Her attack and retreat had taken one second. The jaguar had tried to swing at her, but had not hurt her.

    Sora sighed, relieved, and Junhyuk smiled at her. He had been trusting Tsubasa to take care of everything, but it had been Sora with her longsword who had done so.

    She was still sighing when Eunseo and the others came outside. Eunseo bowed to her and said, "Thank you for protecting us from the monsters."

    "I did what anyone would do."

    Sora swung the longsword once to remove the blood dripping from it and rested it on her shoulder. Everyone expressed their gratitude toward her, and Elise walked over to inspect the ck jaguar.

    Then, her head turned to looked at the iron soldiers.

    "Ouch! We lost a lot of money this time."

    Elise operated her tablet, and a wheeled robot entered. It started inspecting the jaguar.

    Then, she looked down the hallway and clicked her tongue. It was filled with fallen R-agents and iron soldier parts. The robot took the corpses and the iron soldier debris and disappeared.

    She went back to the group and said, "We have to relocate quickly."

    Eunseo nodded heavily. The day had been a disaster.

    "The monster attacks are getting more dangerous."

    "Yes, we are in tough spot."

    "First, let¡¯s check take stock of the damage and check on the attacks around the world," Eunseo said camly.

    The new employees were looking at the broken door, and Eunseo gave them a quick order, "Take your seats."

    Everyone sat down. She looked at Elise, and Elise pulled out sixptops.

    "With Zaira¡¯s help, work will be easier. Browse the inte for monster attacks."

    Eunseo nodded and looked at the new employees.

    "The Administrative Department will check the inte for videos of monsters. Check if there is any problem and find out more information about the body transfers to Korea."

    "Yes."

    She looked at Junhyuk and added, "Find out more about the monster attacks, and send each nation a cooperation report."

    "Sure."

    "Teach them about monster attacks and what to do in such circumstances."

    "Yes."

    It was a good chance to transfer his workload to the new employees. Junhyuk took a seat and taught them what to do. He told them about how to use Zaira. When they found out how powerful Zaira was, everyone was speechless.

    Once they had learned about the AI supeputer, they started working with Zaira¡¯s help.

    ---

    Sora looked at the longsword she was holding. It had been coated in dposition liquid to be used against huge monsters. Because she had her own power, she had been able to kills monsters with it.

    "You did well."

    Sora turned to see Elise smiling.

    "Your power is beyond my expectations. Maybe you will be the one to safeguard Guardians."

    "What about the iron soldiers?"

    "They helped, but you saw everything! You would be more effective in dealing with monsters."

    "It¡¯s a relief that I was able to help."

    "By the way, congrattions!"

    "On what?"

    Elise smiled and said, "Sora, you killed the jaguars, and there were mana stones inside them. They were bigger than expected, so you should get $3 million for each."

    "What?!"

    She was surprised, and Elise continued, "We still have to do a more urate appraisal, but as soon as that¡¯s over, you¡¯ll be paid."

    Sora couldn¡¯t believe it, and Elise focused on the screen.

    "The weapons worked, but we still need better armor. I wasn¡¯t expecting that."

    She looked at the robot holding the ck jaguar¡¯s ws. They had started out short, but but the jaguar erged them by one meter, and they had easily sliced through barium titanate steel.

    Even if they had the monster dposition liquid, they had no answers for the ws. They would have to kill the jaguar before it struck.

    Elise touched her chin and murmured, "They areing out this way." She smiled and added, "OK. I¡¯ve figured out what they are trying to do!"

    They had to disable the monsters. Elise didn¡¯t know who was sending them, but she was feeling confident.

    They¡¯d have to strengthen the HQ¡¯s defenses.

    "We have to spend more money!"

    She was working busily, and Sora stared at her and turned away to look at Junhyuk working. She had been courageous because of him.

    Sora looked at the steel door. It still contained some residue of Junhyuk supporting it with his back.

    Then, she looked at her sword. It had been very useful. It wouldn¡¯t help against heroes, but it had proven to kill monsters.

    "I¡¯ll take it with me."

    ---

    Junhyuk was very busy. Both the crowded areas around Namdaemun and Seoul Station had been attack, but they had been able to predict the appearance of the monsters and evacuate the people.

    If the iron soldiers had been deployed after the monsters had appeared, many people would have died, but they had been mostly wounded. The supersonic flight in Namdaemun had broken a lot of ss that hurt a lot of people.

    People hadn¡¯t been killed by monsters, but they had been wounded by the iron soldier, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t know how they would respond to it. In Paju, there were fewer people, so no one was killed.

    It was a huge relief.

    After gathering the information on what happened in South Korea, he turned to the international attacks and frowned. South Korea had been the only country able to predict monster attacks, so the other nations deployed iron soldiers after the monsters showed up.

    And there were many casualties.

    He looked at theptop¡¯s screen and froze the video and rewound it. It was the feed from the iron soldier in China. The video showed a monster that looked like a huge ox. The iron soldier had been able to capture it on video. The monster measured five meters from head to tail and was running wild in a market.

    Then, a little girl stood in front of it. She looked to be about fifteen years old and she extended her hands toward the ox. Suddenly, the rushing ox was sliced in half, and Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened.

    "A wind de?"

    Even the ground had been cut. It was certainly a wind de.

    "Another novice?"

    However, it didn¡¯t look like the girl had activated her power in China. She looked too calm, so she had to have been to the Dimensional Battlefield.

    The number of novices was increasing, and some of those might be experts, and some of those experts might be champions.

    "China!"

 Chapter 205: Unexpected Meeting 1

    Chapter 205: Unexpected Meeting 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk sighed deeply after he finished processing the monster attack. He felt like it would¡¯ve been easier if he had worked alone. He could quickly grasp what Zaira was doing even as it worked at great speed, but ordinary people were different. They did not and could not use Zaira¡¯s power properly. However, with five people divided in groups things had worked out, and they had gone smoothly.

    Junhyuk had divided the workload among five people, but Soyeon and Tsubasa didn¡¯t have anything to do that day, so he taught them things rted to the other jobs. He wasn¡¯t sure when he would finish the transfer of responsibilities.

    After he was done, Junhyuk went to Eunseo to make his report. She was inside the shelter, working with Elise. Eunseo saw hime in and make his report, to which she listened intently, then she looked at her watch.

    "It¡¯s 5:00 p.m. You may leave."

    "What about the other employees?"

    "They may also leave," she said and turned to look at him. "Since you¡¯ve acted with courage, I don¡¯t think anyone will quit."

    When he heard that, he smiled bitterly. He had his armor and extended health, but Soyeon was different. She was the one with true courage.

    "Soyeon helped, and that¡¯s why the others helped. You should tell that to her."

    "I¡¯m aware of it."

    Junhyuk felt that Soyeon had gotten on Eunseo¡¯s good side and smiled.

    "Then, I¡¯ll be going."

    He walked outside and all of the Administrative Department workers looked at him.

    "Let¡¯s go home." Everyone gets up from their seats, and Junhyuk smiled and added, "Today, let¡¯s go get some beer. It¡¯s on me."

    The employees cheered, and Junhyuk took them all to a nearby sports bar.

    While everyone was sat down, drinking beer, Junhyuk looked at Soyeon.

    "You mustered up a lot of courage there."

    "The truth is you acted first. I just followed you."

    He shook his head. The other employeesplimented her. From the male employees point of view, they wanted topliment their attractive female coworkers. They all apuded her. Meanwhile, Junhyuk moved to sit next to Tsubasa. He hadn¡¯t expected her to tag along to the sports bar.

    He sat down in front of her and raised a ss of beer. She also raised hers and clinked it against his.

    "You must be stunned because of all that¡¯s happened," he said to her.

    "I wasn¡¯t the only one at work."

    Junhyukughed.

    "You are right, but it is a relief."

    Junhyuk looked at the other employees and Tsubasa did the same. The others must be feeling relieved and alive, and they were all enjoying their drinks.

    "Don¡¯t get too drunk," Junhyuk told them.

    "You are worried we might drink too much?"

    Junhyuk shrugged and said, "You are feeling euphoric, so that might happen. Drink moderately."

    Soyeon¡¯s face was little red.

    "I will," she said, and a male coworker agreed with her.

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly and said, "Your opinion carried more weight than mine."

    She smiled and drank her beer, and Junhyuk raised his ss and did the same.

    Lately, he was always training alone, so he hadn¡¯t been out drinking with others. He could be open with Sarang, but she was only in high school, so she couldn¡¯t drink with him.

    Junhyuk observed Tsubasa. She seemedfortable enough and was enjoying her beer. She was actually quite the beautiful woman. Anyone could easily approach Soyeon, but Tsubasa looked proud and unapproachable.

    However, she took the initiative to speak to the men, and they felt better about her, so she seemed to be making friends. Junhyuk leaned back and watched them. They were easily bing friends, and he wanted to befriend her too.

    Sora and Tsubasa, with the two of them protecting Guardians, the HQ wouldn¡¯t fall so easily. Junhyuk didn¡¯t need to worry so much and emptied his ss. The beer felt extra cold that day.

    ---

    He finished the beer with his coworkers and headed to Guro before heading home. Once he got home, he wouldn¡¯t leave until the Dimensional Battlefield the next day.

    He goes to the ninth floor and saw Sungtae unconsciously tapping on theputer. There was no sign that he had eaten anything, so Junhyuk went out and bought him a hamburgerbo meal.

    Sungtae didn¡¯t know Junhyuk hade back and just kept working hard. Once Junhyuk tapped on his shoulder, he was surprised to see him there and sighed, relieved.

    "You scared me."

    Junhyuk¡¯s mask could scare people. He handed Sungtae the food, and Sungtae cheered loudly and quickly downed it all. Junhyuk pulled a chair and sat next to him.

    "So what have you been doing?"

    "Hm. Everything is working fine, but we have to wait until tomorrow night to see how it really works."

    "Tomorrow is Friday."

    "I will remain here, then you cane Saturday and see it work."

    "Does it take long?"

    "It takes a while to adjust the program to the supeputer, but it will work fine on Saturday."

    "Then, I can see the supeputer working on Saturday?"

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk looked calmly at the supeputer. He had spent half of his assets on it, but it would be a source of power for him on Earth. If he was to gain information faster than other people, he needed that supeputer operational.

    Junhyuk got up and looked back. With a mouthful of the hamburger in his mouth, Sungtae cracked his knuckles and walked over to him.

    "When it¡¯s working, I will let you know."

    "I¡¯ll look forward to it."

    He lost himself in theputer again, and Junhyuk smiled bitterly. Geniuses were different. He had crazy focus, and Junhyuk had to get him food.

    Junhyuk stopped by the convenience store and bought some ramen noodles and a coffee maker and took them back to Sungtae. He left it all there along with a note. That way Junhyuk was sure Sungtae would feed himself until he came back on Saturday. Then, he headed home. The next day he would go to the DImensional Battlefield, so he had to prepare everything he could.

    ---

    Last time, he had purchased the Ring of the God of Wind, but he hadn¡¯t had time to look for anything this time. Junhyuk was at home, training. He had be a champion in the Dimensional Battlefield and had five lives, so he felt he was getting toocent. He wanted to train extra hard.

    Everywhere he went, he worked on his muscles bit by bit. However, practicing swordsmanship was a different story. He appreciated when the sword shed through the thick air, generating a gust of wind. Nothing else existed except for him and his sword.

    The sound of his heartbeat travelled forward with his sword, chasing after an imaginary enemy. He imagine himself to be alone on the road, looking for the strongest enemy. His muscles were shaped after his movements, so the better he moved, the stronger his muscles became.

    Junhyuk was inventing himself. He didn¡¯t know when it would all end, but he swung his sword. He forgot time and swung his sword.

    How long has it been? Junhyuk thought, stopping the swing and teleporting.

    "Whew!"

    The day was already bright outside, so he had to have been practicing for at least six hours.

    He smiled, poured some milk into his cereal bowl and turned on the TV. The news was about the monster attack the previous day.

    Seoul Station had been damaged, and the windows at Namdaemun¡¯s market were shattered by the iron soldier¡¯s supersonic speed. And Guardians would pay for all coteral damage.

    "They¡¯ll have to spend a lot of money."

    For now, things were fine, but the damages would increase in the future. Can they pay for it all?

    Junhyuk got up from his seat. The money issue was Guardians¡¯ problem, and there was nothing he could do about it.

    He felt like the Dimensional Battlefield managers were acting with purpose, but they didn¡¯t threw things at them that they couldn¡¯t handle. The iron soldiers had been defenseless, but people with powers had stopped it all. Also, they had onlye after Guardians in South Korea.

    "Are they attacking the leader? Or experimenting?"

    Junhyuk knew he couldn¡¯t interfere. When he interfered, stronger monsters appeared. He finished his cereal, did the dishes and teleported. There was still some time to practice, but when he swung his sword, he thought of someone, the little Chinese girl.

    She had released a wind de with a range of about thirty meters, but everyone within that range had been affected by it.

    "She was calm."

    She had to have activated her power at the Dimensional Battlefield. Junhyuk reminded himself of her face and pretended he had to fight her.

    He thought of her and about the enemies he would face in the Dimensional Battlefield. Time passed without him noticing while he swung his sword, and his burner phone rang. He picked it up to hear Sarang¡¯s voice on the other end.

    "Big brother, are you ready?"

    Junhyuk checked the time on his smartphone and was surprised.

    "It¡¯s time already!"

    "What? You didn¡¯t know?"

    "No, I was training."

    "Did you eat?"

    "Just breakfast."

    "You don¡¯t have time to eat now!"

    "It¡¯s fine. When I get there, I won¡¯t be hungry."

    JUnhyukughed, returned his equipment and teleported to his room. Hey on his bed and told Sarang, "See you soon."

    "See you."

    After speaking, he closed his eyes.

    ---

    The world turned white, and Junhyuk opened his eyes slowly. He was in the same room as always, so he checked his earnings: 58,260G.

    After checking on how much he had made in the Champion¡¯s Battlefield, he took his helmet off and summoned everything he owned.

    [Wee. You¡¯ve been summoned to the Valley of Death.]

    He inspected his equipment. He had done it before, so it didn¡¯t take long to look over everything.

    [You may exit through the main doors.]

    Junhyuk walked toward the exit, and the voice added something else.

    [You¡¯ve activated three powers to be a champion. As a champion, you have five revives.]

    Five, that was a lot of lives, but he couldn¡¯t let his guard down. He could die anytime, anywhere.

    Junhyuk stood in front of the exit and heard a soft voice.

    [Champion Junhyuk Lee deployed.]

    After walking outside, he saw a lot of people. They probably knew about the Dimension Battlefield as they were holding their shields and swords tightly. Only 30 percent of the poption knew about the Dimensional Battlefield, but that was a big change from before. Some of them might even be novices.

    Junhyuk was thinking about spreading the news of the Dimensional Battlefield when Sarang showed up from far away. She was much taller than the others and she ran toward him.

    Then, he heard a familiar voiceing from behind him, "Dark Knight?"

    Junhyuk turned to look and saw apletely unexpected face.

 Chapter 206: Unexpected Meeting 2

    Chapter 206: Unexpected Meeting 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Trantor: Moliere

    Editor: SootyOwl

    ¡ª¡ª

    Junhyuk looked at the woman behind him. She was a bit taller than the other minions, and her health and mana were higher as well. From underneath her helmet, he could see her face. He gulped.

    "Am I right? You are the dark night from the Han River."

    Junhyuk changed his voice and said, "Correct. Aren¡¯t you Guardians¡¯ CEO?"

    "I¡¯m Eunseo Kim. Nice to meet you."

    Junhyuk waspletely taken by surprise upon meeting Eunseo in that ce. Sarang rushed behind him and stood next to him to see Eunseo¡¯s face.

    "Ah! She is Guardians¡¯ CEO!"

    Eunseo turned her head to look at her, but Sarang¡¯s armor had a full helmet that covered her head, so Eunseo couldn¡¯t see her face.

    He looked at Sarang and said in the different voice, "Can we talk for a minute?"

    "Wait!"

    Junhyuk extended his hand toward Eunseo, who was approaching him. She stopped, and he put his arms around Sarang¡¯s shoulder and took her away.

    "Call me Max."

    "Max?"

    "Yes."

    "Does it mean anything?"

    "It¡¯s my other identity."

    Sarang cocked her head slightly.

    "Oh! You have another identity?"

    "It cost me $10,000."

    "Nice! Get me a new identity too."

    Junhyuk held his head with his hand and said, "Then, your name will be Catherine."

    "Really?"

    "Wait a minute."

    He pulled out themunication crystal and felt for the five heroes, then, he said, "I have a favor to ask."

    "You are out? Let¡¯s go right away!"

    "Our cutie! We¡¯ll be there soon!"

    Someone sounded cheerful, and Junhyuk smiled bitterly.

    "In this battlefield, please call me Max. And Catherine for Sarang."

    "Cutie, show me your butt!" Diane said, and Junhyuk sighed and cut off themunication. In any event, the heroes would support him. They had to have earned some money, and that was a good thing.

    Junhyuk and Sarang walked toward Eunseo. She was holding a sword and a shield, feeling anxious. He was feeling conflicted.

    Junhyuk knew how important Eunseo was. She was Guardians¡¯ CEO, the same in charge of fighting monsters. ST Capsule¡¯s Doyeol could rece her if he wanted to, but for the sake of humanity, she had leaked information on the Dimensional Battlefield. She had to return alive and in one piece.

    He looked at her and said, "My name is Max. This is Catherine."

    "Nice to meet you."

    "Just remember one thing..." Eunseo looked at him anxiously as he spoke. "In this ce, more than anything, concentrate on surviving. Stay alive no matter what."

    He had been able to share his true feelings with her, and Eunseo nodded heavily. Junhyuk was about to speak again when the castle¡¯s door opened, and people rushed inside.

    "Max!"

    He hears Diane¡¯s voice and was relieved. It looked like she was going along with his request. Diane ran up to him and pped his butt before he had a chance to respond. Junhyuk just shook his head.

    "You are in a good mood."

    "That¡¯s right! I¡¯ve earned a lot this time as well."

    "How much did you make?"

    "The odds were lower thanst time. Last time, your team had lost ten times straight, so the odds were high. This time, people bet on your side, but I earned three times what I bet."

    "Three times... You must be happy."

    "Yeah. The odds were only three to one, but I bet ten times more thanst time."

    "What?!"

    "The investment was different, so I earned more money."

    Junhyuk was in shock and stared at her. That had to be more than fun for her. Arn walked over and put his arm around Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder.

    "So Max, is there a reason?"

    He understood what Arn was asking and introduced Eunseo to him.

    "She stops the monster attacks in my dimension. Her name is Eunseo Kim, and she¡¯s Guardians¡¯ CEO."

    Eunseo was in front of two-and-a-half meter tall heroes, and she bowed carefully. Arn looked at her and clicked his tongue.

    "So?"

    "I have to send her back in one piece at all costs."

    "At all costs?"

    "Yes."

    "If you want, let her stay in the castle. Then, she will live," Arn said nonchntly.

    Junhyuk looked at Eunseo.

    "Stay in here so that you will return alive."

    Eunseo shook her head.

    "No. I will go with you."

    She held tightly to her shield and sword, and Junhyuk shook his head.

    "To be honest, you are a minion, and minions serve only as targets for bow practice. The enemy can easily kill you, so stay here."

    She swallowed dry.

    "I want to know more about this ce. Please, let me go with you."

    He was feeling conflicted because he felt her desire, and Diane shrugged.

    "She is strong-willed. Don¡¯t ignore her willpower. Max, let¡¯s take her." She patted Junhyuk¡¯s butt and added, "If you protect her, you will save her."

    "If that¡¯s the case, I can¡¯t fight earnestly."

    Arnughed.

    "That all depends on what you want to do."

    Junhyuk sighed and looked at Eunseo.

    "Can you follow my instructions at all times?"

    "Sure."

    He was still feeling conflicted, and Arn said, "We don¡¯t have time for hesitation."

    Junhyuk sighed and nodded.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    Arn stepped forward and signaled to the minions with his hand, saying, "From here to there, follow me!"

    Arn and Diane took the lead, and Junhyuk, Sarang and Eunseo followed them. Junhyuk walked next to Arn and asked, "Why did Dianee instead of Vera?"

    Diane heard him and replied, "I volunteered, and Vera is moving with Nudra."

    "How is the front?"

    "Halo is taking center, and we¡¯ll head below."

    "I heard you earned some money. Shouldn¡¯t we go to the Dimensional Merchant?"

    "We¡¯ll take the tower first and then head to the merchant. Last time, we got our new items, and the situation favored us. This time, after the first battle, we¡¯ll head to Bebe¡¯s and, then, we¡¯ll kill the dragon and push center."

    Junhyuk thought about the previous time, when they had tried to kill the dragon, and everyone was killed except for him and Sarang. The enemies had Doctor T watching the allies, and he was dangerous.

    The allies had a n, and no one knew how it would unfold. Unlike the allies, the enemies could keep surveince on the allies.

    They were on the move, and Eunseo was moving cautiously. She was feeling anxious, and Junhyuk sighed. It would have been better if she had stayed in the castle, but she wanted to see the Dimensional Battlefield, and he thought things might change if she learned more about the Dimensional Battlefield.

    Something bright red was shining in the forest.

    He didn¡¯t know what it was, but a wolf the size of an ox suddenly came out of the forest. It pounced on the minions, who were frozen in fear. However, Eunseo raised her shield and her sword to protect herself. It wasn¡¯t easy to wield a sword and a shield, but she did it effortlessly. It was possible that after hearing about the Dimensional Battlefield, she had trained to do so.

    Junhyuk stepped forward and shed with his sword, killing the wolf in one blow. The strike created a white shock wave that swept the area, and the minions started murmuring, "The Dark Knight is for real!"

    He ignored what he heard and looked at the minions. They had teamed up with Eunseo, and they were lucky for that. They wouldn¡¯t be used recklessly.

    "Your shield will protect you from danger. If you don¡¯t use it, you will be killed. Pull yourselves together," he told them.

    Everyone nodded, and Arn said, "Hurry."

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk sped up after Arn. The minions trusted him more than the heroes like Diane and Arn, so they quickly followed behind him.

    ---

    Arn looked at the tower over the bridge and grimaced.

    "Strange. Are they not here?"

    Diane shrugged and asked, "What should we do? The minions aren¡¯t there, so we can destroy it easily."

    "OK, let¡¯s attack first."

    There was no reason to bypass an empty tower. Towers were too important.

    Arn unsheathed his sabers and shouted, "Attack!"

    The minions were too nervous to respond, and Arn stared at them coldly. Junhyuk stepped forward. He ran, and the minions followed him.

    "Raise your shields!" he shouted,manding them.

    The minions lifted their shields, Junhyuk thought that was a good opportunity to teach them about the Dimensional Battlefield. Instead of using the Spatial sh, he just ran. There were archers on the tower, but they weren¡¯t buffed, so their attacks wouldn¡¯t be fatal.

    "Focus on defending with your shields," Junhyuk shouted at the minions as they screamed around at the iing arrows.

    They started to use their shield, but five minions had been lost from the first archers¡¯ volley. The others, however, were defending themselves well.

    Arrows flew out from the allies¡¯ side, five arrows to kill five archers. Diane¡¯s archery was like that of a goddess. Arn jumped over the minions and attacked the tower.

    The tower¡¯s force field shook, and Junhyuk used the Spatial sh.

    The minions were cautious, but there was no reason to let the archers live. Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh created a shock wave that swept through the rest of them.

    After the archers had died, only the tower¡¯s force field remained.

    "Destroy the tower!" Junhyuk shouted.

    The minions ran at it and started pounding against it. Junhyuk looked around. He wanted to make sure the enemies had really given up the tower.

    Diane came up to him and caressed his butt. She was patting it like it was a baby¡¯s butt, and Junhyuk smiled bitterly.

    "From now on, use your Spatial sh to kill the archers."

    "Don¡¯t we have to catch the enemies?"

    Junhyuk could use the Spatial sh to kill heroes, so he wasn¡¯t sure about using it to kill archers, but Diane shot an arrow at the tower and said, "When archers are buffed, they are troublesome. Use it well."

    He was standing next to Diane and watched the tower fall. The archers¡¯ attacks had killed five minions at the start. Two other minions had been injured.

    Sarang walked over to them and showed them her hand. From it, she sprinkled a light green powder over them, and the two got up suddenly.

    Arn and Diane were surprised and walked over to her.

    "Sa... no, Catherine, what did you do?"

    She posed with her hands on her waist and said, "My power has evolved. Now, I can heal two at the same time."

    Diane wrapped her arms around her, hugging her, but Arn wanted to know more.

    "Do you heal for the same amount?"

    "I¡¯m not sure. I was only treating animals, and they all got better."

    "Right. Well, congrattion on evolving your power!"

    They bothplimented her, but then, suddenly frowned. Upon seeing that, Junhyuk got nervous.

    "We head center," Arn said.

    "What happened to Halo?"

    "He¡¯s been killed."

 Chapter 207: Unexpected Meeting 3

    Chapter 207: Unexpected Meeting 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk thought Halo had upgraded his equipment to the point where he couldn¡¯t be killed. They had to have hit him in a weak spot.

    "How many were there to kill Halo?"

    "Everyone was there."

    "All five of them had pushed center?"

    "Right."

    It was a gamble for the five of them to move as a group at the same time. They might take center, but they would lose top and bottom. In any event, they would get the first center tower, but they wouldn¡¯t take the second.

    That meant they would lose a couple of towers from other ces, and considering everything, they wouldn¡¯t benefit directly. However, they seemed to be trying too hard. They had to be doing it to find a way out of their losing streak.

    "They might know where we are going!"

    "They have Doctor T."

    "So they might counterattack us!"

    The five of them had already destroyed the center tower, which meant they could turn around at any time. The allies couldn¡¯t keep track of them, but the enemies could track the allies with Doctor T¡¯s help. They could go in whichever way they wanted. Even if two heroes went to help Halo, if the enemy had five heroes waiting, they would be in a tough spot.

    Arn thought it over for a moment.

    "Then, let¡¯s return first."

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t hide his anxiety.

    "If you do that, we¡¯ll be in danger!"

    Arn looked at Junhyuk and then turned his head to nce over at Eunseo.

    "We¡¯ll take a right and kill a buff monster on the way."

    The buff monster was far from center, but they had time until the enemies got to the second tower. Halo would revive, and Vera and Nudra would join him. They could hold them off until the rest of the allies got there.

    Diane smiled.

    "OK! Then, let¡¯s go back."

    "Thanks."

    Junhyuk was grateful. Ordinarily, the heroes would have returned by teleporting. He could also do it, but without the heroes, the minions would all die, and he couldn¡¯t lose Eunseo in that ce.

    They ran toward the Wolf Warlord. Once they got there, they saw the Wolf Warlord¡¯s shining eyes. The minions all froze in fear, and Junhyuk stared at them. If they stood stupefied like that, they would all die.

    "Raise your shields!"

    The minions raised their shields, and ox-sized wolves rushed at them. There were only five wolves, but they were quite dangerous.

    Junhyuk stood in front of the minions and looked at Arn and Diane. They were already attacking the Wolf Warlord.

    They were dealing more damage than before, and their attacks were quickly injuring the Wolf Warlord. The subordinate wolves rushed at Junhyuk, and he ran at them.

    Thinking the enemy might show up after them, he decided to save his Spatial sh.

    Once Junhyuk closed in on the wolves, they scattered. The one in the center of the formation rushed at in. It got close and lunged, attempting to bite Junhyuk, but he dodged the sharp canine teeth and swung the Frozen Rune Sword.

    He sliced the wolf in half, generating a pure white shockwave. Two of the wolves were within range and froze to death. The other two weren¡¯t near enough.

    Sarang fired an electric arrow at one of the wolves. Nowadays, Sarang¡¯s attacks also dealt more damage, and a hole appeared on that wolf¡¯s head.

    Only one remained.

    The wolf ran toward the minions, and Junhyuk teleported. He appeared behind the wolf¡¯s head and stabbed down its neck. A gash opened, and blood sttered all over the minions.

    Unlike at the tower, blood had covered their shield, and the minions were scared. Meanwhile, Junhyukpletely beheaded the wolf. They watched him filled with fear and respect, looking like they were putting their entire trust on him.

    He turned around to look at the Wolf Warlord.

    The Wolf Warlord was in terrible condition. He wouldn¡¯t have to step in.

    Diane and Arn worked well together. She paid attention to detail and aimed for the Wolf Warlord¡¯s weak spots, so Arn had an easier time dealing with it. The Warlord tried its best, but in the end, Arn¡¯s saber cut its head.

    [You¡¯ve killed the Wolf Warlord. For the next couple of hours, your health regeneration rate will increase by 10 percent. Whenever you strike an enemy, the enemy will lose 10 percent of their movement speed. The slow effect can stack three times. If you get killed within that time, your enemy will take your buff.]

    A purple ring appeared underneath Junhyuk¡¯s feet, and he looked at the other members of the group. Arn approached him.

    "I told you about itst time, didn¡¯t I?"

    "Told me about what?"

    Arn threw him a bloodstone. Junhyuk took it, and a gleam came over Eunseo¡¯s eyes, but she stayed where she was.

    "There are high quality bloodstones around the Wolf Warlord. She told me to give you some when I got it."

    "You mean Vera?"

    "That¡¯s right."

    "Thanks! Could I get some more?"

    Arnughed.

    "You can pick some up. They are over there. But the one I gave you is the best one."

    Junhyuk walked over to where Arn had pointed and whistled. There were bloodstones strewn around like they were pebbles. He only picked up the ones he liked, but he still picked up a lot of them.

    The only one that was worth hundreds of millions of dors was the one Arn had given him, but he could also make money from the others. Junhyuk put them all in the Spatial Bag, and Eunseo walked over to him.

    "Do you know what you¡¯ve just picked up?"

    "Sure."

    She tried to borate, but Junhyuk raised his hand to stop her.

    "We could talkter, but now we have to hurry."

    Eunseo bit her lips and didn¡¯t speak more. She was surviving because of his help. At the same time, Arn regretted losing time.

    "We have to get to the second tower before the buff runs out, so we have to run at full speed."

    Junhyuk had an item that increased his movement speed, but it was different for the minions. If they were to keep up, they¡¯d have to run with all their might.

    "We can¡¯t rest here. Run!"

    Arn took the lead, and Junhyuk followed them. The minions ran behind unaware of anything. They reached the second tower breathing heavily after having run for an hour.

    They could see the others.

    There were three heroes standing next to the tower and another five heroes and a champion opposite of them as well as enemy minion riflemen.

    Eunseo gathered her breath and protested, "But they have rifles?!"

    Junhyuk nodded.

    "You can block their bullets with your shield. Don¡¯t worry."

    She looked at the enemy camp and raised her shield, realizing that it was her only protection there.

    "The enemies are over-exerting themselves. When the team battle begins, you have to be careful," he exined calmly.

    "What¡¯s a team battle?"

    "An all-out frontal assault."

    "What should I be careful of?" she asked hesitantly.

    Junhyuk pointed at Bater and his huge fist, "That¡¯s Bater. He can m his fist against the ground and create a shockwave with a twenty-meter radius. If you are within range, as a minion, you¡¯ll be killed. So, be careful."

    The minions were hearing him as well and focused on his word. Junhyuk was speaking to all of them.

    "That¡¯s Doctor T. His methrower and small missiles are dangerous. That¡¯s Ki over there with the double pistols. Those can generate shockwaves that will kill you. So, be careful."

    He was telling them that they could be killed easily, and Eunseo realized how hard it was. Junhyuk had told her to stay in the castle, and he hadn¡¯t been joking.

    "That¡¯s Adolphe, and he has a ten-meter sh, so stay out of his range. Regina shoots everywhere. Stay out of her range," he continued.

    Eunseo summarized what she had heard, "In one phrase, stay out of the Heroes¡¯ ranges."

    "Correct. Stay far away."

    Eunseo stepped back, and the other minions did the same. At the same time, Junhyuk steps forward. He couldn¡¯t really engage in a fight near the minions, so he and Sarang stood together, and Vera walked over.

    "I made more money because of you."

    Junhyuk smiled.

    "That¡¯s nice," he said and looked at Halo. "How is it going?"

    "I got killed. The five of them came after me, and I did not have a way to survive."

    "Now, it¡¯s payback time."

    "Right."

    The allies had the advantage. The second tower was nearby, and it could help. The enemies had to know that too, but Jean Clo stepped forward and said, "We never cared about the tower. Let¡¯s go."

    "Be careful. We¡¯ve lost so far, so don¡¯t sound so confident," Regina said, and Jean Clo closed his mouth while she checked on her weapons.

    "If this situation continues, they won¡¯te out. What are you thinking?"

    "We¡¯ll push them first and then pull them," Bater said, pounding his fists against each other, and everyone agreed.

    He stepped forward, and the others supported him. Jean Clo did not stay at the front. He remained behind Bater and scoped out the field. They were making their n.

    Junhyuk stepped forward, saying, "Be careful." And Bater rushed.

    He went after Arn, who seemed frozen, and Jean Clo followed after him. Then, Jean Clo grabbed Arn by the arm and used a giant swing tounch Arn toward the enemy camp.

    Bater smiled, satisfied, and raised his fists. He was about to pound the ground. Junhyuk wanted to step in, but Nudra was already on him,nding a front kick.

    Nudra¡¯s attack pushed Bater back, but Jean CLo grabbed him by neck, lifting him up. That¡¯s when Junhyuk extended his hand. While Nudra headed against the ground, Junhyuk touched him and teleported.

    Boom!

    Jean Clo¡¯s empty hand smashed against the ground, and the allies counterattacked.

    Arn was already within the enemy camp, so he jumped high up and drop-shed with his sabers.

    Chink, chink!

    Bater blocked the attack, and a giant firewall rose between the two. Bater and Jean Clo had been isted by it, and Junhyuk smiled.

    Without even speaking, the allies had attacked like clockwork. It was time for more.

 Chapter 208: Disclosure 1

    Chapter 208: Disclosure 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk analyzed the situation. They wanted to get rid of Bater and Jean Clo together. The allies had enough firepower to melt away any opponent, including tanks. The five would attack the two.

    The firewall couldn¡¯t stop everyone, but the enemies would have to push themselves to get through it, and the allies had time to attack before that.

    Arn wanted to finish off Bater and used his seven-strikebo on him. Meanwhile, Halo sneaked behind Bater, shing his back.

    sh!

    Both attacks seeded. On top of that, five arrows hit Bater. He was quickly losing health, and Jean Clo ran, trying to get to him, but Nudra released a gust of wind on Jean Clo.

    Junhyuk watched the fight while preparing his Spatial sh. However, he didn¡¯t want to kill-steal. He only wanted to deal a significant blow to the enemy that would favor the allies.

    Bater knew he could die any moment if he didn¡¯t do anything about it, so he raised his arms and mmed the ground.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    Three shockwaves extended from the impact, pushing the heroes who were attacking him back. Without using a power, if a hero were attacked by multiple opponents, he would let many normal attacks through.

    Bater had been continuously attacked in that manner and only had 30 percent of his health left. He grimaced and raised his head,ing to the conclusion that if he had to die, he had to contribute to his team before doing so. He extended his fists forward and aimed them at Vera.

    She watched,ughing, and cast her magic. Sheunched a fire spear, and Bater fired his fists at her. She ignored the rocket punches heading toward her, however, and set a fire orb.

    Boom, boom!

    Bater was rocked by Vera¡¯s continuous attacks, and before the rocket punches reached her, an ivory-colored light covered Vera¡¯s body.

    "Shit!"

    The rocket punches pushed the force field back, but Vera wasn¡¯t hurt at all. Bater realized he would be in danger if he remained in the battlefield, so he tried to retreat quickly. However, the heroes wouldn¡¯t let him. Theyunched another attack, but the enemies didn¡¯t stay still.

    Bang!

    After the loud sound of gunshot, blood sttered from Arn¡¯s shoulder. Regina had broken through the firewall. While Regina created an opening, Ki had shot Arn.

    He was bleeding from the shoulder, and Regina dashed in, firing her guns at him. Nudra tried to stop her, but Jean Clo stepped in his way.

    With Regina heading toward him, Arn simply retreated. At the time she started shooting, Arn had already made his way into the force field. Her bullets bounced off of it, and Arn stared at Bater running away. Then, he threw one of his sabers at Bater¡¯s direction.

    "Ugh!"

    Bater thought he had safely escaped, but the saber sunk into his back, and he disappeared.

    The enemies winced, and Arn watched the force field disappear. He moved his shoulder lightly and looked at Junhyuk. Because of his force field, the allies had been safe for a while.

    The enemies had wasted some powers, and Bater had been killed. They were winning.

    ---

    The ivory force field had been cast to protect Vera, and because of it, the allies were winning. Meanwhile, Eunseo had been watching, and she thought of something.

    Junhyuk had extended his hands while she fell from a cliff. His eyes had been full of hope and desire to save her. She had thought of his eyes, but the impact against the tree had made her lose consciousness. Still, she could remember something wrapping around her, an ivory-colored light, a light that saved her.

    She had also seen that ivory light once again after, when Chinese agents had tried to kill her. In that dangerous moment, the ivory-colored light had saved her again. Each time the ivory light appeared, Junhyuk showed up right after. He had saved her twice before, and now she was looking at that light again, released by a person calling himself Max, the Dark Knight.

    She suspected only one thing, but many memories came rushing into her mind pointing toward it. He had changed his voice, but thinking about it then, the voice had been very familiar.

    Eunseo unconsciously mumbled a name, "Junhyuk Lee."

    ---

    Bater had died, and the allies were winning, but the battle wasn¡¯t done yet. Jean Clo rushed and picked up Arn. The st of gunshot right after, and Arn was hit on head, critically wounded. Then, Doctor T fired his missiles.

    Jean Clot had a lot of health, and once he grabbed him, two long ranged enemies fired their weapons.

    Arn was hurt and attacked Jean Clo. While Jean Clo¡¯s arms bled, he lifted Arn and jumped.

    It was the screw piledriver.

    Arn¡¯s condition was fatal, and Junhyuk looked at Sarang. Sarang realized the situation was dire and extended her hands. Then, a light green powder sprinkled over Arn¡¯s head.

    He had healed some, but his situation was still dire.

    Arn was mmed against the ground, and Halo used his sh attack on Jean Clo, shing his ribs. With half of his health left, Jean Clo decided to use his ultimate, and blue rings appeared around him, but Sarang extended her hand and said, "Suppress."

    From her hands, the blood-colored light weaved through the air and wrapped around Jean Clo. He couldn¡¯t heal, and everyone focused their attacks on him.

    His health was low. Knowing that, Junhyuk decided to attack him. However, Jean Clo still had enough health for Junhyuk to know he couldn¡¯t kill him with one strike, so he used the Spatial sh.

    He swung the Blood Rune Sword, releasing the Spatial sh. Before that, Vera¡¯s explosivebo and Diane¡¯s explosive arrows hit Jean Clo. Once the Spatial sh reached Jean Clo, he died.

    Unexpectedly, he had killed Jean Clo. He looked at the heroes to see how they felt about it, but they did not care. They were too busy fighting.

    Adolphe rushed in and shed Arn, paralyzing him, and Doctor T used his methrower. Arn had already lost a lot of health when another sound of gunfire rang out.

    With him paralyzed and unable to move, the shot was fatal, and he disappeared.

    Two enemies had been killed, but the allies had lost one. Junhyuk grimaced and got in position. Their tanks were dead, but the allies had lost their strongest hero.

    Halo and Nudra stepped forward. When Arn wasn¡¯t there, the two of them took his ce.

    Regina started twirling and shooting her pistol, which pushed both Halo and Nudra back. However, Vera and Diane focused their attacks on her.

    Bang!

    When they attacker her, Regina fired a single gunshot that pushed Vera back. Vera had been hit in the chest and gritted her teeth.

    "Shit!" she yelled in pain.

    Regina closed in on her. Vera¡¯s health was lower than the others, and she had lost a lot of it from that gunshot. Regina pulled her eyepatch off, and Vera stiffened.

    Seeing that, Junhyuk ran forward.

    "Shoot!" Junhyuk shouted, and Sarang used her electric st. Both Regina and Adolphe were paralyzed, and Diane shot five arrows at them. The consecutive shots hit Regina¡¯s chest, and Halo and Nudra attacked her at the same time.

    Doctor T also rushed in, firing his web. Halo got stuck, and the doctor fired the missiles at Vera. They were bent on killing her.

    Vera was still petrified when the missiles exploded. Meanwhile, Ki had reloaded her sniper rifle and was about to pull the trigger. At that moment, Vera only had 30 percent of her health left. With her still petrified, if she were hit by the shot, she would be killed. With the target was unable to move, the rate of critical hits increased.

    Junhyuk had already been running toward her, so he touched Vera¡¯s back.

    Bang!

    A single sound of gunshot rang out, but Junhyuk had teleported with Vera. She could move again and she looked at him smiling, "Thanks."

    "Be careful."

    She raised a firewall underneath Regina and Adolphe. The two of them were burning when Nudra attacked them. He dropped from the air, kicking Regina¡¯s head. After receiving his ultimate, Regina¡¯s head was stuck to the ground.

    Then, Vera threw another fire spear, and Regina disappeared. The series of strikes had been too much for her.

    Suddenly, Ki fired her pistols.

    "Aaargh!"

    Vera¡¯s health had been low, and she disappeared. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t been able to save her and clicked his tongue, looking over the enemy camp.

    Doctor T, Ki and Adolphe remained. However, the allies still had three heroes, a champion and an expert.

    Ki had given up on long ranged attacks to attack and kill Vera, but now, Ki herself was within the allies¡¯ range. Without hesitating, Halo moved forward.

    Another sh attack shed through Ki¡¯s ribs, but she didn¡¯t retreat. Instead, she fired her pistols, releasing shockwaves.

    Boom!

    Halo was pushed back, and Ki jumped away and retreated. As a follow-up, Doctor T fired his missiles.

    The enemies were trying to kill another one, and Junhyuk felt the Spatial sh¡¯s cooldown end and scoped out the field. If he was lucky, he would kill one more.

    He wanted to kill Ki as she had lost quite a bit of health. However, her health was still too high for him to do it with one strike.

    Doctor T used the methrower, and Adolphe pierced his de into the ground, and two blue energies zoomed off. The blue energies wrapped around Halo and Nudra.

    Adolphe started preparing for the ten-meter sh, and Junhyuk stepped forward.

    Adolphe swung the sword energy toward him, but Junhyuk could predict Adolphe¡¯s movements.

    The energy travelled from Halo to Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk rolled on the ground to escape, but Halo didn¡¯t. A gaping hole appeared in his chest, and Junhyuk got up and ran forward.

    Adolphe had used all of his powers, and to help the allies, Junhyuk wanted him dead.

    His sword shed against Adolphe¡¯s. He growled because Junhyuk was blocking his path. Previously, Adolphe¡¯s strength had been superior to Junhyuk¡¯s. Now, however, things were different.

    Once Junhyuk blocked the saw de sword with just one of his, he smiled.

    "There isn¡¯t much difference between us."

    Junhyuk had the highest quality attack runestone. Adolphe might have more items than him, but he had obviously not invested in runestones.

    "Now, it¡¯s time for you to die."

 Chapter 209: Disclosure 2

    Chapter 209: Disclosure 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Junhyuk parried Adolphe¡¯s saw-de sword and seized the moment to counter stab with the Frozen Rune Sword immediately. He had aimed for the chest, but Adolphe dodged the attack by turning his body away.

    Adolphe had escaped just a hair¡¯s breadth, but Junhyuk closed in and used the Blood Rune Sword to cut his leg. Adolphe grimaced and stepped back, and Junhyuk smiled with satisfaction.

    Adolphe knew about the Frozen Rune Sword¡¯s power and focused on dodging it, but at that moment, Junhyuk was under the Wolf Warlord¡¯s buff, which caused his movement speed to increase.

    After feeling the cut, Adolphe shed his sword across the air. He had swung the two-handed sword to put some distance between himself and Junhyuk, but Junhyuk wasn¡¯t budging.

    Junhyuk bent crouched, and the saw-ded sword went past his head. Then, he swung the Frozen Rune Sword low, cutting Adolphe¡¯s ankle, debuffing his movement speed. Not only was had his movement speed been debuffed, but his attack speed had been as well. With stacking debuff, it was safe to say that Adolphe was nearing his end.

    Previously, Junhyuk had to be mindful of being overwhelmed by his strength, but now, he had his newly acquired runestones, so he no longer cared.

    Adolphe winced and swung his sword against Junhyuk, who dodged to the side and decided to mount his own counterattack. When he was about to do it, however, Adolphe smiled cooly.

    That¡¯s when Junhyuk felt something was wrong and rolled to the side.

    Bang!

    It was something Adolphe had been hoping for. When Junhyuk dodged the sword strike, Ki shot at him. Even though Junhyuk had more defense than before, getting hit by Ki was not a good idea.

    While Junhyuk dodged the bullet, Adolphe quickly retreated.

    Junhyuk¡¯s head turned to look at the others. He had been too focused on Adolphe and forgotten about his surroundings, which had almost gotten him killed. So, he calmly looked around.

    Ki was using her sniper rifle, but Doctor T, who still had a lot of health, was attacking head-on. With Ki¡¯s cover, Nudra and Halo could approach. Meanwhile, the Doctor was trying to kill Diane. The doctor had to have thought that it would¡¯ve been better to kill Diane than Nudra or Halo, who had more health. However, Diane wasn¡¯t an easy opponent.

    She lured Doctor T as close as possible while still maintaining her distance from Ki. At that moment, Doctor T was trying to stay away from Nudra and and Halo. While he was fighting with Diane, if Nudra and Halo also joined the fight, the doctor would surely die.

    So, he distanced himself from the allies, and Halo and Nudra decided to go after Ki. With them heading her way, Junhyuk, who had been watching it all, knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able toe after him anymore.

    He would take care of Adolphe, and the allies still had Sarang. If Adolphe got paralyzed, the enemies would only have two heroes left. Diane wouldn¡¯t die easily to Doctor T, and Ki had already used her ultimate. Halo and Nudra would be OK.

    With that in mind, Junhyuk attacked Adolphe fiercely, and Adolphe gritted his teeth while fighting back. Even if Adolphe was just grazed by Junhyuk¡¯s sword, he would lose some movement and attack speeds.

    Adolphe felt the Frozen Rune Sword and the debuff at the same time. He could feel his body getting heavier, and it was making him go crazy. So he changed his tactics to defend himself.

    Meanwhile, his power came back. Adolphe thought Junhyuk¡¯s power hade back as well, but he wasn¡¯t using it. Adolphe wanted Junhyuk dead. From close range, Adolphe rushed in and swung the saw-ded sword.

    Junhyuk blocked the attack with his swords, but his body was still paralyzed. He shouldn¡¯t have saved his Spatial sh.

    He had been doing so to kill Ki, but now he was stuck. However, he couldn¡¯t get hit by Adolphe¡¯s ten-meter energy strike because the cooldown hadn¡¯t ended yet. One of those would¡¯ve cost him 20 percent of his health. Adolphe rushed, but the damage wouldn¡¯t be very high.

    With him stopped, Adolphe swung his sword at Junhyuk¡¯s neck, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t afford getting hit by a critical hit.

    Zzap!

    The sword wasing down, but suddenly, Adolphe¡¯s head snapped backward. The single sh of an electricity arrow had zoomed in to hit his head, and with luck, Adolphe had been stunned. The effect had a very low probability of taking ce.

    Adolphe was in fact paralyzed, and Junhyuk smiled. However, both of them were in the same predicament and couldn¡¯t move.

    Adolphe grimaced and started moving again, quicker than Junhyuk. He swung his sword at Junhyuk!

    ng!

    He had been quicker, but Junhyuk also started moving again and blocked him with his swords. Then, he parried and countered with the Frozen Rune Sword, shing Adolphe¡¯s arm and stacking the debuff three times. Then, he took a step forward and swung the Blood Rune Sword to regain some of his health.

    Feeling cornered, Adolphe realized he had to strike Junhyuk with a massive blow to kill him. If not, he would have to ask for help from the heroes.

    With the difference in their movement speeds, Junhyuk attacked him fiercely. Nothing good woulde to him if Adolphe used his power, so Junhyuk kept up the pressure. He wanted to finish him off, and every sh was getting through.

    When Adolphe had only 20 percent of his health, Junhyuk had made up his mind. He would kill him at all costs, wanting to help his team.

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes glinted, and he dodged Adolphe¡¯s attack. Adolphe had lost half of his movement speed, and Junhyuk tapped his chest. Adolphe was very angry, but Junhyuk teleported to appear next to the heroes who were attacking Ki.

    She wasn¡¯t retreating, but actually fighting at the front.

    Junhyuk appeared next to Halo, touched him, and teleported again. Nudra was moving at high speed, but Halo was rather slow. He took Halo and closed in on Ki, smiling.

    There were eight meters between them now. Ki had been trying to nk them, but he was able to catch up to her with the two teleportations. He was finally close enough, so he didn¡¯t wait and used his Spatial sh.

    Adolphe tried to block the attack, but blood gushed out of Ki¡¯s next, and the shock wave swept across everyone.

    "Ugh!"

    The shock wave killed Adolphe, and Junhyuk dashed toward Ki. With only 20 percent of her health left, she was scared of the sight of him approaching. Meanwhile, Nudra was covered by the Rising Dragon andunched an attack.

    Ki frowned and jumped to escape. She thought she had, but Halo was already there, thanks to Junhyuk¡¯s teleportation.

    Halo sh-attacked her, slicing her ribs. Then, Nudra released a strong wind toward her.

    Ki disappeared, and Junhyuk smiled. The allies would have the victory.

    Junhyuk had not killed Ki, but he had helped out his team in the team battle. He turned around, and Doctor T gave up on killing Diane and tried to run away. He ran into the forest, and Diane shouted after him, "You dare to run into a forest in front of an elf!"

    She ran, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t hesitate. He jumped over the trees in the forest to appear in front of the doctor.

    Doctor T scoffed at him and struck with his front legs. Junhyuk blocked the attacks with his swords, but the doctor had been waiting for that moment to fire off his missiles.

    Boom!

    The small missiles hit Junhyuk, and he went rolling on the ground. Doctor T chuckled and rushed at him, smiling. However, at that moment, an explosive arrow hit the doctor¡¯s shoulder, and he staggered.

    He only had 35 percent of his health left, and Junhyuk swung the Frozen Rune Sword at him. When he felt himself being cut, he frowned. Even as a hero, when he lost his attack speed, Junhyuk could kill him.

    Doctor T could use his powers, but ordinary attacks would be ineffective against Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk quickly followed with the Blood Rune Sword, regaining some health and ran to the side. When the doctor finally used the methrower, Junhyuk had already escaped. Still, the mes pursued Junhyuk everywhere while he moved to escape them.

    Even as he kept running, he got burned on the back and felt himself losing health, but then, the light green powder sprinkled over his head. His health was back, so he smiled and went after Doctor T. He wanted to keep him pinned down so the doctor wouldn¡¯t run away.

    Halo, Nudra and Diane finally entered the forest and surrounded the doctor. He sighed and looked at Junhyuk.

    "You are always the problem!"

    Junhyuk pointed his swords at Doctor T.

    "I¡¯m sorry, but I have to go get some items. Can¡¯t you just die?"

    "You will be the only one to die in this ce," Doctor T said, and rushed toward Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk blocked the legs with his dual swords and shouted, "Help me!"

    "Why? You don¡¯t need any help," Diane said.

    "I could be killed!" Junhyuk shouted again.

    "He only has his web power left, and you need practice fighting heroes one-on-one anyway."

    Doctor T had already told Junhyuk he would die, so he attacked fiercely, letting out all of his anger.

    Junhyuk was pushed back, and Halo sent his sword in the air while Dianed pulled on her bowstring.

    "Should we see who kills him?"

    Halo¡¯s Rain from Above and Diane¡¯s ultimate, one of the two would kill the doctor. Both attacks took a long time to set up, but the damage was massive.

    Doctor T fired the webs at Junhyuk, He was too close, and Junhyuk got wrapped, unable to escape. The doctor¡¯s front legs flew at Junhyuk. Tied up the way he was, the doctor¡¯s attack could be fatal to him.

    Junhyuk winced, and an arrow pierced the middle of the doctor¡¯s forehead while a sword jutted out of his chest. He started disappearing, still attempting to strike Junhyuk.

    "Shit!"

    Doctor T clicked his tongue, and Junhyuk smiled and cut the webs off himself. Then, he beheaded the doctor, kneeled before him and whispered in his ear, "I asked you to just die."

 Chapter 210: Disclosure 3

    Chapter 210: Disclosure 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Trantor: Moliere

    Editor: SootyOwl

    ------

    Junhyuk went back to ce where he had fought fiercely and looked for an item. Jean Clo has dropped one, and it looked like a big gear, simr to the item Regina had dropped before. He quickly inspected it.

    ---

    Elite Breastte Enhancement Gear (Socket Item)

    Defense +10

    Health +100

    By simply socketing it, it increases defense and health. The item may be removed in exchange for another. It is expensive, but its effectiveness is well known. Defense increases by ten and health increased by a hundred.

    ---

    Just like the item Regina had dropped, it could be socketed. However, this one was meant to be used on armors.

    It could be socketed and removed at any time, and Junhyuk had no reason to refuse it. He would socket it and, if he ever changed his armor, he would socket it again into the new armor.

    Then, he looked at the spot where Doctor T had died, thinking that he would¡¯ve been furious if he had fought the doctor long enough for the item to disappear. He was lost in thought about the item for a long time when he suddenly heard a voice, "Junhyuk."

    Junhyuk turned his head and frowned. Eunseo was standing there.

    "Who are you looking for?"

    "Aren¡¯t you Junhyuk?" He was about to deny it when she added, "When I fell from the cliff, and when Chinese agents attacked, on both asions, I saw the ivory-colored force field."

    He shut his mouth, and she continued with conviction, "And you were the only one in both ces, Junhyuk."

    Without knowing what to say, he just thought it over. She didn¡¯t speak anymore, staring at him instead.

    Junhyuk realized he had nowhere to hide, so he got up slowly, looked at her calmly, and spoke in his own voice, "I thought you were unconscious when you fell from that cliff."

    She shook her head in a deliberatelyrge motion. He didn¡¯t speak, just staring at her, and eventually, she asked, "Why did you hide it?"

    "I can¡¯t reveal my powers on Earth."

    Eunseo wasn¡¯t stupid. When he said that, she understood everything and didn¡¯t question him further. He stared silently at her.

    Eunseo hesitated, but she said slowly, "You were him." Then, she took a step toward him, looking up at his face, and said before he had a chance to speak, "Thanks."

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly and responded slowly, "I don¡¯t want it to be known."

    She nodded and agreed. Nothing good woulde of revealing the Dark Knight¡¯s identity.

    "When we return, I want to speak to you."

    "Then, return alive at all costs."

    "What can I do?"

    Junhyuk grabbed her arm and said, "You must go to castle and note out."

    "But if I¡¯m to learn about the Dimensional Battlefield..."

    "You don¡¯t have to know," he continued curtly. "We will probably go kill a dragon. And dragons can kill you with just a regr swipe or by breathing fire."

    Dragon hunting was not easy, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t promise her safety. After saying that, she couldn¡¯t argue back. She wanted to stay alive and, when she returned to their world, she wanted to hear more from him. She didn¡¯t refuse Junhyuk anymore.

    Then, Diane walked over and pped Junhyuk¡¯s butt hard.

    "I got it!"

    Junhyuk was in the middle of a serious conversation, and he wanted to say some words to Diane about her interruption. However, he had a favor to ask her. He looked at Eunseo.

    "You have to go back."

    "I understand."

    After hearing her answer, he sighed and looked at Diane.

    "I have to go to the castle."

    "By returning?"

    "No. With the minions." She looked at Eunseo and added, "Hm... Do it. That will be safer." Then, she looked back and asked, "Does anyone want to go with them?"

    Halo and Nudra shook their heads. They didn¡¯t want to go back to the castle. There was no reason to.

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly and said, "You must be thinking about going to the Dimensional Merchant."

    "Yep. You don¡¯t need help going back to the castle, right?"

    He nodded calmly. Junhyuk could get back to the castle on his own without any help from the heroes because he wouldn¡¯t encounter any buff monsters on the way.

    Diane looked at Sarang and asked, "Are you going with them?"

    "Yes."

    Halo, Nudra and Diane took some minions and were about to leave when Junhyuk went over to Diane.

    "Diane, I have a favor to ask."

    "What is it?¡¯

    "Do you remember giving me a leaf?"

    "Ah! That? Of course, I remember."

    "Perhaps, could I get its fruit or seeds?"

    Her eyes widened slightly, and she stared at him.

    "It¡¯s not hard to get them for you, but it¡¯s not a good idea to take items from the Dimensional Battlefield to your dimension."

    "I know."

    "Good," she said, petting Junhyuk¡¯s butt. "Then, I will see youter."

    She took the minions with her, and Junhyuk sighed. Eunseo was the only minion he took with him. He felt guilty about not taking the others, but that was all he could do. Minions were necessity in battle.

    He didn¡¯t have to worry about getting back from the castle. He would meet Arn and Vera there, and they would head straight for the dragon.

    Junhyuk took Eunseo and moved with Sarang. While walking, Eunseo kept looking at Sarang until she asked Junhyuk, "She has two powers. Can you tell me more about her?"

    "I can¡¯t," he answered curtly. She had found out who he was, but she could not find out about Sarang.

    Eunseo nodded slowly and added, "OK. I ept that."

    She was no longer interested in Sarang, and Junhyuk walked with them.

    s

    "Guardians favors people with powers," Eunseo told Sarang.

    Sarang shrugged, but didn¡¯t say anything back. Then, Junhyuk told Eunseo, "To be honest, I can¡¯t help Guardians."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Giant bears showed up when I killed the monsters at the Han River, and that only happened in South Korea. I knew it then that if I killed the monsters, stronger monsters woulde,"

    "Are you sure?"

    "Even if I¡¯m not sure, there is high probability that that¡¯s the case. I can¡¯t kill the monsters on Earth."

    "Too bad."

    He didn¡¯t want to speak further, and picked up the pace with them, "Let¡¯s hurry back to castle. There are monsters roaming around here, so it¡¯s not safe."

    "Sure."

    The two sped up right as a monster came out of the reed field. Junhyuk frowned at it.

    "It¡¯s here as well?"

    He had only seen that monster in South Korea, the monster with the thickyered shell. It was only about three meters tall, so not too tall.

    "It¡¯s really sturdy!"

    Junhyuk had crushed one with his bare hands before, and he had his swords at that moment, so he was not scared.

    He used the Spatial sh on it. The monster had been confidently rushing against them, but blood gushed out of its neck. Junhyuk frowned.

    "It really is dense..."

    He teleported and stabbed the wounded area with his sword. The Frozen Rune Sword stuck to it, and the monster stomped the ground and swiped with its tail. Junhyuk kicked its stomach, took a step back and ran at it again.

    The monster opened its mouth, and Junhyuk stabbed into it with his sword. After, the monster shook, and Junhyuk forced the sword in deeper. It pierced the monster¡¯s head, and blood fell from the opening.

    The monster had been too confident, and he had killed it easily. After it was gone, he could see it had left something behind.

    "It wanted to give me something."

    He picked it up and checked it out.

    ---

    Garial¡¯s Shell (Ingredient)

    Defense +5

    The monster¡¯s shell. Its thick skin is used on shields. When used as a shield ingredient, it increases defense by five.

    ---

    Junhyuk looked at the item and said, "This monster is called a garial."

    "A garial?"

    He ced the shell into the Spatial Bag and said, "I won¡¯t get much for it, but it will help."

    Sarangughed, and Eunseo asked.

    "Where can he sell it?"

    "There is a ce called the Dimensional Merchant. It buys everything from every dimensions. It¡¯ll buy this item as well."

    "Really?"

    She was in business herself, so she wanted to know more about the Dimensional Merchant.

    Junhyuk walked fast.

    "We have to hurry."

    "Let¡¯s."

    The appearance of the monster had scared Eunseo, and she followed, staring at Junhyuk¡¯s back. The iron soldier had had a hard time killing garials, but Junhyuk had killed one with ease. She felt bad that he couldn¡¯t fight on Earth. With his help, the monsters would be easily killed there.

    They arrived at the castle without encountering any more monsters. Before reaching the castle, Junhyuk bumped on Arn and Vera, who had fifty minions with them. They waved him down.

    "Where are you going?"

    "I am taking Eunseo Kim to the castle."

    "Yeah?" Arn agreed with the move. "Good thinking. We can¡¯t be burdened while we fight our enemies."

    Junhyuk nodded.

    "We can¡¯t take her when we go dragon hunting."

    "Can wee?" Vera asked.

    "No, just tell me where you are headed."

    "We are going to the Dragon¡¯s Valley."

    "I¡¯ll join you soon."

    Arn nodded and left with Vera while Junhyuk ran with Eunseo and Sarang. He took Eunseo inside the castle and said, "Even if the heroes take the minions with them, don¡¯t go with them. I will tell the heroes about you."

    "Thanks," she said gratefully, knowing she could return alive.

    Junhyuk looked at her, saying, "The battle might take longer than expected. Don¡¯te out from here."

    "Sure."

    Then, he added calmly, "If you are curious about somethings, don¡¯t try to find out about it. I will tell you about it once we return to our own dimension."

    "Got it. I¡¯ll stay here no matter what."

    Junhyuk left Eunseo inside the castle and walked out with Sarang.

    "I wanted to hide it, but she found out."

    "What are you going to do?"

    "What do you mean?" Junhyuk looked at the castle where Eunseo was waiting with the other minions and said, "Now that it¡¯s been disclosed, I¡¯ll find a way to use that to my advantage."

    He had meant to leave Eunseo. He had meant to quit thepany so that he wouldn¡¯t had to deal with her. Now, a change had to be made in their rtionship.

    Junhyuk looked at Sarang and said, "Let¡¯s hurry. They have minions with them, so we can catch up."

 Chapter 211: Thwarted 1

    Chapter 211: Thwarted 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Trantor: Moliere

    Editor: SootyOwl

    ------

    The Valley of Dragons.

    Junhyuk and Sarang saw the people gathered around the valley¡¯s entrance and approached them. The heroes were there with a hundred minions, and the two rejoined them.

    The heroes saw them and smiled.

    "Now, can I call you Junhyuk?"

    "Yes. You may call me that."

    "Whew! I¡¯ve been wanting to say your name. I was having a really hard time."

    Diane made a fuss, and Junhyuk smiled at her. However, he was still wearing the helmet, so Diane couldn¡¯t see his face. She raised her hand and said, "Here is the fruit and the seed."

    "Thank you."

    He quickly extended his hand, but Diane pped it away, protesting, "You know how to repay me!"

    Junhyuk sighed deeply and stuck his butt out toward her, but she wagged her index finger from side to side.

    "This was a special favor for you, so you have to take off your armor for the p."

    "What?!" he said, really surprised, and Diane smiled.

    "Are you sure you are an elf?"

    "Don¡¯t be discriminatory toward elves!"

    She waved the fruit and the seed in front of him, and his eyes gleamed, following the items. So far, she had had permission to p his butt and she had done so over his armor.

    Now, she was waving items that were worth $100 million each in front of him. The trade was a butt p for $200 million, and Junhyuk was going through an inner turmoil while clutching his armor.

    "Just one p," he said and took it off.

    ---

    Junhyuk stared at the dragon, who was standing haughtily and standoffshly as always, and Sarang whispered in his ear, "Big brother, are you OK?"

    "No. I have been vited."

    "But the reward is huge."

    "Should I unt the fact that my butt is $200 million?"

    Then, Diane walked over to Junhyuk and put him in a headlock.

    "Two hundred million dors? Is that arge sum?"

    "It¡¯s a huge sum."

    She smiled and added, "Just tell me whenever you need something. To find things like that in the Valley of Death, I have to walk around some, but I¡¯ll do it for you."

    "Thank you."

    She shrugged and looked at Arn.

    "What are you going to do?"

    "We can¡¯t wait anymore. Let¡¯s get the dragon and see."

    Junhyuk looked at the dragon again and sighed. Won¡¯t the enemiese while we are hunting the dragon?

    He looked around. Killing the dragon had been quiteplicated up to now, so he was feeling anxious.

    "Hurry! Attack!" Arn shouted, and the minions started to run.

    They went in first, and Arn followed behind. Junhyuk and Sarang followed him. Arn and Vera had died, so they hadn¡¯t gotten new items, the but others had had time to upgrade their equipment.

    Junhyuk expected an upgrade in their equipments¡¯ performances.

    The dragon swiped hard against the minions and looked at the ones left. Meanwhile, Arn approached the dragon first. Both Arn and Halo shed its legs, making it furious.

    Junhyuk, if possible, wanted to stop the dragon¡¯s fire breath, but it would do it sooner orter anyway. Vera prepared Meteor Shower, and Diane readied an arrow. Nudra ran toward the dragon, covered in the Rising Dragon Aura, and attacked. Junhyuk watched it all and stuck his tongue out.

    The dragon is extremely formidable, but if things continued, Arn, Halo, and Nudra would kill it. However, that didn¡¯t mean they would be immune to the dragon¡¯s attacks. With their movements speeds, they couldn¡¯t get away unscathed, but the heroes used their powers one after the other. They jumped and sh attacked. Still, even moving around the dragon, they didn¡¯t dodge every attack and were all wounded.

    Sarang looked at their injuries and extended her hands. From them, a light green powder sprinkled over the heroes, and Arn and Halo were healed at the same time.

    Previously, Junhyuk used to be quick at using his force field, but Sarang had used her healing power first this time. Arn and Halo were healed and attacked the dragon again.

    Vera smiled.

    "The preparations are over," she said, and meteors fell from the sky, mming hard against the dragon.

    Thinking it could die at any moment, the dragon growled and inhaled deeply. Junhyuk had been watching it, and he gathered the group in one spot.

    "It¡¯sing!"

    The dragon¡¯s breath took a long time to extinguish, so to block it, they had to gather inside the force field. The ivory-colored structure appeared, and it covered the entire group.

    Diane looked at Junhyuk and winked.

    "Watch carefully," she said and let go of her bowstring.

    An arrow covered in moonlight and flew off and prated the dragon¡¯s eye, piercing through the back of its skull. So far, the arrow had only been able to damage the eye, but this time it had gone through. She shot two more arrows to hit the same spot.

    Junhyuk was shocked.

    "What happened?"

    Diane smiled and said, "The bow has new item socketed to it."

    "What?!"

    He wanted to know what she had meant, and she exined it to him slowly, "I have purchased a very, very, very expensive item."

    "What is it?"

    "It makes my arrows spin like a drill."

    "What about the increased damage?"

    "It goes up by 30 percent, but it only works 50 percent of the time. However, when it works, it works beautifully."

    "Is that even possible with just one item?"

    Dianeughed brightly, saying,"I spent all that money earned because of you on it."

    He was curious about the price of the item, but it wasn¡¯t a good time to delve into that. At that moment, the dragon was breathing fire, but after getting its eye pierced, it started rushing toward them as well.

    It mmed its tail against the force field, which was hit,unching everyone into the air. The dragon¡¯s tail swipe was stronger than Bater¡¯s rocket punches. However, they were still safe from the mes.

    Diane shot a series of arrows, and Vera cast her magic.

    Every hero concentrated his or her attacks on the dragon. It held out for a while, but in the end, it fell, meaninglessly.

    [You¡¯ve killed the dragon Kaloyan. For the next two hours, you get a 30 percent increase to health regeneration rate, a 30 percent increase to movement speed, a 30 percent increase to attack speed, a 30 percent increase to defense, and when you attack, you will inflict an additional one hundred damage on top of your normal damage. If you die within two hours, you will lose yours buff to your opponent.]

    Junhyuk was ted that they had killed the dragon before their enemies had gotten there.

    "Sess!"

    "Why aren¡¯t they here?"

    "Well..."

    Junhyuk shook his head. He didn¡¯t know what was going, but they had killed the dragon before the enemies arrived. They had been buffed and, for two hours, they would be invincible.

    Feeling the enemies¡¯ absence, they started moving, heading for the lower path. They had taken the first tower, and the second tower would be easy. On their way there, the five heroes still saw no sign of the enemies.

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "By the way, can our movements be detected by the enemies?"

    "When a tower is attacked."

    He felt a little less anxious.

    "So, if the enemies attack our tower, do we know it as well?"

    "Correct."

    "Then, that¡¯s a relief."

    Without taking down the towers in a path, the enemies couldn¡¯t attack the castle. That meant that even if the enemies moved faster than the allies, the enemies had to attack the towers first, so the allies would know about it.

    They had run for a while, and suddenly all of the heroes stopped. Junhyuk watched them, and Arn stuck his tongue out.

    "Look at them?"

    "What is the matter?"

    "The second tower is being attacked."

    "They are already attacking the second tower!?"

    While they had been fighting the dragon, their enemies had made their way to the second tower.

    "Then, what do we do now?"

    "Return."

    "What about the second tower?"

    "We relinquish it."

    Even if they returned at that moment and tried to get to the second tower, it would already be destroyed.

    "I¡¯ve been thwarted."

    "Right. Can you return?"

    "Yes."

    "Then, return."

    Junhyuk looked at the surviving minions. Only ten of them had survived the fight with the dragon, but they couldn¡¯t return like the heroes.

    He looked at them and asked, "Can you see the reed field over there?"

    They all nodded, and he added slowly, "Hide in there. If a monsteres, you must fight in order to survive."

    "Are you leaving us behind?"

    "We can¡¯t move together anymore," Junhyuk said curtly, and everyone felt depressed.

    "If you want to stay alive, pull yourselves together," he told them.

    A minion stepped forward.

    "But you already saved Guardians¡¯ CEO!"

    "I¡¯m sorry, but I have to take the portal back. It¡¯s a matter of time."

    The minions murmured, and Junhyuk added, "Pull yourselves together and stay alert. Staying in the reed field will increase your survival rate."

    The minion stared at Junhyuk, but didn¡¯t speak, and Junhyuk ignored him. At that point, he didn¡¯t have the time to deal with that minion.

    He took the portal back with the heroes and left the white room. The heroes were already outside when Junhyuk and Sarang walked out.

    "The second tower is already gone. We¡¯ll use the big road in the center to attack."

    "Will theye through the center?"

    "I¡¯m not sure. With the tower gone, can¡¯t be sure of where they areing from," Arn said, frowning. "So, we need someone to stay inside the castle."

    "If you do that, won¡¯t it decrease our numerical advantage?"

    Arn spoke calmly, "Vera and I haven¡¯t had a chance to upgrade our equipment, but the others have. Even if we have a team battle, we shall win."

    "You said someone needs to stay here."

    Arn put a hand on Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder and said, "You stay here."

    "Me?!"

    Then, Arn looked at Sarang and added, "With Sarang."

    "They¡¯ll have Adolphe with them. You know that, right?"

    "I know."

    He could guard the castle, but the heroes could find themselves in dire need. In team battles, Junhyuk and Sarang had a massive impact.

    He could use the force field to protect them, and Sarang could heal them. Sarang¡¯s stun and Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh were also of big help to the allies.

    However, he realized that Arn had made up his mind and didn¡¯t argue.

    "I¡¯ll be safe here, so sure."

    "Right. If the enemies show up, let me know. We will push center."

    "Be careful."

    Arn waved and took the minions out with them. The heroes left, and Junhyuk kept thinking that campaign was extremely strange.

    "What¡¯s changed?"

    The enemies had only attacked center, and they had already lost a team battle and given up on the dragon hunt. Now, they were pushing center again. The allies had lost two hours on the road, and the buff was gone, so the enemies had been smart.

    While the allies killed the dragon, the enemies took the second tower. Now, only the castle remained. Even if the allies met them in the center, the enemies wouldn¡¯t run away. If they did, they would be killed one-by-one.

    Why are they pushing center?

    They were disying apletely new strategy, which meant that the enemies were treating the allies with respect.

    While Junhyuk worried, Eunseo walked over.

    "What¡¯s going on?"

    "The enemies are using an unexpected strategy, so I have to stay here now," he told her.

    "Then, we are in danger here now?"

    Junhyuk looked far off into the big road and said, "Just hope that isn¡¯t the case."

 Chapter 212: Thwarted 2

    Chapter 212: Thwarted 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Ever since he first came to the Dimensional Battlefield, things had never been more peaceful. At that moment, all he had to do was look out for an enemy who was noting and be cautious. There was nothing else to do.

    Eunseo tried to speak to him a few times, but he only gave her short answers. He told her there would be more opportunities for them to have a discussion, but that, at that moment, they had to focus on the frontline.

    After that, Eunseo also remained silent. Instead, she also focused on the horizon ahead.

    Junhyuk was a bit aways from Eunseo, looking ahead. He didn¡¯t know how the enemies were moving and couldn¡¯t guess it. Because of that, he was feeling frustrated.

    "Doctor T¡¯s ultimate is not so bad."

    The other¡¯s ultimates were extremely powerful, like in most cases, but Doctor T¡¯s ultimate involved scouting ahead by sending out tiny spiders. Up to that point, the allies hadn¡¯t thought much of Doctor T¡¯s ultimate. Now, the enemies were acting strategically and disying the ultimate¡¯s superiority. The enemies were probably looking at the allies like ants ying in the palm of their hands.

    The allies were moving as a group, so they would be safe, but a hero might get killed.

    Junhyuk focused tomunicate with Arn.

    "How is the situation?"

    "Right now, enemies have appeared on the lower and upper path, but three of them are unounted for."

    "Maybe they are preparing an ambush?"

    "We can¡¯t ignore that possibility. We will send one out for the lower and upper path each, and the other three will continue center. Even if there is an ambush, we should be OK."

    Junhyuk had lied in ambush himself. Waiting in the reed field and ambushing the enemy was something he had done many times before, so there was the possibility of the allies receiving massive casualties.

    Perhaps, the enemies were attacking each tower to attract attention, but it was hard to say if that was the case. The enemies could destroy a tower with just one here. They had done it before.

    Previously, the enemies had sent just one hero to destroy the golems and the castle, so the allies couldn¡¯t let their guard down.

    In order to block their attack, the allies had to move, cing themselves on defense, even if they had killed the dragon.

    "Perhaps it¡¯s a good thing the enemies are waiting in ambush?"

    "Why?" Sarang asked him.

    Junhyuk pointed to the horizon and said, "If the tower is already under enemy attack, even if the allies run fast, they won¡¯t be able to reach it in time. What if the enemies drop the tower ande this way?"

    "They should return."

    "Right. The heroes could return, but how many of them should return? And what if the allies are already skirmishing with the enemy?"

    "Return would take time and we could lose the castle in the meantime!"

    Junhyuk nodded heavily.

    "Without heroes, it¡¯s almost impossible to defend the castle on our own. It¡¯ll be difficult to buy more time as well."

    "Right."

    Junhyuk could deal with one enemy hero, but if more of them showed up, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do much.

    He looked at Eunseo, who was scouting the surroundings, and murmured, "When the enemy minions show up here, we¡¯ll have to send out our minions to meet them, but that won¡¯t be easy."

    He looked at the minions inside the castle. There were many of them in wait, but if they went out to meet the enemy, they would be killed. If the enemy got there, Junhyuk would have to send them out. However, he still had issues, psychologically, with ordering them to their deaths.

    Junhyuk looked ahead.

    "If we see an enemy, we must report back to the heroes to let them know how many enemies are here."

    As he spoke, all of a sudden, there was movement in the forest to the right of the central road. A group appeared. Even in in sight, they were approximately a hundred, but the minions weren¡¯t the problem.

    Junhyuk scouted nervously and saw three heroes and Adolphe. At that moment, he quickly made his report by using themunication crystal, "Jean Clo, Ki and Bater are here. Adolphe as well."

    A brief moment of silence passed, and then the reply came, "Vera, Diane and I will return. Hold the castle."

    "Yes."

    There was an enemy attacking each of the towers, which would be Doctor T and Regina. That meant Nudra and Halo were dealing with them. If the allies fought with the backing of the tower, they wouldn¡¯t be killed.

    Junhyuk stood on the castle wall and looked at the enemies running toward him. Jean Clo and Ki were taking the lead. Bater¡¯s eyes emanatedplete killer intent while looking at Junhyuk.

    Ki¡¯s range was extremely long, so she could kill the archers from where she was. Junhyuk had to do something about it.

    He raised his sword and pointed to the enemies.

    "When they are within range, I¡¯ll buy more time with the Spatial sh."

    "Sure."

    Sarang scoped out the enemies nervously. Even if the enemies ran quickly, the allied heroes should return first. Without Junhyuk, the castle would¡¯ve been attacked without the allies¡¯ knowledge. However, Junhyuk was there.

    "We should halt their advance."

    They were within a hundred meters of the castle, and Junhyuk had his sword in hand, gripping it tightly. Once the heroes closed in, they sent their riflemen.

    The minions had stop the riflemen. If not, the riflemen could destroy the wall in no time. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t use the Spatial sh against them either at that point.

    He kept thinking. When the riflemen closed in, the archers started attacking. The archers¡¯ range was longer than the riflemen¡¯s, so they started picking them off one by one."

    "Thinking of it now, the riflemen are prettyme."

    They were long range units, but they couldn¡¯t kill the archers at that point. However, they could get to the bottom of the wall and attack the archers from there. There was a definite difference between the allied and enemy armament.

    All of a sudden, a voice boomed out, "Open the gate!"

    Junhyuk turned back and saw Arn, Vera and Diane. The gate opened, and the heroes took a hundred minions with them outside.

    Once out, Arn shouted, "Attack!"

    The minions raised their shields and ran forward, toward the riflemen, and Junhyuk looked at Sarang.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    "Yes."

    Both of them started at running, and Eunseo shouted after them, "Be careful!"

    Junhyuk nodded to her as he headed out before the gate was closed again. The minions were already in full battle mode.

    Arn lead the heroes, and Vera and Diane followed.

    Junhyuk thought of the alliedbination andpared it to the enemybination and frowned. Vera and Diane were weak. If enemies closed in, the two would have a hard time staying alive. Only Arn could fight up close with the enemies. On the other hand, Jean Clo and Bater could fight up close.

    Junhyuk thought he was key to the alliedbination. He smacked his lips and inspected the frontline. If Arn could lure just one enemy, the archers would help in the fight.

    Jean Clo and Bater both stepped forward, and Arn stopped running. Both of them could rush, so Arn calcted the distance and stepped back. If either of them rushed after Arn, he would find himself in a difficult position.

    While Arn retreated, the enemies headed toward him. Looking at the whole picture, the enemy line was moving forward, and Junhyuk walked toward them. He wanted to kill Ki first, but there were other enemies who posed more imminent danger.

    Jean Clo and Bater were at the front, but if Junhyuk could get help from the archers, he could kill them both. As the enemies approached him, Junhyuk didn¡¯t hesitate to use the Spatial sh.

    While Bater was running with Jean Clo, a gash opened on his neck, and a red shock wave extended out from it. Jean Clo was injured by the shock wave, but he was so strong that he could ignore it. Instead, he sped up, rushing toward Arn.

    By rushing, he put himself within range. Once he grabbed Arn¡¯s neck, the archers attacked him.

    While under attacked from the archers, Jean Clo turned around and choke mmed Arn. After being mmed against the ground, Arn got up quickly, but Bater finally caught up and hit him hard on the back.

    "Argh!"

    Arn staggered, and the alliesunched their attacks.

    A firewall appeared behind Bater, and Diane shot at him continuously and urately. After Junhyuk used the Spatial sh on Bater, everyone concentrated their attacks on him.

    Arn turned and hit him with the seven-strikebo. A fire spear hit him, and Bater got pushed back, hitting a fire orb behind him. The three barraged him. Bater had lost a lot of health after Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh and Diane¡¯s continuous arrows hit him in a row.

    The drill arrows¡¯ 50 percent boost to attack had seeded. Arn¡¯s seven-strikebo and Vera¡¯s series of explosion had wounded him further, and Bater only had 10 percent of his health left.

    All of a sudden, he looked like a used rag. That only happened because the heroes and Junhyuk had upgraded their equipment in thest battlefield.

    Arn still had 70 percent of his health, and the allies were winning. Bater could feel the danger and attempted to retread. Then, a shot rang out.

    Bang!

    A bullet went through the firewall and hit Arn in the middle of the forehead. The shot was a critical hit, and Arn lost 30 percent of his health. Meanwhile, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t let Bater escape.

    "Get him!" he shouted, and Diane shot a single arrow that flew out and hit Bater.

    His health was near the bottom, and when Sarang heard Junhyuk¡¯s shout, she fired an electric st.

    Pzzic!

    Jean Clo and Bater were hit by the st, and Bater disappeared. Sarang was nervous. She felt guilty she had killed a hero at thest minute, but Vera whispered in her ear, "You did well."

    At that moment, the important thing was to kill them quickly. Another gunshot rang out, and Junhyuk raised the force field around Vera. With Vera at the center of the ivory-colored light, Arn also entered.

    The bullet ricocheted off the field, and Sarang healed Arn back to 60 percent of his health.

    An enemy had been killed, and Arn had only lost 40 percent of his health. Junhyuk thought they were winning.

    The archer¡¯s attacks pushed Jean Clo back. A single exchange had cost the enemies one hero, and they winced.

    Junhyuk watched them retreat and asked Arn, "What do we do now?"

    "We don¡¯t need the archers. Let¡¯s close in while the force field is up."

    Arn took the lead, and the rest of the group followed him. At that point, the enemies knew their attacks would work, so they retreated.

    They didn¡¯t go far though. They were confident that they could kill Arn and massacre the others after.

    Vera¡¯s and Diane¡¯s attacks were high, but they couldn¡¯t do anything against Jean Clo and Ki¡¯sbination.

    Junhyuk watched them retreating and asked, "Should I slow them down?"

    Using his Spatial sh with the Frozen Rune Sword would slow the enemies down, and Arn nodded.

    "When the force field disappears, do it in one go. I¡¯ll jump in and take care of the rest."

    "Should I aim for Ki?"

    Arn nodded, and Junhyuk gripped the Frozen Rune Sword tightly. The force field faded, and Junhyuk made his move.

    While Ki ran away, her neck spurted out a fountain of blood, and a pure white shock wave extended out from it, slowing the enemies down. Arn jumped.

 Chapter 213: Thwarted 3

    Chapter 213: Thwarted 3

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Trantor: Moliere

    Editor: SootyOwl

    ---

    Arn jumped, closed in on Kill and shed at her. As he approached, Ki pulled out her pistols and shot out the shock wave.

    Boom!

    Ki¡¯s shock wave pushed Arn back. The impact was a critical hit, and Arn lost 45 percent of his health, leaving him with only 15 percent left.

    The n to kill Ki was going from bad to worse. However, she had also been left with 40 percent of her health. At that point, it didn¡¯t matter who was going to kill her. Vera¡¯s and Diane¡¯s attacks could do it, but there was still some distance between them.

    Jean Clo rushed, grabbed Arn and jumped. If he got mmed like that, Arn would surely die.

    Junhyuk ran to the front and looked at Ki, who was already wielding her pistols. If Arn died there, there would be dire consequences to the allies. However, Junhyuk was not confident he could survive Ki¡¯s attack. Still, he couldn¡¯t stop running toward her.

    While running to the front, Junhyuk focused on Ki. He wasn¡¯t sure even if he focused entirely on her, he would be able to survive her attack.

    Meanwhile, he disengaged Adolphe, who released two blue energy attacks that were out of his range, but wrapped up Diane and Vera. Seeing that, Junhyuk gritted his teeth and ran.

    Ki fired multiple rounds at him, and because Junhyuk was entirely focused on her, he saw the bullets flying toward him. He teleported and escaped them.

    The gunshots flew by, and Junhyuk touched Arn, who was in the air, spinning toward the ground, and teleported.

    He had saved Arn in the nick of time, but he had used all his teleportations in the process. Arn wasn¡¯t entirely safe. At that moment, Ki had retreated and was preparing another shot.

    It could kill him.

    Junhyuk bearhugged Arn and rolled on the ground. Thus, escaping Ki¡¯s shot. Arn smiled at Junhyuk and threw his saber.

    It struck Ki, leaving her with 25 percent of her health. That was when Jean Clo ran ran at them again, but Junhyuk stood in his way.

    Arn couldn¡¯t die yet, and although Junhyuk had gotten stronger, even with the Spatial sh he was weak inparison. He was ready to die in Arn¡¯s ce, which is why he stood in front of Jean Clo.

    Jean Clo scoffed at the gesture and squeezes Junhyuk by the neck. When Jean Clo raised him from the ground, Junhyuk swung his sword and sliced Jean Clo¡¯s arm. Meanwhile, Arn gripped his saber tightly and dashed. If Arn killed Ki, Junhyuk was confident that the allies would win that team battle.

    Jean Clo raised him up higher and chokemmed him against the ground.

    Boom!

    He felt the impact against his back, and without realizing it, he coughed out all the air in his lungs.

    "Ugh! Cough!"

    Arn was on his way toward Ki, but Junhyuk had to buy him more time, which meant he had to fight Jean Clo.

    Jean Clo was a tank. He had a lot of health and defense, and normal attacks usually dealt less damage to him. Even without using his ultimate, he could deal a lot of damage. That was a hero.

    Junhyuk tried to get out of Jean Clo¡¯s hold by swinging his sword desperately.

    sssh!

    He had managed to cut Jean Clo¡¯s finger in the process. He couldn¡¯t cut Jean Clo¡¯s arm off, but it wasn¡¯t impossible for him to lop off fingers. After losing his finger, Jean Clo lost his grip on Junhyuk, who stepped back quickly and pointed his swords at Jean Clo.

    Jean Clo¡¯s steel jaw opened, and he shouted at Junhyuk, "How dare you!?"

    Adolphe rushed and shed Arn, leaving him paralyzed, and Ki¡¯s shot hit Arn in the middle of the forehead, and he disappeared.

    Junhyuk gritted his teeth, staring at Jean Clo. He still had 80 percent of his health left.

    Ki was at low health, but she was fighting from a distance, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t have the Spatial sh ready and couldn¡¯t get close to her.

    The situation had worsened.

    Without Arn, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to deal with Jean Clo, Adolphe and Ki, but he inhaled deeply and thought quickly. When the Spatial sh was ready, he would kill Ki in one strike. However, the problem was surviving until then. He had to survive both Adolphe and Jean Clo, and Ki was already preparing another shot.

    The enemies knew it wasn¡¯t good for them to waste time and focused on Junhyuk. Jean Clo aimed for Junhyuk, while Adolphe aimed for Vera and Diane.

    However, Junhyuk was more worried about Sarang than Vera and Diane. If it was just Adolphe, he wouldn¡¯t be so worried, but Ki was still out there.

    He hadn¡¯t expected it, but Diane dashed forward while drawing her bow, and Junhyuk realized that Diane was trying to get rid of Ki.

    Ki realized it too.

    Because of that, she switched her target from Junhyuk to Diane.

    Bang!

    Diane turned her torso slightly and got hit on the shoulder. Adolphe tried to stop her, but she moved like a shadow to the side and released her bowstring. In a brief moment, Diane shot five arrows that flew toward Ki, who jumped. Diane watched as her arrows missed Ki and gritted her teeth. Then, she dodged Adolphe¡¯s sword strike. She sped up. Diane could get a speed boost even when she was not in the forest.

    Meanwhile, Vera threw a firespear at Adolphe so that he couldn¡¯t chase her down. He got hit by the firespear and bounced off a fire orb. After the explosions, Adolphe staggered.

    At the same Jean Clo was trying to stop Diane, but Junhyuk still stood in front of him. Junhyuk nked Jean Clo and sliced Jean Clo¡¯s leg. His movement speed was superior to Jean Clo¡¯s, and he had been able to stop Jean Clo from running after Diane.

    Jean Clo turned around and tried to backhand Junhyuk, but Junhyuk leaned back, barely escaping the attack. He took two steps back and repositioned himself.

    Jean Clo approached while tapping his own chin, "Right. You want to be killed by me. I¡¯ll grant you that favor."

    Jean Clo did not waver and extended his hands forward. Junhyuk, who had fought him before, knew that he couldn¡¯t cut Jean Clo¡¯s arms. He would have to cut him elsewhere, and he knew just the ce.

    Jean Clo extended his hands, and Junhyuk stepped back while swinging his sword. Suddenly, Jean Clo lost another finger. While cutting fingers wouldn¡¯t deal a lot of damage, it would prevent Jean Clo from mounting his attacks.

    "Ahhh! I will kill you!" Jean Clo said furiously.

    Fury made people blind, and Jean Clo no longer cared about the others. Junhyuk had lured him in while watching Vera corner Adolphe.

    Adolphe was a strong champion, but he was weaker than Vera. She circled around him, casting her magic, while Adolphe, who had used all of his powers, couldn¡¯t pin her down in one ce.

    Adolphe changed ns and decided to go after Sarang, but she also didn¡¯t just sit there waiting. She ran toward Vera and, while running, she shot an electric arrow at him. Sarang¡¯s focus was already very high, so she could cast magic while moving.

    Junhyuk hoped Sarang would stay safe and lured Jean Clo toward a deserted ce. He was slowed down, making it possible to pull him. However, while Junhyuk did that, Jean Clo rushed suddenly. Seeing that, Junhyuk clicked his tongue, realizing that Jean Clo¡¯s rush had a short cooldown.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t escape, and Jean Clo grabbed him by the neck, so he decided to take a chance and cut Jean Clo¡¯s thumb.

    Jean Clo needed his fingers to keep his grip, but he had lost his thumb, his middle finger and his ring finger, so he couldn¡¯t keep hold, and Junhyuk got free. He smirked, and Jean Cloughed and grabbed him with his left hand.

    "You forgot something. I rush to close in on you. Even without fingers, I can still get to you."

    Jean Clo grappled him and jumped. At that point, Junhyuk had 70 percent of his health, but he was about to be damaged by the screw piledriver. He couldn¡¯t escape. The world was spinning around him, and he tried to stab Jean Clo with the Frozen Rune Sword.

    His head hit the ground.

    Boom!

    The world kept spinning, and he lost 30 percent of his health, leaving him with 40 percent. However, Jean Clo wasn¡¯t done with him. When he grabbed Junhyuk by the head, an arrow went through his shoulder, and he frowned. At the same time, Junhyuk sliced Jean Clo¡¯s other thumb off.

    Then, he fell to the ground and rolled to escape. Once he turned around, he saw Diane running toward him. She had gotten rid of Ki and was now after Jean Clo.

    Jean Clo realized that Ki was dead and lost some confidence. Ki was dead, and only Adolphe and himself remained. The allies had two heroes, Junhyuk and Sarang. He knew that was the worst possible situation and shouted, "Kill Vera!"

    Adolphe stopped chasing after Sarang and ran after Vera. Jean Clo tried to join him, but after having used his rush against Junhyuk, it wasn¡¯t easy to keep up with Vera. However, that was his only option.

    Jean Clo chased after Vera, and Junhyuk smiled, seeing that Jean Clo would need his rush if he was to catch Vera.

    He could stop Jean Clo.

    The cooldown of the Spatial sh had ended, and Junhyuk saw that Adolphe and Jean Clo were close, so he didn¡¯t hesitate and used his power.

    The Spatial sh hit Jean Clo¡¯s neck, generating a blood-colored shock wave that swept through Adolphe, killing the champion and leaving Jean Clo with 40 percent of his health.

    The Spatial sh had taken a lot of his health, and a barrage of arrows was heading his way. Jean Clo was already slow, and now that he had been hit, he used his ultimate. Three blue energy rings surrounded him, but at the same time, Sarang suppressed it, surrounding Jean Clo¡¯s body in a blood-colored energy.

    Vera cast a fire arrow on him, and the blue energy rings all shattered.

    "I will kill you all!" he howled.

    Jean Clo was going berserk, and Junhyuk decided not to get any closer. By that point, Vera and Diane could kill him. His regenerative power had been dispelled, but he could still have a rush left in him.

    Jean Clo inspected the health bars of everyone in the battlefield. They were all within his rush¡¯s range.

    Diane was running toward Junhyuk to help him out, so she was really close. Vera was standing up, casting her attacks. When his rush returned, Jean Clo had 20 percent of his health left, and he wanted to kill someone before he died.

    He skipped Vera and Diane and chose Sarang. He rushed toward her, and Junhyuk teleported to appeared in front of her. Jean Clo grabbed him by the shoulder, lifting him up and mming him against the ground.

    Boom!

    It was a critical hit, and Junhyuk was left with 5 percent of his health. When Jean Clo was about to punch him one final time, the back of his head exploded.

    An explosive arrow had gone off, and a fire spear hit his face. Both attacks struck him urately, and Jean Clo disappeared, having failed to punch Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk sighed, relieved, and said, "I¡¯m sure he regrets that."

 Chapter 214: Upgrading Equipment 1

    Chapter 214: Upgrading Equipment 1

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Trantor: Moliere

    Editor: SootyOwl

    ---

    He was watching Jean Clo disappear and sighing when a shadow loomed over his head. Junhyuk turned to look, and Sarang extended her hand to him.

    "Are you OK?"

    "Well, I didn¡¯t die, so I must be fine."

    He grabbed her hand and got up, and Diane and Vera walked over and told him, "You did well."

    He stretched his neck lightly and started cleaning the dirt off his armor. Diane walked over sneakily and cleaned the dirt off his butt.

    "You¡¯ve got a lot of dirt on you."

    "Are you cleaning me?"

    "That¡¯s right. Do you think I have dark, ulterior motives?"

    Diane smiled while she cleaned the dirt off his butt, and Junhyuk was left not knowing what to say, simply turning to Sarang instead.

    "Did you pick up the item Bater dropped?"

    "Ah! Wait a second!"

    She ran back and picked it up. Unexpectedly, Bater had dropped a pair of boots, and Sarang showed them to Junhyuk.

    Steel Military Boots

    Defense +15

    Magic Defense +15

    Movement Speed -5%

    Health +200

    These are dense military boots. When wearing them, you can inflict a lot of pain by kicking someone¡¯s shin. Defense and magic defense increase by fifteen. Due to their weight, movement speed decreases by 5 percent. They also increase health by 200.

    ---

    Junhyuk looked at the boots¡¯ attributes and was d.

    "This is good. I was worried about your low health."

    "Wouldn¡¯t these fit you better?"

    "No. They increase health and defense, so they¡¯ll work better on you. I don¡¯t like the fact they decrease movement speed, but you can get another item to increase your movement speed somewhere."

    "That¡¯s right, but you are the one who does most of the fighting."

    Junhyuk shrugged said, "Yes, but it still matters whether or not you get killed in a single hit. Even more so for an expert, a 200 health increase is really nice. You should keep it."

    Sarang thought about it for a moment and nodded.

    "OK."

    Junhyuk felt better then because he had less to worry about her. With her health at that level, she would at least survive a single hit from the heroes.

    Vera frowned and said, "We¡¯ve been hit."

    "Who?"

    Vera licked her lips and said, "Our upper and lower towers have both been destroyed. The enemies attacking those have been killed, but Nudra also died."

    "Things are as good as we thought!"

    At that point, the allies had cleared the first upper and lower towers, but they also had lost theirs, and they had lost both of the central towers. As a whole, their position was dire.

    With the second central tower destroyed, someone had to stay at the castle.

    Vera took a moment to think.

    "Nudra¡¯s been killed, so lower path is vulnerable. I¡¯ll head there myself."

    Diane shook her head and said, "No. I¡¯ll go there instead. Vera, you take Junhyuk and go to Dimensional Merchant."

    "Is that OK?"

    "You need more equipment, and it¡¯ll be easier to deal with the enemies after." Vera nodded at that, and Diane continued, "When Arn revives, I¡¯ll send him to you. Sarang can defend this ce alone."

    Sarang hesitated and said, "But I don¡¯t havemunication crystal."

    "Use the Kasha, and Junhyuk will tell us."

    Vera had decided the matter at hand, the group decided to follow her decision. Junhyuk was alone with Vera, and both started off. It might have been better to wait until Arn revived, but the enemies were moving quickly. It would be best ot upgrade their equipment first.

    Even if he was alone with Vera, Junhyuk remained on the lookout. The Dimensional Battlefield was sorge that it wouldn¡¯t be possible to spot Doctor T¡¯s spiders. He might get lucky, but he couldn¡¯t see any at that point. While the enemies might find out where they were, it was still a good idea to visit the Dimensional Merchant.

    They reached their destination without meeting anyone and, upon entering, they found Bebe yawning hard.

    Bebe waved at them and smiled.

    "You came!"

    Vera walked over to him, and Bebe smiled and said, "You¡¯ve all been handsomely rewarded this time. Do you want to buy something?"

    Vera whispered to Bebe, "Do you have the Phoenix set?"

    "You want it?"

    "I think this is the right time to get it."

    "It¡¯s a fire set, so not many people are looking for it, but set items themselves are always hard to get, just so you know."

    "So, do you have it or not?"

    Bebe smiled and pulled out item by item.

    "So far, I¡¯ve collected four Phoenix set items, but do you know how much these will cost you?"

    "How much?"

    "A total of 1,200,000G."

    Vera exhaled deeply and said, "Then, check these out."

    She pulled out some things and showed them to Bebe, who inspected them and whistled.

    "Did you steal these from a Dragon¡¯s Lair?"

    "I found them at the Ancient Dragon¡¯s Lair. I got them from there."

    Bebe inspected the items more thoroughly and, astonished, he said, "They are impressive. Wait a moment. I¡¯ll calcte the entire price for them."

    Junhyuk looked at Vera enviously. How much would think from the Ancient Dragon¡¯s Lair bring in? Bebe had already said they were impressive, so they had to be worth a lot.

    Bebe took a while calcting and said, "This is the most you¡¯ve brought me so far, and they are items of the highest quality."

    "So, how much?"

    "For these, 1,980,000G. I¡¯ll give your another 20,000G, so how does 2,000,000G sound?"

    "Perfect. Then, give me the Phoenix Set first."

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk watched Vera as very purchased everything. She looked powerful, and even after spending 1,200,000G, she still had 800,000G. What had she actually found at the Ancient Dragon¡¯s Lair?

    Junhyuk was jealous, and he started to feel sick, but his sickness was short-lived. Vera untied her cloak, and changed clothes right in front of him. A glint came over his eyes, and Bebe made a tent. However, before the tent had been set up, Junhyuk had been able to see her beautiful bottom.

    Right at the moment he saw it, the tent went up, and Junhyuk smacked his lips. A momentter, Vera walked out of the tent, and Junhyuk¡¯s mouth hung wide open. Her outfit only covered the important part. Besides that, she was practically naked. With feathers covering her privates, she exined calmly, "Even though it looks like this, it has a lot of defense."

    "It¡¯s a set, so it must be powerful!"

    "Sure. Fire mages wear it. It¡¯s a very impressive set."

    "How many items are required for the full set?"

    "Eight items, but even now my damage has increased and my cooldowns have decreased. I can kill our enemies faster than ever before."

    Junhyuk was surprised to hear that there was something to decrease cooldowns. Was that even possible?

    Junhyuk looked at her with surprise, but Vera wanted to upgrade her equipment with enhancement stones, so she spent the rest of the 800,000G on the stones and doing all the basic upgrades on all four items.

    Junhyuk had just witnessed her spending 2,000,000G. He had been shocked by Gongon¡¯s expenditures previously, but Vera¡¯s had far surpassed those.

    He wanted to bring back stuff from South Korea and upgrade his equipment like the heroes did. He thought he might have to put together a museum heist and smiled bitterly.

    "And I have something you spoke of," Bebe said.

    "I spoke of something?"

    "You were looking for Pure Golden Knight Elder set items."

    "What?!" Junhyuk¡¯s eyes sparkled, and he repeated, "What is it?"

    Bebe showed him a golden cloak, and Junhyuk was dumbfounded

    A golden cloak!

    He was wearing the Dark Night Cloak, which went well with his ck armor. The golden cloak wouldn¡¯t match. However, he still wanted to buy it. He had been waiting a long time for another item.

    "How much is it?"

    "It¡¯s 100,000G. Cheap, right?"

    Junhyuk nodded and asked, "But isn¡¯t the Phoenix set too expensive whenpared to it?"

    Cheap was good, but the quality did matter. He wanted a good deal.

    "I know what you are worried about, but don¡¯t worry. You can increase the level of set items, but it takes a lot of money."

    Junhyuk smacked his lips and asked, "How much does each level-up cost?"

    "Each will cost you 200,000G."

    "Is a level-up better than an upgrade?"

    "Basic upgrades are better than level-ups, but the level-ups will work out to your benefit in the long term. Upgrades get erased when the item levels up."

    What Bebe meant is that he should go with the level-up over the basic upgrade. That way, he could upgrade his items after they were leveled up.

    "But the item belonged to a legendary figure, and it¡¯s a set item. Howe it¡¯s at such a low level?"

    Bebe answered nonchntly, "Back then, things were just beginning, and the quality ofbatants wasn¡¯t as great as it is now. Nowadays, a hero who puts everything in attack won¡¯t seed and won¡¯t be a legend."

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly. There was a history to the items and the Dimensional Merchant. The legends of the past wouldn¡¯t necessarily be legends in Junhyuk¡¯s time.

    "Could I check on how much money I have?"

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk ced his hand on the te and became ecstatic. The number 107,260 showed up. The item required 100,000G, so he could buy it.

    "I¡¯ll take it."

    "Sure. What are you going to do with the cloak you are wearing?"

    He didn¡¯t want to sell the Dark Night Cloak, but he said, "I have something else to sell."

    He wanted to gather the Pure Golden Knight set items, so he didn¡¯t need it anymore. He also couldn¡¯t wear the golden cloak in South Korea, so he decided to keep the Dark Night Cloak. However, he didn¡¯t need the Mad Doctor¡¯s Coat anymore.

    He showed it to Bebe and said, "How much will this get me?"

    Bebe checks it out and replied, "I¡¯ll give you 150,000G."

    That was more than Junhyuk had expected, so he answered, "Deal!"

    Bebe bought it, and Junhyuk hummed as he earned a quick 150,000G.

    "Then, give me the cloak now."

    He took the Pure Golden Knight Elder¡¯s Cloak, worth 100,000G, and touched it. His heart was pounding, but he rxed before inspecting it.

    ---

    Pure Golden Knight Elder¡¯s Cloak (Set Item)

    Attack +10

    Defense +5

    Evade +3%

    The Golden Knight Elder wore this cloak. In the past, he was called a legend and he carried items to increase his attack power. There was no one who could withstand a blow from him.

    Having aplete set increases the power of the item.

    Two-Item Set Effect: Armor Piercing +35

    Three-Item Set Effect: Additional Fixed Damage +50

    Four-Item Set Effect: 50% area of effect damage at a 10-meter radius.

    Five-Item Set Effect: 20% chance of an extra attack at 50% normal damage.

 Chapter 215: Upgrading Equipment 2

    Chapter 215: Upgrading Equipment 2

    Trantor: - - Editor: - -

    Trantor: Moliere

    Editor: SootyOwl

    ---

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened after checking the set items¡¯ effects.

    "That¡¯s awesome!"

    He¡¯d only been able to gain that type of buff before by killing he Gale Queen Harpy. It was a type of buff that could proc continuously. It had a 20 percent chance of working, but if it worked with the Spatial sh, it would be great.

    "There¡¯s a reason to gather a low-level item set."

    Vera heard Junhyuk murmuring, and she smiled as she asked, "Did you purchase another Pure Golden Knight set item?"

    "Yes, but it¡¯s too shy. People will easily notice it!"

    "Why are you so concerned? If youplete the entire set, you¡¯ll be covered in gold."

    "What?!"

    "Didn¡¯t you know why the Pure Golden Knight is called PURE GOLDEN Knight?"

    Junhyuk broke into cold sweats. Would he have to be covered in gold? He turned to Bebe as if asking for help.

    "Do you have dye?"

    "Of course, I have dye. I have everything in here. However, it¡¯s very expensive."

    Bebe had said expensive, which probably meant Junhyuk couldn¡¯t afford it.

    "How much is it?"

    "For set items that can level up, the dye costs 50,000G a piece."

    Junhyuk felt like copsing. He wanted to save money, so for a while, he would have to wear the gold.

    Arn walked in suddenly, and upon seeing Junhyuk¡¯s cloak, he smiled.

    "The Pure Golden Knight Elder¡¯s Cloak!"

    "You know of it?"

    "That¡¯s such a cheesy color! I heard the Elder was the only one to wear such a cheesy color in all of the battlefield¡¯s history."

    "Have you ever met him?"

    "Never met him. He became a legend a long time ago," he said and pped Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder while walking over to Bebe. "Do you have the Light Wind Bracelets?"

    "Are you looking for two?"

    "I have no choice. Right now, those are the only set items I can carry."

    "They are so effective for only two set items. There is nothing like them. You are in luck! I have them!"

    "How much?"

    "For both, 700,000G."

    Junhyuk heard, dumbfounded, the astronomical sum being discussed. However, while the basic price for items in the Pure Golden Knight Elder set was 100,000G, he would need an additional 200,000G to level them up. In essence, each item would cost him 300,000G.

    Thinking that way, Arn¡¯s items seemed to have a fair price.

    However, did Arn have that kind of money? Vera had gained her money from the items she stole from the Ancient Dragon¡¯s Lair. While Junhyuk worried, Arn extended his hand nonchntly and paid. Bebe handed him the two items.

    "Did you bet all of your assets?!"

    "I thought I would win."

    "Don¡¯t be overconfident. The opponents will have another champion next time."

    "Junhyuk can kick his ass!"

    "You have a lot of trust in him."

    He put the two bracelets on and said, "OK. Let¡¯s go!"

    "Wait a minute," Junhyuk said and walked over to Bebe and pulled out the return stone. "I have to refill my return stone."

    "How many do you want?"

    "Do it ten times."

    He needed 4,500G, but he had over 150,000G and could easily afford it. Without his return stone refilled, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get back to the castle at a moment¡¯s notice.

    Bebe handed him the te, and Junhyuk paid the cost. He had 152,760G left, and Bebe refilled his return stone. After taking it, Junhyuk looked at Arn.

    "Where are we going?"

    Arn walked outside with the others and said, "We¡¯ll split the party first and then attack the center. It¡¯ll take long time for our enemies to reach the castle, so we¡¯ll push top and bottom. Diane already went to the bottom path and killed Regina. We¡¯ll join her."

    Junhyuk nodded. They would regroup with Diane and attack the second tower at the bottom path, putting pressure on their enemies.

    "What if they gather there?"

    "Then, retreat."

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly and followed Artan. Diane and Arn conversed, and they took a different route and ran. It was important to regroup with Diane as soon as possible.

    They join Diane enroute to the second tower. Diane waved at them widely and said, "Hurry! The enemies who¡¯ve revived areing this way!"

    Their enemies couldn¡¯t insist on pushing through the center. The probably was higher that only one or two would head that way, so it was important to keep pressuring them, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to flee.

    Junhyuk inhaled deeply and murmured, "I¡¯m d Sarang isn¡¯t here."

    Diane looked at his cloak andughed.

    "Are you wearing the Pure Golden Knight Cloak?"

    "Yes. I have five items of the set now."

    "You are lucky!"

    One couldn¡¯t just collect set items by having enough money. The items had to be avable. When the set items were unavable, one had to give up on the pursuit.

    "Let¡¯s hurry."

    "Yes."

    With Diane, the group ran to the second tower. Their enemies, however, were already there.

    "Were they expecting us?"

    Bater, Ki and Doctor T were present. Adolphe was standing next to them.

    "This will be a victory by the sword."

    "Right."

    There were three heroes and a champion on each side. Their skills would decide the victor, and Junhyuk expected to win. He and the others had gotten new equipment. The allies firepower was superior to what it was just a moment ago.

    Thebination types were the same as the enemies¡¯. Bater and Arn were the tanks, and the other two in each team were damage dealers.

    Arn said, "Let¡¯s kick some ass!"

    He ran ahead first, and Junhyuk ran after him. Bater started running toward them while bumping his fists together and smoking a cigar.

    "All right! Come on"

    This would be a fair battle, and the losers would have no room forint. When they got within Bater¡¯s range, he rushed. Ordinarily, Arn would have jumped to avoid Bater, but that time was different.

    Arn stood in Bater¡¯s path.

    Boom!

    He was pushed back, and Bater swung a one-twobo. While Arn had been hit, he remained steadfast and delivery his seven-strikebo in close range. Junhyuk was watching it all unfold.

    Arn¡¯s seven-strikebo dealt different damage to different enemies. Previously, it would deal 15 percent damage on Bater. This time, however, it dealt 20 percent damage. The Light Wind Bracelets had increased his damage by at least 30 percent.

    Bater had 80 percent of his health when Diane shot her continuous volley. The arrows spun, striking Bater along with Vera¡¯s firespear.

    Boom!

    Every attack seeded, and Bater was left with 15 percent of his health. Vera¡¯s magic had increased significantly in power, and even Bater was surprised.

    The enemies struck. Doctor T tied Arn in his webs to prevent him from attacking Bater any further. Meanwhile, someone fired at Arn.

    Bang!

    Junhyuk raised the force field around Arn, and within it, the webs dismantled themselves. Arn was free, and heunched his saber.

    Bater raised both of his hands to block, but the saber went through his stomach.

    "Ugh!"

    With only 15 percent of his health, Bater lost the rest and disappeared. While Arn was a tank, he also focused on attack damage. Bater, on the other hand, didn¡¯t have the same capacity to deal damage. That meant that Arn now had the power to kill him.

    The enemies were bbergasted, and Junhyuk smiled. With force field surrounding the allies, the enemies couldn¡¯t do anything, so they retreated to their tower.

    Arn shook with adrenaline and said, "Attack before the force field is gone!"

    "Right!"

    Arrows couldn¡¯t get through the field, so the allies got inside it and ran toward the tower. Ki grimaced and took some steps back.

    "What are you going to do?"

    "I did not know Bater would be killed so fast."

    Junhyuk had also been surprised, and he could guess at how the enemy felt. He sped up, and Diane shouted, "Behind you!"

    Everyone looked back, and Jean Clo dashed out of the reed field. He had been hiding there, preparing to surprise attack the allies, but since Bater had been killed very quickly, he had lost his chance.

    Junhyuk said, "Let¡¯s kill them first!"

    "Right! Kill Ki first!"

    Ki had the highest attack among the enemies, but her defense was low. So, if they concentrated their attacks on her, they would kill her.

    Junhyuk swung the Frozen Rune Sword at her. She turned to dodge, and that was when Junhyuk used the Spatial sh on her neck with the Blood Rune Sword. The 20 percent chance triggered, and the extra attack dealt an additional 50 percent damage to her.

    As Junhyuk had expected, the Spatial sh also took advantage of the extra attack. It was a critical hit that took 40 percentage off Ki¡¯s health, leaving her with 60 percent.

    Junhyuk had seen it, but he couldn¡¯t believe what he had done. Arn jumped, and Ki jumped back, dodging Arn¡¯s strike. Junhyuk knew Arn wouldn¡¯t catch her, so he touched Vera and Diane and teleported.

    The group attacked Ki.

    Diane¡¯s explosive arrows hit her, and Vera cast a firespear at her. The damage had gone over the limit, and Ki disappeared. It all happened suddenly, and Jean Clo, who was still chasing after the allies, shouted, "NO!"

    He was furious, but it was toote. The allies would win that round.

    Arn closed in to Doctor T, swinging his saber, but the doctor blocked the attack with his front legs.

    ng!

    In response, Doctor T fired his missiles at Arn.

    Boom!

    Arn staggered while Diane shot her arrow barrage. Five arrows with ten moonlit arrowheads hit Doctor T and Adolphe. After the two were attacked, the force field disappeared.

    Then, Adolphe stabbed the ground with the saw-ded sword.

    Two blue boomerangs of energy shot out from him and tie Vera and Diane up. The allies are within range of the tower¡¯s archers, and Vera and Diane were being hit by them.

    Arn was fighting Doctor T while Junhyuk turned to face Jean Clo. The Spatial sh was still under cooldown, but Junhyuk wanted to lure Jean Clo in.

    He ran forward, and Jean Clo¡¯s eyes shone.

    "I don¡¯t have time to y with you!"

    Jean Clo really wanted Junhyuk dead, but he didn¡¯t have time. Bater and Ki were dead, and Jean Clo wanted to decrease number of allied heroes.

    He tried to brush past Junhyuk while saving his rush to use on the heroes, and Junhyuk scoffed at him. Jean Clo blocked Junhyuk¡¯s sword attacks with his arms. Unable to cut through, Junhyuk was pushed back. However, he had managed to sh Jean Clo¡¯s thigh with the Frozen Rune Sword.

    He couldn¡¯t dream of killing Jean Clo with normal attacks, but debuffing him was different. Two attacks went through, and Jean Clo was slowed down considerably.

    "I must y with you, then!"

 Chapter 216: Upgrading Equipment 3

    Chapter 216: Upgrading Equipment 3

    Jean Clo kicked at Junhyuk, who twisted away to dodge. However, he had been waiting for Junhyuk¡¯s move and grabbed him by the neck at the end of it. Junhyuk tried to slice Jean Clo¡¯s fingers off, like he had done before, but having already gone through that, Jean Clo did something unexpected. He pulled Junhyuk closer and headbutted him.

    Thunk!

    Junhyuk¡¯s head shook, and he couldn¡¯t pull himself together. Meanwhile, Jean Clo mmed him to the ground.

    Boom!

    "Ugh!"

    Junhyuk exhaled roughly and realized the two attacks had taken 30 percent of his health. Junhyuk had told Jean Clo he had to y with him, and Jean Clo was ying rough.

    Jean Clo did not stop there and proceeded to kick Junhyuk, who wasunched off and rolled on the ground after hitting it. Junhyuk stabbed the ground with his sword to stop himself and raised his head. However, Jean Clo had already rushed toward Vera and grabbed her.

    He probably focused on her after seeing how dangerous her upgraded equipment was.

    His goal was to kill her.

    Jean Clo swung her around and threw her between Arn and Doctor T.

    After he came closer, Diane quickly moved toward the back. Once she had safely escaped to where he couldn¡¯t touch her, she shot a barrage of arrows at Doctor T. The doctor had been firing his methrower toward Vera when the arrows hit him. A bunch of his health was gone, and Arn took a stance.

    Junhyuk was watching it all with surprise.

    Arn had Doctor T within range of his quickdraw. His ultimate could deal amazing damage, but could he use it?

    The doctor realized his situation and tried to step back, but Vera raised a firewall behind him to block his retreat. Still, Doctor T decided that it would be better to get damaged by the firewall than Arn¡¯s quickdraw and tried to move back quickly.

    Then, Vera stood in the way of his retreat and shot fire arrows at him.

    Doctor T couldn¡¯t think of what to do, but Jean Clo ran toward him. At that point, he had 60 percent of his health left, and Arn¡¯s quickdraw could kill him in one strike. However, Jean Clo didn¡¯t have enough time to close the gap. Doctor T clenched his teeth and tried to go around when Vera set a fire orb in his path.

    Boom!

    It exploded, and the grimacing doctor was pushed back. Suddenly, something unexpected happened. Adolphe rushed in to sh at Arn.

    Arn had been preparing his quickdraw when he was hit by the rushing sh. Then, Adolphe used his ten-meter energy strike. Junhyuk, who had seen it all, started running.

    Arn had enough health to survive the attack, but with things like that, Doctor T might escape. On his way, Junhyuk sh Jean Clo with the Frozen Rune sword.

    Jean Clo¡¯s movement speed decreased visibly, and he extended his hand to grab Junhyuk, but Junhyuk rolled away to escape. He ignored Jean Clo and kept running.

    The ten-meter energy strike fell straight Arn.

    After being hit, Arn had 25 percent of his health. The allies could deal more damage than before and had pressured their enemies, but now, Arn could be killed.

    Adolphe had used his energy strike on Arn, and Arn ran toward him, swinging, in response. Adolphe swung his saw-ded sword, but Arn slid his saber against its de and cut his arm.

    Adolphe tried to raise his arm to block, but then Arn swung his saber and shed his neck. Adolphe had quickly moved his neck back to avoid being beheaded, but the sh had been critical, and he lost 15 percent of his health.

    He was in shock, and Arn passed him by and jumped on Doctor T. Arn closed in quickly, swinging his saber down, and Doctor T blocked while being pushed back. Then, Arn used his seven-strikebo on the doctor, which made him take hisst breath. The doctor disappeared, and Jean Clo looked repulsed by the sight.

    They were fighting under a tower, and the allied heroes had lost quite a bit of health, but Jean Clo couldn¡¯t fight them alone. Still, Jean Clo approached Arn and grabbed him.

    Arn¡¯s desperate saber swings cut Jean Clo¡¯s forehead, but he ignored it and used the screw piledriver on Arn. Jean Clo was up in the air anding down when Junhyuk quickly dashed in and touched the falling Arn and teleported away.

    Boom!

    Jean Clo crashed alone, and while he still had a lot of health, it was not enough to fight three heroes at the same time.

    Junhyuk looked at Jean Clo and said, "I¡¯ll take care of Adolphe."

    "Right."

    Interestingly enough, the tower¡¯s archers were focused on the heroes. They weren¡¯t attacking Junhyuk, so he decided to kill Adolphe.

    They all knew that Jean Clo couldn¡¯t go against three heroes, but Adolphe could mess things up. The champion had manyplicated powers.

    Junhyuk ran after him, and Adolphe gritted his teeth and swung his sword.

    ng!

    Junhyuk blocked the attack and sidestep while letting the de fall next to him, then he used the opening to swing the Blood Rune Sword and sh Adolphe¡¯s side.

    He felt himself regaining health and continued to attack quickly, looking like a tornado that generated red and white shock waves continuously.

    When both shock waves triggered at the same time, they looked like one power, pink shock wave. After a while, Junhyuk realized the the Spatial sh was out of cooldown.

    Adolphe was at half health, and Junhyuk sliced him with his dual sword and kicked him on the chest, pushing Adolphe back. Junhyuk used the distance between them to look over at Jean Clo. He was being attacked from all sides, and also only had half of his health. Junhyuk thought the Spatial sh would be able to kill him at that point.

    He aimed the Spatial sh at Jean Clo¡¯s neck, hoping to hit both of them with a single strike.

    However, Jean Clo suddenly raised the three blue energy rings around his body, and one of them negated Junhyuk¡¯s attack. Junhyuk scowled. The fatal blow had been blocked by Jean Clo¡¯s ultimate, and there was no one around to stop it.

    If Sarang were there, they would¡¯ve been able to suppress it, but she wasn¡¯t, and Junhyuk felt her absence deeply.

    Jean Cloughed hard and lifted Arn by the neck. The archers focused on him while Jean Clo chokemmed him. As a result, Arn disappeared, and Jean Clo smiled with satisfaction.

    "You¡¯ve must have been thinking I was an easy target so far." Jean Clo got up and howled, "I will kill you all!"

    He had only had half of his health, but he was quickly regenerating the rest. While Junhyuk ran to meet him, the Kasha was summoned, and Sarang eximed from the other end, "Regina has shown up here at the castle!"

    Junhyuk stopped running to speak to the Kasha, "Regina?"

    "Yes, and she brought minions with her. What should I do?"

    He pulled out hismunication crystal. He had to stop Jean Clo, but if the castle fell, they would lose.

    "Regina is at the castle now," he told Halo.

    "Really? I¡¯ll return right away."

    Junhyuk heard Halo¡¯s response and turned to Jean Clo. The blue energy rings were gone, but his health had gone back up to 80 percent. The heroes had all used their powers to try to kill him up to now, but his health had shot back up suddenly, and he had blocked the Spatial sh and survived.

    Junhyuk ran toward Adolphe and swung his sword. Adolphe blocked it, but regr arrows and fire arrows flew toward him.

    They were not powers, but the heroes¡¯ attacks still dealt a lot of damage, and Adolphe started to quickly lose his health. Junhyuk unsheathed his swords and spun like a top. While spinning, he pierced Adolphe¡¯s neck with the swords, and Adolphes eyes widened. However, Junhyuk ignored it and passed him.

    He turned to look at Jean Clo, who was heading toward Vera. With Arn dead, the archers focused on her, and she was running fast to get out of their range.

    Jean Clo¡¯s movement speed was still debuffed, and she could keep her distance from him for a while. However, when his rushed returned, Jean Clo grabbed her and swung her toward the tower.

    Boom!

    She mmed against it and fell to the ground, dazed, and the archers shot at her. Vera was losing health fast. If things continued, the archers would kill her before Jean Clo had the chance to.

    While running, Junhyuk shouted, "Diane! Kill the archers!"

    Diane shot a barrage at the archers. While they could do significant damage to heroes, they were also weak against the heroes¡¯ attacks.

    Jean Clo¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t great, but his defense and health were superb. In that case, killing the archers first was a good idea. In the end, Vera had 30 percent of her health left.

    Junhyuk ran as fast as he could. He couldn¡¯t let Vera die. She had just upgraded her equipment, and he couldn¡¯t let her drop any items. It would be a serious problem if that happened.

    He stood in front of her, and Jean Cloughed while watching.

    "You don¡¯t know what you are doing!"

    Jean Clo extended his hands, and Junhyuk swung at him immediately. His goal had been to cut Jean Clo¡¯s fingers, but Jean Clo wasn¡¯t stupid. He extended his hands through the strike and grabbed Junhyuk¡¯s de.

    The sword could cut his fingers, but not his palm, and, still holding the de, Jean Clo grabbed Junhyuk by the helmet and threw him at Vera.

    Diane had killed all of the archers, and Vera was taking some time to breathe when Junhyuk was thrown at her. She hugged him and rolled on the ground. All the while, Jean Cloughed as he approached them.

    Even slowed down, Jean Clo had no problem catching them. Junhyuk got up and shielded Vera again.

    "Make your attacks. I will block him."

    She put her trust in him and cast her magic. Her fire spear struck Jean Clo. He tried to block it with both hands, but he got pushed back, hitting a fire orb that had been set behind him.

    Boom!

    The explosions took away 35% of his health. She was more powerful than ever before, and the damage was severe.

    Jean Clo ran toward her, but a firewall rose from underneath his feet. At the same time, Junhyuk made him stand in the mes by swinging his swords at him nonstop.

    Jean Clo thought he had figured out how to deal with Junhyuk¡¯s attacks and tried to grab his swords again, but this time, Junhyuk changed the trajectory of his strikes and cut Jean Clo¡¯s chin. Then, he rolled forward to escape the hero¡¯s kick.

    Jean Clo turned around quickly, and stepped forward hard, reaching and grabbing Junhyuk in the process. He had escaped the kick, but he hadn¡¯t expect Jean Clo to follow up like that. Without hesitation, Jean Clo used the screw piledriver on him.

    Boom!

    His skull shook, and he realized he only 15 percent of health left, and Junhyuk thought he couldn¡¯t let himself die at that point.

    He tried to escape fast, but Jean Clo mounted on top of him and raised both of his fists.

    "I will kill you first!"

    Boom!

    He couldn¡¯t move or block. It was just an ordinary attack, but Junhyuk lost 8 percent his health from it. One more hit, and he would die.

    Then, suddenly, an arrow flew in and pierced through Jean Clo¡¯s neck. The spinning arrow reminded him of an assassination skill, and he thought Jean Clo would die from it. But, Jean Clo survived with 2 percent of his health remaining.

    "Don¡¯t!" Junhyuk shouted in vain as Jean Clo mmed his fists against his helmet.

    Junhyuk started to lose consciousness when he saw a fire arrow hit Jean Clo¡¯s head. Jean Clo also started to fade, and Junhyuk smiled at him.

    "See youter!"

 Chapter 217: Power Activation 1

    Chapter 217: Power Activation 1

    He ran through the emptiness without end following the light and opened his eyes, exhaling roughly.

    "Huck!"

    He felt his chest open, grimaced and murmured, "Shit, Jean Clo."

    He felt the same way every time he died, and it was not something he wanted to feel. The endless emptiness always left a scar behind on his soul. Even if his soul grew with each scar, he did not like it.

    Junhyuk shook his head and looked around. The disy said 170,760G. He had rued more than ever before, which, to him, was a type of constion. Junhyukughed at himself and then pped himself to pull himself together.

    [You¡¯ve died once. You have four revives left on this battlefield.]

    "I know. I don¡¯t want to experience that again."

    It was the first time in a long time that he used one of his revives. Junhyuk exhaled deeply and stepped forward.

    [You may exit through the main doors.]

    He walked toward the exit. Junhyuk had been killed once, but he was not giving up.

    [Champion Junhyuk Lee deployed.]

    He opened the door to meet the others who were waiting there. Arn grimaced, and Junhyukughed.

    "You got killed as well?"

    "But we¡¯ve killed Jean Clo. The second tower will be destroyed."

    "Good to know."

    "What happened to Regina. Didn¡¯t shee to the castle?"

    "Halo and Nudra came, so she ran away."

    Junhyuk recognized that Regina acted wisely, but they had lost Regina nearby, which meant she could attack the castle any time she chose to.

    "What are you going to do?"

    "We¡¯ll push hard when we get the opportunity. Now, both teams are in the same condition."

    They had destroyed both towers on the lower path, so their side could advance to the castle through it. With both teams under simr conditions, a new battle was about to start.

    "What about the castle?"

    "We¡¯ll operate in the same way we¡¯ve been up to now."

    If he had to use the return stone continuously, he would incur a mary loss. It did cost 500G to recharge.

    "Should I go with you?"

    "Yes," Arn said with his arm around Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder. "This time we¡¯ll destroy their castle."

    "Right."

    Each side had made their move on the other, and the allies wouldn¡¯t be pushed around. He went with Arn and meets Halo, Nudra and Sarang. Eunseo was still standing on castle wall.

    Arn smiled at Sarang.

    "You did well."

    "I had no other choice. I can¡¯t fight Regina."

    He nodded and looked at the group.

    "We¡¯ve destroyed the second tower on the lower path. I thought it would be hard for Vera and Diane to go to castle, so I told them to go to buff-monster hunting. Once we join them, we¡¯ll push through and attack."

    "What about this ce?"

    Arn touched Sarang¡¯s shoulder and said, "I leaving it in your care."

    "Don¡¯t worry."

    Junhyuk was relieved with that decision. If she stayed in the castle, she wouldn¡¯t be in danger, and even if the danger came, she could send a message, and the heroes woulde. It was the safest ce.

    Arn¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    "We won¡¯t take the minions."

    "Won¡¯t it be dangerous?"

    "The minions will slow us down. We are now fighting time as well."

    "Right. Let¡¯s move."

    Junhyuk¡¯s movement speed wasparable to the heroes¡¯, so he wouldn¡¯t slow them down.

    They went out of the castle and ran at full speed. Since they could kill a buff monster with just two heroes, their groups task was to push to the castle.

    Junhyuk could smell his own breath as he ran. He had never run so fast.

    They ran for a while until they regrouped with Vera and Diane, who had killed the Gale Queen Harpy. At that point, Vera walked over and bearhugged Junhyuk.

    "You got killed because of me!"

    "I only did what I had to do."

    He raised his head from between her bosom, and she tapped his helmet lightly.

    "Now, let¡¯s move?"

    "Let¡¯s."

    The group headed to the castle. There were no ambush, and they arrived there safely with their enemies waiting for them.

    Junhyuk realized they were missing a hero, "Regina is missing."

    "She must be looking for an opportunity."

    Junhyuk hesitated and asked, "Can we return while fighting?"

    "No, you can¡¯t return in the middle ofbat."

    "So, what if Regina attacks the castle while we are fighting?"

    "What do you want to do?"

    "It¡¯ll be best if one hero refrains from fighting. That person can go stop Regina if necessary."

    "No. Everyone will fight. If Regina shows up, one of us will retreat and then return."

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk smacked his lips and looked at the enemy camp. The allies would be fighting without any minions. Although, minions weren¡¯t much help. When Junhyuk stepped forward, he would sweep through all enemy minions in a single breath.

    Jean Clo and Bater stepped forward from their camp, Arn said, "Junhyuk Lee."

    "Yes?"

    "Without their archers, we will win."

    The allies had more heroes, and Junhyuk understood what Arn had meant.

    "Then, I will return."

    "You?"

    Junhyuk nodded.

    "Even if Regina shows up, I can deal with her."

    "Surely, you can deal with her."

    "Isn¡¯t that enough?"

    Arn took a moment to think and nodded.

    "OK. Use your Spatial sh on the archers and at other important moments then retreat."

    "Sure."

    They had decided what to do, so there was no more need to worry. Arn and Halo stepped forward, and Nudra was covered by the Rising Dragon while moving.

    Jean Clo and Arn shed while Junhyuk ran. The five heroes had moved at the same time, so the enemies had no time to pay attention to Junhyuk. He knew that, so he ran. The archers were buffed and releasing their arrows, but Junhyuk used the Spatial sh to surprise attack them.

    It was important aim for the center with the Spatial sh. The shockwave generated swept through the surroundings, and half of the archers were gone.

    He retreated. THe battle was already very intense.

    Jean Clo chokemmed Arn, and Bater rushed on Halo. They fought fiercely, and Junhyuk stood next to Vera.

    When Nudra attacked Bater, all of the allies focused on him as well. They had the superior firepower, and Bater was quickly losing health. If things continued, the allies would win by arge margin. However, at that moment, the summoned Kasha shouted, "Regina is here!"

    Junhyuk frowned and looked at Arn. While fighting, his eyes met Junhyuk¡¯s, and he nodded as if to say it was OK for Junhyuk to leave. Junhyuk extended his hands toward Vera.

    "I will go protect the castle."

    "Do it."

    That ce was extremely chaotic, but even without Junhyuk, the allies would win. On the other hand, the castle stood little chance without him.

    Junhyuk raised the force field around Vera, and from inside it, he returned. The force field protected him from all attacks, so his return couldn¡¯t be cancelled. Junhyuk felt bad that he couldn¡¯t help the heroes, but his priority at that moment was to protect the castle.

    Once there, he kicked the doors and exited the little room.

    He was running, and he saw Sarang and Eunseo on the castle wall. They couldn¡¯t go outside, so he went up to see an infantry of riflemen heading toward them.

    "Did Regina escape with the riflemenst time?"

    "They had dispersed, so they must¡¯ve regrouped."

    There were only thirty of them, but they could attack the archers.

    The Spatial sh was still on cooldown, and Reginamanded the riflemen to attack, while she pounded at the gate herself.

    "I can¡¯t let her smash through the entrance."

    Junhyuk inhaled deeply and jumped down from the wall. He started running as soon as hended, but even if he ran as fast as he could, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get away from Regina. She had natural speed buffs.

    Junhyuk ran at the riflemen and swung his sword. His attack swept through the riflemen who were attacking the archers on the wall. The shock wave erased them forever.

    Then, he stopped and looked at Regina. She nced at him once and turned to pound at the gate. The archers couldn¡¯t do much damage without the buff, and Regina knew it, so she ignored them and worked on the gate.

    "Do you want me toe to you?"

    Without thinking twice, Junhyuk ran. If the gate fell, the allies¡¯ victory would be in jeopardy, and the following enemy attack would be even more dangerous.

    Regina was still working on the gate when he closed in. However, she had been watching his approach and fired at him.

    Junhyuk teleported next to her to escape from the attack. Then, aiming for her head, he swung his sword. Regina blocked it with her cuss, and he quickly swung the Frozen Rune Sword at her thigh in response. However, she blocked that as well, with her pistol that time. She was extremely skilled with both of her weapons and as much of a dual wielder as he was.

    Regina fired her pistol, and he retreated, but she went after him, swinging her cuss and firing her pistol.

    He swung his dual swords, but she easily deflected his attacks and pressured him. She was winning. He couldn¡¯t touch her with his swords. It felt like she knew where he would be attacking and defended perfectly.

    However, she could reach him with the pistol. He had already been shot in the thigh and lost 5 percent of his health.

    At the same time however, when he got shot, Regina let her guard down when she shot him, and when he saw the opening, he sliced her with the Frozen Rune sword on the ankle. He got lucky enough to cut her twice, stacking two debuffs on her. Then, he distanced himself.

    Reginaughed at him.

    "You think you can run away from me?"

    Regina boosted her speed and went after him again. At the same time, Junhyuk cut his palm three times with Blood Rune Sword.

    [You¡¯ve been sliced by the Blood Rune Sword three times, causing a 30 percent increase to your attack speed and a 15 percent increase to your movement speed.]

    He felt himself losing health and shouted, "Heal me!"

    Sarang extended her hands and cast her magic on him. Even the injury on his leg was healed, and he smiled at Regina.

    "You got slower, and I got faster. Let¡¯s rumble."

 Chapter 218: Power Activation 2

    Chapter 218: Power Activation 2

    He raised his speed to the same to be the same as Regina with her speed boost, and it looked like his attack speed was superior to hers.

    Junhyuk reminded himself of Regina¡¯s remaining powers. She had the petrification stare and the shooting twister left, and he decided he had to get her to use the spinning twister. With one teleportation left, he thought that if he timed it right, he could easily win.

    He ran toward her, swinging his sword. Since his attack speed was faster than before, he could switch from defense to offense,nding a hit. Unlike the previous slices, that sh struck true, and Regina frowned.

    She was a bnced hero, who had focused on both defense and offense, but even then, his attack dealt damage. However, it only took 5 percent of her health.

    Even though that was it did, Junhyuk didn¡¯t stop attacking. After his first attack hit her, he continued the fierce flurry of attacks, cornering her, but she still had a smile on her face.

    "You can fight."

    When she met him for the first time, he had been an amateur, but since then, he had experienced many fights, raising his skills by quite a bit. He worked on his swordsmanship all the time, and every time he died, his soul grew, which also had an effect on his skills. It deepened and raised his understanding.

    There was no reason for Regina to be pushed around by him, however. The problem was the debuff. Her attack speed had slowed down, and Junhyuk was looking for opening to attack her.

    It wasn¡¯t a lot of damage, but the hits kepting and the damage kept mounting. However, Regina did not think that she would lose, not even one bit. Even if her attack speed had slowed down, that didn¡¯t mean her shots had slowed down as well. She could still aim her pistol just fine with her debuffed attack speed, and a bullet pierced his ribs.

    He merely gritted his teeth at the pain and continued to attack her.

    Probably because he had already experienced death, he was still able to collect himself and swing his sword while seriously wounded, and his attack speed buff was still in effect.

    So, kept on pressuring Regina and managed to take off 15 percent of her health.

    At that point, the angle is just right for Sarang to attack from castle wall, so she maintained a supporting role. Sarang¡¯s attacks weren¡¯t as powerful as his, but she was able to do it from a long distance. Meanwhile, Regina had to block her attacks while fighting Junhyuk, and both of them managed to continually damage her.

    While fighting Regina, he felt his Spatial sh return. Without hesitation, he used it. Even if his enemies knew about the Spatial sh, they couldn¡¯t dodge it suddenly in the middle of a battle.

    Regina¡¯s neck started bleeding, and even more attacks got through. She lost 45 percent of her health very suddenly, and Junhyuk and Sarang had already taken 23 percent of it, so she had 32 percent of her health remaining.

    He felt victory would soon be his, and that¡¯s when Regina spun in a circle, firing in all directions. Junhyuk didn¡¯t think. He just teleported. The shooting twister covered all angles around her, so to avoid it, he had to go up.

    The force field had not returned yet, and Regina had expected him to teleport up, so she took her eyepatch off. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t escape and fell, petrified, to the ground. At the same time, Sarang cast her electric st. Regina had wanted to finish him off while he was petrified, but she had been paralyzed as well. Still, the petrificationsted longer than the paralyzation.

    Regina ran to him and cut his neck with the cuss. It was a critical hit, and he lost a lot of health. Then, Regina pointed her pistol at the middle of his forehead and said, "Checkmate."

    Bang!

    He couldn¡¯t do anything. He continued to receive critical hits, and his health fell by 40 percent. If she had used her power, the damage would¡¯ve been much higher.

    He only had 45 percent of his health left. Unless the petrifaction cleared, she would continue to shoot him, and her continuous pistol shots power was almost ready. If she was able to use it, he would be quickly taken to hell.

    She smiled and pointed the pistol at his chest and said, "The gate will be shredded quickly."

    She was about to pull the trigger when she got paralyzed again. Sarang had hit her with another electric st, which had also dealt 5 percent damage to her health, leaving her with 27 percent.

    Then, Junhyuk started moving again. He quickly swung his sword, hitting her with a critical hit, taking another 10 percent off her health. Then, he struck with the Blood Rune Sword, which was another critical hit that took another 10 percent of her health.

    By that time, she started moving again.

    He wanted to finish her, so he pushed himself to swing further, but she blocked his attack with her cuss. Once she started moving again, she did so with her speed boosted.

    Her power was ready, and her speed was back to normal, so she pointed the gun to his chest and fired.

    Bang, bang, bang!

    The series of shots were nearly fatal, and he lost most of his health. From 40 percent he fell to 5 percent, and Junhyuk clenched his jaw.

    Junhyuk had 5 percent of his health while Regina had 7 percent. His attack speed was higher, but he didn¡¯t feel confident about not getting host. Still, he would be expecting a lot from Sarang if he wanted her to stay alive and finish Regina. He had to to strike her once more to make things easier.

    He attacked her again, but she parried and moved around him with her superior movement speed. Then, he felt a gunshot against his ribs. It went through his lung, and he lost the rest of his health.

    He was gasping for air when another electric st came for Regina, but she dodged it.

    Junhyuk had wanted to have been able to deal a little more damage to her. It should¡¯ve been the right time. He knew how difficult it would be for Sarang to fight her.

    Regina turned, and as he watched, he shouted, "Be careful!"

    She only had 7 percent of her health, but they couldn¡¯t ignore her. Even at that health, Regina could still kill Sarang. With her pistol, Regina could attack from long range.

    Even if the castle fell, Sarang had to survive. However, there was nothing Junhyuk could do for her now.

    ---

    Eunseo didn¡¯t know how powerful a hero really was, but after she met one, everything changed.

    The riflemen attacked, felling the archers, but when Junhyuk showed up and jumped down from the castle wall, he thought he would solve everything.

    However, heroes couldn¡¯t be glossed over. Junhyuk had massacred the riflemen, but he hadn¡¯t been able to kill the hero.

    He¡¯d died, and Regina, although bleeding, was still running toward the gate. That image made Eunseo tremble with fear.

    Regina was running while firing her pistol, and Eunseo, scared, hid behind the castle wall and watched as Sarang, furious, kept using electric arrows.

    Junhyuk had died in front of her, and she was livid. Eunseo realized that Sarang wasn¡¯t just a woman who stood next to him. However, Regina was unbelievable. With her speed, she dodged every attack and shot Sarang on the head.

    Eunseo couldn¡¯t believe Regina¡¯s speed and skill.

    Sarang¡¯s head tilted back, and she staggered. She had been just out of range of Regina¡¯s shot, but Regina got to the gate and started pounding against it.

    She was there, alone, but the gate was getting destroyed. At that point, Sarang took a deep breath and said, "Get ready."

    Eunseo looked at her nervously, and Sarang stood in front of her and continued, "I will try to stop her."

    "Is that possible?¡¯

    "With an activation, it¡¯s possible," she said.

    Eunseo wanted to hear more about the activation. Activations meant power, and Sarang continued, "Going beyond your limit and your desires are key to activating a power."

    Those things made a big difference on whether someone activated a power or not, and Eunseo listened to her attentively. When the gate fell, Sarang murmured, "Shit! Why aren¡¯t theying?"

    She had told Junhyuk about the hero, but he had been the only one toe back. Perhaps, they had thought Junhyuk would be able to deal with Regina by himself.

    But Junhyuk had died, and she was also about to die. She had one revive, but she had never died before, so she was anxious.

    "Just let it be one critical hit."

    Regina had been pounding at the gate while under attack from the archers, so she had 5 percent of her health left. One critical hit should finish her off, and Sarang wanted to do her best.

    When Regina appeared at the top of the castle wall, she smiled at Sarang.

    "It¡¯s been fun."

    Sarang didn¡¯t hesitate and used her electric st, but Regina scoffed at it and used her cuss to block. It was a simple attack, so the electric st bounced off the de.

    Regina ran at her and shed her arm. Sarang had been holding the orb when her arm was cut off, and to push the pain down, she bit her lips. The muzzle of the pistol pressed against her forehead.

    "We will win this battle."

    Bang!

    Sarang fell, and Eunseo was at wit¡¯s end. She had practiced using the sword and shield she was holding at that moment, but those things couldn¡¯t help her.

    Eunseo resisted being frozen from fear and stared at Regina. She had no interest in a minion, so Regina pulled the trigger, but Eunseo moved instinctively to the side. Regina thought she had killed her, but Eunseo had dodged.

    Regina winced. Her health was low, and she wanted to leave before the heroes returned, but the minion wouldn¡¯t die.

    Eunseo rolled across the ground and gathered herself. She knew that she really could die, and her hairs stood up on her skin. Eunseo had only been able to dodge the shot because Regina had thought it would be easy.

    Regina was paying attention now, and her blood-thirty aura was easily palpable. Eunseo felt like a mouse in front of a cat. She couldn¡¯t really move, and Regina inched closer, pointing the gun to the middle of her forehead.

    Eunseo knew she would die soon, but she couldn¡¯t do anything.

    "You got my attention now. Think of this as a gift," Regina announced and pulled the trigger.

    Eunseo felt time passing slowly. Death was facing her, but she yearned to survive, and her will came to life.

    Bang!

    The trigger had been pulled, but Eunseo was no longer standing on her spot. Without Regina realizing, Eunseo kicked the side of her neck.

    Boom!

    Regina lost all of her health and disappeared. Meanwhile, Eunseo was so nervous she couldn¡¯t calm herself down.

    Regina had already lost most of her health, but Eunseo had managed to kill a hero. Then, she heard a soft voice speaking to her.

    [You¡¯ve killed the hero Regina. You have the right to the item she dropped. Are you going to pick it up? Items disappear within three minutes.]

    There was a ring sparkling on the ground.

 Chapter 219: Painful Victory 1

    Chapter 219: Painful Victory 1

    As soon as he revived, Junhyuk kicked the door open. On average, people who¡¯d died required time to recuperate, but he didn¡¯t have any time. He was in a hurry. Sarang could die at any minute, and the gate might be destroyed. He didn¡¯t think about anything else and almost destroyed the door with his kick. He could hear the voice announcing his deployment, but he doesn¡¯t pay any attention.

    Outside, he summoned the Kasha.

    "What happened?"

    The Kasha didn¡¯t utter a word, and he ran outside. At that moment, someone called for him from behind him, and he stopped.

    "Big brother!"

    Junhyuk turned around to look, and Sarang was there, staggering a little bit. He realized it while watching her. She had died.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t say anything and just gave her a hug. Against his chest, Sarang shook her head and asked, "You¡¯ve experienced this?"

    "Many times."

    He had died many times. The first death had felt like endless emptiness, but he was getting used to it, even though he didn¡¯t want to go through it by any means.

    Without speaking, he hugged her tightly as Sarang gathered her breath against his chest.

    "What shall we do about it?"

    "About what?"

    "Guardians¡¯ CEO."

    Junhyuk winced a little, but didn¡¯tpletely continued the subject by saying, "It¡¯s OK. You did everything you could."

    Sarang had probably protected Sarang until her death, and that was good enough. The situation being what it was, if Eunseo died, it would be Got¡¯s will, and there was nothing he could do about it.

    Junhyuk petted Sarang and said, "The giant golems are still here. She wouldn¡¯t have entered the castle with such low health. Let¡¯s head out."

    "Sure."

    Sarang leaned against him while they walked outside. There, they saw that the gate was destroyed. In those conditions, there was nothing to hold enemy attacks back. Only the golems remained, and things didn¡¯t look good.

    Junhyuk was about to walk ahead when someone called him from the wall, "Junhyuk!"

    Junhyuk and Sarang were very surprised to see her, and Eunseo sprinted toward them. Once he saw her, he saw that her stats had gone way up. She had 180 health and 180 mana, which was extremely bnced.

    He looked at her and said, "Did your power activate?"

    "Yes."

    "What kind of power is it?"

    "I¡¯m not so sure."

    "Can you show it to me?"

    Eunseo shook her head.

    "I can¡¯t start it now."

    "What?"

    She smacked her lips and said, "I activated my power and learned it has a cooldown, but I don¡¯t know how to trigger it."

    "Do you remember what happened when you used it the first time?"

    She thought for a moment and said, "The enemy hero had pointed her pistol at the middle of my forehead and pulled the trigger. Suddenly, time slowed down, and I appeared behind her and kicked her at her weak spot."

    Regina had pulled the trigger, and still, Eunseo was able to do all that within that time? He shook his head.

    "Really?"

    He did not understand the principle of triggering powers yet, but Sarang looked at Eunseo and whispered her thoughts about it in his ear. Sarang¡¯s intelligence was extremely high, and she had been able to figure things out just by listening to Eunseo.

    Junhyuk shook his head and unsheathed the Blood Rune Sword.

    "Let¡¯s make an experiment. I¡¯ll attack you, and you use your power."

    "What? You are attacking me?!"

    Without hesitation, he swung his sword at her. It was an honestly swing, like all of his other ones, and Eunseo froze.

    The sword came at her, and she felt it moving slowly. Then, she stepped around him easily and high-kicked the back of his head.

    Toosh!

    He staggered forward mid-attack and held the back of his head.

    "I was right. It¡¯s a counterattack."

    Her opponents would think their attacks had seeded when suddenly her power triggered, and she attacked their weak spots with a critical hit. Junhyuk had lost 15 percent of his health from the blow. Considering she didn¡¯t have any equipment, her first attack power was very strong.

    Powers that were designed to control the opponent dealt less damage, but powers that were designed to hurt had increased strength.

    As an example, Arn was a good case. He didn¡¯t have any powers that controlled the opponent, so all of his powers dealt a lot of damage. To help with that, he acquired both attack-boosting and defense-boosting items.

    Junhyuk looked at Eunseo and asked, "How long is the cooldown?"

    "Thirty seconds."

    It was the same as his Spatial sh. On average, hers was longer than most powers, but that was because she was counterattacking. He wanted to check if her power was limited to short range or also worked at long range, but he could do itter. Then, he suddenly thought of something.

    "Did you kill Regina?"

    "Yes. Her health was low, so I killed her."

    He nodded heavily.

    "OK. Did you pick up the item she dropped?"

    "Here," Eunseo said, showing a metal object in the palm of her hand.

    "What kind of stat does it have?"

    "It increases defense by twenty and attack by ten. It¡¯s a ring."

    "Wear it."

    "What?"

    "If you wear it, you won¡¯t get killed, even if you are shot on Earth."

    Eunseo, who hadn¡¯t died, had activated her power and earned the item. Junhyuk knew he was a target on Earth and wanted her to survive any attacks. Heeding his words, she put the ring on and smiled bitterly. The ring was rough and very noticeable.

    "Wait a minute."

    Knowing that they had protected the castle, he wanted to find out how the allies were doing, so he pulled out themunication crystal.

    "How is it going?"

    He heard Arn¡¯s reply, "We¡¯ve destroyed the gate and killed a golem, but we had to retreat."

    "Did we lose anyone?"

    "Nudra, Halo and Diane were killed."

    Junhyuk sighed and turned around. As expected, the heroes were exiting the castle. Halo, Nudra and Diane walked out together, so they must¡¯ve been killed after Junhyuk died fighting Regina.

    "What do we do now? Regroup? The gate is destroyed, but we still have golems here."

    "We¡¯ll finish it with speed. Just run here without the minions and head to the lower path. Leave Sarang behind."

    "Sure," Junhyuk said and looked at Sarang. "Stay inside the castle¡¯s force field, and if an enemy shows up, tell me right away."

    "OK."

    He patted her shoulder, turned to Eunseo and said, "Even though you¡¯ve activated your power, if you interfere, you¡¯ll be killed forever. Don¡¯t step in."

    "Fine."

    Eunseo also did not want to fight a hero. She didn¡¯t want have that experience again.

    Then, he turned around to see Diane smiling.

    "We¡¯ll destroy them first. Let¡¯s go," she said.

    "Yes!"

    He started running with the heroes to bring an end to that battle. The allies might lose, and that could be theirst opportunity. If the enemies used the central road, they could get ahead of the allies, so he and the heroes ran as fast as they could.

    They got to the enemy castle without meeting anyone. Sarang had also not contacted him, and their whole group was there.

    Arn and Vera joined the group, and they ran to the entrance of the castle. The enemy heroes weren¡¯t around, and the group continued to where the second golem was. There, they saw the enemy heroes gathered around the golem.

    Until now, the enemies had sent their heroes out one by one or in small groups to attack the allies. Now, all of them were gathered in one ce, even Adolphe. They would be very dangerous together, and with the included golem.

    Ordinarily, Sarang would be there to help out, but she wasn¡¯t. Therefore, the allies had to be extra careful.

    Arn looked at their enemies and said, "We¡¯ll kill the giant golem right off the bat. Cast the Meteor Shower, and let¡¯s see how they respond. I¡¯ll pretend to use my quickdraw to lure them here."

    Everyone nodded. Arn¡¯s quickdraw took a long time to trigger, but it dealt an absurd amount of damage. The enemies would want to stop it.

    Junhyuk had already teleported with Arn to have Arn use the quickdraw at the enemies, so now, they couldn¡¯t ignore it while knowing the amount of damage it dealt.

    The allies prepared their attacks. Even the giant golem didn¡¯t have them in range. The enemies only had one person who could attack from long range, and Ki was already preparing to fire.

    Halo and Nudra stood in front of Arn. Both of them could withstand her shots. Right as they did, a gunshot rang out, and Halo pivoted his body. He had been hit on the shoulder, but he ignored the pain. Not even an eyebrow moved on his face, and Junhyuk wondered how much pain a hero would have to go through to have the soul the size of Halo¡¯s.

    The shot went through, but before the enemies had a chance to move, meteors fell from the sky, mming hard against the golem.

    "When the giant golemes at us, we¡¯ll retreat," Arn said quickly.

    The golem couldn¡¯t leave the castle, nor could it recover its health. The allies wanted to keep it at a distance and, if possible, attack from far away. There was no need to fight it and the enemies at the same time.

    The enemies, on the other hand, hadn¡¯t expected Arn¡¯s tactics, so they looked at each other and began to move.

    If things continued that way, they would lose their golem. So, they stepped forward. Sarang wasn¡¯t there, and they did not expect to lose in her absence.

    Junhyuk smacked his lips, and Arn asked, "All of them have thirteen-meter ranges, correct?"

    "Yes."

    "If you get close to Ki, she will kill you."

    "I have my force field."

    Arn smirked at his answer and concluded, "OK. Let¡¯s kill Ki first."

    "She can disengage by jumping, however."

    "I know it. Get her off guard." After saying that, Arn looked at the group and added, "Halo and Diane stick together, and everyone focus on Ki after we teleport."

    "Can we kill her with one focused group attack?"

    "We have you."

    Junhyuk smacked his lips. What Arn had meant was that they wouldn¡¯t lose track of her with Junhyuk¡¯s mobility.

    "Are you ready?"

    Diane notched an arrow and nodded. Meanwhile, Halounched his sword in the air and looked at Junhyuk. Arn touched the handle of his saber and smiled.

    The three ultimates were set to trigger, and Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh was also ready.

    "Let¡¯s go."

 Chapter 220: Painful Victory 2

    Chapter 220: Painful Victory 2

    The heroes were done preparing, and Junhyuk touched them and teleported. After the first teleport, Ki came within range, and Diane shot at her. Her shots were different from before because her equipment had been upgraded, and they dealt a lot of damage.

    After Diane released the arrow, Jean Clo stood in front of Ki. He had such a high health that he must¡¯ve thought that it would be better for him to take the arrow instead of Ki.

    While Jean Clo blocked Diane¡¯s arrow, Junhyuk teleported again with Arn and Halo. This time, they appeared just behind Jean Clo, and there was no one between them and Ki.

    She saw theming and fired. Arn got hit on the shoulder and grunted in pain, but he was already close to her. Halo triggered Rain from Above and shouted, "Block the side!"

    Ki saw Halo¡¯s Rain from Above and jumped, but her thinking was shortsighted. Rain from Above¡¯s aim could be adjusted. It took a long time to prepare it, but it had many strong points.

    Ki tried to block it with her gun, but the sword tilted a little bit while falling and prated her stomach, leaving a gaping hole and taking 70 percent of Ki¡¯s health.

    Junhyuk seized the opportunity and used the Spatial sh. She had already jumped, so she had no other power to escape being shed.

    A shockwave expanded from her, but since she already jumped, it didn¡¯t hit anyone else. However, she died.

    Bater approached the heroes, and Arn released the quickdraw. Bater used his arms to block, but the attack was a critical hit, and he lost 50 percent of his health.

    Realizing how much health Bater had lost, Arn seized the opportunity and continued to strike at him. He was fighting fiercely, but Junhyuk said, "We have to retreat."

    Jean Clo had turned around and joined in the attack. Things wouldn¡¯t turn out well if the allied heroes were stuck there fighting. Without worrying about it, Arn said, "Raise the force field."

    Junhyuk did so, and the group entered it and started running away. While they ran away, Diane gave them supporting fire with her multishot. Then, she also entered the force field.

    The enemies did not want to fight at close range when Arn and Halo specialized in it, so they kept some distance from the allies. Whenever the force field disappeared, they could use their rushes, so they kept the distance just right.

    Meanwhile, Vera and Nudra also entered the force field.

    Arn looked at their enemies while inside the field and said, "We¡¯ll kill Bater first."

    Bater only had 50 percent of his health, and if the heroes focused their attacks on him, he could be killed. Everyone nodded, and Vera prepared her magic.

    Nudra looked calmly at Bater and asked, "Do we attack everyone?"

    "Think about that after we kill Bater."

    Among the enemy damage dealers, Ki was their core, and she had already been killed. The allies were out of the giant golem¡¯s range, so there was no problem. There, if they could kill Bater, they would surely win.

    Nudra nodded and jumped. With him above the enemies, their gazes fixed on him. While that happened, Vera¡¯s magic sted against them.

    A fire spear zoomed in, but it struck Jean Clo. He had more health and greater defense than Bater, so his job was to block everything.

    Jean Clo took the hit, and that¡¯s when Nudra bolted down from the air.

    Boom!

    Bater raised his arms to block, but the impact was enough to wedge him in the ground up to his knees. He had lost 30 percent of his health, and couldn¡¯t get out. Nudra followed up with a front kick.

    Boom!

    Bater was pushed back by Nudra¡¯s kick and left with 5 percent of his health. One more hit should¡¯ve finish him off, but that was when Adolphe ran up to Nudra with his rush and shed him. Nudra was paralyzed, and Bater fired the rocket punches.

    Boom!

    His defense and health were higher than Diane¡¯s, but he he had been rushed against and shed, be paralyzed and then hit by the rocket punches. In the end, he lost a lot of health, leaving him with 30 percent of it.

    After that, Adolphe shed him again with the ten-meter energy strike. Nudra¡¯s chest had a gaping hole, and Doctor T fired his missiles at him.

    Boom!

    He had taken Bater¡¯s health mostly away, but the enemies focused on him, and Nudra died first. Meanwhile, Bater was running back toward the castle. He was trying to put some distance on Arn, but Arn jumped and closed the gap. Once closer, Arn threw his saber, which stuck to Bater¡¯s back.

    Bater disappeared.

    One hero had been killed on one side and two on the other. Junhyuk had the impression the allies were winning, but that¡¯s when Jean Clo closed in on Arn and swung him toward the enemy¡¯s castle.

    Arn had been thrown away from the allies, and hended where the giant golem was standing. The golem stomped, and Arn rolled away and ran as fast as he could toward the allied camp with the golem chasing after him.

    Things would be annoyed if the golem tried to interfere, but Junhyuk had used all of his power, so there was nothing he could do.

    "Let¡¯s kill Doctor T!" Junhyuk shouted.

    He had decided on their next target. Among the remaining enemies, Doctor T and Regina were the most bothersome. Jean Clo was easier to deal with.

    A fire spear flew toward Doctor T, catching him by surprise. He tried to block the attack with his front legs, but he was still pushed back. A fire orb had already been set behind him, and it exploded.

    Doctor T lost 50 percent of his health, and Diane shot multiple arrows at him. The guided arrows struck him, leaving Doctor T with 25 percent of his health.

    Halo had been it all, and step forward to use his sh attack. Halo was running like the wind, but the doctor shot him with the webs. He got stuck during his attack, and Regina quickly closed in on him and pointed the gun to the middle of Halo¡¯s forehead and pulled the trigger.

    Bang!

    Halo couldn¡¯t escape getting hit in the face and lost 30 percent of his health. Then, Doctor T roasted him with the methrower, and Adolphe appeared, swinging the saw-ded sword against him.

    ng!

    Junhyuk¡¯s sword parried Adolphe¡¯s just in the nick of time. With Halo stuck, all of the attacks thatnded were critical hits, and he was left with 30 percent of his health.

    Even though Junhyuk had block Adolphe¡¯s attack, the situation didn¡¯t look good. Halo cut the webs sticking to him, and swung at the doctor, who had been standing in front of him.

    Doctor T blocked the attacks with his front legs, and parried the sword toward the ground. Right before the sword touched the ground, Halo used the Rising Ind Dragon.

    He jumped while shing Doctor T; that was the Rising Ind Dragon. The doctor was left with 5 percent of his health, and an arrow hit the middle of his forehead.

    It was an ordinary attack, but the hit was critical, and Doctor T disappeared.

    Things was happening very fast. Meanwhile, Junhyuk was fighting Adolphe. The enemies had just lost another hero, which meant the allies were winning. However, Regina shot Halo while he was still in the air.

    He used his sword to block, but he couldn¡¯t get every bullet. When hended on the ground, Halo had 25 percent of his health left. Jean Clo ran at Halo from behind Regina and grabbed him, raising him by the neck.

    With him off the ground, Regina quickly fired at him.

    Bang!

    It was another critical, and Halo lost 8 percent of his health, leaving him with 17 percent. Then, Jean Clo, who had a hold of him, jumped. He was about to use the screw piledriver, and Junhyuk scowled. Halo could get killed at any moment.

    The allies were paying the price for their overconfidence, and Adolphe front kicked Junhyuk, pushing him back. Then, Adolphe shed his side.

    Junhyuk rolled and got up. That¡¯s when Halo hit the ground, and Jean Clo kicked him away. At that moment, Halo took hisst breath.

    Adolphe stabbed the ground with saw-ded sword, and two energy rings zoomed out. While they had the power to ensnare people, they weren¡¯t that dangerous. However, one of the rings got a hold of Arn.

    Arn had been running away from the golem when the ring wrapped around his ankle. Then, the giant golem started attacking.

    Arn was more powerful than ever before, but he still couldn¡¯t deal with a golem by himself, even more so now that he was paralyzed.

    The allies had Vera and Diane, while the enemies had Jean Clo and Regina. As for Junhyuk, he knew that the Spatial sh cooldown was almost over, and Adolphe had used all of his power.

    Junhyuk moved. It was more important to stop Jean Clo than deal with Adolphe at that juncture.

    Jean Clo came at him, and Junhyuk wung the Frozen Rune Sword at his thigh. Jean Clo tried use his hand to block the attack.

    ng!

    Jean Clo pushed the Frozen Rune Sword toward the ground, and Junhyuk swung with the Blood Rune sword instead. At that, Jean Clo parried the sword with his elbow. The sword nicked him, but it was a tiny wound.

    After the Blood Rune Sword got parried away, Junhyuk cut Jean Clo¡¯s ankles with the Frozen Rune sword and rolled back.

    Jean Clo¡¯s gigantic hands grazed by him. If he had been a littlete, the consequences would¡¯ve been dire.

    Junhyuk got up, but Adolphe was there already, swing the saw-ded sword at him.

    ng!

    He wasn¡¯t in position, but he still had to block the strike. After that, Junhyuknded hard on his butt.

    Diane and Vera attacked Jean Clo, whose defense was higher than his offense. Regina was the more dangerous, but Jean Clo was right in from of them.

    Both of them attacked him, and he walked slowly toward them and punched at them. Both of them attempted to run away, but Regina removed her eyepatch, leaving Vera petrified.

    Jean Clo rushed toward her extremely fast and raised her by the neck while Regina used the shooting twister at her.

    Diane tried to rescue Vera and fired multiple arrows, but she was hit by Regina¡¯s attack. Vera¡¯s attack was higher than her defense, and Regina¡¯s attack dealt her critical damage, leaving Vera with 40 percent of her health.

    After that, Jean CLo chokemmed into the ground and stomped on her. Junhyuk parried the saw-ded toward the ground and mmed against Adolphe with his shoulder.

    Adolphe got pushed aside, and Junhyuk ran, attempting to save Vera. Jean Clo saw him running, but he ignored him and raised both of his fists. He was on top of Vera with his two fists raised, and the chances of Vera surviving were slim.

    "NO!" Junhyuk shouted, but he couldn¡¯t stop Jean Clo. He felt like he had failed, but then, an arrow hit Jean Clo¡¯s temple, throwing him to the side.

    Junhyuk looked around, and Arn, rolling on the ground to escape the golem. He had lost half of his health, but he was still alive.

    Things wereplicated, but the allies hadn¡¯t lost yet, and Junhyuk ran as fast as he could at Jean Clo and Regina.

 Chapter 221: Painful Victory 3

    Chapter 221: Painful Victory 3

    Jean Clo was hit by the saber and got pushed off, falling to the side. Meanwhile, Regina turned around and aimed the muzzle of the gun at Vera, who had little health left. Regina¡¯s normal attack could be fatal to her, and Vera was still petrified.

    Junhyuk wished that Sarang was there with him at that moment. He thought about that for a moment and then started attacking. He swung his sword from far away, and Regina dodged instinctively, but he didn¡¯t use the Spatial sh. He swung again, and Regina used her boosted speed to move from the spot. However, he still hadn¡¯t used the Spatial sh. She stared at him as he came closer.

    Junhyuk swung the Blood Rune Sword at Regina¡¯s head, and she scoffed, blocking with her cuss, but at that moment, the Blood Rune Sword shed.

    "Ugh!"

    She thought she had blocked the attack, but he had used the Spatial sh, and it went through her neck. At close range, the Spatial sh was even harder to parry.

    Regina was injured and retreated quickly while shooting at Vera, who could move again. It was a normal attack, so Vera rolled on the ground to dodge it, but as she got up, she saw Jean Clo standing there.

    She had rolled toward him, and he tried to kick her. Vera decided that she couldn¡¯t escape the attack, so she cast a fire spear from short range.

    Boom!

    Jean Clo got hit in the face, but he managed to kick Vera¡¯s stomach. Both sides got pushed away, but Junhyuk caught Vera in his arms.

    Bang!

    He thought he had saved her, but a gunshot hit Vera, and she started disappearing. Against his chest, she smiled at him and said, "You must win."

    "I¡¯m thinking the same thing."

    Vera disappeared, and Junhyuk ran at Regina. Diane read Junhyuk¡¯s mind and shot an explosive arrow at her.

    Regina parried the arrow with her cuss. Meanwhile, Junhyuk closed in on her and swung the Frozen Rune Sword at her thigh. Both attacks connected, and Junhyuk hit her pistol with his sword.

    If the gun pointed at him, even if Regina¡¯s speed was debuffed, Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t be able to escape the shot. He tried to stop Regina from aiming at him, while Diane nked her and used her multishot.

    Regina used her boosted speed to get away from the attacks, but she was still hit by seven arrows, and half of her health remained.

    Even without Vera, the allies could still win. However, someone wasughing at Junhyuk¡¯s hope and grappled Junhyuk¡¯s waist. Then, the world turned upside down.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk felt dizzy and tried to get up. Jean Clo had backdropped him, and Junhyuk staggered while he tried to get up getting up. Then, Jean Clo tackled him and dropped him again on the ground.

    He mounted on top of Junhyuk, smiled and said, "What can you do?"

    Then, he raised his fist, but at that moment, Junhyuk teleported.

    Boom!

    He appeared behind Regina, while she exchanged attacks with Diane. From behind her, he swung his sword at her neck.

    Because he had teleported and swung his sword, it worked almost like the Spatial sh and caught her off guard. Regina couldn¡¯t do anything and received a critical hit.

    Junhyuk saw her losing 10 percent of her health and smiled with satisfaction, but Regina turned around like lightning, swinging her cuss. Junhyuk was barely able to parry it. He blocked the sword, but at that moment, her pistol went off against his chest.

    Bang!

    He turned away as fast as he could and avoided the critical hit. He could teleport, but if he did so against a normal attack, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do it against her power.

    Junhyuk did not have time to pay attention to his injuries, however, because Jean Clo went after him with Adolphe running at his side. If they attacked him together, Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it. Arn wasn¡¯t there, so the situation was dire for him.

    Diane looked at him with sympathy and shoot multiple arrows. Adolphe got hit by the multishot and got pushed back. Seeing that, Junhyuk used the Frozen Rune sword on him.

    He was able to hit Adolphe twice, creating two pure white shockwaves. Because of that, the enemies gathered in the center of the shockwaves were debuffed twice. After that, Junhyuk didn¡¯t feel it necessary to remain in that spot, so he teleported to stand next to Diane.

    When she saw him, she smiled and said, "Don¡¯t shake your butt in front of me."

    "Honestly, how can you joke now?"

    Diane smiled again and readied an arrow.

    "Get ready! Here theye!"

    There were two heroes and a champion, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t handle them alone. It was impossible. The enemies ran toward them, and Junhyuk felt the pressure of their killer intent and held tightly to his swords.

    Jean Clo¡¯s health was at 40 percent. Regina¡¯s was at 45 percent; and Adolphe¡¯s was at 55 percent.

    By fighting the three of them, Diane¡¯s health wasn¡¯t important. What was more important was that she could attack without duress. Even if Diane had a lot of health left, she would lose it quickly if attacked.

    Junhyuk ran forward like a ser goalkeeper who wanted to cover all the angles. He was willing to make that sacrifice for Diane.

    Jean Cloughed at him.

    "Right! Come here!"

    Jean Clo had his arms extended while running toward Junhyuk, and he suddenly thought of Vera. It wasn¡¯t Vera¡¯s bosom he was running to, and the thought ofnding on Jean Clo¡¯s chest terrified him. However, he had to do it.

    "I don¡¯t give a shit!"

    Junhyuk cursed and ran as fast as he could. He thought he would be fighting Jean Clo, but Adolphe rushed him and shed Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk raised his sword, but the sh came right after a rush, and Junhyuk was paralyzed. Once in that state, Jean Clo approached smiling and merely passed him by.

    Jean Clo was more focused on killing Diane than dealing with Junhyuk.

    After passing him, Jean Clo used his rush, and Diane shoot an explosive arrow. The arrow flew toward the middle of Jean Clo¡¯s forehead, but he smiled and used his ultimate.

    He was surrounded by the blue energy rings that protected him from the arrow while he regained his health.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t do anything. Regina went over to him and aimed the pistol at his temple while Adolphe swung the saw-ded sword.

    Right at that time, he could move again, so he quickly spun to the side. Regina¡¯s shot grazes his helmet, and the saw-ded sword missed him.

    While spinning, he raised both of his swords, one sword aimed at Adolphe¡¯s neck and the other aimed at Regina¡¯s ribs.

    Both of them hadn¡¯t expected Junhyuk to be able to move again and were shocked by him. Regina dodged his sword, but Adolphe¡¯s neck got pierced. His eyes widened, and Junhyuk took a step toward him, twisting the sword. The wound opened, dealing additional damage.

    Adolphe shed upward, but Junhyuk escaped the attack, swinging his sword. Then, he rolled away to escape Regina¡¯s attack. While on the ground, he turned around and hit the saw-ded sword away and shed Adolphe again. Adolphe¡¯s head fell on the ground.

    Regina and Adolphe¡¯sbined attack had failed, and Junhyuk had utilized small openings in the enemies¡¯ defenses to kill Adolphe.

    Adolphe was dead, but Jean Clo rushed against Diane and mmed her to the ground, and Regina moved to join him. If Diane couldn¡¯t get rid of Jean Clo, the joint attack from him and Regina would kill her.

    Junhyuk ran as fast as he could, closing in on them. However, Regina had her gun pointed at Diane.

    If Diane died, the allies wouldn¡¯t win.

    Then, a shadow covered Regina from above. It came down on her, swinging a saber at her back. It was Arn.

    Regina was cut, and Arn used the seven-strikebo against her. Her strength was gone. Killing Regina had been a sess, but Jean Clo still remained.

    His health was back up to 80 percent, and he didn¡¯t seem to care about Arn¡¯s appearance. Jean Clo had stomped Diane and was raising his fist. The giant golem was still after Arn, and Jean Clo wanted to finish Diane off first.

    Somehow, she managed to dodge his fist and loose arrows at close range. He managed to dodge the first, but he couldn¡¯t escape the seeking arrows, so he got hit on the chin and pushed back.

    Dien rolled out to escape his foot and shot five arrows as soon as she got up. They all hit Jean Clo¡¯s chest, and he was pushed back again. However, he grabbed her in the process and swung her toward Arn. The two hit each other and both staggered. Jean Clo closed in and punched them.

    sh!

    Junhyuk swung his sword at Jean Clo¡¯s elbow. He was interfering, but Jean Clo did not forget about his targets. Jean Clo grabbed Diane and jumped, using the screw piledriver. Arn turned around. The situation wasn¡¯t good. The golem came from behind him and kicked him, and while Arn did block it with the saber, he was stillunched off, rolling on the ground.

    Boom!

    Jean Clo mmed Diane against the ground, and Junhyuk swung his sword at him again. While it might not be possible to save Diane, he still wanted to attack Jean Clo as much as possible.

    The sh was a critical hit, and Jean Clo couldn¡¯t ignore him anymore, but he still wanted to kill Diane.

    Diane rolled to escape and loosed more arrows, but Jean Clo was faster and kicked her. He grabbed her neck and mmed her against the ground.

    Diane finally lost all of her health and disappeared. Through all this time, Junhyuk had kept attacking him, so Jean Clo now had 45 percent of his health. He turned to look at Junhyuk and smiled.

    "You hurt me," he said, and extended his hands at Junhyuk. He cut Jean Clo¡¯s hands, but he crouched and tackled Junhyuk in response.

    The shock of his back against the ground made him cough his mouth open, and Jean Clo mounted on him and smiled.

    "It¡¯s time for payback."

    Jean Clo was about to pound him, but Junhyuk quickly stabbed at the hero. Jean Clo scoffed and grabbed his arms and pressed them both against the ground.

    "Ha-ha-ha-ha. What are you gonna do now?"

    "I don¡¯t want to do it with a man!"

    Junhyuk headbutted him, but soon regretted that decision, crying out. His back was on the ground, and his headbutt didn¡¯t do much.

    Jean Clo raised him by the waist and headbutted him.

    Boom!

    His skull shook, and he couldn¡¯t see. Jean Clo was about to do it again when Arn showed up from behind.

    sh, sh!

    Arn¡¯s saber cut through him twice. One of the shes was a critical hit, and Jean Clo bled profusely, but he still headbutted Junhyuk again.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t see, and Jean Clo grabbed him. All of this time, Junhyuk hadn¡¯t picked up the item Ki had dropped.

    At that moment, Jean Clo got up, and Arn¡¯s saber seemed to be dancing on its own. Junhyuk looked for the giant golem, but it had already been destroyed.

    "So cool!"

    The giant golem had chased after Arn, and he had killed it by himself. Vera¡¯s meteors had done their job, but he was still impressive.

    Junhyuk turns to look, and saw Jean Clo grabbing Arn. Then, he lost his sight entirely.

    ---

    Endless darkness. Junhyuk travelled through it and slowly opened his eyes, which really surprised him.

    "What happened?"

    So far, he had been lucky because he hadn¡¯t died that much. On that battlefield, however, he had died many times. Death was always followed by emptiness, and he didn¡¯t want to experience that emptiness. He pulled himself together and opened his eyes to see a familiar surrounding.

    "I died and things ended?"

    While reviving, the victor had been decided, and he had returned to Earth. He shook his head and got up. Suddenly, he felt dizzy and leaned against a wall.

    "Shit!"

    Everytime he died, he had to travel through that endless emptiness. Even though he was a champion and had a bigger soul than before, the experience was still hard on him. Ordinarily, he would just get up on he returned, but now he was having a hard time doing so.

    Junhyuk gathered his thoughts and breath.

    "I¡¯m losing my mind."

 Chapter 222: Ganesha 1

    Chapter 222: Ganesha 1

    Junhyuk was trying very hard to gather his thoughts when the phone rang. When he answered, he heard Sarang¡¯s voice.

    "Big brother! Have you returned?"

    "Yes, I¡¯m back."

    "Big brother, I had heard you¡¯d been killed, and you didn¡¯te out. I was so worried!"

    Heforted her cries, "I¡¯m fine. I was waiting to revive, but the battle must¡¯ve ended, and I woke up here."

    He didn¡¯t want to worry her, but he pressed his temple with thumb and middle finger, trying to withstand dizziness.

    "That¡¯s a relief. But how many times did you die in thest battle?"

    "Three times."

    "Are you OK?"

    Sarang had died once, so she knew what it was like and sounded worried.

    "Don¡¯t worry. Champions can die five times, which means a champion can endure that many deaths," Junhyuk said things he only guessed at without thinking.

    "You were killed today for the first time, so you must be tired. Get some rest."

    "Sure, big brother."

    "Good."

    "Take me out for a meal sometime this week."

    "Sure. Tomorrow?"

    "Yes!"

    Sarang sounds excited, and Junhyuk smiled and said, "Get some sleep. I¡¯ll call you tomorrow. Let¡¯s do lunch together."

    "OK. Go to sleep."

    Junhyuk hung up the burner phone and opened his Spatial Bag. He pulled out the bloodstones, and the seeds and the fruit given to him by Diane.

    Arn had given him a bloodstone worth $100 million, and he had picked up thirty more smaller ones. Looking at all the things gathered there, he clicked his tongue.

    "Crap! I didn¡¯t bring the mana stones from the Dragon¡¯s Valley."

    While fighting dragon, he had been focused on the probable appearance of his enemies and had forgotten to pick up any mana stones.

    "I¡¯ll get some next time."

    He didn¡¯t have the $700 million mana stone, but had brought back a $100 million bloodstone and the seeds and fruit, whose price he didn¡¯t know yet. There were also thirty bloodstones, and if he got $10 million for each, that would be a total of $300 million.

    "It¡¯s about the same amount as the Dragon¡¯s Valley mana stone." Then, Junhyuk put all the things bag in his Spatial Bag while saying, "This should be enough for a while."

    He had purchased a building and a supeputer and had spent all of his money, so he was relieved that he would have some more money. Hey on the bed andined.

    "I¡¯m dizzy."

    The feeling hadn¡¯t passed, so he closed his eyes.

    ---

    He felt like he had only slept for a little while when his cell phone rang. Junhyuk woke up covered in cold sweat and frowned, shaking his head and looking at the caller ID on his phone. Then, he picked it up.

    "It¡¯s sote! What¡¯s up?"

    "Can we talk?"

    "I¡¯ll be there on Monday. We can talk then."

    "I can¡¯t wait. I¡¯m standing in front of your house right now."

    Junhyuk looked outside through the interphone monitor and saw a Mercedes-Benz SLK 350 parked there. He could see Eunseo sitting inside of it.

    "Wait a second," he said and teleported to the bathroom to have a quick shower. After that, he teleported out to dress himself and went outside.

    He looked at Jeffrey¡¯s house and saw the lights were out.

    "Now, everyone knows, so it doesn¡¯t matter!"

    Only Eunseo knew he was a champion, but many people knew he had been to the Dimensional Battlefield. Now that others knew about it, it was important for him to be strong so that they wouldn¡¯t be able to control him.

    That was what he was thinking about as he walked outside and toward her car. She opened the door and said, "Get in."

    He did so without speaking as he felt the need to talk to her anyway.

    Eunseo started driving while remaining silent. She looked puzzled, and Junhyuk leaned back on his seat without speaking. He could endure the physical exhaustion, but his soul had to rest at that point. The window was open, and the cold wind on his face made him feel more rxed.

    Eunseo drove somewhere secluded. There was no one around and no lights. He looked up and gazed at the sky full of stars, smiling at the fact that it was not purple. He was enjoying the ride when Eunseo stopped the car.

    He turned to her, and she fixed her sses and looked at him.

    "I want to hear it from you."

    "What do you want to hear?"

    "I want to hear everything about the Dimensional Battlefield."

    Junhyukughed and asked, "Why must I tell you about it?"

    He felt Eunseo shaking and he looked into her eyes and said, "We went to the battlefield together, and I felt the need to save you and helped you out. But I don¡¯t feel like telling you about the Dimensional Battlefield."

    He knew information was power, so Junhyuk couldn¡¯t budge now.

    Eunseo stared back at him, inhaled deeply and said, "Right. OK."

    She rxed, and her gaze looked different. She was much calmer then, looking like a businesswoman.

    "Do you want money for that information?"

    "Information is power. You know that."

    "Right, and I also know what it means to get the information first." Eunseo fixed her sses and added, "How much do you want for it?"

    Junhyuk stared at her silently. The car sat two people, and they are looking at each other at a distance of about fifty centimeters. The conversation was cold and distance, and he said while staring at her, "It¡¯ll be more expensive than you think."

    "Don¡¯t forget I have more money than you imagine."

    Heughed. How much money she had or was willing to spend wasn¡¯t important to him. Doyeol could pay him $500 million, and she probably didn¡¯t have that much to spend at once.

    He looked at her calmly and said, "I want you."

    Eunseo¡¯s eyebrows twitched. Her haughty expression crumbled, and she avoided his eyes.

    "What, what are you talking about?"

    Junhyuk knew she¡¯d misunderstood the situation, but he did not correct her.

    "I want you."

    Eunseo gathered her breath and looked at him. While hiding her blushing face, she said, "You already have Catherine."

    She had not heard her real name, but Eunseo knew the two were close. Nevertheless, he looked at her and replied, "I want someone with power."

    "What?"

    Eunseo¡¯s demeanor crumbled, and he thought she was cute.

    "Earth already has people with powers. There are those who control them, and I don¡¯t want to be controlled by others."

    He looked intently and piercingly into her eyes and spoke the truth, "So, I need you."

    Her heart was pounding, but she hid it and looked at him. His eyes were drawing her into him, and he felt bigger that any monsters to her. With three powers and the strength to go against a hero, he was at a higher level than any other she had met before.

    She looked at him and said, "I need time to think about it."

    "When you make up your mind, we¡¯ll talk."

    Junhyuk hadid bare his intentions. He had revealed a lot, but he still wanted Eunseo.

    Up until then, he had just been an employee, but now the dynamics would reverse.

    He leaned back on his seat, and she started driving. With the cold wind on his face, he closed his eyes. She drove fast, and the ride ended quickly, and soon he was back to his house. When he got out of the car, he looked at her.

    "Then, I¡¯ll see you Monday."

    She stared at him without speaking. Behind her sses, her eyes were shaking, and Junhyuk entered his house without uttering another word. After closing the door behind him, he heard the car leaving and felt that he had earned the friendship of another novice.

    He changed his bedsheets andy down.

    After rolling on his bed for a while, he teleported to the basement and started training. He summoned his swords and moved around to get rid of the thoughts in his head.

    He couldn¡¯t rest just because his soul is tired; it was not his style. His swords moved in a light rhythm.

    ---

    Saturday.

    Junhyuk had made a promise to Sarang to meet her, but before that, he went to Guro district to see Sungtae. He hadn¡¯t been starving himself. The floor was full of empty ramen noodle cups.

    Junhyuk went inside the room, but Sungtae continued to mash on his keyboard busily, so he waited a while.

    Sungtae¡¯s hands suddenly stopped, and he got up from his seat and started dancing like a madman.

    "What are you doing?" Junhyuk asked.

    "Ahh!" He was surprised andnded on his butt. After collecting himself, he said, "You scared me!"

    "I asked you what you were doing."

    Sungtae smiled and got up.

    "The instation is over."

    "Is it operable?"

    "Yes." Sungtae was still smiling. "Look!" He cleared his voice and said, "Ganesha."

    Junhyuk looked and heard a slightly husky, but very attractive woman¡¯s voice.

    [Did you call me, master?]

    Sungtae started dancing like a madman again, and Junhyuk looked at him and asked, "Is that an AI?"

    "How did you know?" Sungtae asked after he stopped suddenly.

    "Why are you its master?"

    "I made it, so it¡¯s only natural!"

    Heughed hard, and Junhyuk walked closer to him.

    "I am your employer."

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk turned to look at the monitor and said.

    "Give me all of the rights."

    Sungtae smiled and said, "Certainly! I programmed Ganesha, but I needed a supeputer to do it." Then, he said, "Ganesha, this here is Max. He has full rights and clearance to use you."

    [Everything?]

    "Correct. The same as me."

    [Wait a minute.]

    Ganesha stopped for a moment, and all of the information on Max showed up on the monitor. Then, Ganesha said, [Please, tell me your name.]

    "Max."

    [Your voice has been recognized. Max, you are now my master.]

    Junhyukughed and looked at Sungtae.

    "What is Ganesha¡¯s capability?"

    "Anything you desire. At least as far as worldwide information goes, it should be the best."

    Sungtae was very confident, and Junhyuk smiled. He had underestimated Sungtae¡¯s abilities.

    Junhyuk had wanted Zaira badly, but it was possible he possessed something better now.

 Chapter 223: Ganesha 2

    Chapter 223: Ganesha 2

    Sungtae looked at Junhyuk and said, "But we have a problem."

    "A problem?"

    He smiled and continued, "I was able to install the Ganesha, the artificial intelligence program, but we will need a team to operate it in order to maximize its use."

    "You mean your college buddies?"

    "Yes. I¡¯ll bring them over, but their sries can¡¯t be lower than mine."

    "Maybe they aren¡¯t that capable?"

    Sungtae¡¯s annual sry wasn¡¯t low, but his sry couldn¡¯t bepared to those of capable workforce in the States.

    "They hate going outside more than me, so they sell their programs or fixputers whenever they needed money and live like that. I want to bring them over."

    "Can you trust them?"

    Sungtae took a moment to think.

    "Considering the work we will be doing, we might want to write contracts that enforce confidentiality agreements?"

    "You think so?"

    "What do you want to do?"

    Junhyuk pondered everything and said, "We¡¯ll need our own team ofwyers, but we¡¯ll do thatter. Instead, we¡¯ll have the contracts written by aw firm first."

    Sungtae touched his chin and said, "This and that, we have a lot to do."

    "That¡¯s right. We have to find a security team as well."

    "I¡¯ll do that by tomorrow."

    He thought Sungtae was working harder than he had expected, which was a good thing.

    "OK. Call your friends and let them know."

    "Will do."

    "Approximately, how much money do you need?"

    "Not counting me, there are ten people. How about $10 million total for their annual sries."

    "They can¡¯t be paid same as you. No way."

    He wanted to treat the administrator and the others differently.

    "The sries are a matter of negotiation. l¡¯ll be able to lower their sries, but one floor of the building has to be their room and board."

    Junhyuk took a moment to think and said, "I gave you the authority to oversee the building. Do as you please."

    "Can I?"

    "I don¡¯t care if you use the entire building."

    Sungtaeughed gleefully, and Junhyuk continued, "I¡¯ll find aw firm and have the contracts written."

    "The sry is settled then, but the research costs and equipment will cost $50 million more."

    Junhyuk stared at him without speaking. Sungtae might think Junhyuk was a bank and stupid.

    "I¡¯ll wire $100 million to thepany ount, but be mindful of it."

    "It¡¯llst at least five more years in operation costs."

    Junhyuk shook his head and said, "I¡¯lle back tomorrow. Prepare the things you need."

    "Don¡¯t worry about it."

    Junhyuk took out $1,000 in cash and handed it to him.

    "You¡¯ve installed Ganesha, so treat yourself to something delicious."

    "I can¡¯t leave this ce yet. I must order food."

    Junhyuk was about to leave when he thought of something else.

    "Tell Brian to make another ID."

    "Whose is it?"

    "A twenty-four year old woman named Catherine. I¡¯ll send you her pictureter."

    "Sure."

    His purpose was to make an ID for Sarang. After, he waved goodbye.

    "Then, see you tomorrow."

    ---

    Junhyuk called Sarang and changed their meeting ce. They would be meeting at Seocho Station, and when Junhyuk arrived, he saw Sarang was already there. She was wearing her mask, and when he walked to her, she ran to him and hugged him.

    At that, Junhyuk touched her forehead with his fingers and pushed her away. She stuck her tongue out at him, but he remained adamant.

    "We¡¯ll eat first, then go somewhere."

    "Where?"

    "Aw firm. I need some help with writing contracts."

    Sarang stared at her calmly. She was doing it with such unspoken intensity that it seemed she could see through his mask, and he felt that her soul had grown since her death.

    He caressed her head and said, "Let¡¯s go. What do you want to eat?"

    "Sashimi!"

    "Sure."

    They find a sashimi ce near Seocho Station, and once they ordered, he looked at her. She seemed to be expecting something, and he said, "I¡¯m expecting more from Eunseo Kim."

    "Guardians¡¯ CEO?"

    "Yes. Like Jeffrey said, I must collect people with powers."

    Sarang shrugged.

    "Will she be on our side?"

    "I don¡¯t know, but if she were, she would help us."

    "She must have a lot of money and friends..."

    "She does."

    Sarang puffed her cheeks with air.

    "Hmph!"

    Heughed at her.

    "Are you jealous?"

    "Jealous? Why?"

    He shrugged, and her eyes widened ever so slightly. She was wearing a mask, but he could guess at her expression under that mask andughed.

    He felt himself recovering from his fatigue. Sarang was about to say something when the sashimi came out to the table. She still wanted to say something, but Junhyuk picked up a piece of sashimi and raised it toward her.

    Her face reddened, and she opened her mouth and ate it.

    He didn¡¯t speak further, eating his sashimi in silence. The sashimi was very soft, and it melted in his mouth. When he put down his chopsticks for a moment, Sarang asked, "What¡¯s the matter?"

    He answered calmly, "Nothing. I earned a lot of money, but I haven¡¯t gotten anything for my parents."

    "You¡¯ve earned hundreds of millions of dors, you didn¡¯t get anything for your parents?"

    Junhyuk looked embarrassed.

    "Tonight, I¡¯ll visit them."

    "Do it. Can I go with you?"

    Heughed.

    "Don¡¯t make meugh."

    "Hmph!"

    She continued to eat the sashimi, and he picked up his chopsticks again. That night, he would visit his parents, but for now, he was hungry.

    Once they were finally full, they started looking for the biggestw firm around Seocho Station. They entered the building without hesitation, and the people inside greeted them respectfully.

    "How may I help you?"

    "I need a contract written."

    "How much money will it involve?"

    "I¡¯m making contracts for my employees. Their annual sries will be $1 million."

    "Pleasee in."

    Junhyuk and Sarang entered and waited. A few minutester, a middle-aged person entered the room. Junhyuk got up, and the middle-aged man handed him a business card.

    "I¡¯m the CEO of the General Law Firm, General Choi."

    Junhyuk looked him over.

    "Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Max."

    "Please, have a seat."

    Choi offered them seats, and everyone sat down. Junhyuk learned that he was General Law Firm¡¯s CEO and exined what he needed from him.

    "The contract concern confidentiality agreements and sries, and I need them written. Most of our employees are foreigners, and I don¡¯t want any mistakes made."

    "You need the contract in English."

    "Yes."

    Choi looked at him with eyes that seemed to smile.

    "We have a form for contracts like that, and I¡¯ll touch up on it."

    "Please do."

    "When do you need it by?"

    "As soon as possible."

    Choi answered him nonchntly, "Can I send it to you by tomorrow?"

    "If you get it ready tomorrow, I¡¯lle pick it up."

    Thinking about it, Junhyuk didn¡¯t even have a fax machine, and he thought he would need more things in his building.

    "How much will it cost?"

    Choi knew it from his extensive experience that Junhyuk could choke someone just by looking at him. It had been a long time since Choi met someone like Junhyuk. He had asked for a $1 million contract, but Choi thought that could be a test.

    "It¡¯ll be my gift to you." Junhyuk¡¯s eyebrow twitched, and Choi quickly continued, "You could be our client."

    Junhyuk stared at him without speaking, and Choi smiled.

    "Ourw firm is one of the top fivew firms in the country."

    He hadn¡¯t known that. Junhyuk had entered thew firm¡¯s building because the building was big.

    "You won¡¯t be disappointed," Choi said confidently.

    Junhyuk thought about it. He wanted his own legal team, but he might need to use aw firm before he could put one together.

    "Fine. If I like this contract, I¡¯ll hire your firm."

    "Please, trust us."

    While getting up, Junhyuk said, "I value action more than words."

    Choi was awyer, and he had to be articte, but Junhyuk needed results.

    "I¡¯ll see you tomorrow."

    Junhyuk walked outside with Sarang, and Choi escorted them to the exit, waving goodbye. Junhyuk chuckled and walked with Sarang.

    "I¡¯ll use my new ID to purchase a new house and a new car."

    "Good thinking,"

    "The next time I¡¯m shopping for a house and a car,e with me."

    "Will it be OK?"

    "Sure. I¡¯m getting your ID made as well."

    "ID?"

    JUnhyuk nodded.

    "Your name will be Catherine."

    "Cool!" Sarang expressed herself, and Junhyukughed at her.

    "When the ID is finished, I¡¯ll let you know."

    "Sure!"

    He took her home and took a picture of her before saying goodbye. Sarang insisted that he take a picture of her real face, but he ignored her and walked her home.

    Afterward, he called Elise. She seemed very d to hear from him.

    "You must¡¯ve been to the Dimensional Battlefield. Did you bring back anything new?"

    "Let¡¯s meet and talk."

    "I¡¯m at thepany. Come over."

    "I¡¯ll see you soon."

    He went home first and took off his mask. Then, he drove to Ilsan. Thepany was still under construction from the monster attacks.

    When Junhyuk walked in, he heard Zaira¡¯s voice.

    [Come downstair.]

    He went to the basement, and saw Elise eating ck bean paste noodles and waving at him.

    "You came!"

    Her lips were covered in ck bean paste, and he shook his head. She offered him a seat, and he took it.

    "Do you want some noodles?"

    Elise showed him her bowl of noodles, but he shook his head.

    "I already ate lunch. Are you eating yours now?"

    "I¡¯ve been busy."

    She was always busy working, but he did not ask her about it at that time. He ced his hand inside the Spatial Bag and asked, "Today, I have a $100 million bloodstone and thirty smaller bloodstones, and you wanted seeds and fruit. Are you going to buy everything?"

    "Puff!" Without realizing, she spat out her noodles, and he blocked them with his hand.

    "How about it?"

    "Let¡¯s appraise the bloodstone first."

    Junhyuk nodded and took out all of the bloodstones. She examined them carefully and ced them in a measuring instrument. Then, she went back to her seat and started eating her noodles again.

    "It¡¯ll take five minutes toe up with prices. May I see the seeds and fruit?"

    He held them out in his hand and asked, "How are you going toe up with prices for these?"

    She put down her chopsticks with sparkling eyes.

    "If these are as I expect, they¡¯ll be worth more than $100 million. For all of the seeds and fruit, I¡¯ll give you $300 million."

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "I was talking about the bloodstones. Just give me a hundred for these."

    Elise stared at him.

    "What else do you want?"

    "I want to know the results of your research."

    "My research results?"

    He nodded, and she added calmly, "You can¡¯t buy research results with money. I thought you knew that."

    "I know, but without my help, that research can¡¯t continue."

    Elise smiled mysteriously, and heughed and asked, "Deal?"

    She shrugged and replied, "Nothing I can do. Deal."

 Chapter 224: Shopping 1

    Chapter 224: Shopping 1

    Elise was finishing her ck bean paste noodles when Zaira spoke up.

    [The appraisal is done.]

    She wanted to seem impartial, so she remained nonchnt and asked, "What are the measurement values?"

    [Bloodstone measurements: two counts of 500BP, ten counts of 200BP, and eighteen counts of 150BP.]

    Elise turned to look at him.

    "That¡¯s really easy to calcte! It¡¯s $50 million for 500BP, $20 million for 200BP and $15 million for 150BP, so that¡¯s a total of $570 million. You also brought a $100 million bloodstone. So, I¡¯ll give you $670 million."

    Junhyuk tried to hide his surprise and asked, "You can give me that much?"

    "Sure. I¡¯ll transfer it to your ount right away."

    "Wait." Junhyuk wanted deposits on separate ounts and said, "Transfer $100 million to a Swiss ount and the rest to my original ount."

    Elise looked at him and said, "Zaira can¡¯t control money expenditures in Korea. People will talk."

    Junhyuk thought for a moment, and Elise continued, "Do you want my help in opening a Swiss bank ount?"

    He thought it would be a good idea to have a Swiss ount in his actual name.

    "Will opening an ount take long?"

    "Zaira, make him a bank ount."

    [Please, wait a moment.]

    Elise finished her noodles and took out a napkin to wipe her lips. Then, Junhyuk received a call on his phone, and Zaira exined what it was about.

    [It¡¯s a call from the bank.]

    He picked it up and answered a few questions, realizing he had just opened an ount. He wanted to visit Switzend sometime.

    "I¡¯ll also pay you for the seeds and fruit. Is $770 million enough?"

    "Yes."

    "Zaira, transfer the money from my ount."

    Elise went to make some coffee.

    [Transfer isplete.]

    She brought back her cup of coffee and sat with her legs crossed.

    "I could tell you about the research results, but to replicate the results takes unimaginable money and equipment. What do you want to do?"

    He understood what she meant, "Even if I have the research results, if I want to do something with it, it will take a lot of money and time. That¡¯s what you are telling me, right?"

    "Correct. How about taking the results¡¯ products from me?¡¯

    "Results¡¯ products?"

    "The finished products like R-potions and iron soldiers. I can give them to you."

    Junhyuk wanted an iron soldier. Guardians owned all iron soldiers, but the idea of privately owning one made him waver in his choice. Even with the research results, he wouldn¡¯t make an iron soldier.

    Iron soldiers were a product of Robotics¡¯ expertise in mechanical engineering.

    "Making an R-potion costs $5 million. We have to extract materials from the bloodstone and mix them with other materials, so that¡¯s the cost of it."

    Elise continued, "Iron soldiers cost about $150 million for each unit. If we were to sell one, we would sell it for more than $500 million. For $150 million, you¡¯ll get an iron soldier without any weapons. With weapons, you¡¯ll have to pay more."

    Junhyuk thought he could afford one.

    "OK. The leaf I gavest time, what did you use it for?"

    Elise smiled at him.

    "You are not easy to deal with. I offered you two things. I thought you¡¯d be satisfied."

    "I¡¯m not satisfied."

    She shrugged and said, "That leaf is disying two capabilities. First, monsters respond to it. And second, even though it¡¯s only a small amount, it spurts off mana."

    "Mana?"

    "That¡¯s right. I asked you for the seed because the leaf spurts off mana when it¡¯s cut. If I have a tree of it, and I¡¯ll be able to make artificial mana stones with it."

    His eyes widened, and Elise smiled.

    "If that happens, we won¡¯t have to rely on the Dimensional Battlefield for mana stones."

    "Shocking!"

    "I¡¯m nning to nt the seeds you gave me, but I¡¯m also curious about the possibilities the fruit holds."

    He was curious as well.

    "You said that monsters respond to it. Can you detect dimensional tears made by them?"

    "Correct, but we need more than that leaf to detect dimensional tears. We need a lot more."

    "Sure."

    "If you want a monster detector, you have to bring more leaves and an additional $200 million."

    He realized that even if he had the research results, it wouldn¡¯t be easy for him to take advantage of them.

    "So, if I take a finished product, does that means I can¡¯t learn about the research results?"

    "That¡¯s right."

    He was worried. The options needed more time to be weighed properly.

    "I¡¯ll tell you what I want next time."

    "Sure."

    She wanted to go back to her research, but he asked, "Why do you need so many bloodstones?"

    Elise smiled at him.

    "That¡¯s a secret."

    He realized again that she was not an easy woman to deal with.

    "I will call youter."

    He said goodbye to her and got ready to buy gifts for his parents. His father liked Korean beef, so he bought kilos of it. While he drove, he gathered his thoughts.

    He didn¡¯t have to work as a model anymore. He had earned more than $10 million working as a model, but now, he needed hundreds of millions.

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t taking much money to give to his parents. If he did, his rtives might get suspicious, and it was his job to keep the peace in the family. He was taking just enough to make sure his parents did well. He could give them moreter.

    When he arrived at his parents¡¯ house, his mother gave him a very warm wee. His father didn¡¯t speak, but he also liked when his son visited him.

    His father patted Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder, and he smiled at his father and showed him the Korean beef.

    "Today, we¡¯ll have a beef party."

    "Sure!"

    His mother, Haejung Kim, had taken him inside, but when she went to the kitchen, she was surprised by the many kilos of Korean beef.

    "I¡¯ll have to show you my cooking skills today."

    She meant to cook all of the dishes that required beef, and Junhyuk wanted to help her out.

    "I¡¯ll help you."

    "OK. Can you peel some onions?"

    He started doing so. Haejung was with her back toward him, and he peeled the onions so fast that he took a step back, bumping into her. If he hadn¡¯t, he would have cried from the onions.

    Haejung smiled and said, "If you don¡¯t want to do it, just tell me."

    "I peeled them and cut them."

    His mother turned around to look and was surprised to see the onions sliced and diced.

    "So fast!"

    "I¡¯m good with a knife. I¡¯ve been living alone for a while," he chuckled and said. "Do you need more help?"

    "Sure! From now on, you are my cooking assistant."

    "I¡¯ll do my best."

    He helped her mother prepare dinner.

    They had a nice family dinner. After it, Junhyuk made coffee, brought it out and started speaking candidly, "Father."

    "What?"

    "Please oversee my assets."

    "Your assets?"

    "Yes."

    His father, Sukhoon, put on a serious expression and ced his coffee mug down.

    "How much do you have to call it assets?"

    "About $5 million."

    His mother was very surprised when she heard it, and Junhyuk caressed her back.

    "While working as a model, I made $10 million. I spent $2 million on my house. I also bought a new car. I have about $8 million left. Father, mother, you could spent $3 million on yourselves and oversee the remaining $5 million.

    "So you want to give us $8 million?"

    "No. I¡¯m giving you $3 million. And the $5 million is for you to oversee."

    "So you want me to spend that money?"

    Junhyuk smiled.

    "You retired from asset management, but you can still do it."

    "Asset managers don¡¯t use their own money."

    "It¡¯s not yours. It¡¯s mine," Junhyuk continued. "You may keep anything over a 5 percent yield."

    His father looked at him calmly.

    "Are you serious?"

    "Yes."

    "Fine. I¡¯ll do it."

    "Thanks."

    He felt the burden leave his shoulders. His father might lose all of the money, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t care. His father had retired to go fishing with his friends, so he could spend the money on fishing.

    That was enough.

    Junhyuk smiled and asked, "Can I sleep here tonight?"

    His mother noticed that her son was spending $8 million like it was nothing and asked him about it carefully, "Son."

    "Yes."

    "You are my son?"

    "Of course!" He took her hands and said, "Get a new house and other things. That¡¯s why I¡¯m giving you the money."

    "No. When your father brings in more ie, we¡¯ll spend it then."

    He realized that his parents would manage the entire $8 million and he wanted to say aloud, "If you spend all that money, I won¡¯t care. I¡¯ll just make more money from my TV appearances. I have enough money to spend for a lifetime."

    "Then, I will manage your money," his father said.

    "Please do," he said. "Then, I will go to sleep."

    "Go ahead."

    Junhyuk went to his old room while his parents started a heated argument andy on his bed.

    "Don¡¯t be surprised."

    He closed his eyes.

    On Sunday, Junhyuk put on his mask and went to Seocho. He went to the General Law Firm to meet Choi, who gave him the contract.

    The contract had extensive uses concerning many possible situation. Junhyuk read it over, looked and Choi and said, "I can hold you responsible for this contract?"

    "Certainly!"

    "OK. If something happens because of this contract, you¡¯ll be responsible. I¡¯ll be one of your clients."

    "I¡¯ll be responsible for it."

    Choi had sought advice from his foreign friends on writing that contract. It had no weak uses.

    Junhyuk took it and got up.

    "I¡¯m sorry to bother you on a Sunday."

    "Don¡¯t be. From now on, just depend on us for your legal matters. Call us anytime."

    "Sure."

    Suddenly, Junhyuk turned around and looked at Choi.

    "I did not introduce myself. I¡¯m Max, CEO of GST Company," he said and left.

    Choi stared at him as he went out and called the firm¡¯s investigator into his office. With a serious expression on his face, he said, "Get me everything on GST Company and on its CEO, Max."

    "Sure."

    The investigator left, and Choi smiled and said, "We are getting to know each other."

 Chapter 225: Shopping 2

    Chapter 225: Shopping 2

    Junhyuk went to visit Sungtae and show him the contract.

    "Here it is."

    "You have it already?"

    "First, scan the entire thing and ask Ganesha if there are any legal loopholes."

    "Why didn¡¯t you just ask Ganesha to do it?"

    "We needwyers, and I needed to make contact with them. I decided to use General Law Firm for GST affairs."

    "For now, right?"

    "Correct. For now."

    Junhyuk sat on a chair calmly, and Sungtae turned a scanner on and put up each page of the contract to face it.

    "Are there any problem areas?" Sungtae asked.

    [No.]

    Sungtae heard Ganesha¡¯s answer and turned to look at Junhyuk.

    "I¡¯ve called my friends, and seven of them want toe here."

    "I thought you said you needed ten."

    "I could still call more of my friends, but I have to wait."

    Junhyuk thought for a while and asked, "Ganesha, I need GST business cards. Can you do them?"

    [I have twelve designs for business cards.]

    The twelve designs appeared on screen, and Junhyukughed when he saw them.

    "Can you make one up?"

    [The designs can be adapted. I made simple designs that leave longsting impressions.]

    "Interesting."

    He picked out two designs and looked at Sungtae.

    "Which one do you like?"

    "I like the one on the left."

    "OK. Then, let¡¯s get them printed. Send the files to my email."

    [I¡¯ve done it.]

    Junhyuk looked at Sungtae.

    "And we need new cell phones that go with our new IDs. Let¡¯s go out."

    "It¡¯ll be better than having burner phones."

    Sungtae was getting ready to leave when Junhyuk asked, "Ganesha, can you scan the entire inte in our country?"

    [If I scan such information, data usage will be high. If you want me to do it for certain keywords, I will look them up for you.]

    "OK. Within South Korea, collect data on ¡¯Power, Dimensional Battlefield, and Return.¡¯ If you don¡¯t, it¡¯ll probably deleted."

    [Power, Dimensional Battlefield, and Return data materials will be stored.]

    "There is, perhaps, another supeputer tracking that data, so be careful."

    [Don¡¯t worry about things like that.]

    Junhyuk looked at Sungtae and asked, "What happened to what I told you to look into?"

    "The securitypanies?"

    "Right."

    Sungtae was still getting dressed and said, "Ganesha, show him thepanies we looked into."

    Junhyuk looked at the monitor. It was showing the businesses¡¯ security experience and their sizes and assets. It also showed ces thepanies protected.

    He looked at it and asked, "Can you change betweenpanies faster?"

    [That¡¯s possible.]

    The items on the screen moved in and out quickly, but Junhyuk saw everything and picked twopanies out.

    "Call these securitypanies, Bakdu and Taesan. Tell them to meet me for a business meeting at 3:00 p.m. today. If they can¡¯te, there won¡¯t be any contracts. Tell them that too."

    [Understood.]

    Ganesha made the calls, and Junhyuk heard that bothpanies¡¯ CEOs woulde at 3:00 p.m. to sign the contract.

    "They must need the money."

    Bothpanies were in financial difficulty, so Junhyuk knew they wouldn¡¯t refuse his offer. He looked at Sungtae who is getting ready.

    "We¡¯ll also get some furniture. We need a ce for meetings."

    "Can¡¯t we just sign the contracts outside?"

    "We need a securitypany. We have to make them trust us." Junhyuk walked out saying, "We have to hurry."

    He had his appointment and he also had to buy furniture. There wasn¡¯t much time. Both of them went out and looked for a shopping mall. At the mall, Junhyuk found a furniture store.

    A salesperson walked up to them.

    "What kind of furniture are you looking for?"

    "I am decorating an office, but I have aplicated requirement."

    "Requirement?"

    "The furniture must be delivered by 2:00 p.m. today."

    The worker looked at his watch and smiled awkwardly, "We won¡¯t be able to do it by then. Today is Sunday, and there aren¡¯t any delivery drivers."

    Junhyuk tried to leave the store then, but the salesperson followed him in a hurry and said, "I¡¯m sorry. Just look at the furniture. I¡¯ll call up some delivery drivers."

    He sat down and opened a catalogue. Looking intently at the pictures in it, he said, "I will get this entire set in this picture. I¡¯ll also need bookshelves, and five more sets."

    He turned the page.

    "And this will go into the secretary¡¯s office, so five sets would be enough."

    The salesman¡¯s face hardened as Junhyuk chose everything. His order was already over $70,000-worth of furniture.

    He looked at sofas.

    "I¡¯ll need a set in my office, and that one will do for the resting area."

    The man wrote everything he wanted down. It was already over $100,000. Then, Junhyuk looked at him.

    "I¡¯ll pay you only if you can deliver it by 2:00 p.m. today."

    "I¡¯ll do it no matter what."

    Junhyuk got up and said, "I¡¯ll transfer the money to your store¡¯s ount. I¡¯ll do half as a deposit, but if you can¡¯t deliver everything by 2:00 p.m., our agreement is null and void."

    The worker handed him the bank ount number, and Junhyuk transferred the money.

    As he walked out, Junhyuk said again, "By 2:00 p.m."

    "Don¡¯t worry!"

    The worker bowed, and Junhyuk went to a pottery store. The tes and tea cups were on sale, and Junhyuk picked out what he liked. He chose the highest quality tea cups and ordered them in sets, which didn¡¯t take long.

    He went around the mall and told everyone he ordered from that they needed to deliver everything by 2:00 p.m. It took an hour and a half for him to finish shopping.

    When he looked at his watch, he said, "Let¡¯s go to the cell phone store."

    "Yes."

    Sungtae had been surprised by the spending spree. He knew Junhyuk had a lot of money, but he had spent over $300,000 just shopping that day.

    Junhyuk chose two cell phones from the store and opened up new lines. After that, they went to a restaurant. It was a conveyor belt sushi ce. Both sat down and pulled the tes down from the belt.

    Junhyuk was looking at his new cellphone when Sungtae said, "Let me see it."

    "Why?"

    "I¡¯ll download an app for you."

    "What app?"

    "It¡¯ll connect you directly to Ganesha. Using that app, you can talk directly to Ganesha."

    Junhyuk handed him the phone, and he downloaded the app.

    "With Ganesha, work will get easier, so this will be useful. The app is also voice activated."

    Seeing that he could connect to Ganesha with the app, Junhyuk smiled.

    "When did you make this?"

    "Last night."

    Junhyuk used the app to give Ganesha a few orders and was satisfied.

    "You did well." He grabbed the eel sushi and added, "After we are done eating, let¡¯s get some clothes."

    "Clothes?"

    "That¡¯s right. We need suits. We¡¯ll get some pre-made ones today, but next time we¡¯ll use a tailor."

    "Sure."

    Sungtae focused on eating. After escaping the people who came to kill him, he had been eating delivery food for the entire month. They both ate a lot that day. Junhyuk¡¯s muscle mass was wayrger than that of ordinary people, so he ate even more than Sungtae.

    After lunch, they bought suits and went back to the office. Using Ganesha, Junhyuk checked out events around the world. His cell phone rang, and he picked it up.

    The furniture had arrived, so he went downstairs to check on the delivery trucks. There were more than ten of them.

    Junhyuk took one of the drivers aside and took him to the tenth floor. He showed the driver to his office.

    "ce the furniture here. The bookshelves will go by the wall." Then, Junhyuk pointed to ce he would use as a secretary¡¯s office and said, "And ce the five sets of furniture here."

    Junhyuk pointed to the resting area and added, "And put the resting area furniture in there."

    "Sure."

    "Everything must be ready by 2:00 p.m."

    "We¡¯ll do it right now."

    Junhyuk looked outside, through the window. The furnitures, decorations and other things were arriving.

    "Don¡¯t bete."

    Then, Junhyuk pulled up Ganesha¡¯s app and said, "Look for a cleaningpany. Tell them to clean the office starting at 2:00 p.m. for thirty minutes."

    [Understood.]

    Junhyuk turned off his cell phone and, with his hand held behind him, he looked out through the window. Guro had a lot of new buildings because of many factories were moving into the region. There were even bigger buildings than his.

    He looked around and said, "I¡¯ll do it one by one."

    At first, his money had belonged to Doyeol, but now, his money had once belonged to Elise. Foreign money wasing into South Korea, so the more he spent, the more he was helping the economy.

    "I¡¯ll be more powerful."

    Phnthropy wouldeter. He wanted to gather power so that others wouldn¡¯t move against him. After that, he nned to be phnthropic.

    He was thinking this and that while they installed the furniture. Everything was in ce, and a driver came in for his signature at 1:40 p.m. The driver was sweating like crazy, and Junhyuk handed him an envelope.

    "Thank you. Be careful on your way."

    The driver hadn¡¯t expected a tip from him and bowed in response.

    "Thank you."

    He looked into the envelope and cheered. Meanwhile, Junhyuk looked around his office. It looked like a major corporation¡¯s CEO¡¯s office, and he was happy with the new decoration.

    Then, Sungtae walked in, looked around andughed hard.

    "This is the power of money."

    "Correct. This is the power of money."

    They had started in the morning, and by 2:00 p.m., the office decorations were set. Sungtae shook his head. A cell phone rang, and Junhyuk picked it up.

    The cleaningpany had arrived, and he told them toe up to the tenth floor. Thepany¡¯s CEO himself hade.

    "Nice to meet you! Office cleaning, right?"

    "If you finish by 2:30 p.m., I¡¯ll give you $2,000."

    There were seven cleaningdies. There amount would cover their wages and more, so the CEO affirmed, "We will do it by then!"

    Junhyuk looked at Sungtae.

    "Look after them."

    "Where are you going?"

    "I have to go out for a minute."

    Junhyuk found an ATM nearby and withdrew some cash. He took out $5,000 and put $2,000 in an envelope. Then, he treated himself to a cup of coffee and went back to his office.

    "I¡¯ll need secretaries."

    He had a lot to do. He would quit Guardians so that he could focus on GST.

    He arrived at 2:30 to see the office clean, so he paid them the $2,000 like he¡¯d promised and sat down in his tidy office, looking at Sungtae.

    "I¡¯ll need coffee. Bring me six cups."

    "When are we getting secretaries?"

    "I was thinking the same thing."

    "Can I do the interviews?"

    Junhyuk waved his hands and said, "Get some coffee."

    Sungtae went out, and Junhyuk¡¯s cell phone rang. He picked it up and heard a hard voice from the other end.

    "I¡¯m Bakdu¡¯s CEO. Where should I go to?"

    It wasn¡¯t time yet, but he was already there, which gave Junhyuk a good impression of him.

    "Come to the tenth floor."

    Junhyuk waited by the elevator. A momentter, the elevator stopped, and a well-trained man walked out from it. His hair was cut short, and Junhyuk liked his eyes. He had ten health, which meant that, for a human, he was impressive.

    Junhyuk smiled and extended his hand.

    "I¡¯m GST¡¯s CEO, Max."

    "I am Bakdu¡¯s CEO, Daesan Kang."

 Chapter 226: Shopping 3

    Chapter 226: Shopping 3

    He offered Daesan Kang a seat and pulled out a tablet. He turned it on and opened Ganesha¡¯s app to learn everything there was to know about Bakdu Security.

    While Junhyuk read it over one more time, Sungtae came in. When he finished, he looked at Daesan.

    "I brought coffee," Sungtae said.

    Junhyuk signaled with his hand, and Sungtae handed Daesan a cup. Daesan took it and said, "This must be a new business."

    "I haven¡¯t unpacked my bags."

    Junhyuk smelled the aroma of the coffee and put his cup down. He had just drunk a cup, so he didn¡¯t want to drink another one.

    "Bakdu Security provides security for twopanies at a rate of $100,000 each."

    "Correct."

    "There are two security teams. Not counting new employees, every employee has quite the resume." Daesan¡¯s eyes hardened. He was starting to wonder how Junhyuk had gotten a hold of that information, but Junhyuk continued nonchntly, "Just enough to pay your employees their sries."

    Daesan steeled his face and said, "My financial situation isn¡¯t that good, but I can vouch for our abilities."

    "I know. I don¡¯t know about the others, but I know you¡¯ve been the chief security officer for the Blue House." (Editor¡¯s Note: It¡¯s Korea¡¯s equivalent of the White House.)

    "How did you find out?"

    "When we investigate things, we do it thoroughly," Junhyuk said, raising his eyes to look at him. "We are now looking for a securitypany that will provide security to ourpany."

    "Just yourpany?"

    "To be urate, I want to acquire yourpany. How abouting under ourpany?"

    Daesan expressed discontent, "We are in charge of two otherpanies now. The breach of contract fees are..."

    "We will take care of those since we¡¯ll be acquiring yourpany."

    "It¡¯s three times the regr fee..."

    Junhyuk calcted it for him, "So, it¡¯s $300,000 for each ce for a total of $600,000. Bakdu¡¯s assets total about $2 million. Not counting the breach of contract fees, I¡¯ll pay you $4 million to acquire yourpany. I¡¯ll also double your team¡¯s sries."

    Daesan did not know what to say, but Junhyuk continued, "I want to double the number of employees, but how to do it will be your job."

    "Their sries..."

    "They¡¯ll depend on their experience. However, concerning our work here, you have to sign a non-disclosure agreement."

    Daesan shook his head lightly. When Junhyuk checked the time, his smartphone said 2:50 p.m.

    He looked back at Daesan.

    "Today, I scheduled meetings with twopanies, Bakdu and Taesan. You came here early, so I¡¯m giving you the choice."

    "Are you going to give them the same conditions?"

    "Of course."

    Daesan checked the time. There were ten minutes to go, but Taesan¡¯s CEO might arrive early, just like he had done.

    Daesan looked at Junhyuk. Junhyuk looked very calm, like it was easy for him to acquire Daesan¡¯spany. Money must not be a problem to him.

    "What exactly does GST do?"

    "I can only tell you that after you sign the contract."

    "If you are doing anything illegal, I can¡¯t and mustn¡¯t help you."

    Junhyuk took a moment to think. GST¡¯s main line of work was collecting information and, if possible, gather people who had activated their powers. He knew he couldn¡¯t always remain within thew.

    His work involved dealing with the Rockefellers, who could bend and twist thew ording to their wishes. They could make Junhyuk¡¯s work illegal.

    Junhyuk crossed his arms and looked at Daesan.

    "I¡¯m looking for a security team for mypany right now, butter, I may ask you for a more private line of work. And I can¡¯t promise the work we do here will to totally legal all the time."

    He was being honest, and Daesan was impressed by that. His eyes looked deeper than the eyes of anyone Daesan had ever met. His eyes were telling the truth.

    After pondering things, Daesan said, "If we have to do anything illegal, I¡¯ll do it alone. Is that OK?"

    "I won¡¯t ask you to do anything if I don¡¯t trust you."

    Daesan sipped his coffee and made his decision, "We will merge."

    "Good."

    Junhyuk got up and offered him his hand. Daesan shook it, and Junhyuk smiled.

    "Today, we just made a verbal agreement, but the General Law Firm will contact you soon about the contract. They¡¯ll tell you more then."

    "Sure."

    "Let¡¯s work together from now on."

    Daesan smiled, and Junhyuk walked him out. They met Taesan¡¯s CEO Taesik Kim at the front, and Taesik smiled at Daesan.

    "You came here too?"

    Junhyuk looked at Taesik and was d that he had gone with Daesan. Just by looking at Taesik, Junhyuk knew that he couldn¡¯t be trusted.

    "I¡¯ve just signed a contract with Bakdu. I¡¯m sorry since you came all this way."

    Taesik gave him a business card and said, "Even though you signed a contract with them, you might need us. Please, take my card. I am Taesik Kim."

    Junhyuk took the card and smiled. His expression turned scary, and Junhyuk¡¯s smile made Taesik uneasy.

    "GST¡¯s CEO, Max."

    Taesik offered his hand, but Junhyuk ignored the gesture.

    "Please, take care."

    Taesik looked a bit angry, but Daesan was smiling. Their rtionship did not look pleasant, but Junhyuk wasn¡¯t interested in that.

    ---

    He pulled out his smartphone and called General Law.

    "Hello, this is Choi."

    "Max from GST here. I¡¯m acquiring a securitypany, so I¡¯ll need a new contract."

    "Where should I go?"

    "I¡¯ll head to your instead."

    "Then, how about 4:00 p.m. at my office?"

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk hung up and looked at Sungtae.

    "Perhaps, you picked out a securitypany too fast?"

    "I¡¯m a better judge of character than you¡¯ll ever be," Junhyuk said and added, "When the security team arrives, they¡¯ll have to have ess to their entire building. Tell Ganesha to get everything ready for them."

    "But isn¡¯t that the security team¡¯s job?"

    "No, Ganesha must be in control of the entire building."

    "Understood."

    "I¡¯ll tell Ganesha what it needs to do."

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk opened the app to contact Ganesha, "I need two corporate credit cards and one personal card under the name of Max. One of the corporate card should have a limit of $10 million. The other two should have no limit. I need them as soon as possible."

    [Understood.]

    Junhyuk turned to Sungtae and said, "I¡¯ll head out. The securitypany deal should be over by tomorrow."

    "The sooner, the better."

    "Whenever I¡¯m not here, you¡¯re in charge. You have 5 percent of the shares of this ce."

    "It¡¯s mypany too."

    "Correct. Work hard."

    Junhyuk patted him on the shoulder and headed out, heading to the General Law Firm.

    There, he talked to Choi about the merger and, thinking he had worked too hard that day, he headed back home.

    Once he entered his home in Paju, he took off his mask andy on his bed.

    "Whew!"

    He had only shopped that day, but he had spent $6 million dors. While lying on his bed, he looked at his hands. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected he would spend so much money. While he reminisced about his past, he heard a voice.

    "What are you doing?"

    He saw Gongon¡¯s face on the ceiling andughed.

    "I just got home and was trying to rest."

    "Nice!"

    "Gon, what have you been up to?"

    "I¡¯ve been to the Dimensional Battlefield."

    "Right. Did you meet some heroes?"

    "Yes. They are nothing, but I still had to tter them. I had a hard time."

    "Be careful. Heroes are basically different from us."

    "I know. I challenged some of them, and they almost killed me."

    Junhyukughed.

    "You were acting yourself."

    "I want to train harder. I won¡¯t contact you again till I go to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield," Gongon said.

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t thought about contacting Gongon. He¡¯d been too busy in South Korea, but he did not tell the little dragon that. There was no need to get him upset.

    "Too bad!"

    "Ha-ha-ha. I know it¡¯s bad, but we¡¯ll meet soon."

    "Right. Train hard, and I¡¯ll see you on the battlefield."

    "Yes, see you next time!" Gongon said, waving his short arm.

    Junhyuk waved back, and Gongon cut the connection. Hey on his bed with his eyes closed and said, "Till next time."

    ---

    Junhyuk was about to go to work and had just left his house when he saw Jeffrey in front of his door.

    "Are you going to work now?"

    "What about you?"

    "I am as well."

    "Did you wait for me?"

    Jeffrey sat on the stairs in front of the gate and said, "Have you been to the Dimensional Battlefield?"

    "You know I have."

    "Doyeol wants to know if you brought anything back?"

    "Nothing," Junhyuk said evenly and sat next to Jeffrey. "Do you have any new information?"

    Jeffrey got up and cleaned the back of his pants while saying, " The world is changing too fast."

    Junhyuk looked at him, and Jeffrey continued, "The number of people activating powers is increasing too fast."

    "Isn¡¯t that because of the monsters¡¯ appearance?"

    "That could be. But people know about the Dimensional Battlefield now. Someone was behind the leak. Even though it was for a short period, someone told stories about the battlefield on the inte, and I think the number of novices is increasing because of it."

    "How many novices?"

    "So far, there are thirty novices."

    "That many?!"

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t hide his surprise.

    "How many novices has Doyeol acquired?"

    "He has twenty novices now. The enemy has another six, and we can¡¯t locate the four remaining ones. It¡¯s not possible to find them."

    "How many do we have on our team?"

    "We are trying hard, but only Tsubasa so far. Sora follows you, so she could be on our side."

    "Then, we only have four?"

    "It looks that way. We don¡¯t have as much information as our enemies. There¡¯s nothing we can do."

    Junhyuk had Ganesha now, so he wouldn¡¯t lose out on any information. However, there was a limit to that. Whenpared to Zaira, Junhyuk thought Ganesha wasn¡¯t as capable.

    It wasn¡¯t a matter of the AI coding. Zaira just had superior hardware. Elise, Robotics¡¯ number one researcher had created Zaira with cutting edge hardware. Meanwhile, Ganesha had been created with lesser quality parts acquired through brokers.

    Information gathering wasn¡¯t the only problem. To get the novices, he had to meet them, but he didn¡¯t have enough personnel to do it.

    Junhyuk had acquired a securitypany, but it only had two teams.

    Doyeol had many security teams at his disposal, so it wouldn¡¯t be easy to reach novices before him. He told Ganesha to keep the searches within South Korea, meaning to get a jump on the novices at home, but even that wouldn¡¯t be easy.

    Junhyuk sighed.

    "I have to get her."

    "Who?"

    He didn¡¯t answer Jeffrey.

 Chapter 227: Poe-ling 1

    Chapter 227: Poe-ling 1

    Junhyuk went to work at Guardian¡¯s office in Ilsan. There, he met the other employees and smiled at them. From that moment on, he had just one more week, and Junhyuk wanted to spend it diligently.

    The monster corpses had arrived from the airport, but Ilsan didn¡¯t have a storage room, so everything was sent to Paju. That day, they were moving the corpses to the new headquarters being built in Seoul, and Junhyuk took Tsubasa and Soyeon with him.

    Eunseo hadn¡¯t arrived at work yet, so he didn¡¯t see her.

    Junhyuk was willing to wait for Eunseo to make up her mind, and he told the others he was going out.

    Looking at the new building, he couldn¡¯t hide his astonishment.

    "When did they build all this?" Soyeon asked, stupefied.

    "Probably, at the same time were building the HQ at Paju. If not, they couldn¡¯t have built this much already."

    The area designated for apartment redevelopment was without apartments. Instead, a huge building took over it. The storage room had three sections, and there were over fifty trucks in front of the storage area.

    Junhyuk walked past the trucks to meet the drivers.

    "Did you just arrive?"

    "Please, wait a minute."

    Junhyuk walked toward the entrance of the building and ced his hand on the fingerprint scanner. Soon, he heard Zaira¡¯s voice, and the door opened.

    Standing in front of Tsubasa and Soyeon, he said, "Now, check on where the bodies came from and measure their sizes. It will take about two hours."

    Each took out a tablet and started the process. The work was simple, and having more people would help it go faster.

    Junhyuk ordered them to ce the bodies deep inside in order of arrival. By then, the iron soldiers were deployed to at least fifty countries, and the storage room had fifty separate areas.

    Every week, there were about two monster attacks, so there were many monster bodies now. They had also created a monster research team that was able to research the bodies much faster.

    Junhyuk inspected that day¡¯s corpses. In China¡¯s case, the monster had been killed by a person with a power, so there was no body from there.

    He stopped the team that was working on the corpses from the States immediately.

    "Wait!"

    There were putting the bodies away when they stopped, and Junhyuk walked over to them and frowned.

    "Is this part broken?" Junhyuk asked, and Tsubasa and Soyeon walked over to them as well. The material was from the United States, but a part of the container had cracked, and there was a green liquid oozing out.

    Junhyuk looked at the green liquid and frowned.

    "Maybe it¡¯s the monster¡¯s blood?"

    More people gathered around him.

    "We have to transfer this body. Bring me a new container."

    The new container was brought over, and people wearing HAZMAT suits arrived. To transfer the body from container to container, they had to move the whole thing to a different ce designed for the job.

    So far, they had found no virus on the bodies, but it was never a bad idea to be extra careful. They decontaminated the body in the other room first before starting the transfer.

    Junhyuk was looking at the monster through a monitor and frowned. He checked his tablet and found the identity of the monster found in the States.

    "Is it a poe-ling?" [Editor¡¯s Note: The best that I could tell was that it was something like Slimer from Ghostbusters. Think Legend of Zelda Poes.]

    It was a sticky, jelly-shaped monsters. They had to use napalm to kill it. Junhyuk looked at the body again.

    Bits of green jelly filled the container, and Junhyuk looked at Soyeon.

    "In this case, it¡¯ll be better to dispose of the container."

    The container itself was very cold. The idea was to keep the bodies in it without having them decay. However, this time the container had cracked, and there was a liquid oozing from the body. It was having issues keeping the contents cold, so it was a good idea to exchange containers.

    Junhyuk watched carefully as they exchanged containers and walked around checking to see if there were others with simr problems, but he found they were all OK.

    "Well, let¡¯s go back."

    He waited for everyone to get out of the storage area and ced his hand on the scanner and closed the door. The delivery trucks started to leave, and Junhyuk looked around. The whole building was still empty, but there was a park with vending machines around it.

    After getting a few drinks from the machine, he handed one to Tsubasa and another to Soyeon.

    "Before we go back, let¡¯s have lunch. It¡¯s on me."

    "If it¡¯s lunch, I want noodles," Soyeon called out first, and Junhyuk looked at Tsubasa. She didn¡¯t speak, and he went back to looking at Soyeon.

    "Do you know a good noodle ce?"

    "I do!"

    "Then, take us there."

    ---

    Inside of therge monster storage room, a container was bouncing and shaking. The contents hade from the United States, and a crack appeared on it. Through that crack, green liquid started oozing out.

    The green liquid traveled to the center of the storage area and stood up. It was already three meters tall and shaped like pudding. The monster was a poe-ling. Despite its endearing name, the monster ate everything around it. Only the iron soldier would be able to stop it.

    The poe-ling started to move. It looked very slow, but it maintained a speed simr to a grown man running. When it got to the containers with other bodies, it spit more of the green liquid over them, and the liquid seeped into each container.

    The poe-ling didn¡¯t stand there watching. It kept moving to cover all fifty containers in that green liquid. While it had started at three meters tall, it now measure only two meters.

    Crack! Bang, bang, bang!

    The containers started to shake and bounce, and the monsters soon broke through from the inside. The iron soldiers had killed them all, but now, the monsters were getting up with green eyes.

    Their bodies remained mangled, but more importantly, they were alive again.

    The poe-ling took the lead, and the monsters followed it. When they got to the storage room¡¯s steel door, the monsters rushed at it.

    Boom!

    The door didn¡¯t break, but it was seriously dented, so they pounded at it more fiercely and, soon, they broke through it.

    ---

    The group was drinking their sodas when they suddenly heard a loud noise.

    Boom!

    The storage room door dented out, and Junhyuk pulled out his tablet.

    "Zaira, show me footage inside the room."

    Cameras had already been installed in the storage room, and the tablet disyed the feed he requested. His mouth hung open.

    "There were certainly dead before!"

    The monster bodies were up and moving around, but there was no time to find out what had just happened.

    "Zaira, tell Elise about the situation and call for the deployment of iron soldiers," Junhyuk said and started to run to his car with Tsubasa and Soyeon. While they were getting in the car, storage room door finally broke open with a loud boom.

    A wolf with half of its head remaining crossed through the threshold.

    Hooooll!

    The wolf howled, and Junhyuk stepped on the elerator. His objective was to get out of that ce. There was more than just one or two monsters. All of the monsters were alive again, so there were at least fifty of them.

    To survive, he had to get away.

    Just in case, he summoned his arm warmer. His defense went up, and Junhyuk turned the car around. The monsters chased maddeningly after it.

    None of the monsters were in one piece, but there were many of them. The wolf chased after the car with a mountain hog next to it. However, the hog was very fast, even faster than the wolf, and two meters tall.

    The hog was about the size of a truck, and Tsubasa stared at it. Soyeon was frozen scared, and Junhyuk gave her his tablet.

    "Ask Zaira if the iron soldier¡¯s been deployed and what the expected time of arrival is."

    Soyeol collected herself and shouted at the tablet, "Zaira, has the iron soldier deployed?"

    [The iron soldier has deployed. Permission for breaking the sound barrier has been granted. It¡¯ll get there in two minutes.]

    Junhyuk bit his lips. It was flying at the speed of sound, but they would have to survive the monsters for two minutes. He wouldn¡¯t be worried if he was alone. In fact, he would¡¯ve been confident he wouldn¡¯t die, and if necessary, he could¡¯ve gotten away.

    But with Soyeon, the story was different. Tsubasa could take care of herself, but he couldn¡¯t trust her too much. She only had enough firepower to kill about five monsters. They needed greater movement speed, but that was something they didn¡¯t have at that moment.

    Toosh, toosh, toosh, toosh!

    There were two hogs and four wolves chasing after them now. They were pouring out of the storage room, and Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure the iron soldier could deal with all of them alone.

    Junhyuk asked, "Do you have your seatbelts on?"

    "Yes!"

    Junhyuk yanked on the wheel.

    Screeeeech!

    The back wheels stopped, and the car skidded. While it did, he turned the wheel again and stepped on the elerator. The car drifted, and they got out of that area.

    Boom!

    The hogs crashed at a wall trying to chase the car, and the wolves tripped on fallen logs.

    Junhyuk frowned and murmurs, "I need a new car."

    If he had a faster car, he might¡¯ve been able to get away. As Junhyuk drove, monsters appeared opposite of him.

    They looked like alligators and they were blocking the road. He stared at them. From head to tail, they were about ten meters long, and Junhyuk felt himself against a wall.

    He mmed on the elerator and said, "We¡¯ll take a sidepath."

    Tsubasa caught a glimpse of the side of his face. She thought he was amazing because he didn¡¯t seem scared. Instead, he was just trying to get them out of there. When she looked at the alligators, she thought she could deal with them normally, but there were too many at that point, so she wanted to follow his decisions.

    The alligator¡¯s mouth opened, and he quickly turned the wheel.

    SNAP!

    The car barely escape, but the hood got taken out. They were relieved at their luck, but then something pulled the car off the ground.

    Whiiirr!

    The wheels spun in midair, and Junhyuk turned to look. The car¡¯s sunroof was covered by a spider¡¯s web. A giant spider was on a wall, pulling the web toward it with its mouth wide open.

    "Shit!"

 Chapter 228: Poring 2

    Chapter 228: Poring 2

    Unless they cut the web, there was no way to escape. And even if they cut the web, the car will crash below, and there were monsters crawling all over down there.

    Junhyuk took a moment to think and looked out through the car window. The spider was rather slow at pulling car toward it, so Junhyuk opened a car door, and grabbed the tablet from Soyeon.

    "Unbuckle your seat belts!"

    After saying that, he threw the tablet toward the building¡¯s window. It shattered, and Junhyuk leaned his seat back and said, "Come this way."

    Soyeon was really scared and asked, "Do I have to move?"

    "If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll be monster food."

    "But..."

    "I¡¯ll help you."

    Soyeon moved to the front seat, and as Junhyuk touched her back, he said, "You could get hurt by the ss, but it¡¯ll be better than dying. Protect your face well. Then, jump!"

    Soyeon was hesitating stepping through, but Junhyuk pushed her forward, and as that happened, she screamed, "Ahh!"

    He turned to Tsubasa and said, "Tsubasa, you have to jump too."

    She stared at him for a moment and nodded. The spider saw Soyeon going into the building, and started pulling the web faster. It was possible for them to kill the spider at that point, but if they did that, the car would crash down on alligators and wolvers.

    Tsubasa¡¯s power had a cooldown, so she unbuckled herself and moved to the driver¡¯s seat ready to jump.

    Junhyuk touched her back and said, "Jump!"

    She jumped out hard as Junhyuk pushed her back. She was really surprised with the power of his push. He was just sitting there when he pushed her, but he had done it so hard that she covered quite the distance as she entered the building.

    When shended, she turned around to look, but the car had already disappeared.

    "What happened?"

    The surprise was short-lived. Junhyuk appeared just outside the window. She thought he must have cut the seatbelt and used it as a rope while he swung inside. Hended on the broken ss, but hended on his feet and his bnce was very good.

    He rolled once and said, "Let¡¯s get away from the window."

    Craaaack!

    From outside, they heard the loud noises of the car being crushed, and shrapnel flew everywhere. The spider must have eaten the car.

    Junhyuk looked at his group and sighed when he saw that everyone was safe. Then, he looked around and saw office furniture. At that moment, the spider¡¯s face appeared through the broken window, so Junhyuk grabbed Soyeon¡¯s and Tsubasa¡¯s hands, kicked the door open and ran.

    Boom!

    Behind them, a spider web came zooming by and stuck to the wall. It had been meant for them. The webs were especially dangerous for Tsubasa and Soyeon. Junhyuk could teleport, use the force field or just his regr strength to tear them up, but he wanted to avoid all of that.

    The group moves toward a set of stairs, and a wall crumbled behind them. The spider appeared through the opening. It was so big that it filled up the hallway, but it could still move.

    Junhyuk ran toward the stairs, but it would be hard to escape it.

    "When is it gonna get here?!"

    Heined about the iron soldier, and Tsubasa looked behind her. The spider opened its mouth, and Tsubasa¡¯s eyes sparked, igniting a fire inside the spider¡¯s mouth.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

    Suddenly, the spider exploded, and the group was swept by the shock and flung into the air,nding on the ground rolling. Junhyuk alone managed to run through it, but Soyeon and Tsubasa were covered in spider guts.

    Junhyuk checked them out and looked at Tsubasa. Her power had done that, the five-explosionbo, and it had left no trace of the spider behind.

    Junhyuk looked around.

    "I am d everyone is safe."

    From the stairs, they heard the sound of windows shattering. Junhyuk looked down and frowned. There were wolves and monkeys entering the building.

    He took the group inside an office, closed the door behind him and stacked chairs and desks against the it. He had to pretend he was having a hard time moving the objects in front of the women.

    Soon, the monsters were outside, howling and making noise. At first, he thought they would just pass them by, but the wolves started mming against the door.

    Boom!

    "Wolves are also dogs!"

    He thought they had to have a keen sense of smell, and they had to be smelling the humans. Both women were covered in spider guts, so they probably didn¡¯t smell human, which meant they were smelling him.

    A wolf¡¯s head appeared through the gap of the door, and Junhyuk punched it.

    Boom!

    Yelp!

    He had only summoned the arm warmer, but the Wind Smander¡¯s Leather Arm Warmer had fixed poison damage, and wolves happened to be the lowest level monsters, so the damage was significant, and the wolf yelped and pulled its face back.

    However, it came back suddenly, sticking its face through the door and baring its teeth. Junhyuk was about to punch it again when he heard the sound of a window shattering followed by the fierce noise of gunfire.

    Rat-at-at-at-tat!

    With that, the wolf¡¯s snout disappeared from the door.

    "The iron soldier arrived."

    Junhyuk sighed, and Soyeon finally rxed and fell on her butt. Tsubasa was staring at him in amazement. The man had punched a wolf and shown very good judgement.

    Suddenly, the iron soldier¡¯s arm came through the door, and it easily pushed it open.

    [It¡¯s a relief that you are all safe. We have to move to the roof. Let¡¯s go.]

    Junhyuk knew Zaira was speaking through the iron soldier andughed hard. He walked over to Soyeon and offered her a hand.

    "Get up, please. We have to move to the roof."

    Soyeon was very relieved the iron soldier was there, but she was about to break down.

    "My legs are like jello. I can¡¯t get up."

    He looked at her for a moment and picked her up. Soyeon¡¯s face turned red.

    "I must be heavy..."

    "No, you are very light. Don¡¯t talk like that." Then, he looked at Tsubasa and asked, "Can you follow us?"

    "Sure. Let¡¯s go."

    The iron soldier took the lead. Junhyuk followed it outside the office and saw monsters entering the building. They were crowding the hallway, but they were onlying from one side.

    The monsters had already been killed abroad, and only regr iron soldiers were deployed abroad. The one there was a MK-II, so it would be able to deal with them. The MK-IIs were equipped with the dpositionpound, which could easily tear through the monsters with the machine gun.

    The iron soldier smashed through the monsters in the hallway and stood at the stairs.

    [Go up!]

    Junhyuk started heading up, and Soyeon said, "I think I can walk now."

    He ced her down, but bnced her as she staggered.

    "Let¡¯s go to the roof."

    As the noise got louder from below, Junhyuk took the lead. He could tell the iron soldier had more ammo than usual. Considering the level of the monsters, the iron soldier could kill them all.

    On the roof, they heard the sound of a rotor turning.

    "There isnding pad for helicopters."

    There was a rescue helicopter from the firefighters, which they must have sent in a hurry. The group got on. Things had been dangerous, but once the helicopter took off, they thought they were all safe.

    That was when they saw monsters climbing the outer wall of the building, and there was a spider among them.

    "Shit! There is another one."

    The spider shot a web at them as the helicopter took off. Because of it, the helicopter was unable to get any higher or move anywhere.

    Junhyuk sighed instinctively. Up to that point, he had been taking care of Soyeon, but now, he had to take care of the pilot as well.

    Then, Tsubasa looked at the spider. When it opened its mouth, a series of explosions went off.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

    When the spider exploded, the situation went from bad to worse. The spider¡¯s body parts flew in all directions and hit the rotor, they also smashed through the tail of the helicopter.

    As a result, the helicopter lost bnce and was about to crash. There was nothing Junhyuk could do. He was thinking of using his powers when the iron soldier flew in and grabbed the helicopter, andnding it safely on the roof.

    The propeller stopped and everyone got out, the pilot as well. Junhyuk looked at the iron soldier.

    "Zaira. How many monsters are there?"

    [There are forty-two monsters remaining.]

    Junhyuk looked back at the roof¡¯s entrance.

    "Sorry, but can you block the entrance with the helicopter?"

    The iron soldier lifted the helicopter and ced it in front of the entrance, leaving the pilot speechless.

    "Do you know how much each of those costs?"

    "Guardians will reimburse you for the loss," Junhyuk said unfazed. He walked over to the parapet and looked down. The building was made of ss, and there weren¡¯t many monsters that could climb it. "Kill all the spiders and monkeys and we should be safe then."

    The iron soldier flew up and it started gunning down the spiders and monkeys.

    Rat-at-at-at-tat!

    The monkeys lost their limbs, and one fell to the ground. If things persisted that way, the group would be safe.

    Then, Junhyuk saw another monster moving slowly among the others. He was not sure about its size, but it was the poring. It was trying to get inside the building.

    "Zaira! Kill the poring!" he shouted.

    The iron soldier started shooting at it, but the monsters surrounding it blocked the bullets, and the poring slowly entered the building.

    "So, it was the poring!"

 Chapter 229: Poring 3

    Chapter 229: Poring 3

    Junhyuk realized that the cause of the incident was the poring, and when thinking of it, all of the monsters had green eyes.

    "Zaira! Kill the poring! It¡¯s the source!"

    A voice came from the iron soldier in midair.

    [Porings can¡¯t be killed with the monster dposition liquid. We have to use napalm, but we¡¯ll destroy the entire building if we do that.]

    Junhyuk grimaced. Destroying the building was a problem, but they had to kill the poring.

    After thinking for a quick moment, he asked, "If the poringes up here, would be it possible to prevent burning down the building?"

    [You are on the roof. We can throw it off the building first and then explode it. That won¡¯t damage the building.]

    It would be better if Tsubasa stepped in, but that wasn¡¯t his decision. Junhyuk looked at the iron soldier and said, "The poring used other monsters to block the machine gun fire, which means the machine gun can damage it. Bring it here."

    Pilot was shocked and asked, "Do you want to let the monster up here?"

    "If a napalm bomb went off inside the building, we wouldn¡¯t survive. However, we can¡¯t possibly allow the monsters to live."

    At that moment, the monsters were attacking them, but if the monsters disengaged and went elsewhere, there was no telling what they would do, and the iron soldier couldn¡¯t be responsible for that.

    The iron soldier zoomed below and fired its missiles, hitting the monsters on the wall of the building. The explosions left a hole on the wall, which the iron soldier used to enter the building.

    Junhyuk had the group retreat from the parapet.

    "The iron soldier took care of the monsters on the walls, but we still need to watch them for other monsters climbing up."

    He looked at Soyeon and added, "You stay here and watch the entrance, the other should find a wall to keep watch over."

    Everyone nodded, and Soyeon protested, "I¡¯ll take a wall too."

    "There is no need. Things aren¡¯t stable. Stay here and gather your strength."

    "No," she said curtly. "We survived because you made the right decisions. This is the most dangerous ce, so you should stay here and watch over it."

    Junhyuk patted her shoulder lightly.

    "Fine," he said.

    The truth was that not only would the poringe through the door, but other monsters would as well, so Junhyuk should stay there waiting.

    Soyeon went to the left and kept watch on the movements below. Junhyuk looked around. At that moment, his cell phone rang, but he did not pick it up. The situation was too dangerous to have someone calling him. However, even though he didn¡¯t answer, he still heard a voice through the device.

    [Why aren¡¯t you picking up the phone?]

    "Zaira?"

    He grabbed his phone and heard the supeputer.

    [I put it on speaker. There are thirteen monsters at the stairs, and the iron soldier is short on ammo.]

    He took the call off speaker. The situation wasn¡¯t good, and there was no need for the others to hear about it. Junhyuk ced the cell phone against his ear.

    "You said you were short on ammo. What about your other weapons?"

    [I have five missiles and two napalm bombs remaining.]

    Junhyuk let out a long sigh.

    "The iron soldier was not properly equipped!"

    [This was an emergency deployment. It was supplied with extra ammo, but that was it. That¡¯s how the iron soldier has been able to fight so far.]

    Junhyuk thought Zaira¡¯s AI was very advanced. It was even making excuses.

    "Fine. Send the monsters up."

    Junhyuk nced over at Tsubasa. A chain of explosions inside the poring would be the best way to kill it, if she could do it.

    There were loud noisesing from the stairwell that Junhyuk could hear.

    [It¡¯s dangerous.]

    "What are you talking about?"

    Boom!

    Even louder noises rang out, and the pilot shouted, "The iron soldier got pushed back!"

    "What happened?!" Junhyuk asked his cell phone.

    [The corpses of the monsters grouped up creating arger monster.]

    "What?!"

    Another bang rang out by the windows, and the pilot backed off, scared.

    "Wh-what is that?"

    Junhyuk looked at the stairwell and ran toward it. The iron soldier was holding onto an arm that was about seven meters long. The arm wasposed of parts of dead monsters.

    "That arm is so long! How big is the monster?" Junhyuk murmured.

    It wasn¡¯t just a simple monster brought back to life, but a conglomeration of monsters. The palm of the iron soldiers hand shone blue, and a big beam shot out of its arm.

    Boom!

    The dead pieces making up the arm scattered, and Junhyuk asked the cell phone, "How about the poring?"

    [It¡¯s moving up. Dealing with this monster is not easy.]

    "The beam just now. How about using it on the poring?" he asked.

    [The chance of it killing the poring is less than 30 percent.]

    "It didn¡¯t die with the napalm bomb. It came back to life, which means the bomb might not be the answer," he said.

    [Among the weapons the iron soldier is carrying, only the napalm bomb will do the job.]

    "Push it out of the building with the beam and then use the bomb on it," he said.

    The iron soldier flew up and entered the building again. Because it could fly, it could avoid the other monsters and deal directly with the poring. However, the poring wasn¡¯t an easy enemy. More loud noises rang out, and the iron soldier got pushed through the roof. Seeing that, Junhyuk frowned. The iron soldier flew away, making a hole on the roof, and Junhyuk could see another arm made up of dead parts through it.

    Just the arm was seven meters long, which meant that the monster had to be at least ten meters tall. Its size shocked him.

    "It¡¯s almost art."

    The iron soldier fired the five missiles, and they all hit the monster and exploded.

    Boom!

    The monster was killed, and its dead bits flew everywhere. Being made up of other dead monsters, it wasn¡¯t that strong. Now, however, the iron soldier only had one napalm bomb left in its arsenal. It could not make any mistakes when dealing with the poring.

    The others gathered behind Junhyuk as he observed the situation. He thought the poring would appear through the door, but the giant dead monster¡¯s body was being sucked through the hole on the roof.

    "Is that the poring?" Junhyuk asked his cell phone.

    [It¡¯s eating the giant monster.]

    "Will it get bigger?"

    [Yes, it will.]

    Junhyuk sighed. When all of the monster disappeared, a ten-meter tall poring took its ce.

    "It doesn¡¯t look like it has a brain!"

    [I¡¯llmence the attack.]

    The iron soldier flew at the poring and extended its hands, releasing the blue beam.

    Boom!

    The impact against the poring was significant, but it did not look like the attack could kill it. The poring bits scattered apart, and two poring headed toward Junhyuk and the other people. In response, Tsubasa ignited the chain of explosions on them.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

    After that, nothing remained of the two, and Junhyuk thought her power worked even better than the napalm bombs.

    Tsubasa¡¯s cell phone ran, and when she picked it up, she heard Zaira¡¯s voice.

    [The iron soldier will buy you more time until you poweres off cooldown.]

    "How did you know about me?"

    [I¡¯ll buy you more time.]

    Tsubasa frowned, and the iron soldier fired the remaining bullets at the poring.

    Rat-at-at-at-tat!

    The pieces of poring that had scattered were rposing themselves. If things continued that way, the iron soldier wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything.

    It waited for the poring to gather itself up to fire the beam at it. However, instead of sending it out as a beam attack, it gathered the energy into an orb. When the orb entered the poring¡¯s body, it exploded.

    Boom!

    The huge explosion destroyed part of the poring, and only half of it remained. The rest of the parts started gathering themselves up again, and that¡¯s when Tsubasa whispered to her phone, "I¡¯m ready."

    She waited until the poring bits gathered in one spot and used her power again

    Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

    The poring exploded again, and the pieces flew all over. Junhyuk took one of the pieces into his hand and looked at it. It was still moving, and he frowned, thinking that they probably all had to be burned.

    "Zaira, we have to burn the poring bits!"

    [I¡¯m scanning the area.]

    The iron soldier took off, and Zaira ryed through his cell phone, [There are 122 poring pieces. Starting collection.]

    The iron soldier gathered the other pieces while Junhyuk looked at the one in his hand. He had never seen a monster like that. It revived and ate other monsters, getting bigger in the process.

    "It¡¯ll be dangerous if more of these show up!"

    [Gather the specimen, and we¡¯lle up with a way to fight it.]

    "Gather the specimen?"

    [It¡¯s forter.]

    Junhyuk agreed. They needed to be ready for more poring, but he still said, "Be careful. It might revive."

    [I know. I¡¯ll keep it in small pieces so that it won¡¯t get strong.]

    Junhyuk looked at the people behind him. They looked frazzled and they walked toward him. However, after seeing the poring bit in his hand, they took a few steps back. The piece was still moving.

    "It doesn¡¯t look that dangerous," the pilot said.

    "Th-that is the monster?"

    "Correct."

    The iron soldier approached Junhyuk and took the piece from his hand.

    "Take the specimen ande up with a countermeasure," he said. Then, he looked at Tsubasa and Soyeon and added, "You did well."

    Soyeon shook her head and smiled.

    "We didn¡¯t do anything?"

    Tsubasa stared at Junhyuk. During thest monster attack, he had held the door. Now, he had made all the right calls.

    She smiled and said, "You worked hard."

    "You worked hard," he said, looking back at her.

 Chapter 230: Decision 1

    Chapter 230: Decision 1

    There were many people within Guardians who did not know Junhyuk, especially outside of the administrative and the research departments. Guardians had also hired new employees to help with monster research, so now they had over a hundred people employed by them.

    That day was the first time some of those people saw Junhyuk. The research team was working on the building after the poring incident. They were all wearing HAZMAT suits, and Junhyuk looked at Soyeon.

    Soyeon and Tsubasa were sitting on the back of an ambnce, covered by trauma nkets.

    "First, go to hospital and check to see if there¡¯s anything wrong. If you require medical attention, thepany will pay for it with its insurance," he told them both.

    "I just feel rxed from anxiety."

    "When people get into car crashes, some symptoms appearter, just like now. Go to the hospital. I already made a report." Junhyuk looks at Tsubasa and added, "How are you feeling?"

    "I want to return to thepany. Is that possible?"

    Junhyuk paused to think.

    "Then, let¡¯s all go to the hospital first, and you can go back to thepany with me."

    "What about me?"

    "Soyeon, you can go home."

    "But..."

    "Please, do as I tell you."

    Soyeon was very nervous, and he didn¡¯t want her to go back to work. Tsubasa probably wanted to go back so that she could make her report on her power usage. That¡¯s why Junhyuk agreed.

    He patted Soyeon¡¯s head and got on the ambnce himself.

    "Let¡¯s leave."

    The ambnce started, and Soyeon stared at him.

    "How did you manage to stay with apany like this?"

    Junhyuk chuckled.

    "To be honest, I¡¯m quitting this week."

    "What?"

    Soyeon and Tsubasa were shocked by the statement and stared at him.

    "The new employees were hired to rece me. Not because they were short of people."

    Soyeon couldn¡¯t keep her mouth closed, and Tsubasa was visibly surprised.

    "Are you really quitting?"

    Junhyuk nodded.

    "I have some work to do."

    Soyeon and Tsubasa kept quiet all the way to the hospital and remained silent until all exams were over. Guardians had already called the hospital, and they were able to get examined quickly. Junhyuk was also examined, and they all left right after everything was over.

    They hadte lunch, and he sent Soyeon home. By taking a cab, he and Tsubasa went back to work. Junhyuk went to Eunseo¡¯s office to make his report while Tsubasa went to see Elise.

    Eunseo was sitting on her wheelchair, and she offered him a seat when she saw him walk in. After he sat down, she moved over.

    "I read the report. Without your quick thinking, casualties would¡¯ve been much higher."

    He stared at her without speaking. He had only gone over there so he could get an answer from her. Things were going from bad to worse, and he wanted her to side with him.

    He waited for it quietly.

    Eunseo felt his eyes on her and avoided looking at them.

    "Why are you looking at me like that?"

    "You haven¡¯t given me an answer."

    She hesitated.

    "I haven¡¯t decided yet."

    Still looking at her, he said, "I¡¯ll wait." There was no need to make her feel nervous, so he got up from his seat and added, "You know this is myst week here, right?"

    Eunseo fixed her sses and answered, "I know."

    He stared calmly at her.

    "I¡¯m going home."

    "Please do."

    Junhyuk left, and Eunseo walked out. Dohee approached her and asked, "Where are you going?"

    "I want to meet Elise."

    "Of course."

    Eunseo headed to the basement and met Tsubasa standing in front of an elevator. Tsubasa greeted her first, and Eunseo nodded lightly.

    "You had tough time today."

    "I¡¯m OK."

    "If you aren¡¯t feeling well, go to the hospital. Thepany will pay for everything."

    Tsubasa smiled and said, "I¡¯ll be heading home."

    "Please do."

    Eunseo went off to meet Elise. She was looking at the moving poring bits that the iron soldier had brought her.

    "I have a lot of visitors today." Elise shocked a piece of the poring with electricity and asked, "What¡¯s going on?"

    Eunseo looked at Dohee and said, "Don¡¯t let anyone in here."

    "Sure."

    Eunseo got up and looked at Elise.

    "Do you know it?"

    "Know what?"

    Elise¡¯s eyes widened, and Eunseo stood opposite of her.

    "Do you know that I became a novice?"

    Elise smiled.

    "I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d tell me."

    "Guardians created a machine to detect novices."

    Elise crossed her arms and looked at Eunseo. Their conversation continued in hushed tones.

    "Does anyone else know?"

    "I¡¯m the only one."

    "If Zaira knows, can anyone find out about it? Including my brother?"

    Elise shook her head.

    "They do have rights to the novice-detecting machine, but they can¡¯t see anything unless I authorize it."

    "You authorize it?"

    Elise extended her arms wide and said, "All rights to Zairae from me."

    Eunseo thought that Elise was too powerful. She was in control of all information.

    "I have a favor to ask." Elise waited for her to speak, and Eunseo said, "Hide the fact that I¡¯ve became a novice."

    "Why should I?"

    "I will owe you bigtime."

    Elise shook her head, saying, "You can¡¯t ask me a favor like that."

    "What do you mean?"

    "You¡¯ll be going back to the Dimensional Battlefield every two weeks."

    "Do you mean to say you want me to bring back blood and mana stones?"

    Elise just smiled.

    "Correct. But I¡¯ll pay you the correct value for them. However, you have to give me the purchasing rights."

    "Why should I?!"

    Elise waited until Eunseo calmed down and said, "If you bring back stones, there will only be a few people who would be able to buy them, including Doyeol. If you sell the stones to them, they¡¯ll know who you are."

    Eunseo was still unable to understand and just stared at Elise. By contract, Elise merely shrugged.

    "I will give you weapons coated in monster dposition liquid," she added.

    "Those weapons won¡¯t work against heroes."

    Eunseo knew about the heroes. She had killed a hero, but she didn¡¯t want to go against another one again. Elise¡¯s weapons wouldn¡¯t even scratch them.

    "I¡¯m giving you weapons to kill monsters. Not heroes."

    "To safeguard me from monsters?"

    Elise nodded.

    "You can only keep your privacy if you sell the stones to me, so let¡¯s make the deal." Elise said, then, she whispered, "And I¡¯ll keep your secret."

    Eunseo realized that Elise was just trying to help.

    "I¡¯ll do it."

    "Good thinking."

    Eunseo sat back down on her wheelchair and asked, "Is Tsubasa a novice?"

    "I can¡¯t tell you."

    "Right."

    Eunseo had watched them kill a poring that day. The iron soldier hadn¡¯t done anything at the time, and it wasn¡¯t one of Junhyuk¡¯s powers. Her guess was that Tsubasa had done it, even more so after she saw Tsubasa leaving Elise¡¯s office. Now, she was sure.

    "My brother sent her here?"

    Elise shrugged, but didn¡¯t answer. After that, she left without saying anything else.

    While heating a piece of the poring, Elise said, "Zaira. The information on Eunseo can¡¯t go anywhere else. Only I¡¯ll have ess to it."

    [Understood.]

    Elise looked at the poring and started thinking about using a monster to fight monsters.

    "Develop that method..." she murmured to herself. "I have a lot of work to do."

    While she was busy researching other things, she nned her secret research on the poring.

    "I could use some extra hands in here."

    Meanwhile, Junhyuk was talking to the other employees. They had heard about the poring, and congratted him on returning alive. After handing them some work, he left. He went home and put on his mask, heading straight to GST after.

    He saw a few people standing around on the first floor and smiled. They are members of Bakdu¡¯s security team. They nodded toward him and went to work while Junhyuk took the elevator to the ninth floor.

    When he exited it, he saw Sungtae talking to four foreigners. Sungtae saw him and got up abruptly.

    "You came?!"

    "Yes, who are these people?"

    "The friends I told you about."

    Junhyuk looked at them. All of their healths were between four and five, but two of them had a lot of mana. He could tell they were special people.

    Junhyuk offered them a handshake.

    "I¡¯m Max, GST¡¯s CEO."

    "Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Chuck."

    The man was over 180 centimeters tall, and Junhyuk shook his hand.

    "I¡¯m Tirot."

    Tirot was from India and was one of the ones with high mana.

    "I¡¯m Armando."

    After greeting Armando, he saw a woman. Her sses had such thick lenses that they made him dizzy when looking at them.

    "I¡¯m Brita."

    "Wee."

    Brita also had high mana.

    Junhyuk looked at Sungtae.

    "They are all my college buddies."

    "Unemployed now?"

    "Yes."

    "They want to be employed, I presume?"

    "Six-hour work days and the rest is free. Those are the terms of the contract."

    "Sry?"

    "A total of $500 thousand."

    Junhyuk thought Sungtae had done a good job in the negotiations.

    "You must keep everything you do here secret. Do you understand?"

    Everyone nodded, and Junhyuk had them sign the contracts. Sungtae took the group to the sixth floor, leaving Junhyuk alone.

    "Concerning my previous instructions, did you find anything?" he asked Ganesha.

    [One person activated a power in South Korea, but that person disappeared right away. However, the information still remains.]

 Chapter 231: Decision 2

    Chapter 231: Decision 2

    "Did you find out who posted about the novice online?" Junhyuk asked while taking a seat on the chair.

    Suddenly, the screen disyed the profile of a short-haired man.

    "Sungju Kim. A sophomore at Dosung University. Age: 23..."

    Junhyuk touched his chin and looked at the picture.

    "Can I read what he posted about the power?"

    Ganesha disyed a simple statement on screen.

    [You can¡¯t get away from me. I have the power to restrain you.]

    Junhyuk frowned and asked, "This look rather dangerous, doesn¡¯t it?"

    Junhyuk wanted those who activated powers to join him, but Sungju sounded dangerous and unstable.

    "How about his position or location?" he asked.

    [Right now, his phone is turned off.]

    "From when?"

    [The statement was posted a couple of hours ago, and the cell phone got turned off an hour ago.]

    Today was Monday, and Sungju must¡¯ve returned on Friday. What was he thinking? Sungju could¡¯ve caused trouble with his power on that same Friday.

    "Ganesha, can you check for more of his writing online and the messages on his phone?" Junhyuk asked.

    [Already did.]

    The screen disyed the cell phone messages, and Junhyuk was able to guess at his state of mind.

    "He the same number thirty times, but the person didn¡¯t pick up."

    The situation had be clear to him.

    "Show me the information on the person he called."

    A woman¡¯s face appeared on the screen, along with her profile.

    "Eunkyung Choi. Dosung University¡¯s Queen."

    Considering the messages, Sungju was stalking her. He hadn¡¯t known how she would treat him in real life, but now that he had been to the Dimensional Battlefield, he understood the overall situation.

    He had called her many times, but the woman didn¡¯t pick up. Considering his phone was turned off, Junhyuk concluded Sungju was missing, "Where is Eunkyung?"

    [She¡¯s at Dosung University.]

    Junhyuk took some time to think. Zaira had to know about that situation. Doyeol must have wanted Sungju, but Sungju was dangerous.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    Junhyuk decided to meet Sungju first and make a decision after meeting him. He was getting ready to leave when Sungtae came in and asked, "Where are you going?"

    "Keep an eye on this ce. I¡¯ll get in touch through Ganesha."

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk bumped into Daesan Kang outside. He greeted him, and Junhyuk asked, "Can I borrow your car?"

    "I¡¯ll drive you."

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "I don¡¯t trust you for that just yet. Just lend me your car."

    Daesan gave him the car keys, and Junhyuk went to the parking lot to look for it.

    "That¡¯s a very cool car."

    It was a Range Rover from Land Rover. Junhyuk was fond of luxury SUVs. He like it more than his Tiguan.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    He entered the address for Dosung University on the GPS and used the app on his cell phone tomunicate with Ganesha.

    "Ganesha, if Eunkyung¡¯s cell phone¡¯s location changes, let me know."

    [She is inside Dosung University.]

    "OK."

    He doesn¡¯t know Sungju¡¯s particr power, but he didn¡¯t think it would kill him. Even if he had an attack power, Junhyuk had fought heroes before. He was not going there as the Dark Knight, so some damage might get through. However, Junhyuk was nning to summon all of the necessary equipment.

    Doyeol might have already sent R-agents in, so Junhyuk had to be careful.

    He mmed on the elerator.

    ---

    Dosung University.

    The university was located at the edge of Seoul, but still within the city. They epted good students with good grades. When Junhyuk entered it, he checked for Eunkyung¡¯s location.

    [The east building has arge lecture hall. She¡¯s in there.]

    He scouted the parking lot and parked far from it. There were three ck vans parked there.

    Seeing them, Junhyuk summoned some of his equipment, including the two arm warmers. He walked slowly.

    "Can you control the CCTV cameras around here?" he asked Ganesha.

    [I can.]

    "Find out if someone else has ess to it."

    [Two other teams essing the feeds.]

    "Make sure they don¡¯t know about us."

    [Certainly.]

    Then, he heard Sungtae¡¯s voice saying, "I¡¯ll support you. Don¡¯t worry about it."

    He knew how good of a hacker Sungtae was. If Sungtae worked with Ganesha, even Zaira wouldn¡¯t know what was happening.

    "OK. Send the CCTV feeds to my cell phone."

    After watching them, he decided to go into the lecture hall. He teleported twice to enter. Once there, he pressed his back against the wall and asked, "Can you see Eunkyung?"

    [I put her on screen.]

    Junhyuk saw the woman¡¯s face on his cell phone. She was eating snacks with her friends.

    "Run all of the feeds through my phone."

    Every feed appeared on his cell phone. Most of them showed ordinary students, but there were some of men wearing suits.

    "Thanks."

    They were probably R-agents. They are wearing suits and divided in teams of two agents each.

    "If you find Sungju, let me know," Junhyuk said.

    There was no guarantee that Sungju would be there, but the possibility of it was very high. If not, the R-agents wouldn¡¯t be there.

    Junhyuk walked slowly. Others had ess to the CCTV feeds, and he guessed that it was Zaira and Doyeol. Elise was on Doyeol¡¯s side, but she acted independently sometimes. Junhyuk was walking while dodging the cameras when he heard Ganesha.

    [A hooded man appeared on the third floor. He¡¯s moving while trying to avoid the cameras, but his build matches Sungju¡¯s.]

    "OK. What about the others?"

    [The men in ck suits are moving to the third floor.]

    "Where is Eunkyung?"

    [Fourth floor.]

    "Good."

    Junhyuk started to move again and asked, "Can you turn off the CCTV cameras momentarily?"

    [It¡¯s possible.]

    "On my signal turn, them off."

    [But I won¡¯t be able to guide you after that.]

    "I don¡¯t care."

    Junhyuk looked up. The R-agents were moving quickly.

    "Now!"

    The cell phone feed turned off along with the CCTVs, and Junhyuk took off running. He would use his teleportation only when necessary, which he thought it would be because he didn¡¯t want to kill the R-agents.

    On the stairs, he frowned. He saw an agent blocking his path. There were five other agents that he could see, but there were many more within the building.

    He engaged. Junhyuk extended his hand, but the R-agent blocked his advanced and tried to punch him. He had used his hand as a feint, however, and pulled the agent to himself, headbutting the agent.

    Crack!

    He broke the R-agents nose and elbowed his neck, leaving him with one health. Then, he mmed the agent on the ground and left.

    There were five agents remaining on the fourth floor. Sungju might be captured by them first, but it seemed like his objective was to get to Eunkyung. Junhyuk walked fast.

    Sungju opened the door to the room where Eunkyung was. Eunkyung was inside talking to someone, and the R-agents sped up to get to her as well.

    Junhyuk walked even faster.

    "You just yed me!" rang the voice of a man.

    A loud scream came from the room, and the agents went inside. Junhyuk watched from the door. He could see blue chains wrapped around Eunkyung.

    The women were screaming, and Sungju was staring at the R-agents.

    They tried to tase him, but Sungju wasn¡¯t an easy opponent. He dodged their attacks.

    Meanwhile, Junhyuk looked at Eunkyung chained up. She was bleeding from her mouth, and her health was at zero. She was already dead.

    Even the most basic damage would kill ordinary people, so Junhyuk watched Sungju dodging the agents. He was running wild.

    The R-agents were equipped with Taser guns, but they weren¡¯t enough this time. Sungju extended his hand out suddenly, and the blue chains wrapped around an R-agent and mmed him against the wall.

    Junhyuk saw the R-agents health pool empty even though the agent had more health than ordinary people. The damage of Sungju¡¯s attack was still able to kill him. His goal was to kill the agents, and Junhyuk frowned.

    There was madness in Sungju¡¯s eyes. He was not himself aftering back from the Dimensional Battlefield. He was using his power to kill people.

    JUnhyuk was very calm.

    Sungju couldn¡¯t be an ally. He was too dangerous.

    The R-agents continued to attack him, but Sungju threw his chains against him. Sungju didn¡¯t have any equipment, and he couldn¡¯t fight evenly against the well-trained agents, so he wanted to take advantage of the chaos.

    The agents closed in on him and pulled out their batons, but Sungju was moving erratically. An agent rolled closer to him, and Sungju stepped back, but he was cornered. All of the R-agents went at him at the same time, but Sungju smiled and extended his hand forward. The blue chains wrapped around an agent¡¯s neck, arm and legs, mming him back.

    The other R-agents were also mmed against the wall. The first agent died, and the other agents couldn¡¯t move.

    Sungju picked up a baton from the ground and walked to the surviving agents.

    "Fuck! Who the fuck are you?!"

    Sungju was about to strike the R-agents with the baton when someone grabbed his arm.

    "That¡¯s enough."

 Chapter 232: Decision 3

    Chapter 232: Decision 3

    Sungju was about to curse at Junhyuk, who had grabbed his wrist, but before he did, he was already flying in the air. After rolling on the ground, he looked at Junhyuk and watched him punch the R-agents on the chin.

    Thuck!

    Each blow knocked an R-agent out. After putting every R-agent to sleep, Junhyuk walked toward the front of the lecture room. The female students were scared of him, and Junhyuk hit the back of their necks lightly. He was wearing a bandana around his head hide his face from people.

    The women lost consciousness, and Junhyuk looked around the room. Eunkyung and the R-agents were on the ground still in chains. Junhyuk got a handle on the cooldown of Sungju¡¯s power and stood in front of him.

    Sungju was staring intently at him, and Junhyuk unwrapped his bandana and smiled. Junhyuk was emanating cold-blooded killing intent, and Sungju got scared. Junhyuk approached.

    Sungju had been to the Dimensional Battlefield and knew what was taking ce at the moment. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t an opponent he could deal with, so he lowered his head, and Junhyuk frowned.

    "Look up."

    "I didn¡¯t do this intentionally."

    "No excuses."

    Sungju was groveling at Junhyuk¡¯s feet and extended his hand toward him. The chain wrapped around Junhyuk¡¯s neck, arm and leg and mmed him toward the wall. Then, Sungju picked up a baton and yelled, "Fuck! I knew I couldn¡¯t kill you!"

    He ran at Junhyuk and swung the baton at him. It broke in half, leaving Sungju excited, but that¡¯s when Junhyuk said, "Your power deals damage, but without it you are nothing."

    Sungju got so scared that he ran away, and Junhyuk added, "You have three seconds."

    Sungju broke down the door and kept running. Meanwhile, Junhyuk untied himself from the chains and followed. Sungju kept going at full speed. He had run for three seconds, but he didn¡¯t know where he could go, so he used the door by the stairwell and went through it. Junhyuk teleported.

    He was walking up the stairs, and when Sungju saw him, he was terrified. Junhyuk smiled coldly at him.

    Because he was wearing his mask, the smiled was even more reminiscent of a killer. Sungju knew he couldn¡¯t kill him, so he ran back to the lecture room, but when he saw Eunkyung dead, he frowned.

    Junhyuk teleported in front of him and said.

    "Do you realize what you did now?"

    "It wasn¡¯t my intention..."

    His voice gave out, and Sungju walked over to Eunkyung¡¯s corpse and hugged her. Junhyuk stood behind him.

    "You did this."

    "Fuck! I didn¡¯t mean to!"

    Sungju was about to cry, but Junhyuk grabbed his head and mmed it against the ground, leveling it with Eunkyung¡¯s head. Sungju closed his eyes.

    "You did this. Don¡¯t avert your eyes."

    "I, I, I... "

    "I know the Dimensional Battlefield is a shitshow. Even if you return alive, it¡¯s hard to stay sane," Junhyuk said. "But you¡¯ve crossed the line."

    He couldn¡¯t be controlled and he couldn¡¯t be trusted. However, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t let him go either. Doyeol might enlist him to his side, and he would be dangerous. Even Junhyuk knew the danger of those chains. Novices didn¡¯t have a lot of equipment, so if Sungju tied them up, and Doyeol¡¯s forces focused their attacks on them, they could be killed.

    He couldn¡¯t let him live.

    Junhyuk balled left his hand into a fist and raised it. He was about to finish it. However, Sungju pointed his palm toward him, and the blue chains wrapped around him again.

    Junhyukughed.

    "You can gain a few seconds, but you can¡¯t get away from me."

    Sungju got up and stared at him.

    "Who are you to judge me?!"

    "You have three seconds," Junhyuk said.

    Sungju gritted his teeth and started running away, but he took a different path this time. He was running toward the window. When he reached it, he jumped down from it.

    Junhyuk got loose and ran to the window. Sungju had jumped from four stories high, and it looked like he had just broken a leg and was getting away. Junhyuk kept watching and saw the R-agents noticing Sungju from their vans and running toward him. Junhyuk had trusted his powers too much.

    Sungju was limping, but he stopped once he saw the agents. Then, he turned around and pointed the middle finger at Junhyuk, thinking that the R-agents were there to protect him.

    Junhyuk returned the Pure Golden Knight Elder¡¯s Ring and summoned the Blood Rune Sword. They couldn¡¯t see his sword from where they were.

    "You son of a bitch! Eat shit and die!"

    Sungju was waiving his middle finger around, and Junhyuk released the Spatial sh. The Bloody Rune Sword shed, slicing Sungju¡¯s neck.

    "Ugh!"

    Sungju vomited blood, grabbing his neck with his hand and finding nothing but a gash. Junhyuk returned his equipment and disappeared.

    The R-agents stood over Sungju, and others looked to where Junhyuk had been standing. They really couldn¡¯t see anything.

    While talking to Ganesha, Junhyuk looked around him and walked away.

    "How is the situation?"

    [One of them is in control of the CCTV feeds.]

    "Erase everything concerning Sungju and the R-agents. How much time do I have?"

    [I can do it in thirty seconds.]

    Ganesha was really powerful, and Junhyuk wrapped himself with the bandana and headed up the stairs. The door to the roof was sealed, so he teleported outside. Then, he leaned over the building and scoped out the area. The R-agents were taking Sungju¡¯s dead body to their van.

    "Will they research the novice¡¯s corpse?"

    Others were entering the building. He had already made sure that Sungju¡¯s health had hit zero, so there was no reason for him to stay there. To get away, Junhyuk used his skill to jump high in the air. Then, he teleported andnded far away from the lecture hall.

    He walks to his parked car, and once inside it, he called Ganesha.

    "Any trace of me?"

    [None.]

    "What about the CCTV footage?"

    [No trace.]

    The important thing was to get away from there, so he started his car, and once he got far away from the university, he rolled down the window and felt the wind on his face as he stepped on the gas. He did what he had to do, but there was still remorse.

    Handling the wheel tightly, he drove for a while before getting back to GST¡¯s parking lot. Daesan and Sungtae were there waiting for him. When he got out of the car, he tossed the keys at Daesan and said, "Nice ride."

    "It¡¯s nothing."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t say anything else and left Daesan behind. Sungtae followed him to the elevator, and once inside, he checked him out and asked, "How was your business?"

    Junhyuk looked at him.

    "Ganesha said you wanted to collect a novice, but you came back alone."

    Junhyuk grabbed a hold of him and said, "I did not tell you because you did not need to know."

    "Right, right!"

    "Just understand it and forget about it."

    Sungtae nodded quickly.

    "Thanks," he said and continued, "By the way, do your friends have unique skills?"

    "They are not unique skills, but they are interested in different things. Tirot and Brita are impressive though."

    "Impressive?"

    "They are both very creative. Their thought processes are very different. Sometimes, theye up with cool idea, but usually, they are very strange."

    Junhyuk looked at him and said, "You are like that too."

    Sungtaeughed hard.

    "Ha-ha-ha-ha! You are wrong. I onlye up with cool ideas."

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "Why haven¡¯t you gotten out?"

    They had passed the ninth floor, heading to the tenth, and Sungtae shrugged.

    "I¡¯m escorting you."

    Junhyukughed, got out on the tenth floor and looked at him.

    "I like Ganesha¡¯s capabilities."

    "You know how much it cost already."

    "No one ising after me, right?"

    Sungtae pounded his chest and said proudly, "Don¡¯t worry. Ibined my skills with Ganesha¡¯s. No one can trace you."

    Junhyuk smiled at him and said, "Close the door."

    "Rest easy."

    The elevator¡¯s door shut, and Junhyuk went to his office. Sitting on a chair, he looked out the window. He was watching the nightlife outside while he pulled out his burner phone and called Sarang.

    "Big brother! What¡¯s up?"

    "I just wanted to hear from you"

    "Big brother, did something happen?" she asked him carefully.

    Junhyuk was shocked by the scope of her skills and said, "Nothing serious."

    He didn¡¯t want to tell her he had just killed a man in South Korea. He just wanted to hear her bright voice. That was good enough for him.

    "What were you doing?"

    "I was thinking about you."

    "What?! Are you teasing me?"

    "He-he! I was studying."

    They exchanged jokes, and his mind rxed.

 Chapter 233: Resignation 1

    Chapter 233: Resignation 1

    Elise was looking at the images Zaira was disying on the screen while tapping her finger against her chin.

    "Look at this!"

    Examining the skill involved, it looked like the work of the work of the hacker who had leaked the info to the intest time, but this time, it was much more precise. The hacker had disrupted Zaira¡¯s connection to the CCTV footage and was still jamming it. Zaira had tried to use over 172 different cameras to get footage of the situation, but it was unable to, so Zaira had to give up.

    All screens went dark after the R-agents went in.

    "Who could have done this? There aren¡¯t many who are capable of it."

    Zaira had erased everything pertaining to power searches, but someone had still shown up, and that someone had to have aputer like Zaira.

    "Zaira, have you located the person?"

    [I was using GPS to trace him, but it¡¯s disconnected now. Tracking is impossible.]

    "We are also using resources for other things, but still, there aren¡¯t many who could have done this! Even if it¡¯s the same hacker, he can¡¯t continue this for long. We¡¯ve also wiped all of the virus."

    [To do this kind of work, he would need a supeputer. There are only about ten capableputers in the world.]

    "You mean there are only tenputers that could do it?"

    [Yes.]

    "Investigate and sweep thoseputers to find the hacker."

    [Understood.]

    "Can you do it?"

    [Can I use 10 percent of my processing power for it?]

    "Do it."

    Elise never shirked away from a challenge.

    "Nobody¡¯s beaten me yet."

    ---

    After he came home and started training, his cell phone rang. Someone was calling Max¡¯s phone. It was Sungtae, and he spoke with urgency.

    "Turn on the TV!"

    "Wait a sec."

    Junhyuk teleported to the living room and turned the TV on to see news that left him speechless.

    "There¡¯s been a triple murder at Dosung University. The women have only been identified by theirst names, Choi, Kim and Lee, but police are having a hard time locating the suspect. The CCTV footage seems to have been wiped."

    Junhyuk scowled, and Sungtae spoke up, "What happened?"

    "The R-agents must have killed them as a cover up."

    "R-agents?"

    "The people who came to kill you."

    Junhyuk scowl remained. Why did they kill the witnesses? Sungju was already dead, but they were probably interested in running experiments on his body.

    "They couldn¡¯t leave any leads."

    If they investigated Eunkyung¡¯s phone, they would find out about Sungju. But they had to have put a trace on it too. Junhyuk copsed on the sofa and let out a deep sigh.

    "I shouldn¡¯t have let them live."

    The R-agents had survived and killed the witnesses.

    Junhyuk teleported, grabbed a can of beer from the refrigerator and chugged it. He couldn¡¯t really taste the beer. After that, he teleported back to the basement and summoned every piece of equipment he had.

    Training was the best way to clear one¡¯s mind.

    ---

    He reported to work early and got a call from Eunseo. She offered him a seat when he entered her office, and he sat down. Eunseo walked over to him. Junhyuk was a little surprised, and she leaned against the desk and crossed her legs.

    He looked at her legs and then at her eyes. She liked the fact he was more interested in her eyes than in her legs and smiled. She didn¡¯t usually smile, so the smile was slight, but it was still noticeable.

    Junhyuk smiled back at her.

    "You don¡¯t need your wheelchair anymore?"

    "Because of the poring incident, the public has lost confidence on Guardians. HQ is also continually under attack. So, this will be good time to announce the regeneration project is a sess."

    "Announce it?"

    "I am proof of the project¡¯s sess. It will be effective that way."

    "Right."

    The monsters posed a threat to Guardians, but not as much to the public nowadays. Every monster that appeared away from Guardians¡¯ HQ was handled with rtive ease.

    Eunseo continued, "The iron soldiers will be stationed in South Korea as the first line of defense."

    "Will that work?"

    "It has to. This is the most dangerous spot. Seoul HQ will be repaired, and the dposition liquid will be supplied to the military. Then, the military will be able to fight monsters as well."

    "You¡¯ll be making a lot of money."

    "Probably billions."

    Junhyuk was surprised.

    "That much?!"

    "Guardians will no longer require outside financial support."

    "Good to know."

    Junhyuk looked at her, but she avoided his stare. He got up slowly to get her attention again.

    "Have you made up your mind?"

    "I¡¯ve only had a day."

    He smiled and looked at her. She stared at his smile with intensity that was about to drill a hole on his lips. He tried to avoid looking at her, but she grabbed his cheeks. Coming as close as possible to his face, she whispered, "I¡¯m willing to be on your side, but can you promise me that you won¡¯t hide anything from me?"

    A rtionship without any secrets, he had to think about it. Still holding onto his face, she said, "It¡¯s your turn to answer."

    He realized then that he hadn¡¯t just approached a novice. They would have a much more personal rtionship if she joined his team, and he couldn¡¯t buy rtionships like that with money.

    As far as money went, he probably had more liquidity than her because his money wasn¡¯t tied up somewhere as investment. By using her connections, he could achieve a lot more than by himself.

    However, he was hesitating. She, on the other hand, didn¡¯t, and pressed her lips against his, kissing him. She closed her eyes, so he closed his eyes as well. Her arms wrapped around his neck while he wrapped his around her waist. She didn¡¯t resist it.

    The kiss onlysted for a few seconds, but it felt like forever. He stepped back, and she exhaled lightly. He smiled at her, and she stared back at him. Her stare concerned him, and she kissed him again. Things moved quickly, and heid her on her desk, but she stopped, got up and asked, "Can you answer me now?"

    She looked very innocent under her sses, but he was hesitating. He would have to bepletely open with her, but he had a simr rtionship with Sarang.

    "I can¡¯t decide by myself."

    Eunseo frowned.

    "You mean Catherine..."

    He didn¡¯t answer. She had guessed correctly and took a few steps back. After adjusting her clothes, she told him, "Before you resign, get an answer from her. If not, I will not join your side."

    He got up and looked at her.

    "I understand."

    He was about to leave when she called after him and said, "I¡¯ve sent you an email concerning today¡¯s announcement. Trante it for me. It¡¯ll go out to the entire world."

    "I¡¯ll do it."

    He got out and got on the elevator, touching his lips slowly as he entered. Her lips hadn¡¯t felt cold or pretentious, but hot and passionate.

    Dohee stared at him as he left for the Administrative Department. Once he was gone, Dohee entered Eunseo¡¯s office.

    Eunseo was also touching her lips, red like a ripe apple.

    "CEO?"

    Eunseo fanned herself with her hand and looked at Dohee.

    "What is the matter?"

    "Nothing," Dohee said and left.

    Eunseo sighed and sat on her chair. Tapping her feet, she said, "Crazy, crazy."

    ---

    Junhyuk focused on his work. He handed out a few instructions and started tranting the email. It took him an hour to trante everything, and once he sent the email back, he got up.

    "Can I have your attention, please?"

    The emails contained the news conference¡¯s location and time.

    "There will be a news conference today. Use Zaira to contact various newspapers. The conference will be at 2:00 p.m. Tell them to not bete. It¡¯ll concern a new medicine."

    "Yes, sir."

    The employees started getting in touch with newspapers and other media outlets with Zaira¡¯s help. Tsubasa could trante from then on, and the other employees had learned how to use Zaira. There was nothing more for him to do.

    The preparations for his resignation were over.

    "I have to make up my mind up before resigning!"

    He wanted to meet Sarang, so he went to the resting area and messaged her with his burner phone.

    [Can you meet me tonight?]

    He got a reply soon after.

    [Whoa! I have time! Certainly!]

    He sent another message back.

    [I will stop by your school. Wear your disguise, OK?"

    [I have the Spatial Bag. No problem.]

    [Right.]

    [OK! See youter!]

    He put the phone away just as Soyeon walked in. He smiled at her.

    "How about some coffee?"

    "I¡¯ll get it for you."

    "I¡¯m sorry, but you haven¡¯t been paid yet. I¡¯ll buy it."

    He grabbed a couple of cups from the vending machine, and Soyeon took one and sat down. He sat next to her and asked, "Are you OK?"

    "I¡¯m fine. I was a little shocked, but the doctors said there was nothing wrong."

    "That¡¯s good."

    Soyeon examined him and asked, "Are you really resigning?"

    He nodded heavily, saying, "I¡¯ve made up my mind."

    "But..." She asked carefully, "Can I join you?"

    He shook his head.

    "Guardians is just starting, so it¡¯s going through some issues, but its foundation is solid. Soon, the dangers will pass, and the ce will be safe. Guardians will be a worldwide entity, so stay here."

    Soyeon looked at him, and he continued, "Just watch today¡¯s conference. Guardians is a totally differentpany now."

 Chapter 234: Resignation 2

    Chapter 234: Resignation 2

    Therger newspapers and broadcastingpanies gathered in the conference room. Foreign correspondents were also present at Guardians. The Administrative Department worked busily to prepare the room, and Junhyuk saw his former coworkers on dispatch.

    "Mr. Jang!"

    "Long time no see!"

    They had needed more people than the Administrative Department could provide, so they dispatched ST Capsule¡¯s Strategy Department. Somin hadn¡¯t seen him in a long time.

    "How are you? I heard Guardians HQ was attacked several times."

    "It wasn¡¯t that dangerous."

    Somin looked at him and smiled.

    "Can you tell me what they are revealing today?"

    "No. I can¡¯t do that."

    "Even to me?"

    Junhyuk shrugged.

    "How about me?" Mr. Jang whispered in his ear.

    "No," Junhyuk said curtly and looked forward. "Just wait. You¡¯ll find out."

    Mr. Jang and Somin started jokingly using him of having changed, but he merely shook his head. They had all eaten lunch early and headed there immediately, so the preparations were over quickly.

    At 2:00 p.m., Junhyuk stepped forward, and people focused on him.

    "Today, Guardians will make a very important announcement. The announcement will be made by Eunseo Kim our CEO," he said.

    His only role was to introduce Eunseo. It would be thest time he would face the public for her. Once he stepped back, Eunseo moved forward on her wheelchair. Everyone¡¯s attention turned to her as she spoke through her microphone.

    "Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Eunseo Kim, Guardians¡¯ CEO."

    Even after she said that, the room remained quiet. The reporters were anticipating something big from her. Eunseo fixed her sses and looked at the reporters, and they all stared back at her in silence.

    "Today, I am here to announce that our Regeneration Project is a sess."

    She had called it the Regeneration Project, but it had been kept a secret, so no one knew about it.

    "What¡¯s the Regeneration Project?" a reporter shouted.

    Eunseo continued, "From now one, patients who couldn¡¯t be treated will be able to receive medical attention."

    "Can you cure cancer?"

    Eunseo shook her head and raised her hand, and everyone was silent again.

    "Before I became CEO, you found out about my ident on a mountain," she continued as the reporters nodded. "I became a paraplegic, but I wanted a cure. I wasn¡¯t satisfied with life on a wheelchair."

    The reporters looked at her while thinking that there was no other way. To live, one had to adjust, but she was talking about something else altogether.

    With their eyes on her, she said, "I¡¯ll show you the result of the Regeneration Project."

    She finished speaking and got up from the wheelchair. The reporters didn¡¯t say anything, so she walked across the podium and said, "Due to the results of the Regeneration Project, R-01 can even reconstitute a damaged nerve system."

    A reporter carefully raised his hand and said, "Perhaps you¡¯ve been faking your condition?"

    "Where did youe from?" Eunseo asked.

    "I¡¯m from the Daily Newspaper."

    "Please, leave."

    "What?!"

    She looked straight at him said, "You can¡¯t talk about my past struggles like that. Leave."

    ""But..."

    Eunseo gave a signal with her hand, and some security personnel came up to the reporter and took him outside.

    She looked at the others and said, "If you want proof of my previous condition, check with the hospital." Then, she walked over to her wheelchair, leaned against it and said, "A person who¡¯d been a paraplegic for twenty years is now walking again thanks to the R-01 treatment."

    Eunseo raised her hand, and Junhyuk turned on the video they had prepared. The reporters were astounded with what they saw on the screen. A person with previously atrophied muscle was moving again and doing interviews.

    She turned to face the crowd.

    "Amputees are getting new limbs due to thepounds ability to use the body¡¯s cell to generate new legs and arms."

    She showed them a different video that left the reporters speechless. A person missing an arm was providing the medical team with a cell culture, which was mixed with the regenerativepound. Later, the person had surgery to attach the new arm. He used his new hand to eat and y on the video.

    Eunseo looked at reporters and continued, "The Regeneration Project is just starting, but it¡¯s a revolution to medicine."

    She extended her hands to the side, pointing at a direction.

    "ST Capsule¡¯s president, Doyeol Kim, is here. He has been spearheading the Regeneration Project."

    Doyeol stepped forward, and the photographers got busy taking his picture.

    The ramifications of the Regeneration Project were incalcble to the world of medicine. People who had had nerve damage would be able to walk again with the R-01 treatment.

    "I will only take three questions," Eunseo said.

    Hearing that, the reporters became unhappy, but raised their hands all the same. Eunseo pointed at one.

    "I¡¯m Dowoon Anh, from MBS."

    "Ask your question."

    "The R-01 treatment is revolutionary, but won¡¯t itpete with ST Capsule and Robotics¡¯ coboration, the Iron Project?"

    Eunseo looked at Doyeol, and he nodded, so she looked at the reporters and answered, "It¡¯s true that both projects will bepeting against one another. However, the Regeneration Project will actually cost the patients¡¯ money. The Iron Project is subsidized by its use inbating monsters."

    "Does that mean that the R-01 treatment is very expensive?"

    "Yes, to begin with. The cost will go down in the future, however."

    Eunseo pointed to another reporter.

    "Minsoo Choi, from Korea Daily."

    Eunseo nodded, and he asked, "I want to know more about the timing of this announcement. Why are you revealing it at this particr time?"

    Eunseo fixed her sses, and Junhyuk could tell that she hadn¡¯t liked the question. He felt sympathy for the reporter as she stared him down hard.

    Even before she became a novice, she had more health than most people, which also meant that her soul was bigger than the most. After bing a novice, her soul had gotten even bigger.

    Minsoo kept waiting and Eunseo said, "We debated a lot with ST Capsule on the matter, on when would be the best time. This is a message of hope for people, so we thought of now more than ever."

    "Is it because Guardians HQ is continuously attacked by monsters?"

    JUnhyuk was shocked by Minsoo¡¯s courage, but he also sympathized him. Eunseo focused solely on the reporter.

    "I can¡¯t deny that fact, but the monsters are attacking us directly, and we cane up with countermeasures for that." She paused for a second and continued, "We hadn¡¯t seen monsters before, so their appearance is a first time urrence. We are only protecting fifty countries now, but that number will soon increase, and we will do our very best."

    Junhyuk felt relieved by Eunseo¡¯s answer, and she pointed to another reporter. He was from the United States.

    "I¡¯m Elt, from NBC."

    Eunseo nodded, and he smiled.

    "Your announcement is certainly surprising, but it was not what I was expecting."

    She stared at him, and he continued, "I was expecting that you would be announcing the dposition liquid that will be distributed worldwide."

    "Your question has nothing to do with our announcement," she said and continued, "but I will answer it. By researching the monsters¡¯ hides, we¡¯ve made a dposition liquid that will help us deal with monsters more effectively. If each nation¡¯s military is equipped with it, they¡¯ll be more effective as well."

    The reporters were going wild with the new announcement, but Eunseo stared at Elt and said, "You asked a dangerous question."

    They all raised their hands, but Eunseo signaled with hers for them to calm down. When the room was still again, she continued, "Concerning the dposition liquid, you¡¯ll be getting materials detailing it."

    She was done, and Junhyuk stepped forward.

    "I¡¯ve already sent the materials to your emails. Feel free to check it."

    The reporters all pulled up their emails and scattered, speeding to be the first to break the news. Junhyuk thought there was a small war being fought in the conference room.

    He looked at Eunseo. She was very charismatic. At that moment, she was talking to Doyeol, who smiled at Junhyuk.

    "Long time no see."

    "You look healthy."

    Doyeol shrugged and answered, "No reason for a failing health. Guardians has been under attack, and you¡¯ve been in danger. I¡¯ll deposit more money in your retirement fund."

    "What about the other employees?"

    "Sure. All Guardians employees need and will get more money."

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly, and Doyeol said, "Can we talk for a moment?"

    "Certainly."

    He looked at Eunseo and took him away from her.

    "There¡¯s been nothing from the Dimensional Battlefield. What happened?"

    Junhyuk answered calmly, "Due to the flow of the battles, I can¡¯t always get mana or bloodstones."

    "Yeah?" Doyeol asked him straight. "Perhaps, you¡¯ve found another party to sell them to?"

 Chapter 235: Resignation 3

    Chapter 235: Resignation 3

    Junhyuk stared at Doyeol for a while before asking, "What do you mean by the other side?"

    "You mean you don¡¯t know?"

    Junhyuk crossed his arm and continued to stare at him.

    "I don¡¯t know what you are referring to, but I want to make one thing clear."

    "What?"

    "Even though I¡¯ve sold you mana stones, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m on your side."

    "You promised to sell me things from the battlefield."

    "Let¡¯s not forget our agreement," Junhyuk said, while Doyeol frowned but remained silent.

    "Fine. Next time, if you bring anything back, contact me. We need the mana and bloodstones."

    "I understand."

    Junhyuk left Doyeol and walked over to Eunseo.

    "How was it?" she asked him.

    Junhyuk raised a thumb up.

    "You were cool."

    "Thanks."

    The conference room looked like a warzone, and Junhyuk said, "It¡¯ll trend on the inte."

    "Yes. The work is done. Do you feel like having a drink?"

    "I can¡¯t. I have a previous engagement."

    Eunseo guessed at what he was going to do and raised both of her hands apologetically.

    "Of course. Your engagement must also be important to me."

    "Be understanding."

    "Sure. I understand."

    Eunseo took a step toward him. She got very close to him and whispered in his ear, "What did you talk about with my brother?"

    "When I spill my secrets to you, you¡¯ll know. But not yet," he said, and she took a step back.

    "I will have drinks with the Administrative Department employees."

    "My goodbye party is on Thursday!"

    "I¡¯ll drink then also," she said and turned around.

    Dohee walked over, and Eunseo left with her.

    "Let¡¯s clean up," Junhyuk said to the others.

    The Guardian employees started cleaning up, and the ST Capsule Strategy Department helped out.

    Later, everyone went to have a drink, but Junhyuk went home, put on his disguise and went to meet Sarang.

    He sent messages to her burner and sat at a coffee shop near the school. He was drinking his coffee while watching TV. The news about the news conference was on, and when he saw Eunseo on TV, he touched his lips. He could still feel her kisses.

    "What are you doing?"

    Junhyuk was startled and looked down to see Sarang in disguise sitting in front of him.

    "Where is mine?" she asked.

    "I didn¡¯t know when you¡¯de?"

    "Hm. Get me a cup now."

    "What do you want?"

    "Red bean with Ice!"

    Heughed and got her a bowl of red bean with ice. Sarang smiled and started eating it.

    "Why did you ask me to meet you?"

    "I have something to say."

    She stared at him with the spoon in her mouth. She was wearing a mask, but he could take a guess at her expression underneath it.

    "Do you remember Eunseo Kim, Guardians¡¯ CEO?"

    "I remember. I got killed once for protecting her."

    "Right. She is a novice now."

    "What about her? She is my big sister!"

    Junhyuk was speechless.

    "Since when she is your big sister?"

    "Why not? She¡¯s older than me, so I¡¯ll call her that."

    He continued, "I am trying to bring her to our side."

    "So?"

    "She wants to know every secret."

    Sarang¡¯s eyes widened.

    "Every secret?"

    "Correct."

    "That means she wants to be on our side permanently?"

    "That is her condition."

    Sarang put the spoon down.

    "Can we trust her?"

    He pondered about it and answered, "We can eitherpletely trust her or not at all. It¡¯s one of the two options."

    "Why are you telling me all this?"

    "She will know about you as well."

    Sarang realized something.

    "So, you are here to get my permission?"

    "Yes."

    She smiled.

    "You make me feel good."

    "Why?"

    "Because you are here to get my permission."

    Junhyuk told her to stop being nonsensical, and Sarang turned away. She saw Eunseo on the TV and said, "Completely or not at all?"

    "That¡¯s right."

    "How much do you need her?"

    He took a moment to think before answering, "She is essential to our operation."

    "Essential?"

    "Correct. We can ignore her money, but not her friends."

    Sarangughed brightly, and the people around her looked at her.

    "Don¡¯t draw attention to yourself," he warned her not to be so loud.

    "Sorry. You said that money doesn¡¯t matter."

    "Why is that so funny?"

    "That tells me money is not a constraint."

    "Money doesn¡¯t matter. After you graduate, you cane work for me part-time. I¡¯ll pay you."

    "Really?"

    "Do you think I¡¯m joking?"

    "Nope."

    She ate her red bean with ice and smiled.

    "Let¡¯s take her."

    "Are you sure?"

    "It was only for a short while, but I¡¯ve grown fond of her."

    He caressed her head, and when she smiled, he continued, "OK, we¡¯ll have dinner with herter."

    "Good. Aren¡¯t you buying me dinner tonight?"

    "I am." He got up and said, "Let¡¯s go and eat."

    "I¡¯m still working on my red bean."

    "After dinner, I¡¯ll get you more dessert."

    She got up and wrapped her arms around one of his.

    "You are the best!"

    "Get away from me."

    "Why? It feels good."

    He sighed, and she followed after him.

    After dinner, he took her home and went home himself. After taking off his mask, he called Eunseo. He had to tell her immediately.

    She picked up the voice, and her voice seemed eager.

    "You called early!"

    "Did you drink a lot?"

    "A little."

    "Then, let¡¯s talk tomorrow."

    "Come and pick me up," she answered quickly.

    Junhyuk hesitated before asking, "Where are you?"

    "I am at Ilsan¡¯s Daemang."

    "I¡¯ll go right now."

    Junhyuk hung up and grabbed a cab. He arrived at Ilsan¡¯s Daemang, a traditional Japanese restaurant, and called her again. She came out with Dohee.

    He approached them, and Eunseo looked at Dohee and said, "I will head home with Junhyuk."

    Dohee grabbed the car key and handed it to him, and Eunseo straightened herself up. He walked up to her, but she waved him off.

    "I¡¯m fine. I didn¡¯t drink too much."

    He nodded and walked toward her car. He opened the door for her, and Eunseo entered it. Once they were both in, he started driving.

    "Do you want to go home?"

    "Can we get some air first?"

    "Sure."

    As he drove, she looked out the window. She didn¡¯t speak, and he stepped on the elerator. The wind blew on her hair, and she adjusted it with her hands and said, "Let¡¯s go somece quiet."

    He drove somewhere quiet. The car stopped. She unbuckled her seatbelt, walked out and yawned hard.

    He did the same without the yawning.

    Eunseo gathered herself and said, "I¡¯m ready to listen."

    "I¡¯ve made a decision," he announced, staring at her. "I need you."

    "That means..."

    "That even if I lose everything, I still need you."

    Her eyes widened, and he said, "Let¡¯s get together."

    She staggered from what she had just heard, but he supported her, and she smiled at him. Ordinarily, her smile was very secretive, but now she was smiling wide and bright.

    He stared at her, and she hugged him suddenly. He hugged her back, and after a while, they separated.

    She fixed her sses and avoided his gaze.

    "Thanks for supporting me."

    He wanted to ask her if that hadn¡¯t been a hug, but he didn¡¯t do it.

    She looked at him and said, "I want to hear all of your secrets."

    He nodded and said, "Get in the car. I¡¯ll tell you everything."

    She got in, and he continued, "Where should I begin?"

    "I have time, so tell me absolutely everything."

    She wanted to know everything. He looked at her, and she looked at him.

    "I¡¯ll start with first time I went to the Dimensional Battlefield," he said.

    ---

    Daylight was starting toe up, and he smiled. His story had been long, and she had listened with enthusiasm. They talked for a while, and now the sun was rising.

    "That¡¯s hard to believe."

    "What part?"

    "That Catherine is a high school student." That was the only thing she had been curious about. She got up and yawned deeply before saying, "I want to meet her."

    "She wants to meet you too."

    "Arrange a meeting."

    "After I resign, I¡¯ll do it."

    She looked at him as if she had thought of something.

    "Are you really resigning?"

    He nodded.

    "No one can control me. So, I¡¯ll need more power, and for that, I need independence."

    "But you have enough money already."

    He had already earned more than a billion dors. While he had spent hundreds of millions of it, he still had some money.

    "What do I bring to the rtionship?" she asked.

    "Money isn¡¯t everything."

    "No. Money can buy everything, but you have to know where to spend your money."

    "Is that right?"

    She nodded and got up.

    "But Elise is an exception."

    "I¡¯m cooperating with her. And I am her client."

    "No, I¡¯m talking about her money."

    Heughed and nodded.

    "She is an exception. She wants things from the Dimensional Battlefield for her research."

    "Like the iron soldier and the R-potion."

    "That¡¯s only a part of it. Only Elise can make use of items from the battlefield and turn them into money. We need her help."

    "Are you going to make her join our side?"

    He shook his head.

    "Nope. We are just using each other. That¡¯s good enough."

    She smiled at what he said.

 Chapter 236: Resignation 4

    Chapter 236: Resignation 4

    The sun rose, and Eunseo drove to work. Junhyuk took a taxi home first before going to work.

    It was Wednesday, and the following day would be hisst. That day, he decided to tell the others he was leaving. Eunseo had also told him to tell them, so there was nothing preventing him from doing it.

    He went to the Administrative Department and saw the other employees answering the phones busily. One of them was not as busy as the others. Tsubasa was leaning casually on her chair and looking at herputer, so he approached her.

    "What¡¯s going on here?"

    "Because of the conference yesterday, we are getting an enormous amount of calls."

    "But you don¡¯t look so busy."

    She answered him matter-of-factly, "I¡¯m only responsible for foreign calls, but I am getting them from foreign military."

    With Guardians announcing the distribution of the monster dposition liquid, she was probably getting enough calls from foreign military forces. Tsubasa had taken thenguage pill, so she could answer all of them.

    The Administrative Department was working smoothly, and he thought they didn¡¯t need him anymore.

    He took a seat. The others were working very hard, so he didn¡¯t want to distract them. He contacted Zaira instead.

    "Zaira, can¡¯t youe up with a prepared response for today¡¯s calls?"

    [I could standardize the answers to the callsing through and generate responses based on that.]

    "Then, answer the calls yourself, and let the others answer the ones you can¡¯t."

    [Will do.]

    He heard Zaira¡¯s answer and got up. Then, he waved his arms at the others to get their attention and used his hands to signal for them to hang up the phones.

    Once everyone did, he said, "Zaira will answer the calls from now on. You¡¯ll only get what¡¯s necessary." Everyone was dumbfounded, and he continued, "Zaira can help a lot, so check your work against it first. Zaira has no reason to take the initiative."

    "Yes, sir."

    Everyone agreed, and he continued, "Drink some coffee and rx."

    Soyeon got up, but he shook his head and said, "I¡¯ll get the coffee. Stay here."

    He went out, but Soyeon followed him.

    "Let¡¯s go together."

    They went to a coffee shop near the building and ordered the drinks. HQ had a coffee machine, but he wanted to buy the coffee so that everyone could drink it without anyone having to make it.

    Soyeon waited for the coffee toe out and asked, "You are going to let us know today?"

    He noddedpliantly.

    "I will let them know about my resignation."

    "I haven¡¯t learned much yet. Why are you quitting already?"

    "You need Zaira, not me. I get help from Zaira as well. That¡¯s the only advice I have for now."

    In fact, he hadn¡¯t worked for a long time at the Administrative Department either. There was nothing more for him to teach. They took the drinks back to work.

    Tsubasa was the only one still answering calls because she only answered foreign calls. Zaira was taking care of most of the domestic ones.

    He handed out the coffee and sat on Tsubasa¡¯s desk. She looked at him while concentrating on the call, and he raised his coffee and said, "I am quitting tomorrow."

    "What?!"

    He had made his explosive statement calmly and smiled.

    "You guys have assimted all of my work," he continued. "The only advice I can give you now is get Zaira¡¯s help. Do that, and your work will be much easier."

    "What are you going to do now, after resigning?"

    He shrugged.

    "Because of my work as a model, I¡¯ve saved some money. I want to do what I want to do."

    "Can you tell us more about it?"

    "It¡¯s a secret," he said and shrugged again. "My announcement is over. Drink your coffee."

    After that, he sat down. The others had more questions for him, but he saw the message on hisputer and got up.

    Junhyuk looked at everyone and said, "I have to go out for a while."

    Right as he was about to leave, Tsubasa asked, "When is the goodbye party?"

    He shrugged and said, "Maybe tomorrow?"

    Then, he went to see Elise. She was freezing the poring pieces and turned to look at him.

    "You¡¯re here."

    "Why did you want to see me?"

    "Do you have time this afternoon?"

    "I am quitting tomorrow. Should I skip work for rest of the day?"

    Elise smiled and asked, "Should I talk to the CEO about this?"

    "No, I have time."

    "Then, let¡¯s meet after lunch."

    He nodded and went to see Eunseo. Her eyes were bloodshot, but she smiled at him. She offered him a seat, and he took it.

    "May I leave early, after lunch?"

    "Sure. Tell me your reasonter?"

    He nodded, and she smiled and said, "Good. You must have told your coworkers about your resignation. Make time for me tomorrow night."

    "I will."

    He got up, and she stared at him and asked, "How about dinner together tonight?"

    After taking a moment to think, he said, "I have to check my schedule."

    She looked disappointed, but he smiled at her and left.

    ---

    After lunch, he went to see Elise. She handed him her car keys and asked him to drive her somewhere. Heughed loudly, but he drove.

    "Just follow navigation," she told him.

    Following the GPS, he asked, "Business in Seoul?"

    "Correct."

    He drove past Guardians HQ in Seoul, and the destination wasn¡¯t far from it. He was getting more curious, but he kept going while Elise talked to Zaira through her tablet.

    They arrived at their destination, and he frowned slightly.

    "Where are we?"

    "My private property. My house."

    Elise touched her tablet, and the garage door opened. He drove car inside, parked it and followed Elise out.

    She smiled and asked, "Do you like my house?"

    Her house in downtown Seoul was bigger than his house in provincial Paju, which left him surprised.

    "I¡¯m jealous. How much was it?"

    "Not very expensive. I bought it when they were redeveloping the area."

    She must have bought thend from Guardians, and he smiled bitterly.

    "Zaira has control here?"

    "Of course!" She took the lead and continued, "I wanted to show you something today."

    His curiosity increased.

    Elise took him to her garden. Within it, there was what looked to be a ss greenhouse. It was a small arboretum. Inside, he saw a tree about his size, but it felt strange.

    "Is this is what I think it is?"

    "Correct."

    She stood next to the tree.

    "I nted the seed you brought me, and it¡¯s already this tall."

    "Isn¡¯t that too fast?"

    Elise shook her head.

    "Zaira predicted the tree would grow only to ten meters."Elise pointed out to her garden and added, "I bought a hundred trees that will grow to be ten meters. They¡¯ll be nted here."

    "To hide this tree."

    "Correct." Elise smiled and continued, "It¡¯s different from ordinary trees. It¡¯s simr to them, but this one is growing mana stones as fruit."

    He walked over to the tree and touched the leaves.

    "Does its leaf have the same effect as the leaf I brought you?"

    Elise shook her head.

    "It¡¯s not the same. It won¡¯t be the same, but I have to wait and see." Elise touched the leaves and added, "If you pull it out, it will only be effective for about a day. How did you know what to bring me?"

    He touched his butt without noticing and said, "A hero gave it to me."

    "Hm. Is there another way to pick it out? Can you find out?"

    "I¡¯ll ask."

    After she heard his answer, she looked at the tree and said, "This tree will change the world."

    "It looks that way."

    She turned to him.

    "But I¡¯m not so sure if I can rent the tree from its seed."

    "So?"

    "Bring me some more?"

    He noddedpliantly.

    "I made deal with you, so don¡¯t worry on that point. If I can get more, I¡¯ll bring it to you."

    "OK."Elise said, touching the tree and smiling. "This tree is alive, and it¡¯s moving like this."

    The tree moved along Elise¡¯s hand. She touched the trunk and asked, "Are you resigning?"

    "Yes."

    "I relied on you during the monster attacks. I won¡¯t be able to do that now."

    "Can youe up with a defense n?"

    Eliseughed brightly.

    "Don¡¯t worry. I have ns of my own. If the monsters are like the ones we¡¯ve seen, I¡¯m prepared."

    He smiled at her confidence. She was surely a character.

    "Don¡¯t be overconfident."

    "Why?"

    "The monsters so far have been weak, but stronger ones wille."

    Elise heeded his advice and smiled, "Sure, but it will be something that I can endure." Then, she touched the tree and murmured, "Even though I have no idea of why they are attacking."

    He smiled bitterly at what she said. If he were to tell her what was happening, what would she say? He was curious about it as he looked at the tree.

    Elise was the tree¡¯s owner, and the tree was almost dancing with her. He thought of what Nudra told him then, that things from the Dimensional Battlefield will elerate the changes on Earth.

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "Tomorrow is my going away party. Are youing?"

    "Of course!"

 Chapter 237: Farewell Party 1

    Chapter 237: Farewell Party 1

    Junhyuk came home,y on his bed and looked at his hands.

    "Is it the tree?"

    The tree from the Dimensional Battlefield was effective. It could create mana stones artificially, which could then be used to make iron soldiers. If it all worked out OK, the value of the tree would be astronomical. It was the goose thatid golden eggs.

    He liked the fact that Elise had nted it in her garden. The tree could change the world, and she nted it in her backyard.

    He looked around at his house and murmured, "Right. I will nt my own after seeing it bear fruit."

    The tree was worth more than $100 million, but he wanted to nt one of his own. Not anyone could have one, and its value was significant.

    He got up suddenly while thinking of nting the tree.

    "Whew! I¡¯ll fall behind."

    He had to go to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, but he was too rxed. He had a lot of work and he kept getting distracted by idents and other things, but now he had time to train.

    He teleported to basement, summoned everything he owned and started swinging his sword. He would meet Gongon soon. The enemies would have a new champion, and Junhyuk would finally know who it was. He wanted to train harder. He wanted to be in best shape possible, so he focused on his swordsmanship.

    Thursday.

    The going-away party was scheduled for that same day, and Junhyuk went into work unworried. He greeted his coworkers, took a seat and turned hisputer on. It was hisst day, so nobody would give him any work.

    He was at his chair, rxing as he stared at hisputer, when he got a message. It was Eunseo, and she wanted to see him.

    The other employees tried to guess at what was going on, but didn¡¯t say anything. He went into her office, and she raised her head slowly. She looked cold and condescending. Suddenly, he felt guilty about something.

    "Were you busy yesterday?"

    He had gone to Elise¡¯s house and looked at the tree and talked. Elise had told him about what she had been researching up to that point.

    They were creating a better R-potion, and the Iron Soldier MK-III was under development. They had talked, and she had made him dinner, and he had gone home. He had been too entranced by Elise¡¯s stories that he had forgotten about Eunseo. Junhyuk had certainly wronged her.

    It was his mistake, and he acknowledge that fact, "I went to Elise¡¯s house."

    "Her house in Seoul?"

    "Yes."

    She looked even more cold and condescending.

    "I heard she never invites anyone, but you¡¯ve been there?"

    He got the cold sweats, but she said, "New iron soldiers have arrived here today. Did you hear about it?"

    "I hadn¡¯t."

    "South Korea is being attacked by more and stronger monsters, so they¡¯ve sent more iron soldiers to HQ. We will have five iron soldiers on standby now."

    He realized what Guardians was doing.

    "That¡¯s good. I was worried about the safety here."

    "Even without the iron soldiers, we have made other preparations. We supplied the dposition liquid to the air force. That way the air force will be able to assist the iron soldiers in Seoul."

    "That¡¯s good."

    Suddenly, a siren went off. He frowned and heard Zaira¡¯s voice.

    [Monsters expected to appear in Seoul and Yeouido. Everyone move to the basement shelter now.]

    Eunseo sighed and said, "This week is not an exception. They are here again."

    He agreed with her on that point. The poring incident had been an issue, and now some other monsters were showing up.

    "They must know I¡¯m quitting."

    His mind was clear. He didn¡¯t have to step in, and Eunseo was a novice wearing a powerful ring. It increased both her attack and defense. She would be safe and she could use her own power to defend herself.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    They went to the basement and met the other employees. Eunseo and Dohee went to see Elise, and Junhyuk looked at everyone else.

    "Don¡¯t worry. This is not the first time."

    The workers looked at each other and smiled awkwardly. When the first monster attack happened, most of them had wanted to resign. They all had good enough resumes to get into any major corporation, but they had chosen to remain there. They were prepared to stay there.

    He realized they are more audacious now. They didn¡¯t need him anymore.

    If they had popcorn, they would watch the monsters on the monitors like they were watching a movie, and since Junhyuk also knew there were five iron soldiers on standby, everyone was calm.

    Dohee walked out of Elise¡¯s office and called for him, "Junhyuk, this way, please."

    He went in and saw the images on the screen shing quickly, so he turned to Elise and asked, "Just Yeouido has been attacked so far?"

    "Why don¡¯t you send more iron soldiers to there?"

    "We will get support from the military. The first attack will be handled by the iron soldier, but additional attacks will be handled by the military."

    "That¡¯s good."

    "Did you warn the people in Yeouido?" Eunseo asked.

    "I did. The attack is at the financial district, which is very heavily popted."

    Eunseo sighed and said, "There is nothing we can do now."

    Even a one-second change in the stock market could have catastrophic results, but there was nothing Guardians could do about it. While dealing with the monsters, they could only have the people evacuated and the market shut down.

    Zaira chime in.

    [Monster arrival expected. Iron soldier already on site.]

    "Give out the evacuation order," Eunseo said.

    Zaira¡¯s voice boomed over Yeouido.

    [Monster attack imminent. Evacuate immediately.]

    Junhyuk watched the people rushing out through the monitor. The monsters were getting more intelligent. It was likely that the one that was about to appear would be hard to deal with.

    While he watched the evacuation, a dimensional tear appeared. The ground cracked, and a jelly-like substance rose from it. He scowled.

    "A poring?"

    He knew how hard it was to kill a poring.

    "Is it possible to kill it?"

    Elise answered, "Difficult to say. I don¡¯t have a solution yet."

    "Can¡¯t you do anything?"

    Elise measured her options.

    "It¡¯s downtown, so we can¡¯t use napalm bombs."

    "If you have a solution, don¡¯t hesitate to use it," Eunseo said.

    "Are you sure?" Elise asked, and Eunseo nodded.

    "It¡¯s fine. Kill it as soon as possible. We don¡¯t want a simr situation like the onest time."

    "Understood."

    Eunseo asked, "Can the poring affect humans too?"

    "I haven¡¯t had a chance to find out. I didn¡¯t have the time."

    Junhyuk nced quickly at Elise. If she had had the time, she would¡¯ve run the experiments.

    The poring looked like a three-meter tall pudding, and the iron soldier fired small missiles at it. The missiles contained small amounts of napalm, so when they exploded, they raised the surrounding temperature by a lot. They had been engineered specifically to be used in downtown areas.

    Eunseo was ready, and Junhyuk shook his head. The missiles exploded.

    Boom!

    The poring was torn into pieces, but the problem was that the pieces scattered everywhere.

    "How many pieces are there?"

    [A total of 1,720 pieces.]

    "Gather them!"

    With the poring pieces everywhere, if people could in fact be affected by the poring, they would have a huge problem on their hands.

    [Additional monster attack expected.]

    "Already?"

    Before the military had gotten there, more monsters were on the way, and the pieces of poring were scattered about.

    If a monsters died, but a piece of poring got to it somehow, the monster would live again. The monsters had to be killed and remain dead.

    "Collect the pieces. When is the military arriving?"

    [Five minutes away.]

    The whole thing would be over in five minutes. However, the detection machine rang loudly.

    [Monster appearance expected in Paju. Monster appearance expected in Guri.]

    Junhyuk heard the reports and frowned.

    "They must know we have more iron soldiers today!"

    Like Elise had said, they were giving them a hell just difficult enough for them to endure.

    "Permission granted for two iron soldier deployments," Eunseo said.

    The two iron soldiers left the base, and Eunseo calmly gave out orders, "Tell the military deployments to go to Paju and Guri."

    Elise made the calls, and Junhyuk murmured, "We will be attacked as well."

    Everyone looked at him. The pattern of attacking Guardians HQ every time had been set. They just didn¡¯t know which monster woulde.

    The detection machine rang aloud again.

    [Monster attack expected here soon.]

    "They must think we are easy targets," Elise said, smiling cooly, and added, "Zaira, activate our highest-level defenses."

    [Activating highest-level defenses.]

    She turned around, and Eunseo nodded.

    "Permission granted for iron soldier deployment."

    On iron soldier went to the roof, and another set up at the basement. Dohee looked at Elise and said, "Give us weapons."

    "There is no such need. It would only create unnecessary casualties."

    Dohee bit her lips, and Elise turned away to look at Sora, who grabbed the longsword and got up.

    "If everything fails, I¡¯ll step in."

 Chapter 238: Farewell Party 2

    Chapter 238: Farewell Party 2

    When the construction ended, they would move to the HQ in Seoul, but at the moment, a dimensional tear had appeared, and monsters were about toe through.

    Zaira disyed the footage on the screen.

    [Monsters expected on the roof.]

    There was a dimensional tear on the roof, but what kind of monsters woulde through? So far, only rtively weak monsters had appeared. However, every monster that showed up at HQ up until now had significant more strength than the ones around the world. They had possessed either extreme armor or the sharpest weapons.

    Junhyuk was curious about which monsters would show, but only jaguars crossed the tear. They were the same type of jaguars that had destroyed the cest time, but this time there were five of them.

    "Are they attacking with numbers?"

    Last time, the iron soldier had been on deployment, but this time, the iron soldier was waiting for them and fired immediately.

    Rat-at-at-at-at-tat.

    The jaguars were jumping down from the tear in the sky, and on of them was cut in half by the bullets. However, the other fournded safely. As jaguarsnded, they attacked the iron soldier from four different directions, but the iron soldier flew to evade.

    The jaguars did not pursue it. Instead, they entered the building. The iron soldier quickly fired at them, but only one jaguar was hit on its hind legs.

    "You think everything is over because you areing in here?" Elise said and looked at Eunseo. "Can I destroy the elevator?"

    "Sure."

    The jaguars, just likest time, got on the elevator, tearing through the door, hoping to go down the shaft. However, this time there was a camera in the elevator that captured the jaguars on video.

    Then, the walls of the elevator opened, and heavy artillery guns appeared through it.

    Rat-at-at-at-at-tat.

    The jaguars had nowhere to go and were being turned into swiss cheese. Junhyuk was impressed.

    As elevator came down with the walls covered in holes, but there were no casualties.

    "That¡¯s really cool!"

    The jaguars were prevented froming down and ended up as rags on the ground. Elise smiled at hisment.

    "Don¡¯t be surprised yet. Is there any other monster in the basement?"

    They heard Zaira again.

    [Monsters are currently expected to appear there.]

    Elise smiled.

    "Come! Come!"

    Junhyuk thought she was enjoying all of that like she was ying a video game. The building¡¯s defenses were highly developed, and he didn¡¯t have to worry. Junhyuk looked at the footage from Yeouido instead. A giant alligator had appeared there, and as it swung its tail, it smashed the cars around it,unching them all over.

    The iron soldier attacked the alligator, and the bullets were able to prate its hide.

    "How many poring pieces do we have?"

    [At this moment, 875 poring pieces have been collected.]

    "Won¡¯t things get worse if we don¡¯t gather them all?"

    "The military has arrived for support!"

    The alligator was immense, and it didn¡¯t die easily. The iron soldier hadunched the small missiles at it, taking its leg, but the alligator continued to look for people.

    It smashed through a convenience store window with its head looking for people. The Dimensional Battlefield Management wanted more people to activate their powers, and there was nothing to be gained by killing the iron soldier, so the alligator had other priorities. To protect the people, the iron soldier grabbed the alligator by its tail,unching it away.

    Meanwhile, there was no way to find out where the poring pieces were.

    Junhyuk heard Zaira¡¯s voice.

    [Another monster attacked is expected from the roof.]

    He was more interested in what was happening there than at Yeouido, so he turned to look and frowned. Wraiths holding sickles appeared on the roof.

    There were three of them, and Junhyuk was stunned. Wraiths had high physical defense, and as the iron soldier fired at them, the shots didn¡¯t work at all. Then, one of the wraiths flew up and swung its sickle.

    With that single blow, the iron soldier was cut in half.

    "What just happened?"

    "Ordinary physical attacks won¡¯t work."

    Everyone looked at him. Dohee wanted to ask him how he know that, but he exined, "I¡¯ve seen them in games. They are a type of ghost. You have to attack them with an attribute."

    "This isn¡¯t a game."

    Dohee expressed her concern, but everyone murmured among themselves. Elise was shocked.

    "They don¡¯t even use elevators to get down."

    The wraiths just went through walls. They were hard monsters to deal with on Earth. The monster dposition liquid wouldn¡¯t work on them.

    "Can iron soldier stop them?" Eunseo asked.

    Elise bit her lips and answered, "Thews of physics won¡¯t work! I¡¯m speechless, but shockwaves might do the job."

    "Can the building withstand the shock?" Junhyuk asked, and Elise nodded.

    "Last time I used ymores because the building couldn¡¯t handle it, but this time is different."

    The wraiths were heading to the basement, and Junhyuk summoned the arm warmers and the Pure Golden Knight items. He summoned everything except for the cloak, thinking that he might have to step in. His attacks had fixed damage and poison attribute, so he was sure he could kill them.

    The wraiths entered the basement where the iron soldier was standing guard. The iron soldier extended its hands, and blue energy started gathering within them.

    The wraiths flew, and Elise pressed a button.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    The walls of the hallway copsed, but the wraiths didn¡¯t mind them. Thews of physics didn¡¯t apply to them.

    The walls had been copsed to prevent the building from going down. So, the iron soldier fired the shockwave.

    Boom!

    The blue orb exploded, and the wraiths were thrown everywhere. The shock was dampened by the steel walls, so the building quaked hard, but remained standing.

    Junhyuk heard the sighs of relief of the people around him and looked at the monitors. In Paju, the same monster with the shell that appearedst time had shown up, but the iron soldier was dealing with it.

    Guri had a monster the size of a house. It was an ox and it destroyed three buildings, but the iron soldier had damaged its leg, preventing it from moving any further.

    Junhyuk looked at Yeouido and said, "We have to gather all the poring bits!"

    Elise nodded and said, "I¡¯m sending a collection team."

    "How long will that take?"

    "Over ten minutes for them to get there because the roads are blocked."

    The collection team was set up in Seoul, which was close to Yeouido, but could they really be there in ten minutes with the roadblocks?

    "The iron soldier can deal with the alligator. Why not ask the military to collect poring pieces?"

    Eunseo answered, "Fine. Ask the military to do it."

    Elise shook her head.

    "They aren¡¯t wearing any protective gears, so wouldn¡¯t it be dangerous?"

    Junhyuk agreed. Without protective gear, there was no telling what would happen with the poring pieces.

    "I held it on my palm, and it wasn¡¯t dangerous, but being that there is a lot of bits, there could beplications."

    Elise said, "The poring pieces be dangerous to humans if they get over thirty centimeters big."

    "Is it possible to measure the ones about that big?"

    Elise nodded.

    "How many thirty centimeter pieces are there?"

    [There are five of that size and over. Prioritizing collection in the area.]

    Elise showed them another feed, and Junhyuk frowned.

    "Is it inside that building?"

    "They scattered when it exploded."

    He kept watching, and the alligator feel down.

    [The alligator is dead. Attacking the poring pieces.]

    "Don¡¯t hurt innocent bystanders."

    "Don¡¯t worry about the shooting," Elise said.

    The iron soldier was inside the building, a lobby center, where a part of the poring was gathering its pieces around it. It was about fifty centimeters at that point and moving quickly. The little poring was moving at about the speed of a grown man, but the iron soldier was much faster.

    Rat-at-at-at-tat.

    The iron soldier did not use napalm bombs, but shattered it into pieces all the same.

    "They take about two minutes to join into one again. Let¡¯s deal with the other porings," Elise said.

    The iron soldier moved quickly to locate the other poring, and Eunseo said, "Tell the military to gather the pieces inside the building."

    The iron soldier flew to the next building, and a helicopternded with military personnel that went straight to gather the pieces the iron soldier had just taken care of.

    Zaira made another announcement.

    [The collection team is five minutes away.]

    The team collected the bodies and locked them into safe boxes. The pieces would be powerless, and that monster attack would be over soon.

    The iron soldier searched and destroyedrge porings, and Junhyuk thought that the deployment of wraiths was something he hadn¡¯t expected. Wraiths were immune to the dposition liquid, so someone had to be watching Guardians.

    Guardians had toe up ways to deal with wraiths.

    "Too bad."

    One of the iron soldiers had been destroyed by the wraiths, and he thought it was a shame.

    Elise must have heard him because she said, "The iron soldier was sliced in half, but it did not explode. We can repair it."

    Then, she looked at the monitors and added, "We were prepared. Even though we lost one iron soldier, we stopped their attacks."

    He looked at the Yeouido feed and disagreed with Elise. The alligator had destroyed everything in its path. Cars were lost along with the buildings the alligator had attacked.

    The ox in Guri had destroyed three buildings. The damages had to be in the tens of millions of dors.

    Eunseo looked at the screens and said in a somber tone, "It¡¯s not over yet. Stay alert."

 Chapter 239: Farewell Party 3

    Chapter 239: Farewell Party 3

    Even before the collection team arrived, and despite Eunseo¡¯s worries, they were able to destroy the reforming porings. Once the collection team arrived, they ced all remaining pieces in safe boxes. Eunseo was relieved and finally sat down.

    Junhyuk walked over to Elise and asked, "There are 1,720 pieces. Would those add up to its original size if webined them?"

    "No. When the napalm bomb went off, the spot it hit disappeared."

    "Then, we can¡¯t know that all of the pieces have been collected?"

    "I¡¯m scanning the area, but there are no more poring pieces."

    "Really?"

    He nodded and stepped back. Thest time, the poring exploded into pieces where there were no people. This time, however, the pieces had been hard to collect.

    Junhyuk looked at Eunseo. She was feeling better and looked back at him.

    "The monster attack is over. Let¡¯s finish here, and after, we¡¯ll have your farewell party."

    He looked at Elise.

    "Can I use Zaira?"

    "Sure."

    He went out and looked at his coworkers. They were staring at him, and he spoke calmly, "Now, we¡¯ll do an ount of the aftermath of the monster attack. Please, focus."

    After he spoke, the staff divided up the work. The monster attack didn¡¯t only take ce in South Korea. Each country had a method of dealing with monsters that needed to be reported along with what problem each country had had.

    He assigned the work to the staff and started helping out. He reviewed the videos of the attacks and found no particr problems.

    "Still, there might be another novice."

    Novices were appearing faster than ever. There were already thirty of them, but how many would actually survive the Dimensional Battlefield? And how many would survive it every time?

    Doyeol was giving the novices information on how to survive, but that only increased their chances slightly. If they were grouped up with horrible heroes, they wouldn¡¯t have a chance.

    He wasn¡¯t worried about the fifty countries with iron soldier deployments. None of them showed novice activity this time around. However, things were different for the countries with no iron soldier.

    Another novice might acquire powers.

    He sent an email with his report to Eunseo and got up. His job was done. However, when he got up, everyone looked at him. Eunseo and Dohee walked out of the office, and Eunseo said, "Get a limousine ready. We¡¯ll have the farewell party."

    Everyone cheered, and Eunseo took the lead. There were two limousines parked outside, and Eunseo looked at him and said, "Take the one in the front."

    "Yes."

    He walked over to the limousine and saw that it was still empty. Then, Eunseo got in with Elise.

    The car started, and he started feeling awkward. As if she owned the limo, Elise suddenly poured herself a drink. She offered him a drink, but he shook his head, so she took a sip and rxed.

    He had never seen her drink before. When she invited him to her house, she had been tense, so he had never seen her that rxed.

    When he was at her house, she had eaten dinner with her tablet still next to her. However, at that moment, she looked carefree. It was like he was seeing the genius¡¯ weakness.

    "Uh-hum!"

    Eunseo pretended to cough, and once he looked at her, he saw that she was staring at him. Her stare looked anxious, and he smiled.

    "Maybe I could get a cup of water?"

    "Sure."

    Eunseo handed him a bottle, and he asked, "Where are we going?"

    "We are heading to our cabin. It¡¯s your farewell party, so it has to be special."

    Elise smiled.

    "The cabin in Paju?! I am excited!"

    "Have you been there?"

    Elise shook head and emptied her ss. Then, she raised the empty ss toward Junhyuk.

    "Can you pour me some more?"

    He poured her a drink, and Eunseo also grabbed a ss.

    "Pour me some as well."

    So, he did. Eunseo took the bottle from him and offered to pour him a drink. He finally agreed to drink, so they all enjoyed a ss together.

    The cabin in Paju was bigger than his house, there was a barbeque area set up outside. There were cooks working the grills, so all they had to do was sit, eat and rx. Eunseo offered them seats, and once the already cooked meat came out, they started drinking again.

    Eunseo got up and said, "Guardians has just started, but we have a big responsibility."

    Everyone nodded, and she continued, "Junhyuk has been with us since the beginning and helped us big time. Today, he is leaving us."

    Everyone looked at him, and he felt awkward.

    "He must have ns for himself, so let us congratte him," she finished.

    Eunseo looked at him with a smile. She had meant her words. He would changed the course of history.

    Smiling, she asked, "Do you have something to say?"

    He got up and raised his ss.

    "We haven¡¯t spent much time together, but due to monster attacks, we¡¯ve shared life and death moments together. I¡¯m leaving now, but continue to protect the Earth."

    Everyone raised their sses, and he emptied his.

    Soyeon walked over and told him, "You make us feel like we are the Earth¡¯s police force."

    "The fact is that you are."

    The Dimensional Battlefield management was sending higher-level monsters, but Earth has the iron soldier to protect it, along with the novices and their powers. Guardians was at the center of it all, so Earth¡¯s police force sounded right.

    Elise walked over and showed him her ss, saying, "It¡¯s hard to find time for a drink!"

    He clinked his ss against hers and said, "Next time, I¡¯ll invite you to my house."

    "I¡¯ll look forward to it."

    They drank together, and Soyeon joined them. As more of the women approached him, he started feeling awkward. His male coworkers were staring daggers at him for it, full of jealousy.

    Junhyuk clinked his ss against Soyeon¡¯s and drank. Each one of them walked over to him, and he have a drink with each person. Once he had drunk too much, he shook his head to the others that approached him and said, "I¡¯ve had too much. I need some air."

    He got up and left. The male staffers were waiting for that and started to talking to the women as he made his way out. Heughed and looked at the cabin.

    He had bought his own house based on practicality, but the cabin was a little different. It looked very picturesque, and decorating it must have cost a fortune. Junhyuk looked around when he heard footsteps heading toward him.

    He turned and saw Eunseo approaching. He waited for her, and they walked together.

    "It looks so cool."

    "Thanks."

    She didn¡¯t borate, simply walking by his side. They made their way around the cabin in silence. Eunseo liked the fact that she was walking with him, but she didn¡¯t say anything else.

    After they had walked for a while, he spoke up, "Elise has a tree from the Dimensional Battlefield in her house."

    Eunseo looked at him.

    "The tree exudes mana, which means that we could use it to make more mana."

    Her eyes widened, and he continued, "She showed me the tree and her other research projects."

    "Is that so?"

    "Time flew, and I lost track it. I had dinner with her."

    He stopped walking and looked straight at her.

    "I apologize for not dining with you yesterday. Give me a chance to make it up to you."

    "I am angry. You didn¡¯t even call me."

    He smiled.

    "Shall we go back to the party?"

    "Sure. You are the main attraction."

    They walked back to the terrace where the others were drinking. People had had quite a bit of alcohol by then, and they whistled as Junhyuk and Eunseo walked in.

    "Are you dating?"

    He didn¡¯t have a chance to reply because Eunseo stared icely at the speaker, shutting him up. She walked over to the center of the gathering, raised her ss and said, "If you get drunk and fall before I do, you are a weak person."

    Everyone looked at the worker who had just asked the question, and Eunseo smiled.

    "Whoever is still standing after I fall will get a 500 percent bonus next month."

    Everyone cheered as they heard the announcement and started drinking more. Junhyuk shook his head. Eunseo was a novice, and only Tsubasa and Sora could drink as much as she could.

    ---

    The military had settled in Yeouido, and the collection team was gathering the monster remains. People were moving about busily. They were also working on rebuilding the damaged areas. The alligator had destroyed a store, and the road had copsed.

    However, the alligator wasn¡¯t the only one. The iron soldier had also contributed to the damages. The napalm bomb had destroyed the roads, and its guns had made a lot of damage.

    To kill the poring, the iron soldier had gone through five buildings, shooting at will. There had been three casualties from the store that was destroyed, but no other.

    The soldiers were blocking the roads, but many people were gathered around the blockades to watch. They were curious, and many of them were students.

    A female students who was taking pictures saw a man who turned around slowly after looking at the situation. The man bumped into the student and her cell phone fell on the ground.

    "Hey!" The student scowled and shouted, but the man tried to get away.

    The student grabbed his arm, and the man turned around. When she looked into his eyes, she lost the feeling in her legs and fell to the ground.

    His eyes were entirely green.

    The man walked away, and another five followed him. They moved as one. Something was not right, but the student was so scared that she couldn¡¯t even scream.

 Chapter 240: New Champion 1

    Chapter 240: New Champion 1

    When he woke up that morning, the first thing he looked for was a cup of water. He teleported to the kitchen to grab a ss of water from the cooler and shook his head.

    "It was a wild night."

    Eunseo had spoken about drinking it to thest drop. In the end, only Eunseo, Tsubasa, Sora, Elise and Junhyuk stayed awake drinking. Elise was the most surprised.

    They drank all night, and he walked home. The cabin in Paju wasn¡¯t too far from his house, and after a thirty-minute walk, hey on his bed. He felt like he had only slept for a moment before he work up thirsty and went to get a ss of water.

    After that, he teleported to the basement, summoned his sword and sat down. Themunication crystal chimed, and he saw Gongon¡¯s face in the air.

    "What are you doing?"

    "I¡¯m just training before I meet you again."

    "You look like crap?"

    Heughed.

    "What about you? I thought you were training."

    "Expect big things from me."

    He gathered himself and said, "Gongon."

    "What?"

    "You shouldn¡¯t be a hero?"

    "Why?"

    "I don¡¯t feel like going to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield without you."

    He had fought alongside a troll before he got paired up with Gongon. He didn¡¯t want to give him up. Gongon stared nkly at him andughed.

    "Kuh-kuh-kuh....ha-ha-ha-ha! You recognize my greatness."

    "I did it from the start."

    He hadpared Gongon to the troll before.

    "See you soon."

    "Right, see you soon."

    After talking, he got up. With Gongon in his team, he felt confident going against any champion.

    "I¡¯ll win this time as well."

    He got rid of his hangover and focused on swinging his sword.

    ---

    The room was covered by the blinding white light, so he summoned his equipment and checked to see how much gold he had: 196,760G.

    Junhyuk was d to have that many gold coins. He knew that he could afford to get something knew and looked at his armor, thinking about upgrading it.

    "Is there a Pure Golden Knight Elder¡¯s Armor in the set?"

    If he could get the Elder¡¯s armor, he wouldn¡¯t need to upgrade his current one.

    "I¡¯ll ask."

    While he decided to collect the entire Elder¡¯s set, he heard a soft voice.

    [I will elucidate you on the Swamp of Despair.]

    "That¡¯s not necessary."

    He already knew where he was and had memorized theyout of the swamp.

    [I¡¯ll skip the exnations from now on. Do you ept?]

    "Yes. I¡¯ve been here before. No exnations necessary."

    He could picture the high-ranking sorcerer and his face. The dragons knew his name as well, so he had to be well-renowned. However, he was trapped here, which indicated just how powerful the Dimensional Battlefield managers were.

    [You may exit through the main doors.]

    He walked to the exit.

    [This is the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. You have unlimited revives, but each time you die, you lose 3,000G, so be aware of that.]

    With Gongon in his team, he wouldn¡¯t lose.

    [The reward for victory in the Swamp of Despair will be a bag filled with enhancement stones. The number of stones is unknown. Do your best to win.]

    Heughed. Each enhancement stone cost 50,000G. Even if he only got one, that would still be good enough. Therefore, he was determined to win that battle.

    Once he pushed the door, he heard the soft voice announce him.

    [Champion Junhyuk Lee deployed.]

    When he walked outside, he saw the lizardmen squatting. Aktur had been leaning on the castle¡¯s door and pushed off.

    "You arete."

    "What is it?"

    He heard Gongon¡¯s voice from behind him, "What is it? These worthless beings now recognize my greatness."

    He turned around and saw Gongon is smiling. With his short body and giant head, he surely was cute, yet he also emanated an aura of authority.

    "What did you do?"

    "I learned to disy my pride."

    "Interesting."

    The lizardmen were minions. By disying his pride, Gongon had made them scared of him, and he expected to beplimented for having the lizardmen squat. So, Junhyuk walked over to Gongon and patted his head.

    "You are something else!"

    "Just trust me on this battle."

    He nodded and looked at Aktur.

    "They have a new champion, right?"

    "We¡¯ll have to find out who it is."

    Junhyuk took a moment to think and asked, "What are we gonna do?"

    "I¡¯ll head to the upper path."

    "OK. Fight well."

    Junhyuk turned to Gongon and suggested, "Let¡¯s go together."

    Gongon smiled, wagged his tail and stood next to him.

    "Good. Let¡¯s go," the hatchling said, swinging his short arms. "Follow me!"

    The lizardmen followed them, and Junhyuk took the lead.

    "You must been training hard!"

    "Of course! In my entire life as a dragon, I¡¯ve never trained so hard."

    Junhyukughed.

    "We don¡¯t know about new champion, so let¡¯s be cautious."

    Gongon¡¯s eyes sparkled, but he wasn¡¯t smiling anymore. "My father told me about this ce. I won¡¯t be sloppy."

    "Thanks."

    The hatchling had his guard up, so Junhyuk thought there was no way they would lose. They weren¡¯t thinking that the new champion could be stronger than the previous one. To them, the allies were more powerful than their enemies.

    They talked until they reached a tower. When Junhyuk saw the enemies, he frowned.

    "I see Lugos. That must be new champion next to him?"

    Gongon shook his head and asked, "Isn¡¯t that an octopus?"

    "I¡¯d never seen an octopus wearing armor!"

    The new champion was at least three meters tall with ten-meter long tentacles. There was a helmet on its head, and it looked study.

    It had eight tentacles.

    It was an octopus.

    Junhyuk stepped forward and asked, "Is that the new champion?"

    Lugos was about to step forward with an answer, when the octopus stepped in front of him and said, "My name is Kraken."

    Gongonughed at his name and said, "Of course, that¡¯s your name!"

    Kraken¡¯s eyes widened, and Gongon bared his teeth.

    "What the hell are you staring at?!" the hatchling said.

    Junhyuk looked at Gongon, who was staring at Kraken, sighed and stepped forward.

    "Should we fight them now?"

    He wanted to know more about Kraken¡¯s powers. Gyulsean had long-range attacks, but she was gone now. So, both he and Gongon advanced while Lugos and Kraken did the same.

    He watched the two of them. That was Kraken¡¯s first time in that battlefield. It and Lugos hadn¡¯t worked together, so Junhyuk was looking for an opening in their teamwork.

    He inspected Kraken¡¯s equipment. The helmet looked strong, and the champion wasn¡¯t human, so he would have a hard time figuring out its weaknesses.

    Junhyuk looked at Gongon, and Gongon stepped forward.

    "I should break the ice, right?"

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t exin. There was no need. He said simply, "Please, do."

    Gongon advanced, and Kraken headed toward him. Taking the length of its tentacles into consideration, it was the longest enemy the allies had faced by far. It seemed like a good size for a tank, so they assumed that the octopus was one.

    However, Junhyuk wanted to know more about Kraken¡¯s damage potential.

    Gongon ran to the front, and Lugos pulled out his weapons. Kraken was about to show its power, and Junhyuk wanted to exploit that. Still, the most important thing was to win.

    Kraken ran toward Gongon, swing its tentacles. Four of them were directed at Gongon, but the hatchling dodged them all. At that moment, Junhyuk realized how hard the dragon had trained. He hadn¡¯t even transformed yet and he was moving much more swiftly.

    For a dragon, it was important to be quick, so he could see that Gongon had been training just like him.

    Gongon dodged all of the Kraken¡¯s attacks and rushed.

    Boom!

    Gongon mmed hard against Kraken, but Kraken only lost 17 percent of its health. The same attack would¡¯ve dealt 22 percent of damage to Lugos, so Kraken at least had more health than Lugos.

    Kraken was pushed back, but swung its tentacles to grapple Gongon. However, the hatchling quickly inhaled and spewed his firebreath. The strong mes covered Kraken, but it only lost 12 percent of its health.

    Once the firebreath died down, Kraken swung its tentacle like a whip at Gongon, who gotunched away. Junhyuk caught him and looked at Kraken.

    Kraken hadn¡¯t used any powers yet.

    Meanwhile, Gongon held his stomach with his tiny arms and said, "I¡¯m getting angry. What is the damage?"

    "Both attacks together dealt about 30 percent total."

    Kraken moved toward them, and Gongon said, "It¡¯s really dense."

    "Yes."

    Watching the fight, Junhyuk realized that only Kraken¡¯s eyes received critical hits. He set Gongon down and said, "Let¡¯s get at him again. Get his attention."

    "Sure."

    Gongon ran at Kraken again, and Kraken, again, swung its tentacles like whips. Even Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure he could dodge all of those attacks, but Gongon was doing it. So, Junhyuk gripped his sword tightly, and while Gongon had Krakens attention, he used the Spatial sh.

    "Aaargh!"

    With loud scream, Kraken lost an eye. Junhyuk saw that the Spatial sh had worked, but Kraken only lost 30 percent of its health. The shockwave served no purpose as Lugos was too far away.

    Junhyuk ran toward Gongon. Kraken only had 41 percent of his health remaining, and he wanted to finish it off.

    At that moment, Kraken coiled within itself like a spring.

    And flew forward.

    Boom!

    Gongon had no time to escape and gotunched away by the hit, but Junhyuk caught him again. Kraken had headbutted the hatchling, which they hadn¡¯t expected. The headbutt had a range of twenty meters. After that, it used its tentacles as whips, so that gave it an attack range of thirty meters.

    Gogon grabbed his head with his tiny arms while getting up.

    "Ouch!"

    Junhyuk helped him up and said, "Let¡¯s kill Kraken before Lugos joins the fight."

    Gongon smirked and answered, "Yes."

 Chapter 241: New Champion 2

    Chapter 241: New Champion 2

    Lugos took off quickly, but Kraken came toward them first. Considering the distance, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t just y around. They had to take away Kraken¡¯s remaining 40 percent of health.

    He ran at Kraken, and Kraken used its tentacles as whips, and Junhyuk started wondering if those were weapons or part of Kraken¡¯s body. Wanting to find out, he swung the Frozen Rune Sword.

    ng!

    He delivered an attack strong enough to leave his hands shaking from the impact. Looking at his opponent¡¯s wounds, his eyes shone. Junhyuk had dealt some damage, but he also found out that the tentacles were part of his body as well as weapons. So, even though they were sturdier than normal, he¡¯d still be able to damage them and apply debuffs to Kraken through them.

    He realized that Kraken¡¯s attack speed had slowed and swung the Frozen Rune Sword nonstop. Having Kraken block with the tentacles was enough to stack the debuffs.

    Kraken had slowed down, and Gongon ran toward it. Because the tentacles were slower, Gongon jumped in the air and transformed. He rolled underground to appear behind Kraken and punch Kraken straight on the helmet making a loud bang.

    Kraken was dazed, and Junhyuk approached him. However, Lugos was already getting close while erging his arms in the process. Still, there was enough time to deliver an attack on Kraken.

    He closed in, but Kraken raised its tentacles and vomited ck ink from its mouth at it.

    Arrrgh-cough!

    The ck ink covered the same range as Gongon¡¯s firebreath, and as it covered Junhyuk, he became unable to see.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck!

    Blinded, he couldn¡¯t see an inch in front of him. Because of that, he got hit three times on the gut, and rolled on the ground, gritting his teeth.

    "A tank that deals a lot of damage?!"

    Each hit took away 8 percent of his health, so he lost a total of 24 percent. Junhyuk covered his weak spots with the dual swords and stepped back. Meanwhile, Kraken snatched the transformed Gongon in midair and twisted him.

    "Arrgh!" Gongon screamed.

    Junhyuk tried to brush the ck ink off with his hands, but it wouldn¡¯te out. He was barely able to open his eyes to he sees Gongon in the air, getting twisted like wetundry.

    "Gon!"

    Junhyuk extended his hand and raised the force field around Gongon. As the force field covered Gongon, Kraken was forced to step back, and Junhyuk went over to support the hatchling.

    "Are you OK?"

    The transformation had ended, and Gongon was small again. Gongon tried to grab his side, but he was unable to with his short arms.

    "Holy shit! That hurts!"

    He sounded like an old dragon, and Junhyuk patted Gongon¡¯s back and said, "It must be its power."

    Gongon had already lost 40 percent of his health. Both the ink and the grapple twist dealt an unexpected amount of damage. They were both high-level powers.

    It¡¯s true that it wasn¡¯t easy to grapple an opponent, but considering Gongon¡¯s high level of defense, that was an extremely damaging power.

    Gongon stared hard and furiously at Kraken, and the octopus waved a tentacle back. Gongon got even angrier at this, and Junhyuk sighed.

    "Your heart must be hot, but your head must remain cold."

    He put a hand over Gongon¡¯s head, and the dragon adjusted his tail and said, "I¡¯ll kill that octopus. Lugos is yours."

    "OK," he nodded. "Considering Kraken¡¯s health at this point, yourbos should kill it."

    "I know."

    "Let¡¯s go!" he shouted as the force field disappeared, and Gongon ran ahead.

    Kraken swung its tentacles at Gongon, but the hatchling dodged and jumped. He was about to headbutt Kraken, but Lugos also jumped.

    Boom!

    Lugos blocked the dragon, but Gongon wasn¡¯t stopping. He inhaled deeply, and Lugos stomped the ground.

    Boom!

    The shockwave sent Gongon into the air. In that state, Gongon couldn¡¯t do anything. Meanwhile, Kraken shaped its tentacles like spears and tried to hit Gongon with them.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck, thuck!

    Gongon was losing health quickly. Junhyuk had lost 8 percent of health with each strike, so Gongon lost 30 percent in no time. Because Kraken had eight tentacles, he could attack from many angles very quickly.

    Gongon fell to the ground bloodied, and Lugos attacked him.

    Boom!

    Gongon tried to roll away Lugos¡¯bo, but he still lost 20 percent of his health. Lugos was about to attack Gongon again when Junhyuk teleported to stand in front of the hatchling.

    ng!

    He blocked Lugos attack, but Lugos was buffed, and he couldn¡¯t bear for a long time. Junhyuk started feeling his knees buckle, so he parried Lugos¡¯ attack to the side and shed Lugos¡¯ leg with the Frozen Rune Sword. That¡¯s when Kraken¡¯s tentacles loomed over him, so he grabbed Gongonn and teleported away.

    There was just enough distance between them to escape Kraken¡¯s attacks. Junhyuk lifted the dragon and retreated some more. The Kraken¡¯s tentacles struck the spot where they had been standing.

    Looking at Gongon, he looked like a used rag, bloodied and battered, and he only had 10 percent of his health left.

    Junhyuk stood in front of him and said, "I¡¯ll deal with them now."

    "What?!"

    "Try to regain your health."

    As he said that, Junhyuk took a step forward. Lugos and Kraken did the same. Both of them had received speed debuffs, but if they both attacked him, he wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it.

    "Wait here until your powerse back and then help me," Junhyuk said and ran into the enemy¡¯s range.

    The eight tentacles whipped at him and Lugos jumped. Again, Junhyuk was surprised by Kraken. Its tentacles didn¡¯t evene close to hitting Lugos in the process, aiming just for him, whipping dangerously just at him.

    Junhyuk counterattacked, and shockwaves expanded from each hit on the tentacles. Every time he hit a tentacle, he debuffed Kraken, which helped him escape the slowed attacks. He stepped forward knowing that his enemies had used their powers and were waiting for them to return. Meanwhile, he would be able to deal with them.

    He was extremely focused, and each counterattack on a tentacle also dealt damage to Kraken. The damage was mounting, and Kraken was left with 10 percent of its health.

    As he attacked, he visualized the fighting to an end. Then, he heard footsteps behind him. The fight wasn¡¯t over yet.

    He had no chance to say anything before Gongon shouted, "Block Lugos!"

    He ran toward Lugos,but Lugos was ignoring him and going straight toward Gongon. Junhyuk scoffed at that and grabbed Lugos¡¯ arm and teleported behind Kraken. With the opening, Gongon jumped and used his headbutt against Kraken. However, Kraken also tried to headbutt Gongon.

    Boom!

    [Gongon killed Kraken.]

    Then, he heard another voice.

    [Kraken killed Gongon.]

    "Gon!" Junhyuk shouted, but the dragon was already disappearing.

    "Ouch! That octopus¡¯ head! See you next time!"

    He watched Gongon disappear. The fight was now singlebat, and Junhyuk felt confident that he wouldn¡¯t lose to Lugos. He stepped forward, and Lugos also came toward him.

    Junhyuk kept swinging while dodging Lugos¡¯ attacks. By then, Lugos was already debuffed, and the fight was turning one-sided.

    So, Lugos used his defense buff power, and his body turned ck, but the damage kept mounting. At that point, 50 percent of Lugos¡¯ health was gone.

    With the buff raised, Lugos decided to retreat toward the watchtower, so Junhyuk used the Spatial sh.

    Lugos was facing him when the Spatial sh cut the side of his neck, and Lugos¡¯ mouth fell open. He had lost 40 percent of his health in almost no time.

    Like a tornado, Lugos punched him four times in response. Junhyuk took the hits and did something unexpected in Lugos¡¯ mind, he closed in further, pulling out the Blood Rune Sword and sticking it through Lugos¡¯ neck.

    "Ugh!"

    He sunk the sword deeper and said, "This is the end."

    After Junhyuk twisted the sword, Lugos lost the remainder of his health.

    [You¡¯ve killed Lugos and earned 3,000G.]

    He looked at Lugos¡¯ corpse and then at the tower. Junhyuk was out of the archers¡¯ range, and they knew it, so he signaled with his hand, and the lizardmen ran forward.

    "Attack!"

    The lizardmen started to attack the tower, and he joined the fight. The watchtower soon fell, so Junhyuk sat on the rubble attempted tomunicate with Gongon.

    "How are you?"

    "Holy shit! I am so angry! How is it going over there?"

    "Haven¡¯t you heard I killed Lugos?"

    "I just came out of the room. Where are you?"

    "We destroyed the first tower."

    "What do we do now?"

    "Wait."

    Junhyuk raised themunication with Aktur as well.

    "Aktur, how is it going over there?"

    "I am fighting Drakey right."

    Aktur and Drakey had been fighting each other for a long time, and they knew each other well. No one was going to win easily.

    "I destroyed the first tower, and we met the new champion."

    "What¡¯s it like?"

    "It¡¯s an octopus. It can headbutt and shook ink that blinds you. It can also grab and wrangle the opponent. It deals way more damage than Gyulsean."

    "Is that it?"

    "As a tank, it¡¯s also more powerful and has higher defense and health than Lugos."

    "That strong?!"

    "It died with Gongon. It¡¯s a strong enemy. Hard to deal with."

    On a one-on-one battle, Gongon could deal with it alone. The dragon could dodge all of Kraken¡¯splex attacks, but tanks usually worked with others when fighting. The team battle would be way more dangerous now.

    Junhyuk sighed and said, "The high-ranking sorcerer will spawn soon. I¡¯m moving that way to get to the ind first."

    "Do it. You¡¯ve already destroyed the first tower."

    Junhyuk cutmunications with Aktur and raised Gongon again.

    "Gon, let¡¯s go meet the high-ranking sorcerer."

    "Shall I leave for him now?"

    "You can find the ind right? The central road connects to high-ranking sorcerer¡¯s ind."

    "Don¡¯t bete."

    He smiled at the dragon¡¯s cockiness, but Gongon couldn¡¯t see him at that point.

    "Gongon, can you upgrade mymunication crystal when we have time?"

    Gongon showed a big smile.

    "Ch-ch-ch, Ha-ha-ha-ha. I¡¯ll do it, sure. Come quick!"

    Junhyuk ran light-heartedly toward the central road.

 Chapter 242: Fury 1

    Chapter 242: Fury 1

    While on his way to the ind, Junhyuk heard a soft voice.

    [The High-Ranking Sorcerer in the Swamp of Despair has awoken. Lend him the help he needs, and he will give you a reward.]

    He picked up the pace, crossing the stepping stones to see Hatma all tied up by the roots of a tree. Hatmaughed at him.

    "You came alone? Where is that hatchling?"

    "He will be here soon."

    "I want to see his face with the knowledge that he didn¡¯t know anything."

    Junhyukughed.

    "Give me the quest. When Gongon gets here, we¡¯ll leave together."

    "Ah! The quest." Hatma tapped his forehead with his finger and continue, "I am getting a lot of headachestely. Bring me Bron¡¯s brain."

    "Bron¡¯s brain? Are you going to eat it?"

    "Yes, can I use it any other way?"

    "Who is Bron?"

    "You will know when you see him. He has arge head."

    Junhyuk nodded, and Gongon appeared at the opposite side of the ind and shouted, "Come here and carry me!"

    He shook his head and was about to leave when Hatma said, "The enemy is over there."

    He looked at the side opposite of Gongon and shouted, "Gongon! I¡¯ll cover you, so run here!"

    Then, he ran to meet his enemies. Lugos and Kraken were running toward him, and Junhyuk unsheathed the dual swords once he saw Kraken.

    Gongon would join in soon, evening out the numbers, but Junhyuk was suspicious of what Kraken would do. Blocking the way, he made it so the enemies couldn¡¯t cross easily. However, Kraken extended his tentacles while running toward him.

    Meanwhile, Gongon was struggling to cross the three-meter wide stepping stones. Kraken had no problem doing it, and Junhyuk frowned, looking at Lugos running after Kraken.

    "Gongon, hurry!" he shouted loudly and used the Spatial sh.

    Kraken¡¯s eyes popped out of its socket, and blood gushed out, but Junhyuk frowned. Kraken, who had been takingrge strides, staggered for a moment, but kept running all the while.

    Junhyuk teleported. He waited for Kraken to approach and swung his swords at Kraken¡¯s head. Kraken blocked with blocked with a tentacle, but the debuff had been applied. The attack was a sess, but Kraken had a hold of him at that point. Kraken raised him up, keeping both of his hands and legs immobile, and twisted him like wetundry.

    "Argh! Why this octopus head!?!"

    His body twisted at the waist, and Junhyuk felt massive pain, looking 25 percent of his health at once. The attack hadn¡¯t evennded a critical hit.

    Still, the pain was real and debilitating, and now he understood why Gongon had cursed at the octopus soon after.

    He should have teleported, but instead he went through the pain, feeling stupid for it. The octopus mmed him against the ground. Landing unevenly, he felt the damage spread through his body. Because he was all twisted up, he was unable to escape the impact, and, altogether, ended up losing 30 percent of his health.

    Junhyuk rolled away while Kraken extended its tentacles at him, which he blocked with his swords.

    At that moment, he heard Gongon¡¯s voice, "Just die!"

    Gongon came from behind and headbutted Kraken, who was pushed toward the Swamp of Despair. However, its tentacles were too long, and it looked like the octopus coulde out of the swamp easily.

    Junhyuk still ignored Lugos and ran toward Kraken. It was in the swamp, but instead of trying to get out, the octopus swung its tentacles toward him.

    Junhyuk bit down of the pommel of his sword, and grabbed Kraken¡¯s tentacle and teleported. Thirteen meters wasn¡¯t a long distance considering Kraken¡¯s tentacles had a range of ten meters, but he still teleported.

    While in midair, he kicked Kraken. Meanwhile, Kraken tried to grab Junhyuk again, but he jumped to get way. Junhyuk had ced Kraken in the middle of the swamp while hended safely away. He looked back and saw that Kraken had a fair distance to cover to get back tond.

    With the Frozen Rune Sword¡¯s debuff and the Swamp of Despair¡¯s debuff, Kraken wouldn¡¯t be able to leave within ten seconds. That was the best way to deal with the octopus.

    After he dumped Kraken away, Gongon frowned and said, "I was going to kill it!"

    "I know." Junhyuk looked at Lugos and continued, "Let¡¯s focus on the quest. It twisted me too, so I wanted to kill that octopus as well."

    Gongonughed.

    "Fine. Let¡¯s take turns killing the octopus, but let¡¯s take care of the quest first."

    Lugos didn¡¯t know what to do, but he jumped voluntarily into the swamp. The allies couldn¡¯t figure out what Lugos was up to, but he got to Kraken and grabbed his tentacles while erging his arms with muscle enhancement.

    It was usually used as an attack, but Lugos was using it in the middle of nowhere. Lugos pulled Kraken out andunched him out of the swamp. The allies were speechless. Then, Kraken grabbed Lugos and pulled him out of the swamp.

    Junhyuk was perplexed.

    "That was possible?!"

    The octopus had a ten-meter long reach, otherwise it wouldn¡¯t have been.

    Gongon smiled.

    "It¡¯s better this way!"

    Junhyuk shrugged.

    "I¡¯ve used all my powers to dump Kraken in the swamp."

    "Could I tear it apart now?"

    Heughed at Gongon¡¯s answer, and said, "You may kill it now."

    "Good! Right. I will kill that octopus ten times over."

    Gongon bared his teeth and was about step forward when Junhyuk grabbed his head.

    "Wait!"

    "Why?"

    "Wait till my Spatial shes back."

    The Spatial sh would increase their chances of dealing heavy damage, and he wanted to wait for it.

    "What about them?"

    "They¡¯lle this way."

    The Spatial sh had a long cooldown, and the enemies quickly took off toward the ind, going over the stepping stones.

    Junhyuk grabbed Gongon and ran backward.

    "What are you doing?"

    "Let theme to the ind."

    "Why?"

    "It¡¯ll be back soon."

    As he waited for the Spatial sh, Gongon stared hard at the enemies getting to the ind.

    "They¡¯re here."

    The hatchling dashed forward, and Junhyuk ran after him. With both of them approaching, Lugos took the lead. While he had used his muscle enhancement power, he had another tanking power left.

    However, all of Kraken¡¯s powers had returned.

    Lugos dashed forward, and his body turned dark. Still, Junhyuk was faster, and he picked up speed. Kraken was using its tentacles like whips to slow Junhyuk down, but Junhyuk just blocked it with the Frozen Rune Sword, stacking debuffs. Both Kraken and Lugos were quickly debuffed and losing movement speed.

    Each time he hit them, he felt the palm of his hand tearing up, but Junhyuk debuffed them while Gongon joined the fight.

    Lugos swung his weapons, bug Gongon was too quick for him at that point. The dragon went in between Lugos¡¯s legs and ran toward Kraken.

    Lugos turned to attack Gongon, but Junhyuk shed at his back. They already had a lot of debuffs in ce, but Junhyuk wanted to stack more. He had learned to concentrate on debuffs nowadays.

    Junhyuk¡¯s sword stabbed Lugos¡¯ back, and before Lugos had turned aroundpletely, he stabbed again, even faster this time.

    "Aaargh."

    Lugos groaned, but Junhyuk twisted the sword, stabbing even deeper and delivering additional damage.

    The shockwave spawned from within Lugos, damaging him further. By then, he had already lost half of his life, but he was finally able to turn around and face Junhyuk.

    Lugos started attacking, but Junhyuk knew that his stacks were stronger than Lugos¡¯. Could Gongon deal with Kraken alone?

    Kraken had received a Spatial sh, so he believed that Gongon would be able to stand against it alone. His job was simple: kill Lugos. The Spatial sh returned, but Lugos stomped the ground after blocking Junhyuk¡¯s next attack.

    Boom!

    The shockwave on the groundunched the allies in the air. The counter attack began, and Kraken grabbed hold of Gongon¡¯s legs. Kraken twisted Gongon, but Junhyuk raised the force field around Gongon soon after.

    Gongonughed hard as hended and breathed fire. Kraken¡¯s tentacles started burning, and Junhyuk felt the urge to eat roasted octopus tentacles.

    After the attack, Gongon ran toward Junhyuk, cing them both inside the force field, and Junhyuk said, "I¡¯ll kill Lugos."

    "I don¡¯t care. That octopus twisted me again."

    "I saw it. You kill it."

    Gongon smiled. Kraken had 30 percent of its health left. From within the force field, Junhyuk made his strategy.

    "The Spatial sh can hit them both. I¡¯ll go for Lugos, and you kill Kraken."

    "OK. Let¡¯s do it."

    The allies waited until the force field disappeared and ran out. However, that¡¯s when Kraken inked them.

    Junhyuk was covered in ink and cursed instinctively, "Shit!"

    Without sight, he had to go on defense. He tried to use his dual swords to block, but a tentacle grabbed his ankle, and suddenly he was in the air.

    [You have fallen in the Swamp of Despair. Your ability to escape has decreased by 70 percent, and your movement speed has decreased by 95 percent. If you don¡¯t leave the swamp within ten seconds, you will die.]

    He gritted his teeth. There wasn¡¯t much he had to worry about however as he could teleport again. His sight hade back, but he frowned. Gongon was flying in the air, but there was no way for Junhyuk to help.

    "You octopus head! Stupid son of bitch!" Gongon cursed while in the air.

    He couldn¡¯t get to Gongon, and the hatchling would probably die, so Junhyuk teleported to the stepping stones.

    "What about me?" Gongon shouted.

    "I can¡¯t help you."

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t save him even if he had teleported. He couldn¡¯t get to him. Gongon was too far away.

    With eyes filled with anger, the hatchling stared at Kraken.

    "I have five seconds! Kill it before that!"

    Junhyuk nodded and used his Spatial sh at the octopus, taking another one of its eyes along with the rest of its life. It disappeared.

    [You¡¯ve killed Kraken and earned 3,000G.]

    "Ha-ha-ha! You got what you deserved!" Gongon shouted.

    Soon, Gongon went under in the Swamp of Despair and disappeared.

 Chapter 243: Fury 2

    Chapter 243: Fury 2

    Gongon was gone, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t let his guard down. Gongon had fallen into the swamp, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t hear any announcement saying that the hatchling had been killed by someone.

    He ran over the stepping stones and attacked Lugo, who only had 30 percent of his health left. Lugos ran in his direction to prevent him from getting on the ind. Still, Junhyuk had a lot more health than him.

    Lugos swung his weapons torwad Junhyuk. Junhyuk saw the axe approaching and attempted to block it with his dual swords, even knowing the impact could knock him into the swamp.

    Lugos¡¯ eye glinted, and he used all four of his arms to put power behind the attack. However, Junhyuk saw his muscles move first and teleported. He appeared behind Lugos, swinging his dual swords down at him and shing his back twice.

    Lugos tried to turn around, but Junhyuk kicked him back and stepped back, putting some distance between them. Lugos went wild. He only had 15 percent of his health left, and two regr strikes would finish him off.

    Lugos knew his powers hadn¡¯t returned, so he turned around and started running away. Junhyuk saw Lugos crossing the stepping stones and chased after him. He wanted to keep his distance and use the Spatial sh when it returning, so he didn¡¯t speed up. Nothing good woulde from fighting on the stepping stones.

    Once Lugos crossed, Junhyuk picked up his pace. Lugos knew that his health was too low to take on Junhyuk. After searching for the optimal spot for their battle, Lugos ran into the reed field. When Junhyuk saw it, he hesitated.

    Lugos might ambush him, but he wouldn¡¯t die. However, he did not want to lose his health. Junhyuk pondered his options and ran into the forest. Suddenly, an attack came from his side, and he blocked it with his sword.

    ng!

    It was an axe attack, and although he blocked it instinctively, he couldn¡¯t deal with force behind it, and his body gotunched into the air. Then, Lugos swung his axe down.

    ng!

    He blocked it with his sword, but while in air, he couldn¡¯t position himself correctly. As hended, Lugos stabbed at him with a short spear. Junhyuk twisted his body around, but the spear still grazed his shoulder.

    He was bleeding, but he swung his sword at Lugos, who tried to retreat quickly. However, Lugos still got pierced in the ribs, and his health fell to 10 percent. Junhyuk ran after him, and Lugos hid himself in the reed field once again.

    Junhyuk did not want to lose sight of Lugos, so he went into the reed field himself. Lugos ambushed him again, but this time his arms had erged.

    Junhyuk blocked the attack.

    ng!

    It was a powerful blow, but it did not hit Junhyuk, so there was no damage. As he blocked Lugos¡¯ attacks, Lugos closed in and tried to split Junhyuk¡¯s head in half, as if it were a watermelon, with an axe.

    Junhyuk, in turn, tried to approach him as well, but when Junhyuk did that, Lugos smiled at him and stomped the ground.

    Boom!

    The impact generated shockwaves thatunched Junhyuk into the air. Lugos had been waiting for that and swung all of his weapons at Junhyuk, leaving him with 30 percent of his health.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t allow himself to be hit by any more attacks.

    Lugos smiled and swung for more strikes. Lugos¡¯ arms were erged, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t allow thebo to go through, so when he hit the ground he focused everything on dealing with it.

    He blocked the attacks with his swords, but was pushed back from the impact and force of the strikes. Junhyuk only had a bit of health left, and Lugos started to get greedy. Lugos himself only had 10 percent of his health, but held nothing back, and his body darkened.

    Lugos wasing at him, and Junhyuk took a deep breath.

    His attacks dealt half damage when Lugos was buffed like that, and Lugos had to attack him at least three times to kill him.

    Junhyuk trusted himself. He saw Lugos running toward him and ran forward to meet him.

    The cyclops¡¯ single eye sparkled.

    "Just die!" Lugos shouted, beginning the flurry of attacks.

    However, Lugos had a pattern to his axe attacks. He tried to split Junhyuk head, but Junhyuk dodged it just in time.

    sh!

    The axe wooshed past him, and Junhyuk tightened his grip on the Frozen Rune Sword. At the right time, Junhyuk counterattacked. Lugos had been expecting it and parried the attack with his axe.

    Once again, Junhyuk came to the realization that Lugos had four arms, so he closed in on Lugos and kicked his shin.

    Lugos tried to stab him with the short spear, but Junhyuk stepped on Lugos¡¯ knee and jumped, using the momentum to do a backflip. The short spear swung past him, and he shing Lugos¡¯ arm with his sword during the flip. The strike only dealt half the damage, but it still took 5 percent of Lugos¡¯ health away.

    However, Junhyuk saw a swording upward toward him, and there was nowhere for him to escape it.

    sh!

    He shoulder got sliced, and Junhyuk remained cautious about Lugos, so the cyclops couldn¡¯t follow it with abo.

    Lugos pushed forward, meaning to finish Junhyuk off, and Junhyuk stepped back.

    "Where are you going!" Lugos screamed, and he smiled at the cyclops.

    "Toote," he said, and the Spatial sh shed against Lugos¡¯ neck, which spurted like a fountain.

    [You¡¯ve killed Lugos and earned 3,000G.]

    He had managed to kill Lugos with the Spatial sh, but Lugos had also changed. The cyclops had even nned an ambush for Junhyuk in the reed field.

    "I have to be more careful."

    He shook his head and began walking in the direction of his quest. Junhyuk¡¯s health was low, but he was recovering slowly. Once he arrived at his destination, he was surprised.

    "It¡¯s not possible to predict anything here."

    He was standing on a clearing, and there were riflemen all over. The riflemen aimed at him.

    Junhyuk had recovered half of his health, and after a quick search for his target, he found what he was looking for.

    The target had such a big head that he was easily spotted.

    When he stepped forward, he suddenly saw Gongon¡¯s floating head.

    "Where are you?"

    "I¡¯m at the quest."

    "I¡¯ll bete."

    "Sure, but the enemies will block the way back. Go join Aktur and kill Drakey, thene to the ind."

    "With Aktur?"

    "Yes."

    "Sure. Did you kill LUgos?"

    "Yes, I killed him."

    "OK. See youter."

    Gongon cut offmunications, and Junhyuk inhaled deeply while looking at the enemy ahead.

    "It¡¯s time to begin."

    He ran at them, and the riflemen shot at him, so Junhyuk raised the force field around himself. He decide to get to Bron from the get-go.

    Protected by the forcefield, he ran fast, and his enemies were at a loss for what to do. Once he stood in front of Bron, the force field ran out of time, but Junhyuk ignored that. He also did not use the Spatial sh because he didn¡¯t know how much health Bron had.

    He was about to sh Bron when Bron pulled the trigger on his rifle.

    Bang!

    The sound of gunshot rang out, and Junhyuk scowled. He had lost 10 percent of his health with that single shot. However, he still managed to swing his sword. He knew what had to be done.

    Surprised, Bron hadn¡¯t expected the attack, and his rifle was sliced in half. Junhyuk took a step closer to Bron, but he suddenly pulled out a gatling gun.

    The muzzle started firing like crazy, and Junhyuk just teleported. He appeared behind Bron, swing his sword down at him. Once the sword touched Bron¡¯s simple armor...

    ng!

    ... Bron¡¯s head turned 180-degrees, and he fired the gatling gun again.

    Junhyuk knew that his only option was the Spatial sh at that point. His sword shed, and a gash appeared on Bron¡¯s neck, the only part of his body not protected by armor.

    "Ugh"

    Bron was bleeding heavily, and Junhyuk teleported again and checked on Bron¡¯s health. He had lost health of his health. Bron turned around, and Junhyuk swung his sword at Bron¡¯s arm.

    ng!

    His armor looked like simple clothes, but it prevented all the damage to Bron. At that point, the riflemen started shooting at Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk ignored it, still focused on Bron. However, each bullet that struck him dealt 5 percent of damage to his health.

    "What?!"

    Those were some strong bullets. The riflemen weren¡¯t minions, and Bron aimed at him again. Junhyuk hit the gatling gun with the Frozen Rune Sword and stabbed forward with the Blood Rune Sword.

    Bron was getting wide-eyed. Junhyuk had realized that the only spot he could attack Bron was his neck, so he stabbed deeper.

    "What the hell...?"

    Junhyuk twisted and pushed his sword in deeper, but Bron had his gun against Junhyuk¡¯s stomach, and Junhyuk had already used all his powers. He wanted to finish Bron and swung his other sword.

    Bang!

    After the sound of gunshot, Junhyuk was pushed off and rolled back on the ground. The shot had an unbelievable destructive power, and he lost 15 percent of his health.

    "Is that his power?"

    Junhyuk had a power that gave him perfect defense, and other people werepletely focused on attacks, but Bron¡¯s defense was extremely high, and his attack with the gatling gun was very powerful.

    Bron had 10 percent of his health remaining.

    Junhyuk got up, but soon had to roll around trying to escape Bron¡¯s shots.

    Rat-at-at-at-at!

    The shooting raised a dirt cloud from the ground, and Junhyuk used the opportunity to close in on Bron.

    "Shoot his legs!" Bron shouted.

    The riflemen and Bron shot at him, but he kept running. There was the possibility that Junhyuk could die withoutpleting the quest.

    "Don¡¯t make meugh!"

 Chapter 244: Fury 3

    Chapter 244: Fury 3

    A bullet grazed his thigh, and Junhyuk felt himself slowing down, but he gritted his teeth and stepped forward. Bron¡¯s pistol and gatling gun were peppering in his direction.

    He kicked the ground and jumped. While in the air, Junhyuk could be an easy target, but at that point, he had to escape Bron¡¯s attacks. Still, his shoulder and thigh got hit by the riflemen.

    Junhyuk sucked up the pain and fell on Bron. Bron raised both of his weapons to block, but Junhyuk used his swords to deflect them and give him an opening. Bron¡¯s weapons bounced back, and Junhyuk kneed his nose, breaking it. With Bron¡¯s head tilted back, Junhyuk pushed a swords into Bron¡¯s neck.

    "Argh!"

    Bron writhed and moaned in pain while Junhyuk beheaded him. Junhyuk grabbed Bron¡¯s head and jumped. Thanks to the Blood Rune Sword, he had regained a lot of his health, but the riflemen were still attacking him, and he was losing health quickly, so if he were to be attacked by another champion, he would be in danger.

    Junhyuk dropped Bron¡¯s head on the ground and went wild.

    "Why you little shits?! Aren¡¯t you afraid of me!"

    The riflemen fired at him, and his swords moved about busily.

    By the end, he was running toplete his quest, entirely covered in blood. Suddenly, he heard a soft announcement.

    [Aktur killed Drakey.]

    Junhyukughed.

    "He really wants to kill Kraken."

    Considering just attack power, Gongon had a higher chance of winning. Aktur had killed Drakey because Gongon had let him. Gongon was focused only on Kraken.

    "Am I in any danger?"

    He had killed the riflemen and regained some of his health, but he would be at half of his health when he got back to that ind. Taking that amount into consideration, it wasn¡¯t a good idea to encounter an enemy. Drakey was dead, but the possibility of meeting Kraken and Lugos was still there, and the way that encounter went would make a huge difference.

    Kraken could throw him in the swamp, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to get out of it in time.

    "He is difficult to deal with in the Swamp of Despair," Junhyukined. Then, he raised amunication with the hatchling and added, "Gongon,e to the ind quickly. I only have half of my health. If Ie across an enemy, I may be killed."

    "Ha-ha-ha! Do you need me?"

    "Yes, I need you."

    "I¡¯ming with Aktur. See you soon."

    "OK."

    Themunication cut off, and he sped up. Suddenly, however, things jumped out of the forest ahead. It was a wolf pack.

    He looked at the wolves and whistled.

    "Thanks!"

    The wolves attacked him, but he cut them down only with the Blood Rune Sword, leaving the Frozen Rune Sword unused.

    Monsters could pop out sometimes, but he was grateful for it now. He killed all the wolves and gained another 20 percent of his health back, smiling.

    "Thanks." He walked through the corpses of the wolves, shook his head and said, "70 percent is plenty."

    He had enough health now, so he really sped up his pace.

    ---

    Junhyuk had guessed correctly. He had to cross the stepping stones, but Kraken and Lugos were waiting for him. Gongon and Aktur were already standing on the ind, on the opposite side. He looked at them and inhaled calmly.

    "Do they want me to cross?"

    His enemies were standing at the gate, and crossing that gate wouldn¡¯t be easy to him. So, he cracked his neck right and left and shouted, "Gongon! At my signal."

    "OK!"

    Gongon jumped up on Aktur¡¯s shoulders, and the expression on Aktur¡¯s face changed. Junhyukughed at it, but that way, Aktur and Gongon could move together.

    Junhyuk ran forward, and Kraken ran toward him. Lugos ran in the direction of the stepping stones, meaning to block Aktur and Gongon.

    Junhyuk looked over at Kraken. After Kraken fell into the swamp, it learned a valuable lesson. If Kraken got a hold of anyone, that person would beunched into the swamp. Should Junhyuk teleport or should he save his teleport?

    Junhyuk made up his mind. He had Bron¡¯s head tied to his waist, and his job was to give the head to Hatma.

    "Gongon! I aming!" Junhyuk shouted as he sped up.

    Kraken whipped its tentacles at him. All four of them wereing in his direction, and he blocked them with his dual swords. Junhyuk got as close to Kraken as possible and teleported. The teleportation put him further away from Kraken, but the octopus chased after him with its tentacles as if it had eyes on the back of its head. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t able to dog one of them, and it wrapped around his waist, so he used the Spatial sh.

    sh!

    "AAAAHH!"

    Kraken lost the tentacle along with 15 percent of its health. It wasn¡¯t a critical hit, but he had still lost a tentacle. While Kraken screamed in pain, Junhyuk teleported again.

    Heading toward Aktur and Gongon, he shouted, "I mustplete the quest! Block the enemy!"

    "Of course!"

    Aktur understood everything and stood in the enemies¡¯ path while Junhyuk went over to Hatma. With Gongon and Aktur blocking the way for Kraken and Lugos, Junhyuk handed Hatma Bron¡¯s head. Hatma moved through the tree roots and extended his hand.

    "Give it to me."

    Hatma took the head and split in half. Blood sttered on the ground, but he ignored it, took the brain out and started eating it, munching it loudly.

    Hatma looked detestable to Junhyuk, but he wanted the buff so he could help Gongon and Aktur. Hatma closed his eyes, savoring the taste, then he opened his eyes andughed.

    "Bron¡¯s brain is the best medicine for headaches!"

    "He was hard to deal with."

    "It¡¯s because he has a big brain."

    "How about that buff?"

    "I¡¯ll give it to you now."

    Hatma extended both of his arms.

    "I was called by lightning. I am Hatma and I will give your strikes movement faster than wind and lightning."

    [The High-Ranking Sorcerer¡¯s buff is applied. For one hour, your movement speed and your critical hit rate increase by 10 percent. When you deliver a critical hit, the opponent will receive an additional 30 percent of damage. If you die, the enemy will take the buff.]

    Once Junhyuk was buffed, he shouted, "Gongon! Bring them here! Fight on the ind!"

    With the buff, Junhyuk wasn¡¯t scared anymore, but Kraken headbutted Gongon and Aktur at the same time. The two staggered, and Kraken held their legs and threw them both away from Junhyuk.

    "Shit!"

    When Aktur got thrown, heunched his own bandages against Kraken. His power was interesting. His bandages wrapped around Kraken, and it got pulled away with Aktur. They both fell into the swamp. Gongon did not.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t hesitate, running toward Lugos. He was buffed and wouldn¡¯t hesitate joining a fight.

    Gongon also tried something different and headbutted Lugos.

    Boom!

    Lugos staggered and got pushed away, and Junhyuk smiled of satisfaction. His critical hit rate had gone in, and the damage had increase. Lugos lost 52 percent of his health with Gongon¡¯s single headbutt.

    "Huh?! This is the buff!"

    Junhyuk ran toward Lugos, who turned dark and tried to attack Gongon. However, transformed to fight Lugos.

    Gongon uppercutted Lugos, and Junhyuk could see he must have trained really hard. However, although the strike wasn¡¯t a critical hit, Lugos still lost 10 percent of his health, leaving him with 28 percent.

    Junhyuk swung his sword at Lugos, but got parried with the axe. Gongon low-kicked Lugos, who was left with 18 percent of his health.

    Lugos¡¯ position wavered, and Junhyuk stabbed him in the ribs. The cyclops lost all of his health, and Gongon took a few steps back. The hatchling wasn¡¯t interested in Lugos¡¯ death.

    Junhyuk pulled out one sword while beheading Lugos with the other, and the cyclops disappeared.

    [You¡¯ve killed Lugos and earned 3,000G.]

    Junhyuk collected his breath and turned around. Kraken was trying to get out of the swamp, but was unable to. Still, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t teleport to help Aktur, but the mummy looked at him and shouted, "I can¡¯t get out! Take a tower for me!"

    He and Gongon nodded. They looked at Aktur and Kraken sinking into the swamp. When they were no longer visible, he sighed.

    "He killed himself."

    "Right. That octopus-head is able to think of nothing but that."

    He looked at them disappear and thought of something. Junhyuk had corpses in his Spatial Bag, and he threw them in the swamp. He reminded himself of his decision: to advance, to protect others, he wouldmit murder.

    Gongon stared at the corpses.

    "What are those?"

    "Those are people who went against me on Earth," Junhyuk exined calmly.

    "Why did you save the bodies? Why didn¡¯t you burn them?"

    "I don¡¯t have that kind of power."

    "I¡¯ll make you something you can useter."

    He touched Gongon¡¯s head and said, "You are my only friend."

    Gongon looked at him.

    "So, you are giving me a piggyback ride, right?"

 Chapter 245: Item Power 1

    Chapter 245: Item Power 1

    Junhyuk heard Gongon¡¯s voice.

    "It¡¯s ready now."

    The hatchling dropped themunication crystal, and Junhyuk snatched it out of the air.

    "Can we see each other¡¯s face?"

    "Let¡¯s find out."

    When Junhyuk used themunication crystal, he could see Gongon, and Gongon could see his face as well.

    "Ha-ha-ha! When you see my face, you can also see my feet," Gongonughed.

    "That¡¯s because I am giving you piggyback ride." Junhyuk smiled and expressed his gratitude, "Thanks for upgrading it."

    Gongon shook his head.

    "No need. I¡¯m studying how this process works to learn more about magic!s Crystals work through dimensions, and I want to meet whoever made this and pick at his brain."

    "Right... we are here."

    Junhyuk had given Gongon a piggyback ride all the way to the dimensional portal.

    "Let¡¯s go in."

    Once they went inside, they saw Bebe, and Gongon jumped down. He ran toward Bebe and sat on the counter. Bebe smiled and was about to p him down when Gongon shouted quickly, "I am here to buy more candy!"

    Bebeughed and extended the te.

    "How many do you want?"

    "I want to sell you something first. I worked hard on it this time."

    Bebe looked at the item, and Junhyuk listened in carefully.

    "What is that?"

    "I asked for materials from my father and I made a BIG Spatial Bag! It¡¯s twenty meters! Ha-ha-ha-ha!"

    Bebe looked surprised and checked it out, astonished.

    "I haven¡¯t seen this time of bag in a long time."

    "How much will you give me for it?"

    "A hundred thousand gold."

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened. The price was crazy high, but he was more surprised by what Gongon said next.

    "Each candy is 20G, so give me 50,000 pieces of candy."

    Bebe was also shocked, and he looked at Gongon and asked, "50,000 pieces? Really?"

    "My father told me to bring him back some candy. Only 20,000 of it will be mine."

    "That¡¯ll stillst you a while."

    "No, considering the melting speed, you can¡¯t save them for long. Also, because of the materials that went into making that bag, I can¡¯t make another one."

    "OK. Do you need anything else?"

    Gongon shook his head and pulled out five swords from his Spatial Bag.

    "These swords of renown in your world?" Bebe asked.

    "The lord made these."

    After inspecting them, Bebe said, "These are high-quality swords. I¡¯ll give you 200,000 for each of them."

    Junhyuk was shocked again. Bebe was purchasing them for 200,000G, which meant that he would sell them for 400,000G, and Gongon was selling them all.

    The hatchling earned 1,000,000G.

    "I want the Kali breastte and the Kali shoulder tes. I need those two."

    "You¡¯re after the Kali set?"

    "He is a living dragon legend. He¡¯s the strongest dragon in all dimensions!"

    "You are very knowledgeable." Bebe gave him the items and said, "It¡¯s 500,000G for each."

    "I know. Nice doing business with you!"

    Gongon put the two items on without transforming, and they fit him nicely. The dragon smiled.

    "I want to fight."

    "Enjoy them."

    Junhyuk shook his head and headed over to Bebe.

    "Do you have anything of the Pure Golden Knight set?"

    "No, nothing."

    He thought about his options for a moment and asked, "Is there a Pure Golden Knight Armor?"

    "There is one. Why?"

    "Then, I won¡¯t enhance my current one."

    "If you buy a new armor, you¡¯ll have to sell your current one."

    Junhyuk nodded. He shouldn¡¯t rush buying new things now. His goal was to save more and buy better itemster. Not wanting to buy anything else, Junhyuk looked at Gongon, and the hatchling smiled at him.

    "Shall we go?"

    "Do your new items have a set-item effect?"

    "The two-item effect is kinda small. My critical hit rate increases by 10 percent."

    "What?!"

    Junhyuk felt like that was a good boost, and Bebe exined further, "The dragon Kali is a new legend. Considering his power, the set-item effect is just right."

    Junhyuk shrugged and looked at Gongon.

    "You got stronger. Let¡¯s go?"

    "Sure. Let¡¯s destroy some towers."

    He and Gongon crossed the dimensional portal and moved out. They were headed to the second tower in the lower path. While they expected their enemies to show, they didn¡¯t meet anyone.

    They found that curious, but they still destroyed the tower. That¡¯s when Aktur connected with them.

    "The first tower in the upper path is gone, and all three of them areing this way. What do you want to do?"

    It would be hard to deal with all three at the same time, and Junhyuk took a moment to think.

    "We just destroyed the second tower. Can you hold them there?"

    "I¡¯ll try. Why can I see your face?"

    "I had it fixed. If you get in any danger, run away. Don¡¯t die."

    "I know. I¡¯ll hold them here."

    "OK. We¡¯ll destroy their castle." He looked at Gongon and said, "Get on."

    "Will do!"

    Gongon jumped on his shoulder, and, giving Gongon a piggyback ride, Junhyuk ran as fast as he could. If they attacked the enemy castle, their enemies would have to return.

    "Gongon, let¡¯s focus on the archers on the wall. I¡¯ll use my Spatial sh, and you use your firebreath."

    "Sure."

    He threw Gongon up and used the Spatial sh right after Gongon took off. Gongon¡¯s firebreath covered half of the castle, and the shockwave from the Spatial sh swept the rest of the wall clean.

    Junhyuk swung at the iing lizardmen. There were many of them, but they were no match for him. He was the best at what he did, and what he did, even better than heroes, was massacre minions. After quickly dispatching all the lizardmen, he looked at Gongon and shouted, "Destroy the gate!"

    They were pounding at the gate when, suddenly, they heard Aktur¡¯s voice.

    "They¡¯ve all returned."

    "We¡¯ll retreat. Come to the lower path, and let¡¯s meet on the first tower."

    "OK."

    After they cut off, Junhyuk pounded at the gate some more. It would take ten seconds for their enemies to return, and even after that, it would be a total of thirty seconds before they reached the gate.

    Junhyuk wanted to destroy the gate and retreat.

    "Do your best."

    Gongon transformed and pounded at the gate, which shattered quickly, but they saw the enemies heading their way.

    Junhyuk turned, ready to run.

    "Gongon, can you go back to your original form?"

    "Yes."

    "Do it!"

    Gongon was small again, and after Junhyuk gave him a signal, the hatchling climb on his back again. Junhyuk ran away with the three enemies chasing after them.

    There was arge gap from the start, so the enemies couldn¡¯t catch up immediately, but it was a long way to the first tower. It would take him a few hours with Gongon on his back.

    "Yeah! Run!"

    "I¡¯ll drop you."

    Junhyuk gritted his teeth and ran. Meanwhile on his back, Gongon wagged his tail diligently.

    ---

    He ran for a while before seeing Aktur heading toward him. Junhyuk was very d to see the mummy.

    "Aktur!"

    "You came."

    "Yes! I exhausted!"

    He threw Gongon at Aktur, but Gongon pirouetted in the air,nded standing and said, "Riding piggyback is not that easy."

    "Do you want to die?"

    "Ha-ha-ha-ha! Give me another ride next time."

    Gongon wagged his tail, looking in the enemies¡¯ direction. They had also run at full speed and were catching their breaths.

    Junhyuk inhaled deeply while looking at his enemies.

    "Aktur, so d that you are still alive!"

    "Sure." Aktur looked at the enemies and said, "With Drakey¡¯s absolute evade, they are three tanks."

    "That¡¯s right. Drakey is also a tank."

    Gongonughed.

    "Even if they are sturdy, if we pound them hard enough, they will die." Gongon bumped his fists against each other and asked, "Who do you want as the first victim?"

    "Who do you want to beat the shit out of?"

    "Kraken."

    Kraken was better than Lugos as a champion, but it was very different from Drakey, so it was hard topare the two.

    Junhyuk looked at Aktur and asked, "Can you hold them off for a while?"

    "Even Drakey? But you know his power!"

    "I know," Junhyuk said and looked at Gongon. "We¡¯ll kill Drakey first."

    Gongon shook his head.

    "As you know, octopus-head also has a long-range attack."

    "And it can rush."

    "True. Kraken can damage anything within five meters of him immediately." Junhyuk sighed and asked, "What should we do?"

    Gongon stepped forward.

    "I¡¯ll be the tank."

    Both of them looked at the little dragon. Gongon was about as tall as their waists, but he said he wanted to be the tank, and that made themugh.

    Kraken had a ten-meter reach with its tentacles, but Gongon looked at Junhyuk and said, "I am different from before."

    Junhyuk nodded. Gongon had new items, and they were both defensive items. They had to have increased his defense, so Gongon was definitely stronger now.

    The little dragon stepped forward and said, "I¡¯ll go."

    He finished the sentence and sprinted forward. Looking at his enemies, Junhyuk used the Spatial sh, hopping to apply the debuff with the first attack. Kraken got hit in the eye, and the shockwave spread out from there. The others were debuffed and slowed down.

    Suddenly, a whirlwind rose beneath the three allies, and all three wereunched in the air. Kraken flew toward Junhyuk, who raised the force field around Aktur, negating Kraken¡¯s rush.

    As Junhyuknded, he ran forward and shouted, "Gongon! Let¡¯s kill Kraken."

    "I was waiting for you to say that!"

    Gongon transformed ready to showcase his increased damage. The hatchling flew as a beam of light toward Kraken, mming it with his head. The impact echoed all around.

    Boom!

    Ordinarily, his rush dealt Kraken 17 percent damage to its max health. However, the new items increased the chance of critical hits, and Kraken lost 44 percent of its health. Gongon was still transformed.

    He grabbed Kraken¡¯s tentacles and pounded the octopus with his fists. Kraken couldn¡¯t escape.

    Doosh! Doosh!

    Kraken attacked Gongon with some free tentacles, but the damage was insignificant.

    "Item power!" Junhyuk shouted out and ran into the scuffle.

 Chapter 246: Item Power 2

    Chapter 246: Item Power 2

    Gongon was beating the crap out of Kraken, but the octopus used four tentacles to pick the dragon up and twist him by the limbs. Junhyuk wanted to block the attack for Gongon, but he couldn¡¯t do it. However, Gongon had a lot of health. He would feel dirty and nasty after receiving the attack, but it was better for Junhyuk to save his powers.

    Gongon got twisted up and shouted, "Argh! You octopus head!"

    Junhyuk closed in on Kraken, and Aktur summoned the skeleton soldiers to fight Drakey.

    Gongon got mmed against the ground and got up pounding the ground with his fists. Junhyuk let him attack Kraken again because Gongon¡¯s killing intent had risen after the attack.

    Lugos was heading toward Junhyuk, and, once close, Junhyuk parried Lugos¡¯ attack. Gongon took Junhyuk¡¯s ce and inhaled deeply. With his chest inted, he dodged all of Kraken¡¯s attacks, but Kraken opened its tentacles and spit out the nk ink, which sprayed all over Junhyuk as well.

    "Shit!"

    Junhyuk was trying to clean his eyes when Lugos attacked him. The cyclops¡¯ armas were erged, enabling him to deal high damage. Junhyuk had to teleport away.

    Boom!

    The ground shook, and Junhyuk felt the shockwave underneath his feet. Then, he heard the sound of Gongon spewing me. He took a few steps back, rubbing his eyes, but it didn¡¯t help. Still, that was the only thing he could do at that point. Suddenly, he heard Gongon¡¯s scream.

    "Aagh!"

    Junhyuk opened his eyes wide and saw Gongon had been thrown against a me wall. Firewalls surrounded the path, and Gongon bounces off of one. Junhyuk scowled and ran forward.

    Gongon dropped to the ground, no longer transformed, and Junhyuk looked around the battlefield. Aktur and Drakey were taking time to fight each other. There was no reason for him to focus on them, so Junhyuk ran toward Kraken.

    Kraken saw him running toward it, but continued to attack Gongon. The hatchling got his vision back, and rolled around to escape Kraken¡¯s attacks. Lugos ran to attack Gongon as well, both of them focused on him.

    Gongon has 50 percent of his health, and Kraken has 36 percent left. It was a matter of killing the enemy first.

    Once he got close, Lugos stomped the ground.

    Boom!

    The shockwave sent both Gongon and Junhyuk into the air, leaving Gongon with 42 percent of his health and not much more than Kraken.

    Junhyuk grumbled that his Spatial sh wasn¡¯t off cooldown yet and parried Kraken¡¯s tentacles.

    ng, ng, ng!

    Because he was still in the air, he couldn¡¯t deal with the force of Kraken¡¯s attacks. The same was true for Gongon. Both gotunched toward the wall, and when Junhyuk hit it and received the damage from it, he realized that Kraken had gotten used to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield.

    When Junhyuknded, Lugos headed toward him. Even without transforming, Gongon could deal a lot of damage, and he also had a 10 percent buff to his critical hit rate. If they were lucky, Gongon would kill Kraken.

    Gongon had to stop their joint attacks. Meanwhile, Drakey was still fighting Aktur.

    Junhyuk blocked Lugos and shouted, "Gongon, take care of business!"

    "I know!"

    Junhyuk attacked Lugos, so that Gongon could pass them by. Lugos was pushed back, and Gongon attacked Kraken. If Kraken couldn¡¯t grab the hatchling, Gongon would have the advantage.

    The little dragon dodged Kraken¡¯s grab attacks, but got hit by a whip of a tentacle. However, he still got close to Kraken and, using his short leg, kneed Kraken¡¯s head. It connected, and the blow was a critical hit.

    Junhyuk trusted Gongon, and Lugos and him were exchanging blows. They were fighting fiercely when, suddenly, a soft voice made a weing announcement.

    [Gongon killed Kraken.]

    "Gongon! This way!"

    "Got it!"

    Lugos saw Gongoning, and his body darked as he ran to the side. He was repositioning himself to fight near Aktur and Drakey, but Junhyuk blocked Lugos¡¯ path.

    He swung the Frozen Rune Sword and shed the cyclops¡¯ thigh. It was easy for Junhyuk to strike at Lugos while he attempted to run away. Lugos slowed down. Meanwhile, Gongon, who had been running toward him, flew like a rocket toward Lugos.

    Boom!

    Lugos leaned back to dodge, and Junhyuk stabbed him with his sword. The sword went through Lugos¡¯ chest, but because of the defense buff, it didn¡¯t have a big impact, and Lugos kicked him off.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk got pushed back, and Gongon kicked the cyclops¡¯ hamstring. His leg bent in a funny way, and Gongon bit his neck.

    "Aahh!"

    Lugos tried to hammer Gongon away, but the hatchling leg go of his neck on time and mmed him with his tail. Gongon was going wild on Lugos¡¯ back, but there was nothing the cyclops could do while the little dragon climbed around his back to attack him.

    Even without transforming, he still dealt a lot of damage, and Lugos was left with 35 percent of his health. Due to the debuffs, Lugos couldn¡¯t move well or quickly, so Gongon just kept on attacking him.

    Junhyuk dashed forward and said, "Give him to me!"

    So, Gongon kicked Lugos¡¯ back hard and ran toward Drakey. He only had 20 percent of his health left. While he knew he didn¡¯t have a lot, Gongon still wanted to help out.

    Gongon was being Gongon, Junhyuk thought as he swung his sword against Lugos. Lugos tried to block, but was suddenly hit on the back of his neck.

    "Ugh!"

    Lugos disappeared, and Junhyuk turned around.

    [You¡¯ve killed Lugos and earned 3,000G.]

    Junhyuk joined the final fight, and Drakey had no choice but to ran away. Drakey was strong, and he had the perfect evasion boosts, but he couldn¡¯t fight alone.

    Junhyukughed at him.

    "Does he think he can run away with his speed?"

    He saw Drakey had 60 percent of his health left, and Junhyuk wanted to make him slower. So, he ran toward Drakey, and Drakey scowled. He didn¡¯t want to deal with Junhyuk while running away.

    Drakey turned around, and Junhyuk disyed the difference in their speeds. Drakey swung his trident, but Junhyuk blocked it with one of his swords. However, Drakey was a very aplished spearman, and he suddenly released the soundwaves.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk got thrown toward Aktur and Gongon, but Aktur had already released his bandages. To deal with that, Drakey used his perfect evasion and started to run away again. After the soundwave attack, Drakey was able to put some distance between him and the allies.

    Junhyuk stared at Drakey...

    "He is stupid!"

    ... and teleported.

    Drakey stared at him.

    "Shit! You are so annoying!"

    Junhyukughed and blocked the trident attack with his sword. At that moment, Aktur and Gongon finally joined the fight. Drakey couldn¡¯t fight the three of them by himself. He knew he would die, but he also wanted to kill someone before that happened.

    Drakey wanted to kill Gongon, so he timed his attack just right for him to attack at the same time Gongon attacked. Drakey¡¯s attack hit Gongon¡¯s armor, but it still dealt a lot of damage even if Drakey hadn¡¯t used a power.

    Gongon looked at the trident and at Drakey and said, "You are so weak!"

    Drakey was furious. His face was a grimace, and the others started attacking him. Junhyuk shed Drakey¡¯s back, and Aktur used his w-like nails against Drakey¡¯s ribs.

    Drakey stared at them both, baring his teeth, but his powers hadn¡¯t returned yet, so Junhyuk smiled coldly at him.

    "You can¡¯t kill Gon."

    Gongon kicked Drakey in the stomach and said, "You don¡¯t have enough strength."

    Drakey hunched over, and Gongon whispered in his ear, "You aren¡¯t qualified to be a champion."

    Then, Gongon headbutted him, and Drakey lost nearly all of his health.

    "One more blow should kill him."

    Gongon stepped back, and Aktur wed at Drakey. His nails pierced Drakey¡¯s chest.

    [Aktur killed Drakey.]

    Junhyuk looked at Drakey and then at Gongon and Aktur.

    "This is the beginning of the end."

    Gongon and Aktur smiled, and Gongon pulled out a piece of candy from his Spatial Bag and tossed it in his mouth.

    "I don¡¯t have enough health."

    "We already destroyed the gate. We have time."

    Aktur looked at Gongon and asked, "You don¡¯t have any potions?"

    "Potions?" Gongon sighed. "I could use heal, but I can¡¯t use heal in this ce."

    Aktur pulled three potions out from his bag.

    "My gifts to you. Let¡¯s all drink."

    Junhyuk drank the free potion and felt his health regenerating.

    "By the time we get there, we¡¯ll be at full health."

    Before, drinking a potion recovered his health right away, but now he had more health, so it took time. Junhyuk looked at Aktur.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    "Wait!"

    Gongon had stopped the group with his tail wagging.

    "Piggyback!"

    Junhyukughed, and Gongon got on his back and said, "Then, let¡¯s go!"

    ---

    The gate was destroyed, and the enemies only had one hope, the giant golem. While there was only one golem, it could still pose serious problems.

    Junhyuk looked at the golem and murmured, "We should have brought lizardmen."

    They had moved quickly and left all the lizardmen behind. The enemy lizardmen posed no real problem for the allies, but the allied lizardmen could distract the golem.

    Junhyuk tapped Gongon¡¯s foot and said,

    "Get off. It¡¯s time to fight."

    "Right, I have the chance to kill that octopus one more time," Gongon said afternding.

    Aktur looked vicious as he asked, "What are we going to do?"

    Junhyuk smiled and answered, "Let¡¯s beat the shit out of each one of them."

 Chapter 247: Crapshoot 1

    Chapter 247: Crapshoot 1

    Junhyuk looked at enemies facing him and stepped forward.

    "We could use our long-range attacks, and our speeds are faster than the golem¡¯s."

    "What are we going to do?"

    "Attack the enemies first and retreat when the golemes for us."

    "OK."

    Gongoncked experience in the Dimensional Battlefield. Junhyuk¡¯s strategy was borne out of experience, and he moved up.

    "Get them all frustrated."

    "But I will kill Kraken."

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk ran and used his Spatial sh. Kraken was the most dangerous enemy, and Drakey had perfect evasion, so using the Spatial sh on Drakey would be useless. Lugos could be killed at any time. Therefore, Junhyuk took out one of Kraken¡¯s eyes.

    "Argh!"

    The Spatial sh generated a shockwave around that spot, and because the giant golem was within range, he smiled and stepped back.

    "Let¡¯s get back to the gate."

    Gongon wagged his tail.

    "Are they going toe after us?"

    "If they are stupid, they will. If not, they¡¯ll keep some distance between us."

    "That would be bad."

    "No," Junhyuk said as he smiled. "The first time is fine, but after two Spatial shes we can just overrun them."

    The Spatial sh was the most potent weapon among the champions, especially when the strike was a critical hit, and it dealt even more heavy damage. Junhyuk and Gongon ran away, and as the enemies approached, Gongonughed.

    "They are chasing us so hard that they are about to shit their pants."

    Junhyuk stopped running, and Gongon looked at him.

    "If we run that fast, they can¡¯t get closer."

    "Right."

    After scoping out the enemies, Junhyuk said, "Run at my signal."

    Gongon waited, wagging his tail.

    "I¡¯m itching to headbutt them."

    "Run, run!"

    They started running, but their enemies stopped in their tracks so that the giant golem could catch up, and Junhyuk looked at them.

    "That is your n, right?"

    The giant golem turned around, and the enemies followed it back. Junhyuk smiled.

    "Let¡¯s get closer."

    They approached the enemy, and Junhyuk was looking for a chance to deliver another Spatial sh. However, the enemies had seen through his n. The golem wouldn¡¯t turn around again unless it was hit, and Junhyuk knew that as he looked at the enemies around the castle wall.

    Kraken made to go back into the castle, and Junhyuk smiled.

    "Will it help us if they go in one by one?"

    Kraken entered the castle to regain health, and Junhyuk shouted, "Let¡¯s move!"

    He sprinted off and used the Spatial sh. They were less than thirty meters away, and this time he aimed for Lugos, who had already been hurt by the shockwave and only had 80 percent of his health. Lugos took the hit, and his health decreased by another 40 percent.

    Junhyuk seized the chanced and grabbed Aktur and Gongon and teleported. They covered thirteen meters with the move, and when they got closer, Junhyuk shouted, "Go! Gon!"

    Gongon flew and headbutted Lugos, leaving him with 20 percent of his health. However, Drakey quickly cast a whirlwind, but it only managed to get Gongon. Lugos tried to retreat to the castle quickly, but Aktur moved faster, and wrapped the cyclops¡¯ neck with his bandages, pulling Lugos toward himself.

    Junhyuk stabbed Lugos while he was being pulled, and because there was no way for the cyclops to prepare for the hit, Junhyuk stabbed his neck. It was a critical hit, and Lugos died.

    [You¡¯ve killed Lugos and earned 3,000G.]

    Drakey retreated after watching Lugos die. He wanted to fight with the golem¡¯s help, but they could kill him easily if he was alone. With Lugos dead, there was nothing he could do.

    "Kill the giant golem now!" Junhyuk shouted.

    Gongon had been waiting for that and flew toward the giant golem. He kicked at it at the same time the golem kicked his leg.

    Boom!

    Gongon didn¡¯t have enough force behind his kick, and the golem¡¯s foot was only slightly destroyed, but Gongon bounced away, rolling on the ground for a while.

    Junhyuk swung his swords at the golem¡¯s legs, and the shockwave took care of the nearby lizardmen. Without the enemies there, they would have an easier time getting rid of the golem, so it was best that they did it as quickly as possible.

    Aktur, aware of the situation, summoned the skeleton soldiers, and they attacked the golem.

    Kraken came back, and whenever Junhyuk saw it, he raised the force field around them.

    ng!

    The allies continued to attack the golem inside the force field. It was their job to take it down. Meanwhile Kraken whipped desperately against it. His tentacle whips carried quite the impact, but it wasn¡¯t enough to move the force field.

    Junhyuk shed the golem¡¯s legs again.

    "Kill it before the force field disappears!"

    Gongon smiled.

    "Don¡¯t worry so much!"

    GOngon was going berserk inside the force field, and the golem was quickly losing its health. Within ten seconds, the golem copsed. Kraken and Drakey remained. Victory belonged to the allies.

    Kraken and Drakey couldn¡¯t fight against the three of them, so they went back to the castle, and Junhyuk scoffed at them and started pounding against the castle¡¯s force field.

    "It will be over soon!"

    Gongon started to kick the castle¡¯s force field.

    "They are scared."

    Probably after hearing Gongon¡¯s remark, Kraken walked out with Drakey. Drakey stepped forward, and the allies attacked him, but he used perfect evasion.

    "Shit!"

    With his power activated, nothing would hit Drakey for three seconds. No attacks would work against him in that time.

    Drakey swung his trident, and Gongon blocked his attacks.

    "This is barely a scratch!"

    Kraken closed in and lifted Gongon up. At that time, Junhyuk used his jump. In the air, he touched Gongon and teleported away, appearing even higher up.

    "Thanks!" Gongon shouted.

    "Go kill Kraken! Go, Gon!"

    He threw Gongon down like a rock, and the hatchling transformed in the air beforending. Than, he headbutted Kraken¡¯s head.

    Boom!

    Kraken lost 44 percent of its strength. Junhyuk came plummeting down, holding his sword toward Kraken, who had 56 percent of its health left.

    As hends, his sword pierced the octopus.

    "Arrrrhhh!"

    Kraken was in danger, and it tried to go back inside the castle¡¯s force field. But, from underneath it, ck hand rose from the ground to grab it. The Frozen Rune Sword had debuffed Kraken, and now, Aktur¡¯s Damnation slowed him even further. Still, the castle¡¯s force field was really close.

    Kraken continued to try to move toward it, but Gongon swiped Kraken¡¯s leg and shouted, "Where are you going?!"

    Kraken was extremely debuff, and Gongon pulled it toward him.

    Junhyuk swung his sword at Kraken, debuffing it even further, and the octopus was left with 30 percent of its health.

    "A bit more!"

    "I¡¯m not just ying in here!"

    Drakey generated a sound wave that swept through everyone. They all got thrown to the ground, and Kraken quickly got up. However, it was still very slow, and Kraken had some distance to cover to the force field.

    Gongon could kill it quickly. With his transformation, it would be no problem for Gongon to deal the remaining 30 percent in damage.

    Junhyuk pushed him and shouted, "Go kill him!"

    Gongon ran toward Kraken, and Junhyuk realized that his Spatial sh had returned. He could kill the octopus with one hit as long as it was a critical hit, but Gongon wanted to do it. Gongon chased after Kraken and inhaled deeply. The firebreath covered Kraken¡¯s entire body while the octopus was still trying to run away.

    It was a critical hit, and Kraken lost nearly all of its health. Any attack would kill it now.

    Drakey ran toward Gongon, trying to cover for his teammate. He wanted to block the path, but Junhyuk came between them and, while blocking Drakey trident, he shouted, "Jump over!"

    Gongon stepped on Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder and jumped over him and Drakey,nding on the back of Kraken¡¯s head as it attempted to return to the castle¡¯s force field.

    Boom!

    Kraken disappeared, and when Junhyuk looked at the octopus, Drakey stabbed him in the thigh with his trident.

    [Gongon killed Kraken.]

    "Good job!" Junhyuk shouted.

    It was now Drakey¡¯s turn to try to return to the force field, but Gongon stood in his way. Gongon was back to his original size and shouted, "Peek-a-boo! I will kill you too."

    Drakey swung his trident at Gongon, and when the hatchling jumped to escape it, Drakey punched Gongon in his stomach.

    Gongon was in the air when he got hit, so he gotunched away, but Junhyuk took his ce to block Drakey¡¯s path. Aiming his dual swords at Drakey, he said, "So sorry, but you can¡¯t escape."

    "Don¡¯t make meugh!"

    Drakey scoffed at him, and Junhyuk swung his swords. However, instead of blocking with the trident, Drakey closed in on him.

    Junhyuk shed at Drakey, but only one attack actually hit. Although wounded, Drakey was still running toward the force field. He had counted on his perfect evasion to get through, but he had been hurt. Had he used his trident, he would¡¯ve wasted valuable time.

    Perfect evasion could save him from time to time, and only one hit had gotten through. However, that¡¯s when the bandages wrapped around Drakey¡¯s neck, and Aktur pulled him toward the allies.

    Junhyuk sighed and said, "We got him."

 Chapter 248: Crapshoot 2

    Chapter 248: Crapshoot 2

    Aktur pulled Drakey toward him.

    "Where do you think you are going? You are mine!"

    "You have a good team. That¡¯s it. Don¡¯t be so proud of yourself."

    Aktur got angry.

    "Don¡¯t interfere!"

    Junhyuk and Gongon blocked Drakey¡¯s escape routes and watched the two dueling. They were about evenly matched, but because Drakey had the perfect evasion, Aktur couldn¡¯t win easily. While the two fought, Junhyuk asked Gongon, "What are you going to do?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "You¡¯re just gonna watch?"

    Gongon shook his head and asked, "May I interfere?"

    "No," Junhyuk answered and added, "We have to destroy the castle¡¯s force field before they revive."

    Gongon wagged his tail.

    "If he tries to escape, I¡¯ll block him. You go and pound on the force field."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk started beating against the force field. With him working alone, it would take a rather long time to get the job done. He continued to pound the force field while watching the duel from time to time. Drakey had put his pride on the line in fighting Aktur.

    Aktur had used all of his powers and was struggling. Drakey, with his perfect evasion, had the upper hand. Both required some time before their powers would return, and Junhyuk kept on beating the force field.

    The castle¡¯s force field was going down. However, he thought he would still need more time. Suddenly, however, Gongon shouted, "Junhyuk!"

    Drakey had pushed Aktur away and was running toward Gongon. The hatchling tried to kick Drakey, but Drakey didn¡¯t stop or try to avoid it. Gongon¡¯s attack failed, and Drakey passed him by, running toward Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk shook his head and said, "I can¡¯t let you through."

    Junhyuk attacked, and Drakey parried with the trident. After that, Drakey let the next attack through, trying to push past, and Junhyuk thought he might lose him.

    "Aktur!"

    "Kill him!"

    Junhyuk used the Spatial sh. Drakey had just used the perfect evasion, and couldn¡¯t use it again so quickly. Junhyuk¡¯s attack hit him.

    sh!

    Drakey lost one head and was left with 10 percent of his health. He had already lost some health fighting Aktur, but he was still running away. At that moment, Junhyuk grabbed Drakey¡¯s remaining head and said, "Where do you think you are going?!"

    Junhyuk teleported with Drakey to appear behind Aktur. Drakey was still alive, and Junhyuk delivered him to Aktur, who swung his w-like nails at the enemy. In a final attempt to dodge, Drakey turned to face Aktur, but by then he had already been hit.

    Drakey died.

    [Aktur killed Drakey.]

    Junhyuk looked back and said, "Time to finish this."

    The group pounded against the force field. Lugos showed up it, and his eyes smoldered, but he didn¡¯te out.

    Junhyuk looked at Lugos while pounding the force field and said, "You guys are finished."

    Gongon popped a piece of candy in his mouth and shouted, "These enemies are too easy. We¡¯ll keep winning."

    Lugos gritted his teeth and tightened the grip around his weapons, but he still didn¡¯te out, so Junhyuk said calmly, "OK. Before I came here, they¡¯d won ten straight victories."

    Gongon stared at him nkly.

    "But you are a special human being."

    "Thanks for saying that."

    Aktur said after listening, "The team won¡¯t change." His eyes sparkled. "Time for payback."

    Junhyukughed.

    "Sure, it¡¯s payback time."

    The castle force field was finally destroyed, and Gongon looked at Junhyuk andughed.

    "Then, see youter."

    "Don¡¯t fight with the heroes in your team. Do well."

    "Don¡¯t worry."

    Gongon smiled and disappeared, and Junhyuk looked at Aktur and closed his eyes.

    ---

    The room was white, and there was a square box in front of him. His heart raced as he looked at it.

    [Your reward for winning at the Swamp of Despair is in front of you. Please, inspect the contents.]

    He touched the box, and it opened suddenly. A bag appeared inside it.

    [The bag sack contains enhancement stones. The number you receive is random.]

    Junhyuk touched the sack. He wanted to find out how many stones were inside, but he hesitated.

    If he touched the sack, it would open, so before that, he rubbed his hands together and murmured, "More than two."

    Once he made up his mind, he touched the bag. A light shone from it, and he saw an enhancement stone, only one, and he gritted his teeth.

    "Shit!"

    He was in the middle ofining that there was only one, when another one popped up.

    "Holy cow! There are two!"

    With two stones, he had earned 100,000G. He was very happy at that point, but yet another stone popped up, and he stared in disbelief. By the end of it, a total of six stones appeared, and he was about to cry.

    "So cool!"

    [These all belong to you. You may use the stones at the Dimensional Merchant.]

    He had seen how they worked, but he wasn¡¯t entirely sure of what they did. Junhyuk ced the six stones in his Spatial Bag.

    [The next Champions¡¯ Battlefield will take ce in two weeks. We will see you then.]

    The world lit up white, and he close his eyes quickly, opening them again slowlyter. With hands balled into fists, he cheered, "Sess!"

    He had wanted two, but he got six, so he smiled and pulled out themunication crystal.

    "How many did you get?" the question came in Aktur¡¯s voice.

    Junhyuk was surprised that Aktur had contacted him first.

    "How many did you get?" Aktur asked again.

    "Six."

    "Shit!"

    "How many did you get?"

    "Two."

    Two wasn¡¯t bad, but Junhyuk had gotten a lot more. Aktur was probably bitter about it.

    "Next time, you¡¯ll get more," Junhyuk said.

    "Right. See you next time."

    Aktur disconnected, and Gongon called him right after. The hatchling was still sucking on candy, and Junhyukughed when he saw him.

    "What¡¯s up?"

    "How many did you get?"

    "Six."

    Gongonughed very hard at that, and Junhyuk frowned. Gongon bit the piece of candy and said, "I got ten."

    He scowled. Gongon had already earned a lot of money, and now he had all those enhancement stones. Junhyuk felt sick.

    Meanwhile, Gongon waved his short arm and said, "Then, see youter."

    Junhyuk waved back.

    "Right, till next time."

    He had gotten more than he had hoped for, but he was still bitter about Gongon getting more. Still, he felt better when he remembered Aktur had told him he got two.

    Junhyuk got up and moved about lightly. He hade out with a lot of spoils from the battle.

    "I have to collect the Pure Golden Knight set items."

    He wanted to save money so he could get the items, but he didn¡¯t know when Bebe would have them. He also wanted to upgrade his equipment.

    Junhyuk thought of something and raised Arn on themunicator.

    "Arn."

    "Yes? Why can I see your face?!"

    "A dragon I met boosted my crystal. I think we¡¯ll advance next time."

    Arnughed.

    "Dragons waste time with nothing. Right, we are advancing."

    "It took more time to advancest time. What about this time?"

    Arn said, "It won¡¯t take any more time this time."

    "That¡¯s good."

    "It¡¯s not that good."

    "Why?"

    "We will face enemies the likes of which we have never faced with this advancement."

    Junhyuk smiled awkwardly.

    "When we moved, thest ones were really strong..."

    "Right. They were at a high level, but this time, we¡¯ll meet enemies of the highest level."

    "The highest level?"

    "Correct. And they must protect their ranks. With ten straight victories, one bes a legend."

    "You need to advance to the highest tier and then win ten straight victories?"

    "Correct, and they¡¯ve already won eight."

    Junhyuk got the cold sweats. The new enemies would be stronger than ever.

    Arn continued, "You have to get stronger."

    "I¡¯ll do my best."

    "Don¡¯t just do your best." Arn was silent for a minute before he spoke again, "You are weapons that are different from mine."

    "Yes."

    He had gotten stronger with Arn¡¯s instructions. Without his teachings, Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t be as strong.

    "I¡¯ve had many students, but you are my best one."

    Junhyuk smiled awkwardly. He wanted to see Arn¡¯s face.

    Arn said in a hushed voice, "Do you want to get stronger?"

    "I want to get stronger," Junhyuk answered without hesitation.

    Arn could see him, so he put on the most decisive expression he had.

    A momentter, Junhyuk heard Arn¡¯s voice again.

    "Hmm... you have made up your mind." Then, he added curtly, "That¡¯s good."

    Junhyuk was curious about his remark, but Arn asked, "Are you alone?"

    "Yes."

    "How big is your ce?"

    "My ce?"

    "You can¡¯t have anything within twenty meters of you."

    Junhyuk teleported to basement. Standing at the center of it, he said to the crystal, "I¡¯m ready."

    "OK. I¡¯ll send it over."

    He didn¡¯t have to chance to ask what before a dimensional tear appeared. The tear generated a big shock wave that swept everything.

    Boom!

 Chapter 249: Gift 1

    Chapter 249: Gift 1

    Elise was checking on her tree when she heard a loud rm from her tablet.

    "What is the matter?"

    [A dimensional tear has appeared.]

    "Appeared? You weren¡¯t expecting it?"

    [I couldn¡¯t predict it at all.]

    Elise frowned while quickly operating her tablet and said, "How many monsters showed up?"

    [There are no monsters.]

    "So, there¡¯s been a dimensional tear without monsters?"

    [Just the dimensional tear.]

    Elise ran toward the research room.

    "Show me satellite imagery. I want to see what the tear looks like."

    The image came on screen and zoomed in.

    "What is that? Is it a sinkhole?" Elise asked.

    [It made a crater with a twenty-meter radius.]

    "Where exactly is it?"

    [Going by the address, it¡¯s Junhyuk¡¯s house.]

    "What?! What happened to him?"

    [He is not appearing on the satellite.]

    Elise used her phone to call him, but couldn¡¯t get through, so she frowned harder.

    "Perhaps something¡¯s happened to him? Connect me to the nearby CCTV cameras and look for him."

    [I can¡¯t find him on any nearby CCTV.]

    Elise couldn¡¯t help but scowl and say, "Continue calling him. When you get through, let me know."

    ---

    He thought a twenty-meter radius would be enough, but after the tear appeared, it generated a huge explosion. The explosion didn¡¯t hurt him, but it burned his clothes and destroyed the entire house.

    He noticed that something appeared on his palm. There was a type of red energy moving across his hand. Once he looked at it, he realized that he was naked and teleported.

    He got to where his drawer was and looked for some clothes. After cing the red energy inside his pocket, he looked at his house, or what was left of it. The damage looked more like sinkhole than a crater.

    He shook his head and left, avoiding the CCTV cameras. Junhyuk didn¡¯t want anyone to find out he had been inside the house when the explosion happened.

    If he was lucky, he could still collect the insurance money. It wasn¡¯t a lot of money for him, but he still wanted it.

    After that, he raised Arn on the crystalmunicator.

    "Arn, what is this?"

    "Did you eat it?"

    "What? I haven¡¯t eaten it yet."

    "Then, eat it."

    He couldn¡¯t guess at why Arn wanted him to eat something that was moving.

    "Do I chew on it?"

    "Just put it in your mouth."

    He felt strange about eating it, but raised the red energy up to his mouth. As it touched his lips, it went into his mouth automatically. He couldn¡¯t even chew it. It was alive, and it went into his stomach. After that, the energy travelled everywhere in his body.

    It felt like ants were crawling around his veins. It felt really itch, and he hunched over. After finding a small sidepath, Junhyuk walked over to it. Then, he teleported to the roof of a nearby building andy down. The itching was just beginning, and he bit his lips.

    However, he couldn¡¯t endure what was happening to him for long because it was taking ce inside his body. Suddenly, he heard Arn¡¯s voice.

    "Focus your mind."

    He did it instead of questioning Arn. Junhyuk was still biting his lips when he heard Arn again.

    "You are experiencing pain now because you aren¡¯t strong yet. Endure it and feel the strength move inside you."

    He focused. It felt really itchy, but it was a process to raise the strength within his body, and as he focused, the itchiness lessened.

    He even forgot about who he was in the process. Junhyuk imagined arge field within his body, and the field gotrger as his soul got bigger. It was not easy for his notion of self to keep up. He had experienced death, and following the energy inside his body was almost like dying.

    The energy finally stopped. It had seeped out of his body, but now it wasing back into it, and he felt his body had changed.

    Arn had taught him how use his muscles. This time, he learned how to use the energy within his muscles by following the pathways. Like Arn, his muscle strength was beyond just the muscles.

    He felt the energy returning to his body and radiating all over, from head to toe. Junhyuk could feel each part of his muscles.

    He followed the red energy as it gathered in his gut. Once he felt it there, he took a deep breath.

    "Whew!"

    An energy pathway had been created, but the pathway was weak and narrow, and he didn¡¯t know how to strengthen it.

    He felt the energy in his gut. It was still moving slowly, but it remained there.

    Junhyuk breathed in deeply.

    "Whew! It stinks."

    Suddenly, Junhyuk heard a voiceing up behind him and got up and grabbed the person neck, mming the person on the ground. That¡¯s when he saw who it was.

    "Elise?"

    "Arrgh! Let go of me."

    He let her go, and she caressed her reddened neck and mumbled, "I thought I was going to die."

    Junhyuk looked around. No one else was there.

    "What happened?"

    "I was going to ask you that!" Elise looked at him and added, "What is that smell?"

    He could smell a foul scenting from his body and distanced himself from her.

    "How did you know I was here?"

    She crossed her arms and stared at him.

    "I was looking for you all over!"

    "Me?"

    "Your house was destroyed by a tear, and your cell phone is off. I was worried about you!"

    Junhyuk frowned.

    "Something happened... How did you find me?"

    He had avoided CCTV cameras, so it wasn¡¯t easy for her to find him, but she smiled.

    "Zaira is connected to 120 satellite. Seven of them were going over South Korea, so I looked all over Ilsan and found you lying down here."

    Junhyuk was astonished by what she had just said.

    "You did all that?"

    "But it took me a long time."

    He looked up. It was night, and she had just told him that it had taken her long time.

    Elise stared at him and said, "Today is Sunday."

    "It¡¯s already been two days?!"

    She nodded, and he was left surprised. Then, she continued, "Your house has been sealed off by the authority of Guardians."

    He scratched his head.

    "I can¡¯t collect the insurance money, then."

    "Why? Do you need money?"

    "I don¡¯t want people getting suspicious."

    "Don¡¯t worry about it. People won¡¯t know."

    He sighed, relieved.

    "That¡¯s nice."

    Elise¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    "What are you holding in your hand?"

    He did not answer her. Instead, he puts it away in his Spatial Bag. Junhyuk should probably get in touch with Arn, but it wasn¡¯t the time for it.

    "I should be going."

    Elise stared at him.

    "Where are you going?"

    "I should find a hotel and shower."

    "Let¡¯s go to my house."

    "What?!"

    Elise continued, "My car is parked below. Shower at my ce."

    He thought it over. His body was rancid at the moment, and it would be a good idea to take her offer at that point. He could get in touch with Arn whenever he was alone, so he nodded. She pointed the way, and he followed her inside the car.

    "I am sorry," he apologized.

    "I can clean my car anytime."

    Elise drove while he looked out the window.

    "Eunseo must know about this too."

    "Sure."

    He looked over to her and asked, "Can I borrow your cell phone?"

    His cell phone was outside the Spatial Bag, so it was destroyed with the building. The burner phone and Max¡¯s cell phone were also gone.

    Once he got Elise¡¯s phone, he called Eunseo, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to get in touch with Sarang through it.

    "Did you find him?"

    Eunseo asked, and heughed. He felt better knowing that she was worried about him.

    "It¡¯s me."

    "Junhyuk?"

    "Yes."

    "Are you OK?"

    He answered calmly, "Nothing major¡¯s happened."

    "Your house is destroyed, but you are OK?"

    "You know me."

    "Whew! That¡¯s a relief. You met Elise?"

    "Yes, she found me."

    Eunseo continued, "Why did you not call me?"

    "Sorry. I didn¡¯t have time."

    He told her the truth, and she pressed on, "Can we meet now?"

    "I¡¯ll call you tomorrow. I can¡¯t right now."

    "Are you really fine?"

    He didn¡¯t tell her about his smell.

    "I¡¯ll call you tomorrow."

    "Sure. Call me tomorrow."

    He hung up and handed the phone back to Elise, who focused on driving. They got to her new house, and she parked the car.

    "Come in."

    "I will intrude on your kindness."

    Elise showed him the bathroom.

    "Shower."

    "Sure."

    He went inside and washed himself. The water was falling on his head, and he knew he couldn¡¯t contact Arn while within Elise¡¯s house. She was more capable than he had expected, and her power came from her gadgets.

    While he showered, he raised his head and centered his mind as the water hit him, focusing on his gut, where the energy was stored.

 Chapter 250: Gift 2

    Chapter 250: Gift 2

    He washed himself clean and walked out to find some workout clothes left out for him by Elise. When he went to the living room, he found Elise drinking a beer. Junhyuk smiled at her and took a seat on a sofa.

    Elise offered him a beer and smiled back.

    "Can you tell me what happened?"

    He didn¡¯t want to talk about it.

    "There was a sudden explosion, and I found a safe spot."

    Sheughed.

    "Sure. No monsters showed up even though there was a dimensional tear, but... it¡¯s already happened. I won¡¯t ask you about it anymore."

    However, she stared at him and continued, "What was it that you were holding in your hand?"

    Junhyuk shrugged.

    "What are you talking about?"

    "That round crystal. It¡¯s certainly not an Earthly material."

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly and asked, "You already checked?"

    She nodded, so he answered, "I can¡¯t sell it, and you can¡¯t research it. It¡¯s quite expensive."

    "Is that so?"

    Elise gave up and changed subject, "You don¡¯t have a ce to stay. Do you have any ns?"

    "I¡¯ll find a hotel."

    She smiled said, "How about staying at my house?"

    "Here?"

    She nodded, but he shook his head.

    "I can¡¯t intrude upon you."

    Elise shrugged at his remark.

    "When I go to work, this house stays empty. And I have a lot of extraordinary things in here."

    He thought about the tree from the Dimensional Battlefield being nted there and smiled.

    "I can¡¯t stay here."

    He had a lot of work to do. He had to train and he had just resigned his job.

    "Hm... Really? Too bad."

    Junhyuk emptied the beer can and said, "I will return your clothes after I wash them."

    "No, just keep them."

    He did not ask her why she had man¡¯s clothes at her ce. They weren¡¯t close enough to the point that he could ask her personal questions.

    Junhyuk got up, and she asked, "Are you leaving already?"

    "I had to shower, but it¡¯ll be better if I get a hotel."

    Elise shrugged.

    "Fine."

    He bowed slightly and left. On his way out, he sees a small arboretum and stared at it. Suddenly, the energy in his gut moved slightly. Without realizing it himself, he walked closer to the arboreum. The tree that generated mana was there. The energy in his body reacted to it, and as the reaction got stronger, he started getting thirsty.

    The ss case could stop the mana. It was seeping out of the tree. Once the energy felt the mana, it started moving. As Junhyuk stood by the arboretum, the mana flowed toward him, and the energy ate all of the mana around him.

    He absorbed the mana, but the quantity wascking. He required a lot more of it, but he didn¡¯t actually want to go inside the arboretum.

    He was thinking about what to do when he heard Elise¡¯s voice.

    "Are you curious?"

    He turned to look, and Elise answered for him, "I¡¯ll show it to you."

    She opened the door to the arboretum, and when Junhyuk walked inside, he saw numerous trees. The mana tree was hidden among them.

    Once inside, the energy within him started moving around yfully. Every time he inhaled, he inhaled small bits of mana, and the energy yed within him.

    At first, the energy just wanted to make pathways. Now, it travelled all over his body, and his own energy pathways were getting wider.

    Elise signaled for him to get closer to the tree, and he walked while focusing on the energy within.

    Then, she showed him a bit of machinery.

    "This machine detects mana, and this one tells how much mana the tree is making."

    "Is it effective?"

    "The quality of mana stones is getting higher," Elise exined. "It is gathering mana."

    He nodded and looked at tree. The branches moved away from him.

    Elise looked at the machine and shook her head.

    "The concentration of mana is plummeting. This has never happened!"

    Elise walked toward the tree, and the branches moved to hug her. Meanwhile, he took a step back. At that point, the mana was rushing toward him, and the energy within Junhyuk was moving with regrity.

    He focused on it, but suddenly, Elise interrupted him, "Junhyuk, I am so sorry, but can you move out? The concentration of mana is decreasing."

    "Sure."

    He walked out, but the energy was still moving within him. Its speed had slowed, but the energy pathways had be wider and stronger.

    "Do I need more mana?" he murmured.

    If he needed mana, that would be a serious issue. Without going to the Dimensional Battlefield, he couldn¡¯t really get any.

    Junhyuk turned to Elise. If he couldn¡¯t get another tree, he wouldn¡¯t get any mana. Junhyuk waited for her, but she didn¡¯te out, so he wrote a message on the ground.

    [I¡¯ll pay you back for your generosityter.]

    He left.

    ---

    Once he entered the hotel room, and no one was around, he summoned the Kasha. It was night, but his burner phone was gone. Using the Kasha was the only way tomunicating with her.

    "Sarang."

    "Big brother!"

    The Kasha fluttered its wings and shouted, but it could only transmit her voice.

    "I watched it on the news. Your house has been destroyed! I was so worried!"

    "Sorry, but I am doing fine."

    "Your burner phone didn¡¯t work! What is so fine about that!"

    He scratched his head.

    "I had no choice. Arn gave me a gift."

    "A gift?"

    "Right. It was transported through the dimensions, and shockwave destroyed the house."

    "Shockwave? Are you OK?"

    "I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m doing better than before."

    The Kasha fluttered its wings, but it didn¡¯t speak, and while staring at it, he smiled.

    "My phones have been destroyed, but I am contacting you know. Did you summon the Kasha before?" he asked.

    "I had no choice. That was the only option I had."

    He smiled.

    "I¡¯ll open a new line tomorrow and call you. I¡¯ll put it under Max."

    "You aren¡¯t going to work tomorrow?"

    "No."

    "Buy me a meal."

    He took a moment to think and answered, "Fine. We¡¯ll go out to the ce where you practice. I need a ce to train."

    "Sure! See you tomorrow, and call me right away!"

    "Will do."

    He sent the Kasha away and pulled out the crystalmunication orb. Junhyuk wanted an exnation from Arn.

    He connected to Arn.

    "Did you just wake up?" Arn asked.

    "No. I¡¯ve been up for a few hours, but I stank, so I took a shower."

    "Just as I expected."

    "What?"

    "I knew you could endure it."

    Junhyuk smiled awkwardly and asked, "What would happen if I couldn¡¯t?"

    Arn was silent for a moment before saying, "I gave you what is called a living spirit. It¡¯s a type of living energy. Only a few can survive the transition."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t speak, focusing on what Arn was saying.

    "Every living spirit is unique to the host, and it¡¯s impossible to tell how it¡¯ll react. The ones with living spirits melt their essences in their bodies and go beyond their own limit to make their own living spirits. Before they do that, they can¡¯t transmit spirits to others."

    As he listened, he thought Arn was speaking nonsense, but he didn¡¯tin.

    "Seventy percent of people die during the acquisition, and another twenty percent dieter by the spirit. That means that only ten out of a hundred survive, and only the chosen one are selected to start the process."

    Junhyuk started sweating cold. Arn had told him to eat it without even exining what would happen.

    "Ha-ha-ha, you trusted me right?" Junhyuk asked.

    "Yes, I trusted you."

    "Thanks for trusting me."

    Arn could see his face, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t feel good about that. He wanted to curse him out.

    "You¡¯ve epted the living spirit, which means that your body has developed energy pathways. If you can get more mana, the energy will travel through the twelve chakras in your body and strengthen you."

    He had already felt the energy pathways being built in his body.

    "We don¡¯t have mana where I live. Diane gave me the seed of a tree, and that¡¯s the only way I can get mana here."

    "No mana?"

    "No."

    Arn was silent for a moment before clicking his tongue.

    "You can¡¯t do anything about it?"

    "I came close to some mana this time, and my twelve chakras were strengthened."

    Arn was relieved.

    "That¡¯s good."

    "Why is it good?"

    "After the pathways have developed, the spirit will continued travelling it. Even without mana, the spirit will travel through it repeatedly, strengthening the pathways further. That is the basic of the basic."

    He nodded.

    "What did you mean by getting eaten by living spirit?"

    Arn answered nonchntly, "It¡¯s called a living spirit because it¡¯s alive. With mana, it¡¯ll grow, but if the spirit bes toorge for the soul, it will eat the soul."

    Junhyuk started sweating cold again.

    "What do I have to do?"

    "Let the spirit grow, and you will eat it when it¡¯s grown."

    "But my soul could be eaten in the process, correct?"

    "Correct."

    Junhyuk inhaled deeply and slowly opened his eyes.

    "No matter what happens, I will eat the living spirit."

    "Right. When you can do that, you¡¯ll be stronger than ever before."

    After finishing his exnations, Arn disconnected, and Junhyuk looked at the crystalmunication orb and murmured, "Thanks for the gift."

 Chapter 251: Gift 3

    Chapter 251: Gift 3

    After he finished talking to Arn, hey on the bed and focused on his gut, where the energy was stored. The living spirit had devoured the mana and grown stronger, and it moved around using the widened energy pathways.

    The spirit wasn¡¯t moving as quickly as when it was eating the mana, but it was still moving. Junhyuk could feel the shape of the pathways and the movement of the living spirit.

    He was lying downfortable, following its movement, and forgot about the time. Once the living spirit went back to his gut, he opened his eyes.

    He was surprised by what he saw.

    "What?! It¡¯s morning already?"

    He had followed the spirit around his body twelve times, and it was already daytime. Looking at the time, he shook his head.

    "I have a lot to do today."

    The first thing he had to do was buy a new cell phone. He needed one under Max¡¯s name. So, he checked out of the hotel and took a cab to the mall. There, Junhyuk body a new set of clothes. Then, he went to the restroom, put his old clothes in the Spatial Bag and changed into the new ones.

    He walked out of the restroom wearing a ck suit and headed to the cell phone store. There, he bought a smartphone. After that, he went back to the restroom and put on his mask.

    Junhyuk headed to Guro. When he arrived at GST, he only saw the security team, so he smiled bitterly.

    "I need to be more mindful."

    He needed secretaries and people to take care of the building. Junhyuk greeted the security team and went up the elevator. As soon as the doors to the ninth floor opened, he saw Sungtae standing there.

    "I was worried."

    "About what?"

    "You haven¡¯t been in in a few days, and I couldn¡¯t reach you."

    Junhyukughed.

    "I am here to work diligently."

    He had resigned from Guardians, so he nned to be a lot more focused on GST. He and Sungtae went to Ganesha¡¯s room, and Junhyuk saw things he hadn¡¯t seen before.

    "When did you get these?"

    "Aren¡¯t they cool? We needed more state-of-the-art equipment."

    Junhyukughed, and Sungtae handed him a card.

    "The cards are here."

    He checked out the card with Max¡¯s name on it and looked at Sungtae.

    "Did you get your own card?"

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk put his card away and asked, "Have you gotten a call from Brian yet?"

    "Yes. He got in touch, and I gave him the cash."

    He looked at Catherine¡¯s paperwork and ID and chuckled. Sarang would have a new identity now.

    After looking around the room, he asked, "Did anything happen?"

    Sungtae frowned and said, "Ganesha, show us the footage."

    One of the new purchases was a big-screen TV. On it, a scene from CCTV footage yed out. When Junhyuk saw it, he frowned.

    "What?! Why are they moving as a group?"

    The video showed the Han River Park. Twenty people were moving as one group, and their movements looked strange.

    "We searched for them. They moved like that and scattered. We are looking for them one by one, but what do you think we should do?"

    Junhyuk grabbed his chin while thinking.

    "Where did you first find them?"

    "Yeouido and the Han River Park."

    "Yeouido?"

    He frowned. A monster had appeared in Yeouido, a poring. He wasn¡¯t sure if porings could affect humans, however.

    "Continue looking for them them. Make sure no one else finds out about the surveince."

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk looked at the other people working.

    "We will go out to eat when everyone is here. Is that OK?"

    "Certainly!"

    Junhyuk nodded and added, "We need people to take care of the building."

    "I¡¯m looking for cleaningpany, what should I do?"

    "If you find a small-sizedpany, buy them and have them merge with us."

    "Even if it¡¯s small, it¡¯ll cost us millions?"

    "It¡¯s fine. Our work is top secret, and nobody should get in without proper ess. So, we do our own cleaning."

    "I understand."

    Sungtae did not want anyone finding out Ganesha either. Junhyuk pulled out Max¡¯s new cell phone and said, "Install Ganesha¡¯s app."

    "Did you lose your cell phone?"

    "Yes."

    Sungtae installed the app.

    "Only I have ess to the GPS, so while your cell phone is on, I can track you through it."

    Junhyuk took a moment to think and put the phone away in the Spatial Bag. Sungtae frowned and looked at the screen.

    "Ganesha, can you find my GPS location?"

    [I can¡¯t.]

    Junhyukughed and pulled out his phone.

    "I know what¡¯s wrong, Ganesha," he said and added, "Don¡¯t let anyone track me without my permission, including Sungtae."

    Sungtae shrugged.

    "I just wanted to look for you. If anyone tries to locate you, we will scramble the signal, and you will get a message on what is going on."

    "That¡¯s nice," Junhyuk said, nodding. "I have to go out."

    "Where are you going?"

    "I have work to do."

    Junhyuk left. Once he got to the subway station, he went to the restroom, took off his mask and called Eunseo.

    "Hello?"

    "It¡¯s Junhyuk."

    "Is this a new number?"

    "Yes. I have to tell you something right now."

    Eunseo asked in a serious tone, "What is the matter?"

    "I have to check all the CCTV footage from the area around Yeouido starting withst Thursday."

    "What are you looking for?"

    "I¡¯m searching for twenty people moving as a group."

    "Is it serious?"

    "Yes. And ask Elise if porings can affect people for me."

    He didn¡¯t hear her say anything else.

    "I¡¯ll over soon."

    "You¡¯ve resigned. Will that be OK?"

    Junhyuk took a moment to think and said, "Write up a contract for free. I¡¯m not sure about what¡¯s happening myself, but when I find that out, I¡¯ll quit."

    "You¡¯ll handle it yourself?"

    "Yes."

    Junhyuk heard herughing brightly on the other side.

    "Come quick. I¡¯ll get the contract ready."

    "Then, see youter."

    He hung up and focused on the subway. Before, when he had time, he tuned his muscles. Now, he focused on the living spirit. Previously, he had lost track of time whenever he focused on it, so he wanted to know how to do it while keeping track.

    This time, he focused on the time while he felt the living spirit moving inside of him. Once the spirit returned to his gut, he sighed and said, "I can¡¯t keep track of time and feel the energy along with it?"

    He leaned against the door and looked out. Suddenly, he got a call from Elise and heard her voice when he picked up.

    "Where did you find out about this?"

    Junhyuk answered calmly, "That¡¯s not important right now. Is it possible for porings to affect people?"

    "We haven¡¯t experimented it on people yet, but live monkeys can be affected."

    "People might be as well."

    "It¡¯s possible."

    "Did you find them?"

    "Five of them were spotted in Yeouido, doing their thing and causing problems."

    "We can¡¯t solve this by ourselves. Can you track all of them?"

    "I¡¯ve started tracking their locations, but if this keeps up, more people will be affected."

    "I¡¯ll be there soon. Let¡¯s talk more then."

    "OK."

    He sighed and looked out the window. If porings infected people, there was no way to know what would happen. Could he actually be of help?

    "We have to contain them right when they appear," he murmured and balled his hands into fists.

    Once he got to the Guardians HQ in Ilsan, he went to see Eunseo. She was looking at a big monitor inside her office. When Dohee announced his arrival, she got up from her seat. Her door opened, and Junhyuk walked in. Eunseo offered him a seat, which he took, and she handed him a piece of paper¡ªit was his contract.

    "I need you to sign it. You need to keep this a secret. You¡¯ll give us advice concerning the poring situation, and we¡¯ll hire you until the matter is resolved. We¡¯ll pay you $1 million at signing. When the matter is resolved, you¡¯ll get another million."

    "That¡¯s not much."

    Dohee frowned after hearing him say that, and Eunseo continued, "There¡¯s nothing we can do. We also don¡¯t know if this matter will be a big issue."

    He wasn¡¯t interested in the money. If he couldn¡¯t prevent whatever it was from beginning, he would need Guardians¡¯ and the government¡¯s cooperation, so he signed it quickly.

    "Where should I go?"

    "There¡¯s amand post being set up on the third floor. Let¡¯s go."

    Junhyuk followed Eunseo, and the two of them and Dohee got on the elevator. Dohee stood ahead, and Eunseo grabbed his hand into hers.

    He turned toward her. She blushed and turned her head away, so he inteced his fingers with hers.

    She tried to pull her hand away, but he didn¡¯t let her. Only once they got to the third floor that he let go of her hand.

    There were manyputers on the third floor, and Soyeon and Tsubasa were also there. There was a group of monitors in the center of the room as well. Elise was on her tablet, and she waved at him and Eunseo when they entered.

    "We found some of them, but what should we do now?"

    "We have to work with the military and the police on this. Send them the documents requesting their cooperation."

    Eunseo looked at Soyeon and Tsubasa, and they started working on theirputers.

    Both of them looked at him, curious as to why he was there after resigning, but he paid them no attention.

    Junhyuk walked over to Elise and looked over her tablet¡¯s screen.

    "Did you find anything on poring infections?"

    Elise showed him what she had been looking at.

    "Look at this."

 Chapter 252: Poring Situation 1

    Chapter 252: Poring Situation 1

    Elise showed him footage of a man touching a woman¡¯s shoulder. It looked like a simple touch, but the woman walked away with the man right after it.

    Junhyuk frowned while watching.

    "One simple can infect other people."

    "The infection spreads even when someone¡¯s clothes are covering them."

    He thought it over for a moment and asked, "Maybe the rate of infection isn¡¯t as fast as I thought it would be?"

    Eunseo asked, "There are already thousands of people infected. How is it slow?"

    He answered calmly, "The infection spreads only through touch, but there is no way to escape it."

    After listening to him, Elise added, "That assessment is correct. It¡¯s a simple mode of infection, but the numbers are still low. The first five were only able to infect twenty people each. It¡¯s a slow process."

    "That also means the infection rate is twenty per day."

    Elise agreed.

    "Five will infect a hundred. A hundred will infect two thousand. Two thousand will infect forty thousand," she said and continued, "But the number of infected did not increase on the first and second day. On Saturday, a hundred were infected, and two thousand on Sunday. Today, forty thousand will be infected."

    "There¡¯ll be forty thousand infected just in Seoul?"

    "If we are a dayte, Seoul will have eighty thousand people infected," Junhyuk said.

    Eunseo looked at other employees and asked, "Did you not get any replies?"

    "Not yet."

    "Call chief of police," she told Elise without any hesitation.

    "Right."

    Zaira connected to the police chief, and Eunseo spoke quickly, "Chief, people infected by a monster are appearing in downtown Seoul. If we don¡¯t do anything, the number of infected will grow to forty thousand."

    "What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

    "It started in Yeouido, and the infection is spreading. We have to establish a joint military/policemand center to deal with the situation. If we don¡¯t do it today, there¡¯ll be forty thousand infected by the end of the day, and tomorrow, we¡¯ll see eighty thousand people infected.

    "Where should I go?"

    "We have a temporarymand center here at thepany. Come here, and have your officers get ready. Make sure they can respond to anything right away."

    "I¡¯ll get there as soon as possible once I get the basics set up. Do you have anding pad?"

    "On the roof."

    "I¡¯ll be there."

    Eunseo hung up and looked at Elise.

    "Call the Army Chief."

    She told the Chief the same story and hung up.

    "We have to find out where those two thousand people are, and when they started infecting other people."

    "We found the whereabouts of 1,552," Elise said.

    Eunseo didn¡¯t hesitate.

    "Did you find the origin of it all?"

    "We¡¯ve spotted the first five, but we only found the location of one of them."

    "Get me that person¡¯s identity," Eunseo said.

    Elise stared at her, and Eunseo said, "Deploy the iron soldier."

    "That¡¯s good. We¡¯ll certainly catch the person."

    Elise operated something and the whole building shook. The iron soldier was deployed. While it flew, it transmitted footage of its path.

    "What¡¯s the incubation period for the infection before people can start infecting others?" Junhyuk murmured.

    "It takes about twenty hours, but I¡¯m not so sure."

    He asked Zaira, "From when is thest footage you have of infection?"

    [Sixteen hours ago.]

    Junhyuk sighed and said, "We have to do ID checks on all of the infected people and we have four hours to do it."

    Eunseo nodded and looked at Elise.

    "Carry out the ns. Run a check on all of the people infected. How long would it take?"

    "Wait a second." Elise operated her tablet and said, "It takes time to run ID checks with facial recognition only."

    The screen was running through the faces one by one.

    "They are spreading through downtown Seoul. Are they moving anywhere else?"

    "Yeouido was at the center of it all, but it hasn¡¯t spread outside of Seoul yet."

    Eunseo looked at the group after talking to the Army chief and said, "We have to move quickly before a curfew is announced. A joint police/army task force will deal with the situation."

    They might impose a curfew. If eighty thousand people were infected, they would have to block off the entire city of Seoul.

    "The infected have to wait until they can infect others. If it wasn¡¯t for that, Seoul would¡¯ve been overrun already."

    Everyone frowned at his statement. If eighty thousand people were infected, a million six hundred thousand would be the next step.

    Eunseo made another call and said, "The Chief of Police will be here soon. Let¡¯s go meet him."

    Dohee, Eunseo and Junhyuk went to the roof, and he took the chance to make Eunseo a question, "What will the police do?"

    "Right now, their SWAT teams have taken five helicopters around the city in search of people whose identities have been confirmed."

    They soon saw a helicopter arriving. The rotor was loud, and it was blowing a lot of wind, but men walked out of the helicopter. The Chief of Police Taewoo Jeon, his assisted, and a man with a rough exterior stepped onto the roof.

    Eunseo offered her hand, and Taewoo shook it.

    "I¡¯ve dispatched SWAT, but I want to hear more from you."

    "Let¡¯s go down. I¡¯ll exin everything."

    On the elevator, Taewoo asked, "Who ising from the army?"

    "The Army Chief will be here."

    "He is?!"

    "Yes."

    Taewooughed intensely.

    "Of course... The situation might spread beyond Seoul."

    They arrived at themand center, and Taewoo took a seat with the others. Elise turned on a big screen and showed them the CCTV footage.

    Eunseo introduced her.

    "She is our chief researcher, Doctor Elise. She will exin the monster infection to you."

    Elise bowed.

    "Nice to meet you all. I¡¯m Dr. Elise." She continued, "This video shows a person, who is infected, infecting another. It¡¯s the only video we have of it."

    Taewoo frowned.

    "The contact happened over the clothes. Is infection still possible that way?"

    "Yes. All you have to do is touch someone. Under or over clothing doesn¡¯t matter. It takes about two for the infection to spread, but only one second of constant touch is required."

    She continued, "The people infected act as one group, and that seems to be because the source is controlling the others."

    "Then we have quarantine people who are infected. Do they disy any other symptoms?"

    Elise pointed to the screen showing the footage of the poring in Yeouido. "This is the cause of the infection. During the fight in Yeouido, some people got infected. At least, that¡¯s what we think," she exined.

    She looked at Eunseo and asked, "Can I show the footage from the iron soldier?"

    "Do it."

    The images on the screen changed.

    "One of the first five infected people has been identified. The iron soldier is out to arrest that person."

    The monitor showed an apartmentplex getting closer. The iron soldier broke one of the windows of the apartment and went inside. There, it saw a man. The man¡¯s eyes werepletely green, and it attacked the iron soldier without hesitation.

    The iron soldier grabbed the man¡¯s wrist, but the man, who didn¡¯t seem to feel any pain, grabbed the iron soldier¡¯s head. The iron soldier mmed him against the ground, but the man moved quickly and in an inhuman way.

    The iron soldier mmed him against the wall, destroying it. The man punched at kicked at the soldier, but the iron soldier broke all of his limbs and stuffed the mans mouth with a cloth.

    [I caught him alive. Returning now.]

    The iron soldier was on its way back, and Elise exined, "We have to research the man further, but I can guess at what is happening. The man doesn¡¯t feel pain, and his movements are superhuman."

    While frowning, Taewoo asked, "Is it possible to bring them back alive?"

    "That won¡¯t be easy. We¡¯ll use tranquilizer guns, but if that doesn¡¯t work, we should be prepared to kill."

    "We have to kill them?"

    Elise nodded heavily.

    "We have to do further research, but they will infect others within four hours. If that happens, forty thousand people will be like that."

    "You are saying we have to capture or kill them within four hours?"

    She nodded, and Taewoo couldn¡¯t hide his displeasure. If he had to give the order to kill them, his public life would be over.

    The man with the rough exterior said, "I am sorry, but the lives of our policemen are important."

    The man got on the phone with someone and said coldly, "I am giving you new orders. You may shoot to kill those resisting arrest. Keep yourselves safe."

    Taewoo didn¡¯t speak. The man had spoken instead, and Junhyuk agreed with him.

    He looked at the man and said, "The order to kill is justified, but you should use silencers so ordinary citizens won¡¯t know what is taking ce."

    The man looked at him.

    "What is your name?"

    "My name is Junhyuk Lee."

    "I¡¯m Moonki Song."

    Moonki made another call, and Eunseo got a call of her own.

    "The army chief is here."

    Taewoo got up and said, "Let¡¯s all go."

    Eunseo looked at Junhyuk.

    "You go. I¡¯ll stay here," he said.

    He looked at Moonki, and Moonki nodded. Taewoo and Eunseo went out, and Elise added, "The iron soldier is here. I have to go now."

    Elise gave Junhyuk the tablet and exined, "You have unlimited power to deal with the situation. Use Zaira to help you."

    "If you find anything else, let me know."

 Chapter 253: Poring Situation 2

    Chapter 253: Poring Situation 2

    As soon as he got the tablet, he said, "Zaira, delete all videos and posts to socialworks concerning the situation."

    [All information concerning this situation will be deleted.]

    "The SWAT team has been deployed somewhere. Show me all CCTV footage from the surrounding area," he continued.

    Soon, each camera feed appeared on screen one after another, and Moonki, who was watching said, "You have a lot of experience."

    "I used to work for Guardians¡¯ Administrative Department."

    "Are you saying you have experience going up against monsters?"

    Junhyuk nodded, and Moonki looked at the monitor.

    "Is it even possible to delete all information?"

    "This is only taking ce in South Korea in real time, so it¡¯s possible."

    "That¡¯s very effective."

    They talked, and the CCTV footage showed the SWAT team going into a house by breaking down the door, and the team members getting thrown away like ragdolls. SWAT started shooting, and the infected person appeared all bloodied.

    "There¡¯ll be a lot of casualties," he said.

    Moonki nodded heavily.

    "They only killed one, but there were too many losses."

    Meanwhile, the door opened, and people came in. They had stars on their shoulders, and Eunseo walked in with them. They all sat down.

    Junhyuk¡¯s job was to mediate. He would take Elise¡¯s ce and make suggestions on how to proceed. He also wanted to know of any special symptoms the people infected by the poring could disy. While he had seen one of them fighting against the iron soldier, he still wasn¡¯t sure about what they could do.

    The Army Chief of Staff, Daeil Kim, took a seat and looked at Junhyuk.

    "Are you going to exin the situation to us?"

    "I¡¯m Junhyuk Lee. I¡¯ll give you a short summary of what is going on."

    By using the tablet, he showed them the footage of how people were infected and of the iron soldier restraining an infected. After the video and the quick exnation, Daeil couldn¡¯t hid his scowl.

    "How many officers are on the ground right now?"

    Taewoo spoke calmly, "Things looked dire, so we activated the SWAT teams. They are using five helicopters to carry out the mission. Meanwhile, the local police will arrest those infected whose locations we¡¯ve pinned down."

    Moonki whispered in Taewoo¡¯s ear, and Taewoo looked back at him.

    "Show us the SWAT team in action."

    Junhyuk pulled up the CCTV footage of the shooting scene. To kill a single person infected by a poring, some SWAT members were sacrificed. Seeing that, Daeil got up from his seat.

    "I have to talk to the president. Excuse me." Then, he looked at the man sitting next to him and added, "Call Lieutenant General Han to prepare for a quarantine line. Tell Lieutenant General Kim to prepare as well."

    "Yes."

    Daeil went out, and the man he spoke to made the calls quickly. The defensemand of the country¡¯s capital was now directly involved, and Junhyuk felt that that was a significant improvement from only having the police involved.

    Junhyuk looked back at the list of identified infected. A high school teacher was infected, and that teacher worked at Sarang¡¯s high school.

    He looked at Eunseo and said, "I have to go out and make a call."

    She took the tablet from him, and he walked out and called Sarang. The phone rang once, and he soon heard Sarang¡¯s voice from the other end.

    "Hello?"

    "Sarang, it¡¯s me."

    "Big brother! Whose number is this?"

    "I got a new phone."

    "Ah! Why did you call me?"

    "Do you have a teacher named Woontak Dong?"

    "Do you mean the history teacher?"

    "Right."

    "What about him?"

    Junhyuk remained silent for a moment before saying, "He¡¯s been infected by a poring, and three hours from now, he¡¯ll be able to infect others."

    "What should I do?"

    "A SWAT team and the city¡¯s military forces have been deployed. Go home early."

    "What about my friends?"

    He started worrying. Did she mean to fight for her friends?

    "If you want to fight, take him somewhere nobody can see you. However, I¡¯m not sure what kind of powers infected people have. It might be better to fight where there are people around."

    Sarang answered a momentter, "Even if I have to summon my armor, I shall take full responsibility for him."

    Junhyuk was a bit worried, but he knew Sarang had the power to fight the infected without much danger to herself. She could kill a person with her lightning bolt.

    "We know a few things. The infected have eyespletely green, and the one who fought against the iron soldier had superhuman speed. So, don¡¯t let your guard down."

    "I understand."

    He hung up and went back inside. Daeil also came back and took a seat.

    "This is unofficial, but a kill order has been given. The city¡¯s military and SWAT teams will carry out the order. The police will establish blockades and quarantine lines."

    When Taewoo heard him, he felt relieved from the heavy responsibility.

    "I¡¯ll get it done."

    Junhyuk was still worried about Sarang, and Eunseo walked over and asked, "What is the matter?"

    "It¡¯s nothing."

    He decided to trust Sarang. He had fought alongside her many times, and she had stayed safe. She would be alright.

    ---

    Sarang hung up the phone. She was still in recess, but turned to the person next to her and asked, "Did the history teachere in today?"

    "Who? Mr. Dong?"

    "Yes."

    The girl shook her head and tapped the back of of the person sitting next to her.

    "Do you know if Mr. Dong is here?"

    The girl fixed her sses and said, "I saw him in main office... He might have gotten eye surgery. He was wearing a sunsses."

    Sarang frowned. He ha to be hiding his eyes, which meant he was sentient.

    She got up, and her friend said, "Recess is almost over."

    "I have stomach ache, so I¡¯m gonna see the nurse."

    Once out of the room, she ran to the main office. After passing a few students in the hallway, she went inside. All of the teachers stared at her, so she bowed heavily and asked, "I have a question for Mr. Dong."

    "Right. If you have a question, ask anytime."

    Her grades had gone way up, and her ranking was among the best in country, so the teachers were all supporting her studies enthusiastically. At that moment, the bell rang, and the teachers left. Sarang walked to Mr. Dong¡¯s desk.

    He has a book opened in front of him, but he wasn¡¯t reading it.

    "Mr. Dong."

    The teacher didn¡¯t turn around, and she was sure of it then. She looked around. The only people in the main office were Mr. Dong, her and the P.E. teacher.

    Sarang summoned her orb, held it on her hand and threw a pen toward Mr. Dong. He caught it instinctively, bearing his teeth at her.

    She stared at him.

    "You don¡¯t remember your name, but you can still think. You came to school after all."

    Mr. Dong snarled, and she said, "Follow me."

    Sarang walked backward slowly, and Mr. Dong got up. He was getting close to her, but Sarang didn¡¯t let her guard down, staring at him while going downstair.

    Mr. Dong tried to attack her a few times, but Sarang gave off significant pressure.

    She took him outside. There was a restroom behind the school building, and that was her destination. Once inside, Mr. Dong attacked her suddenly. He got down on all four, moving much like a spider or a dog. He was really fast. However, Sarang wasn¡¯t surprised. She had experienced something simr in the past. To her, after having fought monsters many times over, he wasn¡¯t fast enough.

    She cast an Electric st on him. Those only paralyzed heroes, but it was entirely different matter for humans.

    Craaack!

    Mr. Dong got hit and stopped suddenly, but he wasn¡¯t paralyzed. He was dead andpletely charred. She sighed of relief.

    "Whew!"

    She hadn¡¯t been close to Mr. Dong, but she had killed a person, so shock washed over her.

    Suddenly, a green blob seeped out of Mr. Dong¡¯s ear. After seeing that, Sarang stared at it and made a call with the cell phone in her hand. The blob tried to enter the sewer, but she kicked it. It hit a wall and sshed down to the ground.

    She had called Junhyuk, and when she heard him answer, she said, "Big brother, I have something to ask you."

    "Did you kill him already?"

    "He was already at school. I couldn¡¯t wait. However, there is a problem."

    "Problem? What is it?"

    "I killed him, but green blob came out of his ear, and it¡¯s alive. It¡¯s trying to get away."

    Junhyuk sighed.

    "I¡¯ll send a SWAT team and a gathering team. Just tell them you found him dead already."

    "Do I have to stay here and watch it?"

    "We don¡¯t have any answers, so I can¡¯t tell you anything."

    Sarang looked around the restroom, found a bucked and ced it over the green blob. She put her foot on top of it when she saw the blob trying to get out.

    "Send them quickly."

    "Of course! Right away!"

    She wished no one would see what she had done. If other students saw her now, it could be a headache because people had seen her got into the main office.

    Sarang continued to kick the green liquid as it attempted to leave the bucket.

    ---

    Junhyuk looked at Eunseo.

    "A high school teacher is dead. He had been previously identified, and green liquid came out of his ear. The liquid is attempting to get into the sewer, so we have to send a team out quickly. We can¡¯t afford to lose a piece of poring."

    Eunseo whispered to him, "Is it Sarang¡¯s school?"

    "Yes."

    She nodded.

    "I¡¯m deploying three iron soldiers. Send one over to the school. The other two will go to check out those close to him."

    "You want to get them alive?"

    "If possible. Elise needs more infected subjects."

    "Sure."

    By using Zaira, he deployed the iron soldier. It would help Sarang, so that she didn¡¯t have to fight any longer.

 Chapter 254: Poring Situation 3

    Chapter 254: Poring Situation 3

    Sarang was sitting on a bucket when she heard a loud noise rang through the entire school. She turned to look in the direction of the noise, and the poring piece tried to get out of the bucket. She kicked it back inside the bucket and sat down on it again.

    The iron soldiernded in front of her, and Sarang stepped aside.

    [Poring piece located. Collecting it now], the iron soldier said in a mechanical voice.

    It lifted the bucket and picked up the poring with its hand, cing it inside a small box. Then, it turned to Sarang.

    [I¡¯ll collect the corpse as well.]

    She nodded and stepped back. After picking up Mr. Dongs body, it said, [Maybe there¡¯s a chance you¡¯ve been infected?]

    "No."

    [Return to ss. The government will handle the rest.]

    "OK."

    The iron soldier flew away.

    "Big brother is powerful. I¡¯m jealous."

    Sarang couldn¡¯t teleport. In a situation like that, everyone was looking at the restroom, so there was no way for her to avoid attention. She grabbed her stomach and went inside the building.

    An iron soldier had appeared and taken Mr. Dong with it, so the teachers ran toward her. Once they found her, they asked, "What happened?"

    She had already told the teachers that she had had questions for Mr. Dong, so she had toe up with an excuse.

    "I was asking him question, and he went crazy. I ran here, but he slipped and stopped moving."

    "Howe that iron soldier came here?"

    "I am not sure. There was a green oozeing out of Mr. Dong¡¯s ear. I kept it contained with a bucket, and the iron soldier collected the ooze and his body."

    "Since the iron soldier was here, does that mean it pertained to a monster?"

    "I am not sure... but maybe." Sarang was trembling. "I was scared."

    Teachers knew her as just a high school student. She was highly ranked nationally.

    A teacher had gone craze, and she ran away. The teacher fell, and the iron soldier showed up and took the body away. It was definitely rted to a monster incident.

    The other teachers started feeling sorry that they had raised their voices at her, and one of them stepped forward and said, "Let¡¯s go see the nurse. You must be in a shock."

    The other teachers nodded and stepped back. She looked at them and said carefully, "The iron soldier told me the government will handle the matter. We have to keep this a secret."

    "Of course. We don¡¯t have to tell the other students."

    Sarang went to see the nurse. Shey on a cot and closed her eyes. Thinking of the green-eyed Mr. Dong, she murmured, "That wasn¡¯t Mr. Dong."

    Sarang moved around on the bed.

    ---

    The iron soldier had contained many people, and the army had killed a lot as well. Junhyuk looked at the number on the screen and frowned.

    "We have arrested or killed 1,752 people so far," he said, and Taewoo and Daeil frowned.

    "How many of them have we identified?"

    "Of the 2,000, we¡¯ve identified 1,985."

    "How much time we have?"

    "An hour and a half, but it¡¯s not certain," he answered.

    Daeil frowned again.

    "How long will it take to take care of everyone?"

    "About an hour."

    Daeil turned to Eunseo and asked, "How long would it take if we give the iron soldier permission to kill?"

    Eunseo hesitated and nodded.

    "We can do it on time."

    "Then do it. We have mobility limitations."

    She nodded and looked at Junhyuk. Guardians was, at that point, upied by the police and the military, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything if a monster showed up. She trusted him instead.

    "Deploy every iron soldier."

    "All iron soldier deployed."

    Junhyuk agreed with the decision. To make sure they were on time, the iron soldier had to help. Without mobility, it wouldn¡¯t be possible to deal with every infected person, so the remaining two iron soldier were deployed.

    "We need further information on the remaining fifteen people. If not, the numbers will increase to three hundred."

    "We¡¯ll find them."

    Junhyuk trusted Zaira.

    ---

    They were gathered in one ce. All green eyes looked at each other as one of them said, "This can¡¯t continue."

    They could articte, and as they looked at each other, they nodded.

    "Let¡¯s move."

    They all got up and headed in different directions. They hid themselves among the crowds, moving without stopping.

    At the same time, people all over Seoul were dying, those walking on the street or at work at theirpanies¡¯ buildings. The green-eyed people had started killing other people.

    The sudden attacks caught people by surprise and many were killed. The police and military were eliminating the green-eyed people with the help of the iron soldier, and Seoul became a quagmire.

    Daeil looked at the monitors and said, "A lot of people will die."

    "Over three hundred already have."

    The infected numbered at 150, and they were going berserk, wreaking havoc in Seoul.

    The infected were using regr people as shields from the police and military, so killing them was bing more difficult.

    Junhyuk watched, and Zaira spoke up.

    [Searches about the incidents on the inte have blown up.]

    "Block them all."

    He couldn¡¯t pay attention to anything else. Instead, he connected to Elise through the tablet, but she didn¡¯t realize he had done so. She was entirely focused on her work.

    "Elise, the infected are killing regr people. Did you find anything new?"

    "The infected have a piece of the poring inside of their bodies. It covers their brain, and when the person dies, it leaks out of the ears. I¡¯m analyzing these poring pieces, and they are showing different characteristics from the poring pieces we gathered previously."

    "In what ways?"

    "They have learned to use human knowledge. One of them tried to escape by the sewer, so they understand human society. They may also be articte."

    "Is there a way to fight them?"

    "They are weak against electricity. Tasers may separate the poring from the brain, but the poring won¡¯t die. It may escape to somewhere else."

    "We can¡¯t gather the pieces during the chaos. Can you shut down the poring¡¯s defenses?"

    "No. Use short-range attacks so that you can catch them."

    "Understood."

    He report back what he had heard from Elise. After the report, Taewoo and Daeil gave out the others. If using Tasers could save the host, that would be the best way to go.

    Zaira told him that the remaining infected had been identified and disyed their information on the screen. They were the first infected. Out of the five, four of them had been spotted.

    They moved differently from the others. Unlike the others who killed mercilessly, they were moving between the crowd, using subways and buses to move through crowded ces.

    Junhyuk looked at Eunseo while still connected to Elise.

    "We¡¯ve located four of the first infected. They aren¡¯t killing anyone. Why don¡¯t we use iron soldier to capture them alive?"

    "Get those four!" Junhyuk looked at the tablet and Elise added, "They may be in control of the other infected."

    Eunseo didn¡¯t hesitate.

    "Order the iron soldiers to arrest them."

    "Yes, ma¡¯am."

    He told the iron soldiers where to go, and they took off quickly. Meanwhile, Junhyuk was following their footage on screen.

    "They are definitely learning. They are using crowded areas to try to get out of Seoul," Junhyuk murmured.

    However, Daeil and Taewoo heard him anyway.

    "Why don¡¯t we stop them? Shut down subways and buses."

    Junhyuk looked at Eunseo, but she shook her head.

    "The iron soldier will do it, but there might be tremendous coteral damage. Send the police and military over there now."

    "Sure. Show me the locations."

    Junhyuk pulled up the four locations, and Taewoo and the military sent a couple of helicopters to each one.

    Junhyuk saw an iron soldier arriving through the feed. It made an announcement through the subway station, and people started evacuating. They realized that it was a monster incident, and the iron soldier waited for them to get out of the way.

    Soon a train arrived. When the door opened, the iron soldier flew in, surprising the people inside. A hooded man with sunsses lunged to the side, dodging the iron soldier. He grabbed a bystander by the neck and threw him at the iron soldier while he escaped through the crowd.

    The iron soldier raised both hands and ced them against the ground. A strong current travelled through the rail, the train and the tform.

    "Ugh!"

    Everyone copsed at the same time, but only one of them had been infected. The green ooze came out of his ear, and the iron soldier collected it and the man¡¯s body. Junhyuk was shocked by it all.

    "Elise, what did you just do?!"

    "I told you, it¡¯s weak against high voltage, so I shocked it."

    "I know it works, but isn¡¯t it too dangerous?"

    "It¡¯s fine. I checked everyone¡¯s heartbeats. Nobody died."

    That surprised Junhyuk.

    "So, the host is still alive?"

    "Sure, for now. Once the iron soldier brings him in, let¡¯s run some tests."

 Chapter 255: Hostile Power Activation 1

    Chapter 255: Hostile Power Activation 1

    They were able to arrest the first infected, and the pieces of poring fell out of their hosts and were collected. Since the first infected had been arrested, the other infected stopped their hostile behavior, and the joint force finished the arrests without any more casualties.

    Junhyuk looked at feed Zaira was showing him.

    "We¡¯ve arrested or eliminated all identified infected. There were a total of 47 arrests and 1,953 casualties. The incident is over now."

    "How many civilians were hurt?"

    "A total of 782 were killed and 1,230 were critically wounded. The wounded are receiving medical attention right now."

    "The military and police will provide transport and helicopters."

    Eunseo bowed.

    "Thank you."

    Daeil shook his head and looked at her.

    "It¡¯s already happened, so we can¡¯t pretend it didn¡¯t. What worries me is that it mighte back."

    "Research on the poring is ongoing, and we¡¯ll research the original infected. This mayhem will be preventable in the future."

    Daeil nodded his head slowly.

    "I understand. You have a lot of work to do."

    The iron soldiers killed and arrested more infected than the military and the policebined.

    "I¡¯ll report to the president. A spokesman from the presidential office will make an official announcement tonight," Daeil said.

    Junhyuk nodded. In Seoul alone, including the infected, some four thousand people were killed."

    The citizens would probably demand answers.

    Daeil looked at Taewoo and said, "Today will be a busy day. When you have time some other time, let¡¯s have a drink."

    "I¡¯ll let you know."

    Daeil left and Taewoo did the same soon after. Things needed to be cleaned up, but that was not Guardians responsibility.

    Eunseo copsed on a chair and sighed. The operation didn¡¯t take long, but many things had happened in a very short time.

    "Are you OK?"

    She looked at him, pped her cheeks lightly and got up.

    "I¡¯m fine. Everything is over now, but stay and help with the cleanup."

    "I will."

    They had paid him $2 million, so he wouldn¡¯t refuse.

    "Tsubasa and Soyeon, Guardians will pay for all hospital bills, so call the hospitals and let them know everyone should get treatment."

    "Yes, ma¡¯am!"

    She turned to Junhyuk and said, "Come to the basement with me."

    "Sure."

    They went down together. The basement wasrge, but notrge enough to house all of the bodies. The police and the military were en route with even more bodies, and the iron soldiers had already stacked many of them there.

    Junhyuk and Eunseo walked by a hundred bodies on their way to the research room. Elise had the poring pieces in storage while she worked away. When they entered, she looked at them.

    "The poring is the most advanced and intelligent monster that¡¯s crossed dimensions so far."

    The infected had ess to human knowledge and were able to inflict more damage and chaos than any other monster.

    "How are the hosts doing?" Eunseo asked while looking at one of the former hosts.

    "Their vitals are normal, so they must be sleeping."

    "That¡¯s good."

    It would be nice if some some of them remained alive.

    "Is there a reason to keep the original infected separate?" Junhyuk asked as he looked them over.

    Elise nodded her head calmly and said, "I had no choice. They were exposed to the infection for a much longer period. They need to be studied."

    Junhyuk realized she was talking about running experiments on living people and smirked.

    She continued, "There is a difference between dealing with the poring and the infected, but I might find amonality. We will make special weapons tobat porings and prevent another situation like this."

    Eunseo nodded and said, "Install more CCTV cameras around Seoul and the other provinces."

    Junhyuk agreed with her decision and looked at Elise, who was working on her research.

    "When the result are in, I¡¯ll let you know."

    Looking around, Junhyuk saw that Sora was also there. With her there, if something were to happen, she could protect Elise. So, Junhyuk and Eunseo headed back to themand center, and he looked at the footage Zaira was showing him. Seoul was mayhem.

    "Show me Elise¡¯s researchb."

    A feed of theb appeared on the monitor, and he sat on a chair and operated the tablet, looking for things to help out with cleaning up.

    ---

    They had no time for a meal, so they ordered delivery and worked while eating. Junhyuk was having a sausage soup as he watched the footage of Seouls chaotic bloodbath. The police had cordoned off areas all over as the recovering team worked hard to gather the corpses.

    They were all carrying poring detectors in case there were any remnants, but the teams were short-staffed. There were just too few of them.

    Junhyuk felt lucky to be working inside. While he also had a mountain of work to do, he would receive help from Zaira.

    Elise, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t even eat at that moment. He was watching her through the feed in herb and he frowned. She was researching the poring bits, but behind her, the hosts were waking up.

    ¡¯Elise! Behind you!" Junhyuk shouted.

    His shout was broadcast to Elise, but when he looked back, the hosts were already up. He stopped eating, took his tablet and started running.

    Suddenly, the power in the between shut off. Even his tablet wasn¡¯t working. So, he ran to the stairs, opened the emergency door and teleported. He appeared inside Elise¡¯sb, and Sora was there too.

    Sora had herrge sword and was standing in front of Elise.

    Junhyuk looked around and scowled at the four hosts standing up. They all had green eyes and focused their gazes on him.

    "What happened?"

    He summoned the Pure Golden Knight set, without the cloak, and stood in front of Elise and Sora.

    Eliseughed and said, "They can release an electromaic pulse, and I didn¡¯t know they could do that."

    In the darkness, their glittering green eyes were clearly visible. He checked their health and mana and frowned heavily.

    "All four of them have activated a power."

    "They¡¯ve activated powers?"

    "Yes. They are all novices now, but I¡¯ve got no clue of what their powers might be."

    Junhyuk looked at his enemies, ready to raise the force field if necessary. They all heard the whirring of machinery, and theb lit up again.

    "You said they EMPed the ce?"

    "Right, but Zaira can bring the power back in cases like this."

    Zaira was helping and that was nice.

    Junhyuk stared at the novices.

    "I have a question: the poring pieces are out, so why are they still infected?"

    The novices stared only at him. The novices on the sides took the hands of those in the center. They were shaped like a rhombus. Junhyuk thought quickly, and the novices disappeared.

    "Elise! Track them! Where did they go?"

    She activated Zaira and frowned.

    "They must have gone outside. Everything around us has shut down because of the EMP."

    Junhyuk scowled and went out, shouting, "Stay there and don¡¯t move!"

    He teleported to the roof. Even if he didn¡¯t know what powers they had, he couldn¡¯t let them be. He looked around for them. They had teleported, but they had just activated their power, so they couldn¡¯t be that far.

    He was right. They were just outside the HQ, heading down an alley, but because he had used all of his teleportations, he simply ran toward them.

    "I should be fine even at this height."

    As he ran, he summoned his armor, but not his cloak andnded right in front of them. Junhyuk had jumped down from the roof of a building, but because he was wearing his armor, hended safely. He stood up while staring at the novices.

    They distanced themselves from each other. One of them had a teleportation power, another had an EMP power, but he didn¡¯t know about the other two.

    Once he transformed into the Dark Knight, he summoned the Frozen Rune Sword. As he stared at them, he said, "Let¡¯s talkter."

    He ran toward them, and the furthest one from him stepped forward. Not knowing who had what power, he swung his sword. At that moment, the enemy extended his hand toward him, and suddenly, a blue curtain appeared between him and the novice.

    ng!

    He stared at his enemy. The green-eyed novice had the power to block attacks.

    "This is fun."

 Chapter 256: Hostile Power Activation 2

    Chapter 256: Hostile Power Activation 2

    When Junhyuk ran out, Sora sighed, relieved, but Elise said something that worried her.

    "Weren¡¯t there five original infected?"

    They turned around and saw the person who had had broken arms and legs get up. Having activated a power, he waspletely healed.

    Sora and Elise didn¡¯t know what kind of power the person had, and Elise said from behind Sora, "We have to kill that thing before it¡¯s fully awake?"

    "Can we kill it?"

    "It doesn¡¯t look very benevolent."

    Sora raised her massive sword, and the man opened his eyes and looked at her. His eyes were green, and Sora rushed off toward him. When she got close and swung her sword, the man raised both of his arms.

    ng!

    The impact created a strong shockwave, and the man bounced back and hit a wall. Sora felt her hands tingling and frowned, running at him right after. Before the man could raise his arms again, Sora¡¯s sword went through his stomach.

    "Ugh!"

    She pulled it out and stepped back. It all happened within one second, and her palms were bleeding, torn in the first attack. The green-eyed man got up again.

    His stomach wound didn¡¯t seem deep, but he was still bleeding. Elise clicked her tongue.

    "His power must raise his body¡¯s defense!"

    Sora¡¯s power was extreme speed. She could deal damage by using it, but the power itself wasn¡¯t an attack power. She hadn¡¯t dealt a lot of damage, and the man had a defensive power. Because Sora had used her power, she was waiting on the cooldown. That¡¯s when the green-eyed man came at her, but at that point, even his arms were green.

    When Elise saw that, she murmured, "Is that power from the poring? Why is he green?"

    She was curious, but Sora looked at her and said, "That kind of defensive power is different from my speed in that itsts longer, so move toward the door."

    Sora had some understanding of the enemy¡¯s power. He had raised his defense, and it couldst up to ten seconds. Because the enemy¡¯s power was defensive, Sora wouldn¡¯t die in one hit. However, the enemy wouldn¡¯t get hurt by her either.

    Elise opened the door and saw Eunseo heading in.

    "Stay out. He has a power and he is hostile."

    Eunseo frowned.

    "Can¡¯t Sora kill him?"

    "He has a defensive power, and although Sora used her speed to attack him, he¡¯s still fine."

    Eunseo¡¯s frown deepened.

    "Just run away."

    "It¡¯s dangerous."

    "It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s a defensive power."

    Eunseo pulled out a pistol, and Sora wanted to tell her that a pistol wouldn¡¯t work, but Elise grabbed her arm. Elise shook her head and took a few steps back. Sora walked out of the room with her.

    After the two left the room, Eunseo closed the door and fired the pistol.

    Bang!

    The man blocked it with his forearm. It wasn¡¯t even scratched. However, although he had a incredible defensive power, he was still a novice. Eunseo ran at him, and the man did the same toward her, punching at her at the same time. His fist slowed down, and Eunseo appeared behind him and kicked him.

    Boom!

    His defensive power didn¡¯t matter. He couldn¡¯t bepared to a hero. Any novice would die in a single hit.

    The man¡¯s neck was broken, and he fell to the ground, his eyes no longer green. Eunseo inhaled deeply. She could only counter attacks. Nevertheless, her counters were really strong.

    ---

    Junhyuk looked at them and raised the Frozen Rune Sword.

    The force shield made by one of them only protected one side. Compared to Junhyuk¡¯s perfect defense, it was of lower rank.

    They each had powers of their own, and the four of them moved in unison. Dealing with four powers meant it was akin to dealing with a hero. However, their healths were those of novices, so they were like pieces of paper.

    He wasn¡¯t interested in the others¡¯ powers. They wouldn¡¯t talk to him, and their green eyes posed a threat.

    Junhyuk saw some people watching him, and he tightened his grip on the Frozen Rune Sword. The bystanders were ten meters away, so any shockwaves wouldn¡¯t hit them. Junhyuk was about to swing his sword when one of the men extended his hand and fired a green beam of light.

    The beam was about the size of the man¡¯s forearm, and Junhyuk took the hit with his body. He could¡¯ve raised the force field, but he didn¡¯t want to show off in front of a crowd. Also, he already knew the beam wouldn¡¯t kill him.

    A hero¡¯s attack wouldn¡¯t kill him, so a novice had no hope of doing it. They didn¡¯t have any items either. However, when he got hit by the beam, he frowned. He kept getting damage after the hit. Feeling the damage stack, he made up his mind.

    They were of no help.

    The man who raised the force shield got hit on the side of the neck. A pure white light shockwave expanded from the strike. It carried an ice attribute, and the surrounding area was frozen over. The green-eyed people fell, but they died without even bleeding.

    Junhyuk looked at his sword. He had used the Spatial sh and, in doing so, he felt something strange. From the arm he used for the strike, he felt his vein pumpingrger quantities of blood.

    The pathways were responding to his power, which meant that he was more powerful than ever.

    "I¡¯m not sure about the Dimensional Battlefield yet, but I¡¯m definitely stronger here."

    He looked around and saw a big crowd watching him. However, because they had also been affected by the EMP, their cell phones weren¡¯t working.

    He teleported away, but the spirit pathways didn¡¯t respond to him doing so.

    Junhyuk appeared in Eunseo¡¯s office. He was alone, so he looked out the window, down into the street, and saw that the crowd didn¡¯t approach the bodies. Then, he went to the basement.

    Elise, Sora, Eunseo and Dohee were standing in front of a body.

    "Did something happen?"

    Elise answered him, "One of the first infected people woke up. He had a power."

    "What kind of power?"

    "A defensive boost. He was able to negate Sora¡¯s attack."

    He stared at them.

    "How did you deal with him?"

    Elise looked at Eunseo and answered, "The CEO got him."

    He looked at Eunseo. Her power only worked as a counterattack, but the damage was absurd.

    "We have to go outside," he said.

    "The four novices!" Elise eximed and ran out. Sora followed her.

    Eunseo looked at Dohee and said, "Protect Elise."

    "But..."

    "Please."

    Dohee went out and Eunseo asked, "Do you have an idea of what happened?"

    He shook his head.

    "I¡¯m not sure. Maybe the poring activated their powers."

    Eunseo took a moment to think and said, "Only the original infected activated powers. If others do it as well, this will be a serious problem."

    He nodded his head.

    "Then, there will be many people with powers."

    He didn¡¯t like it, and Eunseo said nervously, "The situation isn¡¯t over yet."

    He looked at the people who were brought in. There were more than forty people still alive lying there.

    "What if they all activate powers..."

    They were likely to be hostile, so what shall they do? There was no way to restrain them. They hadn¡¯t figured out how to negate powers yet. Elise need more time and materials to figure out how to suppress powers.

    Junhyuk was shaking his head when Elise came back. Dohee and Sora were carrying scattered body parts.

    He looked at her, and Elise smiled.

    "These are well preserved. I can use them for research."

    Junhyuk told Elise what he was thinking after herment. "About the poring-infected hosts, if they activate their powers, won¡¯t that be a big problem?"

    Elise touched her chin and said, "Their powers can¡¯t be exined by thews of physics. There is no way to stop it for now." She looked around and added, "The EMP originated here, so this room won¡¯t be of any use. We have to move to Seoul HQ."

    Eunseo agreed, "That¡¯s a good idea."

    Elise continued, "I wasn¡¯t expecting an EMP attack on Korean soil. Guardians has to spend some more money."

    "Don¡¯t worry about that."

    Eunseopletely grasped what an EMP attack could mean. She had to spend more money to prevent another situation like that.

    Elise looked around. "Prepare to move now and quickly. I need more time to get my things ready to move out."

    Eunseo nodded.

    "I¡¯ll call for a helicopter. Evacuate the employees first. The traffic must be clogged in Seoul right now."

    They were cleaning up after the poring incident, so there was no other way. They had to move to Seoul.

    Eunseo left with some of the others, and Sora and Junhyuk remained. Elise looked at her and said, "Sora, you have to move out as well. Go pack. Junhyuk will remain here."

    Sora looked at him and left. After Elise sent her away, she told him, "After seeing the original infected activate their powers, I cane up with a few theories. Porings can infect people, assimte their knowledge and activate their powers."

    Junhyuk frowned at that. Poring could keep corpses moving, and now they could activate powers? He couldn¡¯t even guess at what the Dimensional Battlefield management was thinking.

    "But the other hosts aren¡¯t wake yet. It takes some time for the poring to activate powers."

    "You are only guessing, and making guesses like that can be dangerous."

    "I know." She continued, "When the hosts wake up, I need to find out if they have activated powers. During that time, keep me safe inside the Guardians Seoul HQ."

 Chapter 257: New Power Activator 1

    Chapter 257: New Power Activator 1

    He was riding on a helicopter and looked out the window. Instead of moving the dead bodies at that moment, they decided to take care of the living people first because they could wake up at any minute.

    It wasn¡¯t a long ride from the HQ in Ilsan to the one in Seoul. When he saw it, he thought about the first time he encountered a poring.

    The event had been shocking, but the porings were disying even more astounding qualities.

    "The building looks sturdy."

    At least from the outside, it looked fine. Considering how damaged it had been, they had to have rushed the reconstruction.

    Junhyuk was lost in thought, and Elise got out of the helicopter and tapped his shoulder.

    "Follow me."

    He kept thinking while following her. In that moment, he was really busy and he didn¡¯t have the time to look after her. However, he couldn¡¯t just let her die. She was important to him and she was also a valuable figure for humanity.

    Without Elise, humanity would be at the mercy of the Dimensional Battlefield managers, and he couldn¡¯t allow that, so he followed her to herb and asked, "How long does it take?"

    "It depends on when they wake up. I can take a sample of their blood and see if it generates a wavelength."

    "Don¡¯t they activate their powers before their blood carry a wavelength?"

    "That¡¯s correct, but I still want to watch the developing stage."

    He smiled and followed her. Just in case, she had the forty-two people separated. A strong ss covered the separate rooms housing the hosts.

    Among the two thousand infected, only forty-seven were there. Five of those had been killed, so only forty-two remained.

    Elise operated a new tablet.

    "I can¡¯t use Zaira, but the one at my house is fully operational."

    He wondered what she had meant by that.

    "Are you saying you have a supeputer at home?"

    "Sure! Thepany paid for Zaira, but her schematics belong to me."

    He was shocked. However, he knew how wealthy she was, so it wasn¡¯t aplete shock. He had Ganesha, so it was only natural that she had a supeputer at home.

    Elise pulled up the Wavelength Detector and murmured, "After the EMP, the Dimensional Tear Detector stopped working. It takes days to make a new one."

    "Don¡¯t you have to work on that first?"

    "I don¡¯t have to do it myself. The team that made the dposition liquid is probably making the new one."

    He shook his head.

    "I have to make a phone call. There¡¯s a meeting tonight I have to cancel."

    "Do it. Sora is with me, so if any danger arises, I¡¯ll run."

    "Don¡¯t fight. Run."

    He went out and pulled out his cell phone. He called Sarang, and when he heard her voice, he was relieved.

    "Big brother."

    "You must¡¯ve been scared today. Are you OK?"

    "I¡¯m fine, but I feel little depressed."

    "We had some trouble of our own. The first people infected by the poring activated powers."

    "They became novices?"

    "Yes, but they didn¡¯t reason like human beings. I had to kill them all."

    She was silent for a while, and he continued, "The remaining survivors might activate powers, so I have to stay here and protect Elise."

    "You are cancelling our dinner."

    "I can meet you tomorrow."

    She took a moment to think before saying, "OK, but you¡¯ll have to spend some money tomorrow."

    "I¡¯ll get you a full-course meal. Don¡¯t worry."

    "Then, see you tomorrow."

    "Get some rest."

    He felt bad that he couldn¡¯t see her since she was depressed, but he had work to do. When he walked back inside, Elise said, "Someone woke up."

    The person had woken up inside the istion room, looked around and shouted, "Where am I?"

    Elise said, "We can¡¯t find a wavelength."

    "Do you know when that person was infected?"

    "I don¡¯t know that yet, but they haven¡¯t activated a power, so I want to run more tests."

    The door to theb opened, and Eunseo walked in. She saw the person had woken up and said, "The government found out about the people who activated powers."

    Because one of the novices had had a teleportation power, Junhyuk had to transform into the Dark Knight to kill them, and people had seen it.

    "What are they going to do?"

    "They want to take over the survivors."

    "The Korean government?"

    Eunseo nodded, and Junhyuk frowned. Elise shook her head.

    "I can¡¯t allow that!" Eunseo looked at her, and she continued, "The Korean government is misinformed!" Elise turned to look at Eunseo and finished with, "The Korean government is way behind in researching monsters. I can¡¯t allow that to happen."

    "But this isn¡¯t an easy decision. They could pressure us..."

    "I don¡¯t care! Guardians belongs to ST Capsule, but its investors are mostly foreign. They can make it a foreignpany anytime they choose. The government can¡¯t force us to give up survivors."

    "Is that really necessary?"

    Elise nodded.

    "I¡¯ll make a call. Wait here."

    Elise left, and Junhyuk looked at Eunseo.

    "I agree with Elise."

    "But it won¡¯t be that easy."

    He shrugged.

    "Elise wants to research them."

    "What?!"

    He didn¡¯t answer her. Instead, he looked at the awoken survivor. No wavelengths had been detected.

    When Elise came back, she said, "CEO, don¡¯t worry about it. They belong to Guardians."

    "What?!"

    Eunseo didn¡¯t have a chance to ask any more before her phone rang. She spoke a few words and hung up.

    "Elise, what did you do?"

    Elise answered her nonchntly, "You said they pressured us, so I put even more pressure on them."

    Junhyuk was surprised again by Elise¡¯s power. If she had involved the Rockefeller family, she was capable of applying that pressure.

    Eunseo looked at her and said, "That¡¯s a relief. You can do your research."

    Eunseo left, she looked wounded somehow, and Junhyuk smiled bitterly as he watched her leave. She was the CEO, but Guardians main figure was Elise. Eunseo was receable while Elise was not.

    Junhyuk turned to the people waking up. None of them had activated a power yet.

    ---

    Those waking up didn¡¯t show any special symptoms. They had all awoken, except for two who were still sleeping. Those awake were being tested, but because there was no reason for Elise to run the tests on them herself, another team was in charge of them.

    Guardians was a lotrger than when it started, and most of the researchers were foreign. The government hadn¡¯t known what was happening up to that point, but now it was trying to get into the inner circle, and Elise had pressured it to step back.

    Junhyuk looked at the two who hadn¡¯t woken up.

    ¡¯Why aren¡¯t they waking up?"

    Elise tapped her tablet and said, "They were in the first batch of people infected by the original."

    Junhyuk looked at her, and she showed him the tablet.

    "They were infected by the people originally infected by the poring."

    "You are saying there are only two out of all those people?"

    "Correct. Only two." Then, she added, "Maybe they were lucky."

    "They were infected for the longest time after the original."

    Elise touched her chin and said, "Something is strange."

    "What?"

    "Why aren¡¯t they getting up?"

    Something was strange. Both the original and the second batch of infected had woken up. Only the survivors of the first batch were still sleeping.

    "They are very suspicious."

    Junhyuk sat on a chair and stared at the area where the two were sleeping, so Elise offered him some coffee and sat next to him.

    "Nothing is out of the ordinary, but we do know they only infected younger people."

    Junhyuk kept staring at the two.

    One of them was a PhD student in engineering. The other was an ordinary college student.

    While he stared at them, he said, "Any news from the corpses?"

    Elise clicked her tongue.

    "I haven¡¯t really begun my research on them yet."

    No one knew when those two would wake up. If they activated powers, he would need to restrain them, and because Elise was staying there, she hadn¡¯t had the time to research the corpses yet.

    She might even get a live sample out of all of that.

    He leaned back on his chair and sipped his coffee. Then, he heard a voice from the istion room.

    "One of them is waking up."

    They went through the ss enclosure and checked the Wavelength Detector. The PhD student didn¡¯t respond.

    "Is that good?"

    "I was hoping one of them would activate a power."

    Heughed at her. The man who had just woken up looked at the machines around him and got up.

    Elise spoke to him through a speaker, "We are running tests on the people who were infected. Come out and follow the instructions of the people wearing whiteb coats."

    Student looked around some more and asked, "What do you mean by infection?"

    "You don¡¯t remember, but you¡¯ll find out about it soon. Just follow the instructions for now."

    The student walked out, met a foreigner with a whiteb coat and followed him.

    Junhyuk looked at the remaining woman and said, "Only one left."

    Elise was feeling nervous.

    "All that suspense."

    The woman might activate a power. The engineering student had woken up, which meant the woman might wake up at any time.

    She opened her eyes, and Junhyuk and Elise frowned. They looked at each other.

    "That¡¯s an odd eye?"

    Only one of the woman¡¯s eyes was green, and she was getting up very slowly.

 Chapter 258: New Power Activator 2

    Chapter 258: New Power Activator 2

    Junhyuk looked at Elise, who frowned an said, "We¡¯ve detected a wavelength. It¡¯s a novice."

    He looked at the woman who had just gotten up. If she was hostile like the other poring infected, power activators, he would not hesitate to kill her.

    Everyone had left, and nobody else was watching that ce.

    "Can you make sure?" Elise asked him as he looked at her.

    He nodded and went over to the woman. Junhyuk opened the door and went inside the sealed room. The woman looked at him. One of her eyes was glittering green. Seeing that, he wanted to kill her, but he decided to suppress his feelings. Her other eye was showing him how nervous she was.

    Junhyuk thought of her name and called it, "Eunmi Jung?"

    "What?! Yes!"

    The woman remembered who she was, and she answered him. While he still wasn¡¯t sure if she was hostile, he was relieved.

    "You were infected by a monster and transported here."

    "Infected by a monster?! But I¡¯ve never seen a monster!"

    "What is thest thing you remember?"

    Eunmi thought it over before saying, "I was on my way to home when someone grabbed my shoulder. That is all. And his eyes..." She raised her head. "... He had eyes entirely green. Was he infected?"

    She was making deductions and seemed fine, so he approached her and summoned the arm warmers and four items of the Pure Golden Knight set.

    He asked her, "The infection has left your body, but do you feel anything strange?"

    She stared at him.

    "Strange?" She lifted her hand, touched her green eye and murmured, "Something is..."

    As she did that, she extended her hand, and a green orb came out of it. The orb started circling her quickly.

    Shocked by what had just happened, she asked, "Wh-what is this?!"

    He returned the Pure Golden Knight items, grabbed a pillow and threw it. The pillow hit the green orb, and the orb disappeared. He had thrown the pillow with all of his mighty, even willing to use the Spatial sh.

    Once the green orb disappeared, he said, "It¡¯s protecting you."

    "What¡¯s happening?"

    "Can you feel the cooldown?"

    "About twenty seconds," she answered.

    It wasn¡¯t as high-ranking as Jean Clo¡¯s ultimate, but it could save her life. It could negate one enemy hit.

    "It¡¯s a protective power..."

    It wasn¡¯t dangerous, so they didn¡¯t need to worry about it. The issue at that point was whether she could remain herself.

    Junhyuk looked at Elise. He couldn¡¯t see the other side of the ss from his side, but he said, "She has a power, but it¡¯s not dangerous. What are you going to do?"

    Eunmi looked in the same direction he was looking and asked, "Where am I?"

    "You are at Guardians. Since the monster incident, we¡¯ve been running some tests. We are checking to see if any of you pose any danger."

    "Pose danger?"

    Junhyuk turned to her and exined, "There were some who were hostile. I must ask you: Do you ever think of killing anyone?"

    "What? No!"

    He looked at Elise¡¯s direction again, and Elise said, "You¡¯ve activated a power, so I have to run more tests. Wait there."

    Junhyuk waited, and when the door opened, Elise and Sora walked in. Junhyuk stared at her, and Elise approached.

    "I can¡¯t run her tests while doing the others."

    "You have Sora."

    "Because the power itself doesn¡¯t pose a threat, I¡¯ll run the tests myself."

    "Can I go home?" he asked.

    "Yes. Sora will be here with me," Elise answered.

    Junhyuk looked at Sora. She could destroy the green orb with her regr attack and, by using her extreme speed, she could attack more than twice. Sora would be able to deal with Eunmi if there was a need for it.

    He smiled.

    "I¡¯ll be going home. Work hard."

    On his way out, he stopped in front of Sora.

    "Be cautious. There may be reason for why she has that odd eyed."

    "Don¡¯t worry."

    He turned to Elise and added, "Don¡¯t get close to Eunmi. Sora should run the tests."

    "Why?"

    "I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going to happen."

    Elise smiled at him.

    "Sure. Don¡¯t worry."

    "Don¡¯t let guard down even though she has a defensive power. If something should happen, just run away."

    "You sounds scary, but I¡¯ll do it. If I call, you should return."

    "Sure. Just run away if something happens."

    "Right."

    He looked at Eunmi. She looked bbergasted that he was going home. Sora started speaking to her kindly, and Eunmi looked more rxed.

    Then, he approached Eunmi and stared at her green eye.

    "Just be calm and do the tests."

    "Will it be OK?"

    "As long as you don¡¯t hurt anyone."

    He looked at her glittering green eye, not sure if it hade about because she had activated a power or because she had been infected.

    He hoped it was not part of the poring¡¯s influence.

    ---

    Elise was diligently looking at something while passing a notebook with over ten pages to Eunmi, who was solving the puzzles while scratching her head.

    Those were personality tests, and she remembered what Junhyuk had said.

    Why were they being so cautious around her? Did she want to kill people? No way!

    She shook head and looked around. No one was there. The room was empty, and the walls looked very strong.

    She raised her hand, and when her left eye gleamed, the green orb appeared. She was curious about what the orb was. It circled around her for ten seconds and disappeared.

    "What is this? Why must I be treated this way?!"

    Everytime she used her power, her left eye shone.

    She sighed and went back to the problems, but the left side of her head started aching.

    "Arrgh!"

    She grabbed her head and wailed. Then, she grabbed the pages, staggered and fell from the chair.

    When the door opened, Sora walked in.

    "You OK?" she shouted

    Eunmi pushed Sora away and barked back, "Don¡¯te near me!"

    Sora was staring at her when she heard Elise¡¯s voice, "Pull out your sword."

    Sora did so, and with it in hand, she stared as Eunmi got up slowly. She was still holding the nobody in her hand.

    Her right eye was entirely white, and her left eye glittered green. That¡¯s when Eunmi went after Sora.

    Elise asked, "Can you restrain her?"

    "I¡¯ll try."

    Sora swung her sword without adding speed. She had had some experience in the battlefield, so her swordsmanship had gotten better, and regr people were no match for her. However, Eunmi moved unexpectedly. She strafed to escape therge sword and elbowed Sora¡¯s neck.

    "Ugh!"

    Sora groaned and stepped back.

    "Can you restrain her?" Elise asked again.

    "I am not so sure now."

    "Then, get back out here. She can¡¯t leave the room anyway."

    That was Elise¡¯s decision. Eunmi only had a defensive power, so she wouldn¡¯t be able to break through. Meanwhile, Sora nodded and backed up slowly.

    Eunmi stared at her, baring her teeth.

    At that point, Sora felt something eery, but she got out, and Elise closed the door.

    "Don¡¯t worry. This ce is safe. It can even contain monsters. She can¡¯t get out," Elise said while pushingmands on her tablet and ordering Zaira. "Check on Eunmi and call Junhyuk. Tell him it¡¯s an emergency."

    She looked at Sora and added, "Let¡¯s check." Seeing the feed from inside the room on her tablet, she frowned. "She is too rxed."

    Eunmi touched the walls and took some steps back slowly. Elise watched her do it, all the while thinking that her power only served for defense.

    Finally, Eunmi stood in front of the door and raised her hand. A green foam spilled out of her left hand and turned into a spear. Eunmi took a step back and stabbed at the door, destroying it.

    Elise scowled.

    "Sora!"

    "Yes?"

    "Hold me and use your high speed to run."

    Sora nodded and hugged her while saying, "Be careful."

    Elise hugged her back, and Sora sped out. By the time she was done, they were outside of the building, and Sora let go of Elise.

    "You OK?"

    "Argh!" Elise was about to vomit. "Zaira, seal theb."

    Suddenly, the entireb was being sealed off.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    Zaira was closing all the doors, and Sora asked, "What now?"

    Elise hesitated.

    "The equipment tobat monsters is inside. We can kill Eunmi, but I want to catch her alive."

    "You want her alive?"

    "She activated two powers. If we can study her, the value would be enormous."

    "How are you going to capture her?"

    Elise answered nonchntly, "Junhyuk wille."

 Chapter 259: New Power Activator 3

    Chapter 259: New Power Activator 3

    Screeech! Crash!

    Junhyuk was ignoring traffic lights in four-way streets and driving past them. There was a loud, sharp noise followed by the sound of a collision, but he ignored it all and kept driving. When he arrived at Guardians HQ, he drove through the gate and rushed inside.

    He had destroyed the gate and ignored the security guardsing out of the booth, going straight to Elise¡¯sb. When he saw Elise, Sora and Eunseo standing outside the building, he slowed down the car.

    "What happened?" he asked as he got out of the car.

    "Eunmi activated another power," Elise answered.

    "What kind of power?"

    An expert would have extraordinary strength, and he had to know what kind of power it was.

    Elite showed him the footage on the tablet and exined, "She used the green foam to make a spear. It¡¯s really strong. She was able to destroy the wall with it."

    "So, she¡¯s not able to do it without the power?"

    "Correct. Without it, she can¡¯t."

    "For how long does the powerst and what¡¯s its cooldown?"

    "She can use the green foam for ten seconds, and the cooldown is about thirty seconds," she answered.

    After receiving information about the power, he started nning what to do next. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t worried about dealing with an expert. Both his health and strength were superior to hers.

    However, he turned to Elise and asked, "Why haven¡¯t you killed her yet?"

    "I have to do some more research on her."

    Surprised by her answer, he asked, "She has lost her ability to reason and she has an offensive power. Why do you want to research her?"

    Elise nodded calmly and answered, "It¡¯s precisely because she has lost herself. If we can restrain her, and she recovers her ego, it¡¯ll be the first time we¡¯ll be able to run tests on an expert, and it¡¯s possible she could be cooperative."

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "Then, you are asking me to catch her alive?"

    "Right."

    He sighed and added, "That¡¯s difficult even for me."

    "It¡¯s possible."

    Junhyuk stared at Elise, and she tapped on her tablet. He got a message on his cell phone and looked at it.

    "It¡¯s a contract fee. Catch her alive, and I¡¯ll double it."

    He would get $10 million and he knew that wasn¡¯t insignificant. Considering the time involved, it was a lot of money.

    Junhyuk sighed.

    "You think I¡¯m here for the money?"

    "No."

    He looked at the group. Elise, Sora, and Eunseo shouldn¡¯t die. He had received a call from Zaira, and that¡¯s why he was there. While Elise did want Eunmi alive, he turned to Eunseo.

    "Do you want her alive?"

    Eunseo nodded heavily.

    "We have to know more about her condition. It¡¯ll help us counter porings."

    He sighed deeply and looked at Elise.

    "Pay me three times that amount."

    "Sure."

    "When I take her down, is there somewhere I can put her in?" he asked.

    "Don¡¯t worry." Elise smiled and added, "I know of her power now, so we¡¯ll act ordingly and ce her somewhere she can¡¯t escape, but we¡¯ll need to start on construction."

    Junhyuk sighed again.

    "Fine. I¡¯m going in, but I have a condition of my own."

    "What is it?"

    "Don¡¯t film me in any way."

    Elise stared at him for a moment and said, "OK. Zaira, turn off all the cameras inside."

    [All cameras have been turned off.]

    "Raise the walls," he said.

    Elise tapped her tablet and added, "Be careful."

    "I¡¯ll be back."

    Once inside, he summoned his equipment. He didn¡¯t summon his armor nor his cloak, but he summoned everything else.

    After seeing her power, he could get guess at its damage. Her power was like Gongon¡¯s transformation, but its damage didn¡¯t seem to be based on a rate of her original normal damage. That was why she was able to destroy the wall without any equipment.

    "It must have a set amount of damage."

    He was thinking about that when he saw Eunmi. She was not holding a spear.

    When he that one of her eyes was green while the other waspletely white, he sighed.

    "And they are hopeful?!"

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t think about it anymore. He realized he wouldn¡¯t need his weapons as the expert didn¡¯t have any herself. Eunmi¡¯s health was at 550 and her mana was at 700. He could beat her with his bare hands.

    "Eunmi?" he spoke up first.

    She didn¡¯t answer. Instead, the green foam seeped out of her, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t hesitate. He teleported behind her and punched. A green orb appeared and crashed against his fist, breaking apart. Then, Eunmi turned around and swung her arm.

    He was expecting a spear, but the foam had turned into a sword. She was able to shape the foam at will.

    Junhyuk turned his body, dodging the swing. He had fought heroes before, so an expert didn¡¯t pose him much danger. He was unimpressed by the attack, but suddenly, thorns grew out of the sword toward him, and he teleported away instinctively, frowning.

    "Difficult."

    She could shape it however she wanted, but the range was limited to four meters.

    Junhyuk considered himself lucky to find out about her power that way. His body got slight goosebumps, but he couldn¡¯t use the Spatial sh because he wanted her alive. Even the Spatial sh¡¯s basic damage would kill her.

    Junhyuk was thinking about dodging her for ten seconds when she ran toward him. She wasn¡¯t that fast while holding her weapon, and he could use the force field, but he didn¡¯t want to show Eunmi all of his powers yet. Elise had ordered Zaira to turn of the cameras, but he also didn¡¯tplete trust Elise.

    He knew he was curious, so he wanted to use as few powers as he could.

    Junhyuk thought about the poring. Her weapons would damage him much, but he was worried that they might infect him. He didn¡¯t want to put himself in danger, so punched a wall.

    Boom!

    The punched had made a hole, and he picked up the pieces of the wall.

    "This is not like a pillow."

    Junhyuk threw a piece the size of his head, and it sped off like lightning.

    Eunmi sliced it with her sword, and he kicked the other pieces on the ground toward her.

    sh, sh, sh!

    He could control his musclespletely, and his kicks were urate. The small pieces of rock flew toward her, and she blocked them with the sword. There was only about six meters between them, but she couldn¡¯t advance. If she let her guard down, she would die from the debris.

    When Eunmi¡¯s power ended, and she lost her sword, he ran at her. Junhyuk closed in extremely fast, and she leaned back to dodge. However, she was unable to escape him.

    He punched her on the chin, and she staggered. Then, he punched her again, but this time on the ribs.

    Junhyuk broke her ribs, but he didn¡¯t care. The two attacks sapped her health, and she fell to the ground while he stared at her. She was regaining health, but she would be out for a while. Junhyuk could restrain her at any time, so he grabbed the back of her neck and dragged her out.

    Outside, the women were waiting for him.

    Elise saw Eunmi and was relieved.

    "Take her to the iron soldier hangar."

    Junhyuk nodded, and she walked next to him and asked, "How did you get her?"

    "I hit her. She is in need of medical attention."

    She didn¡¯t die, but she didn¡¯t look good either. So, Elise took a moment to think and said, "I¡¯ll give her some medicine. When do you think she¡¯ll wake up?"

    He saw that she was slowly regaining health, but he didn¡¯t know when she¡¯d open her eyes, so he merely shrugged.

    Elise spoke up again.

    "Can an iron soldier restrain her?"

    Junhyuk thought it over and said, "Be careful with her second power. It has a four-meter range and it will kill you."

    "I¡¯ll arm the iron soldier with rubber bullets."

    "Sure, but don¡¯t get close to her, at least not within four meters."

    "Sure."

    Elise thought she could handle the situation, so he didn¡¯t say anything else and just took her to the hangar. The other employees weren¡¯t aware of what was happening. Only Eunseo knew.

    Once Junhyuk got to the hangar, he said to Elise, "If she has lost her ability to reason, you must restrain her. Her power is dangerous."

    "You should stay here till she wakes up," Elise said.

    "I don¡¯t know when that¡¯ll be."

    Elise smiled.

    "She¡¯ll wake up soon."

    He looked around and saw an iron soldier.

    "Where are the rest of the iron soldiers?"

    "The EMP damaged their circuits, but that¡¯s considering it was an extraordinary EMP."

    Junhyuk agreed. Powers were inherently something that was impossible by Earthly means.

    Elise pulled out a syringe and gave it to the iron soldier. It injected the contents into Eunmi, and she regained some of her health quickly.

    Junhyuk watched as her health went up to thirty, and Eunmi groaned and worke up. She could open her eyes, but she couldn¡¯t get up.

    After looking around, she asked, "Where am I?"

    One of her eyes was back to normal, but the other was still green.

 Chapter 260: Strong Enemy 1

    Chapter 260: Strong Enemy 1

    They ran tests on Eunmi, and she seemed normal, but due to her injuries, she couldn¡¯t move.

    "This may be meaningless, but I still have to tell you something," Elise told her.

    "What happened to me?"

    "You were infected along with other people. Do you remember?"

    "No, I can¡¯t remember. They were testing me..."

    Elise had expected that answer.

    "You¡¯ve activated two powers. Can you feel them?" she asked.

    Eunmi¡¯s left eye twitched, and green foam came out of her hand and changed into a sword. She surprised herself in the process.

    "What did just happen?!"

    Elise understood now that she had activated two powers.

    "This is beyond what I had expected."

    Elise walked over to her, and Junhyuk sighed and walked over to Elise. She smiled at Eunmi.

    "Now, I am sure that you are still infected. We have to know how you¡¯ll behave in the future. If not, you won¡¯t be able to get out there and join the rest of the world."

    "You mean I have to be confined here?"

    "You might lose consciousness again and kill many people around you."

    "Kill people?"

    Elise showed Eunmi her tablet.

    "This is you when you lost your memory."

    Eunmi was holding a spear and breaking down a door. She had lost her ability to reason, and one of her eyes waspletely white while the other was green. She was shocked by what she saw.

    "I¡¯ll take full responsibility and cure you, but you have to cooperate," Elise told her.

    "Even if I want to cooperate, if this happens again, I will be unable to."

    "You can¡¯t get out of this ce, and you¡¯ll regain your reasoning eventually. To prevent other people from being infected, I need your help."

    Eunmi was about to cry.

    "I have to go to school."

    Elise looked at Eunseo, and Eunseo said, "If you help us, don¡¯t worry about your grades. If you want, after you graduate, you can work for us."

    Eunmi stared at Eunseo. She was attending a second rate university and she would have a hard time finding jobs. However, if she could work for Guardians, wouldn¡¯t that be a great opportunity?

    "If you cooperate, we willpensate you as well," Elise said.

    "Compensate?"

    Elise showed her the tablet again.

    "Sign here. The signing bonus is $100 thousand, and you¡¯ll be paid $1 million after the research is over."

    "What?!"

    Junhyuk knew that amount was absurd for a college student. They could have offered more, but she was just a student, and they knew that it would be enough to entice her.

    Eunmi was conflicted, and Eunseo chuckled.

    "We will help you."

    She looked at Junhyuk and asked, "You aren¡¯t going to dissect me, right?"

    Heughed hard.

    "You¡¯ve watched too many movies. Guardians was established to protect the world, so don¡¯t worry."

    She stared at him and said, "I¡¯ll trust you."

    "Why are you trusting me?" he asked.

    "You are ST Capsule¡¯s model."

    "Riiight."

    He realized once again the power the media had. Junhyuk looked at Elise, who got Eunmi¡¯s signature and smiled.

    "Elise, I want to talk."

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk took her aside and asked, "I helped you now, things can¡¯t continue like this."

    "I know it. I¡¯ll try the iron soldier on her, and if the iron soldier can restrain her, I won¡¯t need your help."

    "Where are you going to hold her?"

    "I¡¯ll dig arge hole. She has powers, but she can¡¯t jump extremely high."

    He frowned.

    "How you going to get in and out?"

    "I have to check, but I¡¯ll use an elevator. If she makes any problem, I¡¯ll shut down the elevator." She looked at Sora and added, "I¡¯ll check if Sora can use her speed vertically. If so, the ce will be really far down."

    "Can I go now?" he asked.

    "Help me move her to the undergroundb."

    "You have an undergroundb?"

    "I have to move some things around, but there is no ce like it."

    He followed Elise toward Eunmi. The iron soldier lifted her, and he followed it. Sora, Elise and Eunseo followed him. They got on an elevator and moved underground, heading to Elise¡¯sb.

    At the bottom, she opened a door to a room.

    "I nned to bunk here, so stay here and cooperate."

    "Sure."

    Eunmi had already checked her bank ount and seen that she had received the money, so she was cooperating.

    "I¡¯ll be going. If something happens, call me," he said, looking at the group.

    "Wait."

    Elise tapped her tablet, and his phone rang. He checked it and saw that he had received his pay.

    "I hope nothing bad happens."

    "Don¡¯t worry."

    Elise knew that if she had to call him, it would cost her money, so she would find other alternatives.

    Junhyuk and Eunseo got back on the elevator, and he looked at her.

    "I have to train now, but you should know, I won¡¯t be able to go to the same Dimensional Battlefield as you this Friday."

    "What?!"

    He calmly exined things to her, "In each battlefield, heroes can take up to five support powers. I have three powers, and Sarang has two, so they already had five extra powers. You¡¯ll go to a different battlefield this time."

    Arn wouldn¡¯t drop either Sarang or him to take Eunseo, and she scowled.

    "What do we do now?"

    "Focus on staying alive. Get help from the allied heroes, and make them help you."

    She nodded.

    "Understood. I have to make them realize they need me."

    "That¡¯s about it."

    Her counterattack could help. She didn¡¯t have any equipment boosting it, but its power was still massive. If she got any items, she would be even more powerful. Also, she had her ring, and minions wouldn¡¯t be any problem for her. She only had to be careful of novices and those ranked higher than that.

    Junhyuk looked at her and said, "Just make sure no one finds out that you are a novice."

    "Sure."

    Her falling under abnormal narcolepsy had to be kept secret, so she nodded, and he smiled.

    "Don¡¯t worry too much. Sora came back, and so will you."

    "OK. Then, go on a date with me on Saturday," she said.

    "What?!"

    "Have dinner with me."

    He didn¡¯t like the term "date," but did not mind having dinner with her.

    "Sure."

    Junhyuk bid her good luck and walked to the car he had rented and was now all dented.

    "I¡¯ll have to pay for that."

    He would do it and buy himself a new car. The following day, after a meal with Sarang, he would purchase a new car.

    ---

    They ate dinner, and he got a car and bought one for Sarang too. Her new ID had been a driver¡¯s license. Junhyuk still had to teach her how to drive, but she had a car now. Both cars would be delivered in a week, and because they had bought two cars, the dealer treated them like VIPs.

    He told her about the living spirit and that he wouldn¡¯t be able to call her. He wanted to focus on the living spirit.

    "Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll meet again on Friday."

    "Thanks for understanding. I¡¯ll see you on Friday then."

    "How did the poring situation happen?"

    Junhyuk shrugged.

    "This is only the beginning. It will spread to other countries. We have to kill porings. That¡¯s about the best solution."

    "Whew! When I go to sleep, I still think about it."

    "He was infected and he wasn¡¯t the person you knew. Don¡¯t worry about it."

    "I know." She looked at him and asked, "Are youing to my training ce?"

    "No, I¡¯ll focus on the living spirit."

    "Of course. Let¡¯s train together next time."

    "Sure."

    He sent her home and went to a hotel. There, he closed his eyes and focused on the living spirit. The spirit travelled through therge pathways, and he did not notice the time passing.

    Junhyuk called Sungtae, who had found a cleaningpany in the meantime and done other things. He told Sungtae that he would be there on the weekend and hung up to train with the living spirit again. Time passed quickly.

    It was Friday, and there were no monster attacks. He was in the middle of training when he got a call. It was from Eunseo, but he failed to pick it up immediately because of his training, so he called her back.

    "Hello?"

    "You came back safely."

    "Since I was alone, it was tough."

    "I¡¯m d you made it back. Your chances of returning alive will increase with each sess."

    "Thanks for saying that."

    He continued, "I¡¯ll call you when I return alive."

    "Come back safe."

    He hung up andy on the bed, focusing on the living spirit. The spirit did not get bigger, but he could feel it moving around therge pathways in his body.

    A bright white light shone on him, and he felt that he was back in the Dimensional Battlefield, so he opened his eyes slowly.

 Chapter 261: Strong Enemy 2

    Chapter 261: Strong Enemy 2

    Junhyuk turned around and looked at the amount of gold he had: 222,760G. It was a lot, so he smiled at the sight. When he started hearing the soft voice announcing where he was, he cut it short.

    "Stop. I¡¯ve been here already, so there¡¯s no need to exin anything. If anything changes, let me know."

    [From now on, I will inform you if there are any changes to the Valley of Death.]

    "Thanks."

    After replying, he summoned every item he had, walked toward the exit and stopped.

    [Champion Junhyuk Lee deployed.]

    He opened the door, walked out and saw a throng of minions. Passing them by, he heard someone call him from behind.

    "Big brother!"

    Sarang was running toward him, and he smiled. Her helmet was covering her face, but when she got ot him, she hugged him tightly.

    He tapped her helmet and said, "Get off me."

    "It¡¯s been a while."

    Sarang¡¯s voice transpired joy at seeing him. They were in a battlefield, so why were they so rxed? They were still talking when the heroes arrived, all with serious looks on their faces.

    The minions made way, and Arn walked toward Junhyuk. Junhyuk bowed to Arn, who said, "You did well at the Champions¡¯ Battlefield."

    "There was a new champion, but it wasn¡¯t too dangerous."

    Arn turned to the other heroes and said, "We have to find out who we will face."

    They nodded, and Arn continued, "You¡¯ll all likely die on this battlefield."

    The heroes tared at Junhyuk and at Sarang, and Junhyuk said, "If Sarang dies, let her stay inside the castle."

    Nobody said anything, but Vera stepped forward and patted her shoulder.

    "Anybody against this suggestione forward now."

    No one opposed her, and Arn looked at Junhyuk.

    "If you die four times, stay inside the castle."

    Junhyuk smiled and answered, "I will."

    Arn looked around and said, "I will take him and Sarang through the bottom path."

    "Take me too."

    They did not know anything about their enemies, so they wanted to focus on synergy.

    "I¡¯ll go top."

    "I¡¯ll go with you."

    Diane and Nudra agreed to move together, Halo said, "I¡¯ll check out the enemies in the center path."

    Junhyuk walked over to Diane and asked, "Can I get more seeds?"

    "Seeds?"

    He nodded, and Diane raised her hand.

    "You know the price, right?"

    "Sure."

    "Then, I¡¯ll get you more."

    Arn selected fifty minions and looked at the group.

    "This is a reconnaissance mission. We¡¯ll find out more about the near-legends now."

    Arn took lead, and Junhyuk followed him.

    Vera was having a serious conversation with Sarang, and Junhyuk just walked after Arn quietly. Outside castle, Junhyuk suddenly stopped. He felt an enormous amount of mana around him, and the living spirit started moving. Seeing that, Arn picked him up.

    "Focus on the living spirit."

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t utter one word. The living spirit was feeling all the mana around him and moving intensely. He thought his veins, arteries and pathways were strong, but they were being torn apart by the spirit moving so quickly. However, just as quickly as they tore, they were repaired by the spirit. The living spirit was entirely focused on repairing the pathways, and he had to pay attention to the spirit¡¯s movements. That¡¯s what Arn wanted him to do even if he hadn¡¯t said it out loud.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t answer Arn. Instead, he focused on the living spirit, and suddenly felt a warm energy on his back. After that, the living spirit went back to its normal ce. In his gut, the living spirit was now twice its previous size. Once it stopped moving, Junhyuk opened his eyes wide.

    "Get down." Hended on the ground, and Arn asked him, "How are you?"

    "I can¡¯t believe it."

    The pathways in his body had be even wider, and as he felt them, he stared at Arn.

    "Even though the living spirit is bigger now, it¡¯s fine. Whenever you have time to pay attention to the living spirit, do so. I can carry you."

    Junhyuk bowed. His soul had to grow with the living spirit, and even if his soul couldn¡¯t keep up, he wanted to let the living spirit grow.

    Arn was giving him the opportunity to do just that.

    "I am not sure what management is thinking, but this ce has a lot of mana. If a ce has this much mana, it¡¯ll produce many strong individuals."

    Junhyuk looked around. Because of the warm energy on his back, he felt a little drowsy, but if necessary, he would engorge on the mana like a dog on its bone.

    To suppress the living spirit, his soul had to grow as well. Junhyuk nodded, looking around, and Arn added suddenly, "Enemy spotted."

    Junhyuk looked at the enemies. There were two of them, but no experts or champions, and they gave off strong aura.

    The minions couldn¡¯t see them, however.

    The blond man wearing goggles was really skinny. When the white-skinned man looked at the allies, they could see he had the face of a porcin doll.

    The other was a wide-shouldered man in armor. He had a horn on his forehead and held a gigantic sword. The man was three meters tall, and the sword was three meters long.

    Minions could also make a difference on the battlefield. For instance, riflemen minions posed more danger than sword-and-shield minions. When Junhyuk looked at the enemy minions, however, he frowned. They were in full armor, and sharp des stuck out from their hands.

    "Gillettes?"

    They were all holding two des, and Sarang asked him, "What is a gillette?"

    "Our world has something like gillettes," he said and looked at Arn, who was smirking.

    "We should check them out first."

    Arn stepped forward, and the man with the giant sword did the same from the opposite side. The sword was wide enough to ce beef on top of it and roast it to a steak. The size of it looked surreal, so the hero must have focused on attacking.

    Junhyuk gripped his swords tightly, and Vera put a hand on his shoulder.

    "We should find out their powers first. Save your own."

    He realized that the enemy had scared him and inhaled deeply. Arn was his teacher, so Arn would be fine in dealing with them.

    Arn stepped forward, and the single-horned hero pointed his sword on him.

    "Let¡¯s y."

    Arn pulled out his sabers and ran. He wasn¡¯t using his powers, so the single-horned hero smiled.

    "Interesting fellow."

    The hero raised his sword high and swung it down hard, and Arn used his sabers to parry.

    Screeeeech!

    The impact between the sabers and the sword created sparks, and the two came shoulder to shoulder. Arn parried the giant sword to the side. Normally, the sword was so big that it forced its opponents to use their powers.

    The two were measuring each other, trying to figure out who would use their powers first. Arn closed in with the sabers, and the single-horned hero did the same and tried to elbow him.

    Arn tried to move his head quickly, but got hit, and his forehead started bleeding. The horned hero passed by Arn and turned around while swinging the sword, but Arn dodged it and closed in again.

    The horned hero was not only handling therge sword, but he knew exactly how to duel with it.

    Arn had a smile on his face, and the horned hero pulled the big sword toward him and shed at Arn, moving his sword like it was his own hand, masterfully.

    Arn¡¯s back was facing the hero, and he turned around swinging his sabers.

    Clink, clink!

    Arn closed in again, and the horned hero covered his eyes and, using his pauldron, pushed Arn away. Seeing the impact, Arn covered his chest with his sabers.

    Boom!

    There was some distance between the two now.

    "My name is Arn."

    The horned hero rested the sword on his shoulder.

    "You are good enough to learn my name. I¡¯m Keros."

    Artlen felt his saber¡¯s de with his fingers.

    "We¡¯ve checked each other out. Now, let¡¯s really fight."

    "Good idea."

    Keros brandished his sword and positioned himself. He was staring at Arn with cold eyes, and Arn ran toward Keros, who swung at Arn.

    Arn dodged it, and Keros tried to elbow him again, but Arn used his seven-strike attack on Keros. They sh like lightning.

    Keros stepped back and covered his body with his sword, but he couldn¡¯t escape the power. Suddenly, a red light shone from Kero¡¯s sword.

    ng, ng, ng, ng, ng, ng, ng!

    The red light took all seven strikes, and Keros seemed OK. However, Arn staggered backward. He was spitting blood.

    Everyone was curious about what had happened, and Arn wiped his mouth.

    "Reflective damage?"

    When Keros swung again, the red light had already disappeared.

    "It decreases enemy-attack damage by 80 percent, so I only take in 20 percent, but it also returns 50 percent of the damage to the attacker." Keros shrugged and added, "But I have to time it right. Otherwise, it¡¯s useless."

    Arn had used the seven-strikebo, but Keros had blocked it and reflected the damage. He smiled bitterly. Counterattacking was hard, but Kero¡¯s had done it perfectly.

    Keros was a legend candidate, so he was inplete control of his counters.

    "That¡¯s a nice power."

    But such a power had to have a long cooldown, and Arn would exploit that weakness.

    He ran toward Keros again.

 Chapter 262: Strong Enemy 3

    Chapter 262: Strong Enemy 3

    Keros looked at Arn running toward him and smirked while moving his giant sword. Even though Keros was moving slowly, Arn couldn¡¯t let his guard down. He threw his saber.

    Keros looked at the saber flying toward him, and his eyes widened. However, he blocked it with his sword, and Arn grabbed it on the bounce back. Seeing that, Junhyuk clicked his tongue.

    "What was that defense?!"

    "What are you talking about?" Vera asked.

    "Even though he blocked the attack, he only lost 5 percent of his health," Junhyuk answered.

    "What about it?"

    "Arn used his power, but he lost only 5 percent of his health."

    Vera frowned and said, "Then, maybe he¡¯s a tank?"

    Junhyuk understood it then. Tanks could endure with their superior defense, and counterattacks worked well for them.

    Arn closed in, and the two fell into closebat again. Keros fought extremely well against the sabers, and Junhyuk remembered that he still had unused powers.

    Arn had used the seven-strikebo, but had gotten himself injured. At least half of his attack had returned to him, and he lost 7 percent of his health. No one was sure about Keros¡¯ defense. Even though 20 percent of Arn¡¯s attack had gone through, it felt like it had done nothing to him.

    Arn got really close to Keros to attack him, thinking that because of the extremely close range, Keros would be at a disadvantage with his sword. Arn wasfortable fighting at that range with his sabers, so he had to be gaining ground.

    However, Keros was calm. His defense was extremely high. His weapon looked absurd, yet he was a tank.

    Arn was waiting to seize the opportunity. The counterattack had a long cooldown, and Arn was nning to use the seven-strikebo on Keros again when its cooldown was over.

    The cooldown ended, and Arn started shing again.

    sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, sh.

    Keros defended the strikes, but the damage still went through. Arn didn¡¯t hesitate and attacked again. The cooldown on his throwing power had also ended, so Arnunched it at close range.

    ng!

    The two sabers returned to Arn, and Keros swung his giant sword at him roughly. Arn had to step back, and a glint came over Keros¡¯ eyes. Keros stomped the ground and jumped toward Arn.

    Keros stomped the ground and jumped toward Arn. He rushed, and his pauldron mmed against Arn, who blocked the attack with his sabers, but he still took damage.

    Boom!

    When he gotunched away, Arn knew that something was wrong. Even though his attack stat was high, he still had the highest defense among the allies, but Arn lost 20 percent of his with that attack.

    Keros raised his sword up high and mmed it down.

    Boom!

    When the sword hit the ground, red lights fanned out from the ce of impact. The fan-shaped shockwave passed through Arn, and he was pushed back, grimacing. He lost another 30 percent of his health.

    For a tank, Keros dealt unsurpassed damage.

    Including the reflective damage along with all the rest, Arn had 43 percent of his health left. Keros¡¯ damage was too high. Arn was struggling, and Keros ran toward him.

    "You think I¡¯m a tank?"

    Arn grimaced, and Keros pointed his giant sword forward. Arn ran toward him, and an opening appeared on Keros¡¯ sword that released red lights toward Arn.

    The shrapnel from the giant sword covered Arn, flying toward him like a hurricane, and Arn grimaced. They had already seen three powers, which meant that had to be his ultimate. Keros couldn¡¯t be a tank, and it was possible that his ultimate would kill Arn.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    Arn wanted to know the power of Keros¡¯ ultimate, which meant that he would take it head on. However, an ivory light covered his body, and the shrapnel bounced off.

    Arn turned to look and found Junhyuk standing there, so he clicked his tongue and looked forward.

    The red lights disappeared, and Keros stared at the force field.

    "Ah! This is the renowned force field," he said. Then, he turned to Junhyuk and nodded as if to greet him. "That¡¯s the friend who is winning in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield."

    He stared at Junhyuk, and Junhyuk felt threatened by it. Keros looked at him like wild game, and Junhyuk¡¯s hairs stood up.

    Arn appeared between the two and said, "Sorry. This is a brawl now. Let¡¯s fight as a team."

    He ran forward, and Vera took off, following him.

    "Let¡¯s begin!"

    Keros looked at them both and turned to retreat. Already aware of the force field, he did not wait around.

    The enemy was running away, and Arn said, "We don¡¯t have much time."

    "Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here."

    Vera threw a fire spear, and Junhyuk waited. Keros stopped to block the spear.

    Boom!

    The sword released red lights, and the fire spear died off. Vera was inside the force field, but she was still shocked.

    Keros was astounded.

    "That field is better than my counterattack. The reflective attack didn¡¯t work."

    Then, the man next to Kerosughed hard.

    "Difficult."

    Keros looked at Junhyuk and said, "We¡¯ll kill him four times."

    "Sure."

    Keros had taken his eyes off of him for just an instant at his partner¡¯s response, but when he looked back at Junhyuk, he didn¡¯t find him. Keros thought he was short and was hidden by Vera and Arn, but suddenly, he felt a prick on his neck.

    "Ugh!!"

    Keros groaned loudly, and a shockwave extended out with him in the center. He held his neck.

    "A Spatial sh?"

    It dealt a lot of damage. Keros hadn¡¯t seen iting and hadn¡¯t been able to respond to it.

    "No, was he invisible?"

    Keros thought he had disappeared and somehow hit him.

    "This is why assholes with teleport powers are hard to deal with."

    Keros put pressure on his neck and added, "I¡¯ll kill him."

    "You are greedy."

    "You deal with that magician!"

    "Sure."

    "Don¡¯t let your guard down. They have a champion with them."

    The force field died out, and the man raised both of his hands.

    "Debuff them."

    The man created two orb-shaped machined that spun around as if they were alive. The man extended his hand. The fight had to continued. Vera prepared her magic, and the man said, "The force field is gone. Introduce yourselves."

    Vera was about to curse, but Arn held her back.

    "We are nearly within the range of their watchtower. Stop here."

    Vera grimaced, looked at the man and popped her knuckles.

    "Get out here, and I will listen to your sorry story."

    "I don¡¯t need the watchtower anyway."

    Arn made a signal, and everyone moved back. Junhyuk was frowning, and Arn asked him, "What¡¯s wrong?"

    "Keros. His defense is absurd."

    "I know."

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    "The Spatial sh only took 20 percent of his health."

    "He is stronger than Jean Clo?"

    "Definitely."

    Arn smiled bitterly.

    "Sturdier than Jean Clo, and deals more damage than regr damage dealers. It has to be because of his items, but it¡¯s still astonishing."

    They talked. Meanwhile, the man walked closer and said, "My name is Tuelus." Tuelus introduced himself and extended both of his hands, adding, "This side is Sol, and this side is Luna." He looked pleased. "You will remember these names."

    Vera shook her head.

    "You are a funny one and full of shit." She turned to Arn and asked, "When do we begin?"

    Arn looked at Junhyuk, who raised two fingers. Arn nodded and said, "I¡¯ll get you more time."

    "Who is my target?"

    "Tuelus."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk positioned himself, and Arn moved forward. Keros also stepped forward, and Vera smirked, murmuring, "You are still here."

    Sarang nodded. Their enemies were impressive. They didn¡¯t know about Tuelus yet, and the suspense was mounting.

    "Don¡¯t overdo it," Junhyuk told Sarang.

    "Sure."

    He thought that the enemies were stronger than the allies. If they pressed the allies, he and Sarang could both die, so Junhyuk made a decision. The force field was gone for now. They had witnessed Keros¡¯ powers, but they hadn¡¯t seen Tuelus¡¯ yet. At that point, he couldn¡¯t be sure if they could survive this battle. However, their enemies didn¡¯t know about her.

    Keros looked at the allies and ran toward them.

    "Let¡¯s begin."

    Arn ran toward Keros, and Vera ignited a fire spear. Without the force field, Keros could counter, cing Vera in danger.

    She threw the fire spear at Tuelus, but Keros blocked for him, getting hit by the spear.

    Boom!

    Vera could deal a lot of damage, but Keros only lost 10 percent of his health. However, he had already lost some health. With the damage Arn had inflicted on him, and Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh, after Vera¡¯s attack, Keros was left with 53 percent of his health.

    There was only a 10 percent difference in the proportion between Arn¡¯s and Kero¡¯s healths.

    Junhyuk was thinking about attacking Keros, but Keros attacked Arn suddenly. If Arn retreated, Keros would attack Vera directly, so Arn grimaced and parried with his sabers.

    Boom!

    Arn is thrown backward and lost 20 percent of his health. Then, Keros raised his sword, ready to released the fifteen-meter, fan-like shock wave. Arn could die at any moment.

    Arn had been thrown toward Junhyuk, who touched him and Vera while Sarang touched his back as well. He teleported.

    Boom!

    The shockwave extended from the ground, and the sight of it made Junhyuk sweat cold. Thebo would¡¯ve killed Arn.

    Junhyuk thought he had saved Arn, but blue bullets made of light rushed in his direction.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck!

    Arn tried to parry with his saber, but there were more than ten bullets flying toward him, and he had already used all of his powers. Arn was dying, and Tuelus was smiling while he stood behind Keros with Sol and Luna in his hands.

    "I told you... You will shudder."

 Chapter 263: Dark Clouds Over the Battlefield 1

    Chapter 263: Dark Clouds Over the Battlefield 1

    Arn lost 30 percent of his health all at once, which meant that the enemy¡¯s attack had pierced Arn¡¯s defenses for 30 percent of his health, at least. Keros¡¯ shockwave could certainly inflict damage, and that help them understand Tuelus¡¯ attack.

    Vera gritted her teeth, and Junhyuk stood in front of her and said, "Let¡¯s kill at least one."

    "Right," and extended her hand, igniting a me with it. She raised a firewall from under Keros, but he ignored it and ran toward her. The firewall dealt continuous burn damage, but if the hero simply passed through it, they would lose much health. Keros was running, and he had exactly 50 percent of his health left.

    Junhyuk rant toward Keros, trying to get his attention, and Keros smirked and ran toward him. Keros had used all of his powers, so Junhyuk thought he could do something and got closer.

    Suddenly, Keros swung his massive sword, and just like Arn had, Junhyuk decided to block the strike with his dual swords.

    ng!

    Once the massive sword swung down on his dual swords, without even realizing it, Junhyuk was kneeling before Keros. As he kneeled, he felt Keros¡¯ sword slicing through his armor little by little.

    "What is this...?"

    Keros¡¯ strength was unlike that of any hero he had met before, and he gritted his teeth. However, if that continued, he would be sliced in half, so he parried the massive sword to the side.

    sh!

    It wasn¡¯t a clean parry, and Junhyuk¡¯s right arm was lopped off in the process. He started bleeding profusely, but he managed to sh Keros¡¯ thigh with the Frozen Rune Sword.

    Trying not to groan, he rolled on the ground, distancing himself from Keros, and got up. Keros looked at him and smiled.

    "You fight well."

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t answer.

    "Big brother!"

    Suddenly two electric sts flew across the battlefield and hit Keros¡¯ and Tuelus¡¯ faces respectively, and a fired spear exploded against the back of Keros¡¯ head.

    Keros was pushed forward, seeing the fire orb in front of him.

    Boom!

    He was pushed back, and Junhyukunched himself against him and stabbed at his neck with the Frozen Rune Sword. However, the stab didn¡¯t go through. The paralysis had worn off, and Keros blocked the sword using his gauntlet.

    Junhyuk had applied the debuff twice, so when he saw Keros wielding his giant sword, he protected his body with the Frozen Rune sword.

    Junhyuk was in the air. The impact of the giant sword against the Frozen Rune Sword had sent him flying. While bouncing, however, Junhyuk used the Spatial sh again. The Frozen Rune Sword shed, and the side of Keros neck started bleeding.

    "It¡¯s been fun," he said, but Keros dove forward, stabbing at him with the giant sword. Junhyuk tried to block, but Keros twisted the sword in the air.

    ng!

    Junhyuk¡¯s sword bounced back from the impact with the massive sword, which gave Keros arge enough opening to stab him.

    "Ugh!"

    The massive sword was extremely wide, and it had prated his armor. Junhyuk had lost 20 percent of his health when he lost his arm, and Keros had stabbed his heart, so the strike was nearly fatal.

    Junhyuk was barely alive, but he couldn¡¯t move, so Keros walked closer to him, and stabbed him all the way through, smiling at Junhyuk in the process.

    "Everytime I see you, I will kill you."

    Junhyuk held Keros by his single horn and said, "Kill me all you want. I will be right there every time you die."

    After those words, the world turned dark.

    ---

    The harsh emptiness. He didn¡¯t know how much time he had spent travelling through it it. It had felt like a moment, but also like an eternity. After going through it, he breathed hard.

    "Whew!"

    He raised his right arm and touched his chest. There were no injuries, but he could still feel the massive sword going through it. So, Junhyuk sighed and walked to the exit. He had seen their strength, but he was not scared. He would pay them back for what they had done.

    Junhyuk stepped forward.

    [Champion Junhyuk Lee deployed.]

    When Junhyuk opened the door, he saw Arn, which was natural. Even after reviving, Arn would still have to go rejoin the battle, and by then, the fight would be over.

    He understood why Arn was still there. Then, he saw the others standing by Arn and frowned.

    "You were all killed?"

    Halo, Nudra and Diane were standing next to Arn. They were all grimacing.

    "What happened?" Arn asked.

    "His strength is unbelievable. Keros killed me."

    "You guys hadn¡¯t killed him before you were killed?"

    "No."

    "Vera will be here soon."

    Junhyuk was expecting the same oue, but he was curious about the others¡¯ powers.

    "Halo, how was your opponent?"

    "I met a tank."

    "We thought our enemy was a tank too."

    Halo shook his head.

    "I¡¯ve been talking to Arn, and I also think your enemy was a tank, but not like mine."

    There was a real tank out there, and Junhyuk felt despondent.

    "How was it?"

    "My power only inflicted 4 percent of damage to the enemy¡¯s health."

    Halo had upgraded his equipment and highly boosted his damage, but he had only dealt 4 percent of damage to the enemy. Things were serious.

    Halo could deal more than than Arn, so Halo¡¯s enemy had to be a serious tank.

    "I retreated, and he followed me to the watchtower and killed me. I¡¯d never seen anyone like him."

    As he watched Halo talking, Junhyuk could tell that he was burning with anger and smiled. Nobody¡¯s morale was low.

    Junhyuk looked at Diane, and she walked over to him without saying anything and hugged him tightly.

    "Diane?"

    Diane grabbed his butt without speaking, and when he teleported away, she clicked her tongue.

    "Crap! It won¡¯t wear off if I touch it."

    "You did it very suddenly!"

    "A-ha! Do you mean I can touch it if I warn you?"

    He shook his head, and Diane shrugged.

    "There were two on my side. One was a robot, and the other had a mechanical arm and an evil arm. The robot killed me."

    "A robot?"

    Diane looked at Nudra.

    "Ask Nudra. I saw it, but not up close."

    Junhyuk turned to him.

    "The beginning was simple. I tried a kick, but the robot¡¯s hand pulled me closer, and after that my powers became unusable. They attacked me, and I died."

    Junhyuk scowled. If their enemy could take powers away for a short while, they could kill any of them.

    Junhyuk looked at Diane, and she shrugged.

    "The robot threw a strange at me, and I got caught in it and died."

    "A?"

    "That¡¯s right."

    The robot had pulled Nudra and thrown a from a long distance. He would be a difficult enemy.

    "How is his defense?"

    "Basically, really strong. His attack was high, but his defense at least equals Arn¡¯s."

    "They are difficult enemies."

    If the team battle happened right then, the allies would lose. Junhyuk sighed, and Vera and Sarang walked out from within the castle. They had to have died at the same time.

    Vera looked at the group and couldn¡¯t help butugh aloud.

    "Everyone¡¯s been killed?"

    "Yep, we didn¡¯t do much."

    Vera sighed and looked at Junhyuk.

    "I failed to avenge you."

    "That¡¯s OK. I¡¯ll do it myself."

    The heroes all looked at him and burst intoughter. Meanwhile, Diane pped his butt.

    "This is why I like you so much."

    He covered his butt with his hands.

    "What do we do now?"

    Arn looked at the group and asked, "So, do we know their powers now?"

    Everyone shook their heads, and Arn frowned.

    "We know about Keros. What about Tuelus?"

    "We couldn¡¯t check. The blue beam from his right hand made a circle that swept through the surroundings. That¡¯s all we know."

    Arn nodded and looked at the group.

    "OK. Sarang, you stay here. If anyonees, contact us and stay inside the force field. They can kill you with single blow."

    "Yes."

    He turned to the others and continued, "We should re-equip ourselves, but the first towers are probably down by now, so we¡¯ll fight Keros and Tuelus."

    They were strong, but not many times stronger than the allies. If the heroes focused on them, they could kill them.

    "Kill them first, and we¡¯ll head to Bebe after."

    The items they were carrying right now wouldn¡¯t help them much. Their enemies were that strong, so Junhyuk agreed with the n.

    They would take the lower path, giving up the middle and upper paths, but there was nothing he could do. The allies couldn¡¯t defend every path, so they had to concentrate on one.

    Junhyuk walked over to Sarang. Her eyes were shaking, and he hugged her tightly.

    "Stay here and rest."

    "I will."

    He patted her back lightly and walked away. Junhyuk was with the heroes to dish out some vengeance.

    The five heroes were together, and Junhyuk wondered if he could kill Keros. So far, the heroes hadn¡¯t cared who he killed, but now, the enemies had to be carrying amazing items. He had to be careful about picking up items from the ground.

    Junhyuk walked out with the heroes, waving goodbye toward Sarang. She did the same enthusiastically. He wanted to be decisive. They had killed him and her, and Junhyuk really wanted to kill one of them with his own hands.

    As he walked out of the castle, he felt the living spirit going crazy. It was running around his veins, gobbling down mana like a maniac.

    Junhyuk stopped, and the group looked at him. Arn picked him up and said, "Focus on the living spirit."

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t answer, and Diane asked him, "What is wrong with you?"

    "He has a living spirit within him now."

    "A living spirit? The one that disappeared from your dimension? That¡¯s too dangerous!"

    "Correct."

    Diane stared Arn down.

    "You gave it to my cutie?!"

    "He will endure it."

    She clicked her tongue and added, "Well, that¡¯s too dangerous."

    Arnughed.

    "You¡¯re worried."

    Diane caressed Junhyuk¡¯s butt and added, "It¡¯s my hobby. Don¡¯t pay any attention to it."

 Chapter 264: Dark Clouds Over the Battlefield 2

    Chapter 264: Dark Clouds Over the Battlefield 2

    The living spirit ran through therge pathways in his body several times, making them evenrger, but then it changed to making his vein tougher. The living spirit was moving even faster than it had done in Korea.

    How many times had it run through his body?

    He felt the warm energy on his back, and the living spirit rested in his gut. Junhyuk slowly opened his eyes and saw a watchtower.

    He looked around.

    "No one is on the watchtower?"

    "That¡¯s right. I don¡¯t know where they went. It¡¯s empty."

    He got off from Arn¡¯s back.

    "Should we attack now?"

    "We should."

    They all wanted to visit Bebe. All heroes had died once and lost items in the process. Without new items, the allies would be pushed around.

    "Take care of the archers."

    "Yes."

    The Spatial sh could deal with the archers by itself, and because there were no minions, they took down the watchtower easily.

    "OK. We don¡¯t know where the enemy went, but the tower is destroyed, so we have a chance. Let¡¯s go see Bebe," Arn said.

    Everyone nodded, and they headed toward Bebe. On the way, Junhyuk asked, "Where do you think they went?"

    Arn pondered it over and said, "They probably went to hunt a buff monster. The enemies must be worried about us too. Let¡¯s hurry."

    Junhyuk nodded and ran faster. They needed new items before meeting up with the enemy again. On the way, Junhyuk turned to Diane.

    "Did you make more money?"

    She caressed his butt and said, "I trust two things, you and earning money."

    "That¡¯s nice."

    He felt good that the allied heroes were earning money because of him. As least, they had money. They ran for a while, but when they arrived at Bebe¡¯s portal, they met an unexpected group. There were three enemy heroes in front of them¡ªKeros, Tuelus and one more.

    Third one had a long back and spikes along his spine. He didn¡¯t look human. The heroes mouth was sliced from ear to ear, and he looked like he wasughing. Junhyuk was scared of looking at him.

    Halo looked at him and said, "That¡¯s the tank."

    A tank and two DPS. The allies had five heroes and Junhyuk, so they had a chance. Five would kill three.

    The tank got up and said, "I¡¯ve waiting here to meet you all. I am Aak." Aak extended his arms and continued, "Good ideaing here. So, let¡¯s party!"

    "Party? What party?!"

    Diane was already pulling her bowstring, and Aakughed and ran toward her. Arn jumped on Aak,nding on him, but Aak simply blocked Arn¡¯s saber attack with his forearm. Aak started bleeding from his forearm, but he ignored it and pushed Arn back, continuing on his path. Then, Nudra kicked Aak on his stomach.

    Aak was pushed back, and Junhyuk was relieved. At that point, Diane let go of her bowstring, and ten arrow flew out followed by twenty guided lights. The arrows flew in Tuelus¡¯ direction, and he escaped by strafing to the side. Meanwhile, Keros took Tuelus¡¯ spot.

    He used the massive sword to shield his body, blocking every arrow. Once the sword lit up red, Junhyuk grabbed Diane and teleported. They already knew of Keros¡¯ counterattack.

    Diane smiled at Junhyuk and said, "Thanks."

    He didn¡¯t respond, looking straight at the enemy.

    "Who do you want to kill first?"

    "A DPS."

    The allies had to kill the one with the strongest attack first, and Junhyuk nodded and used the Spatial sh.

    "Argh!"

    A gash appeared on Tuelus¡¯ neck, and he frowned, staring at Junhyuk. A shockwave swept through the enemies, dealing heavy damage.

    Tuelus was a standard DPS, and all of his items had to focus on attack. However, once the Spatial sh hit, it only took 25 percent off his health. Surprisingly, his defense was quite high.

    "They are too strong."

    They were definitely stronger than all of the enemies the allies had fought so far, or at least their items were stronger.

    Tuelus wiped the blood off his neck and smiled. He was staring at Junhyuk, and Junhyuk started feeling really nervous.

    The allies continued their attacks on Tuelus. From underneath him, a wall of fire rose from the ground, and a fire spear headed toward him. All of their firepower was now focus on the hero, and Tuelus clicked his tongue.

    "Take it easy now."

    Two machines floated up to Tuelus¡¯ shoulders and counterattacked with ten beams of light. Arn took them all and lost 35 percent of his health exactly. The attack hadn¡¯t even been an ultimate.

    Keros ran.

    Boom!

    Nudra was taking the front, so he got hit and bounced back from the impact. He crashed, and Aak took the lead for the enemy heroes.

    Halo used his sh Attack on Aak, passing the hero by. He wanted to attack the other enemies as well, but that¡¯s when Aak stomped the ground.

    Boom!

    The ground shook, and Junhyuk scowled. With Aak in center, concentric shockwaves expanded outward, and everyone caught by them was paralyzed.

    Aak punched at Halo, and Halo was thrown back toward Nudra. Keros went at them and swung hisrge sword down, creating the fan-like shockwave. The allies were losing a lot of health fast, and Tuelus sauntered over to them slowly and smiled.

    "How many of you will live?"

    The two machines on Tuelus shot two bluesers, and thesers formed a circle. The allies could all die, but at that moment, they were able to move again. Junhyuk had raised a force field around them.

    Chink!

    Tuelus bounced off the force field, and while the machines did fire thesers, nobody was hurt. He turned to the allies, who had already started attacking again. However, they were all at low health.

    The shockwaves had dealt a lot of damage, including to Junhyuk. Ordinarily, shockwaves didn¡¯t deal that much damage, but even Junhyuk lost 20 percent of his health because of the ones Aak released. As for the ones Keros created, those took 70 percent of Junhyuk¡¯s health, so he only had 10 percent left.

    He had wanted to save the allied heroes, but also, to save himself, he had had no other recourse.

    From just two attacks, the allies were doing terribly. If Tuelus¡¯st attack had seeded, most of the allies would have died.

    The allies had been thwarted. They had thought they could¡¯ve won with their numerical superiority. After they started moving, they all focused on Tuelus. However, Tuelus dodged everything, and Aak stood in his ce.

    Junhyuk was shocked by Aak¡¯s health and defense. The five heroes all focused on him, but he only lost 40 percent of his health. That was a legend candidate and a tank.

    Junhyuk was curious about the items the enemies were carrying. Then, Halo, Vera and Diane stepped back. THey were preparing their ultimates, and the other two heroes were covering for them.

    Because Arn¡¯s ultimate only hit a short range, he blocked for them instead.

    Junhyuk stood next to Halo and Vera, and Aak frowned, saying, "They are annoying..."

    "How many seconds left?"

    "Two."

    Tuelus shrugged.

    "Let¡¯s use them in sequence."

    Keros nodded and pointed his massive sword forward. The force field disappeared, and the sword exploded,unching a hurricane of shrapnel that swept through the surroundings. Seeing that, Junhyuk touched Halo, Vera and Diane and teleported.

    Keros attack dealt enormous damages, so he was hoping he didn¡¯t have a lot of defense. Instead, they focused on attacking the DPS who could kill with a single attack.

    However, Keros¡¯ attack affected an entire wide area, and it took 30 percent of the allies¡¯ healths. Arn lost all of his in the process and disappeared. Nudra was left with 30 percent.

    However, that¡¯s when the allies¡¯ ultimates we done charging. Diane fired, Halo use Rain from Above, and meteors covered the sky. Everything was cast, and that¡¯s when Tuelus machinesbined to form one and fired a bolt of lightning.

    That¡¯s what Junhyuk witnessed. He didn¡¯t see anything else.

    ---

    The heavy darkness. He ran like crazy and pierced through it.

    "Whoa!"

    What the hell happened? Tuelus¡¯ attack wasn¡¯t ordinary. The gigantic bolt of lightning covered and burned through everything.

    "Is that his ultimate?"

    It had inflicted an unreal amount of damage. Along with that unreal damage, the range of it was quite shocking.

    "Without the force field, it can kill all of us."

    He shook his head and walked to the exit.

    [Champion Junhyuk Lee deployed.]

    Junhyuk looked surprised after going out and looking around.

    "Holy crap!"

    He had expected to see Arn since he had been the first killed among them, but Junhyuk also saw Diane and Vera, who had low defenses byparison. They had all boosted attack more than defense and had paid the price.

    "You all got killed?"

    "Shit! Tuelus used his ultimate."

    "Did you kill him?"

    "Don¡¯t know."

    Diane sighed.

    "My arrow and Halo¡¯s Rain from Abovended, but I don¡¯t know what happened."

    Vera grimaced and said, "I got killed, and the meteor shower stopped. With any luck, Tuelus isn¡¯t alive."

    Junhyuk was shocked. The five had failed to kill three.

    Then, Halo and Nudra appeared.

    "You two were killed?"

    "They used long-range attacks, and we got killed."

    Junhyuk had raised the force field to protect the allies, but the enemies had a simr capacity, the tank Aak.

    Aak had health and defense, and when he was attacked by the allied heroes for ten seconds, he only lost 60 percent of his health. The allies started preparing their ultimates, but he stood strong like a force field.

    They were all shocked and speechless, but then, Nudra spit out a sentence.

    "Tuelus is dead."

    Junhyuk found renewed hope in Nudra¡¯s words.

 Chapter 265: Dark Clouds Over the Battlefield 3

    Chapter 265: Dark Clouds Over the Battlefield 3

    The allied heroes had been defeated ande back, and Sarang was also inside the castle. She looked at Junhyuk and asked, "You¡¯ve died twice already?"

    "Yes."

    Sarang had also experienced what it meant to travel through the dark emptiness, and she did not want to experience that again. Because Junhyuk had already experienced it twice in the same battlefield, she was very worried about him.

    He understood her concern and patted her shoulder, looking at the allied heroes. They all had serious expressions on their faces.

    "I had heard rumors, but I wasn¡¯t expecting this," Arn said, and the others nodded. Legend candidates. They were the current Dimensional Battlefield¡¯s strongest, and that description fit. One-on-one battles were meaningless. Three of them had even shut down all five allies, even with Junhyuk there.

    Arn smacked his lips and said, "Was thebination bad?"

    An absurd tank and two DPS. The tank had taken most of the attacks, but hadn¡¯t died, and the allies all got killed by a long-range AOE while standing in one spot.

    "We¡¯ve already lost the second tower in the upper and middle paths, so we¡¯ll take the bottom path and attack."

    "You mean attack at the second tower in the bottom path?"

    Arn nodded and added, "It would be nice if we could kill the dragon, but we¡¯d all die in the process. So, we have to push to the second tower. We must thwart the enemy by using our ultimates."

    "When do we go to Bebe?"

    "Let¡¯s put that n aside for now."

    "Why?" Vera asked, and Arn continued, "Did you lose a lot of items?"

    Everyone frowned. They had been killed twice, so each of them had lost two items.

    "But we can¡¯t retreat now," Vera said.

    "Correct. I don¡¯t want to retreat either," Arn continued. "So far, every time we advanced to a higher tier, we¡¯ve been killed twice, but by killing our enemies once, we were able to purchase upgrades. However, things are different now."

    "If we can them now, things would be great?"

    "Yes, but we can¡¯t kill them now."

    Vera touched her chin and looked at him.

    "Arn, are you admitting defeat?"

    "I¡¯m not so how it would go in other dimensions, but there are too many restraints here. We mustpare ourselves to them, and their items iparably better than ours. Rather than fighting them, we should focus on winning the battle."

    Arn looked very serious.

    "If we all get killed again, we might have to give up this round."

    Everyone was shocked while listening to him, and Arn smiled bitterly.

    "I did not know these words woulde out of my lips."

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected them to either, and Arn continued, "If we lose more items, the next round will be even more difficult."

    "Is there a way to win in the next battlefield?"

    Arnd shrugged.

    "This time, we all have enough money to upgrade our items, but if we lost any more items, the upgrades will be meaningless. We won¡¯t win any battles."

    "So, to win the next round, you n to lose this one?"

    "But we must put in some effort. Without their tank, if we concentrate our attacks, we can win, especially if they lose their own items."

    Of the enemies, Tuelus had been killed. They hadn¡¯t picked up Tuelus¡¯ item, but it still meant the allies could kill an enemy.

    It would be nice if they could kill more. It would be even better if they could pick up items as well.

    Arn looked at the allies and announced, "Let¡¯s move out."

    Junhyuk patted Sarang¡¯s shoulder, and he followed the heroes. When he left the castle, the living spirit responded to the presence of mana and started going wild. This time, the living spirit travelled through smaller veins. The arteries could already handle it, but the smaller pathways started getting renewed.

    Arn picked him up and carried him. Junhyuk knew what Arn thought of him, and he owed the hero a lot.

    While on Arn¡¯s back, he focused on the living spirit. The spirit was getting bigger, and his soul also got bigger each time he died. Because of the deaths, his soul was growing faster than the living spirit. He didn¡¯t want to die, but the deaths were helping him, so he took advantage of it.

    He the felt warm energy on his back, and the living spirit went back to sleep, so Junhyuk opened his eyes. When he stepped on the ground, he saw the second tower empty.

    "The enemy isn¡¯t here."

    "It¡¯s better this way. Destroy it."

    It was an easy affair to destroy the second tower. The allied heroes all participated, and the tower went down quickly. Once over, Junhyuk looked at his hands and then at Arn.

    "Whenever I move, I feel the living spirit."

    Arn responded, "It¡¯s probablyrge now."

    His soul was growing, so the living spirit was also growing quickly. Arn looked at him and added, "Feel the response from the living spirit. Later, you¡¯ll make the spirit your own by adding your movements to the spirit¡¯s movements. You¡¯ll have supernatural strength."

    "Strength?"

    Arn nodded.

    "This ce restricts your strength, but when you return to your own dimension, you will feel it. With the living spirit, you¡¯ll be more powerful, so train harder with it."

    "Good to know."

    Arn looked at Vera and asked, "Did you get what I asked?"

    "Wait."

    Vera pulled out a small marble from her Spatial Bag, and Arn took it and gave it to Junhyuk.

    "This will make you stronger from now on."

    "May I ask what it is?"

    Vera tapped his shoulder and said, "Monsters from other dimensions have been bothering your world."

    "Yes, but if I interfere, management will send even stronger monsters."

    She touched the small marble in his hand and said, "This will pull the coordinates of the dimensional tears."

    "What?!"

    Because he didn¡¯t understand her, he just stared at her.

    "The monsters in your dimension. As long as you don¡¯t activate it at the same time as a dimensional tear, this will pull them toward it," she said.

    Junhyuk broke into cold sweats.

    "Are you saying you want me to kill the monsters? But what happens if a buff monster appears?"

    Arn said, "That¡¯s just you wanting to stay a champion."

    Arn stared at him.

    "You mustn¡¯t take steps back to move forward."

    Junhyuk looked at his hand. He felt the living spirit. When he returned to Earth, he would be stronger than ever.

    "I can kill whatever I want?"

    Arn said, "Thest thing management will send are buff monsters."

    "No dragons?"

    Vera shook her head.

    "It will be too much for management to send dragons. It¡¯ll only be more buff monsters, and you will deal with them."

    "But not even a single hero can deal with a buff monster?!"

    Arn smiled coldly.

    "This ce has restraints. You think it would be the same in my dimension?"

    Junhyuk was nervous. The truth was that monsters would also be stronger. Because buff monsters would also be stronger, he is scared to fight one by himself.

    "Whew! So, if it doesn¡¯t open at the same time, I can pull the tear?"

    "Correct."

    His targets were the monsters, and he could even carry out a small revenge against management, so he ced the marble in his Spatial Bag.

    "Get stronger," Arn said, grabbing his shoulder.

    Junhyuk nodded. He wanted to see an end to the Dimensional Battlefield. He wanted to be a legend.

    "I¡¯ll be stronger."

    Arnughed.

    "Sure. Now, let¡¯s move."

    Arn followed the road, and Junhyuk went after him. If there were enemies at the end of the road, the allies might all get killed. However, they ran in full haste and arrived at the enemy castle.

    An enemy was standing there. It wasn¡¯t Aak, but a giant robot. It was four meters tall, and by its height alone, it could have been a tank, but the allies had heard about its powers.

    Keros and Tuelus were also there with the robot. Tuelus was smiling coldly.

    "I heard you destroyed the tower, so I returned. Nice to meet you again."

    Tuelus had been killed in the previous battle, so he had to have lost an item and gotten weaker. He wanted revenge. However, the allies were all thinking the same thing.

    Arnughed hard.

    "You are using three again?"

    "The other two went to destroy your towers."

    If the enemies destroyed the towers, the allies could be attacked from any path, but Arn inhaled deeply and said, "Don¡¯t care."

    Arn had given up on victory in this round. The allies would focus on killing their enemies and making them weaker, and Aak wasn¡¯t there. There was a chance the allies might win.

    Arn looked at Junhyuk and said, "I trust you."

    He started preparing the quickdraw, and everyone prepared their own ultimates. Nudra was standing at the front.

    Junhyuk swallowed hard. He was scared that the allies would be wide open while preparing their ultimates, but he also knew it was the only way to go if they were to kill any enemies.

    He got ready to raise the force field, and Keros smacked his lips and raised his sword.

    "You must have made you minds, but why are you all standing so close..."

    Keros hit the ground with the giant sword, releasing the red shockwave, and Junhyuk raised the force field.

    Boom!

    The force field shook, but there was no damage.

    Tuelus clicked his tongue and said, "You think you can kill us?"

    The enemy heroes all retreated toward the castle, taking the minions and retreating to the archers cover.

    Still, Junhyuk felt confident that he could kill one enemy hero, and his target was Tuelus.

    Arn was fuming with killer intent, and Junhyuk touched him. He inhaled deeply, and Arn whispered in his ear, "Kill Tuelus."

    Junhyuk teleported to the middle of the battlefield, right in front of Tuelus.

 Chapter 266: Defeat 1

    Chapter 266: Defeat 1

    As soon as they were face-to-face with Tuelus, Arn unsheathed his saber. Even though Arn¡¯s ultimate required preparation, it had a deadly attack power.

    Arn tried to sh Tuelus, but the hero retreated, and Keros stepped in front of him to block.

    His massive sword was shining red, and Arn gritted his teeth.

    ng!

    Arn¡¯s quick draw had failed, but the counterattack was blocked by Junhyuk¡¯s force field. Still, the allies had wasted a valuable ultimate.

    Keros was standing at the front, but there was still a chance. All of the allies had prepared ultimates, and meteors started falling from the sky. Halo¡¯s Rain from Above passed by Keros and went straight toward Tuelus, and Diane released her arrows as well.

    Rain from Above prated Tuelus¡¯ stomach, and Diane¡¯s arrows hit him on the chest. A meteor also crashed against him.

    Tuelus was hit by two ultimates and a meteor and lost 60 percent of his health. Rain from Above did its job. It was a critical hit. However, the meteor was not.

    After taking the damage, Tuelus extended his hands and said, "Your force field is over."

    The two machines floating around himbined into one. Junhyuk watched as the force field disappeared right before Tuelus activated his ultimate. The hero¡¯s sense of timing was extremely developed, so he was ready to make his move when the force field disappeared.

    Junhyuk grabbed the allies and teleported.

    The teleport was sessful in sparing the allies from the ultimate, and Junhyuk sighed, relieved. At that moment, the enemies started their counterattacks.

    The gigantic robot extended his arms, and Vera was pulled toward it. On Earth, Junhyuk could have teleported over a fifty-meter distance, but at the Dimensional Battlefield, he could only cover thirteen meters.

    When Vera got pulled, Arn shouted, "Kill the target!"

    Arn focused on Tuelus. He jumped to cover the long distance and, as hended, he swung his saber at the hero, but Keros parried the attack.

    ng!

    Halo sh Attacked, and Nudra followed him, kicking the giant robot, who was pushed back, putting some distance between the robot and Vera. Then, Keros swung his massive sword at the ground.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    Once the sword hit the ground, a red shockwave swept at the allies. Only Junhyuk and Diane were spared from the attack as they were out of the red wave¡¯s range.

    Seeing that, Diane clicked her tongue and shoot five arrows. They flew off, followed by ten guiding lights, and Junhyuk searched for Tuelus.

    Tuelus was furious and threw re bombs at his enemies. Vera got hit by ten of them and lost 40 percent of her health. Meanwhile, Junhyuk didn¡¯t hesitate and used the Spatial sh, which sunk deep into Tuelus¡¯ neck.

    "Ugh!"

    Tuelus, who had had 40 percent of his health, now had 15 percent left. It was now possible to kill him, and the allies had to be thinking the same thing as they all focused on him.

    However, that¡¯s when the gigantic robot pounded its fists together.

    Bang!

    With it as the center, the space around it shook, and the allies frowned. Diane, who was pulling at the bowstring, said, "The robot hit them with power nullification."

    All allied heroes within its range had their powers blocked, and Tuelus approached with his machines on his shoulders, releasing the blueser rings.

    The allies were losing health quickly, and when Keros pointed toward the heroes with his sword, they realized they could be killed at any moment.

    However, Diane released the multishot again, five arrows with ten guiding lights, but the robot stood in front of them and took the hits.

    Then, Keros¡¯ massive sword exploded.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

    The allied heroes were swept away right in front of Junhyuk¡¯s eyes. The enemies hadrge-scale ranged attacks, and if anybody got hit by three of those attacks from whichever enemy hero, that person would die.

    Junhyuk gritted his teeth at the sight.

    "Diane." She was pulling her bowstring while scowling, and he continued, "Let¡¯s kill Tuelus."

    "I was thinking the same thing."

    Before Keros¡¯ sword returned to its original form, they had to decide the issue at hand. Junhyuk ran to the front, grabbing the enemies¡¯ attention, and Diane ran to the side. The two were running in different directions, and Kerosughed hard at them.

    "I¡¯ll take this side."

    He was heading toward Junhyuk, while the robot extended its hand toward Diane. Suddenly, a flew toward her. The looked electrified, and it was so wide that it felt like it covered everything.

    Diane was wrapped by it, and Junhyuk clicked his tongue. Wishing that the cooldown for the Spatial sh would end quickly, he turned to Keros.

    He had already witnessed the extent of Keros¡¯ sworsmanship, but the hero also had an enormous amount of health.

    Junhyuk ran toward him, and Keros swung the massive sword down at him. As it approached him, Junhyuk waited for the perfect time to dodge.

    aa-kunk!

    If Junhyuk hadn¡¯t been watching the strike, he would have been sliced in half by it, but he managed to escape in the nick of time, taking the opportunity to run at Tuelus.

    After watching what had just happened, Tuelus was left speechless. But,ing back to his senses, he said, "Do I look that stupid?!"

    The machines on Tuelus¡¯ shoulders released re bombs. Junhyuk knew those weren¡¯t a power but ordinary attacks, so he parried the bombs with his dual swords.

    ng!

    The hero¡¯s regr attack made Junhyuk¡¯s palms numb, but he continued to push toward Tuelus.

    "What the hell are you doing?!"

    Instead of answering, Junhyuk jumped, and Tuelus did the same. Keros was just watching it all,ughing hard at everything.

    "What is he doing?"

    Junhyuknded at the ce where Diane had been ensnared by the, and when hended next to her, she let go of an arrow.

    Boom!

    Diane shot at close range, and Tuelus lost 10 percent of his health, leaving him with 5 percent. He grimaced, and Keros and the robot ran toward him. Both moved fast despite their sizes.

    Both the robot¡¯s and Keros¡¯ eyes were red, and Keros rushed with his shoulder forward.

    Boom!

    Diane had been setting up another shot to kill Tuelus when Keros mmed against her,unching her back. The robot, on the other hand, was punching at Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk wanted to seize the opportunity. Tuelus only had 5 percent of his health, and he might be able to kill the hero. So, he dodged the fists and swung his dual swords.

    ng!

    One of Tuelus¡¯ machines blocked his sword attack, and the other machine attacked him.

    Pew!

    Junhyuk got hit on the shoulder by a re bomb, but he could still fight. Although the machines blocked for Tuelus, the hero was still getting damaged. One couldn¡¯t ignore the power of fixed damages, but Tuelus only lost 1 percent of his health in the attack.

    Junhyuk swung again, but the robot caught up to him and punched him on the ribs.

    Boom!

    "Ugh-cough!"

    He rolled on the ground and glowered. Junhyuk had to get closer to Tuelus, but meanwhile, Tuelus was throwing re bombs at him.

    Having already lost half of his life, Junhyuk stared at Diane. She had gotten free of the electrified, but Keros was trying to finish her off.

    Junhyuk ran toward Tuelus again while the re bombs headed in his direction, and the robot ran toward him. He wanted to kill the hero, so he paused. Tuelus only had 4 percent of his life left, so surely, there was as chance.

    The robot closed in, and Junhyuk used it to shield himself and escape the re bombs. It was so big that it made for nice cover. However, he still had to dodge its fists, and they were enormous.

    Junhyuk had to focus on dodging everythinging at him.

    Suddenly, Tuelu¡¯s machines appeared over the robot¡¯s shoulders andunched re bombs at him.

    "What?!"

    He hadn¡¯t expected that it would¡¯ve been possible to assign the machines to Tuelus¡¯ allies.

    Because he was focused on the robot¡¯s fists, he got hit by the re bombs. One of them punctured his ribs, and he started losing health, but he was still waiting.

    In his fury, Tuelus was approaching him. Junhyuk no longer cared about Diane. He was worried about himself and gritted his teeth.

    After a re bomb hit his thigh, his chance appeared. The Spatial sh¡¯s cooldown was over, and Junhyuk used it immediately. The sword shed across Tuelus¡¯ neck, but the machines responded just as quickly.

    ng!

    They blocked the strike, and Tuelus only lost 1 percent of his health.

    "Holy shit!"

    Junhyuk attacked again, not caring whether the attack would seed. The fixed damage got through, and Tuelus lost another 1 percent of his health.

    The hero only had 2 percent of his health left, but anything could kill Junhyuk at that point as well.

    The robot and Keros were running toward him, and he knew there wouldn¡¯t be time for him tond two attacks, so he extended his hand, touched Tuelus and teleported.

    Away from the other heroes, Tuelus kicked him before Junhyuk could attack again.

    Thuck!

    "Argh!"

    Junhyuk¡¯s thigh was shattered, and he couldn¡¯t move. Tuelus was a hero, and even his kicks dealt a lot of damage to Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk gritted his teeth and stabbed at the hero, but Tuelus onlyughed at him. The hero knew how much damage Junhyuk could deal, so he let the hit through. Meanwhile, heunched more re bombs at Junhyuk.

    The machines blocked Junhyuk¡¯s sword, and Tuelus¡¯ eyes widened. It was a single attack, but it had dealt him two damage along with the fixed damage. The hero lost all of his health.

    "This doesn¡¯t make any sense!"

    He died with widened eyes, and Junhyuk turned to the robot and Kerosing his way. He couldn¡¯t survive.

    So, Junhyuk picked up Tuelus¡¯ ring, and Keros¡¯ massive sword beheaded him. Junhyuk didn¡¯t even scream as the world spun around him. He justughed out loud.

    "Ha-ha-ha-ha! Sess!"

    His head fell to the ground, and Keros walked toward it. Whatever happened, Junhyuk had killed the enemy and picked up an item. He had died for a worthy cause, so Keros raised his sword and said, "Congrattions!"

    The hero stabbed the middle of Junhyuk¡¯s forehead, and the massive sword went through the head and stuck to the ground.

    As Junhyuk watched the world turn ck, he was still smiling.

 Chapter 267: Defeat 2

    Chapter 267: Defeat 2

    Dense darkness. He found his ego in that ce and travelled through the darkness. Feeling the same every time, Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to experience it again.

    "Whew!"

    The bright light covered his vision, and he slowly opened his eyes and felt the ring in his hand. Junhyuk opened his hand slowly and looked at it.

    "It wasn¡¯t a dream."

    A legend candidate¡¯s item. He smiled wide and checked it out.

    ---

    Kranshel¡¯s Eye Ring (Unique)

    Magic Attack +30

    Magic Defense +30

    Health +300

    Evil influences Kranshel¡¯s Eye Ring. It has been upgraded, attaining a new level and bing more powerful. Magic attack and defense increase by thirty, and health increases by three hundred.

    ---

    The ring boosted both magic defense and attack by thirty and increased health by three hundred. It was hard to believe that a ring had so much power.

    "Is this the power of a unique item?"

    It was the first time he was seeing that type of ring, but as he held it in his hand, he sighed.

    "But it boosts MAGIC attack and defense."

    Junhyuk wanted physical boosts, not magic boosts, but he decided to wear it anyway, so he put the ring on his finger. He would take advantage of the magic defense and health boosts and he could always sell itter.

    "I¡¯ll find out how much it costster."

    At that moment, he couldn¡¯t visit the Dimensional Merchant, so he couldn¡¯t sell it even if he had wanted to.

    As he stood by the exit, he heard the soft voice announce him.

    [Champion Junhyuk Lee deployed.]

    As he opened the door, he saw the heroes. They had been waiting for him, so as soon as they saw him, they asked, "Did you kill him?"

    Junhyuk showed him his hand, and the heroes saw the ring.

    "You killed him!"

    Diane walked over and hugged him, and he smiled.

    "Your hand."

    "He-he-he, what¡¯s the matter?"

    She caressed his butt and left, and Arn walked over and patted his shoulder.

    "You did well. You killed a hero and picked up his item. Tuelus is weaker now." Then, he turned to the group and continued, "But the situation isn¡¯t so good."

    Everyone nodded, and Arn kept going, "We now know the difference in our powers, and we can¡¯t defeat them like this."

    Even though they had used five ultimates, they had only managed to kill one hero.

    "What are we going to do?"

    "The archers on our wall won¡¯t help us, so we¡¯ll give up the gate and fight with the golem. If the golem falls, and we don¡¯t kill anyone, we¡¯ll head inside the force field."

    Vera scratched her head and said, "This makes me angry."

    "We can¡¯t lose any more items."

    Losing items meant they wouldn¡¯t have a future.

    Arn continued, "I don¡¯t care if they are legend candidates. I still have to give them some nice payback, so we¡¯ll be patient this time."

    Diane smiled and said, "Then, wait here. I have to go visit a ce."

    "You know it¡¯s dangerous."

    "If I run, do you think they can catch me?"

    Arn frowned.

    "Be careful."

    "I will."

    Diane waved at them and left.

    "Then, we wait here?" Junhyuk asked.

    "Yes. All the towers are gone, so it won¡¯t take long," Arn said and added, "Use this time to focus on your training."

    Junhyuk nodded. He had to train with the living spirit, and the Dimensional Battlefield had plenty of mana. So, Junhyuk and Arn left, heading outside the castle. There, Junhyuk took a seat, and Arn stood behind him, saying, "Just watch the living spirit taking in all the mana. However, don¡¯t let it overpower your willpower."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk inhaled deeply, and as the mana surrounded him, the spirit started moving fast. He could feel the living spirit¡¯s energy.

    As he focused, he felt the spirit passing through his arteries and veins, but he had a harder time following the spirit through his veins. However, because he had been killed thrice, his soul had grown quite a bit, which enabled him to follow it. Otherwise, he would not have been able to do it. He had also already experienced the spirit passing through his veins, so he had an easier time following it.

    Junhyuk felt the warm energy on his back and opened his eyes while the living spirit went back to rest in his gut. Looking around him, he saw the five enemy heroes and their minions.

    He easily spotted Tuelus first. The hero was staring intently at him, so Junhyuk waved. Tuelus saw the ring on his finger and tried to rush out, but Aak prevent him from doing so.

    Aak looked at the allies and showed them a fist.

    "It¡¯s been long time since there were two kills at our expense."

    Tuelus grinded his teeth.

    "Why are we talking? Let¡¯s kill them!"

    Junhyuk held his swords in his hands and kept an eye on Tuelus as he stepped back. The heroes moved toward him, and he used the Spatial sh.

    The sword shed across Tuelus¡¯ neck, and the hero groaned.

    "Argh!" His eyes became different, and he said, "This little shit!"

    Aak held Tuelus back and ran toward the allies.

    "That was a cool move!"

    Aak looked extremely ferocious, and Junhyuk regretted having attacked.

    "Don¡¯t overdo it," Arn told him.

    Arn threw his saber at Aak, who blocked it with his arms and kept on running. Junhyuk thought Aak¡¯s tanking ability was astonishing every time he saw it. Jean Clo was dangerous, but Jean Clo was just a regr car byparison.

    Vera hit Aak with a fire spear, and Arn said, "Junhyuk, teleport us back to the wall."

    "Right away!"

    He teleported with all the allied heroes, and the enemy heroes pressed on under the archers¡¯ attacks. The allied heroes had participated in the battle, so the archers were buffed and attacked. However, the enemies were very strong. Tuelus¡¯ machines fired re bombs, and many archers got killed.

    Another enemy hero, one who had a right mechanical arm and a left demonic arm, ran toward the allies and raised his right hand. From the tips of his fingers, bullets sprayed out, killing the archers.

    The two were attacking at long rang, so the others rushed forward to sweep the minions. Keros was swinging his massive sword among his enemies, and each swing left spraying fountains of blood in its path.

    Sarang was standing at the wall and asked, "Should I attack?"

    "No, you stay back," Vera said, and Sarang turned to Junhyuk, who nodded at her. Outnumbered, she sighed and left.

    Junhyuk watched the battlefield. It wouldn¡¯t take long for the allied minions to be massacred.

    "Where is Diane?" he asked.

    "She isn¡¯t here yet."

    He was relieved to hear that. If she had been killed, she would have already reincarnated. So, he went back to scoping the enemies.

    "Can I hit him again?"

    "That would be nice."

    Junhyuk searched at Tuelus among the enemies, but Tuelus¡¯ attention was fixed on him. It wouldn¡¯t be easy tond the Spatial sh.

    Junhyuk took a few steps back to get out of Tuelus¡¯ line of sight. Arn and Halo shielded him, and he used the Spatial sh from behind them.

    Itnded on Tuelus¡¯ neck, and Junhyuk looked at the heroes and said, "Let¡¯s go back."

    "Sure."

    He had used the Spatial sh twice and taken half of Tuelus health. Another opportunity to kill Tuelus showed itself.

    The allied heroes stayed with the golem as the gate was getting destroyed. At that moment, Diane walked out of the respawn point.

    "Whew, I am not toote!"

    Junhyuk looked at her, and Diane showed him her hand. She was holding seeds, three in total.

    "Diane!"

    "Sorry I¡¯mte. I had to get these."

    "Did you risk your life?"

    "I nned to run away."

    Junhyukughed very hard. He was grateful that she had done that in order to get him those seeds. At that point, Diane stretched her hand toward him.

    "You will pay for themter. They destroyed the gate."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t care about the gate, and he suddenly hugged her tightly.

    "Thank you."

    "You still have to pay me."

    He smiled brightly at her and said, "My butt will always belong to you."

    "Oh! Really?"

    He turned and saw the enemies. It wasn¡¯t the time for jokes.

    Diane patted his butt and said, "Don¡¯t die."

    "Sure."

    The heroes stood in front of him, and Junhyuk said, "Arn told us not to die anymore. Let¡¯s retreat to the force field."

    "I know that. Don¡¯t worry," Vera told him, and he smiled and looked at the enemiesing their way. Their minions were taking the lead, and there were at least two hundred of them.

    He could kill all of them, but if he did, the enemy heroes would kill him in process. So, the minions shed against one golem, and Aak drew the other golem¡¯s attention.

    Arn looked at them and said, "Kill Tuelus! Don¡¯t you die!"

    He ran toward Aak. However, his defense wouldn¡¯t help much against these enemies. Three of their powers could kill him, and the enemies might focus on andbo Arn. However, Arn had a n of his own to retreat.

    Tuelus attacked Arn with ten re bombs.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    Arn blocked it with his saber, but still received some damage. Then, Aak punched at him.

    Boom!

    Aak might not have used a special attack, but his attack pushed Arn back. Meanwhile, Junhyuk was waiting for the right moment.

    The hero with two different arms attacked Arn from long range. In no time at all, Arn lost half of his health, and the other allies joined the attack.

    Diane¡¯s arrows and Vera¡¯s magic headed toward Tuelus, and while Keros blocked one attack, the arrow still hit. The explosive arrow went off, and Tuelus staggered.

    Meanwhile, Halo attacked Aak, and Junhyuk watched the state of the battle.

    He had to stop any potentially dangerous attacks by himself. Aak kicked Halo and pushed him back, taking a big step forward. Then, while in the center of the allies, he stomped the ground.

    Junhyuk knew that that stun attack would be enough to kill all of the allied heroes, so he quickly raised the force field around everyone and blocked Aak¡¯s shockwaves.

    From within the force field, Arn shouted, "Counterattack!"

 Chapter 268 Defeat 3

    Nudra covered himself in the Rising Dragon and released a gust at Aak, who was pushed back by the strong wind, and Diane and Vera attacked the enemy hero.

    Halo shed Aak on the thigh, and blood started spurting out of the wound. In many ways, Halo¡¯s attacks were at the center of the attacks that could kill Aak. Halo¡¯s attacks inflicted a bleed status on the enemy, so against those with high defense, carrying items that forced heavy bleeding was always a good idea.

    Junhyuk thought he might have a chance to kill Tuelus again, but the man with one mechanical arm and one demonic arm jumped into no man¡¯snd and shouted, "I, Lujet, order! Come here and help me! Peltra!"

    Lujet named himself and gave out amand. Soon, a five-meter tall, demon appeared from the enemy camp. The demon had six arms and two thick legs.

    Junhyuk looked at Peltra and murmured, "What is that thing?"

    "RROOOAARR!" Peltra screamed and swung at the force field, which was pushed back. The attack¡¯s destructive power was astounding, and in the past, only Minota had had aparable rush.

    Peltra covered the force field and started pounding on it. Peltra was punching at it with two fists, and the allies could no longer see their enemies.

    Vera looked at Peltra and said, "It¡¯s a demon summon. This doesn¡¯t make any sense! This is a power of the highest rank!"

    "Peltra is a high-ranking demon."

    Everyone was watching Peltra from within the force field. A demon had been summoned, but Peltra had to return at some point. The allies had no means of killing Peltra, so they had to wait for the summoning to end.

    Diane readied an arrow and said, "Let¡¯s prepare our ultimates in the meantime."

    Diane, Vera and Halo prepared their ultimates. Meanwhile, Junhyuk shuddered at the enemies¡¯ strength. With Peltra around, there was nothing the allies could do. All they could do was use the force field for protection.

    So far, the force field was thought to be without peer, and their enemies hadn¡¯t been able to do much while it was up, but now, there was someone who could counter the force field after a fashion.

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t developed his own ultimate yet, so it was hard to make aparison, but now there was someone with a power of the highest rank, simr to him.

    The force field deploy time was almost over, but Peltra hadn¡¯t returned yet. Peltra was about to pound the force field again, so Junhyuk ran toward the demon.

    He couldn¡¯t reach Peltra¡¯s fists. Instead, he touched Peltra¡¯s leg and teleported to the very back of the enemy line. Peltra had been blocking for Tuelus, so he got rid of that.

    Halounched Rain from Above, and Diane shot her arrows at the hero. Tuelus moved to the side, and Aak and Keros stood in front of him to cover him. Keros deflected the arrows with his counterattack, but Rain from Above flew in and prated the target.

    Tuelus gritted his teeth. It wasn¡¯t a critical hit, but he lost 20 percent of his health. On top of that, Tuelus kept on bleeding, receiving damage over time.

    The demon was still there, and Junhyuk had to move dexterously to escape Peltra¡¯s swinging arms. All six arms came down hard like shooting stars. While Junhyuk moved around, the living spirit within him responded little by little. It was running through the arteries in his legs.

    He escaped Peltra by a hair¡¯s breadth, but suddenly, he felt pain shot up his ribs and he lost half of his health. Junhyuk turned around to see Lujet, who had summoned Peltra, extending his mechanical arm. Junhyuk knew he¡¯d die if he were hit, but he didn¡¯t want to die, so he dodged by crawling between Peltra¡¯s legs.

    Peltra turned around, swinging down its fist. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t dodge it. He held tightly to his swords in front of him, and suddenly, Peltra disappeared.

    "What?!"

    When he saw Peltra disappear, he rolled away and got up. However, as soon as he got up, Keros swung his massive sword at him.

    Junhyuk used the momentum and leaned back, sliding forward on his knees. The massive sword swung by him, but he felt the pressure through his face tearing at the skin.

    Junhyuk straightened up, swinging the Blood Rune Sword and using the Spatial sh. Tuelus only had 30 percent of his health, so if he was lucky, Junhyuk would be able to kill him.

    However, Tuelus had kept a close eye on him, and as the Spatial sh shed, Tuelus jumped. Without hitting the neck, the attack wouldn¡¯t be a critical, and as expected, it wasn¡¯t. Junhyuk had only been able to deal 13 percent of damage. However, he¡¯d gotten lucky. The extra attack activated and dealt another 7 percent damage to Tuelus, who now had 10 percent left. Seeing that, Junhyuk teleported.

    He thought it was OK for him to die, so he shed at Tuelus. The machines floating around the hero blocked Junhyuk¡¯s attack, but another 1 percent of damage went in.

    That¡¯s when Lujet¡¯s demonic arm grew longer and struck him hard on the ribs.

    Boom!

    It had obviously been a fist, but an explosion took ce on impact, and thest of Junhyuk¡¯s health disappeared.

    ---

    "Ahhhh!"

    He had revived and was covering his face with his hands. As he checked out his body while in the dark emptiness, he couldn¡¯t feel it. He tried very hard to leave the darkness, and as he struggled, his will and soul grew.

    He looked around and realized he was still in the spawn room, which meant that the battle was still ongoing, so he ran toward the door.

    [Champion Junhyuk Lee deployed.]

    He opened the door and sighed. He had already died four times, so he couldn¡¯t die anymore. If he died one more time, it would mean a true death.

    "I didn¡¯t think I would ever reach the death limit."

    Junhyuk sighed again and walked out quickly, heading toward Sarang and the other heroes. They all smiled at him.

    "You¡¯ve revived."

    "What happened?"

    Diane smiled.

    "I killed Tuelus," Halo said.

    "Really?"

    "Yep. His health was really low from your attacks."

    He had taken 70 percent off of Tuelus¡¯ health just with his multiple Spatial shes. The other 30 percent or so were taken by the allies.

    "Did you get anything?"

    Halo nodded and said, "I attacked Aak with a sh Attack, passing by him, and after that, I shed Tuelus and picked up an item."

    Halo was holding a bracelet, looking at it.

    "I could¡¯ve been killed on the way back, but the others covered for me."

    The enemy heroes had a lot of powers that could inflict paralysis or other restraining effects. Halo was lucky to return to allied camp alive.

    Junhyuk smiled and looked out. The enemies were pounding at the castle¡¯s force field. Tuelus wasn¡¯t there, but the others were hardly injured.

    "We only killed Tuelus."

    "That¡¯s right."

    They had killed Tuelus three times on this battlefield. The hero was a legend candidate, so his pride must¡¯ve been hurt deeply. More importantly, he had lost three expensive items.

    Junhyuk looked at Halo and asked, "Does it buff magic?"

    "It has buffs defense, attack speed, and has a fixed damage bonus."

    "That¡¯s good."

    Vera¡¯s eyes sparkled, and she walked over to Junhyuk.

    "Your ring buffs magic?"

    "Yes. It gives thirty to magic attack and defense and three hundred health."

    As he told her the stats, Vera raised her hand.

    "I will buy it!"

    "I don¡¯t know how much it costs."

    "Probably..."

    They were talking when the castle started falling apart. Junhyuk looked at Vera and smiled.

    "I¡¯ll sell it to you for 70 percent of its original price."

    Veraughed.

    "Sure, but first you have to win at the Champion¡¯s Battlefield."

    "I will."

    He would win. He watched the force fielding down and looked at the enemy camp and murmured, "I didn¡¯t kill him."

    He had wanted to kill Keros, but hadn¡¯t been able to, so he had focused on killing Tuelus, but things weren¡¯t over yet. His enemies needed one more victory to be legends.

    "Next time, I¡¯ll kill him."

    Looking at the falling castle, he closed his eyes. As he opened them slowly, he appeared back at his own world.

    "Whew!"

    He exhaled deeply and got up slowly. It was his first defeat, and he smiled bitterly and covered his head with his hands.

    "Aplete defeat."

    The allies couldn¡¯t have won. Their enemies had been legend candidates, and legends felt different and heavy. Arn¡¯s team needed more victories and more items to be legends.

    Every time a hero died, they dropped an item, so heroes had to stay alive and kill their enemies to keep their items. Arn¡¯s team had a problem. They didn¡¯t have a tank, and fighting without a tank was getting difficult.

    "I can¡¯t tell them to change their items."

    It was not easy to change focus and items. It cost a lot of money.

    Junhyuk sighed.

    "Legends..."

    At first, he had just wanted to stay alive, but the purpose of the battles was to be a legend.

    "Does it depend on which team I¡¯m in?"

    As a tank, Gongon was the best. He had been born a tank, and if he was equipped correctly, he could fight any hero.

    Right now, Gongon wasn¡¯t really a tank. He had powers simr to Arn¡¯s, so he was bnced with a higher attack stat.

    Junhyuk was thinking of the ideal team when his phone rang. He checked to see that it was Sarang¡¯s number and picked it up.

    "Big brother!"

    "Yes."

    "Are you OK?"

    "I¡¯m fine. Why?"

    "You were killed four times this time."

    "But I also earned a lot."

    His soul had grown much bigger, and Junhyuk thought of Kaljaques. The troll must¡¯ve died numerous times. How big would his soul be? Kaljaques¡¯ soul had grown so big, he had thought, mistakenly, that he had be a hero before actually doing it.

    Junhyuk shook his head and said, "It wasn¡¯t a good experience."

    "Something is strange."

    "What is it?"

    "I¡¯ve epted my teacher¡¯s death."

    Junhyuk sighed.

    "That¡¯s probably because your soul has grown after your death."

    "I¡¯m not sure how to feel about it."

    "At least be a champion. You must work harder to be stronger, Sarang."

    "OK."

    "Work harder."

    "Sure."

    He hung up and got up.

    "I have to go home."

    Junhyuk wanted to return to his home in Paju. He had to nt the seeds and pull the dimensional tear to hunt some monsters.

    "I have a lot of work to do."

 Chapter 269 Private Hunting Ground 1

    Junhyuk called Eunseo and made an appointment for a lunch date on Saturday. He wanted to tell her a few things.

    As he looked at her expression, he frowned.

    "Are you OK?"

    "I¡¯m fine."

    She looked rxed, but she had just been through the Dimensional Battlefield, so she had to be anxious.

    He looked at her and said, "If you can find a trustworthy psychologist, you should see one. We¡¯ll still have to go to the battlefield."

    "Is there a way to avoid going?"

    He shook his head heavily.

    "As far as I know, there is no way of not going."

    Eunseo sighed, and he thought for a while and added, "I have a favor to ask you."

    "A favor?"

    Junhyuk nodded heavily.

    "Yes. My Paju home is under Guardian custody. I have to get it back."

    "Sure. They¡¯ve found nothing unusual about the ce. We can fill the sinkhole that was made in your house."

    "No, you don¡¯t have to."

    "But part of the house has copsed there."

    "I won¡¯t have anyints living there, and I¡¯ll buy the house next door," he responded.

    "The house next door?"

    He nodded.

    "I¡¯ll buy the house next door and use the current one for training."

    Eunseo stared at him and smiled.

    "What exactly do you mean by training?"

    He had made a pact with her not to hide anything from her, but he wasn¡¯t sure if that included the things he had brought back from the battlefield.

    "When Iplete my training facility, I¡¯ll invite you over."

    She nodded, and they talked for a while, eating and finishing their lunch. At the end, they got up.

    "Then, I have to go buy the house next door."

    "Can Ie too?"

    "No, I¡¯ll be fine on my own."

    They said goodbye, and he headed to Paju. Junhyuk found a realtor in Paju and requested the purchase of the house next door. The realtor called back with an expensive price, but he agreed to it.

    Junhyuk told the owners of the house to vacate within a week and paid them $2 million. The owners returned with a positive answer and agreed to vacate within three days. He told them goodbye and headed to his own house.

    Once there, looking inside, he sighed. Arge part of the building had copsed and sunk into the hole, but during their time doing research, Guardians personnel had cleaned up the house rather nicely. However, Junhyuk still had more cleaning to do.

    "Shall I start now?"

    He called the interior decoratingpany that had done the decorations when he had first moved in and told them his conditions. At first, thepany did not want to ept the job, but he told them that if they finished that weekend, he would pay them $100 thousand more, so they agreed to do it.

    Junhyuk hung up the phone and pulled out his sword.

    "I should clean as much as possible when there¡¯s nobody around."

    He swung his sword at the debris made when part of the house copsed. There was a lot of it, but his attack was stronger than any machinery in South Korea. So, he sliced and diced the debris and dirt and put everything in his Spatial Bag. Then, he poured everything out outside and repeated the process a few times until the house was almost clean.

    Soon, the people from the interior decoratingpany came, measured the size of the sinkhole and made some calls. Meanwhile, the CEO of thepany walked over to him.

    "Nice to see you. Are you really going to have panic windows?"

    "Yes, and I also need covers for the windows?"

    "OK. We¡¯ll work overnight andplete it all by tomorrow."

    "I¡¯ll leave for the night."

    He wanted to nt the seeds as soon as possible, but he had to wait. Junhyuk looked at the CEO of thepany working with his employees and slowly turned around to see Jeffrey standing right behind him.

    "You kept safe."

    Junhyuk stared at Jeffrey andughed aloud.

    "When did you be an expert?"

    Jeffrey was shocked by the question and stared back at him.

    "How did you know?"

    Junhyuk walked toward Jeffrey slowly, which made Jeffrey feel anxious.

    "How did you find out...?"

    Junhyuk knew a lot, and he could see a lot, and Jeffrey realized it once again that he was not someone Jeffrey could deal with.

    Previously, Jeffrey had thought that Junhyuk had been an expert. Looking at him now, however, he knew Junhyuk was a champion and maybe even more than a champion.

    Junhyuk walked close to Jeffrey and clutched his shoulders.

    "Were you hiding it from me?"

    "No, I just barely became an expert." Jeffrey continued, "I¡¯m not kidding. You are the first person I¡¯m telling."

    He stared coldly at Jeffrey and asked, "Why? You think you can fight me now?"

    "No."

    Junhyuk shrugged and continued, "Fine. Can we talk for a minute? I¡¯m having some construction done and can¡¯t stay here."

    "Sure, let¡¯s go to my house."

    He followed Jeffrey to his house and looked around.

    "Where is your sister?"

    "She went to Membership Training with her friends."

    "Really?"

    Junhyuk took a seat, and Jeffrey offered him a beer.

    "It¡¯s broad daylight, and you want to drink?"

    "It¡¯s only beer. It¡¯s not even liquor."

    Junhyuk popped the can open, took a sip and stared at Jeffrey.

    "So, what is your new power?"

    Jeffrey smirked.

    "Are you going to train me?"

    "No."

    "Then, I won¡¯t tell you. Please, understand."

    Junhyukughed out loud. Jeffrey wanted to save his power if at any point his life he was in danger, and Junhyuk said, "That¡¯s fine. I understand."

    He crossed his arms and asked, "Do you have any news?"

    "There are more novices now than we thought."

    "By how many?"

    "Since the monsters appeared, the number has increased, and it¡¯s speeding up."

    Junhyuk pondered it for a moment and asked, "What about experts?"

    "I¡¯m not so sure about them. One has to be a novice first to be an expert, and most novices belong to certain groups already."

    "Is that right?"

    "Governments are collecting novices as well."

    "Governments?"

    "Yes, there was a woman who took care of a monster in China. Since then, the Chinese government is taking every novice into custody."

    Something came to his mind.

    "Sora is the only known novice in Korea!"

    "Yes, but she can¡¯t be touched."

    "Why?"

    "You¡¯d understand if you knew who was funding Guardians."

    "Yeah?"

    Jeffrey had meant that the people who funded Guardians were above government control, and Junhyuk suddenly thought of the Dimensional Battlefield management.

    Just like management had wanted, the number of people activating powers was increasing, but they didn¡¯t want novices, they wanted more heroes. For that reason, the novices might be in even more danger.

    "Are you waiting?"

    "What do you mean?"

    He raised his hand to cover Jeffrey¡¯s mouth and murmured, "Right. Just let them be."

    More novices were appearing, and they were forming groups. It was possible that there were ns to use novices on Earth. At that point, there were more novices than ever before, but management wanted even more. It would be difficult for any of the current novices to be champions.

    "They want heroes..."

    They might have to wait a while longer.

    "We may be attacked by more monsters."

    "Do you know something I don¡¯t?"

    Junhyuk waved his hand and said, "It¡¯s just a guess."

    He wanted to be a hero himself, and the process was already in motion. Getting up, Junhyuk went to the veranda, and Jeffrey followed him.

    There was heavy construction equipmenting in and out of his house, and Jeffrey asked, "What are you really making?"

    "I¡¯m just cleaning my house," Junhyuk answered.

    Jeffrey shrugged and emptied his can of beer. Junhyuk drank some more and stared at him.

    "Can you find out where the novices are gathering as a group?"

    "About the novice groups?"

    "Yeah."

    Jeffrey looked at him and answered, "I¡¯ll try."

    "OK."

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t speak any further andpletely emptied his beer can. Then, he crushed it and looked at Jeffrey.

    "See you next time."

    "Where are you going?"

    "I have some work to do."

    Junhyuk said goodbye, went outside and grabbed a cab. He was headed to Guardians HQ in Seoul because he was curious about Eunmi Jung and he wanted to meet Elise.

    He got out of the cab in front of the gate. Because he had already resigned, he couldn¡¯t get through, so he called Elise. The guard let him in after the call, and he went to see her, heading straight to the basement.

    There, Sora came out to greet him, and he walked alongside her as they talked.

    "You came back from the battlefield safely."

    "The enemy troll allowed us to win."

    He thought of Kaljaques and smiled.

    "That¡¯s nice."

    They walked and talked and, soon, got to the basementb, where he met Elise. She was holding a tablet and walking over to him.

    "You came?"

    He nodded and asked, "Did Eunmi ever lose her conscience again?"

    Elise nodded.

    "There has been one incident since thatst one, but we were able to restrain her from far away."

    "Restrain her?"

    Elise smiled.

    "The iron soldier suppressed her with rubber bullets, but it had a hard time doing it."

    "That¡¯s something,"

    The iron soldier was capable of shutting down an expert. They knew about her power and how to attack her from afar. Also, Eunmi didn¡¯t have any equipment, and that helped.

    He looked at Eunmi on the screen. She was sitting quietly in her room and, at times, she summoned the green energy. Then, Junhyuk turned to Elise.

    "Did she leave for the Dimensional Battlefield on Friday?"

    "Not this week."

    He looked at Eunmi again. Due to the poring incident, she had activated two powers and was now an expert. Therefore, she would definitely go to the Dimensional Battlefield and she would get some equipment there. At that point, the iron soldier would be unable to deal with her anymore.

    "If she goes to the battlefield andes back, be very careful. She might purchase new equipment, and the iron soldier won¡¯t be able to do anything."

    Elise frowned at his warning.

    "OK," she said, staring at him, and asked, "Did you bring anything back this time?"

    He didn¡¯t want to tell her about the seeds because he needed them for himself.

    "Nothing."

 Chapter 270 Private Hunting Ground 2

    The people on the monitors looked at Elise. "Is artificial activation possible?" Elise tapped on her tablet and answered, "Through the poring infection, artificial activations are more than possible. However, to be able to do it, we have to run human trials first." "Don¡¯t worry about the experiments," the old man said, and Elise nodded. "Then, yes, artificial activation is possible through infection, but likest time, someone may develop an EMP power. Also, if someone develops a teleportation power, we won¡¯t be able to hold them." "Don¡¯t worry about the teleportation. We¡¯ll make ab in the middle of nowhere in the desert. Focus on the EMP and other potentially problematic powers." Elise took a minute to think and said, "If we have enough funding, we can try." The old man looked at Charles and asked, "How is your team of novicesing along in order to fight monsters?" Charles answered with a smile, "We don¡¯t have enough novices yet, but we are forming teams based on their basic powers. Five will make up a team, and we are putting three teams together right now. They are showing increased firepower against monsters, at least." Elise listened and asked, "Have they all returned from the Dimensional Battlefield?" She did not oversee that project. The teams that would fight monsters were being called monster teams, but they would actually be agents for Pentagram. If they used their powers to attack, ordinary people would stand no chance. Their powers went beyond thews of physics, and only other powered people could deal with them. Charles frowned and said, "So far, 30 percent of the novices that went to the Dimensional Battlefield haven¡¯t returned." "But that¡¯s still a good number." They had more information on the battlefield, which increased their ability to return. Charles stared at Elise and said, "Since we created the novice teams, the return rate has increased, and it will continue to increase." "That¡¯s nice. If you need anything, just let me know." The old man shook his head. "No. You focus on the weapons to use against monsters and the dimensional tears." Elise shrugged and answered, "I understand. Will do." Soon, the monitors went off one by one, and Elise¡¯s eyes widened slightly as she murmured, "Right. We will wait and see who willugh thestugh." She went back to her tablet. --- Junhyuk was watching the construction at his house. They wanted to finish the work within a day, and heavy machinery was brought in, so the result was satisfactory. There was a twenty-meter tall crater in his house, and they carved the walls so that the crater was now cylindrical in shape. The sunroof could be open or sealed. Junhyuk pressed a button and was satisfied with the result. "This is good enough." He turned around, and the decoratingpany¡¯s CEO was smiling at him. "You wanted it finished in a short time, so I had to hire a lot of workers and get the heavy machinery. It was quite costly." Junhyuk looked at the itemized list of costs, picked up his cell phone and wired the money. The CEO was d to be paid right away and smiled widely. "Call us anytime, and we will do our best." "If I need anything else, I¡¯ll call you." All of the people left, and he looked at the floor. It hadn¡¯t been finished meticulously, but it was still smooth, and he nned to nt the seeds there. He pulled the three seeds out of his Spatial Bag and nted them to one side of the crater. That was to be his training facility, and he wanted to make mana and train at the same ce. Junhyuk also nned on pulling the dimensional tears to that location so that he could train by killing monsters. He nted the seeds and watered them, but as he looked at them, he frowned. The living spirit started moving again, slightly. He put his hand over where he had nted the seeds and felt the seeds sucking the mana out of his body. His brow furrowed deeper. Meanwhile, the living spirit was trying to hold on to the mana as it spun around. Junhyuk was losing mana slowly and in low quantities. It was the result of the tug of war between the seeds and the living spirit. However, the living spirit was still young, and eventually, it lost all of the mana to the seeds. Maybe because they had absorbed the mana, the nts sprouted, growing quickly. They grew suddenly, and Junhyuk took a few steps back. "It¡¯s like Jack and the Beanstalk." The tree threes grew fifteen meters at once, touching the wall and taking over it as well." "They have nice adaptive skills." After reaching fifteen meters, they grew ten-meter branches which covered the sunlighting through the window in the ceiling, and Junhyuk took a seat under the shadow of one of the branches. He had lost his mana, but now the trees were quickly giving off mana. Junhyuk shut the window with the remote control and closed his eyes, feeling the surrounding mana. Compared to the Dimensional Battlefield, there wasn¡¯t enough mana. However, he now had a means to acquire mana, unlike before when he couldn¡¯t raise the living spirit. Junhyuk breathed deeply, taking in the mana. Meanwhile, the living spirit moved quickly, absorbing even more. As he felt it move, he focused on training. He wanted to be able to stop it whenever he wished to. Arn had been able to interfere and put the living spirit to sleep, but now, he was the one who had to put the living spirit to sleep, so he felt it taking in mana. The living spirit was flowing through his veins rather than his arteries, and he pushed his will toward it. The spirit was getting used to hear from him, and once Junhyuk put it away in his gut, he slowly opened his eyes. "Whew!" He exhaled deeply and balled his hand into fists. Bang! Air pressure exploded from within his hands, sounding loudly, and he smiled. "This is it!" The living spirit gave him power. It had a conscience of its own, but it couldn¡¯t interfere with his every movement. Junhyuk trained again, focusing on being able to distinguish when or not to use the living spirit. Whenever he wanted more power, he was able to push his will to the living spirit and get more power from it. He and the living spirit were getting used to each other. Junhyuk looked at the time and frowned. "It¡¯s been a day already?" He had nted his seeds on Sunday, and it was already Monday. Junhyuk sighed and raised his head. He hadn¡¯t installed an elevator in the crater, just adder up to a hatch. Junhyuk didn¡¯t want anything getting out of there. He looked at the trees for onest time¡ªthe three of them moved as if they were alive¡ªand walked over to them and touched them. They shook lightly, and he smiled. "I¡¯ll return soon. Stay here." He teleported to the top of thedder, went up and opened the hatch. Once he got outside, he saw his nextdoor neighbor moving out, so he walked over and greeted him. "I cleaned up the house." "Thank you." Junhyuk went inside and looked around. He had bought the previous house for therge basement to practice, but the rooms and meals were the new house¡¯s purpose. There, he measured the distance between the new house and the training facility. "Hm." Junhyuk could only teleport straight there from one spot. He could only cover fifty meters with his teleport, so if he wanted to do it from inside the house, he had to go to the first-floor bathroom. "I must practice my teleportation." He wanted to increase its distance. "Just two won¡¯t do." He had thought that two teleportations could get him out of anything, but in fact, that was not the case. After fighting the legend candidates, he realised that the two teleportations and the force field weren¡¯t good enough. "I need to increase the distance and multiple usage." Those two wouldn¡¯t be easy to achieve, but as he looked at the new house, he scratched his head. "I need furniture." Junhyuk wished he had a secretary. Hispany was under Max, and they couldn¡¯t help him now. "Nothing I can do." He had created Max, so he had to adhere to his own rules. Junhyuk took a cab and went to the mall on a big shopping spree. There, he bought things for his own room and the essentials. After that, he put on his mask and went to GST. He had delegated his duties to Sungtae so that he could focus on training, but from time to time, he needed to check up on Sungtae. Junhyuk entered the building and saw that the lobby had female receptionists. They bowed toward him, and he stared at them and chuckled. In front of the elevator, the security agents opened the door for him. "The security team leader and the vice president are waiting for you." He nodded and got on. On the ninth floor, he got off to see Daesan and Sungtae. They bowed toward him, and he nodded and asked, "You got a team of secretaries?" "Yes, we needed them. I¡¯ll write a report. If you don¡¯t like anyone, we¡¯ll fire them." Junhyuk nodded and walked over to Ganesha. It waste, and only two people were still working: Tirot and Brita. Both of them had mana of their own. Junhyuk waved at them. "You heard about the poring infection?" "Yes, is Ganesha working on it?" "It is." Junhyuk looked at Sungtae and said, "We could have lost Seoul." "Whew! It¡¯s a relief we didn¡¯t!" Junhyukughed and looked at Ganesha. "Ganesha, do you have information on powered people?" [There were three powered spotted on Friday.] "Do you know their locations?" [All information disappeared on Saturday.] "Really?" He clicked his tongue. While he had been training, he had lost three novices. It could¡¯ve been Doyeol or the government. Maybe even someone else. "I can¡¯t have everything." He was alone and he couldn¡¯t do it all by himself, so he thought for a while and said, "Continue collecting information." [I understand.]He had to continue training, so he needed someone¡¯s help to gather the novices.

 Chapter 271 Private Hunting Ground 3

    Junhyuk did some of his CEO duties and went home. He wanted to check one thing out. His soul had grown very big, so he could control the living spirit. However, that wasn¡¯t good enough. He wanted to spend more time focusing on the living spirit as well as on increasing his powers. Pulling the dimensional tear coordinates meant summoning monsters, so he had to be able to wake up even while he was training with the living spirit and be aware of his surroundings. Junhyuk wanted to train focusing on these things. At first, the sprouting trees didn¡¯t give off much mana, but since they were in an enclosed space, there was now plenty of mana gathered in the facility, so he took a seat and rxed, focusing on the spirit. During that time, he checked on whether he could do other things as well. Previously, the living spirit wouldn¡¯t move, but now it was different. The living spirit was responding to him, and when it moved along his arteries, he could focus on other things. That had to be because his soul had grown. If not, he wouldn¡¯t be able to work on his arteries and stay awake. The living spirit did things by its own. There was a difference between it responding to his will and it being autonomous. It was absorbing mana on its own and running through his arteries, and Junhyuk wanted it to stop. At that, the living spirit responded in the most ferocious way. "Argh!" Nevertheless, he was able to pull the living spirit into his gut. Then, he tried to get up. "Whew!" At the current stage, suppressing the living spirit and waking up took him three minutes, but he had to be able to do it in less than ten seconds. "I have a long way to go." Junhyuk satfortably and started to order the living spirit around. It had been suppressed by him, so now it was rebelling against him, ferociously absorbing more mana while rushing through his arteries, and Junhyuk summoned it to his gut again. The living spirit responded to it more riled up than the first time, but he was able to push it to his gut. It took him two minutes and forty-five seconds. "Whew! Do you wanna do this?!" Junhyuk made up his mind and focused again. The living spirit started moving, and he suppressed it a few more times. Forgetting about the time, he focused on his training. Unlike before, he had gained a sense of time even while he was training. Sometimes, he had to split his mind in two, but usually, he maintained it as one to fully focus on training. He trained for two days continuously before finishing. While training, he didn¡¯t even eat. "Hm." Junhyuk teleported to his house, ate a light meal and turned on the TV. There was nothing special on it, so he shook his head and focused on the living spirit instead. He knew the spirit responded his movements, but he didn¡¯t know whether it responded to his powers. Just now, when he teleported, the living spirit did not move. That couldn¡¯t be good. Junhyuk felt that for him to get stronger, the living spirit had to respond to his powers, so he focused on the living spirit and teleported again. It was for a short while, but he felt the spirit growing and returning to its original size. When he arrived at the training facility, he frowned. "Something is weird." The living spirit had responded, but he wasn¡¯t sure if the spirit knew what was happening. So, he teleported again. This time, he focused entirely on the living spirit and felt it move. Then, he measured the distance he had teleported. "The distance didn¡¯t increase, but I learned something new." The important thing was that the spirit was responding to his powers. If he learned more about it, he would be able to improve his powers. Junhyuk ran one more experiment. He focused on the living spirit, but stopping and waking up took twelve seconds. He needed more practice. He sat down and focused on the spirit and waking up and trained hard until he was able to do it in less than ten seconds. After that, he rxed and set up the crystal orb given to him by Vera. Then, he connected with her through themunication orb he already owned. Soon, he could see Vera¡¯s face. "Yahoo! I can do it because I am magician, but how did you do it?" "I met a hatchling on the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, and he adjusted it for me." "Ugh! He must surelye from a magic tribe if he did it like it was nothing. I spent a lot of time on mine." Junhyuk smiled awkwardly. "I have a question." "What is it?" He picked up the crystal ball. "You didn¡¯t tell me how to operate this." "Ah! That!" She smiled and continued, "It¡¯s simple. Just twist it." He twisted the crystal orb, and lights shot out of it. "After you start it, you¡¯ll only be able to stop it after a day. To stop it, twist it in the opposite direction. "OK." He knew it would take a while for it to stop after he started it, but he didn¡¯t care about that. He usually spent many days training at once anyway. Junhyuk might be summoned to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield while training, but he looked at the crystal orb and murmured, "Except for the monsters that are transported at the same time by a different dimensional tear, if the monsters are summoned here, I can deal with all of them." Even if they sent stronger monsters, he was willing to go against them. Junhyuk looked at the crystal orb with the power to pull dimensional tear coordinates and closed his eyes. If something happened while he focused on the living spirit, he would know through the orb. He felt the spirit absorbing the mana around him and travelling through his arteries. He focused on it, and it travelled once through his arteries and returned to his gut. Then, he got up and said, "Shall I practice teleporting?" He focused on the spirit again, but when he made up his mind to teleport, the spirit dispersed, so he focused harder. Up to that point, he had focused on using his power first, but now he changed the order. By focusing on the spirit, he learned a lot. Each time the spirit grew, his understanding also grew, and his teleporting distance increased little by little. "Hup!" He opened his eyes and looked around to find out that he had teleported to a distance beyond expectations. He was in the air, and his teleportation just now had covered a hundred meters. The living spirit was influencing his powers, and he realized he could increase them. Beforending, he teleported again. Due to experience, he didn¡¯t forget to focus on the living spirit, and as he returned to the training facility, he balled his hands into fists. "This is it!" So far, he had only used his powers the way they had been activated. But now, he was able to will his powers to grow, and something had changed. The battlefield limited his powers, but things were different there. "This is the first step toward bing a hero!" The teleportation distance had increased, and he wanted to check on his other powers. If the Spatial sh had been influenced, it would be even more powerful. However, because the living spirit was responding to his teleportations, he wanted to focus more on teleporting. The Spatial sh would require a target. The teleportation¡¯s cooldown remained the same, and he took a seat. The living spirit was going through his arteries, eating mana and growingrger. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t rx. He would make the spirit grow, and in turn, the spirit would make his powers grow. It would not only boost his strength, but also his powers. He felt the spirit slowing down and opened his eyes. He wanted to teleport again, and the spirit dispersed. It was something he had learned while teleporting. That time, he covered another hundred meters and he started getting used to it. Beforending, he teleported again and returned to the training facility. "Whew, I can¡¯t fly." If he continued that way, someone might see him up high, so he thought about which direction to teleport to avoid people seeing him. However, suddenly, the crystal orb started shining. He noticed the light flickering and looked at it. A dimensional tear had appeared, and monsters wereing. "What kind of monsters will they be?" He summoned his equipment and looked ahead. --- The iron soldier had been deployed, and Elise operated her tablet and murmured, "Ten o¡¯clock at night and in Hongdae..." At that time in Hongdae, the streets were packed with people heading to nightclubs. They were all out drinking, and many younger people were there. If ordered to disperse, would they? From now on, they decided to broadcast a warning as soon as a dimensional tear was detected. Since the poring incident, the president¡¯s office had asked for cooperation, and in a situation like this, the police and the fire department would be deployed to carry out the disperse order. Elise looked at the Hongdae CCTV feeds and frowned. The siren went off, and the orders were given, but the drunken college students didn¡¯t respond. A few of them even shouted back and stayed there. "Just as expected." But, the iron soldier arrived on time. Elise was looking at it when Eunseo appeared on another screen. "Not counting Korea, how many countries have the dimensional tear detector?" "Right now, the United States, Ennd and China." Elise didn¡¯t have enough detectors, so only those three countries had them. "Are those countries responding?" "Yes, all three countries are responding to the tear." "What if it¡¯s a poring? Do you have a n?" "I don¡¯t have any ns against porings yet. We are still working on a way to kill it instantly." "We have to hurry with the evacuation." "Yes." Elise wanted to call on the military, but she didn¡¯t. Soon, the iron soldier made another announcement, and the lesser drunks got a hold of those who were stered and vacated the area. The poring incident had resulted in thousands of deaths, so now they were running in a panic. Some people were trampling others as they ran away. Zaira spoke up. [The dimensional tear will appear in three, two, one. Dimensional tear appearing.] Elise looked at the screen and frowned. The monsters appeared, but they disappeared just as suddenly. "What? What just happened?" [The monsters have disappeared.] Elise was shocked and shouted, "What about the other countries? US, China, and Ennd?" [The areas with the dimensional tears are engaged in battle.] Elise frowned. What was happening?

 Chapter 272 Hunting 1

    The crystal orb¡¯s light was getting stronger, and he felt space tearing apart. Junhyuk was already fully prepared. So far, monsters appeared to activate people¡¯s powers. To an ordinary person, even the lowest-ranking monsters from the battlefield were extremely dangerous to that person¡¯s safety, which instigated them to activate their powers. However, Junhyuk was different. He wanted more experience; he wanted to test out the living spirit on the monsters. Snakes came out of the tear. They were twenty meters long, and thick enough for him to hug them with both arms and still not be able to touch his hands together. There were three of them. Junhyuk frowned and murmured, "I¡¯ve never seen you before!" Hiss! One of the giant snakes rushed toward him. He clicked his tongue and moved forward toward it, swinging his sword. sh! The snake was only a low-ranking monster, seemingly of a rank a little higher than the wolf. Still, it couldn¡¯t take single blow from him, and its head fell off. "First one," he murmured with his sword down. Another snake slithered toward him and wrapped around his body. The snake was trying to bite his head, but he used the Spatial sh. Junhyuk had wanted to focus on the living spirit, but constricted by the snake, he felt he was unable to, so he just ended things quickly. sh! The Spatial sh created a shockwave that swept through the remaining snake and killed it. He lowered his sword and murmured, "Last time, it took a while..." The first time he killed monsters, the spawn rate from one wave to another had taken a good amount of time. However, when the iron soldier hunted down the poring, the waves had spawned quickly enough. "How about this time?" Junhyuk looked at the crystal orb and saw its light getting stronger, and space tore apart again. Wraiths came out of the tear, and as soon as they saw him, they attacked him. There were four of them, and he moved toward them. Physical attacks wouldn¡¯t work against wraiths, but he had the Frozen Rune Sword. He could stack the cold attribute, and it also had fixed poison damage, making it easy to deal with the wraiths. He felt it was easy to use the living spirit while swinging his swords¡ªit felt natural¡ªand he noticed his swordsmanship was different from before. Junhyuk looked at his swords, and his eyes widened slightly. "This is an interesting situation." The spirit was moving through his arteries toward one of his sword, easily passing through his body to the sword, making it glow. "Sword energy?" Junhyuk frowned and mumbled, "I can¡¯t use them both at the same time..." Junhyuk carried dual swords, and he wanted to infuse the living spirit to both of them, but he was unable to. He needed to divide the living spirit in two, but he couldn¡¯t to do it yet. So, he clicked his tongue and waited. "Are moreing?" After waiting a moment, space tore open again, and three jaguars came out. Their ws were one meter long, and jaguars had sliced clean through an iron soldier before. "They are getting stronger." Junhyuk liked the fact that the monsters were stronger. He moved toward them, and the jaguars moved like lightning. Left and right and center, the jaguars were rushing toward him. As he ran toward them, the one at the center slowed down, and as it slowed down, the ones on the left and right sped up. He had to deal with them quickly. ng! He was shocked that the jaguars parried his swords with their ws, but the interesting part was that the swords got stuck to the ws, inflicting fixed damage to kill one and releasing a shockwave that killed all the surrounding jaguars. He looked at the fallen jaguars and murmured, "What are these ws made of?" His attack was high enough to work in the Dimensional Battlefield. He could even pierce heroes¡¯ defenses to inflict damage, but the jaguars had blocked his sword. Looking at the ws, he set them aside and raised his sword again. "How many will they send?" The monsters were getting stronger. If they sent a buff monster, he would likely die like a dog. Nervous, he looked forward. "I should be able to infuse the Spatial sh with the living spirit as well." Even now, the Spatial sh was strong enough, and he still had another power to activate. Even if he didn¡¯t, he had to be able to use the living spirit with all of his powers. He raised his sword as he watched space tear apart again. --- Elise couldn¡¯t keep her mouth closed. "So far, how many dimensional tears have appeared?" [There have been twelve tears detected within South Korea.] "But all monsters have disappeared?" [Correct.] "At what rate are the tears appearing?" [About forty seconds between them.] The tears were appearing too fast, and the detection wasn¡¯t keeping up. However, every tear within South Korea had its monster reportedly disappear. "It¡¯s like someone is stealing all the monsters!" If someone was stealing all of the monsters, that was something to be thankful for. They only caused humans harm. "But we did not expect this. We can¡¯t ept this situation!" Currently, Guardians HQ had three novices and one expert. The iron soldiers were also there, so monsters weren¡¯t really a problem. However, they couldn¡¯t let their guards down because the tears were ongoing. Every time a tear appeared, a stronger monster came through it, and it was already the twelfth tear to open. Someone was stealing monsters, and Elise was curious about whether that someone would be able to deal with the monsters OK. "Someone must be able to deal with these monsters...?" As she questioned things, she thought about Junhyuk, but even he couldn¡¯t steal monsters from tears. "I must check with him." --- He had his sword down and exhaled deeply. Twelve tears had opened so far, and the monsters¡¯ bodies were piling up. He even got seven mana and seven blood stones. When he picked up the mana stones, the trees and the living spirit responded ferociously. When the mana stones dropped, the trees wrapped them with their roots, and he felt betrayed by them. Meanwhile, the living spirit tried to absorb the mana stones, and he had to quickly put them away in his Spatial Bag. However, they did not respond to the blood stones. He thought that was interesting, but he didn¡¯t have time to think about it then. Monsters were appearing every forty seconds, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t possibly continue for a day. There was a limit even for him. "Whew, have they made up their minds?" A stronger monster appeared with each tear, but their rankings didn¡¯t increase dramatically. He could still deal with them for now. He looked at space tearing again and said, "A day right?" However, when he saw what wasing out of the tear, he scowled hard. There were three ogres. Junhyuk had killed a twin-headed ogre before, but he wasn¡¯t at the point where he could ignore ogres yet. Still, he wasn¡¯t too worried since he had something he could rely on. Junhyuk could only infuse the living spirit into one sword for now, but he had now figured out how to do it at will and had found that out by repeatedly killing monsters. He was winning big. He had gone beyond his physical limit and earned more strength, and even without using his powers, he was able to kill. As he saw the ogres, he quickly used the Spatial sh, to which the living spirit responded. Junhyuk thought the living spirit had left his body because he had used the Spatial sh so quickly. The Spatial sh went through space to kill the enemy. He could aim it wherever he wanted to, so he tried to send the living spirit where he wanted to in the same way. After using the Spatial sh, he felt the living spirit within him, like nothing had happened. "It¡¯s not moving away from me." He hadn¡¯t known how the living spirit would respond, but he was satisfied with the result. All ogres had been killed. The Spatial sh did its job, and the shockwave took care of the rest. So, he walked over and checked the ogres, but found nothing useful. Junhyuk sat on one of the ogres¡¯ bodies. Things were already in motion, and he couldn¡¯t stop them now. If he left, that ce would be the center of a newly created Hell City on Earth. Looking ahead as he sat on the ogre, his cell phone rang. He checked the number to see it was Elise. "Junhyuk?" "Yes. What¡¯s up?" "Are you behind all this?" "What are you talking about?" "The monsters are disappearing right now!" "I don¡¯t know what is going on, but isn¡¯t that a good thing?" "The monsters are disappearing nonstop, so something bad might happenter!" Junhyuk didn¡¯t answer. He wanted to focus on keeping his strength. "I have something to do right now. I¡¯ll call youter." He hung up and looked ahead, wanting to know how strong of a monster would show up. A littleter, two twin-headed ogres appeared. Seeing them, he felt a little nervous. They were going to start sending the real monsters from now on. Twin-headed ogres were high-ranking monsters on the battlefield. There, they were the strongest wandering monsters, so Junhyuk swallowed dry. After those, they might send buff monsters. He inhaled deeply and raised his sword. "Let¡¯s rumble." He ran toward them, and the twin-headed ogres attacked him. They were carrying and swinging tree trunks, and he dodged between their attacks, quickly swinging the Frozen Rune Sword in the process. A twin-headed ogre suddenly lost one of its legs, and Junhyuk learned how dangerous his sword could be with the living spirit infused to it. The shockwave slowed down the ogres, and he smirked and slowly got up. Raising his sword again, he said, "I¡¯ll y with you for a long time." Junhyuk had to kill the monsters before another tear appeared with more monsters, and he wanted to recover while fighting the ogres. He was only able think like that because he had better control of the living spirit. The ogres knew they were slowed down, so they breathed fire. Junhyuk faced the fire, but was not pushed back. He just frowned. "So loud." He used the Spatial sh, focusing on the living spirit. At that moment, the living spirit suddenly disappeared, and one of the ogres heads was beheaded. The shockwave beheaded the ogre¡¯s other head, but the second ogre was rushing toward him quickly. He dashed forward to meet it. Hurrah! Junhyuk dodged the ogre¡¯s tree, then vaulted from the ogre¡¯s knee, shing its ribs and elbow before beheading both of the ogre¡¯s heads. Junhyuk searched through the corpses and found heavy blood and mana stones. "Worth it!" He sat down smiling and recovering when, suddenly, the space around him shook. He had already killed twin-headed ogres, so he didn¡¯t expect anything more difficult, but he picked up both of his swords all the same. However, what came out of the tear in space was somethingpletely unexpected.

 Chapter 273 Hunting 2

    His entire body was wrapped in bandages, and he was wearing a fedora. His trench coat was fluttering. It was the Dimensional Battlefield manager. Junhyuk pointed his sword at the manager and asked, "Is your name Agenchra?" "It¡¯s an honor that you remember me." After Agenchra arrived, the space stopped shaking, and everything around him stopped. Junhyuk realized that time had also stopped and smiled bitterly. "Why are you here?" Agenchra looked at the numerous monster bodies on the ground and scowled. Then, he pulled out a small pocket book and started writing on it. "Look, you were asked a question. Now, answer it." Agenchra closed his pocket book, looked at Junhyuk and said, "You look very different from before." Junhyuk nodded. He was much stronger now. He had the living spirit and, through his trees, he had been getting mana and getting a lot stronger than before. Agenchra stared at him. "But you have a ways to go before you employ an expedient method like this." "What are you talking about?" However, Junhyuk knew he couldn¡¯t continue go on like that, and that it would be dangerous for him. Still, he didn¡¯t express an agreement with Agenchra. Having the manager there meant that the Dimensional Battlefield might want to impose sanctions on his activities. Agenchra continued calmly, "With your ability right now, you wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with monsters above A-rank. But we are running an experiment, and soon, the sequence of monsters that will appear will be stronger. If this continues, you will have to deal with A-rank monsters." Agenchra¡¯s eyes shone bright blue. "And there is a 98.7-percent chance that you will die." Junhyuk agreed with his survival rate. It was very realistic. "You mean I have a 1.3-percent chance of surviving?" "Yes, it¡¯s possible. There is a 1-percent chance that you will lose two limbs and survive, and there is a 0.3-percent chance that you will lose only one limb, survive and also win." "You mean I can¡¯t keep my limbs and win." "Precisely." Junhyuk crossed his arms and stared at Agenchra. "So?" Agenchra felt his hostility, but the bandages around his mouth rose into a smile, and he said, "I must tell you one thing: the objective of our experiment is to develop a hero." Junhyuk stared at Agenchra, and Agenchra continued, "You are trying to get stronger, and we like that fact, but your actions are rather ignorant, and I must tell you to stop. That¡¯s why I am here." "Stop my actions?" Agenchra kept smiling as he said, "From now on, there is no need to pull the coordinates to this ce. We will send monsters here without your effort." Junhyuk was curious about what else Agenchra would say, so he just stared at him. "I will also fix a few things in here." "Fix a few things?" "We will only send B-rank monsters to this ce, and we¡¯ll increase the number of monsters." Junhyuk looked around him and said, "I don¡¯t have enough space in here for that!" If twin-headed ogres appeared inrge numbers, he wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with them, but Agenchra continued, "I¡¯ll increase the space in here, enough for your fights. A depth of forty meters and a radius of a hundred meters, would that be enough?" Junhyuk just stared at the manager, speechless. "Going by your dimension¡¯s time, normal monster deployments ur from six in the morning until eight at night. From eight till ten at night, we¡¯ll send you monsters. One type every five minutes. Each time you kill that type, we¡¯ll send you more." He stared at Agenchra and asked, "What is your condition?" Agenchra pointed at the crystal orb Vera had given him. "From now on, don¡¯t use that thing anymore." "Why?" "I¡¯ve already exined it, but that thing interferes with our experiment. For our experiment, we will impose a sanction on the usage of that thing." "By whose orders?" Junhyuk released his killing intent, and Agenchraughed and said, "I am doing you a favor." "How is that a favor?" Agenchra extended both arms and answered, "If you continue to interfere with our experiment, the Dimensional Battlefield Administration will step in. I stopped them froming here because I had talked to you before." "The Administration?" "They oversee our forces." The Dimensional Battlefield Management oversaw time and space by themselves. The administrators also oversaw their forces. He was no match for them. Curious, Junhyuk asked, "How strong are they, these administration people?" "Each of them can kill S-rank monsters by themselves." "Comparable to heroes?" "They also step in to contain heroes who have broken their contracts." They killed heroes? Junhyuk didn¡¯t know how strong heroes were outside of the Dimensional Battlefield, but he clicked his tongue. If the administrators went there, he wouldn¡¯t survive them. At least, he knew he couldn¡¯t deal with them yet, so he relented. "Fine, but I have a condition of my own." Agenchra smiled and extended both arms wide. "If I can be of help, I will help you out." "Sure. I want these." Junhyuk tapped on a tree and continued, "I need them to train. It¡¯s an absolute necessity. I nted some seeds from the Dimensional Battlefield, but I heard nting them here lessens their quality. So, bring me trees from the battlefield and nt them here." Agenchra touched his chin and pondered over the request, "In order to do what you¡¯ve requested, you¡¯ll need more space." "Is that possible?" Agenchra looked at him and smiled. "It is possible." "OK. Also, I don¡¯t want anybody to have ess to this ce. Can you make that happen?" "After I finish expanding this ce, it¡¯ll be an entirely different space. Only those invited by you will be able toe in here." "Only by my invitation?" Agenchra nodded. "Only those with your permission will be able to enter." "Good." He no longer cared about Vera¡¯s gift. Right now, he couldn¡¯t deal with A-rank monsters, so his job was to prevent them froming to Earth. He also didn¡¯t want any visits from the Dimensional Battlefield administrators, but he wanted to get everything he could until they said no. Agenchra opened his pocket book and showed him his hand. "Then, I will begin the spatial expansion." Junhyuk saw Agenchra transferring something. From Agenchra¡¯s fingertips, blue rays of light covered every direction, and the space started growing. It stopped at sixty meters tall and with a radius of two hundred meters. Seeing that, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t keep his mouth closed. From the corner of the space, many trees started growing. Junhyuk stared at the manager, and Agenchra continued with the transfer. Twenty trees in total were transferred to the new space, and Agenchra put his hand down. "The space wasn¡¯t big enough. I wouldn¡¯t be able to nt any more trees!" Junhyuk had gotten mana from three trees, but now he had twenty, and the trees had been transferred directly from the Dimensional Battlefield, so their mana content was entirely different from the ones he had nted. The living spirit was going wild, but he suppressed it. At that point, he was able to do it. His willpower was enough to push it down, and Agenchra smiled and continued, "Do you like it?" Junhyuk nodded slowly and said, "Sure. I like it." Looking at the manager, he added, "I have a question." Agenchra nodded, and Junhyuk asked, "As for the experiment, if I see any monsters around me, can I kill them?" "Yes, of course. But as I told youst time, whenever a monster is killed by you, we¡¯ll send an even stronger one." Junhyuk didn¡¯t continue. He clicked his tongue while staring at the manager. "So, the Dimensional Battlefield Administration only wants one thing?" "Yes. Do minimize your presence during this experiment." "If I have to interfere, it¡¯ll only result in stronger monsters?" "Correct." He had thought that killing monsters in his space would help people, but the Dimensional Battlefield Administration didn¡¯t want that happening. They wanted more people activating powers and they weren¡¯t going to stop. Junhyuk wanted to be a hero. That was his n, and he had to do it quickly now. He couldn¡¯t do anything about the Dimensional Battlefield Management. "I understand. Are you done with your business here?" "Then, I¡¯ll confiscate this from you." Agenchra took Vera¡¯s crystal orb and put it between the pages in his pocket book and closed it. It wasn¡¯t only a pocket book, but also a Spatial Bag. Agenchra looked at him and said, "I helped you because you were most cooperative. It¡¯s just my token of gratitude." As a token of gratitude, he had expanded the space magically. Junhyuk shouldn¡¯t refuse such disys of gratitude. Agenchra looked at him and tapped his fingers. Suddenly, a small tform appeared from the ground. On it, there was a basin with enough liquid to cover to palms. Agenchra looked at the tform and said, "This is my personal gift to you." "Gift? What is it?" "It¡¯s a regenerative fountain. When you drink from it, it¡¯ll refill two minutester." "What does it do?" "It replenishes your health and mana consumption." Stunned, he stared at the manager, and Agenchra looked at him and smiled. "You are trying to be a hero and you are dedicated and passionate. This is my gift." Junhyuk stood in front of the regenerative fountain and looked at Agenchra. "I should drink this while I deal with B-rank monsters?" Agenchra nodded and opened his pocket book again. "Right now, you are totally unprepared to deal with A-rank monsters, but when you improve, I¡¯ll send those your way." "Who will be the judge of that?" Agenchra smiled and answered, "We will be the judges." Management was far beyond his imagination, and he answered, "Fine. About these bodies..." Junhyuk pointed to the pile of monster corpses. "Can I keep them?" "Sure. These are just for show. We don¡¯t care." Junhyuk thought for a moment and asked, "Do you know of a way to move them?" "You mean the corpses?" "Yes. For instance, a Spatial Bag." Junhyuk wanted more from Agenchra, and the manager smiled. "There is a special Spatial Bag for cadavers, but it¡¯s a single-sized container." Agenchra showed him a small crystal orb. "Unlike other Spatial Bags, this doesn¡¯t have the capacity to differentiate between objects. It just gathers and spews everything." Junhyuk thought he would gain the Spatial Bag for free, but Agenchra didn¡¯t give it up easily. So, he thought of something and asked the manager a question, "How much can I put in it?" "As far as bodies, you can put in as many as fit into this space. But when you put bodies in it, you have to take them all out before you put anything else in it." Junhyuk smacked his lips and extended his hand. This time, Agenchra ced the crystal orb on it and took a step back. Then, he took off his fedora and bowed before Junhyuk. "OK. I¡¯ll see you again when I be a hero." Agenchra smiled and suddenly disappeared, and Junhyuk looked at his surroundings. He had gotten a training facility beyond his wildest dreams, and things were a lot less dangerous than before. He wouldn¡¯t be encountering any buff monsters. As his hands balled into fists, his eyes glittered. "I¡¯ll take full advantage of this."

 Chapter 274 Unlimited Hunting 1

    He took Agenchra¡¯s crystal orb and gathered the bodies within it. The next time it took something else in, it would have to spew them out. However, it was very spacious, and more bodies could fit in it. Next, he checked the basin. He was exhausted at that point, so he used both hands to take some water and drink from it. Then, he felt his health and mana recovering. The basin was better than he had expected. "A regenerative basin." He could make money off of it. Junhyuk leaned against the altar that contained the basin and looked around. Staring at the twenty trees, he thought of something. Some of them were exactly the same as the trees from the Dimensional Battlefield, so he could sell their leaves to Elise. After that, he pulled out themunication crystal suddenly and connected to Diane. "This is so nice! My cutie pie! You asked Vera for this?" "No, but I have something to ask you." "What is it?" "It¡¯s about the leaves from the Dimensional Battlefield. I want to pick them from the trees." "You¡¯ve nted the seeds I gave you?" "Yes." "You can¡¯t just nt them! When the soil is different, they won¡¯t grow as well." "I have trees that are exactly the same as the trees in the Dimensional Battlefield, but I want to know if the leaves are different." "Oh! Where did you get the trees?" After hesitating a bit, he told her. "You can only pick one leaf from each tree like the one I gave youst time. Also, you can only collect them once per month. You¡¯ll have to wait, but that¡¯s the way it is." He could only pick one leaf per tree per month, but he had seventeen trees from the battlefield, which meant that he could get seventeen leaves per month. Each leaf was worth $100 million, so he could make $1.7 billion per month as long as he could sell them. His eyes were full of vigor. If Diane had been in front of him then, he would have grabbed her hands. "Is there a way to tell?" "Yes. I am an elf, so I can tell just by looking at a tree." Junhyuk frowned, and because Diane could see him, sheughed hard. "By the way, you have a living spirit, correct?" "Yes." "Then, there is a way. By using the living spirit, you can enhance your senses. Enhance your vision and look at the tree to find the leaf with the most energy." Junhyuk cheered at what she had just told him. "Thank you! I will surely find it." "Then, do well in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. I trust you." "I will do my very best." He cut offmunications with her and connected to Arn next. "What is the matter? Vera¡¯s crystal didn¡¯t work?" "No. It worked just fine." "And you have time to talk to me?" "That¡¯s correct." Arn read the expressions on his face and said in a somber tone, "Tell me in detail." Junhyuk sighed and exined it all to him, and after hearing the story, Arnughed loudly. "That¡¯s nice! You aren¡¯t ready to kill a buff monster yet." Junhyuk wanted toin at Arn, but he had a question to ask him at that moment. "Diane told me that by using the living spirit, I can enhance my senses. Can you teach me how?" "What?! You can¡¯t control the living spirit yet?" "I can control it with my will, but I don¡¯t know how to use it in detail yet." "Hm. It¡¯s possible by simply making your will known to the spirit. Send the living spirit to the organs that control your five senses." As he heard that, Junhyuk transported the living spirit to his eyes. When he opened them again, he was extremely surprised. His sight had improved tremendously. "You must continue improving your senses at all times." "By the way, when I use my dual swords, the living spirit can only infuse itself to one. Is there a way to have the living spirit attached to both swords?" "No. That¡¯s a limitation of the living spirit. You can send it anywhere you want, but not to two different spots at the same time." Junhyuk frowned. "But I can have it in parts of my body." "Oh! You can do that! But that is the limit. So, go beyond what the spirit can do. That¡¯s the only way." "I understand." Junhyuk finished talking to Arn and walked to a tree. There, he focused his enhanced vision on the leaves, and only one stood out to his eyes. However, he couldn¡¯t decide whether it was really superior to the others or not, so he walked over to the tree and enhanced his sense of smell. Then, he was able to tell which leaves were superior and which were inferior. There were two leaves that stood out, and he smiled. "One is ready now, and the other should be ready next month?" He focused the spirit on his fingertips and looked for the leaf that had more life. There was only a small different, but he was able to pick up on the most minute detail by using the living spirit. So, he picked a leaf from the tree. After taking in the scent of the leaf again, he smiled and walked over to the next tree and picked a leaf from each of them. By the end, he had picked seventeen leaves. Looking around, he realized that monsters would be arriving the next day, but at the moment, he was calm. Junhyuk smiled and teleported. He had boosted his teleportation to a hundred meters with the help of the living spirit, but he couldn¡¯t get out, so he looked around and grimaced. "What?! Where is the exit?" Junhyuk thought the space had simply expanded, but it was, in fact, entirely different from before. "Agenchra!" he shouted, and a tear opened in space from which Agenchra stepped out. "Do you have aint?" Junhyuk had wanted to disy his anger, but the sudden appearance of the manager, which he hadn¡¯t expected to happen, made him forget his feelings. A momentter, he realized that there was no exit. "Agenchra! There is no exit!" Agenchra touched his chin and said, "I didn¡¯t tell you? This ce can be entered from anywhere. It¡¯s a private space made only for you." Junhyuk was surprised. That this ce could be entered from anywhere meant it was highlyplex. "How?" "Youmand ¡¯enter¡¯ and ¡¯exit.¡¯" Junhyuk looked at Agenchra and said, "You should¡¯ve told me." "I¡¯m sorry. Do you need anything else?" "When I exit, where do I go?" "You will be where you entered. I don¡¯t know where that is." He nodded. "OK. Then, I¡¯ll exit," he said and, suddenly, he was on the first-floor bathroom in his house. Junhyukughed and smiled. "That¡¯s a relief!" He had gotten all bloodied while fighting monsters, so he got in the shower and washed himself clean. After he came out, he decided to see Elise immediately. "Even she can¡¯t buy them all at once!" She might pay him in monthly installments, and he thought that maybe he should look for other parties to sell to and who could pay him. Still, he had given Elise first bid, so he had to see her. After walking out of his house and hopping on a cab, he murmured, "I should get a car." He had bought a car under Max¡¯s name and another under hispany¡¯s name, but he didn¡¯t own a car in his own name. As he thought about getting one, he closed his eyes, and the cab headed to Guardians HQ. Junhyuk told the receptionist he was there to see Elise, and Sora walked out to greet him. While she guided him, he asked, "What happened to the monsters?" "I am not sure about what happened to the monsters in South Korea, but the ones in foreign territories were all killed." "That¡¯s a relief." When he got to the basement, he stared at Elise, who leaned back on her chair and looked back at him. "What is going on?" Junhyuk looked at Sora and said, "I want to talk to her alone." Elise looked at her, and Sora left. They were alone now, and he pulled up a chair and sat right in front of her. "I have a question." "What is it?" "How much money do you have?" Elise became very interested and crossed her arms, staring at him. "Beyond your wildest imagination." He pulled out a leaf, and her eyes sparkled. It was a necessaryponent of the Dimensional Tear Detector. "You paid $100 million for this," he said. "Correct. It¡¯s worth it." Then, he pulled out the remaining sixteen leaves, and her eyebrow twitched. "You got a lot." "I can get you the same amount every month," he said, and sheughed brightly. "Shocking! Are you growing some trees somewhere?" He simply stared at her, keeping his face stoic. She smiled and said, "This time, I can pay you for these, but I¡¯ll be a middleman next month and pay for part of them. However, I have a special patent on the technology for the use of these leaves, so no one else can use them except for me." "What do you mean by you will be the middleman?" "Many can pay for these. They are a necessaryponent of the Dimensional Tear Detector. Right now, only the US, Ennd and China have detectors, but other countries want one of their own." She smiled. "But they can¡¯t do anything with it in leaf form. What they want is the Dimensional Tear Detector. So, next month, sell me the leaves, and I¡¯ll make the detectors and sell those." "What¡¯s my take?" Elise talked to Zaira, and some information appeared on a screen nearby. "One detector costs $300 million, and each leaf can make up to five detectors. There are otherponents that cost $200 million. Each leaf will bring $500 million in ie, and I¡¯ll pay you $300 million for each of them." "You mean you¡¯ll take $200 million as the middleman." Elise shrugged. "My technology is worth that much." Junhyukughed. She was willing to pay him three times to original price, and he shouldn¡¯t refuse her offer. "What about the contract?" Elise gave Zaira an order and picked up a document from the printer. He signed it, and she signed it, and each kept a copy. Looking at her suddenly, he asked, "When you sell things made from this month¡¯s leaves, you¡¯ll have more than enough money to buy from me!" She grinned at his realization and said, "You aren¡¯t just going to sell me leaves." Heughed at her. By considering the things he would sell her, she had decided to make money this way. Junhyuk stared at her calmly. He was selling things to her, and she was creating new technology with those things and bing even wealthier, which meant she could shake the billionaire world. "I do all the work, and you are the one making money."

 Chapter 275 Unlimited Hunting 2

    Junhyuk wanted to tell Eunseo and Sarang what had happened, but he decided to wait. They called them B-ranked monsters, but he would still have to risk his life. If he made any mistakes in the uing training session, he could be killed. Junhyuk went back home and checked his bank ount. He had sold seventeen leaves and made $1.7 billion, he put $500 million in the ount under his real name, and $1 billion under Max¡¯s ount. The remaining $200 million, he transferred to the GST ount. To kill legend candidates, he had to train without rest. He needed all the time he had.king at those figures, he startedughing. "They are only numbers." When money crossed certain line, it stopped looking like money and it started looking more like just a number. He took a shower and changed clothes. It wouldn¡¯t be long until he went back to the Dimensional Battlefield, and he didn¡¯t want to waste his time on Earth. "Enter." Junhyuk watched his surroundings change. He had lived there before, and nobody could guess his basement had be a ce like that now. Rxed, he sat down and closed his eyes. There was plenty of mana in the facility, unlike before. While it was still little whenpared to the Dimensional Battlefield, it was enough for his training. He inhaled deeply and unleashed the living spirit, which ran through his arteries like crazy. The spirit had grown much bigger. After rushing through his arteries, it gorged on the bountiful mana as it took to his veins. Junhyuk felt the living spirit expanding and thought Arn might have been wrong about it. When it traveled through his arteries, it did so in full form, but when it traveled through his veins, it broke into many pieces. When Junhyuk tried to follow the living spirit through his arteries, it put enough strain on the spirit to shatter it into bits. However, the living spirit didn¡¯t care, and it dispersed and returned to its original spot. At first, Junhyuk had only tried to follow the spirit, but now, he was able to push his will to it while it traveled through his veins. The spirit felt each part and corner of his body, and each cell was influenced by Junhyuk¡¯s will, and he learned from it. His body was truly big and wide. Junhyuk felt the living spirit returning after traveling through his veins and realized it must have absorbed quite a bit of mana, as it was much bigger now. The living spirit returned to his gut, and he stopped it there. It didn¡¯t matter if he did it when it traveled through his arteries, but when it went through his veins, Junhyuk had to focus on it. Monsters woulde at the appointed time to the facility, and he slowly opened his eyes and looked at his cell phone. Even though the entire ce was in a different space, time still passed, and the clock told him it was four in the morning. "It took quite some time." Thinking back, he had started training around ten at night, and it was now four. The living spirit had traveled through his veins for six hours. When it traveled through his arteries and absorbed mana, it did so at a much faster rate. However, the ce was entirely safe. If not, he wouldn¡¯t be able to practice there. "I must thank Agenchra." Junhyuk got up and teleported. At the moment of the teleportation, the living spirit dispersed, and Junhyuk opened his eyes. He knew that if he focused on the spirit, his teleportation distance would increase. "Is it still a hundred meters?" he guessed at the distance he had traveled. Junhyuk didn¡¯t know how far he would be able to teleport in the battlefield, but for now, he focused on training. He did another hundred-meter teleportation and used the Spatial sh. The living spirit disappeared again, but this time he felt it. It traveled fifty meters out with the sh and returned to him. Junhyuk started thinking about what that could mean. "If I add the living spirit..." The living spirit absorbed mana, so if he added mana to his regr attack, he could create sword energy. Thinking that way, he thought the Spatial sh could deal even more damage. A spark appeared in his eyes, and he waited for the cooldown to end. It was time to improve his powers. --- The space tore apart, and twin-headed ogres appeared. There were ten of them looking around. "Rooaaar!" He looked at the ogres and cracked his neck left and right. "I¡¯ve been waiting." His health and mana were already filled up, and he activated the living spirit and took off running. Junhyuk went so fast that the ogres could only watch him. sh! Without leaving any trace, he sliced the two heads of one agre. Then, he stepped on the ogre¡¯s shoulder and jumped. As he jumped, the twin-headed ogres swung their weapons. They all had a reach of about five meters when taking the lengths of their arms and the tree trunks into consideration. Junhyuk saw a trunking his way and ducked. Then, he jumped for a second time and opened his legs wide as another trunk passed below them. After that, he turned around in midair and used the Spatial sh. As he did so, he activated the living spirit, and the Spatial sh hit the ogre standing in the center of the others. Then, a blood-colored shockwave swept through the surrounding ogres, and afternding back down, Junhyuk jumped again. The shockwave was enough to kill the ogres, which was a direct result of him activating the living spirit while using the Spatial sh. However, some ogres were outside of the range of the shockwave. The bodies of the twin-headed ogres were quite wide, and only two or three could fit within the ten-meter radius. Meanwhile, the more Junhyuk used the living spirit, the easier it would be for him to transfer his will to it. Junhyuk was already capable of controlling each of his muscles at will, and now, by strengthening his muscles with mana, his movements went even beyond the previous limit. He sliced an ogre¡¯s leg, kicked its head and continued running. As he ran, he saw the ogres¡¯ attacks and dodged to the side. Boom! The ground shook, and he jumped, cutting an ogre¡¯s arm, stabbing its shoulder and kicking its temple. He saw the ogre¡¯s head cave in and pulled out the sword while spinning. Of course, as he did, he shed the heads that were within range of the spin. Without stopping, he jumped again, and a trunk crashed against the ce where he had been standing. While in the air, he teleported and stabbed the back of an ogre¡¯s neck. Then, he pulled the sword out, slicing the ogre¡¯s head, andnded. "Whew!" He had already activated the living spirit, and he was getting tired much faster than previously, a side effect of him pushing past the limit of his movements. As he stood, he lowered his sword next to him. There were four twin-headed ogres remaining, and he exhaled heavily. "I can still do this." He ran forward again, and the ogres came at him like berserkers. --- Junhyuk was lying on the ground panting roughly. "Whoa! I¡¯m dying here." He got up and saw his arm deformed and bent out of shape. "Ugh!" Junhyuk learned there was a limit to using living spirit. On thest spawn, he had dealt with twenty-five twin-headed ogres, all within thirty minutes. At first, he had killed ten of them quickly, but as the number increased with each spawn, he had spent more time on each. At thest spawn, twenty-five of them had appeared, and he couldn¡¯t deal with them head on, so he had had to run and buy time to kill them. He walked over to the altar, dunked his head in it and drank. The water from the basin entered his body and recovered his health and mana, and his deformed arm regenerated as well. Junhyuk opened and closed his hand again and again and murmured, "Shit! B-ranked monsters are so strong!" During thest wave, he had had to block an ogre¡¯s attack with his left arm. He had been wearing armor, but the attack still broke his arm. However, those were still B-ranked monsters, and he didn¡¯t have anything to add to that. "Compared to buff monsters, these aren¡¯t very strong at all." He couldn¡¯t deal with buff monsters. Leaning against the altar, he looked around. The twin-headed ogres¡¯ bodies piled up, but there weren¡¯t that many of them. After some time, the others had naturally disappeared. It was just like a video-game. If one didn¡¯t pick up the drops, they disappeared. So, there were about forty bodies left. "I¡¯ll clean upter." Junhyuk was so tired, he couldn¡¯t do it now. His health and mana had been filled back up, but he was still tired. "I wish I could also recover from exhaustion." However, the living spirit was running through his arteries and that made him less tired. Junhyuk sat downfortably, and the spirit started moving again. The spirit travelled through his arteries twelve times, and his muscles felt less tired. Once it returned to his gut, he got up. "Whew!" Using the living spirit in the fights had earned him a lot. He could now swing his swords in any situation and he could also fight with his body instead of relying on his swords. Furthermore, the living spirit waspletely used to his body. "Now, time for the spoils." He had fought for two hours without checking what had dropped, so he started checking the bodies for blood and mana stones. Since they were B-ranked monsters, he found many. "Not all of them left some." He found thirteen mana stones and seven bloodstones. They were all heavy, which would bring him a nice amount of money, and even when the bodies had already disappeared, the stones remained. "I feel no need to sell them right now." Junhyuk had enough money for now, so he pulled out the crystal orb given to him by Agenchra. He took everything out of it and filled it back up with the bodies. "This is very nice." It wasn¡¯t a Spatial Bag, and he couldn¡¯t pull out the exact items he wanted, but it was the most effective thing for carrying bodies. When Junhyuk thought about fighting the twin-headed ogres again in the evening, he sighed. "I¡¯ll get some rest." He took off his armor and said, "Exit." Appearing in the bathroom, he smiled bitterly. "This is now my entrance." He was all bloodied, so he had to take another showered. After that, he walked out and prepared a light meal, cooking instant rice and some side dishes. He ate, went over to his bed andy down. Lying down, he felt the drowsiness of sleep approaching and murmured, "Not yet." It wasn¡¯t safe to bring Eunseo and Sarang to train with him yet. He alone would be responsible for them when that happened, but he would get them there eventually. In bed, he quickly fell asleep. He had trained beyond his limitations, so he couldn¡¯t stay awake and slept soundly and deeply. Then, his phone rang, and as he checked it, he smiled bitterly. He thought he had slept for only a moment, but it was already one in the afternoon. After checking the number, he picked it up. "Why are you calling?" "You came over yesterday and only talked to Elise. What happened to you?" "I had something to sell to Elise." "Ah! Does it have to do with someone stealing monsters from South Korea?" Heughed and answered, "You call it stealing, but it¡¯s a good thing someone stole them. It¡¯s better that way, isn¡¯t it?" "So, you aren¡¯t denying it?" "Nope. I got something from a hero and pulled the monster spawns, but it won¡¯t happen again," he answered. "You killed that many monsters all by yourself?" He smiled. Previously, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to deal with those monsters on his own, but now, he had the living spirit, and it made it easier to hunt. Currently, he was hunting groups of B-ranked monsters. "Is that why you called?" "Do you have time tonight?" "Tonight?" He took a moment to think and asked, "Is it important?" "No, it¡¯s not that." "Then, let¡¯s meet after next Friday." "After next Friday?" "Yes."

 Chapter 276 Unlimited Hunting 3

    Eunseo hesitated at first and then said something unexpected, "I really want to see you tonight." His brain shut down because of what she said. Eunseo seemed reckless, and he was a little taken aback. "Nothing¡¯s happened, right?" "Nothing special¡¯s happened, but I really want to see you." He took a moment to think. Right now, he had to concentrate on the legend candidates. However, when he had made up his mind and was about to turn her down, she spoke up first. "I don¡¯t know what to do. I had counseling, but it didn¡¯t help at all," she said, and he knew he couldn¡¯t turn her down anymore. After a moment, he said, "Let¡¯s meet tonight at six at Ilsan." He had to be home by 8:00 p.m., so he made the appointment ordingly. "Thanks. Then, I¡¯ll see you at Ilsan." Junhyuk hung up the phone and stared out the window. Then, he put on some clothes and went to the bathroom. "Enter." There wouldn¡¯t be any monstersing, so he sat down and felt for his arteries. If the living spirit moved through his veins, he would bete for his appointment, so he told it to go through his arteries and got up. That day, he had gained a lot from fighting the twin-headed ogres, and as he learned more through actual fighting, Junhyuk realized he needed to integrate that knowledge into the ways he grew. He pulled out a sword and swung it. By being able to transfer the living spirit in his body to it, he felt like he could sh anything he wanted, even space. Without stopping, he teleported and continued to practice his swordsmanship, nning on thwarting his future enemies. When he teleported, he focused on the spirit. His attacks were aimed to destroy his enemies, and while it had dealt with twin-headed ogres, he wanted for it to be able to overpower champions. He would deal with people on the same level as him eventually and he was feeling nervous about it. Junhyuk teleported and used the Spatial sh. The living spirit followed the sh, and he was able to transfer his will to the spirit, so the attack on apletely different level from before. "This is just on Earth. I need to check whether it works the same at the Dimensional Battlefield." Lowering his sword, Junhyuk exhaled deeply. "Whew!" Then, he closed his eyes, thinking about all the training he had done and said, "Exit." Appearing in the bathroom, he took a shower and changed clothes. Then, Junhyuk walked out and took a cab to Ilsan. When he reached Ilsan, he called Eunseo, and she told him which restaurant to go to, so he went there. It was a high-end restaurant, and because he had gotten there ahead of her, he told the waiter her name for the reservation and took a seat at their table. After a while, Eunseo opened the door and walked in. She looked at him while fixing her sses and smirked. He stood up to offer her a seat and then sat down again, staring calmly at her. She had always looked strong before, but now she seemed weak. Her physical appearance remained the same, but as he looked at her, he felt like he¡¯d been ignoring her. "Are you OK?" he asked her. But she raised her hand and said, "I¡¯ve already ordered for the both of us. Is that OK?" "That¡¯s fine." When she raised her hand, tes started leaving the kitchen, and she looked at him and continued calmly, "I¡¯m trying not to take too much of your time." Junhyuk smiled bitterly. "You don¡¯t have to try." Eunseo stared at him and added, "The fact is that I don¡¯t have much time myself." The food came out, and Eunseo ate while talking. "An interesting event took ce during thisst monster attack." "What event?" He had not heard about it, so he waited for her to borate. Eunseo continued calmly, "Ghana doesn¡¯t have an iron soldier, so they gathered novices and went monster hunting." "Just novices?" "Yes. The army was also there, but the novices had a decisive role in quelling the monsters. In Ghana, they are treated as heroes." Junhyuk put down his knife and pondered for a moment. They weren¡¯t hiding the novices, but disying them. "That¡¯s an interesting urrence." So far, the people that had been collecting novices had been hiding that fact from the public. This new development wasn¡¯t going to seat well with those people, but there were ces that not even Guardians could reach, and they had to make ns of their own and use the novices." "What is Guardians going to do?" "There¡¯s nothing we can do. They got the mana stones from the monster hunt, and by using those mana stones, we are making a massive quantity of iron soldiers. We¡¯ll be able to deploy them to over a hundred countries." "That¡¯s good." Eunseo cut her steak and put the slice in her mouth. "By glorifying novices and getting their help, every country would be able to remain safe. And, in the end, by fighting monsters with iron soldiers, Guardians would influence the entire world." "Maybe they¡¯ll choose both options." "Yes. Countries can oversee novice teams and the iron soldiers. With cooperation from the police and the military, those countries will deal with the monsters." Junhyuk thought for a moment and asked, "Perhaps, did any more monsters appear after those novices took care of the ones in Ghana?" "Yes, but the military in intervening now." Junhyuk thought of Agenchra. Their objective was to activate as many novices as possible and to activate heroes from them. When the novices killed the monsters, management sent more, which meant that they would send more monsters to where novices were gathered. It looked like they were testing the novices, but it didn¡¯t feel like those were their real intentions. "They must be waiting!" "What do you mean?" "Nothing." Junhyuk thought his ideas were too undeveloped to reveal, so he changed the subject. "By the way, who did you meet in yourst trip to the Dimensional Battlefield?" Eunseo put down her knife and fork and said, "Among the allied heroes, there was a very strong hero. She had just be a hero, and the lower part of her body was that of a horse." "Was it Gyulsean?" "Ah! Do you know her?" He smiled bitterly. Kaljaque, who used to be in his team, was now fighting Sora and giving her easy victories. Gyulsean, his previous enemy, was now a hero and helping Eunseo¡¯s team achieve victories. It was all very interesting. "It¡¯s important to befriend allied heroes, but don¡¯t forget you have only one life to give. You have a counterattack power, so you¡¯ll be able to escape dangerous situations, but you can¡¯t really run away like Sora." "I know." "Don¡¯t step in front of an enemy. Keep yourself safe." Eunseo smiled at him. It was a rare smile from her, and he smiled back. "Thanks. You areforting me." Junhyuk was curious about why she had wanted to see him that night. Was it because of the glorification of the novices or for her to get somefort? After finishing her light meal, Eunseo got up and asked, "When can I see Sarang?" He thought for a moment and said, "It is not good to procrastinate, so this weekend should be good." "Really?" He smiled at her. "Have I ever told you a lie?" "No. I trust you and I¡¯ll wait." Junhyuk walked her out and went back to his ce. His watch said 7:40 p.m. He turned on Max¡¯s cell phone and opened the app that connected to Ganesha. Through it, he watched videos of the novices in Ghana. There were five people with powers. They were adoring those novices and making videos of their actions in Ghana. In the videos, the monsters attacking them were giant snakes. As the ferocious snakes attacked, each novice disyed a different power. The snakes were being hit by military weapons, but the novices rushed toward them. A novice seemed cut and full of muscles, suddenly dashing toward a snake and hitting its head. The shock torn the snake apart, and Junhyuk frowned as he watched. "It seems to be a basic damage power, but the low-ranked monster disappeared with the attack, so I can¡¯t tell much about it." It could just be a simple rushing power, or something else. He couldn¡¯t tell. A snake had disappeared without much effort, so the other snakes turned toward the novices, and a woman stepped forward. The African woman extended her hand, and the slithering snakes slowed down. Meanwhile, another novice stepped in. The novice jumped way up, and mmed against the ground. It was a simple attack, but the shockwave generated from the attack killed the snakes around. The shockwave had a ten-meter radius from the novice¡¯s point of impact. The remaining snakes rushed at the novices, but another novice stepped forward with a raised hand, and the snakes mmed against each other. They had lost their sense of direction, and Junhyuk frowned. A power that made monsters lose their senses might work against heroes, and he was curious about it. The snakes gathered together, and a fat African man stepped forward. Rolling himself into a ball, he rushed toward the snakes. As he mmed against them, he bounced off toward another snake. He struck the snakes five times before stopping and smiling. Therge snakes were already torn to pieces, but Junhyuk was able to learn the man¡¯s power. "Some kind of bludgeoning power with a five-hitbo?! That could be dangerous for him." If the man tried to attack heroes with that power, regardless of the damage, he would die. Junhyuk thought he wouldn¡¯t be seeing that man again next time. Another video had all five of them making a TV appearance, but Junhyuk wasn¡¯t interested in watching it, so he turned off the app and checked the time. It was 8:00 p.m. Junhyuk went to the bathroom and said, "Enter." He saw a newly-appeared monster in front of him and frowned. "It¡¯s not a twin-headed ogre." He already knew twin-headed ogres were B-ranked monsters, but he had never seen what was in front of him at the moment. It had the head of an alligator and broad shoulders and strong legs. Its tail was wagging behind it. As it saw Junhyuk, it pulled out its weapon from a holster behind it. It was a saw-ded sword. Junhyuk knew the monster was smaller than the twin-headed ogre, but also probably stronger. "It gets boring fighting only twin-headed ogres," he said and closed in, swinging his sword down. ng! The twin-headed ogres had not been able to respond to him because of the living spirit within his body, but this monster was different. "Tsc! You are quick!" ng, ng, ng! Junhyuk parried the saw-ded sword with his duals swords and frowned. "You can speak?" "Yeah, I can speak." Stepping back, Junhyuk asked, "What is the name of your species?" "Elidra is the proud name of my species." "I have some time. Shall we y?" Junhyuk smiled as he asked. The twin-headed ogres had enough power to break through his armor and shatter his bones, but this new monster was fast, and its quickness was iparable to the twin-headed ogres. From then on, he would also be dealing with Elidras, and he wanted to know more about them as he swung his sword.

 Chapter 277 New Enemy 1

    Junhyuk was breathing roughly while staring at the fallen Elidras on the ground. At first, they were difficult to deal with, but in the end, he was able to kill all of them. They had sharp and quick movements and sharp tail attacks and, as their numbers increased, they started mountingbined attacks. They were surely shocking enemies. While fighting them, he earned a lot. By making use of the living spirit, he got astonishingly faster. The Elidras were a good opponent for him. Junhyuk was more skilled in swordsmanship than the Elidras, but they made up for theirck of swordsmanship with erratic movement. Because of that, he was able to improve his sword skills even further. His opponents couldn¡¯t fill the gap between swordsmanship with wild movement. That was something he learned. To begin with the first one, he had been able to use what he had learned and shed through it easily. Their wild characteristics could not match his skill, but as the number increased to ten, he met his match. After being cut on the ribs and shoulder, he focused on the battle to push beyond his limitations and learned, on his own, how to suppress the living spirit to a part of his body. Willing the spirit to move a bit faster when it was suppressed, his own speed increased, and he forgot all about going slow. He got much faster as he rushed toward his enemies. Multiple Elidras died by his faster speed through the suppressed spirit. But, by doing so, he felt even more tired. "Whew! There is nothing in this world that is free." The faster speed by use of the suppressed living spirit required three times the normal energy expenditure. He had been able to kill the enemies in a short time, but he was now lying on the ground, waiting for his energy to return. To recover, he would need to use the living spirit. If he kept suppressing the spirit, he would use more energy, so he slowly let the living spirit run through his arteries. As he recovered slowly, he connected to Arn through the Dimensional Communication Device. "What happened?" "I fought B-ranked monsters called Elidras." "Hm. Fighting other monsters along with the twin-headed ogres will help you." "Right. I want to ask you something." "What is it?" "This time, when I was fighting the Elidras, I tried to move faster and inadvertently suppressed the living spirit. However, by doing so, I used up my energy very fast." "You learned how to suppress the living spirit on your own?" "Yes." Arn was silent for a while before breaking out in very hard and loudughter. "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! It hasn¡¯t been that long that you got the living spirit, and you learned how to suppress it so fast!" After his heartyughter, Arn got serious again. "You have a lot to learn about the living spirit. It¡¯ll changed how you will it, so it all depends on how you use it and your imagination. You¡¯ve just learned how to elerate." "Can I use it at the Dimensional Battlefield?" "No. You can¡¯t use it there." He was disappointed, but Arn continued, "Now you know how significant the limitations are at the battlefield." Junhyuk suddenly thought of Gongon. Even with his bare body, the hatchling had superior skills to others. Then, how strong was Gongon, really? The dragon was being limited, but he was still very strong. Junhyuk kept panting as he slowly got up. "Suppressed eleration... are there other skills to learn? Can you give me hints?" "There are a few other things, but you won¡¯t be able to use them now. You learned eleration, so focus on it. Master that skill first." "I understand." "Then, good luck." Arn was done talking and disconnected. The living spirit had moved through his arteries while they conversed, and now, he was able to move around easily. Junhyuk walked over to the Elidras¡¯ bodies, looking for mana stones and bloodstones, but they only dropped mana stones, and there were twenty-two of them. He realized that the Elidras were different from the twin-headed ogres and thought that he would probably go against a B-ranked monster that only dropped bloodstones. He emptied the crystal orb and filled it back up again with all of the bodies, including the Elidras¡¯ this time. After that, he started wondering if he should get rid of some of the bodies now because if he filled it up with an endless quantity, he wouldn¡¯t be able to empty it anywhereter. "I¡¯ll go talk to Elise this weekend." Junhyuk stopped thinking about the bodies and, as Arn instructed him, practiced his eleration. He demanded faster speeds from the living spirit, and, while it was suppressed, it travelled through the arteries in his legs at amazing speed. Junhyuk ran and swung his sword. sh! With boosted eleration, he started swinging his swords. He thought of the Elidras mountingbined attacks and swung ordingly, putting all his might in his swings. Within three minutes, he was resting with his swords pointed to the ground, breathing hard again. "Whew! Did I improve?" The eleration period had increased, which he was relieved about as he copsed on the ground. "I¡¯ll rest until tomorrow morning." Junhyuk closed his eyes and unleashed the living spirit. It passed quickly through his arteries and moved over to his veins. It would take the spirit six hours to go through it all, but he was rxed now and focused on the spirit running through his veins. Afte sessions of B-ranked monsters, the living spirit¡¯s own willpower had increased, and Junhyuk could no longer control it while it travelled through his veins. Junhyuk felt the spirit absorbing mana as it went on its path, and a smile appeared on his face. As hey on the ground looking up at the sky, he felt for it. He didn¡¯t fall asleep, but due to the spirit travelling through his body, he felt much less tired. The twin-headed ogre was strong, and the Elidra was quick. He had dealt with them both, and on Friday, at 6:00 a.m., he saw the new monsters spawning andughed hard. "Now, both of them areing at same time?!" At first, only the twin-headed ogres came out, so he was expecting more waves of twin-headed ogres. But this time, a twin-headed ogre and an Elidra spawned at the same time. Junhyuk thought that the two monsters would fight each other, but they both rushed toward him. He had not expected them to work together, much less usebined attacks against him. Using its strength, the ogre pushed him and tried to find an opening while the Elidra kept him distracted. Junhyuk suppressed the living spirit and elerated. By using eleration, he could kill his enemies easily, but he got extremely tired in the process, and even drinking from the basin wouldn¡¯t recover his energy. He chose to sh the enemies quickly and let the living spirit travel through his arteries to recover his energy. While the living spirit went through his arteries, it absorbed mana and, during that short time, it let him recuperate very fast. Junhyuk killed the ogre and the Elidra, and after that, within the time limit, he killed all the other monsters. In the end, however, he almost copsed from exhaustion. "Still very difficult." As the enemy numbers increased, so did theirbined attack skills, and he had had a tough time, but he managed to deal with all of them. Lying on the ground, he closed his eyes and went over the battles in his mind. "The summons to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield stops time, so it won¡¯t matter." With closed eyes, he willed the living spirit to travel through his veins. It went slowly, and as he felt for it, his muscles recuperated. He felt each sinewy part and smiled. "Interesting enemies." With thebination of strength and quickness, they had taught him a lot aboutbined attacks and how to find openings. And by using his powers, he had learned more about how to use them. "The problem is my powers haven¡¯t evolved enough yet." He had killed the monsters without using the force field, but meanwhile, he thought seriously about how to sell the monster bodies. "If I can make money from them, I will sell them. If not, I¡¯ll let them disappear." He thought the B-ranked monster bodies would bring him money and help out Elise in the process. His mind wandered, and heughed. He had engaged in a bloody battle while focusing on the living spirit for two hours. He was growing up fast. Now, he was able to let the living spirit run through his veins while thinking of other things. He knew that if he thought of other things the spirit would slow down, and that focusing on the living spirit made it absorb more mana and travel faster, so he decided to focus on it. In the previous battle, the allies had been defeated soundly, and they were hoping he would be victorious in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. They would be betting on him to try to get better items for themselves. It was a gamble, but he wouldn¡¯t refuse the situation. The 3,000G he earned for every kill wasn¡¯t important, but the victory reward was, and this time, he nned to learn about how to use the enhancement stones. Junhyukyfortably and focused on the spirit travelling through his veins. --- The living spirit had also grown. It travelled through his veins three times and it only took five hours to do it. Junhyuk opened his eyes at one in the morning, returned home and showered. Then, he called Sarang. "Brother, why did you call me first?" "Me? I won¡¯t be able to connect to you." "What are you talking about?" "My training facility has been built, but there is no reception there. I n to train there and go directly to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield." "Where is that ce? Why won¡¯t phones work?" Heughed and answered, "After Ie back from the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, I¡¯ll tell you. It¡¯s a special ce." "Are you going to win?" "If nothing has changed, I will win. I¡¯ve already fought those enemies, and we are superior to them." "The heroes are counting on you. Do well!" "Don¡¯t worry." He thought of something and added, "And Saturday, we¡¯ll meet Eunseo together." "Really?" "Yes. She wants to meet you, and I¡¯ll also show you my training grounds." "Whoa!" He thought of Eunseo and told her, "If you have any problems, call me anytime." "May I?" "Of course! Don¡¯t worry. Just call." "Your facility has no cell reception." He took a moment to think and said, "Send me messages." "Hm, sure. Big brother, win and return safely." "Right." Junhyuk hung up and ate his lunch. nning to skip dinner, he teleported to the bathroom and said, "Enter." He wanted to train harder and, as he entered, hey on the ground. Junhyuk had the option to practice his powers, but he wanted to grow the living spirit more, so hey there and sent it through his veins. After finishing up, he focused on practicing his powers. There was just an hour left before he went to the Dimensional Battlefield, so he trained hard for that hour and, at 8:00 p.m., he sat on the ground and closed his eyes. The living spirit was still running through his arteries when he felt the bright white light pierce his cornea. He was being transported to the battlefield and, as he slowly opened his eyes, he checked out how much gold he had: 232,760G. He had only killed a few on thest battlefield, and his coins did not increase. Smiling bitterly, he summoned his equipment as he heard a soft voice. [The exnation on the Swamp of Despair has been deleted by request. The victory item for this Swamp of Despair is a sack of random items. Inside the sack, you¡¯ll find random items from magic items to rare items, so do your best to win.] The items inside would bring him a nice amount of gold. If he got lucky, he might get rare items, which he would use right away. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t lose. He had to win. [Champion Junhyuk Lee deployed.]

 Chapter 278 New Enemy 2

    Junhyuk walked outside and saw the lizardmen kneeling in front of Gongon and Aktur. Gongon wagged his tail at him and tilted his head slightly toward him. "Looks like you have grown taller?" "Is that right?" He looked around for something to measure his height against, but could not find anything suitable forparison. Aktur, who had his arms crossed, said calmly, "You¡¯ve certainly grown taller." Junhyuk smiled. "Did I really grow?" he asked. Then, he stretched his arms and added, "What should we do this time? Same asst time?" Aktur shook his head. "Our enemies have changed." "They¡¯ve changed? I thought teams couldn¡¯t change." "Correct." He didn¡¯t know where Aktur had gotten that information, but he realized that Aktur had better connections than he did. Junhyuk looked at the mummy rather strangely, and Aktur continued calmly, "Drakey and Lugos are dead. So, they brought in two more champions." "Drakey and Lugos are dead?!" Junhyuk had fought themst time, and hearing that they were dead now made him feel strange. They couldn¡¯t have been killed in a silly way. They had been too skilled for that. "It happened in their dimensions, so I don¡¯t know the details. However, others were brought in." "What are they like, these new ones?" Gongon asked. Aktur showed him his palms and said, "I don¡¯t know anything about them. We¡¯ll have to fight them to find out more." Something was nagging at Junhyuk. Only Kraken still remained. "Did Kraken kill those two?" "He wouldn¡¯t be that stupid." "We don¡¯t know that." Of their three enemies, two had died, so Junhyuk was suspicious of the third. Gongon shrugged. "This ce has many limitations. There is no way to be sure of who is stronger in their own dimensions, but I don¡¯t think Kraken can travel between dimensions." "You think it¡¯s a coincidence?" Gongon wagged his tail. "That¡¯s my thought on the subject." Junhyuk looked at Aktur and asked, "Then, are we adopting a new strategy?" "No. When you meet the enemy, make sure tomunicate to the others. We have to know what kind of enemies they are beforeing up with a new strategy?" Junhyuk nodded and looked at Gongon, saying, "Then, let¡¯s move together!" "Sure." Aktur took the upper bath, and Gongon and Junhyuk went toward the bottom. Junhyuk took fifty lizardmen and headed toward the watchtower. When Junhyuk had first arrived, he had wanted to check on his teleportation¡¯s range, so as he walked with Gongon, he teleported suddenly. Seeing the distance he had covered, he smiled. "OK." Gongon ran toward him while wagging his tail. "Did you just teleport through twenty meters?" "I trained like a dog. It was worth it," Junhyuk said, smiling. Previously, the distance had not increased at all. However, this time, it had doubled at once. Before, he would¡¯ve been vulnerable to attacks, but now, his enemies wouldn¡¯t be able to reach him unless they used their powers. And when considering two teleportations, even long-ranged attacks wouldn¡¯t be able to hit him. He could also always run away. Junhyuk looked at the sword he was holding and wondered about how the Spatial sh had changed. He couldn¡¯t use it on Gongon, so he wanted to meet their enemies quickly. cing a hand on Gongon¡¯s head, he said, "This time, I worked hard as well." "Hi-hi-hi. You are something else." Last time, Gongon had trained hard before going to the battlefield, and they had gotten satisfying results from his effort. This time, Junhyuk had worked hard in hopes of simr results. His powers hadn¡¯t improved only in South Korea, but in the battlefield as well, and that was all because of the living spirit within him. Junhyuk had learned that even if the battlefield had limitations, he could still improve his powers. He tried to walk away quickly, but Gongon jumped on his neck. Junhyuk looked at the hatchling, who simply wagged his tail. "Let¡¯s go!" He smiled bitterly while giving Gongon a piggyback ride and ran. As always, the watchtowers were weaker than in the Valley of Death. Once he reached it, he tapped Gongon¡¯s foot lightly. After Gongon dropped to the ground, Junhyuk looked at the enemies in front of him. He had met Kraken before, but there was another champion there. However, that champion looked familiar. "An Elidra?" Opposite of him, was a champion with an alligator head and broad shoulders. Elidras were quick, but they weren¡¯t as big as the one in front of him, who had even wider shoulders and a highly trained body. The Elidra stepped forward and pulled out two saw-ded swords from his waist. "Nice to meet you. I am Nid, the savior of the Elidra species." Junhyuk had already seen the Elidras¡¯ wild dual swordsmanship, but the others hadn¡¯t been able to use proper technique. The Elidra in front of him was different, however, and without knowing what powers the Elidra had, he couldn¡¯t just step forward. Gongon walked ahead and said, "Kraken, two of your teammates have changed, but you still can¡¯t win." The hatchling turned to Nid and added, "Especially when you are paired with that low ss species." A spark appeared in Nid¡¯s eyes, and he stared coldly at the dragon. "Don¡¯t get him excited," Junhyuk said. Gongon shook his head. "No. Some excitement is good. I want to see his powers." Gongon¡¯s eyes also looked cold, and Junhyuk smiled bitterly. Even though he is young, Gongon was still a dragon, and the things he said weren¡¯t wrong. Junhyuk saw Nid running toward them and said, "I¡¯ll start." "OK." How much stronger had the Spatial sh gotten? Junhyuk ran toward Nid, and when there were about fifty meters between them, he swung the Blood Rune Sword from behind him. With a sh, the sword disappeared. The Spatial sh disappeared from his enemy¡¯s sight and reappeared immediately. His enemy couldn¡¯t match its speed, and without any uncertainty, blood gushed out of Nid¡¯s neck. "Ugh!" Junhyuk had added the living spirit to the Spatial sh and noticed a difference. While he wasn¡¯t sure of what kind of equipment Nid had, as Nid¡¯s neck tore apart, Nid lost 45 percent of his health. The strike created a shockwave, and since Kraken had been following Nid, Kranken lost 17 percent of its health. The shockwave dealt 50 percent of the original strike¡¯s damage, and it had dealt 17 percent of damage to Kraken¡¯s health, which meant that the shockwave had hit for 2 percent more damage than before. Even if he wasn¡¯t sure about Nid¡¯s defense, he was satisfied with the damage increase. Junhyuk did not stop, running forward as fast as he could. Of course, his regr speed hadn¡¯t changed. However, the Dimensional Battlefield had unlimited mana, and there was no way topare it to the training facility. He had been absorbing mana all the while, so he focused on the living spirit so it wouldn¡¯t enter his veins. With a burst of speed, he shed against Nid. ng! The swords shed, and Nid bared his teeth against him. "Your skills are astounding." Junhyuk felt Nid¡¯s strength pressing against his sword and frowned. Junhyuk possessed the highest quality attack rune and was strong himself, but Nid was not being pushed around by him. Elidras specialized in speed, so he thought Nid was surely a champion. Then, Nidughed and said, "Shall I repay my debt to you?" Junhyuk realized that Nid was about to use a power and became anxious. At once and regardless of Nid¡¯s power, he decided to be hit by it. There was no single blow that could kill him. At that moment, Nid¡¯s sword became translucent and passed by his sword, shing him in the chest. "Ugh!" Junhyuk groaned and winced in pain, but more importantly, he had to dodge Nid¡¯s next attack. So, Junhyuk stepped back, but Nid tracked after him, saying, "I am sorry, but you can¡¯t outrun me." Nid closed in quickly, so Junhyuk teleported. At once, he appeared twenty meters back, and Nid stared at him with wide eyes. At that moment, Gongon rushed toward Nid. Boom! Gongon headbutted Nid, who bounced back, rolling on the ground. Kraken appeared suddenly, grabbing Gongon by the legs and raising him up. As Kraken held on to Gongon¡¯s limbs, Junhyuk clicked his tongue. He hadn¡¯t wanted to show all of his powers from the start, but he, too, had experienced Kraken¡¯s twisting power and did not want anyone to feel that vited. Junhyuk extended his hand, and an ivory light appeared from Gongon¡¯s body. Kraken no longer had a hold of Gongon, and Junhyuk looked at Nid. NId¡¯s translucent sword had returned to its normal consistency. As Gongon dropped to the ground, he could not hold his fury back, and a firebreath spewed from his mouth. The mes swept across the enemy line. After being hit by Gongon¡¯s headbutt and now his firebreath, Nid was left with 15 percent of his health. Nid grimaced and looked at Junhyuk and Gongon, who were within the force field. "A protective shield?" "Correct. Even heroes don¡¯t have that type of force field," Kraken said. Nid nodded and stepped back, drinking a potion. His health went back up to 35 percent. "They are strong enough." Kraken¡¯s eyes sparked as it said, "They aren¡¯t easy." Gongon hadn¡¯t transformed yet, so Kraken retreated within the watchtower¡¯s range. Junhyuk and Gongon chased after their enemies, but they couldn¡¯t close in. Junhyuk had already used his teleports, and Gongon didn¡¯t have any speed boost items. The force field had prevented Kraken¡¯s power, but that was its only use. While standing next to Junhyuk, Gongon wagged his tail and asked, "How is your injury?" Junhyuk checked his health and murmured softly, "Nid¡¯s power disappeared, so it looks like it has a time limit. His strike took 20 percent off my health." "Was it a critical hit?" "Yes." "Then, don¡¯t worry about it. I kept an eye on it, and it onlysts for three seconds." "Don¡¯t dismiss it. He has high movement speed, and you can¡¯t block his attack when his power is active." If Junhyuk got hit by three attacks within those three seconds, he might even lose 60 percent of his health. And they hadn¡¯t seen Nid¡¯s two other powers yet. If Nid really went all out, he might die. Gongonughed and said, "I¡¯ll go first and be the shield." The hatchling stepped forward, and Junhyuk walked behind him. "We haven¡¯t seen his other powers. Be careful." "When a lion hunts a rabbit, a lion does his best," Gongon said, running ahead. He entered the watchtower¡¯s range to kill Nid, who had 35 percent of his health left. Nid¡¯s health and defense weren¡¯t great. Compared to Kraken, Nid¡¯s defense was rather low. However, Nid¡¯s attack stat seemed to be significant. Junhyuk stopped worrying and ran behind Gongon, who was already ahead. If Gongon were to use his power at that point, it would be his transformation. Junhyuk saw Kraken taking the front and swinging its long tentacles. Gongon was very small, but that he was able to dodge all of Kraken¡¯s tentacles was unbelievable. Then, Gongon headbutted Kraken and shouted as he continued to attack, "You finish him off!" Thinking of it, Gongon held a deep grudge against Kraken. Junhyukughed and closed in on Nid, who he thought he could kill easily with the amount of health Nid had left. As he approached, Junhyuk swung his sword, but Nid blocked it with his own. A smile appeared on Nid¡¯s face, and he said, "Now, it¡¯s my turn, right?" Nid spun around, touching Junhyuk lightly.

 Chapter 279 New Enemy 3

    After Nid grazed his ribs and passed him by, Junhyuk scowled. He had no way to block the attack just now. It was almost like sword energy had left Nid¡¯s body to attack him. When Junhyuk checked himself, he realized that Nid had taken away 30 percent of his health. Nid had the translucent sword attack and this seemingly phasing sword strike. If he used both powers at the same time, he would be able to deal incredibly high damage. Junhyuk wanted to know what Nid¡¯s remaining power was, but as he looked around and saw arrows flying at him from the watchtower, he ran toward Nid, who saw himing and smiled. "Ha-ha-ha! Let¡¯s bring an end to all of this." Nid ran toward him, but Junhyuk wasn¡¯t worried. He stepped forward, swinging his sword, and Nid did the same with his saw-ded sword. ng! When both swords shed, Nid smirked at him... "This is your end!" ... and suddenly howled. Junhyuk¡¯s body froze with Nid¡¯s howl. With only half of his health left, bing paralyzed was the worst thing that could have happened. The howl also took 5 percent of his health away. Nid shed at him. sh, sh, sh, sh! A single cut dealt 8 percent of damage to him, and he was attacked four times, taking 32 percent of his health. Junhyuk only had 13 percent left. After being paralyzed for three seconds, he was able to move again, so he dodged Nid¡¯s next attack. Ducking, he escaped and followed up with his own swing, which he learned from fighting the Elidras. The sword travelled quickly through Nid¡¯s ribs. "Argh!" Nid lost 7 percent of his health, but Junhyuk passed nimbly through Nid¡¯s side and followed it up with another swing of his sword. After the second strike, Nid¡¯s eyes widened. He had started the engagement with 35 percent of his health and, now, he only had 21 percent left. Meanwhile, Junhyuk had regained a little of his own health, 3 percent, which put his health at 16 percent. Parrying Nid¡¯s attack, Junhyuk stepped back. Nid ran toward him, swinging his saw-ded sword, and Junhyuk instinctively raised his own sword to block. That¡¯s when Nid¡¯s sword became translucent. "Hm!" Junhyuk did not block the saw-ded sword. Instead, he tried to retreat quickly. However, he was toote in doing so and got sliced through his chest in the process. His armor tore apart, and blood sttered through it, taking 10 percent of Junhyuk¡¯s health with it. Junhyuk had 6 percent of his health left now and grimaced. That¡¯s when Nid¡¯s translucent sword came at him again. However, this time, he knew there was no way for him to dodge it, so he clicked his tongue and teleported twenty-meters back. As a result, Nid turned around and aimed for Gongon. Gongon saw Niding toward him, scoffed and jumped by kicking off Kraken¡¯s head. However, Kraken grabbed Gongon¡¯s legs and kept him off the ground. Meanwhile, Nid swung his sword at Gongon unceasingly. Gongon couldn¡¯t move, and Nid went at him like crazy. Because Gongon couldn¡¯t block, he started getting hit by critical hits. One of the shes against his chest took 15 percent of his health. However, once the translucent sword ended, Nid had to wait on the cooldown to use it again, and at that moment, Gongon transformed into therge dragon. Gongon deflected Nid¡¯s saw-ded sword and back-kicked Kraken, pushing the octopus back. At the same, Junhyuk was running back toward them. The Spatial sh was off cooldown, and Junhyuk thought he could put an end to the situation with it. Meanwhile, Gongon had to stand his ground. With 72 percent of his health left, Gongon allowed some of Nid¡¯s shes to go through, and Kraken dealt some damage to him. However, Gongon was still strong enough. The hatchling¡¯s defense was very high, and he wouldn¡¯t die in a situation like that. Gongon was still transformed and running toward Kraken, and the octopus opened its mouth wide toward him. It was the ink attack. Losing his vision wouldn¡¯t be a problem, but if Junhyuk was hit by it, there was a chance he could get killed, and he didn¡¯t want to die. So, Junhyuk kept an eye out for the attack¡¯s timing. Kraken shot out the ck in from its mouth, and Junhyuk jumped. Because he had jumped vertically, he was able to dodge the ink. In response, both Kraken and Nid looked up at him. However, they quickly lost interest and went back to focusing on Gongon. The enemies were running toward the dragon, and Junhyuk smiled and used the Spatial sh. This time, he shed one of Kraken¡¯s eyes, and the blood red shockwave swept across Nid. [You¡¯ve killed Nid and earned 3,000G.] He had killed the champion and hended smiling. Nid had had surprising powers, and he was capable of killing Junhyuk by himself, so Junhyuk had to be careful of him. Nid¡¯s howl would be particrly dangerous during a team battle. Junhyuk checked his health, which went from 6 percent to 18 percent. Gongon was blind, and Kraken headbutted him and grabbed the dragon¡¯s legs, throwing him toward the watchtower. While under attack from the watchtower, Junhyuk ran toward Kraken, but the octopus simply ignored him and ran toward Gongon. Kraken had 55 percent of its health left, and Gongon had 64 percent. Under attack from the tower¡¯s archers, the hatchling had not recovered his sight yet. Junhyuk ran quickly toward Kraken. Although his regr movement speed had not increased, Junhyuk felt that his attack speed had increased a bit. Kraken swung its tentacles at him without paying too much attention, and Junhyuk smiled. Before, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to dodge the tentacles. But now, he had fought twenty-five Elidras and he was able to find the openings in Kraken¡¯s attacks. Kraken wasn¡¯t focused at all, and Junhyuk threw himself at the openings between the tentacles. Meanwhile, Gongon had recovered his sight and started running toward Kraken, grabbing the octopus¡¯ attention. Junhyuk smiled. Junhyuk dodged all of Kraken¡¯s attacks, closing in and stabbing it with the Frozen Rune Sword. The sword sunk deep into Kraken, and Kraken¡¯s eyes widened. It swung all of its tentacles at Junhyuk, who blocked them with the Blood Rune Sword and twisted the Frozen Rune Sword deeper into the octopus. "Ugh!" Kraken groaned and writhed in pain. It lost 15 percent of its health, leaving it with 40 percent. Junhyuk knew he couldn¡¯t let up, so he pulled out the Frozen Rune Sword, shed one of the tentacles and retreated. Kraken¡¯s attack speed was debuffed, and Junhyuk was able to dodge everything. At that point, Gongon joined in and switched with Junhyuk. "You did well!" Gongon said calmly, kicking Kraken. "Should I help you some more?" "There is no need!" Gongon dodged the tentacles, closed in and kicked Kraken again. Boom! Then, he breathed fire, which was a critical hit, and Kraken disappeared. [Gongon killed Kraken.] Junhyuk sighed, relieved, but that¡¯s when he heard another soft announcement. [Kilraden killed Aktur.] Junhyuk grimaced. "Aktur was killed?" Up to now, Aktur had had a lot of experience fighting Drakey, and he had learned to deter his enemy for some time by using the watchtower. Even if the enemy was strong, Junhyuk thought Aktur would¡¯ve been able to handle the situation. However, Aktur had died way too easily! Junhyuk sighed and said, "This one must be stronger than the old champions." Nid was quite dangerous, and the champion who had killed Aktur had to be dangerous as well. Gongon wagged his tail and added, "Aktur is a bit weak." Junhyuk wanted to say something, but he couldn¡¯tpare Aktur to Gongon. Gongon had fought Drakey in the past and disyed his superior strength. To Gongon, Aktur had to be weak. Junhyuk looked ahead and said, "Let¡¯s destroy the watchtower." Gongon whistled, and the lizardmen rushed crazily. That was the best way to fight before Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh came off cooldown. Unworried, he joined the lizardmen in destroying the watchtower. Once it was down, Junhyuk inhaled deeply. Gongon had his eyes slightly widened as he stared at Junhyuk. "What are you doing?" Junhyuk was absorbing mana, and he smiled at the hatchling¡¯s question. "Nothing much. By the way, let¡¯s go see the sorcerer." "Right." Gongon got on his neck, and Junhyuk sighed. "You must, huh?" With the dragon on his shoulders, he looked at the lizardmen. "Follow us." There were thirty-five lizardmen remaining, and he did not want to waste them. They could be of use in the future. Then, he started running while giving Gongon a piggyback ride, headed to the ind where Hatma was located. On the way, Aktur connected with him. "You must be careful." "Of Kilraden? What are his powers?" "He is a lot like you. He can teleport, but only for a short distance. However, he can do it three times straight." Junhyuk frowned. He had never met Kilraden, but even if the range of his teleportation was short, by being able to do it three times at once, he would be a difficult opponent. Even if Aktur pulled him, he could simply escape. Junhyuk continued, "What about his other powers?" "He can hide for three seconds." "Hide? Is he an assassin?" "He dealt an absurd amount of damage to me." With the ability to hide and teleport, Kilraden was a dangerous assassin. "What about his other power?" "I haven¡¯t seen it." Junhyuk scowled. Aktur had only been able to see two powers before he was killed. His defense was low, but that was still shocking. "OK. When we meet him, we¡¯ll find out. By the way, we are on our way to meet Hatma." "I¡¯ll head there as well." "OK." Considering that they would meet enemies on the ind, it would be better if Aktur also came along. Their enemies had to reincarnate and make their way there, so Junhyuk would get there first. However, they would probably interfere once he tried to leave the ind. Junhyuk told Gongon what Aktur had told him. "The person who killed Aktur must be an assassin." "An assassin?" "He can hide for three seconds and teleport three times, even if the range of each teleport is short." "Ha! Someone else has powers rted to space?" "Yes, and he¡¯ll probably be difficult to handle." Gongon thought for a moment and said, "Usually, assassins have a high attack stat, but their defense is shitty!" "That¡¯s usually the case." Gongonughed. "Then, you kill him." "Easy for you to say." Honestly speaking, Junhyuk wanted to meet Kilraden. Assassins could deal a lot of damage if their attacksnded correctly. As he ran, he absorbed mana without letting the living spirit into his veins. Instead, the spirit ran through his arteries, which enabled it to absorb a lot more mana than otherwise. The Dimensional Battlefield was a good ce to nurture the spirit. "Let¡¯s go see Hatma!" As he ran, Junhyuk heard a soft voice. [The high-ranking sorcerer in the Swamp of Despair has woken up. Help him out, and he¡¯ll give you satisfying rewards.] Junhyuk turned to Gongon and said, "Maybe we¡¯ve taken longer than we thought? Or is Hatma waking up earlier than usual?" "He woke up early. Does it matter?" Junhyuk looked at the purple sky. Hatma was one of the staples of the battlefield. That he had woken up early meant that something had changed. It was not something to simply ignore. Letting go of his thoughts, Junhyuk picked up the pace and reached the ind. He started crossing the stepping stones while seeing someone at the opposite end of them. The person was wearing all white clothing. A bandana covered his eyes, and only his chin was visible. The man was standing where Junhyuk was about tond on the ind. Gongon smiled. "That is the assassin?" Junhyuk tapped Gongon¡¯s feet lightly, and Gongon got off of him. "Kill him."

 Chapter 280 Cant Lose This Round 1

    An assassin. Junhyuk had already fought one before, and they were difficult to deal with. He had also been killed by thest one he fought. Last time, the assassin had used the shadows to move around, but this time it was teleportation. Junhyuk didn¡¯t like the fact that assassins had specialized powers. He closed in, leaving exactly two stepping stones left. The enemy could hide, so he had to decrease the number of directions the enemy could attack from. Junhyuk stood on the stepping stone, looking at his enemy, and asked, "Kilraden?" The enemy nodded heavily. He had gotten the champion¡¯s name after Aktur was killed, and assassins were tight-lipped. They didn¡¯t talk much. After decreasing the number of ways the enemy could get to him, Junhyuk extended his arms. "I don¡¯t care if you don¡¯t talk." As he unsheathed his swords, Kilraden pulled out a dagger. Junhyuk wanted to say that the champion was carrying a weapon fit for assassinations, but the enemy had already disappeared. He grimaced and swung his sword at his back instinctively, but there was no one there. Then, he heard Gongon¡¯s voice. "Above you!" Instead of trying to swing again, he jumped forward, toward the next stepping stone, and saw Kilraden drop where he had been. Kilraden¡¯s outfit was entirely white. The champion looked at him and disappeared again. Teleportation. Junhyuk clicked his tongue and dove toward the ind. Just as he had expected, Kilraden appeared right where he had been standing. Kilraden looked at him, and he dove again. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t rx. Even if he got to the ind first, he had to consider his enemy¡¯s teleportation power. Kilraden started running toward him, and he inhaled deeply. Then, the champion disappeared again. Junhyuk raised his head to look up and spun around, shing behind him. There was nothing there again. His enemy had to have a lot of experience doing what he did, and Junhyuk felt a sting on the side of his neck. Teleporting away, he grabbed the spot. He had just been hit by a critical hit and lost 40 percent of his health in the process. The only good thing at that point was that the living spirit regenerated his health quickly when he was not engaged in battle, so had had full health before they started fighting. However, he was still shocked at losing 40 percent of his health by a strike that prated his defenses. Junhyuk retreated and saw a translucent Kilraden. The champion had pretended to teleport, but had hid instead. Junhyuk had kept watch above and behind himself, and Kilraden had simplye through the front and stabbed his neck with the dagger. Hidested for three seconds, but Kilraden had already used it. The champion had also teleported twice already. Junhyuk walked toward his enemy and said, "I learned something just now." Junhyuk wanted to check on something. He wanted to know if the critical hit had been part of Kilraden¡¯s power or if he had just simply been badly positioned, so he walked toward Kilraden, and Kilraden turned the dagger around and walked toward him. "An assassin who wants a frontal, head-to-head fight!" Junhyuk attacked Kilraden, but didn¡¯t let his guard down. This wasn¡¯t just a fight with swords, but a fight with powers. As he approached, he swung his sword, and Kilraden parried with the dagger. Junhyuk had expected the parry and continued to attack. He thought he would¡¯ve been at a skill level of his own, but there were many champions who could match his swordsmanship on the battlefield. Kilraden parried his dual swords with a single dagger, and Junhyuk smiled coldly. "I am not that easy!" As his swords struck the dagger, he closed in and stabbed forward with the Frozen Rune Sword. However, Kilraden just kept smiling. The timing was perfect. Even Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t have been able to prevent the strike. But as the sword touched Kilraden, the champion¡¯s body phased through it while he swung his dagger. Junhyuk tried to parry it quickly, but blood was already gushing out of his chest. "Ugh!" A critical hit. He lost another 40 percent of his health. "That¡¯s a shocking amount of damage!" Junhyuk gritted his teeth, but Kilraden had already disappeared. Kilraden attacked by teleporting, and if hisbosnded, he would deal damage iparable to Nid. That type of damage would even be fatal to heroes, especially those who focused on attack. Kilraden¡¯s attacks could kill them. The assassin¡¯s third power was even a counterattack. Once he became a hero, he would be quite a sight to behold. Kilraden had disappeared through teleportation, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t tell where the next attack woulde from. There was only one thing he could do now, so he raised the force field around himself. ng! Kilraden had teleported and hade at him from the side, but the assassin bounced off. "It¡¯s my turn." Junhyuk turned around and used the Spatial sh, which went through Kilraden¡¯s neck. "Argh!" Kilraden screamed, stepping back. A red shockwave extended from his neck. With a 20 percent chance to happen, the extra attack activated, stacking the critical hits on Kilraden. All of the attacks hadnded, inflicting heavy damage. The first attack took 55 percent of the champion¡¯s health, and the extra attack took another 28 percent. The single Spatial sh had dealt 83 percent damage in total, leaving Kilraden with 17 percent of his health. Junhyuk retreated and repositioned, smiling at Kilraden. "Got you." Kilraden frowned, and Junhyuk disappeared. He reappeared stabbing the back of Kilraden¡¯s neck, piercing through it. The attack was fatal, and Kilraden opened his mouth wide, vomiting blood. Junhyuk twisted the sword and pulled it out. [You¡¯ve killed Kilraden and earned 3,000G.] Tired, Junhyuk looked back. He could have been killed at any moment. Gongon walked over to him and said, "He didn¡¯t have a lot of health, but his damage was absurd. Are you OK?" Heughed hard and said, "No, I am not OK." Junhyuk had lost 80 percent of his health from two hits. During the uing team battle, there was a chance he could get killed at any time by the two new additions. Shaking his head, Junhyuk murmured, "It wasn¡¯t easy." "It didn¡¯t look like it was." "Did you think about helping me out?" he asked Gongon. "You were dealing with a loser and you didn¡¯t need any help." "You are so cool." Junhyuk walked over to Hatma, who, restrained by the tree, smiled at him. "It was fun watching you fight." "It wasn¡¯t that fun." At the reply, Hatmaughed and continued, "I want to listen to a song." "What?!" The sorcerer was always shocking, but now he wanted to listen to a song, which was absurd. Junhyuk stared at him, and Hatma smiled and continued, "Follow that road, and you will meet Sairan. You¡¯ll find Sairan¡¯s tribe there. There are seven princesses, and one of them is Sairan. Bring me the conch around her neck. It must contain her voice." "Your taste is very unique." Hatmaughed hard. "When you listen to it, you¡¯ll know." "I¡¯ll bring it to you." Junhyuk didn¡¯t say anything else and turned around. He was in better shape thanst time. Gongon was there and so were the lizardmen. He walked over, and Gongon jumped on his back, getting a piggyback ride from him. "Is it quest time again?" "Correct. Let¡¯s go." Without saying anything else, he looked at Gongon and the lizardmen with him and ran toward the quest. --- Sairan, one of seven princesses. He saw the situation ahead andughed. "I wasn¡¯t expecting this." Sairan wasn¡¯t by herself. She was surrounded by ten nagas. Junhyuk saw her sitting on arge rock by herself among them. "What do we do now?" "Let the lizardmen handle the nagas. They must be on the same level, no?" Junhyuk shook his head. Each naga was three meters long. Even novices wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with them. There were only ten of them, but they had to be very strong. Junhyuk looked at Gongon and said, "I¡¯ll kill the nagas." He was the fastest one at killing mobs, and the hatchling looked at him and nodded. "Then, throw me." "Sure." Heunched Gongon with some strength, and the dragon flew ahead. Then, Junhyuk looked at the nagas and gave out the order to the lizardmen, "Attack!" The lizardmen rushed forward, and so did he. When the nagas saw him, they headed toward him. In reality, the nagas swung their tridents, and the lizardmen died suddenly, so Junhyuk stepped to the front. A trident wasing in his direction, so he swung his sword, and the naga lost its head. Once it died, the shockwave swept through the other nagas around it. Junhyuk didn¡¯t stop, running ahead. He saw a path between two enemies and ran for it while swinging his swords. Red and white shockwaves expanded in rings that swept through his enemies. There had been ten nagas, but their skills were below B-ranked monsters. After taking care of them, he ran toward Sairan. "Things were a lot more difficultst time." Junhyuk looked for Gongon, but the dragon was far away from the battle. "Gongon!" The hatchling said through gritted teeth, "Shit! What is this shit?" Junhyuk ran after Gongon, and Sairan stayed on her rock, staring at them both, but did not mount any attacks of her own. Junhyuk looked at her. She was a beautiful woman, but she had no pupils, and her eyes were entirely blue. She merely stared at them both. Junhyuk lifted Gongon and asked, "What happened?" "I got hit by my own firebreath." "Your attack was reflected back?" Gongon got up and red at the princess. "Right. She¡¯s not the only thing there." Hearing Gongon, Junhyuk decided not to use the Spatial sh. If he did, it might get reflected back at him, dealing fatal damage. "I want to know what type of force field she has. Shall we?" "OK." They couldn¡¯t see a force field at that point, so they had to sh against her. Junhyuk ran toward her first, trying to sh her, but a dome-shaped force field appeared around her. ng! He watched as his health disappeared and grimaced. Gongon ran forward and used his headbutt, but he was also thrown back. Junhyuk looked at the dragon and said, "There must be a way." Her force field was invisible, and there was neither a time limit nor a cooldown to it. It also reflected damage, which made it very powerful. Gongon got up suddenly. "OK. There must be a limit to the damage it can take." They had to surpass that limit to be able to deal damage to the princess. When things concerned magic, Gongon was on an entirely different level from Junhyuk. So, trusting the dragon, Junhyuk decided to attack. Gongon had already used his firebreath and headbutt, and Junhyuk had used a regr attack. However, the force field had yet to disappear. It hadn¡¯t gone over its damage limit yet. Gongon transformed and said, "I¡¯ll destroy it." Junhyuk saw Gongon¡¯s determination. The dragon¡¯s defense was high, but his attack was even higher. Gongon was going all out to destroy the force field, so Junhyuk also raised his sword. "Right. Let¡¯s do it." He still had the Spatial sh.

 Chapter 281 Cant Lose This Round 2

    As he watch the transformed Gongon punch, Junhyuk raised the force field. ng! The force field also covered Gongon, whoughed at the situation. "We should¡¯ve used this already." Junhyuk¡¯s force field had been capable of blocking a legend candidate¡¯s attack, so he trusted it, and the force field blocked the reflected damage. So, for the next ten seconds, the allies had to deal as much damage as possible. Junhyuk did not hesitate to use his Spatial sh. The strike dealt a lot of damage, but it was also reflected, hitting his own force field. That scared Junhyuk. Thinking of it, he had never been hit by his own Spatial sh. If he were to be hit just the right way, he couldn¡¯t even imagine what kind of damage it would deal him. It was that kind of power. Even with the Spatial sh, Junhyuk was unable to break down the reflective force field. He frowned a bit, but that¡¯s when Gongon punched it, and the force field shattered. Sairan¡¯s eyes widened, and Gongon flying knee-kicked her chin. "Aaah!" Sairan screamed aloud. The sound resonated in the air, bouncing Gongon off again. While attacking Sairan, Gongon had left Junhyuk¡¯s force field, so he returned to it quickly. Seeing Gongon enter, Junhyuk asked, "Was it a shockwave?" Gongon had already lost more than half of his health. The hatchling had gone against Sairan¡¯s force field for a while and received all the damage reflected to him before Junhyuk raised his force field. Junhyuk looked at the hatchling, and Gongon said calmly, "I¡¯m OK." After the sound barrier around Sairan disappeared, Junhyuk turned to her. "Let¡¯s go." He ran at her, and Sairan opened her mouth again. "Aahh!" Junhyuk timed his jump. Her soundwaves covered the area around her horizontally, but they couldn¡¯t cover the space above her to where he had jumped. So, Sairan raised her head to look at him, and that¡¯s when Gongon moved as well. Untransformed, Gongon¡¯srge foot smashed against Sairan¡¯s chin. "Aahh!" She wasn¡¯t using a power. Sairan was simply screaming. But Gongon didn¡¯t stop there. He spun around and smacked her up his tail. Crush! Without even being able to scream, Sairan fell to the ground. After that, Junhyuk stabbed her in the chest with his sword. Her force field was extremely powerful, but she didn¡¯t have a lot of health herself. Junhyuk picked up the shell around her neck. Hatma wanted to hear the voice contained within it. Even though Junhyuk was curious about it, he decided not to listen because if he did, and the shell didn¡¯t work again after that, things would beplicated. So, he held it in his hand and looked at Gongon. "Let¡¯s go back." He started walking, and Gongon ran up to him and hopped on his neck. Junhyuk sighed and ran ahead with Gongon on his back. They were headed to where Hatma was located. --- Things went just as Junhyuk had expected. They arrived, but their enemies were already there, gathered on the ind and waiting for them. So, he contacted Aktur. "Where are you?" "I¡¯m hiding in the forest. Are you here, yet?" "Yes." "I¡¯lle out then." Junhyuk saw Aktur appearing from the opposite side of the ind and scowled. "This isn¡¯t good." "Aktur, you got scared and went over there?" "Don¡¯t talk like that to a fellow ally. A team¡¯s discontent only serves the enemy¡¯s purpose." Gongon nced at Junhyuk and said, "You are so passionate in this round." "I can¡¯t lose this round," he told Gongon calmly. "That¡¯s for sure. They are giving away free items, and they are supposed to be rare!" "They are supposed to be magic or rare!" "Then, mine will be rare!" Junhyuk shook his head at Gongon and said, "You were born lucky." Gongon was born a dragon and with a silver spoon in his hand. Junhyuk looked at the enemies ahead and murmured, "What should we do?" He wanted toplete the quest and kill the enemies, but prating the enemies¡¯ defenses andpleting the quest wouldn¡¯t be an easy task. He was unsure, but Gongon stepped forward. "Let¡¯s go." "It won¡¯t be easy." "But we can¡¯t stay here and waste time." Junhyuk sighed and followed the dragon. He was already aware of how strong their enemies were, so he said, "Gongon." "What?" "Go straight to Hatma." "Is that even possible? They can teleport as well." Junhyuk took a moment to think and said, "We have to check on something." "What?" "On whether the assassin can teleport with others. Let¡¯splete the quest. You block for us." "OK." Junhyuk took Gongon and ran over the stepping stones. Their enemies didn¡¯t think they would run toward them, so they hesitated, but he ignored them and kept running. While running, he watched the enemies¡¯ responses. With the teleportation on the table, he couldn¡¯t simply jump over them. Once Junhyuk and Gongon had closed in, Kraken used its tentacles. The other enemies kept waiting for him, so he jumped anyway, going over them all at once. All he had to do was control the angle of his jump, and it became a good option for getting over obstacles. Junhyuknded in front of Hatma and quickly handed the shell to the sorcerer. Hatma smirked, taking it. "You really are something." He put the shell against his ear and hummed. Meanwhile, the enemies were approaching Junhyuk, and his eyes narrowed. Junhyuk saw the enemies running toward him and realized something. "He can¡¯t teleport with others." He turned back to Hatma, and Gongon shouted, "Shit! Hatma! Give us the reward!" Hatma frowned a bit as he looked at the dragon. "You are interrupting my entertainment!" "You can¡¯t be like that right now!" Hatma smiled and pulled both of his arms free from the roots. As he raised them, he shouted, "I call on you, Thunder. Hatma says that you will move faster than the wind and strike sharper than lightning."[The High-Ranking Sorcerer¡¯s buff is applied. For one hour, your movement speed and your critical hit rate increase by 10 percent. When you deliver a critical hit, you will deal 30 percent in additional damage. If you die, the enemy will take the buff.] Junhyuk was buffed, and he smiled. His enemies had been unaware of his ability to jump, so he had seized the opportunity. At that point, Aktur joined the allies from behind them. Junhyuk smiled at the enemies on the ind. "Now, we can have a proper team battle." The prospects of the team battle still didn¡¯t look easy. The enemies had an extreme ability to deal damage, but now the allies were buffed, so Gongon stepped forward. "We have the buff. Let¡¯s wipe them clean." Junhyukughed at Gongon¡¯s statement and stepped forward with confidence and strength. "Then, I¡¯ll start, he murmured and, from behind Gongon, used the Spatial sh. Their enemies were unaware of Junhyuk¡¯s range, so they were approaching the allies calmly, and Junhyuk aimed for Kilraden, who had an absurd capacity to deal damage. Kilraden was walking behind Kraken, very rxed, when the Spatial sh cut through his neck. With the buff in effect, Kilraden lost 72 percent of health all at once, and the shockwave generated from the strike swept through Nid and Kraken, taking 30 and 22 percent off of their healths respectively. "Long live the buff," Junhyuk murmured, and Gongon dashed toward his enemies with all his might. Kraken saw the hatchling running toward them and moved first. Kraken was a tank, and it wouldn¡¯t allow others to approach them easily. Kraken hit the hatchling, pushing him off, which meant that Kraken would still be able to deal with them, even buffed. "Aktur! Deal with Kraken!" "Right!" Akturunched his bandages at Kraken¡¯s legs and pulled it toward him. As the octopus moved away, he dropped Gongon, who took the initiative to fly off into a headbutt. Nid decided to swing his saw-ded sword while Kilraden hid. However, Nid had made the wrong choice. Boom! Gongon smashed against Nid, who lost a chunk of his health. The hit wasn¡¯t a critical, but it still took 35 percent off Nid¡¯s health, leaving him with 35 percent left. Nid howled. Gongon was paralyzed, and the enemies mounted their attacks. Nid focused on Gongon, but the real problem wasn¡¯t Nid¡¯s attacks. Kilraden, who was the real problem, appeared behind the hatchling suddenly and stabbed him. Nid was about to follow up with an attack on Gongon when Junhyuk touched him and teleported away. As he and Gongon retreated, they heard Aktur¡¯s screams. "Aaaargh!" Junhyuk turned toward Aktur and saw Kraken twisting him like a wet rag. Sighing, he scoped out the battle. Gongon had been paralyzed and lost 45 percent of his health in the process, leaving him with 55 percent. Aktur now had 40 percent left. The initial Spatial sh had been a sess, but the allies started quickly getting beaten a short while after it. He looked around unable to see Kilraden, but Nid was running toward him. Junhyuk knew there was nothing good about a missing Kilraden, but Nid spun like a top, heading his way. That¡¯s when Junhyuk grabbed Gongon, who was about to step forward, and raised the force field. ng! Nid bounced off, and Kilraden did the same from behind them. Looking back, Junhyuk murmured, "He was hiding." Junhyuk looked at Gongon while keeping an eye on Nid. Kilraden had one more teleportation, so he wanted to kill Nid first. "Kill Nid first!" "OK!" Gongon wanted to put an end to the fight, so he transformed and inhaled deeply. Surprised, Nid tried to get out of the way, but the hatchling was faster. The ferocious me covered a semi-circle in front of Gongon, and Nid with it. Maybe it was because the critical hit rate had gone up, but the firebreath took all of Nid¡¯s health at once. Junhyuk knew that when transformed, Gongon¡¯s critical hit rate went up, and the dragon was already buffed. When Kraken lost another 30 percent of its health, Junhyuk realized again how scary Gongon¡¯s damage was. Junhyuk thought things were going well, and in any event, they had killed Nid. However, when he turned around, he saw Aktur, and Kilraden appearing right behind him. "Watch out!" he shouted, but it was of no use. Aktur was stabbed with the dagger on his neck, and because he had already lost a lot of health fighting Kraken, he couldn¡¯t stay up anymore. [Kilraden killed Aktur.] "Kilraden!" Junhyuk ran with Gongon toward his enemy, but while closing in, the force field disappeared, and Kraken swung its tentacles at both of them. Transformed, Gongon dodged the tentacles, punching Kraken as he closed in. The hatchling hit Kraken, and Junhyuk looked at Kilraden. Aktur was gone, and he had to deal with Kilraden quickly. When Kilraden saw him running, he disappeared. Unable to know where Kilraden was, Junhyuk spun around swinging. Junhyuk had focused on his back, but Kilraden appeared above him and stabbed him with the dagger. Junhyuk felt himself lose 25 percent of his health, but felt relieved about it. It was a critical hit, but the damage was lower than before, which meant that the counter and the hidden attacks were the only ones that dealt more than that. Realizing what was happening, Junhyuk swung at Kilraden, but the assassin had been waiting for the attack and activated the counterattack. "Shit!" Unable to block or dodge the counterattack, Junhyuk lost another 40 percent of his health at once.

 Chapter 282 Cant Lose This Round 3

    Junhyuk had been attacked twice, losing 65 percent of his health. Considering his defense, this was amazing. After being counterattacked, he mounted his own attacks. Counterattacks were attacks that allowed you to parry an iing attack and make one of your own. As a power, the enemy¡¯s attack went through thin air, creating an opening for your own. Still, there had to be a weakness to counterattacks, and when Junhyuk realized there was nothing he could do but take the hit, he let it happen and stabbed forward with the Frozen Rune Sword right after. The sword went through Kilraden¡¯s body, and the assassin stopped in ce. Junhyuk only had 35 percent of health left, but that single attack from him had taken away 12 percent of Kilraden¡¯s health. Junhyuk hade to the conclusion that since both sides had used their powers, victory would be decided by swordsmanship. ng, ng, ng! He pushed hard with his attacks, and while Kilraden parried and blocked, he was pushed back little by little. Junhyuk kept chasing after Kilraden, amazed by the assassin¡¯s skills with his dagger. Even though he was swinging dual swords, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t use them both to stab at the same time. However, he kept on thebo. Still, Kilraden kept his bnce and kept blocking his strikes. Because of that, Junhyuk was having a hard time finding an opening. Nevertheless, he thought he could kill the assassin with one critical hit and he wanted to put an end to the fight. Kilraden only had 16 percent of his health. Surely, Junhyuk had the advantage. Then, Junhyuk got attacked in the most unexpected way. Kraken¡¯s tentacles suddenly wrapped around his arms. Because he was tied up, Kilraden got really close to his chest, trying to stab his heart, but Junhyuk turned his body away. The attack didn¡¯t hit his heart, but he was still wounded and damaged. It was just a regr attack, and he had dodged a critical hit, but he still lost 12 percent of his health. Junhyuk wondered how many items Kilraden had from the battlefield. He couldn¡¯t believe the assassin was a new champion. Junhyuk focused while Kilraden pulled the dagger out and tried to stab with it again. Kilraden¡¯s skill with the dagger was definitely masterful, but Junhyuk could still dodge it. The problem was that one of his hands was still tied up, but although a dangerous situation, he could still fight. Junhyuk felt the living spirit move quickly and activated eleration. In South Korea, eleration made his body move faster, enabling him to sh his enemies, but now it was different. To his eyes, the enemies movement had slow down, but so had his. In fact, he was seeing things in slow motion. Previously, he could have countered with eleration, but it was not the case now. They were still moving at the same speed, so there was only one way to solve that problem. He had to read the enemy¡¯s path while using the least amount of movement to get there and counter. He was relieved that his enemy had been debuffed by the Frozen Rune Sword. So, he predicted the enemy¡¯s path. Expecting the dagger to fly toward him, he spun around and raised his sword. With the Blood Rune Sword up, he meant to attack the enemy¡¯s blindspot. From Kilraden¡¯s position, and because of the debuff, the assassin was not able to read Junhyuk¡¯s movements. That was a big gain for Junhyuk. Now, he knew that he could use eleration in the Dimensional Battlefield, and Junhyuk thought that if he had to get stabbed by the dagger, he would let it through a spot where it would damage him the least. At the same time, he twisted around and stabbed with his sword. The dagger had been aimed at his heart, but it went through his lung. Kilraden had a smile on his face, but Junhyuk stabbed him through the ribs with the Blood Rune Sword, and the sword went up to the assassin¡¯s heart, piercing it deeply. Kilraden couldn¡¯t understand what had happened. It was a critical hit, and the assassin lost all of his health. The soft voice made the weing announcement. [You¡¯ve killed Kilraden and earned 3,000G.] Junhyuk smiled with satisfaction, and the world returned to its normal speed. Suddenly, the scenery in front of him changed. Boom! Junhyuk sat up while holding his head and swung the Frozen Rune Sword against the tentacles. He came loose, spun around and got up quickly. Junhyuk had lost some health from Kilraden¡¯s attacks, but because he had attacked with the Blood Rune Sword, he had recovered to 14 percent of his health. Just now, when he got mmed against the ground, he lost 8 percent, so he only had 6 percent of his health left. Once up, he shouted, "Are you not done yet?!" Kraken had 35 percent of its health, and Gongon had 22 percent of his health. Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh hadn¡¯t returned yet, but Gongon was still transformed. The hatchling was punching Kraken on the face, and Junhyuk frowned and ran toward them. He couldn¡¯t just rely on Gongon¡¯s attacks. As he ran, he saw the tentacles flying toward him. Junhyuk wanted to use eleration again, but when he tried, he just got a headache, so instead he went as fast as he could while dodging the tentacles. Kraken had thought it could kill them both, but Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t let that happen. Junhyuk didn¡¯t act impatiently. He wanted to attack Kraken the right way, so he didn¡¯t want to waste time fighting its tentacles. Kraken¡¯s attack speed was debuffed, and with time, Junhyuk would find an opening. The octopus also had to focus on Gongon, and its attacks against Junhyuk weren¡¯t really working. Junhyuk closed the gap between them. Kraken had a lot of health, but Gongon¡¯s attacks were certainly strong. As Junhyuk closed in, Gongonnded two hits on Kraken, leaving it with 15 percent of its health. Junhyuk saw an opening and stabbed at it with the Blood Rune Sword. The attack went in deep, but it wasn¡¯t a critical hit, and Kraken only lost 8 percent of its health. "Ugh!" Kraken went berserk and attacked furiously, but Junhyuk stepped on Kraken¡¯s head and dodged it all. Junhyuk¡¯s health was low enough that he could die with a single hit, so he decided to dodge while Gongon¡¯s fist mmed hard against Kraken¡¯s head, taking the rest of Kraken¡¯s health. [Gongon killed Kraken.] Junhyuk sighed, relieved, and turned to Gongon Both of them could¡¯ve been killed if anything had gone wrong. Junhyuk copsed on the ground, gasping for air, and the hatchling walked over to him and rested his head on Junhyuk¡¯s stomach. "Shit! This is hard." "Right!? Kraken must¡¯ve gotten some new items." Gongon smirked and said, "But, we won." Junhyuk knew they had won, but it hadn¡¯t been afortable victory. Kilraden, Nid and Kraken¡¯sbination could kill the allies at any given time. "From now on, we have to be careful of team battles." "Yes. Aktur is very weak, so he won¡¯t be much help." Junhyuk tapped Gongon¡¯s head lightly and said, "But we won because Aktur pulled Kraken." "Aktur¡¯s powers are impressive. Too bad we can¡¯t use them more often." That had to be because Aktur had the worst items among the allied champions. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t checked it, but Aktur wascking in basic strength despite his powers having great effects. Aktur wasn¡¯t shining on the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. Gongon was strong enough, even unequipped, and Junhyuk¡¯s items were decent. Aktur wascking in both personal strength and good items. Junhyuk smiled bitterly and got up. As he did, Gongon¡¯s head fell to the ground, and the hatchling frowned. "Let¡¯s go see Bebe." "OK." Gongon got up and got on his back, and Junhyuk sighed and asked, "Did you bring some more nice items this time?" "Some dragons wanted more candy, and they gave me some items. I¡¯ll make money in the exchange." Now, Junhyuk was very curious. "But can¡¯t dragonse here if they choose to?" Junhyuk was going over the stepping stones when Gongon shook his head and said, "Not every dragon cane here." "Really?" "Only dragons in line to be dragon lords cane here. Ordinary dragons can¡¯t." "Not any other dragon, right?" he asked. "Right." Gongon raised his shoulders proudly, and Junhyukughed and asked, curious, "Are there things you can¡¯t use here that you can use in reality?" "Hm." Gongon put his hand deep inside his Spatial Bag and pulled out a bracelet. "How about this?" "What is that?" "It¡¯s an item magicians particrly like. It gathers mana. It absorbs mana from the environment and transfers it to whoever is wearing it." Shocked, Junhyuk stared up at Gongon. "Why aren¡¯t you using it?" Gongon smiled. "There is more mana here than in other dimension. It doesn¡¯t affect me because I¡¯m a dragon, but I brought it anyway." Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened. It really was something. If he wore the bracelet, he could train the living spirit even while not in the training facility. "That¡¯s amazing." "Take it." Gongon dropped it, and Junhyuk picked it up. "This isn¡¯t an item?" "It has no other power, so it can¡¯t be an item in the Dimensional Battlefield." "How do you know?" "The heroes told mest time I fought with them." After Gongon gave him the bracelet, Junhyuk asked, "Can you get me some more?" "Why?" "Some people need it." It wouldn¡¯t just be of help to him with the living spirit, who absorbed mana constantly. The bracelet would also help novices and experts among his allies. After Gongon heard him say that, heughed. "The fact is that in order to measure the Dimensional Battlefield mana, I brought several of them. Maybe I was aware that something might go wrong." After saying that, Gongon dropped another eight bracelets, and Junhyuk was d to be friends with the dragon. "Gongon, I¡¯ll give you more piggyback rides!" "Ha-ha-ha! I only gave you some items, but if I can get more rides, I¡¯ll take it." Junhyukughed. The dragon might not be aware of it, but those items would help Junhyuk a lot. "How do I use it?" "When it¡¯s filled with mana, it¡¯ll turn blue. When it¡¯s empty, it¡¯ll turn red. Just be aware of it. When all of the mana is gone, just go somewhere with plenty of it, and it¡¯ll start absorbing it again." "So, I absorb more mana the more I use it?" "Of course." Still curious, Junhyuk asked, "What about people who can¡¯t control mana?" "Then, it¡¯ll help your well-being. Mana is one of theponents of life, so it¡¯ll be good for your well-being if you have mana around you." Now, Junhyuk was sure. The items would be of great use to novices, experts and even champions. To be a hero, he didn¡¯t only need power, but he needed other skills too. He needed this item. When he saw the bracelets shining blue, he put them all in his Spatial Bag. "OK. Let¡¯s hurry. We¡¯ll see Bebe and destroy the second tower." Junhyuk picked up the pace. --- He hadn¡¯t seen Bebest time, so it had been a while. "Long time no see!" "I thought I was the only one feeling that way?" "I heard you got paired with legend candidates. I was expecting good news, but you weren¡¯t ready yet." "They are monsters," Junhyuk said, and Gongon became interested. "Legend candidates? Are they strong?" "Very." "How do theypare to me?" Junhyuk smiled at the hatchling and said, "Stronger than you." "Hmph!" Gongon scoffed and turned his head away. Junhyuk smiled at the sight and then looked at Bebe. "Did you get any new Pure Golden Knight set items?" "Nothing." He sighed. His best option was to collect more of the Pure Golden Knight set, but Bebe didn¡¯t have any of those items. After sighing, Junhyuk pulled a ring out of his chest. When Bebe saw it, his eyes widened. "You got that?!" "How much is it?" Bebe smiled. "Kranshel¡¯s Eye Ring. It¡¯s a unique item with a nice price. Two million gold."

 Chapter 283 Power of the Upgrade 1

    Junhyuk¡¯s jaw hung loose, and he asked, "You are going to pay me two million gold?""No. I would sell it for that amount, so I¡¯ll buy it for a million gold. Are you selling it?" Junhyuk shook his head ferociously. He could sell it to Vera for 70 percent of that: 1.4 million gold. Because he already had a buyer, Vera, he didn¡¯t need to sell it to Bebe. However, a problem still remained. Vera had probably bet all of her gold on his victory, so if he lost, she would lose it all. Junhyuk reminded himself again that he had to win and put the ring away in his Spatial Bag. "I want to ask you about enhancement stones." "Enhancement stones?" Bebe stared at him, and he pulled out a stone from his Spatial Bag. As Bebe watched it happen, he smiled. "The victory reward enhancement stone." "Yes, I want to know how to use it." Bebe took the stone and asked, "What do you want to upgrade?" Junhyuk handed him the Blood Rune Sword, and Bebe chuckled and said, "Look over here. When you push the enhancement stone against an item you are upgrading, you¡¯ll hear a message. You don¡¯t have to answer it verbally. Just think the answer. That¡¯s all." "Simple enough." "The reward enhancement stones are of a different quality than the ones I sell. They are of lower quality, but they are free, so it¡¯s to be expected. However, it¡¯s always better to use them than not. You can do three basic upgrades. After that, the chance it¡¯ll work drops by 50 percent." Junhyuk frowned. The sess rate for the fourth upgrade was 50 percent, and for the fifth, it was 25 percent. He looked at both of his swords. Junhyuk had six stones, so he wondered if he should do all the basic upgrades for the both of them, or if he should try to upgrade just one sword all the way. Gongon looked at him and said, "You need at least one sword you can count on." Smiling bitterly, Junhyuk pulled out all of the stones. "Give it to me." "One has already been upgraded." "I know." He looked at the Blood Rune Sword and ced the stone against it. At that moment, he heard a soft voice in his head. [Do you want to upgrade the Blood Rune Sword?] "Yes." Junhyuk didn¡¯t have to, but he answered the question aloud by habit. Suddenly, the enhancement stone turned into powder and sprinkled over the sword, seeping into it. [The upgrade was a sess. It is now a Blood Rune Sword (+2)] Thinking about what Gongon had said, he used all of the remaining enhancement stones on the Blood Rune Sword. Looking at the result, he sighed. "The fifth upgrade is a sess!" He had failed once when going to the fifth upgrade from the fourth, but eventually, it had worked. While Junhyuk sighed, Gongon pulled out his enhancement stones, and Junhyuk stared at the dragon¡¯s ten stones wondering how many upgrades Gongon would be able to do. The sess rate diminished with each upgrade after all. Gongon started doing his own upgrades, and when he finished, Junhyuk asked, "How many upgrades were you able to do?" "Nine." Junhyuk¡¯s mouth hung wide, and checking out the weapon in his hand, Gongon smiled. "I like these enhancement stones." Junhyuk stuck his tongue out at the hatchling. The damage of the weapon increased by five with the first upgrade, ten with the second, fifteen with the third and, starting with the fourth upgrade, damage increased by ten plus the previous amount each time. Bebe also exined that it would increase by twenty plus the previous amount starting with the seventh upgrade and thirty plus the previous amount starting with the ninth. So, the first was five, second was ten, third was fifteen, fourth was twenty-five, fifth was thirty-five, sixth was forty-five, seventh was sixty-five, eighth was eighty-five, and the ninth was a hundred and fifteen. Junhyuk knew his ability to deal damage had gone up. The Blood Rune Sword (+5) was doing an extra ny damage. Gongon¡¯s weapon, on the other hand, was doing four hundred more damage. Now, he understood why Arn only spent money on upgrades. Seeding in the upgrades was better than getting a new item. Enhancement stones were expensive, but considering the results, the cost wasn¡¯t bad at all. A single ring was worth two million gold. The enhancement stones were somewhat of a gamble, but the benefits were significant and certain. Junhyuk turned to Gongon, and the hatchling pulled out some items from his Spatial Bag. Junhyuk was amazed at the sight of the equipment. Even at a nce, it was obvious they weren¡¯t ordinary items. However, when Bebe saw them, he murmured, "Compared tost time, these are garbage." "Nothing I can do about it. Compared to the Lord¡¯s items, these aren¡¯t very nice." "These are worth fifty thousand each. There are twenty, so I will pay you a million gold." "OK. Give me five hundred thousand worth in candy and something from the Kali set." "I only have the ne from that set." Smiling, Gongon said, "That¡¯s fine. Give it to me." Gongon ced the astronomical number pieces of candy in the Spatial Bag and also took the ne. Junhyuk looked at the hatchling. With two pieces of the Kali set, Gongon¡¯s critical hit chance had been boosted by 10 percent, and now he had one more item from it. On top of that, Gongon had upgraded his weapon nine times. The hatchling was significantly stronger now. Junhyuk clicked his tongue as he witnessed it happening. Gongon¡¯s base stats were already beyond him, and being that he was a dragon, he was growing stronger really fast. Junhyuk shook his head. It was a good thing that his ally was getting stronger. There was no need for him to be envious of it. After putting on the ne, Gongon said, "Let¡¯s go." "OK." They had done what they needed to do, so it was time to go. Aftering out, Junhyuk asked, "What is the set item¡¯s effect?" "Critical-hit damage increases by 20 percent. It doesn¡¯t help at all when it¡¯s not a critical." When a criticalnded, it was almost like the effect of a buff. Shocked, Junhyuk stared at Gongon, but the hatchling just said calmly, "Let¡¯s destroy the tower first. Where did you tell Aktur to go?" "Wait." Junhyuk connected to Aktur. "Aktur." "Where are you?" "We just left Bebe¡¯s. Now, we¡¯re thinking of destroying the second bottom tower." "I¡¯ll head there." "OK. Then, see you there." Giving Gongon a piggyback ride, Junhyuk ran. The watchtower could be easily destroyed if their enemies weren¡¯t there, but he ran with ease, expecting to meet them. Gongon¡¯s upgrades were enormous, but Junhyuk had also upgraded his weapon five times. He was curious about how that would impact the Spatial sh, and if he could use his eleration again. He wanted to meet the enemy. --- They destroyed the second tower, but did not meet any enemies. After that, they joined Aktur and the lizardmen Aktur had brought with him. When they reached the castle wall, they saw their enemies waiting for them. When Gongon saw them blocking the castle, he smiled. "We can now fight in earnest." Kraken¡¯s defense was high, but Gongon was a lot stronger now. Meanwhile, Junhyuk scoped them out. The enemies¡¯bination was quite dangerous, so the allies couldn¡¯t let their guards down. Wagging his tail, Gongon shouted, "Forward!" The lizardmen ran ahead ferociously, and Gongon moved behind them. Junhyuk followed the hatchling while keeping an eye on everything. The Spatial sh could cover a distance greater than his enemies¡¯ range, and he decided on his target. Junhyuk wanted to prevent Kilraden from doing anything. Looking at the assassin, Junhyuk used the Spatial sh, curious about the damage it would do. However, when he used the Spatial sh, Kilraden disappeared. He hadn¡¯t expected that. He wasn¡¯t sure whether Kilraden had dodged by hiding, or if it had happened by coincidence. Nevertheless, the Spatial sh tore through empty space. His eyes widened, and Kraken ran in their direction. Once closer, Kraken hit Gongon without hesitation. Boom! Gongon was pushed back by the shock, but mounted his own attack. The enemies weren¡¯t aware of how much Gongon¡¯s ability to deal damage had grown. Junhyuk thought even Kraken wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand an attack from the hatchling. Kraken spit out the ck ink and attempted a headbutt while everyone was blinded. But, unworried, Junhyuk raised his force field. Kilraden was hiding, and the force field would also keep him from attacking while giving them time to recover their eyesight. Gongon wiped his eyes while inside the force field and looked around. They had wasted the force field to recover their vision, but in doing so, Junhyuk saw Kilraden appearing behind the other enemies. Junhyuk had also wasted the Spatial sh, but Kilraden had done the same with his ability to hide. However, Junhyuk knew he had lost more than the assassin. "Let¡¯s attack," he said, and the group ran forward. Kraken, Nid and Kilraden all retreated, but the allies were closing in. Taking the lead, Junhyuk shouted, "Aktur!" Aktur¡¯s eyes beamed, and heunched his bandages, which flew and wrapped around Kilraden. As the assassin got pulled, the force field disappeared. Aktur had a lot of actualbat experience, and it was shining through. He had timed the pull just right, and the allies concentrated their attacks on Kilraden. All three of them did. However, Kilraden disappeared. The assassin had used his teleportation. Junhyukunched himself where Kilraden had been standing, but then he looked at Gongon, and the assassin appeared behind the dragon. He stabbed Gongon¡¯s neck, which was a critical hit, and Gongon lost 15 percent of his health. Exasperated, Gongon swung his tail behind him, but Kilraden had already disappeared and reappeared stabbing Gongon¡¯s ribs. It wasn¡¯t a critical hit, so Gongon only lost 8 percent of his health. When Gongon turned to face Kilraden, the assassin teleported again and stabbed Gongon¡¯s neck once more. Another critical. Gongon was infuriated and transformed in an attempt to catch the assassin, but Kilraden ducked, and Gongon¡¯s fists passed him by. That¡¯s when he activated the counterattack. It was another critical, and Gongon lost 24 percent of his health at once. Suddenly, Gongon was left with 38 percent. If that continued, the hatchling would be in danger. Meanwhile, Nid was spinning toward the allies. When Junhyuk saw Nid, he frowned. If Nid howled, things would go from bad to worse. So, Junhyuk ran toward the spinning enemy. But, Nid passed him by, and once he stood in front of the allies, the champion opened his mouth. That¡¯s when Junhyuk turned around, grabbed Nid and teleported away. Gongon couldn¡¯t afford to get hit by the howl, so Junhyuk used his teleportation, but once they reappeared, Nid howled, and Junhyuk was paralyzed. At that point, Nid focused his attacks on him. The situation had changed, but Nid was taking advantage of it. After the howl, every hit was a critical, and Junhyuk started losing health quickly. Still, he could take it. While Junhyuk was under attack, Gongon headbutted Kilraden. Gongon was transformed, and the attack was a critical hit, taking 82 percent off of Kilraden¡¯s health. Gongon tried to follow up with a punch, but Kilraden dodged it and swung his dagger. In response, Gongon used his firebreath on the assassin. The mes covered Kraken as well, who wasing up behind Kilraden. The assassin was getting into position when he faded from existence. [Gongon killed Kilraden.] Unable to do much about the firebreath, the assassin died. Gongon was a lot stronger. He might even be much stronger than Kilraden, who also had a high attack stat. That was the power of the upgrade. Kilraden was gone, and Gongon ran toward Kraken. Meanwhile, Aktur summoned the skeleton soldiers and focused on Kraken as well. The two could kill the octopus. Seeing them, Junhyuk looked at Nid. He had regained his movement, but he had lost 40 percent of his health in the process. Still, he knew he wouldn¡¯t lose. "You are mine."

 Chapter 284 Power of the Upgrade 2

    Nid watched Kilraden get killed and immediately tried to kill Junhyuk. Nid mounted all kinds of attacks on Junhyuk, and he ran toward Nid with his swords in hand. Suddenly, Nid¡¯s saw-ded sword became translucent. Junhyuk had expected Nid to use his power, so when the enemy¡¯s sword headed his way, he didn¡¯t try to parry it, but focused on dodging it instead. Nid was using a wild sword technique, twisting it around multiple times as he aimed his strikes at Junhyuk. However, champions of that level had simr skill levels. Kilraden¡¯s dagger skills were simr to Junhyuk¡¯s swordsmanship, which, in turn, was simr to Nid¡¯s swordsmanship. It was more difficult to dodge now than parry, and when Junhyuk evaded the critical hit, he seized the opportunity. Nid¡¯s de grazed his shoulder, and he took the chance to counter. Nid had the power to make his weapon immaterial to other weapons, but that also meant that the champion couldn¡¯t defend himself while using that power. Seizing that moment, Junhyuk counterattacked. The Blood Rune Sword shed Nid¡¯s arm. Each had attacked the other, and both had avoided critical hits, so both Junhyuk and Nid lost 10 percent of their healths each. However, Junhyuk recovered 2 percent of that in the process. Still, the situation wasn¡¯t good. While paralyzed, he had lost 40 percent of his health. And prior to rescuing Gongon, he had taken Nid¡¯s spinning attack and lost 30 percent. So, before the exchange, he only had 30 percent of his health in total. He had just lost 10 percent and recovered 2 percent, which put him at 22 percent, but he was at a disadvantage. Nid attacked him again, and Junhyuk gritted his teeth and teleported. Appearing behind Nid, Junhyuk sessfully stabbed the back of the champion¡¯s neck. The strike was a critical hit this time, and Nid lost 20 percent of his health. Junhyuk recovered another 4 percent, but he was not out of the wood yet. After attacking Nid, Junhyuk retreated. Nid turned around while swinging his saw-ded sword, which just missed Junhyuk, who heaved a sigh of relief. Junhyuk wanted to avoid all critical hits and slowly take down Nid. Junhyuk pointed the Frozen Rune Sword forward, and Nid shouted and ran, swinging his saw-ded sword. Junhyuk had been thinking that recovering his own health was the priority, but to win in a battle, he had to slow down his enemy. Junhyuk dodged the flying saw-ded sword and closed in, swinging the Frozen Rune Sword. He shed Nid¡¯s ribs and passed him by, rolling on the ground ahead. ng, ng! Nid¡¯s sword passed by where he had been standing and grazed the ground. Getting up, Junhyuk smiled. Nid had missed the most recent swing because his speed was debuffed. Nid still had 63 percent of his health, however. Junhyuk looked at Gongon and Aktur. Gongon had been grabbed by Kraken, who was twisting the hatchling¡¯s limbs. "Ugh! Octopus head! I¡¯ll kill you!" Gongon was losing health, and Junhyuk frowned at little. Kraken had also lost a lot of health, so things between the two would being to a close soon. Because of that, Junhyuk decided to kill Nid as soon as possible, but the champion red at him while swinging his sword at Junhyuk. Nid¡¯s swordsmanship depended on his instincts, so the de was wild and didn¡¯t follow a regr path. It was the most difficult thing about dealing with the champion. However, Junhyuk had his own sword skills to use and induce an opening on Nid. Seeing the deing toward him, Junhyuk used eleration again. He watched as the two saw-ded swords slowed down and learned, for sure, that he could use eleration in the Dimensional Battlefield. As the two swords converged on him, Junhyuk passed between them and stabbed ahead with his own sword. Nid¡¯s attack speed had been debuffed, so Junhyuk was able to close in with the stab, a critical hit. Soon after, the eleration wore out, but he had already been through it once, so he wasn¡¯t surprised by it at all. Junhyuk raised his sword. ng! Junhyuk parried the saw-ded sword, taking a step back while smiling. Nid¡¯s health had gone down to 43 percent, and his health had gone up to 30 percent. The upgraded Blood Rune Sword was dealing more damage, and naturally, when he attacked with it, he was recovering his health quicker. And now, the Spatial sh¡¯s cooldown was almost over. Junhyuk was about to ready his sword when he heard Gongon scream. Curious about what was happening, he looked around and saw Gongon mming against the castle wall. After twisting him like a rag, Kraken threw Gongon at the castle. Seeing the archers shoot at the hatchling, Junhyuk frowned. Gongon only had 15 percent of his health. If anything went wrong, Gongon would be killed by Kraken. Meanwhile, Kraken only had 10 percent of its health left, but Gongon was under attack from the archers. Because Junhyuk was focused on what was happening to Gongon, Nid was able to sh his thigh even though Junhyuk dodged the brunt of the attack. The wound wasn¡¯t the important part, however. Because of the injury, Junhyuk movements slowed down. Nid smiled at him and swung his sword, which Junhyuk parried. ng! Putting weight on his leg felt ufortable, so Junhyuk was pushed back. He grimaced and took some steps back to reposition his stance. Nid was smiling with satisfaction and ran toward him, swinging his sword. Junhyuk threw himself forward and used the Spatial sh. While running toward Junhyuk, Nid¡¯s mouth hung wide, and the champion lost all of his health. [You¡¯ve killed Nid and earned 3,000G.] Junhyuk sighed and lowered his sword. Turning around, he saw Kraken attacking Gongon. Kraken was ignoring attacks from Aktur and joining the archers in taking down Gongon, who was losing health quickly, instead. Gongon was dodging Kraken¡¯s tentacles, while swinging his tail at Kraken. The tail strike dealt the octopus a surprising amount of damage, and Kraken was gone. [Gongon killed Kraken.] However, the archers had been concentrating their arrows on the hatchling, who started disappearing. "Gon!" Stuck through with arrows, Gongon fell and said only one sentence, "End it now." He disappeared, and Junhyuk gritted his teeth. Gongon had died because Kilraden had pressured him in the beginning. If the assassin had attacked Gongon while hiding, the hatchling would¡¯ve died even sooner. Realizing that, Junhyuk shuddered at Kilraden¡¯s capacity, turning to Aktur, who had 50 percent of his health left. "Let¡¯s destroy the wall at once!" "Right." The enemy champions were all dead, so the archers weren¡¯t buffed anymore. It was time to take the wall down. Junhyuk grabbed one of the bodies of the lizardmen and used it as a shield to block the arrows from above while he pounded at the wall. The gate was strong, but the two champions could break through it. When they finally did, Junhyuk threw the corpse of the lizardman covered in arrows away, heading up the wall to kill the archers. After doing so, Junhyuk was breathing heavily when he asked, "What do we do now?" "How much health do you have?" He frowned and answered, "I have 45 percent." "You can gain more, right?" "When Kilraden revives, he could kill us both." Considering Kilraden¡¯s powers and damage capability, he could end the two champions. "If we find ourselves in danger, we can always run. Any damage we do to the castle will help us," Aktur said calmly. Junhyuk nodded and said, "Let¡¯s go. Watch out for your health as you fight." He took the lead, and Aktur followed him. Junhyuk decided he would strike first, but he saved his defensive power just in case. He ran and used the Spatial sh. Crack! There was no such thing as a critical hit against a giant golem. The golem didn¡¯t have a weak spot, and the damage wasn¡¯t very high. But, he had to decide things before their enemies revived, so Junhyuk went all out. After the Spatial sh, he closed in, and three skeleton soldiers followed him, Aktur¡¯s power. It was the appropriate time to use them to help their efforts. Junhyuk slowed down, and the soldiers went in first, which made the golem focus on them. Junhyuk wanted to debuff the giant golem, so he attacked with the Frozen Rune Sword, shing the golem¡¯s leg. As he did, he dove forward and dodged the golem¡¯s attacks. The skeleton soldiers had grabbed the golem¡¯s attention, but one of them had already been destroyed. Then, Aktur ran ahead, raising his w-like nails, and attacked. By the time the golem toppled over from their joint attacks, Kilraden reappeared from within the castle¡¯s force field. Kilraden was thinking, and they could see him. The assassin was worried because he couldn¡¯t see how much health the allies had, and he was trying to figure out how he would deal with two champions at the same time. Junhyuk had wanted to kill the golem before Kilraden had made up his mind, but before that could happen, Kilraden left the force field and disappeared. Junhyuk ran toward Aktur, touched him and teleported as quickly as possible. Kilraden appeared where he had been standing, and with a rare smile on his face, he disappeared again. Knowing he had to wait for the Spatial sh, Junhyuk frowned. "Run!" The giant golem was rushing toward them, but the allies were faster. However, they couldn¡¯t see Kilraden, which meant the assassin had to be hiding. Junhyuk was weighing his options. He could raise the force field, but if he didn¡¯t, they would have to keep running until Kilraden reappeared. However, he didn¡¯t have to worry for long. "Argh!" Aktur, who had been running next to him, screamed and fell. [Kilraden killed Aktur.] Junhyuk could withstand Kilraden¡¯s critical hit, but Aktur was killed in a single hit, and he realized things had gone from bad to worse. Junhyuk swung his sword at him, but Kilraden didn¡¯t make to dodge it, and that¡¯s when he realized the assassin was going to use his counterattack, so Junhyuk teleported. As Kilraden¡¯s dagger tore through the empty air, Junhyuk shed the assassin¡¯s neck from the back. It was a critical hit, and Kilraden lost 25 percent of his health. Junhyuk had dealt more damage than before with a regr attack due to the Blood Rune Sword¡¯s upgraded damage. Kilraden teleported, and Junhyuk, without hesitation, raised his force field. Kilraden was suddenly bounced off of it, but Junhyuk ignored him and ran toward the golem. He could always deal with the enemy after the golem had gone down, so he ran toward it, and the golem ran toward him, but the golem couldn¡¯t get through the force field. As Junhyuk watched the golem pound the force field, he focused on it and felt the living spirit connect to it. As he did, he pushed his will toward the living spirit, and it responded by decreasing the radius of the force field and changing its shape. Then, Junhyuk attacked the golem ferociously. The giant golem was going down slowly, and Junhyuk turned around. Kilraden was there, and he couldn¡¯t allow the assassin to return to the castle¡¯s force field. However, he didn¡¯t have enough health to fight Kilraden head-on. Junhyuk had 50 percent of his health, and Kilraden had 75 percent. Kilraden could only teleport once more, and Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh came off cooldown. He had used it at the beginning of the battle with the golem, so enough time had passed. Also, because his sword had been upgraded, it was possible that he would be able to kill the champion with one hit. So, Junhyuk readied himself, and Kilraden did the same while holding his dagger. "You won¡¯t get there."

 Chapter 285 Power of the Upgrade 3

    Kilraden stared at Junhyuk. As an assassin, Kilraden did not want a head-to-head fight, but the important thing was that he was now buying more time. They ran toward each other. Kilraden¡¯s teleportation covered about eight meters, and Junhyuk wanted to prevent Kilraden from going into the castle¡¯s force field, so he swung his sword. He had also wanted to use eleration, but he couldn¡¯t do it yet. ng, ng, ng! Junhyuk swung his sword and focused, attacking to buy more time. His Spatial sh would return faster than Kilraden¡¯s powers. Waiting for it to return, he pressed on against Kilraden. Junhyuk could see Kilraden¡¯s moves. Kilraden was using the dagger for defense, something Junhyuk hadn¡¯t seen before. The champion¡¯s defensive abilities were designed for people stronger than Junhyuk. While fighting, Junhyuk learned more about Kilraden¡¯s skill with the dagger. Kilraden was able to block critical hits with the dagger, and Junhyuk had a lot to learn from him, but he did not want to waste any more time. The Spatial sh had returned, and Junhyuk stabbed at Kilraden with it right away. This time, he stabbed instead of shing, which was more difficult to block, but Kilraden¡¯s eyes beamed. The champion raised his dagger and parried Junhyuk¡¯s sword attack. Kilraden had been waiting for it the entire time, and tried to counter right after. Kilraden had parried the Blood Rune Sword¡¯s attack, but he didn¡¯t notice the strike disappear for a split second. The Spatial sh prated Kilraden¡¯s neck and came out from the other side. "Ugh!" He had wanted Kilraden dead with a single blow, but it did not kill him. Junhyuk grimaced, but soon, realized he had been lucky enough. The Spatial sh had triggered the extra attack, and while Kilraden was trying to stab Junhyuk with his dagger, the champion got hit again and finally disappeared. [You¡¯ve killed Kilraden and earned 3,000G.] Junhyuk did not have time to celebrate Kilraden¡¯s death. He turned around and pounded on the castle¡¯s force field, trying to destroy it as soon as possible. Junhyuk knew that even though he had upgraded his items, he wouldn¡¯t be able to bring the castle down on his own, and it would take a long time if he tried. "Junhyuk, what is going on?" "The giant golem is gone, and now, I have to destroy the castle¡¯s force field." "Yeah?! That¡¯s good!" Junhyuk smiled and said, "But when the enemies revive, I have to run." "Right. We can gather up and go back." Junhyuk pounded against the force field even quicker and with all his might. That¡¯s when he saw Nid inside the force field. Nid saw him too and, without hesitation, walked out of the force field. Junhyuk took a moment to think. He could deal with Nid alone, but if Kraken also came out, it would be a problem. Nid was a bnced champion, so Junhyuk thought he wouldn¡¯t have a problem dealing with him. But Kraken was a tank, and he couldn¡¯t deal with a tank, especially in the situation he was currently in. As Nid walked out, he targeted Junhyuk. Nid was flying like a corkscrew in his direction, and Junhyuk teleported to escape the attack. "You can¡¯t do whatever you please!" Nid said. Junhyuk looked at Nid and then at the castle¡¯s force field. The force field had already been damage, so just a bit more would bring it down. But Kraken might revive while he was dealing with Nid, so he didn¡¯t have a lot of time to think. He wanted to use everything he had on Nid. All of his powers hade back while he was trying to bring the force field down. Nid ran toward him, and Junhyuk used the Spatial sh. "Ugh!" It was a critical hit that took 55 percent of Nid¡¯s health. Having an upgraded sword meant not only that his normal damage had gone up, but that the Spatial sh damage had gone up as well. Junhyuk continued to attack. Nid swung his saw-ded sword at Junhyuk, who parried it. At that moment, Nid opened his mouth. "Howl!" The sudden howl paralyzed Junhyuk, and Nid attacked him quickly. There was nothing he could do. He couldn¡¯t move. Quickly losing health, Junhyuk was left with 30 percent of it and frowned. If Nid attacked with his translucent de, there would be nothing Junhyuk would be able to do. Worried about what to do, he made a decision. If things went well, he would be able to kill Nid, and there was also a chance he would be able to destroy the castle¡¯s force field. Nid¡¯s saw-ded sword became translucent, and Junhyuk made up his mind. He would fight. Junhyuk focused on the living spirit and raised his force field. This time, the force field was small, like film around his body, and Nid did not bounce away when he struck it. However, the translucent sword did not prate the force field. Junhyuk shed Nid¡¯s elbow, and Nid scowled, moving sideways. Junhyuk attacked him, but Nid blocked him calmly and went back inside of the force field. Junhyuk was being covered by a force field, and Nid was doing the same. He hadn¡¯t been able to kill Nid, but he wasn¡¯t disappointed. Nid wasn¡¯t around, so he could focus on destroying the castle¡¯s force field. Nid watched him pound against the force field and gritted his teeth. The champion couldn¡¯t attack now. Meanwhile, Nid was regaining his health quickly. There was nothing he could do with Junhyuk inside his own force field. Still, Nid couldn¡¯t just watch. He was ring at Junhyuk when Kraken appeared behind him. "What are you doing? Why are you letting him be?" "He has a force field around him." "But you still can¡¯t let him be!" As soon as Kraken came out of the force field, it hit Junhyuk. Boom! Junhyuk still had the force field around him, so he didn¡¯t take any damage, but he was pushed back, and Kraken stood between him and the force field. Soon after, Nid appeared behind Kraken. The two were standing in front of him, so if possible, he had to retreat. "Shit!" The castle¡¯s force field wouldn¡¯tst long. He thought he would be able to destroy it with three more hits. If he retreated now, they would have to have a team battle again. Junhyuk looked at his own health. He could still teleport, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to destroy the force field like that. With his health the way it was, if he fought the two of them, Junhyuk would die. "Nothing I can do!" He sighed and started taking some steps back, but that¡¯s when Kraken shot its ck ink. Without hesitation, Junhyuk teleported himself back. He had dodged whatever attacks followed up, but his force field had disappeared before the ink attack, and now he was blind. Junhyuk could die at any moment. Kraken and Nid ran toward him quickly and started attacking. Junhyuk was nervous, and although he had highly trained senses, he still didn¡¯t have his sight, so he couldn¡¯t fight them both right now. However, he still managed to dodge Kraken¡¯s tentacles. Thinking Kraken might use a power on him, which would kill Junhyuk, he retreated. Nid ran at him, swinging his saw-ded sword. While both champions were attacking him, bones started sprouting from the ground in front of him. ng, ng, ng, ng! Junhyuk recovered his sight and saw the wall of bones in front of him. "What are these?" He could hear Nid and Kraken, but he did not know what to do. Then, he heard another voice from behind him. "It works well." Looking back, Junhyuk saw Aktur. Aktur couldn¡¯t be there, but he was. Junhyuk looked at him, and Aktur, shining with a light blue aura, said, "Be ready to destroy the force field soon!" "What?" "Destroy the castle¡¯s force field!" Junhyuk gulped. "You... Did you just be a hero?" "Correct." Aktur wanted to say more, but he opened his mouth and added, "I¡¯ll distract them." After speaking, the wall came down, and Nid and Kraken appeared. Surprised to see Aktur, their eyes widened when they noticed him. However, they couldn¡¯t just stand there. Akturunched his bandages and pulled Kraken while damning the ground at the same time. Kraken couldn¡¯t move, so Aktur headed toward Nid and summoned the skeleton soldiers. Once the soldiers surrounded Nid, Aktur shouted, "Destroy the force field!" Junhyuk knew that even though Aktur had evolved into a hero and his basic power had increased, he couldn¡¯t expect much from him. So, Junhyuk ran toward the castle¡¯s force field. Behind him, Kraken tried to swing his tentacles at him, but Junhyuk ran left and right to avoid being caught. Because he was running away from Kraken, he easily dodged all of its tentacles. Junhyuk stabbed at the castle¡¯s force field. Nid was tied down with the skeleton soldiers, and Aktur was covering for him well. Seeing Aktur¡¯s sharp w-like nails, Junhyuk smiled bitterly. Aktur had been the weakest existence at the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. After the enemy champions changed, Aktur had be even weaker byparison, but now, he was a hero, and that was amazing. Junhyuk didn¡¯t think about it anymore. Kraken grabbed Aktur and started twisting his limbs, while Nid pushed the skeleton soldiers back. Junhyuk knew he could not procrastinate, so he used all his might to pound at the castle¡¯s force field. Nid was already behind him, but he blocked the attack and shouted, "We¡¯ve won!" Junhyuk shed the force field one final time, and it was gone. "No way!" Nid shouted from his back. Junhyuk heaved a sigh of relief and watched the castle go down. Then, he turned around slowly, saw Aktur and stared at him. "Now, we can¡¯t meet each other..." Junhyuk asked. "Probably." Junhyuk offered him his hand, and when Aktur shook it, he smiled. "Can I ask you one thing?" "Sure." "Were you stuck in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield for a long time?" Aktur nodded slowly. "Too long." "This is nice. Do well now that you are a hero." Aktur¡¯s shining blue eyes stared at him, and the mummy said, "I¡¯ll see you when you be a hero. Thanks to you, we stopped losing. Thanks." After saying that, Aktur started disappearing. Junhyuk looked at him and said, "May the fortunes of war be with you." Aktur disappeared, and the surroundings were filled with light. Junhyuk closed and opened his eyes again. Everything around him was white, but he saw a square box. He sighed deeply and looked at it. [This is the Swamp of Despair¡¯s victory reward. Please, take it.] He put his hand on the box, and when it popped open, a beam of light came from within it. [That is your reward. Please ce your hand on it.] Junhyuk¡¯s heart kept pounding as he ced his hand on the light. When he did, it slowly started taking shape. As he looked at it, the light slowly faded away, leaving a gauntlet in its ce. Looking at the gauntlet, Junhyuk murmured, "What are your stats?"

 Chapter 286 Training Together 1

    Gauntlet of Desire (rare) Defense +5Attack +5Critical Hit Damage +10%Extra Attack Chance +10% (50% Damage) The color of desire is ck, so like the color of soot, the gauntlet was ck. It increases defense and attack by five. Critical hit damage increases by 10 percent. The chance for an extra attack increases by 10 percent, and if it triggers, it deals 50 percent of the original attack¡¯s damage. --- Junhyuk¡¯s mouth hung wide open as he looked at the gauntlet he was holding in his hand. It was awesome. "From now on, I have a 30 percent chance to trigger an extra attack?!" It was the same as the Pure Golden Knight set effect. The 10 percent increase would help him a lot, and he also noticed that the gauntlet increased critical hit damage by 10 percent. The Spatial sh usuallynded as a critical. It tore through space to attack the enemy directly. Increasing the Spatial sh¡¯s damage by 10 percent was something he shouldn¡¯t scoff at. He dly held on to the gauntlet and pumped his fist. "Alright!" Soon, the world turned white, and he found himself in the training facility. As he opened his eyes, he saw monsters. An elidra wasing toward him, so he ran at it. The elidra swung its saw-ded sword, and he dodged it easily and sliced the elidra¡¯s neck. Then, thinking of something, he lowered his sword and connected to Arn. "Congrattions on your victory!" "Yes, I was prepared to die." "You did well." Junhyuk wasn¡¯t interested in talking about his victory. Instead, he wanted to ask Arn something. "In this round of the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, I used eleration." "Are you talking about the living spirit¡¯s eleration?" "To be more urate, it wasn¡¯t eleration. My body and time felt like they had slowed down. That¡¯s what I experienced." Arn stayed silent for a moment, before saying, "Strange. I have not experienced anything like that." "Is it weird?" "However, if you can use that power in the Dimensional Battlefield, you shouldn¡¯tin about it. It is not a power anyway. It¡¯s certainly not your ultimate. If they were considering it your ultimate, the eleration would work the same way in all dimensions." Junhyuk was worried about things on that point. If they had recognized the eleration as a power, it would have been his ultimate. However, he was not in a hurry to be a hero. After seeing Aktur and Kaljaque, he didn¡¯t think it was important to be a hero. Instead, he had to think about whether he would be able to be a legend after bing a hero. "If I can use it, I shall." "Do it." Seeing another elidra pop out, he disconnected with Arn and smiled. "Is today elidra day?" Two elidras appeared, and he ran toward them. He attacked ferociously, shing an elidra and triggering an extra attack. With just the 10 percent increase that raised it to a 30 percent chance to trigger, it felt like the extra attacks wereing out way more often than that. However, the extra attacks weren¡¯t necessary when fighting elidras. Junhyuk lowered his sword to his side and looked at the bodies. He did not need to use eleration when fighting them. He drank from the Regenerative Basin andy on the ground. Time had previously stopped, but it was now moving again, and he thought that Sarang had probably called him, but he wanted to go through the monster training first before calling her. When he saw another elidra appearing, he got up. --- Junhyuk was gettingfortable fighting the monsters. He had fought the elidra champion, Nid, so he could tell how the elidras would move next. Nid was at a much higher level than an ordinary elidra, so he had some ck when fighting the normal ones. Junhyuk spent the afternoon fighting monsters. Then, he let the living spirit run through his arteries before leaving the training facility. Because he was wearing the bracelet Gongon had given him, he could sense the mana around him. So, he smiled. "This is some bracelet." It absorbed a significant amount of mana. While at home, he learned that he could let the living spirit travel through his arteries because of it. Junhyuk called Sarang and Eunseo. He was nning to give them each a bracelet and bring them to his training facility. Through training, he would make them both stronger. Junhyuk set a meeting with Sarang and Eunseo for the evening. He would have dinner and deal with the evening monster wave. Junhyuk also called Elise and got in a cab. In the backseat of the cab, Junhyuk slowly absorbed mana from the bracelet and closed his eyes. That day, he would be meeting Elise to talk about the monster bodies. They had piled up to a point where he felt he could only trust her with them. His own people could only gather information at the moment. They weren¡¯t ready to research the Dimensional Battlefield yet. Elise wascking proper researchers, but he did learn how she was making her money. He thought of many things before the taxi arrived at Guardians HQ. Exiting the cab, he went to see Elise, and just like the previous time, Sora walked out to meet him. He looked at Sora and started pondering about whether he should give her a bracelet. She belonged to Guardians and she wasn¡¯t one of his people. Staring at her, he asked, "How is your life?" "Nowadays, I have a lot of free time, so I¡¯ve been focusing on my training. They have a new research subject, so I was put on the backseat." Junhyukughed. "Have a meal with me sometime." "Outside?" "Yes." There was a contract and an annual sry, but she was still just working for a major corporation. He could match their offer for her and was seriously considering bringing her to his side. Reaching the basement, he saw a feed of Eunmi on a big screen. She was using both of her powers. When he saw her calmly using her powers, he was surprised. "Did she go to the Dimensional Battlefield this week?" Elise shook her head. "It¡¯s a surprise, but she hasn¡¯t been summoned." Usually, when novices appeared, they were immediately summoned to the battlefield, but she hadn¡¯t been, which was certainly surprising. Junhyuk turned to Eunmi again and asked, "Have you learned anything?" "Because she became an expert, I couldn¡¯t measure her wavelength with the previous detector, so I made one specifically for experts." He was astonished by Elise. Her skills were certainly shocking. In only a short while, she had made an expert detector. Elise looked at him and asked, "Do you have business with me?" Smiling at her, he said, "I had a chance to go on a monster hunt, so I have a lot of monsters bodies." She cocked her head. "Didn¡¯t you go to the Dimensional Battlefieldst week?" Junhyuk realized yet again that Elise could be very perceptive, but he continued without answering her question. "Do you need monster bodies?" "What kind of monsters?" To Elise, he was still important, so she still had to keep him around. When she had heard he wasing to see her, she had turned on the expert detector, but the detector had not seen him as an expert. It was obvious that he had powers, but the expert detector had not seen him, and that meant there was the possibility that he could be a champion. She didn¡¯t want to bring it up yet, however. "These are high-ranking monsters, things you haven¡¯t seen yet," he said. "How many?" "A hundred." After collecting a hundred bodies, he kept on only gathering mana stones and bloodstones. The bodies were piling up, but there was nothing else he could do. Elise¡¯s eyes widened. "A hundred?" "Yes," he continued calmly. "I have to dump them all out at once, so it can¡¯t be anywhere small." "How did you bring them here?" He couldn¡¯t tell her about the Spatial Bag yet, and even if she wanted one, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get it for her. "I used something." "OK. Then, let¡¯s go to the monster (cadavers) containment room." The monster containment room was veryrge, and he could dump all of the bodies there. "Eunmi, let¡¯s take a rest. I¡¯ll see you in an hour," Elise told her through an inte. Eunmi nodded andy on her bed. Then, Elise said to Sora, "Stay here for a bit. You know what to do if there are any problems?" "Yes." They had already contained her once, so they weren¡¯t too worried about Eunmi. Elise turned to Junhyuk and said, "Then, let¡¯s go." They walked out of the research room and went to the containment area, where she showed him an empty space in the back. The space had a fifty-meter radius. Junhyuk looked around and smacked his lips. He was d that he had brought the elidras. As he pulled out the crystal orb from his chest, Elise looked at it with interest. Then, he dumped all of the bodies out of the orb. All of a sudden, therge amount of bodies came out, and Elise stepped back with surprise. Her eyes beamed, and she looked at him. More specifically, she was looking at the crystal orb. "Where did you get it?" "At the Dimensional Battlefield." "Can I get one?" "This is so expensive that I can¡¯t get one for you." For a Spatial Bag, that one might actually be cheap. Itcked all the other functions aside from gathering and dumping bodies all at once. But, it could hold as many bodies as he wished. Elise smacked her lips and murmured, "I want to visit the Dimensional Battlefield." He smiled bitterly at her. "If you had ever been there, you wouldn¡¯t talk like that." She did not say anything else on that point, moving to examine the bodies. She was astounded by them. "I¡¯ve never seen monsters like these." "That should be right." The truth was that those monsters were hard to encounter even in the Dimensional Battlefield. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t seen an elidra before either, and they had not appeared on Earth. If there had been elidras alive and causing trouble, things would have been different on Earth. Also, the twin-headed ogres¡¯ skins were so thick, no human weaponry would get through it. He was unsure if the iron soldier would have a solution for those two monsters. Elidras were surprisingly fast. They were slower than the jaguars, but the way they moved was shocking, making them difficult to deal with. Even Junhyuk couldn¡¯t tell what was going to happen when he fought elidras. Elise pulled a scalpel from her chest, and when she used it on a twin-headed ogre, her eyes widened. "This is something. Considering this muscle mass, the monster dposition liquid won¡¯t work!" Ogres had enormous muscles. Even if someone pierced an ogre¡¯s skin, it was impossible to tell how much damage had actually gone through the muscles. Elise wrote on her tablet and continued the examination. She also used her scalpel on an elidra¡¯s skin, but she couldn¡¯t even scratch it. "Compare to other monsters¡¯, this one¡¯s skin is superior." It looked like an alligator, and its skin itself was hard. Junhyuk¡¯s attack was so high that he had sliced it like a piece of paper, but things would probably be different for the rest of Earth. "I have certainly never seen these monsters before. Considering everything, I¡¯ll give you $5 million." She turned to him and added, "When I research these, the development on the monster research will be enormous."

 Chapter 287 Training Together 2

    Junhyuk put on his Max mask and headed over to hispany. GST was changing quickly every day. They had hired secretaries and a cleaning crew, on top of their security team. Thepany had been created to make use of Ganesha, so they didn¡¯t need a lot of people working there. Junhyuk looked at the ones surrounding Ganesha. There were eight people working now, and all of them were Sungtae¡¯s friends. Junhyuk gathered everyone in a meeting room, and two of them always got his attention since they possessed mana: Tirot and Brita. Looking at them both, he said, "This is the first time we¡¯re actually introducing ourselves. I¡¯m Max, GST¡¯s CEO." Everyone was paying attention to him. They all liked working there. It had been the best environment they could find. It even had a supeputer, which was a big help to them. They all had had trouble doing their jobs previously because of theirputers¡¯ inefficiency, but now, they had Ganesha¡¯s help, so they were all satisfied. Junhyuk looked at them and said, "Do you know about the Dimensional Battlefield?" Everyone nodded. Sungtae had previously published news of it, if only for five minutes, but they had heard about it. Junhyuk continued, "The lowest-ranked monsters of the Dimensional Battlefield are the ones appearing here. Humanity is gathering mana stones and bloodstones from those monsters, and by using those, we¡¯ve been able to produce iron soldiers and people with extreme regenerative capabilities." Everyone¡¯s eyes widened, and he looked at each of their faces. "Guardians has sole control over that technology, and it is developing quickly." After making the monster dposition liquid, Guardians was making an astronomical sum of money. Thepany monopolized the world market in selling military equipment, raking in the money. Junhyuk knew that was all because of Elise, but he couldn¡¯t make her one of his workers. "Guardians¡¯ main researcher is called Elise. Do you know her?" Everyone eyes widened, and Brita spoke up, "You mean Elise from Robotics?" "I have heard that she had worked for Robotics." Brita scowled at that, and he asked, "Do you have a problem with her?" Sungtae smiled bitterly and said, "Brita tried to patent two items, but Elise already had patents on them, so Brita doesn¡¯t like her much." Junhyuk looked at Brita. If she could create what Elise had created, he had high hopes for her. "Elise is a robotics engineer!" Sungtae cackled. "Brita majored in robotics engineering, but because of patent incident, she decided to go intoputer engineering." Elise wasn¡¯t simply a robotics engineer, however. She also had skills in biological engineering. Junhyuk looked at Brita and said, "OK. How do you feel aboutpeting against Elise?" "On what?" "I¡¯ll tell you more about mana stones. The iron series makes use of a new energy source produced by the mana stones. The mana stones are the iron soldier¡¯s main energy source." Brita hesitated for a moment and said, "I have to see an iron soldier¡¯s core. I have to know how advanced it is to know where to advance it further. I¡¯ll retrace Elise¡¯s path, but to catch her, there is nothing else I can do." Junhyuk took a moment to think and said, "OK. I¡¯ll get you two iron soldiers." Everyone was shocked by what he said. "Can a civilian purchase an iron soldier?" "I¡¯ll use unofficial means to get them." Sungtae scratched his head. "Even Brian can¡¯t help with that." "I know. I¡¯ll make the purchase myself, so don¡¯t worry." Then, he turned to Brita and said, "Start research on the mana stones. If you need anything, just let Sungtae know." Junhyuk turned to Sungtae and added, "Just get everything she asks for." "Do you mean get whatever she asks for officially?" "No. Unofficially. If anyone finds out we are researching mana stones, they will monitor us." Only the world¡¯s ruling ss was researching mana stones at that moment, and Junhyuk did not want to draw their attention. "Then, the unofficial purchase prices will be higher than normal." "Don¡¯t worry about the money." Looking at Brita, Junhyuk said, "I¡¯ll give you everything you need for your research." After some hesitation, Brita said, "The most important thing is the mana stone. I¡¯m not sure what mana stones are, but I need to have one to research it." Junhyuk pulled three mana stones from his chest and gave them to Brita. "These are mana stones. Each one costs about $20 to $30 million." Everyone¡¯s eyes widened, but Junhyuk continued calmly, "Start your research at once." He simply and calmly handed her tens of millions of dors worth of stones, leaving everyone astonished with him. Junhyuk looked at them and then turned to the security team leader. "Protect Brita well." "We will." After getting up, he said, "Use any space in the building you need for your research." Brita looked at the mana stones and answered, "I¡¯ll take the entire fifth floor." "Sure," he said, nodding at her. Junhyuk was willing to invest as much as he needed to catch up to Elise, even though it would not be an easy thing to do. "Then, I¡¯ll take my leave." He walked out of GST and got on the subway. He would be having a meeting with Sarangter, but he got his phone and made a call to Elise. "I¡¯ll buy two iron soldiers," he said calmly. "Will you be overseeing them, or will we have to control them?" "I¡¯ll be in control. All you have to do is let me have them." "OK. It¡¯ll cost you $300 million. I can have them sent to you." "I¡¯ll go and pick them up myself." "They¡¯ll be ready by Monday." Junhyuk held tightly to the handles in the subway, which were moving with the train. He met Sarang and Eunseo at a high-ss hotel restaurant and introduced them to each other. "This is Sarang, the country¡¯s number one girl genius." "What?!" Sarang tapped his shoulder lightly, and Eunseo frowned a bit. He introduced Eunseo as well, "This is Eunseo, Guardians¡¯ CEO." "Nice to meet you." The two shook hands, and Junhyuk exined further, "Sarang is, unofficially, an expert. She was the third activation on Earth." As Eunseo looked at Sarang, the high school student made a V sign with her middle and index fingers and said, "Just like big brother said, I¡¯m Sarang, the country¡¯s number one!" Junhyukughed and continued, "You don¡¯t need any exnations on Eunseo, right?" Sarang nodded and smiled at Eunseo. "Can I call you big sister?" "You may." The two of them talked like old friends, and he stopped worrying about them. They talked for a while until their meals came out. That¡¯s when Junhyuk exined why he had called them. "I have a private training facility." "A private training facility?!" Sarang asked, and he answered, "Yes. Arn gave me a living spirit, and to train with it, I needed more mana. I had brought some mana trees and started to train with them. I had also received an item the pulled dimensional tear coordinates to me and used it." Eunseo fixed her sses. "There is such a thing?!" Junhyuk nodded and continued, "After fighting a bunch of monsters, a manager from the Dimensional Battlefield showed up." Both of them became nervous at the mention of the manager, but he continued calmly, "And he made a training facility for me. I can fight B-ranked monsters there until I get bored, so I fight them twice a day." "How do you fight them twice a day?" "Theye in the morning from six to eight, and in the evening from eight to ten. A wave triggers every five minutes, and each seeding wave has more monsters than the previous." Sarang turned the subject to other things. "What kind of monsters are B-ranked monsters?" "Twin-headed ogres, for example." She frowned. "Big brother, you had such a hard time killing those!" "Not anymore. You have your own orb too, so you might also be able to kill them easily." He turned to Eunseo and said, "If you don¡¯t use your power, you won¡¯t be able to kill them." She was still a novice, so while she was able to kill ordinary monsters, B-ranked monsters were an entirely different story. Eunseo frowned at what he said, but he continued calmly, "However, I have a regenerative basin, so unless you get killed, I can save you." Looking at Eunseo, he said, "I wanted to tell you all of this, but youck equipment, so I am worried about you." Eunseo took a moment to think and said, "I want to experience it and find out what kind of monster it is." He nodded. "I wanted you both to see it tonight." While eating her steak, Sarang asked, "Where is it?" "You can get in from anywhere as long as you are with me." "Really?" Junhyuk nodded and said, "In short, I can get there from anywhere I want, but I have to exit from where I¡¯ve entered." Eunseo took a moment to think and asked, "How about we go from my office?" "Is it close from here?" "It¡¯s in Yeouido." He nodded and said, "Then, let¡¯s use it." After settling on that, he pulled out the bracelets. "And look at these." "What are those?" "I met a dragon at the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, and he gave me these. It absorbs mana and transfers it to whoever wears it." "Mana?" Junhyuk showed them the bracelet he was already wearing. "Mana is an essential form of energy. If you wear this, you can stay healthy. But we are all different. I use mana to get stronger beyond my limitations." Sarang¡¯s eyes widened. "Then, you are stronger here than when we were on the battlefield?" "Correct. Thanks to this, I¡¯m getting even stronger." Sarang took a bracelet and put it around her wrist, saying, "This is mine!" Eunseo was envious of Sarang¡¯s juvenile actions, but Junhyuk offered her one as well. "Even if you can¡¯t handle mana, wear this, and you¡¯ll live a long life. Take one." "Thanks." She put the bracelet around her wrist, and as he watched her, he said, "We have to make it to the eight o¡¯clock evening round. Let¡¯s hurry." Everyone nodded and got up. They all got inside Eunseo¡¯s car and took off. Junhyuk and Sarang thought it would¡¯ve been a simple office, but when they got there, they saw a tall building. Eunseo said calmly, "Just go to the top floor." Seeing the incredibly expensive office building, they went to the top floor and washed their hands. Looking at both of them, Junhyuk said, "It¡¯s almost time. Let¡¯s move first and talkter." "Right." He had never entered with others before, but he knew what to do and offered them his hands to hold. They all held hands, and with his eyes closed, Junhyuk said, "Enter." Suddenly, he heard a soft voice. [Will you allow this group to enter the training facility?] "Allow," he said, and their surroundings changed quickly. As Sarang and Eunseo looked around, they saw arge space with trees from the Dimensional Battlefield. Both women were nervous, and Junhyuk smiled at them. "Wee to my training facility."

 Chapter 288 Training Together 3

    Sarang looked around and shook her head. "It¡¯s interesting. After getting here, I stopped feeling manaing from the bracelet." "Were you feeling the mana from it?" Surprised, Junhyuk looked at her, and she nodded. "Mana was leaving the bracelet and making a circle around my heart and disappearing. It was... circting?" As he stared at her, he said, "Connect with Vera. Maybe she can teach you how to control it." "Really?" Sarang started trying to connect to Vera. Meanwhile, he turned to Eunseo. "Do you feel anything?" "Well..." Not everyone could feel it. Junhyuk, himself, had only been able to feel mana after acquiring the living spirit, and he couldn¡¯t give the living spirit to her. The survival rate for the procedure was too low. If she had died on the battlefield and had her soul grown, things would¡¯ve been different, but now, the living spirit would eat her alive. Eunseo was doing light stretches. She had one item, a ring. Of course, the ring had both defense and attack boosts, so it was useful, but with just one ring, it would be difficult for her to fight B-ranked monsters. He turned back to Sarang. She seemed to be focused on something, and he decided not to worry about her. So, he summoned all of his equipment. He had already told Eunseo everything. Still, as he summoned his equipment, Eunseo watched, astounded. As she watched him through her sses with beaming eyes, she said carefully, "Your equipment looks so cool." "I¡¯m wearing a golden cloak, so be understanding." "No! The gold looks very cool!" He thought wealthy people had a different idea of what was cool. After he gave Eunseo a few warnings, Sarang walked over to him and said, "Big brother." "What?" "Do you have any mana stones?" He pulled one out slowly. "Can I have five?" Eunseo already knew their value, but he pulled five of them out, worth $100 million total. He did so nonchntly, to Eunseo¡¯s surprise, and handed them to Sarang, who made a circle with the five stones. She also drew a circle around the mana stones and started writing something down. Junhyuk stared at her, but Sarang was engaged in the graphic work. She had drawn a magic circle, and he crossed his arms and watched her. The mana stones started radiating and, suddenly, shone with bright blue light. Then, the surrounding mana gathered around the circle. The radiating lights gathered and attached weaved themselves around Sarang¡¯s heart. The lights were circling around her heart and radiating. Then, clicking his tongue because of it, Junhyuk saw a dimensional tear, and a twin-headed ogre appeared from it. "Huck!" He didn¡¯t know how long Sarang would take with what she was doing, so heunched himself and sliced one of the twin-headed ogre¡¯s heads. His damage was extremely high, so he not only sliced a head, but the shockwave generated from the attack sliced the other head as well. Hended after slicing the head and walked toward Sarang. Shaking her head, Eunseo said, "You dealt with such a monstrous monster so easily." He smiled bitterly. "In any event, I¡¯m only dealing with B-ranked monsters. That¡¯s all. If an A-ranked monster appeared, I would die." "What type of monsters are appearing on Earth?" After thinking for a moment, he answered, "Most of them are the lowest-ranked monsters. But the iron soldiers have dealt with D-ranked monsters. Usually, they are around rank E or F. It¡¯s hard to rank porings." Eunseo looked at fallen twin-headed ogre. Ogres were such strong existences, and she hadn¡¯t known he could kill one so easily. He was not a simple champion, but had already gone beyond her imagination. Then, surrounded by strong light, Sarang opened her eyes wide. The circle of light around her heart had already disappeared, but Junhyuk thought Sarang had changed somewhat. "What did you and Vera talk about?" Raising her left her, she pounded her chest and said, "I¡¯ve learned about the magic circle. By creating one around my heart, I can cast magic faster." "Use it now." Sarang raised her orb, and above it, a blue lightning bolt appeared. Then, she created a lightning arrow from the orb andunched it, smiling. "My magic attack speed has surely increased, and the circle has gotten stronger and bigger since absorbing all of that mana." "You¡¯ve learned a lot." Sarang nodded. "I told her about this ce and the bracelet, and Vera taught me it all. She hadn¡¯t done so before because I had no way to acquire mana on Earth." Before he had a chance to speak again, Vera connected with him. He could see her face, so he focused on talking to her. "What Sarang just learned is a lot safer than your living spirit. It has been proven so, so don¡¯t worry about her. I just wanted to let you know." "That¡¯s good." "You won, so this one is on me." "Is that right?" "Of course! The magic circle is not something I teach just anyone, and that dragon¡¯s charging bracelet is hard to get as well." "Is it valuable?" "Of course! Dragons, as a species, always look down on other species, so it¡¯s always hard to get a present from a dragon. It¡¯s hard to get dragons¡¯ items unless you steal them from theirirs." Junhyuk thought, again, that he was d to be friends with Gongon. "If she practices the magic circle, her magic will get stronger. Even if she can¡¯t increase her damage in the Dimensional Battlefield, it will get stronger in yours, so make her practice hard." "I understand." "Then, see youter!" Vera waved at him and disappeared, and Junhyuk looked at Sarang. "If you practice the magic circle, your magic will get stronger on Earth." "Really?" Then, two other twin-headed ogres showed up, and Junhyuk looked at them and said, "Sarang, you take the left one." "OK." Sarang created a blue orb and fired. Boom! Before getting equipped, it had been hard for her to fight B-ranked monsters. But now, because of her equipment, her damage was higher, and she destroyed one of the twin-headed ogre¡¯s heads in one hit. "Roar!" the ogre shouted, and Junhyuk looked at the twin-headed ogre on the right. Focusing on the living spirit, he used the Spatial sh. sh! The power of the Spatial sh was superior, and the shockwave took out his twin-headed ogre¡¯s second head. Junhyuk turned to Sarang, and she cast an electric arrow that took away the other head of her ogre. Sarang watched the fallen twin-headed ogre and extended both of her arms, inhaling deeply. She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again, she smiled. "This is nice." Looking at Junhyuk, she said, "Whenever the mana circtes around my heart, I be stronger." "Is it difficult to do?" Sarang tapped her head and said, "You know it! My head is the best." He shook his head and said, "Just in case you get injured, drink from there." Eunseo walked over to the basin he had pointed to, and looking into its calm light, she asked, "Can I take some of the water outside since it cures everything?" "Well... I¡¯ve never tried it before." She thought of taking some out with her and mass producing it, astonishing the world. Junhyuk told her to wait, and he exited the training facility, quickly reappearing with a water bottle. He filled the bottle with the basin water and exited. Just by looking at the filled water bottle outside, he knew the benefits from the basin water only worked within his training facility. He clicked his tongue and went back in. "It doesn¡¯t work outside." "Is it for this facility alone?" Junhyuk nodded, and when three twin-headed ogres appeared, he looked at Eunseo. "Do you want to deal with one?" "Sure." "If you feel that you are in danger, you have to retreat." "OK," she said and ran toward a twin-headed ogre. Junhyuk knew she would have a hard time dealing with one of them because Eunseo¡¯s attack stat was very lousy. She could only trust her power, but he wanted to watch her use it. Junhyuk sliced a leg of the ogre that came toward him and followed Eunseo, who was staring intently at an ogre. The ogre swung its tree trunk, and Eunseo ducked. The truth was that among novices, Eunseo¡¯s stats were really high. Before she had be a novice, she had already had an augmentation procedure with the R-Potion. She dodged the zooming trunk and punched the twin-headed ogre¡¯s hamstring, but her fist just bounced off of it. The twin-headed ogre swung the trunk repeatedly, but Eunseo dodged sideways. However, the ogre had expected her to move and swung his fist at her. Junhyuk thought she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape, but Eunseo turned translucent and appeared behind the ogre. Then, she kicked it. Boom! One of the twin-headed ogre¡¯s head was destroyed. Even though she didn¡¯t have more items, her power¡¯s attack was extremely high. She had destroyed a twin-headed ogre¡¯s head with a single kick. But that wasn¡¯t all. The twin-headed ogre wouldn¡¯t die from losing just one head, but it did get angrier, and in its fury, it attempted to punch her. Eunseo trusted her regenerative ability and raised both of her arms to block the attack. She thought that if she didn¡¯t die from a single blow, she would survive the fight. However, as the fist approached her, she shivered. Could she block it? Eunseo was curious about what she could do, but that¡¯s when he showed up in front of her. Junhyuk had teleported, swinging his sword and slicing the twin-headed ogre¡¯s fist. Blood sttered about, but he grabbed Eunseo and teleported away. "Roaar!" the twin-headed ogre screamed, running toward him, but Junhyuk used the Spatial sh. The ogre was swept up by the Spatial sh and fell, in pieces. Junhyuk turned to Eunseo, and as she wiped the sweat from her forehead, she said, "That was something else." "Sorry. I wanted to know if you could withstand the ogre¡¯s blow, but it looked too dangerous." Eunseo smiled. "No. You did the right thing. As I was about to get punched, I thought I was going to die." He smiled. "Then, let me check it out first." "What?!" Junhyuk sent his equipment away one by one. When he had exactly thirty defense, he said calmly, "I am a champion with a lot of health, so I¡¯ll see how much damage that does to me." He had never been intentionally hit before, but now was the time to find out. If he received more damage than Eunseo¡¯s health, that would mean she shouldn¡¯t be there. As Junhyuk prepared himself to get hit by a twin-headed ogre, Sarang walked over to him and smiled. "Big brother, you could die." He shrugged and said, "With my health, I won¡¯t die." Sarang nodded to that and added, "You are right. You won¡¯t die. But it will hurt like hell."

 Chapter 289 Going Forward 1

    The next wave had four twin-headed ogres, and when Junhyuk saw them, he stepped forward. "I¡¯ll let them hit me first." "Are you going to be OK?" "I¡¯ll be fine." Without any worry, heunched himself forward, and the twin-headed ogres swung their tree trunks at him. Ordinarily, he would¡¯ve dodged, but he threw himself at one of the attacks. Boom! Junhyuk bounced away, rolling on the ground. Then, he got up and checked to see how much of his health had been taken off. Junhyuk had lost two hundred health. That was definitely the attack of a B-ranked monster. With thirty defense, which was something a minion could only dream of having, he was still significantly damaged. An attack like that could also kill a novice in a single hit. When Junhyuk got up, he said, "Step back." Eunseo should not be there. With her defense, she wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand a hit like that. After taking the hit, he put his equipment back on and used the Spatial sh. Half of the ogres running toward him died. Sarang, who was standing next to him, started casting her magic. After taking care of the twin-headed ogres, he turned to Sarang and said, "Sarang, you heal me." "OK." It would be good for Sarang to exercise her healing power. While getting healed, Junhyuk looked at Eunseo and said, "Eunseo, you won¡¯t be able to withstand a hit with your defense. There are only a few twin-headed ogres now, but their numbers will increase, and I won¡¯t be able to help you." In fact, Eunseo agreed. With the power she had, she shouldn¡¯t be there. Junhyuk looked at her and said calmly, "I¡¯ll take you back." "I¡¯ll wait for you there." Junhyuk grabbed her hand and said, "Exit." They exited and he added, "When we are done training, we¡¯ll head here." After reentering the facility, Junhyuk stood next to Sarang. "Eunseo can¡¯t be here, at least not yet." "Right." Sarang touched her chin and said, "It¡¯s very difficult for a novice to get items. Eunseo only has her counterattack as her power. If she trusts that counterattack too much, she could be killed." Junhyuk nodded heavily. Even if he wanted to save her, he would not be able to help her. Sarang asked, "Big brother, Eunseo knows a lot of people, right?" "Right." "And she owns a lot of antiques, right?" "Right." "How about giving her the detector?" "What?" Junhyuk turned to her, and she smiled and continued, "You are too busy training, so you don¡¯t have the time to look for items. Eunseo can¡¯t get new items in the Dimensional Battlefield, so how about letting her get new items on Earth." He nodded in agreement. He had to go out of his way to find antiques that would work as items, but Eunseo was different. She could already have some at her house, or find some through her friends. She would be able to get items to use at the Dimensional Battlefield, which would help her get much stronger. "That¡¯s a good idea," he said and caressed Sarang¡¯s head. "Is that because of the runestones?" "What do you mean?" Sarang tapped his chest lightly and said, "The next ones areing." The dimensional tear appeared again and ogres walked out of it. "Should I use my power this time?" "Sure." Sarang¡¯s eyes beamed, and she raised her orb, heading into battle. --- Eunseo looked at the clock and saw that it was already past ten, and she was too worried to sit still on her chair. "They¡¯ll be here soon." Junhyuk¡¯s health was shocking. Not even a twin-headed ogre had been able to kill him. "What should I do?" She had to activate another power and be an expert, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t be of any help. Eunseo was feeling guilty, but when she thought of the twin-headed ogre, she lost her confidence. She was holding her forehead with her hand when she felt something, and when she raised her head, she saw Junhyuk and Sarang. He was covered in blood. "Sorry. Can I shower first?" "The bathroom is over there." Junhyuk looked at Sarang and said, "You go first." "I¡¯ll be a while." "It doesn¡¯t matter. Go ahead." "Then, I¡¯ll be going." Junhyuk watched her go into the bathroom and bowed slightly toward Eunseo. "I forgot I¡¯d return covered in blood." "On that note, are you OK?" "I¡¯m fine." Eunseo brought him a towel, but Junhyuk shook his head and said, "When Saranges out, I¡¯ll teleport into the bathroom and shower, so I don¡¯t need to wipe the blood off right now." Eunseo sat on the sofa and looked at him. "Sorry. I¡¯m not much help." "I want to tell you something." "What?" "After Saranges out, and I shower, we¡¯ll talk," he said. Eunseo nodded, and Sarang walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her head. "I went fast." "Thanks." Junhyuk teleported, and once inside the bathroom, he took a cold shower, making sure that all of the blood had been washed off. Once he finished, he took some clothes out of the Spatial Bag and put them on. Eunseo and Sarang were talking to each other, and he was d that the two had be close. Junhyuk took a seat, and the two looked at him. "I haven¡¯t told you yet, but you can find Dimensional Battlefield items on Earth." He had told her many things about the Dimensional Battlefield, but not everything. As Eunseo heard that, her eyes widened. Then, Junhyuk showed her the detector and said, "This thing can detect Dimensional Battlefield items within a ten-meter radius, and once you get within a one-meter radius of that item, it¡¯ll shine red." Eunseo¡¯s eyes beams. She was of no help now, but with that machine, she could find items that would eventually enable her to help. Junhyuk continued calmly, "I found an item at an antique shop and a bracelet made out of a tree struck by lightning." "Are you saying they are hard to find?" "Yes. There¡¯s no way to be sure what item will be usable on the battlefield, but I¡¯m guessing chances are better with really old items." "Old items... Do you mean artefacts?" "That¡¯s my guess. They are usually of historical importance or far too expensive, so we can¡¯t get them." Eunseo nodded heavily, and he handed her the detector. "I want you to have it and look for items." Eunseo was visibly a little nervous, so Sarang said, "You probably know a lot of people, so you¡¯ll be able to find them. You¡¯ll have an easier time than us trying to look for items." Eunseo nodded. She knew more people than the other two and she had enough money to purchase things. "If you need money, let us know. We¡¯ll pay our share." "I already have enough money." Junhyuk smiled at her answer. She probably had enough money, but even Eunseo would have a spending limit. Still, he didn¡¯t press on. If she ever needed something, she would ask him for it. "Are you going to look for items?" Eunseo was holding the detector nervously in her hands and asked, "After I find an item, how do I check what it does?" "You can only get that information at the Dimensional Battlefield. When you find anything, let us know first, and we¡¯ll share them. We¡¯ll pay for our shares." "I¡¯ll pay for the items. I can¡¯t earn gold, so even if it¡¯s only on Earth, I want to pay for them. I¡¯m guessing you can only buy the detector with gold." Junhyuk smiled bitterly and said, "To be honest, because of the training facility, I¡¯m earning an enormous amount of money. I¡¯m getting cadavers and stones." He turned to Sarang and added, "I earned a lot this time." Sarang nodded. "He got ten mana stones and twelve bloodstones. With those types of spoils, you don¡¯t have to worry about money." Eunseo couldn¡¯t keep her mouth shut. "You got $220 million for two hours of work?" He nodded. "I can earn that much money twice a day. Sarang can only train in the evenings, so I n to give her half of what we earn each evening." He added, "We¡¯ll earn more by selling the bodies as well, so when you get new items, we should divide the cost." "That¡¯s a good idea." If he earned $100 million a day, his assets would surpass Eunseo¡¯s eventually. Junhyuk continued, "When you are able to fight with us, we¡¯ll divide what we earn between us all." Eunseo smiled. "I am getting fired up. I¡¯ll certainly get more items." Junhyuk smiled back. "I have one more favor to ask of you." "Please, speak." "It¡¯s about novices," he said, and Eunseo and Sarang looked at him. So, he shared his thoughts with them. "I know countries are gathering novices, but if possible, I want to recruit them as well." "Novices?" "Yes, I have enough money to do it." Eunseo pondered the idea and said, "My eldest brother is recruiting them, so it won¡¯t be easy to meet novices secretly." Junhyuk waved her remark away. "Don¡¯t worry about it then. It¡¯ll be good if it happens, but it¡¯ll be bad if other people find out we are doing it." "I¡¯ll be cautious when I look for them." Eunseo wanted to help badly, and Junhyuk smiled with satisfaction. Then, he turned to Sarang. "It¡¯ste. I¡¯ll take you home." "I can take her home." "Big sister, are you trying to interfere with our date?" Eunseo was surprised, but Sarangughed brightly and said, "I am joking. Big sister, take me home." After hearing that, Junhyuk sighed and said, "Then, let us all go."

 Chapter 290 Going Forward 2

    It was Sunday, and Junhyuk had nned to train with Sarang. He went looked for a house around where Sarang lived, gave her extra money and found a ce where she could move in right away. The owner of the ce agreed to empty it by Monday, so Junhyuk gave them extra money and signed the contract. Then, he made sure Sarang could move in by Monday evening, and that she had finished the preparations for the move. Once he paid the fees agreed in the contract, he called Sora. Junhyuk set up a lunch meeting with Sora and headed to the meeting ce. After arriving, he pulled out a tablet and checked the news. Everything was about novices nowadays. Ghana had used novices to deal with monsters, and they were glorifying novices. There was a story about two of Ghana¡¯s novices disappearing, and once he saw it, he knew they wouldn¡¯t return. "A novice¡¯s survival rate isn¡¯t that high." The novices around Junhyuk were lucky, and they had returned, but ordinarily, their chances were low. Usually, novices werepletely massacred. Thinking that the turn of events was only natural, he satfortably and closed his eyes. Mana wasing through his bracelet, so he used it to fatten his living spirit. Then, he felt someoneing toward him. Sora was standing in front of him, smiling. "Can I have a seat?" "Please do." She took a seat, and he ordered food. He turned to her. She had Kaljaque as an enemy and she had returned. She was lucky. "How is life at thepany?" "It¡¯s just like I told you before. Nowadays, we don¡¯t have much to do. They must¡¯ve found everything there is to know about novices. My only job is to run away with Elise." Junhyuk thought that it had been a good idea for her to stay with Elise. After taking a moment to think, he said, "If that¡¯s the case, you don¡¯t have to stay there." "But it is a good job." "You haven¡¯t been to your house yet, right?" "I can¡¯t do anything about that." Junhyukughed. When their orders came out, he smiled. "Let¡¯s eat first." Sora¡¯s eyes sparkled with curiosity, but he didn¡¯t speak further. Once they finished the main course, the dessert came out. "Sora." "Yes." He had wanted to meet her, so she was expecting something from him. Junhyuk looked at her and spoke slowly. "As a matter of fact, I want to recruit you." "Recruit?" "You know how Ghana glorified their novices?" "Yes, I know." "From now on, every country will try to do the same. Developing countries are disying such attitudes. And other countries will do the same." "They¡¯ll utilize novices to deal with monsters, right?" "That¡¯s right." Sora took a moment to think and said, "I can deal with monsters." "That¡¯s not the problem. If the country takes you, they won¡¯t treat you nicely." She nodded slowly. "That is probably true." "I don¡¯t think you are well treated right now." "But they are treating me nicely." Junhyuk showed her three fingers. Sora asked him what he meant by that, and he continued slowly. "I will pay you three times what they pay you. I¡¯ll also pay the fee to breach your contract." Sora kept thinking while staring at him. "Why are you so nice to me?" He smiled and said, "I can trust you." She couldn¡¯t make up her mind. "I am just a novice." "I know, but you will grow stronger." His eyes beamed, and he added, "I will help you with your growth." At that, Sora¡¯s eyes sparkled. Then, he pulled out a bracelet and set it on the table. "I just got it. It collects mana and transfers it to whoever wears it. Mana is a source of life, it¡¯s an energy, so even if you don¡¯t have powers, the mana will increase your lifespan. You will gain more benefits than that as a novice." "Is it a Dimensional Battlefield item?" "It is from there." "And you are giving it to me?" "I¡¯m looking for people with powers that I can trust. You are one of them." He stared her down, and Sora balled her hands into fists. Junhyuk offered her the bracelet and said, "Come with me." After some thought, Sora asked carefully, "If I leave Guardians, won¡¯t my life be difficult?" It wouldn¡¯t be a good idea to have a hostile rtionship with South Korea¡¯s most powerful group. But, Junhyuk shook his head. "You forget. We are the only ones that can bring stuff back from the Dimensional Battlefield. As the number of novices increase and their return rates increase, there will bepetition. The prices of mana stones and bloodstones will drop, but our work won¡¯t suffer." "Really?" "Right now, Guardians has a monopoly on mana stones and bloodstones, but soon, other corporations will jump in, and we¡¯ll be even more valuable." "Valuable?" He nodded slowly. "Before that, I need people I can trust." Sora picked up the bracelet and smiled. "Let¡¯s do it." He nodded. "OK. If you need anything, let me know. If you need awyer to handle the termination of the contract, I¡¯ll introduce you to one." "Awyer?" "Yes." Sora started thinking about her situation, and he said to her calmly, "If you need anything, just let me know." "OK." Nervously, she asked, "Where should I report to now?" Smiling, Junhyuk said, "When you quit Guardians, just stay home. I¡¯ll prepare a training facility for you to practice." "OK. I¡¯ll resign and let you know." Junhyuk smiled again and said, "I¡¯ll pay the termination fee, so don¡¯t worry about it." "Sure." Sora realized how much he needed her, and she held onto the bracelet. --- Junhyuk had been sessful in recruiting Sora, so he looked for another house. He had purchase a house for Sarang to train, but now he needed another one. He visited a few houses, and after looking at them, he headed to his house in Paju to go to his training facility and focus on his training. Junhyuk trained and hunted, and after, he exited to the bathroom and washed himself clean. When he walked out, his phone rang. He knew it was Elise¡¯s number. "Did you get the iron soldiers?" "They are here, but I have a question." "What is it?" "Sora is quitting. Are you behind that?" He bitterly smiled. "Right now, your research on Sora is nearly done, so I¡¯m recruiting her." "Hm." "Is that a problem?" "No problem, but Doyeol isn¡¯t very happy about it. The termination fee is three times her regr sry." "I¡¯ll pay it." "Why are you so bent on taking her?" After thinking, he answered, "I want to make a team with people I can trust." "A team made up of people with powers?" "Yes. If they are trained right, they¡¯ll be able to deal with whatever happens in the future." "What do you think will happen?" "Well, the monster waves won¡¯t stop so easily." After being silent for a minute, Elise said, "Come get your iron soldiers." "I¡¯ll be right over." Junhyuk changed and called Sora, who was surprised to get a call from him. "What¡¯s wrong?" "I talked to Elise. You told Doyeol that you are quitting?" "Yes, he wants the termination fee." "Tell me your ount number, and I¡¯ll wire the money." "I¡¯m sorry." "Don¡¯t be sorry. I¡¯m spending $3 million to recruit you, and that¡¯s cheap." Sora had a good amount of health, and her power was useful. He wasn¡¯t sure about the Dimensional Battlefield, but she was of use on Earth. She was also a good candidate for a tank, and he meant to train and grow her. Junhyuk wired the money to her ount, grabbed a taxi and headed to Guadians¡¯ HQ in Seoul. Once there, Sora did note out to meet him like usual. She was probably busy dealing with her contract situation, so he went to see Elise by himself. Elise was in the basement researchb, looking at Eunmi on a monitor. She had ced electrodes on Eunmi and was watching her use her powers. She turned around to look at him. "You came." "I¡¯m here to get my iron soldiers." Elise stared at him. "As you already know, to control an iron soldier, you¡¯ll need a lot of equipment. We have Zaira, and she can control iron soldiers, so you¡¯ll need a supeputer to be able to control the two iron soldiers." "Don¡¯t worry about that." Elise took him to where the iron soldiers were located. There were two of them. Junhyuk touched one of them and asked, "Do they have GPS?" "Sure. They are expensive, so of course they have GPS." "Take them out." Elise opened the iron soldier¡¯s chest and pulled out a small device. She took it out of both of them. "To synchronize them with aputer, you need code." She handed him the code, and he said, "Thanks for your concern." "Well, you are paying me $300 million." Junhyuk pulled out some mana stones and asked, "Can I give you these instead?" Elise smiled brightly. "I will measure their worth." While measuring the stones, she looked at him and asked, "You don¡¯t need any more help?" "I¡¯ll be fine." Junhyuk ced the iron soldiers inside the Spatial Bag, and Elise walked over and asked, "If I can research that, we¡¯ll be able to mass produce it." "I can¡¯t." Spatial Bags were so expensive on the battlefield that they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to mass produce one. Dragons couldn¡¯t do it either, and he wouldn¡¯t give it to Elise anyway. "You are hurting my pride." Junhyuk shrugged and asked, "What are the measurements?" "A total of $320 million." He smiled. "You don¡¯t have to give me the $20 million now. I might need something elseter." Eliseughed brightly. "OK." She was expecting more deals with him, so she patted his back lightly. "If you have problems with the iron soldiers, just call me. I¡¯ll help you" "Sure." Junhyuk said goodbye and walked out. He was about to exit the building when he saw Soraing out. She saw him, smiled brightly and ran toward him. "I¡¯ve just resigned. Take responsibility." Smiling, he said, "Then, should we go forward?"

 Chapter 291 Going Forward 3

    Junhyuk took Sora home, put on his mask and headed to GST. He was going there to drop off the iron soldiers. When he arrived, he saw the security team installing the security system. "Is it going well?" he asked the security team chief. "This ce is highly secure. Anyone without proper authorization won¡¯t be able toe in here." Junhyuk nodded and asked, "Can I go in now?" "Of course." He went inside and saw that the new equipment had been installed. Junhyuk was d that the equipment was already there. Then, he saw Sungtae and Brian, and Brian smiled when he saw Junhyuk. "We meet again!" Junhyuk gave a light nod and looked at Sungtae. "How is the equipment?" "They are of the highest quality. I had to get them fast, so I paid an extra 10 percent." "That doesn¡¯t matter. How long will it take to get everything?" Brita, who was walking toward them, answered, "We got most of the necessary equipment. The rest are essories, and we aren¡¯t in a hurry. We¡¯re already well prepared." Junhyuk had only given them a short while, but Brian had already been able to import everything around them, which astonished him. Junhyuk entered theb and looked around. The equipment wasparable to those of Elise¡¯sb Junhyuk turned to Brita and asked, "Then, are you ready to start your research?" "Do you have them already?" He nodded and looked around. Sungtae and Brian had left, so he calmly ced his hand on his chest and pulled out two iron soldiers. Brita¡¯s eyes widened. She could not understand how items as big as those coulde out of him. Her eyes beamed. "Sorry, but I can¡¯t tell you about this," he said calmly. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t give her the Spatial Bag for research, so he continued, "You may use one to tear apart and figure out how they are made, but the other we¡¯ll use to guard this ce." "You want to use an iron soldier to guard the building?" "Correct. We are not safe from monsters." Brita took a moment to think and said, "Wait." She went over to the iron soldier and took off its shell. She did it so well that he could tell that she was very skilled. Brita looked inside the iron soldier and shook her head. "I can¡¯t see its GPS. Is it somewhere else?" "I took it out. And here is the synchronization code," he answered calmly. She took the code and started working on a keyboard. The screen started loading, and then it showed the iron soldier. Brita said camly, "Ganesha, see if the iron soldier is connected to anotherwork." Ganesha spoke a momentter. [It¡¯s in its most basic state. It¡¯s not connected to any otherwork.] Junhyuk realized that Elise had kept her promise and realized that he could trust her even more. "Considering the iron soldier¡¯s weaponry, can you get it extra ammunition?" "I can¡¯t do that in South Korea." "Then, how can I get more weapons?" "You can probably get them from where you purchased these." Junhyuk smiled bitterly and said, "Nothing we can do now. To start, set the control over the iron soldiers to me, you and Sungtae." "Sure." "Then, work hard." Brita had been waiting for that moment, and she pulled out her tools for dismantling the iron soldier. Junhyuk was relieved while watching her. She was very passionate now. Junhyuk walked outside. There were still many things to install next to the mainb, and Brian was in charge of installing them, so he saw Sungtae and Brian nearby. "Sungtae, talk to me for a moment." "Sure." Junhyuk looked at Brian and said, "We¡¯ll be dealing with you in the future. Please do your best." "I will!" He patted Brian¡¯s shoulder lightly, and Brian¡¯s eyes beamed. Considering the things that Junhyuk had already bought, he already knew how wealthy Junhyuk was and he knew that, through Junhyuk, he would be able to do business with a wider world. Junhyuk nodded slightly and took Sungtae to the tenth floor. Although, Junhyuk was the CEO, he rarely used the CEO¡¯s office. When he showed up with Sungtae, all secretaries suddenly got up from their seats. Junhyuk had noints about Sungtae having hired secretaries. They had signed confidentiality agreements and they were all beautiful. They earned more than secretaries at major corporations and also got a lot of benefits from GST. Sungtae had used thepany benefits to make sure to hire them. They greeted Junhyuk, and he went inside the CEO¡¯s office. Junhyuk and Sungtae took their seats, and a secretary walked in and stood there. "Do you want anything to drink?" "I¡¯ll have some coffee. What about you?" "I¡¯ll have coffee as well." The secretary bowed and walked out, and Junhyuk looked at Sungtae. "I have a job for you." "Just tell me what it is." Lately, Sungtae was very happy. He was the second-inmand at GST and he could do whatever he wanted. He also had Ganesha. "I have to buy some buildings without thepany name," Junhyuk said. "Buildings?" As Junhyuk nodde, the secretary knocked on the door and brought in their coffee. Junhyuk took his cup and walked over to a window. Sungtae got up and walked to him. "To start, let¡¯s get the building next door." "What are you going to do?" "I n to collect people with powers." Sungtae already knew about powers, so he quickly understood what Junhyuk had meant by it. "Nowadays, articles concerning novices aren¡¯t being deleted. But it¡¯s different in South Korea. They are still being deleted here." "Right. In South Korea, Guardians has the biggest power over information, and thepany is also gathering powered people. I¡¯m only nning on gathering those I can trust." "Trust..." "The people I can trust. To begin with, I¡¯ve recruited someone." Sungtae couldn¡¯t hide his surprised looked, and Junhyuk continued calmly, "So, let¡¯s get a new building, but not under GST¡¯s name." "Then, with what name are you making the purchase?" "Create anotherpany." "Do you have anything in mind?" "Just Max." Sungate smiled and said, "Then, are you giving GST to me?" Junhyuk grabbed Sungtae¡¯s shoulders and said, "If you show your worth to me." Sungtae had only been joking, so his eyes widened. GST¡¯s total assets were enormous now. Thepany was thriving, and its breakthroughs would shock the world. On top of that, Junhyuk had just said that he would be willing to give Sungtae thepany. Sungtae was ecstatic. Junhyuk continued, "Hurry and get the building next door. Give them $2 million more than the going price." "Sure." After hearing Sungtae¡¯s answer, Junhyuk finished his coffee. Then, the phone rang. He pressed a button on it and heard a secretary¡¯s voice. "What is it?" "Tirot from the Administrative Department wants to see you." Junhyuk looked at Sungtae, but Suntae just shook his head. "He didn¡¯t tell me anything." "Yeah? Tell him toe in." There was a knock on the door soon after, and Tirot walked in. Junhyuk had been watching Tirot closely as he also had mana, which made him think that Tirot was probably different from the others. He offered Tirot a seat and asked, "Do you want a drink?" "No, I¡¯m fine." Junhyuk and Sungtae sat down again. "So, what do you want to talk about?" With some hesitation, Tirot said, "I want to talk about Brita¡¯s research." Junhyuk shook his head. "Is that a problem?" "No, it¡¯s not." Junhyuk satfortably. He wanted to hear what Tirot had to say, and Tirot looked straight at him and said, "Brita will need help from others." "Sure." Elise led her research, but she had a monster research team of her own. Just like Elise, Brita would also need a team. However, it wasn¡¯t the right time for that. Brita was dismantling the iron soldier, and that wasn¡¯t something that just anyone could have ess to. "I have a favor to ask of you." Sensing that Junhyuk wanted to hear from him, Tirot continued, "I have a lot of interest in biological engineering." Junhyuk became even more interested. Elise had knowledge of robotics, and Junhyuk supported Brita¡¯s attempt to catch up to her. Now, a biological engineer, Tirot, hade to him on his own. "Yeah? Then, what I can do for you?" "The remnants of the monsters from the Dimensional Battlefield and R-potions and bloodstones, I want ess to them." Junhyuk frowned slightly, and Tirot shivered a little. Then, Junhyuk raised his hand to let Tirot know that he wasn¡¯t frowning because of him and turned to Sungtae. "I need you to purchase one more building." "You are...?" "Monsters are veryrge. Considering Guardians¡¯b, one building for everything isn¡¯t enough. We have to buy a new building and repurpose it." Sungtae smacked his lips and said, "That¡¯ll be a massive construction." "It will, but it¡¯s necessary." Then, Junhyuk turned to Tirot and added, "OK, I¡¯ll have them for you." "Thank you." "However, until everything is done, you won¡¯t be able to run your research." "I know." "So, you may direct the construction yourself." "Thank you!" Tirot would be in charge of the researchb, so it would be good for him to lead its construction. Junhyuk got up and patted Tirot¡¯s shoulder. "You can have anything you want. Do your research." "Thank you." Tirot walked out, and Junhyuk looked at Sungtae and asked, "Is Tirot talented in biological engineering?" "Brita and Tirot are different from us. Tirot minored in biological engineering, and he also has a PhD in the field, but he doesn¡¯t talk about it because he is not a showoff." "A PhD from MIT isn¡¯t something to brag about?" "One can always get a PhD." Junhyuk wanted to punch Sungtae. "I want to beat you up." "Ha-ha-ha-ha! I have to go now. Got work to do." Sungtae left, and Junhyukughed and looked out of the window. Within the jungle of buildings in the Guro District, he knew he was taking steps forward.

 Chapter 292 Weed Out 1

    Jeffrey looked at the people in front of him. There were a total of four people, men and women, and they all stared at him. He smiled brightly at them and said, "Nice to meet you. I am Jeffrey and I¡¯ll be responsible for teaching you." "What are you going to teach us?" Jeffrey looked at a depraved-looking high school student, slowly closed his eyes and opened them again. He had been through numerous battles before. The high school student got scared of Jeffrey¡¯s look, and Jeffrey turned to the others and said, "I will be teaching you how to survive the Dimensional Battlefield. It¡¯s the least I can do." After he said that, he gave them two-handed swords. "Wielding a weapon should be basic, and your powers will help out your allies. Shall we check your powers?" They wondered if they should follow Jeffrey¡¯s order, so they just stared at him, but Jeffrey looked at them andughed. "Sorry to tell you, but if I don¡¯t pass you, your contract will be nullified." "What do you mean by the contract being nullified?" "That¡¯s the authority I have." --- Wednesday. Junhyuk had just killed monsters ande out of training. After walking out of the shower, he noticed his cell phone ringing. He checked the number first and picked it up. "What¡¯s the matter?" "I have something to tell you. Can we talk?" "Where are you?" "I¡¯m in front of your former house, but is the construction not finished?" "I moved to next door." "Oh! I¡¯ll there soon." THe doorbell rang, and Junhyuk opened the door. Jeffrey was holding a six-pack and chuckled. "Really, I can¡¯t understand the reason for your empty houses." "I live alone, so I don¡¯t need a lot." "True, but this is too much." Junhyukughed and brought some fruit out of the refrigerator. Jeffrey opened a can of beer and gave it to him. "You are something else. You bought this house like it was nothing." "I had no other choice." Jeffrey sipped on his beer and said, "You know they are collecting novices, right?" "Any good results?" "Doyeol has five of them including Tsubasa. She has already been to the Dimensional Battlefield and returned, so I don¡¯t have to watch her, but the others haven¡¯t gone yet, so I¡¯m training them." "Training?" "On how to survive the Dimensional Battlefield." When novices survived they could be a lot of help. Doyeol knew that, so he was having them trained. "What¡¯s Doyeol going to do with these novices?" "He wants to weed out the good from the bad. Tsubasa is protecting Eunseo at Guardians. Doyeol wants to do something with those who survive." "Is that right?" "And if he can make a security team made up of novices, it¡¯ll be his best shot at keeping safe. Novices have powers that go beyond thews of physics, afterall." "Just like when he hired you." "Yes." Junhyuk stared at Jeffrey and said, "Elise invented an expert wavelength detector." Jeffrey frowned. "How did she do it?" "An expert appeared during thest poring incident. Haven¡¯t you heard?" "No, not yet." "Well, she did it, so if you want to hide the fact that you are an expert, talk to her." "Will she listen to me?" "Not sure, but it¡¯s the only way." "Why are you telling me this all of a sudden?" "I told you, we are a team." Jeffrey was d to hear that and said, "That¡¯s good to hear." "Can you tell me about monster taming?" Junhyuk asked him. "I don¡¯t know much." "Help me here." Jeffrey answered nonchntly, "If you take monsters to the brink of death, you can tame them." "OK." Junhyuk thought about the rtionship he had with Jeffrey. He wanted to maintain a certain distance from him and decided he couldn¡¯t give Jeffrey B-ranked monsters for him to tame. He couldn¡¯t allow Jeffrey into his training facility yet. In the evenings, he trained with Sarang, but he trained by himself from home in the mornings. If he went to Seoul to train, he would have a hard time meeting Jeffrey. "So did you recruit any novices?" Junhyuk asked calmly. "Unless they¡¯ve already been to the Dimensional Battlefield, I have no intention of recruiting them. And I can¡¯t offer more money than Doyeol." In reality, Junhyuk had more liquid assets than Doyeol. However, while at first he had wanted to gather all of the novices, now that he had the bracelets, he only wanted to recruit the ones he could trust. Jeffrey smiled and asked, "I heard Sora Shin has left Guardians. Did you pay for her contract termination fee?" "That¡¯s correct." "She¡¯s in your team." "I can trust Sora." Sora thought she had survived the Dimensional Battlefield because of Junhyuk, so she followed him blindly. That¡¯s why he had taken her into his team. Jeffrey¡¯s lips twitched. "You don¡¯t trust me?" "You tried to kill me. For us to trust each other, we need more time." Jeffrey didn¡¯t want to be Junhyuk¡¯s enemy, thinking that, among the surviving human, Junhyuk was probably the strongest. He had figured it out after bing an expert. There weren¡¯t a lot of weapons that could crack his armor, even heavy artillery couldn¡¯t do it. So, what about Junhyuk¡¯s armor? He was a champion, so he had to have acquired an unimaginable amount of gold coins. He must not be touched. "I¡¯ll try harder." Junhyuk doesn¡¯t respond. --- Jeffrey had left, and Junhyuk was on his way to GST. With the bracelet on, he could let the living spirit go through his arteries, so it was now possible for him to train 24/7. He wanted to pay more attention to GST. Up to that point, he had had Ganesha and trusted Sungtae, but now, he was making a roboticsb and a biological engineeringb. He wanted to award those of simr importance to Sungtae. They were the chiefs of hisbs, and he thought he had to maintain his position within thepany, so he reported to work to do his daily tasks, and after work, he trained with Sarang. That was his daily routine. The secretaries were nervous because he was showing up for work every day. Sungtae joked around with them, but Junhyuk never did. Inside apany, if someone was soft, someone else had to be firm, so he intentionally made them nervous so that they¡¯d do their work right. Junhyuk went to his office, turned on theputer and connected to Ganesha. "Ganesha, search for these people: Sungtack Lim, Eunkyung Kim, Joonsang Seo, Jungsu Ma." [Found: Sungtack Lim, 128 matches; Eunkyung Kim, 1,452 matches; Joonsang Seo, 72 matches; Jungsu Ma, 7 matches.] "Search for Sungtack Lim, eighteen years old; Eunkyung Kim, twenty-two years old; Joonsang Seo, thirty-four years old; and Jungsu Ma, thirty-two years old." [Found: Sungtack Lim, one match; Eunkyung Kim, thirty-five matches; Joonsang Seo, two matches; Jungsu Ma, one match.] "Put them on the screen." As Junhyuk looked over their IDs onscreen, he touched his chin. Jeffrey had told him about them, so he was scoping them out. There were pictures, and he could tell the four of them right away. Two had attack powers, one had a defensive power, and the other had another kind of power. "He is moving so fast." The country was now trying to gather novices, but Doyeol was moving faster than the government. Junhyuk could only imagine the power Doyeol had. "That¡¯s about right." When Doyeol was ST Capsule¡¯s CEO, he had arge influence among South Korea¡¯s billionaires, but with Guardians, he was earning astronomical sums of money. Among all of Korea¡¯s billionaires, Doyeol was the one that could change the course of things. It¡¯s been said that money could summon ghosts, and now, Doyeol had the money he wanted to monopolize novices. "It was a nice move to hire Jeffrey." Jeffrey had survived the Dimensional Battlefield many times over. While they drank, Jeffrey told Junhyuk that he was pairing novices ording to their powers. If a monster appeared, the new novices would be able to deal with the monster if they didn¡¯t let their guard down. "But I don¡¯t know what will happen if they actually meet a monster." Right now, monsters were showing up everywhere to activate people¡¯s powers, but soon, they would send even stronger monsters. "Then, we¡¯ll weed out the good from the bad." Not all novices were the same. He was thinking about what Jeffrey had told him when his cell phone rang. Junhyuk checked the number. It was Elise, so he picked up. "What¡¯s wrong?" "There¡¯s a monster attack!" "Don¡¯t you have two iron soldiers?" "The monsters are appearing in four different sites. Two more than there are iron soldiers." Junhyuk looked at the sky. Did management know about the number of iron soldiers? "So?" "Can¡¯t you use the iron soldiers I gave you?" He grimaced. He could deploy one, but the other one was dismantled. "Only one of them is operable right now." "Then, give me some support. I¡¯ll send the monster response team to the other site." "The monster response team?" "They are made up of special forces equipped with weapons to fight against monsters. They can deal with it. " Junhyuk said calmly, "I understand. Where do I send mine to?" "Deal with the monster in Inchon." "Tell me the exact location." "I¡¯ll send you the coordinates." "Sure." After he hung up, Junhyuk called Brita. He was waiting for the elevator while he exined everything to her. "How long will it take to deploy the iron soldier?" "We can deploy one right now. But there¡¯s no way for it to get out, so it¡¯ll destroy a wall in the process." Junhyuk took a moment to think and said, "I¡¯ll decide where to make the exit. Get it ready." "Yes." "Then, I¡¯ll send you the coordinates." "Yes." He got on the elevator and went to Brita¡¯sb. There, he put the iron soldier in his Spatial Bag. Brita had already seen him take it out, so she wasn¡¯t surprised. "When I call you again, deploy it." "Yes." He went out and quickly teleported to the roof of the building next to his. He could teleport a hundred meters now, so he did it again. Once he was far away from hispany, he pulled out the iron soldier and made the call. "Brita, deploy it." "Yes." He watched the iron soldier fly away and said, "Run the feed on a monitor." "Sure." "I¡¯ll be there soon." Within forty seconds, he had teleported back to thepany and gone to see Brita. She was looking at arge screen. "I sent it to the coordinates, but what is going on?" "A monster attack is expected. How long until it gets there?" "Three minutes. If it breaks the sound barrier, it can get there sooner." He was about to order for the speed up, but he checked the coordinates again and said calmly, "Don¡¯t use Mach speed. I¡¯m not sure what will happen." "Yes, sir." He was watching the feed when Sungtae walked in. They all hadmand over the iron soldier, so he had received a warning. "What is going on?" "Guardians requested a deployment to deal with monsters." Junhyuk crossed his arms and watched the screen. Elise had requested the deployment, but the iron soldier was headed to a ce Jeffrey had talked about, the novice¡¯s training facility. A monster was about to show up at that exact spot, so it might be stronger than expected. The weeding out would start earlier than expected.

 Chapter 293 Weed Out 2

    Junhyuk had deployed the iron soldier toote to check out the novices¡¯ powers. Suddenly, his phone rang gain. When he looked at the number, he saw it was Elise and picked up. "The iron soldier has been deployed." "I have a more serious problem." "What problem?" "There are more dimensional tears than there are iron soldiers deployed in every country. To be more urate, there are two more dimensional tears in every country." "Are you saying the novices are their new targets?" "You expected that, and things turned out just like you said." Every country had gathered novices and trained them. Although, in South Korea, Doyeol was the one doing that job. The dimensional tears appeared at the locations of those novices, which meant that management was trying to kill them. "Don¡¯t send iron soldiers to where the novices are gathered. They will deal with the monsters anyway." "What if the monsters¡¯ strengths are equal to the novices¡¯?" "If that¡¯s the case, there is nothing the iron soldier can do now." "Right. I¡¯ll consider you advice." Junhyuk knew that the weeding out had started in full swing. This was a worldwide event, and it was possible that some novices would evolve into experts. Junhyuk hung up the phone and pondered everything. There were still so few novices. If they were to count up all of the novices currently, there wouldn¡¯t even be three hundred. The number of people that would evolve from this, if any, wouldn¡¯t be high. He was thinking about things when the iron soldier feed focused on arge factory building. It¡¯s roof had been torn off. "Approach slowly." The iron soldier looked down into the building through the roofless opening. When Junhyuk looked down at what was below the iron soldier, he scowled. "A golem?" Therge golem was at least a C-ranked monster. Even novices with attack-focused powers, they were no match. The novices would have a hard time finding its core. Still scowling, Junhyuk said, "They will all die." "What do we do?" He sighed. The iron soldier would also have issues reaching the golem¡¯s core. Then, the attacks started. A novice extended his hand toward golem, creating an explosion. The golem simply walked through while another novice extended his hand. The golem stopped all of a sudden. "Focus fire!" Junhyuk ordered right away. "Yes, sir!" While the golem was paralyzed, the iron soldier let loose a ferocious barrage on it. The golem¡¯s upper body cracked, and it ran forward. After it regained its movements, the golem stepped on the novice, killing him. Then, it swung its arm. A man created an ice spear and threw it at the monster, but it didn¡¯t damage it at all. A woman stepped in front of the golem and extended her hand while the golem punched at her. Her hand erged, and she blocked the golem¡¯s fist. Boom! The shock from the block sent the woman rolling on the ground. Meanwhile, the golem attacked the others. "Prioritize rescuing those people rather than destroying the golem!" Junhyuk said, still scowling. "Yes, sir!" The iron soldier fired at the golem¡¯s head, flew down, snatched the woman and then flew back up. The two men left on the ground shouted after it. "Save us!" "Save me!" The broken pieces of the golem started regenerating, and the iron soldier fired at its chest, but it was unable to bring the golem down. The iron soldier could only buy more time. The iron soldier was able to hug the man, but was unable to grab the high school student. The golem swung its giant fist at the student first and smashed right through him. Unmoved by what he was seeing, Junhyuk asked, "Are we safe?" "Two people have died." "How many do you think have died due to monster appearances? Relocate those that have been rescued and go back and deal with the giant golem." Brita asked carefully, "Can it deal with the golem?" "An incendiary bomb will deal take the golem down." The iron soldier had to find the golem¡¯s core to be able to destroy it. After cing the two people on a roof far away from the scene, it flew back toward the golem. The golem hadn¡¯t attacked the surroundings. Instead, it had followed them, and it was on top of an adjacent building, readying itself. The shattered parts of its body had already recovered. When the iron soldier flew over it, the golem kicked the roof and jumped. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected to the golem to have a jumping power like that. The iron soldier shot at the golem, but the golem ignored the attacks, focusing instead on the people that had been left on the top of the other building. The two quickly retreated, but when the golemnded on the roof, it crushed it. Junhyuk frowned. It seemed like the golem had been designed to kill novices. The golem was only attacking them. With the roof destroyed, the building started to tilt, and the two novices started rolling toward the edge of the building. As Junhyuk watched, he said, "Attack the golem¡¯s chest!" The iron soldier fired the incendiary bombs from its shoulder. They were small, but they were highly destructive. When the bombs hit the golem¡¯s chest, they exploded. Boom! The explosion was massive, and the mes raged from within it. Cracks appeared everywhere on the golem, but its core was still safe, and it did not fall down. Scowling, Junhyuk said, "The iron soldier has a weapon that use the energy of its core. Can you use it?" "Wait a moment." The screen disyed the weapons¡¯ categories, and Brita found the one. She asked, "Shall I use it?" "Target the golem¡¯s stomach." Brita gave themands, and the iron soldier extended its hand toward the golem¡¯s stomach. The incendiary bombs had hit it and left a hole, so the iron soldier took advantage of that and released the bright blue beam from its hand toward it. The golem jumped and punched the ground, killing the man that had survived up to now. Then, the golem¡¯s core was shattered, and shrapnel made of its destroyed body parts flew everywhere. The iron soldier¡¯s hand had been destroyed from the shock of the attack, and Junhyuk frowned while assessing the situation. Luckily, he saw that the woman, Eunkyung Kim, was still alive. "Take that woman to a nearby hospital." "Sure." The iron soldier took the woman and flew away, and Junhyuk took a moment to think about her. People with defensive powers usually had higher rates of survival. Attack and magic powers could be used against heroes, but heroes could also easily kill those foes. However, defensive powers were different. Junhyuk walked out of the building and got in a car. While heading toward Incheon, he called Brita. "Use the iron soldier to take her to the hospital." "Sure." He drove toward the hospital to where the iron soldier was headed. Driving toward the closest emergency hospital to the fight, he inhaled deeply. "She has high survivability. I have to see her." He drove to St. Mary¡¯s Hospital at the Catholic University of Incheon and, as he parked his car, he saw many people moving around. They were all looking at the iron soldier in front of the ER. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t sent it back yet, so he teleported to the roof of the hospital and called Brita. "Send the iron soldier to the roof. I¡¯ll deal with it." When the iron soldier arrived on the roof, he walked up to it and stashed it in his Spatial Bag. Then, he teleported back to the parking lot. Appearing inside his car, he casually opened the door and walked toward the ER. Junhyuk had driven really fast, so the reporters weren¡¯t there yet. He walked over to Eunkyung, who was lying on a gurney, waiting for a room. She had been hit by the shrapnel, and her shoulder was shattered. However, if she were to be called to the Dimensional Battlefield, that injury would heal. Eunkyung looked at him and asked, "Who are you?" "I¡¯m the owner of the iron soldier that rescued you." "What?! Doesn¡¯t it belong to Guardians?" "No." He pulled out a pen and paper and wrote Max¡¯s contact. "Doyeol can¡¯t help you now. If you need help at any time, just give me a call. However, I hope you will memorize this number and burn the paper." Eunkyung memorized the number. She was surprised that the iron soldier was privately owned, but she was certain that he would help her. Doyeol had failed to protect her, so she wanted to memorize the number. "But Doyeol made me an offer I can¡¯t refuse," she said. "The $1 million annual sry?" "Yes." "I¡¯ll pay you $2 million a year. Don¡¯t get tied up because of money. I can give you money. But if you die, everything will be meaningless." Junhyuk saw peopleing, signaled with his hand to warn security and left. He was getting away, and that¡¯s when she saw the reporters swarming in. The iron soldier had brought her there, and the reporters wanted to know why. A doctor arrived and moved the gurney. "Where are you taking me?" "To a ward. Let¡¯s move." Shey on the bed, relieved that she had escaped the reporters and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was inside a VIP room. The reporters couldn¡¯t get in there. As shey there, the door opened, and Doyeol walked in. He straightened his clothes and walked over to her. "Are you OK?" "I¡¯m fine." "Are you the only survivor?" "Yes." Doyeol sighed and said, "OK. Get some rest. I¡¯ll be backter." "OK." When Doyeol walked out, he joined Jeffrey and said, "That monster showed up like it knew where the novices were." "And it was a higher-ranked monster." "Really!?" They had thought that the novices would be able to kill monsters, but the novices had been massacred. If the iron soldier had not saved one, they would have all died. "Sigh! I lost some valuable people." Novices had powers that went beyond thews of physics. A novice¡¯s power could only be stopped by a novice¡¯s defensive power, and without anyone knowing, he had been collecting novices to use them. Now, he had lost most of them. "Keep an eye on this ce¡¯s defenses." "I will." Jeffrey had the authority to delegate Doyeol¡¯s orders. He made a call while following Doyeol out, gave out a few orders and continued walking. Before walking Doyeol out, he looked back. She had survived the monster attack in the only way she could. Jeffrey didn¡¯t know the details, but the important thing was that she had survived. He hadn¡¯t been interested in the others anyway. Instead, he thought of recruiting her.

 Chapter 294 Changing the Strategy 1

    The weeding out had taken ce all over the world, and every country had lost arge number of novices. Every country had kept secret the number of novices they actually possessed, but people knew that only a few novices had survived. In South Korea, the iron soldier had been deployed as support, and only one novice survived. Other ces must have gone through simr experiences. "Did any of them evolve to experts?" Starting at the expert level, people would be moreplicated to deal with. However, if Junhyuk was the one who found the expert, he could do it easily. Even experts didn¡¯t have a lot of health. On top of that, Junhyuk could tell if his opponent was an expert. After getting the iron soldier back to theb, he focused on his training. Instead of going to his house in Paju, he trained from within his house in Seoul with Sarang. He trained hard, pushing the living spirit through his veins. He didn¡¯t go to work anymore, focusing only on training. Just like before, he let the living spirit travel through his arteries in the training facility, and at one point, he felt his surroundings getting brighter and brighter. When he opened his eyes, he found himself at a familiar ced and looked for the amount of gold he had: 251,760G. Previously, he had thought that amount was unimaginably high, but now, he felt like it was nothing. "If I can earn more money..." He pped himself lightly, summoned all of his equipment and walked to the entrance. Suddenly, he heard a soft voice. [Champion Junhyuk Lee deployed] He walked outside as the door opened, and seeing the numerous minions, he proceeded with a proud posture. The minions made way for him, and he shook his head slightly. As he stood there, Sarang came running toward him soon after. Nowadays, they had trained together every day, but it had been a long time since both had been together on the battlefield. Her height stood out among the minions, and he smiled. "Your soul has grown." "Really?! You have grown as well." "Yeah?" While training with Sarang, he had practiced using the living spirit, so now he could use eleration at will. Arn had told him to continue training even after mastering eleration. While Junhyuk talked to Sarang, the heroes showed up inside the castle, and Junhyuk smiled at them. "You came!" Vera ran toward him and gave him a big hug. Buried in her chest, he was surprised and shouted, "What¡¯s wrong?!" "Wrong? You are so adorable!" Diane walked over to him, pped his butt and said, "This is mine now, didn¡¯t I tell you?" "That¡¯s right but..." There were so many people around that he couldn¡¯t allow her to, but Diane didn¡¯t care, and kept on patting his butt. "This time, I thought you were going to lose, and that made me really nervous." "You thought I was going to lose?" "Yep. Nid and Kilraden are both famous champions. Then, they joined Kraken, who is really strong, as teammates, so I thought you were going to lose." "Were the odds high then?" Halo nodded. "You¡¯ve been winning so the odds had dropped, but due to the new champions, the odds went back up." Junhyuk turned to look at Vera, and she showed him three fingers. "Getting three times what you bet is a good deal!" Junhyuk was relieved after hearing that. Vera had made money, so she could pay him now. "That¡¯s great!" Arn¡¯s hand fell on his shoulder, and the hero said, "I want to talk too, but now isn¡¯t the time." "What are we going to do now?" The legend candidates were so strong that the allies just couldn¡¯t win in ordinary fashion. Ordinary means would be meaningless andpletely useless in achieving victory against them. "Just follow me," Arn said calmly. He took the lead, and the other heroes followed. They did not take any minions with them, which meant that they wanted to move as fast as possible. As he ran, Junhyuk guessed at their strategy. "Are we going to Bebe from the start?" "Correct." Nudra, with his hands behind his back, smiled at him. "We¡¯ll get new items first." "And then?" "Then we¡¯ll focus on the middle path." Junhyuk nodded. Their enemies were confident in their own strengths. During thest battle, they had controlled all threenes, so they would be attacking with confidence. Last time, when the enemy had three heroes and the allies had all five, the allies still lost the engagement. However, this time would be different. Junhyuk had gotten stronger because of the living spirit, and the allied heroes would have new items. He knew things would be different from before. They ran as quickly as possible and did not meet any enemies. When they got to Bebe, they realized the enemies must be destroying all three first towers just like before. While the heroes looked at items, Vera walked up to him. "So, can you sell me that ring?" Junhyuk nodded and showed her the ring. It was a unique item listed at 2,000,000G, and Vera pushed her te toward him. "The original price of the ring is 2,000,000G. I told you I¡¯d offer you 70 percent of it, so 1,400,000G. How about it?" "Sold!" "OK. ce your hand on the te." He did so, and the gold was transferred. After the 1,400,000G was added to his total, he was left with 1,651,760G. Looking at that number, he shivered. He had never thought he would have that much gold at once. He gave her the ring, and Vera put it on and gave him a big hug. "Thanks!" "I should thank you!" Junhyuk started thinking about what to do with all that money. He didn¡¯t want to get any new items now, so the first thing to do was to level-up the Pure Golden Knight Elder set. After walking over to Bebe, he said carefully, "I want to level-up the Pure Golden Knight Elder set." "That¡¯s fine. Each level-up costs 200,000G." Junhyuk took off his equipment and gave the items to Bebe. "Level-up all five of them." "Sure." Junhyuk had just spent 1,000,000G, but he didn¡¯t miss the money. Bebe pulled out some liquids and gems from the counter and ced a gem over each of the Pure Golden Knight Elder items. Then,ughing, Bebe said, "The level-up is a good thing. It¡¯s not a simple upgrade, so expect interesting results." There were two bracelets, a ring, a boot and a cloak in front of Bebe. Every item had an attack-stat boost, but the items¡¯ levels were rather low. However, after the level-ups, things would be different. With the gem on the items, Bebe poured the liquid over them. Once the liquid hit them, the Pure Golden Knight Elder items shone bright gold, even more so than before. The golden light soon seeped into the equipment, and Bebe smiled at him and said, "The level-ups are done." It had been quicker than he had expected. So, he touched every piece of equipment, inspecting them and putting them on.--- Pure Golden Knight Elder¡¯s Bracelet (set item)Attack +10 (+10)Health +100 The Golden Knight Elder wore this bracelet. In the past, he was called a legend and he carried items to increase his attack power. There was no one who could withstand a blow from him. After the level up, this piece of equipment is stronger than ever before.Having aplete set increases the power of the item. --- The bracelet had not only gained a boost to attack, but it had also gained a health boost, and Junhyuk¡¯s hands started shaking. "This... this can¡¯t be." He had only invested 200,000G, but the results had far exceeded his expectations. So, he quickly inspected the other pieces of equipment. The other bracelet had the same attributes, so his health increased by two hundred with both of them. After putting them on, he picked up the ring, and his eyes beamed as he put it on. The item¡¯s attack stat had double, and he had gained twenty defense on top of that. Then, he put on the boot. Its attack stat had also doubled, and his movement speed increased by 5 percent. The item also added a regeneration rate of fifty. Lastly, he picked up his cloak. --- Pure Golden Knight Elder¡¯s Cloak (set item) Attack +10 (+10)Defense +5 (+10)Absolute Dodge +10% The Golden Knight Elder wore this cloak. In the past, he was called a legend and he carried items to increase his attack power. There was no one who could withstand a blow from him. After the level up, this piece of equipment is stronger than ever before.Having aplete set increases the power of the item. Two-Item Set Effect: Armor Piercing +35 (+10)Three-Item Set Effect: Additional Fixed Damage +50 (+50)Four-Item Set Effect: 50% (+10%) area of effect damage at a 10-meter radius.Five-Item Set Effect: 20% (+5%) chance of an extra attack at 50% normal damage. --- The cloak used to add 3 percent to evade, but now it had an absolute dodge stat. The set effects were also much better. Junhyuk had only invest 1,000,000G, but the results he had gotten from it were things he couldn¡¯t even had guessed at. "Is this the power of the level up?" He couldn¡¯t even get a unique piece of equipment with 1,000,000G, but his strength had increased tremendously with the set items¡¯ level ups. Looking at Bebe, Junhyuk asked, "Leveling up a set item is much better than buying new equipment! Why isn¡¯t everyone doing the same thing?" Bebe¡¯s mouth hung wide open, and he startedughing loudly. "Most people know that, but it¡¯s not easy to get set items. And to be able to protect one¡¯s equipment until the end?! Only those who will be legends may dream such dreams." Junhyuk paid careful attention to what Bebe told him. He wanted to protect his items and collect the entire set. "Did you get any new Pure Golden Knight Elder set items?" "Nothing." Junhyuk nodded slowly and checked the rest of his equipment. He had 651,760G left. If he got a new Pure Golden Knight Elder set item and leveled it up, that would cost him 300,000G, so it would be 600,000G for two items. Thinking that way, he decided he could only afford to spend fifty 50,000G, and started thinking about what he could do with it. Junhyuk handed Bebe the Blood Rune Sword and said, "Last time, I upgraded it with a reward upgrade stone. Can I do it again with one of your stones?" Bebe smirked at him. "You are smart." "Why?" "Upgrade stones are rare at the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, but the quality of those stones is different from mine. Sometimes, champions have better equipment than heroes." Junhyuk¡¯s eyes beamed, and he extended his hand. "What¡¯s the limit to basic upgrades?" "Everything up to the fifth upgrade is a basic upgrade." Biting his own lip, Junhyuk said, "Give me five upgrade stones."

 Chapter 295 Changing the Strategy 2

    Junhyuk looked at Bebe¡¯s enhancement stones. They were different from the ones he had earned at the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, and they increased attack and endurance by 20 percent. He raised the Blood Rune Sword, on which he had used the reward enhancements stones from the Champions¡¯ Battlefield and sessfully upgraded it to plus five. The original damage had increased by 90, so its basic attack was at 250. He could upgrade it five more times with the Dimensional Battlefield stones. Feeling nervous, he started the upgrades by using the enhancement stones just like he had learned from Bebe. After he finished the upgrades, he raised the Blood Rune Sword, astonished. Its attack stat was beyond anything ever before. The Blood Rune Sword now had an attack of 622, and Junhyuk was deeply moved. "Now, let¡¯s go slice and dice them," he said, and everyoneughed. They knew he had enhanced his sword, but he still couldn¡¯t fight heroes alone. His normal attack had dealt 1 percent damage to Keros, and his damage was now four times what it had been when they fought. So, his normal attack should deal about 4 percent damage. Junhyuk expected his Spatial sh to do the job, but he couldn¡¯t make that much of a difference. "We are aiming for Tuelus. We have killed him already, so it should be easy to do it now." "But there is no guarantee we will meet him." "Even if we meet others, we¡¯ll have the advantage, and because of that, we¡¯ll win this time." The truth was that Junhyuk wasn¡¯t expecting much. Even though he had gotten stronger himself, the enemies possessed unmatched strength. "Push middle?" "Correct." Junhyuk gathered his breath. "Let¡¯s go." The heroes were all better equipped now. They had all bought better items than the ones they had lost, so the new equipment should help out. Arn¡¯s eyes beamed. "Let¡¯s go." The group started running toward the middlene. There was nobody at the middle tower. The enemies had already destroyed the allied tower, so they had to be looking for the allies. "Let¡¯s destroy the first tower!" It wasn¡¯t a lot of work destroying a tower, even without minions. "Please, your Spatial sh." Without thinking about it, Junhyuk used the Spatial sh. After he took care of the archers, they pounded at the empty tower, and that was all. Once they destroyed the tower, Arn said, "We can reach the second tower quicker than the enemying toward us. They must also destroy the second tower before following us, but we are faster." If the enemies destroyed all of the second towers in the allied territory, the allies wouldn¡¯t have the advantage. But if the allies destroyed the second tower in the middlene, they would be able to push forward at any time. They all followed Arn to the second tower and destroyed it as well. After the tower fell, Arn sighed deeply. "They¡¯ve opened up all of the paths, but we also got onene. Let¡¯s return." "Return?" Arn nodded. "We will head out after we return. If we vanish from here, our enemies will also return. Then, a few of them will advance in order to find us." Arn smiled and added, "When they split up, we¡¯ll counterattack." Junhyuk nodded, and they prepared to return. It seemed like the enemies were winning, but things would be different. The allies would have a chance if they counterattacked when and if their enemies split up. Junhyuk had returned with the heroes, and they were all inside the castle. They didn¡¯t know where the enemies were and looked at each other. "If we move, where do you want to take us?" Arn took a moment to think and said, "Three of them have to have stayed at the castle, so let¡¯s take the lower path." The group moved again. They didn¡¯t take any minions with them either this time. Currently, the allies were engaged in a type of guerri warfare, trying to split up their enemies. Being legend candidates, their enemies were overconfident and moved in small groups. Three of them had killed five allied heroes before, so they had probably left three within the castle and two were out in search of them. Now, the allies had to cut them down. While they moved, Sarang asked Vera a lot of questions, and Vera answered her kindly. Junhyuk also wanted to learn, so he walked over to Arn. "Arn." "What?" "I want to learn things other than eleration." Arnughed. "Once eleration is mastered, you can learn strengthening. Should I tell you about it?" "Strengthening?" Junhyuk was expecting something big. He couldn¡¯t use eleration in its original form in the Dimensional Battlefield, but it was still amazing. Strengthening would also help him, and he wanted to learn it. "I want to learn it." Arn looked at him andughed. "By the way, are you absorbing mana right now?" "I can control it now." For a few days, Junhyuk had trained so that he could let the living spirit travel through his veins while he did other things. There was an enormous quantity of mana in the Dimensional Battlefield, and if he wasn¡¯t to do other things while the living spirit absorbed mana, the spirit would only be a burden. Hearing his answer, Arn nodded. "Strengthening is when you gather your forces and let it rip." "How is that different frompression?" Arn showed him his hand. "You have to divide the living spirit." "Divide living spirit?" "That¡¯s right. It is a more advanced skill than eleration. Divide the living spirit and sent it to the tips of your fingers. Do so in continuous waves. Gather the living spirit in your arteries and sent it to the tips of your fingers." Arn extended his hand and added, "Then you make it explode." Junhyuk had already felt the living spirit traveling through his veins and dividing into small bits throughout his entire body. But he had not intended to do it, and he hadn¡¯t tried it again. Since the Dimensional Battlefield had so much mana, however, he could always try there. After Arn¡¯s pointers, Junhyuk focused on the living spirit and tried to divide it. He had been using the living spirit intentionally for a while, but currently, it was impossible for him to divide it at will. He was still focusing on the living spirit when the group reached the bottom tower. The watchtower could be seen from far away, and Arn nodded slightly. "The castle wall hasn¡¯t been attacked yet," Arn said. "When we have the chance, let¡¯s destroy the tower." The group attacked the tower, and while they did, Junhyuk focused on dividing the living spirit. It wasn¡¯t an easy thing to do at will, but he had learned it now. Suddenly, the reed field behind the watchtower started moving, and Arn responded to the sound. He turned to look and saw a person flying in at high speed. The person was using a power to close in as quickly as possible, and he was holding a massive sword. Keros appeared with his sword, and Arn, wielding both of his sabers, ran toward him. Boom! Arn was pushed back, and Junhyuk turned to look around. If Keros was there, there might be others as well. And as expected, someone was running toward them along ten flying re bombs. Junhyuk raised the force field. For ten seconds, the allies could do whatever they wanted to, so Arn used the seven-strikebo on Keros. Previously, that attack had only dealt the hero 5 percent of damage. However, this time, it took 10 percent of the hero¡¯s health. Arn had gotten better equipment, but the damage was still phenomenal. As Arn attacked, Halo ran forward and used his sh attack on Keros, who raised his massive sword to parry. ng! Halo started bleeding, and Junhyuk grimaced. Keros was trying to escape when a fire spear hit him. Boom! Keros frowned and stepped back. A volley of arrows flew his away, but he blocked everything and continued running away. He was trying to hide within the reed field, where Tuelus was already hiding. They were legend candidates, but they were also realistic. They would be in danger for ten seconds, so they retreated. They were pros and had fought numerous opponents, so they wouldn¡¯t let their guards down. When Arn saw then running away, he said quickly, "Pursue!" The allies could chase down two enemies even without Junhyuk¡¯s force field. The effectiveness of their new equipment was showing. "Howe you dealt so much damage now?" "My attack is the same, but I sliced through the enemy¡¯s defense," Arn frowned and said. "How high is your piercing stat?" Arn didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he smiled. He had intentionally increased piercing, and Junhyuk had renewed hope. The allies would be able to deal with their enemies now. As they ran toward the reed field, the force field disappeared. They had advanced into the reed field when Keros¡¯ sword exploded. Boom! Sword shrapnel flew all over, and the allies got swept in a whirlwind of it. Keros, knowing he was being chased, prepared his ultimate while in the reed field. As the ultimate took the allies¡¯ healths away, Junhyuk learned something else: the allies had focused on killing and not on keeping themselves alive. For example, Arn had spent all of his gold on piercing boosts. Without that kind of investment, their attacks would be useless against their enemies, however. The best defense was a good offense, and their best chances at survival were in killing their enemies before they themselves were killed. However, that was easier said than done. Keros stepped back, and Tuelus stepped forward. The two machines created a sh that turned into a circle. In the allied camp, things were chaotic all of a sudden. Tuelusbined the two machines into one, and Junhyuk shouted at him, "It won¡¯t happen again!" Junhyuk teleported, and right before he did so, the heroes touched him, and they all appeared behind Tuelus. Tuelus fired the blue beam at the empty space, and Junhyuk used the Spatial sh, slicing Tuelus¡¯ neck, dealing 33 percent of damage to the hero. Previously, he had only dealt 25 percent, so the damage was much highers. His critical hit rate had also increased due to the set level-up, and he was witnessing those effects. The Spatial sh created a shockwave around Tuelus that swept through Keros. Nudra, covered in the Rising Dragon, jumped off Keros¡¯ head, and Diane fired her explosive arrow. Boom! Tuelus got pushed back by Diane¡¯s arrow, and Nudranded on his head. Meanwhile, Arnunched his saber. When Tuelus staggered back, a fire orb exploded behind him. Boom! With that explosion, Tuelus turned translucent.

 Chapter 296 Variable 1

    Tuelus had died without doing much and without mounting any of his own attacks. There was a bigger meaning to that, and that was that, in a team battle, if the allies attacked ferociously, they could easily kill an enemy hero. Keros had not expected Tuelus to die so meaninglessly, so he started feeling anxious and raised his sword up high. He was going to m it into the ground and create a shockwave, but before the shockwave was generated, Junhyuk took hold of the allied heroes and teleported away. Nudra, however, was rather far away, so Junhyuk couldn¡¯t save him. After teleporting, he watched Nudra being swept up by the shockwave. Only a little of his health remained after that, so if someone grazed him, Nudra would die. Keros ran toward Nudra, but Sarang fired her electric st at him. Keros was paralyzed, and the allied heroes focused their attacks on him. Arn jumped and swung his saber at Kero¡¯s head; Nudra front kicked him; Diane used her multishot; and Vera cast a firewall. In just a short time, all of the attacksnded. Meanwhile, Halo was also running toward Keros. With the allied heroes¡¯bined attacks, Keros started losing health quickly. Last time, even when the heroes¡¯ powersnded on their enemies, the damage they dealt Keros wasn¡¯t that high. However, now that they had new equipment, Keros was losing health in chunks. Keros had little health left, but the paralysis wore off, so he stepped forward while swinging his massive sword. He was aiming at Nudra, and Junhyuk tried to get to him. If anything went wrong, Nudra would be killed, and Junhyuk wanted to prevent that. Keros had already used all his powers, so it wouldn¡¯t be easy for him to kill Nudra. However, Nudra¡¯s health was almost gone, so he could die from a single hit. Keros¡¯ massive sword was heading toward Nudra, so Nudra sped both hands in front of himself and released a gust toward Keros. However, right at that moment, Keros kicked the ground and jumped. The jump wasn¡¯t one of Keros¡¯ powers, but the timing was right, and he escaped the gust. Then, he spun his body around,ing down with his sword on Nudra. Because Nudra was still generating the gust, he couldn¡¯t escape. But that¡¯s when a light green powder sprinkled over Nudra¡¯s head, and he regained 20 percent of his health. Keros sword attacknded, but it could not kill Nudra, who smirked and kicked him in return. Whack! Keros was hit on the chin, and Nudra was already in air, kicking Keros¡¯ neck again. It was a critical hit, and Keros also died. Junhyuk sighed, relieved. Among the five allied heroes, no one had died, and they had killed two enemies. Things were looking bright. Relieved, the group picked up the dropped items from the ground, and Junhyuk looked at Sarang. The enemies had used area-of-effect attacks twice, but Sarang had survived. "It¡¯s good that you are still alive!" Not only had she survived, but she had also saved Nudra with her powers. Sarang smiled at him. "Last time, they had also used area-of-effect attacks, so I kept a certain distance this time." She was still only an expert, but she had been to the Dimensional Battlefield many times. She had measured the distance of the enemies¡¯ attacks and read the timing of Junhyuk¡¯s teleportation correctly, all while keeping her distance while they closed in through the teleportation. After surviving the enemies¡¯ attacks, she had seized the opportunity. Junhyuk smiled and looked at the others. Nudra walked over and put his hand on Sarang¡¯s shoulder. "Thanks!" "I did my job." He smiled and continued, "Your healing has increased." "I¡¯m training hard." She was still in high school, so Sarang and Junhyuk only trained together in the evenings. Junhyuk fought the B-ranked monsters, but he didn¡¯t kill them all. Instead, he let himself get hit by them intentionally in order to increase Sarang¡¯s power through practice. It had worked. She could heal for a lot of health every time now, being able to heal Nudra by 20 percent. Vera came over and hugged Sarang by her neck, saying, "She is my apprentice!" Junhyuk looked at Arn and asked, "What do we do now?" "We¡¯ll push forward again. Let¡¯s destroy the second bottom tower. If our enemies show up with less than three heroes, we¡¯ll have another team battle," Arn said, taking the lead. Sarang followed him, and whenever she could, she practiced her healing on him. While making their way to the next tower, she healed all of the heroespletely. When they arrived at the second tower, they saw no enemy heroes, so they all smiled. "Let¡¯s destroy it and return!" Enough time had passed for the enemy heroes to revive, but they were not there, which might mean that they were giving that tower up. They would destroy the tower and return. It wouldn¡¯t take long to do it. However, when the tower was about to fall, enemies showed up. There were four of them, but one of them was really short. Looking at them, Junhyuk frowned. "That must be their expert." He was two meters tall and he didn¡¯t look like a champion, so he had to be an expert. He had des for arms, and although Junhyuk knew the Dimensional Battlefield wasn¡¯t just for humans, he was still coping with having to fight such creatures. With his two ded arms, the expert also had the head of an insect. As they approached, he just stood there among the enemy heroes. As Junhyuk scoped them out, he said, "He looks like an expert, so why did they not bring him outst time?" Experts could die once, so why didn¡¯t they let him tag along? However, even without that expert, the allies had been defeated, which now raised the question: Why were they bringing him out now? The allies had just killed Tuelus and Keros, and the enemies had shown up without them. mp, Aak, Lujet were there, and they looked very sturdy. Junhyuk was worried about how to deal with them. "Destroy the tower before they intervene!" Arn shouted quickly. Considering Aak¡¯s health, in an engagement, the allies couldn¡¯t destroy the tower unless they killed the enemies first. The enemies would be buffed if a fight broke out now, so before that happened, the allies had to destroy the tower. Everyone focused on the tower, and while the enemies aimed for the allies, the allies were able to destroy the tower before the enemies got much closer. Looking at them, Junhyuk realized that theycked long-ranged attacks. However, they all had enormous amounts of health. Still, because the allies had focused solely on attack boosts, they might have the advantage in this battle. Aak was the first to run toward the allies. He could even put pressure on the allies with the force field up. He was that strong. Seeing him run, Junhyuk decided on who he would attack first, Lujet. Lujet¡¯s attack was really strong, but he had low defense inparison to the others. The enemies were closing in, and Junhyuk used the Spatial sh. At that moment, the expert running toward him suddenly disappeared. If the expert was hiding, there was nothing Junhyuk could do. He used the Spatial sh on Lujet. With a single blow, Lujet lost 30 percent of his health. Lujet hadn¡¯t lost an item yet, so the damage wasn¡¯t extreme, but the Spatial shnded beautifully, also generating a shockwave. The expert still didn¡¯t show up. Aak was already close enough to the allies, so he stomped the ground. Boom! The shockwave generated from that paralyzed Arn, Halo, and Nudra, who were at the front. Vera and Diane had already fought Aak, so they had kept their distances and were safe. Junhyuk and Sarang had also stayed safe, but mp ran toward them and extended his hand. At that moment, Junhyuk felt his body being pulled toward the hero. Then, mp released a pulse from within his body that created a field that surrounded the area. "Power sealing!" The power sealing not only sealed powers away, but also inflicted a small amount of damage. Junhyuk grimaced, and he saw Lujeting forward and extending his hand. "I, Lujet,mand! Come here and help me, Peltra!" The five-meter tall demon appeared while nearly everyone was stunned and had their powers sealed off. The demon swung its fists toward the allies. Because their powers had been sealed off, it was impossible for Junhyuk to use his force field. If not, he would have. Junhyuk scowled, and Lujet extended a hand forward. A missile flew out of the hero¡¯s mechanical hand and hit Arn. Meanwhile, Junhyuk believed that all he had to do was survive and he would get his chance. He was preparing to use the force field once the seal had worn off when a de pierced his ribs. Junhyuk swung his sword at the area instinctively, and the de in his ribs pulled itself out. It was a critical hit, and he lost 30 percent of his health, so he looked for who had stabbed him. It had been the insect-headed expert. He had hid and stabbed him. Junhyuk was about to jump to get away when Aak swung his fist toward him. Seeing that, Junhyuk thought he could parry the fist and then raise the force field, but Aak¡¯s fist wasrger than normal. Boom! Junhyuk got hit in the face, and the world turned ck all around him. He lost 50 percent of his health. --- Another death. He travelled through the thick darkness, but he was having a hard time. "Aha!" he breathed out roughly, kneeling on the ground. He thought he would never get used to dying. After gathering himself, he got up. "What killed me?!" Junhyuk didn¡¯t know all of the enemies¡¯ powers, but Aak¡¯s attack was extraordinary. "Was it one of Aak¡¯s powers?" Junhyuk¡¯s defense was quite high. However, the attack had pierced his defenses and taken away 50 percent of his health. He¡¯d been killed with a single hit, so he wasn¡¯t sure of the damage. "He¡¯s only a tank, so how can he deal so much damage?" He was not sure about what had happened, but he thought that attack would be deadly for Vera and Diane. Then, he decided to head outside and connect to the heroes. [Champion Junhyuk Lee deployed.] Junhyuk walked outside and saw the the minions milling about. Without realizing, he touched his own ribs. "That hidested longer than I had imagined." The expert¡¯s hiding powersted longer than Kilraden¡¯s. On top of that, he had prated his defenses and dealt 30 percent of damage to him. For an expert, that was a lot. Junhyuk decided to wait. The heroes might still be fighting, and he didn¡¯t want to connect to them while that was going on. However, while waiting, the heroes showed up behind him. "We got killed." Shocked, he saw Arn, Halo, and Nudra walking toward him at the same time. "All of you?" "That demon summoning made cookie dough out of us." The demon¡¯s attack power was really high. Without the force field, no one could fight it. With the demon attacking uninterruptedly for ten seconds, the allies couldn¡¯t have survived. "Without that enemy expert, we wouldn¡¯t have been killed," Halos said. "Did he use another power?" Nudra nodded and answered, "He used a multi-restriction."

 Chapter 297 Variable 2

    Multi-status ailments created difficulties. When enemies had powers like that, that meant that during an engagement, the allies wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything while the enemy dealt them damage unimpeded. Junhyuk sighed and said, "I am sorry. If my powers had not been sealed off..." Arn shook his head. "The enemy came after you intentionally. Without your force field, they can summon the demon and deal greater damage to us." "The demon¡¯s ability to deal damage is absurd." "It is a power of the highest rank." Halo also agreed, "It¡¯s of a rank even higher than your force field." Junhyuk clicked his tongue. Until now, he had thought his force field had no equal, but now, he was hearing the enemy¡¯s power was even higher ranked. Junhyuk started thinking about how tobine the allies¡¯ powers in the next fight when Vera and Diane walked out, and he frowned slightly. They both had died, which meant that the allies had been annihted. Soon, the door opened again, and Sarang staggered outside. Junhyuk went over to her, gave her his body for support and asked, "Are you OK?" "I¡¯m not." Junhyuk knew the feeling. It was not possible to get used to death, a fight with emptiness. He turned to Vera and Diane and asked, "What happened?" "What happened was that nobody could block for us, so we did not survive." "Did you kill anyone?" Vera sighed and said, "We managed to kill Lujet, but we were unable to pick up the item he dropped before we got killed." He sighed. "What do we do now?" Vera looked at Sarang. "Sarang, you stay here, and we¡¯ll attack the middlene." "What if we meet the enemy?" "If we meet three, we fight again, and we¡¯ll target the enemy expert," Arn said. The allies could kill the expert easily even though the expert might hide. Junhyuk nodded and added, "Let¡¯s do it." Then, he summoned the Kasha and said, "If something happens, let us know." "I will." He caressed Sarang¡¯s head and added, "Stay and rx. It¡¯ll be a while before the enemy gets here." "You be careful, too." "Sure, I¡¯ll be careful." Junhyuk had died more times after meeting the legend candidates than during all his time in the battlefield before meeting them. He started thinking about how to fight them, that he should be more careful about using his force field. The legend candidates had enough health to withstand the ten seconds of the force field, and they also had the demon. The group decided to push middle. They had already destroyed the second middle tower, and it was the shortest path to the castle, but their enemies might try to go middle as well. Junhyuk walked with Arn, thinking about how to cause the living spirit to explode in a single point, but it wasn¡¯t easy. "Next time, they won¡¯t kill me so easily." He thought he could kill the expert with his Spatial sh. Although he wanted to save it, it would be worse for him to die because he had saved his own power. --- The second middle tower had been destroyed, but they did not meet any enemies. After some thought, Arn said, "We¡¯ll head to the castle. We have to fight sooner orter." The enemies had to be protecting their castle. While the allies didn¡¯t know how many enemies would be at the castle, they must have sent some heroes to the allied castle. Some of them should have remained to protect their castle, but if their numbers were low, the allies could kill them and advance. If the enemies were quicker to get to the allied castle, the allies would have to return. Junhyuk stood in front of the castle and looked at the enemies. mp, Keros and Tuelus were waiting for the allies. "No expert." "Do they think they can push us back with just three?" "They are capable of it, just likest time." Junhyuk sighed and asked, "Then, should we start?" The enemies were standing on the castle wall, and it wouldn¡¯t be easy to fight them while the archers were on the wall. They were already hard to deal with without them. Before the allies moved, Junhyuk stepped forward. He had the Spatial sh, which was a strong attack. As he stepped forward, the enemies twitched. They were a bit scared of his Spatial sh since they didn¡¯t know where it wasing from. Seeing that, Junhyuk smirked at his enemies. His target was certainly Tuelus, but if Tuelus was ready for it, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to hit him with the Spatial sh. And unless the attack was a critical hit, the damage would also be rather low. The allied heroes ran ahead of him. If they could block for him, he might get a chance. Then, mp ran forward. If mp grabbed him, Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t have a chance to use the force field. He had no time to wait, so he used the Spatial sh. Tuelus was running behind the others, but the Spatial sh still hit his neck. "Argh!" he groaned, making up his mind. The strike was a critical hit, and it took 33 percent off Tuelus¡¯ health. Then, the extra attack triggered. The bonus damage rounded up, taking 50 percent of 35 percent, dealing 17 percent to Tuelus for a total of 50 percent of his health. It was an unexpected sess. Realizing he was low on health, Tuelus frowned. He was about to retreat when Halo stepped forward. He passed by mp while shing mp¡¯s ribs with the sh attack. However, mp simply ignored Halo and extended his hand. Junhyuk felt himself being pulled toward mp, but as he did, he teleported. Knowing that mp would probably use his sealing power, Junhyuk teleported away, so mp decided not to use it. However, mp¡¯s eyes turned red, and realizing what that meant, Junhyuk shouted, "Watch out!" Keros ran quickly toward him and swung his massive sword down at Junhyuk. The giant sword mmed into the ground, creating a shockwave. Junhyuk had stepped into the attack while trying to get away from mp¡¯s sealing power. It wasn¡¯t Keros¡¯ ultimate, so he wanted to teleport, but he couldn¡¯t. Instead, he raised the force field around Vera. Boom! When the shockwave hit, the allied heroes were already inside the force field. There, they didn¡¯t have to worry about the archers¡¯ attacks, so they all ran forward. Arn took the lead and jumped, his saber aiming at Tuelus. The enemy hero quickly retreated. After having lost half of his health, he escaped Arn¡¯s attack. Keros stepped in front of Tuelus and blocked the saber with precision. ng! Because Arn had jumped out of the force field, he was damaged by Keros¡¯ reflective damage. Junhyuk ran toward Arn, and that¡¯s when the Kasha on his shoulder spoke up suddenly, "The enemy is here!" Junhyuk bit his lips and said, "Stay inside the castle¡¯s force field. We¡¯ll return once we are finished." Sarang would be safe inside the force field even if the allies lost. She couldn¡¯t deal with the enemies alone, so staying inside the force field was the smartest thing she could do. Because the Kasha had shouted, all allied heroes had heard the news. Keros and mp blocked the allies¡¯ way out. The two had higher health and defense than Tuelus. Meanwhile, Junhyuk retreated into the allied line and shouted, "Grab me!" All of the heroes touched him, and he teleported. Passing mp and Keros, they all reappeared in front of Tuelus. The hero tried to run away, and Junhyuk smirked. The allies wouldn¡¯t lose Tuelus while he was right in front of them. A firewall blocked Tuelus¡¯ path, and another rose behind Keros and mp, separating them from the allies. Tuelus scowled, and Nudra jumped high up. The enemy hero looked behind him and saw something unexpected. A barrage of arrows was flying toward him. The two machines above Tuelus¡¯ shoulders tried to block the arrows, but they couldn¡¯t block all of them. Tuelus had lost a lot of health quickly when Nudranded on him. Boom! Nudra had kicked Tuelus¡¯ head, and Vera threw a fire spear. The best option would be for Vera to kill Tuelus, but now wasn¡¯t the time to make decisions on that. Everyone focused on the enemy hero. Meanwhile, Junhyuk looked around. The enemies had only sent two to the allied castle, but two might be enough to take it down. In fact, they could have only sent one, and it would¡¯ve probably been enough to destroy the wall and kill the two giant golems. The allies were pressed for time. Tuelus met his end with Diane¡¯s explosive arrow. While the hero disappeared with the explosion, the allied force field also disappeared. Junhyuk had used the Spatial sh first, so now all of his powers were gone. In their current situation, there were two enemies left, and the force field was gone. mp¡¯s powers were designed to create abnormal situations, and although Keros also had nice powers, they weren¡¯t that impressive. "We have to act quick and return." "Right." Halo ran forward, swinging his sword. He targeted Keros while Nudra kicked mp,unching him back. While mp got pushed back, all allied heroes attacked Keros. However, Keros didn¡¯t just sit there. The hero used his high speed to escape, and it was surprisingly fast. One of Keros¡¯ powers was a speed boost that could be used for rushing or retreating. The allies chased after Keros, and because their backs were exposed to the archers, they kept on chasing him as Keros retreated out of the archers¡¯ range. The archers were buffed, so the allies couldn¡¯t afford to fight them now. By following Keros, they had gotten clear of the archers. mp stepped forward, and the allies rushed toward him. mp did the same and released the pulse field, using his sealing power. The allies scowled. They couldn¡¯t use their powers and they also didn¡¯t have a lot of time. The allies had to kill their enemies and return to save their castle. Therefore, they all rushed toward mp, and so did Junhyuk. mp was very big and blocked the allies¡¯ path. Meanwhile, Keros was rejoining the fight. Because Keros¡¯ defense was lower than mp¡¯s, the allies thought they should attack him instead. They could ignore mp¡¯s ultimate, but Keros¡¯ was different. Keros hadn¡¯t used his ultimate yet, and the allies had to kill him before he did. The allies all turned to Keros, but a sudden noise came from behind them. Boom! Junhyuk turned to look and shouted, "The enemies have returned!" The allies had thought about killing the enemies and going back, but the enemies had returned first. Aak was now running toward the allies, and Junhyuk gritted his teeth. Aware of what was happening, Keros ran back toward the allies. Nudra released a gust of wind on Aak, pushing him back, and the allies gained some breathing room. However, suddenly, the demon was summoned right on top of the allies. Lujet had also returned with Aak. "Shit!"

 Chapter 298 Variable 3

    Once the Spatial sh came off cooldown, Junhyuk would target Lujet first. Lujet could summon the demon, and the allies didn¡¯t have a way to kill it within a short time. So, to deal with the demon, the allies had to kill Lujet. Lujet jumped down from the castle wall, and Junhyuk made his preparations. If the bonus damage triggered, he might be able to kill Lujet. However, the Spatial sh hadn¡¯te off cooldown yet. Aak ran toward the center of the allied camp and stomped the ground. Boom! All of the allies got hit by the shockwave and were stunned, and that¡¯s when Lujet summoned the demon. Once there, the demon punched Junhyuk. "Ugh!" He got hit on the chest and bounced away. Now, he waspletely aware of why the demon was so dangerous. Junhyuk had lost 50 percent of his health from a single hit. He was furious. Meanwhile, Lujet extended a hand toward him and said, "You are cklisted," and from the tip of his fingers, missiles shot out. When Junhyuk saw them, he dove to the side with all of his might. However, Halo stepped in front of Junhyuk, spinning his sword in front of him. The sword blocked the attack, and after all missiles had exploded, Lujet scowled. "I¡¯m not going to let you live." Because Halo had blocked the attack, Keros ran toward him and made his massive sword explode. The shrapnel of the explosion swept through all of the allies. Lujet had grabbed the allies¡¯ attention, and Keros took the opportunity to use an area-of-effect attack. Junhyuk had lost most of his health in no time at all. The only reason Junhyuk survive was due to the fact that the shrapnel hit everyone instead of focusing on just him. Then, Junhyuk felt the Spatial she off cooldown and swung his sword, shouting, "Kill Lujet!" He used the Spatial sh on Lujet¡¯s neck, and it hit. Lujet¡¯s eyes widened, and blood gushed out of the hero, but he only lost 30 percent of his health. The allies focused their attacks on Lujet now, and Junhyuk looked around. He was thinking about how he could help the allies when, suddenly, he felt a sharp pain, and his eyes widened. The expert was standing next to him with his insect mandible open. He smirked and said, "You thought you were so smart." "You...!" Before he had a chance to finish his sentence, he started losing consciousness. The fight between the allies and the enemies raged in the background. --- A sudden death. He had been killed by that expert. Junhyuk was furious, and he went through the empty darkness as quickly as possible. Once out, he breathed heavily. "Whew!" he said, leaning his head back and grinding his teeth. "I got destroyed." The demon¡¯s attack, Keros¡¯ power, and the expert¡¯s sneak attack. He had been killed once again. Two deaths. He had tried to get through the darkness in any way he could, and his soul had grown because of it. He got stronger every time he died, but nobody wanted to get hurt. Junhyuk inhaled deeply. The heroes were all alive and engaged with the enemies. It was five against four. The enemy had the expert, but Junhyuk believed the allies would do well this time. "We have to kill one or two enemies." Thinking about a bunch of things, he walked out, and Sarang walked toward him. "The enemies returned, and I didn¡¯t know what was happening. Are you OK?" "I¡¯m fine." "You died again." Sarang was worried about him, and he hugged her lightly. "Let¡¯s wait here until we find out what happened in this team battle." Sarang nodded. Vera and Diane showed up next. When they both saw Junhyuk, the two of them smiled bitterly at him. "You are having a hard time." "I¡¯m fine. What happened?" Vera sighed and said, "After you hit Lujet with the Spatial sh, we all attacked him. But they used the multi-status ailments on us, and we got killed." "Multi-status ailments... You mean the expert?" "Right, that bug-looking thing." Junhyuk sighed. Vera and Diane were their team¡¯s main offense, and they had both been killed. The rest of them would be massacred. The bug was only an expert, but it could sneak-attack and inflict status ailments. He could simply hide until there was an opening to stack the bad statuses on his enemies, and his job was done. "Maybe that expert has some good equipment." Junhyuk had gotten stronger after bing a champion, but that expert was disying some absurd damage. Considering the expert¡¯s damaging power, he had to have impressive items. He would be able to assassinate heroes. That¡¯s the kind of damage he had. The legend candidates would cover the expert so that he could assassinate someone at the end of the fight and get himself better equipped. Halo and Nudra showed up next, and Junhyuk asked, "What happened?" Halo sighed and answered, "We killed Lujet, but they killed us." "What about Arn?" "Last I saw him, he was attacking Keros." "Did Keros have a lot of health?" Halo nodded heavily, and Junhyuk sighed. Diane walked over to him and caressed his butt. "You did everything you could. Don¡¯t me yourself." He smiled bitterly. Diane¡¯s caresses of his butt happened whenever she wanted. Before he could say anything, Arn showed up. The hero sighed and said, "You all got killed!" Frowning, Junhyuk asked, "What do we do now?" Arn looked at the allies and said, "This time, we killed two and we picked up their items. We all got killed, so we lost five items, but the cost of the items we gained and lost might be simr. Did anyone drop an expensive item?" Everyone checked their equipment and shook their heads. "No, we only lost cheap stuff." Arn continued, "We need a different way to distribute items. We¡¯ll put these into a group auction." Junhyuk couldn¡¯t understand. Whoever picked up the items was the items new owner, so why were they giving up expensive items? Vera smiled and said, "Right. We are all one team." When Junhyuk looked at the group, the heroes all agreed. Arn continued, "If anyone needs an item, buy it, and we¡¯ll share the money earned from that. Vera will put up the price, so anyone who is willing to pay more will get the item. Anyints?" Everyone nodded, and Arn smiled. "Right now, none of us has any money. I¡¯ll tell you the attributes for the two items, so if anyone is interested, they should say so." Tuelus and Lujet both had dropped item. Tuelus¡¯ item dealt with magic, so Vera should take it. She inspected the item and said, "I¡¯ll buy this. I don¡¯t have any money now, but I¡¯ll pay 1,400,000G." Arn nodded. "There wasn¡¯t anybody else bidding, but thanks for being fair." "We are all friends here." Arn raised Lujet¡¯s items. "Anyone can use this, so inspect the attributes." As Junhyuk looked at the item, Vera walked over to Junhyuk and put her arm around his neck. "Junhyuk, I need your help." "My help?" "Can you win the next Champions¡¯ Battlefield?" Junhyuk thought about it. "The depends on who the new champion is." Aktur hadcked items, but his powers had been very useful. Now that Aktur was gone, would Junhyuk be able to fight as well? Vera whispered, "You must win." After some thought, he answered, "I¡¯ll win for sure." Junhyuk had upgraded his items. If the battle were held now, he would win. It¡¯s true he didn¡¯t know who the next champion would be, but he already had Gongon. As the two talked, the auction ended. "Diane is the new owner. She¡¯ll pay 1,600,000G." Diane put the bracelet on and smiled. "I¡¯ll deal serious damage to the enemy." Junhyuk looked at Arn and asked, "What do we do now?" "We wait for the enemy," Arn answered calmly. "Where do we fight them?" Arn frowned. "We¡¯ll have a better chance with the giant golems." A golem could fight a hero, so with the golems, they would be able to really hurt their enemies. However, it hurt Junhyuk to say that since he knew the n was cheap. Arn frowned for the same reason. Then, he turned to the group and said, "Right now, we can¡¯t win. We¡¯ll just let them be legends. However, we¡¯ll kill at least one of them as a farewell." Junhyuk turned to the group. Prices for hero items ranged from low to high. Junhyuk had cheap items, but others had items priced between 80,000G and 2,000,000G that they had gotten from the legend candidates. They had lost many things while fighting the legend candidates, but if lucky, they would get more items from them. The allies were now able to kill two of the candidates at a time, and with the golem, their chances of killing another were even better. Junhyuk agreed with what Arn had said, and Diane walked over to Junhyuk and smiled. "Let¡¯s go to the castle wall." "The castle wall?" "Correct, we¡¯ll use our archers to the fullest." Junhyuk knew what she meant. The allies would attack the enemies and because of that the archers would be buffed and also focus on their enemies, and Junhyuk had no objections about taking full advantage of the archers. If used right, the Spatial sh would further damage the enemy. Junhyuk, Vera and Diane took their positions on the castle wall. Junhyuk was positioned at the center of the wall, and Sarang walked over to him and stood in front of him. "Why are you here? Get inside." "When the enemy gets here, I¡¯ll go inside." Junhyuk smiled bitterly at her. The minions were standing in front of the gate. They didn¡¯t know what would happen to them, so they were just standing there. There was no way to save them, so putting his hands on the parapet, Junhyuk said to Sarang, "The enemy has long-ranged attacks. You¡¯ll die even if you just get hit by a single blow. You know that, right?" "When yound your attack, I¡¯ll withdraw." He looked at her and smiled. "Don¡¯t forget to do it." "Of course. I don¡¯t want to die either." Junhyuk smiled, looked down and gathered his breath. The enemy wasn¡¯t there yet, so he started absorbing mana for his living spirit. Without leaving the wall, he started to slowly absorb mana. Meanwhile, Sarang was doing the same thing. While Junhyuk absorbed mana into his gut, Sarang absorbed mana into her heart. As he looked at her, Junhyuk saw that she had focused on the task and was really into it. He frowned a bit. The first time he had absorbed mana on the battlefield, he had needed help from Arn. However, Sarang didn¡¯t need any help from anyone. She was absorbing mana for the first time on the battlefield and doing so at enormous quantities. He realized that she was in a trance, unable to recover consciousness until she was done. Junhyuk thought about waking her up, but that¡¯s when the enemy showed up through the middle path. They were apanied by five hundred minions. Junhyuk scowled. "They are ready." Suddenly, Diane and Vera walked over, and Vera turned to Sarang and said, "When you withdraw, take her with you." "Sure." The enemies were gathering toward the gate, but they were still out of range of the Spatial sh. "Attack!" They sent the five hundred minions ahead, but the allies werecking in numbers. Frowning, Junhyuk said, "Are they...?" Vera saw it too and finished, "They are trying to destroy the gate with the minions." "Is that possible?" "No, it¡¯s not." Vera pulled out her orb and added, "We are here." Junhyuk smiled and said, "Shall we make them crawl?" After he said that, he jumped down from the castle wall and ran toward the minions. To the enemy minions, he was like a natural disaster.

 Chapter 299 Activation 1

    Junhyuk was nning on using his Spatial sh if the enemies got closer to him. But first, he had to take care of the enemy minions. Junhyuk was also expecting one more enemy to appear, the expert. He stepped forward. Among the enemies, only the expert could hide and sneak on Junhyuk. The expert¡¯s hiding power alsosted surprisingly long. If that expert became a champion, he would be extremely bothersome. In the situation he was in, Junhyuk wanted to coax the expert out. Although the expert¡¯s sneak attack was quite painful, Junhyuk would endure it. He was sure that if he survived the attack, he would be able to kill the expert. He saw the five hundred minions running toward him, and their approaching stampede was quite the scene. However, Junhyuk did not waver, nor was he scared. Unbothered by the enemy minions, he looked far into the distance to where the enemy heroes were. Junhyuk¡¯s movement speed was so high that it enabled him to take the lead from the allied minions. The enemy minions, wielding dual swords, tried to cut him. sh! As an enemy minion was sliced in half, a shockwave was generated that divided the enemy¡¯s frontline, and Junhyuk ran forward, passing the fountains of blood he had created. He was getting closer, and the enemy heroes clicked their tongues. Aak stepped forward by himself, but Tuelus¡¯ machines were floating above his shoulder. Junhyuk, curious about how the two machines had gotten there, gritted his teeth. Aak wasing for him, so he couldn¡¯t stay there. Aak¡¯s attack stat was enormous, and Junhyuk was well aware of that. When he saw Aak running toward him, he did not hesitate. He stabbed an enemy minion and used the Spatial sh right after. Aak didn¡¯t see iting due to the minion blocking his vision, and suddenly, the Spatial sh cut through his neck. "Ugh!" Junhyuk realized just how strong Aak¡¯s defense really was. The attack was a critical hit, but Aak only lost 12 percent of his health. Junhyuk watched as the enemy minions were swept up by the shockwave and retreated. Aak saw Junhyuk hide among the allied minions and swung his arms around roughly, tearing minions down like paper. Junhyuk sighed, teleported back to the castle wall and saw the enemy heroes run toward the castle. Aak had already been hit by the Spatial sh, so the enemies meant to finish the job. Junhyuk wanted to stay for another thirty seconds until his Spatial sh came off cooldown again, but he knew he couldn¡¯t. The only purpose the allied minions that were in front of the enemy heroes served was to slow them down. However, there were still plenty of enemy minions. Junhyuk had cut down their numbers, but not by much. Aak had joined the fray quicker than he had expected. Junhyuk had reappeared where Sarang was, and looking at her, Veraughed and said, "While they are destroying the gate, we¡¯ll attack. You take her inside." "Will she wake up if I take her inside?" "The mana flow only goes so far as the castle wall. When the mana supply stops, she¡¯ll wake up." He nodded, picked her up and teleported, running the rest of the way inside of the castle with Sarang in his arms. The heroes who were staying next to the giant golems asked when they saw her, "What¡¯s wrong with Sarang?" "She was training and fell asleep." Arnughed and pointed to the back. "Take her inside. She can¡¯t stay here anyway." "Sure." By the time he took her inside the castle¡¯s force field, she was already waking up and slowly opening her eyes. "Big brother?" "That¡¯s right. It¡¯s me." Sarang looked around and asked, "Why am I in here?" "You were training and fell asleep. You were still sleeping when the enemies came." She smiled bitterly. "I¡¯m sorry." "It¡¯s OK. Just stay here," he said and went outside. Sarang moved around inside the castle¡¯s force field in order to catch a glimpse of him leaving. Junhyuk walked outside and stood next to the heroes and the giant golems. Vera and Diane jumped down from the castle wall and ran to them. "Get ready. The gate ising down soon." While Vera and Diane joined the rest of the heroes, the gate was destroyed, and the enemies entered the castle. There were a hundred enemy minions still alive. Aak had 80 percent of his health, and the others still had around 90 percent. Diane and Vera were still attacking them from afar. When Junhyuk saw the enemies, he said, "When the minions get closer, I¡¯ll deal with them." The allies had enough minions. They had stationed some minions on the castle wall, who were nowing back in. The allies had prepared everything, and Aak slowly walked toward them. Aak had lost some health, but he was still hard to deal with. Meanwhile, Junhyuk looked for the enemy expert. When the insect-looking expert looked at Junhyuk, he tapped his chin. Aak, still a fair distance, folded his arms and shouted, "Attack!" They were legend candidates. Once Aak gave out the order, the enemy minions ran forward. However, Junhyuk knew that if he stepped forward, Aak would run forward as well. He needed to save the Spatial sh, so he remained still. Reading the situation, Arn shouted, "Stop them!" The allied minions moved, holding their shields up to block the enemy minions. The minions were all mixed up now, and Junhyuk saw Aak moving. If Junhyuk stayed alive, he would be able to help the alliester, so he hid behind the allied heroes and watched the enemies get closer. His Spatial sh was a long-ranged attack, and the enemy minions were already within range, but if Aak fought the allied heroes, he would also be within range. As the enemy minions approached, the giant golems started moving. With them, the allied heroes started moving as well. Even without using their powers, the allied heroes still had really powerful attacks. The heroes shed through the minions and approached the enemy heroes. When Arn saw Aak, he said, "Let¡¯s attack the back of their formation." The allies wanted to leave Aak for the giant golems, and Junhyuk nodded in agreement. Considering Aak¡¯s monstrous defense and health, it would be best if the golems fought against him. Arn scoped out the back of the enemies¡¯ formation and jumped. Aak had been at the front, but Arn jumped over him, aiming for Tuelus. Aak turned to look, but Halo and Nudra had already followed Arn, and Vera and Diane were preparing their attacks. Suddenly, a giant golem kicked Aak. Boom! Aak blocked the attack with his arms, and Junhyuk became a bit scared of Aak¡¯s skills. He had blocked the giant golem without being pushed back. He was a monster. Aak pushed the golem¡¯s foot aside and ran forward. He had seen that Tuelus was under attack, but he targeted Vera and Diane instead. Worried, Junhyuk said, "Let¡¯s go past him." He touched Vera and Diane and teleported over Aak, and the hero started chasing him instead. The allies all attacked Tuelus. Arn had jump-attacked the hero, while Halo used his sh attack. Tuelus was losing health fast, and without hesitation, Junhyuk used the Spatial sh on him. It hit the hero¡¯s neck, leaving him with 30 percent of his health. Tuelusbined his two floating machines into one, but the allies couldn¡¯t allow him to use his ultimate, so Junhyuk quickly raised his force field. All of the allies were inside the force field when the giant sh of light hit the force field. The sh disrupted the allies¡¯ vision, but the attack bounced off the force field, and Junhyuk shouted, "Kill him now!" Vera and Diane attacked at the same time. Keros intervened, however, parrying Diane¡¯s attack, and taking the hit from Vera¡¯s magic. Tuelus was retreating from the battle, and the allies might lose him. Arn threw his saber, and Tuelus machines parried the attack, but he still received a bit of damage from it. He was getting away and might even be able to escape. Junhyuk was about to teleport when Nudra jumped high up. Nudra could tell Tuelus¡¯ health was minimal now. Boom! Nudra kicked down on the hero¡¯s head, and Tuelus disappeared. Without the force field, the allies couldn¡¯t have pulled that off, but with the force field, the allies took care of business. Arn¡¯s eyes beamed, and he shouted, "Kill Lujet!" Lujet could summon the demon, so the obvious thing was to kill him before he could do it. The allies chased after Lujet, but mp and Keros blocked the way. Junhyuk looked at Aak and saw something that left him speechless. Aak was killing a giant golem by himself. Knowing that his attacks wouldn¡¯t work against the force field, Aak had focused on a giant golem. It took a lot of damage to destroy a golem, but Aak had done it already. However, now he only had 50 percent of his health left. mp blocked the allies¡¯ path. Nudra decided to leave the force field and was immediately under attack from the enemy. Lujet fired the missiles from his fingers at him, and Nudra used both of his arms to block them. However, the missiles exploded, and Nudra lost 45 percent of his health at once. Then, Keros swung his massive sword at Nudra¡¯s ribs. Nudra used his speed boost to escape the attack and close in on Lujet. Then, he kicked the hero toward the allied camp. Lujet wasunched toward the allies, and Vera set a fire orb on his path. Boom! Diane shot her multishot at him as the fire orb exploded, but mp parried Diane¡¯s arrows. mp ran toward the force field. He had timed correctly for the force field¡¯s disappearance and stood in front of the allies just as it faded. There, mp extended both hands forward. Junhyuk thought about teleporting, but there was no one directly in front of mps hands. Then, mp pulled someone toward him. Aak smiled from ear to ear. mp had pulled him, and Aak was now standing directly in front of the allied line. Then, Aak stomped the ground. Boom! With the exception of Nudra, all other allies were stunned.

 Chapter 300 Activation 2

    As everyone got stunned, Lujet summoned the demon to the center of the allied formation. However, this time, the demon did not target Junhyuk. Junhyuk¡¯s strength was in his force field, and now that he had already used it, he no longer seemed dangerous to his enemies. The demon focused on an allied attacker, Vera. She got hit and lost a lot of health all at once. The same attack had taken away 50 percent of Junhyuk¡¯s health previously, but Vera lost 70 percent. At that moment, Junhyuk realized one thing: to be a true legend, focusing entirely on damage was not enough. It just simply didn¡¯t allow you to survive a situation like this. Byparison, Tuelus was responsible for dealing damage for the opposite team, and his defense wasparable to Arn¡¯s even after he had gotten weaker from dropping items. Only people as strong as that could be legends. Aak punched Vera, and she faded. Unexpectedly, the second giant golem went out to help the allies, engaging the demon in front of them. Lujet watched the golem fight the demon and ran past both of them, piercing Diane¡¯s chest with his hand. As his demonic hand punctured her chest, Diane lost 40 percent of her health, and Lujet regained his in return. "This is nuts!" Junhyuk wanted to move but couldn¡¯t. If things continued that way, two allied heroes would die before they were able to move again, and more would follow after that. Junhyuk watched Keros moving forward and mming his sword into the ground. He got his movement back just in time to try to teleport to his allies, but mp was faster. The hero had been waiting for that and used his sealing power on the allies, preventing Junhyuk from teleporting or using any other power. Keros¡¯ sword strike generated shockwaves. Boom! He was bounced up in the air. All he could do was grit his teeth, and it would be hard for him to survive. Then, Keros aimed his sword at the allies, meaning to have it explode. Junhyuk could only watch. Meanwhile, Sarang had been watching the fight from within the castle¡¯s force field, and she balled her hands up instinctively. mp had pulled Aak, who followed up by stunning the allies. Then, the demon had mostly killed Vera. mp had used his power to seal off the allies¡¯ powers, while Keros created shockwaves. With gritted teeth, Sarang realized that if things continued that way, the allies would be annihted, and Junhyuk, who always rescued her, would die again. That meant that Junhyuk would have to experience the emptiness of death once more. Sarang thought fast, looking for things that she could do at that moment. Lujet had the longest range among the enemies, but his range was shorter than her attack¡¯s range. After calcting all that, she walked out of the castle¡¯s force field. If she died once more, that would be the end for her, and she knew that, so she ran through the calctions she had made again. Before Keros¡¯ sword exploded, Sarang extended her hands. "Please!" The allies were all seriously wounded at that moment, and she could only heal two of them. She felt bad about it, but that was all that she could do. As she extended her hands, she felt the mana within her chest stretching ferociously. She had never felt that before, and her power was enveloped by the outstretched mana. The light green powder sprinkled over all of the allies, and all of their healths increase. She was confident that they would survive longer now, but if they were hit by Keros¡¯ ultimate, they would still all die. So, Sarang extended her hand quickly again, and an electric st zoomed out of it. Before Keros had the chance to use his power, he was paralyzed. The allies all focused on Keros now, but the paralysis wouldn¡¯tst long, and the enemy heroes were all looking at Sarang. Lujet ran at her first, while mp extended his hand. She took a quick couple of steps back, and by a hair¡¯s breadth, Sarang got out of range. However, the enemy kept up their pursuit. She couldn¡¯t get caught. Sarang quickly analyzed the enemy camp. Keros was still paralyzed, and the allies were all attacking him. The hero had lost arge amount of health by that point. The paralysis didn¡¯tst long, but the allies, being veterans,nded critical hits from short range. Keros was still alive, however, and that meant that Junhyuk¡¯s chances of survival were very low. The hero would try to use his ultimate again. As Sarang retreated, she looked at Junhyuk. Could she help him? To help him, she had to kill Keros. The allies¡¯ powers were still all sealed, so they were hitting Keros with criticals from up close. The hero still had a significant amount of health however, 25 percent. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to kill Keros at that point. Still, Sarang eyes sparked, and she felt something as she extended her hands slowly. Her desire to help Junhyuk had given her a feeling, and that feeling had be a certainty. She pulled out her orb in front of her, and soon, the orb shone brightly. She could see Keros, and thunderbolts fell on Keros¡¯ head. Boom! The bolts fell on Keros¡¯ head precisely, and the enemies did not know what to make of it. Meanwhile, Keros started fading, and vestiges of the thunderbolts extended all over. The expert got shocked and reappeared from his hidden state. Sarang watched as Keros died and pulled herself together. She had just be a champion. "Sarang!" The expert wasn¡¯t hidden anymore, but he was rushing toward Sarang. Junhyuk had been the one to shout, and Sarang snapped out of her daze and looked at the expert. The expert had been hit by the mini-bolts and had already lost 30 percent of his health, and Sarang quickly analyzed the situation. All enemy heroes were rushing toward her. They were prioritizing her after she had be a champion. That was a rule that the legend candidates adhered to. Because of Sarang¡¯s powers, attack range and damage, the enemies were all running toward her. Junhyuk teleported and appeared behind them, stabbing the expert on his back. He had done so from behind, and his sword pierced the expert¡¯s back and came out of his chest. The expert¡¯s mouth opened wide, and Junhyuk stabbed his neck with the Frozen Rune Sword. They both fell to the ground rolling, and Junhyuk mmed the expert down, pulled out his swords and shed down again, beheading the expert. "Get back inside the force field!" he shouted. Sarang did just that, and Junhyuk looked at the enemies, who were nowing toward him. Unfortunately, after Sarang had killed Keros, she hadn¡¯t had time to pick up his item. As he stood there, in front of the enemies, and watched Sarang entering the force field again, he was relieved. She was safe now. "Then, should I fight again?" Junhyuk held tightly to his dual swords and ran toward the enemies. Aak was running toward him, punching in his direction. As Junhyuk watched Aak¡¯s fist approaching, he used eleration. Able to read the path of the fist, Junhyuk turned his body as much as possible. It was still hard for him to twist his muscles all of a sudden, but he could deal with it. He had already trained his muscles, so he controlled them and turned his body slowly. As he dodged Aak¡¯s fist, his sword shed through the hero¡¯s ribs. sh! He dealt more damage than he had expected. It was a regr attack, but it took 5 percent off Aak¡¯s total health. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected to deal that much damage, and Aak frowned and howled, "Hoorah-rah-rah!" Suddenly, giant shockwaves extended from Aak¡¯s body and went far off through all the enemies. That¡¯s when the three of them that remained changed the course of their actions. Lujet¡¯s demon disappeared, but within that short time, it had destroyed the giant golem. After the demon disappeared, Junhyuk realized that the enemies had used all of their powers, so he thought the allies had the advantage. Then, Lujet stood right in front of Diane and aimed his mechanical hand at her, firing the missiles from his fingers. Boom, boom, boom, boom! Diane faded, and Junhyuk grimaced. He had thought the missiles were still under cooldown, so he had no idea what had just happened. mp extended his hand toward him, and as Junhyuk was pulled, his eyes widened. "What the hell...?" mp¡¯s power was also supposed to be under cooldown. What was happening there? Junhyuk didn¡¯t have a chance to finish his sentence before Lujet ran toward him and pierced him with the demonic hand. He lost a lot of health at once, while Lujet regained his. It looked like Lujet had the power to absorb his opponent¡¯s health. As Junhyuk¡¯s vision turned blurry, he tried to look around. He saw enemies using powers without having to wait for their cooldowns. Then, Junhyuk turned to Aak. Aak¡¯s howl from just before had been the beginning of everything. "A power that cancels cooldowns?" Junhyuk couldn¡¯t think anymore. The world got entirely blurry, and he lost his willpower. --- Rough emptiness. Junhyuk pulled himself together to be able toe out of that state. As he came out of the darkness, he staggered. "Whew!" Junhyuk was still alive, but the cost had been high. Staggering, he stood up with pride, opened the door and walked out. The giant golems had been destroyed, and the fight had turned into a three versus three, but things had not ended while he was reviving. Junhyuk ran out quickly and saw Sarang on his way. "Sarang!" She saw he had revived and walked over to him. "Big brother, are you OK?" "I¡¯m fine. What happened?" "They are destroying the force field." Junhyuk ran quickly to the force field and saw the enemies. They were attacking the force field, and Vera and Diane were also watching the enemies. "Vera, Diane." "Our cutie stud, you still alive?" Diane smiled and caressed his butt. "Now, it¡¯s over." Junhyuk saw that the force field was almost gone. "We all died in the end." "Right, and the others haven¡¯t reincarnated yet." Junhyuk sighed and looked at the enemies. Lujet had 35 percent of his health left, and Junhyuk scowled. He could still kill the hero. "I¡¯ve been killed enough," he said and ran toward the force field. When Aak saw him, he tried to punch Junhyuk, but he smiled and teleported. He appeared behind Lujet and used the Spatial sh on the hero. The attack hit Lujet¡¯s neck, and the hero grimaced, but he was not dead yet. Lujet turned around to kill Junhyuk, swinging his demonic arm at him. The hero wanted to take Junhyuk¡¯s health into him, but that¡¯s when the bonus attack triggered. "Ugh!" Lujet couldn¡¯t do anything before dying. Meanwhile, mp extended his hand toward Junhyuk. Junhyuk got pulled, and mp used his sealing power on him before punching at the champion. Junhyuk knew what he had to do now that Lujet was dead, so he blocked mp¡¯s fist, but was pushed back in the process. Taking advantage of the momentum, he rolled back on the ground and picked up Lujet¡¯s item. Lujet had dropped a pair of earrings, and after Junhyuk picked them up, Aak¡¯s attacks finally brought the castle¡¯s force field down.

 Chapter 301 Changes 1

    Usually, when the castle¡¯s force field was destroyed, the Dimensional Battlefield would disappear, and they would all return to their own dimensions. However, this time was different. The castle crumbled, and the world changed. This time, they all heard a soft voice. [Legend candidates Aak, Keros, Lujet, mp and Tuelus have won ten straight victories and have be legends.] All of them appeared in front of the allies. A bright white light shone on Aak, Keros, Lujet, mp and Tuelus, and they floated up to the sky. As their bodies also shone, Junhyuk watched it all in shock. "That¡¯s a nice performance!" [Legends Aak, Keros, Lujet, mp and Tuelus, your names will remain forever in the Hall of Legends, and item sets bearing your names will be added to the Dimensional Battlefield.] Junhyuk watched the items float in the empty air. Because they had be legends, the items they had equipped floated around them. Suddenly, all of them disappeared. Junhyuk murmured, "Where did they all go?" Arn, who had revived, walked over and said, "They¡¯ll be added to Bebe¡¯s store." "Then, I can buy them with gold?" "You can, but it¡¯ll be difficult to buy those items." "Why?" Arnughed and answered, "They had, for the most part, unique items. Each unique item already costs about 2,000,000G. On top of that, now they are set items, so how much do you think they¡¯ll cost?" "At least 2,000,000G." "Correct, so not everyone will be able to buy them." Most heroes wanted to get stronger, so they usually spent their money on items rather than trying to save a lot of it. Heroes¡¯ wallets got thinner as time passed, and with thin wallets, they wouldn¡¯t be able to buy items that cost 2,000,000G. And now, because they had be set items, which when collected gained incredible boosts from each added one in the set, an astronomical sum of money would be required to purchase all of those legends¡¯ items. "Whew! Definitely, not everyone can buy those." "That¡¯s right." While they were talking, they heard another soft voice. [With the promotion of the new legends, the fifteenth season is now over. Your battle records will be considered for the next season, and if you win your next battle, you will be assigned a new level.] Junhyuk looked at Arn. "What does that all mean?" "That a new season has begun." "A season?" Arn nodded heavily. "That¡¯s what they call it here. A team of heroes bing legends marks the end of the season. Meanwhile, they will bring up new heroes. We may have to fight heroes we¡¯ve never met before or heroes we already know. Sometimes, allies and teammates will switch teams to fight more efficiently." "What about us?" "We¡¯ll stay together," Arn said, patting his shoulder lightly. "Then, see you next time." Junhyuk didn¡¯t have a chance to speak. Instead, he heard another announcement. [The sixteenth season will begin in four weeks.] Light covered everything, and he watched the world change around him. He was now at his training facility and, as he got up slowly, he looked around. Junhyuk took a moment to think, going over everything he had just learned. When new legends were announced, the season ended. After a season ended, a new one would start for thepetition for legend status to begin anew. What would happen to him? What about the Champions¡¯ Battlefield? Junhyuk sat downfortably and said, "Agenchra, if you can hear me, can youe over so that I can ask you some questions?" After he had finished speaking, a dimensional tear appeared in the training facility. A person wearing a fedora, a trench coat, and wrapped in bandages walked through. Agenchra took a seat in front of him and said, "I knew you would be looking for me." "That¡¯s good." Junhyuk went straight to the point, "Will the start of a new season affect the Champions¡¯ Battlefield?" Agenchra shook his head. "No. The new season only affects heroes." He bitterly smiled. "Until we be heroes ourselves, all we have to do is fight?" "Yes." Junhyuk took a moment to think and asked, "If there are other human champions, I can take them with me to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. That¡¯s what you said, correct?" "Correct. Are you talking about Sarang Kim?" "You knew about her?" "A new champion must sign a new contract to be able to join the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. A member of the management team went to see her already." Junhyuk chuckled. "That¡¯s basic stuff. I wasn¡¯t thinking properly. Aktur left our team, and a new champion has evolved, so I can take her with me, right?" "Of course." Agenchra smiled and added, "You have already been training here together." "Are you monitoring this ce?" Agenchra shook his head. "Not necessarily. You are the first human champion, so we are watching you closely." "Really?" Junhyuk didn¡¯t say anything else. Agenchra had made the facility for him, so he had expected to be watched. He did not care about it and did not ask anything further on the subject. "Do you have any more question?" "One more." He looked straight into Agenchra¡¯s eyes and asked, "Why the weeding of novices?" Agenchra frowned and answered, "I can¡¯t tell you anything on that subject. I¡¯m not responsible for that line of work." "Whose line of work is it?" "The Dimensional Monsters Administration." Junhyuk had just learned that management was divided into departments like any major corporation. "When will the monster attack stop?" "When five humans all be heroes and form a team." "Five?" Junhyuk knew how hard it was to evolve into a hero. He had been to the Dimensional Battlefield numerous time, but even he was not a hero yet. "By the way, where did those new legends get all that money?" Agenchra smiled. "They had won thirty-two times straight before they had even be legend candidates." "If that¡¯s the case, then the lowest ranking team can be a legend candidate?" "Correct. These new legends became candidates in the shortest time, and they carried really nice items." "Right?!" Junhyuk realized that for him to be a legend, he couldn¡¯t get killed as often. As a hero, each time he died he would drop an item, and that would make it difficult for him to upgrade his items. "I must stay alive and win." "It¡¯s not easy to be a legend. You must have a good team and, if possible, not die while winning continuously in the Dimensional Battlefield." "Right, I agree." "But you get handicapped when you win continuously. For one thing, you¡¯ll encounter stronger opposing teams. Bing a legend is not easy." Junhyuk listened to it all quietly, nodded and answered, "I n to be a legend myself." "We are all looking forward to that." He turned to Agenchra as he heard that. "You have activated powers concerning space, and all of your powers are high-ranking. So we are expecting good things from you," the manager added. Junhyuk waved his hands profusely and said, "Just like you said, I need a good team." "Considering your luck, that is also possible," Agenchra said and took off his fedora, bowing to Junhyuk slightly. "Then, I will be going." Agenchra disappeared, and Junhyuk gathered his thoughts. When he became a hero, who would be on his team? Junhyuk thought of a few candidates, people who wanted to be heroes, but he wasn¡¯t sure yet about who would be on his team. Suddenly, he thought of something and looked inside his Spatial Bag, pulling out a pair of earrings. --- Vampire Lord Lujet¡¯s Earrings (set item) Attack +30Attack Speed +10%Defense +30 The Vampire Lord Lujet has be a legend. These earrings are made from the ghost beast Eldra¡¯s eyes. It has been infused with magic and it increases the power of whoever wears it. It increases attack and defense by thirty and attack speed by 10 percent. If other items in the set are collected, additional power will be bestowed to the wearer. --- Shocked, Junhyuk stared at the earrings. "Why is this a set item?" Lujet, the legend candidate, had dropped it, and Junhyuk thought that it would¡¯ve cost 2,000,000G, so the others wouldn¡¯t be able to buy it. But it wasn¡¯t a unique item. It was a set item instead. "Because they became legends, their items became set items?" Of the allies, Vera would be the strongest toe out of this. She had been gathering Tuelus¡¯ items. "Hm." Junhyuk put the earrings on. The Vampire Lord Lujet had be a legend, and his item was now a set item with three attributes associated with it. He wanted to see what kind of powers he could get from apleted set. If he could gather them all, he would be much stronger. Since it was a set item, he could not die while carrying it. Junhyuk pledged that when he became a hero, he would not die anymore. That was the only way to be stronger. After that, hey down on the floor and absorbed mana. Before the morning wave of monsters, he wanted to absorb as much mana as possible and let the living spirit travel through his veins. --- Only Junhyuk took advantage of the morning wave. He had upgraded his equipment and gotten the new earrings. He had also absorbed an incredible amount of mana at the Dimensional Battlefield, so he was much stronger. So, he didn¡¯t only practice the eleration. He trained and thought about how to explode the living spirit at a single point on his finger. While he had taken care of the morning wave, he was still unsure about how to focus the living spirit explosion at a single point. "Do I have time?" Because a new season was beginning, he had four weeks. That meant that he would go to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield twice before that. He would be partnered with Sarang, so he wanted to check out her powers. The Thunderstorm¡¯s damage was incredible. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure if the attack on Keros was a critical hit, but her new power equalled that of his Spatial sh. On top of that, it also dealt ssh damage. He didn¡¯t know what percentage of the total damage was applied to the ssh damage, so he wanted to go over those things with her. "Sarang is so much stronger." She could paralyze two people at once, heal up to five people. Her healing ability and her health had increased. On top of that, there was the Thunderstorm. With those powers, she would be a high-ranking champion just like him. Junhyuk gathered his thoughts and swung his sword, training the single-point explosion until it was time to meet Sarang. It was five in the afternoon, and she had already left school by that time. She was the top-ranked high school student in the entire nation, so she had benefits. "Exit." Junhyuk appeared in the bathroom and washed the blood off himself while he prepared. He changed clothes and walked toward the front door. Sarang had juste in from the main gate, and he extended both arms toward her and said, "Come over here, Champion Sarang." She smiled at him.

 Chapter 302 Changes 2

    With her face full of excitement, Sarang said quickly, "So, I¡¯ve met with the contract manager from the Dimensional Battlefield. The contract was so long! In any event, I read it and signed it." "Did you read it carefully?" "Time had stopped, so I did. It was easy to understand." "You did well reading through it all." "I¡¯ve acquired speed-reading skills." Sarang was very intelligent, so speed-reading hadn¡¯t been difficult for her to learn. Junhyukughed and said, "Then, shall we train now?" "Wait, let¡¯s eat first." "Eat?" "Yeah, this." She brought out some food from a Korean fast food ce. There were seasoned rice cakes, Korean sausages and two rolls of sushi. She had even brought some fish cake soup, and Junhyukughed at the sight. "You got so much." "I¡¯m a growing girl, so I have to eat a lot." "Riiiiight." Both of them set the food on the table and took their seats. Sarang had locked her feet together and was swinging them underneath the table while she looked at him. "This is nice." "What is?" "Just having a chance to eat with you." Junhyuk stabbed a rice cake with a fork and gave her the bite, then he took a bite of his own off the rice cake. "This is seasoned nicely!" "It¡¯s from a brand new fast food ce, and the food there tastes good. The students from my school go there often." "Yeah?" He ate dinner with her. After dinner, he had a cup of coffee, and they both went to his training facility. The monsters hadn¡¯t shown up yet, but he unsheathed his swords and said, "Your health has increased." "Only my basic stats have increased." "Nevertheless, what you said before is right, you have grown stronger." He knew that sparring with her was not possible yet. Sarang still didn¡¯t have a lot of equipment. "Let¡¯s start by checking out your new power," Junhyuk said smiling. "It has a forty-second cooldown." "That¡¯s very long." For an attack power, it was too long. However, considering the damage it inflicted, its range, and the fact that it hit over a wide area, it made sense that its cooldown would be long. There had been times that her equipment had been better than his, but now, Junhyuk was better equipped. He had sold an item for 1,400,000G and upgraded most of what he owned. On top of that, he was wearing the earrings. Through it all, he had also developed his skills and powers. Junhyuk chuckled. "By the way, B-ranked monsters aren¡¯t going to pose any problems now." "We still have to train, and if I get hit by one of them, it¡¯ll still hurt," she said. "Right..." Junhyuk didn¡¯t intend for her to get hit. He would act as a shield for her and kill the monsters. But, her health wasn¡¯t the only thing that had increased as she turned into a champion. Her attack and defense had also increased. However, she still couldn¡¯t take a lot of hits from B-ranked monsters. It was time, and a twin-headed ogre appeared. As he saw it, Junhyuk said, "Try your Thunderstorm out." "Sure." After she said that, she put her orb forward, and thunder and lightning cracked from the sky. Crrraaak, boom! The twin-headed ogre didn¡¯t even have a chance to scream before it had be ash. Her power was overwhelming. A bed of lightning webbed through the surroundings on the floor, and Junhyuk dry coughed. "Woah! This is huge!" Junhyuk had also moved to sh the twin-headed ogre, but before he could even get there, Sarang had roasted the ogre in a sh. She was also shocked by what she could do. "It is..." When considering the overall damage, her power was superior to the Spatial sh, and he asked, "What is the range?" "Approximately forty meters." Her power¡¯s range was longer than an ordinary hero¡¯s attack, but shorter than the Spatial sh¡¯s range. He also measured how far the bed of lightning extended. It expanded to a radius of ten meters from the center of the lightning strike, covering an area greater than the range of his shockwave. "That¡¯s some nice power you got." "Big brother." He turned to look at her, and with her head cocked to the side, she asked, "I¡¯ll be going to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield with you. What is that ce like?" He answered her question calmly, "When you go, you¡¯ll meet Gongon. With Gongon and you, we¡¯ll win easily." "Gongon... Do you mean that dragon?" "Yes." "I¡¯ve been wanting to meet him." "And you will." After they talked, they waited for the next wave. Two twin-headed ogres appeared, and Junhyuk looked at her. "Let¡¯s check it out one more time. We need to know the damage of the bed of lightning." "Sure." Sarang pushed her orb forward, and the thunderbolt crashed down once more. When just looking at it, all you could see was lightning falling from a dry sky. However, the power¡¯s damage was enormous. One of the twin-headed ogres got roasted again, and the bed of lightning extended from it to hit the other one beside it. Crack, crack, crack! "Roooaar!" the twin-headed ogre screamed as both of his legs were charred. Seeing the twin-headed ogre kneeling from the pain, Junhyuk realized that the damage of the bed of lightning could not be ignored. Then, he ran forward and beheaded the kneeling twin-headed ogre. "The area-of-effect part of the attack can¡¯t kill a twin-headed ogre by itself." Junhyuk¡¯s shockwave hit for 50 percent of his attack, and that always killed the twin-headed ogre when he used the Spatial sh, but her power¡¯s bonus damage wasn¡¯t enough to kill by itself. That mean that the bed of lightning hit for less that 50 percent of the original attack. "When you upgrade your equipment, it¡¯ll get stronger." "That¡¯s what I¡¯m expecting as well. When you kill an opponent in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, you get 3,000G, right?" "Correct. But you have to be careful." "Why?" He added calmly, "Our enemies are extremely powerful." There was an assassin among the enemy champions, and if Sarang were to fight alone, she would be killed. Now that Junhyuk¡¯s defense had increased, he would take them on. "I¡¯m worried. My defense is not high enough yet." "It¡¯ll increase." He ced a hand on her head and added, "You should try to reach for Tuelus¡¯ level." "What?! The now legend Tuelus?!" "That¡¯s right. You should increase your attack stat, but that will have its limitations. So, increase your defense and magic as well. Your defense should beparable to Arn¡¯s, and your attack should be simr to Tuelus¡¯." "I feel burdened by it all already." "If possible, I¡¯ll help you grow. Also, your power is better than my Spatial sh. It¡¯s so fast, there is no way to dodge it or escape from it. However,bined, we have six powers, so one of us will be reassigned to a different team. In any event, we are champions, so we can at least die four times." "Are you saying I should aim for thest strike?" "If you just do that, even your hero partners may turn on you." "I¡¯ll be discrete." He smiled at her. "You are like me. Your have utility powers, so you can be of great help, so try to be deliberate and careful with yourst strikes." "Sure." She smiled and added, "Then, shall we?" Another wave of monsters was appearing, and she had already prepared her magic. Junhyuk had enhanced his equipment, so twin-headed ogres posed no problems for him. He, himself, managed to kill twenty-five twin-headed ogres while they experimented with Sarang¡¯s new power. After killing the twenty-fifth monster, Junhyuk copsed from exhaustion with Sarang next to him. "Whew! Our power levels have increased too much!" Sarang looked at him from head to toe and said, "Honestly, you have be many times stronger. The power of money is scary." Heughed at her. "Is that right?" He had spent 1,400,000G on top of having set items, but he knew he had been lucky that he had been able to collect all of those set items. "Considering what I got, I¡¯ll have to earn more money." Junhyuk already had Pure Golden Knight items, but he also wanted to collect items from the Vampire Lord set. Set items of higher ranks had useful boosts and effects. Gongon was proof of that.He wanted to buy 2,000,000G items, and finish his Pure Golden Knight collection. There were also the runestones. Junhyuk wanted to rain money, and he wanted to upgrade his weapons some more times. There was a lot more money he needed to spend. They were in the middle of a conversation when they heard a soft voice.[The champion Junhyuk¡¯s training facility has another champion, so we will increase the rank of iing monsters.]"What?!"He got up, and suddenly, a dimensional tear appeared, and arge werewolf walked through it."A Wolf Warlord?"An A-ranked monster had suddenly appeared, so Sarang got up fast, and he shouted, "Get behind me!"Junhyuk stood in front of her and stared at the Wolf Warlord, the A-ranked monster. Junhyuk¡¯s defense wasparable to a regr hero¡¯s defense, and although his weapons were of lower quality, he could offset that difference.That meant that although he didn¡¯t have an ultimate yet, his overall power was simr to a hero¡¯s.Trusting Sarang, Junhyuk ran forward. The Wolf Warlord swung its ws at him, and the ws shed against the Blood Rune Sword.ng!There was a loud shing sound, and Junhyuk saw that he wasn¡¯t able to cut the ws off. The real problem was the Wolf Warlord¡¯s size. It was ten meters tall, and its ws were two meters long.Junhyuk felt like he was standing in front of a giant."Sarang!"Sarang cast her Thunderstorm.Boom!The lightning struck the Wolf Warlord¡¯s head, but it was not dead yet. Then, the Wolf Warlord mounted its own attacks. Its eyes were filled with revenge, and it jumped over Junhyuk.Junhyuk teleported. He had read the trajectory of the Wolf Warlord¡¯s jump and appeared in front of it, using his Spatial sh as he did so.Junhyuk thought the Spatial sh would kill the Wolf Warlord, but the monster merely turned his head away. Usually, the Spatial sh would have prated the enemy¡¯s neck, but the attack had only grazed its neck area.The Wolf Warlord was still in the air when it swung its ws down at him. Junhyuk blocked them with his dual swords.ng!He parried them, but he still got bounced away. While Junhyuknded, the monster moved toward Sarang.Junhyuk raised the force field around her. The Wolf Warlord was falling on her head when the force field appeared, and the monster pounded against it with its fists.Boom, boom, boom!The blows were severe, and the force field got pushed down into the ground. At the same time, Junhyuk gritted his teeth and started running.The Wolf Warlord had evaded the Spatial sh, which meant that he would have to fight it with regr attacks, and that wouldn¡¯t be easy to do.The Thunderstorm had worked and damaged the monster, but the Wolf Warlord wasn¡¯t an easy enemy. Junhyuk¡¯s attack stat was high, but he couldn¡¯t do anything against the werewolf¡¯s ws.As he ran, Sarang shouted, "I¡¯ll stop it!""OK!"When he approached the Wolf Warlord, Sarang shot her electric st. It travelled like a light arrow and hit the Wolf Warlord, paralyzing it. Then, Junhyuk jumped on it. He hadn¡¯t used his jump in a while, but he jumped high enough to reach the Wolf Warlord¡¯s head, swinging the Blood Rune Sword in the process.

 Chapter 303 Changes 3

    Junhyuk¡¯s attack was outstanding. He could make it certain with the Spatial sh, but even without the Spatial sh, he could deliver critical hits to a paralyzed opponent. The Wolf Warlord¡¯s neck was bleeding, but it wasn¡¯t beheaded. Junhyuk stabbed the same spot again and twisted his sword to make it sink in deeper, and the Wolf Warlord started losing the focus of his eyes. Boom! The Wolf Warlord fell to the ground without any life left. Junhyuk watched it fall, panting. It had died and left a bloodstone, and Junhyuk picked it up. "This is it!" It was a bloodstone of unique quality, the highest possible quality, and it would fetch $100 million. Junhyuk picked it up and threw it to Sarang, who caught it with a surprised look, so he smiled at her. "You maderger contributions in killing it, so you keep it." "How much is this worth?" "You can get $100 million for it." Sarang calmly stared at the bloodstone. That little gem was worth $100 million, and she felt satisfied just by looking at it. Junhyukughed. "Do you like it?" "I¡¯m falling in love with this bloodstone." Junhyuk looked at the werewolf¡¯s body. Up to that point, only B-ranked monsters had shown up, but now A-ranked monsters would start appearing. The problem was the Wolf Warlord¡¯s size. He couldn¡¯t put anything that tall inside his Spatial Bag with other things. To do it, there was only one option. "From now on, I¡¯ll carry A-ranked monsters only." He opened his Spatial Monster Bag. There was nothing in it yet, so he could always pick up the bodies around the training facility. It wouldn¡¯t have been a bad idea to pick up bodies as diligently as monsters died, but he would normally fight a hundred enemies per day. In any case, he hadn¡¯t ced anything in it yet. Even if the bag had been filled, he wouldn¡¯t have had a ce to deliver those bodies at that exact time. He had the put the corpse of the Wolf Warlord inside of it. It was an A-ranked monster, and it would probably be useful in many different ways. He could sell it to Elise and make a fortune from it, but he didn¡¯t want to do it yet. Junhyuk wanted to research it at hispany first. It would take some time to finish hisb, but he didn¡¯t want to sell it to Elise so she wouldn¡¯t be a step ahead of him. At that moment, hispany was having a hard time catching up to her as it was. Junhyuk waited a little longer, but no other monsters appeared. "They aren¡¯t sending A-ranked monsters that often?" If they let A-ranked monsters loose on him, he would have no answer for them. If two monsters showed up, he would have a hard enough time staying alive. The Wolf Warlord had sensed his Spatial sh and dodged the critical hit. If a monster like that showed up in a pair, he would not know how to deal with them. Sarang stared at him and said, "We¡¯ve been hunting B-ranked monster, but from now on, we¡¯ll be hunting A-ranked monsters?" Junhyuk nodded heavily. "Our powers have increased, so B-ranked monsters can¡¯t help us further. For us to be heroes, we¡¯ll need to deal with A-ranked monsters." A-ranked monsters couldn¡¯t be dealt with alone, but while dealing with them, the two would evolve into heroes He couldn¡¯t kill an A-ranked monster by himself, and he didn¡¯t know if A-ranked monsters would show while she wasn¡¯t there or if they would only show when she was there. "Agenchra." He was curious about the details and wanted to ask the manager, but Agenchra didn¡¯t show up. As Junhyuk grimaced, Sarang said calmly, "Big brother, I need to go home now." "Right." He grabbed her hand and said, "Exit." They appeared in the bathroom, and as he walked out, he said, "Take a shower. I¡¯ll take you home." "OK." Sarang had gotten used to her routine inside the training facility. She showered quickly, and when she walked out, he went inside and did the same. "I¡¯ll go out first," he said. Junhyuk teleported outside the house and waited a moment. Then, Sarang walked out and looked for him. She had gotten there alone, but now he would apany her back. After he took her home, he went to hispany. He had put on his mask before arriving and heading into GST. It was around ten at night, and almost everyone had gone home already. Junhyuk was greeted by a few security team members before he saw Sungtae, who was still living there with his friends, so they could meet anytime. After greeting Sungtae, they both went to see Brita. "Has anything happened?" "Nothing¡¯s happened." Junhyuk took a moment to think about thest weeding out and the surviving woman. Had she not made her decision yet? He went into Brita¡¯sb and saw thepletely dismantled iron soldier. There were numerous pieces and scattered parts, and Junhyuk thought there was no ce for him to step on. He walked carefully and saw Brita looking at something. She was looking inside the core of the iron soldier. There were many wires attached to it, and Brita was staring at it like a madwoman. Junhyuk cleared his throat, but she did not respond, so he smiled bitterly and said, "Brita." Brita heard him only then and turned her head to look at him. "You came!" "I¡¯m curious about your research." Brita turned a monitor on, and her eyes beamed. "I knew Elise was a genius, but didn¡¯t know how much of a genius she really was." He looked at the screen, but he couldn¡¯t understand anything. After he took thenguage pill, he could understand anynguage, but engineering jargon was a different matter altogether. Brita exined a few things to him, but within five minutes, she realized that he wasn¡¯t able to understand anything she had told him so far. "The mana stone appeared after the abnormal narcolepsy, and during the short time from then til now, she made this much progress! She is really excellent." "So, have you found out anything about the core?" Brita nodded. "If I can process the mana stone right now, I can make a better core than this one." "Is that possible?" She hadn¡¯t had much time, so how was that possible? Brita smiled at him. "It¡¯s because of the mana stone we have now." "What about the mana stone?" "To extract the necessary results from the mana stone, we need more time to research it. I can¡¯t do it alone. However, we are in the possession of a mana stone many timesrger than the one inside the iron soldier." "Is that right?" The world required more iron soldiers than there were mana stones, so they had spliced the mana stones into small pieces to use them. However, GST was different. It had a continuous supply of mana stones, so it could work with them whole. Brita continued, "So, I am nning on making a new core." "That¡¯s that for the core," Junhyuk said and looked at the iron soldier parts on the ground. "What about weapons that depend on the core?" "I have to finish research on the core first, so I¡¯m not there yet." "If the core¡¯s output increases, then the weapons will also increase in power. You should research that as well." Brita¡¯s eyes beamed. "You¡¯ll soon see big results." Junhyuk nodded andpliment her on her work. Then, he walked out of theb, and Brita went back to what she was doing. He did not need to pressure her in any way. As he walked with Sungtae, he asked, "Have you purchased the new building yet?" "Yes. Right now, it is undergoing massive construction for Tirot¡¯sb." "How much money do you need?" "I told Brian to look into it. To start on Tirot¡¯sb, we¡¯ll need $300 million." The building had cost $500 million, but theb itself cost $300 million. It was an astronomical amount of money, but Junhyuk wasn¡¯t worried. Back at the training facility, he had just fought an A-ranked monster that left behind a $100 million bloodstone. He would be able to earn a lot more now. Junhyuk walked with Sungtae toward the building under construction that would house Tirot¡¯sb. Inside, they met Tirot, who was looking at blueprints. He smiled at them both. "You came!" Junhyuk nodded and stood next to Tirot to look at the blueprints. "How big do you think a monster is?" he asked. "About five meters." "Consider ten meters." Ten meters was about the height of a four-story building. A tall monster like that also meant that it was of an impressive quality. "So as not to put pressure on the building itself, you¡¯ll have to build theb underground." "I will, and the containment room has to berger." Junhyuk gave Tirot some advice on how to improve hisb. He didn¡¯t know anything about biology, but he had dealt with monsters before and he knew a lot about them. Tirot listened to his advice and asked, "Is it possible to get a live monster?" "No. Don¡¯t be reckless." Live monsters couldn¡¯t go inside the Spatial Bag, and considering how dangerous monsters were, Junhyuk had to kill them first. Tirot nodded in agreement, and Junhyuk paid Tirot somepliments and left. He and Sungtae walked over to a building they had purchased under Max¡¯s name. It would be the building for housing the novices. Junhyuk went inside and looked around. Sungtae had paid close attention to this building, and construction was already underway. "Does it have boarding capacity?" "Yes, but novices have powers beyond thews of physics, so I¡¯m not sure what will help them." "Are you building an underground training facility?" "So as to not damage the building itself, that is the best option." Junhyuk nodded. His own training facility was located underground. He looked around inside the building. "We¡¯ll get a novice soon, so finish up the construction as soon as possible." "Sure." "This ce will be a heaven for novices. Make sure not just anyone can enter. Put a code on the door." "Yes, I will tell the security team." "I want to control everyone¡¯s ess here through Ganesha." "That¡¯s possible." Junhyuk went to the roof of the building and looked around. They were three buildings in the center of the city. They were not the tallest buildings, but the researchers in that ce would be the driving force of the world. A-ranked monsters had appeared, and he was training more. Now, he wanted to make progress within South Korea as well. Junhyuk raised his head toward the sky. The Dimensional Battlefield¡¯s managers had weeded some of the novices out. He didn¡¯t know how many had survived and activated another power, but more people were activating powers now than ever before. "I will be the first." He wanted to be a hero and challenge himself to be a legend. He made that pledge to himself with clenched fists.

 Chapter 304 Warp 1

    The new monsters¡¯ bodies were highly stic. To cut them up, first she had to apply the dposition liquid to the area, and then she had to use aser cutter. By using the muscles from those corpses, Elise was trying out new things. She was currently trying to make a new mechanical body. The monsters¡¯ muscles were superior to those of previous muscles and could easily withstand the mechanical pull. However, the muscles would lose tension over time, and that was another problem. Elise was extremely busy with her research nowadays. By finishing what she was currently working on, she would be able to create even stronger iron soldiers. They would reach a new level. A new core had been developed. It was better than those cores within regr iron soldiers, but the new core remained empty. She already had a mana stone in mind to fill it, and only Doyeol had a specimen of that mana stone. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t been able to get another one like it since the first time. It was priced at $700 million, and Elise would use it as the core. To make the strongest iron soldier, Elise had taken a few measures of her own. She had nted a nerve system into the monster¡¯s muscle, and to control that muscle, this new iron soldier would be fully controlled by a supeputer. She needed a supeputer that would only control that iron soldier and nothing else. Elise had made a supeputer with artificial intelligence before, but she had taken no breaks and spent her timepletely focused on that. --- It was a weekend, and Elise was working at home when she saw an emergency announcement through Zaira. She walked out of theb while spraying herself with decontamination liquid. Elise didn¡¯t know if the monster corpses carried any virus, so she always wore a hazmat suit and cleaned herself with a decontaminationpound when she exited. Then, she turned on a monitor to see a member of Pentagram, Charles Rockefeller, on screen. As soon as he saw Elise on screen, he started speaking. "There is a problem." "What kind of problem?" "Ab was researching porings, butmunication with thatb has been cut off." "I thought you were prepared for anything that might happen?!" "R-agents and iron soldiers were stationed that, but we still can¡¯t get through." "The R-agents I can understand, the iron soldiers were also destroyed?" "That¡¯s right." Elise frowned a little. After the mass production of iron soldiers, each member of Pentagram had gotten ten unique iron soldiers, and Charles¡¯ iron soldiers had been destroyed! "Show me what happened on the screen." "Sure." The got an email, opened it and watched the video attachment. "They are using long range attacks." There were two people who could use long range attacks, and all of their eyes were entirely green. Just like when Eunmi rampage, they didn¡¯t disy any personality. They were people who could massacre the innocent. "How can I help you?" "I¡¯ll send their GPS locations. Can you intercept them?" "How can I intercept any of them?" "I need Guardians¡¯ iron soldiers." Elise took a moment to think. The fact was that Zaira controlled Guardians¡¯ iron soldiers, and while members of Pentagram had iron soldiers of their own, the two groups had different artificial intelligence capabilities. The iron soldiers with the members of Pentagramcked battle experience, among other things, so they had failed to engage the enemy sessfully. "You should ask Guardians¡¯ CEO about it." "You know what¡¯s happened, right? I want to you move secretly." Elise thought of something else and said, "Even if I moved alone, the American military would know of it. On top of that, there¡¯s no monster distress call right now." "I¡¯ll take responsibility for the American military." "Then, I should just give up on my research?" Charles Rockefeller thought for a moment and said, "We needed more preparation. We nned poorly." Elise sighed and answered, "Fine, but send me your research and your findings. I need to know everything if I¡¯m going to find out what happened." Charles took a moment longer to think and answered, "Sure." "I¡¯ll delete everything after I eradicate the infected." Charles Rockefeller nodded, and the feed cut off. Elise watched the recordings of the battle. They were capable of long range attacks, so even though the iron soldier was moving at high speed, it got destroyed from three hundred meters away. Elise had to find out who had delivered that attack. "I need to pay more attention." --- Elise used Zaira to take control of the iron soldiers being manufactured in the United States. They hadn¡¯t been distributed to every country yet, so nobody would know what she was doing. She murmured to herself, "There are all kinds of powers." Elise couldn¡¯t see all of the powers on the screen. She had just deployed twenty iron soldiers and was following their feeds. All of the iron soldiers were extremely well armed, all equipped with midrange weaponry. So, Elise thought they would be able to handle it. There was GPS tracking for ten survivors, and when Elise found then, she started attacking. The survivors had a range of three hundred meters, so Elise used the twenty iron soldiers to attack from five hundred meters away. Their shoulders opened, and small missileunchers appeared. Twenty missiles flew at high speed toward the enemies and exploded on impact. Boom, boom, boom, boom! After the smoke dissipated, Elise could see arge green shield covering all of the enemies. However, Elise had expected something like that and nned for it. Another volley of missiles flew toward the enemies. That green shield was a power beyond thews of physics, and it looked amazing, but powers also had limitations. They were limited by time, and once you knew that, they didn¡¯t seem that dangerous. The missiles swept through the enemy position again, and the enemies reacted instinctively. Elise smiled at the sight. "Keep far away, Zaira. Make sure they don¡¯t get too close. Torch the area." Half of the iron soldiers extend their hands in front of them, raining bullets down on the enemies from their arms so that their enemies wouldn¡¯t get any closer. The others fired more missiles. The enemies were massacred, but three of them still survived. Elise thought the job had been simple enough and murmured, "He couldn¡¯t do this and had to ask me to do it?" Missiles flew toward the surviving enemies, and a woman with ck hair stepped forward. She also had green eyes, and as she touched the other two survivors, they disappeared. "Hm?!" Elise tried tracking them through GPS, but she couldn¡¯t find them. Then, and urgent announcement came from Zaira. [A dimensional tear has suddenly appeared in Yongsan.] "What?!" The enemies had disappeared suddenly, followed by a sudden dimensional tear. Elise tapped her tablet and said, "Check the area surrounding Yongsan." Soon, footage of Yongsan appeared on screen. It showed a dimensional tear. From it, three green-eyed people walked through. They blended with the crowd and disappeared. "NO!" They had just been in a desert in the United States, and now they were in South Korea just like that. Someone had the power to create dimensional tears. Elise was extremely shocked and knew she couldn¡¯t keep it a secret anymore, so she called two people at once. Eunseo picked up up her phone first, and Elise spoke fast, "Poring-infected people have appeared. I¡¯m requesting the deployment of iron soldiers." "An infected person? Did Eunmi escape?" "The people appeared through a dimensional tear." Eunseo nodded. "Permission for deployment granted." Elise deployed and took control of three iron soldiers through Zaira. Then, she bit her lip. "Why isn¡¯t he picking up?" The iron soldiers couldn¡¯t deal with the situation by themselves. She wanted Junhyuk¡¯s help, but she couldn¡¯t reach him. She frowned and bit her lip even more as she looked through the iron soldiers¡¯ feeds. "I haven¡¯t finished the infected detector yet." She had wanted to make one, but she hadn¡¯t finished the research on it. So, there was no way for her to find them at that moment, but the three of them suddenly appeared in downtown Seoul. They could start infecting other people, and Elise was afraid. "I have to finish this today." Were they going to infect others or would they just go on a killing spree? Elise couldn¡¯t do anything at that point, so she ordered Zaira, "Keep calling Junhyuk." --- On Sunday, no A-ranked monsters appeared when he went to train in the morning. He couldn¡¯t deal with one of them alone. Once he entered the training facility, he let mana travel to his veins til lunchtime, then he exited the facility and walked out of the bathroom. He could let others enter his facility, but not without him. Sarang was supposed to join him that Sunday, so he exited a little earlier to shower. After washing himself clean, he changed into new clothes and walked out of the bathroom into the house. His cell phone was going wild, and he had twenty-three missed calls. When he finally picked up, he heard Elise¡¯s panicked voice, "Junhyuk, this is an emergency!" "Is it monsters?" If it was monsters, he couldn¡¯t do anything. He couldn¡¯t engage monsters outside of his facility. If he did, management would send even stronger ones. "No. People infected by porings have appeared!" "Poring infected people?!" With the exception of Eunmi, they had all been killed! He was curious about what she was saying, so Elise spoke quickly, "It started in the US." "How did theye to South Korea?" After a moment of silence, she said, "I am not sure. It looked like a warp." "What?" Junhyuk didn¡¯t know what she meant by that. Some people activated powers after being infected, but warping? And from the US to South Korea? "They are inside Yongsan station. The iron soldiers have been deployed, but it¡¯s crowded, and I can¡¯t do anything." "Where are they exactly?" "I trying to use a detector, but I can¡¯t locate them. If they infect others and escape, it¡¯ll escte." "Have you stopped the trains?" "Yes. All trains are on standby." The government had already experienced an incident with a poring, so it wasn¡¯t hesitating likest time. Junhyuk thought it was a serious problem, and when he walked out of the house, he saw Saranging through the gate. "I¡¯ll call you back." He hung up and walked toward Sarang. "There are people infected in Seoul right now. I have to go." "Another poring infection?" "Yes, it started in the US, but they warped to South Korea." "What?!" Sarang was shocked, and he told her calmly, "Warping is breaking the rules. I¡¯m not sure if that person activated the power because of the poring infection or not, but before they warp again, I need to kill them. If I let them escape, things will escte." "Then, take me with you." He shook his head. "I¡¯ll do a better job going alone." Junhyuk could teleport over a distance of a hundred meters, and his defense was extremely high now. Sarang was a champion now, but shecked the proper equipment. He couldn¡¯t take her with him, and Sarang agreed and nodded. "Fine, but do be careful." He entered the training facility with her and exited alone. Junhyuk could get to Yongsan in ten minutes, but during that time, anything could happen. He called Elise back, and when he heard her through the receiver, he said calmly, "I¡¯ll be there in ten minutes. Tell me the details."

 Chapter 305 Warp 2

    There were a lot of people moving around at Yongsan Station. The infected had shown up there, and things would get serious if they infected other people. Junhyuk parked his car around a corner of the station. The army had cordoned off the entire area, so it was not easy to get close. The army was controlling everyone who went in or out, and it wanted to prevent even a single person from escaping its grasp. Inside his car, he had summoned all of his equipment. He did not need the entire Pure Golden Knight set, however, so he simply wore the cloak. He sighed. "I should dye it," he thought and murmured to himself before teleporting. Junhyuk had been aiming for a particr ce, a spa nearby, and he teleported there. When he appeared on the roof, he realized that there were people already there. A soldier was aiming his rifle toward Yongsan Station, but when Junhyuk appeared, the soldier started heading toward him. Junhyuk could tell he wasn¡¯t an ordinary soldier. Junhyuk looked at the soldier and looked far away toward Yongsan Station. All entrances to the station had already been sealed, so he connected to Elise through his Bluetooth and said calmly, "Go over police and militarymunication and see if there is an escape route." "Will do." He gathered his breath. Junhyuk had upgraded his equipment, but the enemies had disyed powers beyond what he had thought were limitations. A warp power? He had heard they had warped through a dimensional tear. If warping was possible, his enemies could have other powers that broke the limits. "I¡¯m going in," he said and started running. The soldier was preparing to shoot, and all of the other soldiers saw him as he was about to jump. Junhyuk used his jumping power and flew toward the station, and the eyes of all of the soldiers followed him. When hended at the station¡¯s parking lot, he looked around and saw that there were soldiers there as well. The muzzles of their guns aimed at him, and he teleported inside the building. When he saw nobody inside therge station, he frowned. The military had already moved everyone to the first floor, and they were searching the other floors. "Are they in hiding?" If they were hiding, he wouldn¡¯t be able to find them. Junhyuk needed to know if they were novices or, in fact, experts, but there was no way for him to know without being able to see them. He sighed lightly and walked. While walking, he heard footsteps from the stairs. All esctors had stopped, so he could hear them walking, and it sounded like military boots. Junhyuk knew he couldn¡¯t let his guard down against the soldiers, so he tiptoed out of that area. Then, he heard Elise¡¯s voice from his Bluetooth. "All civilians are on the first floor, but the military can¡¯t find the infected." Junhyuk walked inside a restroom and asked, "I thought the infected could only activate powers after the bits of poring were removed from them." "I can¡¯t be sure this time." "Why?" Elise was silent for a moment before saying, "The infection took ce in the US because they were running an experiment with poring infections to activate people¡¯s powers. These are the subjects that escaped from theb." Junhyuk scowled. "Don¡¯t you know how dangerous that is?!" "I had nothing to do with it." He thought of a name all of a sudden and said, "Charles Rockefeller." "He is the one responsible for the entire experiment." Junhyuk gritted his teeth. Of course, Charles would be the one responsible for a dangerous experiment like this. "Why did theye to South Korea?" "I¡¯m not sure about that either." Junhyuk nodded and said, "I¡¯m heading to the first floor." Junhyuk heard the sound of military boots moving, and he quickly headed away from the footsteps. He moved without making a noise and walked toward the first floor, where people were. Once he got there, he saw about three hundred people gathered on the floor. The soldiers around them were wearing hazmat suits and carrying rifles. Junhyuk looked through the three hundred people on the floor. The infected should be there. They probably wanted to infect others, and that was the perfect ce to do it. Because they can¡¯t hide green eyes, the infected should have something covering their eyes. As he looked at the people, Junhyuk saw that they were all scared, but a few of their had their heads raised. As he watched, he frowned slightly. "How many people did they experiment on for there to be three experts?!" Junhyuk¡¯s defense was outstanding now, but the enemies might have some basic powers that he couldn¡¯t imagine, which meant that they could be strong even without any items. He was nervous, but there was nothing he could do about it. Junhyuk teleported next to the three, who responded to his movement, and touched them all and teleported away. They all reappeared on the roof of the station¡¯s parking lot. As they got there, Junhyuk distanced himself from them and unsheathed his swords. They responded right away. One of them opened his mouth, and a green liquid shot out from it. Junhyuk thought of Gongon¡¯s breath and raised the force field around himself. The expert¡¯s breath covered it. Junhyuk took a second to analyze them and saw that they did not look like people anymore. Theirpletely green eyescked reason, so he didn¡¯t worry about it anymore. "You are no longer humans, so there¡¯s no reason for me to let you live." They could infect others, and he was not backing down. Junhyuk ran toward them, and the dark-haired woman extended her hands toward him. He scoffed at it. With his force field, nothing would be able to harm him for the next ten seconds. That was something he had learned while fighting heroes. The other two also attacked him. One had green fingernails that looked like ws, and the other rushed toward him, at least the attacked looked like a rush. Junhyuk ran toward them, and the dark-haired woman¡¯s hands shone bright, and Junhyuk realized that his force field had already disappeared. "What?!" He didn¡¯t know what had happened, but the rushing enemy mmed against him at that moment. Boom! He is thrown off to a wall and smashed through it. The rushing power had also stunned him. "A push and a stun?!" It was a high-ranking rush, and Junhyuk gritted his teeth as the other walked toward him and stabbed him with his w-like nails. As the nails touched him, an explosion went off. Boom! Junhyuk was thrown off once more and rolled on the ground. The two attacks had taken 35 percent of his health, and Junhyuk knew he couldn¡¯t just ignore them. Moreover, he was most curious about the woman who had the power to dispel his force field. He had heard about her from Elise, that she was responsible for the warp. He knew they had powers that surpassed what he had imagined, but the ramifications of that were hard to believe. "I can¡¯t let you live when you have powers like those." He raised his sword, but they were out of the range of his Spatial sh. "Stop right there!" Junhyuk had already used his teleportation, so he ran toward them, and the one with the w-like nails ran toward him. When he saw the nails approaching him, he scoffed and triggered eleration. There were no restraints against it on Earth like at the Dimensional Battlefield. By using eleration, he closed in, cut the man¡¯s arm, and stabbed him on the neck. Meanwhile, a light blue shockwave extended from the impact and froze the other man, who had been running toward him. It was over for the man who had used the breath. The man tried to punch Junhyuk, but he dodged it and stabbed him with the Blood Rune Sword. Junhyuk felt his health is recovering, and he triggered eleration again. If the woman used her warping ability, he wouldn¡¯t be able to find her again, so he sped up. The woman looked at him and closed her eyes. She was within the range of the Spatial sh, so he used it on her. The sh entered her chest, her eyes widened and she screamed. His momentum stopped him right in front of her, and he sighed deeply. "Whew!" He had gotten to her in the nick of time. Junhyuk looked back. "Tsc!" A person was getting up. Junhyuk thought he had killed him, but his health was at a hundred. "You are not dead?" Junhyuk ran toward him. It was the man who had stabbed him with his w-like fingernails. "Is that just like Kaljacque¡¯s ultimate?" Reviving was possible. It was a power, and it was one that went well beyond what Junhyuk had thought possible. Junhyuk closed in quickly. He had already used his eleration, but he swung his swords at the man, who blocked them with his nails. The man shed at Junhyuk, who leaned his head back to block. He dodged the sh by a hair¡¯s breadth and countered by shing the man¡¯s thigh. The man¡¯s speed was debuffed from the sh, and Junhyuk stabbed him in the heart. The one hundred health dropped to zero. Junhyuk looked at the fallen man and murmured, "That was dangerous." He knew he couldn¡¯t leave the bodies there, so he put them all his Spatial Bag. He has put two inside the bag when soldiers appeared. They were aiming at him, and he sighed and said on the Bluetooth, "Elise, I got all three of them. If I¡¯m going to carry these out, these soldiers can¡¯t interfere." Soldiers closed in on him and aimed their rifles at him. "Drop your swords and put your hands up!" He didn¡¯t want to kill innocent people, and as he stared at them, he heard Elise¡¯s voice. "Just wait a minute." He simply stared at them without putting his swords down, and the number of soldiers kept on increasing. He could escape that ce easily, but he waited. Then, a major came up from behind them and shouted, "Put your rifles down!" The soldiers followed the order, and the major walked up to him and asked, "I got a message from above. You killed the infected, is that true?" Only the woman¡¯s body remained on the floor. Instead of answering, Junhyuk simply nodded. "The quarantine team ising here. Do you want toe with us?" As Junhyuk shook his head, Elise spoke up nervously in his ear, "There¡¯s a dimensional tear appearing in your location. What happened to that woman?" He turned to her slowly and answered, "I killed her." However, as he turned, he was shocked into silence. The woman¡¯s body was in the air, and her chest was moving. "A dimensional tear?" The tear wasn¡¯t appearing in the air, but within the woman¡¯s body, and Junhyuk knew that was something he had never seen before. He ran toward the dead woman and shouted, "Move out!"

 Chapter 306 Dimensional Tear 1

    The woman was surely not breathing anymore, and Junhyuk could tell that by the woman¡¯s body floating in the air. It looked as though someone was pulling her body up intentionally. He had shed her neck, and blood was still pouring out of it. She was dead for sure. However, a dimensional tear had appeared. The woman was dead, so she was incapable of warping, but Junhyuk thought that monsters would show up through the tear. The iron soldiers appeared quickly. Suddenly, monsters started pouring out of the tear. Pouring out was the correct expression for it as many monsters rushed out. Junhyuk ran toward the dimensional tear, shocked by the number of monsters that had appeared. They looked like a water buffalo herd stampeding, but the monsters were, in fact, a pack of wolves. The iron soldiers fired bullets with dposition liquid at the pack without giving Junhyuk a chance to react. The shooting turned the wolves into used rags, but there were so many of them, that some of the wolves ran toward Junhyuk. That¡¯s when he stopped running and started shing at the wolves, tearing them up like scraps of paper. Each sh generated a shockwave that swept through the wolves, and their bodies started piling like mountains. As the waves of wolves kepting, Junhyuk thought about triggering eleration. After all their bodies piled up, Junhyuk thought there should be five hundred of them. They were the size of buffalos, and there were five hundred of them. As he stepped over the bodies, he saw the dimensional tear getting bigger and bigger. "It¡¯s not disappearing." That was a serious problem, and Junhyuk collected himself. "Can you find out what is keeping the dimensional tear open?" he asked. "I can¡¯t find out what¡¯s behind it, but the tear is growing," Elise responded. Junhyuk was watching it all. "Considering its size,rger monsters might appear. Have the iron soldiers stay here, and evacuate the rest of the people. This may take longer than expected." After saying that, Junhyuk looked at the woman¡¯s body once more. He stared at her and used the Spatial sh on her again. Her body was sliced in half, but the dimensional tear did not dissipate. Junhyuk folded his arms and stared at the tear. The tear kept growing after the pack of wolves got annihted, but there was nothinging through it. He just kept staring at it, until suddenly, something came out of the tear. This time, it was jaguars. The jaguars¡¯ ws could even slice through iron soldiers. Junhyuk watched as the jaguars rushed toward him, and he raised his swords. "I shall sweep them up!" he said and swung his swords. Junhyuk had fought twenty-five twin-headed ogres at once, so he had gotten used to fighting many enemies at the same time. The jaguars had superb attacks, but their hides were weak, so he shed through them easily. However, the jaguars disyed their speed prowess, and he had to trigger his eleration to keep up. Some jaguars came closed to escaping, and some did, but Junhyuk managed to kill all within his reach. The jaguars that got away were destroyed by the iron soldiers. He has stopped jaguars, but he was now scowling. The dimensional tear was getting even bigger. Things would be even more problematic if stronger monsters were to appear, and if an A-ranked monster showed up, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything. Junhyuk stared at the dimensional tear. He had to stop it somehow. When he looked around, he saw that the soldiers were still there, but the citizens were being evacuated by the quarantine team through the quarantine vehicles. "Why don¡¯t you attack the dimensional tear with the iron soldiers?" he asked calmly. "Won¡¯t that be dangerous?" "We can¡¯t let it be. Something strong mighte out of it. What do you want to do?" "We¡¯ll attack the tear." Junhyuk distanced himself from the tear, and the iron soldiers began their attacks. However, their missiles got sucked into the tear. When Junhyuk saw the tear swallow up the missiles, heughed out loud. "What can we do now?" A momentter, more monsters rushed out, hippo-like monsters, and they all ran toward him. "What can I do?" He swung his swords once more. --- Eunseo was watching a monitor and frowning. The missiles had been swallowed by the dimensional tear, and she did not know what to do. "What should we do?" "The situation isn¡¯t great. The missiles aren¡¯t working, so I¡¯m thinking of sending an iron soldier into the tear." "If the iron soldier goes in, can it stillmunicate?" "I¡¯m not sure about that. I can¡¯t answer that question." "What happens if we can¡¯t control it?" "We should use an automatic process. We¡¯ll send one in, and it¡¯ll check out what is inside and return. I have a program like that set up." "Then, do it." The iron soldier cost hundreds of millions of dors to make, so they couldn¡¯t just send one in. "I¡¯ll send one in now," Elise said, smiling. After stopping the wave, the iron soldier advanced into the tear, and everyone watched it nervously. Money wasn¡¯t an issue now. They had never experienced a tear like that one, and monsters just kepting from it. Eunseo had Junhyuk deal with the monster waves all by himself. She had heard everything about him, but she was still shocked by what he could do. There were so many monsters, and he was all by himself. She was very worried about him. The roof of Yongsan station was alreadypletely filled with bodies, and she was concerned with how they would remove all of them. The waves did not give them any time to clean up. They kept triggering at five-minute intervals, so there was no means with which they could remove the bodies. They couldn¡¯t simply detonate the dimensional tear either, so they could only trust Junhyuk. --- A previously unimagined dimensional tear. Junhyuk was getting tired of shing monsters, but he was expecting results from the iron soldier that had just entered the tear. The tear was still growing, already reaching a diameter of five meters. The tear was big enough for twin-headed ogres to starting out. That was possible now. Junhyuk had thought it was good that he could predict the monster waves, but after dealing with all of them up to now, there were over two thousand bodies piled up. Their weight made it very possible that the building might copse. Junhyuk was seriously worried. The soldiers had already evacuated, only military helicopters kept flying around. The building was still standing, and Junhyuk got up slowly once the time for the next expected wave approached. Only an iron soldier was protecting him now, and Junhyuk pulled out his sword from a monster he had just killed. The tear grew again, and different monsters came through. Boom! With heavy footsteps, golems appeared, and there were more than fifty of them. "I¡¯m tired." He had thought he would only have to kill the infected, so he hade to prevent others from getting infected, but now the infection wasn¡¯t the problem. The powers of those infected were shocking. The woman was able to dispel his force field, which had never happened before, but he hadn¡¯t thought he would die at the time since his equipment was so much stronger than anything on Earth. However, now he knew that he the powers of those infected were beyond limitations. Junhyuk ran toward the golems. Their cores needed to be destroyed, and he was capable of doing it. As he attacked, the golems shattered, and Junhyuk murmured to himself while they did, "When is iting out?" An iron soldier had gone inside, and it was already the second wave after it had done so. He was destroying the golems, but he was incredibly frustrated. At that moment, he thought he had to talk to Agenchra about what was going on. He dealt with the golems alone, but he was exhausted and copse on top of the golems¡¯ shattered bodies. "Agenchra." The iron soldier had gone into a tear that contained that many monsters, so he didn¡¯t expect it to be OK. Junhyuk called for Agenchra because he wanted to know what management was thinking. He did so multiple times, but there was no answer, so he stared at the open sky above him. Without Agenchra, he was unable to talk to the Dimensional Battlefield Management. Staring at the dimensional tear, Junhyuk sighed. The tear was there, and an infected person had created it, and it kept going in perpetuity. "It never stops!" Monsters kepting, so what could he do about the tear? He thought about it. Junhyuk had been able to stop the waves, but each following one wasposed of stronger monsters than the one previous to it. He wondered if he should stay there or not. So far, all monsters that had shown up could have been stopped by the iron soldiers and the army. However, twin-headed ogres were a different matter. Thump, thump, thump! Suddenly, the ground started shaking. It started small at first, but as he looked down, the shaking got stronger. It got so strong that Yongsan Station copse. However, the roof remained standing, and Junhyuk frowned and looked around. The weight of the bodies had sunk the stantion, but the dimensional tear was still there, and the monsters kept pouring out of the empty air. Suddenly, Junhyuk thought about someone he could ask about the dimensional tear. So, he pulled out hismunication orb and said, "Vera." "What¡¯s up?" "A dimensional tear has appeared where I live. Monsters areing through it by the thousands. How can I stop it?" "A dimensional tear? What happened?" "A person infected by a poring appeared, and she was trying to warp, but I killed her, and now the dimensional tear won¡¯t disappear." "Poring? Why?!" "Do you know anything?" "I can¡¯t read the minds of the managers, but do you want to stop the dimensional tear?" "Yes." Veraughed brightly. "Then, go inside it." "What?!"

 Chapter 307 Dimensional Tear 2

    Waves of monsters wereing out of the dimensional tear, so how could he know that was inside it and if he should go in? He was worried, but Vera said calmly, "When you go inside the dimensional tear, you¡¯ll find a tower with a core. You must destroy that tower." "There is a tower inside?" Junhyuk could no longer worry about things. Parts of the building were copsing, and he had to teleport. After teleporting, he stood in front of the dimensional tear. With his mind made up, Junhyuk teleported inside the tear. When he entered, pure white light covered his vision, just like when he got summoned to the Dimensional Battlefield. Junhyuk thought that management liked white lights, a useless thought, and he saw a road ten meters wide. When he looked back, he saw the portal he had gone through vibrating. That was the dimensional tear, and he would use it again to leave. Junhyuk walked forward slowly. What was that ce? Did it diminish his powers like the Dimensional Battlefield? If not, could he use all of his powers? Junhyuk waited for a moment, and when the cooldown ended, he teleported as far as he could. He had crossed a distance of a hundred meters, however, still couldn¡¯t see the end of the road. It was a brightly lit road, and Junhyuk was hearing loud noises from the other end. He grimaced and kept on slowly moving forward. If anything came his way, he would deal with it. The shape of the existences became clear, and Junhyuk scowled. Twin-headed ogres were heading his way, but he didn¡¯t mind them. He ran toward them and started slicing and dicing the monsters. That was the tenth wave. After the dimensional tear was made and waves of monsters started showing up, the tenth wave wasposed of twin-headed ogres. Junhyuk was doing well, but the ranks of the monsters were increasing faster than ever before. He shed through the ogre, and when a part of the twin-headed ogre flew off and hit the pure white wall, it disappeared instantly. Junhyuk got an odd feeling from it, but he cut down the rest of the ogres. When the bodies disappeared, he inhaled deeply. "They aren¡¯t going to send an A-ranked monster, right?" Even heroes couldn¡¯t deal with A-ranked monsters easily, and while heroes were stronger when in their own dimensions, the monsters were also released from their shackles. Junhyuk tried connecting with Vera again, but hismunication device wouldn¡¯t work in there, so he started running. He had only met two types of B-ranked monsters so far, but there might be more of them. Junhyuk didn¡¯t know how long the road was, but he had to get to the tower and destroy it before an A-ranked monster appeared. Then, he thought that the waves started at every five minutes, which meant that the monsters should be five minutes away with their movement speeds. He couldn¡¯t guess at how fast the monsters were, so he decided to run. Junhyuk had run for a while before he saw the next group of monsters. They had gathered up, and it was the first time Junhyuk was seeing that type of monsters, but they wereing after the twin-headed ogres, so that meant that they were more dangerous than the ogres. He sped up and used the Spatial sh, slicing a monster in half. The shockwave generated from the attack swept through everything around. Junhyuk thought that those monsters were easier than the golem, but there were still ten of them remaining. He ran at them, and they dispersed, and each of them attacked him. Frowning, he swung his sword, but he couldn¡¯t cut them. They were more annoying than golem. The monsters seemed to have turned into mist-like existences, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯tnd an attack on them. He thought there might be a nucleus within their mist state, so he looked around in search for one. THen, he felt something strange on his back and stepped forward while turning around and shing toward his back. The monster was sliced through the center, and a shockwave borne out of that center strike. The rest of the monsters dispersed, and he slowly looked around himself. It looked like, when in mist state, they had to gather and attack as a group, which also meant they formed a single file when they attacked him. Without gathering, they couldn¡¯t attack him, so he had a chance to kill them all. Junhyuk held tightly to his swords and stood upfortably. He was less nervous than before and he didn¡¯t move even though he knew he was in a situation where every second mattered. Those monsters were at least B-ranked. If they had gotten through the tear to South Korea, society wouldn¡¯t have been able to deal with them. Junhyuk stood there and focused on his senses. The mist surrounded him, and two mists became one and started attacking him. However, Junhyuk had read the attack and triggered eleration. He shed the enemying toward him, and the mist dispersed again. "I don¡¯t have time for this," he said. The mists converged and attacked him again, forming a single enemy. The enemies could control their shape, and they rushed at him as a single, smaller enemy. He watched as the little mist monster attacked him at once, and he returned the Frozen Rune Sword to the scabbard and punched at the mist. Boom! Even without any weapons, his attack power had increased after he had upgraded his equipment. His punch created a sphere-like shockwaved that expanded within the little mist monster. They were B-ranked monsters, so Junhyuk couldn¡¯t kill them with a shockwave from his punch, but he shed again with the Blood Rune Sword, creating yet another shockwave, but this time things were different. He was standing at the center of the road when he swung his keenly, and when the enemies gathered, he triggered his eleration without hesitation, finally managing to kill all of them. Junhyuk looked at them and gasped for air. There was a limit to his eleration, and he might encounter even stronger enemies. If he meandered, more enemies woulde, so he couldn¡¯t just stay there. "Holy shit! Do I have to continue fighting without a regeneration basin?" He didn¡¯t have time to recover, so he continued running even though he was tired. He had to find the tower and destroy it before encountering any more monsters. As he ran, he thought, ¡¯What is this tunnel made out of? The tunnel¡¯s walls absorb monster bodies.¡¯ Junhyuk didn¡¯t know where the monsters wereing from or where they had disappeared to.He thought about a lot of things, but he didn¡¯t have any answers for them. Junhyuk ran just like Vera had told him to, and after a while, the road started getting wider, and that made him nervous. "Perhaps?" The road widening could mean that evenrger monsters could show up. The size of the monsters didn¡¯t much matter, but he thought that therger ones wouldn¡¯t be so weak. Five-meter tall twin-headed ogres had already appeared, and even bigger monsters might show up. He knew that, so he ran with all of his might. Even if a bigger monster showed up, he had to kill it and destroy the tower with the core. He picked up the pace and saw something familiar far away. "A ck Turtle?" The giant turtle had a thick shell, and it had a snake¡¯s head where the tail should have been. When he saw the buff monster, the ck Turtle, he sighed. "So, finally an A-ranked monster." He had never fought an A-ranked monster by himself and he couldn¡¯t ask for help now. The ck Turtle started to move. He had fought one of them before, but not alone. It wasn¡¯t easy to pierce the turtle¡¯s shell. As he ran forward, his eyes beamed. He hadn¡¯t been able to fight one by himself before, but what about now? The Wolf Warlord had instincts that prevented him from using the Spatial sh on it. The Spatial sh was his strongest power, but the Wolf Warlord could dodge it. However, things were different now. The ck Turtle wasn¡¯t that fast, and he wanted to know if he could pierce its shell. As he ran, he saw the snake¡¯s head moving quickly, and it attacked him. It struck in a sh, but Junhyuk dove to a side to dodge. Boom! As he rolled on the ground, he saw the wall. The walls around the road were thick, but they had absorbed the monsters¡¯ bodies. Should he kick off of it? He didn¡¯t have long to think about it before the snake¡¯s head raised itself high up and crashed down toward him. Junhyuk threw himself toward the wall. He triggered eleration and kicked off the wall as he used his Spatial sh. He thought the snake¡¯s head might dodge his attack, so he focused it on the other head, the turtle¡¯s head. The Spatial sh prated its neck, and the turtle bled out heavily, and blood sttered everywhere. However, it wasn¡¯t dead yet. It had more health than a twin-headed ogre, so Junhyuk grimaced and murmured, "I need more time." He could deal the most damage with the Spatial sh. His regr attacks could also damage the turtle, but he needed to deal more than they could to take it down. It needed to be arge amount of damage. Junhyuk ran on the wall and dropped on the turtle¡¯s head, and the snake head attacked him at high speed. He teleported while swinging his sword, and Junhyuk was thinking the attack would be the turning point of the fight. Regr attacks had to work against the turtle, if not, he wouldn¡¯t be able to take it down. The Spatial she¡¯s cooldown was too long. The sword left a mark on the turtle¡¯s neck. It was working. However, the snake¡¯s head flew toward him, mming him on the side. Boom! Junhyuk was thrown at the wall and fell to the ground, trying to gather his breath. The turtle opened its mouth wide and spewed a green fog toward him. Junhyuk felt the corrosion melting everything around him and teleported again. He appeared on the turtle¡¯s back. Junhyuk eleration was used up, but he shed the turtle¡¯s neck again. He trusted his attacks, but the turtle withdrew its head into its shell. The snake¡¯s head was still moving and mmed against him again. Junhyuk was thrown off once more, hitting the wall and falling to the ground again. A-ranked monsters were at another level. When he got up again, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t breathe, but he saw the ck Turtleing toward him. The turtle¡¯s head was still inside the shell, and the snake¡¯s head was bearing its tongue at him. "Are you teasing me?" Junhyuk ran toward the ck Turtle again.

 Chapter 308 Dimensional Tear 3

    The ck Turtle¡¯s strengthy in the poison breath it spewed from its turtle head, on the snake head¡¯s high speed, and finally, on its unbelievably thick shell. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t confident that he would be able to break through the shell. The snake head moved toward him, and he dove to the side. His movement speed was really high, but he couldn¡¯tpletely escape the attack. Junhyuk got hit on the side and pushed back. Meanwhile, the snake head wrapped its long tongue around him and slowly raised its head, trying to swallow him whole. He looked into snake head¡¯s eyes and said, "You think you¡¯ve won?!" The ck Turtle did not speak. Instead, it opened its mouth wide and tried to bite him. He looked at its sharp teeth and, without hesitation, raised the force field. The snake¡¯s head was nearly swallowing him when the force field appeared, and it had a radius of five meters, so it tore through the snake head¡¯s mouth. Then, Junhyuk shrunk his force field quickly. As the force field made ayer over his body, he swung his sword, attacking the mangled mouth of the snake head. The head was going berserk. He attacked a few more times, but the snake head was moving erratically, and it hit him in the process. He gotunched off, so he took the time to ess the injuries on the snake head. They were only scratches, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to kill the turtle if things kept going that way, so Junhyuk stopped attacking and gathered his thoughts. This dimension was no like the Dimensional Battlefield. There were no constraints to his powers. Junhyuk could trigger eleration, but eleration wouldn¡¯t help him. As he slowly raised his sword, he kept on thinking. Junhyuk had moved the living spirit to the tip of his sword, and he gathered the mana around him on that point. The snake head was moving toward him, but he just kept focusing, ignoring the snake head. Boom! He gotunched back from the shock again, so he moved the living spirit to the tip of his sword once more. When the living spirit reached that point, the mana gathered there turned thicker than before. Finally, Junhyuk was able to split the living spirit. The process had been different from what had taught him. Arn had told him to split the living spirit first and then send it out. Junhyuk repeated the process, and the tip of his sword shone brightly from the mana gathered on it. The snake head was about to attack him again, and again he moved the living spirit to the tip of his sword, like a wave. Every time it reached the tip of his sword, that part of the sword shone brighter. The snake hit him again, and he gotunched off, but the living spirit was moving toward the tip of the sword at a faster pace. At that point, the tip of the sword was shining very brightly, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t look at it, so he ran toward the snake head. The snake head was making to attack him again, so he pointed his sword forward. The sword hit the snake head, and at that moment, he sent the living spirit to the tip of the sword again. All of the force gathered there exploded. Boom! The explosion was huge, and Junhyuk got pushed back from the shock. He got up slowly, and when he looked at the snake head, he saw it was destroyed. Junhyuk was relieved then, thinking that he had killed the ck Turtle. However, that¡¯s when the turtle head appeared. Junhyuk chuckled and swung his sword, which disappeared into the turtle neck. He used his Spatial sh as soon as it came off cooldown and smiled. "So hard!" It wasn¡¯t an easy thing to kill an A-ranked monster. He was tired, but he walked forward. Junhyuk did not want to wait for something strong toe to him. After walking for a little while, he sped up, running forward. During his fight with the ck Turtle, he learned how to use the single-point explosion. Even if it was different from what Arn had told him, he had aplished it. Junhyuk ran faster. He could see the tower from far away. It was shining bright white, and his eyes beamed at the vision. "This the end." He picked up the pace and approached the tower, almost there. Then, he readied his Spatial sh. It would be better to destroy the tower from a distance rather than from close range, so he used the Spatial sh. ng! But the tower was covered with a translucent barrier that blocked the Spatial sh. "What the?!" The tower had a force field, just like a castle. Suddenly, someone spoke up from behind him. "Why don¡¯t you quit now?" Junhyuk frowned and looked back. Only monsters had shown up so far, so who could it be? He pointed his sword at the person speaking, a person covered in bandages. The person was wearing a suit and sses. The person¡¯s eyes shone bright red. "Agenchra?" "I am not Agenchra." Junhyuk looked around and noticed that time had frozen in that ce. "Who are you?" "I am the Monster Administrator Eltor." "Eltor... I¡¯ve been wanting to meet someone from monster management." Junhyuk had many questions for the monster administration, and Eltor raised his sses a little bit and said, "I heard about you from Agenchra, but I had no reason to visit you before." "But there¡¯s a reason for us to meet now?" "Yes." Eltor looked at him and repeated, "You should quit." "Quit what?" "Destroying the tower core." Junhyuk scoffed. "Nonsense. Do you know what kind of damage this thing is causing right now?" "I know exactly." "The total damage won¡¯t be like before. Why did you release the monster waves?" Eltor spoke calmly, "You people brought this unto yourselves." "What?" "Humans created those who could open dimensional tears." "They were infected by the porings you sent." Eltor did not reply, simply smiling. Junhyuk was about to say something when Eltor spoke up first, "This will be good for humans." "That¡¯s absurd! Monsters waves like this will kill everyone, even those with powers!" Eltor chuckled and said, "These monsters are territorial. With the dimensional tear as its center, they can only survive within an area of a three-kilometer radius." Junhyuk hesitated before asking, "Are you creating a monster zone?" "Correct. We want a monster zone." Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened slightly as he stared at Eltor. "You wanted those people to open up the tear." "We wanted it, but we did not force it to happen." He inhaled deeply. "What are you going to do with a monster zone?" "People with powers will venture into it to try to stop it. And more will evolve, while others will die." "They might give up." Eltorughed. "As time passes, the area will get bigger. Humans will feel threatened by it and send in more people with powers." "You already weeded out some!" There had been many novices, but most were weeded out. How many of them would have activated more powers? Eltor continued, "We don¡¯t simply want novices. We want people who¡¯ll survive the battlefield." Junhyuk didn¡¯t answer, simply staring at the manager. He knew what they wanted, but they wouldn¡¯t get what they wanted in a day. "What is your n?" "From now on, we¡¯ll make more monster zones." "You mean you will make more infected people who can open dimensional tears?" Eltor simply smiled without answering, and Junhyuk could get what he was thinking: Make a few monsters zones on Earth, and collect those who can keep it from expanding. If monsters ranked higher than B show up, things would be problematic. Could novice teams stop them? No, not really. Junhyuk didn¡¯t speak those things, just staring back at Eltor. "If that¡¯s your n, I don¡¯t have the power to stop it right now." "You¡¯re wise." "But this is not a good spot." After speaking, he did not wait for Eltor¡¯s answer before swinging his sword against the tower core. ng! Sparks came out of the tower core, and Junhyuk continued swinging while Eltor sighed. "Who told you about the tower core?" "No one. I figured it out myself." He pounded against it without stopping, and Eltor sighed once more and said, "You can¡¯t protect the Earth alone." Junhyuk didn¡¯t answering. Instead, he continued attacking the core. "We can give up on the first monster zone, so I won¡¯t interfere. But there will be more monster zones," Eltor said with a shrug. Junhyuk just kept silently attacking the core, but it was still not destroyed. So, Junhyuk aimed his sword and sent the living spirit to the tip of his sword, where it dumped some mana and returned. He repeated the process, and the tip of his sword shone brighter and brighter. Once finished, he didn¡¯t think twice before swinging his sword. ng! The tower core started cracking, and Junhyuk ignited the single-point explosion. In the end, he destroyed the tower core. Boom! When he turned around, he saw Eltor in front of him. "You can¡¯t make a zone here." Establishing a monster zone would yield more negative effects than positive effects. Yongsan station was in the center of Seoul, so he couldn¡¯t allow a monster zone there. Eltor did not debate with him, just staring at him instead. "This ce will close in one minute. If you stay here, you¡¯ll be lost through space." Junhyuk started running. The dimension¡¯s closure wouldn¡¯t be a simple problem. If he remained there, he might never be able to get back. So he ran with all his might, triggering eleration whenever possible and running faster and faster. "You can¡¯t do everything alone," Eltor murmured and disappeared. Junhyuk was running as fast as he could, but he still had a long way to go. The tower core was too far away from the exit, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to get out of there by simply teleporting. Instead, Junhyuk focused on the living spirit and triggered eleration while pressuring the living spirit and transferring that energy to his teleportation. He did it again, but there was still a long way to go. Junhyuk grimaced, realizing that he hadn¡¯t thought about this when he entered. "Whoever destroys the tower core won¡¯t survive." He kept on triggering eleration. Junhyuk was not as fast as Sora Shin, but he still went well beyond the limits on human speed. However, he was not confident that he would be able to get out of there. "This trap is dirty." He ran as fast as he could. When he pressured the living spirit, he could run faster. Then, from far away, he saw the dimensional tear, and the area around it was crumbling. Junhyuk teleported twice in a row and dove through the dimensional tear¡¯s opening in the nick of time. After leaving that bright white world, Junhyuk saw Yongsan Station had been destroyed, and the bodies of the monsters were everywhere. He fell on top of them. Thunk! There was a rumble through the ground, and Junhyuk raised his head. The dimensional tear was up in the air, and it shook chaotically before finally getting sucked into itself. It disappeared.

 Chapter 309 New Team 1

    After closing the dimensional tear, Junhyuk disappeared from that ce. He had teleported a hundred meters to stand atop another building. Then, he sent his equipment away and teleported back to his car. There, he leaned against the seat and exhaled a deep sigh. "What happened?" he heard Elise¡¯s voice ask. "Because of the dimensional tear, a monster zone could have been created, but I stopped it. I want to go home and rest now." "A monster zone?" He thought about what management was trying to do and said, "Considering what will happen from now on, you muste up with ways to kill porings as soon as possible, as well as also detect infected and eliminate infected people. If not, monster zones will start appearing around the world from now on." After a moment of silence, Elise said, "We have to keep that from happening. I¡¯ll focus on that." Without saying anything else, Junhyuk hung up. He started his car, sted some cold air from the air conditioning and sighed again. "I¡¯m in a tough spot." He leaned back on his seatfortably, put his car in reverse and got out of the busyplex to the street. The way there had been busy, but there was a lot of room on the way back. After driving home, he entered the training facility, where Sarang was waiting for him. "Enter." Inside, he saw Sarang practicing her control over mana. She was focused like before and had not felt the time passing. However, she felt him arriving and, regaining her consciousness, looked at him. "Big brother." "I¡¯m back." She walked over to him, looked him up and down and asked, "What happened?" Junhyuk frowned and exined the dimensional tear to her. After he finished, she scowled at the news. "You stopped it this time, but there¡¯ll be more." "Right. The world may end up filled up monster zones." Porings would be the main focus of monster deployments from now on, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to think about it too deeply, so he shook his head and said, "By the way, I learned to use a new ability." "A new ability?" He nodded and raised his sword. The tip of his sword had the living spirit on it, and it grew brighter. When she watched the brightness explode, she was astonished. Sarang could control mana, so she knew the size of the force the explosion on the tip of his sword could exert. "Is this a power?" "No," he said calmly. "It¡¯s a regr attack." The ability was not considered a new power by Dimensional Battlefield standards, but it made an enormous difference within Junhyuk¡¯s dimension. "I have to practice it so that it can be used more quickly," he continued. The living spirit could be merged with his powers, increasing their strengths. Junhyuk was still learning new ways to use the spirit, so he didn¡¯t know the full extent of what could happened when the spirit wasbined with his powers. To learn, he wanted to train more. Junhyuk moved the living spirit to his sword and focused. Arn had told him he could gain more things from the spirit, and he was now training one of them. The managers of the Dimensional Battlefield wouldn¡¯t wait for him, so until management was satisfied, the would experience more suffering. He wanted to relieve humanity from that suffering, so he was doing his best at focusing on the living spirit, skipping rest and work on his way to bing a hero. And even though he was not a hero yet, he had to get stronger in his dimension. Junhyuk thought of the ck Turtle and the extreme density of its defense. A-ranked monsters had different levels of defense, and he wanted to get stronger so that he could deal with them. Then, he saw the monsters appearing before him. Previously, the waves started with B-ranked monsters before upgrading to A-ranked monsters. However, things were different this time. A-ranked monsters started appearing from the get-go. A Wolf Warlord, but this time it wasn¡¯t alone. It hade with a pack of wolves. When Junhyuk saw them, he smiled. "Sarang, I¡¯ll deal with the Wolf Warlord, and you take care of the wolves." After saying that, he ran forward. The Wolf Warlord bared its sharp fangs, and Junhyuk triggered eleration. As he focused even more on eleration, he got faster. Far surpassing human limitations, he faced the Wolf Warlord head on. --- The disaster at Yongsan Station became breaking new around the world. Hoards of monsters hade out from the dimensional tear, and if that happened again, humanity¡¯s current level of firepower wouldn¡¯t be enough. Sora wasn¡¯t an exception. She was terrified, and she talked to Junhyuk about all of those things. Who would she be able to trust if it happened again? Only Guardians had a history of dealing with monsters effectively. Guardians had iron soldiers. Thepany also had weapons that used the monster dposition liquid, and it was trustworthy. As he listened to her in his parked her, he smirked. They had arrived at the new building he had purchase. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t spoken much on the ride, simply driving her dare. She stared and him and asked, "Where am I?" "From now on, I¡¯ll be recruiting people with powers to help them grow." "I¡¯m looking forward to it." Junhyuk went inside and looked around. There was a training area with state-of-the-art training equipment run by a state-of-the-art training program. Sora looked around, astounded, "It¡¯s something." He had been there the day before to check it out. He had gone over the training equipment and made a card for himself under his own real name for check-in purposes. He had also told Sungtae that someone else would be responsible for the things that happened in that building. He said that person¡¯s name was Junhyuk. Junhyuk looked around and said, "We have basic room and board here as well." "That¡¯s really nice. I can do more statistical training here than at Guardians." "You should be able to." They walked to the outside garden. It was located on the roof, and Junhyuk got a couple of cups of coffee from the vending machine there. They drank their cups together. "Don¡¯t worry about the dimensional tear." That was all that Sora had talked about on her way there. Now, she was simply listening to him as he said calmly, "I stopped the dimensional tear at Yongsan Station." "What?!" He continued, "I¡¯ll be with you, so I don¡¯t want to keep secrets from you." "Perhaps, are you the Dark Knight...?" "They call me that." He smiled awkwardly and added, "When a dimensional tear appears, all we have to do is destroy the tower core. However, there aren¡¯t many who can do it right now." Unless they went in with a motorcycle, only Junhyuk would be able to do it and return alive. He looked at Sora. Her power was outstanding, but she was only capable of covering a distance of two hundred meters at once. She wouldn¡¯t be able to get through the entire road toe back alive from the tear. "We have a lot of work to do. There will be more tears." "There¡¯ll be more?!" He nodded heavily. More dimensional tears were expected to appear, and Junhyuk wanted to form a team to stop the monsters. Sora could be a tank in that team, but she still needed more and better equipment. He said calmly, "For that reason, you must train yourself. I¡¯ll give you plenty of money as well." "I wasn¡¯t expecting money, but if you want to give me more, I¡¯ll take it." Sora realized what kind of man he was, and her worries faded away. If anything went wrong, he would step in and save her. She believed that. Sora looked at the equipment on the wall and picked out arge sword. Easily swinging it around, she said, "I¡¯ll do my best." Junhyuk smiled at her. Sora had been to the Dimensional Battlefield many times, so he was not worried about her getting scared in front of monsters. Then, he looked at his cell phone and murmured, "Veryte." He was thinking about that surviving novice. He wanted her as well, but she hadn¡¯t called him yet. Junhyuk thought she would have called him sooner, but she was taking too long to do it. To him, she had a nice power, and he really wanted her. --- Junhyuk kept worrying about the next poring attack, but that hadn¡¯t happened. There had been no other dimensional tears since that first one, and it was now Friday. And people were shocked once again. For the first time since it started happening, there were no abnormal narcolepsy victims. Nobody fell asleep at the fixed times people normally would, and that made people more nervous. Only two people among all of humanity knew why that had happened, and the two of them were dining together at that very moment. He looked at Sarang. "Today is the day." "I know. I¡¯m nervous." The Champions¡¯ Battlefield had no death limit, which meant she would return alive, but she was still nervous. Anyone who had experienced the dark emptiness of death would have agreed with her. After thinking for a moment, Junhyuk said, "Honestly, they aren¡¯t easy enemies. They started weak, but the team now is so much stronger." The enemies before used to be easy, but after Kraken was paired with the other two, the entire team was able to deal very high damage. After Junhyuk exined it all to her, Sarang smiled and said, "But I won¡¯t die. I¡¯ll do my best." "It won¡¯t be easy, but I¡¯ll help you." "Then, I will be moving with you?" Junhyuk nodded. "It¡¯ll be better to have you with me than to pair you with Gongon." "I want to meet Gongon." Heughed. "Gongon will be expecting you," he said. Then, he ate thest piece of Korean sausage and got up from his seat. "Shall I take you home?" "No, I am fine," Sarang said, getting up. "By the way, time will stop when I¡¯m at the Champions¡¯ Battlefield?" "That¡¯s right." "That¡¯s good. I won¡¯t have toe up with an excuse for it then." Junhyuk fakeughed and said, "Right, so don¡¯t worry about it." After sending her home, he entered the training facility, where he sat on the ground and practiced the single-point explosion before going to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure if he could use what he had learned on the battlefield. Arn had said he wouldn¡¯t be able to, but the eleration had worked differently over there, so he thought the same might happen to the single-point explosion. He was expecting to be able to use it, so he focused on training it. He hadn¡¯t been able to kill the Wolf Warlord by himself, but his eleration speed had increased even further, so he was able to fight against it now. Even with eyes closed, the bright white light pounded at his corneas.

 Chapter 310 New Team 2

    After Junhyuk got used to the bright light, he checked out how much money he had: 446,760G. In thest battle, he had spend a lot of money, and although he had earned some more, he had less than what he had started with. In exchange, his equipment was better than ever before. Junhyuk heard the soft announcement voice. [We will skip the exnation on the Swamp of Despair by your request. The reward for this round is very cool, and it does not happen often. It is a random gold bag. The amount of gold within it is random, so do your best to win.] A bag of gold. The problem was that there was no minimum. He could get very little gold from it, or there might not even be any gold at all within it. "They wouldn¡¯t do that to me." He would be with Sarang, and they would do their best to win. [Champion Junhyuk Lee deployed.] When he walked outside, he saw the lizardmen kneeling ahead of him, and he thought that Gongon had made them do that like he always did, but when he raised his head to look for Gongon, he was shocked by what he saw. "Ah! So cute!" Sarang was hugging the hatchling, and Gongon couldn¡¯t move. Gongon looked at Junhyuk and asked, "What is this human?" Junhyuk let out a small sigh and walked toward them. Sarang, who was hugging the immobile Gongon, greeted him with her eyes. "Big brother, why is Gongon so cute?!" ¡¯Cute? Gongon is a dragon, a type of reptile. However, Gongon¡¯s scales are warm, so he¡¯s different from other reptiles.¡¯ After a sigh, Junhyuk said, "Just like you said, she is human, and a newly-evolved champion." Gongon tried hard to get away from her, but she wouldn¡¯t let him get away. So, the dragon gave up, loosened his arms and asked, "Do you know this human?" "She has been with me through many battlefields." Gongon wrapped her arm with his tail and loosened her grip on him. Then, he stood in front of her and stared at her. "Your skills?" "Trustworthy." "Your powers?" Junhyuk gave Gongon a short summary of them, "An electric st that paralyzes the opponents, mass healing, and a Thunderstorm. Those are her three powers." "I understand the electric st, but mass healing?" Gongon looked at her, chuckled and added, "Even I can¡¯t use healing magic here. She is quite a unique human." Junhyuk had also not seen anyone else with healing magic. In deep thought, Gongon murmured, "This ce has many species with each dimension sending their own beings. It¡¯s hard to believe that she can heal all those different beings. Is it an absolute heal?" Once done, Gongon raised his head and extended a hand to Sarang, "In any event, it¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯m Gongon." "I am Sarang Kim." Gongon had extended his short w forward, and Sarang took hold of it. Then, she forcefully pulled Gongon toward herself and hugged him. "So cute!" Junhyuk sighed and said, "In any event, Gongon..." "What?" "Can you solo the upper path this time? I want to take the lower path with her if that¡¯s OK." After some thought, Gongon said, "Do it." "Thanks," Junhyuk responded, smiling. "Don¡¯t be grateful." Gongon sped his hands and asked, "You fought against legend candidates, right?" "Yes, and they became legends after thest battle." "That¡¯s sad. I wanted to fight them." Shaking his head, Junhyuk said, "You don¡¯t want to fight them. I had never died that many times before." Gongonughed out loud and said, "You can never tell with dimensions. There are many strong ones." Junhyuk smiled bitterly and said, "This time, they are giving out gold, so let¡¯s do our best." "A gold bag, right?" Gongon smirked. That didn¡¯t make Junhyuk feel good. Gongon was already extremely lucky to be born in possession of all sorts of things, and his existence made Junhyuk curious. He couldn¡¯tpare himself to the dragon. That was the kind of luck Gongon had been born with. Still, Junhyuk didn¡¯t feel that bad about his own luck, so he said, "Then, let¡¯s get going." "Should I kill one and then head toward the swamp?" "Yes, head to the swamp after you¡¯ve killed someone." Gongon waved at Junhyuk, who turned to Sarang. "Let¡¯s go." He called up the lizardmen and prepared thirty of them to move out. Sarang was still hugging Gongon, not wanting to let him go. "We can¡¯t give up a tower. Let¡¯s go." Sarang felt very guilty and finally let the hatchling go. The dragon signaled to the lizardmen, and when one got close to him, Gongon got up on his shoulders. Then, he waved his short ws at the two other champions. "See you at the swamp." "See youter." When Gongon started riding on the lizardman, Junhyuk thought it was a great idea that he should havee up with before, but that was all in the past. The hatchling had given him the bracelets, so he couldn¡¯t be stingy about giving him piggyback rides. Junhyuk headed out with Sarang, and as she left the castle, she looked at the walls around the paths. She thought the me walls were strange. "We don¡¯t have a power that can push the enemy to the walls, so they¡¯re not of much use to us. But be careful not to get pushed by the enemy." After some thought about it, she asked, "If we go this way, who¡¯ll we meet?" "Probably Kraken and Nid. Nid is a member of the Elidra tribe, and he¡¯s well bnced," he answered. "Then, who should we attack?" "Kraken¡¯s defense is rather high, so we should focus on Nid." Nid was bothersome, but the allies could kill him. "Paralyze him first, then drop a Thunderstorm on him." "But the range of the electric st is shorter than the Thunderstorm." Junhyuk thought it over and said, "I¡¯ll use the Spatial sh first to draw the enemies in. Then, use your Thunderstorm." The Thunderstorm onlysted for a moment, so unless the enemy had some sort of protective barrier, they wouldn¡¯t be able to escape the attack. Sarang agreed with his n. They talked about the details of their n while they walked, until they got to the tower. Junhyuk saw Kraken and Nid on the other side, just like he had expected. If Kilraden had been there, Sarang would have needed to be extra careful. She was wearing armor, but it wouldn¡¯t hold for long against Kilraden¡¯s attacks. Junhyuk patted her back and said, "Let¡¯s go." The enemies wereing out of the tower, walking with pride, and he frowned. He knew his equipment was superior to theirs in both defense and attack. As he stepped forward, Sarang followed him carefully. Sarang knew that heroes had fought for her before, but now she was the main character of her own fight, and she could feel the weight of that. Junhyuk shrugged and said, "I¡¯m much stronger this time. Don¡¯t worry so much." "Sure." He wanted to test his powers. Kraken was at the front, and the enemies wereing toward him, so he smiled. "Things will be different this time!" "You sound so full of yourself," Nid said, but Kraken stepped in front of him. "Don¡¯t get too excited. Just win." Kraken extended its tentacles forward and got up on them. The octopus was heading toward them, and Nid followed right behind. "Our target is Nid. Don¡¯t forget," Junhyuk said. After he did, he ran forward. Junhyuk was nning on cing his enemies within the range of his Spatial sh, and Sarang gathered her breath and ran after him. Sarang had decided to trust herself. If he got himself in danger, she had to heal him, and to mm the Thunderstorm on her enemies, she had to follow behind him. Junhyuk swung the Frozen Rune Sword, and Kraken and Nid thought it was the Spatial sh. One dove left and the other right, moving instinctively, as if they had been training together. However, hadn¡¯t gotten quite ten meters apart from each other. Junhyuk used the Spatial sh on Nid, curious to know how much its damage had increased. The power sliced through Nid¡¯s neck, and a shockwave extended from the point of impact. The results were surprising. That single strike had taken 55 percent off of Nid¡¯s health. "Ugh!!" More than half of Nid¡¯s health was gone, and with Nid being a bnced champion, Junhyuk thought his power would work well against heroes as well. Junhyuk was ecstatic, when suddenly, lightning bolts cracked down from the sky. Nid had a pierced neck, and the bolts were crashing against his head. Craaaack! As the blue lightning struck Nid, a bed of lightning extended from him across the ground. The Thunderstorm¡¯s damage was outstanding. "Argh! What is this?!" Nid shouted, charred to a crisp, his body already fading. [Sarang killed Nid.] Junhyuk knew his damage had increased, but he learned just how much greater her damage was. Kraken stopped and stared at them both in shock. Scared, the octopus started running away. The shockwave from his Spatial sh had taken 20 percent of Kraken¡¯s health, and the bed of lightning had taken another 10 percent. Kraken didn¡¯t have a chance if it were to fight them alone. On top of it all, it had already lost 30 percent of its health, so it was running away. Even though Kraken was tanky, it was at a disadvantage by itself. Junhyuk smirked at Kraken, and Sarang started to run after the octopus, but he stopped her. "Wait." "Why?" "We¡¯ll move after the Spatial sh returns." With the Spatial sh, Junhyuk would be able to hit Kraken for 40 percent of its health. He was nning to follow the Spatial sh with the Thunderstorm, and together, they would deal at least 70 percent of damage to Kraken¡¯s health, so it would be easy to kill the octopus. Sarang nodded and moved next to him, exhaling heavily. "By the way, the Thunderstorm is really something else." "It was a critical hit." "That happens sometimes." The bolts of lightning were really fast, so naked eyes could barely see them appearing. Her electric st was also very fast, so naked eyes couldn¡¯t really follow it. That¡¯s why heroes were often hit by it. Therefore, because the Thunderstorm¡¯s lightning crashed down really fast, enemies couldn¡¯t escape it. On top of that, the damage was absurd. It was smaller than his Spatial sh, but only by a little, and she wasn¡¯t as well equipped as him. On the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, if the twobined their powers, they could kill anyone. Both attacks were nearly impossible to dodge, and now, Junhyuk was well aware of how dangerous theirbination was. Kraken was standing next to the tower, not moving. The octopus was nning on using the tower¡¯s archers, and the lizardmen were taking the vanguard, ahead of it in the formation. The lizardmen were thirty meters from the tower and waiting. Junhyuk smirked at Kraken¡¯s preparations. To him, the Spatial sh could not be dodged. An image of Gongon showed up out of nowhere. "You killed one already? So cool!" "If you had seen it happen, you would¡¯ve been shocked." "I¡¯ll kill mine and join you." Kilraden could deal a lot of damage, but Gongon had both great defense and great attack. The hatchling had the advantage, so Junhyuk smiled and said, "Let¡¯s find out who gets the kills first." The Spatial sh¡¯s cooldown was over, and Junhyuk looked at Sarang. "Let¡¯s go fish ourselves an octopus."

 Chapter 311 New Team 3

    Junhyuk had run forward, but Kraken had started retreating while sending the lizardmen thirty meters forward. However, a Spatial sh could kill them all. Kraken was retreating, and as Junhyuk watched him do so, he smiled. "Sarang, touch me." She had been waiting for that moment, and so she did. They both teleported over the lizardmening toward them. The range of the teleportation had increased by twenty meters, so they closed in fast on Kraken. Junhyuk hit Kraken with the Spatial sh, which prated its eye. At the same time, Sarang cast Thunderstorm on the octopus, but it wasn¡¯t an easy foe. When Kraken lost 40 percent of its health because of the Spatial sh, Kraken flew toward them in a headbutt. Craaack! The lightning bolts fell behind him. Kraken had already witnessed the Thunderstorm, so he trusted his senses to escape it, surviving the crashing lightning bolts. By using his headbutt, Kraken closed in quickly, and once closer, he spewed the ck ink toward them both. Both of them lost their sights, and Kraken ran toward them quickly. ng! Junhyuk heard Kraken bouncing off his force field and learned from that sound. They were both blinded because of the ink, but the ink wouldn¡¯tst as long as the force field. Once Junhyuk could see again, he looked out. Kraken had to have realized that the situation wasn¡¯t going well for him, so he was retreating. Junhyuk chuckled at the sight and grabbed Sarang¡¯s hand. "Let¡¯s catch him." After saying that, he used his jumping ability, leaping well over Kraken to stand in front of the octopus. "Where are you going?" Kraken gritted its teeth. The force field had already disappeared, and Kraken wouldn¡¯t just turn over and die. The octopus extended its tentacles, but Junhyuk weaved through them to close in. As he did, the tentacles got a hold of Sarang. Sarang was lifted up, and Junhyuk frowned. If things continued that way, she would fall victim to the wringing power. Junhyuk gritted his teeth and shed a tentacle with his sword. The tentacle was cut in half, but Kraken still had her up, and the octopus started wringing her. "Aaargh!" He knew the type and the amount of pain she was in, so Junhyuk closed in and stabbed the octopus¡¯ head with his sword. The strike took 6 percent off of Kraken¡¯s health, and the octopus threw Sarang at the wall. As she bounced off the mewall, Junhyuk sank his sword deeper into his enemy. Kraken only had 20 percent of his health left, and as the sword kept plunging deeper, more damage kept piling up. Junhyuk looked at Sarang and saw her walking away from the mewall. She was healing herself, the light powder was also sprinkling over him. Junhyuk started wondering whether he should continue to attack Kraken, but that¡¯s when Sarang shouted, "Big Brother! Step aside!" She had put her orb forward, and an electric st shed out of it to hit the enemy champion. Kraken was paralyzed, and she took the opportunity to run toward it and start beating the crap out of the octopus with her orb. Junhyuk sighed at the sighed, twisted his sword and pulled it out. Kraken bled to death. [You¡¯ve killed Kraken and earned 3.000G.] Sarang didn¡¯t care at all about the fact that he had killed the Champion. She kept on beating Kraken as the octopus faded away. Still angry, she even stepped on the champion, and Junhyuk shook his head. "He¡¯s gone." "This piece of octopus crap! Aargh!" Junhyuk had also been through the wringing, so he knew. Sarang had gone through it, but she had fully healed herself with a single use of her healing power. The power¡¯s rate of healing was astonishing. In the end of it, she hadn¡¯t been damaged, but she couldn¡¯t contain her anger. She was trashing across the ground in anger, and Junhyuk tapped her shoulder and said, "Wait here." Then, he walked over to the lizardmen and killed them all. The lizardmen didn¡¯t know how to run away, so he destroyed them and the tower with them. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t at full health, but he had managed to bring the tower down. Once he returned to Sarang, she looked at him and lowered her head. "S-sorry." She cast heal on him, bringing him back to full. "It hurt like crazy." Junhyuk smiled bitterly and said, "I know. I¡¯ve been through it as well." She smiled. "Big brother, how did you endure it?" "Endure it? I cursed that octopus and beat the crap out it." Sheughed aloud. "That¡¯s nice." News of Gongon got delivered to them. [Gongon killed Kilraden.] Junhyuk looked at her and asked, "Then, shall we get going?" Once they got on the road to the swamp, they started running, and the sound of an announcement rang in their ears. [The High-Ranking Sorcerer in the Swamp of Despair has awoken. Lend him the help he needs, and he will give you a reward.] Hatma¡¯s rewards were always useful, and they could be the deciding factor between victory and defeat. They kept moving. "Ourbination is certainly strong. If we do it right, we can kill the enemy with a singlebined attack." "Right." "But beware of something." "What?" Junhyuk thought of Kilraden, whose attacks dealt a lot of damage. She could easily fall to one of the champion¡¯s attacks. "Kilraden can teleport. Your attack may fail, and he may hinder your efforts. If Kilraden focuses on you, you may die without being able to do much." However, if she found Kilraden first, she might kill him outright. Her Thunderstorm could deal more than half of them champion¡¯s health in damage. She could also paralyze him and kill him that way. Both sides were dangerous to each other. Junhyuk made sure she understood it, and as she listened to him, she smiled. "I¡¯ll be fine as long as Kilraden doesn¡¯t kill me with a single attack." "Right, and I¡¯ll make sure the force field is on you, but be careful. Aside from being able to teleport, Kilraden also has a counter." "I will." As they talked, they reached the ind and saw that Gongon was already there. The hatchling waved his short w at Junhyuk, who shook his head and walked toward the dragon. "How did you get here before us?" Both Junhyuk and Sarang had items that increased their movement speeds, but Gongon didn¡¯t, so Junhyuk was curious as to how he had gotten there. Gongon smiled at his question. "I brought a new item from home. It has a boost to movement speed, so I got here faster." Junhyuk was jealous of the dragon tribe and the fact that Gongon¡¯s items could be used on the Dimensional Battlefield. Gongon turned to Sarang and said, "You must have nice skills. You killed one even before I did." "I was lucky." Gongon wagged his tail and said, "Don¡¯t hug me. If you want to give me a piggyback ride, that will be OK." Sarang shook her head. "Not unless you give me the same amount of time to hug you as the time I use to give you a piggyback ride." Junhyuk walked over to Gongon and whispered, "Gongon, you don¡¯t walk during a piggyback ride, and if she carries you while hugging you, you won¡¯t walk either." "Hm. That¡¯s correct." Gongon looked at her, and extended his arms. Then, he tilted his head sideways and said, "I¡¯ll give you equal time. Three minutes for three minutes." "Sure." Sarang picked him up, hugging him in front of her, and started walking. Junhyuk shook his head, following them toward the center of the ind, where Hatma was. Hatma stared at him and said, "You are getting better." Junhyuk smiled. "Thanks for noticing it." He knew that he had gotten stronger, but his strength was about the same on the battlefield. However, Hatma had noticed the difference. The Sorcerer waved his hand and said, "Today, I need an organ from a ten-thousand-year-old centipede." "A ten-thousand-year-old centipede?" "I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the Ents¡¯ Hill. Bring me that organ." It sounded dangerous. If it had lived for ten thousand years, it had to be strong, but Hatma smiled at them and said, "You guys will be able to get it." Junhyuk finally nodded and looked at the group. Sarang, who was still hugging Gongon, looked at him, and he said, "Let¡¯s go get an organ from a ten-thousand-year-old centipede." She asked back, "The centipede¡¯s lived for ten thousand years?" "Yes." Gongon said, "If a Virus survives for a thousand years, it will live fore. If that thing has lived for ten thousand years, it must be quite powerful." "It must be an A-ranked monster." In fact, most of the monsters that had shown up on the Champions¡¯ Battlefield were B-ranked monsters. However, the severity of the task feltpletely different. Still, it could only be an A-ranked monster, and Junhyuk would be with Gongon and Sarang. He and she had fought numerous A-ranked monsters together while training, so they were already used to fighting them. On their way out, Kraken, Nid and Kilraden appeared in their path. Looking at them, Junhyuk sighed. They had to be careful of Kraken¡¯s grabs and throws within the swamp. His jump¡¯s cooldown was over, so he decided to make the jump over them to stay safe. He looked at Gongon and Sarang and said, "We¡¯ll jump over the enemies." "Shouldn¡¯t we teleport?" "We¡¯ll jump instead." After saying that, he held Sarang and Gongon at his sides and stepped on the stepping stones. Kraken started running toward him. Kraken knew of the power of Junhyuk¡¯s and Sarang¡¯s attacks, but they could kill the octopus, especially with Gongon¡¯s help. Junhyuk knew Kraken would step up to make use of the swamp, and as that happened, Junhyuk jumped as high as he could. Junhyuk had started on the stone path and jumped over thirty meters, going way above his enemies andnding on the other side, out of the swamp, where he continued to retreat slowly. "If they stay on the ind, we¡¯ll go do our quest." He ced Sarang and Gongon down on the ground. They were all out of Kraken¡¯s range, and Junhyuk stopped for a moment. Gongon took the opportunity to wave his ws at the octopus. "Scared?" the hatchling shouted, and their enemies went berserk. Junhyukughed and held tightly to his dual swords. Their enemies weren¡¯t done yet, and their attack powers were outstanding. Whoever delivered the first hit, would likely win the battle, and Junhyuk had the longest range.

 Chapter 312 Superiority 1

    The enemies ran toward him, and when Junhyuk did the same, they frowned slightly. Kraken was ahead of the iing champions, but the octopus did not use a power. If Kraken had used a power, Junhyuk would¡¯ve felt grateful. However, his attention was mostly focused on one enemy, Kilraden. Kilraden¡¯s attack stat was greater than the others, and if Sarang was attacked by him, she could be killed in an instant. Junhyuk watched Kilraden, ready to use the Spatial sh whenever the assassin came within range. But, Kilraden seemed to be aware of his power¡¯s range. Kraken came within range, followed by Nid. Junhyuk was focused on Kilraden, but as soon as Kilraden came within range, he disappeared. Seeing that, Junhyuk¡¯s eyebrows twitched. Meanwhile, Kraken closed in quickly, but Gongon had been watching, smiling at it all. "Buy more time." Kilraden¡¯s hiding power didn¡¯tst long, so the allies would have to buy more time. The assassin couldn¡¯t cover fifty meters while hiding. Junhyuk and Sarang stopped walking and watched as Kraken and Nid closed in. Then, Gongon stepped forward from the allies¡¯ formation. As both sides approached each other, Junhyuk looked around. Kilraden was hiding, but where was he? Junhyuk sighed and said, "Let¡¯s just be sure." The force field was a big help. During that team battle, Junhyuk wanted to kill an enemy first to start the battle off in a good note, so he raised his force field around himself and dove forward. "We¡¯ll kill Nid first!" "Sure!" He and Sarang couldbine their attacks to get rid of Nid. Knowing that, he released the Spatial sh, which prated Nid¡¯s neck. The champion lost 55 percent of his health at once, and then the extra attack triggered, dealing another 27 percent of damage to Nid¡¯s health. The elidra only had 18 percent of his health left. The Thunderstorm was not needed anymore, so Sarang attacked Nid with a regr attack. An electric arrow flew toward him, and Nid tried to use his rushing, flying attack power. However, right as Nid was about to take off, Sarang used an electric st against him as well. That was Sarang¡¯sbo. The electric st was faster than the electric arrow, so they both hit him at the same time. Nid and Kraken were both paralyzed, and the attacks took the rest of Nid¡¯s health. As he faded, they heard the soft announcement. [Sarang killed Nid.] Junhyuk looked at Kraken, who had been standing next to Nid. The Spatial sh¡¯s shockwave had swept through the octopus, taking 30 percent of its health. Kraken had also been hit by Sarang¡¯s electric st and was now paralyzed. Gongon ran toward Kraken and transformed himself. He was going to finish Kraken as quickly as possible, so he rushed. The rushing Gongon mmed hard against Kraken. Normally, when Gongon attacked Kraken, Kraken would lost about 30 percent of his health. However, this time was different. The dragon took away 45 percent of Kraken¡¯s total health, and Junhyuk stared at him in surprise. Then, Gongon turned around and kicked the octopus, pushing Kraken back. Gongon inhaled deeply, about to use his firebreath. All of his attacks flowed very naturally. However, when Kraken got hit by Gongon¡¯s back kick, the octopus spewed ck ink, and Gongon got blinded by it. Before any other attacksnded on the dragon, Junhyuk ran toward him, meaning to put Gongon inside the force field. However, Kraken grabbed Gongon by the legs, wringing him. The damage wasn¡¯t great, but the attack felt viting. Junhyuk teleported right up against Gongon, touched him, and teleported back. However, in that short period of time, Kilraden appeared and stabbed Sarang in the neck. The time limit for his hiding power had ended, so Kilraden had teleported to attack her, dealing massive damage. It was a critical hit, and Sarang lost 70 percent of her health at once. Her defense was lower than Junhyuk¡¯s, and she also didn¡¯t have any items that increased her health. Junhyuk reappeared next to her, and now they were all within the force field. Kilraden had failed tond abo The assassin ran toward Kraken without thinking twice, and Sarang healed herself along with Gongon. The dragon was back at full health, and Sarang regained 50 percent her health, so her health was at 80 percent. Her eyes widened slightly. Kilraden¡¯s attacks dealt massive damage. A single attack had taken away 70 percent of her health, so two hits would kill her. Junhyuk looked at her and said, "Kilraden has already teleported once, but be careful. His teleportation¡¯s range is shorter than mine, but he can shut you out." "I understand." Hearing the answer, Junhyuk stepped forward. "Kraken is almost dead." Gongon smirked. "I¡¯ll kill Kraken." Gongon ran forward. He had been wrung, so he wanted to kill the octopus and put an end to that situation. He was also still transformed, so killing wouldn¡¯t be hard. As Gongon approached, Krakenunched itself at him. Gongon blocked with ws, but he still got damaged. While Kraken headbutted Gongon, Kilraden appeared behind the dragon and stabbed him. Gongon lost a lot of health at once, 30 percent, and Junhyuk ran toward him. Kilraden looked back. The force field was disappearing, so Kilraden allowed Junhyuk¡¯s attack to hit him. As the attack was about tond, the assassin countered. The counter took off 30 percent of Junhyuk¡¯s health. Junhyuk¡¯s defense and health had increased, so the damage he received had decreased. After that, Junhyuk parried Kilradens attacks while mounting his own attacks. Kilraden had expected that from Junhyuk, so the assassin teleported and escaped. He had finally used all three teleportations. Junhyuk looked for the champion, and the assassin appeared behind Sarang, stabbing at her with his dagger. The strike left her with 10 percent of her health, and Kilraden tried tobo, but she dove forward and rolled past his dagger, which shed right through where she had been standing. Sarang ignored the dagger shing through the empty air and extended her orb toward the champion. An electric arrow shed out of the orb. Kilraden saw it heading toward him, but suddenly, lightning bolts crashed on top of him from the sky. Craaaack! Kilraden lost 60 percent of his health from a single use of her power, and he also ended up paralyzed by her electric arrow, which had a small chance to inflict the status on her enemies. Noticing the champion paralyzed, Sarang kept firing electric arrows at him nonstop. Meanwhile, Junhyuk closed in on them and shed Kilraden¡¯s neck with his sword, passing him by. Kilraden started bleeding from the neck, and Sarang moved to join Junhyuk while continuing to shoot electric arrows at her enemy. When Kilraden could finally move, he tried to get away, but Junhyuk stabbed him through the ribs, a critical hit, and the assassin lost the rest of his health. [You¡¯ve killed Kilraden and earned 3,000G] As he watched Kilraden fading, Gongon was breathing roughly. Junhyuk turned to look at the dragon and saw Kraken was also fading. [Gongon killed Kraken.] Gongon looked at the octopus¡¯ fading body on the ground and scoffed at it. When Junhyuk walked over, Gongon looked up at him. "Our battle skills are superior." "No, not really." Kilraden had attacked Sarang. Without the force field, she would have been killed in an instant. If she got hit by abo, she would die. Gongon looked at her and said, "Don¡¯t focus on your powers too much. You need more equipment, especially defensive equipment." "Sure." Sarang hugged Gongon again, and Junhyuk watched them. "By the way Gongon, your damage has increased! What happened?" Gongon spoke nonchntly, "I upgraded my equipment. I didn¡¯t have a lot of money, so I only did the basic upgrades, but they were enough to increase my damage." Gongon had already used the Champions¡¯ Battlefield reward stones and gotten his equipment to +9. Then, he got some upgrade stones from Bebe and upgraded his equipment by 20 percent. Gongon could now deal more damage than Junhyuk, and as the dragon spoke as if it were nothing, Junhyuk felt jealous. Gongon extended his short w forward and shouted, "Let¡¯s go! To kill the ten-thousand-year-old centipede." Junhyuk sighed and took the lead. They didn¡¯t know much about the centipede, but he had the highest defense among the allies. --- They had gone toplete their quest of killing a centipede, but when they looked in front of them, they frowned. "This look really dangerous!" At the end of the forest, there was a clearing with five anthills. They did not know where the centipede was, but they felt as if the empty space was sucking them in. They also felt like if they did enter the clearing, they wouldn¡¯t be getting out. Junhyuk and Gongon were both thinking. "We should check it out first." "How?" "Go in." "Who? Me?" Gongon answered calmly, "Of course! You have your teleportation." "Even then..." Gongon smirked and kicked Junhyuk¡¯s back. "You! Gongon!" Before he had a chance to get angry, Junhyuk had fallen into an anthill. There really was no need to be angry at Gongon. As he looked ahead, Junhyuk saw a monster within the hill. Because he could teleport at any time, he stood there and stared at the centipede. The monster was five meters long and could hardly be called a centipede. Seeing it drooling, Junhyuk used his Spatial sh without hesitation. The monster opened its maw, and the Spatial sh went in perfectly. There was soft tissue inside the monster¡¯s mouth, and the sh hit the right spot. It also generated the blood red shockwave. The monster vomited blood and copsed. Junhyuk got on the monster¡¯s back and heard a soft announcement. [You killed a thousand-year-old centipede. After you kill four more thousand-year-old centipedes, you¡¯ll encounter the ten-thousand-year-old centipede.] The voice had exined the quest¡¯s conditions, but Junhyuk frowned when he found out he had killed an easier centipede. He wasn¡¯t sure if he could kill one of them without the Spatial sh, and he had to kill four more. Junhyuk looked back out. Gongon and Sarang were outside the anthill, so he told them, "I have to kill four more thousand-year-old centipedes." Gongon said, "Get out here quickly so we can try the next hole."

 Chapter 313 Superiority 2

    Theyer of sand surrounding the anthills was structured in such a way that it all fell to the bottom. That was to prevent the ants from getting out. To get out, Junhyuk had to teleport. Once out of the anthill, he looked down below. The hill nted down for approximately forty meters, and there mighte a time where he would have to teleport twice. Junhyuk ran with all his might up the hill for another twenty meters, and he was barely able to get out of clearing. He stared at Gongon and said, "You didn¡¯t have to kick me." "We don¡¯t have much time. If you feel bad about it, have one of these." Gongon threw something at him, and Junhyuk¡¯s eyes beamed. It was a piece of Andes Tribe candy, valued at 20G each. "Why do you like it so much?" Gongon popped one into his mouth. "The taste makes dragons go crazy." Junhyuk shook his head. Modern humans were used to MSG and spices. Would the taste be able to satisfy his pte? However, since it was given to him for free, he couldn¡¯t refuse it. He popped the candy into his mouth. It was delicious and it tasted like peppermint. It was also soft. The taste was very sweet. He felt the candy with all of his senses, and his senses were pushed to the limit. Junhyuk tasted the sweetness like he was falling into it, so he closed his eyes and enjoyed the taste. When the sweetness started fading, he started feeling refreshed. The feeling came from his mouth, and he slowly opened his eyes. Until the veryst moment, the taste of the candy was extremely satisfying. Junhyuk looked at the hatchling, who was snickering. "Does it taste good?" "How is this taste even possible?" Gongon shrugged."The merchant has all sorts of things from all dimensions, but this is the only candy it carries. Just think about that!" Bebe didn¡¯t just sell any item. It cost 20G just to appease one¡¯s sweet tooth. Thinking of it, that candy had to be something else. To earn 20G, one had to kill twenty minions. That didn¡¯t feel like much to him now, but twenty souls were needed to taste the candy. Sarang looked at Gongon and asked, "Can I have one too?" Gongon nodded. "If you stop hugging me while still giving me piggyback rides, I¡¯ll give you one." Sheughed and replied, "I¡¯ll just buy one myselfter." "Do that." Gongon turned to him and added, "Hurry." "Right." Junhyuk was feeling better, so he got up and looked down at the anthills. "You guys can¡¯t give me support." Gongon nodded. "We are out of range." The forty-meter downhill to get inside put everyone outside out of range. Sarang said, "I can cast Thunderstorm." "Can you do it this time?" She nodded. He was going at it again, and it felt like he was getting sucked into the hill, even though he was standing still. He was standing at the center of the clearing again, and that¡¯s when he saw another thousand-year-old centipede. The centipede lifted its body up, and that made things easier for the allies. Junhyuk gave Sarang a signal, and she put her orb forward. Suddenly, lightning stuck down on the centipede. There was not a drop of rain around. Craaack! The attacknded just right, and the centipede roared loudly. "RAAAARRR!" Junhyuk frowned. The Spatial sh had killed thest one because it had gone into the centipede¡¯s mouth. "The thousand-year-old centipede has magic resistance! It only received half of the damage!" Sarang shouted from far away. Junhyuk looked at the centipede as it raised his head, rushing toward him. Then, he used the Spatial sh when the centipede opened its mouth. sh! The strike generated a red shockwave, and the thousand-year-old centipede lost its life. However, its body was still heading toward him, so he dove to the side and rolled out of the way. Boom! The thousand-year-old centipede fell, and Junhyuk was astonished by its size. It had to have been extremely angry to dash at full force, and it was fifteen meters long from head to tail. Junhyuk sighed, got up and teleported twice to get out of the clearing. Looking at the others, he said, "We have to attack them from the outside somehow." "I think you¡¯ll have to kill the thousand-year-old centipede, and when the ten-thousand-year-old one shows up, we¡¯ll all attack it," Gongon said. Junhyuk stared at the centipede he had just killed. The reason why he had managed to kill it was that his Spatial sh was a high-ranking power, and it had hit for a critical. He wondered if the enemy champions would be able to bring it down. Kraken would tackle it head on in a monster fight, but Nid and Kilraden would have a hard time against it. Junhyuk shook his had and said, "I agree. If we anger the ten-thousand-year-old centipede and make it leave the anthill, we¡¯ll all be able to attack it." While stretching, he added, "When my powers are off cooldown, I¡¯ll kill the next one." Gongon threw a piece of candy at him and said, "I will give you some candy each time you kill one." Smiling, Junhyuk ced the candy inside his mouth. Sarang was looking at him with envy, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to give her a piece because it was really addictive. The taste was good enough to make you spend your entire savings on it. After lying on the ground to enjoy the candy, Junhyuk got up once it was done and said, "Then, shall I kill the next one?" He went into a hole, and down in the paths below, something showed up. However, Junhyuk already knew the centipede¡¯s attack patterns. He was relying on the Spatial sh too much, and there had to be another way to hunt the centipedes, but he had gotten used to his tactics. After killing it, Junhyuk teleported back to the surface, and Gongon threw him another piece of candy. Junhyuk unwrapped it and, when he was about to eat it, he saw Sarang staring at him with envy. So, he threw the candy toward her, and when she caught it, he said, "Don¡¯t get addicted to it." "It¡¯s only candy. It won¡¯t happen." Junhyuk shrugged. Gongon had already said that dragons went crazy over the candy. When Sarang ced the candy in her mouth, she shivered. He knew what she was experiencing, so he turned to Gongon. The dragon was eating his candy unconcerned. "After you kill two more, we¡¯ll fight the ten-thousand-year-old centipede together." "We¡¯ll help you." Junhyuk nodded and looked away. The cooldown for his teleportation was almost over, so he stepped forward, and that¡¯s when Sarang¡¯s eyes shot wide open. "This is so good!" He shrugged. "Well. It¡¯s the best candy out of all dimensions." Sarang was astonished. "It would be cool if we could sell it on Earth." "Probably not." "Why?" "People would have to taste them first, and we can¡¯t hand them out for free." She was about to say something, but she sighed. "That is a problem." Junhyuk moved out while saying, "Just enjoy it on our own." Gongon ate it constantly, but they should enjoy the candy sparingly. The hatchling had tens of thousands of gold worth of candy. Junhyuk entered the hole to hunt another centipede, but not because he wanted more Andes Tribe candy. After Junhyuk killed the fifth centipede, he teleported outside. The ten-thousand-year-old centipede had not shown up yet. Gongon gave him another piece of candy, and the ground started shaking. Junhyuk, Gongon, and Sarang looked toward the center of the clearing and saw the five anthills copsing. Once they were gone, arger hill rose from the center. The distance to the hill¡¯s mouth was of over a hundred meters. Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t be able to teleport out of the new hill, and as they watched it rise, the spot where they were standing started to crumble. They all moved back some as the sandbank surrounding the clearing started rushing toward the center to feed the newly formed anthill. Looking at it, Junhyuk murmured, "This centipede will be very difficult to deal with!" The hill was twice the size of the others, and looking at it, Gongon said, "You can kill it with a single attack." "It¡¯ll be very nice if that¡¯s true." Snickering, Gongon kicked him down into the clearing again. Junhyuk didn¡¯t have a chance to protest before he started sliding down the sandbank, feeling like he was going extremely fast. "Hey! You¡¯re supposed to help me this time!" Gongon looked at Sarang and asked, "Should we go as well?" "Sure." They were both about to jump in when the center of the massive hill moved, and something veryrge appeared. A centipede thirty meters long came out of the ground, roaring as it raised its body to about twelve stories high. "Raaaaarrrr!" The roar was extremely loud, and Junhyuk was afraid. "Gongon!" He quickly looked behind him to see the hatchling and Sarang standing at the same spot calmly. "Do you want some candy?" Gongon asked her. "Thanks!" They were joking among themselves while Junhyuk was terrified. The two of them ate candy and waved at him. "You¡¯ll do fine!" "Gongon!" he shouted, and the shout alerted the giant centipede. With its maw open, the centipede rushed toward him. Instinctively, Junhyuk used his Spatial sh against it. The attack went in its mouth, and Junhyuk thought he had killed it. Cluck! The shockwave extended within the centipedes body, but it was still rushing toward him. Its health was far above the previous ones. Junhyuk teleported to the top of the centipede¡¯s head, but he couldn¡¯t deal with its size. At first he thought it was thirty meters long, but fifty meters of it had alreadye out of the hole. It wasing out specifically to attack him, so he stabbed down hard on its head. ng! Its hide was too thick, and the sword bounced off of it. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t believe it. "What the hell is this?!" The centipede swung its head, and Junhyuk lost his grip, falling down. At that point, the centipede mmed its body against him. Boom! Junhyuk lost 10 percent of his health and gotunched away,nding next to Gongon and Sarang. "Big brother! Are you OK?" He looked at them eating candy and said, "Its hide is too thick." Wagging his tail, Gongon said, "You look tired. I¡¯ll help you." Junhyuk scoffed at the dragon and replied, "Thanks." Then, he got up and looked toward the centipede. "Time to fight for real."

 Chapter 314 Superiority 3

    When the centipede raised its body way up, Junhyuk ran toward it, while Gongon and Sarang followed him. Gongon¡¯s feet were sinking in the sand, but he did not stop even though he was scowling. Sarang also followed Junhyuk. If she were left alone, she would be in danger if the centipede attacked her. Junhyuk was taking the lead of the group. He had lost 10 percent of his health from the hit from the centipede, so he thought the fight was winnable, and although he didn¡¯t know how much power the centipede¡¯s bite possessed, he ran toward it. The centipede opened its mouth wide and vomited acid. As he watched the centipede do so, Junhyuk thought there was only way to save his friends. "Gather up!" He raised the force field, and the liquid covered the entire area around the force field. Inside, Junhyuk looked at the group. What could he dow now? "We must go inside its mouth to deal damage?" Gongon asked calmly. "That¡¯s right." Junhyuk looked at the hatchling and asked, "Are you volunteering?" Gongon snickered. "I wasn¡¯t expecting to go inside of anybody¡¯s mouth ever, but I will." Junhyukughed. "We only have one chance." He grabbed Sarang and Gongon and used his jump skill. The jump was urate, and they all went inside the centipedes mouth, the two being held by Junhyuk. The centipede closed its mouth quickly, but it couldn¡¯t chew down on the force field. Tack, tack, tack! Junhyuk felt the impact on the force field. "What do we do now?" "Your Spatial sh is not off cooldown yet?" "Not yet." Gongon transformed himself, inhaled deeply and breathed fire. The mes burned the inside of the centipede¡¯s mouth. "Raaaaaaah!" The centipede was going crazy, and the group lost bnce with all the shaking inside the force field. Sarang cast an electric arrow with her orb, and Junhyuk inspected the inside of the centipede¡¯s mouth. He saw the wound previously made by the Spatial sh, but he realized he had to maintain the force field. Without it, the centipede would swallow them whole. Its sharp teeth were shing against the force field even to that moment. He sighed and said, "Gongon, I know you already feel dirty, but we must exploit that injury." Gongon looked at himpletely surprised. "Are you saying I have to go further in?" "Sorry, Gongon." Junhyuk kicked the hatchling¡¯s butt, and Gongon left the force field. He was nowpletely covered in centipede saliva. "I feel so dirty," Gongon murmured. He was on the centipede¡¯s tongue, running on it. "Holy dog shit!" Gongon cursed while cing his ws inside the open wound made by the Spatial sh. Then, he started tearing it up. "Raaaaaah!" The would opened even more, and it started bleeding heavily. As the dragon got covered in blood, he exerted himself even more. "I will kill you!" While that was happening, the centipede was going berserk, so Junhyuk looked at Sarang and said, "We should make it stop." She cast an electric st on the centipede, and it was paralyzed. Junhyuk turned to see Gongon going crazy on the wound and realized his force field was about to fade away. "Gongon! Come back! The force field is almost gone!" But Gongon was still going crazy on the wound, so Junhyuk sighed, walked out of the force field, and picked up the hatchling. When the force field finally disappeared, he teleported to the top of the centipede¡¯s head with them. "Raaaaah!" The centipede shook its head, and Sarang cast Thunderstorm on it. The lightning bolts wouldn¡¯t work against its hide, but she focused them on the centipede¡¯s eye. As the centipede went berserk, Junhyuk slid down its back while holding Gongon and Sarang. Covered in blood and saliva, Gongon shouted, "Let go! I¡¯m already dirty!" He put the hatchling down. The centipede had lost an eye, and it was turning around toward them. Junhyuk smiled at it and said, "It¡¯s back!" The Spatial sh was off cooldown, and he cast it on the centipede¡¯s wide open mouth. Gongon had made the injury even wider, and Junhyuk focused his attack on it. The Blood Rune Sword¡¯s Spatial sh cut deep into the injury, and the strike finally worked. The centipede took itsst breath. It did not even scream. As it crashed down, Junhyuk picked up the rest of the group and ran to the side. Boom! The impact created arge dust cloud, and Junhyuk covered his face to try to see within it. Then, he turned to the group. Gongon, who had already been covered by blood and saliva, was now covered by dirt on top of everything. The hatchling slumped down and sat on the ground. Sarang was also tired. "You did well." "I feel so dirty." Junhyuk looked at Gongon one more time and walked over to the fallen centipede. He had to pull out its organ, and he couldn¡¯t do it through the thick hide. So, he pulled out his sword. Sarang couldn¡¯t help him there, and Junhyuk stabbed the centipede, tearing into the centipede¡¯s hide piece by piece. The ten-thousand-year centipede¡¯s length was in full view, and it was about a hundred meters long. It took time to dig into it.Finally creating an opening, Junhyuk looked inside. The task had been difficult, but he found what he had been looking for, its organ. He sighed as he saw it. Then, he turned to look behind him. Gongon was wiping himself off with the sand, and Sarang was helping him. Junhyuk looked at the pieces of centipede hide and said, "We can use this." His swords had not worked against the centipede¡¯s hide and neither had the Thunderstorm. The problem was cutting it into smaller pieces. Junhyuk pressed his sword against it, and started sawing the hide with it. Little by little, he sliced chunks he could carry, making the pieces small enough to put in his Spatial Bag. After he had taken one piece, Junhyuk realized he could not continue. "What are you going to do with that hide?" Gongon asked. "Its defense capability is incredible, so it should be useful." After some though, Gongon said, "Give me a piece. I¡¯ll experiment with it." Sighing, Junhyuk said, "It¡¯s hard to slice them." The dragon got up and looked at the bits that had already been cut. "You¡¯ve already done it!" Gongon picked up some pieces and ced it in his Spatial Bag. Gongon¡¯s bag wasrger than Junhyuk¡¯s, and Junhyuk was jealous. The hatchling took three pieces and said, "I wonder how the meat tastes." Gongon hadined about how dirty he had gotten, but now he was thinking of eating it. After taking another piece of it, Junhyuk got up slowly and said, "We¡¯ve wasted too much time." Killing the ten-thousand-year-old centipede hadn¡¯t been easy, and they had wasted even more time cutting it apart. When Junhyuk saw the coagted blood on his body, he used the sand to wipe it off. "Let¡¯s goplete the quest." They got back to the stepping stones. They had thought they had spent too much time on the quest and that their enemies would be waiting for them because of that, but they couldn¡¯t see anyone around. Junhyuk had a bad feeling about that and started looking around. "We mustplete the quest as soon as possible." He started walking quickly. "Ahhh!" Junhyuk looked back and saw Sarang had been stabbed on the neck. Kilraden had done it. [Kilraden killed Sarang.] Before he could even do anything, Sarang had been killed. "No!" he shouted and ran toward her, but had already vomited blood and died. Kilraden escaped into the forest. He had been waiting for them and targeted her since she was the weakest of the group. When he tried to run after Kilraden, Kraken appeared instead. The octopus tried to use itsrge tentacles to grab him, and Junhyuk shouted, "Gon!" "Way ahead of you!" Gongon shouted back. Gongon¡¯s speed had increased by a lot, and the dragon headbutted Kraken. The octopus was pushed back, and Junhyuk used the Spatial sh on it They had lost Sarang just like that, with the flick of a finger, so now wasn¡¯t the time for fight. After using the Spatial sh, he picked up Gongon and ran. Junhyuk wanted his revenge, but he had to wait. "Are you running away?" Junhyuk was making a mad dash with Gongon under his arm. Kraken had taken the Spatial sh, but Nid and Kilraden were nowhere to be seen. Nid and Kilraden were hesitant of going against the Spatial sh, so Junhyuk was able to run unimpeded. He was heading toward Hatma. While running, he answered Gongon, "We¡¯ll finish the quest and then kill them." Gongon stared at him. "You are something else." "What?" "Your first impulse was to kill them, but you still thought aboutpleting the quest." "We can be sure we¡¯ll kill them if weplete the quest." Junhyuk couldn¡¯t kill them all. They weren¡¯t that easy. For the two of them to kill all their enemies, they had toplete the quest. Junhyuk crossed the stepping stone and put Gongon down. "Stay here." "Don¡¯t worry," the hatchling said. Then, he looked to the stones and shouted, "Stop!" Kraken and the other enemies were heading toward him, and Gongon cracked his neck left and right. "Didn¡¯t you hear me? Stop!" Junhyuk walked over to Hatma and gave him the ten-thousand-year-old centipede¡¯s organ. "Hatma! Give us the reward!" Hatma took the organ and smirked. "You killed the ten-thousand-year-old centipede?!" "That was the quest!" The sorcerer chuckled and ate the organ. Meanwhile, the enemies had closed in on Gongon, and the dragon wouldn¡¯tst long by himself. "Hatma!" Hatma swallowed the organ and put his hands together. "I call on you, Thunder. Hatma says that you will move faster than the wind and strike harder than lightning." [The High-Ranking Sorcerer¡¯s buff is applied. For one hour, your movement speed and your critical hit rate increase by 10 percent. When you deliver a critical hit, the opponent will receive an additional 30 percent of damage. If you die, the enemy will take the buff.] Junhyuk was buffed, and he ran toward Gongon, shouting, "Gon! Step aside!"

 Chapter 315 So Cool 1

    Gongon was about to retreat when Kraken closed in and grabbed the dragon¡¯s leg. Junhyuk saw the octopus. It had already been by Gongon¡¯s headbutt and Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh. He checked on Kraken¡¯s health and realized the champion had to have drunk a potion because it had 50 percent of its total health at that point. Junhyuk knew he couldn¡¯t kill Kraken with a Spatial sh, but if Gongon fell into to the swamp, they would have bigger problems. So, Junhyuk used the Spatial sh on Kraken¡¯s remaining eye, and the octopus lost all of his health. The damage was way higher than he had expected. Kraken lost 52 percent of his health all at once and faded away. [You¡¯ve killed Kraken and earned 3,000G.] Junhyuk didn¡¯t have a chance to be surprised by Gongon. The dragon transformed and breathed fire toward his enemies. Kilraden had disappeared, and Nid was rushing. Nid¡¯s rush was capable of piercing defenses, and when he saw that the Elidra had passed by Gongon and was heading his way, he frowned. He couldn¡¯t let himself get hit with the rush, so he quickly raised the force field around himself. Nid bounced off of it, and Kilraden reappeared and stabbed Gongon¡¯s neck. Gongon dropped sideways, and Junhyuk ran toward the hatchling, cing him within the force field. Gongon turned to his enemies, ring. "These pieces of shits!" He gritted his teeth and tried to go out. "Kilraden can teleport, so we should kill Nid first." "Anytime!" Gongon ran out first, heading toward Nid, who was now trying to escape. However, Gongon had the item boosting his speed now. Nid couldn¡¯t escape, and Gongon closed in and punched at him. Nid scowled and parried the punches with his sword. ng! But Gongon had martial arts training, and he was able to exchange blows with Kraken, who had many tentacles, so he got through Nid¡¯s parries sessfully. Gongon and Nid were fighting ferociously, and Junhyuk looked around and saw Kilraden standing very far away. When the allies entered the force field, Kilraden retreated. He knew that if he stepped up at that moment, only death awaited him. But Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to let Kilraden go. He and Gongon had decieded to kill Nid first, and everyone had used their powers. Their swordsmanship skills would decide the victors. Nid was very capable in that regard, but he couldn¡¯t fight Gongon and Junhyuk by himself. Nid started losing health quickly, and when Kilraden appeared next to him, a shockwave triggered. Kilraden was hit by it, and allies continued to focus on Nid. With the debuff effects stacking, the allies could easily kill Nid. That¡¯s what it looked like right now. Nid was trying to prevent heavy damage, parrying and deflecting attacks constantly, but from time to time, a hit got through. Suddenly, however, the force field disappeared, and the enemy champions mounted their attacks. "Rooaar!" The loud howl made Junhyuk and Gongon stop, and when Nid¡¯s sword turned translucent, the champion attacked. The stunsted for three seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Kilraden had retreated far away when he got hit by the shockwave, but he teleported and attacked Gongon. Both Nid¡¯s and Kilraden¡¯s attacks were critical hits. Every melee attack thatnded while the target was stunned was a critical. Gongon lost most of his health all of a sudden. Once he could move again, Junhyuk touched Gongon and teleported toward the back. He could cover twenty meters at once, and there was no way for Kilraden to catch up with them. Only 12 percent of Gongon¡¯s health remained, and after Junhyuk ced Gongon on the ground, he ran forward and shouted back, "Stay here and rest!" Kilraden was running toward him. The champion had used one of his teleportations to attack Gongon the first time, and after the force field disappeared and Nid howled, he had used it a second time. Only one remained. Junhyuk closed in on Kilraden so that Kilraden wouldn¡¯t focus on Gongon. The assassin turned to Nid. "Trust me," the elidra said, running toward Junhyuk. Nid had 15 percent of his health left, and Junhyuk could see that and knew that nobody had any powers left. Nid had full trust in his health and swordsmanship. Kilraden was following Nid like a shadow, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t let them get away, so he swung his sword and Nid tried to parry. Reading Nid¡¯s movements, Junhyuk triggered eleration. Nid was using his chaotic sword technique, and Junhyuk moved his sword in such a way that even the champions couldn¡¯t block. Both sides had moved, but Junhyuk¡¯s swords suddenly changed directions. Junhyuk could control his muscles, but this was difficult even for him. Nid couldn¡¯t parry the attack, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t aim for a weak spot. Junhyuk had already debuffed Nid with the Frozen Rune Sword, so his attack was a sess. His sword pierced Nid¡¯s thigh, and the champion staggered back. That¡¯s when Junhyuk aimed for Nid¡¯s neck. The eleration was gone, but Nid was in the middle of staggering, so Junhyuk thought the attack wouldnd. However, Nid cocked his head to the side and dodged the attack. Then, Junhyuk pulled the sword from Nid¡¯s thigh and shed him across. Nid was cut in half and faded. [You¡¯ve killed Nid and earned 3,000G.] Junhyuk did not stare at Nid¡¯s fallen body disappearing. His sight was fixed on Kilraden. If the assassin attacked Gongon now, the hatchling would certainly die. He wanted to keep that from happening, but he couldn¡¯t stop a teleport. Right before him, Kilraden teleported. Junhyuk turned back toward Gongon, who was still transformed, and saw Kilraden appear like a shadow behind the hatchling, swinging his dagger. "Gon!" Junhyuk shouted and ran toward Gongon, but his timing was off. Kilraden¡¯s dagger travelled through the empty air, aiming for a critical hit. But then, Gongon¡¯s transformation wore off, and the hatchling got smaller, causing Kilraden to fail. Now that he was smaller, Gongon mmed his tail against the assassin¡¯s thigh. Scowling, Kilraden swung his dagger at him, but the dragon rolled to the side to dodge. Junhyuk was now between then, and he took the opportunity to swing his sword. ng! Kilraden parried with his dagger and took a step back. The assassin hadn¡¯t used all of his powers. He could still hide and counter. Junhyuk attacked him ferociously, knowing that the cooldown for the Spatial sh was nearly over. He wouldn¡¯t let the assassin get away. Kilraden had been waiting for him to attack, so he used his counter. It had looked like Kilraden had parried the sword, but he had stabbed Junhyuk instead, taking 30 percent of his health. Junhyuk ignored the pain and continued to swing his sword roughly. That¡¯s when Kilraden hid. "Gon! Step aside!" If the allies could remain safe while Kilraden was hiding, victory would be theirs. So, Gongon ran toward Hatma. Due to his buff, he wouldn¡¯t get caught. Junhyuk followed him. Kilraden could attack him, but not Gongon. Kilraden¡¯s first attack had been a sess, but it only took 30 percent off Junhyuk¡¯s health. He had 70 percent of his health left, so he had some room to fight Kilraden. On top of that, Kilraden¡¯s stats were entirely focused on attacking, so his defense was quite low. The assassin had made up his mind. He couldn¡¯t catch up with Gongon, so he attacked Junhyuk instead. That¡¯s when Junhyuk felt something sharp on his neck, and he turned swinging his sword. Junhyuk prevented any additional hits and turned to face the assassin. He looked at the expression on Kilraden¡¯s face and smiled. "We won." Junhyuk ran at him swinging, and Kilraden parried his sword. The assassin could tell he was in a tough spot, so he started to retreat. That¡¯s when Gongon came up from behind Junhyuk and headbutted Kilraden, pushing him back. Junhyuk closed in again and swung his sword at the champion, trying to get his attention. Gongon breathed fire. Because the hatchling was buffed, he was dealing much more damage than usual. The firebreath was a critical hit, and Kilraden lost a chunk of his health. Junhyuk was able to stab Kilraden very deep at that point, and although Kilraden tried to parry it, Junhyuk used the Spatial sh with the strike. His power went deep into Kilraden¡¯s neck, and the champion faded. [You¡¯ve killed Kilraden and earned 3,000G.] Junhyuk looked at Kilraden¡¯s corpse disappearing and sighed deeply. He had had to protect Gongon, so the fight was tough. Then, he felt something against his butt. When he turned to look, he saw Gongon, angry. "Shouldn¡¯t I have gotten one?" Junhyuk smiled bitterly. "Sorry. I didn¡¯t expect Kraken would die so easily." They had been able to demolish Kraken with the buff. Hatma¡¯s buffs were astonishing. They heard pping then, and turned to see Hatma still standing there. "You are still here?" "It was fun to watch." The sorcerer crossed his arms and said, "Thanks to you." "What?" Hatma, who was smiling mysteriously, raised his hand. "See youter," he said. The roots restrained Hatma again, and Junhyuk looked at Gongon and asked, "What did he mean?" "Not sure. But thanks to us, he was able to eat the things we got for him!" Junhyuk agreed. Thinking of it, the allies had gotten things for Hatma that weren¡¯t easy to get. Hatma awarded them with buffs, but maybe Hatma was getting stronger by eating the things they brought him. Junhyuk shrugged. "We won thanks to the buffs." Gongon was still murmuringints as he got on Junhyuk¡¯s neck, and Junhyuk looked at him. "Sarang isn¡¯t here. Give me a piggyback ride." Junhyuk asked the dragon, "Gon, can you fix Sarang¡¯smunication crystal as well?" "So that you can see her face?" "Right." Gongon shrugged and said, "It¡¯s not that hard." The dragon rested his chin on Junhyuk¡¯s head and asked, "What do we do now?" "I¡¯ll tell Sarang to go to Bebe. Meanwhile, we¡¯ll destroy the second bottom tower. There is a plenty of time." Gongon smiled. "OK. I need time to refill my candy stash."

 Chapter 316 So Cool 2

    They did not see any enemies while destroying the second tower. When they started heading to Bebe¡¯s, Junhyuk was still giving Gongon a piggyback ride. He had already told Sarang to meet them at the merchant. Junhyuk got there fast, and looked around the dimensional merchant¡¯s portal for enemies. He didn¡¯t spot anyone, so he went inside. Sarang had gotten there before them, and she was looking over wares. When Bebe saw Junhyuk and Gongon, he waved at them. "Come in." They walked toward the Yeti. Gongon stood on the counter and pulled out his equipment to sell so that Bebe could start appraising it. "Hm. You have some good stuff here." "Right?" Bebe started pricing each of them. The items were mostly bracelets, and Junhyuk was shocked by the prices he heard being called. "This is 300,000G. This is 250,000G. This is 350,000G, and I¡¯ll give you 500,000G for this one." Junhyuk interjected on the trade. "Can I see them as well?" Bebe shrugged and showed him the items, and Junhyuk took them to inspect. The dragons had made those items, and a lot of them had magical benefits. Junhyuk spotted something special, and Bebe had priced it at 250,000G. "This is 250,000G, right?" "Right," Bebe said matter-of-factly. Junhyuk turned to Gongon and asked, "Are you selling these for the other dragons?" "Correct." "How much money do you have?" he asked Sarang. "Me? About 300,000G." Then, Junhyuk asked Gongon, "Can you sell this one to Sarang?" "What?" "You can charge her 270,000G for it." Without thinking about it, Gongon said, "Since you are paying me more, I have no reason to refuse. Sure." The dragon looked at Sarang and added, "By the way, this item fits her well." Junhyuk gave her the bracelet and said, "Check this out. It¡¯s a nice fit for you." Sarang¡¯s eyes widened after inspecting it. "This is 270,000G?!" "There¡¯s no discount even if we¡¯re on the same team." She was willing to pay 270,000G for an item priced at 250,000G to sell, and Junhyuk wanted her to have the bracelet since it had some great boosts. It boosted electric attribute powers by 5 percent, and it also boosted health. She didn¡¯t have any items that increased her health, so this was a must for her. It was rather cheap since it only had two stat boosts, and Junhyuk was reminded of when she had bought the orb. Sarang was trading the bracelet with Gongon while Bebe watched, and the Yeti said, "Trading among champions isn¡¯t bad, but you shouldn¡¯t do it in front of me." Junhyuk felt bad, but he calmly said, "We didn¡¯t know the price. In any event, money will flow into your store." As everyone gathered gold, gold would eventually make its way to the merchant. That was the only ce to spend it. Looking at him, Bebe shrugged. "Do you want anything?" "Did you get any Pure Golden Knight set items?" "No." Junhyuk smacked his lips and asked, "Do you have any remaining Vampire Lord set item?" "Sure, I have them." Junhyuk¡¯s eyes beamed, and Bebe smiled. "When new legends are made, only champions can buy the items at first. But usually, champions don¡¯t have enough money." Junhyuk agreed. They cost around 2,000,000G each. Bebe shrugged and asked, "Do you need anything else?" After some thought, Junhyuk said, "Anders Tribe candy, I need ten." "Candy? You want candy?!" "I¡¯ll save them to eatter." Bebe said uncaringly, "It¡¯s your money. You don¡¯t have to give me any excuses." Junhyuk took ten pieces of Anders Tribe candy, and ced them inside his Spatial Bag. Bebe watched him, then turned to Sarang and Gongon. "OK. Are you going to sell me the rest?" he asked. Gongon nodded, and Bebe finalized the calctions. "A total of 1,150,000G." Gongon often made between 1,000,000G to 2,000,000G, and Junhyuk felt very inadequate. He was already making an iparable amount of money to before and he had even bought ten pieces of candy. Gongon made his own calctions and said, "Give me 500,000G worth of Anders Tribe candy, and do you have any Kali set items?" "I have a ring. Are you buying it?" Gongon nodded and purchased it. Gongon had tiny wed arms, and one of his thick ws now had a ring around it. He looked very cute. "Ah!" Sarang hugged him, and Gongon hit her hands with his tail. "I¡¯m still trading." Gongon was buying a lot of candy, and it would take a while. Bebe dumped the candy into Gongon¡¯s Spatial Bag and said, "OK. Do you need anything else?" "No." Junhyuk looked at the group. Sarang didn¡¯t have anything to trade, and he had only bought ten pieces of candy, but he would buy other things next time. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t earn as much money in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield since he only got 3,000G per enemy he killed, so he couldn¡¯t buy a 2,000,000G item. However, the reward this time would be a gold bag, and he didn¡¯t know how much he would get. Gongon asked, "What do we do now?" "We can force ourselves forward." Junhyuk had to protect Sarang, but they had enough strength to bring the enemy castle down as long as she didn¡¯t die meaninglessly. "Let¡¯s go to the enemy castle." The allies picked up the pace. They were stronger than during their previous team battle and they wanted to keep things going. At first, the difference had been small, but allied advantage was snowballing, so they had to continue. Once they got to the front of the castle, they saw Kraken and Nid at the gate. Kilraden was standing on the castle¡¯s parapet. The enemies had a n of their own for the team battle. They meant to use the archers up on the wall, but the archers wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference. The allies could attack from long range, and they could kill Nid with the flick of a finger. Nid kept shaking constantly, trying to avoid any critical hits, and Junhyukughed at him. He wouldn¡¯t be able to shake like that during the battle, so Junhyuk gripped the Blood Rune Sword tightly and looked at the allies. "Let¡¯s start." "I don¡¯t want to wait. Let¡¯s go now!" Gongon said excitedly, and Junhyuk smiled and started running. Kilraden was still on the castle¡¯s parapet, but Kilraden could teleport, so the allies had to be careful of him. Junhyuk had taken the lead, and Gongon had followed him, but suddenly, Gongon started running ahead of him. Junhyuk didn¡¯t have a chance to ask about Gongon¡¯s new item, and the set bonuses were usually massive boosts. Junhyuk looked at Sarang. She was preparing to cast Thunderstorm. He turned to Nid. The elidra¡¯s powers had a lot of utility. He could rush and stun. While running toward them, Nid was still shaking his head. Nid was very aware of Junhyuk, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t care. He inhaled deeply and elerated. Time passed slowly, and he saw Nid shaking his head in slow motion. Junhyuk elerated even more, and Nid started moving like a turtle. That¡¯s when he used the Spatial sh on the champion. "Ugh!" Nid had been shaking his head, but the sword prated his neck all the same, and Nid lost 55 percent of his health all at once. However, he was still running. Nid started to spin, and Gongon ran toward him. Gongon had transformed, and he wanted to finish the fight. Boom! Gongon¡¯s headbutt normally dealt heavy damage to Kraken, so with a single hit, Nid started fading. Junhyuk looked around... [Gongon killed Nid.] ... but Kilraden was not there. Junhyuk had set Sarang in front of him and said, "The Thunderstorm might not work on Kilraden, so use it on Kraken." "Sure." Junhyuk thought Kraken woulde after him. Gongon ran toward Kraken, but Kraken headbutted the hatchling first. The dragon couldn¡¯t stop Kraken with his two short arms and got pushed back. Kraken then grabbed the jettisoned Gongon and threw him in the opposite direction. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t raised the force field, so Kraken threw Gongon toward the castle wall. He hadn¡¯t had time and he whispered softly, "I must rescue Gongon." Sarang ran forward, and he followed her lead. They couldn¡¯t see Kilraden, so he had to be hiding. The champion could show up at any time, but where and when would he? Kilraden appeared right in front of Sarang and tried to stab her neck. Junhyuk had been expecting him from behind, so there was nothing he could do about the first hit, but he raised the force field around her immediately after. Kilraden bounced off, and she cast an electric st. Kilraden tried to teleport, but the electric st was so fast that it hit just before he could. Then, Sarang pointed her orb forward. She was furious and she wouldn¡¯t let Kilraden live. Craaaack! The lightning bolts hit the champion, and Kilraden lost a lot of his health. Then, Sarang touched her ring once and pointed her orb forward again. Craaaack! A Thunderstormbo. She had cast it twice in a row, and Kilraden faded. [Sarang killed Kilraden.] Junhyuk remembered the ring¡¯s power. She could only use it once a day, but how many champions would be able to withstand two Thunderstorms? Even heroes couldn¡¯t survive her attack. Junhyuk grabbed her and teleported. Sarang was breathing heavily from anger, and as she stood in front of Kraken, she pointed her orb forward. Kraken had watched Sarang pulverize Kilraden, and now, scared, he couldn¡¯t move. But, she was pointing her orb for a different reason. From the sky, light green powder fell on her, Gongon and Junhyuk, and they all recovered their healths. Sarang had 86 percent of her health now, and the allies would win for sure. Gongon ran toward Kraken and shouted, "You are so dead now!"

 Chapter 317 So Cool 3

    Gongon was very strong when transformed, and Kraken knew that. The champion thought it was about to die at any moment, so it spit out the ck ink toward Gongon. The hatchling was not inside the force field. He grinded his teeth in anger after getting hit, but Kraken was already running away to the gate. Junhyuk was watching Kraken, so he teleported, closing in on the champion. Then, he swung his sword against the octopus¡¯ tentacles. The sword pierced one and stuck it to the ground. Kraken red at him and tried to pull the tentacle free. It split in half, but Kraken ignored the pain and continued running. Sarang kept on shooting electric arrows at Kraken. They weren¡¯t doing much damage, but Kraken was constantly losing health, little by little. Kraken entered the castle, and Junhyukunched his sword, but it bounced back. "Hm. Is it the castle¡¯s force field?" The gate wasn¡¯t usually covered by a force field, but he looked at Gongon and said, "I¡¯ll deal with the minions. You attack the gate!" "OK!" The minions were all lizardmen, and Junhyuk ran toward them. Gongon was attacking the gate, and Sarang still had the force field around her. Junhyuk stabbed a lizardman with his sword and lifted him up, blocking the archers with the body. He kept on swinging his second sword against the lizardmening toward him. Red shockwaves appeared with every strike, and they quickly decreased the number of minions. If no champions stepped in, dealing with the minions would be a simple matter of time. Junhyuk killed all of them without ever facing an arrow from the castle. Then, he turned to look to see why and saw Sarang attacking the archers with her electric arrows. Thest archer fell and died, and he joined Gongon in pounding on the gate. The force field surrounding the gate was destroyed, and when Junhyuk entered the castle he saw Kraken standing far away. The other champions hadn¡¯t revived yet, so now was their chance. "Let¡¯s push forward." Gongon was untransformed, but he ran ahead ferociously. Junhyuk followed and said, "I¡¯ll lure the giant golem. Let¡¯s work together to kill it." Gongon smiled. "That¡¯s a nice n." Junhyuk returned the smile and used the Spatial sh on the golem. The Spatial sh created a shockwave that swept through Kraken, but it was only coteral damage. Gongon ran in first, and Sarang followed him. Both of them bad memories of Kraken. Junhyuk thought the two would get the job done, so he headed toward the giant golem. The golem raised its food, and Junhyuk triggered eleration to dodge it. As he ran, he quickly dove to the side. It was hard on his body, but it was better than getting stepped on by the golem. He rolled to diminish the impact of the momentum and shed the golem with the Frozen Rune Sword, distancing himself from it right after. His own movement speed was originally faster than the golem¡¯s. On top of that, he debuffed the golem. Junhyuk looked around and saw Gongon and Sarang pushing Kraken around. The octopus might retreat to the castle¡¯s force field, but at that moment, the two were handling it. Gongon was a bnced half-tank, and Sarang has amazing utility. Theirbined attacks were superior to Kraken¡¯s. Junhyuk turned to the golem. An assessment of the situation told him that the golem was a type of A-ranked monster, perhaps even a little stronger than that. It wasn¡¯t fast, but it had enormous strength. Heroes had a hard time fighting golems by themselves, and many had to attack a golem as a group. But he had also seen a hero with a long-range attack kill two giant golems. "I have experience with A-ranked monster." The giant golem was looking away from him, so he ran fast toward it. It would be problematic if the golem went to help out Kraken, so he ran toward it and shed the golem¡¯s Achilles tendon with the Frozen Rune Sword. The golem was debuffed again, and it turned, trying to punch him. Junhyuk would have parried the punch, but the golem¡¯s movements were so slow that he simply dodged it. Then, he thought of something. I can elerate on Earth normally, but here there¡¯s only a perceptive effect. But what about enhancement? Junhyuk focused on his sword. The living spirit went through it quickly, leaving only a trace of force behind before returning. The golem attacked him again, and Junhyuk dodged and frowned. The spirit¡¯s force was gathering on the sword, but there was no mana attached to it. "Won¡¯t it work?" After gathering force like usual, he attacked the golem¡¯s leg with it. Boom! The giant golem¡¯s leg was smashed through as if it had been hit by a hammer. The injury wasn¡¯t a sh, but a smash instead. He knew that the damage dealt hadn¡¯t increased, but enhancement effect yield a different type of attack and injury. He could shut down the golem with that. The Spatial sh created ring-like shockwaves, but when he used it with his fist, the shockwave was almost spherical. If he could use the single-point explosion with the Spatial sh, the attack would bepletely different. Arn could not do what he had done just now, and he smiled at that. The golem attacked him again, and he rolled away while smiling. As he got up, he looked at the giant golem. He dodged the giant golem¡¯s kick, stepped on the golem¡¯s knee and jumped. Reaching over the golem¡¯s shoulders, he swung his sword at one of them. Craaack! Golem¡¯s shoulder was destroyed, and the golem swung its fists at Junhyuk. Junhyuk stepped on the golem¡¯s back andnded on the ground. The giant golem turned, and Junhyuk gathered the force on his sword for the single-point explosion. Because there was no mana, he couldn¡¯t see it, but when he attacked, his attack was different. After looking at the golem, Junhyuk scoped out the battlefield. Kraken was trying his best to get inside the castle¡¯s force field, and Gongon was biting the octopus. Sarang was shooting electric arrows at it. Kraken only had 10 percent of its health left, and the allies would soon use their powers on the champion. Junhyuk was murmuring to himself that it would be over soon when he saw a shadow rushing toward the allies. "Watch out!" he shouted, but Nid came out fast. Nid had rushed out of the castle¡¯s force field, and after hitting Gongon, he spun toward Sarang. Gongon had already been damaged, so Junhyuk raised the force field around Sarang. ng! Nid bounced off the force field. Meanwhile, Kraken ran toward the castle¡¯s force field. Suddenly, the golem kicked Junhyuk. He didn¡¯t have time to escape, but he blocked it with his swords. ng! Junhyuk was bounced back rolling, and that¡¯s when he learned something else. Because his defense had gone up, the attack hurt less than before. The giant golems at the Champions¡¯ Battlefield were weaker than those at the DImensional Battlefield, so Junhyuk could kill it as long as he remained focused. He distanced himself from the golem and analyzed the situation. Gongon and Sarang had lost Kraken, but they were now holding on to Nid. The champion felt that it was dangerous to deal with them alone, so he was also trying to get back into the force field. Nid was avoiding the fight and trying to escape, and Junhyuk sighed while watching him. "Let him go! Destroy the castle¡¯s force field." The allies were protected by Junhyuk¡¯s force field, so they wouldn¡¯t be in danger. Therefore, they should¡¯ve ignored the enemy and pounded to the castle¡¯s force field. After Junhyuk told them what needed to be done, he turned to face the golem. They had to work fast to win. He gathered the force on his sword one more time and looked at the golem. His own health was low, but a Spatial sh would fill it up, so Junhyuk circled the golem until he felt it was off cooldown and used it. Boom! The Spatial sh carried the single-point explosion with it, and it worked like a hammer against the golem. When dealing with champions, shing and piercing attacks were effective, but blunt attacks worked better against golems. The shockwave from it was also sphere-like. Partially destroyed, the golem staggered, and Junhyuk ran toward it. The golem swung his remaining left arm at him, but he dodged it easily. Junhyuk attacked the golem¡¯s left arm, slicing it at the shoulder. As the golem tried to kick him, he gathered the force around his sword again. This time, he used the single-point explosion against the golem¡¯s stomach. There was a heavy impact, and the golem crumbled to the ground. It had taken a while, but he had dealt with it alone. He sighed and looked at the allies. They were pounding against the castle¡¯s force field, and his own force field had disappeared. Inside the the castle¡¯s force field, Junhyuk saw the enemy champions gathered. They were thinking. Were they going to go out or give up the round? The enemies felt like they had already lost that round. The giant golem had been destroyed, so one of them would have to stay with the force field to protect it. The castle¡¯s force field was almost entirely gone as well, so victory had been decided. Should they give up or fight until the end? Junhyuk was curious about what the enemies were thinking. Kilraden had revived, so he had to protect Sarang against the champion. Her health had increased, but she would still die if she was attacking twice by him. Kraken came out first and headbutted Gongon. After Gongon got pushed back, Kraken followed up by spew ck ink over him and Sarang. The two were blinded, so there was no time for Junhyuk to hesitate. He teleported and joined the others. Kilraden had alsoe out, but he disappeared as soon as he did. Junhyuk touched the allies and teleported. He had distanced them from Kilraden, but he was still worried. His own teleportation could cover a longer distance than Kilraden¡¯s, but Kilraden had one more teleportation than him in total. Thinking, he hugged Gongon and Sarang. He needed more time. Meanwhile, Kilraden showed up and disappeared again, so Junhyuk used his jump skill. He jumped over their enemies, heading toward the castle¡¯s force field. He wasn¡¯t interested in fighting. Instead, he wanted to bring the castle down, so he shouted, "Pound the force field!" Gongon and Sarang started pounding, and Junhyuk watched as their enemies ran toward them. Kraken, Nid, and Kilraden. The heroes had recognized those champions powers. Considering their powers and equipment, they were certainly most dangerous enemies, but the allies were superior to them. Junhyuk aimed his sword at his enemies and said, "You lost!" As he did, the castle¡¯s force field was destroyed. Victory belonged to the allies. Junhyuk didn¡¯t know what the odds were for the bets, but with Sarang, they had won again. If Arn¡¯s group had bet on they, they would have earned some gold. Junhyuk ignored the disappeared enemies and looked at Gongon instead. "We¡¯ve won." Gongon smiled at him. "See you next time." "Right." Junhyuk waved, and Gongon faded. Sarang also faded, and he saw bright white lights covering him. He opened his eyes slowly to find himself in thepletely white room. In front of him, there was a square box. He looked at it and exhaled deeply. [This is the Swamp of Despair¡¯s victory reward. Check it out.] Thinking about the reward, he put his hand one the box. Square box suddenly opened up and lights shot out of it. [Victory Reward: Randomized Gold Bag. Touch it.] His heart was racing, and he reached for the bag.

 Chapter 318 Monster Area 1

    A bright light shone on the gold coins, and the light flew toward Junhyuk. He took the bright light in calmly and smiled. He didn¡¯t know the amount yet, but he had a good feeling, and considering that satisfied feeling, the amount had to be high. Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened as he heard a soft voice. [You gained 7,770,000G from the randomized gold bag.] Up to that point, rewards from the Champions¡¯ Battlefield had fallen between 100,000G and 300,000G. This time, he made over twenty times that amount. Satisfied, he smiled. Bybining the amount he had just gained with what he already had, he would be able to buy at least four items from the Vampire Lord¡¯s set. He closed his eyes, and the pure white light pounded against them. When he opened them again, he was at the training facility. He was curious about how much gold the others had gained, and they had to have thought the same thing since two faced appeared in front of him, Gongon¡¯s and Sarang¡¯s. Junhyuk shook his head. "How can I see you both at the same time?" Gongon answered nonchntly, "I turned the visualmunication into a group chat. That way, we can talk as a team." Junhyuk nodded and asked, "How much money did you gain?" Gongon grimaced and answered, "I thought it would be so cool, but it was so bad. I only got 170,000G." That was the amount they earned on average, and Junhyuk smiled at the fact that he had earned more than the hatchling this time. Sarang shook her head and answered, "By the way, am I the only one who can see the projections?" "Only the owner of the orb can see them. Othes, who don¡¯t know better, will think that you are talking to the air or to yourself." Sarang chuckled and answered, "I got 770,000G." Gongon¡¯s eyes widened and he said, "What? That much?" After listening to them both, Junhyuk smiled with victorious satisfaction. "I got 7,770,000G." Sarang and Gongon stared at him and both shook their head. "That¡¯s a huge give away. They shouldn¡¯t have given you so much." "Unless they stole my luck, it¡¯s impossible." Wasn¡¯t a dragon already lucky to be born as a dragon? "Next time, I¡¯ll be able to afford some new equipment," Junhyuk said nonchntly. He didn¡¯t know the effects of the Vampire Lord set, but he would get four of those items. Only champions would be able to purchase them before the start of the season, and among the champions, he had the money for them. As long as items of the new set didn¡¯t ovep with the ones he owned for the Pure Golden Knight set, he would be able to get multiple set boosts, and he would be much stronger than ever before. Gongon shrugged. "That much moneyes and goes, so I don¡¯t care. You¡¯ll be able to get new items, and that¡¯ll help us." Gongon had a positive outlook, and that was nice. Junhyuk looked at them both and said, "You worked hard. See you next time." "Right, I need to train some more." Dragons already had very high basic stats, but Gongon was extremely proud, so he pushed himself even more. If Gongon ever became a hero, Junhyuk wanted to fight alongside him. Gongon disappeared, but Sarang was still looking at him. "Big brother. So... we¡¯ll have to go back in two weeks?" "That¡¯s right. The Champions¡¯ Battlefield happens every two weeks." In the new season, one of the two would have to fight with a new group. It was paramount that whoever changed teams met good heroes, and Junhyuk thought of training harder with her until then. "Rest for a while." Junhyuk cutmunications and looked ahead. A monster would appear soon. He was expecting a B-ranked monster, but when one showed up, it was an A-ranked monster, a Wolf Warlord. Junhyuk inhaled deeply. "Should I be happy?" He had to deal with the monster within five minutes, and it seemed like the Dimensional Battlefield management had recognized his skills. He wasn¡¯t sure if he should be d about that though. Summoning his swords, he said, "I will fight." He had learned many things from fighting the giant golem and he could trigger eleration on Earth. Junhyuk and Sarang had fought the Wolf Warlord together before, and he had learned from that as well. He attacked the Wolf Warlord. --- It was the first peaceful Friday since the abnormal narcolepsy cases began. In the second week, people realized that the illness was not happening and were d about it. Junhyuk finished fighting the A-ranked monster, took a shower and had a cold beer while watching TV. The new coverage was entirely devoted to that Friday¡¯sck of abnormal narcolepsy cases. Only those who had fought against legend candidates knew of the real reason. When Junhyuk emptied the beer can, he threw it in the trash, exhaled heavily and murmured, "This won¡¯t end so easily." They would create monster areas, and the world would find itself in a more difficult situation. People didn¡¯t know about it, but the monster invasion would continue until human heroes appeared. Junhyuk looked at his hand. The living spirit was moving fast. It travelled to the tip of his fingers and returned to his body, but it left a little force on his fingertips. It repeated the process, leaving enough force on his fingertips to trigger the single-point explosion. Junhyuk concentrated mana on his fingertip and balled his hand into a fist. "I will make the living spirit my own." He absorbed mana continuously. Now, he was training the single-point explosion. He pressured the living spirit and elerated it. He was trying tobine both abilities, the single-point explosion and the eleration. The Wolf Warlord was very fast, and it was not easy to hit a critical against it. He had used the Spatial sh on it, but that had its limits. So, he wanted tobine the two abilities into one. Once he seeded, he would be able to kill the Wolf Warlord without the use of his powers. "If I get new equipment, I¡¯ll be able to kill the Warlord more easily." Junhyuk had a lot of gold, and if he spent it wisely, A-ranked monster would be a lot easier to deal with. After thinking of something, he smiled bitterly. "They wouldn¡¯t send S-ranked monsters, would they?" Buff monsters were A-ranked monsters, but S-ranked monsters also existed. Five heroes had had to fight against it a the same time, the dragon. Junhyuk believed that management wouldn¡¯t send one to his training facility. Even a single hero couldn¡¯t deal with a dragon. Junhyuk realized he was wasting time thinking about it and got up. "Should I pass on the shell of the ten-thousand-year-old centipede?" If they researched the centipede¡¯s shell, their level of biological engineering would advance tremendously. Junhyuk had had a hard time slicing the shell, and he thought it would revolutionize the world. He was in his living room when he started cutting smaller pieces of it. He didn¡¯t want to give it up, at least not all of it. Just enough to spark the research. He sliced a meter square of it. After that, he started thinking. If he were to give it to Elise, research on it would be faster, but... "We¡¯ll research it ourselves." Junhyuk ced the square inside of his Spatial Bag and walked out. If he could make armor out of the centipede¡¯s shell, it would work beautifully at the Dimensional Battlefield. He drove to Guro District, where theb was located. The facade said it was a researchb for a biological engineeringpany, but in fact, theb¡¯s main focus was monster bodies. The construction was ongoing, but theb was already at work. Tirot couldn¡¯t do the research alone, and Junhyuk wanted to to hire more people willing to sign the non-disclosure agreement. He entered and saw Tirot slicing an ogre¡¯s muscle, researching its sticity. The twin-headedogre¡¯s muscles could be used to create strength boosts at the Dimensional Battlefield. Would they be able to make equipment from the bodies? Would that equipment work in the Dimensional Battlefield? Junhyuk thought about making an ogre gauntlet, one that boosted strength, but he couldn¡¯t mass produce it due to the low number of bodies. Novices were bing experts and champions, and they could find equipment on Earth. Now that A-ranked monsters were appearing, he wouldn¡¯te across a twin-headed ogre unless he met it at the Dimensional Battlefield. Ogres were of no use now, but the bodies of A-ranked monsters had their own special effects. He could earn gold from those, and if he could manufacture items with their quality, he could sell those to Bebe. Junhyuk would no longer be jealous of Gongon. He was doing better than the hatchling since he was fighting A-ranked monsters twice per day, which appeared every five minutes for two hours. He had been gathering the bodies, but he needed arger storage space. Junhyuk was also thinking about moving theb to a more secluded ce, to a province somewhere where factories were located. He walked over to Tirot. "Any results?" Tirot looked at him and smiled. "No animals we know on Earth have qualities like these. If we made this public, many people would want to research it." Junhyuk nodded in agreement. "We¡¯ll get people who you¡¯ll be able to count on. You can¡¯t do this job alone, and you need more researchers." "Is that possible?" Tirot had dark circles under his eyes, and Junhyuk wanted to talk to him about hiring more people. "Skill is important, but secrecy is more important. Right now, only Guardians is allowed to research monsters." Officially, only Guardians was allowed to research monster, but each country probably carried out research of its own. China had already made known its intention of expelling the Guardians¡¯ branch manager from the country. Junhyuk put his hand on his chest. "I came here today for this." He pulled out the meter square of centipede¡¯s shell. Tirot looked at it and asked, "What is this?" Junhyuk answered calmly, "Something with unimaginable durability. I don¡¯t even know how to cut it. If you can do it, that¡¯ll be nice. I won¡¯t be stingy in my support, so find a way to mass produce it." "Sure!" Tirot was d to have the new project, and Junhyuk continued, "Considering the event at Yongsan, more monsters will appear. And there may be a new industry based on cadavers that grows from that. We must stay a step ahead of them. We need results." Tirot¡¯s eyes beamed. "I am funded well here, so I¡¯ll show you results." "I¡¯m looking forward to it." He patted Tirot¡¯s shoulder and walked out. The world was experiencing change, and only those who were prepared would get what they wanted from that change.

 Chapter 319 Monster Area 2

    When Junhyuk went into the training facility with Sarang, they were faced with two A-ranked monsters. He was already used to dealing with the Wolf Warlord, but now there were two of them, and the danger level went way up. Junhyuk had to use all of his powers to kill the monsters within the given time since the danger level was so high, but he managed to kill them both in the end. He had learned how to kill Wolf Warlords, but they still weren¡¯t easy opponents. He hunted for two hours and, breathing roughly, he looked at Sarang. "Are you OK?" "I¡¯m fine. By the way, they only added an extra one, but it¡¯s so much tougher." Junhyuk nodded in agreement, looking ahead. The two of them had high-ranking powers with great utility. With an absolute defense force field and long range critical attacks, they were able to stop their opponents. The Thunderstorm/Spatial shbo had finished the A-ranked monsters off. Junhyuk wondered if the A-ranked monsters were the same as those in the Dimensional Battlefield. If so, howe heroes had so much trouble dealing with them? So, he came to the conclusion that they were different. "Did they decrease the monsters¡¯ power level?" he murmured, and Sarang shook her head. "But they are certainly stronger than B-ranked monster." "Right. That¡¯s right..." Junhyuk had thought that even heroes couldn¡¯t deal with two A-ranked monsters. Heroes did have powers beyond imagination, but so did A-ranked monsters. He decided not to think too hard about it and shook his head, turning to her. "Shall we go out?" "Not yet. I want to train with mana." "Then, let¡¯s train some more." Sarang started focusing and absorbing mana into her mana circle, while Junhyuk trained with the living spirit. The spirit was consuming mana on its own, and growing by the day. Unlike in the Dimensional Battlefield, the living spirit wasn¡¯t consuming all the avable mana, but it was still feeding. Junhyuk had to make the living spirit his own. He had to learn how to use eleration and enhancement at the same time. That was the aim of his training. He still couldn¡¯t do it, but he had learned something new. The eleration had be even faster, and he could trigger the single-point explosion quicker as well. However, he still couldn¡¯tpletely control both, so he still couldn¡¯t call them his. Junhyuk thought he was making strides in his advancement. When he saw Sarang open her eyes, he stopped. "Let¡¯s go back." He took her hand and exited. In the bathroom, he let her shower first and went outside. Momentster, she came out, and he showered. When he came out, he saw Sarang watching TV. When he looked at what she was watching, he frowned. The TV was showing footage of a dimensional tear, and it wasn¡¯t just one or two. There were dimensional tears all over the world. Junhyuk wanted to find out more, so he grabbed his phone. While he¡¯d been training, he had gotten over twenty calls, so he called Elise first. "Where were you? Why did you not pick up?" her voice came through exasperated. "Is there a dimensional tear in South Korea?" "No, none in South Korea yet." Relieved, he asked, "By the way, didn¡¯t they stop the poring-power research?" "These dimensional tears happened naturally." "Naturally?!" Last time, the dimensional tear had appeared because of someone¡¯s power. It would be nearly impossible for someone with simr powers to appear again. So, why were there tears? Thinking, he said, "I¡¯ll call you back." Junhyuk hung up and shouted, "Agenchra!" He wanted to know more about what was happening, so he tried summoning Agenchra. Perhaps, the members of the management teams were thinking different things, and he wanted to make sure. There was no response, so Junhyuk called him again, "Agenchra!" Suddenly, everything around him stopped. He knew they stopped time before appearing, so he waited. From the empty air, the manager appeared. Agenchra cocked his fedora toward him and bowed. "Were you looking for me?" "I have a mountain of questions, but I want to ask you about the dimensional tears first." Agenchra smiled awkwardly. His face was covered by bandages, so Junhyuk was surprised that he could look awkward. "I¡¯m not sure. That¡¯s not my expertise." "The previous dimensional tear was created by a person infected by a poring, but I don¡¯t see how there could be so many of them now." Agenchra looked at him calmly and said, "Honestly, porings were created by the monster administration team. I also have information on infected people. The mechanism behind how to make dimensional tears are nowmon knowledge, so they went ahead and just made the monster areas." "Then, they can make tears anywhere at anytime?" Agenchra shook his head. "There should be a hundred monster areas around the world right now. However, to make dimensional tears, they have to make cores, and making cores takes time. For the time being, there won¡¯t be any additional tears." Junhyuk scowled. "Even if they make monster areas, they won¡¯t get more novices." "Correct. But these areas will be training grounds for novices to be experts, champions and heroes." "You call it a training ground, but I¡¯ve been inside a tear. No one cane out of that safely." "Only the strong will survive." Junhyuk stared at Agenchra. He had forgotten. Management was willing to waste an entire dimension to make an experiment. They only cared about producing heroes. They didn¡¯t care at all about human dignity or the value of human lives. Junhyuk was furious. "You people do whatever you want..." Agenchra did not answer, and Junhyuk stared him down. "The monster areas will berger, is that right?" "Correct." "Then, someone has to destroy them." "Are you going to do it yourself?" He couldn¡¯t answer that question. If a dimensional tear appeared in South Korea, he would destroy it, but tears were appearing in other countries. He could step in right now, but he had to get stronger first. He didn¡¯t care about whether he could be a hero, but he wanted to wait until the next Champions¡¯ Battlefield, when he would be able to get new equipment, at least. With new equipment, he could destroy the tears. As far as escaping their copse, he would worry about thatter. He had heard enough about monster areas. Now, he had toe up with ways to deal with them. "OK. About the A-ranked monsters in my training facility, are they weaker than normal?" Agenchra¡¯s eyes widened. "How did you find out?" "I didn¡¯t notice when there was just one, but since you started sending two, I figured it out." Even heroes would have problems dealing with two A-ranked monsters. If champions were able to deal with them, then they had to be weaker than normal. Agenchra said calmly, "These are restrained A-ranked monsters. When you are ready, you¡¯ll encounter them at full power." At that moment, Junhyuk realized that he was still weak. His items had gotten better, but his basic stats were still weaker than a hero¡¯s. After thinking of something, Junhyuk asked, "Since monster areas have appeared, will monsters stop showing up outside of them?" Agenchra shook his head and said, "No. Even more monsters will appear at different ces." "Why?" "More novices will activate powers, and we will weed them out." Closing his eyes, Junhyuk said, "I understand. You may go." Agenchra took off his fedora and bowed. "I¡¯ll see you next time." Junhyuk did not want to see Agenchra again. After Agenchra went away, time started moving again, and he felt Sarang staring at him. "Big brother, did you call on Agenchra?" "How did you know?" "You called out his name twice." Junhyuk realized then that she hadn¡¯t seen him. "I must go see Elise." "About the dimensional tears?" "Right." Sarang watched monsters pouring out the dimensional tears, wreaking havoc in the cities. Most monster areas were being built within metropolises. "Should we stop that?" Junhyuk tapped her head and said, "We need better equipment, or we¡¯ll die. So, let¡¯s think about that after the next battlefield." "Sure," she said, nodding. He caressed her head and asked, "What do you want to do now?" "I want to rest here for a while. You go." "OK. Don¡¯t forget to lock the door when you leave." Junhyuk left her there. As he drove to Elise, he called her. She wouldn¡¯t be able to leave work with all the tears showing up, so he went to Guardians. Elise had already told security that Junhyuk wasing, so he was able to go inside. He went to herb and saw Zaira showing footage of the tears in many different screens. There were a lot of other women in theb as well. The monsters were pouring out of the tears and eating people. He looked at the feed and said, "Are there a hundred?" Elise nodded. "That¡¯s right. A hundred. How did you know?" Without answering, Junhyuk looked at Eunseo next to Elise. "What are you going to do now?" "We¡¯ll divide the monster areas into districts. The army will be stationed outside of those districts." Junhyuk answered, "Only powered people can deal with the tears." Eunseo and Elise stared at him, but he shook his head nonchntly. "I can¡¯t do it." "What if we make a way into them?" "You can¡¯t." The tears were expelling B-ranked monsters, so there would be A-ranked monsters waiting inside. It would be extremely difficult for anyone to make their way in. "Then, what can we do?" Eunseo asked. Junhyuk frowned. "We should scope out the areas and make teams to attack them. Teams of powered people." "But even they can¡¯t do much once they use their powers." Junhyuk said, "They need equipment." "Can they deal with these monsters?" He knew the task wouldn¡¯t be easy. So, he pulled out the stuff he had wanted to give Elise from his Spatial Bag: Wolf Warlords¡¯ ws and hides. Junhyuk had been waiting for Tirot toe up with use for those, but he couldn¡¯t wait any longer. Elise took them with beaming eyes. "New monster parts!" "Use these to make equipment for powered people." Junhyuk had thought about revolutionizing the world with them, but he couldn¡¯t wait any more. The revolution hade to him first. Elise nodded. "I¡¯ll use these to make weapons and armor, but I still need the bodies." "I have plenty of those, but they won¡¯t be free." Eunseo interjected, "Of course. We¡¯ll pay you handsomely." He looked at Eunseo and said, "They¡¯ll weed out novices. Some novices may survive and be experts, but unless we make teams out of them, they won¡¯t be of much use. Guardians must step in." Eunseo fixed her sses and said, "I will do my best." Junhyuk looked at the monitors. A hundred monster areas. They were mountains that humanity had to climb.

 Chapter 320 Monster Area 3

    Junhyuk left Elise and Eunseo and went to see Sungtae on his way home. He wanted to tell Tirot to submit a budget proposal and he also wanted to talk to Sungtae. With Max¡¯s mask on, Sungtae greeted him, and they went into Ganesha¡¯s control room. "Ganesha, I need information on monster areas," he said calmly. [Do you mean the information that¡¯s been gathered so far?] "Right. Can you delve deeper than the news?" [Of course.] He could have asked Elise, but he didn¡¯t want to be a burden to her, so he told Ganesha to do it instead. If there were any problems with the monster areas, he would know right away. Junhyuk hoped the areas wouldn¡¯t grow too fast, and he turned to Sungtae. "With the appearance of monster areas, the world will experience a revolution." "I know." Sungtae knew this event was revolutionary. Dimensional tears had appeared all over the world, and armies were in ce to blockade them, but those armies were unable to go inside the tears. The monsters remained within a certain limit. "To deal with these monsters, Tirot¡¯s Bioengineering Lab has to work properly." "We aren¡¯t making iron soldiers?" "No. The iron soldiers have limitations." While dealing with dimensional tears, the iron soldiers had shown their limitations. Their weapons were limited by thews of physics. However, powered people broke thews of physics. In the end, they would fight with objects made out of monster bodies rather than use iron soldiers. "So, let¡¯s make the necessary equipment. We should register the Bioengineering Lab and make the resulting equipment official. What do you think?" Brian could get them the stuff that they needed, but within secrecy, Brian had his own limit. Sungtae took a moment to think and said, "That¡¯s possible, but Brian won¡¯t like it so much." "Don¡¯t worry too much about it." "OK." He continued calmly, "I will move the Bioengineering Lab to a ce not far from here." "The building¡¯s inner construction is not done yet." "Even if it takes more time, we will move theb. It is too small now." They had bought a nearby building and started construction, but the building could only grow so much. Junhyuk wanted to increase the space, so it would be best to move theb to a nearby province and get argerb. "It won¡¯t be difficult to get arger space, but construction will take time." "If possible, we¡¯ll do it fast. We also need a bigger security team." A single security team was enough for now, but when he moved theb to the Gyunggi province, he would need more security. Sungtae nodded in agreement. "I¡¯ll ready that myself and make reports on the progress." "Do it." When Junhyuk finished talking to Sungtae, he went over to Max¡¯s building. Sora was staying in that ce, and it wasn¡¯t hard to find her. She was in the private training facility, where she could use her massive speed at will, swinging a sword. As Junhyuk watched her, he clicked his tongue. She didn¡¯t have any special attacks or powers, so she was probably having a hard time picking up equipment from enemy heroes. She had to work diligently to get herself equipment and she might have to purchase Bebe¡¯s basic equipment like he had. Her power would be enormous against ordinary humans, but she couldn¡¯t do much against people with their own equipment. Junhyuk walked over to her as she trained, and Sora put down her two-handed sword and gathered her breath, smiling at him. "You came!" He bowed slightly and said, "Let¡¯s have coffee together." Sora wiped her sweat with a towel. "Can I wash first?" "Sure. Come to roof garden when you are done." He got two cups of coffee from a vending machine and went to the garden on the roof, where he sat looking at the sky, rxed. Sora might have used her powers to get herself ready because she showed up only a momentter. Her hair was still wet, and she took a seat opposite of him. He gave her a cup of coffee and said, "You should have taken more time bathing!" "I¡¯ve formed a habit of doing things fast." She meant she used her power frequently, and he became curious of something. "Has your power evolved?" Sora smiled. "The active time has doubled!" Her power used tost for only one second, but now she could keep moving for two. That meant that the distance she covered had doubled as well. "That¡¯s nice!" Sora raised her arm. She was wearing the bracelet, and his eyes beamed. "I¡¯ve been wearing this while training. Whenever I use my power, I feel it absorbing mana, which is how my power finally evolved." Junhyuk already knew mana was good for the body, but he hadn¡¯t known that it would help in a power¡¯s evolution. Would everyone have a different way of generating mana? He came up with exnations of his own, but he couldn¡¯t reach a definitive answer. Her power had increased, and that was a good thing. "There are monster areas appearing all over the world, so countries will start gathering their own novices," he said. "To attack those monster areas?" Junhyuk shook his head. "They may be able to decrease the number of monsters within it, but they can¡¯t destroy them." If they sent people to destroy the tears, they wouldn¡¯t be able to escape unless someone was able to warp like that infected women could. "You may get other offers." Things were happening all over the world, and Guardians was also gathering novices. Guardians might want Sora to join thepany. Sora¡¯s eyes widened. "Do I have to go?" Junhyuk shook his head. "Dealing with monsters is a good way to train. When your life is in danger, you may activate other powers, but right now, it¡¯s too dangerous." "I feel confident that I can run away." "After you use your power, you¡¯ll be helpless." While she had greater health than normal people, she was still a novice. After some thought, she asked, "What should I do?" "I am making new equipment by using monster bodies. When the equipment is ready, you could wear it and go to a monster area." Sora¡¯s power was high-ranking even at the Dimensional Battlefield, so she should train within monster areas. However, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t let her go practically naked. It would be like letting a baby swim in ake. Looking nervous, Sora nodded. "Sure, but I have a question." "What is it?" "When I be an expert, do I get better treatment?" He smiled at her. "I¡¯ll pay you three times more." Sora pumped her fists, and Junhyuk smiled and drank his coffee. "You¡¯ll still have to use the weapons they give you at the Dimensional Battlefield. You should prepare for bing an expert, so train with dual swords," he said. "Dual swords?" Junhyuk nodded, and Sora raised her two-handed sword. "This is good enough." She had been training with a two-handed sword for a long time, so it might be better that way. Nevertheless, she should have a nice one. Junhyuk had requested that Eunseo look for antiques, and if she found a two-handed sword, he would give it to Sora. "By the way, is the narcolepsy incident over?" Junhyuk shook his head. "No. Right now, the Dimensional Battlefield is in recess, but they¡¯ll call again." Sora grimaced, and Junhyuk continued, "This is a secret, so don¡¯t tell anyone." "Sure." He got up first and said, "Focus on your training. Sounds like you earn mana when you use your power. Use your power willfully to get more mana." "I will." They said goodbye, and Junhyuk walked out. He was heading to his house in Seoul when his phone rang. When he saw the number, his eyes widened. After Junhyuk had moved to Seoul, he hadn¡¯t seen Jeffrey, so he picked up the phone. "Long time, no see." "You didn¡¯t tell me you were moving!" "I haven¡¯t really moved. I¡¯m still looking for a house. What¡¯s up?" Jeffrey was silent for a moment before saying, "I have a chance to get stronger. Can you help?" "What do you mean?" "The monster areas have monsters that are stronger than the ones I possess. I want to capture some." Junhyuk smiled bitterly. Because he didn¡¯t fully trust Jeffrey yet, he hadn¡¯t invited him to his training facility. But now, those monsters had appeared in the wild. The monster areas were filled with B-ranked monsters, while A-ranked monsters stayed within the dimensional tears. Jeffrey wanted to tame some. B-ranked monsters would be able to attack heroes. Junhyuk refused Jeffrey. "I¡¯ll help you in South Korea, but I won¡¯t go abroad." "Whew... OK." "What are you going to do?" "I¡¯ll ask Doyeol. The army can capture some monsters." Jeffrey wanted to tame monsters without going to the monster areas. There was a lot of danger in going straight there, but Jeffrey could summon up to three monsters. "Be careful. Don¡¯t die outside of the Dimensional Battlefield." "Are you worried about me?" "I am. Be careful." Jeffrey was an expert, so he wouldn¡¯t get killed easily. On top of that, his equipment focused on defense. Junhyuk hung up the phone. "If Jeffrey can summon three B-ranked monsters, he will be much stronger." He knew Jeffrey was strong, but after meeting Lujet, he stopped thinking that summoning was a weak power. Lujet was called a Vampire Lord, and he was able to summon a demon far more powerful than Junhyuk could have imagined possible. It was a power of the absolute highest rank. Thinking about Lujet, Junhyuk shook his head. "I¡¯ll make Jeffrey an ally." Junhyuk was thinking about making a team, and he put Jeffrey in the column of potential human heroes. But, he had yet to trust Jeffreypletely.

 Chapter 321 Gathering People 1

    All one hundred dimensional tears had appeared on a Sunday, which people were calling Bloody Sunday now. The Friday before that, people had felt ted since there hadn¡¯t been any cases of abnormal narcolepsy, but on Sunday, they were crestfallen. The monsters appearing through the tears were of a different level than the ones that had appeared previously. Up to that point, the military had been able to stop monster attacks, but now, all branches of military had been defeated, and they were focusing on containing the monster areas instead. The monsters with superior strength seized the cities. Many people had died, and the families of the victims were angry, but even the military couldn¡¯t enter the monster areas. Each of the tears appeared in a country¡¯s major city and highest popted area, and because of that, the world economy had suffered. Real estate business and the stock market had crashed. People who had not cared about monsters were now deeply concerned about monster areas. Those with money and power got angry, and the military gathered again. Publicly, the military was gathering to retake the monster zones. They were equipped with monster dposition liquid, but in the end, they failed to even get close to the tears. They had been able to easily advance in the beginning, but when B-ranked monsters appeared, everybody was wiped out. People felt hopeless after the annihtion, and God was merciless on hopeless people. --- Wednesday. Monsters fell from the sky, five times as many than ever before. To stop them, both iron soldiers and the military were deployed, and they were able to do it only after heavy civilian casualty. While watching TV, Junhyuk sighed. Sarang, who was sitting next to him, said, "South Korea remains unaffected." "It must be intentional." It might be because Junhyuk had shut down a dimensional tear. No monsters fell from the sky either, and the world started looking at South Korea differently. "If no monsters show up in South Korea,nd prices will skyrocket." "Do you ownnd?" Junhyuk shrugged and answered, "Three buildings in Guro. Two houses in Paju. I¡¯m also building ab in the Gyunggi province. Are these enough?" "You are something else." "Not long until the math test?" he asked nonchntly. "Not long." "Are you taking it?" She nodded. "It hasn¡¯t been that long since I gained more intelligence, so I have to take the test to go to a nice university. My previous grades weren¡¯t good." Junhyuk thought about what she said and asked, "You are ranked number one in the country. You can go anywhere you want. Have you thought about your major?" She shrugged and answered, "I¡¯m so intelligent now it gives me a headache. Where should I contribute?" Junhyuk answered, "You¡¯ll get even more intelligent. Each runestone will make you more intelligent, and you may be the smartest person on Earth." "Hm. What should I study?" "You can study anything you want. You don¡¯t have to focus on a single major." Sheughed. "Right. When I have time, I¡¯ll get certifications." He nodded and said, "You are so cool." She had been gathering intelligence runestones, but he was focused on strength runestones. Junhyuk got up. "You should be heading home." She checked her bracelet and nodded. "The mana is recharged, so I should be going. Are you going to the training facility?" "I am." She stared at him. "Are you really just going to watch the whole thing?" "What?" "The monster areas." He stared at her for some time. "Just be sure to remember one thing: the monster areas are really dangerous. I¡¯m just getting ready to attack them." "Isn¡¯t crafting equipment taking a while?" "If we have the equipment, we can attack. But not right now." They were able to kill an A-ranked monster, but he remembered that there were more than one inside a tear. The truth was that he didn¡¯t know what was inside each tear, so he had to be careful. He had to know more about the tears. If a tear ended up being longer than the previous one he had visited, he might not survive getting out of it. "We need to know more about dimensional tears." "How?" "Through Vera." Sarang¡¯s eyes beamed. "Should I ask her?" "No, I¡¯ll do it." "Let¡¯s both do it. We can group chat now." Junhyuk nodded and tried to raise Vera through themunication orb. Sarang did the same, and Vera appeared soon after. "I can see you both. Junhyuk¡¯s dragon friend did this for you?" "Yes. By the way, I have something to ask." "Wait. I just want to let you know everyone got paid because you won the Champions¡¯ Battlefield." Junhyuk smiled. "That¡¯s nice." "But you won too easily this time, so the returns won¡¯t be that high next time. You should¡¯ve gone easy on them!" "I was just trying to win." "Even with lower odds, you still need to win. Can you?" "If things are normal, we¡¯ll win. They won¡¯t be able to get into the Dimensional Battlefield before the next battle to upgrade their equipment." "Right. I¡¯ll bet on you again next time." Vera smiled. "I wanted to ask you about dimensional tears." After some thought, Vera smiled again. "Oh, yeah! What happened to thest one?" "I went into it myself. There were A-ranked monsters crawling within it, and I definitely needed more time to escape after destroying the tower. I was in danger even when I had teleportation at my disposal." Vera touched her chin and said, "You guys normally won¡¯t have enough time to get out." "What do you mean?" Vera said calmly, "We can get out just by running, without the need of teleportations." "What?!" "There are constraints to our movement speed in the Dimensional Battlefield. Ordinarily, we can run out of a copsing tear." Junhyuk started pondering things, and Sarang said, "But there are no dimensional tears in dimensions with heroes." Vera smiled. "Correct. We heard about the dimensional tears from others who became heroes. They also told us how to destroy them. Just in case, we listened carefully." Junhyuk sighed. "Is there a way to safely extract ourselves from dimensional tears? It¡¯s more dangerous to return than to destroy the tower core." Vera raised her hand. "Wait a minute," she said and got up. When she came back, she had something in her hands. There were two of them, and they were the size of her palms. "This works with mana stones. It can teleport things within a five-meter radius to somewhere else. It has teleportation magic, but each use will consume a mana stone of about this size." He looked at the gesture she made, and it looked like it would cost at least $10 million per use. Curious about something, Junhyuk asked, "If you feed it a bigger mana stone, can you use it more than once?" "It may be possible. It¡¯s not aplex object." "Can you give it to me?" Vera pondered the idea. "My Junhyuk has earned me some money. Sure, I can send it to you. Theye in pairs, so how many do you need?" "How will you send it?" "Just like Arn did. It¡¯ll cost me a fortune, but I can do it for you." Junhyuk looked at Vera. She should definitely have enough money in her own dimension. It would be easy for her to do it. "Just in case, can you please send me five?" Sarang asked, "Tears are dimensions of their own, at least that¡¯s what I heard. Will that work within tears?" Veraughed brightly. "You are a curious being. I¡¯ve already checked it and have used it in other dimensions." "Do other dimensions have dimensional tears?" Junhyuk asked. "That¡¯s right. That¡¯s how I found out about tears. They had the most difficult time stopping them." "We have a hundred dimensional tears." Vera cocked her head. "It¡¯s not that easy to make tears! People have to activate powers to open up dimensional tears." Junhyuk sighed. They could only do it by ident before, so management must have created the poring to find out how to open tears. "Now, battlefield management can create tears anytime if they have the tower cores to do it." Vera frowned. "That¡¯s a terrible situation. With a hundred dimensional tears, your world may disappear." "That won¡¯t happen." He wouldn¡¯t let Earth disappear. Vera would send him her things, and with the new equipment, he could always destroy the tower cores by himself. Getting to the tower core was hard, but he didn¡¯t have to do it alone either. He would gather novices and experts, gift them new equipment and destroy the cores. After Vera had sent him the teleporter, would it be possible to mass produce them? If so, he would be able to attack multiple areas at the same time. Vera shrugged. "Right. Our Junhyuk will do well." He asked carefully, "Last time, the space copsed within itself, so is there a way to send those things without destroying my ce?" "There¡¯s no way to avoid that. Moving within different dimensions is not easy." Junhyuk would find a ce for the transfer, and Vera said, "I¡¯ll let you know when I¡¯m sending them. Be ready." "Thanks." Junhyuk had finished talking to Vera. He had helped Vera make some money, but he couldn¡¯t buy the things that would save the world from destruction with money. Junhyuk turned to Sarang and said, "Inside the tear, I came up against an A-ranked monster, but that tear was rtively new. Time has passed now, so I don¡¯t know how many monsters are inside the new tears." Sarang swallowed dry. "I¡¯ll get the stuff from Vera and wait until the equipment is ready." They both could deal with A-ranked monster now, but the ones they were dealing with were also under constraints. However, even if a real A-ranked monster appeared, they would be able to deal with it together. But if more than one appeared, they would need more allies. He would need powered people around the world to provide him with strength.

 Chapter 322 Gathering People 2

    It was Friday again. People were nervous, but nobody became afflicted with abnormal narcolepsy. Still, people were not happy because of the monster areas and the waves of monsters that came from those areas. Junhyuk was watching the news while moving the living spirit through his body. He couldn¡¯t simply forget about the problems on Earth and train, so he turned on the news from time to time to check on what was happening around the world. He checked through the information Ganesha gave him regrly. From the time the monster areas appeared, they had only increased once. On a Friday afternoon, five days after they had appeared, their radii became longer. They all had a radius of three kilometers initially, and all increased by a kilometer. The monsters rushed out suddenly from their territories, and the armies protecting the areas took enormous damage. The news was covering the increase of the areas continuously, and people seemed to have forgotten about abnormal narcolepsy. Junhyuk knew that nobody would get hit by it for four weeks in total because they were preparing for the new season, and lizardmen, not humans, were the ones called to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. As he watched the news, Junhyuk smacked his lips. He wanted to craft new equipment, but it wasn¡¯t an easy task. Making new equipment out of the dead bodies of monsters wasn¡¯t an easy thing to do. Junhyuk felt the living spirit gathering at his fingertip. Thepressed energy pushed back quickly, leaving traces of it behind. He could see the mana gathering at his fingertip and balled his hand into a fist. Through diligent training, he was approaching his goal. At first, he couldn¡¯t possibly have dealt with two A-ranked monsters, but he was getting used to it now. So, now he was fighting without using his force field.eleration had be faster and nowsted longer, but dealing with two A-ranked monsters was still difficult. His Spatial sh had not improved. A single Spatial sh couldn¡¯t take out an A-ranked monster. Even if he delivered a critical hit on a monster¡¯s weak spot, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to bring down its massive health pool. To deal with monsters like that, he had to improve his Spatial sh, and to do that, he had to focus more on enhancement over eleration. However, the biggest problem was creating a single-point explosion. It took a long time to gather the energy for it, so he was training in order to simplify the process. He wanted to be able to create a single-point explosions with two stacks of energy, and for that, he had to be able to control the amount of mana involved. He had also started training the single-point explosion with the Spatial sh, but it wasn¡¯t easy. It wasn¡¯t easy to gather the necessary mana to his fingertip with only two passes of the living spirit through it. When he tried to leaverger amounts of mana on his fingertip, the living spirit stuck around, attached to it. So far, due to his training, he had been able to decrease the stacks to five. Although five wasn¡¯t a lot, it would still take too long for it to be viable at the Dimensional Battlefield. Junhyuk focused more on it, but then his phone rang. When he checked on who it was, he saw that it was Eunseo. He picked it up, and she greeted him calmly. "How are you?" It¡¯d been a week since he¡¯dst seen her. "I¡¯m fine. Why did you call?" "I want to see you. Is that possible?" "Do you want me at Guardians HQ?" "No, meet me at Restaurant Chungil." "The sashimi ce in Seoul?" "Yes, I will make a reservation under your name." "Sure." Junhyuk was curious about her invitation, so he got up and got ready. While putting his clothes on, he kept on controlling the living spirit. Junhyuk had thought he had grown with the living spirit, but after talking to Vera, he knew he¡¯d been wrong. He was far frompleting his training. Heroes were faster than him in their own dimensions than he could be while teleporting on Earth. That meant that he still had a long way to go to be a hero. "I will work harder." Junhyuk walked out and drove to Chungil. The restaurant was very famous for its high-quality sushi. He went in, told them his name, and they guided him deep into the restaurant. Because he didn¡¯t see Eunseo, he went ahead and took a seat. While he wiped his hands with the wet towel, Eunseo walked in. She smiled at him. Nobody else was following her, which shocked him. "You came alone?" "Yes." Eunseo took a seat, wiped her hands with another wet towel, and said, "I¡¯ve ordered, OK?" "Certainly!" He did not mind. She looked over at him and then poured some water into his cup. "Did you hear about the monster areas bingrger?" "I heard." "The military forces have already been defeated, and people are looking at us for help." Guardians was now the center of attention. Eunseo continued, "Everyone¡¯s realized how serious the problem is, so they are all gathering novices. Because South Korea didn¡¯t experience any monster waves this time, the novices wille here." Up to that point, South Korea had been the country with the greatest number of monster attacks, but this time, things were different. There were no monster areas, and there had been no monster spawns. Therefore, other countries had decided to send their novices there. "That¡¯s good to hear." Eunseo took a sip of water and said, "So far, we¡¯ve confirmed 232 novices." "Officially." Junhyuk thought there could be more, but previously, only one out of a hundred thousand became a novice. She nodded. "Unofficially, I think it¡¯s double the official number." "That¡¯s still fairly high." Eunseo fixed her sses. "Due to the monster areas, there¡¯s been an increase in novices, and the monster spawns on Wednesday probably generated even more novices." "That means that none of them are strong enough." There were differences between newly-activated novices and novices that had survived the battlefield. Eunseo nodded heavily in agreement. "I am not sure if these novices can stay alive or if they can even survive the Dimensional Battlefield." Bing a novice didn¡¯t solve anything. Their survival rates were extremely low. Novices seemed powerful, but in the Dimensional Battlefield, they only served one purpose: bait. That is, unless a novice developed a power of the highest rank. Junhyuk frowned deeply. "They won¡¯t be called to the Dimensional Battlefield for another two weeks, so they won¡¯t be weeded out." It was the first time Eunseo was hearing that. He hadn¡¯t nned on keeping it a secret from her, so he told her about the legends and the fact that the battlefield was preparing for a new season. Eunseo frowned. "So, there will be more abnormal narcolepsy cases." "They are in recess." "Sigh... Is there anything we can do?" Junhyuk knew that things wouldn¡¯t change just because they were gathering novices. "How is the development of the new equipment going?" "Elise is working diligently on it. A research team came to Korea, and they brought new machines to make the new equipment. We are building a factory inside Guardians." There was a limit to what humans could make. To make the equipment efficiently, they needed to automate the process. It would take time and investment to make better equipment, but it was necessary. Junhyuk took a sip of the water when the food came out. Then, he waited until the servers left and said, "Because the novices are from all over the world, they might not agree on which monster area to attack first." Novices had to get rid of tears, and they would try to focus on the ones in their own countries first. Eunseo stared at him and said, "I have a favor to ask." "What is it?" She felt nervous about it, but she went ahead and asked anyway, "For people to trust Guardians, we need the Dark Knight who destroyed the first dimensional tear." Junhyuk had been about to raise his chopstick, but he froze when he heard her. "I have to step in?" "If you do not, no one will listen to us." He took a moment to think. Eunseo was being honest. He had to step in. But if he did, people would focus their attention on him. As he thought, she whispered to him, "You don¡¯t have to show your face. But you have to show your Dark Knight armor and your powers." Junhyuk took a piece of sashimi and chewed it. "I can¡¯t, but you could film me." Eunseo smiled at him. "I¡¯ll be grateful if we can do it!" It would be good enough if Guardians had a rtionship with the Dark Knight. That would be effective. Junhyuk didn¡¯t know it yet, but people around the world wanted to see more of the Dark Knight. The leaders of the world were especially interested in him. He didn¡¯t tell Eunseo about Vera¡¯s gift. He would do so after he had received it. Junhyuk had to prepare first, so he would wait some more. Still, he had to give Eunseo some hope. "If I attack a tear, it¡¯ll be after next Friday." "I¡¯ll make a list of novices and send it to you, and I¡¯ll find out our first target tear." He took another sashimi. "However, Elise mustplete the new equipment before that. Without the new equipment, an operation isn¡¯t possible." Without it, novices wouldn¡¯t survive B-ranked monsters, or even C-ranked monsters for that matter. The equipment should be ready before anything could happen. He chewed the piece of sashimi. "You should eat and talk." She smiled and picked up a piece for herself, eating it. "Are you training?" he asked, looking at her. "Yes, I am." She only had her counterattack power, so she couldn¡¯t practice it alone, but she had been training herbat skills. "I can take you to the training facility," he replied. Her attack stat had increased, but her defense had taken a massive leap. Junhyuk could take her attack and also train her. She stared at him dly. "Does that mean I can train with you?" He nodded and answered, "The monsters are even stronger than before, so you can¡¯t hunt with me. But I will spar with you." Sarang didn¡¯t have to be there since they had the regenerative basin, and she nodded. "It¡¯s been difficult trying to train properly, so this will help me." He stared at her and asked, "Did you find any new items on Earth?" Smiling, she ced her hand forward. She was wearing a gold bracelet he hadn¡¯t seen before. "I got one."

 Chapter 323 Gathering People 3

    Junhyuk looked at her bracelet and then at Eunseo. Her health and mana hadn¡¯t changed, which meant that attack, defense and attack speed might have. They couldn¡¯t find out unless she went to the Dimensional Battlefield, but he was really curious."What kind of item is it?"Eunseo took the bracelet out and showed the inside of it to him."It¡¯s been said Cleopatra used this bracelet. There¡¯s an inscription inside about the rain goddess Tefnut, and it works."A rain goddess, so it might have a water attribute. He wasn¡¯t sure about it, but it was a good thing that she had the item now.Junhyuk looked at her and said, "It looks expensive.""It¡¯s an antique, so yes, it was expensive, but it is not worth more than life."He nodded."I hope it will help."Touching the bracelet, Eunseo said, "I will try to get better items."He smiled."Expensive items will probably have great buffs, but cheap things may also work in the Dimensional Battlefield. The jujube tree ne worked right away on the battlefield.""Really?!""I also found an item in an antique shop by ident. Just be thorough, and you¡¯ll find them."Eunseo¡¯s eyes beamed, and he smiled at her."We should eat, no?""Right."Eunseo picked up her chopsticks, and both ate their sashimi with pleasure.Junhyuk thought they would go their separate ways after the meal, but Eunseo suggested that they train together right away. He had nned to train with Sarang that evening, so he couldn¡¯t take Eunseo with him. With A-ranked monsters appearing, Eunseo wouldn¡¯t survive.Nevertheless, he took Eunseo to his house. Sarang was already there. He had made ns with Eunseo suddenly, so he didn¡¯t have a chance to tell Sarang about it. She was making food when they arrived.Eunseo grimaced a little after seeing Sarang, but he was looking at Sarang, so he didn¡¯t notice it."When did you get here?""At six. Big sister came, too?""I had a favor to ask him, so we went out.""Right. What favor?"Junhyuk answered instead, "This time around, every country is gathering novices, but to control them, they need the Dark Knight. So, I¡¯ll provide a video.""A video?!"He nodded."I will exin dimensional tears to them and tell them how to get rid of them."Sarang smiled at him."You did good. You should help out," she said to him. Then, she walked over to Eunseo, crossed arms with her, and said, "Big sister, help me prepare the meal."He said calmly, "We already ate!"Sarang frowned a little."And you didn¡¯t tell me about it?!"Junhyuk looked awkward, and Eunseo helped him out."Sarang, we only ate a little. We can eat more. Shall I watch your cooking skills?"Sarang folded the sleeves of her shirt up and said, "Of course! I will show you what I got."Junhyukughed at her. Sarang¡¯s cooking skills were ordinary. Her food was edible, and that was the extent of it. She didn¡¯t douse her food with MSG, but her cooking was regr.Eunseo had only eaten high-quality cooking from very young, so she looked at him funny, and he shrugged."I¡¯ll go get changed.""You do that."Sarang waved him off, and Junhyuk went into his room to change. When he came out, Sarang and Eunseo wereughing while talking and cooking.Shaking his head at the sight, he turned on the TV. The gathering of novices wasn¡¯t a secret, and some of those novices had already be famous, like celebrities.He watched them on TV, but he realized that some countries were keeping their participation in the gathering a secret. At the moment, only the less developed countries were unting their novices and the fact that they were sending them to Korea. The U.S., China and Russia, and other countries of simr strength weren¡¯t making public announcements.Junhyuk suddenly thought about the Chinese woman, the one who had sliced a monster in half.Would shee to Korea? She had disyed a high-ranking power. While watching TV, he turned his head toward the smell of kimchi stew. Sarang ce a pot of it on the table and said, "Come."Junhyuk was already full, but he couldn¡¯t say it, so he took a seat at the dining table while Sarang ced the other dishes. An omelet and other sides filled the table Normally, Junhyuk didn¡¯t eat sides when he dined alone, so when he saw the table full of food, heughed."Looks good.""Big sister is here," she said. Sarang looked at him and added, "You are going to help her train, right?""Sora was able to enhance her power by training while wearing her bracelet. Because Eunseo¡¯s power is a counter, someone must spar with her."Sarang nodded."That¡¯s good," she said. Then, she touched Eunseo¡¯s hand and added, "Big brother¡¯s health should decrease. This is a win-win situation."Junhyuk frowned. Their goal was to beat the hell out of him.He tasted the stew."Today¡¯s is better than usual!""Is that apliment?""I thought it was."Without saying anything else, he started eating. Eunseo ate, too, and paid Sarang manypliments."It¡¯s delicious!""Right?"Sarang dly ate the food, and Junhyuk realized thatpliments made people happy. When he finished the meal, it was almost eight o¡¯clock. He turned to Eunseo and said, "When we finish with the monsters, I¡¯lle back. Rest up.""I will train here alone. Go," she said, fixing her sses.He nodded and took Sarang¡¯s hand."Enter."When they entered the training facility, Junhyuk said, "Vera is certainly taking a while.""She has to send the items through dimensions. It¡¯s a favor to us, so we should wait."Smiling, he summoned his equipment and said, "Get ready."They were monsters of the same rank, A, but he was being diligent about his training. If possible, he did not want to use powers to kill the monsters, but that wouldn¡¯t be easy.He hoped the Spatial sh would work with the single-point explosion that day, and he stared at the monstersing toward him.---An old man and a young woman hade to see Doyeol, and he offered them wine in his garden. The old man was president of W.A.N.C.S., Mario, and the young woman was a member of the Rockefeller family, Jennifer Rockefeller. Mario was also the nucleus of Pentagram, and it was possible that Jennifer would seed him. They were both important to Doyeol.While drinking wine, Mario asked, "There was only an estimate for the number of novicesing. How many experts wille?"Doyeol answered calmly, "Two from China, one from Russia, two from the States, one from the United Kingdom. That¡¯s it so far."Jennifer put her wine ss down and asked, "How did you find out?"Jennifer had brought one expert from the States, while the American Department of Defense brought another one, and Doyeol already knew about it.He continued calmly, "I was lucky enough to have finished making expert detectors, which I ced at the airport. That¡¯s how I knew."Jennifer said matter-of-factly, "I thought we had to share new technology..."Doyeol nodded."Correct. It¡¯s still in its developmental stage, so I haven¡¯t had a chance to send them out. I¡¯ll do it soon."Unlike before, Doyeol was no longer pressed about his decisions. Because he had survived the Dimensional Battlefield and was starting a revolution, Doyeol had be a full member of Pentagram. He hadn¡¯t lost an inch in power, and was actually bing more important to the organization.He had created Guardians and was bing unimaginably wealthy.At that moment, Guardians was making more money than ST Capsule, and that was due to the weapons coated in monster dposition liquid. Pentagram had provided the initial capital, but Doyeol was the main shareholder, so he was wealthier than ever before.Jennifer wasn¡¯t a member of Pentagram yet, so herint seemed like the whining of a child.Mario looked at Doyeol and asked, "South Korea doesn¡¯t have any experts?"Doyeol answered, "We have the Dark Knight, but we don¡¯t control him.""The Dark Knight. He feels like more than an expert."On video, the Dark Knight looked superior. He had sliced through the monsters, making a mountain out of the bodies, and then leapt into the dimensional tear.Pentagram wanted to acquire the Dark Knight, along with his armor and equipment, but in the long run, they wanted to control him. That¡¯s why Mario was there from the States. Doyeol had joined Pentagram rtivelyte, and Mario still didn¡¯t fully trust him.Mario turned to Jennifer. She could help a lot. She could seed Charles, and on top of that, Charles had sent an expert with her.Mario didn¡¯t trust Doyeol, so he brought Jennifer along to acquire the Dark Knight."So, where do you think their first target will be?" Mario asked.Doyeol shrugged."Well..." Doyeol wanted to do whatever he could to earn power, but he needed someone to help him. "The sequence of attacks isn¡¯t important. The important thing is whether we can destroy the monster areas."Doyeol did not answer Mario¡¯s question, and Mario and Jennifer looked at each other. Both realized that Doyeol was hiding something from them.Mario said to him, "You should do more."The situation would be handled by Guardians, and because Guardians¡¯ CEO was Doyeol¡¯s little sister, Pentagram couldn¡¯t simply ignore him.Mario gave up, for now, and Doyeol smiled at him."Yes, I will."Doyeol cheered with Mario and smiled. He had sent Jeffrey to the gathering. If Jeffrey did his job, Doyeol¡¯s ce within Pentagram would be fixed, and he would hold great importance.

 Chapter 324 Decision 1

    Monday. Junhyuk had been kicked the hell out by Eunseo since she started her training. Because his equipment was better than before, even when shended a critical, it only did 10 percent of damage. Kilraden¡¯s counternded for 30 percent, sopared to him, she had a long way to go. For one, Eunseo did not have any weapons, so she was attacking with her basic stats. Kilraden¡¯s damage was also superior to hers because he was a champion. Junhyuk told her to focus on the bracelet that absorbed mana, to counterattack while focusing on the mana. What was surprising was that Eunseo was able to read the flow of mana for her power on her third try, and after that, she did it every time. However, she couldn¡¯t control the structure of the mana flow. Junhyuk told her about his own absorption of mana through the living spirit, and he also told her about how mana moved and where it stayed. All he could do was exin things to her. There was no way to train her on what he told her. Everything was very abstract. He hoped she would focus on absorbing mana. Sora, without even knowing much about mana, hadbined her power with it while using her power over and over to evolve it. Because of that, Junhyuk believed that mana would make Eunseo stronger. Sarang also trained with them, focusing mainly on her heal training, and Junhyuk thought there was no way for him to know how far Sarang¡¯s powers would evolve. To begin with, Sarang was now able to heal five people at once, and now she was focusing on increasing the amount she healed. To test out her power, she wanted Junhyuk¡¯s health to drop first, so while Eunseo counterattacked him, Sarang joined up with her. Sarang¡¯s regr electric arrow¡¯s damage had increased, and she was also training on how to shoot them off continuously. With both women attacking him, Junhyuk would sometimes lose half of his health. Still, he wouldn¡¯t let them both beat him senseless without trying to defend himself. He dodged the first electric arrow before getting hit by the second. After his health had lowered, Sarang tried her healing power. At this point, Sarang¡¯s healing power could heal him for 25 percent of his health at once. It also looked like his equipment was helping the amount healed because it had a lot of health boosts. During the weekend, he supervised their training, so he had to sleep less to be able to train himself. After Sarang and Eunseo left to go home, he stayed up alone, training the single-point explosion and eleration. He still couldn¡¯tbine the single-point explosion with the Spatial sh, but he would get better. After training alone, he decided to rest for a while. About that time, Sarang would be going to school, and Eunseo would be heading to Guardians. Eunseo¡¯s schedule was even more strict, as she went to work even on the weekends. She told him that that weekend she had gone to work and met with representatives of every country. Although she couldn¡¯t be honest with them, she told them she would bring video of the Dark Knight destroying the dimensional tear. He told her to prepare an online conference on Tuesday, but that he would only be able to start attacking tears after Friday. He had been thinking about all of those things when he saw Vera¡¯s face appear in front of him. "Where are you right now?" He answered calmly, "I¡¯m at the training facility the manager from the Dimensional Battlefield made for me." "Nice. Wait a second." Vera had many crystal orbs floating around her, and after making some calctions, she said, "Since Arn sent you the living spirit, I can easily track your coordinates. Also, because management created that ce, it can take a dimensional tear appearing without getting destroyed. So, I¡¯ll send it to you right now and exin things in detail after that." "Sure." He had been waiting to hear from her, so he got up expectantly. Suddenly, a dimensional tear appeared right in front of him. Junhyuk felt a little nervous as he watch it form, but then, ten objects dropped from it. They came in pairs, and Vera had sent each pair in a different color. Junhyuk put his hand forward, grabbed the machines and ced them inside his Spatial Bag. Tush, tush, tush! The air seemed to spin, and the flow of mana did the same. The air pressure created a typhoon, and Junhyuk shook his head and brushed the dirt off himself. He had thought the typhoon would destroy the training facility, but the facility remained safe and sound. Nothing had happened to it, and Junhyuk smiled bitterly. He sat back down, waiting to hear from Vera, and she appeared again, smiling. "Did you get them?" "I got five pairs." He pulled out a pair from his bag, showed it to her and asked, "How do I operate them?" "You¡¯ll need mana stones for them. When you look at it, can you see apartment in the middle of it for mana stones? Just ce a mana stone in there, and it¡¯ll do the rest automatically. You¡¯ll need two mana stones. Using it is simple, so just put the mana stones in and press the button to see." He nodded heavily. "How do I know it will work if I put arge mana stone in it?" He couldn¡¯t just head inside the tears while trusting the machine when it might not work properly. "Do you see marbles stuck to the mana stone when you ce it in there? It has up to ten marbles, so when you put a mana stone from the Dragon¡¯s Valley in, it¡¯ll chargepletely. The ones not from the valley won¡¯t charge it fully." Junhyuk checked the machine and smiled. "Thank you." "I earned a lot because of you, so this is a present from me. I won¡¯t tell you how many resources I had to use to get them to you, though." Junhyuk realized that to move things through dimensions, one had to spend an enormous amount of resources. He also realized that Arn gifting him the living spirit had been a massive present. "I will win the next round as well." "Of course!" Junhyuk didn¡¯t think his team would lose. He might die once or twice, but victory would belong to them. "Then, see youter," she said and disappeared. Junhyuk pulled out two of the machines and ced mana stones in them. He had a lot of mana stones now and he did not want to sell them. He used two mana stones that he got from killing twin-headed ogres. They cost $50 million each, and when he put them in, only three marbles shone. Junhyuk scowled. "Spending $100 million will only give me three charges?" Honestly, he didn¡¯t think it was expensive. The machine worked in every dimension, and each charge only cost him $33 million. He exited the training facility, showered and walked out into the living room. His phone rang, and when he checked the number, he saw he had five missed calls, all from Jeffrey. He picked up the phone. "What¡¯s up?" "I want to see you." "Have you been to a monster area?" "I got some things I can use this time." Junhyuk realized that Jeffrey was overconfident. The monsters in the monster areas didn¡¯t threaten Junhyuk, so he wasn¡¯t worried. Was Jeffrey aware of where Junhyuk wasing from? "What do you want to show me?" "Don¡¯t you want to see?" Junhyuk couldn¡¯t understand Jeffrey¡¯s mysterious attitude. "Meet me at the Paju house. In two hours?" "Sure." He headed to Paju, which only took him an hour. Inside, he saw all the nice furniture he had, but the house looked empty since he hadn¡¯t been living there. "Should I sell it?" Junhyuk was thinking seriously about it. He worried about whether he should own an empty house. Then, he went to the garden. Nowadays, he had his own private training facility, but he remembered digging the ground around the house to make himself some training grounds. He opened the door and looked inside it. It was empty. The manager had moved the trees to his new training facility. While he looked around the training grounds, Jeffrey showed up. He was looking through the open door, and when he spotted Junhyuk, he jumped down. "Did you wait long?" "Not long." He looked at Jeffrey, and Jeffrey smiled. "I have a favor to ask you." Junhyuk was trying to make Jeffrey an ally, so he answered, "Sure." Jeffrey hadn¡¯t expected that answer, so he stared straight at Junhyuk and said, "Spar with me." Junhyuk¡¯s expectations had been correct, and heughed. Jeffrey could now summon B-ranked monsters, and he was brimming with confidence. Junhyuk nodded. "Sure, but I¡¯ll go all out. If you don¡¯t want to die, prepare yourself." Jeffrey nodded heavily and put his hand forward, summoning four monsters. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected that. There was a twin-headed ogre, an elidra, a porcupine-looking monster with thorns all over his body, and a giant snake. Junhyuk felt that they were all at about the same level, and he was about to use his full strength like he had promised. So, he summoned all of his equipment, and Jeffrey smiled. "You are trusting me more now." He did not answer Jeffrey. Instead, he raised his sword. Junhyuk had dealt with twenty-five B-ranked monsters all by himself, and there were only four of them now. Junhyuk had assigned Jeffrey as a potential ally, but he wanted to know if Jeffrey was worth it and what the difference between them was. Junhyuk thought about how to kill them, and Jeffrey smiled. "Then, I¡¯ll go all out as well." Jeffrey summoned his own equipment, which looked better than before. Then, extending his hand, he shouted, "My second power! Fury!" Suddenly, the four monsters grew by half their original sizes, and their bodies turned red. Junhyuk was shocked. He could guess what that power did. Fury increased the strength of summoned monsters, and Junhyuk would find out what kind of power they had now. He readied the single-point explosion. Junhyuk was in the habit of using the single-point explosion before the Spatial sh now, and he raised the Blood Rune Sword. "Let¡¯s begin."

 Chapter 325 Decision 2

    Junhyuk was worried that Jeffrey might be within range if he used the Spatial sh. If so, considering his defense, he could die from a single strike. The Spatial sh would take at least 50 percent off of Jeffrey¡¯s health. If Jeffrey was lucky, he¡¯d survive, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to trust luck. So, he stepped back. Considering Jeffrey¡¯s character, the expert wouldn¡¯t take the lead when attacking. On the battlefield, one could die at any moment, so even if Jeffrey had a lot of defensive equipment, he shouldn¡¯t take the lead. Heroes could tear apart defensive equipment such as his like pieces of paper, so Jeffrey was keeping a certain distance from him, just like he had expected. Junhyuk gathered his breath. The preparations for the single-point explosion were finished. "This should work!" If he could add the single-point explosion to the Spatial sh, its destructive power would be entirely different, but things did not happen as he had expected them to. When he extended his sword, the twin-headed ogre ran toward him. They both locked eyes with each other, and Junhyuk saw that the twin-headed ogre¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. He used the Spatial sh on the ogre¡¯s chest, timing it with the single-point explosion. Boom! Normally, the Spatial sh sliced the opponent, but this time, it was different. Right when the Spatial sh hit the ogre¡¯s chest, it triggered an explosion. It was like a bomb had gone off. The twin-headed ogre waspletely destroyed, and the elidra and the giant snake following behind it were also taken out. The single-point explosion created an orb-shaped attack that destroyed all three monsters. When Junhyuk saw that only the porcupine monster remained, he knew that he was safe, but he was disappointed that he had not killed it as well. The remaining monster started shooting thorns at him. Twenty of them were flying his way, but he did not teleport. Instead, hepressed the living spirit and ran forward. There were twenty thorns flying his way, but there were plenty of gaps between them. If they had been closer together, Junhyuk would have had a harder time escaping them with eleration. He moved between the thorns to reach the monster. Shocked, the monster did not have a chance to straighten the thorns on his body, so the Blood Rune Sword prated the monster¡¯s forehead and stabbed down into the ground. The monster couldn¡¯t even scream, and Junhyuk walked slowly toward Jeffrey. Jeffrey was wearing a helmet, so he couldn¡¯t see his face, but Jeffrey couldn¡¯t keep his mouth closed. As he approached Jeffrey, Jeffrey took a step back. Junhyuk thought he had shown the expert enough of his powers, so he did not push Jeffrey any further. He silently pointed his sword toward Jeffrey¡¯s neck and said, "Shall we continue?" Jeffreyughed awkwardly, "No, ha-ha-ha," and smacked his lips. "You can summon four monsters, so it looks like your power has evolved. You also activated another power, which will help you," Junhyuk said calmly. "Ha-ha-ha, right?" Jeffrey had imagined he could kill a buff monster on his own since he had four B-ranked monsters and a buff power, but Junhyuk had coldly reminded him of his own limitations. Junhyuk stared at Jeffrey and lowered his sword. Jeffrey sent his equipment away, and Junhyuk did the same, and Jeffreyughed. "You are extraordinary. I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d be this strong even though you are a champion." Junhyuk did not reply, and Jeffrey spoke fast. "Honestly, I thought I had made strides on the battlefield and had grown more, but I did not know a champion could defeat me this easily." Junhyuk¡¯s eyebrows twitched, and he said, "A hero can easily kill a B-ranked monster. Even if you have four of them, a hero could easily get rid of them." "My battlefield is different. I couldn¡¯t do it with one, but I could hold off a hero with two. I was thinking I could even kill a hero now that I had four." Junhyukughed. "Don¡¯t let your guard down. You have an extra life now that you¡¯ve be an expert, but overconfidence will lead you to hell. Heroes can earn money off of you." "I heard that too. I they are lucky, they can get so strong." "Right, heroes can have great equipment by the way. You¡¯ve been ignoring them, but they can kill you. So, be careful." "I didn¡¯t think... but I understand now." Junhyuk thought Jeffrey would heed his advice and smiled. Jeffrey had been to a lot of battlefields, and he listened, so Junhyuk thought he could be useful. "Where did you get these?" Jeffrey shrugged. "I talked to Doyeol, and he got them from Japan." "Japan?" "Yes, Tokyo has a monster area." "Doyeol can pull those kind of strings in Japan?" Doyeol hadn¡¯t attacked the monster area, but the Japanese had given him the monsters, which meant that Doyeol had ties to Japan. "Sure, he is the major shareholder of Guardians." Guardians supplied weapons with monster dposition liquid to the world, so of course, Guardians¡¯ major shareholder would have power all over the world. Junhyuk looked at Jeffrey. "When it¡¯s time to destroy the monster areas, you¡¯ll be part of it." Jeffrey could summon four B-ranked monsters, so he could help. The B-ranked monsters could be used in tanking. Junhyuk could deal with the B-ranked monsters alone, but he also had his limits. He had been able to stop thest tear in Seoul because the monsters hade out in waves, but now the monsters were already out of the tears and roaming the areas. He couldn¡¯t deal with all of them alone. The team attacking the monster areas had to include Jeffrey, and Junhyuk was also considering taking Sarang with the team, but in his mind, Jeffrey was already in. Junhyuk stared at him and asked, "What is Doyeol thinking now?" Jeffrey smiled. "Doyeol wants to see you." He frowned. "If Doyeol wanted to see me, why did you spar with me?" "Sparing is only sparing." Junhyukughed bitterly. "Are you satisfied?" "I learned something for sure. I shouldn¡¯t challenge anybody." He shrugged. "OK. Let¡¯s go see Doyeol." "Right." The video conference was the next day, so he wanted to know what Doyeol was thinking. Junhyuk walked out with Jeffrey and got into Jeffrey¡¯s car. They drove for quite a while, but there were no houses around. "Where is the house?" "It¡¯s no good if just anyone can find it." Jeffrey got out of the car, and Junhyuk followed. "All this area is privatend," Jeffrey said. He saw a cabin and went toward it. A few R-agents were on security detail, and they made way for Jeffrey. When they entered, they saw Doyeol lighting a fire. He threw a log in the firece, got up and stared at Junhyuk. "It¡¯s getting cold." Junhyuk nodded, and Doyeol continued calmly, "Let¡¯s sit. We have a lot to talk about." Junhyuk took a seat, and Doyeol got a bottle of liquor out of the cab. "Do you want a drink?" He nodded, and Doyeol poured one for him. He picked up the ss, and Doyeol sat in front of him. "I know about your powers, but you haven¡¯t sold me any more mana stones since that they." Junhyuk stared at him. He had sold them to Elise first, buttely, he had so many of them that he could sell them to both parties. Considering the mana stones he had gotten from the training facility, he should sell some to Doyeol just to keep up the rtionship, so he pulled some out. They were mana stones from B-ranked monsters, and each cost tens of millions of dors. Junhyuk pulled out ten of them, and Doyeolughed out loud. "You¡¯ve been collecting them?" Junhyuk nodded slightly, and Doyeol took out a small machine and ced the mana stones on it. The machine had been made by Elise. It was portable and it could appraise mana stones. After appraising them, Doyeol pulled out his cell phone. "They are worth $240 million total. Should I use the ount you gave mest time?" Junhyuk shook his head and gave Doyeol a new bank ount number. Doyeol nodded. "Compared to a Korean bank ount, this will be safer." Doyeol wired the money and looked at him. "I wanted to talk to you." Junhyuk smiled and turned to look at Jeffrey. "Did you want to run an experiment on me?" Doyeol looked at Jeffrey, and Jeffrey shook his head. Once again, Doyeol learned just how strong Junhyuk was. He had stopped a dimensional tear by himself, so was there anything else that needed to be said about him? He had created a mountain out of monster bodiesst time, so it was hrious that they had tried to go at him with just four monsters. "That was Jeffrey¡¯s idea." Junhyuk remained silent for a while, simply staring at Doyeol, and then he asked, "I want to know why you wanted to see me today." Doyeol looked at him, took a sip off his drink and said, "The video conference with the Dark Knight is tomorrow." "Right." "I want to ask you for a favor." Junhyuk realized that Doyeol knew he was the Dark Knight, and there was no way he couldn¡¯t tell Doyeol he wasn¡¯t at that point. It would just be ridiculous if he tried, so he guessed at what the favor could be. "Do you want me to let you decide which monster area we attack first?" Junhyuk sounded extremely cold, and Doyeol waved his hand at the suggestion. "No, I don¡¯t want that. But could you tell me which country you will attack first?" Junhyuk realized that Doyeol wanted to have power over the countries that they attacked, and Doyeol continued, "Tell me the first three countries you will attack. I¡¯ll pay you handsomely for the information." Doyeol was always very polite when he wanted to deal with him, and the conditions weren¡¯t unfavorable to Junhyuk. "Sure, I will tell you.

 Chapter 326 Decision 3

    From Paju, he drove straight to Seoul and went into his training facility to practice his single-point explosion Spatial sh. He thought that he would train whenever he could, and so, he would use the Spatial sh. There was no opponent, but he would know if he had seeded or failed by looking at the shockwave. Junhyuk started gathering the energy for the single-point explosion, and the living spirit ran back and forth, dropping the energy until it was ready. At that point, he extended his sword. He wished for the single-point explosion to happen at the same time as the Spatial sh, but the shockwave from the Spatial sh came out as a ring. "Shit." He had done it sessfully once, but hadn¡¯t been able to repeat it yet, so he inhaled deeply and waited for the Spatial sh¡¯s cooldown to end. As he gathered his breath, he practiced his swordsmanship. There was no such thing as an end when training one¡¯s swordsmanship. By improving his swordsmanship, he improved the sess rate of his attacks. Junhyuk thought he had to go beyond the bounds of regr swordsmanship. He wanted to practice his swordsmanship while elerating, and he did so as he slowly extended his sword. On Earth, he could change the speed of his sword from slow to fast as he wanted, but at the Dimensional Battlefield, that wasn¡¯t possible. So, he had to train on how to read his opponents¡¯ movements and on how to adapt his swordsmanship to them. Unexpected enemy movements always exerted strain on his muscles, which were refined now, so even as they strained, Junhyuk was able to thwart his enemies¡¯ movements. However, for that, the opponents couldn¡¯t read his movements. So, he had to wield his sword in unexpected ways, even so far as to doing it wildly to adjust to his enemies. For that reason, he also had to adjust his eleration, but he also needed another way to attack. Junhyuk needed more muscle mass than what he had now. He needed stronger muscles, like steel, but they also needed to be flexible like a jaguar¡¯s. Thinking of new ways to train his muscles, he exited the facility. Junhyuk washed himself and walked out into the living room, where Sarang and Eunseo were waiting for him. Eunseo had a few cameras with her. "We are using these for the video conference." Looking at the cameras, he said, "Install them in my room." Eunseo stared at him for a moment and asked, "Did you meet with my elder brother?" Junhyuk became curious by how she had known, and he nodded. "How did you find out?" "My brother doesn¡¯t miss a chance to seize the moment." He nodded. "I made a deal with him." "A deal?" "He wanted to know the first monster area we¡¯d attack, but we ended up deciding on the first three." "That¡¯s not too bad. My brother will pay you handsomely." Eunseo knew Doyeol well. Doyeol had changed some time ago, but he still knew how to treat people well. He often paid more than necessary, and because of Guardians, Doyeol had be much more powerful. Right now, Doyeol had enough money to ruin Junhyuk if he wanted to. Eunseo looked Junhyuk over carefully and shook her head. She knew all about Junhyuk, and money alone wasn¡¯t enough to ruin him. Junhyuk had enough mana stones to change the course of the financial world. If he got paid properly by Doyeol, he wouldn¡¯t be swayed by others. He smiled. "Once we finish hunting A-ranked monsters, we¡¯lle back." He and Sarang entered the training facility and pulled out their weapons. "Today, for the first time, I was able to use the single-point explosion with the Spatial sh." Shocked, Sarang stared at him. "You got stronger." "I don¡¯t know about that since I used it on B-ranked monsters, but the Spatial sh did change." "What¡¯s your sess rate?" "Now, about 50 percent." Junhyuk smiled as the Wolf Warlord showed up in front of him and said, "I¡¯ll show you." He ran toward the Wolf Warlord and used the Spatial sh with the single-point explosion. The Wolf Warlord escaped the strike, but the spheric shockwave swept through it. The Spatial sh hit the empty air, so he wasn¡¯t sure, but it looked like the damage had increase. When the shockwave hit the Wolf Warlord, its arm was shredded like a used rag. "Wait a minute." Junhyuk wanted tobine his swordsmanship with eleration, and the Wolf Warlord was the perfect enemy for that. Even when using eleration, the Wolf Warlord was fast enough to escape him. He had to fight more erratically to deal with Wolf Warlords. When he started dealing with two at the same time, Sarang kept watch over the fight, prepared to enter the fray if he should find himself in danger. She was holding tightly to her orb. --- The cameras had been installed in his room, and he could also see himself on a monitor. There was a second monitor so that he could see the video transmitted from the other side. That day¡¯s conference involved representatives of every country and Guardians, so he paid a close attention to detail. Junhyuk looked at the time. The conference would begin at eleven in the morning, and he turned on the monitor. He had his back to the main camera, so that¡¯s what the screen was showing, and he stood up and waited. The other screen came on, and he heard an announcement. "The video conference is beginning now." When he heard that, he summoned his armor. He did that deliberately to show it to them, so that they wouldn¡¯t doubt it was him. After summoning the Dark Knight armor, he turned to face the screen slowly. He could see every one of the faces on the screen. There were about twenty of them, but there were others who couldn¡¯t be seen on the screen. There should be about a hundred people present for the conference. As he looked at the screen, he said, "Nice to meet you." Junhyuk had shown his powers as the Dark Knight, and there was video to prove it, so they all recognized him immediately. "Nice to meet you. I¡¯m from the U.S. Department of Defense. My name is Steve." Steve was from the US, a powerful nation, so he spoke first. Junhyuk simply stared at him, without replying, so Steve continued, "We were trying to get things done on our own, but we haven¡¯t had any results. So, we decided to seek your opinion, which is why we called for this conference. You are the only one who¡¯s destroyed a dimensional tear so far." He stared at Steve and said, "I must do one thing before deciding on which country¡¯s monster area I¡¯ll attack first." "Anything." "I must make a few teams," Junhyuk said calmly. "How many will be in a team?" "They¡¯ll beposed of ten at most. We¡¯ll keep another five in reserve, but only ten will go inside a tear." "Is there a reason for that?" He showed Steve the machine he had gotten from Vera. "I¡¯ll use this. They can transport anybody within a five-meter radius of it from within the tear out, so I need a number that will fit within that five-meter radius." Steve looked at the machine carefully and asked, "How do you operate it?" Junhyuk pulled out a mana stone. "Do you know what this is?" Only a few representatives recognized it, so Junhyuk exined, "This is called a mana stone. You can get it from monsters. To operate this machine, you¡¯ll need mana stones, and the cost of usees out to about $30 million." The representatives¡¯ faces hardened, but Junhyuk continued, "You can¡¯t find this machine anywhere on Earth, so I¡¯ll charge fees for using them." "How much do you want?" Junhyuk crossed his arms and said, "I¡¯ll destroy all of the monster areas, so you should decide on the amount to pay me." Steve looked at the others, and the Japanese delegate spoke up, "Aren¡¯t you ashamed to charge us money?" Junhyuk stared at the Japanese delegate and asked, "Who would you be?" "I am a brigadier general from Japan. My name is Kaito." "Honestly, I don¡¯t know how many of you know how dangerous it is to go inside a tear. I will risk my life, but I won¡¯t do it for free." To protect life on Earth, the dimensional tears had to be destroyed, but he wouldn¡¯t be a chump and just do it freely. The tears weren¡¯t just his problem, and he also had to pay the members of the teams. Kaito became silent, and Junhyuk spoke calmly, "I, myself, will decide on who will be on the teams. After making the teams, I¡¯ll have them engage in actualbat before sending them into dimensional tears." Kaito scowled. "You¡¯ll be in charge of all of this?" He did not express his distaste for the idea, but Junhyuk said, "You can make teams of your own and do what you like. We¡¯ll talkter." After saying that, Junhyuk cut the feed. He had nothing to lose. He got up and exited the room. They weren¡¯t going to find out about his house. He had already told Ganesha and Elise to keep an eye out for any tracking mechanism. They wouldn¡¯t be able to trace him. However, he still wanted to move out. He had gotten a new ce because it was close to Sarang¡¯s school, and he was moving out that week. After walking out, he looked at the files he had. Junhyuk wanted to make teams of ten people, and those people had to have some utility in dealing with monsters. Some had to contain monsters, while others had to attack. The teambinations had to be excellent, and he would go over every member¡¯s powers during the fight with the monsters. Some might even have high-ranking attack powers and be able to deal with monsters, but they wouldn¡¯t have any equipment yet. He had to maximize their powers and createbos, and for that, he had to train them first. The important thing was to keep them from panicking, but he also had to keep their cooldowns in mind. "Problems." There were more than two hundred powered people, but he would pick them. If possible, he only wanted to make five teams out of the bunch, along with five extra reserve teams. Aftering up with three teams, he touched his chin. He would go to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield and upgrade his equipment even more before attacking the tears. He was looking at the list when his phone rang. It was Eunseo¡¯s number, and when he picked up, she said, "They¡¯ve made a decision. They want another conference call."

 Chapter 327 Order of Priority 1

    After summoning all of his equipment, Junhyuk turned on the camera. He could see their faces, and after looking at each other, the American, Steve, spoke up. "We¡¯ve made a decision." Junhyuk remained silent, simply staring at him, and Steve cleared his throat. At that point, Kaito said, "I apologize for myments." Junhyuk stared at Brigadier Kaito. They did not want problems with Junhyuk since he was the only one to destroy a tear. So, the Japanese delegate, Brigadier Kaito, had been pressured by the other countries to make that apology. "I want to make this absolutely clear, if there are any other disagreements, you should let me know now." He continued, "That way I can make my own decision." His statement carried nuance, and the delegates frowned. The decision he would make would be simple. He would dy destroying the tears. As a result, astronomical damage would befall those countries. They were all frowning, and Junhyuk asked, "What is your decision?" Steve exined, "There are a hundred monster areas. Every country will contribute. So, for each destroyed tear, we are willing to pay you $500 million. When you finish the job, you¡¯ll have earned $50 billion." Steve looked confident, but Junhyukughed at him. He would get mana and bloodstones from the areas, so he would earn way more than $50 billion. Junhyuk nodded and answered, "OK. But I must have the rights to the monster bodies, and the items dropped in the area. I¡¯ll agree to $500 million under those conditions." Steve was aghast. Most did not know about it, but some of the delegates knew of the inherent value of monster areas. Junhyuk continued, "I told you before that I will be risking my life. However, I have no intention of dying. And I also have to pay my team members. I won¡¯t force them to work for free. So, decide now." They all looked despondent, and he asked, "What is your decision?" Steve looked at the others. He was looking specifically at the delegates from China, Russia and the United Kingdom. They all nodded, and Steve sighed deeply. "We must all agree to the terms. So, each country will keep the monster bodies and resulting items, but we will pay you $1 billion for each tear you destroy. How about that?" The truth was that it wasn¡¯t hard for him to kill monsters elsewhere, so after some thought, he answered, "OK, but no country will tax me or my team members." Steve did not have a chance to reply because the Chinese delegate suddenly spoke up, "That¡¯s nonsense! Every team member must pay taxes to his or her country." Junhyuk looked at the other delegates and said, "I¡¯ve heard the Chinese opinion. Does anyone have anything else to say?" The Chinese delegate scowled. Junhyuk was making all of the decisions by himself. If he didn¡¯t focus on a country first, the damage would be absurd. The monster areas¡¯ radii increased by one kilometer every five days. Those who would best in line would lose major cities. In five hundred days, the radii for the areas of monster-controlled territory would reach a hundred kilometers. Biting his lips, the Chinese delegate said, "I agree with you." They wanted him to go to his or her country sooner thanter, so they all agreed with him. Junhyuk was thinking that the team members would be risking their lives, so he had to pay them ordingly. Himself as well. "OK. Then, write up an official contract agreeing to what we discussed just now. When you have all signed the contract, I will begin moving." Steve frowned and said, "Sure, we¡¯ll get it done. But could you tell us one thing?" Junhyuk stared at Steve, and Steve swallowed hard. "How long will it take to destroy each tear?" Junhyuk thought about it and said, "It depends on the teams, but at least five days for each tear." A tear would be gone every five days, but that also meant that one of the monster areas would reach the hundred-kilometer radius. The delegates scowled. Junhyuk looked at them and said, "There is one more thing." His eyes sharpened. "You haven¡¯t provided me with all the documents concerning your experts. Experts will be the deciding factor of the sess or failure of a campaign." Junhyuk looked at their faces. They had all been hiding their experts, so he had only received documents on their novices. He continued, "I need more information on the experts. If you want, you may continue hiding them, but I wish you wouldn¡¯t." If a country was hiding its experts, he would ce them low on the list. "After you have signed the contract, we will talk some more." After he finished talking, the video conference ended. He turned off the camera and walked out of his room. Once he had returned his equipment, he yawned very hard. He had to do it anyway, but with experts, he could attack five monster areas simultaneously. At first, he would take the experts with him into the tears, butter on, he would be able to send teams of experts on their own. For that, he had to know more about them. On top of that, if the experts formed teams, they would be able to kill him too. If all their powers focused on one person, even Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t be able to survive. "I must know about their powers." --- Jennifer was pacing slowly across the hotel penthouse, and she turned around to look at the group of men working on theirptops. The three men had been assigned to track the Dark Knight, who had just participated in a video conference. But they had failed. They were all internationally-known hackers and they had all failed. Someone intelligent had to be working for the Dark Knight. Jennifer clicked her tongue. "Have you located him?" One hacker sighed heavily. "I hacked Guardians, but his image was being fed from somewhere else, another country. I hacked through fifteen countries, but any more than that is impossible now." "How is that possible?" "If he has a supeputer at his disposal, it¡¯s possible." Jennifer waved her hand and said, "Fine, you may all leave now." They left, and she sat on the bed and said, "Helen,e in here." A woman with a blond ponytail walked in. Helen had deep blue eyes like the ocean, and Jennifer offered her a seat. "They all failed." Taking a seat, Helen said, "Too bad. I wanted to meet him before the others." Staring at Helen, Jennifer asked, "When you do meet him, can you restrain him?" Helen shook her head. "You¡¯ve seen it as well, Jennifer. I can¡¯t kill that many monsters alone." "But in a one-on-one fight, can you kill him?" While Jennifer waited for the answer, Helen poured some wine in a ss. "Our powers may be simr, but not our equipment. His armor is basic, but his weapons are high quality. His attack power must be insane." After taking a sip of the wine, she added, "I can¡¯t kill him." Jennifer drank an entire ss of wine before saying, "He must be stronger than you. You are practically crying." Helen stared at Jennifer. Jennifer had been born with everything. She had never been to the Dimensional Battlefield, so she was like a child whining. To survive the Dimensional Battlefield, one had to know one¡¯s limitations, but more importantly than that, one had to know the enemy¡¯s powers. Helen knew the Dark Knight was at least an expert, possibly a champion. If the Knight was a champion, everything made sense. Experts wouldn¡¯t be able to get all of that equipment. Helen was too wise to face the Dark Knight alone, and not even Jennifer would make her do it. Jennifer would gather more experts and make a team to deal with the Dark Knight, but that would only happen if the Dark Knight didn¡¯t do Jennifer¡¯s bidding. Helen didn¡¯t think about it any further, choosing to finish her wine instead. --- Junhyuk didn¡¯t recognize the number, but he picked up the phone anyway. It was Eunseo. "Did you change your number?" "I asked Elise for a safer phone. I have to be careful." Junhyuk agreed with her. Each country would try to contact her separately. To avoid unnecessary attention, she should be more careful. "Certainly." "The contract¡¯s been written and the delegates already signed it. What do you want to do?" "I¡¯ll go." There were people following her around, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to get rid of them, but he had his teleportation. Elise was at Guardians HQ, and she would cooperate, so he could teleport to her house. Elise¡¯s house was right next to HQ. "Come tomorrow at eleven. You¡¯ll have to meet some delegates." "I thought so. I¡¯ll be the Dark Knight anyway." "We can¡¯t train for a while." "Nothing we can do about it. I¡¯ll think of some other way." Junhyuk hung up. He had to move, but more importantly, he had to be more careful about his security. "I¡¯ll talk to Elise." He called her and heard her voice when she picked up. "What¡¯s up?" "I have to go into Guardians, but I need your help." "Hm. Did you know I had to divert satellites today?" "That¡¯s why I am asking you." Elise agree heartily, "OK. But can I see you today? I have some new equipment prototypes, so I want your advice." "I¡¯ll go now." He was shocked once again by what she could do. It hadn¡¯t been that long since he had given her materials, but she had already made prototypes. He wanted to check on the new equipment, so he went to see her.

 Chapter 328 Order of Priority 2

    Elise had called him to her house. Guardians had started using a new team for the research, so it was safer that way. When he got there, the front gate opened up automatically, and he followed the road within and parked his car. After that, he looked for her in herb. Upon arriving, theb door opened automatically, and thinking that Elise was probably watching him, he chuckled and entered. Inside, another door opened to another room, and he saw Elise working on something. She raised her head and eximed, "You¡¯re here!" Junhyuk walked over and saw a pile of things next to her. "Did you make all these?" "These are for basic use." Junhyuk didn¡¯t want much, just things that could be used as equipment. The w of the Wolf Warlord was one meter long, and someone had taken it out and attached a handle to it. It was the most primitive-looking weapon. Junhyuk lifted the sword made out of the Wolf Warlord¡¯s w, and Elise said, "It¡¯s very sharp. Basically, it has extreme slicing capability." And just like she had said, the Wolf Warlord¡¯s w looked very sharp. He swung the weapon a few times, and every time he did, a sharp sound reverberated through the air, as if the de was cutting it. His own swords had been upgraded, so they were already sharp, but that weapon hadn¡¯t been, so Junhyuk took a moment to think and said, "This is probably better than a basic longsword." The sword seemed to be better than Bebe¡¯s basic longsword to him, but that was just as long as the handle didn¡¯t fall out. After swinging it a few more times, he looked at the other equipment. Junhyuk had wanted a glove from Tirot, but Elise had already made one. The glove was made from the Wolf Warlord¡¯s hide, and as he put it on, his eyes beamed. "This is surprising!" The glove fit his hand perfectly, and when he made a fist, it felt much stronger than usual. Elise calmly exined, "I did not use just the hide. I added the muscle to it as well, along with bloodstone powder to help with flexibility." He turned to her. Elise had used bloodstone powder to create that effect, and once again, he was beyond shocked by her abilities. As he balled his hands into fists, he said, "Basically, you have increased its attack stat. I also have to focus on survival, however. How is the armoring?" Elise clicked her tongue and said, "The Wolf Warlord¡¯s hide is not easily cut whenpared to the hides of other monsters, but I haven¡¯t figured out a way to diminish physical impact." He replied unworried, "Each individual has to deal with physical impact on their own. The important thing is that the armor is not shredded." "I¡¯ve already made something for that." Elise pulled out a two-piece leather armor, a top and a bottom, and she showed him the pieces. "But I don¡¯t have enough materials to make more." Junhyuk nodded. "I need at least forty-five sets of leather armor and weapons. The weapons should be tailored to the individuals¡¯ powers and preferences, but they do need to be coated in monster dposition liquid." "To do that, I need ten bodies." "I¡¯ll give them to you." "If you would." "They¡¯ll be used to attack monster areas, so we¡¯ll sell them to team members." Junhyuk wasn¡¯t going to use them. They would be for those in the teams who didn¡¯t have any items. Elise smiled. "The price will be high. It is entirely different from an item from a B-ranked monster. Each cadaver should be worth $50 million, but with manufacturing costs, the prices will be much, much higher." "I¡¯ll bring you more, but I can only bring you one at a time." "That¡¯s fine." Junhyuk thought he would have to find a way to store A-ranked monsters. He would check the factory site he was going to purchase and do so there. He didn¡¯t have the ability to get more Spatial Bags because he would be spending all of his gold on new equipment. Smiling, he said, "I¡¯lle back tomorrow morning." "Sure." Junhyuk would be in his Dark Knight armor, fully equipped, but he would teleport from there to get inside Guardians, so nobody would know. After leaving Elise, he called Sungtae and told him to acquire the factory site. He had to act quickly. --- Junhyuk arrived at Elise¡¯s house way before he was supposed to sign the contract. He gave her the Wolf Warlord¡¯s body, pulling one from his Spatial Bag, and Elise helped him get closer to Guardians HQ. Already wearing his armor, he bowed slightly toward her and teleported inside. When he appeared, people surrounded him almost immediately. The ce was full of foreign delegates, so some of the security teams even aimed rifles at him. Junhyuk walked forward nonchntly, however, as no rifle could pierce his armor. The agents followed him all the way to the main building, where the delegates were. There, they stopped him. "You can¡¯t get in." They had to have heard of the Dark Knight, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to fight them, so he said, "I¡¯m here to sign the contract." The agents sent word inside, and once they got an answer, they made way for him. However, they still followed him in, but he did not care. When he entered the meeting room, he saw that the delegates were already there. Everyone looked at him. He was in full armor, so nobody could see his face. Sitting opposite of Eunseo, he looked at the contract. It was a simple agreement. They were willing to relegate control to the Dark Knight when it came to destroying monster areas. Once the attacks began, the Dark Knight had to destroy a monster area every five days. Each country would provide him with transportation. As he read it, he picked up a pen. "There are no problems, but before I sign, I have to know about your experts." Junhyuk looked at the delegates, and Steve waved his hand. A man standing behind Steve walked up and handed Junhyuk a file. Steve said, "This is top secret, so destroy the file after you read it." Junhyuk nodded in agreement. He just wanted to know the experts¡¯ powers, so he opened the file. Steve frowned as Junhyuk zoomed through it, closed the file and said, "Those are useful people. They must participate." After he said that, he looked at the others. The Chinese delegate looked at him and waved his hand. Another man walked over to him and gave him two more files. Junhyuk opened the files, and his eyes beamed. He saw a familiar face, the woman who had sliced the ox. After reading the files quickly, he said, "They¡¯ll participate." Then, the delegates from the United Kingdom and Russia gave him their files. After he had finished reading them, he handed the files back. "Five of them will participate in the main team and attack the tears." Steve asked, "Those people have important positions in the Department of Defense. Can you guarantee their safety?" Junhyuk shook his head. "I can¡¯t promise anybody¡¯s safety." Every team member had to guarantee his or her own safety within the dimensional tear. Nobody could do that for them. He added, "If you don¡¯t want your expert to be in danger, speak now. I¡¯ll remove them from the expedition." They all sighed and nodded. "It¡¯s fine. By the way, which country will be first?" Junhyuk answered, "Once we get them the new equipment from Guardians, I will train them. The training will take ce in Japan." At that, Kaito¡¯s face brightened, but Junhyuk continued, "After I have trained them for a while, I¡¯ll let you know which country will be first. Any questions?" They all shook their heads, and Junhyuk signed the contract as DK. He took a copy and gave the other back. "The monster areas are disasters now, but I will soon destroy them," he said, looking at them. "I will work with Guardians, so if you want to talk, contact Guardians. I will decline all other contact." After letting them know his intentions, he turned around and walked out of the meeting room. Nobody stopped him. He walked through the hallways, and Eunseo followed him. Then, she came up next to him and said, "I need to tell you something." "What is it?" "A group of people want to meet the Dark Knight." He asked, "Other than the delegates?" "Yes." She continued calmly, "The CEO of W.A.N.C.S., Mario, and a member of the Rockefeller family, Ms. Jennifer." He hesitated. Mario had been involved with abnormal narcolepsy before Guardians was established. He was there now, and Junhyuk faced a dilemma. He didn¡¯t care about the Rockefeller family, but Mario could be of help to Eunseo, and Junhyuk thought he should help her out. "Sure. Where are they?" "They are on the top floor. I also need to tell you that Jennifer¡¯s security guard is an expert." Junhyuk smiled bitterly at that, but he thought that if anyone, a Rockefeller would be the one to have an expert as a security guard. "I¡¯ll meet them." They entered the elevator and saw a woman. The R-agents were standing behind her. They looked sharp. Because a member of the Rockefeller family was there, the agents looked better than normal. Among them, was a woman with her blonde hair in a ponytail. She had deep blue eyes.

 Chapter 329 Order of Priority 3

    Junhyuk stared at the woman blocking his way. At once, he could tell that she was an expert. However, her health was low. On average, an expert had about five hundred health, but she had four hundred health. What could that mean? He was wearing his armor as he stared her down, so she could only see his eyes, but that was enough to scare her. Helen stared back at him. She could see that his equipment was superior to hers. She had already seen videos of his powers and she thought he might be more than an expert. She stepped aside. "They are waiting for you." Junhyuk took the lead, and Eunseo followed him, but Helen blocked her path. "I am sorry. Only the Dark Knight¡¯s been invited." Eunseo¡¯s eyes twitched, but he raised his hand. "I¡¯ll go in alone." She nodded lightly and stepped back. Eunseo¡¯s stare from behind her sses was cold. Helen frowned a little at the sight, but she did not really care. Junhyuk took the lead, and Helen followed him diligently. Junhyuk felt Helen following him, but he ignored her. He thought that nobody would attack him there, no matter how audacious they might be. The R-agents were guarding the door. As they opened it, he went in and saw an old man and a woman drinking tea. They both got up from their seats after he entered, and the old man walked up to him and offered Junhyuk his hand. "Nice to meet you. I am Mario, CEO of W.A.N.C.S." Junhyuk shook his hand, but he did not speak, so Mario shrugged and looked behind him. "This is Jennifer. She is a member of the Rockefeller family." Junhyuk looked at Jennifer, and just by looking into her eyes, he knew that she had been born with everything. Her eyes were full of confidence. "Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Jennifer." He stared at her for a little bit and then took a seat. The others sat as well, and he said, "I want to know why you wanted to see me." A straightforward question, and Mario smiled. "You must be in a hurry." Jennifer said, "I like him even better now. Then, I¡¯ll speak inly as well." Looking at him, she asked, "What is it that you want?" She crossed her legs and added, "I can give you everything you want." The Rockefeller woman spoke differently from others, and Junhyuk was interested in what she had said. However, he wasn¡¯t interested in joining them. He had only agreed to the meeting because they were influential. Junhyuk looked at Mario and asked, "Are you offering me the same?" "W.A.N.C.S. wants you to join us. You¡¯ll be a big help to us." Heughed inside himself, but did not show it. "I don¡¯t know the meaning of this meeting and I don¡¯t work for anybody." Smiling, Jennifer said, "This type of opportunity doesn¡¯te often." Staring at her, he said calmly, "I don¡¯t want a bad rtionship, so I¡¯ll speak carefully." Junhyukughed as he said that, emanating pride. He was disying force, and Helen moved over to block Jennifer. Jennifer was shaking a little, and he told her, "Next time, I hope it will be more pleasant." After saying those words, Junhyuk walked out, and Jennifer leaned against Helen and took a seat. "What just happened?" Helen answered, "Just as I had expected, he is a champion." "A champion?" Jennifer was staring at Helen, who exined, "He wasn¡¯t showing his killing intent, but his pride. You were seeing the size of his soul." As one leveled up, the size of one¡¯s soul increased, and Junhyuk had just shown her the size of his soul. It was massive. Helen was an expert, and she had experienced a death herself, so she knew that after going through that fierce darkness, the size of one¡¯s soul increased. However, the difference between Junhyuk and Helen shouldn¡¯t be that big, which meant that he was a champion. She had guessed that by seeing his equipment, but now she was sure. "Even if you gather all living experts, you won¡¯t be able to kill him." "I thought experts could just attack him nonstop?" Helen shook her head heavily. "He can teleport, so if you tried to kill him and he escaped, you would make the most dangerous enemy on Earth." Jennifer sighed and got up. "Then, I must keep a good rtionship with him?" "For now." Jennifer turned to Mario, and Mario said calmly, "For now, don¡¯t think about it." She wasn¡¯t sure if she could pull it off, so she shouldn¡¯t try. In the past, Pentagram had tried to kill Anna and failed. Now, its members had to be extra careful. Jennifer couldn¡¯t make another powerful enemy, and this time it wasn¡¯t Anna. With Junhyuk, she was sure to die, so she wouldn¡¯t try. --- Junhyuk didn¡¯t have a good history with the Rockefellers. They had tried to kill him before, so even if they offered him a great deal, he wouldn¡¯t take it. Because Mario had been at the meeting, things had ended rather nicely, but Junhyuk was once again made aware of the power of the Rockefeller family. He wanted to distance himself from them for now, but he did not know what would happenter on. Junhyuk teleported to Elise¡¯s house and changed. She took him to the subway station nearby and said, "The satellites passing Guardians did not record anything, so don¡¯t worry." He showed her a bright smile and said, "You¡¯ve helped me big time." She looked at him and replied, "You owe me a drink." "Sure." He watched as Elise drove off and took the subway home. On the way, he teleported a few times, so even Elise wouldn¡¯t know how he got home. He waited for Sarang inside the house, and when she finally came from school, she saw him on the sofa and smiled at him. "What¡¯s the matter? You should be in the training facility." Junhyuk told her what had happened that day: about the contract, the expert, Mario, and Jennifer. As Sarang listened, she shook her head. "You want a rtionship with the Rockefeller family?" Junhyuk shook his head and said, "I don¡¯t have a good rtionship with them, but I shouldn¡¯t be on bad terms with them if I¡¯m going to destroy the tears." "So, you want to use them?" He agreed, and Sarang smiled. "OK. By the way, will it be enough even if all experts participate?" "I was able to kill the monsters before because they came out in waves, but now, they are already all over the ce, so things won¡¯t be easy." "Should I go as well?" "No." He waved her off and said, "Let¡¯s go train." "After we eat." Sarang pulled out spicy, stir-fried rice cakes and Korean sausages from her school bag, and Junhyuk shook his head. "Aren¡¯t you tired of those?" "If I were, I wouldn¡¯t be a high school student." They bothughed and picked up chopsticks. "Right, let¡¯s eat first. Then, we train." --- Friday. The world was moving very fast, but time froze when he went to the Dimensional Battlefield, so Junhyuk didn¡¯t need to worry about something happening while he was out. He kept on training and absorbing mana to fatten up the living spirit, and soon, the bright light covered everything around him. Junhyuk closed his eyes when that happened and opened them slowly a little whileter. The room was entirely white, and his heart was pounding. He checked the amount of gold he had: 8,235,760G. Junhyuk gasped when he saw it, and he was very proud of what he had gathered. Up to that point, he had had an inferiorityplex whenparing himself to Gongon, but now, he was very proud of himself. And he became even happier when he heard the announcement. [The exnation on the Swamp of Despair has been deleted by request. This round is thest round before the new season. The reward is a bag with a random number of runestones of the highest quality of a random type. At most, the bag will have five runestones. Do your best to win.] Junhyuk¡¯s heart pounded, and he balled his hands into fists. He was expecting a nice reward. The cost of the highest quality runestones was very high, so he thought it might be the best reward after the bag of gold. Humans didn¡¯t expect good things to happen twice in a row. It was basic human psychology, so he was d to hear the news. As he stood at the door, the announcement came on. [Champion Junhyuk Lee deployed.] He opened the door and walked out to see the lizardman kneeling, and Sarang hugging Gongon. Junhyuk walked over to them, and Gongon sighed and said, "Am I going to be hugged this round as well?" "Be understanding." Gongon shook head. "What do we do?" Junhyuk wanted to go to Bebe¡¯s right away. He wanted to acquire the Vampire Lord¡¯s set items, all four of them. If he did, the round would end in their victory for sure. "Let¡¯s go to Bebe first." Gongon shook his head. "Our fighting skills are enough for a victory right now. If we go to Bebe, we must give up a tower." Junhyuk took a moment to think before saying, "If I get new equipment, we¡¯ll win for sure. We can afford to lose a tower." Gongon shook his head again. "I¡¯m aware of that, but you can¡¯t win the entire battle by yourself." Junhyuk knew that too. Even when fully equipped with the new set, he would still have enemies. Gongon said, "Only you can afford new equipment this round. I can¡¯t buy anything." As Gongon said that, Junhyuk agreed, "Right, I was shortsighted." The Dimensional Battlefield required teamwork. That was what was most important. The allies would be stronger if he got new equipment, but they shouldn¡¯t risk things. There was no need for it. After a while, they would go see Bebe. Junhyuk patted Gongon¡¯s tiny shoulder and said, "Let¡¯s go with our usual n."

 Chapter 330 Blood Battle 1

    Sarang did not want to leave Gongon, but Junhyuk had the power to protect and fight, so she went to the lower path with him. Now that Junhyuk knew the victory reward, he did not want to lose. He was only thinking about how they should prepare for an enemy surprise attack until he got to the bottom tower, where he spotted an enemy. Kraken wasn¡¯t with Nid this time. Nid was alone, and so Junhyukmunicated that to Gongon. "Gon, it seems like two went in your direction." "Only the octopus head is here." Kilraden was nowhere to be found. He was the bothersome enemy, and they had no idea where he was. Scowling, Junhyuk told Sarang, "Kilraden isn¡¯t showing up anywhere. Be careful." "Sure." Kilraden couldn¡¯t be ignored, even when they were extra careful. In his case, if the champion used both of his powers at the same time, he would kill Sarang. So, she had to be on high alert. The good thing was that if Junhyuk and Sarangboed their attacks, they would kill Kilraden immediately. Nid had to be angry since he didn¡¯t have a chance to fightst time, dying easily most times. Maybe because of that experience, Nid was standing next to the watchtower. Junhyuk looked at Sarang and said, "Let¡¯s kill Nid first." He thought it would be easy to kill Nid and ran toward the champion. Nid saw him running forward and slowly stepped back. He had to be thinking of the range of the watchtower¡¯s archers, and Junhyuk scoffed at that, running even faster. Junhyuk ran as fast as he could, distancing himself from Sarang. That¡¯s when Kilraden appeared behind her without making any sound. Junhyuk used the Spatial sh on Nid, and at the same time, Kilraden stabbed Sarang¡¯s neck with his dagger. "AAH!" Sarang screamed. Junhyuk gathered his thoughts and turned, trying to look at her to deploy the force field, but Kilraden was already stabbing her a second time, this time through her spine. Only two hits and Sarang had already lost her life. She was already gone, and Junhyuk grimaced. He would have to deal with the two champions alone. As he turned to look at Nid, he realized that he had been lucky. The extra attack had triggered, and Nid only had 18 percent of his health left. After losing that much health, Nid started to retreat. Junhyuk gritted his teeth and ran forward. The archers on the watchtower started shooting at him, but he ignored them and kept pushing. Kilraden was chasing after him, but Kilraden didn¡¯t have enough speed to catch up with him. Junhyuk was going after Nid as fast as he could, and suddenly, he felt a sharp pain on his back and scowled. Kilraden has used two of his teleportations to catch up with him. The champion was not sparing any powers. Junhyuk turned to look at Kilraden, but the champion had already hidden. Seeing that, Junhyuk quickly raised the force field. He couldn¡¯t use the force field when attacking, but it would help with locating Kilraden. Surely enough, Kilraden hit the force field and was bounced back. Nid had fled, so Junhyuk turned around and focused on Kilraden. Junhyuk shed at Kilraden, and the champion bit his lip and raised his dagger to block. Because Junhyuk had the force field around him, Kilraden¡¯s counter wouldn¡¯t work. They would have to brawl, but Kilraden thought he had a chance since Junhyuk had already used his Spatial sh. As Kilraden raised his dagger to block, Junhyuk thought about his training. He had practiced with eleration, and the eleration nowsted longer than ever. On Earth, he used eleration to speed up whenpared to those around him, but in the Dimensional Battlefield, his movement speed remained the same. Only his perception became faster. As Kilraden blocked with his dagger. Junhyuk gripped the Frozen Rune Sword in his left hand and swung it against the lower half of Kilraden¡¯s body. He had swung down at Kilraden with the Blood Rune Sword and shed across him with the Frozen Rune Sword. The two attacks were entirely different. When he first started training, Junhyuk had had a hard time getting used to thatbination of attacks. Because he was using both swords, he had to be inplete control of his muscles, but he could do it now. Getting attacked from two directions, Kilraden tried to dodge by stepping back. Kilraden was right in retreating, but Junhyuk had expected that, so he took a big step forward and extended his sword deeper. Kilraden twisted his body to dodge, but Junhyuk aimed at the lower half of Kilraden¡¯s body again. The champion couldn¡¯t escape the Frozen Rune Sword that time. Kilraden got shed on the thigh, and Junhyuk smiled with satisfaction. He had debuffed Kilraden, and since he was using eleration, even Kilraden wouldn¡¯t able to do anything. Surely enough, Kilraden was having a hard time blocking his sword attacks. Junhyuk could elerate for eight seconds, and three had already passed. He didn¡¯t know if he could kill Kilraden in that time, but he would try his best. Kilraden was speechless with Junhyuk¡¯s attacks. His attacks depended on him using his senses, but the champion hadn¡¯t expected the attacks to be like that. Junhyuk knew what Kilraden would do next now that he was debuffed and slowed. Junhyuk¡¯s attacks hadnded, so he regained the health that he had lost against the archers. Kilraden, on the other hand, only had 30 percent of his health left. With the stack of three debuffs on the champion, Junhyuk knew that he could kill Kilraden for sure. He was about to finish Kilraden when the force field suddenly disappeared, and Kilraden, who had nned to block with his dagger, used his counter instead. sh! Junhyuk lost 30 percent of his health, and he was still within the archers¡¯ range. He was worried, but he decided to finish the fight, so he kept swinging. There was no reason to retreat, even after the counterattack. Junhyuk was about to finish Kilraden off, when suddenly, Nid appeared from behind him, spinning like a corkscrew against his back, taking 22 percent off of Junhyuk health at once. Junhyuk had lost half of his health, but Nid did not stop, swinging his sword at him instead. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t stop Nid¡¯s attack. As the sword¡¯s de became translucent, Junhyuk decided he had to use his teleportation. Missing because of that, Nid gritted his teeth and chased after him. Kilraden and Nid chased after him together, but they both had low health. Nid had to have drank a potion at some point because his health was back at 43 percent. Looking at the two champions, Junhyuk gritted his teeth. He had 48 percent of his health; Kilraden had 30 percent; and Nid had 43 percent. Junhyuk realized that his Spatial sh woulde off cooldown soon, but would he be able to run away from them in the meantime? They kept their chase, and Junhyuk murmured to himself, "When I kill you both, I will treat myself to a piece of candy." Junhyuk had bought ten pieces, meaning to eat them only at special asions. If he killed them both, he would eat one. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to go against the two of them, but he felt confident. He was controlling the distance between himself and his enemies. If he ran too far away, they would stop, so he kept enough of a distance that the enemies kept the idea that they could kill him in their minds. Junhyuk had one more teleportation left, and his enemies weren¡¯t fast enough to catch up to him. Would they realize it? Then, Nid and Kilraden stopped chasing him and turned around. They were going back to the watchtower. Junhyuk clicked his tongue. He couldn¡¯t force them to chase after him, so he had to go back to them. They knew he had used his force field and they would watch out for the Spatial sh. He ran toward them, and as he closed in, Nid and Kilraden turned around and attacked him. They had to be aware that his Spatial sh wasing off cooldown, so they thought they had to finish him before that happened. Junhyuk scoffed at them. He could read their moves and what they were counting on. They were counting on Nid¡¯s howl, and while he knew that, he kept on running toward them. When he got closer, Nid stepped forward. Junhyuk was about to swing his sword down at the champion when Nid opened his mouth. That¡¯s when Junhyuk triggered eleration. It only affected his sense, but he could see Nid¡¯s mouth opening slowly. Hoowl! Nid howled, and when he did, Junhyuk teleported. He had done it quickly, but he was still paralyzed by the howl. However, the teleportation had been a sess. Both powers had been used at the same time, and as Junhyuk stopped, both enemies ran toward him. Junhyuk wanted to kill them both, and his eyes were beaming brightly. It was only a matter of time, and they knew about his Spatial sh. He was paralyzed by the howl, so if a lot of critical hitsnded on him, Junhyuk would die. Kilraden could deal enough damage to get the job done, but Junhyuk had teleported far away, so the enemies were wasting time getting to him. Once they got to him, they attacked him. Both strikes were critical hits, but they only took 30 percent off Junhyuk¡¯s total health. When they attacked again, the paralyzation wore off, so he raised both of his swords to block them. ng! He blocked both attacks, and Kilraden ducked and tried to stab his ribs with the dagger. Nid attacked Junhyuk¡¯s head with the saw-ded sword. Junhyuk saw their attacksing, but he focused on the single-point explosion. The living spirit travelled quickly, leaving energy on the Blood Rune Sword. He had already stacked four passes of energy by the time they got to him. They had shed him, but he had stayed alive. So, as he gathered the fifth stack of energy on his sword, he extended it forward, toward Nid. Kilraden ducked again, even more, making to attack Junhyuk¡¯s legs. The enemies knew about the shockwave his attack created, so they both ducked. Junhyuk also usually aimed the Spatial sh at their necks, so if they ducked, they could avoid the attack altogether. However, this time, Junhyuk was lucky. The single-point explosion triggered with the Spatial sh. Boom! The sword pierced Nid¡¯s neck, and a blood-colored spherical shockwave extended from the impact. Nid disappeared immediately, and Kilraden disappeared soon after. Junhyuk heard two announcements. {You¡¯ve killed Nid and earned 3,000G. You¡¯ve killed Kilraden and earned 3,000G.] Junhyuk coughed out the air in his lungs. He had gambled with his life. If he hadn¡¯t teleported when Nid had howled, he would¡¯ve been killed. Everything had happened as he had hoped, and he had killed the two by himself. Satisfied, Junhyuk put a piece of candy in his mouth. It tasted fantastic.

 Chapter 331 Blood Battle 2

    Junhyuk destroyed the first tower and started heading to where the sorcerer was. Suddenly, he saw Sarang¡¯s face floating in front of him. "Did you kill them both?" "Yes, I killed them." It hadn¡¯t been easy, but he had done it. Things were going as expected, and he was on his way to the Swamp of Despair. "Go straight to the Swamp of Despair, and we¡¯ll fight them again over there." "Sure." They disconnected, and he shook his head. "Howe there is no news from Gongon?" Kraken was sturdy, but Gongon could take care of him. Junhyuk had run for a while when he heard the expected announcement. [Gongon killed Kraken.] Junhyuk smiled. He had already destroyed the tower and was making his way to the Swamp of Despair. It had been a while since he had walked alone. [The High-Ranking Sorcerer in the Swamp of Despair has woken up. Help him out, and he¡¯ll reward you.] As he heard the announcement, he shook his head lightly and murmured, "We¡¯ll we have to fight again at the swamp?" Kraken had diedte, so the octopus would bete to join. Gongon would probably bete too, so he would have to fight Nid and Kilraden with Sarang again. Junhyuk reached the Swamp of Despair, but he saw nobody else. He was faster than everyone else, which is how he got there first. Junhyuk knew he had the upper hand by getting there first. He could ce himself in advantageous spots around the ind. Kraken could use its tentacles to create havoc, but the others were different. Kilraden could teleport, but Junhyuk was sure he could shut him down. By cing himself on the ind first, he could use his Spatial sh before Kilraden could teleport. So, he crossed the stepping stones toward Hatma, and the sorcerer touched his chin. "Shocking." "What is?" "Your growth." Hatma was appreciating him. "Even a human being can be useful." He smiled at Hatma¡¯spliment, and the sorcerer stared at him. "Are you carrying a living spirit within you?" "You know about living spirits?" Hatma nodded. "Sure. But your living spirit is fully grown." "What?" Hatma told him that his living spirit had reached maturity, but Junhyuk could not feel it, and Hatmaughed at him. "Your living spirit is fully grown, so it is now time for you to absorb it," Hatma said, and Junhyuk¡¯s heart started pounding. The living spirit was aware of the mana around him, and it could carry mana throughout his body, but once it reached maturity, Junhyuk had to absorb it. That was the first step toward bing a hero. Junhyuk realized that he would soon be a hero, but first, he had to activate another power. He was d for the information, and Hatma continued, "You must get something for me." The sorcerer was giving him a quest, and he stared at Junhyuk. "Today, you must bring me the heart of the Doppelganger King." "Do I know this Doppelganger King?" Hatma shrugged and answered, "I am not sure about humans, but sometimes, dimensional mistakes take ce that create doppelgangers. Where there should exist just one being, sometimes there are many. Such doppelgangers grouped together in order survive. They have a king, and the king has a heart the carries dimensional error energy. Bring me that heart." Junhyuk nodded in agreement. The previous enemy, the Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Centipede, had been shockingly powerful. The three champions together had barely managed to kill it, so he was worried about this mission. However, he would go anyway. After picking up the quest, he turned to head out and saw that Sarang had gotten to him. "Big brother." He looked at her, and she walked quickly toward him while pointing toward the opposite side. "They are here." Junhyuk looked toward the direction she was pointing, and as expected, Nid and Kilraden were there. They were blocking the path on the opposite side of the ind, which the allies had to take toplete the quest. The allies had to go through their enemies as the champions were creating an unavoidable situation for them. Junhyukughed. The enemies had made a mistake. The allies could see Kilraden. Kilraden could be killed easily when visible. Two Thunderstorms or a Thunderstorm and a Spatial sh would take care of him. Junhyuk told Sarang, "Gongon is heading this way, but we¡¯ll finish before then. Kraken can be bothersome." Sarang nodded. "Should I use my ring¡¯s ability?" "If you think it¡¯s necessary, use it. But try to save it for now," he answered. The enemies might figure out a way to dodge the Thunderstorm. Junhyuk smiled and added, "Use Thunderstorm on Kilraden first." "So, I attack first?" "Yes. He can dodge my Spatial sh, but if Thunderstormnds on him, I¡¯ll can use it without worry." Sarang nodded. "OK. We¡¯ll kill him for sure." The allies had made their n and stepped forward, and Junhyuk stepped on the stepping stones. At that moment, Kilraden looked at Nid, and Nid took the front, stepping on the stepping stones. As Junhyuk watched Nid heading toward him, he frowned. Kilraden had stayed on the opposite side. He could teleport, so the champion could join at any moment, but that was unexpected. Nid could die from a Thunderstorm/Spatial shbo, so the allies couldn¡¯t understand Nid¡¯s courage. Junhyuk told Sarang, then, "Kill Nid first." She nodded. As Nid came within range, she extended her orb, and thunderbolts crashed on top of his head. Craaack! Junhyuk was looking for a chance to use the Spatial sh after Nid had been hit by Thunderstorm, but something totally unexpected happened. Nid¡¯s body glowed bright red, and the thunderbolts that fell on him changed direction, flying straight for Sarang instead. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t do anything about it. "Ahhh!" she screamed and wasunched back. Junhyuk saw that she had been left with 20 percent of his health and looked at Nid. "Are you a hero now?" Nid was smirking. His body was still shining bright red, so Junhyuk couldn¡¯t use his Spatial sh either. He touched Sarang and teleported back. Nid came spinning like a corkscrew in their direction,nding where they had been, and Junhyuk stared at him from the ind. As Nid walked toward them, he said, "I want to thank you." When someone became a hero, all of their powers received boosts. Nid was now totally different from before. Even without upgrading his equipment, all of his stats were higher, and he was full of confidence. Sarang healed herself, and Junhyuk watched the bright red glow fade from the hero. It seemed that Nid¡¯s ultimate was on a timer, and now, the allies could fight him. Junhyuk stood in front of Sarang and said, "Careful, he is a hero now." On the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, he had already seen champions activate their ultimates. However, that usually happened at the end of the battle. This time, though, Nid had be a hero in the middle of the fight. It was the worst situation possible. A hero against champions. Nid¡¯s ultimate was a counter, and Sarang had been hit by her own power. It seemed like Nid could throw back everything the allies would send his way when it was active. Junhyuk sighed heavily. There was a hero there, and that was the worst. If Nid had upper hand, the allies wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything. It was like they were in the pits of hell, but it wasn¡¯t time to retreat. Junhyuk said again, "Just be careful." Nid had used his rush as well, but the hero still had two powers left. The allies had wasted the Thunderstorm, and Sarang had healed herself, so the allies had already used two powers. Kilraden was also crossing the stepping stones, and Junhyuk ran toward Nid and shouted, "Use your judgement!" Junhyuk wanted to fight Nid. Nid was a hero now, but Junhyuk had his equipment, so only their basic stats were different. And Junhyuk wanted to feel that difference. Junhyuk swung his sword, and Nid swung his saw-ded sword in response. ng! The swords shed, and he knew. The sh felt totally different from before. Nid¡¯s saw-ded sword strike was much faster now, and if his sword was moving faster, that meant that his speed had increased. Even if Junhyuk used eleration, it wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference. As Kilraden ran forward, he suddenly disappeared. There was nothing Junhyuk could do at that point, so he stepped back and raised the force field. He could at least protect himself from Kilraden¡¯s hiding power. The force fieldsted longer than it. Under the force field, Junhyuk closed in against Nid and swung his sword. Nid, however, had lost interest in the fight once the force field had been raised, so he withdrew quickly, and Junhyuk chased after him. While Nid retreated, he suddenly started bleeding from his neck. The Spatial sh had hit its target, but NId had only lost 40 percent of his health. "Holy shit! His health increased that much?" It wouldn¡¯t be easy to kill Nid, and Junhyuk might not be able to. Nid had a chaotic swordsmanship, and his speed had increased. Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with regr attacks. On top of that, Nid¡¯s health had increased as well, so he couldn¡¯t rely on his Spatial sh anymore. And, Nid also had an ultimate, which he should be wary of. Junhyuk had gritted his teeth when, suddenly, an electric arrow flew by him. Sarang had absorbed a lot of mana since she started training, so the speed of her arrow had increased. It hit Nid dead on. Luckly, Nid got paralyzed by the attack. Junhyuk had to seize that opportunity, so he swung his sword at the hero. Junhyuk could do a lot more damage with the Blood Rune Sword, but he attacked with the Frozen Rune Sword instead, stabbing the already open wound on Nid¡¯s neck. The Spatial sh had made a gaping hole on Nid¡¯s neck, and Junhyuk twisted the sword in. It was only for a short while, but he had been able to damage the hero, and the attack was a critical hit, taking another 15 percent of Nid¡¯s total health. Kilraden reappeared right behind Nid. The champion had wasted his hiding power, but he still had two other powers. "This is the worst," Junhyuk murmured without realizing he was talking to himself.

 Chapter 332 Blood Battle 3

    The situation looked terrible, but there was no need to give up. It was unexpected that Nid had be a hero, but Nid had already used his ultimate. A hero had more health and defense than a champion, so it would be just like killing Kraken. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t kill Nid with ordinary attacks, but he could buy time to kill him with his powers. Just before the force field disappeared, he grabbed Sarang¡¯s hand and teleported behind the enemies. Because the force field had disappeared, the enemies rushed at him, but he triggered his jumping skill. At once, he jumped over the swamp, holding her as he ran. The enemies chased after him, and he smacked his lips. Nid¡¯s power having a short cooldown wouldn¡¯t be bnced, so Junhyuk thought the cooldown should be long and decided that he would use his Spatial sh as soon as it came off cooldown. "We must both focus on Nid. If not, we won¡¯t kill him." As Sarang ran, she nodded. "We¡¯ll paralyze him and burn him down. That¡¯ll kill him." "Right. Let¡¯s kill Nid first since he is a hero." Sarang nodded, and Junhyuk searched for the right moment. The allies had distanced themselves with the jump, and the enemies were chasing them, but they wouldn¡¯t reach the allies in time. Nid had 45 percent of his health. If the allies focused on him, they would kill him, and if they had Kilraden alone, they could kill him as well. Junhyuk slowed down to let the enemies catch up. When they fell within range of his Spatial sh, he just maintained the distance. The allies had used Thunderstorm first, so the two powers came off cooldown at the same time. Junhyuk¡¯s eyes met Sarang¡¯s, and he turned and ran. However, Junhyuk¡¯s power wasn¡¯t the only one toe off cooldown. He thought that Nid had been within range, but Nid was quickly retreating. Meanwhile, Kilraden was fast approaching him, so Junhyuk swung the Frozen Rune Sword, pretending to use the Spatial sh, at the champion, but Kilraden teleported. The distance he covered was shorter than Junhyuk¡¯s, but as soon as he appeared, he disappeared again. Junhyuk thought Kilraden would reappear soon, but he didn¡¯t, and Junhyuk scowled. He had thought Kilraden had stacked teleportations, but the champion had hidden. Junhyuk clicked his tongue and measured the distance from Nid. After retreating, the hero was sixty meters away from him. He thought that Kilraden had to be somewhere in between, but after three seconds hiding, he might be even closer, so Junhyuk grabbed Sarang¡¯s hand and teleported. After distancing himself from them, he waited. Kilraden wouldn¡¯t be able to close the gap in three seconds. Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened as he looked ahead. Kilraden, grimacing, reappeared twenty meters from the allies. The champion could close in with his two remaining teleports, but if he did that, he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. Junhyuk whispered to Sarang, "Get ready for the teleport." Sarang touched his arm, but Kilraden had disappeared again. As the champion teleported, Junhyuk did the same. The distance between the two groups, which had been ten meters, was back to thirty meters, and Kilraden realized that he couldn¡¯t close in by teleporting. Nevertheless, he teleported again, using up all his teleportations. "He¡¯s made up his mind. Kill him!" When Kilraden reappeared, Sarang shot an electric st at him. If it worked, it would mean the end for Kilraden. The allies wouldbo him, and Kilraden wouldn¡¯t survive. The electric st flew in Kilraden¡¯s direction, and Kilraden turned translucent. At that moment, another Kilraden appeared right in front of Junhyuk. The allies had never seen that before. That Kilraden was also translucent, like a dream, and as Junhyuk swung his sword at him instinctively, the sword merely passed him by. However, Kilraden could attack and damage Junhyuk in that state. Kilraden¡¯s powers usually dealt 30 percent damage, but the damage from the attack was only 20 percent. However, the initial damage wasn¡¯t the problem. The translucent figured attacked him nonstop. He swung his sword at Kilraden, but he seemed to be just an illusion. Yet, Kilraden could attack and damage him. Junhyuk got hit twice and lost 40 percent of his health. "You too?!" he shouted. It was another unseen power. Not only Nid, but Kilraden had also be a hero. Kilraden seemed to have developed a doppelganger power, and its damage capacity was shocking. In no time, Junhyuk had already lost 60 percent of his health. The damage was ferocious. Kilraden had also dodged Sarang¡¯s electric st, so he seemed to have perfect evasion in that state. One of the doppelgangers, who no longer looked like an illusion, swung the dagger at Junhyuk¡¯s neck. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t ready for the attack. It was a critical hit, and he lost another 15 percent of his health. After the ultimate ran out, the original reappeared. Seeing himself at low health, Junhyuk used the Spatial sh. Itnded as a critical hit, but the damage was only 53 percent, instead of the usual 73 percent. Kilraden¡¯s health had increased. Junhyuk didn¡¯t stop attacking. He thought he had to finish Kilraden now that he was close, but Kilraden countered, stabbing him on the neck, and Junhyuk¡¯s vision became blurry. However, he saw the thunderbolts crashing on Kilraden. The assassin lost 43 percent of his health, leaving him with 4 percent. Junhyuk tried to smile, but the world turned ck. "Holy shit." The entire world was dark, and it was not easy for him to keep his ego and get out of that. He had to get out of the thick emptiness, and his soul would grow naturally. This time, however, he felt something as he tried to leave the emptiness that he had never felt before. It felt familiar in some way. Junhyuk felt its existence and focused on it. The light wasing toward his consciousness and getting brighter, as if trying to swallow him whole. He knew then what he was feeling. Inside his body, the living spirit had swallowed his mana, and it was now a gigantic, blue wild beast of light. That was the living spirit, and Junhyuk tried to flee from that ce. However, the living spirit chased after him crazily. The blue wild beast of light had sharp fangs and a massive body. Inside of it, was the mana energy. The beast wasrger than ever before. When the living spirit had been his own, it had felt so much smaller than what was in front of him. And that¡¯s when he knew that he had made a mistake in thinking that he had controlled the living spirit. It was then that he learned what Arn had meant by him having to control the living spirit once it was fully grown. At the same time, Junhyuk thought that if he could control it, he could be a hero. Nothing on Earth scared him. Monsters were dangerous, but he had fought them. He had killed A-ranked monsters as well, so he would acquire the energy from the living spirit. The Dimensional Battlefield would restrain him, but he would be even stronger on Earth. However, could he control the living spirit at that moment? The living spirit was shocking, gigantic and ferocious, and he was just fleeing from it through the thick emptiness at that moment. Then, he felt it. What had he learned from his death so far? Had he just simply wanted to live and searched, with his awareness, for the bright white light all this time? No, that wasn¡¯t it. Junhyuk had protected his ego, and it had be bigger. The process had not simply increased his soul. So, Junhyuk stopped running and turned around. Two enemies had already be heroes, so even if he purchased the new equipment, it would be a clean sweep. The living spirit stopped and bared its fangs. Junhyuk raised his hands slowly. He did not like that he wasn¡¯t holding his swords, but suddenly, swords appeared in his hands. What was that? How could he summon his swords in that ce? He thought about many possibilities and then looked at the living spirit. The spirit roared angrily. The roar didn¡¯t make a sound however, but the whole ce shook with it. Junhyuk took a step forward. Faced with such strong presence, he made his own presence know. And walked ferociously. The living spirit¡¯s ws shed against his swords. It wasughing at his swordsmanship. Bouncing off, Junhyuk gritted his teeth. The living spirit opened its massive maw against him, which he kept from shutting with his hands. His hands were pierced by the fangs, and a sharp pain shot down his arms, but he ignored it. He pushed down on the living spirit¡¯s jaw. Craack! The jaw opened wider, and he ced his foot on it to try and pry it open even more. Then, he put his hand inside the spirit¡¯s mouth. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t reach the spirit¡¯s brain, but he felt something else. At that moment, he remembered what he felt when he first received the living spirit. As Junhyuk grabbed it and stared at it, the massive body disappeared. He could now feel everything inside of him. No one had taught him how, but he had eaten it whole, the pounding heart of the living spirit. The ferocious pounding spread through his chest, and he balled his hands into fists. He felt strength, strength beyond his imagination, strength he¡¯d never felt before, even while training with the spirit. Had he absorbed that much mana? Junhyuk still felt the emptiness surrounding him, but the mana spread all over his body. It was a type of strength that belonged only to heroes, and it was filling his body now. Junhyuk focused on the light, and suddenly, speckles of white light sprinkled over his head. Up to that point, he had had to get out of the emptiness by himself, but this time, after absorbing the living spirit, he did so automatically and in an instant. As he felt the light surround him, he summoned his equipment. Junhyuk was at full strength, and it was different from when he had trained with the spirit. Because he hadn¡¯t activated a new power, Junhyuk hadn¡¯t be a hero. However, he had the strength of a hero, and he felt it all over his body. For the first time, he felt restrained in the Dimensional Battlefield, and he realized that his strength wouldn¡¯t break those chains. He knew he was different from before. [Champion Junhyuk Lee deployed.] When the door opened, he walked out and murmured, "You are all dead now."

 Chapter 333 You Are All Dead 1

    Aftering out, he looked around. He couldn¡¯t find Sarang, so he tried to raisedmunications with her, but he couldn¡¯t. Junhyuk clicked his tongue. He didn¡¯t know how long it had taken him to revive, but after he had, he wasn¡¯t able to talk to Sarang, which meant that she had been killed. "Even if she had killed Kilraden, Nid would have killed her." Sarang could have killed Kilraden, but Nid was at full health, and she had already used her powers on the assassin, so there was no way that she would¡¯ve been able to kill Nid as well. "Gon, where are you?" "I am at the swamp. You got killed! What¡¯s going on?" That¡¯s when Junhyuk got confirmation that Sarang had also been killed. "Nid and Kilraden are heroes now." "Heroes? Are they strong?" "It¡¯s the worst." Fighting them wouldn¡¯t be easy now, and Junhyuk sighed heavily. "Come back quickly. Let¡¯s move as a group." "Sure." Gongon¡¯s face disappeared, and Junhyuk waited. Soon, Sarang came out. She was staggering, so he went to her quickly to give her support. "Did you kill Kilraden?" "Yes, but Nid killed me." Just as he had expected. As he patted her shoulder, Gongon suddenly appeared. "Come." Gongon walked up to them and said, "Just our luck. Two of them are heroes now." "Right." Junhyuk looked at them both and added, "Things won¡¯t be easy now that there are two heroes." "What do we do now?" "We have two options." He raised one finger and said, "First, we can let themplete the quest battle and steal the item from them." Sarang shook her head. "If Kraken joins the quest, they¡¯ll have two heroes and a tank. We can¡¯t kill any of them right now." She had coldly analyzed the situation, and Junhyuk stared at her. "Have you used your ring?" She shook her head again and said, "No, I wouldn¡¯t have killed him anyway, so I didn¡¯t use it." Junhyuk nodded and looked back at the entire group. "My other n is to let themplete the quest while we head to Bebe¡¯s." Gongon touched his chin with his short w and said, "It feels like running away, and this time, I can¡¯t get new items." Junhyuk took a moment to think and answered, "If we divide our forces, our survival rate will go down." Gongon shrugged, relenting, "Nothing I can do about it. You should get stronger." Junhyuk¡¯s second n involved him getting the Vampire Lord set and bing stronger. It was also possible that Sarang would die again if she didn¡¯t get any new items. So, they agreed on the second n, and Junhyuk looked at her. "Let¡¯s go." "OK." Sarang should be able to get a few new items to strengthen herself. Although legend items were very expensive, she could get other items of about 200,000G. Sarang hugged Gongon from behind and picked him up. "We can¡¯t afford to encounter any enemies, so be careful." They couldn¡¯t take the lizardmen with them either. So, they headed to Bebe¡¯s store. --- Getting to Bebe without using the swamp took quite a while. They had already destroyed the first bottom tower, so they took that path. By doing so, they were able to get to Bebe without encountering any enemies. Bebe was cleaning his ears like always, and he raised his hand toward the group as they walked in. "You came!" "Yes." Bebe sniffed the air and smiled at Junhyuk. "It smells like pure gold. Did you earn yourself any?" Junhyuk stared at Bebe and walked toward him. Then, he extended his hand and asked, "Do you have any Pure Golden Knight set items?" "Nothing," Bebe answered, shaking his head. "Then, show me the Vampire Lord set." Bebe scratched his chin and said, "Sure! Just as I had expected. OK!" The storekeeper pulled out a book, and when he opened it, the Vampire Lord set appeared. As Junhyuk looked at it, his eyes beamed. He decided to get item types he didn¡¯t already own first, while he thought of what could be reced. "I¡¯ll get the pauldrons." "Sure." "Are you giving me a discount?" Bebe nodded. "It¡¯s my loss, but yes. It¡¯s a 200,000G discount." The more expensive the item, the bigger the discount, and Junhyuk smiled at the revtion. The champion had 8,239,760G, and Bebe subtracted 1,800,000G from it. After Junhyuk got the unique set item, he inspected the new equipment. The construction was made of ck and blue leather, and it had sharp spikes attached to it. --- Vampire Lord Lujet¡¯s Pauldrons (set item) Attack +50Piercing +40Defense +70Magic Defense +70 These are the Vampire Lord Lujet¡¯s pauldrons, which were made of the demon Keltaroc¡¯s skin. They are light, but they posses great defense and magic resistance. They increase attack by fifty, piercing by forty, and defense and magic defense by seventy. Completing the set increases the power of the item. Two-Item Set Effect: Critical Hit Chance + 20% --- Junhyuk was especially pleased with the critical chance boost. It was twice the boost of Gongon¡¯s set item. The item was better than most armor pieces, and even thought it was an armor piece, it increased attack as well. "Give me the greaves." Bebe¡¯s ck Armor covered Junhyuk¡¯s entire body, but he could still buy parts for his legs separately, so he chose to do so. Again, he spent 1,800,000G, but this time, he bit his lip. He knew what he was spending his gold on, but even a low-tiered hero wouldn¡¯t have that kind of money. He equipped himself. The ck and blue greaves were made out of leather he didn¡¯t recognized. Junhyuk was the Dark Knight, so he had worried about his aesthetic while making the purchase, but he did so anyway. He inspected his new greaves. --- Vampire Lord Lujet¡¯s Greaves (set item) Piercing +60Defense +120Magic Defense +120Health +500 These are the greaves of the Vampire Lord Lujet, which were made from the skin of Krelo, the Wild Beast. They increase defense and magic resistance. They increase health by five hundred, piercing by sixty, and defense and magic defense by 120. Completing the set increases the power of the item. Two-Item Set Effect: Critical Hit Chance + 20%Three-Item Set Effect: Critical Hit Damage + 30% --- Junhyuk looked at the set boosts. His critical-hit chance had increased, which meant that regr attacks could be judged to be critical hits, and now, critical hit damage had also increased. They were the best possible buffs for him. Those pieces of equipment had shocking stats. They had been unique items first, but now they were set items, and the benefit of that was that now they had set boosts. Seeing that, Junhyuk got the desire to purchase them all. So, he did. Even though he had gotten stronger, he was now being restrained by the Dimensional Battlefield, so to increase his avable stats, he had to equip himself with items. Junhyuk thought that the armor pieces had higher stats than Bebe¡¯s ck Armor. Therefore, he decided topletely change his armor. "Give me all of the armor." Bebe smacked his lips. "You¡¯ve been upgrading your armor. Aren¡¯t you satisfied?" "I want the new one." Bebe shrugged and said, "It¡¯s your choice. You are free to buy anything. It¡¯ll just mean more money for me." Junhyuk spent another 1,800,000 to get the rest of the armor. It had a unique make. Half of it was made of leather, and the other half was made of metal. Junhyuk inspected the piece he had just acquired.--- Vampire Lord Lujet¡¯s Cuirass (set item) Piercing +80Defense +200Magic Defense +200Health +800 This is the top of the Vampire Lord Lujet¡¯s armor. It¡¯s made from a state-of-the-art metal and leatherbination. It increases health by eight hundred, piercing by eighty, and defense and magic defense by two hundred. Completing the set increases the power of the item. Two-Item Set Effect: Critical Hit Chance + 20%Three-Item Set Effect: Critical Hit Damage + 30%Four-Item Set Effect: Chance to Ignore Opponent¡¯s Defense +20% --- Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened when he saw the fourth item effect. Ignoring an enemy¡¯s defensepletely would be fatal for tanks. It was all chance, but if he got lucky, and it happened with a Spatial sh, he could easily kill Kraken. Satisfied, he smiled. "Finally, I want the bracer. Give them to me." Junhyuk wanted to rece the Wind Smander¡¯s Arm Warmer. Most bracers were geared for offense, and he had already bought two pieces of equipment that focused mainly on defense. Therefore, he had to buy something for attack. Bebe took another 1,800,000G from his total, which made Junhyuk feel bad, but he reminded himself that he was investing in his future. When he saw the bracer, it looked different. It was made of metal. After putting it on, he inspected it. --- Vampire Lord Lujet¡¯s Bracer (set item) Piercing +30Defense +30Attack +30Attack Speed +15% This is the Vampire Lord Lujet¡¯s bracer. It is made from state-of-the-art metalwork. It increases piercing, attack and defense by thirty, and attack speed by 15 percent. Edel, the Magic Engineer, put serious effort into making this item. Completing the set increases the power of the item. Two-Item Set Effect: Critical Hit Chance + 20%Three-Item Set Effect: Critical Hit Damage + 30%Four-Item Set Effect: Chance to Ignore Opponent¡¯s Defense +20%Five-Item Set Effect: Enemies lose 3% of their healths for each of your attacks thatnds. --- As Junhyuk stared at the fifth effect, he couldn¡¯t keep his mouth closed. Whenever an attack of hisnded, his enemy would lose 3 percent of his or her life. The boost would be most effective against enemies with massive health pools, and all of the items were geared toward killing tanks. "If I can kill a tank, the rest of them should be easier." Considering the jump to his piercing stat, his enemies would be practically naked against him, even those with high defense. "OK."

 Chapter 334 You Are All Dead 2

    Junhyuk looked at what he had remaining: 1,039,760G. If he had had another 800,000G, he would¡¯ve bought another piece of equipment, but he couldn¡¯t. Junhyuk sold Bebe¡¯s ck Armor and the Wind Smander Leather Arm Warmer, getting 45,000G for the armor and 50,000G for the arm warmer. He still had a lot of money, so he thought about how to use it more effectively. Junhyuk didn¡¯t have enough to buy another piece of the Vampire Lord set, so he thought about getting a runestone but decided to wait for the battlefield reward instead. His defense and health had increased by an enormous amount, and he felt like he could shred the enemy heroes like paper. After some though, he said, "Give me enhancement stones." "Enhancement stones? How many?" "Ten should do." To further increase his defense, the most effective things to do were basic upgrades. Each enhancement stone cost 50,000G, so he had just spent 500,000G, but considering the increase to his defense, he had spent the gold in the wisest manner. He wanted to keep the Vampire Lord set, thinking that the set¡¯s effects were extremely useful. So, he did five basic upgrades to the cuirass and the greaves. (Editor¡¯s note: For some reason the greaves act as one item, while the bracers don¡¯t.) Junhyuk wanted to save the rest of the money forter. His defense had doubled, and even though his equipment had been upgraded to focus on defense before, he had far surpassed his previous equipment boosts. Junhyuk inspected his new equipment and realized that the Vampire Lord set looked rather monstrous. He had purchased the pieces for their quality, but the set he was wearing no longer resembled the Dark Knight. So, he turned to Bebe. "If I changed the shape of the armor, do I have to do the greaves separately?" "Why do you want to change its shape?" "I can¡¯t look like this in my dimension." Bebe scratched his chin and said, "In other words, you want it to look like the ck Armor?" "Yes." "Then, you don¡¯t need to reshape it." Junhyuk stared at Bebe. "Whenever you want, because of another equipment, you can appear as though you were wearing the ck Armor. If you go through the reshaping process, you¡¯ll have to do it three times, and it¡¯ll cost you more." Bebe smiled and added, "But things are different with this ring." The storekeeper showed him a ring and continued, "The ring will show others the way you want to be seen." Junhyuk looked at the ring and asked, "Is it like the mask that it can only disy a specific image?" "No. You can set five different appearances to it." Junhyuk quickly realized the power of the ring. "Can it also change my physical appearance?" "It¡¯ll also work like a mask, yes." The ring could change his appearance to anything he wanted. Junhyuk wanted that ring. He would buy it and engrave it with a seal. "How much is it?" "It works on your entire body, so it¡¯s 50,000G." "Discount?" "Sure. With the discount, it¡¯ll be 45,000G." Junhyuk smiled. He would be safe on Earth with that ring. "Deal. Give me the ring. Also, engrave the ring and the pieces of the Vampire Lord set." "Certainly." Junhyuk was d that his equipment wasn¡¯t all one item, so he took off his armor one piece at a time and setplex engravings on them. As Bebe did the work, he said, "Your ring is also capable of reshaping itself and other things while unsummoned if it¡¯s engraved." "What?!" Bebe calmly exined. "It¡¯s not from the Dimensional Battlefield. It was especially made." Junhyuk asked, "Does the ring¡¯s reshaping power work only in reality? Will it work on video?" "You worry too much. This is the Dimensional Battlefield. I don¡¯t sell defective products." Junhyuk was d. With the ring, he could have five new identities. However, he wasn¡¯t going to use all of them. Just in case, he was going to leave two open slots. After the engravings were done, Junhyuk put on his armor. He also had the rest of his gear out and finished preparing himself, turning to the others after. Gongon had purchased more candy, and he was eating a piece. Sarang had also gotten new equipment. She had spent 200,000G on three new items focused on defense. Her health had also increase, and the goal was to withstand more than two attacks from Kilraden. It wouldn¡¯t be easy. Junhyuk had already experienced Kilraden¡¯s ultimate, and it could easily kill Sarang. After everyone got what they wanted, they all looked at each other. "Shall we get going?" Gongon nodded nonchntly, and Sarang nodded nervously. To her, even though she had new equipment, fighting heroes was difficult. Junhyuk patted her shoulder and said, "I¡¯ll kill them all, so don¡¯t worry." Noticing Junhyuk¡¯s cheerful demeanor, Gongon asked him, "Why are you so confident?" "You¡¯ll see." He walked out of the portal smiling, and when the rest of the group was on the other side, he said, "We¡¯ll destroy the second bottom tower and push on." The allies had already destroyed the first tower, and their enemies werepleting the quest. The buff would be deadly when applied, but after some time had psed, the allies wouldn¡¯t have to worry about it. The important thing was to avoid encountering their enemies while heading to the second tower. If they did, and the enemies were already buffed, the allies would be in trouble. So, they had to destroy the second tower as quickly as possible. After the allies destroyed the second tower, the enemies appeared. Their buffs had worn off, but they still looked confident. They did not care about losing a tower, probably because they had two heroes. Junhyuk stepped forward and said, "Gon, I¡¯ll act as the tank." "You?" In the past, Gongon¡¯s defense might have been better, but now Junhyuk¡¯s defense was superior, so he nodded and walked forward with confidence. The enemies had thought he would¡¯ve used the Spatial sh, but as he walked toward them, they felt nervous. Kraken responded first, "Impudent wretch!" Kraken quickly walked toward him and rushed. The rest of the enemies followed behind the octopus, and Junhyuk focused on the mana within his body. In the past, he used the living spirit to send mana to the tip of his sword or his finger to create a single-point explosion, but things were different now. He could divide the mana within his gut and send it straight there. Previously, he had had to repeat the process five times, but now he could do it in three. Kraken was rushing toward him, and he had already gathered enough energy to trigger the single-point explosion. Instead, he was wondering if he should use the Spatial sh with it. Junhyuk dodged Kraken¡¯s rush with his own teleportation and used the Spatial sh on Kilraden. He had done so during the disappearing process of the teleportation. Kilraden did not respond well to that. Previously, the Spatial sh had taken only 53 percent off of the assassin¡¯s health. But now, the Spatial sh had received a 30 percent increase in damage, and on top of that, Junhyuk¡¯s piercing stat had also increase. So, Kilraden received 78 percent in damage. The assassin¡¯s eyes widened. The strike was a critical hit, and because of the set effect, Kilraden received even more damage. He lost an additional 3 percent of his health, so he was left with 19 percent. If the extra attack had triggered, Kilraden would¡¯ve been killed. Because Junhyuk had used the single-point explosion with the Spatial sh, a spherical shockwave swept through Nid, taking 29 percent off of Nid¡¯s health. Then, the hero was covered by specks of light, and he lost an additional 3 percent. Junhyuk realized that the shockwaves fell under the same set effect, enabling them to deal even more damage to enemies. He would use that to his advantage. Kilraden was shocked, and Junhyuk teleported again and ran toward the assassin. He was thinking about finishing the hero then, but as he swung his sword, Kilraden countered. As Kilraden countered, Junhyuk used his other sword to sh at the hero. sh! The counter had dealt 30 percent of damage to him before, but now, it only took off 10 percent of his health. Kilraden wasn¡¯t equipped like other heroes yet, but his capacity to damage opponents was really high, which meant that Junhyuk¡¯s defense had increased tremendously. Because both his defense and health had increased, Junhyuk only lost 10 percent with the attack, and he watched as his sword shed through Kilraden¡¯s chest. It wasn¡¯t a critical, but his piercing stat had increased, so more of the damage gotten through. Junhyuk took 14 percent off of Kilraden¡¯s total health with the attack. On top of that, another 3 percent of health was automatically taken out, leaving Kilraden with 2 percent of his health. Junhyuk swung at the assassin again. He wanted to kill Kilraden right there, but Kilraden turned translucent. It was his ultimate. Junhyuk could withstand it, but he had made other ns. Instead, he raised the force field around himself andunched himself at Nid. Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to wait for Kilraden¡¯s ultimate to wear off, as there was no need for it. Nid had been running toward him and had watch Junhyuk nearly kill Kilraden. Now, he had the force field around him, so Nid changed directions and turned toward the other allies. Kraken had wanted to attack him after Junhyuk had teleported for the first time, but now that he was inside the force field, all attacks were futile. Nid and Kraken now turned to face Gongon and Sarang, and Gongon blocked their path. "Junhyuk can¡¯t have all the fun by himself." Gongon tried heabutting Kraken, while Sarang cast her electric st. The two sts flew off and hit Nid and Kraken. Nid was paralyzed, and Junhyuk came from behind him and shed at the hero. Every hit was a critical when the target was paralyzed, so Junhyuk¡¯s attack dealt 17 percent of damage. Nid had more health than Kilraden, but the set effect triggered, and Nid lost a total of 20 percent of his health. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t using his powers, so he was a little shocked by the amount of damage he had done. The shockwave from the attack swept through Kraken. Junhyuk was celebrating internally, thinking victory would be his, when Kilraden reappeared. Kilraden¡¯s ultimate was still up, and he had hidden and teleported to show up behind Sarang. The assassin was about to stab her, and Junhyuk shouted, "No!"

 Chapter 335 You Are All Dead 3

    Kilraden only had 2 percent of his health left, but his attack was extremely damaging. He took a big chunk out of her health. After hearing his shout, Sarang cast Thunderstorm behind her. She had lost 60 percent of her health in one hit, so she didn¡¯t try to aim where her would Thunderstorm hit. The bolts crashed right next to Kilraden. Still, the bed of lightning swept through him, and there was nothing Kilraden could do to block it. [Sarang killed Kilraden.] Kilraden had evolved into a hero, but he still had to leave the battlefield for his evolution to bepleted. Junhyuk watched as he died. Sarang had invested in defensive equipment. If she hadn¡¯t, she would¡¯ve been dead by now. After bing a hero, Kilraden¡¯s attack had increased, but Sarang had received 10 percent less damage than normal. She was seriously wounded, but she was still able to cast Thunderstorm. Junhyuk thought she deserved apliment. Had she turned around to aim the Thunderstorm, Kilraden would have killed her. Junhyuk shed at Nid, but the hero used his corkscrew rush power to fly toward Sarang. Nid¡¯s rush could go through anyone blocking his path. Gongon tried, but Nid passed through him and attacked her. The rushed damaged everyone in his path. It was, essentially, an area-of-effect attack. Sarang died from it. [Nid killed Sarang.] Junhyuk clicked his tongue. He had gotten stronger, but he had been overconfident, and because of that, Sarang had been killed. Junhyuk could deal with the three enemies alone, at least that was what he thought. However, there were limits to what he could do. Junhyuk ran by Gongon and said, "Deal with Kraken." When Junhyuk attacked Nid previously, the shockwave hit Kraken, so Gongon could take care of him on his own. Junhyuk, on the other hand, moved toward Nid, who had already started running toward him. However, Junhyuk¡¯s speed was faster than Nid¡¯s, so he closed in on the hero even faster. Although his speed was faster, Junhyuk was unable to get close before his force field disappeared. Nid had seen it disappear, so he twisted around and swung his saw-ded sword. ng! Both swords shed, and Nid opened his mouth. "Hoowwl!" With Nid¡¯s sudden howl, Junhyuk was left paralyzed. He had been regaining his health with his attacks up to that point, so he was not nervous. Nid shed at him again. It was easily to deliver critical hits to a paralyzed opponent, but Nid¡¯s regr attack didn¡¯t do much damage. Even though it was a critical, it only took 5 percent off of Junhyuk¡¯s health. Junhyuk was paralyzed for three seconds, but he only lost 25 percent of his health. Once he was able to move, he dodged the next attack and shed at Nid. The hero saw his attack and smirked. Nid¡¯s body glowed red. Junhyuk had already used his Spatial sh. Previously, when he attacked Nid, he noticed that Nid lost a lot of health. With the increase in Junhyuk¡¯s piercing stat, his attacksnded beautifully. Now, Nid was about to use his ultimate, so Junhyuk started running away. Nid chased him down, swinging the saw-ded sword at him. Nid¡¯s attacks were really fast, but Junhyuk was different from before. It was only a small increase, but he knew his attack speed had gotten faster. Nid was a hero now, so his attacks had gotten much faster. Junhyuk had to find an opening in Nid¡¯s flurry. His speed had increased just enough to parry Nid¡¯s attacks. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t counter, so he focused on parrying. Nid¡¯s attacks all failed, and the hero gritted his teeth and tried to use his powers. Nid¡¯s saw-ded sword turned translucent and passed by Junhyuk, injuring him. It was a critical hit, but Junhyuk only lost 7 percent of his health. That¡¯s when Junhyuk triggered eleration. His perception felt much faster now, and he could read the entirety of the saw-ded sword¡¯s movements. If he couldn¡¯t block it, he had to focus on dodging. Mana was all around him, and the Dimensional Battlefield was restraining him, but he was getting faster bit by bit. Junhyuk could see Nid¡¯s moves and was able to dodge them. Nid was going berserk, and Junhyuk kept moving around, dodging most of Nid¡¯s attacks. He was very fast, but he couldn¡¯t dodge everything. Nid was able to hit him twice, but Junhyuk only lost 7 percent of his health in the process. Junhyuk retreated and checked on his condition. He had 51 percent of his total health left, while Nid had 48 percent. Junhyuk lowered his swords slowly and smiled. "This will be enough." Nid had already used his ultimate, and Junhyuk had prevented damage from that. Now, it was time to take the fight to the hero, so Junhyuk swung his swords and elerated. Junhyuk could anticipate Nid¡¯s attacks, but it wasn¡¯t easy to mount sessful attacks against the hero. Nid was a better swordsman than Junhyuk. So, he had to make a decision. As long as he dodged the critical hits, Nid¡¯s other attacks would only deal 3 percent of damage to him. There was no need to sh against Nid, so Junhyuk ignored his own defense and focused wholeheartedly on attacking. Because he could read Nid¡¯s attacks, he could dodge them regardless. By contrast, Junhyuk didn¡¯t need tond critical hits. His sword shed Nid¡¯s leg, dealing 7 percent damage to the hero. Then, the injury shone, and the hero received another 3 percent of damage. Meanwhile, Junhyuk was hit on the left thigh and lost 3 percent of his health. From his position, things were better than before. Nid noticed that too and was left dumbstruck. "What kind of damage is this?!" the hero asked. His attack stat was mostly the same, but now, he had significant piercing capability, and it was extremely useful. When Arn fought against the legend candidates, he had approached the battle in the same manner. Junhyuk began a flurry of attacks on Nid, who turned his focus to defense. The situation favored Junhyuk. Even though Nid¡¯s attack speed was faster, when Nid focused on defense, it became easier for Junhyuk to find openings. Junhyuk¡¯s eleration was also on apletely different level from before. His attacks couldn¡¯t be read, and because of the mana energy flowing through him, he could rx his muscles while fighting. There was no way for Nid to tell how Junhyuk would move, so Junhyuk was able tond another attack. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure if things were different from before because Nid was taking a defensive stance, but the sword shed through the hero¡¯s ribs. Had he been lucky? It was a critical hit, and the attack took 17 percent off of Nid¡¯s health, and the 3 percent damage triggered on top of that. After watching his health decrease, Nid shouted, "Kraken! Help me out!" Junhyuk did not turn around. He had already relegated Kraken to Gongon. His duty was to kill Nid. Nid scowled. Junhyuk¡¯s sword was erratic. The hero didn¡¯t know how to expect his attacks, and they were also harder to block. However, Nid was a hero now, so he didn¡¯t think Junhyuk was superior to him. He had thought that he would win easily, but he wasn¡¯t so sure now. Junhyuk¡¯s swordsmanship went beyond regr swordsmanship. Junhyuk could anticipate the movement of his enemies¡¯ weapons, so Nid asked for help from Kraken, but Kraken couldn¡¯t help him out then. Gongon had transformed and was suppressing Kraken with a flurry of attacks. Nid gritted his teeth and fought hard. He had be confident after bing a hero, but now, Junhyuk was destroying that confidence. Attacking again, Nid gathered himself. He had 10 percent of his health left. Finally, Nid realized why he had been attacked. In the beginning of the fight, Nid had had the advantage. He had swung his sword like a wild beast. Now, however, he was focusing on defense, which was creating openings that Junhyuk could exploit. Understanding things, Nid swung his sword at Junhyuk¡¯s neck. The sword moved a blinding speed, and because Nid had changed from defense to attack suddenly, Junhyuk was shed in the neck. Junhyuk tried to evade, but Nid was satisfied with his strike. Junhyuk took it. However, suddenly, Nid felt a cold de through his chest. The hero looked down and saw Junhyuk¡¯s de piercing through his chest. "I¡¯ll kill you!" Junhyuk stepped on Nid¡¯s shoulder and pulled his sword out. "It won¡¯t be easy." Nid disappeared. [You¡¯ve killed Nid and earned 3,000G.] Junhyuk stared at where Nid had fallen and then turned to Gongon. The dragon was back to his original size, and Junhyuk wanted to try his swords, with his new piercing boost, on Kraken. However, Gongon was winning, so he shouldn¡¯t interfere even though he could kill the octopus with a single Spatial sh at that point. While he did not interfere, he did walk toward the fight. Kraken felt pressured by his presence and, after Gongon kicked him, Kraken died. [Gongon killed Kraken.] Gongon only had 10 percent of his health remaining, but he had killed the octopus, so Junhyuk walked toward him. "Are you OK?" Gongon cracked his neck and said, "It was very easy." Junhyuk smiled. "Sure. Let¡¯s join Sarang and finish the fight." Gongon got on his back. "We are going to meet her?" "Correct." Junhyuk gave Gongon as piggyback ride as he called Sarang. She looked very frazzled. "Are you OK?" he asked, and Sarang forced a smiled on her face. "My health¡¯s increased, but it wasn¡¯t enough. Did you kill them all?" "Yes. Come to the first bottom tower. Bring the lizardmen with you. It¡¯s time to finish this up. Let¡¯s all go together." "Sure." After cuttingmunications, he picked up the pace. Junhyuk ran for a while before arriving at the first tower and waiting. Soon, Sarang showed up. She had brought the lizardmen with her, and she started running fast toward him. Junhyuk smiled awkwardly and opened his arms, and though Sarang ran to him, she hugged Gongon. "Gon, you are hurt!" Sarang cast healing of Gongon, who snorted. Gongon hadn¡¯t beenpletely healed yet, so Sarang topped his health. Meanwhile, Junhyuk felt awkward about having his arms out. He scratched his head, and Sarang walked toward him. "Big brother." "Yes?" Sarang¡¯s eyes were on fire. "Kill them all." Junhyukughed and answered, "Right! Let us go and kill them all!"

 Chapter 336 Hero 1

    The group ran fast, and when they reached the enemy castle, their enemies, stationed behind their own lizardmen, were waiting for them. Kraken was in the center of the group, and they were all filled with confidence. Junhyuk scoffed at them. He had fought them already and he knew how strong they had be. If the allies were careful, no one would die while they killed all of their enemies. He stepped forward. "I¡¯ll lure them in." Junhyuk Spatial sh had the longest range of all of the attacks, and he thought it would be enough. Kraken stepped forward after seeing Junhyuk approach, and Junhyuk became seriously conflicted. He wanted to use the Spatial sh on Kraken, so he looked back and asked, "Do you trust me?" Sarang nodded, and Gongon¡¯s eyes widened slightly. "What are you going to do?" "I want to know what kind of damage I can deal to Kraken." Gongonughed and said, "Just don¡¯t kill the octopus." "I¡¯m not going to kill Kraken." Junhyuk pointed at Kraken with the Frozen Rune Sword, but Kraken,pletely rxed, ran quickly toward him. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t understand why Kraken was running his way, but he couldn¡¯t ignore his enemy. So, when Kraken came within range, Junhyuk used the Spatial sh. It hit Kraken¡¯s eye, and Junhyuk looked to see how much health Kraken had lost. Junhyuk had thought his increased piercing would¡¯ve increased the damage, but Kraken lost only 45 percent of its health. The additional 3 percent triggered, but Junhyuk had still not expected that. Before, he was able to take 40 percent off of Kraken¡¯s health, so technically, somehow, his attack was weaker because his new equipment was giving a 30 percent boost to his critical hits. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t think of a reason for the damage to be that low, and that¡¯s when Kraken rushed him. Kraken couldn¡¯t reach Junhyuk with its rush, but the octopus wanted to get closer, so it used the rush. "Did Kraken get new equipment?" That wasn¡¯t possible. The season was over, and heroes couldn¡¯t go to the battlefield. Kraken hadn¡¯t had time to visit the merchant. As Junhyuk thought about it, Kraken¡¯s tentacles pierced the ground. Junhyuk didn¡¯t know what Kraken was doing. Then, something came out from the ground under his feet. It was Kraken¡¯s tentacles. Thuck, thuck, thuck, thuck! A total of six tentacles came out. Two of them started hitting Junhyuk, and the others went for Sarang and Gongon. Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened. "You too?!" That was Kraken¡¯s ultimate. Those hit by the tentacles were stunned, and nobody knew for how long, but they couldn¡¯t move. The attack dealt 5 percent of damage to Junhyuk. Considering his increased defense, the damage was severe, and now the enemies wereing at him. Nid was taking the lead for them. The elidra had already started rushing when Kraken rushed, so he closed in, spinning fast. Nid dealt another 7 percent of damage to Junhyuk and started swinging his sword. The hero must have felt something while fighting Junhyuk before because his attacks were now very sharp and precise. Nid¡¯s sword sliced Junhyuk¡¯s neck. sh! It was a critical hit, which took another 5 percent off of Junhyuk¡¯s health, and Nid attacked two more times. Junhyuk had been stunned for more than four seconds, and he was shocked by that. Kraken¡¯s ultimate stunned an opponent for five seconds. Within five seconds, their enemies would be able to kill almost anyone. On top of that, it was a long-ranged stun. The attack¡¯s range was greater than twenty meters. Kraken¡¯s ultimate had to have a weakness somewhere, but for now, Junhyuk was at a loss. Then, Nid smirked and howled. Before Junhyuk had a chance to move again, he was stunned again by the howl. His allies standing behind him were also stunned. Junhyuk was stronger than before, so he was standing his ground. However, Nid attacked again while he was still unable to move. He lost another 5 percent of his health, and Kilraden teleported and attacked him as well. Kraken also joined in. "You made up your minds!" Nid¡¯s howl stunned opponents for three seconds. Nid attacked two more times, and Kilraden attacked after teleporting. At that point, Junhyuk knew that the stun would onlyst another second, but he still had 50 percent of his health left. Among the legend candidates, Aak had gone through something simr. Aak¡¯s enemies could stun and attack him mercilessly, but the legend was able to withstand those attacks. Junhyuk smiled coldly. Once he was able to move again, he would kill everybody. However, that¡¯s when he saw Kilraden smile. Kilraden rarely smiled. The hero turned translucent. They were expecting the most out of Kilraden¡¯s ultimate. Junhyuk could guess the reason for Kilraden¡¯s smile. Kilraden though his ultimate would do something against him, but he could endure it. After enduring it, he would have a chance to mount an attack of his own. This time, he had been too confident and hadn¡¯t been able to use his powers. He would raise a force field and, once he regained momentum, he should win. Kilraden¡¯s doppelgangers attacked him. The first doppelganger hit him for 15 percent, and the rest followed suit. Two more attacksnded, and Junhyuk watched himself lose 45 percent of his health. Right before he came off the stun, Nid and Kraken both attacked him. Junhyuk¡¯s vision was filled by Kilraden¡¯s smile, and soon, the world faded away. --- Thick emptiness. Previously, it hadn¡¯t been easy for him to maintain his ego, but he realized that he had changed. Within the emptiness, he felt mana flowing and he reached for his ego more easily. He exited the emptiness faster than ever before, but he still did not want to experience it. Once he was out, he coughed up, trying to breathe. Then, he summoned his equipment and walked out of the door. "Kraken is also a hero?!" Kraken had unexpectedly be a hero, and Junhyuk hadn¡¯t been able to do anything before being defeated. That wasn¡¯t the problem, however. "Two of them have stuns now!" Theirbined attacks gave them an eight-second stun. "What about Kilraden¡¯s ultimate?!" Junhyuk had not fathomed such damage. His own health and defense were much greater than before, but he still lost 45 percent of his health. "I must be going crazy... Howe the damage is so high?" He should have been able to reduce damage taken by 60 percent with his increase health and defense, so something was different. "Is it percent damage based on Kilraden¡¯s max health?" Junhyuk had just got done fighting, and he thought that Kilraden¡¯s ultimate being percent damage based on max health made sense. However, he couldn¡¯t be sure of it without seeing how it would affect others. "It must be a high-ranking ultimate!" Junhyuk had already seen the highest-ranked ultimate, the Vampire Lord Lujet¡¯s Demon Summoning. Shaking his head, Junhyuk heard the announcement. [Champion Junhyuk Lee deployed.] When he walked out, he tried to raisemunications with Gongon and Sarang, but he was unable to connect with them. "They must¡¯ve all been killed." He thought that the allies would win after he had purchased all of that equipment, but things weren¡¯t going well. He hadn¡¯t helped at all, and the allies hadn¡¯t been able to win. Junhyuk kept thinking as he walked. He had taken the lizardmen that time because he had felt confident that the allies would have won. So, now, they had less than half the original number of lizardmen remaining. Junhyuk waited, and soon, Sarang showed up. He had guessed that she would¡¯ve been killed first and he was right. Sarang was anxious, and Junhyuk walked up to her and hugged her. "Are you OK?" "To be honest, I¡¯m not fine." Since the battle began, she had died three times. She was not OK, so he helped her take a seat and waited. There was a loud nking noise, and Gongon appeared. "Raaaarh! So frustrated!" Gongon was irritated, and he was puffing hard as he headed toward Junhyuk. "The three of them became heroes! How is that possible?!" Junhyuk nodded. "It¡¯s certainly unexpected." Gongon stomped around andined. "Raaarh! I have to activate one more power." "It¡¯s not as easy as wishing for it." The hatchling bared his teeth. He looked ferocious. "What are you going to do?" Junhyuk spoke calmly, "We have to be mindful of a few things. I lost 45 percent of my health to Kilraden¡¯s ultimate. It¡¯s better than the other powers. Also, I think the damage is based on a percentage of Kilraden¡¯s max health. If either of you are hit by it, I¡¯m not sure what will happen." "Really? I thought you died easily." Junhyuk smiled bitterly and said, "I let my guard down. I put too much trust in my equipment." When Kraken wasted his rush against nothing, Junhyuk didn¡¯t expect he would lose. "What do we do?" Sarang asked calmly. "We¡¯ll use the force field to deal with them. We should go all out right at the start," he answered. Getting new equipment wasn¡¯t everything. "We have to kill Kraken first. Keep it from using its ultimate." "But we all know Kraken¡¯s powers." "Right. So, be extra careful," Junhyuk said and continued, "We don¡¯t know where we will meet our enemies, but we¡¯ll take the lower path toward their castle. We still have a tower there, so we have an advantage." "We don¡¯t have the advantage. It¡¯s heroes versus champions now." Junhyuk smiled and said, "We¡¯ll be legends if we kill heroes as champions." Gongon and Sarang smiled at that. "OK. Let¡¯s go." Gongon and Sarang followed him. They took the lower path to attack the castle. If they were lucky, their enemies would have taken the upper path. If not, they would encounter their enemies ahead. "Encountering them might be better..." --- They were lucky. They did not encounter their enemies on the way. Once they reached the enemy castle¡¯s gate, they destroyed it before their enemies could return. They also killed all the archers and went inside. That¡¯s when the allies saw the heroesing from the rooms within. Junhyuk smacked his lips after the enemies showed up. The golem was standing right in front of them. They were cautious of Junhyuk. None of them wanted to fight him alone, which is why they had the golem between them. "Are you going to be like that?" If the enemies kept their distance, Junhyuk would be grateful. He had the longest range of all attacks, so he would simply sit back and use Spatial shes. Everything depended on how his enemies would react. Junhyuk took a step forward, and the heroes smirked and retreated. Although they were heroes, they did not want to fight him. They would let the golem do the job. Junhyuk was thinking about teleporting and using the Spatial sh when Gongon stepped forward. He wagged his tail at the heroes and shouted, "You are a hero now! Step forward, octopus head!" Junhyukughed at Gongon¡¯s shout. He didn¡¯t think Kraken would react to it, but Kraken started stepping forward. "Good job, Gon."

 Chapter 337 Hero 2

    As Kraken stepped forward, Junhyuk whispered calmly, "Our enemies can stun us, but we already know about that, so we can avoid it." The enemy heroes were cautious of the Spatial sh. They got up to ten meters away from them. Junhyuk could teleport and use his Spatial sh on Nid or Kilraden, but to do that, he had to be ready to be hit by Kraken. Unless all the enemies concentrated on Junhyuk, he wouldn¡¯t die. However, he still had to be careful. He was in their castle, after all. The enemies could regain their healths by entering the castle¡¯s force field, so he really had to be focused. "Regardless of whom I attack, I need an opening." The important thing was to kill just one, and Kraken was standing ahead of the others. Standing behind him, Gongon said, "The problem is the distance." Junhyuk and Sarang had attacks with longer ranges than their enemies. However, even if both hit Kraken, Kraken was the one enemy they couldn¡¯t kill immediately. Junhyuk said calmly, "I know now... If we don¡¯t want to get stunned, we have to make better use of the force field." Kraken had now passed the giant golem and still kept walking. Junhyuk realized that Kraken was within range at that point. "We should ignore our enemies¡¯ powers and use our own instead." If the allies could close in while ignoring their enemies¡¯ attacks because of the force field, they would win. Kraken was now well within range of the Spatial sh, but Junhyuk hesitated. He didn¡¯t want to kill Kraken, but Kilraden at the back. Of the enemies, Kilraden could do the most damage, and he also had the most dangerous ultimate. Junhyuk still wasn¡¯t sure about Kilraden¡¯s ultimate. He might be able to make it even stronger with new equipment, but if the damage remained at 45 percent, then the ultimate would actually be rather low rank. Junhyuk watched as Kraken headed toward him. "Hold on to me. We¡¯ll teleport and fight." Junhyuk had to save the force field, so Sarang and Gongon walked over to him. Kraken picked up the pace. The octopus took big strides until it was within its rush range. Then, Kraken stomped the ground and flew forward, but Junhyuk simply passed by the hero with his teleport. They were now among their enemies, and Junhyuk raised the force field. When the force field appeared, Nid didn¡¯t hesitate. He used the corkscrew rush to move away, and Kilraden withdrew by use of his own teleport. Both enemies were retreating toward the castle¡¯s force field, and Junhyuk turned around and used his Spatial sh. Kraken was all alone now. The Spatial sh hit Kraken¡¯s eye, and the hit created the specks of light that added even more damage to the attack. Kraken lost 48 percent of his health. It was a big chunk, and right after that, bolts of lightning crashed on the octopus¡¯ head. Sarang¡¯s Thunderstorm dealt 36 percent of damage to Kraken. With two attacks, the octopus lost most of its health. Junhyuk thought he could finish Kraken off, but a giant foot stepped on the force field. The force field had a weakness. If someone exerted force against it, it could be held in ce. For a short while, the force field didn¡¯t move. Kraken, on the other hand, was quickly escaping. Sarang aimed her orb at the hero, but Kraken spewed ck ink toward them. The ink covered the force field, and because the allies lost track of Kraken, they could not use their powers. Gongon walked out of the force field, dodging the Golem¡¯s attack, and used his flying headbutt toward Kraken. Boom! The headbutt hit the octopus, and Kraken faded away. [Gongon killed Kraken.] Kraken was a hero, and Junhyuk was relieved that the allies had killed him. However, Gongon was now outside of the force field. The golem ran toward Gongon, trying to stomp the hatchling. Junhyuk knew he could deal with the golem by himself, and he though Gongon would be able to do the same, but the real problems were the other enemies. They exited the castle¡¯s force field brandishing their weapons. Junhyuk looked at them. Could he hold them off? The force field would soon disappear, and the enemies would go all out against the allies. Junhyuk was thinking that if he could kill Kilraden, even without his Spatial sh, the allies would win. However, Kilraden had all of his powers. On top of that, the assassin specialized in hiding, so he had to be aware of everything. After some thought, Junhyuk said, "Let¡¯s attack them." "Sure." Gongon was dealing with the giant golem, and Junhyuk ran toward the heroes. The heroes knew exactly when the force field would disappear, so they also ran toward him. Nevertheless, Junhyuk trusted Sarang¡¯s remaining powers. She had used her Thunderstorm, but she also had utility powers like Junhyuk. Running forward, Junhyuk whispered to her. "Keep some distance from me. We can¡¯t be attacked at the same time." "We¡¯ll attack first this time." The allies closed in against their enemies, and Sarang stepped forward, releasing two electric sts. Both of them hit her enemies urately, and both heroes were paralyzed. Without hesitation, Junhyuk swung his sword like a madman. With the enemies paralyzed, every strike was a critical hit. Junhyuk focused on Kilraden, closing in on the hero and shing him twice. With the additional damage, each hit took 17 percent off of Kilraden¡¯s life. With 34 percent of his health gone, Kilraden disappeared. Junhyuk turned around quickly to see Kilraden standing next to Sarang, swinging his dagger. After being sliced by the dagger, Sarang instinctively shot an electric arrow. However, Kilraden, sensing her attacking, used his counter. After the two attacks, Sarang disappeared. [Kilraden killed Sarang.] Junhyuk wasn¡¯t able to do anything, and Sarang died. Suddenly, from behind him, Nid howled. "Hoooowl!" Junhyuk was stunned, and Nid shed at his back. While under attack from Nid, Junhyuk tried to look for Kilraden, but the assassin had hidden himself, and Junhyuk could not find him. Once he was able to move again, Junhyuk attacked Nid. Nid was well aware of what it meant to fight Junhyuk, so he quickly retreated. They were at the enemy base. If the enemies entered the force field, they would recover their healths. There was no way for Junhyuk to win against that. To prevent that from happening, Junhyuk attacked Nid ferociously. The hero would have to deal with Junhyuk. If not, he would die. ng! Nid blocked the attack, but Junhyuk was circling the hero while attacking him continuously. That way, he was able to block Nid¡¯s path to the force field. Nid was shocked by Junhyuk¡¯s swordsmanship, realizing that Junhyuk was a better swordsman than him. Junhyuk was also shocked by what he was doing as he attacked Nid. He wasn¡¯t using eleration, and was depending only on his senses and his skill. Nevertheless, Nid was blocking every attack. Junhyuk knew his soul grew after dying, but he did not know that that growth applied to his swordsmanship. He looked for an opening within Nid¡¯s strikes, and attacked it sharply. Junhyuk¡¯s attack passed through right in between two swings of the saw-ded sword and grazed Nid¡¯s neck, even though Nid moved away quickly. The strike hit for 8 percent, and Nid received another 3 percent of damage due to the set effect. Junhyuk was sure of one thing: his attack speed was the same as Nid¡¯s, but his swordsmanship was better. Nid was on the defensive again, and that¡¯s why Junhyuk was winning. However, Nid had to defend himself because Junhyuk¡¯s attacks were extremely brutal. Because of that, Nid had to use his sword to block. While he fiercely attacked Nid, Junhyuk looked out to the battlefield for Gongon. Kilraden had reappeared and joined the golem in the fight against Gongon. "Am I alone here?" Knowing that Kilraden wasn¡¯t around, Junhyuk had to take that opportunity to kill Nid. If he did, he would win the battle even if Kilraden killed Gongon. Nid had 69 percent of his health left, and Junhyuk had to do his best to get rid of him. Without his Spatial sh, however, that wouldn¡¯t be easy. Junhyuk grimaced as he attacked Nid. The hero had a lot of health, but if Junhyuk couldnd some critical hits, he would be able to kill him. Nid scowled as he blocked Junhyuk¡¯s attacks. He kept on losing his health bit by bit. He knew he couldn¡¯t win. Nid had been able to take Junhyuk¡¯s health down to 45 percent, but it hadn¡¯t been easy. Nid¡¯s attacks had gotten through due to his howl, but now, his regr attacks weren¡¯t getting through. But, Nid gritted his teeth and kept on attacking. Nid had changed his mind and decided to go on the offensive. Meanwhile, Junhyuk kept on attacking him. Nid¡¯s attacks weren¡¯t that powerful when they were not critical hits, and Junhyuk could recover his health with his sword, so if both sides focused only on attacking, Junhyuk had the advantage. With Nid ignoring his defense, Junhyuk kept on calmly attacking him. He could kill Nid even faster that way. Junhyuk swung the Frozen Rune Sword, slowing Nid down, and he seized the opportunity. His sword grazed Nid¡¯s ribs and neck. Junhyuk was also hit twice while attacking, but he had dealt more damage to Nid. Junhyuk had a satisfied smile on his face when he was faced with the worst situation. [Kilraden killed Gongon.] Gongon had died, and now he had to get rid of Nid quickly. The hero only had 10 percent of his health left. A critical hit or two regr attacks would take care of it. Junhyuk swung violently at the hero, who suddenly had a strange smile on his face. Nid rushed, passing by Junhyuk. Junhyuk knew that the rush wasn¡¯t the problem. He tried turning around as quickly as possible, but Nid was already entering the castle¡¯s force field. "Shit!" Junhyuk gritted his teeth. He couldn¡¯t have allowed Nid to regain his health. Then, he saw the giant golem running toward him. After seeing the golem, Junhyuk understood how Kilraden was able to kill Gongon. The golem was nearly destroyed. Gongon had focusedpletely on it, almost in a frenzy, and allowed himself to be hit by Kilraden. Kilraden was now running toward the castle¡¯s force field, and Junhyuk had to catch up to him. Nid was gone, and the golem was almost dead. If Junhyuk killed Kilraden, he could still win. So, Junhyuk used the Spatial sh on Kilraden. He thought he had killed the hero, but Kilraden activated his ultimate, and Junhyuk realized that the Spatial sh missed. However, Kilraden was in midair. Junhyuk teleported. Kilraden¡¯s ultimate had a weakness. When Kilraden was in midair, Junhyuk was able to dodge his attacks, rendering the ultimate useless. As Junhyuk teleported and escaped, Kilraden entered the castle¡¯s force field. Junhyuk had lost them both, so he started running away. "See youter!" he said as he ran away, almost like a viin.

 Chapter 338 Hero 3

    Junhyuk bit his lip as he ran away from his enemies. He was stronger than ever before, but he was sure that he wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with the two of them alone. If Nid and Kilradenbined their powers, he wouldn¡¯t evene close to making a dent. "Can¡¯t I fight them inside the castle?" Within the castle, his enemies had a ce to hide. When they entered the castle¡¯s force field, they regained health rtively quickly. If he wanted to fight them, he would have to keep them outside of the castle, but that wasn¡¯t easy to do. With the exception of Kraken, the other two enemies had a method to bypass him and get inside the castle. From where he stood, he couldn¡¯t hold them down. To do that, he had to have a stunning power like his enemies, which he did not have. Sarang could paralyze them, and it worked from long range, but it onlysted a short while. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t kill them within two seconds. He would have to kill his enemies in the castle. Thinking and worrying about it, he raisedmunications with Arn. It had been a while since he¡¯d heard the hero¡¯s voice. "Things are looking terrible, which is why I called you." "Yes, I¡¯m watching it now. You are scrapping like a mutt." Junhyuk knew that the heroes had bet on the Champions¡¯ Battlefield battle, but he hadn¡¯t known it was possible to watch it live. "Do you have any advice for me?" "Advice?" "For instance, how to be a hero." Afterughing heartily, Arn asked calmly, "Have you assimted the living spirit?" "Yes." The hero had not expected that answer, so he fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "Since you¡¯ve assimted the living spirit, you now have the basicponents to be a hero." Junhyuk agreed with Arn. After getting the living spirit, the way he moved had changed, and he could spend a lot more mana on things. Once he returned to Earth, he would be able to feel the difference much better. "But I haven¡¯t activated a new power." "About that, when heroes sign contract, they can choose what powers to bring to the Dimensional Battlefield. However, when minions be heroes, the process is entirely different." Junhyuk knew about that too. Powers rose from passion, but thest power couldn¡¯t be triggered by danger or passion. "And your powers concern space, which I heard is not something humans can control. So, you won¡¯t activate an ultimate so easily." He nodded heavily in agreement. "But you must keep one thing in mind." Junhyuk listened attentively as Arn continued, "Envisage the power you want." "You mean I can activate any power I want?" "If you could see through your subconscious, it would be better, but you can¡¯t do it yet, so I¡¯m telling you this. Also, look back to how you activated your other powers." Junhyuk thought about his powers. He activated the force field when a wolf attacked him. He had wanted to protect himself from the wolf. He got the teleportation while fighting Minota. Junhyuk had dived away but hade up short. He had wanted to live and he had wanted a little more distance, and that¡¯s how he got it. The Spatial sh, he got while protecting Sarang. To save her, he had had to kill Ki. His powers had activated whenever he had wanted something done. Junhyuk didn¡¯t realize it, but something he wanted desperately shaped itself within his subconscious. He was still thinking about it when Arn gave him onest piece of advice, "Now, you have the tools to activate a new power, and if you do so, you¡¯ll be a hero. May luck be with you." "Thank you." Arn was like a teacher to him. The hero had taught him how to survive the battlefield, and Junhyuk thought of Arn and then of his own powers. Junhyuk wanted a stunning power. If he could stun Kraken from range, he could change the flow of battle. A stun as an ultimate would be nice. It would change the flow of any battle. Nid had a counter, Kilraden had a shockingly strong ultimate, and Kraken had a stun. Every single one of them could change the course of a battle. Junhyuk thought about Arn and started trying to give shape to the power in his head, but he started getting a headache. Just because he wanted something, it didn¡¯t mean that he would get that thing. That¡¯s not how it worked. But, he thought he should exert himself even more to get what he wanted, so he did. So far, he had trained only the basics of bing a hero, but now, he had to practice activating a new power so that he could, in fact, be a hero. Junhyuk thought about many things before he reached the first tower and saw his group. Sarang was carrying Gongon in a hug, and Gongon looked extremely serious as he saw Junhyuk. "Did you kill any of them?" Junhyuk shook his head. "They all escaped inside the castle¡¯s force field." Gritting his teeth, Gongon asked, "What do we do?" "The golem is nearly destroyed, so we¡¯ll finish it off and start?" Gongon nodded and said, "OK. Let¡¯s go." Even though Sarang was hugging him, Gongon spoke seriously and menacingly. That made Junhyuk less nervous. After that, he told them about his conversation with Arn. Sarang decided to call Vera, as Vera could help Sarang better. Gongon moved over to Junhyuk¡¯s neck andined, "The Dragon Lord told me to roll some more!" "Does the Lord like you?" Gongon smirked. "What are you talking about?! The Lord told me I am a candidate to seed him." Junhyukughed a Gongon. Gongon was powerful enough that his statements shouldn¡¯t be questioned. He had acquired new equipment since getting dragged to the Dimensional Battlefield and should, in fact, be considered a sessor of the Dragon Lord. The group followed the road and reached the castle¡¯s gate, but they saw no one. As they walked, they found quickly that their first tower was under attack. Junhyuk turned to them. "Let¡¯s destroy the golem before we return." "If possible, yes." The group ran quickly inside the castle and saw the giant golem by itself. The enemies, on the other hand, destroyed the first tower and kept on advancing. Returns took a few seconds, but within those few seconds, they could kill the giant golem. Junhyuk ran ahead first and used the Spatial sh on the golem. Previously, it had been difficult to create a single-point explosion with the Spatial sh, but things were different now. The single-point explosion destroyed the golem¡¯s head. Gongon had already beaten it up quite badly, but the Spatial sh had also gotten stronger. With a single hit, the golem lost its head. Gongon came running and kicked the golem¡¯s chest. As the golem fell back slowly, Junhyuk smiled with satisfaction. The allies had kept their distance from the castle¡¯s force field, and when Junhyuk turned to look at it, he saw the enemy heroesing out. Junhyuk wanted to tell the allies to retreat since he had already used the Spatial sh, but as Kraken came forward, the hero pierced the ground with its tentacles. There was still some distance between Kraken and the allies, which meant that Kraken must have misjudged the distance. However, Junhyuk teleported further back with Gongon and Sarang. Then, Kraken pulled its tentacles out of the ground and walked toward them slowly. Junhyuk had been fooled by Kraken and wasted a teleport. He gritted his teeth in frustration. The allies would¡¯ve been able to kill Kraken with the Spatial sh and the Thunderstorm, especially after Gongon had joined the fight. They could kill Kraken still, but now it all depended on keeping the hero from getting back into the force field. Junhyuk retreated, and Kraken smiled. "You¡¯ve already used the Spatial sh." Because Junhyuk hadn¡¯t used the Spatial sh on it yet, Kraken smiled, satisfied with its guess, and ran toward him. The other heroes were following Kraken, and Junhyuk said calmly, "We should run." Junhyuk wanted to lure the enemies out of there, so he wanted to run away. Meanwhile, Kraken rushed toward them. Kraken was sure Junhyuk had used his Spatial sh, so the hero rushed. Seeing that, Junhyuk clicked his tongue and looked back. He had to get out of range of Kraken¡¯s stun. Junhyuk was still wondering if he should use the force field or teleport when Kraken spit ck ink at them. As he saw the ink approaching, Junhyuk touched the others and teleported. Kraken had now used two powers, so he teleported right in front of the octopus. Junhyuk was standing right under Kraken¡¯s nose. He had decided to kill Kraken. Kraken¡¯s ultimate could change everything, so the octopus had to die. As he showed up, Junhyuk stabbed at the hero. He didn¡¯t have the Spatial sh, but Sarang used her Thunderstorm. Craaack! After getting hit by the lightning, Kraken was paralyzed. Realizing that, Junhyuk swung at the hero again. Junhyuk saw that his sword was ignoring Kraken¡¯s defense and damaging him terribly. Because the hero was paralyzed, his second attack became a critical hit, and Junhyuk dealt a total of 32 percent damage to the hero. The Thunderstorm took off another 36 percent from Kraken. So, a total of 68 percent of damage was inflicted on the octopus. Once Kraken could move again, it tried to grab Junhyuk with its tentacles. Nid and Kilraden had already close in and were swinging their weapons. That¡¯s when Junhyuk raised the force field. Kraken¡¯s tentacles bounced off of the force field, and Sarang shot two electric sts out. Kraken and Nid were paralyzed, which made Junhyuk ecstatic. "Well done!" Gongon transformed and attacked Kraken with Junhyuk. Another critical hitnded, which ignored Kraken¡¯s defense, and Junhyuk dealt another 20 percent of damage to it. Once Kraken could move again, it tried to retreat, but Gongon exited the force field and headbutted the hero. [Gongon killed Kraken.] Before Junhyuk had a chance to celebrate, Nid howled. Gongon was stunned, so Junhyuk ran toward him quickly. He had already used his teleportations, so Nid and Kilraden started attacking Gongon. Junhyuk was fast getting to him, however, and Gongon entered the force field again. The enemies retreated, and Sarang took the opportunity to heal Gongon to full health. The hatchling cracked his neck left and right and smiled. The allies were unhurt, and they had killed both Kraken and the golem. They would win. At that point, if their enemies retreated, the allies could pound against the castle¡¯s force field and finish the fight. Junhyuk walked ahead and the other champions followed him. "I told you to wait and see!"

 Chapter 339 Hero 4

    Junhyuk ran toward his enemies, and they retreated, running into the castle¡¯s force field. "Attack the force field!" he shouted. As he did, the allies ran out and started pounding against the castle¡¯s force field. The enemies were waiting for his force field to disappear, and when it did, Nid and Kildaren walked out atst. Nid stepped forward spinning and shing. His attack swept through all of the allies, and just as Nid was about to use another power, Junhyuk, in an attempt to prevent it, used his Spatial sh on the hero. The single-point explosion apanied the Spatial sh, which struck Nid¡¯s neck. The spherical shockwave extended from the point of impact. Junhyuk had also used the Spatial sh to try to scare Kilraden froming out. Bleeding profusely, Nid lost 45 percent of his health. However, the extra attack also triggered this time, so he took another 28 percent of damage, losing a big chunk all at once. Nid only had 27 percent of his health left, so Kilraden hesitated as he watched Nid, avoiding the sweeping shockwave entirely. It was as if Kilraden had used Nid as a bait. However, Junhyuk still wanted to kill the bait, so he ran toward the Nid. Nid howled. "Hooowl!" All of the allies were stunned, and Nid took the opportunity to attack. The three-second stun felt longer than one expected, and Nid shed Sarang¡¯s Neck and Gongon¡¯s ribs. Finally, Nid also shed Junhyuk¡¯s side. While Junhyuk was stunned, Nid tried to push him out of the way to retreat into the force field, but Gongon regained his movement at just the right time and bit the hero¡¯s leg. Sarang shot electric arrows at him, and while grappled, Nid couldn¡¯t go back to the castle¡¯s force field. Junhyuk stabbed the back of Nid¡¯s neck. The hero had been under attack from Sarang and Gongon, and finally, with Junhyuk¡¯s attack, he lost all of his health. At the same time, Kilraden appeared behind Sarang and stabbed her neck with his dagger. She had lost a lot of health already, so she died with that single blow. [You¡¯ve killed Nid and earned 3,000G.] {Kilraden killed Sarang.] Junhyuk clicked his tongue and turned to face Kilraden, swinging his sword in the process. Kilraden used his counter on him, but because Junhyuk had expected that, he continued attacking even while getting hit. Kilraden¡¯s counter dealt 10 percent of damage to Junhyuk, and as Junhyuk¡¯s sword was about to touch Kilraden¡¯s neck, the hero teleported back to the castle¡¯s force field. Junhyuk felt like he had missed an opportunity, but he turned around and went back to pounding the castle¡¯s force field. The allies had killed two and, while they revived, the allies would have enough time to destroy the castle¡¯s force field. Junhyuk and Gongon focused entirely on their task. Kilraden was losing his mind. Failing to remain patient, he exited the force field again. Instead of aiming for Junhyuk, the hero teleported and grabbed Gongon, stabbing the hatchling in the neck. The attack was a critical, and as that happened, Junhyuk turned around and tried to sh the hero. Kilraden blocked the attack with his dagger and tried retreating. He was trying to buy himself time. Kilraden didn¡¯t want to fight Junhyuk, but at the same time, Junhyuk wanted to finish him off and stop him from meddling with the destruction of the castle¡¯s force field. Junhyuk went all out against Kilraden, and triggering eleration, but Kilraden went into hiding. At that moment, just as Kilraden hid, Gongon breathed fire at the area in the hero¡¯s direction. Although Kilraden was hiding, he couldn¡¯t remain hidden due to being within range of Gongon¡¯s firebreath, which covered a wide area. Seeing that, Junhyuk attempted to sh at the hero. Kilraden, on the other hand, turned translucent. Junhyuk sword merely passed through the hero, and he grimaced. "Gon! Move!" Kilraden had triggered his ultimate, and Junhyuk started running toward the hatchling. However, Kilraden¡¯s illusions were already attacking Gongon, who had already used all of his powers. Gongon started losing health in chunks, getting hit again and again, until he finally disappeared. [Kilraden killed Gongon.] Junhyuk¡¯s eleration was still active, so he could see Kilraden¡¯s illusions moving around. The illusions could teleport across twenty meters to attack. Teleportations meant crossing space, and due to eleration, Junhyuk could see it happening in detail. He was seeing something he had never seen before. Was it because Junhyuk was now filled with mana and ready to make the evolution into a hero? He could sense and see space folding within itself with each teleport and, because of that, he felt that the world around him was different now. Junhyuk hadpletely forgotten about Gongon, simply staring at the empty air. Kilraden, by contrast, had already returned to the castle¡¯s force field. Junhyuk simply stood there dumbfounded, thinking about what he had just witnessed. Then, inspecting the world around him, he asked, "Is it just this ce?" Junhyuk raised his sword and moved it around. The sword went back and forth through the space, and as it did, Junhyuk felt the space the sword had touched. He could sense it like the flow of water, shocking himself. Junhyuk had spatial powers, but this was the first time that he could sense spatial movement. However, that did not mean that he had just activated a power. He knew he had made a giant stride toward bing a hero, but he put away his spatial understanding for now and stared at the castle¡¯s force field. Kilraden was watching Junhyuk and caressing his dagger. The hero had killed the others, but he had not killed Junhyuk. It was almost impossible for him to do it alone, so he was waiting for Kraken to revive. Junhyuk pounded against the castle¡¯s force field without rest. He had just realized that he could sense space, but now wasn¡¯t the time to investigate that further. He had to seize that opportunity to win, so he shed the castle¡¯s force field heavily. Kilraden, who was watching him destroy the force field, decided to exit the force field while brandishing his dagger. The hero walked forward slowly and alone, and Junhyuk shed at him. His own force field was gone now, so Junhyuk couldn¡¯t simply ignore Kilraden. Kilraden blocked the sh with his dagger, and Junhyuk focused on Kilraden¡¯s parries. After attacking continuously, Junhyuk learned something. Even without eleration active, he could sense space and movement within and through space. As Kilraden moved, Junhyuk sensed the hero¡¯s movement through space, which enabled him to tell what Kilraden¡¯s next move would be. He could track his enemy¡¯s movements even without eleration, improving his swordsmanship even further. Junhyuk could injure Kilraden, but Kilraden could also retreat at any time. Once the hero was injured, he went back into the castle¡¯s force field. However, Junhyuk didn¡¯t feel bad about it. He simply went back to pounding against the castle¡¯s force field, wanting to finish the battle as soon as possible. As he did, Kilraden recharged his health and walked out again. Junhyuk attacked the hero again, but Kilraden decided to actually fight him that time. Now, however, Junhyuk could clearly sense the hero¡¯s movements through space, and he thought that Kilraden was the best sparring partner he¡¯d had. Kilraden was helping him learn and grown all at once. Meanwhile, the hero grimaced as he watched Junhyuk¡¯s swordsmanship evolve with every second, with the understanding that Junhyuk¡¯s regr attacks were dealing more damage now. Kilraden was a hero, and the hero was getting humiliated. The hero had a sense for the situation. He could retreat into the force field at any time to recover his health. Then, he would step forward again. Kilraden was getting hurt, but he was also hurting. It was time for him to go back into the force field, but then, Junhyuk teleported, blocking the hero¡¯s path. Kilraden had already used all of his teleportations, but the hero thought Junhyuk shouldn¡¯t have been able to teleport yet, either. However, as Junhyuk fought Kilraden, he had felt something. As he gained an understanding for space, the cooldown for his powers concerning space decreased. It was only by a few seconds, but that enabled him to stop his enemy. Junhyuk stabbed at Kilraden, and the hero tried to block with his dagger. However, the sword disappeared and punctured Kilraden¡¯s neck. "Ugh!" It was a critical hit, and Kilraden lost 60 percent of his health. The hero felt like he was getting hit by raw lightning. Junhyuk was using his powers, and Kilraden lost most of his health. While they exchanged blows, his powers returned to him faster than ever, and Kilraden was hit by the Spatial sh. The hero went on defense, trying to go back into the force field, and Junhyuk, realizing what he was trying to do, got even closer. Junhyuk didn¡¯t attempt to swing his sword, and Kilraden stabbed him. As he did, however, Junhyuk took the stab and teleported with the hero. They appeared twenty meters from the castle. The dagger was extremely dangerous at close range, so Junhyuk distanced himself and shed at the hero. Kilraden parried with the dagger, but Junhyuk pushed his second sword forward, stabbing Kilraden¡¯s stomach. It was a critical hit, and Kilraden lost the remainder of his health. [You¡¯ve killed Kilraden and earned 3,000G.] Junhyuk didn¡¯t have time to check on whether Kilraden had actually died. Instead, he ran back to the castle and pounded against the force field. Kilraden had dyed him, but because of that, his cooldowns had shortened, enabling him to finally kill the hero. As Junhyuk pounded against the force field, theyer of energy got thinner. Kraken appeared, but before the hero coulde out of the force field, Junhyuk delivered thest blow. ng! With it, the castle came crumbling down. Kraken stared hard at him from within, and Junhyuk looked back at it. Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t have to see Kraken again, as Kraken couldn¡¯te back to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. So, he coughed out all the air in his lungs. It wasn¡¯t easy for champions to kill heroes, but he had done it. Then, he realized something else, his energy. The mana belonged to him now, and with it, he could sense space. All of his cooldowns had decreased, just like they would have if he had activated a power. The world turned blindingly white, and Junhyuk closed his eyes. Then, he felt it. He felt the space around him crumbling. He could sense it. However, another bright light pounded against his eyes, and he was forced to open them. In front of him, he saw a giant cube. It was the Champions¡¯ Battlefield reward, and he sighed. Junhyuk wanted to delve deeper into his sensing and understanding of space, but he didn¡¯t have the time for it. "Now¡¯s not the time!"

 Chapter 340 Team 1

    The cube was shining brightly, and Junhyuk walked toward it. [The Swamp of Despair¡¯s reward is yours. Please inspect it.] Thinking about the reward, he ced his hand in the box. Would he get what he needed? His heart was pounding, and when the box opened suddenly, fifteen gems floated out of it. [The victory reward is runestones of the highest quality. You¡¯ve been awarded fifteen runestones, or a maximum of three sets. When you grab each stone, pick which type you want.] Up to five runestones of the same type could be arranged as a set to socket together. As he grabbed a raw runestone, his options floated above it. Without hesitation, Junhyuk picked the red runestone. Five of the raw runestones turned into attack runestones of the highest quality. Each of them could increase his attack by sixty, which meant a total increase of three hundred. He would be stronger than ever, leaving him deeply satisfied. Then, he turned fived raw runestones into yellow runestones. He was investing in defense. His defense would increase by three hundred. After that, he chose the blue runestone, deciding to invest on health recovery rather than uracy. Junhyuk was able to recover his health when he attacked, so he shouldn¡¯t simply focus on boosting his attack stats. In this battlefield, when he didn¡¯t have Sarang to heal him, he had had a lot more difficulty fighting. His health recovery stat wouldn¡¯t be high, but it would be better than before. [The reward is now yours, and the runestones will be socketed automatically.] Junhyuk raised his arm and looked at his socket item. Every socket was filled. Now, he had one set of runestones of the lowest quality and six sets of the highest quality. "OK." Junhyuk had gotten a lot out of that battlefield. He had assimted the living spirit, gotten stronger and he could sense spatial fluctuations now. Junhyuk was eager to find out just how much stronger he was on Earth. On top of that, the new runestones had made him stronger than ever before. [The next Champions¡¯ Battlefield will be in two weeks. We will see you then.] Blinding light covered Junhyuk eyes again, and soon, he learned that he had returned to South Korea. Once he was back at the training facility, he felt he had changed. He could now sense the entire facility, but more than that, he could sense the walls surrounding the facility. "Those must be dimensional walls." As he learned new things quickly, he slowly raised his sword. He could feel his strength from the new runestones along with that of the mana flowing through him. Junhyuk attached the mana energy to his sword, but he did not create a single-point explosion. The de of his sword was now filled with mana, not just the tip. As he looked at that mana de, a dimensional tear opened up, and a Wolf Warlord appeared. That Wolf Warlord was different from the previous ones, however. Its eyes glowed bright red, and it was breathing roughly. Junhyuk stared at the Wolf Warlord and smiled. "You are different from the others." So far, the A-ranked monsters had been missing something, but now, an unrestrained A-ranked monster had appeared. Seeing it, Junhyuk thought that even those at the Dimensional Battlefield were restrained in some way. Only one appeared this time, but it felt really dangerous. "Right, the ck Turtle inside the tear was also very dangerous." Now, Junhyuk felt like he could easily sh the ck Turtle¡¯s shell. Its strengthy in its density, but now that Junhyuk could create a mana de, he could easily kill the ck Turtle. However, the Wolf Warlord standing in front of him at that moment was different. Because of the monster¡¯s high speed, even the mana de wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference against the Wolf Warlord. Junhyuk slowly pointed his sword at it. "But now, I can easily cut through your hide." The Wolf Warlord howled andunched itself after him. It was a genuine A-ranked monster, and it moved with outstanding speed. But, Junhyuk could sense the fluctuations in space, and because of that, he could sense the monster¡¯s movements. To begin with, Junhyuk wanted to dodge. The mana in his body flowed down to his feet, and even without eleration, Junhyuk was able to move faster than ever before. Boom! The Wolf Warlord¡¯s w crashed against the floor where he had been standing, and Junhyuk smirked. "OK. How about this?" Junhyuk moved the mana within him throughout his body and triggered an unrestrained eleration. Time slowed down, and he could feel it. Junhyuk moved through that time pocket, and the Wolf Warlord¡¯s eyes widened as it attempted to sh at Junhyuk with its ws. He, on the other hand, simply smiled. Junhyuk was faster, and he passed by the Wolf Warlord as he swung his sword. The mana de shed the monster on the side, and blood gushed out of it profusely. Junhyuk had gotten incredibly fast, but he was still unable tond a critical hit, so he was disappointed. The Wolf Warlord was certainly also incredibly fast. Even with eleration triggered, Junhyuk¡¯s speed was just slightly faster. As Junhyuk turned around, the Wolf Warlord¡¯s muscles twitched. "Hooowl!" the Wolf Warlord howled, and it started foaming at the mouth as it looked at him. "Is this a rabid version?" he murmured. The Wolf Warlord moved quickly, and Junhyuk grimaced and elerated. ng! They both were moving at the same speed, and a smile appeared on Junhyuk¡¯s face as he looked at the monster. The mana de had shed against monster¡¯s w, but it had only scratched it lightly. "I¡¯ll make a weapon out of your w." A unrestrained Wolf Warlord was a genuine A-ranked monster, and he would make weapons out of the bodies. "You¡¯ve been chosen." Junhyuk thought about making the weapons out of the Wolf Warlord himself. He would provide them to the new members of his team. He ran toward the Wolf Warlord again. --- Junhyuk was able to finish the fight within five minutes, but it hadn¡¯t been easy. Five minutes after the first Wolf Warlord appeared, another showed up, and so on every five minutes after that. He¡¯d been pushed to his limit, but he¡¯d been able to kill every Wolf Warlord that had appeared. Now, he was sitting on the body of thest one he killed, gasping for air. Junhyuk raisedmunications with both Sarang and Gongon. Once their images appeared in front of them, he smiled and asked, "What did you get?" The number of highest-quality runestone sets was random, so he was curious. Sarang smiled brightly and said, "I got five sets!" "Nice!" "Yeah? I also got five sets," Junhyuk heard Gongon reply. "You both got five sets?!" he asked whileughing. "Was it because we beat heroes?" Gongonughed very hard and said, "We did exactly that! Ha-ha-ha!" After Gongon stoppedughing, Junhyuk looked at him. The hatchling had an extremely serious look on his face, and Junhyuk stared back at him. "Junhyuk, I¡¯m ready to be a hero." Junhyuk didn¡¯t know what Gongon was saying, so he simply stared at the dragon, and Gongon stared back at him. "I have told the Lord of my humiliation, and the Lord told me not to let it happen again. So, I will train until I activate another power." Junhyuk was a little surprised. He, himself, had just learned about how to activate a new power, but even he hadn¡¯t been able to yet. Then, he thought that he might not see Gongon next time. He might not even see him again. That made him feel sad. Gongon was a great fighter. "We won¡¯t see you again?" Sarang asked, and Gongon shook his head. "I don¡¯t know. I may or may not activate a new power, but I am prepared to be a hero." Junhyuk smiled. "OK. I am trying to be a hero myself. If I be a hero, you¡¯ll be part of my team." "Ha-ha-ha! You¡¯ll be a hero before I do?" "Let¡¯s find out who will be a hero first." "You wanna bet?" Junhyuk took a moment to think. The Dragon Lord could instruct Gongon, but he was by himself. However, he did not think that he would lose the bet. "Fine! How about 100,000G? Deal?" "Deal!" Sarang, who had been watching the entire time,ughed at the two. "I¡¯ll act as witness." Junhyuk smiled and said, "Sarang, you should work hard too." A funny smile appeared on her face, and she said, "I have a favor to ask." "What is it?" She showed him her bracelet and said, "I¡¯ll need another bracelet." Without thinking much about it, Junhyuk nodded. The bracelets were from Gongon anyway. He looked at the hatchling and asked, "Gon, can you give me more bracelets?" Gongon shrugged. "I can easily make them, but the problem is getting them to you." They would have to meet at the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. If not, Gongon would have to send it through dimensions like Vera had done. "Are you saying you can¡¯t send something through dimensions?" "Of course! Do you think that¡¯s easy?!" Junhyuk knew that Vera could do it, but he did not tell Gongon, smiling instead. "If neither of us bes a hero, we¡¯ll see each other again in two weeks. Give them to me then." "Sure." After waving good-bye, Junhyuk disconnected, but before leaving the facility, he checked on his powers. Their cooldowns had decreased, and the Spatial sh had gotten more destructive, but Junhyuk hadn¡¯t checked on one thing yet: his teleportation. He had fought using both eleration and the Spatial sh, but he hadn¡¯t teleported. So, he focused on the mana energy and teleported, checking on the distance. "Whoa!" He had covered two hundred meters. That was twice the previous distance. "But it hadn¡¯t changed in the Dimensional Battlefield?!" The restraints put on teleportations in the Dimensional Battlefield were incredibly tough. Even with the mana energy, he could only cover twenty meters there. Once again, Junhyuk realized how the Dimensional Battlefield and Earth were different and wondered about what Arn had told him. "How strong am I on Earth?"

 Chapter 341 Team 2

    Junhyuk called Arn. Gongon had the Dragon Lord, but Junhyuk had Arn. "You fought hard. I thought you would¡¯ve had difficulty winning this time, but you fought well," he said calmly and rxed. "I have something to ask you." "What is it?" "I can activate an ultimateter, but for now, I have acquired mana. Is there a way that I can utilize it?" Junhyuk asked. "Ha-ha-ha-ha! You have already assimted the living spirit. That means that nobody can teach you anything now. You¡¯ve passed that stage." Junhyuk was shocked. He felt like he still had a lot to learn, but Arn was making fun of him now. He sighed and asked, "Then, I must learn on my own?" "I envy you." "Why?" Arn reminisced about his own past, and after being silent for a moment, he said, "I¡¯ve reached the highest level, and my style of swordsmanship became a new school of swordsmanship. I took steps even after that, looking for stronger opponents, but I envy your possibilities." Junhyuk smacked his lips. He had a long way to go before getting to where Arn was, and Arn calmly gave him some advice, "Trust yourself. You can¡¯t learn from anyone now." Junhyuk thought his swordsmanship wascking, but Arn couldn¡¯t teach him anything, and that made him a little despondent. Gongon had made a bet with him for 100,000G. If he lost it, he¡¯d lose big. Still, he decided to trust Arn when Arn told him to trust himself. He could sense fluctuations within space now, so he had to trust himself. Junhyuk smiled and said, "Thanks for the advice." "Anytime. Then, see you next week." As Arn finished talking, Junhyuk grinned. Arn wanted to have him on his team in the next battlefield, and Junhyuk was confident that he would do his part even if he were to meet new heroes. After disconnecting, Junhyuk raised his sword. If he wanted to have his own swordsmanship school, he would have to work harder. So, he calmly swung his swords and trained. --- Junhyuk went to see Brita, and she told him about the progress on the new iron soldier core and weapons systems. He also gave her some mana stones, but Brita had not made any further developments yet. She had needed more mana stones, so Junhyuk gave her enough of them before going to see Tirot. He saw the gloves that Tirot had made. "They¡¯re the first items I¡¯vepleted." Junhyuk tried them on. The gloves were made of the twin-headed ogre¡¯s muscle, and as he tried to move with them, he felt his strength increase. After acquiring mana, he could feel every minute detail through his muscles. However, the gloves had a fatal w. After moving his hands a few times, Junhyuk said, "They increase strength, but an ordinary person can¡¯t wear these gloves." "Right. It¡¯s made out of the twin-headed ogre¡¯s muscles, so if one doesn¡¯t have enough strength to begin with, they won¡¯t be able to use these." Junhyuk smiled bitterly and said, "We can¡¯t catch up to Elise like this." Tirot¡¯s eyes widened. "Has she already made new weapons?" "That¡¯s right. If we use bloodstones, normal humans will be able to use the weapons." Junhyuk wanted topliment Tirot. This was just the beginning, and Tirot would improve, but the process was taking too long. Then, he pulled out a genuine A-ranked monster out of his Spatial Bag and dumped the Wolf Warlord in front of Tirot. The scientist¡¯s eyes beamed. "This one is very different." "Yes, it certainly is. It¡¯s genuine and it¡¯ll help you grow." After giving Tirot some advice, he gave Tirot the body and took the gloves. Then, he picked up another Wolf Warlord corpse and drove to Elise¡¯s house. He came to realize once more just how incredible Elise was. She was heading many different projects by herself. Elise might be busy, but she was still superior to Tirot and Brita. She had so much experience that she maintained a considerable distance from Tirot and Brita. "I¡¯ll propose a deal." If Elise trained Tirot and Brita, research would go much faster for both parties. They all had a shocking amount of intelligence, so ifbined, their work could change the world. Junhyuk thought about many different things on his way to Elise¡¯s. The gate to the house opened, and he was able to drive inside. Elise was working in her privateb within her house, and Junhyuk saw some new equipment next to her. She lifted her goggles and locked at him. "You came! I wanted some advice from you, so you are right on time!" Junhyuk didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he pulled the body of the Wolf Warlord out. Shocked, Elise ran toward him. "This one is different from the ones before!" He nodded and sat on the cadaver, saying, "Elise..." She stared at him, realizing that the mood about him was different. "So far, Earth has survived the monsters all thanks to you, Elise." Sheughed out loud. "I just want to do my research. I enjoy what I do." He touched his chin and stared at her. "I¡¯m aware of that too. The time hase for us to reshape our rtionship." "Our rtionship?" Staring at her, Junhyuk said, "I want you to work for me." When she heard that, sheughed and said, "I¡¯m very expensive." "I know." Elise had more money than him, and she was earning even more as a middlewoman between him and the weapons¡¯ buyers. She was certainly rich, but he had brought this up because he could feel Tirot¡¯s and Brita¡¯s limits. Both of them were brilliant, but Elise was beyond that. If both joined her, the preparations for the monster hunt would improve dramatically. Elise realized he was being serious, so she brought up a chair and sat in front of him. After crossing her legs and smiling, she asked him, "Why are you bringing this up now?" "I felt the need for you once more." She gave him an awkward smiled and asked, "What do you mean?" Instead of speaking, Junhyuk pulled out the twin-headed ogre gloves. She took them and chuckled, "They are made of twin-headed ogre muscles. Someone knows their trade. And they are infused with bloodstones. That¡¯s good thinking." After Elise put them on, she added, "Hm... But not everyone can use them. Those with enough strength can, but people can also get stronger." She inspected it some more and said, "The person who made this can work under my supervision in myb." Junhyuk said, "It¡¯sparable to the weapons you¡¯ve made. These people need someone to guide them, and only you can fill that position." "These people? You mean there is more than one person?" Junhyuk wanted Elise to join him, so he had to reveal everything to her now. "I have people who are like you." "Then, why do you need me?" He had people working for him who wereparable to Elise, but she had experience of her own, which enabled her to outperform anybody working for him. Elise stared at him. She recognized that he was a special person. Of all humans, he had to be the strongest in the Dimensional Battlefield. She had watched him close a dimensional tear by himself. Junhyuk wanted her to join him. After staring at him, she said, "If you want to me join you, my conditions have to be met." She hadn¡¯t said no, so Junhyuk pulled out something else. It was one of the bracelets Gongon had given him. She took it, and as she inspected it, her eyes widened. "How is this possible?" He said, "The Dimensional Battlefield has everything. I¡¯ll get you items from there. There¡¯s no one like me to fulfill your curiosity." She smiled and, staring at him, she said, "You have my attention." Elise folded her arms and looked at the bracelet in her hand. After thinking for some time, she shook her head. "My conditions have to be met before I can work with you." Junhyuk stared at her. Both had used each other so far, and now, the moment hade for him to earn her trust. He wanted her more than anything in the world at that moment. "Speak," he smiled and said. Elise shrugged. "First of all, give me your Spatial Bag and allow me to research it." Junhyuk felt awkward about that, but he kept smiling. The bag cost at least 100,000G, and Junhyuk shook his head and chuckled. He wanted her more than anything and he was willing to spend 100,000G for her. She¡¯d pay him back with her research. "Sure." Her eyes beamed, and he added, "But, I¡¯ll bring it to you after next Friday." "Sure," she said while smiling. "Right now, I can¡¯t leave guardians. My supervisors have rules. But, I can work with your people. That¡¯s the second condition." Junhyuk agreed to her conditions and got up. "OK. Then, will you work for me?" Elise shook her head. "Myst condition is that I won¡¯t work for you. I want to be your partner." Junhyuk stared at her. She would bring in more money for him whenever he presented her with new materials, so there was no need to disagree. Extending his hand, he said, "OK. Let¡¯s work together." "Good." Both smiled and shook hands.

 Chapter 342 Team 3

    Delegates from each country had gathered in South Korea. The Chinese delegate, Gyonho Wang, was inside of a VIP hotel room, using hisputer for a video conference. An old man with round sses was on the other side of the feed. "ns have already been made, and the schedule is set." "You¡¯ve done well, Delegate Wang." "I only did my very best." "Any ns on where to attack first?" "No. They¡¯ve set up teams and are starting training, which will take ce nearby, in Japan." "Hm. The Rockefeller family sent someone this time?" "Yes, Jennifer Rockefeller is here." "Did the Dark Knight join them?" Wang shook his head and answered, "If that had been the case, they would¡¯ve started attacking the dimensional tears in the US first. I¡¯ve already talked to delegates from Russia and India about it. There won¡¯t be a problem." "OK. The Dark Knight¡¯s team will beposed of experts. Can they carry transmitters?" "I instructed them to assess the Dark Knights strength when training. They¡¯ll contact me then. If we can stop dimensional tears on our own, we won¡¯t need to follow the Dark Knight¡¯s lead." "Find out who he is first. If he doesn¡¯t agree to our terms, we can always kill him." "The Dark Knight will show up again once the teams are set. He seems to have the power to teleport, but this time, we won¡¯t let him escape." "I¡¯ll trust your decisions." Wang bowed and cut offmunications. Once the old man finished talking to Wang, he took off his sses and asked, "Did it go well?" A woman was massaging the old man¡¯s shoulders, and she smiled. "Delegate Wang is very capable." The old man smiled and patted the top of the woman¡¯s hand. "Anna, you¡¯ve been a big help since you came to us." Anna smiled and kept on massaging the old man¡¯s shoulders. --- Forty-five novices and five experts. Junhyuk had selected them, and they were all in the same ce now. They were inside an American military base, boarding a Lockheed C-5 Gxy, a ne. They were on their way to Japan, but they weren¡¯t the only ones inside the ne. Each country kept a support team for its members, so the monster special forces of each country had also joined them. There were three-hundred and sixty people within the C-5, and it felt crowded. Junhyuk had decided to use the entire day as he wanted. He was going with them to make sure no idents happened, but he also wanted to see the Japanese dimensional tear for himself. Junhyuk had felt the dimensional wall around his training facility with his new senses, and because he wanted to activate his ultimate, he thought he needed to see a dimensional tear in person. Wearing his equipment the entire time was a problem, but nobody checked him for a civilian ID. The ring that he¡¯d just acquired was the best thing, though. Because of it, others always saw him with his armor on. Even when he wasn¡¯t wearing it, people saw him as if he was. That way, even if it seemed like he was armored, he could eat anything. However, he did not want people to watch him eat, so he hid and ate by himself. Junhyuk looked out at the people that had gathered there. Most experts had experience in the Dimensional Battlefield and weren¡¯t wearing Guardians equipment. If an expertcked some sort of equipment, Guardians provided it to them. However, most experts just weren¡¯t wearing any, which meant that they could summon their equipment at will. Realizing that they had probably engraved their equipment, Junhyuk thought that they would be helpful. The novices, however, only had equipment made by Guardians. They were all wearing the Wolf Warlord leather armor made by Elise, and each of them carried a weapon of their choice. The novices were also carrying firearms with ammo coated with monster dposition liquid. They were going in to battle on Earth, so they were fully equipped. Each team was made up of five people, and there were nine such teams. The experts formed a team of their own. Junhyuk had decided to keep Jeffrey and Sarang from joining. A champion and an expert, they didn¡¯t have to train with the others. They were already veterans, and he did not want people to know about them. Helen, the Rockefeller¡¯s expert, did not join them either. She had to be protecting Jennifer, which meant that some countries were definitely holding back their experts. Junhyuk did see an expert he was looking for. Her name was Ling Ling, and she was the Chinese expert with the wind powers. Ling Ling was fully equipped in Guardians gear, including two Wolf Warlord w swords. The weapons weren¡¯t made of genuine A-ranked monster bodies, but he still thought they were decently strong. He looked at her and thought about her powers. Both of them were attack-focused. She had the power to make wind des to slice her enemies, and the power to trap her enemies in a tornado, tearing them apart. Junhyuk thought she had probably activated her second power somewhere between when Junhyuk and Sarang both became experts, Expert 02. If she was the one to activate her power then, she had to have gained a lot of gold by now, which also meant that she had to have great equipment of her own. Junhyuk thought that she had to be stronger than the others. He was going over many things in his mind when Peyton, the expert from Ennd, said something to him. "Is that Bebe¡¯s ck Armor?" Peyton asked him while smiling. Junhyuk looked at Peyton. Experts often used Bebe¡¯s store, and Peyton had probably already done so. Even among novices, if a novice was lucky enough to kill a hero, that novice would want to get a new item. Junhyuk gave a slight nod, and Peyton smiled at him. "I saw you stopping the first dimensional tear. You have some unbelievable powers. How many times have you been to the Dimensional Battlefield?" "How many times have you been there?" Junhyuk asked Peyton back. Peyton answered calmly, "I¡¯ve been there five times." It seems like Peyton had gone to the Battlefield before the monsters started attacking Earth, but he had only activated his powers after the attacks began. Junhyuk thought about Peyton¡¯s powers. He could raise a rockwall with one and bury people a meter underground with the other. The first power could be used to block enemy advancement, and the other could keep an enemy from moving. Peyton couldn¡¯t actually kill anyone with his powers, but from the heroes¡¯ position, Peyton showed some utility, so they had saved him. Peyton was smiling with confidence, and he looked at the expert and said, "I am not so sure... I can¡¯t remember." Junhyuk didn¡¯t really trust him. Peyton belonged to MI6, the English intelligence agency, so he might be digging for information. Realizing that Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to talk, Peyton tried to talk to Sean, an American major, instead. "Sean, what are your powers?" Junhyuk already knew all of their powers, and he was probably the only one in the ne that did. The different countries¡¯ powered didn¡¯t share information with each other. Sean, who was sittingfortably, looked at Peyton and looked away. Junhyuk chuckled as he watched. Peyton was just about to try talking to others when a broadcast was made. "With Japan¡¯s cooperation, we willnd at Narita International Airport. After that, ground transportation will be waiting for us to take us to the site. The ne soonnded, and Junhyuk waited until it had fully stopped before he got up. He was inmand of the powered people and he wanted to lead them. "I¡¯ll exin everything after we get to the site. Move." The C-5¡¯s door opened, and they saw cars parked outside, military vehicles. Junhyuk got out, and a Japanese military officer ran to him. The officer spoke very fast, "I¡¯m responsible for transporting you, sir. I¡¯m Major Jiro." "Thank you." "Come this way, sir." Jiro took him to amand vehicle, and he looked at the novices and experts, who were all assigned ordinary military vehicles. Without saying anything, Junhyuk got in themand vehicle, and the convoy started moving. Jiro¡¯s eyes beamed as he looked at Junhyuk, but Junhyuk ignored him and asked, "What¡¯s the situation?" "There¡¯s a dimensional tear in Tokyo, sir. There are B-ranked monstersing out of it and moving around. They move around alone. However, C-ranked monsters move in packs. Still, they keep to their territories and don¡¯t leave the area¡¯s limit, sir." Junhyuk nodded. The C-ranked monsters would make good practice targets. That day, he would train them on dealing with B-ranked monsters and other monster packs. Looking out the window, Junhyuk thought he wanted to have zero casualties during practice. He was deep in thought, and Jiro did not bother him. The vehicle raced for a while before military bases started appearing outside. There were barricades, and the soldiers were preventing people from entering them. When his vehicle stopped, he got out of it, staring straight at the monster area ahead of him and the monsters within it. The other vehicles stopped, and the novices and experts, along with the monster special forces teams, got out of them. They were silent while looking at the monsters, but Junhyuk could see something they couldn¡¯t. He was looking at the border of the area. He sensed the distinct change in space between the two sides and feared whoever, battlefield management or otherwise, had set up that border. Looking at the border, he gathered himself. Humans could cross it, so he walked alone. Jiro tried to stop him, but the other experts kept him from interfering. Jiro turned to Peyton, and Peyton said, "He stopped a dimensional tear by himself. He won¡¯t die." Jiro looked at the other powered, and they were all staring at Junhyuk. Everyone was watching him as he stepped closer to the border. The monsters behind it were agitated, all crowded together staring at him. Junhyuk did not care, but after he crossed the line, he got really scared. "They were able to split space like this?!" Now that he could sense it, Junhyuk feared whoever was behind the area¡¯s spatial shift. A wolf tried to lunge at him when he crossed the line, but Junhyuk punched the wolf¡¯s snout. Boom! The wolf practically exploded with the hit. When he turned around, he saw a giant wolf try to attack him, but he walked toward the rest of the group instead.

 Chapter 343 Full Force 1

    "The monster special forces should collect the cadavers and other leftovers from the monster area," Junhyuk told Brigadier Johnson, another American, who was in charge of all the special forces teams. He turned to Major Jiro, who had been instructed by highermand to do as he said, and Jiro nodded. Right now, considering the number of monsters, Johnson¡¯s special forces would be annihted. "Sure." Junhyuk looked at the novices and experts. He had selected them carefully, but only a few of them weren¡¯t scared of that ce. The experts were more rxed, but they were also nervous, while the novices were mostly scared. Peyton had stopped talking, simply staring at Junhyuk. They could see about thirty monsters gathered now. "A little nervousness isn¡¯t bad, but if you are too scared, you might not be able to use your power, endangering the rest of your team. You must use powers whenever necessary, so keep that in mind." Some of the novices nodded, still terrified. Junhyuk was talking to them calmly. "If you can¡¯t do your job, it won¡¯t be possible to shut down the tears." Everyone nodded with determination, but their scared looks didn¡¯t change. Looking at them, Junhyuk said, "Some of you may not have gone to the Dimensional Battlefield yet." A few nodded. "The team without battlefield experience will stay in the center. The experts will take the vanguard, and the other novices will cover the right and left nks. When a team gets used to the monsters, we¡¯ll rotate. If you get tired, head to the center." Everyone nodded, and Junhyuk called out each team and assigned their positions. Nine teams made up the body, and ahead of them, stood the expert team. They still looked terrified, and Junhyuk stared at the monsters. "The monsters are crowded together. We won¡¯t be able to get in like that, so I¡¯ll clear a path." Junhyuk pulled out two swords made out of the Wolf Warlord¡¯s ws. He wanted to know how effective they were, so he brought two of them with him. His own swords hadn¡¯t been able to shatter the w, so he trusted them. Junhyuk stepped forward and everyone stared at him with deeply focused interest. He had closed the first dimensional tear, but they had only seen it on video. They were watching him in person now, and their hearts were pounding. Junhyuk¡¯s eyes beamed as he ran. He was looking at an enclosed space, not caring at all about the monsters. He could massacre C-ranked monsters with ease. When he crossed into the enclosed space, the border, he felt like he was crossing into someone else¡¯snd. Still running, he felt afraid once again. The wolves soon rushed toward him, and Junhyuk summoned all of his equipment. The others couldn¡¯t see it because of the ring, but he could see everything. He swung the swords at the wolves. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t absorb health from or freeze his enemies, but he discovered new effects. sh! A giant circr shockwave triggered, and the wolves were destroyed. Then, Junhyuk stepped forward and shed a dying wolf. He had dealt with fifty wolves, and it had only taken him three breaths. In total, he only took three steps and swung three times. All of a sudden, dozens of wolves had been killed. The mouths of the members of the Japanese Self-Defense Force were agape. They had all been equipped with monster dposition liquid and fought the monsters when the tear had first appeared. Some had been critically injured, so the current situation was hard to grasp. Junhyuk looked at the w swords. He thought they were useful and felt that they would be something that Bebe could sell. While thinking of selling Bebe some things, he looked back. They were all staring nkly at him, but they walked inside. The novices and experts were no longer scared, and Junhyuk simply looked them. "The expert¡¯s team can hunt, but the other teams must also train. So, the expert¡¯s team should let a certain amount of monsters through." Peyton smirked and said, "You can count on me for that operation." Peyton could create rock walls that blocked even heroes. He could also trap monsters in the ground. So, he could definitely control the flow of monsters to the novice teams. The group moved forward a little, and Junhyuk stayed back. When the monster areas first appeared, the monsters had lured people inside and surrounded them, killing them all. Just in case, it would be best for him to cover their rear. "Advance," he ordered calmly. They had already gathered the bodies of the wolves, and Junhyuk waited for the special forces teams to collect them all before following the powered people. They moved slowly, and Junhyuk looked around. They were downtown, and many buildings were visible. The monsters were not only on the roads. As he raised his head, he saw a monster moving along a building¡¯s walls. It looked like Jeffrey¡¯s snake monster. Snakes were twenty-meter long, B-ranked monsters. Everyone had been upied looking at the road, so Junhyuk called out to the lead group, "We have a monster above!" B-ranked monsters appeared alone, and the snake moved downward slowly along the wall. Everyone became terrified again. Major Sean raised his hand. Junhyuk had read their profiles, but he hadn¡¯t seen their powers in action. He had to push them to their limits to see their powers, and he was sure he could do that. The snake was about thirty meters away from them, and Major Sean got ready, gathering energy into his hand. The airpressed, but nobody could see it. Five energy orbs shook in his hand, but other than that, nothing else was visible. Suddenly, the orbs turned into energy bullets that shot off toward the snake as Sean dropped his hand. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom! The snake felt the attacks. It tried to wiggle itself out of the way, but all five energy bullets hit it. Its skin was torn apart, making it look disgusting, but it did not have any serious injuries. The bullets had missed the head. Raising its head, the snake moved forward with incredible speed. Ling Ling tried to use her wind de on it. The wind de could slice through buildings, but the snake was too fast and dodged the attack. However, it did not dodge itpletely. It was injured, but it wasn¡¯t sliced in half. The snake crashed to the ground in pain. Junhyuk was watching how they fought and measuring the range of their attacks. He was also keeping track of their cooldowns. A Chinese man stepped forward. His body was extremely muscr, and his name was Yonghong. He summoned his armor, and it was the first time Junhyuk was seeing something like that. It wasn¡¯t one of Bebe¡¯s armor sets, so Junhyuk thought it could¡¯ve been a hero¡¯s armor. Yonghong bumped his fists against each other, and his armor turned metallic. The snake tried to bite Yonghong, but the man held the snake¡¯s mouth open with his hands. However, Yonghong wouldn¡¯tst long. He was extremely sturdy, so the snake couldn¡¯t bite down on him, which was something that earned Junhyuk¡¯spliments, but Junhyuk clicked his tongue while watching. Yonghong believed too much in his steel defense, his power, but Junhyuk wished that Yonghong would use his other power soon. Yonghong¡¯s second power couldunch an enemy into the air, and Junhyuk thought he should be using it now. He felt Yonghong¡¯s battle sense wasgging behind the others. Yonghong had the power to turn into steel, and he was wearing a hero¡¯s armor, so he had probably thought that he could kill the snake. However, there were no restraints on Earth. It was different from the Dimensional Battlefield. On Earth, everyone only had one life. Junhyuk turned to the others. Peyton pulled out a monster dposition weapon. He was an agent with MI6, so he was more used to firearms than swords, and his power wouldn¡¯t work against the snake at that moment. Bang, bang, bang! Peyton had used a pistol, but itcked enough firepower to kill the snake. "Help me!" Yonghong shouted. His steel defense had a time limit, so he couldn¡¯tst much longer. Then, Aleksei, from Russia, stepped forward. The ckart he was wearing was from Guardians, but he also had pauldrons with spikes on them. Junhyuk felt like Aleksei had been smart in his armor choice. It looked like it gave him considerable defense, but considering his powers, it could also be used as a weapon. Aleksei rushed. He advanced like a tank, and his shoulder mmed hard against the snake, staggering it. The spikes pierced the snake, and it bled out. Aleksei could also stun his opponent with his rush. His power was outstanding. Ling Ling stepped forward brandishing two w swords. As she ran, she summoned her own armor. It was Bebe¡¯s ck Armor, which buffed attack speed. Ling Ling aimed her sword at the snake and raised a tornado around it. Within it, the snake got sliced by the buffeting winds. Ling Ling ran quickly, and Yonghong ducked. She stepped on his back and jumped up, stabbing the snake¡¯s eyes with her swords. The Wolf Warlord w swords punctured the snake¡¯s brain. Hisssssss! The snake¡¯s mouth burst open as it writhed in pain. Ling Ling stepped on its jaw and jumped. The snake tried to bite her a few times, closing its mouth. Once the tornado was gone, the snake dropped to the ground. Boom! Ling Ling checked to see if the snake was dead and pulled out her swords, shaking them to clean the blood off of them. Meanwhile, Junhyuk stared at her with beaming eyes. "She is something."

 Chapter 344 Full Force 2

    Junhyuk¡¯s duty was to protect the rear and prepare for situations that might go wrong. The experts¡¯ team was performing better than he had expected. In the beginning, they had dealt with a B-ranked snake without any strategy, but after that, the team fought most effectively and with a n. Junhyuk told the novice team in the middle to be aware of snakesing from above since those novices didn¡¯t have experience in the Dimensional Battlefield. He moved forward sometimes, encountering a few giant snakes, but he easily killed them. Sometimes, two snakes would block their path, and Junhyuk would kill one of them. All five experts attacked the remaining snake, but Junhyuk was able to get rid of one by himself. When the novices watched him do it, their eyes beamed, but Junhyuk ignore their attention and moved forward slowly. C-ranked monsters usually formed packs of five. The experts¡¯ team would kill four of them and send one to the back. In the beginning, the novices used their powers without any nning, but they soon learned how ineffective it was to move like that and started to strategize. Junhyuk didn¡¯t teach them much. They learned on their own, and he thought he might not have to worry that much about them. He moved the teams forward slowly, and as the group moved, he looked at the far away Tokyo Tower and the dimensional tear floating above it. After acquiring mana, his vision had improved, and he could see the monsters writhing on the tower, with one of them sitting on top of it. The dimensional tear had spawned a long time ago, so A-ranked monsters were already outside of the tear. That meant that there would be many A-ranked monsters inside the tear. He wanted to get a feel for the dimensional tear, but it seemed impossible to get close to it now, so he turned to the group. The novices¡¯ teams were on rotation, and they had killed one C-ranked monster. The teams assigned their own team leaders. Some had never been to the battlefield, but they were experiencing the struggle now and getting ustomed to it. Looking at them, he realized just how rare Sarang was. He had selected all of those powered people, but only one of them had a healing power. If nobody in the world had been hiding to keep themselves from joining the teams, it would¡¯ve been certain that only two people in the entire world had healing powers. Junhyuk watched the woman with the healing power and measured the amount she healed. She couldn¡¯t heal much whenpared to Sarang, but that might be because the woman hadn¡¯t been trained by anyone. Sarang could fill anyone¡¯s healthpletely, even if that person only had 1 percent of it left. He was considering the experts¡¯ and the novices¡¯ powers when, suddenly, he stopped walking. They were still all nervous, but now, they had used their powers and had more trust on the weapons their were carrying, so they felt better. One novice had been bitten by a C-ranked wolf, and their armor was OK, but the person¡¯s arm was torn, and the bone was crushed. The woman healed them, and the person survived with their arm reconstructed. The person had merely wanted to survive. Junhyuk looked over all of the teams and called for the experts. "Everyone, stop for now." The group stopped, and he walked toward the experts¡¯ team. They looked tired. They hadn¡¯t rested yet. "We haven¡¯t encountered any monsters since thest one. How long has it been?" he asked them. The novices had been focused on their powers and didn¡¯t know how much time had passed since the appearance of thest monster. Peyton answered calmly, "About ten minutes." Major Sean added with a grimace, "We¡¯ve seen monsters in five- to ten-minute intervals, so ten minutes should be the maximum." Junhyuk shook his head. He felt no monsters around them. Then, he raised his head and looked at the Tokyo Tower. A Wolf Warlord was sitting atop of it, and the monster red into his eyes. There was quite a distance between them, but their eyes met, and he saw the Wolf Warlord smiling. It stared at him, nodded and howled for a long time. Hooooooooowlll! When Junhyuk heard it, he felt the other monsters converging on them. The Wolf Warlord controlled more than just the war wolves. Junhyuk shouted, "Experts¡¯ team, take the rear and make a path! We are retreating for now, as quickly as possible!" The experts¡¯ team moved to the rear, but the novices were dumbstruck, and Junhyuk shouted at them, "We retreat in full force! If you fall behind, there¡¯s nothing I can do!" The others realized the gravity of the situation. They had all thought that they had learned enough about the monster zone, but the reality was that the enemy had lured them even deeper. In the rear, the experts started running. Soon, they felt a rumble and they all frowned. Junhyuk, who was running next to the teams, grimaced. "Something is going on." He would¡¯ve been better off if he¡¯d been alone, but now, he was burdened by the many amateurs. Junhyuk looked ahead to the border of the monster zone and saw a barricade of monsters had set up there: three twin-headed ogres and two snakes on buildings. From their left and right, packs of war wolves were rushing toward them, along with more B-ranked monsters. He looked back and saw no monstersing from behind them. They were gathering beneath the Tokyo Tower. Junhyuk smiled bitterly. If he¡¯d been alone, he would¡¯ve attacked the Wolf Warlord. He wasn¡¯tpletely sure of what to do inside the tear, but outside, he could kill as many as he wanted. The experts running ahead were scared. The team couldn¡¯t deal with five B-ranked monsters, and Junhyuk was preupied taking care of the novices. The experts had to stop them. Peyton rubbed his hands and shouted, "I¡¯ll make a wall!" The B-ranked monsters could not be killed by the concentrated firepower from the experts, and the wall wouldn¡¯t stop the snakes, but the first thing to do was to stop the twin-headed ogres from rushing at them. Those three twin-headed ogres had been nowhere to be seen when the group first entered the monster area. When they appeared, things became chaotic. They didn¡¯t have a n of attack for twin-headed ogres, and they were going against three of them, so it would be better to take out the snakes first. Peyton extended his hands and made a five-meter tall wall in front of the ogres. The wall was three-meters thick, just like a castle¡¯s wall. However, it would onlyst for five seconds. After that, it would crumble on its own. The wall stopped the twin-headed ogres immediately. Boom! Boom! The ogres pounded on the wall, and Peyton raised his head. The snakes wereing toward them, and the experts moved quickly. Two of them paired up and moved toward a snake, and Junhyuk shouted, "Take the left side!" He was already running toward the snake on the right side. Junhyuk had been very far behind the expert team, but he had already closed in and killed the snake on the building. He actually ran up the building¡¯s wall since he was so fast, stepped on the dead snake¡¯s body and jumped. Junhyuk was going over the wall Peyton had made. Peyton was shocked. Behind that wall, there were three twin-headed ogres waiting. The four experts dealt with the snake on the left, and suddenly, they heard a loud explosion from behind the wall Peyton had made. Boom! The wall shook. What was happening back there? Once the wall disappeared, they saw two twin-headed ogres shredded to pieces and the other beheaded. Junhyuk had joined them after one second had passed, killed the snake and jumped over the wall within three seconds, which meant that it had only taken him a second to kill the three twin-headed ogres. Peyton realized that his superior officers had seriously underestimated Junhyuk. When the dimensional tear had appeared in Seoul, Junhyuk had stopped it, and they had all thought that it could be done by a few experts, but they were wrong. They had all thought that Junhyuk was an expert with good equipment, but Peyton now knew that they were all wrong. Even if all experts attacked him, he would kill them all. As Peyton looked left, he saw the snake falling dead. Ling Ling, from China, had taken care of it. Up until now, 60 percent of the B-ranked monsters had been killed by her. Junhyuk quickly analyzed the situation. There were monstersing at them from every directions, but they had killed the B-ranked monsters blocking their retreat. "Everyone run!" The monsters were surrounding them, but now there was a hole in the circle. If they followed that opening, they would find themselves on a narrow path, but they could escape through it. Junhyuk could buy the rest of the group more time to escape. The novices were running out of breath. Some hadn¡¯t trained at all previously, so they couldn¡¯t bear to run that fast. They had advanced three kilometers, so there were monster bodies all over, along with cars parked alongside the road. They had run back three kilometers, and many were getting tired. Junhyuk ran very fast, shouting at the peoplegging behind, "Run! If you do not, you¡¯ll be fed to the wolves! Run until you hearts explode!" When he did, people ran faster. He saw ogres trying to nk them from left and right, but they all ran at full speed, and the ogres fell behind them. Junhyuk watched as the packs of wolves came from everywhere. Previously, there had only been one pack at a time, but now there were multiple. Hundred of wolves wereing from left and right, and another hundred from behind them, chasing after them. Junhyuk clicked his tongue and tore a door off a car parked on the road. He had six of the highest quality attack runestones, so his strength was beyond human imagination. He threw the door at a pack of wolves. sh! The door flew like a boomerang, hitting a wolf¡¯s ribs and flying across five more wolves, tearing them apart. The wolves¡¯ blood sttered all over the novices, and they froze in fear. Junhyuk threw another car door to the opposite side. Dozens of wolves had been close to them, but only four of them remained now. "Retreat! Fast!" The novices could kill the four remaining wolves. Some had panicked after getting drenched in the wolves¡¯ blood, but many kept their wits and attacked the wolves. Junhyuk was in the very far back, and the twin-headed ogres and the wolf packs were avoiding him. They had already seen him fight. The experts¡¯ team and the novices retreated quickly, and Junhyuk pulled out a second Wolf Warlord sword. He turned around and looked forward with no intention of letting any of the monsters go. Someone appeared next to him. He saw Ling Ling with her dual swords, and one by one, the experts joined Ling Ling next to him. Frowning, Junhyuk said in a husky voice, "I told you to retreat." Peyton shrugged. "The novices and the monsters special forces have already evacuated." "Why are you still here?" "We can be of some help," Ling Ling said, but Junhyuk shook his head and replied, "Don¡¯t die on me."

 Chapter 345 Full Force 3

    Junhyuk stepped forward and said, "Deal with the twin-headed ogre to your left. I¡¯ll deal with the rest." He didn¡¯t sound like he was joking, and everyone felt his strength. Two twin-headed ogres were running toward them, and he ran to his right. He was still wielding the Wolf Warlord w swords, but his swordsmanship was entirely different from the rest of them. The experts¡¯ team knew that he had to have good equipment, so they did not worry about him, going forward into their own battle. Peyton took the lead. He raised a wall behind the twin-headed ogre, blocking the wolves from interfering with them. He also used his second power on the ogre¡¯s feet, and the twin-headed ogre sunk knee deep into the ground. The ogre was surprised that it was stuck and couldn¡¯t move. Meanwhile, Ling Ling sent a wind de toward it. The wind de moved horizontally in the air toward the ogre, and the ogre swung its massive tree trunk against it. Crack! The trunk snapped and got destroyed, and the wind de inflicted a deep wound on both of the ogre¡¯s arms, but it failed to slice either of them off. Then, Aleksei rushed against the ogre like a tank, and the twin-headed ogre was stunned. Major Sean used his telekic bullets on the ogre¡¯s head. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! The five bullets hit the twin-headed ogre, and the ogre lost one of its heads. At that moment, Aleksei flying knee-kicked the ogre. That was Aleksei¡¯s second power, and it¡¯s damage was high, but the twin-headed ogre blocked it with its hand. The hand was destroyed, but the ogre lived. Taking the opportunity, the ogre pped Aleksei as hard as it could with its second hand. Boom! Aleksei mmed against a wall, bouncing off of it, and Yonghong stepped forward. He stomped the ground hard, and the twin-headed ogre, which had been stuck to the ground, gotunched up into the air. Ling Ling cast her tornado, and the twin-headed ogre was getting thrown in circles inside of it. However, Ling Ling clicked her tongue watching it. The wind within the tornado wasn¡¯t enough to kill the twin-headed ogre. Ling Ling stepped on the rockwall and jumped, entering the tornado from above. The others couldn¡¯t see inside of it, but it was her power, and she could enter. Inside the tornado, Ling Ling stabbed the ogre in the middle of its forehead with one of her swords. Considering how dense a twin-headed ogre¡¯s skull was, the strength of a sword made out of a Wolf Warlord¡¯s w became obvious. Boom! The twin-headed ogre fell to the ground, and as Ling Lingnded, she looked for Junhyuk. Junhyuk had realized how strong she was, and he was suspicious of it. He thought she might already be a champion. However, Ling Ling couldn¡¯t find Junhyuk. Instead, she found the body of a twin-headed ogre with both of its heads gone. She turned around, and Peyton walked to her and said, "He went over the wall." Behind the wall, there were over a hundred wolves. She had already seen him kill over thirty wolves in just three steps, but a hundred of them could be a problem. Yonghong, who was standing next to her, murmured, "His attacks sweep through enemies within a certain range. Is that a power?" Ling Ling shook her head. "ording to the analysis, he can teleport." "Right, but he can also do that." Then, the wall crumbled, and Junhyuk appeared standing among the wolves. Within five seconds, he had killed all of them. The experts wanted to know how he had done it, but now wasn¡¯t the time for questions. Junhyuk was looking far away, toward the Tokyo Tower. The others could only see the shape of the tower when they tried to look at what he was seeing. They all shook their heads. During their advance into that ce, they had seen the tower crawling with monsters. Suddenly, Junhyuk turned and shouted, "RUN!" There was no politeness in his speech. There was no time for it. Ling Ling was scared by his shout. That fear had saved her many times in the Dimensional Battlefield, and she was the first to respond, turning and running. Yonghong followed Ling Ling. A few hesitated, but he shouted at them again, and they all started to run. "An A-ranked monster is heading this way!" Guardians had divided the monsters by levels. After the monster areas appeared, previously unimagined monsters had shown up in them, so Guardians had created a chart dividing monster ording to their level of danger. Guardians had called B-ranked monsters the most dangerous. Thepany had never gone up against an A-ranked monster. However, the experts who had been to the Dimensional Battlefield knew about A-ranked monsters, buff monsters. Buff monsters were even dangerous to heroes. They all knew of them and they ran faster. Peyton ran, but he turned to look at Junhyuk, who was covering their rear. Four-meter tall wolves were running toward him. They were war wolves and they were using both hands and feet to run toward him. There were over thirty of them. Would he be able to fight them alone? Peyton couldn¡¯t decided, but Aleksei, who was injured, ran next to Peyton and said, "He can teleport out of there and escape!" Peyton bit his lips and followed Aleksei. --- Junhyuk waited until the teams had evacuated. He had killed all of the packs of wolves, and the Wolf Warlord was heading his way. All of the war wolves that had been on the Tokyo Tower were now here. The war wolves were four meters tall. They were shorter than the twin-headed ogres, but considering their speed, they were more dangerous. The Wolf Warlord was an A-ranked monster, and it could control the war wolves. Junhyuk had watched theme, holding tightly to his swords. His allies had already retreated. He thought about why he had remained behind. He wanted to feel the dimensional tear and he thought that now was his chance to do it, as soon as he killed the monsters in front of him. Junhyuk pulled out the Blood Rune Sword and the Frozen Rune Sword. He was now dealing with a genuine A-ranked monster and he wouldn¡¯t be able to fight it with the w swords. He realized that the Wolf Warlord wasn¡¯t among the war wolves. It was smarter than he had expected. The Wolf Warlord didn¡¯t just fight its enemy, it lured them before attacking. Junhyuk thought it was a troublesome enemy. He looked for the Wolf Warlord, but he could not find it. Considering its size, that didn¡¯t make any sense. The Wolf Warlord had to be outside of Junhyuk¡¯s spatial-sensing territory. "It wille within range soon." Without worrying about it further, Junhyuk ran toward the war wolves. The Wolf Warlord was missing, and Junhyuk should be grateful for that. He meant to finish the war wolves before the Wolf Warlord showed up. The war wolves came from all directions. Even though they were four meters tall, despite their size, they were fast, and those very fast wolves stepped over walls to attack him. Junhyuk used the single-point explosion. He had gathered mana on the sword¡¯s de and swung it at them. A war wolf in front of him was hit, and a blood-colored energy circle expanded outward from it, sweeping through everything within a radius of ten meters. The war wolves were torn asunder. Even dealing 60 percent of his total damage, B-ranked monsters couldn¡¯t withstand it. The shockwave energy disappeared once it reached the ten-meter radius, and Junhyuk used another single-point explosion. He had gathered mana on his de again, jumped forward and sliced a war wolf in half. The shockwave swept through everything around him. He had killed many wolves with just those two hits, and only twenty remained. However, he could still not sense the Wolf Warlord¡¯s presence, so he shrugged. "Come after I kill them all." He had gathered mana on his sword again when, suddenly, he sensed something from outside of his attacks¡¯ range. The Wolf Warlord could measure Junhyuk sensing distance, and Junhyuk hadn¡¯t known it could do that. It jumped toward him. The Wolf Warlord was ten meters tall, and the jump scared and surprised Junhyuk a little. Junhyuk had to use the mana energy against it now. Otherwise, he would be killed. If he used the mana energy now, he would have to fight the Wolf Warlord head on. Junhyuk decided to trust himself. He hit the Wolf Warlord¡¯s head with his sword, generating a shockwave, and the Wolf Warlord chased after him. The Wolf Warlord wed at Junhyuk. Its movements were extremely quick and precise, but they were also heavy. Junhyuk swung his swords against the ws, parrying them. ng! He was able to parry, but he gritted his teeth. If he hadn¡¯t gotten a lot stronger in the previous battlefield, he would have been killed. After parrying the first attack, Junhyuk looked for an opening. However, the Wolf Warlord kept wing at him. Junhyuk parried again, but he got pushed back, and his body gotunched into the air. The w attack had looked more like an uppercut. Junhyuk had thought he could fight the Wolf Warlord with his own strength, but now he was in midair. With his body in the air, the Wolf Warlord attempted to bite him, and the war wolves attacked from all directions. Junhyuk spun in the air while holding his swords out. The Wolf Warlord stopped short and dodged the swords. Junhyuk also knew how to dodge the Wolf Warlord¡¯s attacks. He had fought many of them before. He took the opportunity to swing at the war wolves, and the Wolf Warlord readied itself to attack him again. Junhyuk smiled bitterly. It was a bad thing that he had gotten himself thrown in the air, so he teleported to appear above and behind the Wolf Warlord, swinging his sword down on the Wolf Warlord¡¯s skull. However, it seemed like the Wolf Warlord had eyes on the back of its head. It tilted its head, escaping Junhyuk¡¯s sword striked. In response, the Wolf Warlord tried to elbow Junhyuk, but he blocked it with both swords. ng! Crash! After getting hit by the elbow, Junhyuk bounced off, breaking through a window on a wall nearby. He rolled on the ground, got up and cracked his neck left and right. "That Wolf Warlord is impressive," he said, triggering eleration as he moved forward.

 Chapter 346 Inspiration 1

    Junhyuk had had a hard time killing genuine A-ranked monsters in his own training facility, but things were entirely different with this one. This Wolf Warlord had better-developed instincts that could easily read Junhyuk¡¯s ranges. It was certainly different from all other A-ranked monsters he had thought. Junhyuk elerated and ran. When he walked through the window, he appeared right in front of the Wolf Warlord. The monster was surprised by Junhyuk¡¯s speed and waved its hand across him. Its sharp ws almost grazed Junhyuk, but he had already left that spot, and his sword shed the Wolf Warlord¡¯s head instead. The Wolf Warlord moved instinctively, but its eye was cut, and it started bleeding. "Arrrgh!" the Wolf Warlord yelped and jumped to the roof of a building. It was ten meters tall, so it could easily do that. Junhyuk clicked his tongue and triggered his jump skill. He was still in midair when five war wolves attacked him. Junhyuk had realized that it was time to kill the Wolf Warlord, so he swung his sword. The war wolves were shed through and fell to the ground. Five hade toward him, so he had used a single-point explosion and the shockwave to sweep through them. When hended back on the ground, he looked up. The Wolf Warlord was still standing on the roof of the building, looking down at him. It tilted its head back and howled loudly. "Hooooowll!" With the long howl, the Wolf Warlord started transforming. Its fur started turning ck, and its eyes beamed brightly. Junhyuk smiled. "Fine. Let¡¯s start over." The transformed Wolf Warlord disyed a shocking speed. Even with how fast Junhyuk¡¯s eleration was, he realized that he had to fight in earnest, so he stepped on a wall, climbing the building. With eleration, he could run up walls. However, the surviving war wolves also chased after him up the walls. Junhyuk simply ignored the war wolves, running straight toward the Wolf Warlord. Due to eleration, the war wolves weren¡¯t able to catch him, and he got to the Wolf Warlord before the war wolves could attack him. To deliver a critical hit, he had to first shut down the Wolf Warlord¡¯s extreme speed. It swung its w at Junhyuk. If he parried the attack again, he would be thrown in the air once more. So, instead, Junhyuk stopped his own swing and kicked off from where he was standing. He dodged to a side, and the spot where he had been standing crumbled. Junhyuk moved again, and the Wolf Warlord turned its upper body and shed at him. While Junhyuk circled the Wolf Warlord, he realized that that Wolf Warlord had incredible instincts. Junhyuk was suddenly curious of whether he could sessfully use the Spatial sh on something with such developed instincts. Junhyuk¡¯s eyes beamed, and to decide the matter, he had to use the Frozen Rune Sword. "Of course." Junhyuk parried with the Blood Rune Sword, but the Wolf Warlord was so heavy and powerful that the roof crumbled. Without caring about that, Junhyuk dove out of the way. The Wolf Warlord¡¯s ws got stuck on the roof, and Junhyuk swung the Frozen Rune Sword against the Wolf Warlord¡¯s paw. Ice now covered its entire paw and arm, and Junhyuk realized that the Frozen Rune Sword worked differently on Earth. On the Dimensional Battlefield, he could affect the enemy¡¯s entire body, but here it was different. Only the Wolf Warlord¡¯s arm had been frozen, but since it had still slowed down, it would be enough. Junhyuk could move as fast as the Wolf Warlord, and now that one of its arms was frozen, victory would be his. He went to attack the Wolf Warlord, but it started to retreat, disying its amazing jumping capabilities. The Wolf Warlord smashed the spot where it had been standing with the pressure applied by the jump, but Junhyuk simply smiled at it. The fight was over now. Junhyuk chased after the Wolf Warlord by teleporting. He could cover a distance of two hundred meters now, so he easily caught up to it. Junhyuk swung his sword. As the Wolf Warlord moved, his sword shed. It wouldn¡¯t be possible to dodge the strike in midair. The Wolf Warlord tried, but it did not escaped the Spatial sh. A bright, blood-red shockwave extended in a ten-meter radius from the impact, and the Wolf Warlord lost its head. Junhyuknded next to the Wolf Warlord¡¯s dead body. "Hooooowl!" The Wolf Warlord had died, so the war wolves scattered. He looked toward them, but they were already gone. Junhyuk stabbed the Wolf Warlord¡¯s heart, pulling the mana stone out of it. "This is nice." The war wolves were still around, so he couldn¡¯t ask that the collection teame in to pick up the bodies. He couldn¡¯t carry them either. So, he only took the mana stone. Junhyuk jumped from the building he was on and headed toward the Tokyo Tower. He was covered in the Wolf Warlord¡¯s blood, so when the other monsters smelled him, they stayed away. He headed to the dimensional tear, frowning as he approached it. He had thought that there would only be a tear there, but he felt something else. He could sense the space around him and felt how wide the tear was now. There was a hole in the dimensional wall, but the dimensional tear was also affecting space on Earth. From that hole, he felt something else. "What is this?" It wasn¡¯t mana, but something simr. As he reached out with his mind to the dimensional tear, he gathered his thoughts and feelings, focusing entirely on it. When the champions¡¯ battle had ended, space had copsed, and he had thought about that event. He had been inspired by the thought, but he hadn¡¯t known why. He also felt inspired now as he looked into the dimensional tear. It was not the same inspiration, but it was very simr. It was about spatial copse. Totally focused on it, he did not see when a snake came out of the tear. Hisss! The ck Turtle¡¯s tail had a snake¡¯s head on it, and when the ck Turtle spewed poison, his awareness came back, and he teleported. Boom, boom, boom, boom!! It was his first time seeing a ck Turtle outside of a tear. It was so heavy that the it was destroying the Tokyo Tower with its weight. Junhyuk stared at it, but he did not engage it. It was another A-ranked monster, and the fight would not be easy. He had not gone there to destroy the tear that day. He had merely wanted to feel it, and although he felt like he had not spent enough time doing so, he had done it anyway. It was time to go back. His spatial sense was developing, and he still had a lot to learn about space. It wasn¡¯t about activating an ultimate or bing a hero. Arn had known which road to take, and now he had to find his own path. Junhyuk would dig deeper in his understand of space. In the Dimensional Battlefield, he would be limited to four powers, but Arn had more than four in his own dimension. He would improve himself and develop more powers tied to space on Earth. Junhyuk slowly stepped back. The ck Turtle was so slow that it could not catch up to him. His eyes met the turtle¡¯s eyes, but he was already retreating. The ck Turtle did not chase him down. The dimensional tear was open again, and monsters starteding out of it. These were monsters he had never seen before. They were long snakes with wings, flying snakes. There were more than fifty of them. Junhyuk thought they might be C-ranked monsters, but even so, flying creatures were hard to deal with. People with long range powers were better equipped for that. As Junhyuk stepped back, two flying snakes swooped toward him. He wanted to see what they could do, so he stopped and waited until they approached him. The snakes folded their wings during the dive, matching the speed of a flying arrow, and Junhyuk triggered eleration. By triggering it, he could see the flying snakes clearly. They were about ten meters long. The first snake attacked him, and Junhyuk changed swords. He wanted to know how effective the w sword would be. So, he dodged the attack and stabbed the snake¡¯s mouth. It was diving at him fast, so the sword tore through its mouth. However, he felt the sword being pushed back and frowned. "Dense?" The ck Turtle probably controlled the snakes, and it seemed like their mouths were tougher than their skins. They also felt heavy. The second snake flew toward him, and Junhyuk stabbed it from underneath, puncturing the area under its jaw and piercing through the entire head. He grabbed the bodies and moved back quickly. A new monster had appeared, and he had to research it. As he crossed the border out of the monster area, everyone walked toward him. Junhyuk showed them the two bodies of the flying snakes and said, "Send one to Guardians in South Korea and the other for research here in Japan." Junhyuk had gotten it in Japan, so he was willing to give up one. Brigadier Johnson wanted to say something, but he didn¡¯t. Junhyuk was covered in blood, and there was nothing Johnson could say. His troopscked enough firepower to kill B-ranked monsters, let alone A-ranked ones. Junhyuk had killed the Wolf Warlord by himself, so Johnson remained quiet. By contrast, Major Jiro was d to hear the news. "I want to shower first." "I¡¯ll prepare everything!" He watched as Jiro left, and the experts¡¯ team ran toward him. Their eyes were filled with fear and respect. "You went there by yourself. You¡¯re crazy." Junhyukughed at Peyton and said, "I wasn¡¯t sure I could retreat." Everyoneughed at his joke, and Junhyuk looked over the novices and experts. They all knew what kind of person he was now. Their eyes beamed with respect, but they also carried certain ambitions. They might be nervous, but they wouldn¡¯t be afraid with Junhyuk alongside them.

 Chapter 347 Inspiration 2

    Junhuyk washed himself clean of the Wolf Warlord¡¯s blood and walked out. Major Jiro was waiting for him. Once he saw Junhyuk, he walked over and whispered, "Guardians called for you." "Where should I go?" He followed Jiro and was guided to themand tent. Inside, there was arge monitor turned on. On the screen, he saw Eunseo, and next to her, there was a smaller monitor with five faces on it. They were the people from the U.S., China, Russia, Ennd and France. Junhyuk shook his head lightly. They were all looking at him like he was wearing his armor, but he was actually in casual clothes, and his hair was still wet. He took a seat and asked, "Why have you contacted me?" Everyone looked at Eunseo, and she said, "I saw video of the battle today. People want to know how long the training willst." Junhyuk answered, "As you can see from the video, the team can¡¯t attack a dimensional tear right now. They have to be ready to deal with A-ranked monsters without me. Until then, I won¡¯t order an attack on a dimensional tear." Everyone frowned, and Steve, the American, spoke up, "I hope you realize the situation. Every day we¡¯re dyed by training, the world falls into more peril. How about intensifying the training?" Junhyuk shook his head. "You are mistaken. I must minimize idents and injuries, so I can¡¯t intensify their training." The tactics of thest Wolf Warlord had beenpletely unexpected. The Warlord had sent a few monsters to lure them in and blocked their retreat, totally surrounding them. Without Junhyuk, they would¡¯ve been annihted. He continued calmly, "Considering their psychological stress and physical exhaustion, I want to give the team two days of rest after each monster area advance. You should give them psychological counseling during that rest." Eunseo nodded and answered, "We have already prepared a medical team for that purpose. We¡¯ll send them out right away." "We¡¯ve already signed a contract for the destruction of dimensional tears, but the contract doesn¡¯t say anything about the corpses created during training. We have a collection team, so how about giving 70 percent of the ie to the trainees?" It was called training, but without the team, people wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything against the monsters. The army could hunt, but they would only be able to kill a few. His team, however, had killed dozens of monsters. Even if the team were to only earn 30 percent of the ie, it would still be a lot. Steve smiled. "OK." Steve had already received a report from Junhyuk, so he wanted to maintain a good rtionship with him. If that rtionship soured, Steve would only lose. Junhyuk got up and said, "I would appreciate if I could rest somewhere." Eunseo answered calmly, "The Japanese government has prepared a hotel nearby. The Dark Knight and his trainees can rest there." Junhyuk turned to the five people on the screen and said, "I don¡¯t want to hurry things because I want to avoid losing every powered person we have, so just be patient." They all nodded with some hesitation. They had learned that day that only Junhyuk could stop the dimensional tears. He had killed B-ranked monsters by himself, along with a massive number of C-ranked monsters and an A-ranked monster. As he walked out of the tent, he looked at Jiro, who smiled back. "I¡¯ll guide you to your hotel." Junhyuk had only wanted to see the dimensional tear. It had been something he had needed to do for his training. But now, he wanted to see it again. To do that, he had to kill the ck Turtle, and that wouldn¡¯t be easy. But he would. He would talk to Agenchra about it. Jiro prepared a few cars for him, the experts and the novices. They were all d to be heading to a hotel. Junhyuk looked out of the window of his car. The Tokyo Tower had been andmark of the city, but it had been destroyed by the ck Turtle. It wouldn¡¯t just be the Tokyo Tower. How many otherndmarks all over the world had been destroyed? Junhyuk closed his eyes. Soon, the car stopped, and Jiro opened the door for him. "You may rest here." As he walked out, he saw a tall building, the hotel. He entered it, and people crowded around him. The Japanese ruling ss had already contacted the hotel, and the people guided him to his room. He had received the VIP room, and as he entered, he said aloud, "Agenchra." After he called for the manager, he felt time stopping. A dimensional tear appeared, and Agenchra stepped out of it. Junhyuk also sensed the dimensional wall closing after getting torn. Agenchra had made a hole through the dimensional wall to create the tear. Junhyuk saw Agenchra with even more awe. The manager could send monsters through tears and stop time. Junhyuk had thought that only God would have had such powers, but Agenchra had them too, and he was once again impressed by that. "I have a favor to ask you," he told the manager. "What favor?" Agenchra seemed to already know what the favor was and simply stared at him. Junhyuk chuckled and said, "You can see me." Agenchra was able to see through his armor, and he nodded nonchntly. "You are wearing casual clothes." Junhyuk had just showered. He continued, "The training facility you made for me, can you make another entrance for it." "Do you need two entrances?" Junhyuk nodded. "If I allow someone to enter, I want that person to be able to enter without me." Agenchra grabbed his chin, thinking about what Junhyuk had just asked of him. He was wearing his usual trench coat and fedorabo, and the pose made him look like The Thinker. "There are a lot of steps every time I allow someone to enter the facility. They have to ask for permission first, and I can¡¯t do anything right now." Agenchra showed him a finger. "I¡¯ll allow one person aside from you to enter. Is that OK?" "Can I choose that person?" Agenchra shook his head. "Only a champion may enter that facility." "The facility is for champions only?" "Yes, I made it for you because you were a champion." "Can Sarang enter?" "Aside from you, only Sarang can enter that ce." Junhyuk nodded. "OK. I¡¯ll choose Sarang to enter without me." "I¡¯ll give her the right to do so." "Can Sarang take someone else?" "That is not possible." Junhyuk nodded and said, "OK. Can I enter from here?" "Yes, but I can¡¯t make you another entrance." "You don¡¯t have that power?" Agenchra shook his head, and Junhyuk smacked his lips. "Fine. Nothing I can do about that." Staring at Agenchra, he added, "Thanks for looking out for me." Agenchra smiled at him. "Your growth is shocking. You now have a 50-percent chance of bing a hero." "That¡¯s it?" Agenchra shook his head. "In reality, champions are all different, but on average, any individual champion has less than a 5-percent chance of bing a hero." Junhyuk was shocked, but he also knew that novices had a very low chance of bing experts. However, he was curious. "How about Gongon?" "Gongon has an 85-percent chance of bing a hero." He sighed. "That¡¯s a surprising rate." "Gongon is special even among the Dragon Tribe." Junhyukughed at Agenchra and said, "Gongon told me he¡¯s a candidate to be Dragon Lord." Agenchra nodded and agreed. "Gongon was being modest. There are less than five Dragon Lords in all dimensions." Realizing that Gongon¡¯s bloodline was extremely rare, Junhyuk smacked his lips. "OK. I can enter from here, right? I have a question. How many A-ranked monsters are inside a dimensional tear? I killed one, and another came out." Agenchra shrugged. "I am not so sure about it myself. Dimensional tears spawn with one A-ranked monster, but as time passes, more appear. I don¡¯t know the interval in which they do." Junhyuk smiled bitterly. He had no idea of how many A-ranked monsters were in a tear and he could only kill one at a time by himself. He needed to put more thought into destroying the tears. "Thanks for your kindness. If I have any more questions, I¡¯ll call upon you." Agenchra took off his fedora and bowed, disappearing into space. Junhyuk sensed the dimensional wall opening up like a zipper, creating a tear that opened and closed as the manager went away. He thought about how space had changed when Agenchra showed up and felt like he was on the verge of learning something else about space. He could sense it, but he couldn¡¯t quite figure it out. "As long as I activate it." He would activate a new power.

 Chapter 348 Inspiration 3

    After he finished meeting with Agenchra, he walked outside. There were guards by his door, and when he saw them, he said, "Unless I tell you otherwise, don¡¯t let anyone in." "Yes, sir!" After that, he went back in. Junhyuk looked around the room and went to the bathroom. From there, he entered the training facility. Inside the facility, he inspected the surroundings with his spatial sense. He could feel the dimensional wall beyond the confines of the space. Junhyuk tried to sh through it, but the space was unaffected. He smacked his lips and started to absorb the mana around him. Even though he had assimted the living spirit, he still needed to absorb mana. He was slowly absorbing mana when Sarang suddenly showed up next to him. She was smiling brightly as she walked toward him. "Big brother!" He turned to look, and Sarang came at him fast. He held her head at arms¡¯ length, and she extended her hands, but she could not touch him. Biting her lips, she asked, "You told them I could use this ce?" Junhyuk nodded calmly. "I have to spend time in Japan." Sarang grabbed her chin and thought for a moment before asking, "What are you going to do on Friday?" "Officially, everyone has to rest on Friday. Half of the novices will go to the Dimensional Battlefield." The public did not know yet, but once the new season started, people would fall under the spell of abnormal narcolepsy again. "Are you training hard?" he asked calmly. He had already given her the second bracelet she had requested, and he was curious about whether she had improved. Sarang raised both of her arms and said, "I haven¡¯t been to the Dimensional Battlefieldtely, so I am not sure, but the magic circle¡¯s mana flow has increased." She touched her heart and smiled. "Do you want to see?" "Sure." Junhyuk stepped back, and Sarang pulled out her orb and extended it before her. Electric arrows suddenly shot out of it. They were many time faster than before. "What did you do?" Sarang tapped her head and said, "This time, I got the highest-ranking intelligence runestones, so I can shoot faster." He had forgotten about that. Junhyuk had gotten stronger, while Sarang had increased her intelligence. She smiled and added, "And I can do this now." Electric arrows floated about her orb and began to dance softly. Until now, she had only been able to shoot the arrows, but now, she could control them. "So cool!" Sarang smiled. "Vera¡¯s taught me many things. Small skills." Junhyuk shook his head and said, "Don¡¯t forget the basics. Even if you have increased your intelligence, continue practicing." Sarang nodded. "Sure. Vera told me the same thing." Junhyuk knew that Vera was an important person to her, just like Arn was to him. Vera¡¯s powers were limited in the Dimensional Battlefield, but in her own dimension, she could transport items across dimensions. She was a very powerful witch. Sarang said, "I didn¡¯t have anywhere to train, but now I have this ce. It¡¯s nice." Junhyuk smiled at her. "Now, you¡¯ll have to deal with genuine A-ranked monsters. That¡¯s what appears when I¡¯m alone, but I don¡¯t know what will happen when I¡¯m with you." Sarang smacked her lips. "Perhaps, they will send two?" He shrugged. "We¡¯ll have to see." Junhyuk swung his swords lightly, and as he talked to her, monsters showed up. Junhyuk seized the opportunity to learn more. The monsters appeared in the same way Agenchra did, they came through space, and he could feel the dimensional wall being torn. Junhyuk looked at them: a Wolf Warlord and ten war wolves. The war wolves were four meters tall. He had faced those in Japan. "They are the same." That group was more dangerous than two restrained A-ranked monsters. He stepped forward and said, "Let¡¯s fight for real." "OK!" Sarang attacked from the back, and Junhyuk felt more confident than ever. He trusted her more than the five experts and forty-five novices put together. --- Junhyuk appeared back in the restroom and took a shower to clean himself. Sarang¡¯s skills had improved. Her powers had not evolved, but she now had ferocious speed, and because she could generate arrows much quicker, that also meant that her attack speed had increased. "She¡¯ll be restrained." Junhyuk couldn¡¯t use his eleration properly in the Dimensional Battlefield, and he thought her attack speed would also get debuffed. Magicians were supposed to have slower shooting speeds in the battlefield. Practicing in the training facility had helped him. As monsters appeared, he had sensed and felt many things, increasing his understanding of space and dimensional walls. "Can I activate my ultimate before Gongon?" He thought about Gongon as he dried himself with a towel. He sat on the sofafortably and turned on the TV. Suddenly, he felt someone walking toward him. Now that he could sense space, he kept that awareness up. He sensed someone getting off the elevator and heading toward his room. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t expecting anyone, so he was curious about whom it could be. He heard the sound of people talking outside the room before there was a knock on the door. Junhyuk opened it and saw Jiro standing there with someone else. He smiled bitterly. "What¡¯s going on?" "I have orders from above, sir. I had toply with them." Junhyuk looked at the person behind Jiro, who smiled and asked, "Can Ie in?" He wanted to know the reason for that person to be there, so he turned to Jiro and said, "I¡¯ll meet this person alone. You may retire." "Yes, sir." Jiro went away, and as Junhyuk walked inside, a man followed him. The man walked toward a cab and pulled out a bottle. "I watched the footage of the battle." "Why are you here?" Jeffrey handed him a shot of the liquor and said, "Help me, please." "Help?" Jeffrey said calmly, "I can tame monsters. So far, I¡¯ve been able to tame B-ranked monsters, but if I can tame an A-ranked monster, I¡¯ll be much stronger." "Sure." The levels assigned to the monsters weren¡¯t that different from one another, but when one measured their powers, one found there was a massive difference. An A-ranked monster was more dangerous than dozens of B-ranked monsters. Junhyuk crossed his arms and stared at Jeffrey. If he could summon four A-ranked monsters, Junhyuk would have a hard time dealing with him. "I¡¯d be making you too strong." On top of summoning monsters, Jeffrey could also make them go berserk. Even a single A-ranked monster would make Jeffrey much stronger. Jeffrey poured Junhyuk another shot and said, "We are on the same team." They had agreed on that, but that depended on whether Junhyuk could control Jeffrey. Junhyuk just stared at Jeffrey, who shrugged. "Let me tame one monster. I can¡¯t tame more than one." "What are you talking about? You can summon four B-ranked monsters." Jeffrey smiled awkwardly. "Well, I can summon twelve C-ranked monsters, but I can only summon four B-ranked monsters." Junhyuk¡¯s eyebrow twitched. "When did your powers evolve?" Jeffrey smiled. "I have to stay alive, so I can¡¯t just count on numbers. I also have to depend on quality. With an A-ranked monster, I can measure up to heroes." A-ranked monsters were buff monsters, and he could make them go berserk. With those two powers, Jeffrey would be able to kill a hero. He would earn more gold from that. Junhyuk stared at Jeffrey. Should he make Jeffrey stronger? Because Jeffrey knew what he was thinking, he pulled out two rings and said, "If you are worried about me betraying you, I bought these." Junhyuk looked at the rings and frowned. "What are those?" "They are promise rings. We can¡¯t betray each other wearing these." Junhyuk looked at the rings and asked, "Did you buy them from Bebe?" "Yes. They have no other effect, so they weren¡¯t expensive." "Why did you buy them?" Jeffrey smiled at him and said, "I want us to wear them. I was scared." "Of me betraying you?" Jeffrey nodded, and Junhyuk asked, "Why do you think I¡¯ll wear it?" "Because when I be more powerful, and we find ourselves on the same level, it¡¯ll be better to work together." Junhyuk liked the ring¡¯s attribute. He could ensure his allies wouldn¡¯t betray him that way, and because the rings served no purpose on the battlefield, they had to be cheap. He spent some time thinking. He could help Jeffrey grow. Jeffrey¡¯s powers were strong, and if at some point he was able to tame an S-ranked monster, he would be able to take on heroes by himself. Junhyuk shook his head at that idea. Jeffrey¡¯s powers would be restrained in the Dimensional Battlefield if it came to that. However, if Jeffrey was able to summon an S-ranked monster, his power would be a power of the highest tier, just like the Vampire Lord Lujet¡¯s ultimate. Looking at the rings, Junhyuk said, "I¡¯ll find more information about them on the battlefield, and we¡¯ll talk some moreter." Jeffrey nodded. "I thought you¡¯d say that, so take both rings and let me knowter." Junhyuk realized that Jeffrey really wanted an A-ranked monster. To gain his trust, Jeffrey had even bought those rings. Junhyuk ced them in his Spatial Bag and said, "Let¡¯s meet on Saturday." "Sure." As Jeffrey got up to leave, Junhyuk asked, "You are leaving?" "I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d hunt an A-ranked monster now, so I have to return to Doyeol for the moment." Jeffrey smiled and added, "Good luck on the training." He left, and Junhyuk took the two rings out and stared at them. Would he be able to trust Jeffrey with those promise rings? He looked out the window, looking at downtown Tokyo. They couldn¡¯t stop the dimensional tear right now. Even with Sarang, things would be difficult. However, if Jeffrey tamed an A-ranked monster, the team would be much stronger. Grasping the rings, Junhyuk murmured, "If you are telling the truth, we¡¯ll work together." He had not thought so for the Dimensional Battlefield, but now there were a hundred dimensional tears, and he needed Jeffrey.

 Chapter 349 Activation 1

    Junhyuk visited his training facility frequently, focusing entirely on training. Nobody else came to visit him after Jeffrey, so he trained freely. He did not have specific instructions for the powered people, but they trained themselves at a park within the hotel. They practiced using their powers and, when they had time, they learned how to shoot. To train them to use firearms, the military built a shooting range behind the hotel. The people in charge were told to provide the powered people whatever they needed. Junhyuk rarely showed himself, however, and by contrast, he thought that powered people wouldn¡¯t be able to train within the hotel without causing problems. They didn¡¯t look like any of the other hotel guests. The public knew that the monster areas would increase, but they didn¡¯t know when that would happen, so they naturally stayed away from those areas. While the powered people were resting, the world suffered another monster wave, and it was bigger than ever before. Even Guardians had no answer for it. In the end, the monsters were eliminated. That was the power of humanity. As he watched it unfold on TV, Junhyuk gritted his teeth. There were probably many people who had activate a power with thatst wave, but a lot more people had died. To activate more powered people, they were killing humans, and Junhyuk wanted and wished for a day toe when he could hold them ountable for murdering all those humans. Thursday morning, he gathered the teams. They had rested for two days, and now, it was time to advance into the monster area. They came together quickly, their faces full of nervousness and expectation. They had also been training on their own time, without Junhyuk telling them to, so he was expecting good things from them. Junhyuk wanted to find out how much their powers had improved. Looking at them, he said, "We will focus more on destroying the monster area. Today, we will make two campaigns, so steel your minds." They looked at each other and nodded. Last time, they had retreated after the first advance, but this time, they would advance a second time. Their hearts were pounding hard. "Let¡¯s go." The Japanese Self Defense Force provided them with vehicles, and they headed toward Tokyo¡¯s monster area. When they reached the border of the area, they got off their vehicles and quickly formed groups without Junhyuk telling them to. He looked at them and said, "Unlikest time, we¡¯ll encounter flying monsters this time. When a flying monsteres at you, people with stunning powers should act first before everyone attacks it." "Yes, sir." There were nine teams there, but only five people had stunning powers, and Junhyuk thought they should stagger their actions. One of them stepped forward, and the others fell behind. Junhyuk had guessed that each team would have a leader by now, but he didn¡¯t realize that there would be a chief among those leaders. A red-haired woman was busily going over all of their tactics with them. "Do you know who that is?" Junhyuk asked Peyton. Peyton looked at the freckled, red-haired woman and answered, "Her name is Lucy. She¡¯s American and a famous online gaming champion." Junhyuk turned to Major Sean, and the major nodded. "She wrote a manual for the Department of Defense. You should look at it." "A manual?" "When it all started, she stepped forward and befriended everyone. Now, she¡¯s their chief leader." Junhyuk walked over to Lucy, the freckled, red-haired woman. She was slim, but she also looked quite limber. She was a master at online games, but she also looked quite athletic. Lucy looked at him nervously, her eyes beaming. "Nice to meet you," Junhyuk said calmly. "I¡¯m Lucy." He smiled, but no one could see it. Lucy could hear the chuckle in his voice. "Call me Dark Knight." "Can I call you DK?" "As you wish." He turned to the novices and said, "I heard you wrote a standards manual. I haven¡¯t read it yet, but use it to lead the novices." "Should I?" Junhyuk nodded. "I¡¯m in charge of the battles against the monsters within the area. Use your manual to lead, and we¡¯ll find out if there¡¯s anythingcking." "Yes, sir!" Lucy answered him mightily. Junhyuk turned to Major Sean and said, "I want to read Lucy¡¯s manual after the battle." "I¡¯ll get a copy ready." Then, looking at the group, he said, "You should be less nervous after experiencing the battlest time, but remember to use your powers to adapt to different situations ordingly. If you fail to use your powers effectively, someone might die." The novices all nodded, and Junhyuk turned and walked off. There were monsters gathering at the border. There were only then, but others would join them soon. Junhyuk looked at the turtle-like monsters. They had shells, but their mouths had fangs, and their chins split and opened in the middle, disying even more rows of fangs. He did not want to look at them anymore. Junhyuk pulled out the two Wolf Warlord w swords. He wanted to open a path. He ran toward the area and, when he crossed the border, he frowned. He had felt something odd. As he crossed the border, the turtle¡¯s necks grew longer, reaching ten meters in length. He was surprised that their necks could extend, so he wanted to analyze them more. Those were new monsters, and he wanted to know more about them. The turtles tried to bite him, but he dodged them all. So, they tried pounding him with their heads by whipping their necks around. Clicking his tongue, Junhyuk retreated. He wanted to deal with just one, but there were too many of them, making it difficult for him to learn anything. So, he closed in on a turtle, ced his foot under it and kicked it up upward. As the turtle flew into the air, he spun around and shed it. Another turtle was closing in on him, but the first strike generated a shockwave, and he killed both turtles with that single attack. The Vampire Lord¡¯s set boosted piercing, and the turtles looked like C-ranked monsters, so they couldn¡¯t withstand an attack from the Vampire Lord¡¯s set. To Junhyuk, the wolves¡¯ defense and the turtles¡¯ defense were essentially the same thing. After killing most of the turtles, he walked over to the remaining one. The turtle extended its neck and used it like a whip against him. Junhyuk dodged the attacks, running forward. The turtle then quickly withdrew its head and legs within its shell, and Junhyuk¡¯s stabbed the top of the turtle¡¯s shell, sinking the sword in deeper. Because of his piercing stat, the sword went through the shell and got stuck on the ground. After he killed the ten turtles, Junhyuk looked at the group of powered people, and they crossed the border. They were still close to the border, so the collection teams gathered the bodies. As Junhyuk looked at the group, he said, "In just a few days, new monsters have shown up. As you just witnessed, those ten-meter long necks whip around very fast. Be very cautious of them." "They looked dense. Will our weapons work?" After some thought, Junhyuk asked, "Does anyone have a long range attack power?" Lucy raised her hand. "I can hit an eyeball within 250 meters." Junhyuk realized that Lucy wasn¡¯t just some loser gaming addict, and Sean also raised his hand. "I can do the same with my weapon." "Then, shoot the next turtle from afar. Try to hit its shell and its head." "Yes, sir." Junhyuk continued calmly, "The flying monsters will show up soon. We¡¯ll hunt for two hours and go back and rest. After that, we¡¯ll make another advance." Junhyuk did not want a repeat of the previous time, when they had ended up surrounded. His n was simple, and he exined it to them. The experts were taking the front, and Peyton murmured, "I have no powers that can deal with flying monsters." "There are other types of monsters, so don¡¯t be despondent," Aleksei told Peyton. Peyton smiled at that. Aleksei looked like a bear, but he and Peyton got along well. "Should I turn a turtle on its back?" They joked as they walked. A group of five turtles soon showed up in front of them. Sean and Lucy sat on the ground and raised their weapons. They gathered their breaths and shot at the turtles. Bang, bang! Two gunshots rang out. One bullet hit the turtle¡¯s head, and the other ricocheted off its shell. The one that hit the head, however, sunk in deep. Wrrraaah! The turtles screamed as they approached, and looking at them, Junhyuk frowned. "They are calling for help!" As the turtles made that noise, more monsters came toward them, increasing the number of enemies they would have to deal with. Junhyuk, who could sense it happening in the distance, said, "I¡¯ll deal with the left side. Lucy, you handle the right with the novices. The experts will take the lead in the middle." "Yes, sir!" Junhyuk headed left without wasting time. They didn¡¯t have a lot of it left before the monsters would fall on them. He swung his swords against the five turtles already there, a horizontal sh that generated a shockwave that swept through the turtles. Then, he jumped to the top of a building nearby, and from there, he looked around the battlefield. The Tokyo Tower had been destroyed, and the ck Turtle was sitting on the wreckage with flying monsters surrounding it. He looked closer to the group and saw that the turtle monsters were surrounding them. "The flying monsters are sticking to the ck Turtle." Junhyuk shrugged and looked down. There were five turtle monsters ahead and five on the right side. Lucy was quickly giving out orders, and Junhyuk decided to see how things would unfold.

 Chapter 350 Activation 2

    Lucy watched the approaching turtles, and her first order was a simple one. "Everyone, get ready to open fire!" Their guns all carried bullets coated with monster dposition liquid. As long as they didn¡¯t hit the shells, they would work. The forty-five members of the group positioned themselves and aimed. That¡¯s when Lucy gave out another order. "Fire!" Rat-tat-tat-at! With loud noise of gunshots, the bullets flew toward the turtles, and the turtles started moving with surprising speed. They closed in, and Lucy gave out the next order, "One, two, five, seven and nine, use your stuns starting with the one on the left!" The five novices used their stuns. All of their powers were different, from dirt that rose from the ground to lock itself on the enemy, to steel chains that appeared out of nowhere and held the enemy in ce. Lucy gave out exactmands on who should restrain which turtle, and all five turtles were restrained. Looking at them, Lucy quickly gave out the next order, "Novices with long range attacks, attack now!" Of the novices, a total of twenty-two were capable of long range attacks. They had to kill the turtles before they closed in. The twenty-two novices¡¯ powers flew toward the turtles. They were covered by fire and ice, and hit by shockwaves as well. Some of the turtles even retreated into their shells. Boom, boom, boom! The sound of a loud explosion rang out, and two turtles died within their shells. Three of the turtles still remained, and Lucy gave out the next order. "We¡¯re on a twenty-second cooldown. Tanks, move forward!" Each team had someone who was responsible for defense. They could withstand the turtles¡¯ attacks for a short while by wearing the Wolf Warlord¡¯s leather amor. Nine of them stepped forward, and Lucy calmly gave out more orders, "Tanks canst for ten seconds! Everyone else, retreat another ten meters!" The situation was serious, but Lucy was calmly repositioning troops. The three turtles closed in, and Lucy ordered, "Once the tanks have used their powers, we¡¯ll still need to wait another seven seconds! They¡¯ll need time to retreat, so don¡¯t engage up close within those seven seconds! Buy more time with your firearms!" The tanks stepped forward, and the rest of them fired on the turtles. Rat-at-at-at-tat! The gunshots rang out loudly, but the turtles still pushed forward. Once closer, they extended their necks. The tanks were armored, so they stood their ground while protecting their weak spots from the turtles¡¯ attacks to buy more time. The turtles heads mmed against them, but with their armors, the tanks were able to withstand the attacks. Junhyuk, who was watching, nodded. If their armors had been made of regr steel, the tanks could have all died from the attacks. But, with the Wolf Warlord¡¯s leather amor, things were different. That was the difference between an A-ranked monster and a C-ranked monster. The Wolf Warlord had died and left its hide behind, but the leather made from it couldn¡¯t be torn apart. With the tanks buying them time, the cooldowns of the long range attacks ended. Tracking the time, Lucy shouted again, "Tanks, fall back!" The tanks pushed the turtles away and tried to retreat, but one of them couldn¡¯t get his arm free from a turtle. Lucy aimed her pistol and fired. Bang! The bullet hit the turtle¡¯s eye, sinking deep inside the pupil. "Wrraaah!" The turtle let go of the arm it was holding and turned to attack Lucy, who shouted, "Retreat and attack!" Lucy dove to the side and rolled on the ground. Boom! The turtle¡¯s head mmed right on the spot she¡¯d been standing. The novice was wearing armor, but the attack would¡¯ve seriously injured her. Lucy had rescued the novice tank by drawing attention to herself. She was brave. The long range attacks killed the remaining turtles. The turtles had extended their necks to attack the tanks, but that had left them vulnerable instead. Lucy shouted after watching the experts fight, "Don¡¯t get too rxed! Provide support!" The novices, who had killed the turtles, turned to the other battle. The experts were still dealing with their turtles. They were superior to the novices, but two turtles still remained. "One and seven, restrain them!" The ground rose to ensnare a turtle, and the steel chain wrapped around the other one. Ling Ling ran toward the two restrained turtles and uppercut-shed one, splitting its head from chin up. Yonhong stabbed the other turtle with a w sword. Both disyed their skills, and even though Yonhong¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t as effective as Ling Ling¡¯s, he was also using his sword skillfully. Ling Ling looked back and walked toward Lucy. "Thanks for your help." Lucy smiled and said, "I only did my duty." They talked, and Junhyuk came down from the building and walked toward them. He looked at Lucy, trying to recall her resume. He was jealous of Sarang¡¯s intelligence runes. With them, he would have been able to increase his memory. Lucy had an interesting power. She could trade ces with others. For her power to be effective and so that they could use it, she would need high defense. Junhyuk didn¡¯t think he could use Lucy¡¯s power yet, but he had included her in the team in case of an emergency. Inside the monster area, should he find himself in danger, he could trade ces with her, and in case anyone was injured, Lucy could assume that person ce. It had taken cold judgement to include Lucy on the team. Junhyuk¡¯s vanguard position was extremely dangerous, but he could teleport. In other words, Lucy was included on the team just in case Junhyuk used up his teleportations. Meaning that if he did use them up, he would trade ces with Lucy, and she would probably die. Still, he included her on the team anyway. Now that he had seen her in action, he thought about his initial impression of her and gave her a higher score than before. She could trade ces, yes, but she was also inspiring. As long as Lucy was safe, even if he became a hero, if he found himself in danger, he would be fine by trading ces with her. He told them, "Let¡¯s advance some more." They were all d after killing the monsters, and Junhyuk signaled for Lucy. When she walked up to him, he asked, "How did you know about the turtles?" Her eyes beamed, and she answered, "The turtles responded by howling once we got within a hundred meters of them. That¡¯s their area." "That is quite the long range." "Yes, sir. They can sense others like them and form groups of five. Their shells are highly dense, but their heads and legs can be injured by our weapons." Junhyuk nodded. "And the novices¡¯ teams can deal with five of them at once." "If more than five appear, the teams will end up injured?" "Correct." He believed her assessment. Lucy¡¯s analysis was very urate considering she had only fought the turtles once. "You probably haven¡¯t figured everything out about the turtles. Continue to examine them. Simr-looking monsters might show up, but they could be entirely different. Be cautious," he said calmly. "Yes, sir!" Lucy smiled. She was in a good mood. Curious, Junhyuk asked, "Do you have strategies for dealing with flying monsters?" "That depends of their range of attack. I have to meet one. We can¡¯t create arge in the center of the city however." Junhyuk nodded and said, "We¡¯ll see them another day." The flying snakes were near Tokyo Tower, and they wouldn¡¯t advance that far that day. Junhyuk wanted to go alone. The flying snakes weren¡¯t a danger to him, and he could always kill the ck Turtle by himself. He was feeling inspired and he wanted to visit the dimensional tear again. He could see space tearing within his training facility, but a persistent dimensional tear was different. Although the tear locked the dimension on the other side, it remained there. It didn¡¯t disappear, and he thought he could learn something from it. Wanting to learn more, Junhyuk decided that he would make another visit, but before that, he thought about how to train his allies. The novices were able to disy their full capabilities with Lucy¡¯smand, but right now, their battle skill was so low that they could only deal with five C-ranked monsters at a time. They would improve, however, and he would watch them go into dimensional tears and destroy them. Once their skills improved, he would attack the dimensional tear. Junhyuk looked ahead, and another pack of five turtles appeared. Their regr speed was very slow, but once battle began they moved incredibly fast. Junhyuk used his spatial sense to look around him. Their call range was of a hundred meters, and Junhyuk¡¯s sense covered arger area than that. He looked at the turtles and said, "Lure those turtles in! There are no other monsters within a hundred meters, so attack!" Lucy stepped forward. She was holding a pistol, and so was Sean. They got into position and started shooting. Rat-at-at-tat! The turtles went berserk and started closing in, but at that moment, Junhyuk frowned and yelled, "We don¡¯t have time to deal with the turtles! Retreat! NOW!" Junhyuk ran forward and shed the turtles, destroying them, but dozens of flying snakes were in the distance, heading their way. Ling Ling tried to run toward him, but Yonhong stopped her. "Stop!" "He is in danger!" Peyton shook his head and said, "We can¡¯t help him this time. The A-ranked monster has started moving." Ling Ling watched Junhyuk run very far ahead of her and gritted her teeth. "We have monsters behind us!" Lucy shouted. "Ling Ling!" Yonhong called for her, and Ling Ling turned and said, "We¡¯ll open a path."

 Chapter 351 - Activation 3

    <h4>Chapter 351: Activation 3</h4>

    As Junhyuk ran toward the Tokyo Tower, he learned something else. A-ranked monsters were aware of everything within the monster area. The ck Turtle had seen him approach and sent the flying snakes toward him. The turtle itself was extremelyrge, and it destroyed the buildings around it as it headed Junhyuk¡¯s way.

    ¡°City Destroyer,¡± he said in one phrase and looked back. Behind him, packs of turtles appeared, but the teams of experts and novices could deal with them.

    Junhyuk wanted to distance himself from the allies, so he used some mana and triggered eleration. He did not use it a full force, but he moved faster than a speeding car and advanced.

    Junhyuk was closing in fast, and as he did, he changed weapons. The Wolf Warlord¡¯s w swords were effective, but to kill the ck Turtle he would need something with more attack power.

    Wielding the Blood Rune Sword and the Frozen Rune Sword, he smiled.

    ¡°I am different now.¡±

    His damage had doubled since the previous time, and he thought he might even be able to cut through the ck Turtle¡¯s dense shell.

    As he approached, the flying snakes folded their wings and dove toward him. They fell from the sky like meteors seeking him. Junhyuk used more mana and prepared a single-point explosion. He couldn¡¯t use anything better than the single-point explosion against flying enemies, so he swung the Blood Rune Sword toward them. The meteor-like flying snakes dove fast, but he was using eleration, so he could even see the details on their faces urately.

    With things like that, his sword sh a snake¡¯s forehead, and the shockwave extended everywhere.

    Boom!

    A blood-colored spherical shockwave extended from the point of impact, and all snakes swept by it fell from the sky like rain, dead. He ran through the spherical shockwave, and with that single blow, he took down twelve snakes.

    The flying snakes continued to pressure him, but he couldn¡¯t use the single-point explosion again. Instead, he swung his swords against them.

    The Blood Rune Sword was superior to the Wolf Warlord¡¯s w. He felt no resistance of friction as he shed them. With every swing, a snake fell. They dove at him like meteors, but he cut each of them down, and every strike left a shockwave behind that killed more.

    Junhyuk thought about what Arn had told him, that each swing created a new path for the sword. Now, however, he was growing in a different way from what Arn had taught him.

    Without a specific sword path to follow, he swung to kill, creating his own swordsmanship. In the beginning, Arn had taught him to control his muscles, and now, he was creating his swordsmanship because of it.

    He had absorbed the living spirit and, because of that, he did not need to exert himself, swinging his sword freely.

    Once he destroyed the flying snakes, he did not have a chance to gather his breath, however. The ck Turtle was already near him, and it breathed out a poison cloud.

    Junhyuk maximized his eleration and jumped on the wall of a nearby building. He wanted to kick off the wall toward the turtle¡¯s shell, but a shadow appeared above him. Looking at what it was, he clicked his tongue.

    ¡°Where were you? You are on their side now?!¡±

    The remaining war wolves reappeared to attack him. He looked at them and smiled.

    ¡°We had to meet sooner orter.¡±

    As Junhyuk ran up the wall, the war wolves dropped from the roof. He knew the task at hand wouldn¡¯t be easy. The war wolves wed at him, but he dodged their attacks, swinging his sword in return. The war wolves, however, knew about his strength, so they kept a certain distance from him.

    Junhyuk was running up a twenty-two story building while shing the falling war wolves. The war wolves were four meters tall, so he had to sh through them to pass them by. If he confronted them for long, he¡¯d probably fall.

    The ck Turtle raised its head, and he looked at it. The ck Turtle would also have to kill the war wolves if it wanted Junhyuk dead.

    It breathed out poison again, and Junhyuk grimaced, speeding up before teleporting above the ck Turtle¡¯s shell. He looked at its sneak-headed tail. It moved fast.

    Junhyuk¡¯s piercing stat was very high now, so the ck Turtle became one of the easier A-ranked monsters to deal with.

    On the shell, the snake-headed tail lunged at him. Junhyuk dodged the attack and ran. The snake hit the shell, sliding off of it easily and attacking him again. As he looked at it, it moved in a sh, as fast as his eleration.

    Junhyuk stopped dodging and raised his sword. He felt he needed to cut that tail off.

    Junhyuk looked at the snakeing toward him, quickly slithering across the shell. He could see it, but his body felt sluggish.

    He breathed fast and stabbed forward. Considering the speed and size of the head, he could still be hurt. As the snake opened its mouth, trying to swallow him whole, he seized the opportunity.

    Junhyuk swung the Blood Rune Sword, piercing the ceiling of the snake¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Wrraaahisss!¡±

    Junhyuk used the Spatial sh before diving to the right. A shockwave from the Spatial sh triggered on impact, expanding horizontally and beheading the snake. His piercing stat had increased along with his damage. The snake¡¯s head slid next to him, and he swung his sword at it again.

    He destroyed the rest of it, killing the snake-like tail.

    Then, the ck Turtle raised its head slowly.

    Junhyuk teleported again as a thick poison cloud covered the top of its shell. He appeared beneath it and stabbed the ck Turtle from below.

    Without using any mana, he was able to stab through the lower shell, piercing it with his sword. However, the ck Turtle was massive, and his sword was very small inparison. It had felt like he had pricked it with a needle. Nevertheless, the shockwave triggered, cutting through the ck Turtle¡¯s insides.

    The shockwave cut through the ck Turtle¡¯s stomach, and it started staggering.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    Junhyuk dodged the ck Turtle¡¯s stomps. It was going crazy and it rushed toward him as it saw him.

    The remaining war wolves also saw him, rushing toward him.

    Surrounded, Junhyuk smacked his lips and triggered his jump skill.

    Boom!

    The ck Turtle smashed through the building behind him, and the debris fell on it. It was no longer moving. The shockwave had damaged it heavily from within. That meant that the ck Turtle¡¯s shell was dense and protective, but its insides were soft and fragile.

    When the ck Turtle died, the war wolves started to run away.

    Junhyukughed. Whenever an A-ranked monster died, the others knew to flee. Before another one appeared, Junhyuk wanted to see the dimensional tear.

    With his piercing stat raised, he had easily killed the ck Turtle. The Wolf Warlord had been a more bothersome enemy than it.

    Junhyuk ran fast and reached the dimensional tear. He looked up to where it was floating in the air.

    The spatial tear and the dimensional tear were special.

    As he watched it, he teleported to it and triggered eleration. He only floated in the air for a short while, but because of eleration, he used his spatial sense to look inside the tear, feeling the energy within it.

    Theposition of the space around it was the same as the tear. Through the hole in the space, the energy was working to maintain the dimensional tear open.

    Junhyuk could understand the situation. It was only for a short time, but he felt birth and death repeat in a loop between the dimensional tear and the space surrounding it.

    Junhyuk raised his sword.

    Spatial Death.

    What would happen? Was it possible by a human? Junhyuk had been curious, and his curiosity had birthed another curiosity.

    He stabbed the border of the dimensional tear and felt something on his sword. Stabbing it was different than just looking at it.

    The birth and death of space. He felt everything through his sword.

    Focusing on the birth and death processes, he shivered. With eleration triggered, he could perceive many things at once.

    Junhyuk teleported again, maintaining his position in the air and focusing on what he was feeling through his sword.

    The birth and death of space. He felt that death would be possible, but birth would not.

    Spatial Death.

    Junhyuk remembered the feeling of death as he fell to the ground. He continued thinking about it as he fell. The energy on his sword, from the death of space, was rted to dimensional decay.

    A strong wind gusted out of the dimensional tear, and a being with two wings came out of it. It was only five meters tall, but its aura was like none other. It was a Harpy Queen.

    Junhyuk was still thinking as the Harpy Queen descended on him fast, like an eagle diving for prey.

    He raised his head, feeling the dangering toward him, but his mind was still filled with thoughts of space. The death of space. His own expectation told him it was possible.

    That expectation ramified, and those ramifications became will. He wanted to kill the space between him and the Harpy Queen.

    And as he willed it, he made it reality.

    Craaaack!

    The sudden death of space. As the space died, it tried to fix itself. The area affected had died, but the surrounding area tried to fill the void left by it.

    ¡°Qwaaaaak!¡±

    The debris around him was sucked into the dead space, and the Harpy Queen tried to fly away. However, the space was sucking everything in, including its wings.

    If it hadsted longer, the Harpy Queen would¡¯ve been sucked inside it whole, but spatial death did notst long. The surrounding space filled the area of the space that had died. The process had only broken the Harpy Queen¡¯s wings, and the monster fell to the ground.

    When the Harpy Queen tried to get up, it felt someone on its back. When it turned to look at what it was, it saw Junhyuk looking down at it.

    ¡°I did not know you would show up,¡± he said and beheaded the Harpy Queen.

    Its head rolled on the ground, and Junhyuk looked toward the sky. He saw the dimensional tear far away. He had been inspired by it, and that inspiration had borne fruit.

    Spatial Death.

    He had activated his ultimate.

 Chapter 352 - New Season 1

    <h4>Chapter 352: New Season 1</h4>

    Junhyuk thought his ultimate seemed like a ck hole. He was able to kill a certain amount of space, and the space surrounding the dead space tried to replenish it. Meanwhile, the dead space sucked everything around it. The effects onlysted for a short while, but its power was definitely superior.

    Junhyuk looked at the sky. He had killed the Harpy Queen, so he was expecting other monsters to appear, but the dimensional tear was quiet.

    Even so, Junhyuk did not jump into it. Instead, he grabbed the Harpy Queen¡¯s leg and looked around.

    ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡±

    He had learned about spatial death, and from there he had acquired his ultimate. His ultimate was amazing, and he did not think he could¡¯ve activated a better one.

    His health and his other powers had also increased.

    Junhyuk was sure that he had be a hero, but Agenchra still hadn¡¯t shown up. As far as Junhyuk knew, Agenchra could stop time and show up anywhere.

    Junhyuk dragged the Harpy Queen¡¯s body back, thinking it could be useful somehow. In the Dimensional Battlefield, killing it would give the team a bonus attack buff. The Harpy Queen also had a chance of dropping a bonus attack item, and while he didn¡¯t know which body part carried the item, he decided to get it back to Guardians first. He wanted to give it to Elise.

    As he dragged the Harpy Queen¡¯s body, the other monsters stayed away from him. The trail of blood being left by the A-ranked monster was keeping them back.

    Junhyuk walked heavily and crossed the border of the monster area. As he did, arge crowd of people rushed toward him. The teams had been able to kill the packs of turtles and retreat. They were all injured, none without any damage, but their eyes beamed as they saw him. They had only seen him kill the Harpy Queen from a distance.

    Junhyuk smiled at them and tried to speak, but everyone stopped midstep, and that¡¯s when he realized time had stopped. He looked around, and even before the dimensional tear appeared, he was able to sense it.

    He stared at Agenchra, who had a big smiled on his face. Agenchra pped loudly and took off his fedora, bowing to him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve be a hero, right?¡± Junhyuk asked.

    ¡°Correct. The first hero among humans.¡±

    His heart pounded. He had worked like a dog in the Dimensional Battlefield, but he was strong now. Calming himself down, he turned to Agenchra and asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you show up sooner?¡±

    Agenchra pointed behind Junhyuk and said, ¡°You were inside the monster area. That is not my territory. I can¡¯t make you an offer while you are in there.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to look at the area behind him. It certainly wasn¡¯t Agenchra¡¯s territory. Then, he turned to Agenchra, and the manager smiled.

    ¡°You¡¯ve be a hero, so it¡¯s time to sign a new contract.¡±

    Junhyuk knew about the hero¡¯s contract, and that it would be different from the champion¡¯s contract.

    ¡°Show me the contract.¡±

    Agenchra tore a page from his pocketbook and threw it behind him. The page grew to the height of a three-storey building.

    The manager smiled.

    ¡°The hero¡¯s contract isn¡¯t very different from the champion¡¯s contract. There are only a few changes.¡±

    Agenchra pointed at the page, and parts of the document started shining. Junhyuk looked at it and raised his hand.

    ¡°Is there a limit to how long you can stop time?¡±

    Agenchra shook his head.

    ¡°There is no such limit.¡±

    ¡°Then, wait for me.¡±

    Junhyuk read the document as quickly as he could. It was as tall as a three-storey building even though it hade from a single page. Because of that, he spent quite a while going over it.

    After getting a general understanding of it, he asked, ¡°So, when I die as a hero in the Dimensional Battlefield, I¡¯ll drop an item. That¡¯s certainly different from the Champions¡¯ Battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°And the victory reward is fixed at 200,000G.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    A slight frown appeared on his face.

    ¡°The conditions don¡¯t seem any better than the Champions¡¯ Battlefield! In some ways, the Champions¡¯ Battlefield is worth more!¡±

    ¡°But if you kill an enemy, you may pick up their item.¡±

    ¡°But I have to do it quickly. If not, it¡¯ll disappear, and when it disappears it goes back to the dimensional merchant.¡±

    ¡°Those are the rules, and I can¡¯t do anything about them.¡±

    Junhyukughed and said, ¡°The only benefit is that I can gain a reward when I be a legend.¡±

    ¡°That is so.¡±

    Junhyuk read the part about the legend reward again. When one became a legend, a wish was fully granted.

    ¡°Is there a limit to what wish I can make?¡±

    Agenchra smiled.

    ¡°So far, all wishes have been granted. We do everything we can to grant the wish.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Agenchra. He had learned about space and gained a new power, but his powers meant nothing whenpared to those of management.

    They not only controlled space, but also time. Management could also summon humans to the Dimensional Battlefield and had the capability of granting wishes.

    ¡°Time stops when a hero goes to the Dimensional Battlefield?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    After some thought, Junhyuk said, ¡°OK. Let¡¯s sign the contract.¡±

    Agenchra smiled and pulled out another sheet of paper. It shone bright blue, and the outline of a hand appeared in the center of it. Junhyuk ced his hand on the outline, and the paper shone brighter. After that, Agenchra took the sheet and smiled.

    ¡°We are done here.¡±

    Junhyuk was still curious about some things, however.

    ¡°Then, starting this week, I¡¯ll be hero?¡±

    ¡°Yes. A new season will begin, and you will be a new hero. That¡¯s a good thing.¡± Junhyuk stared at Agenchra, and the manager smiled and continued, ¡°The Dimensional Battlefield has gone through some major changes. They were systematic changes, and you will adjust well.¡±

    ¡°Who is on my team?¡±

    Agenchra smiled again and said, ¡°I can¡¯t tell you about your new team. You¡¯ll find out when you go to the battlefield.¡±

    Still staring at Agenchra, he nodded.

    ¡°What about Gongon? Has he be a hero?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything about that.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled. He had won the bet for the 100,000G.

    ¡°What will happen to my training facility?¡±

    ¡°The facility was created so that champions can train to be heroes. Therefore, everything will go to Sarang Kim now,¡± Agenchra answered.

    Junhyuk frowned. He had to train in the facility to gain mana, but now, he wouldn¡¯t be able to enter.

    ¡°Is there a way to give me ess to it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll need permission from Sarang.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly. Their positions had changed.

    ¡°You already said that two people can have ess to it. Can I be the second person?¡±

    Agenchra tilted his head and asked, ¡°Is there a reason for why you need to enter?¡±

    ¡°Bing a hero isn¡¯t the end of things. To be a legend, being a hero isn¡¯t enough. So, unless you make me a hero¡¯s facility, I¡¯ll still need ess to it.¡±

    Agenchra¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°You are thinking of bing a legend?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! I wouldn¡¯t have be a hero if I hadn¡¯t been thinking of that in the first ce.¡±

    The manager smiled and said, ¡°I understand now. We don¡¯t have another champion, so I will grant your wish for now.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Agenchra took his fedora and bowed, saying, ¡°I expect good things from you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°You do that.¡±

    Junhyuk was thinking that he had be a hero too quickly. When hepared his items to the items of legends, they were mostly inferior, but when hepared them to the items of other heroes, some of his items were of very high quality.

    A lot of his items were of no use to him now that he had be a hero, and because of that, now that he was a hero, he could not die. He had five items that were worth over 200,000G, so if he dropped any of those, he would go insane.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be a legend without dying even once,¡± he murmured.

    Agenchra disappeared and time flowed again. Junhyuk saw the novices and the experts heading his way.

    Peyton got to him first and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°That massive hurricane!¡±

    ¡°Hurricane?¡±

    Peyton thought about what had happened for a while and said, ¡°You brought the Harpy Queen down with that hurricane.¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s power bore more of a resemnce to a ck hole, but the others thought it had looked like a hurricane. When he had killed space, that space had not turned ck at all. It had merely be nothing.

    He shrugged and said, ¡°It¡¯s my secret weapon.¡±

    Junhyuk did not tell them he was a hero now. People already expected a lot of him, and he did not want them expecting even more.

    Johnson walked up to him, and Junhyuk handed him the body of the Harpy Queen.

    ¡°This is a Harpy Queen, an A-ranked monster. Send it to Guardians.¡±

    Johnson nodded and answered, ¡°Yes, sir. Right away.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and looked at the others.

    ¡°By the way, you did well carrying an orderly retreat without any casualties. I¡¯m calling off afternoon training. Since I killed the A-ranked monster, they¡¯ll be expecting its body for research.¡±

    Everyone was d, and Junhyuk walked up to Jiro and said, ¡°The monster area is in transition, so there won¡¯t be any training this afternoon. Let¡¯s go back to the hotel.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Most of all, Junhyuk wanted to check out his new power. He had killed space, but he didn¡¯t know much about it. He didn¡¯t even know its cooldown. Junhyuk had acquired his ultimate, yes, but he had to thoroughly investigate it first. No one would be able to exin it to him.

    As they prepared to move out, Ling Ling walked over to him and asked, ¡°Did you just be a champion?¡±

    An expert would know if someone activated a new power.

    Junhyuk shrugged and answered, ¡°Well.¡±

    Some would figure out that he was a hero now. Those like Jeffrey, who had already known Junhyuk to be a champion.

    People would find out, but he wasn¡¯t going to break the news to them first.

    Junhyuk got into a vehicle and closed his eyes. He felt the energy within his body. After assimting the living spirit, Junhyuk had prepared himself to be a hero. After bing a hero, he felt that every single one of his stats had increased.

    Along with his new power, he had to test everything out again. He had to enter the training facility.

 Chapter 353 - New Season 2

    <h4>Chapter 353: New Season 2</h4>

    Junhyuk hade back to the hotel, but before he was able to get into his room, he received a call from Guardians. Major Jiro picked up the call and told him about it. So, he went to the hotel¡¯s conference room and saw arge TV screen inside.

    On the screen, were Eunseo and the delegates of five other countries. Junhyuk spoke up first, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    The delegates were agitated over something, and Eunseo replied, ¡°We got the video of you killing the A-ranked harpy.¡± She gulped hard on her saliva and asked, ¡°Did you activate a new power?¡±

    All were expecting an answer with beaming yes.

    Junhyuk nodded calmly and said, ¡°I¡¯ve activated a new power.¡±

    Then, Eunseo asked evenly, ¡°Then, the Dark Knight is a champion now?¡±

    Heughed hard, but quietly. They couldn¡¯t see himugh through the disguise, however. Junhyuk nodded heavily.

    Everyone cheered, and he analyzed their eyes. The American, Chinese and Russian delegates¡¯ eyes were beaming even more, and seeing that, he was sure of one thing: they knew he was a hero now. They all had intelligenceworks that had done their jobs.

    Junhyuk raised his hand and said, ¡°Right now, the Japanese dimensional tear is without an A-ranked monster. I¡¯ll analyze it further as we continue with training.¡±

    Steve asked carefully, ¡°Considering your powers, couldn¡¯t you destroy the tear now?¡±

    Junhyuk had already destroyed a tear, and now he was even stronger. They knew that, and their expectations were high. The three delegates were passionate people. They had received information on what it meant to be a hero. They were well informed.

    Junhyuk could understand their expectations, but now wasn¡¯t the time. He was still unsure of whether he could destroy another tear. Meanwhile, the others still couldn¡¯t guard the monster area.

    Junhyuk answered confidently, ¡°Not yet. I need people to guard the dimensional tear from both inside and outside.¡±

    Everyone remained silent, and he continued, ¡°When I¡¯m ready, I will tell you. We aren¡¯t ready yet.¡±

    He got up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t rush!¡± Eunseo looked left and right and said, ¡°Don¡¯t mess things up by rushing. We¡¯ll provide all the support you need.¡±

    The delegates all nodded, and Junhyuk gave them a slight bow and left. Outside, he spoke to Major Jiro.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bring me any more calls until tomorrow.¡±

    Jiro nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure of that, sir!¡±

    ¡°I trust you will.¡±

    They wouldn¡¯t be able to find him anyway. He¡¯d be training in the facility.

    When Junhyuk entered his room, he went into the bathroom. After a quick shower, he changed clothes. Still, if anyone were to see him, he¡¯d still be wearing Bebe¡¯s ck Armor.

    The shower was hot and refreshing, and after it, he summoned his amor and entered the training facility.

    ¡°Enter.¡±

    Junhyuk looked around. If something had gone wrong, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to enter. Agenchra was looking out for him.

    He pulled out amunication crystal orb and, after thinking about whom to contact first, he heard a voice.

    ¡°What is going on?¡±

    ¡°Arn, I¡¯ve be a hero.¡±

    Arn was silent for a moment, but then, heughed very hard.

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha-ha! You are something! You are a hero already?!¡±

    Junhyuk also thought he had been too fast in bing a hero. He had died many times, crawling back from that empty darkness every time. However, whenpared to other heroes, he had evolved quickly.

    ¡°What is your new power?¡±

    ¡°A spatial power.¡±

    ¡°Just like I had guessed.¡± Without asking anything else about it, Arn said, ¡°Then, we may be enemies.¡±

    Thinking about Arn, Junhyuk shook his head hard.

    ¡°Well. Can we even actually meet?¡±

    ¡°Keep on fighting, and we¡¯ll meet again. Congrattions on bing a hero!¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    ¡°May you have energy and luck.¡±

    Arn disconnected, and Junhyuk called someone else, two people actually: Gongon and Sarang.

    Gongon was all sweaty, and Sarang was wearing a school uniform and drinking chocte milk.

    ¡°Why are you so happy?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, big brother. What happened?¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and cheered suddenly after. He could share his joy with those two.

    ¡°I¡¯m a hero now.¡±

    Gongon¡¯s and Sarang¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Really?!¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    Heughed and nodded. Sarang was very happy for him.

    ¡°Congrattions!¡±

    Gongon, looking sad, said, ¡°Congrattions. I¡¯ll pay you the 100,000G when we meet again.¡±

    Junhyukughed, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to collect it.¡±

    Gongon¡¯s neck twitched, and he fired back, ¡°You just wait! I¡¯ll soon be a hero!¡±

    Junhyuk smiled. Once Gongon became a hero, Junhyuk wanted him on his team.

    ¡°Join my team when you do.¡±

    The hatchling smiled at him.

    ¡°I will. I want to be on your team.¡±

    Gongon knew how strong Junhyuk was.

    ¡°Work hard,¡± Junhyuk said and smiled.

    ¡°Of course! I¡¯m hanging up now.¡±

    Gongon and Sarang disappeared, but Sarang showed up in person soon after.

    ¡°Big brother!¡± Her eyes were filled with excitement. ¡°What¡¯s your power?¡±

    He looked at her and asked, ¡°Where were you?¡±

    ¡°At school.¡±

    ¡°You came here from school?!¡±

    She shrugged and said, ¡°I told them I had a stomachache and went to the bathroom.¡±

    He shook his head.

    ¡°Fine. I also want to check on my new power.¡±

    Junhyuk got up. He did not need a weapon to kill space. He wanted to check on both the activation range and the territorial range, as well as the power¡¯s cooldown. Junhyuk had to practice hard.

    He ce Sarang behind him and willed the death of space.

    Crraack!

    Junhyuk watched as space died and checked on the range. It wasn¡¯t that long. He had tried to shoot for very far, but the range was only forty meters. Junhyuk smacked his lips at that. The spatial death had a radius of ten meters, and itsted for three seconds.

    Sarang¡¯s eyes were beaming as she said, ¡°Interesting development!¡±

    ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°It pulls things nearby to it, but how much damage will it do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know, and he couldn¡¯t use it on regr people.

    ¡°Can you use it on organic beings?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I can only kill space, but I may need to use it on enemies at the Dimensional Battlefield.¡±

    Looking at him, Sarang asked, ¡°Can I go with you?¡±

    ¡°Well. I¡¯m not sure. I think you¡¯ll be with Arn¡¯s team, maybe?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯ll also be better for you. You¡¯ll have Vera.¡±

    Sarang smacked her lips and replied, ¡°That¡¯s true, but I still want to join you.¡±

    Junhyuk caressed her hair and said, ¡°You¡¯ll be a hero someday, and we¡¯ll make a team together.¡±

    ¡°So, we¡¯ll be together again?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure, but you won¡¯t be my enemy under any circumstances. I¡¯ll find a way to get you on my team.¡±

    Sarang tried to hug him, but he pushed her forehead away with his index finger.

    ¡°Big brother?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m tuning my body.¡±

    She rubbed her forehead.

    ¡°What¡¯s the name of your new power?¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think and said, unsure, ¡°ck Hole?¡±

    ¡°Hm. I thought you would call it Sarang.¡±

    Heughed and said calmly, ¡°Nice joke. I feel like it¡¯s different though, so I¡¯ll call it Spatial Copse.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better than ck Hole.¡±

    Junhyuk continued, ¡°It has a forty-meter range, and it pulls everything within a ten-meter radius of it for three seconds. The cooldownsts...¡± Sighing, he added, ¡°Shit! It¡¯s four minutes.¡±

    His force field¡¯s cooldown used to be the longest, but four minutes was twice that. Junhyuk sighed again.

    ¡°Is it because it¡¯s a high ranking power?¡±

    He didn¡¯t know much about it. If he could use it on an enemy and damage it, it would work out. Without realizing, he was feeling overwhelmed.

    ¡°Whew! Should we train?¡±

    ¡°Train?¡±

    He nodded and pulled out his swords.

    ¡°You can exit for now. I still want to check on a few things before I leave.¡±

    She smiled.

    ¡°I have to go anyway. They must think I¡¯m constipated.¡±

    He waited for her to leave and swung his swords. His movements were quicker, iparable to before his evolution. It was like he had eleration triggered at all times.

    Then, Junhyuk actually triggered eleration, and he was shocked by the speed of his swords. Swinging them lightly, he murmured, ¡°I¡¯ll be restrained on the battlefield.¡±

    He was d he was not restrained on Earth. If he died on the battlefield, he simply dropped an item, but on Earth, if he died, he died.

    Junhyuk smiled as he swung his swords.

    ¡°It¡¯s the first time I actually want to go to the battlefield.¡±

    The battlefield was overwhelming in many way, but now he wanted to check out his new power. He was a hero now, but his powers would be restrained on the battlefield, and he wanted to find out how.

    The first time he went to the battlefield, he never imagined being in his current position. Junhyuk swung his swords again and felt every part of his body. He had to know his own powers before going to the battlefield.

    ¡ª

    Jiro had kept his promise. It was now Friday morning, and because he did not know when he would be summoned, Junhyuk waited.

    He did not have to move around to train, so he was lying on his bed while focusing on the mana flow within his body.

    It was eight o¡¯clock.

    When the needle of the clock struck eight, the world turned white. Time stopped, and he was transported to the Dimensional Battlefield.

    Junhyuk closed his eyes when it happened. The bright light was gone, and thinking that he would be in his old white room, he slowly opened his eyes.

    He was shocked.

    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±

 Chapter 354 - New Season 3

    <h4>Chapter 354: New Season 3</h4>

    A small girl was next to him. She hadrge eyes, a small body and two wings on her back.

    ¡°An angel?¡±

    The child smiled at what he said.

    ¡°Thanks for being so kind.¡±

    Junhyuk frowned at the sound of her voice. It sounded familiar.

    ¡°You are the voice behind the broadcasts!¡±

    She was the owner of the soft voice. The voice sounded like it came from a woman in her twenties, but that it came out of a small child was unexpected.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Hero Junhyuk Lee. Just call me a Help.¡±

    ¡°Your name is Help?¡±

    The child moved her head from side to side still looking at him.

    ¡°Are you curious about my name?¡±

    ¡°If you have a name... ¡±

    She had called herself Help, but smiling, she said, ¡°My name is Ariel.¡±

    ¡°Ariel, nice to meet you.¡±

    He greeted her, looking her up and down. Meanwhile, Ariel stared back at him.

    After some time staring, he finally asked, ¡°Since you are Help, shouldn¡¯t you exin things to me?¡±

    ¡°Ah! That¡¯s right!¡± Ariel smiled and continued, ¡°There are many changes this season. Let me go over them.¡±

    Junhyuk was curious about everything, and as he stared at her, she quickly began her exnation, ¡°The battlefield has changed. We are no longer in the Valley of Death. This ce is Nightmare Mountain.¡±

    ¡°A mountain?¡±

    Junhyuk could feel that the scope of the battlefield had increased, and Ariel continued, ¡°Nightmare Mountain isrger than the previous battlefield. Each team will still beprised of five heroes, but the number of minions has increased. Each team will have ess to a thousand minions.¡±

    ¡°The minions are...¡±

    Minions were known forsting a single battle, and they had little to no damaging capabilities.

    Ariel nodded and continued, ¡°With the new season, the value of minions has increased. They still have the same defense, but now, when minions are outside someone¡¯s attack range, they are immune to damage. Also, when a minion attacks a hero, a gate, a watchtower or a giant golem, the minion deal 1 percent damage to those things.¡±

    Realizing how valuable minions were now, Junhyuk frowned. Previously, he would¡¯ve been able to sweep the minions away with his shockwaves, but now, he had to kill each minion individually.

    Heroes, gates, watchtowers and golems were now vulnerable to minion attacks and would take 1 percent damage from each. It wasn¡¯t a lot of damage, but the teams would have ess to a thousand minions, so it all depended on how well a hero used the minions. Even without heroes, the minions would be able to destroy a castle.

    Ariel continued, ¡°Whenever you kill a minion, you¡¯ll earn 10G instead of 1G. There¡¯s also no need to pick up coins now, as they will be added to your ount automatically.¡±

    Junhyuk had killed numerous minions, but he seldom picked up coins. The fact that they would be added automatically was a good thing.

    ¡°Watchtowers and archers are immune to hero attacks until you destroy the castle¡¯s gate.¡±

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Thinking those changes were crap, he asked while trying to remain calm, ¡°How powerful are the archers when they get buffed in battles with heroes?¡±

    She smiled and answered, ¡°Regardless of a hero¡¯s defense, each attack will deal 3 percent of damage to that hero¡¯s health.¡±

    Junhyuk was getting a headache. Things had definitely changed, but thinking about it, he could use all of those changes against enemy heroes.

    There were five archers per watchtower, and if a hero went within range of them, that hero would lose 15 percent of their health. However, Junhyuk had long range attacks like Spatial sh and Spatial Copse with range longer than the archers¡¯.

    ¡°OK. What about buff monsters?¡±

    ¡°There are six buff monsters, three close to each camp. Killing an opponent¡¯s buff monsteres with added benefits.¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head and said, ¡°The buff will disappear while we are moving since the battlefield isrger now...¡±

    ¡°The buffs have also changed. Theyst for five hours, so you won¡¯t lose them while getting from one ce to the other.¡±

    It was a good thing that the buffs¡¯ effect time had increased.

    ¡°Do you have dragons?¡± Junhyuk asked.

    ¡°Of course, but now the dragons will be summoned during the engagement. They will spawn in the Dragon¡¯s Valley, which is southeast of the mountain.¡±

    Junhyuk listened and thought as Arial continued, ¡°At the top of the mountain, there is a buff tower. When you reach it, you¡¯ll receive a buff for three hours.¡±

    ¡°What are the buffs?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you get them.¡±

    Those were big changes, and the new season would require new strategies. Thinking that, Junhyuk balled his hands into fists. He wanted to check out his powers. The battlefield had gotten more difficult, but heroes were still paramount to victory, and he wouldn¡¯t lose.

    Arial said, ¡°I am done. Aren¡¯t you going out?¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head and said, ¡°I just became a hero. Who is on my team?¡±

    ¡°You want to know how to select your teammates? A new season has started, so everyone in the team must agree to the selection. If not, you get three tries.¡±

    ¡°Three tries?¡±

    ¡°The others have to agree to your presence on the team. If you don¡¯t like anyone, you may also disagree.¡±

    ¡°What if one isn¡¯t selected after those three tries?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll find yourself in a random team.¡±

    ¡°I can be a member of a team that I don¡¯t want to belong to?¡±

    ¡°Yes. So, if possible, you should choose your teammates. If not, you might find yourself in a team you dislike.¡±

    ¡°What if I agree with two members, and they agreed with me, but I can¡¯t decide on the other two?¡±

    ¡°In that case, you¡¯ll find yourself teamed up with both the ones who agreed with you and those who disagreed.¡±

    ¡°So, to form a full team by choice, everyone has to agree to it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    All five had to agree, which was good, but he might end up joining a team he didn¡¯t like. As he thought about it, his headache got stronger.

    ¡°That means I have three matches to decide on a team, right?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. You can always swap teammates with other teams.¡±

    Thinking about it, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Is it even possible to form a team within three matches?¡±

    Ariel smiled.

    ¡°It takes luck, and you have nice luck.¡±

    He sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been talking to you for a while. Is that OK?¡±

    ¡°Time doesn¡¯t pass in the battlefield while you are here.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Junhyuk shook his body to loosen it up and said, ¡°OK, I want to see my team now.¡±

    ¡°May you win.¡±

    Before Junhyuk walked out the door, he turned to look at her and asked, ¡°Ariel, can others meet you, too?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Am I the only one who talks to you?¡±

    ¡°Ah! That¡¯s correct. You are my responsibility.¡±

    ¡°Then, others have their own angels?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    He smiled at her. Seeing that she was his own Help, he felt closer to her.

    ¡°OK. Should I go out now?¡±

    She smiled, touched her lips and announced, ¡°Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed.¡±

    The door opened, and he walked outside. The castle was bigger than before, and the minions were crowding it.

    Junhyuk noticed their equipment had changed. They were carrying saw-ded swords now.

    After he passed them, he saw some beings waiting for him. One had a massive body with a scar across one eye, a green giant. The second had a slim figure butrge teeth, a female troll. There was a hooded figure with two crossbows in hand, and a robed old man carrying a tall staff.

    He smiled at them and said, ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Junhyuk Lee.¡±

    The green giant said, ¡°My name is Balonte. I¡¯m a tank.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Em. I have buffing powers,¡± the female troll continued.

    The hooded man spoke next, ¡°Aldrac. I have long range powers.¡±

    The robed old man wentst.

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Nice to see you. I¡¯ve seen you fight. I lost a lot of money because of you. I¡¯m Malone, a wizard.¡±

    From his remark, Junhyuk knew that Malone had been a hero for a while. He looked at the others and asked, ¡°Is this anyone¡¯s first season as a hero?¡±

    Balonte raised his hand.

    ¡°I just became a hero.¡±

    Junhyuk realized that the other three had been heroes for much longer. That was a problem. Why would heroes not have their own teams? They had to have disliked their previous teams. Only one had just be a hero like himself. The others did not have teams of their own.

    Junhyuk knew it would take luck for him to put his own team together, and he murmured to himself, ¡°Gon, please be a hero fast.¡±

 Chapter 355 - Getting Buffed 1

    <h4>Chapter 355: Getting Buffed 1</h4>

    After learning a little about his new team, Junhyuk did not hesitate to speak up.

    ¡°This is my first time in Nightmare Mountain, but the peak must be important. Can I head there?¡±

    Malone shook his head and said, ¡°It is important, so you shouldn¡¯t go alone.¡±

    Junhyuk was facing a dilemma. If he couldn¡¯t work with them, it would be better for him not to have a team at all. Malone stared at him some more and said, ¡°I want to make sure this goes our way. I¡¯m the only one with a brain among us.¡±

    Dressed in a robe, he had to be a wizard, which meant that he had to have a lot of intelligence runestones, making his intelligence greater than the rest.

    Smiling, the wizard continued, ¡°First, try to remember this ce is different from the Valley of Death. There¡¯s more verticality than the previous battlefield. We will send one to the left of the mountain, two to the peak and two to the right.¡±

    Malone was speaking, but Junhyuk was only keeping what he deemed worthy of keeping from his speech. For now, Junhyuk simply listened.

    Malone kept going, ¡°We need to send someone strong to the left since that person will be alone. Balonte, as a tank, you¡¯ll be the best fit on the left. To the right, we¡¯ll send Em with her buff and Aldrac with his long range attacks. Junhyuk and I will take the peak.¡±

    Junhyuk pondered everything. He wanted to find out how they fought and what their powers were so that he could decide on whether he would team up with them or not. He had to fight with them for now.

    Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°The minions are valuable now, so we must pay close attention to their formation.¡±

    Malone nodded.

    ¡°To begin with, let¡¯s each of us take fifty minions.¡±

    Em walked toward him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t think this ce will be like the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. This ce is made for heroes, yeah?¡±

    She patted his cheek lightly and left, and that was when Junhyuk realized that they had been seeing Bebe¡¯s ck Armor. In the Champions¡¯ Battlefield as well, he had always looked like he had been wearing Bebe¡¯s ck Armor, so now, the heroes were looking down on him. Still, he didn¡¯t think it necessary to show himself to the allied heroes. He just wanted to check out their powers, so he let them lead for now.

    Balonte looked at him and cackled.

    ¡°Then, let us do our thing.¡±

    After Balonte left with the minions, he watched Malone gather his own minions. The wizard walked up to him smiling and said, ¡°Then, time for us to move.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and followed him. Malone was a real wizard, and as Junhyuk walked with him, he asked, ¡°Did you start out in the battlefield as a hero?¡±

    Maloneughed.

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha-ha! That¡¯s right. I even own my own magic tower.¡±

    Vera also had her own magic tower, so he thought Malone had to be like her. Junhyuk was curious as to why Malone had broken up from his previous team, but he couldn¡¯t ask the wizard that now. He wanted to experience what Malone was capable of.

    ¡°What are your powers?¡±

    ¡°I create light powers. I have a light bombardment, which drops light bombs within a certain area.¡±

    That was an area-of-effect attack, so it wouldn¡¯t deal high damage.

    Junhyuk nodded, and Malone continued, ¡°I have a light spear, which pierces through opponents in a straight line.¡±

    ¡°Those might not work against minions.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t waste powers on minions,¡± Malone said and continued, ¡°I can also create a light orb, but only one at a time. When it hits an enemy, it creates a massive explosion that damages the surrounding area. The explosion has a radius of ten meters.¡±

    All of Malone¡¯s powers dealt damage to an area, and Junhyuk thought he seemed useful in team battles. However, Malone wouldn¡¯t be much use going against another hero by himself. Wide range attacks didn¡¯t mean much in a single duel.

    ¡°What is your ultimate?¡±

    Malone smiled and said, ¡°My ultimate is a seven-hit lightbo. It¡¯s different from my other powers in that it focuses on a single enemy I choose.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded heavily.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have any powers that debuff or pierce through enemies¡¯ defenses.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t, but even without powers like that, I can kill them.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to say that the enemies were also heroes, and they wouldn¡¯t get hurt that easily.

    After leaving the castle, Junhyuk looked up at the mountain and saw a stairway leading to the top. Looking at it, he sighed.

    ¡°It looks really high.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t a joke. It would take them at least four hours to reach the top. At the top of the mountain, there was a tower. On it, there was a g that bore the allied crest, and that crest seemed to be the source of the new buff.

    Junhyuk walked proudly ahead and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Huh... I have bad knees. It¡¯ll be hard for me to climb that.¡±

    Ignoring Malone, Junhyuk walked forward. He was curious about the enemies he would meet. Junhyuk took the lead, and Malone and the minions followed him to the top of the mountain.

    It wasn¡¯t easy getting to the top. They climbed for four hours before reaching the zenith. At the top, Malone checked on his knees.

    ¡°Uff, I¡¯m about to die.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the wizard, speechless.

    ¡°You are a hero. How can you be tired?¡±

    ¡°I get tired. I feel like I¡¯m gonna die.¡±

    Still speechless, Junhyuk looked at the minions. He hadn¡¯t rushed, so the minions had been able to follow him to the top. Junhyuk looked ahead.

    At the top of Nightmare Mountain, there was a path. On it, the tower and the gs with the buffs.

    The enemies were also aware of Nightmare Mountain, and three of them had made it to the top: a blond armored knight holding a bastard sword, a horned woman with a fire whip and an ice golem. They had fifty humanoid lobsters with them.

    ¡°Their minions are lobsters?¡±

    Junhyuk was calling them lobsters, but the minions were human-sized, with huge ws and hard shells. The minions certainly had changed, and the lobsters looked like they might be difficult enemies for other minions.

    The blond knight holding the bastard sword looked at Junhyuk and said, ¡°The star of the Champions¡¯ Battlefield is a hero now?¡±

    Junhyuk stepped forward and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are.¡±

    The knight rested the bastard sword on his shoulder and answered, ¡°I¡¯m the Knight of Justice, Kamel.¡±

    Kamel pointed kindly to the woman standing behind him, and the woman stepped forward.

    ¡°I¡¯m the Demon of Love and Lust, Ellencia.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to the golem, who spoke slowly, ¡°I¡¯m the Ice Core, Mantes.¡±

    Three enemies had appeared, and both Kamel and Mantes looked sturdy. He also had no clue about their powers.

    Junhyuk looked at Malone and asked, ¡°Were they heroes in thest battlefield?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve heard about them, but I¡¯ve never fought them.¡±

    He nodded and asked, ¡°What do we do now?¡±

    ¡°We fight,¡± Malone announced, looking at him and smiling. ¡°Your defense seemed to be quite high, and you have a force field. Lure them in for us, and I¡¯ll sweep them away with my magic.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly. While his defense was high and he did have a force field, he did not like how quickly he had be bait. Nevertheless, he stepped forward.

    The tower was in the middle of the path. The allies and the enemies had gathered in front of it. As he approached the enemy heroes, he smacked his lips. He could not forget about the minions.

    Each lobster minion could deal 1 percent of damage to him. There were fifty of them, and they were so wide that just four of them could block the path.

    Junhyuk looked at his own minions and said camly, ¡°Raise your shields! Your job is to stop those lobsters.¡±

    The minions nodded, and Junhyuk looked ahead.

    The three enemy heroes stayed out of the tower¡¯s space. They believed in their own powers, and each of them had four powers. Junhyuk knew what that meant. Because Malone only had area attacks, Junhyuk had to step forward at that moment.

    Junhyuk closed in against his enemies, and as he walked toward him, Kamel raised his bastard sword. That¡¯s when all enemies stopped.

    Kamal smiled widely at him and said, ¡°I know everything about your powers, but I don¡¯t know your ultimate yet.¡±

    The enemy heroes had watched him fight in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, so his enemies knew everything about his powers. However, he did not know about theirs.

    Junhyuk smacked his lips. The situation was back.

    Then, Kamel pointed the bastard sword toward him and shouted, ¡°Attack!¡±

    The lobsters ran at him, their ws wide open, and he grimaced. He could not use his shockwave to kill minions now. He had to kill them one by one, but while he was doing that, the enemy heroes would also attack him.

    Looking back, Junhyuk said, ¡°Deal with the iing lobsters!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t kill them by myself!¡±

    ¡°Use our minions!¡±

    Junhyuk turned to the allied minions and shouted, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, raised your shield and block!¡±

    He stepped back. He had to remain patient now that he was his enemies¡¯ target. The lobsters engaged in a brawl against the allied minions.

    ng!

    The minions¡¯ shield were dented by the shock of the lobsters¡¯ attacks, but the allied minions stood their ground.

    A light arrow zoomed from the back and hit a lobster¡¯s head, and Junhyuk also shed at them.

    No lobsters died from the shockwaves generated by Junhyuk¡¯s attacks. He had to kill the one by one.

    The enemy heroes were closing in fast, already within range of his Spatial sh, but he clicked his tongue.

    ¡°Fine. Come closer.¡±

 Chapter 356 - Getting Buffed 2

    <h4>Chapter 356: Getting Buffed 2</h4>

    The enemy heroes were closing in. The distance between them was now thirty meters, and if the enemies had a long range attack, they would be able to use it then.

    Junhyuk stepped back once the enemies got that close, and Maloneughed at him, stepping forward.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared! I¡¯ll sweep them up!¡±

    Within that thirty-meter range, Malone started using his spells on the enemies. Purple lights flew out of Malone¡¯s staff. It was a type of light energy Junhyuk had never seen before, and they headed toward the enemy line.

    The enemy heroes raised their weapons to block their bodies, but the purple lights fell on top of their heads.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    A loud explosion rang out, and the enemies lost their health. Junhyuk was aware of the weakness of area-of-effect attacks. They could damage many at the same time, but it would be hard to deliver a critical with them, or deal significant damage.

    The light bombardment had dealt 5 percent damage to Kamel, 3 percent to Mantes and 7 percent to Ellencia. Junhyuk had seen it all, and one of his eyebrows twitched at a result.

    Next, Malone ced his staff ahead of him. The energy that came out of his staff that time turned oblong, almost parabolic, flying toward the enemy. Malone could measure the distance between them exactly, so he had to be a very experienced fighter. However, Junhyuk also thought that a hero should be able to do that, otherwise that hero would be useless.

    Boom!

    The explosion engulfed all three enemies, but the damage dealt was the same as before. With those two attacks, Malone had dealt 10 percent of damage to Kamel, 6 percent to Mantes and 14 percent to Ellencia.

    One might think that Malone¡¯s attacks had been sessful because they had dealt 34 percent damage in total, but Junhyuk thought the wizard was wasting time.

    Junhyuk stared at Malone. What kind of items did the wizard have and why was his damage so low? Could the enemy heroes be carrying powerful items?

    Junhyuk held tightly to the swords in his hands. He wanted to use the Spatial sh right then, but he needed to be patient. He decided to continue watching Malone.

    Malone created a light spear on his staff andughed.

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! How about this? Isn¡¯t it so cool?¡±

    That¡¯s when Junhyuk realized that Malone couldn¡¯t see the enemy¡¯s health like he could.

    Malone threw his light spear, and Mantes stepped forward to block. Kamel and Ellencia went left and right, so they weren¡¯t even scratched by it. Mantes was hit by the light spear and lost an additional 7 percent of his health.

    In total, Mantes had 87 percent of his health; Kamel had 90 percent; and Ellencia had 86 percent.

    Malone had used nearly all of his powers, but the enemies had barely been scratched.

    The enemy heroes closed in further, now within twenty meters of the allies, and they counterattacked.

    Mantes rushed, so Junhyuk grabbed Malone¡¯s shoulder and teleported. The minions tried blocking Mantes, but many of them bounced away from the impact. Then, Mantes stopped and raised both of his hands, mming the ground with them.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    Spikes of ice came out of the ground, and Junhyuk grimaced. The ice attribute was just like his own Frozen Rune Sword¡¯s, it could debuff an opponent, slowing them down.

    Junhyuk stepped forward to shield Malone and said, ¡°Ready your ultimate!¡± After saying that, he ran forward and raised his force field.

    Craack, craack!

    The spikes of ice heading his way hit the force field and shattered. As they did, he ran forward and shouted, ¡°Ultimate!¡±

    Malone thrust his staff forward and shouted, ¡°Disperse like dirt!¡±

    Light arrows zoomed by Junhyuk¡¯s head and flew toward Mantes.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

    Seven arrows, and Mantes lost 21 percent of his health.

    It was the strongest attack so far, but that was supposed to be an ultimate. The damage was pitiful.

    Junhyuk realized why the other teams had not selected Malone. His damage was shitty. He was supposed to be a wizard and would normally be responsible for a team¡¯s main attack force, so why was he so weak?

    Junhyuk still kept hope for another possibility. The enemy heroes could be stronger than he imagined them to be. Malone wouldn¡¯t simply be weak. The enemy would just be superior, and Junhyuk actively wished for that as he ran forward.

    Mantes¡¯ body shook, and ice covered his entire body, sharp spikes protruding out of it. Mantes was buffing his defense.

    Junhyuk headed toward Mantes while shrinking his force field. When the force field covered just him, Junhyuk swung his sword at the enemy hero.

    Mantes ducked like a boxer, but he did not know Junhyuk well enough. The path of Junhyuk¡¯s sword changed, shing down on Mantes¡¯ shoulder.

    sh!

    ¡°Argh!¡± Mantes screamed as his shoulder was sliced and torn. Junhyuk had thought Mantes would have high defense. The ice spikes were even buffing his defense, but Junhyuk took 12 percent out of his health with that single strike.

    However, Junhyuk already knew why he was able to deal so much damage to Mantes: his piercing stat was through the roof. His attacks were especially effective against tanks for that reason.

    Mantes¡¯ eyes widened, and Junhyuk attacked him again and again, swinging his swords with ir and precision. Mantes tried to retreat, but Junhyuk chased after him, shing him again. His sword sliced Mantes¡¯ arm and stabbed into his chest.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    It was a critical hit, and Mantes lost 30 percent of his health. His set¡¯s effect even triggered extra damage during critical hits, making Junhyuk¡¯s regr attack deal more damage than Malone¡¯s ultimate.

    Kamel and Ellencia nked him from left and right. Mantes had only 24 percent of his health left now, and the hero had done practically nothing against Junhyuk.

    Mantes ran back quickly and shouted, ¡°Help me!¡±

    Kamel came to Mantes¡¯ rescue. Kamel attacked, but Junhyuk smiled coldly. The hero had already seen what Junhyuk¡¯s force field could do, but he had still attacked. That made himugh.

    Junhyuk triggered eleration. It was difference from before. Now, Junhyuk could sense things at faster speeds. When Kamel attacked him, he put his back against Kamel¡¯s attack.

    ng!

    He was hit intentionally, and that hit propelled him forward, allowing him to catch up to the retreating Mantes. Junhyuk swung his sword. The hero had not expected Junhyuk to focus entirely on him. His swords shed through Mantes¡¯ ribs, and because Kamel was nearby, the shockwave hit him as well.

    It wasn¡¯t a critical hit, but Kamel had received significant damage. His eyes widened, and he retreated quickly. The shockwave had dealt 8 percent of damage to Kamel.

    Mantes only had 12 percent of his health left. He didn¡¯t want to die, so he retreated even faster. Thinking that he had run away sessfully, Mantes turned and looked for Junhyuk, but Junhyuk had disappeared.

    He was now behind Mantes, and the hero hadn¡¯t even noticed. Junhyuk sliced through Mantes¡¯ neck, and the hero died, dropping a glove. Without checking on the stats, Junhyuk picked it up and chased after Kamel. The force field had disappeared.

    Malone shouted at him, ¡°Are you fishing forst hits?!¡±

    From Malone¡¯s point of view, Junhyuk had only used regr attacks to kill Mantes, so he thought Mantes had been on the edge of death when Junhyuk attacked him, just tond thest hit.

    Malone thought he had nearly killed the enemies, so he shot more light arrows. Junhyuk did not expect anything from the wizard at that point.

    A light arrow struck Ellencia, and she went berserk.

    ¡°You worthless old man!¡±

    She whipped Malone with her fire whip, but Junhyuk kept his focus on Kamel. The hero still had 82 percent of his health left, and Junhyuk shed at him.

    Kamel parried the attack with his bastard sword.

    ng!

    The swords shed, and Junhyuk swung the Frozen Rune Sword next, thinking that he had the advantage because eleration was triggered.

    As he swung the Frozen Rune Sword, Kamel smirked, swinging the bastard sword to meet it. The bastard sword moved from left to right, but suddenly, Kamel swung a different sword from right to left.

    Junhyuk had already teleported, so he blocked the attacks with his dual swords. However, a power could still deal damage when blocked.

    ng!

    Junhyuk was hurt from the exchange, but when he checked the damage, he had only lost 6 percent of his health.

    Among champions, Kilraden had had the most aggressive damage. When Kilraden used to attacked normally, Junhyuk would lose 10 percent of his health.

    Still, Kamel couldn¡¯t be ignored. Junhyuk was surrounded by lobster minions, and they were wing at him. Quickly, Junhyuk shed through two of the lobsters¡¯ necks.

    Each of the minions¡¯ attacks could deal 1 percent of damage to him. They were now more dangerous than those heroes.

    There was some distance between Kamel and Junhyu, and Kamel raised the palm of his hand toward him and shouted, ¡°Judgement of Justice!¡±

    Suddenly, a bright cross of light hit Junhyuk.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk was stunned by the shock and also lost 5 percent of his health. When he was judged, he was paralyzed.

    Kamelughed and busied himself attacking Junhyuk.

    ¡°It¡¯s my turn now!¡±

    sh, sh, sh!

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t move, so every one of Kamel¡¯s attacks was a critical hit. However, the critical hits only did 4 percent of damage to him. While stunned, Junhyuk lost a total of 12 percent of his health.

    Since Kamel was wielding a two-handed sword, he could attack at one-second intervals.

    By then, Junhyuk had lost a total of 23 percent of his health. He still had 77 percent left, and he wanted to keep fighting. Once he could move again, he ran at the hero, who was still busyughing.

    Junhyu had been pressured by Kamel while stunned, and Kamel had thought him to only be a champion. The hero had felt Junhyuk¡¯s shockwave, but he had decided to ignore what had happened as simple coincidence.

    Kamel swung the bastard sword at Junhyuk, but Junhyuk parried the attack with the Frozen Rune Sword and stabbed with the Blood Rune Sword.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Kamel¡¯s eyes widened. The hero had just been stabbed in the stomach, but he still lost 32 percent of his health from it.

    ¡°What the hell... ?!¡±

    Junhyuk sank the sword in deeper, and Kamel received an additional 14 percent of damage. The hero had lost half of his health.

    Kamel pushed Junhyuk away with his eyes on fire and barked, ¡°I will kill you!¡±

    Kamel¡¯s made an arc with his sword in the air, and rings of des appeared as the sword travelled that orbit. It was Kamel¡¯s ultimate, but Junhyukughed at it and stepped back.

    Junhyuk spun around, and the Blood Rune Sword shed.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    The Spatial sh prated Kamel¡¯s neck, and as Kamel died, he dropped his boots. Junhyuk picked them up and turned back to Malone.

    ¡°Help me!¡±

    Malone looked like a bloody rag as he ran away.

 Chapter 357 - Getting Buffed 3

    <h4>Chapter 357: Getting Buffed 3</h4>

    The lobsters were blocking him, so he shed through them and ran. The humanoid lobsters were wielding their ws dangerously, but they all looked slow to him.

    Even without eleration, he could easily sh them down.

    As he shed the lobsters without rest, the allied minions gained a little advantage. Meanwhile, Malone screamed and shouted.

    ¡°Nevermind about the minions! Help me!¡±

    Junhyuk was shing the lobsters on his way to Malone. In any event, he had to deal with the lobsters as well and he thought the allied minions were in more danger than Malone at that moment.

    Junhyuk checked on Malone¡¯s health. The wizard thought he was superior to Junhyuk, but he only had 5 percent of his health left. Junhyuk thought about using his jump skill.

    To cross the lobsters and allied minions fighting, he had to use it. Junhyuk looked toward Ellencia. Since the two had started fighting, Ellencia had lost another 6 percent of her health, leaving her with 80 percent.

    Malone¡¯s eyes were anxious, and as he looked at the wizard, Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Run toward the watchtower!¡±

    Each team also had a watchtower near the central buff tower, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t have time to be respectful. Malone, who was shielding himself with minions while running away, shouted, ¡°Do you want me to die?¡±

    Junhyuk was angry, but he maintained his patience. Malone was moving around with the allied minions, so even with Junhyuk¡¯s massive speed, he couldn¡¯t attack Ellencia before she got a whip attack off on the wizard.

    Malone grabbed another minion and held him in front of himself to block Ellencia¡¯s attack.

    ¡°With the exception of the front line minions, the rest of you attack the horned woman!¡± Junhyuk shouted.

    The allied minions had all been engaging the lobsters, but now, some of them turned and attacked Ellencia. As the minions aimed for her, she frowned and jumped, stepping on the minions¡¯ shoulders and running toward Malone.

    Junhyuk frowned as he watched her. He had tried to stop her, but he had created stepping stones for her instead.

    Ellencia sped up from a minion to the other and whipped Malone¡¯s back harshly.

    Crack!

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Malone faded, and Junhyuk, who had shed a few more lobsters, jumped on their shoulders and used them as stepping stones like Ellencia, running her way.

    Ellencia bit her lower lip and said, ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve used all your powers. You are fearless.¡± She had watched him use all of his powers, and although his cooldowns had decreased, he still had to wait for them to return.

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t wasted much time killing his enemies, so his cooldowns were still just starting. Thinking about them, he frowned. He had only taken a short time to kill Kamel, and Malone had nearly died during the same short interval. How weak was that wizard?

    Malone¡¯s attack stat wasn¡¯t high at all, so he should at least have some defense. Junhyuk grimaced as he stepped on thest lobster and jumped toward Ellencia. Watching him jump, she cackled.

    Even though he was strong, he had already used all of his powers. That he was still willing to deal with her was funny to her.

    Ellencia whipped her fire whip at him. She was a mid-range attacker, and her whip travelled twenty meters, flying straight toward him. Junhyuk, on the other hand, suddenly triggered eleration while facing the whip. The whip fluttered in the air, but he could tell precisely where it was headed.

    Junhyuk dodged the whip and closed in on her. Ellencia, who had to withdraw her whip as he approached, smiled.

    ¡°Thanks for getting closer to me.¡±

    As she spoke, she touched her lips with her hands and blew a kiss at him. Her head had horns, but she looked extremely beautiful. Her eyes were particrly charming.

    An angel from the sky, but could an angel look so beautiful? She looked so passionate, so luscious, that his heart was pounding in his chest.

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha!¡±

    Cra-crack!

    Once whipped, Junhyuk regained himself. Ellencia was smiling, and he realized she had just used her power on him. He scowled hard, and sheughed at him and said, ¡°Did you enjoy me that much?¡±

    Junhyuk did not answer her. Instead, he gripped his swords tightly and ran toward her. Ellencia had used her charm to distance herself from him. She maintain that distance, but his speed was faster than hers.

    Ellencia bit her lower lip and whipped at him again. The tip of the whip turned into eight, and as they all hit the ground, a ming wall rose in front of him. Junhyuk had no way to dodge it. He could only cover his eyes and step through it.

    He had regained all of his health killing Kamel. Ellencia had used a power on him to whip him. The whip dealt 5 percent damage to his health, but because he was entranced, it was a critical, which took another 3 percent from him,bined for a total of 8 percent.

    Just now, the fire whip me wall cost him another 4 percent of his health. Her attacks had great range, but their damage wasn¡¯t very high.

    Junhyuk closed in on her, and Ellencia frowned, swinging her fire whip and saying, ¡°Wild men aren¡¯t charming at all!¡±

    Junhyuk now thought she was horned and ugly. Before, when she had used her power on him, he had thought her the most beautiful woman ever. Now, however, he had nothing to say. He also did not want to insult himself in the process.

    He dodged her whip attack, and Ellencia smiled. His sword had prated her chest, and as she turned translucent, she said, ¡°Ha-ha-ha! You got me!¡±

    He had heard her voice from behind him, and as he turned to look, he saw her standing there. Another Ellencia was standing in front of him.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    Ellencia attacked him from the front and the back.

    Crack, crack!

    Junhyuk did not care about receiving the damage, but he was being whipped, which made him frustrated. He lost another 10 percent of his health.

    ¡°Is this her ultimate?¡±

    Junhyuk waited for the real her to reappear since it seemed like she had disappeared, and after the attack was over, the two Ellencias became one again.

    Junhyuk stabbed her as soon as he saw her. Ellencia looked at the sword through her chest. It was a critical hit, and she lost 44 percent of her health.

    She was able to retreat, and once she was away, she shouted, ¡°Is that your ultimate?!¡±

    Junhyuk had only used a regr attack, but he did not answer her. He knew he would be able to kill her with a Spatial sh. Without saying anything, he closed in and shed at her again and again. Ellencia kept retreating while whipping at him, but he dodged it every time.

    Suddenly, her whip moved like a living snake and wrapped itself around him. The fire whip was alive and climbing toward his head. Meanwhile, he checked out his health. The restraining power dealt fixed damage to him. As a power, it was very annoying, but he only lost 6 percent of his health from it.

    Ellencia was now running away. Her fire whip had split in two. One part was still wrapped around Junhyuk, and she held the other in her hand while running.

    Ellencia had been shocked by his damage, and now, she used the minions as stepping stones to get away.

    Once he could move again, Junhyuk chased after her. When they were twenty meters apart, he teleported and grabbed her from behind. Ellencia had no idea of what was happening as he stabbed her through the back.

    ¡°Aaarrgh!!¡± she screamed, dropping from a minion¡¯s shoulder. Junhyuk dropped to the ground next to her fading body and the bracelet she had dropped next to it.

    As he picked it up, Ellencia had a chance to speak, and she asked, ¡°Is this the Spatial sh?¡±

    Junhyuk looked at her, but turned to kill the lobsters heading his way. He would massacre them. He would kill all fifty lobsters. It would be annoying, but it would be easy. The lobsters were fighting the allied minion. After he had killed them all, he checked on the surviving minions.

    While fighting the lobsters, twelve allied minions had died, and seven were injured.

    Looking at them, he said, ¡°Go back to the watchtower and take a rest.¡±

    The minions looked at them and then took the injured back to the watchtower. He watched them go and then looked at the buff tower with the gs.

    Once he stepped within it, he heard Ariel¡¯s voice.

    [You are now inside Nightmare Mountain¡¯s buff tower. If you keep the tower for five minutes, your team will receive a buff. If more allies join you in protecting the tower, the buff will trigger more quickly.]

    More people would trigger the buff faster. Junhyuk wished he had kept Malone alive, but the wizard had not listened.

    After five minutes had passed, he heard Ariel¡¯s voice again.

    [You¡¯ve taken Nightmare Mountain¡¯s buff tower. For the next three hours, your entire team will gain a 15 percent increase to health recovery and movement speed, and a 10 percent increase to attack.]

    Junhyuk had just learned how important it was to take the buff tower. His movement speed would increase for the next three hours, and with it, he could go anywhere. On the way, he could even kill a buff monster. If the buffs stacked, he would only get stronger. Junhyuk was especially fond of the 10 percent buff to attack.

    ¡°I can kill them all with my regr attack.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to destroy the enemy tower, so he looked toward the minions. He could do it with them.

    After thinking about it, he walked toward the enemy watchtower alone. He had been buffed, and his damage had increased, so he decided to let the watchtower¡¯s archers hit him as he brought it down. Once he fell within their range, the archers started attacking him.

    He let himself get hit once and smiled.

    ¡°Only 1 percent.¡±

    He did not need the allied minions. His cooldowns were all over, so there was no need for them.

    Junhyuk teleported next to the tower, and the archers focused on him. There, he raised his force field, and the arrows bounced off of it. He started attacking the watchtower then.

    All towers had a force field now, and he had to bring it down to be able to damage both the tower and the archers. Once it was gone, another ten seconds went by before the tower fell, destroyed by him single-handedly. He frowned as he watched it go down.

    In those ten seconds, fifteen arrows hit his force field. The archers attacked him every three seconds.

    ¡°I should have brought the minions.¡±

    He could have minions distracting the archers, while others attacked the watchtower. Each minion dealt 1 percent of damage directly to the tower, going straight through the force field around it.

    Junhyuk walked back toward the minions and looked at his new items: Mantes¡¯ glove, Kamel¡¯s boots, and Ellencia¡¯s bracelet.

 Chapter 358 - Being Superior 1

    <h4>Chapter 358: Being Superior 1</h4>

    Junhyuk inspected his new items.

    ¡ª

    Steel Glove

    Defense +5

    Attack +5

    The glove is made of steel, and one can use it directly to do damage. It can be used as a weapon, but it is suggested that it be used only as a glove.

    ¡ª

    As he read the glove¡¯s attributes, he scowled. He could guess the approximate prices of equipment, and that glove couldn¡¯t be more than 50,000G. If he sold it, he¡¯d only get 25,000G for it. Junhyuk sighed heavily and inspected the next item.

    ¡ª

    Tough Leather Boots

    Defense +5

    Movement Speed +3%

    These were made out of unknown leather. The leather is tough, and the boots are used for long travel.

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk looked at the boots and sighed again. Things were getting worse. Those boots were about 40,000G, so if he were to sell them, he¡¯d get about 20,000G. Shaking his head, he looked at thest item, Ellencia¡¯s bracelet.

    ¡ª

    Jade Bracelet (Low Level)

    Magic Attack +5

    The materials can only be acquire in hell. It is made out of special jade. However, the make is of such low quality that the stat boosts aren¡¯t very high. It helps magic attack.

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk thought the item looked very cheap.

    ¡°Are these heroes destitute?¡±

    He would only stand to gain about 20,000G from each item. A champion who helped kill an enemy hero earned 10,000G per kill. He had killed three heroes and gotten only about 20,000G for each.

    After sighing heavily again, he put the items in his Spatial Bag. Then, he contacted his other allies.

    The other heroes had to have met the enemy, so he wanted to know what was going on.

    Balonte answered him

    ¡°Ah! You scared me. Why can I see your face?¡±

    ¡°I have a dragon friend who can upgrade themunicator. Anyway, what is going on over there?¡±

    Balonte had just be a hero as well, and he answered calmly, ¡°We are scoping each other out. I got the buff. Did you take the central tower?¡±

    ¡°I did and I also destroyed the enemies¡¯ first tower.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll contact those who went right and contact you again.¡±

    Junhyuk disconnected with Balonte and connected with Em. She was a troll with buffing powers, so he thought she would be having an easy time.

    Em was surprised.

    ¡°Why can I see your face?¡±

    ¡°Mymunication orb is special. Never mind about that. How is it going?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a hero here, but he¡¯s hiding inside the watchtower. The watchtower is stronger than before, so I¡¯m scoping things out.¡±

    ¡°You two can¡¯t do anything?¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t want to force it. The center must be under control. Now that we have the buff, I¡¯m thinking of attacking.¡±

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll go help out Balonte.¡±

    ¡°What about the center?¡±

    ¡°Malone will revive ande this way.¡±

    ¡°OK. Do it.¡±

    Junhyuk contacted Malone, who wasn¡¯t surprised to see his face through themunicator and, instead, shouted right away, ¡°Look here! Why did you not save me?!¡±

    ¡°If you had moved to the watchtower, Ellencia wouldn¡¯t have followed you.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have the time.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed and said, ¡°I going to the left path to help out Balonte. Come to the buff tower and protect it.¡±

    ¡°You mean for me to climb all those stairs again? I won¡¯t do it!¡±

    Junhyuk scowled. Malone was weak, but if he remained protected by the watchtower, the enemies wouldn¡¯te near him. Now, he was saying that the stairs were too much for him?

    ¡°Just protect the watchtower. I will go see Balonte ande right back.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go to Balonte! I¡¯ll take the left path!¡±

    ¡°You really aren¡¯ting center?¡±

    ¡°I will go left!¡±

    Junhyuk thought about disconnecting and sighed. Balonte was only facing a single enemy. Malone was weak, but two would be able to kill one. At least that¡¯s what he thought.

    ¡°Fine. Then, send Balonte center when you get there.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    He made sure to disconnect that time and sighed heavily again. Malone looked different from Kaljaque, but he was stubborn just like the troll.

    ¡°I can¡¯t keep Malone.¡±

    Junhyuk told Balonte that Malone was on his way. As he stood next to the destroyed enemy tower, he looked down the mountain. He was at the peak of the mountain and he could see the enemy castle far away.

    ¡°Did the battlefield get smaller instead of bigger?¡±

    Junhyuk looked to the sides, and that¡¯s when things got farther away. The battlefield was wider, but whoever controlled the buff tower could reach the enemy castle within eight hours. The time for the straight distance was shorter than in the Valley of Death, but the paths right and left of the mountain took a much longer time.

    ¡°The center path is extremely important in many ways.¡±

    Compared to the Valley of Death, the center path was iparably important. One couldn¡¯t afford to lose the buff tower to start with, and considering the distance, the center path would be the site of major battles.

    Junhyuk looked toward the enemy castle, and he saw a group of enemies walking toward him. His vision had improved so much after bing a hero that he could see enemies walking in the distance, four hours away from him. He didn¡¯t need to squint to see or anything.

    He looked at the number of enemies. There were about fifty lobsters and a hero heading specifically center, and his eyes beamed when he saw that it was Kamel bringing more lobsters. Since the hero wasing his way, the other sides might be getting hero reinforcements.

    Junhyuk called Balonte and Em and told them about the situation. After that, he gathered the allied minions, who looked scared. However, he saw that the previously injured minions had received treatment, which meant that the health recovery boost from the buff applied to them as well.

    A minion stared at him and asked, ¡°Are you the Dark Knight?¡±

    Junhyuk was surprised, and he changed the subject quickly.

    ¡°Who is the Dark Knight?¡±

    ¡°An Earthling who wears the same armor as you.¡±

    Some minions had a deep interest in the Dimensional Battlefield. They knew the person standing in front of them was a hero, and they hoped that the Dark Knight would also be one. If he were, he could save them. That¡¯s what they believed.

    Tapping his armor, Junhyuk said, ¡°This is the most basic armor you can acquire in the Dimensional Battlefield. Many people wear this same armor.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    He continued calmly, ¡°If you want to survive, don¡¯t depend on anyone. Only those who struggle to stay alive will survive.¡±

    Junhyuk held tightly to his swords and added, ¡°We are going to destroy the second tower.¡±

    He was facing a single hero, so he should push forward and destroy their second tower. As Junhyuk took the lead, the minions looked at each other. They were worried and thinking to themselves, so Junhyuk stopped and looked back at them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think for a second that only the enemies want you dead.¡±

    Raising his sword, he let energy emanate from it. He was disying his killing intent through his sword, and the minions were terrified.

    ¡°Do as I told you, or I will cut you down,¡± he finished.

    The minions started to follow him, and he took them down the stairs toward the next enemy watchtower.

    He could only see one hero, but he wasn¡¯t sure whether the other enemy heroes went elsewhere, or if they were hiding in ambush. However, he was confident that he could kill three of them by himself.

    He took the minions with him. The nt of the stairway had been steep, and if one ran through it, one might roll down it. As he walked down, he learned that the buffs had definitely affected the allied minions. He was able to get down faster than usual.

    He had taken the minions with him so that he could destroy the watchtower faster than on his own.

    They neared the second watchtower almost at the same time as the enemies, and Junhyuk thought he should have hurried. If he had left the minions behind, he would¡¯ve been able to destroy the tower by himself. However, if he had done that, the enemies might ambush him, so it was still better to travel with the minions. It was safer.

    Junhyuk had prepared for the worst, but no enemies stepped forward, so he smiled. Kamel was hiding within the watchtower. The hero couldn¡¯t deal with him alone.

    Junhyuk looked at the minions and said, ¡°Advance into the watchtower¡¯s range. Form two groups. One group deals with the lobsters, and the other deals with the flying arrows. Your duty is to distract the lobsters.¡±

    He continued calmly, ¡°If you want to live, hold fast to your shields. Don¡¯t attack. Defend yourselves instead.¡±

    The minions¡¯ hands turned white by holding their shields tightly, and he shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    As he did, the minions followed him and ran. He took the front, and Kamel frowned. The hero had not expected the allied forces toe within range of the watchtower.

    ¡°Attack!¡±

    The lobsters ran toward Junhyuk. Kamel had sent them alone and was still holding tightly to his bastard sword, frowning and a little scared.

    Kamel¡¯s goal was for Junhyuk to lose health fighting the lobsters, but Kamel was wrong. Junhyuk teleported by them, and as he closed in quickly on the hero, Kamel¡¯s eyes beamed and he swung his bastard sword.

    The swing came from the left, but a translucent bastard sword shed from the right. At the same time, the archers loosened their first volley.

    Junhyuk quickly raised his force field.

    ng, ng!

    Kamel¡¯s attacks bounced off of it, and Junhyuk shrunk the force field to cover only his body. As he did, he swung his sword. However, Kamel was also a hero, and he blocked Junhyuk¡¯s regr attack.

    ng!

    The swords shed, and Junhyuk followed up with a second attack. That time, he triggered his eleration. Reading the path of Kamel¡¯s sword, his sword slid against the bastard sword, sinking deeper through the hero¡¯s defenses.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Junhyuk sword pierced Kamel¡¯s armpit, and the hero frowned, stepping back. Junhyuk chased after him. He had to finish Kamel within ten seconds, and because he was buffed, he closed in fast.

    Kamel knew he couldn¡¯t run away, so the hero gritted his teeth. Junhyuk swung again, and Kamel took a step forward to parry him. The swords shed, and Kamel pressured his bastard sword to push him away.

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected that and ended up taking unintentional steps back. Then, Kamel distanced himself, raising his hand above his head.

    Suddenly, pure white energy sprinkled over Kamel, and the hero recovered all of his health. Junhyuk frowned at the sight. It was the power Junhyuk hadn¡¯t seen from the hero, and he had not expected it to be that.

    Kamel pointed the bastard sword at him and said, ¡°You think I¡¯m alone? You are so dead!¡±

    Junhyuk saw a grouping out of the forest. Ellencia was leading thirty lobsters.

 Chapter 359 - Being Superior 2

    <h4>Chapter 359: Being Superior 2</h4>

    Junhyuk had raised the force field, and five seconds had already gone by. In that situation, Ellencia was far more dangerous than Kamel. She was within the watchtower¡¯s protection, so if she pulled him with her fire whip or used her charm to entice him, he would be killed by the archers.

    Junhyuk used the Spatial sh on Ellencia. Her attack range was twenty meters, so he couldn¡¯t attack them both at the same time.

    The Spatial sh pierced Ellencia¡¯s neck, and a red shockwave extended from the point of impact.

    ¡°Aaargh!¡±

    Ellencia screamed very loudly and disappeared. Junhyuk had also not expected that, and Kamel stared nkly at the spot where Ellencia had stood.

    Nobody had thought that Ellencia would die in a single hit. Junhyuk proceeded to stab Kamel¡¯s chest as Kamel remained nk.

    Kamel had regained his health, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t hesitate. The stab was a critical hit, taking 32 percent off of the hero¡¯s health. An extra attack triggered, so Kamel received another 16 percent of damage. In no time at all, he lost 48 percent of his health.

    Scared, Kamel pushed Junhyuk away, trying to retreat. However, Junhyuk would finish the hero off now that he had the advantage, and there were still three seconds left to his force field.

    Junhyuk elerated toward Kamel, who started spinning his sword and circling around him, his bastard sword mming hard against the force field.

    ng, ng, ng, ng!

    Kamel was using his ultimate. Junhyuk had underestimated Kamel way too much. The hero¡¯s items were crap, but he knew how to fight.

    Kamel¡¯s ultimate kept Junhyuk from finding an opening, and he had already used his Spatial sh. Kamel distanced himself from him, and Junhyuk thought he might only have one opportunity left to attack.

    He wanted to use it on a group of enemies, but he would get other chances to do it. Without worrying too much, Junhyuk created an empty circle on Kamel¡¯s chest. Spatial Copse.

    Craack!

    Kamel stopped moving and started shaking. With Kamel¡¯s chest as the center, everything ten meters from it got sucked toward it.

    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±

    Kamel screamed miserably and disappeared. Junhyuk had used the Spatial Copse on Kamel¡¯s chest, and it was a critical hit. The hero lost all 52 percent of his health, and Junhyuk thought that that was very cool.

    Junhyuk picked up a gauntlet dropped by Kamel and teleported to the spot where Ellencia died. She had dropped a bracelet, which he also picked up.

    ¡°We retreat for now, but slowly!¡± he shouted.

    The allied minions had advanced to lure out the lobsters. Five of them had died. As he shouted, they began their retreat.

    Once the minions were outside the archers¡¯ range, he ran toward the lobsters. The lobsters fought ferociously, but Junhyuk was only hit twice.

    After he had killed all the lobsters, he turned around and said, ¡°Form two groups. One group focuses on the archers, and the other destroys the watchtower.¡±

    The minions were less scared of battle now. As they heard his orders, they started moving. He stared at them forming up and ordered, ¡°Attack the tower!¡±

    They did, and Junhyuk realized how important the minions were as he watched them. When the minions surrounded the tower, the watchtower¡¯s force field disappeared.

    Humanscked battle skills whenpared to other types of minions, but they carried shields. After seeing them in action, Junhyuk thought that they were the superior minions to attack structures.

    ¡°Is that what they should focus on?¡±

    Half of the minions shielded the group as the other half attacked. They were the most effective minions. They weren¡¯t just fodder like in the previous season. Other heroes would realize that too, and more minions would survive.

    He ran forward and shed the watchtower. At that moment, the archers that had been focusing on the minions changed their focus to him. That was another difference from before. The archers would focus on him instead of the minions.

    ¡°Minions shielding, attack the tower now!¡±

    Those minions holding shields joined in on the attack. With the tower¡¯s force field gone, Junhyuk looked at the quick wreckage that resulted from the minions¡¯ attack and murmured, ¡°Heroes can act as bait!¡±

    About twenty minions had attacked the tower. With that number, five rounds of attacks could bring the tower down. The value of the minions was obvious. Junhyuk turned to the thirty-three surviving minions and said, ¡°This ce is safe now, so we¡¯re moving left.¡±

    It would take at least four hours for the enemies to reim the center path and the buff tower. If he did not want to lose the buff, Junhyuk would have to retake the buff tower in one hour, but he came to the conclusion that he didn¡¯t need the buff.

    If necessary, he could cross the forest and kill a buff monster.

    For the moment, he inspected the items dropped by Kamel and Ellencia.

    ¡ª

    Steel Gauntlet

    Defense +5

    Health +50

    A gauntlet made of steel. It¡¯sfortable, but it¡¯s not very strong. It was made to help the wearer.

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk thought it was crap, and he turned to Ellencia¡¯s bracelet.

    ¡ª

    Firestone Bracelet (Low Quality)

    Fire Magic Attack +10

    Made with a firestone, it increases fire magic by ten. It holds no other benefit, so be careful when using it.

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk stared at the bracelet. Bebe would only give him chump change for those items. Did he know anyone who used fire magic?

    ¡°Tsubasa.¡±

    Junhyuk could only think of her. She used fire magic.

    ¡°Maybe I should give this to her.¡±

    On Earth, an increase of ten to magic attack was huge. When dealing with monsters, it would help her big time.

    After some thought, Junhyuk shook his head. Sure it could help Tsubasa, but 20,000G wasn¡¯t really a small amount.

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    He decided to sell all of the items to buy Elise a Spatial Bag.

    ¡°I have to be frugal so that I can buy more of the Vampire Lord set items,¡± he murmured, moving into the forest.

    Deep in the forest, heughed loudly.

    ¡°This is very cute.¡±

    There was a small sign on the road pointing to Bebe¡¯s store, and because of that, Junhyuk decided to visit the merchant instead of killing a buff monster. He ran toward where the sign was pointing and found the dimensional portal.

    His buff had already disappeared. He was a little worried, but he entered the portal anyway.

    Inside, he saw Bebe digging into his ears. The yeti waved at Junhyuk when he saw him.

    ¡°My VVVIP is here!¡±

    Junhyukughed at Bebe and walked toward the counter. Bebe had his arms crossed, and Junhyuk dropped the items he had acquired in front of him.

    As Bebe inspected the items, he murmured, ¡°Where did you get this junk?¡±

    ¡°From the enemy heroes.¡±

    ¡°Riiiight! You¡¯re going through the selection process, so it¡¯s only natural you brought me junk today.¡±

    Bebe looked at the items and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you 100,000G for all five of them.¡±

    ¡°Each of them is worth 40,000G?¡±

    ¡°Some are worth more than that, but this is all junk, and that¡¯s all I can give you for now. I¡¯m doing you a favor.

    Junhyuk thought that was nice of him and said, ¡°Since I am a VVVIP, did my discount rate go up?¡±

    ¡°Your rate is now 15 percent!¡±

    Junhyuk smiled.

    ¡°Then, give me a Spatial Bag. The smallest one.¡±

    Bebe pulled the Spatial Bag from the shelf. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t actually inspect it, but now that he had a spatial sense, he could sense that it was defective. He looked at it, and Bebeughed.

    ¡°It¡¯s 85,000G. I¡¯ll give you this and 15,000G for the items.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and put his hand forward. He took the Spatial Bag and the money and checked on how much he had saved: 528,760G.

    Then, he focused on the actual purpose for his visit that day. He pulled out one of the Wolf Warlord¡¯s w swords.

    ¡°How much will you give me for this?¡±

    Bebe inspected it and smacked his lips.

    ¡°This is a sword made out of a Wolf Warlord¡¯s w.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded in agreement. His fixed ie would depend on how Bebe priced the sword.

    ¡°It has no magic power, and it¡¯s made out of a dead monster. I can¡¯t give you much for it,¡± Bebe said calmly.

    Shocked, Junhyuk interjected, ¡°You said a twin-headed ogre¡¯s umbilical cord cost 50,000G?!¡±

    Bebe nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s correct. Monsters that drop items in the Dimensional Battlefield are special. It doesn¡¯t happen every time.¡±

    ¡°... Riiight.¡±

    ¡°In that same manner, if you kill a monster in your dimension, and it drops an ingredient item, it may also be special. In those cases, I can give you a reasonable sum for it, especially if the items have nice stats.¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about magic?¡±

    Bebe smiled.

    ¡°You heard me right. This type of indigenous manufacturing only yields cheap products. This is worse than my basic sword. However, because it was made with significant consideration, I¡¯ll price it at 15,000G, but I¡¯ll buy it from you for 8,000G.¡±

    There was no reason for him to refuse. He could make ten w swords with one Wolf Warlord, so each of them would yield him 80,000G. His eyes beamed thinking of the money he could make, and at that moment, Bebe said calmly, ¡°I can¡¯t buy unlimited quantities of this junk.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Hoping to find a buyer, I¡¯ll store them to sell, but I can only store ten of them. Seeing how awful they are, I can¡¯t carry more than ten.¡±

    Junhyuk thought of the money he could have earned for each Wolf Warlord killed, 80,000G, but Bebe stomped on his dream.

    Junhyuk was very disappointed, so Bebe brought out a book.

    ¡°This is a book on manufacturing magic items. Do you want to buy it and read it?¡±

    He looked at the book and asked, ¡°Even if I study it, I won¡¯t be able to make anything if I don¡¯t have the ingredients, correct?¡±

    Bebe shrugged.

    ¡°The manufacturing of magic items requires mostly mana stones and bloodstones. You have those, right?¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened slightly. He had the impression that Bebe was just trying to sell him the book.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need any other ingredients?¡±

    ¡°Some, but don¡¯t worry about too much.¡±

    Junhyuk gulped and asked, ¡°How much is the book?¡±

    Bebe smiled at him.

    ¡°It¡¯s 300,000G. With the discount.¡±

 Chapter 360 - Being Superior 3

    <h4>Chapter 360: Being Superior 3</h4>

    Junhyuk instinctively felt that he had to purchase that book from Bebe. The ingredients were attainable, and if he could manufacture magical items, he would be able to rake in gold coins.

    He ced his hand forward and said calmly, ¡°Give it to me please.¡±

    Junhyuk tried to grab the book from Bebe, but the merchant raised his hand and said, ¡°Wait! There are a few warnings!¡±

    ¡°What warnings?¡±

    Bebe smiled and continued, ¡°The manufacturing of magical items requires technology, yes, but it also requires creativity. Intelligent people might follow the recipe to make items, but the creation of new items requires innovation.¡±

    Junhyuk frowned and stared at Bebe.

    ¡°Does that mean I can¡¯t make good magical items?¡±

    ¡°You understood it correctly. One like yourself, who carries strength runestones, can¡¯t make good magical items. The sess rate will also drop, so you should only gather the ingredients for someone else.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed heavily. Someone intelligent? Among humans, that would be Sarang. But Bebe had emphasized creativity, and that meant Elise.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I read it first?¡±

    Bebeughed and answered, ¡°As you open it, the information will be stored in your brain. There are fifteen recipes in total, and they all get stored at the same time.¡±

    ¡°Is it like thenguage pill?¡±

    ¡°Of course! I sell them both at my store, so isn¡¯t it obvious?¡±

    In a word, if he had opened the book, he would have wasted 300,000G. He heaved a heavy sigh. Junhyuk had decided to give the book to Elise.

    However, he had one more thing to do before that, and that¡¯s when he pulled out a promise ring.

    ¡°I have a question.¡±

    Bebe inspected the promise ring and said, ¡°This is a Ring of Promise. Where did you get it?¡±

    ¡°A friend of mine bought it for me. He said he would never be able to betray me with it. I want an exnation of the effects.¡±

    Bebe lifted the Ring of Promise and said, ¡°When two wear this ring, they can¡¯t betray one another under any circumstance. Betrayal is umon in the Dimensional Battlefield, so why don¡¯t you use it in your own dimension?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t harm each other?¡±

    ¡°If one tries to harm the other, that person will experience the most grueling pain.¡±

    ¡°What if you just take off the ring?¡±

    Bebeughed loudly and answered, ¡°When you put it on, you can never take it off.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Bebe exined further, ¡°When you put this ring on, it means you are giving up one finger out of all ten fingers you can equip rings to. However, you will gain absolute trust in all dimensions.¡±

    ¡°So, by giving up a ring finger, I gain a rtionship of absolute trust?¡±

    Bebe nodded and continued, ¡°One wearer will be the body, and the other a limb.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at the merchant, and Bebe rified some more, ¡°Look inside the ring. This mark tells that this ring is to be worn by the body. The other ring will be for the limb. The body and the limb may never split, under any circumstance.¡±

    ¡°Why the ssifications?¡±

    Bebe was bbergasted and annoyed by Junhyuk¡¯s question.

    ¡°If you form a bond with me, and I form another with someone else. Can you trust things between that someone else and you?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    ¡°The body ring and the limb ring will form asting bond, but the limb ring can¡¯t form other bonds.¡±

    Junhyuk thought about Jeffrey, thinking that Jeffrey had probably tried to give him a limb ring. He couldn¡¯t really trust Jeffrey yet, so he asked calmly, ¡°How many limbs can the wearer of the body ring have?¡±

    Bebe raised both hands and said, ¡°Ten.¡±

    Junhyuk looked down at the Ring of Promise. It was stronger than he had expected.

    ¡°Can you put it on somebody forcefully?¡±

    ¡°Not possible. One has to wear it intentionally.¡±

    Junhyuk put the Ring of Promise away and said, ¡°I¡¯ll buy more rings. How much are they?¡±

    ¡°The body ring is 3,000G, and the limb ring is 1,000G.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s very cheap!¡±

    Smiling, Bebe said, ¡°I told you this before, but if it serves no purpose in the Dimensional Battlefield, it is a useless item.¡±

    Junhyuk agreed.

    ¡°Discount?¡±

    ¡°Sure. How many do you want?¡±

    ¡°One body ring and ten limb rings.¡±

    ¡°The original price is 13,000G. With the 15 percent discount, it goes down to 11,050G.¡±

    He paid for the rings and took them. On Earth, he had to be able topletely trust Elise first. Once he could do that, he would give her the book on manufacturing magical items.

    His business with Bebe was almost over, so he smiled and said, ¡°I am curious. I heard I can ce bets on the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. Where can I do that?¡±

    Bebe answered nonchntly, ¡°I am not involved in that. Ask your helper when you pick up your victory reward.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to bet on Gongon. Sarang was extremely squishy, so he was worried about her, but Gongon could defeat anyone in any battlefield.

    He nodded and said, ¡°If I cane back here during this round still, I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°You do that.¡±

    Junhyuk had spent more than he had wanted to, but he had to prepare for the future. He walked through the portal and started moving with the allied minions.

    The buff was already gone, and Junhyuk turned to look at the peak of the mountain. He could see that the enemy heroes hadn¡¯t taken the buff tower yet. On the allied side, Malone refused to go up the mountain, and the enemies would take at least three hours to reach the top, even if the killed heroes headed straight there.

    Junhyuk, who was already moving left, contacted Balonte.

    ¡°Balonte, how is it going over there?¡±

    ¡°Who the hell is this old man? He was so brazen, but after he got hit once, he won¡¯t leave the watchtower.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed and asked, ¡°What about the enemy forces?¡±

    ¡°Another hero showed up. He¡¯s made of ice.¡±

    After hearing that Mantes was there, Junhyuk thought he was heading to the right ce. ¡°I¡¯m on my way. Hold on.¡±

    ¡°We are just staring at each other. Anyway, shouldn¡¯t we reupy the buff tower?¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be able to take the tower now, even if we moved to it right away. If the enemy is headed there already, they¡¯ll be an hour ahead of us.¡±

    ¡°Then, we are giving up the buff?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do now. Malone refused to go to there.¡±

    Balonte, who remained silent for a while, murmured, ¡°I won¡¯t be in the same team as that old man.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll get there quickly.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the minions. They looked nervous, and he announced, ¡°Now is not the time for rest. Run! Run as if your lives depended on it!¡±

    He started running, and the minions, still nervous, followed him.

    ¡°If youg behind, I will leave you!¡±

    The minions didn¡¯t know where they were, so they ran diligently after him, toward Balonte.

    ¡ª

    Balonte and Malone were waiting for him inside the watchtower. The enemy watchtower was just ahead of them, and on his way, Junhyuk decided to leave his forces waiting in ambush in the forest.

    He could see a human-looking lobster by the enemy tower. He had to be the hero version of the minions. He was three meters tall with one-meter long ws.

    ¡°Looks sturdy. He¡¯s a tank.¡±

    Mantes was dense, but the human lobster looked even more so. Both sides were at full health, so there had to be a deterrent.

    Junhyuk contacted Balonte and said, ¡°When you start fighting in the middle of the towers, I¡¯ll ambush them.¡±

    ¡°You are here already? Let¡¯s do it!¡±

    Balonte walked forward, and Malone shouted after him, ¡°Where you going?¡±

    Balonte ranted and chewed out the old man, but continued stepping forward. He only had one eye, and he gripped his sword tightly. The human lobster and Mantes stared at him at first, but decided to slowly head out as well.

    Hiding in the forest, Junhyuk watched as the enemies stepped forward. They remained within range of the watchtower, and as he continued watching, he swallowed his saliva.

    Balonte shouted, ¡°You two losers can¡¯t defeat me!¡±

    As he did, Mantes looked at him, measuring the distance between them, and rushed.

    Boom!

    Mantes¡¯ rush stunned the opponent, so Balonte was paralyzed. At that moment, Junhyuk ran toward Balonte. When he showed up, Mantes frowned and shouted, ¡°Rockbell! Kill this loser first!¡±

    As he shouted, the human lobster stepped forward. Rockbell used his increased movement speed to close in on Balonte and pincer him.

    Balonte was stunned and couldn¡¯t move, so the enemies started dragging him toward their watchtower. The allied hero was losing health quickly, and Junhyuk frowned.

    Rockbell had used a high-ranking power, so Junhyuk raised the force field around Balonte. The wall of the force field covered the hero, and the w got expelled. Rockbell stared at Junhyuk. Just like a lobster, Rockbells eyes were on the sides of his head.

    Junhyuk was looking for an opening in Rockbell¡¯s defenses for a critical hit. Seeing as Rockbell was a lobster, Junhyuk thought the connections between the segments of his body might be a weak spot.

    The enemies were running away from him, toward their own watchtower, and Junhyuk used the Spatial Copse on them.

    Mantes was bringing up the rear, so the Spatial Copse started from his back. Rockbell was in the air, but still within range.

    It was his first time trying the Spatial Copse on multiple enemies, and both of them were tanks.

    Craaack!

    The empty space appeared on Mantes, and he was seriously damaged, losing 84 percent of his health in one go. Even though Mantes was a tank, he was still critically wounded, which was a shock.

    Junhyuk did not have the chance to rejoice, however. When he checked on Rockbell, he saw that the hero had only lost 38 percent of his health.

    It looked like the Spatial Copse dealt the most damage at its point of origin, and those sucked by it received only 50 percent of that damage. However, it was better than the Spatial sh. It was a heavy ultimate.

    Junhyuk used the Spatial sh on Rockbell. The power hit one of the connections, piercing it.

    ¡°Arrgh!¡±

    Rockbell lost the rest of his health, and a bloody shockwave swept through Mantes. They both disappeared.

    The ultimate followed by the Spatial sh had taken care of the two tanks, leaving Junhyuk shocked by his own power.

    He walked forward nonchntly and picked up the dropped items. They wouldn¡¯t be much, but he was a penny pincher.

    As he was picking up the items, Balonte regained his movement and stared at him.

    ¡°What the hell did you do?¡±

 Chapter 361 - Penta Kill 1

    <h4>Chapter 361: Penta Kill 1</h4>

    Malone walked toward him with slightly widened yes and asked, ¡°What did you do just now?¡±

    ¡°As you saw it, I used my power to kill the enemy.¡±

    After he said that, he looked at Balonte.

    ¡°Malone wanted to stay here, so we should return to the central road to attack the enemy.¡±

    ¡°Just the two of us?¡±

    ¡°No. If they use the watchtower, they can block our advance if it¡¯s just us two, so let¡¯s call Em and join her in the attack.¡±

    ¡°With Em?¡±

    ¡°She can buff us, so she¡¯ll be of significant help.¡±

    What Junhyuk was saying was that she¡¯d be better than Malone, but he did not express his true opinion. Balonte, however, understood what he meant.

    ¡°Then, let us return right away.¡±

    At that moment, Malone quickly raised his hand.

    ¡°I¡¯ll apany you two.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be using the center path. Your legs hurt, so stay here and rest,¡± Junhyuk replied.

    He told Em to return as well. Then, he told the minions to stay within the watchtower and rest. After that, he returned to the spawn point. There, Ariel was waiting for him.

    [You came!]

    ¡°Right. I¡¯m here.¡±

    [How was it?]

    Junhyuk shrugged.

    ¡°Honestly, I can¡¯t find the right team members among them. The champions were better than these heroes.¡±

    [You don¡¯t like anyone you¡¯ve met?]

    ¡°Not sure yet. I¡¯m heading out with another two to decide the battle.¡±

    [I¡¯ll be waiting.]

    Junhyuk smiled and asked, ¡°I heard I have to go through you to bet in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield.¡±

    [That¡¯s right. You can bet your coins through me, but I¡¯ll charge you 5 percent asmission.]

    ¡°Commission?¡±

    [Yes, 5 percent of your bet, and if you win, I¡¯ll take 5 percent of the winnings.]

    ¡°What do you mean you are taking that?¡±

    [Gambling is like that, but I won¡¯t cheat you.]

    ¡°If I lose a bet, I¡¯ll lose another 5 percent, but if I win, you¡¯ll also take 5 percent of the winnings?¡± Junhyuk stared at Ariel and asked, ¡°How many Champions¡¯ Battlefields are there?¡±

    [Right now, we are managing a total of fifteen battlefields.]

    ¡°Is there a limit to the bets?¡±

    [Not at all, and you can get information on those champions as well, their battle skills and powers.]

    Junhyuk realized that there were more champions than he had expected. With fifteen battlefields, at three champions per battlefield, there were a total of ny champions.

    ¡°Give me the information when I collect my winnings.¡±

    [I¡¯ll get it ready.]

    Junhyuk stood in front of the door, and Ariel made a cone with her hands around her mouth and shouted, [Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed!]

    Ariel was cheering for him, and heughed as he walked out through the door. Junhyuk ignored the minions staring at him and walked toward Em and Balonte.

    Em turned to him and asked, ¡°Are you really killing all of the enemy heroes?¡±

    ¡°I am fighting diligently, and yes, I¡¯m killing them,¡± he answered. Then, looking at the two, he continued, ¡°The watchtowers have been buffed. We¡¯ll keep heroes on the right and left protecting the towers, and we¡¯ll use the central road to pierce through their defenses. The three of us should be enough.¡±

    ¡°You are confident.¡±

    Junhyuk had meant that the three would take on five. Em was a little tense, but Balonte agreed and nodded.

    ¡°Us three should do the job.¡±

    Em looked at Balonte.

    ¡°One can deal with two, but three taking on five is entirely different.¡±

    Balonte shrugged.

    ¡°Honestly speaking, Junhyuk could kill all five by himself.¡±

    ¡°Rubbish!¡± Em shouted, and Junhyuk shook his head.

    ¡°We¡¯ll try to finish the battle, so let¡¯s take enough minions for that. How about two hundred minions?¡±

    Junhyuk was taking the lead of the group, and after he had selected two hundred minions, they started moving right away. As they walked out of the castle and started up the central road, he heard Ariel¡¯s voice.

    [You lost the buff tower to the enemy. For the next three hours, you can¡¯t retake the tower.]

    The enemy had the buff now, but Junhyuk wasn¡¯t worried. He looked at the buff tower far away. Their enemies had gotten there first and taken it.

    The allies had already pushed through the enemies¡¯ second central watchtower, so they would greet their enemies on the way. Once they had killed the enemies, they would advance.

    Junhyuk turned to Em and Balonte and said, ¡°The center is the shortest path to pierce through. It¡¯ll take the shortest time. It¡¯ll be even better if our enemies are waiting for us.¡± Smiling, he asked, ¡°Now, can you guys tell me more about your powers?¡±

    Balonte spoke nonchntly, ¡°I have tanking powers.¡± He pounded his chest proudly. ¡°I can boost my health by 30 percent. I can throw my sword at an enemy, decreasing his or her speed and damaging them. I have a taunt. When I shout, the surrounding enemies will only attack me.¡±

    Junhyuk thought that Balonte¡¯s powers might be useful, but they were not really special. Since Balonte had a taunt, he had to invest in health and defense stat boosts.

    ¡°My ultimate can damage anything within a ten-meter radius.¡±

    ¡°Damage?¡±

    Balonte shrugged and said, ¡°Considering your powers, my damage is rather weak.¡±

    Balonte could taunt the enemies and use his ultimate on them, and the enemies wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything about it. His loadout was better than Junhyuk had expected.

    Junhyuk turned to Em, and she said calmly, ¡°I have a power that buffs defense and another that buffs attack, and I can also heal allies.¡±

    She had real buffs.

    ¡°By how much?¡±

    ¡°Twenty percent buffs to both attack and defense, and the regen heals a hundred points per second for ten seconds.¡±

    Because Em¡¯s buffs worked on percentages, she would be a big help. In fact, she could be an even bigger helpter on.

    ¡°Your ultimate?¡±

    ¡°For five seconds, my allies¡¯ attack speed increases by 205, and attack and health increase by 20 percent.¡±

    ¡°For five seconds?¡±

    ¡°I know. It¡¯s not long.¡±

    ¡°Can your buffs stack?¡±

    She nodded gravely, ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡±

    Junhyuk had never really met a full supporter before. Em¡¯s powers were impressive. She only had buffs, but she had earned her ce among heroes.

    Junhyuk¡¯s attack would increase by 40 percent, which was amazing. Five seconds would be long enough to kill the enemies.

    Junhyuk picked up the pace. He wanted to meet the enemies on the way, but their enemies had evaded them. As he stood on the peak of the mountain, he looked far away into the distance.

    ¡°They must have gone somewhere else...¡±

    Balonte rested his sword on his shoulders and asked, ¡°What do we do now?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk with Malone and Aldrac and begin our attack. They¡¯ll be back.¡±

    ¡°We should attack their castle, then they¡¯ll return for sure.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the others, and the others nodded, so they began to make their way down the mountain.

    ¡ª

    When they reached the enemy¡¯s castle, Junhyuk said calmly, ¡°They are back.¡±

    Malone hadined incessantly. Three of them had gone to Aldrac¡¯s side, and two had gone to Malone¡¯s. They both had fought within their watchtowers. Malone hadined, but Aldrac had not.

    When the group reached the castle, the enemy returned.

    Junhyuk looked at the enemies blocking the allies¡¯ path and said, ¡°All five of them are here.¡±

    They knew about his powers and they wanted him dead. Junhyuk would destroy the castle, and the allies would win, but that was if he lived through it.

    Junhyuk was strong, which meant that he had rare equipment. His enemies wanted to kill him and pick up his items.

    All five of them were there, after his items and his life.

    As they stared at him, Junhyuk scoped them out. Once he disyed his powers, his enemies would focus on him, so he would have to be deliberate about that going forward.

    He smacked his lips as he looked at the group, and Balonte stepped forward.

    ¡°I will draw their attention. Can you kill them all?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and answered, ¡°I¡¯ll use a nice, huge power on them. If any survive, we¡¯ll kill them together.¡±

    Em smiled.

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll apply the buffs first, but the¡¯ll onlyst thirty seconds.¡±

    Every thirty seconds, she would have to buff them again. However, with the buff, it would be easier for them to kill their enemies.

    Em brought two sticks above her head and tapped them together.

    ¡°Give them the sturdiness of a bear¡¯s hide!¡±

    Junhyuk saw the shape of a bear around his body, and Em tapped her sticks again.

    ¡°Give them the sharpness of a tiger¡¯s ws!¡±

    Junhyuk saw the shape of a tiger around his body, and because he could feel the extra strength within him, he smiled. He would be able to kill all of the enemies by himself with that buff.

    He looked at Balonte, curious about Balonte¡¯s defense, and Balonte turned to Em.

    ¡°Can you start the regen on me as well?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Em tapped her sticks again, and a trail of light green powder was left by Balonte¡¯s body as he ran toward the enemies before him.

    Balonte inhaled deeply and pounded his chest. He erged, and his health increase, resembling a muffin being baked.

    As he ran forward, the enemies started moving.

    ¡°Catch me, you worthless pieces of garbage!¡± Balonte shouted.

    Like a frenzy howl, the taunt turned his enemies¡¯ eyes red, and they attacked the hero. However, the enemies weren¡¯t using their powers. They were berserked, so they couldn¡¯t.

    Junhyuk smiled as he watched them attack Balonte. They were bunching up, which was just perfect for him.

    ¡°Shall I start hunting?¡±

 Chapter 362 - Penta Kill 2

    <h4>Chapter 362: Penta Kill 2</h4>

    Balonte taunted, and the enemies attacked him unconsciously, making nice targets for Junhyuk. Thinking that he could easily kill the others at any time, he targeted the enemy tanks.

    Junhyuk ran forward and used the Spatial Copsed. He had targeted Mantes, the center of his chest, and the other heroes go sucked toward the copsed space on him.

    Balonte¡¯s taunt made enemies attack as soon as possible, so Ellencia had stayed twenty meters away, and the other ranged attacker was attacking from thirty meters away.

    The Spatial Copse affected Mantes, Rockbell and Kamel, and Junhyuk used a Spatial sh on Rockbell. He thought he would be able to kill Rockbell but not Kamel, but the Spatial sh triggered an extra attack, and all three enemies died.

    As Em watched it happen, her eyes widened. Meanwhile, Junhyuk ran toward Ellencia.

    As he did, the taunt ended. Ellencia regained her consciousness and quickly scoped out the situation. Only a moment had passed, but three heroes were dead.

    Ellencia quickly whipped in Junhyuk¡¯s direction to try to ensnare him. However, as the whip flew toward him, Junhyuk teleported and stabbed her in the back of the neck, taking 53 percent off her health. The shockwave from the attack swept the other ranged attacker.

    Junhyuk tried to attack her again and again, but Ellencia remained unaffected by the following attacks.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    That was when he realized that she had used her ultimate. Quickly, Junhyuk raised the force field around himself. He wanted to know more about Ellencia¡¯s ultimate. She grimaced and attacked his force field.

    Seeing that, he could onlyugh at her. When Ellencia triggered her ultimate, she had to continue her attacks until it was over. That was why he raised the force field, to wait until herbo was over.

    The other hero was retreating toward the castle, and that¡¯s when Em stomped the ground and shouted, ¡°Come to us! Our ancestors¡¯ souls! Give us strength!¡±

    Suddenly, Junhyuk felt the weight of a huge soul wash over him. That was her five-second ultimate, and five seconds would be more than enough.

    Junhyuk stabbed Ellencia¡¯s heart, and due to his attack buff, she simply disappeared. Em¡¯s buffs were stronger than he had first imagined.

    Then, he teleported toward the fleeing enemy. The hero had not gotten far, so Junhyuk was able to catch him, stabbing him in the back. The hero had lost 30 percent of his health with the first shockwave, which meant his health and defense were lower than Ellencia¡¯s. The backstab was a critical hit, and with the 40 percent increase to his damage, the hero died.

    The hero tried to turn and look at Junhyuk in the eyes, and Junhyuk said, ¡°Sorry. I don¡¯t even know your name.¡±

    As he was picking up the vambrace dropped by the hero, he heard Ariel¡¯s voice.

    [You were the first person to carry out a Pentakill this season. With every Pentakill, you¡¯ll receive a 100,000G bonus.]

    Shocked, Junhyuk looked up at the sky. He had not known he would be rewarded for the Pentakill. After picking up the vambrace, he turned and ran. The archers atop the enemy castle were shooting arrows at him, so he had to get away before his force field disappeared.

    Once outside their range, he picked up the rest of the dropped items.

    Em walked up to him and said, ¡°Awesome! Did you just kill two with regr attacks?¡±

    He nodded and answered, ¡°Thanks to your buffs, my regr attack damage increased substantially.¡±

    His regr attacks had beenparable to an unbuffed Spatial sh thanks to her, but Em had two sides, a strong one and a weak one. She could buff Junhyuk, but she couldn¡¯t fight on her own. She would need heavy equipment if she were to try to kill enemy heroes.

    However, her buffs were absurd. Because of them, he was able to pull off the Pentakill.

    Junhyuk turned toward the enemy castle, and Emughed and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been a hero for a long time, but this is the first time I witnessed a Pentakill. I shall earn money from this.¡±

    He liked her mindset. Malone had imed Junhyuk¡¯s kills, but Em was satisfied with him killing heroes.

    Looking at the gate, he said, ¡°If the minions attack the gate, we¡¯ll destroy it. Things are different from before.¡±

    Balonte agreed and nodded.

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll lead the destruction of the gate. Is that OK?¡±

    ¡°Anytime.¡±

    Balonte stepped forward and shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    The minions ran after him, and Junhyuk shouted, ¡°If you want to live, raise your shields!¡±

    The minions did so, and he followed next to them. He had killed the enemy heroes, but the lobsters still remained, so he and the allied minions started killing the lobsters. Previously, he would¡¯ve been able to get rid of them all easily, but now he had to slog against them one by one.

    The only reason he was fighting them was because he would earn 10G from each kill automatically. Em joined the fight.

    ¡°Finish them before the heroes revive!¡±

    Having the heroes revive would be better for Junhyuk. He would be able to gain another 100,000G from it. After Em joined the fight, it took three minutes to kill all the lobsters and destroy the gate.

    The minions were buffed, so they would take percentages off the castle. With them, they were able to destroy the gate much faster than usual.

    Once the gate was destroyed, they all went inside and saw the giant golems.

    Junhyuk had brought two hundred minions along, but only fifteen could engage the golems at once. Those minions would still be a big help, but they wouldn¡¯t survive the golems¡¯ attacks.

    As Junhyuk worried about keeping them alive, Balonte shouted, ¡°Attack!¡±

    Balonte moved forward holding his sword, and the minions followed him. Junhyuk sighed.

    The minions were thrown off by the golems, but Junhyuk soon joined the fight. He learned that his attacks were really effective against the giant golems. He had thought that his piercing stat increase would only work on heroes, but the golem from Nightmare Mountain was even more damaged than those of the Champions¡¯ Battlefield.

    With one strike, he destroyed the golem¡¯s shin, and as the golem staggered, he smiled. Junhyuk thought he could kill it easily.

    Then, the golem stomped the ground hard.

    Boom!

    The ground shook, and everyone attacking it bounced off. A shockwave expanded ten meters from the point of impact in all directions.

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    The giant golem had gained a new power.

    ¡°Ariel, you should have told me about this!¡± he shouted, running back toward the damaged golem.

    Junhyuk did not care whether his enemies would revive or not. The giant golem fell, and once one fell, the other followed soon after. They had lost fifty minions fighting the giant golems, but the enemy heroes had not shown up.

    When the golems were down, Junhyuk looked around and saw the enemy heroes appearing within the castle¡¯s force field. They stared at him with arms crossed, but they did note out.

    Balonte looked at them and said, ¡°They got scared by the Pentakill. Should we finish this now?¡±

    ¡°Anytime.¡±

    Balonte pointed at the castle and shouted, ¡°Destroy the castle¡¯s force field, and you¡¯ll return alive!¡±

    The minions went berserk. Thirty of them started pounding against the castle, which meant that the castle would be destroyed faster than usual.

    The enemy heroes had lobsters with them, but they did not send them out either.

    Em said, ¡°They are scared.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Em smiled at him, and he saw her huge teeth.

    ¡°Do you want to be on my team?¡±

    Junhyuk hesitated a little. There were two sides to Em, and worried about that, he answered, ¡°I have to think about it.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know every hero, so would someone be able to join his team without having a weakness? He was counting on his luck.

    Em shrugged and said, ¡°Shame. I thought I had found a hero for my buffs.¡±

    She was cool about the whole conversation, and they watched the force field go down together.

    Junhyuk looked at the enemy heroes and murmured, ¡°If you fight like you did, you¡¯ll never win.¡±

    As he said that, the world crumbled. Previously, before he became a hero, when the world crumbled, the round ended. However, this time, things were different.

    Junhyuk appeared in a room. Ariel was there, and as he looked at her, he asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about the golem¡¯s power?¡±

    [Sorry.] Ariel was anxious, but he couldn¡¯t be angry at her. Smiling, she said, [You got the first Pentakill this season! Congrattions!]

    ¡°I earned 100,000G from it, so what¡¯s this about Pentakills?¡±

    [Each season has about five Pentakills.]

    Seasons continued until legends were made, and there were an average of five Pentakills per season.

    ¡°And they are only giving me 100,000G?¡±

    [By pulling off a Pentakill, you also get five items. No one can¡¯t interfere with that, so you don¡¯t need another reward. Think of the gold as a bonus.]

    Understanding, Junhyuk nodded. The amount was the same as the lives of ten thousand minions. It wasn¡¯t a small sum by any means.

    Extending his hand, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Where is my reward?¡±

    Ariel raised her hand and said, {Victory Reward: 200,000G.]

    He smiled.

    ¡°OK. Tell me about the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. I want to know more.¡±

    Ariel gave him a book and said, [You should read it.]

    ¡°Is this supposed to be kept secret?¡±

    [No.]

    Junhyuk smiled and opened the book, looking for Gongon and Sarang.

 Chapter 363 - Magitek 1

    <h4>Chapter 363: Magitek 1</h4>

    Junhyuk read about Gongon and Sarang¡¯s team. He read about their experience and powers, everything about their results in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield and about the other champion.

    ¡°A sniper.¡±

    The new champion also had the power to tie enemies up. Their experience wasn¡¯t bad either: six victories and three defeats. The new champion had started with losses, but they¡¯d been on a winning streak nowadays. They would be a big help to the allies.

    Junhyuk checked out their adversaries as well. The enemy champions had a distinguished record.

    ¡°This won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    They¡¯d been paired up with the opposing team because Junhyuk used to be on their team. The opponents also had six straight wins, and their team wasposed of a tank, an assassin and a vanguard. It was a bnced team.

    ¡°The assassin is the problem.¡±

    If Junhyuk were still there, he would have been able to protect Sarang with his force field, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Who would save Sarang in his stead? However, the new assassin did not have a hiding power.

    The assassin used shadows to move in and out to attack, just like a hero Junhyuk had fought early in his career. If Sarang was aware of the distance between them, she¡¯d be able to deal with the assassin.

    Her Thunderstorm could kill enemies who had not invested much on defense, and if her enemy survived the first one, she could always trigger her item and cast another one right after. Two of those should be able to kill any champion.

    The item¡¯s effect had a long cooldown, but even without it, her power was still the most useful of the bunch. After reading through that, he scanned further through the book.

    ¡°Can I take the book with me?¡±

    [You can¡¯t take it outside. And you must ce your bet now.]

    ¡°I heard I can watch the battle in real time. How is that possible?¡±

    [You can¡¯t watch all of the Champions¡¯ Battlefields, but you may watch the one you bet on. We have a viewing room.]

    ¡°Then, my time will stop also?¡±

    [Certainly!]

    He nodded.

    ¡°What is the rate of return for Gongon¡¯s battlefield?¡±

    [Gongon team¡¯s core strength, Junhyuk Lee, is out, so the rate went up. Because of Junhyuk, the rate for the other team had gone down as well, but now it¡¯s up again. Those cing bets have higher opinions of the enemy than of Gongon¡¯s team.]

    ¡°But Gongon is still there!¡±

    [Yes, but Sarang¡¯s equipment is still very weak.]

    Sarang had bought a lot of equipment, and her defense had increased. The truth was that Kilraden was strong, especially against Sarang, and he had realized that even more after fighting those weak heroes.

    He wondered just how high Kilraden¡¯s attack stat was. Maybe now that he wasn¡¯t in the battlefield, Sarang would really be able to shine.

    ¡°So, what are the odds now?¡±

    [If you bet now, you¡¯ll get about twice what you put in. The battle will take ce next week, so it¡¯s impossible to predict the exact odds.]

    Junhyuk nodded and pulled out his hand.

    ¡°I¡¯ll bet 200,000G on Gongon¡¯s team.¡±

    He was betting his entire victory reward. He was gambling, sure, but he also trusted Gongon and Sarang.

    [That¡¯s a significant amount. Your bet has been registered.]

    Junhyuk looked at Ariel and asked, ¡°Am I going back now?¡±

    [There¡¯s one more thing for you to do. Did you like anybody on your team today?]

    He shook his head.

    ¡°No. Did anyone pick me?¡±

    [All four of your teammates picked you for their team.]

    Laughing, Junhyuk asked, ¡°I can¡¯t decide now. If I want to pick a hero from this team, can I decide that after the three rounds?¡±

    [That¡¯s not possible.]

    ¡°Well, nothing I can do for now,¡± he said, smacking his lips. ¡°I can¡¯t decide for now.¡±

    [Understood. I will see you in the next round.]

    ¡°Till next time.¡±

    He said his goodbye, and the space around him crumbled. The world changed. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He was on a bed in the Japanese hotel.

    Junhyuk pulled out the magitek book and said, ¡°I have to visit Korea soon.¡±

    He wanted to meet with Elise, but if he could not, he would ask her toe to Japan. As he thought about it, he murmured, ¡°It would be nice if I could teleport to South Korea.¡±

    Junhyuk entered his training facility. Inside, he watched as the morning monster appeared. It was a fully-powered A-ranked monster, and if he didn¡¯t kill it, more wouldn¡¯t show up.

    He walked toward the monsters that had appeared, and the Wolf Warlord turned to him. Howling, it ran toward Junhyuk. By now, Junhyuk knew that he could use the Spatial Copse on living things.

    What about using it on the Wolf Warlord?

    He cast the Spatial Copse on the middle of the Wolf Warlord¡¯s chest. The monster sensed the attacking and quickly tried to withdraw, but there was no way to escape the copse.

    Craack!

    The Wolf Warlord¡¯s ribs were shattered, and it started getting squeezed by the vacuum of space. Then, Junhyuk used his Spatial sh. The Wolf Warlord couldn¡¯t move, so the attacknded.

    Junhyuk looked at the dead body of the Wolf Warlord, pulled out hismunication crystal orb and connected to Gongon and Sarang.

    Sarang was still wearing her pajamas, and Gongon looked all sweaty.

    ¡°Why did you call me two days in a row?¡± the hatchlingined slightly, and Junhyuk smiled at him.

    ¡°I can bet on you guys now that I¡¯ve be a hero and I read the entries for your new enemies.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? What are they like?¡±

    ¡°A standard tank, an assassin, and a vanguard.¡±

    ¡°Interesting. What about our new partner?¡±

    ¡°A sniper with a recent winning record.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to strategize!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± Sarang shouted with her hand up, and Gongon shrugged.

    ¡°Do it. I must train some more.¡±

    Looking at Junhyuk, she asked, ¡°Big brother, did you win?¡±

    Gongon was curious too, and as the hatchling looked at him, Junhyuk sighed and answered, ¡°I fought heroes, sure, but the team selection process was crap!¡±

    ¡°Team selection?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I have to form a team within three rounds. If not, I¡¯ll get randomly assigned to heroes who¡¯ve selected me.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re depending on luck?¡±

    ¡°You must be a hero soon. I want you on my team.¡±

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha! You know my value.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and nodded.

    ¡°Please do it. And win in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield.¡±

    ¡°How much did you bet?¡±

    ¡°Two hundred thousand.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot! And when you win?¡±

    ¡°Twice that.¡±

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll win for sure.¡±

    Gongon disappeared, and Sarang waved at Junhyuk, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll n our strategy.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Then, she was gone, and Junhyuk connected with Arn.

    ¡°Hm? Did you select a team?¡±

    ¡°You knew about that?!¡±

    ¡°All heroes know about it. The selection process happens to everyone.¡±

    ¡°Is that how you made your team?¡±

    Arnughed and said, ¡°I knew Vera beforehand. She¡¯s from my dimension. The others came from the team selection.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°Did you find anybody you like?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he answered curtly.

    Arn gave him some advice, ¡°People who don¡¯t find harmony within their team members often aren¡¯t selected. Such people aren¡¯t quite heroes. However, don¡¯t be dismissive of those you are working with.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the advice. I was having a hard time.¡±

    ¡°Did you win?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he answered, and Arnughed with joy.

    ¡°We may fight one another someday.¡±

    His heart pounded. Arn had taught him what he knew, and Junhyuk did not want to fight him or any of his former teammates.

    ¡°If you want to fight me, win and win again. Form a nice team as well.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and asked, ¡°Now that I¡¯m out, are you keeping Sarang?¡±

    ¡°Probably. Vera still wants her.¡±

    ¡°Do look after her.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We are fighting to win.¡±

    Junhyuk disconnected and returned to the hotel room. He washed himself lightly and walked out. When he did, he saw Major Jiro waiting for him.

    ¡°Guardians has called for you.¡±

    He had been expecting that call as well. A thousand people had been summoned that day, just in his battlefield. Even though many had returned, abnormal narcolepsy cases were happening again. Guardians was aware of that too.

    Eunseo already knew about the situation, but the countries¡¯ delegates didn¡¯t.

    Junhyuk could see the people gathered in the Guardians¡¯ meeting room. Eunseo and delegates from five other countries were there. He greeted them.

    ¡°Why did you call me?¡±

    Steve spoke up carefully, ¡°There are cases of abnormal narcolepsy again. Do you know anything about it?

    Junhyuk answered calmly, ¡°The abnormal narcolepsy happens because people are summoned to the Dimensional Battlefield, but you already know about that. It only means that the Dimensional Battlefield has started up again.¡±

    ¡°You mean it wasn¡¯t over?¡±

    He felt no need to share the information.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why it had stopped, but it began again. I¡¯ll let the teams rest so they can be summoned to the battlefield. You must recheck on activated novices and experts. Those will also be summoned to the battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Sure. We¡¯ll check.¡±

    After that, Junhyuk turned to Eunseo and said, ¡°I¡¯ll restart the training on Sunday, but the team members will probably be summoned today, and some of them will note back. I¡¯ll need more experts and novices. Is that possible?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible. Just tell me when novices go missing, and I¡¯ll get those position filled.¡±

    Junhyuk had handpicked the teams, and they all served a purpose together. He had thought about theirbination, but if some didn¡¯te back, he had to fill the void.

    He had a lot of ranged attackers. There was a high number of DPS novices in the Dimensional Battlefield, but he wished his own novices woulde back safely.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call you again tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting.¡±

    Junhyuk got up and looked at Jiro.

    ¡°Abnormal narcolepsy is a thing again. Report to me on my novices and experts every two hours.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    Junhyuk went to his room and called Elise through his phone.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you busy? Why did you call me?¡±

    ¡°I got the stuff you asked for, but I also have another present you¡¯ll like.¡±

    ¡°A present?!¡±

    ¡°However, I have to stay where I am, so what do we do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you in three hours!¡±

 Chapter 364 - Magitek 2

    <h4>Chapter 364: Magitek 2</h4>

    Exactly three hourster, someone knocked on the door to his hotel room. Junhyuk opened the door and looked out to see Jiro standing there with Elise behind him.

    He looked at them both and said, ¡°Please,e in.¡±

    Major Jiro looked at Elise going inside nonchntly, analyzing the interaction between the two of them, and then, carefully and silently withdrew. Junhyuk watched Jiro leave and closed the door.

    Elise looked around for an instant and then grabbed a bottle of champagne.

    ¡°Please, sit,¡± she said.

    ¡°I thought there would be no flying on Fridays!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t easy to find a ne on a Friday. With the incidence of abnormal narcolepsy, major idents could ur.

    Elise replied casually, ¡°I don¡¯t have a private pilot.¡±

    ¡°Did you just fly on a pilotless automatic ne?¡±

    She poured some champagne on his ss and on hers as well.

    ¡°You became a hero?¡±

    His path was the same as hers, so he answered without resistance, ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°Did you fight as a hero?¡±

    He nodded, and Elise was astonished.

    ¡°Congrattions!¡± she eximed as she tapped her ss against his and smiled.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°How can you drink with your armor on?¡±

    He smiled and drank the champagne. Elise¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of him drinking while armored.

    ¡°Is that a hologram?¡±

    ¡°Something like it.¡±

    ¡°Very cool!¡± She looked around, raising her hand as she asked, ¡°Can I touch it?¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head, answering, ¡°Not possible.¡±

    ¡°Tsc!¡± She clicked her tongue and sipped on the champagne. ¡°You brought me the Spatial Bag and a present?¡± she asked.

    He nodded and pulled out a Ring of Promise. Elise stared at it.

    ¡°Is that the Spatial Bag?¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head and said, ¡°If you put this ring on, you can never take it off. When we both wear this ring, we can¡¯t never break the trust between us.¡±

    ¡°Trust?¡±

    ¡°If you do, you¡¯ll experience unimaginable pain.¡±

    Elise frowned and said, ¡°So, we need trust between us?¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°The present I¡¯m giving you requires we trust each other.¡±

    ¡°The ring looks too big for me.¡±

    He smiled.

    ¡°When you put in on, i¡¯ll fit you.¡±

    Elise took a moment to think about which finger to put it on and decided on the ring finger. The ring shrank to her size, and she stared at it in wonder. Then, she held her champagne ss again and said, ¡°Fine. I trust you, which is why I put the ring on. Now, give me the stuff you promised me.¡±

    Junhyuk gave her the Spatial Bag. She couldn¡¯t see it with her naked eyes at first, but once he passed ownership of the bag to her, she took it, and ce her hand inside it.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe this. How is it possible?¡±

    Elise put her champagne ss away in the Spatial Bag, and Junhyuk said, ¡°I don¡¯t know how they make Spatial Bags. Even those knowledgeable about magic seem to have a hard time understanding it. You also need a ton of material to make a single Spatial Bag.¡±

    ¡°Can we get those materials?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll find out. They¡¯ll let me know more if I ask.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡±

    Junhyuk continued, ¡°And this is my present to you.¡±

    He pulled out the crafting book, and Elise¡¯s eyes beamed.

    ¡°The gift is a book? You are a sensible man.¡±

    Heughed.

    ¡°I have to tell you a few things before I give you the book.¡±

    ¡°Do tell.¡±

    ¡°The things you made from the monster bodies were sold for cheap.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I used bloodstones to enhance the muscles on the glove. It¡¯s basically the same as the original.¡±

    Tapping the book, Junhyuk said, ¡°The dimensional merchant bought your things and sold me this book. It¡¯s a book on magic technology, and you¡¯ll be able to make more borate items with it.¡±

    ¡°Does it have crafting recipes?¡±

    ¡°It has fifteen of them, but you must make your own recipes by using the basic ones. You have to be creative.¡±

    Without worrying, Elise put her hand forward and said, ¡°Give it to me.¡±

    ¡°After you read it once, it will automatically disappear. All of the information will go into your brain.¡±

    ¡°My brain?¡±

    ¡°And you won¡¯t have to remember it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡±

    Elise smiled and goaded him on, so he gave her the book.

    ¡°It was expensive.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll do its job,¡± she dered confidently.

    Junhyuk trusted her, so he took his hand away from the book. Elise smiled and opened it. Suddenly, a blue light rushed out from the book and covered Elise. Her eyes sparkled and a look of wonder shed across her face, and a satisfied smile crept across her lips.

    ¡°This is the best!¡±

    Elise was acquiring a lot of information, and she cheered aloud. Junhyuk did not speak to her. He simply watched her absorb the magitek information. The book¡¯s blue light did not disappear for a while.

    After ten minutes, the light rushed into her. Elise smiled, and her eyes quivered from side to side, as if she were reading something. Junhyuk waited until she was done.

    Elise closed her eyes and opened them again, and to him, her gaze seemed deeper.

    She looked at him and said, ¡°This is an unbelievable present.¡±

    ¡°Did you get any usable recipes?¡±

    After some thought, she answered, ¡°There are recipes that use bodies of B-ranked monsters. I¡¯ll return to Korea and make those.¡±

    ¡°I was told you¡¯d need a few other ingredients. Do you?¡±

    She thought for a while and answered, ¡°I need to smelt mana stones with a smelting furnace, and find a way to liquify blood stones with sunlight, but I can do those things without using the techniques in the book.¡±

    Bebe had only glossed over things, and Elise continued, ¡°However, I have to maximize output, so get me those things all the same.¡±

    Doing those things would cost a lot of money, and she had talked about them so casually. She was impressive.

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll get them for you. In two weeks?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll make the items with B-ranked monster bodies first. With this, I¡¯ll be able to make new equipment.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hopeful!¡±

    Items with stats and buff would be much more expensive than those without. She couldn¡¯t make everything, but she should make a lot of it so that he could earn more on the Dimensional Battlefield. He would sell the low quality items to the experts and novices.

    Elise walked up to him and gave him a light hug. Junhyuk eyes widened, and she whispered in his ear, ¡°I¡¯ll return to Korea now.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    She let him go and added, ¡°After I¡¯ve finished the items, I¡¯lle back.¡±

    ¡°Give me a call.¡±

    ¡°The magitek information can¡¯t be transferred to others. I learned about it just now. Transferring the information in my brain to others is an entirely different process. However, others can learn while I craft equipment.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Elise shrugged and said, ¡°They have great potential, so if I teach them, they¡¯ll be of assistance to me.¡±

    ¡°Do look after them.¡±

    Elise would work with Sungtae, Brita and Tirotbined, and her creative mind was beyond anyone else.

    He said goodbye to her andy on his bed. Junhyuk had been to the Dimensional Battlefield, and he was tired. His soul had done all the fighting, and although he had won easily, his soul was tired.

    Junhyuk decided to sleep. It was time to rest.

    ¡ª

    It was Saturday morning. He was looking at the people he had gathered.

    ¡°Many did note back.¡±

    Of the novices, five had fallen intoas. He was d that all the experts hade back, but they were all tired. He understood what the experts were going through very well.

    They had an extra life, but that was it. He knew how hard it was for them to stay alive with just one extra life. The experts seemed to be getting along with their heroes, which meant they wouldn¡¯t die easily.

    However, the novices were different. They only had a single life, and their powers weren¡¯t great.

    After finding all that out, Junhyuk had called Guardians. He frowned at the information and looked at the people on the screen.

    ¡°There are five inas. Did you get my report?¡±

    Eunseo nodded heavily.

    ¡°We checked. We found more novices, and they are heading to Japan tomorrow morning.¡±

    Junhyuk thought the situation was bad because there was no way to predict when more novices would die. He needed teams of experts.

    He said, ¡°Experts have higher chances of returning alive. We¡¯ll need teams of experts instead of novices. Search for any experts hiding around the world,¡± and continued, ¡°The delegates should work hard to locate those new experts. Even more novices might have turned up, so look into that too. I need at least two more teams of experts.¡±

    The delegates nodded heavily. They knew some novices were missing, but they also knew more teams of experts were urgently needed.

    Steve said, ¡°I¡¯ll look into it right away.¡±

    ¡°If I have enough teams of experts, training them lightly will be enough. After that, we¡¯ll start attacking dimensional tears.¡±

    His statement was a type of threat. If he didn¡¯t get his teams, the tears would remain. The delegates all understood and frowned.

    Junhyuk got up from his seat and said, ¡°Hurry up.¡±

 Chapter 365 - Ghost White Tiger 1

    <h4>Chapter 365: Ghost White Tiger 1</h4>

    It was Sunday morning, and Junhyuk was stretching lightly. He would be back to the monster area for another training session that day.

    The interphone rang, and Major Jiro could be heard from the other side.

    ¡°The people sent by Guardians are here.¡±

    Junhyuk walked outside. The new recruits gathered by Guardian would be arriving that day. As he stepped out, the security team guarding him followed him.

    Walking down to the lobby, he saw someone unexpected.

    ¡°We met again.¡±

    Jennifer Rockefeller greeted him politely. She looked full of confidence as she smiled at him. He was not looking at her, but further behind her.

    ¡°I did not know they would send two experts.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t interested in Jennifer. He was more interested in Helen and Jeffrey standing behind her. After staring at the two, he turned to Jennifer.

    ¡°Are they willing to participate in the training?¡±

    Jennifer stepped aside and said, ¡°They are willing. However, the US is now providing two experts. Shouldn¡¯t you rearrange the order of priority?¡±

    He looked at Helen, the blonde with the ponytail who was standing behind Jennifer. He did not know about her powers, but along with Major Sean, she would be the second expert from America.

    ¡°China¡¯s already sent two experts, and they did so out of good will. Should I prioritize them then?¡±

    Jennifer frowned, and Junhyuk said calmly, ¡°I will make the decisions.¡±

    Jennifer wanted to say something to him, but Helen grabbed her shoulder, and Jennifer sighed and said, ¡°We are looking for more experts, but if there are powerful people who don¡¯t agree with us in charge of them, we can¡¯t just take them.¡±

    He smiled.

    ¡°Just find out where they are. I¡¯ll be responsible for bringing them in.¡±

    Even if the experts were able to fly or crawl underneath the earth, they would be no match for Junhyuk.

    He added calmly, ¡°I¡¯ll have you two talk to me for a moment.¡±

    Junhyuk took Jeffrey and Helen and headed toward the meeting room, staring at them while in there.

    ¡°Tell me about your powers.¡±

    Jeffrey said nonchntly, ¡°I can tame monsters, and I can summon them.¡±

    Taming and summoning weren¡¯t different powers. They were two stages of one power. However, Jeffrey was aware of Helen there, so he simply stared at her.

    ¡°I can use light to ensnare the enemy and I can make light swords to throw at the enemy.¡±

    Helen put her hand forward and a light sword appeared on it.

    ¡°I can also wield it, but it onlyst for five seconds that way, so after I summon it, I usually just throw it.¡±

    ¡°Can the enemy dodge it?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t control it after I throw it.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded. She had good powers. The light sword, from what he had seen, was a better power than most. If she could use it at long range, like she said, it might be a high-ranking power.

    ¡°What¡¯s the cooldown?¡±

    ¡°Thirty seconds.¡±

    It was a high-ranking power. However, it wasn¡¯t as great as his Spatial sh. She probably didn¡¯t have a lot of great equipment, but her damage was simr to Junhyuk¡¯s regr attacks.

    The woman had nice powers, and since she could hold enemies down, she had to be loved by the heroes on the Dimensional Battlefield.

    ¡°OK. Let¡¯s meet with the experts¡¯ team and adjust your powers. There should be five people per team, but we¡¯ll run it with seven for now.¡±

    The two nodded, and Junhyuk looked at Jeffrey.

    ¡°Jeffrey, talk to me for a moment.¡±

    Helen nodded and went out, and Junhyuk stared at Jeffrey.

    ¡°Why did youe here?¡±

    ¡°Congrattions on bing a hero!¡±

    Heughed.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°So, I have a favor to ask.¡±

    Looking out the window, Junhyuk asked, ¡°You mean an A-ranked monster?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at Jeffrey and pulled out the Ring of Promise, giving it to Jeffrey.

    ¡°You¡¯ve looked into it,¡± Jeffrey said,ughing.

    ¡°Right. You did not tell me everything.¡±

    Jeffrey shrugged and said, ¡°True. There¡¯s a difference between the body and the limb, but to have absolute trust we need these rings.¡±

    ¡°I heard about that, but when I put this ring on, I can¡¯t take it off. If you take the body ring, I can¡¯t form bonds with others, so I can¡¯t give you the body ring.¡±

    After hearing him, Jeffrey shrugged again.

    ¡°Whatever. I don¡¯t have any other people in mind. I just want us to wear the rings.¡±

    Junhyuk pulled out the Ring of Promise he had purchased.

    ¡°Then, put this on.¡±

    He tossed the ring to Jeffrey, who took it and put it on.

    Smiling, Jeffrey asked, ¡°Then, am I getting my A-ranked monster?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you. Is it OK if it¡¯s half dead?¡±

    ¡°If I can control it, it¡¯ll regenerate when I return it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine then,¡± Junhyuk said and continued calmly, ¡°After we are done training and everyone goes back, we¡¯ll advance alone. When you get your A-ranked monsters, you¡¯ll be stronger than ever before.¡±

    ¡°I can only tame one now, but I¡¯ll get stronger so that I can tame more.¡±

    He smiled.

    ¡°OK. Do you know anything about the A-ranked monster that just spawned?¡±

    ¡°I checked on it through a satellite feed. It¡¯s called Ghost White Tiger.¡±

    ¡°Ghost White Tiger?¡±

    ¡°You can normally see the Ghost White Tiger, but it must have a hiding power because it disappears from time to time, which is how it got the name ghost.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed.

    ¡°You want to catch an A-ranked monster that hides?¡±

    ¡°You can do it.¡±

    Junhyuk thought about Jeffrey. If the Ghost White Tiger had had a teleportation power, it would have been able to dodge Junhyuk. However, the Ghost White Tiger had a hiding power, which meant that it wouldn¡¯t be able to escape from him since Junhyuk could sense fluctuations in space.

    ¡°Fine, but it won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    The two could deal with the Ghost White Tiger by themselves, but if they had arger group, things could turn bad. After thinking for a while, Junhyuk said, ¡°I thought we would go in after training, but now, I think we should advance first.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s no way the novices will survive an attack from a Ghost White Tiger. Or even the experts for that matter.¡±

    A-ranked monsters could fight heroes. People without equipment or with shoddy equipment wouldn¡¯t be able to go head-to-head against them.

    Jeffrey shrugged.

    ¡°High risk, high reward.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, and Jeffrey got up.

    ¡°Can we go right now?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go!¡±

    Both of them walked out, and as they did, they saw the powered people waiting for them. They looked tense, and Junhyuk said calmly, ¡°Before noon, I¡¯ll make an advance with the newly acquired expert into the monster area. You may train here.¡±

    ¡°Only you two will go in?¡± Ling Ling asked hesitantly.

    He answered, ¡°The new A-ranked monster has a hiding power. It¡¯s too dangerous, so just the two of us will go in for now.¡±

    ¡°Take our team with you,¡± Peyton offered, but Junhyuk shook his head.

    ¡°Training is good, but your safety is the top priority,¡± he said.

    ¡°Then, why are you taking that man?¡± Peyton thought he had enough powers, even if his powers weren¡¯t attack-based.

    Junhyuk addressed them all, ¡°Jeffrey, show them your powers.¡±

    Jeffrey extended both hands and said, ¡°Anywhere, anytime.¡±

    Suddenly, four monsters appeared. They were all B-ranked monsters, and the others tensed up as they saw them and stepped back.

    The experts¡¯ team was ready to engage, but Junhyuk raised his hand and said, ¡°Jeffrey can tame and summon monsters. We are going alone because of his taming power. Jeffrey will tame a monster, and it will help us eventually.¡±

    Peyton¡¯s eyes widened, and he stared at Junhyuk.

    ¡°Are you thinking about taming an A-ranked monster?¡±

    ¡°If possible.¡±

    A-ranked monsters were too strong for experts to deal with. If Jeffrey tamed one, he would shine among them.

    The experts had no objections.

    Looking at the others, Junhyuk said, ¡°If we can tame an A-ranked monster, we¡¯ll go a long way into stopping the monster areas.¡±

    Then, he turned to Jiro and added, ¡°It¡¯s just us moving on. The others will stay here and train. Prepare a vehicle for us.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Jeffrey and said, ¡°Return your monsters and get in the car.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Jeffrey returned the monsters, and the others watched it happen, less tense than they had been previously. Helen, who had been staring at the two, stepped back.

    Junhyuk got in the vehicle with Jeffrey, and it took off toward the monster area.

    ¡°There is one problem,¡± Jeffrey said.

    Junhyuk looked at him, and Jeffrey sighed and continued, ¡°When Ie up against the A-ranked monster, I have to cancel the contract with the B-ranked monsters. Whenever I do that, I won¡¯t have any powers at my disposal.¡±

    Junhyuk replied with a question, ¡°Do you have your shield?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Jeffrey had invested heavily in his defensive equipment, boosting his defense stat. Before Jeffrey could tame monsters, he had relied solely on defense.

    Junhyuk remained silent as he looked out the window. He could see the soldiers in front of the border to the monster areaing up.

    They went through the barricade and stopped right on the border¡¯s edge. Jiro was with them as they stood right in front of the monster area.

    Junhyuk got next to Jeffrey and said, ¡°We¡¯ll head to where the Tokyo Tower used to stand.¡±

    Jeffrey had also been there before. Previously, he had hunted at the border, but this time, they would go to the center of Tokyo, the Tokyo Tower. It wouldn¡¯t be an easy trip.

    Jeffrey gulped hard, and Junhyuk patted his back, walking ahead first.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. I¡¯m wearing the Ring of Promise. I won¡¯t let you die.¡±

    ¡°You are scaring me even more.¡±

    ¡°You can always run away by yourself.¡±

    Jeffrey shook his head.

    ¡°When I return my monsters, it takes a while before I¡¯m able to summon them again.¡±

    ¡°Your power isn¡¯t as good as I thought it was.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aware of that too, but someday, I¡¯ll summon a bunch of A-ranked monsters.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    He and Jeffrey stepped into the monster area.

 Chapter 366 - Ghost White Tiger 2

    <h4>Chapter 366: Ghost White Tiger 2</h4>

    The monsters were crowding the border of the monster area, and Junhyuk sighed when he saw that.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have pity for monsters when they bunch up like that.¡±

    He stepped forward and swung his sword, and a path opened through the monsters. The minions in the Dimensional Battlefield couldn¡¯t be swept by his shockwaves anymore. There, he had felt weak because of it, but on Earth, things were different for the monsters.

    He felt good that he could destroy them, so he got more energized. He cleaned them all away, and after a little while, the collection team gathered the bodies.

    Junhyuk entered the area first, and Jeffrey followed him, summoning his B-ranked monsters as he did so. Junhyuk saw that Jeffrey had only summoned three and asked, ¡°Why did you only summon three?¡±

    ¡°I am trying to acquire that monster.¡±

    Junhyuk raised his head and saw a harpy flying above them. He had killed the queen harpy, so after a while, the harpies showed up above them. They were B-ranked monsters.

    As Junhyuk saw the harpies flying with their massive wings, he asked, ¡°How are you going to catch one?¡±

    Jeffrey, who was petting his porcupine monster, said, ¡°This one will catch it, and this other one will help.¡± He was looking at a snake as he said, ¡°The problem is luring them here.¡±

    ¡°Luring?¡± Junhyuk shrugged as he asked. ¡°Is the twin-headed ogre your bodyguard?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Junhyuk said calmly, ¡°It depends on what you want to do, but be careful with the harpy. If the Ghost White Tiger is around here, there might be other monsters following him.¡±

    ¡°You mean B-ranked monsters that can hide?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    Smacking his lips, Jeffrey said, ¡°If you see one, you have to let me know.¡±

    ¡°I might let one slip, so just be careful.¡±

    Jeffrey nodded and made a signal with his hand. The giant snake wrapped itself around him, and Jeffrey smiled and said, ¡°I won¡¯t be in any danger now.¡±

    He had summoned all of his equipment and had the snake wrapped around him. Junhyukughed at the sight and said, ¡°OK. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He took the lead, and Jeffrey followed him. More monsters appeared, and Junhyuk sighed as he saw them.

    ¡°If there are monsters hiding, even I won¡¯t be able to fight them!¡±

    Tense, Jeffrey said, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the harpies.¡±

    ¡°Do it. I can¡¯t do anything against monsters that fly.¡±

    Jeffrey nodded andunched the porcupine into the sky. As it flew, it balled up and started shooting quills in all directions. Some of the quills flew toward Junhyuk, and he stared at the porcupine, swinging his swords to block the quills.

    He looked above him and saw that the harpies has been killed in bunches. The porcupine was very small byparison, but it was still a B-ranked monster, and its attack stat was high.

    It massacred the harpies, and as Junhyuk looked at the bodies on the ground, he said, ¡°We¡¯ve taken care of the outside threats.

    There were still harpies in the sky. Junhyuk looked at Jeffrey, and Jeffrey said carefully, ¡°I only need one.¡±

    ¡°Then, wait here.¡±

    Junhyuk triggered his eleration and approached a nearby building. His eleration was fully-powered on Earth, so he run up the side of the building, and as he did, he looked at the far away Tokyo Tower.

    ¡°OK. The Ghost White Tiger is still there.¡±

    Even if the Ghost White Tiger was fast, it would still take it some time to get there. The porcupine had killed most of them, so Junhyuk screamed at the harpies.

    ¡°Lure them in,¡± Jeffrey said as he patted the porcupine¡¯s head, and the porcupine shot a quill that hit a harpy. The harpy got angry and flew toward Jeffrey.

    The other harpies followed that one toward the expert as well, and Junhyuk used his ultimate. He set the Spatial Copse on the back of thest harpy, and the others got sucked into it.

    Junhyuk learned one thing from that: only heroes could withstand the Spatial Copse. The harpies had been torn apart.

    They had less health than twin-headed ogres. However, there were still harpies flying around them.

    Junhyuk teleported to the airspace among them and swung his sword. He triggered the single-point explosion and the harpies were massacred again.

    Junhyuk looked at the surviving harpies. They had swooped at them confidently, but now they were flying away from them.

    He turned to Jeffrey. Junhyuk had used the Spatial Copse in a way that would leave the harpy leading the swoop intact. The giant snake was now wrapped around it, and the harpy was breathing raggedly.

    Jeffrey walked over to the harpy and ce his hand on its forehead.

    ¡°I, Jeffrey, will be your owner from now on.¡±

    Hearing Jeffrey¡¯s statement, Junhyuk shook his head. Suddenly, the harpy turned into speckles of light and disappeared.

    Junhyuk walked over to Jeffrey, and Jeffrey smiled.

    ¡°Thank you. Thanks to you, I got it easily.¡±

    ¡°Why did you get a harpy? We want the Ghost White Tiger.¡±

    Jeffrey smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you why.¡± He summoned the harpy and tapped his own shoulder, saying, ¡°Grab hold of me.¡±

    The harpy grabbed Jeffrey¡¯s shoulder and flew up slowly, and Jeffrey smiled confidently.

    ¡°The truth is that if I¡¯m near you when you hunt the Ghost White Tiger, I can be a distraction.¡±

    Junhyukughed and looked at the Tokyo Tower. He couldn¡¯t see anything on it now.

    ¡°Jeffrey, go higher.¡±

    ¡°Higher?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t see the Ghost White Tiger.¡±

    Jeffrey gulped and headed up higher.

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill it!¡±

    ¡°If I do, something else wille out!¡±

    ¡°But I really want this one!¡±

    Jeffrey was being honest, and Junhyukughed and said, ¡°Just follow me.¡±

    He started running toward the site of the tower. Junhyuk knew what he wanted, so he was releasing his killer intent as he moved. The C-ranked monsters could sense it, so they started running away from him.

    He could sense the spatial fluctuations, which enable him to read the monsters¡¯ movements. Junhyuk stopped running one kilometer away from the tower.

    Jeffrey, who was circling above him, looked down at him.

    Junhyuk pointed up and said, ¡°Go higher! I can reach you by going up buildings.¡±

    Jeffrey went higher, and Junhyuk looked around. He had sensed monsters, but he couldn¡¯t see them.

    ¡°Interesting.¡±

    Junhyuk had sensed at least thirty monsters heading his way, but he could see none of them.

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll encounter these in the Dimensional Battlefield.¡±

    Every A-ranked monster so far had been a buff monster, so the Ghost White Tiger would probably be one as well.

    Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t get any resources from this hunt, but Jeffrey would gain a lot.

    Junhyuk could sense the sizes of the monsters. From head to tail, the ones around him were about five meters long.

    ¡°You must be B-ranked monsters!¡±

    Elise had told him about some of the fifteen recipes requiring the bodies of B-ranked monsters, so he would give them to her once the monsters were dead.

    Junhyuk was trying to find out how their hiding power worked, so he waited, and he felt the monsters moving faster. As he sensed them speeding up, he smiled.

    ¡°They¡¯re fast, very fast.¡±

    Although they were moving fast, he still couldn¡¯t see them, which meant that their ability was different from a hero¡¯s.

    ¡°What about your attack?¡± he asked, and the attacks began.

    He sensed theming toward him, but he did not attack. The monsters started their attack.

    ng!

    Junhyuk trusted his defense. A B-ranked ghost tiger attacked him, and he only lost 1 percent of his health. Suddenly, that ghost tiger appeared. When it did, it soon retreated, and two secondster, the ghost tiger had disappeared again.

    Junhyuk was astonished by their ability, and he swung his swords to attack and block. He go hit five times.

    sh!

    Even though the ghost tigers could hide really well, he could still sense them. So, he easily shed through the B-ranked monsters.

    Once dead, the corpses of the ghost tigers appeared. He ced one of them in his Spatial Bag and continued hunting.

    The ghost tigers distanced themselves from him. He had to kill them one by one, but that wasn¡¯t a problem. After he killed ten of them, he sense the massive body of the Ghost White Tiger ahead of him. From head to tail, it was over ten meters long.

    The Ghost White Tiger had seen what he had done with the ghost tigers, so it was approaching him cautiously.

    Junhyuk stared at the space where the Ghost White Tiger was and smiled. He could sense it, and if he made use of his senses, he wouldn¡¯t have to fear any stealth powers in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    He walked toward the Ghost White Tiger while thinking he had to beat the crap out of it first.

    ¡°Can I cut its legs off?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± Jeffrey shouted.

    Junhyuk could sense the Ghost White Tiger raising its head. He could sense not only the tiger¡¯s position but what it was doing. Junhyuk did not hesitate.

    ¡°Then, I will begin.¡±

    As he ran forward, the Ghost White Tiger jumped back, and smaller ghost tigers attacked him. They were constantly moving, but he did not care.

    Junhyuk meant to kill them all, so he started with the ghost tigers.

    After all of them were dead, he aimed for the Ghost White Tiger.

    ¡°If hiding is your only power, you¡¯ll be caught now.¡±

    The Ghost White Tiger crouched down, ready to pounce, and roared.

    Clink.

    Junhyuk felt stiff, his body feeling heavy, and Jeffrey screamed from the sky.

    ¡°Woah!¡±

    Junhyuk looked up and saw the harpy beating its wings, but slowlying down.

    ¡°I am not the only one feeling heavy!¡±

    The Ghost White Tiger stared at him and then up to the sky. It was now interested in Jeffrey. As the Ghost White Tiger pounded on the ground and jumped, Junhyuk clicked his tongue.

    ¡°Going after the easier meal?¡±

    Junhyuk teleported to stand above the harpy, pointing his sword at the iing Ghost White Tiger.

    ¡°I won¡¯t kill you.¡±

 Chapter 367 - Ghost White Tiger 3

    <h4>Chapter 367: Ghost White Tiger 3</h4>

    The Spatial sh was dangerous. Aside from it slicing a leg, it might also kill the Ghost White Tiger. Junhyuk¡¯s attack stat was higher than ever.

    He dove forward while returning a couple of the Pure Golden Knight set items. If a shockwave hit the monster, it might kill it as well.

    Instead, he gathered mana on his sword. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t going for a single-point explosion. He was actually preparing a mana de. He felt his attack speed was slower than ever, but he swung his sword at the oing Ghost White Tiger.

    Even as he did, he felt he was too slow, so he raised a force field around Jeffrey while getting himself inside. There, he felt the heavy pressure restraining him disappear.

    ng!

    The Ghost White Tiger pounded against the force field, and Jeffrey wasunched away, along with the force field.

    That¡¯s when Junhyuk teleported behind the Ghost White Tiger and grabbed hold of the fur atop the monster¡¯s neck.

    The Ghost White Tiger tried to swat him with its tail, but Junhyuk cut it off when it approached him.

    sh!

    When the Ghost White Tiger lost its tail, it roared loudly.

    Rooooaar!

    Junhyuk did not stop there. He raised his sword and stabbed down on the Ghost White Tiger¡¯s shoulder. He thought he had disabled it, but the monster crouched, tensing its muscles together in order to hold the sword down.

    Junhyuk thought that the mana de would¡¯ve been able to slice through the tiger¡¯s muscles easily, but he was wrong, so Junhyuk tried twisting the sword to pull it out, and the Ghost White Tiger mmed against a building, rolling into it with him.

    Boom, boom!

    The building was destroyed, and the debris covered him. Junhyuk gritted his teeth and yanked on the sword. Once he had pulled it out, blood spurted out of the monster like a fountain.

    The Ghost White Tiger bled silver, which was something Junhyuk would¡¯ve never imagined. Seeing that, he thought the monster¡¯s blood might hold its power.

    While covered in building debris, he did not let go of the Ghost White Tiger¡¯s fur. It knew it was being held by him, so the monster threw itself against another wall.

    Crack! Crack!

    Junhyuk was mmed against the wall, and the Ghost White Tiger started running, dragging Junhyuk across the wall as he held on to its fur.

    Junhyuk was sure of one thing then: he had to stop the Ghost White Tiger immediately.

    So, he stabbed down on the monster¡¯s shoulder again.

    The Ghost White Tiger was massive, so he couldn¡¯t really deal heavy damage to it. Junhyuk did that while gathering more mana for another mana de.

    The single-point explosion left an orb-like impression on things, which told him the shape of the attack. However, he didn¡¯t want that. This time, he triggered a single-point explosion, but the explosion looked more like a long line of energy. Junhyuk repeated the process, gathering mana on the de of the sword again and triggering another line-like single-point explosion.

    ¡°Argh!¡±

    Finally, his de went through the Ghost White Tiger¡¯s shoulder, sinking right through the body and piercing its leg. The attack kept the Ghost White TIger from running any further, but the momentum wasunching them against a building while they crashednded.

    Junhyuk let go of the Ghost White Tiger, and the monster mmed against everything around it. The Ghost White Tiger couldn¡¯t use one of its front legs, so its face crashed against the ground. As it was trying to get up, Junhyuk stabbed its hind legs with the Frozen Rune Sword.

    ¡°Rooaar!¡±

    The Ghost White Tiger tried to bite him, and Junhyuk punched it with his left fist.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk was equipped with runestones of the highest quality, so his strength was through the roof. If his fist hadnded straight onto the monster, Junhyuk fight have killed it. However, he turned his fist just right so that it would mostly graze the Ghost White Tiger.

    Because of the Frozen Rune Sword¡¯s effect on Earth, the Ghost White Tiger remained stationary, but he could not remove the sword. So, Junhyuk pressed down on its neck and shouted, ¡°Come down! Hurry!¡±

    Jeffrey told the harpy to go down, and as he stared at the beast, he gulped.

    ¡°Whew! This is scary!¡±

    ¡°The force field won¡¯tst long.¡±

    Jeffrey extended his hand, and his own B-ranked monsters appeared, disappearing quickly after that. He had cancelled the contracts between himself and the other monsters. After that, he stood in front of the Ghost White Tiger.

    The Ghost White Tiger was visibly injured.

    Jeffrey touched its forehead and said, ¡°I, Jeffrey, am now your owner.¡±

    They both had thought it would be a simple task. However, things went wrong, and Junhyuk turned to Jeffrey.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°This can¡¯t be!¡±

    Jeffrey touched the Ghost White Tiger again and said, ¡°I, Jeffrey, am now your owner.¡±

    But the taming failed again.

    ¡°What the hell?!¡±

    Junhyuk looked around, saying, ¡°More ghost tigers areing at us. I have to stop them. Can you do this by yourself?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡±

    Jeffrey was still holding his shield while he stared down at the Ghost White Tiger. He tensed. Meanwhile, Junhyuk, after some thought, raised the Blood Rune Sword and tabbed it down the jaw of the Ghost White Tiger, pinning it to the ground.

    ¡°Grrrr!¡±

    The Ghost White Tiger stared at him angrily, and he turned to Jeffrey.

    ¡°This will make it less dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Are you fighting barehanded?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±

    The way things were, Junhyuk wished he had brought the Wolf Warlord w swords.

    He stepped forward, sensing the ghost tigers approaching them. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t get too far from there. Otherwise, Jeffrey would be in danger. So, he had to stay near.

    Jeffrey was doing his best to tame the Ghost White Tiger, but he wasn¡¯t making any progress.

    The Ghost White Tiger remained ferocious. He wasn¡¯t scared of what was happening.

    ¡°Since I don¡¯t have my sword, do I look easy?¡± Junhyuk asked.

    He smiled coldly, sensing the ghost tigersing at him. Junhyuk dodged the ws and punched at them.

    He hadn¡¯t used his full strength on the Ghost White Tiger so that he wouldn¡¯t kill it, but now, he didn¡¯t have to hold back.

    Boom!

    Even without weapons, his attack stat was extremely high, and that was due to his equipment. Most of everything he owned had been designed to increase attack. One ghost tiger was punched on the head, and silver blood sttered everywhere.

    Junhyuk learned that he could fight with his fists, but like before, he wasn¡¯t generating any shockwaves. The ghost tigers gathered up and attacked him. He watched them and triggered his eleration.

    The ghost tigers were stealthy but quick. He punched them as he sensed them, but they weren¡¯t only after him.

    The monsters were climbing over buildings and scampering down walls toward Jeffrey, so Junhyuk ignored the ghost tigers rushing at him and ran toward Jeffrey.

    Jeffrey watched as Junhyuk headed toward him, still with his hand on the Ghost White Tiger¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°Shit! I¡¯ll tame you sooner orter, you son of a¡ª!¡±

    Suddenly, a strong, bright light rushed out of Jeffrey and wrapped around the Ghost White Tiger.

    A ghost tiger was rushing toward Jeffrey, and Junhyuk frowned. Another ghost tiger had been chasing him, and when it bit him on the leg, Junhyuk got slowed down.

    He wouldn¡¯t be able to get to Jeffrey in time.

    Jeffrey watched as the ghost tiger pounced down on him and raised his hand. Suddenly, a spatial tear appeared, and a massive being walked through it.

    Crack!

    The Ghost White Tiger mmed against the ghost tigering at Jeffrey, and the ghost tiger howled in pain.

    Crack!!

    Junhyuk stopped and turned to Jeffrey. Jeffrey had summoned the Ghost White Tiger, but he was grimacing hard. Nevertheless, Jeffrey raised his hand.

    Suddenly, the Ghost White Tiger turned red. It came out of hiding berserked.

    Junhyuk watched as the Ghost White Tiger moved, impressed. The Ghost White Tiger hid, but Junhyuk could still sense it. It was moving very fast.

    The Ghost White Tiger was moving faster than when Junhyuk elerated. However, he could catch up to it if Junhyuk tried to. He might have a hard time chasing it, but fighting the Ghost White Tiger wouldn¡¯t depend on speed alone.

    After Jeffrey summoned the Ghost White Tiger, it quickly took care of the remaining monsters. A few ghost tigers tried to run away, but the Ghost White Tiger chased them down and killed them.

    After the Ghost White Tiger disappeared, Junhyuk looked at Jeffrey.

    Jeffrey¡¯s face was pale, and he fell to the ground, breathing raggedly.

    ¡°Whew! Whew! I spent so much mana!¡±

    Jeffrey¡¯s mana was at zero, and an idea came to Junhyuk.

    ¡°You can summon it and enrage it, but it onlysts for ten seconds?¡±

    Sighing, Jeffrey said, ¡°I need an item that¡¯ll regenerate my mana.¡±

    ¡°Then, take this,¡± Junhyuk said.

    He pulled out the mana bracelet, and Jeffrey took it and inspected it.

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a Mana Charger. Wear it when you use your powers, and your powers will grow. Just wearing it increases your stamina.¡±

    ¡°Are you giving it to me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. You can charge it at the Dimensional Battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    After thinking about the ten-second active time, he told Jeffrey, ¡°It¡¯ll be better if you stick to four B-ranked monsters.¡±

    Jeffrey smiled.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care that it¡¯ll work for ten seconds on a forty-second cooldown. The Ghost White Tiger can kill a hero.¡±

    The Ghost White Tiger could hide, and it was strong enough to kill a hero. In fact, who would be able to stop it once it went berserk?

    If the first strike didn¡¯t kill, the Ghost White Tiger would just keep at it. Heroes with low quality items would certainly die.

    Jeffrey was still an expert, but he could kill heroes. When Junhyuk had been an expert, he hadn¡¯t been able to kill heroes. He only started killing heroes when he activated his Spatial sh. Jeffrey could do it now, which meant that Jeffrey could be stronger now than Junhyuk when he was an expert.

    Junhyuk stared at Jeffrey and said, ¡°We¡¯ve achieved our goal, but my expectations are shattered.

    Junhyuk had thought that Jeffrey would guard the teams outside the tear, but that wouldn¡¯t be possible now.

    Jeffrey¡¯s power onlysted for ten seconds. During those ten seconds, the Ghost White Tiger could go wild and kill other A-ranked monsters. However, there were many monsters outside of the tear. Ten seconds wouldn¡¯t be enough. In fact, it meant that the experts¡¯ team had to support Jeffrey.

    Grabbing Jeffrey¡¯s shoulder, he said, ¡°Jeffrey, you must strengthen your powers quickly. You aren¡¯t much help now.¡±

    Jeffrey smiled.

    ¡°My powers will evolve, and my summoning time will increase. I¡¯ll do my best to make that happen.¡± Jeffrey touched Junhyuk¡¯s hand on his shoulder and added, ¡°And thank you so much for helping me.¡±

    Junhyuk smirked, letting go of Jeffrey¡¯s shoulder in the process. He didn¡¯t like touching another man¡¯s hands like that.

 Chapter 368 - Change 1

    <h4>Chapter 368: Change 1</h4>

    Elise was rubbing her hands as she looked at the things in front of her. She was curious but tense, thinking that she had never been as nervous as she was now.

    In front of her, there was an armor set made out of twin-headed ogre muscles. The twin-headed muscles were weaved within it. On the side, there was a bottle that contained liquid bloodstone.

    She had liquified bloodstones and injected the liquid into a glove, which had enhanced the function of the muscles weaved in it. After reading the magitek book, she came to the conclusion that her inventions were crap.

    By taking advantage of the information, she could now utilize 80 percent of the muscle¡¯s strength. Before, she¡¯d only been able to take advantage of 20 percent.

    Junhyuk had told her that when he had sold her things, he¡¯d only gotten a small sum for them. That had wounded her pride, but she had not shown it at the time.

    After learning magitek, she felt it even more now. She did not know everything, but the book had destroyed everything she knew before it.

    However, the technology wasn¡¯tplete. Bybining it with modern human science, she would improve it.

    The first step was very important. She had to master using magitek. Elise dripped the liquified bloodstone on the armor set. The liquid seeped into the runes carved on the armor. Those were the basics of the magiteknguage, runes.

    The smeared, blood-colored liquid lit up. The crafting had to bepleted before one could witness the results.

    ¡°Even if I make items ording to the recipes, the sess rate depends on proficiency! I should make as many as possible!¡±

    Elise knew how much money she had, but she worried about having sufficient funds to fund her ingredients. She had to be careful with the parts of the twin-headed ogre she selected. To make a suit of armor, she could only use half of an ogre¡¯s muscles.

    What about the quality of the bloodstone? To make one suit of armor, she had already spent $5 million. However, her sess rate wasn¡¯t at a hundred yet.

    Woo, woo, woo, woo!

    Every rune shone, and bright lights sted out from the piece of armor. The light pounded against her closed eyes before it disappeared. Elise stared at the set of ck armor and smiled.

    ¡°Was it a sess?¡±

    She lifted it up. Previously, she had to make the pieces with the measurements of those who would wear them. However, things were different now.

    Elise put the entire suit on herself, and as soon as she did, the armor shrunk to her size. Her hands moved, and Elise lifted the desk next to her. She could do it easily, and her eyes beamed.

    ¡°I must run a few tests first.¡±

    She had enhanced the efficacy of the twin-headed ogre¡¯s muscles, so she wanted to know just how strong they were.

    ¡°I have a lot of work to do.¡±

    Elise wanted to use all fifteen recipes to make at least one product each, and by using that experience, she would improve on magitek further.

    ¡°I will let them do the research.¡±

    Junhyuk had introduced her to them. She would give them the items, and they would run tests on their powers. Meanwhile, she would concentrate on magitek.

    In any event, Junhyuk had given her the best present possible.

    Elise looked at a machine standing in the corner of herb. It was made from a mixture of robo-engineering and monster bodies. She would add magitek to it as well.

    ¡ª

    The monster area was growing again. For training purposes, Junhyuk took the newly acquired experts into it to take care of the monsters. The experts did not need a resting period, so they went into the monster area daily.

    The monster area got bigger, yes, but the number of monsters was not the driving factor for that to happen.

    Junhyuk wanted to watch it happening. The area would increase by one kilometer, and the monsters gathered at the border would advance to eat the humans around it once it happened.

    In the beginning, the people protecting the borders were killed in droves, but after that first experience, they did not hesitate to retreat quickly. The interval at which the monster area gotrger was fixed, so it was easier to prepare.

    Junhyuk went to the border just as the area started growing. He killed all the monsters gathered at the border by himself. Then, he sensed the speed at which the area grew. It wasn¡¯t fast. As he walked toward it, he sensed the expansion.

    Junhyuk could already sense space and use the Spatial Copse, but he shouldn¡¯t halt the advancement of his spatial powers. He was alone that day.

    He realized that that border felt much like the one surrounding the Dimensional Battlefield. As he followed it, he experienced new things. Because of that, he thought it was a good thing that the border was growing. He was astonished by the event as he walked along the border.

    ¡°Spatial encroachment?¡±

    The dimensional tear was spewing energy, and that energy was encroaching on the space around it. He realized the energy wasing from the core and he looked back at the dimensional tear. The next time he destroyed the core tower, he thought about taking the core with him.

    Junhyuk shrugged as he walked with the border. He sensed the monster area expanding and encroaching on the space around it. It was a funny experience.

    He walked for one kilometer and saw the people waiting for him outside of the border, both the experts and the novices.

    Once he walked out of the monster area, he turned and used the Spatial Copse on the border. He was curious about what would happen to it if he did.

    Crack!

    The Spatial Copse made space disappear, and when he walked along the monster border, he noticed that the space on one sided folded over the space on the other. That¡¯s what had made him curious.

    The Spatial Copse caused the folded space to tear apart, and something unexpected happened.

    It was like a balloon full of air popping. The energy from within the monster area was gushing out of the tear made by the Spatial Copse.

    Feeling the rush of wind from within the area, he murmured honestly, ¡°I¡¯ve made a terrible mistake.¡±

    While he had walked, he had asked himself: What would it mean to copse the space within the border?

    When he did that, some changes took ce. The space at the border was destroyed, and the energy from within the monster area gushed out.

    The energy was pushing out fast, and he knew that the monster area limits were gone. There was nothing he could do about it.

    A hole had opened up, and he sensed the monsters heading toward it.

    So far, he had followed one direction in his advance and while hunting the monsters inside. He had hunted in a straight line from the starting point to the dimensional tear.

    Now, all of the monsters within the area wereing toward the punctured hole.

    Junhyuk frowned and shouted, ¡°Everyone get ready to battle! The monsters areing!¡±

    Jeffrey ran toward him and asked, ¡°What happened? What¡¯s up with this wind?¡±

    He turned to the experts¡¯ team and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it, but I changed something. The border is gone, and the monsters areing out. The hole is growing very slowly however.¡±

    The hole had expanded quickly at first, but now it was growing slowly. However, it was still getting bigger. If things continued that way, the entire border would disappear. The powered people had to deal with the monsters.

    Junhyuk, who was gripping his swords, said, ¡°This wasn¡¯t the n, but I have to destroy that dimensional tear.¡±

    Everyone looked at each other, and Peyton asked, ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    Junhyuk continued calmly, ¡°Concentrate your powers here. You must form a line to stop the monsters.¡±

    He turned to Lucy, who was standing in front of the novices, and signaled for her.

    ¡°Protect this ce. Use every novice under yourmand.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± she answered, sensing the gravity of the situation.

    He continued calmly, ¡°The experts and I will follow the road and move toward the dimensional tear. I¡¯ll enter the tear alone, and Jeffrey will lead the team outside.¡±

    Everyone swallowed hard. The situation was entirely different from what they had experienced so far.

    Peyton asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t we stay here?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t do anything here. There¡¯s a hole in the border, so we have to destroy the tear.¡± Looking at them, he asked, ¡°Are you all ready?¡±

    Arge number of monsters was heading their way. They were mostly C-ranked, but there were B-ranked ones as well.

    Ling Ling pulled out her Wolf Warlord w swords and said, ¡°Ready.¡±

    Junhyuk summoned all of his items. He would got at it at full strength this time.

    He turned toward the tear and ran, shouting as he went, ¡°Lucy! You must protect this ce!¡±

    The monsters wereing at them like waves, and Lucy answered, ¡°I will protect it!¡±

    When he heard her, he elerated. The monsters wereing toward the hole, and he was very close to them.

    He had to destroy the dimensional tear, but he also thought he had to stop the monster wave first. The novices wouldn¡¯t be able to stop them.

    As he closed in against the monsters, he saw a twin-headed ogreing at him. The ogre was wielding arge branch, and Junhyuk shed its leg. The red shockwave swept the surroundings, and he lopped off the ogre¡¯s heads.

    He was at full strength, opening a path through the monster wave.

    Peyton was speechless.

    ¡°Is that possible?¡±

    Ling Ling, who was already attacking the monsters with wind des, said, ¡°Take the right side!¡±

    Peyton raised a wall and stopped the monsters on the right. The experts were using their powers and helping out Ling Ling.

 Chapter 369 - Change 2

    <h4>Chapter 369: Change 2</h4>

    Junhyuk had massacred 90 percent of the monster wave just with his shockwaves. He and the experts¡¯ team moved toward where the Tokyo Tower used to stand, where the dimensional tear was.

    Everyone was anxious. They were running at full speed, so they were quickly getting tired.

    They had taken care of the wave, but there were more than fifty monsters already on them. B- and C-ranked monsters were mixed together. The team thought they had killed them all.

    Ling Ling followed Junhyuk and looked at Jeffrey. Junhyuk seemed to trust Jeffrey, but Jeffrey didn¡¯t do much. Both of them had told them that they had gone out to hunt an A-ranked monster, but nobody had seen the monster.

    Ling Ling had ess to a satellite video that showed them taming a monster, but she hadn¡¯t seen it in detail yet, so she was going crazy with curiosity.

    On their way to the Tokyo Tower, they encountered many monsters. The monsters that had gathered in the tower area were now rushing toward them.

    Junhyuk knew that would happen, which is why he brought the experts¡¯ team with him. After he advanced into the dimensional tear, the experts would have to deal with the monsters.

    He trusted Jeffrey. The team wasn¡¯t fully formed yet, but Jeffrey could stop many monsters by himself with the Ghost White Tiger summon. It would onlyst a short while, but the Ghost White TIger was strong. It could easily and quickly kill B-ranked monsters.

    Without the B-ranked monsters, the experts would have no problem dealing with C-ranked monsters, even without powers.

    Once he reached the grounds of the Tokyo Tower, he raised his head and looked around.

    ¡°It¡¯s high.¡±

    The dimensional tear was at least 350 meters up. As he stood under it looking up, he pulled out the items Vera had sent him.

    He turned to Jeffrey¡ªhe was able to trust Jeffrey now¡ªand gave him one of them. He had already fed it mana stones. The countries¡¯ delegates had told him that they would pay for his expenses, so he did not care about the costs.

    Also, if he could destroy the tear, he would earn money from the bodies of the monsters scattered in the area. The experts and novices would stand to gain from it.

    The number of dead monsters was already over a few hundred.

    Junhyuk looked toward the dimensional tear and said, ¡°After I go inside, no more monsters wille out of it. However, the monsters in the area will head this way. Protect this ce.¡±

    Jeffrey asked carefully, ¡°How long will it take to destroy the dimensional tear?¡±

    Junhyuk thought about thest time and answered, ¡°I have to think about it.¡±

    The distance of his teleportation had increased, and the cooldown was shorter. He could destroy the core tower quicker thanst time, but that all depended on how many monsters were inside the tear.

    Last time, he entered when the dimensional tear had just formed, so he had only met one A-ranked monster inside. However, he didn¡¯t know how many would be inside of the tear now.

    He had to risk his own life. Sarang would¡¯ve been able to help him, but it was toote to call her now.

    Junhyuk looked at the group and dered, ¡°Then, I¡¯m going in.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Junhyuk teleported up, appearing two hundred meters above the ground. He teleported again and entered the tear.

    Inside the dimensional tear, he felt fear creeping up his spine. Before, when he had looked at the tear, he had felt dimensional death and birth, which had helped hime up with the Spatial Copse. As he crossed into the tear this time, his hairs stood on end from fear. He was feeling somethingpletely different now. Previously, he had just walked into the dimensional tear without worry, but with his spatial sense, he realized how dangerous the ce really was.

    He hadpleted the Spatial Copse, but he had also torn a hole through space, destroying the monster area border.

    He was shocked once again by what management was doing and he still wanted them dead.

    Junhyuk followed the glowing white path. No new monsters had shown up through the tear since they had killed the Ghost White Tiger, so he thought he would end up meeting one on the way, which made him pick up the pace.

    There were two new buff monsters in the Dimensional Battlefield, so it wouldn¡¯t be weird if there were new A-ranked monsters inside the tear.

    Junhyuk sped up, and that¡¯s when he saw some shapesing toward him from far away. He couldn¡¯t tell what they were yet.

    As he stared at them approaching, he frowned.

    Everythinging at him looked like him, Junhyuk Lee, and they were all wearing Bebe¡¯s ck Armor.

    There were ten of them, and another being was standing behind the ten, still without form.

    ¡°Doppelgangers?¡±

    He had not met anything like them in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. They all looked like him, so could they fight like him?

    Junhyuk smiled at them and said, ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t have time to talk.¡±

    He dashed forward, and the others closed in on him. Junhyuk felt strange about it, but he wielded his swords expertly. He felt like he was hurting himself, but shing them all wasn¡¯t difficult.

    Their movements were different from other monsters. They didn¡¯t just looked like him, but they moved like him as well. Their speed was the same as his.

    He had triggered eleration to cut them down. After he was done, he lowered his swords and murmured, ¡°That was easy.¡±

    Most of them had fallen victim to his shockwaves, so they were easily disposed of.

    He looked at the shapeless being and said, ¡°You must be the A-ranked monster.¡±

    Junhyuk thought it was a Doppelganger King. He walked toward the being and watched it as it took shape. It looked like Junhyuk as well, but it wasn¡¯t wearing Bebe¡¯s ck Armor. It was wearing something else.

    ¡°The Vampire Lord set?¡± Junhyuk shook his head and asked, ¡°You look just like me... What are you up to?¡±

    Their shapes were the same, but Junhyuk had the items, the stats and his powers.

    It did look just like him, however.

    He closed in, and the Doppelganger King came straight at him. He was surprised by the King¡¯s speed. The B-ranked doppelgangers had had the same regr speed as him, but the King matched his every move.

    ¡°How about this?¡±

    Junhyuk triggered eleration, and the Doppelganger King did the same. He was shocked that the Doppelganger King was able to do that and shed at it.

    ng!

    Their swords shed, and the Doppelganger King took advantage of his surprise to close in and strike again.

    ng!

    Junhyuk blocked, but the Doppelganger King was attacking him with shocking speed. He was a hero now, and the Doppelganger King was matching his speed and strength.

    Junhyuk realized that the Doppelganger King was different from ordinary A-ranked monsters.

    ¡°That¡¯s shocking. You are just copying me, but you can¡¯t defeat me,¡± he dered.

    Junhyuk raised his force field, and the Doppelganger King¡¯s eyes beamed. It swung its sword in response.

    ng!

    The Doppelganger King¡¯s sword got stuck on the force field, and Junhyuk quickly shed at the monster. He did not care about his defense, focusing solely on attacking.

    However, as sh appeared across his chest.

    ¡°Cough!!¡±

    Coughing blood, Junhyuk stepped back. The Doppelganger King was smirking. It had been shed across the chest, but it did not feel pain.

    Junhyuk did not know what to do, and that¡¯s when the Doppelganger King spoke for the first time, ¡°Shocked?¡±

    ¡°How is this possible?¡±

    The Doppelganger King touched its chest and said, ¡°You have impressive skills, but you and I are connected.¡±

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°If you attack me, you¡¯ll also be wounded.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know that kind of power existed. He was even more shocked by it because he was covered by the force field.

    He stared at the Doppelganger King. Its power probably ranked higher than Junhyuk¡¯s own powers, and he did not have a clue of how to kill it. The thought of killing himself even shed in his mind.

    The force field was of no use, and he also couldn¡¯t use the Spatial sh since he would receive the damage from it.

    The Doppelganger King smiled and raised its sword.

    ¡°How about this?¡± it asked.

    It stabbed its own shoulder, and Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder also started bleeding. It was totally unexpected.

    ¡°Even when my opponents¡¯ powers and stats are impressive, I can easily kill them.¡±

    Junhyuk was very angry, but he couldn¡¯t attack. He thought about their connection. There had to be a reason for why they were linked, even if he couldn¡¯t see it.

    He focused on his spatial sense. Junhyuk had to feel the link. As he focused, the Doppelganger King approached and shed at him.

    Junhyuk dodged the attacks, trying to think harder, and that¡¯s when he figured it out. There was an invisible thread between the two.

    Junhyuk teleported back forty meters and extended his hand. The Doppelganger King ran at him, and he smiled.

    ¡°You are full of shit! You can¡¯t hurt me!¡± it barked at Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk used the Spatial Copse between then. Any link between the two wouldn¡¯t survive the copse. After he was disconnected from the Doppelganger King, he used his Spatial sh.

    Blood spurted out of the monster¡¯s neck, and after it was dead, Junhyuk took the body and put it inside his Spatial Bag.

    Hatma had told him that a Doppelganger King¡¯s heart had a dimensional error in it. He couldn¡¯t eat it like the sorcerer, but he wanted to research the heart.

 Chapter 370 - Change 3

    <h4>Chapter 370: Change 3</h4>

    Junhyuk had expected monsters to block his path, but his path was clear. After running for a while, he saw two monstersing at him. He could see two monsters, but he sensed another with his spatial sense. He scowled.

    ¡°What is this?!¡±

    So far, A-ranked monsters had been inmand of B-ranked monsters, but this time, the A-ranked monsters had shown up as a group.

    There was a Wolf Warlord, a Smander and a Ghost White Tiger.

    Without his spatial sense, he would¡¯ve thought that there were only two monsters.

    So far, he had dealt with A-ranked monsters one at a time, and he had thought highly of himself for being able to do so. In the Dimensional Battlefield, at least two heroes were required to kill a buff monsters with no casualties. Doing it alone was always possible, but the difficulty rose exponentially.

    Now, there were three A-ranked monsters in front of him. Junhyuk tensed and then inhaled deeply.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s better this way...¡±

    If an S-ranked monster had shown up, he wouldn¡¯t have survived.

    He was measuring the distance between himself and the three monsters when other monsters appeared around him. They were B-ranked monsters.

    Each A-ranked monsters had a following of ten B-ranked monsters. Junhyuk looked at them and smiled.

    ¡°Sorry, fighting in a small, crowded space will be your loss.¡±

    Without worrying, Junhyuk threw himself forward. He ran full tilt, and the Wolf Warlord attacked him first. The Wolf Warlord had already gone through its transformation when it went to meet him, and Junhyuk elerated in response.

    The Wolf Warlord was huge, so its speed was limited by the narrow path. For him, it was easier to deal with it inside than outside the tear.

    Junhyuk closed in, brandishing his swords. His guess was that he would reach the core after killing those monsters, and his sword shed with the Wolf Warlord¡¯s w.

    ng!

    He parried the w to the side, getting closer to the Wolf Warlord¡¯s chest, and stabbed the Wolf Warlord on its leg with the Frozen Rune Sword. The whole leg froze, and he felt another monstering toward him.

    The Smander was stuck to the ceiling, breathing fire down on him.

    Junhyuk quickly raised the force field, and the mes engulfed everything around him, but they did not enter it. The war wolves gathered around the Wolf Warlord, something Junhyuk had been waiting for, and he stabbed the Wolf Warlord in the stomach.

    The shockwave expanded in a ring, shing through the war wolves. He couldn¡¯t kill the Wolf Warlord in a single hit, but the war wolves were a different story.

    Junhyuk stabbed the other Wolf Warlord¡¯s leg with the Frozen Rune Sword, slowing it down by a lot. Junhyuk was much faster than the monster now.

    He stepped on the Wolf Warlord¡¯s knee and jumped. The Wolf Warlord wed at him. The monster had predicted his movements, so it attacked.

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue and teleported to appear behind the Wolf Warlord¡¯s neck, stabbing down at it with his sword.

    The Wolf Warlord had a lot of health, but Junhyuk stabbed down, severing its spine, and it died. If he hadn¡¯t frozen the Wolf Warlord¡¯s legs, his attack would¡¯ve failed. He also had to use his teleportation to be able to kill the Wolf Warlord, and although he had done it, his back was exposed.

    Boom!

    The Ghost White Tiger was already on him. It had pounded on his back, and Junhyuk was thrown off the Wolf Warlord¡¯s body, mming hard against a wall. The wall was destroyed, and he got up.

    He was still being covered by the force field. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve been heavily damaged.

    Junhyuk had overexerted himself while killing the Wolf Warlord, but luckily, he wasn¡¯t damage from that. As he got up, the Ghost White Tiger whipped its tail at him. It didn¡¯t hurt him, but the impact pushed the force field out, and Junhyuk wasunched back with it.

    As he was flying back, he used the Spatial sh on the Smander stuck to the ceiling, and the Smander exploded. He thought he only had to deal with the Ghost White Tiger at that point, but the debris from the explosion gathered in one ce, and the Smander took form again.

    He murmured, ¡°It won¡¯t die like that?!¡±

    To kill the Smander, he had to destroy its core.

    Junhyuk smacked his lips and looked at the monsters approaching him: the Ghost White Tiger and the Smander. The two wereing toward him slowly, and he closed his eyes.

    He could sense them both. To kill the Smander, he had to destroy its core, but he did not know how to find it. He tried to use his spatial sense to peek into the Smander¡¯s body, but he couldn¡¯t do it. Clicking his tongue, he opened his eyes.

    The Smander inhaled deeply and then breathed out fire.

    Junhyuk watched the mesing at him. He wanted to kill the Ghost White TIger, so he teleported. As he appeared underneath the Ghost White Tiger¡¯s jaw, he stabbed up.

    The monster tried to counter, swinging its massive paws at Junhyuk, but he was faster. By that time, the sword hard already pierced the monster¡¯s jaw.

    Junhyuk felt he needed to do more, so he gathered mana on his sword and triggered a single-point explosion. It went off inside the Ghost White Tiger¡¯s head.

    Then, Junhyuk lifted the body of the Ghost White Tiger and threw it toward the Smander. The Smander was breathing fire at him again, but the body of the Ghost White Tiger blocked the mes for him.

    The Ghost White Tiger was massive, so no mes passed through it.

    The Smander circumvented the body of the Ghost White Tiger, running fast toward him.

    He sighed.

    ¡°Oh, well.¡±

    Junhyuk extended his hand and used the Spatial Copse. He did not know where the core was, but the Spatial Copse sucked everything around it toward it.

    Crack!

    Junhyuk did not want to be hit by the Smander¡¯s breath. With the Spatial Copse, its mes got sucked away. Junhyuk ran forward and used a single-point explosion. The mana on the de exploded in the center of the Spatial Copse, generating a shockwave.

    Boom!

    He did not care that the Spatial Copse had not been able to deal with the core. The single point explosion pierced through it, and the Smander died.

    After taking care of the remaining B-ranked monsters, Junhyuk ran toward the tower core. The tower appeared far in the distance, and as he approached, he felt something on it, a type of energy.

    His eyes beamed. He wanted to take the core energy from the tower core with him.

    By then, Junhyuk started making his ns for escape, so he tried to contact Jeffrey, but the connection didn¡¯t go through. All he could do was frown at the situation.

    ¡°Shit! I need to be sure!¡±

    Junhyuk needed to know what had happened to the equipment he had given Jeffrey. He had to activate it, but there was no way for him to know if it would work.

    Thinking about it, he also couldn¡¯t call Vera from within the tear. He started thinking. It had taken him over five minutes to get to the tower core, so he wasn¡¯t sure if he could get out in time, even if he elerated. He needed to know what was going on with Jeffrey to be able to use the item.

    While thinking and staring at the tower core, he heard a voice.

    ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±

    Junhyuk turned around and saw Eltor standing there. He stared hard at the manager.

    ¡°Somebody has to stop it.¡±

    Eltor nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Correct. We¡¯ve seen the powered people training.¡±

    Junhyuk realized that Eltor had been watching everything and scowled.

    Eltor shrugged and said, ¡°But you came here alone.¡±

    ¡°I had no choice.¡±

    The dimensional tear had many A-ranked monsters within it. He had dealt with four A-ranked monsters just inside that single tear. Could anyone else other than Junhyuk enter a tear? If he hadn¡¯t been a hero, he would¡¯ve died like a dog on the street.

    Junhyuk turned toward the tower core, and Eltor said, ¡°I must tell you one thing.¡±

    He aimed his sword at the tower, turning only his head toward the manager. Eltor looked at him and smiled, saying, ¡°The more you try to destroy the tears, the harder the following ones will get.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for your advice,¡± he replied, swinging his sword at the tower.

    ng!

    The tower core cracked, and Junhyuk gathered mana on his sword and swung again. The tower started falling, and Junhyuk grabbed the core within it. He put it inside his Spatial Bag and turned, dashing out of there, wishing for the teleportation item to work.

    ¡ª

    After he went inside the dimensional tear, the situation turned sour for the experts¡¯ team. Waves of monsters came their way.

    At first, only those close by attacked them, but Junhyuk had spent ten minutes inside the tear, so the number of monsters grew to more than 150.

    While dealing with the monsters, the experts changed their opinion of Jeffrey. Seven B-ranked monsters had attacked them at the same time, and that¡¯s when Jeffrey had summoned the Ghost White Tiger. The summon hadsted only ten seconds, but it had killed all of the monster surrounding them then.

    However, their luck was running out. Jeffrey was still waiting on his cooldown, but the monsters kepting at them.

    There were five B-ranked monsters and fifty C-ranked monsters now.

    Jeffrey looked at the others. Everyone was exhausted. With things like that, they wouldn¡¯t be able to stop the monsters anymore.

    They were desponded, but that¡¯s when Jeffrey¡¯s item shone brightly.

    Surrounded by light, Junhyuk appeared. He sighed heavily, relieved.

    ¡°I can activate it from my side.¡±

    Then, he saw the monstersing at them, but he also saw the team had survived.

    ¡°You did well,¡± he added, and his shockwaves swept through the horde. I only took him thirty seconds to wipe out all of the monsters.

    That was real power, real strength.

    Far above them, the dimensional tear crackled loudly. The tear copsed within itself and disappeared.

    The experts¡¯ team was astonished, and looking up, Junhyuk said, ¡°Now, there are ny-nine remaining.¡±

 Chapter 371 - Expectating 1

    <h4>Chapter 371: Expectating 1</h4>

    The dimensional tear had been destroyed, but that wasn¡¯t the end. Junhyuk and the experts¡¯ team ran without rest, dealing with the remaining monsters on the way. They joined up with Lucy and the novices at the end.

    The monster dposition liquid worked against C-ranked monsters, but fighting them wasn¡¯t easy. The monster support squad and the Japanese Self-Defense Force joined the fight against the monsters.

    The B-ranked monsters weren¡¯t showing up inrge numbers. They were actually appearing one by one, so Lucy really disyed her skills. Under hermand, the novices showed that they could hunt B-ranked monsters. It wasn¡¯t easy. To kill a twin-headed ogre, all of the novices attacking it had to use their powers. Thanks to their concentrated attacks, they were able to kill it.

    So, after a while, the novices fought against B-ranked monsters one by one, and the armies and regr human squads took care of the C-ranked monsters.

    When Junhyuk arrived, he saw what Lucy had done and was once against astonished by her skill.

    That time, the disappearance of the monster area had been a problem caused by him, and all novices had survived through it. They deserved thepliments.

    Junhyuk walked over to Lucy and patted her on the shoulder lightly. She was very d for his support.

    ¡ª

    They had destroyed the Japanese dimensional tear, so they were being treated as national heroes.

    Junhyuk refused to see anyone after he got back to the hotel. He wanted to get on a flight to South Korea immediately, and the monster support squad helped him with that.

    They had flown military airnes on their way to Japan, but now, they headed back on civilian nes.

    They had destroyed the tear, and now, the public knew how powerful the powered people were. The novices hadn¡¯t stopped the dimensional tear, but they had dealt with B-ranked monsters sessfully. Therefore, the leaders of the nations decided not to dismantle the novices¡¯ teams.

    Once the nesnded, vehicles were there to pick them up. They got in their cars and headed to Guardians HQ.

    Junhyuk knew he had to meet them sooner orter. Guardians had called for him, and he had agreed to meet them.

    He entered the HQ and saw people waiting for him: Eunseo and the delegates from other countries. They all had cheerful expressions on their faces.

    So far, it had been impossible to destroy the dimensional tears. However, they had proved that it was doable now.

    As he saw their cheerful expressions, he said calmly, ¡°I must tell you that until the experts¡¯ teams areplete, there won¡¯t be another attack on a monster area.¡±

    They all heard his words and frowned.

    ¡°Just wanting more experts doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ll get more experts.¡±

    Junhyuk replied calmly, ¡°This time, we attacked the monster area without proper preparation, but the border had been punctured, so we had to do it. The powered people are all fine, but there were casualties within the monster support squad and the Japanese Self-Defense Force.¡±

    He continued, ¡°We won¡¯t know how many casualties we¡¯ll have with things this way.¡±

    Steve spoke up, ¡°DK, will you attack the dimensional tears once the experts¡¯ teams are formed?¡±

    ¡°Certainly, but the experts¡¯ teams have to be set up.¡±

    Junhyuk thought there had to be more experts around the world. He knew people were hiding their existence, but if they came out in the open, they would be a big help.

    He continued calmly, ¡°There must be more unknown experts. If you treat them right, more novices and experts will volunteer.¡±

    Eunseo answered, ¡°We¡¯ll publicize the satellites photos and pictures taken by the Japanese Self-Defense Force of your attack on the monster area. We¡¯ll also make it easier for novices and experts toe forward.¡±

    He looked at her, and she continued, ¡°We¡¯ve gained a lot from the monster area, so we¡¯ll sell the materials and distribute the money among the powered people. More powered people wille forward if they see that.¡±

    Junhyuk gave a light nod and said, ¡°Fine. Then, hurry up on acquiring them. Our training is not over yet, so we¡¯ll move on to Russia next.¡±

    The Chinese delegate got up from his seat suddenly and protested, ¡°But we are closer to you than Russia?¡±

    Junhyuk looked at him and said, ¡°We go to Russia.¡±

    It was a curt answer, and the Chinese delegated shut his mouth. Junhyuk turned to the others and continued, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be leaving now. We depart for Russia in two days. I¡¯ll see you then.¡±

    Junhyuk walked out. It was hard for him to escape their surveince, and he thought he should focus on some kind of stealth power for his next one. It did not have tost a long time. He only needed it for a short period. At which point, he would elerate and lose the surveince on him.

    Junhyuk walked through the garden at Guardians HQ and burned some time. He walked for an hour before pulling out his cell. He was calling Jeffrey.

    ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t guarding us since we are experts. We heard we¡¯ll depart for Russia two days from now, so they gave us some free time. The guards are still following us, but Doyeol helped me get some time for myself.¡±

    ¡°Are you alone?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you should join me.¡±

    Junhyuk hung up the phone and teleported, appearing on the roof of Guardians HQ. There, he pulled out the item Vera had given him.

    ¡°This costs me a lot of money every time I use it.¡±

    He wanted topletely get away from people¡¯s surveince of him. The items enabled him to teleport through dimensions, so he turned it on and appeared where Jeffrey was.

    Jeffrey had his own item out. He was in a hotel, and when Junhyuk arrived, he looked around.

    ¡°What is this ce?¡±

    ¡°We are in Seoul. This is just temporary amodations.¡±

    Junhyuk shrugged.

    ¡°You helped me out this time,¡± he said as he put his item away.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll see you in two days.¡±

    Junhyuk teleported to the roof of the building and took the stairs down. He grabbed a cab. The driver saw one of his masked faces. He was wearing sses that made him look like a schr.

    The cab went in the direction of Elise¡¯s house. He had just left Guardians HQ, but now he was going back.

    When he arrived near Elise¡¯s house, he got out and walked the long way there. He went down a long, winding path, teleporting every so often before arriving at her house. There, he changed his appearance again, back to himself, and entered herb.

    Had she been waiting for him? Elise was there, and it was a good thing that she was there and not at the Guardians¡¯b.

    ¡°Elise.¡±

    When she heard his voice, she turned, taking off her goggles, and said, ¡°You came!¡±

    He nodded, and Elise smiled and signaled him closer with her hand.

    ¡°Come here.¡±

    Junhyuk walked over to her, and she showed him some new equipment with pride.

    ¡°I used the recipes to make these.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the equipmentid out in front of them and was speechless. There were fourteen different items.

    ¡°Have you slept at all?¡±

    ¡°I was focused, so I have not.¡± She smiled, looking at the pieces. ¡°I sent one piece to Tirot for testing. These are entirely different from before.¡±

    ¡°Nice! Our strength will increase if we use them.¡±

    Elise nodded and replied, ¡°I realized just how superior magitek was. That¡¯s the problem.¡±

    ¡°What is?¡±

    She turned to him and said, ¡°I want to focus on this, but Pentagram has asked me for a favor.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to her, and she shrugged.

    ¡°You know we make the batteries for the iron models out of mana stones, right?¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°This time, they got a lot of mana stones from the dimensional tear in Japan. Are you aware of that?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten the report.¡±

    Elise said, ¡°Well, they got a lot of mana stones, so they want a generator powered by mana stones.¡±

    Junhyuk frowned.

    ¡°Perhaps, they want to monopolize the energy sector?¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    ¡°When you make the generator, how much energy will it yield per mana stone?¡±

    ¡°That depends on the size of the mana stone, but the energy will be massive.¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think before shaking his head. The energy sector might be important, but they had a job to do: stopping the dimensional tears.

    On top of that, his goal was to be a legend in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    He had enough money on Earth, and when the energy business took off, the mana stones would be even more valuable.

    Sarang had a training facility of her own. She and Junhyuk had ess to an unlimited amount of mana stones, so the training facility would be even more important.

    Junhyuk emptied his mind. Right now, he needed magitek equipment. He had to gain more gold coins so that he could find himself in a better position.

    He needed more gold to be a legend.

    Turning to Elise, he asked, ¡°Can you work on two projects at the same time?¡±

    Elise smiled.

    ¡°Sure, but Tirot and Brita have to help me on the generator.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I will tell them that.¡±

    Elise smiled.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll share the generator¡¯s patent with you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡±

    He did not really need it, but Elise was willing to share, so he shouldn¡¯t refuse her. She looked at the equipment in front of them and said, ¡°I made each piece once, and they all turned out a sess. The book said there was a high rate of failure. I must¡¯ve been lucky.¡±

    It could¡¯ve been that she had been lucky, but she was highly intelligent to begin with.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make a few more items, and then I¡¯ll start on new recipes.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to her, and she smiled at him.

    ¡°You must know that new recipes will require astronomical amount of ingredients,¡± she said.

    He smiled and replied, ¡°I know.¡±

    Development cost money and materials, but they had to do it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll support you with anything you will need.¡±

    She smiled and touched her Ring of Promise, saying, ¡°This ring was worth it.¡±

 Chapter 372 - Spectating 2

    <h4>Chapter 372: Spectating 2</h4>

    Junhyuk went to see Elise for another reason. He pulled the body of the Doppelganger King from his Spatial Bag.

    When Elise saw it, she asked, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen this monster.¡±

    At that moment, the body of the Doppelganger King was translucent and formless. It did not look like Junhyuk anymore, but its regr self.

    Elise was inspecting it carefully, and Junhyuk said, ¡°This is a Doppelganger King. It¡¯s an A-ranked monster. I met someone in the Dimensional Battlefield that told me that the heart of a Doppelganger King carried dimensional error energy.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡±

    Her eyes widened as she stared at it. The words dimensional error sounded important and interesting, and she smiled.

    ¡°Do you want me to research it?¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°It¡¯s an A-ranked monster, so we could use it for other purposes as well.¡±

    ¡°OK. The research value is extremely high.¡±

    Then, Junhyuk pulled out a B-ranked ghost tiger from his bag.

    ¡°And this is a ghost tiger, which has the ability to hide by disappearing from view. I want to know where that poweres from.¡±

    ¡°I was going to ask you to get me one of those.¡±

    People were always after invisibility powers, and Elise was also interested in it.

    ¡°Then, please, do your thing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be very busy.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°I also have a lot of work to do.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow is Friday. Are you going to the Dimensional Battlefield?¡±

    ¡°No, I go every other week.¡±

    ¡°OK. When I discover something, I¡¯ll call you.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    They were done talking, and Junhyuk exited herb. He teleported away from Guardians, heading to his house in Seoul. Sarang was already there.

    ¡°Long time, no see.¡±

    Sarang smiled at him.

    ¡°When did you get back?¡±

    ¡°I got here around noon. I had to go see Guardians and Elise.¡±

    She smiled.

    ¡°Was stopping the Japanese dimensional tear hard?¡±

    ¡°It was hard, yes,¡± he answered as he nodded. ¡°I had to deal with three A-ranked monsters at once.¡±

    ¡°Is that possible?!¡± Sarang asked, shocked.

    He answered, ¡°It is.¡±

    It hadn¡¯t been easy. It would be more correct to say that he had almost died. If thebination of monsters had been different, he might¡¯ve been killed.

    While Sarang was stunned, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat!¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    She had brought three-minute instant curry with her. After they ate together, they headed into the training facility.

    There was still time before the next monster wave, so he asked, ¡°How was your battle?¡±

    Sarang shook her head and answered, ¡°I died three times... I suffered like a dog.¡±

    ¡°Was it that hard?¡±

    ¡°Yes, without you.¡±

    He continued, ¡°What about your enemies?¡±

    ¡°We won all the same.¡±

    Sarang had impressive powers now. She¡¯d started equipping herself with defensive items, and her attack was outstanding. She could use her electric st to paralyze enemies and she could also heal.

    Her powers were different from his, and she wouldpliment him. When he was a champion, he only had one attack power. He had had mostly defensive powers, but Sarang already had two attack powers. She might end up more powerful than him.

    However, she had died three times, which meant the enemies had been stronger than he had expected.

    As he talked to her, he pulled out the core of the dimensional tear, and Sarang stared at it curiously.

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    Inspecting the core, he said, ¡°This was inside the dimensional tear, at the heart of the tower core. It doesn¡¯t make dimensional tears, but the monster area was filled with energy from this device.¡±

    Looking at it, he murmured, ¡°So, I wanted to check on something.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he answered honestly.

    Junhyuk held the core with both hands and focused his thoughts on it. His own energy coalesced with the core¡¯s energy. If the energy had been mana, he would¡¯ve been able to absorb it, but it wasn¡¯t mana.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    It expanded space, like the monster area expansions, but it was totally different from mana. He kept feeling the energy, something he felt when he crossed the border to the monster area.

    As Junhyuk focused on it, Sarang distanced herself from him and started absorbing mana. She knew what she had to do to get stronger. She was still learning from Vera, but she could absorb mana and create mana circles around her heart.

    Both of them forgot about the passing time. As Junhyuk opened his eyes slowly, he felt something. There were beings in front of him.

    ¡°There are three now?!¡±

    He could deal with them alone, but he would have to use his ultimate to kill the A-ranked monsters, and even then, he would barely be able to do it.

    Junhyuk turned to Sarang, and she smiled at him.

    ¡°You were telling the truth. The number has increased.¡±

    He summoned all of his equipment and said, ¡°Let¡¯s kill them first and do more meditative training after.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    He ran forward, and Sarang shot her electric sts.

    ¡ª

    It was a good thing that more A-ranked monsters had shown up. He needed more materials for magitek gear. However, while different types of A-ranked monsters had shown up, none of them had been Doppelganger Kings.

    After killing them all, he clicked his tongue. He was grateful for the variety, but the Smander did not drop anything.

    He had to destroy its core to kill it, and once he did, the whole monster exploded, leaving nothing behind. He knew of no other way to kill it.

    After they killed the monsters, Junhyuk talked to her about what would happen the next day. They knew about their enemies¡¯ powers, but they didn¡¯t know about their enemies¡¯ equipment.

    Junhyuk had one attack power and one support power. His ultimate was also an attack, but his equipment was better than most tanks, which meant his attack was better than most damagers.

    The enemies could have someone as strong as him. He also had to analyze his own powers and worry about forming a team of his own.

    Junhyuk talked about his own experiences, and as he did, Sarang thought about different situations, running simtions in her head.

    He felt her simtions were urate, so he agreed with her. He trusted her toe up with the bestbination for herself and her team.

    They also talked about battle locations that would be advantageous to her. They had already fought on the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, so they coulde up with strategies for her.

    After sending her home, he entered the training facility again. There, he pulled out the core. He had heard that management wasn¡¯t able to produce them easily, which meant that management couldn¡¯t easily control them either. He thought the core might contain secrets that management was hiding.

    He held the core and focused on it. The core itself was extremely valuable. He had acquired it easily, which had him with conflicting thoughts in his head.

    It was Friday, and he felt the world turning sharp white. Then, Ariel appeared in front of him. She was smiling brightly.

    [Wee to your viewing box!]

    ¡°This is the viewing box?¡±

    He sat downfortably.

    [There are two ways to watch the match. You can have a bird¡¯s eyes view of the battle, or you can look through a participant¡¯s viewpoint.]

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting.¡±

    [We are in a separate timeline from the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, so you may rewind and fast forward the battle as you watch.]

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    ¡°That¡¯s funny. I talked to Arn before during one of my battles...¡±

    [Conversations are possible. You may use your device to do so, but you can¡¯t give the participants any advice. Their timeline is different from ours.]

    ¡°Advice...¡±

    It was meant to prevent him from letting Sarang know about her enemies¡¯ movements since he could rewind the battle.

    Junhyuk turned to Ariel and asked, ¡°Can I listen to them?¡±

    [You cannot hear voices, but you may hear other sounds.]

    He smacked his lips.

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll watch through the eyes of the Champion Sarang.¡±

    [I¡¯ll get everything ready.]

    He rested back on his chair, and his vision changed. The ce was mostly silent, but he could hear footsteps. Sarang was meeting Gongon and the other champion.

    The elf was smiling with his eyes. He looked simr to Diane. The elf was very handsome, and Junhyuk felt Sarang¡¯s heart pounding.

    Heughed very hard at that.

    ¡°I can¡¯t hear her voice, but I feel her heart pounding. She is too focused on people¡¯s faces.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t hear their conversation, but he could feel the battlefield through her heartbeat, which piqued his interest.

    They grouped up and started moving. Gongon and Sarang were moving together. They did not know how good the elf was, so they decided to stick together.

    They headed out, but Junhyuk did not want to watch them walking for hours.

    ¡°Fast forward.¡±

    Suddenly, the images of the battlefield zoomed across his eyes, and he saw the enemies on a watchtower.

    ¡°The minions are buffed just like the ones on Nightmare Mountain.¡±

    [Yes, they are.]

    They had nned ordingly for the minions, he and Sarang. Heroes couldn¡¯t ignore minions now, which meant that champions couldn¡¯t either.

    The enemy forces kept the minions ahead of them as they advanced. When they closed in, Gongon stepped forward. The lizardmen attacked Gongon, but Gongon dodged all of their attacks, swinging his tail at them calmly.

    The tail whack was a light attack, but the lizardmen died as they got hit. Sarang was shooting her electric arrows at them from a distance.

    The enemy champions started moving, a tank and a damager. The tank attacked Gongon, while the damager did the same but from a distance. As expected, the damager¡¯s range was about thirty meters.

    Gongon transformed to take down the tank. The tank gotunched away, and Gongon used his firebreath to sweep the battlefield. Through Sarang¡¯s eyes, Junhyuk saw the enemies berger.

    An electric st hit the damager, paralyzing him, and suddenly, thunderbolts crashed down on his head.

    The damager faded, and Gongon punched the tank on the head.

    The enemies could have had great damaging capabilities, but they hadn¡¯t had a chance to attack.

    Junhyuk murmured to himself, ¡°Nice!¡±

 Chapter 373 - Spectating 3

    <h4>Chapter 373: Spectating 3</h4>

    Junhyuk changed from Sarang¡¯s point of view to the elf¡¯s. He was seeing the inside of the allied castle.

    ¡°Did he die already?¡±

    [Do you want a rey of when he died?]

    ¡°Do it.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to know what had happened. The enemy champion had a shadowstep power. It could slink into shadows, but it wasn¡¯t full stealth. So, curious, Junhyuk reyed the events.

    In the video, the enemy assassin dashed quickly. The elf fired arrows at the enemy forces, so the assassin turned to smoke, closing in on the elf and stabbing his chest.

    The elf was surprised by that. He distanced himself and tried to use his ensnaring power, shooting arrows at the enemy again. The elf was able to tie the enemy up, and the arrowsnded on the assassin, injuring him. The elf distanced himself further and shot off more arrows, but the enemy assassin appeared from the elf¡¯s shadow and stabbed him in the back of the neck. The battle was decided like that, with only two hits.

    Even though the enemy champion had used his powers, the damage was still very high. They definitely had to watch out for assassins.

    Junhyuk sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯ll continued from Sarang¡¯s point of view.¡±

    He started watching the action through Sarang¡¯s eyes again and saw that she was carrying Gongon, walking with him.

    ¡°Fast forward.¡±

    The images shed quickly, and the two appeared in the Swamp of Despair. After they talked to Hatma, they saw the assassin on the opposite side of the stepping-stone path.

    The assassin dashed toward them, and Gongon blocked his path. The other two enemy champions appeared soon after. Things had turned precarious for them.

    The allied champion was also heading there, but he wouldn¡¯t arrive in time.

    Junhyuk frowned at what he was seeing. He wanted to tell them to kill the assassin first as his damage was definitely outstanding.

    The assassin was weaker than Kilraden, but he was still very strong. Sarang could end up dying from abo from him.

    Junhyuk, who was watching things through Sarang¡¯s eyes, whispered, ¡°I want a bird¡¯s eye view.¡±

    They knew all of the assassin¡¯s powers, so they knew that the assassin didn¡¯t have a stealth power. The strategy to dealing with a strong, bothersome enemy was to attack from a distance.

    Gongon ran first. The assassin, who had been crossing the stepping stones, had the ability to turn into smoke when under attack and move twenty meters. He could also slink into shadows and appear from a shadow thirty meters away from where he started.

    To kill him, Sarang and Gongon had to be extremely aware of the distance between them.

    Gongon headbutted the approaching assassin, and he changed into smoke, closing in toward Sarang.

    The enemy champion had recognized Gongon as the tank, so he wanted to kill Sarang first. Sarang cast her Thunderstorm on the assassin. Once the spell had been triggered, it couldn¡¯t be dodged. The bolts of lighting mmed against the assassin¡¯s head.

    The assassin lost a massive chunk of his health at once, and Gongon used his firebreath against the champion¡¯s back.

    That was the end of the assassin. He had great attack, but his defense was weak.

    Just like the simtion Sarang had run in her head, they had taken care of the assassin. However, the tank and the damager were already standing in front of the two allies.

    The tank rushed and tackled Sarang, who lost a good chunk of health.

    Gongon tried to run to her rescue, but the tank had alreadyunched her away. Sarang mmed against the ground, but she cast her electric sts as she did.

    The enemy damager made an attack of his own before the electric st hit him. He was paralyzed, but half of Sarang¡¯s health was gone.

    Sarang healed herself, and Gongon transformed. He closed in and beat the crap out of the tank while blocking the damager¡¯s view of Sarang.

    The damager was able to move again, and he ran to the side. The tank once again targeted Sarang.

    Sarang used her electric arrows on the tank, but her regr attacks did not paralyze it. The tank was still moving toward her.

    Her heart pounded fast, and she cast a Thunderstorm on the tank¡¯s head. The champion was heavily damaged, but he still closed in on her and attacked her.

    It would¡¯ve been nice for her to keep her distance, but while she attacked, the tank had taken the opportunity to close in on her. Her heartbeat was very fast, and Junhyuk frowned when he felt it.

    Even if the tank attacked her, Sarang¡¯s defense was decently high now. She wouldn¡¯t die easily, which made Junhyuk think she should stay calm.

    Sarang looked to the side and saw that Gongon had fallen in the Swamp of Despair.

    Junhyuk saw it too, and he scowled when he did.

    ¡°I told him not to have his back to the swamp!¡±

    The enemy damager had a push power, so the allies had to be careful of that when facing him near the swamp. Gongon had fallen in, which meant that the hatchling had probably been overexcited.

    The problem was that Sarang had already used all of her powers, and now she had to deal with two enemies.

    Surely, the tank and the damagerbined their attacks on her, and Sarang died. The world turned ck for her.

    Junhyuk sighed. If it had been a team battle, the allies might have had the superiority, but two of them couldn¡¯t deal with three.

    Sarang and Gongon had died, so they decided to join with the elf. If their enemies had already acquired the buff, they had to avoid them.

    Watching the action, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Are the buffs the same?¡±

    [The buffs nowst longer. That was done to eliminate situations where one couldn¡¯t take advantage of the buffs. The amount of active hours has increased.]

    ¡°Yeah? That¡¯s unexpected. Fast forward.¡±

    [Yes, sir.]

    The images shed quickly to a point where the allies were engaged in battle. However, what if the enemies had the buffs? If the allies could kill them, they would take the buffs, and with the buffs, they could win easily.

    The allies had gathered and attacked the lower path. As he watched the action, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Is there a bird¡¯s-eye-view mode? Can you feed the action through two images, with one running a bird¡¯s eye view of the battlefield?¡±

    [That is possible.]

    Junhyuk saw a minimap appear in the corner of his vision. From there, he could see the enemies¡¯ movements.

    Two were running away from the Swamp of Despair, and another wasing out of the enemy castle. The three would gather at the second tower, and they were taking arge number of lizardmen with them.

    They meant to push the allies and decide the match.

    Junhyuk bit his lip as he watched. Sarang did not know that the enemies wereing her way. She was carrying Gongon while walking by the elf. Her heart was pounding, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t tell if it was because she was hugging Gongon or if it was because she was walking next to the handsome elf. She wasn¡¯t paying attention to the battlefield.

    She could be ambushed by the enemy champions like that.

    Junhyuk kept watching. He couldn¡¯t give them advice since they were in different timelines.

    He saw a being waiting for them at the enemies¡¯ second tower. The assassin was looking at the allies and smiling. It wasn¡¯t easy to keep away from him.

    The assassin sent the lizardmen forward. The allies had also brought minions, but the enemies¡¯ lizardmen outnumbered the allies¡¯ by double.

    Gongon stepped forward, and the assassin stepped behind the lizardmen.

    Junhyuk muttered to himself, ¡°Don¡¯t forget the simtion.¡±

    The allies had experienced situations like that before, when the enemies had had the buffs. However, when Junhyuk had been a champion, he had not cared about the enemies having buffs. They had only been buffed for a short time before.

    The active time had increased now, so the assassin waited behind the lizardmen, while the tank and the damager appeared behind the allies.

    Gongon turned around and ran toward the tank and the damager, and that¡¯s when the assassin moved toward the allies. The allies were surrounded by their enemies, and in that situation, they should clear their path of retreat to maximize their movement speeds.

    Sarang cast electric arrows on the enemies behind her. To Junhyuk, she should kill the damager first. Killing him meant that she could take his buff and change the course of the battle.

    Junhyuk was hopeful as he watched them. The tank tackled Gongon, so Gongon transformed and threw the tank away. Sarang shot an electric arrow at the tank as well.

    The electric arrows were lucky, and both the tank and the damager were paralyzed.

    Gongon headbutted the damager. Transformed, the damage of his attacks was outstanding. The enemy damager lost a massive chunk of his health from the attack. Meanwhile, a Thunderstorm fell on the tank.

    Gongon could kill the damager by himself, but the enemies regained their movements. The enemy damager moved forward while firing an arrow. Sarang got hit by it and was pushed back.

    The enemies attacked her from behind, and the assassin appeared from her shadow, stabbing her. Her vision went dark.

    Junhyuk frowned and said, ¡°Change to Gongon¡¯s point of view.¡±

    Junhyuk started watching things from Gongon¡¯s eyes. Gongon was beating the crap out of the enemy tank. The damager had died, and Gongon had gotten his buff. The assassin was now focusing on him.

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue. With the buff, the assassin¡¯s damage was extreme. If Sarang were still alive, she could have healed Gongon, but she had already died.

    The elf attacked the enemy assassin, but Gongon died.

    Gongon¡¯s vision went dark, and Junhyuk scowled. He had thought the allies would win easily, but they were getting their asses kicked.

    Junhyuk closed his eyes for a while and slowly opened them.

    ¡°If they keep their buffs, the allies will be at a disadvantage during team battles.¡±

    Junhyuk believed the allies would win. He was thinking of Gongon and Sarang when he thought that. The allies werecking his force field, but he still believed in his friends.

    Unexpectedly, the elf was useless.

    ¡°He just looks handsome,¡± he said. ¡°Sarang¡¯s point of view.¡±

    Sarang met up with Gongon and they talked. Her heart was pounding like crazy. Was that because she was angry? Junhyuk was curious, but he couldn¡¯t get an answer.

    They moved with the elf again, taking the lower path once more.

    ¡°Fast forward.¡±

    The allies zoomed, and the minimap showed the enemy location. They had pushed the bottom path, so the first allied tower fell. They were headed to the second allied tower.

    All of the buffs were gone, so the allies could really fight now. However, the allies didn¡¯t wait at the second tower. Instead, they advanced to meet their enemies on the road.

    Gongon stepped forward first again.

    Junhyuk was worried. The enemies weren¡¯t buffed, so Gongon could kick ass. If the allies supported Gongon, they could win.

    However, Gongon was two far ahead. Sarang and the elf were following him, but the enemy tank was already approaching the hatchling.

    Gongon transformed and rushed at the tank. The tank gotunched away, and the enemies grouped up in one ce. Sarang quickly cast her Thunderstorm on them.

    The assassin was in the middle, but he had expected that. He turned into smoke and appeared behind Gongon, stabbing the hatchling in the neck.

    The three attacked Gongon, and the dragon found himself in a precarious position. Junhyuk balled his hands into fists. Meanwhile, Gongon jumped up. He went up for about twenty meters and rolled into a ball. Gongon was in the air with nowhere to go.

    Junhyuk stood up from the suspense, and suddenly, something changed.

    With Gongon as the center, huge mes whirled around the area. Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened. A dragon beating two wings appeared, covered in mes.

    It looked just like the one in the Dragon¡¯s Valley, but it was smaller. Still, the small dragon looked extremely dangerous.

    Sarang¡¯s heart pounded again.

    Without noticing, Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Nice, Gon!¡±

 Chapter 374 - Russia 1

    <h4>Chapter 374: Russia 1</h4>

    After Gongon had changed into a full dragon, he shot fireballs out of his mouth. It was a regr attack, but his overall method of attack had changed. Previously, Gongon used to have a short-range regr attack, but now, it was long range. Junhyuk waspletely surprised by that.

    He was happy for the hatchling.

    When they were damaged, the enemies were dumbfounded. Gongon¡¯s transformation ignited mes around the battlefield, and the enemies were damaged by those as well.

    While they were covered in mes, Gongon used his fireballs to further damage them.

    The tank tried to attack Gongon, but the elf used his ensnaring power to tie him up. While the tank couldn¡¯t move, Gongon focus-fired his fireballs on the assassin.

    Suddenly, the assassin slinked into shadow. Sarang stepped forward to cast her electric sts, and the assassin appeared behind her. She had expected that, so she cast a st behind her as well, and the assassin was paralyzed.

    The elf shot arrows at him, while Gongon shot more fireballs at the enemy champion. Sarang also cast her electric arrows.

    While Gongon and Sarang were only using their basic attacks, the elf used a power. They continued attacking until the assassin faded away.

    The assassin had dodged the Thunderstorm, but he was hit by every other allied attack, which was fatal to him.

    Gongon extended his wings wide and flew in front of Sarang, shooting a barrage of fireballs at the enemies. After being hit, the damager frowned. It was a regr attack, but the damage was absurd.

    Junhyuk muttered to himself, ¡°That¡¯s no longer a simple transformation. His attacks are much stronger.¡±

    The tank was rushing toward Gongon, and the dragon opened his mouth wide. More fireballs came out, but the attack looked different from before.

    Boom!

    A loud explosion rang out, and the tank was thrown away like trash. Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°When his ultimate is active, his other powers also change?¡±

    That wasn¡¯t one of Gongon¡¯s usual powers, but something else. Gongon looked totally different, and his powers did as well.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t even have a cooldown?!¡±

    Gongon had a new power, and while transformed, that power didn¡¯t have a cooldown.

    ¡°Huh! So cool!¡±

    Gongon could use all of his powers before using his ultimate to takeplete advantage of his buffs.

    The tank died, and the enemy damager ran away. However, Gongon chased after him and killed him as well. It had taken only one hero to change the flow of that battle.

    Junhyuk sighed with relief.

    ¡°I earned some money from that. What¡¯s the return?¡±

    [Two and a half times what you bet.]

    ¡°Cool!¡±

    Junhyuk had bet 200,000G. That meant that he would get 500,000G on top of what he bet, so he cheered aloud.

    He wasn¡¯t tense anymore. He simply followed the rest of the battle through Sarang¡¯s eyes. The enemies knew Gongon was now a hero.

    Gongon¡¯s group moved moved through the lower path, and the enemies sent a single champion after them. The tank went to the second tower on the lower path, and the rest of them went toward the upper path.

    The tank was trying to pull the enemies while the others attacked the upper path. The enemy champions weren¡¯t concerned with defense. They were trying to survive and win.

    Their n wasn¡¯t bad. The enemies¡¯ movement speeds was very high. The damager and the attacker moved much faster than the other champions in the battle. However, Junhyuk was curious as to why the minions were moving that fast as well.

    The allies reached the second tower and fought against the tank. At the same time, the enemies reached the second allied tower on the upper path.

    While Junhyuk was looking at the minimap, he stuck out his tongue.

    ¡°Smart.¡±

    Unless they destroyed the watchtower¡¯s force field, they wouldn¡¯t be able to kill the archers. The tank and the lizardmen went on defense, and the allies couldn¡¯t pierce through them. Area of effect attacks did not work, so the allies had to kill the minions one by one.

    Finally, the allies killed all of the minions along with the enemy tank. However, they lost their second upper tower.

    ¡°Push on!¡±

    If they turned around now, they would bete to arrive at the castle. So, they took the surviving minions with them and kept moving. Only ten minions survived, but the allies should be grateful for them.

    They should use the minions to destroy the castle¡¯s gate.

    Junhyuk looked at the enemy champions moving on the minimap. They were moving toward the allied castle.

    Junhyuk checked on their speeds. Could the enemy tank block the allies again once they reached the castle? Could the enemy champions destroy the allied castle while that was happening?

    The enemies had a lot of minions with them, about fifty. Fifty would be a big help in destroying the gate.

    Junhyuk was astonished by the enemies¡¯ speed. They reached the allied castle before the allies reached theirs.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how many enemies you kill. What matters is how fast you can destroy the castle.¡±

    The objective was to win, and the enemies were making the correct choice.

    The allies had to stop them, but what to do? Should the allies return to their own castle?

    The allies didn¡¯t spend too much time thinking about it. Gongon said a few things, and the elf returned. Meanwhile, Gongon ran toward the enemy castle.

    He dodged the enemy minions¡¯ attacks and transformed, pouncing on the enemy tank. The tank bounced off, and Sarang joined the fight. She cast her Thunderstorm, and Gongon managed to finish off the tank.

    Junhyuk looked at the minimap. There were two enemies at the castle, but now, there were more allied minion markers around the allied castle, more than enemy minion markers even. The allied minions crowded the castle parapet, and the elf loosened arrows from above.

    Unless the enemies destroyed the gate, they wouldn¡¯t be able to kill the archers, but what about the elf?

    The enemies could attack the elf. However, as the enemies got closer to attack him, the elf reentered the castle, disappearing from view. Leaving the enemies to fall under the minions¡¯ attacks.

    The enemies were rushing toward the allied gate, but the allied minions easily outnumbered the enemy minions. The allied minions were doing a great job.

    The elf was buying the allies more time. Meanwhile, the allies destroyed the enemy gate and went inside the castle.

    At that moment, the enemy champions chose to return to their own castle. They had no other choice. The two were now standing in front of the giant golem, and all of their remaining minions were there. The number of allied minions was insignificant inparison.

    However, the allies were not in danger. Gongon was very confident.

    The hatchling stepped forward, and the giant golem stood up. Gongon ran toward the enemies, and the giant golem tried to kick him. However, Gongon pierced through, deep within the enemy formation, and transformed, breathing fire across the area.

    The enemies werepletely covered in mes, and Sarang stepped forward. She cast electric sts on the two champions, and they were paralyzed.

    The allies were in the middle of the enemy camp, but they were moving about freely.

    Sarang cast Thunderstorm, and Gongon changed into a dragon. Massive mes flew everywhere from his transformation, following right behind the Thunderstorm. All of the enemies hit by them died.

    The dragon flew toward Sarang while spewing fireballs to deal with the giant golem. His long range attacks were better for that, and Sarang shot electric arrows to help him. The giant golem died.

    The tank appeared within the castle¡¯s force field, but he chose not to go out. Gongon scoffed at him and massacred the minions.

    Sarang and Gongon focused on the castle¡¯s force field. Victory belonged to them.

    The castle force field was gone, and the allies won.

    Gongon had a new power, but Junhyuk was curious about what kind of power it was, and how many other powers he had when he triggered it.

    Junhyuk looked away from the battle, and Ariel giggled and raised her hand.

    [You bet 200,000G. The 5 percentmission is 10,000G, so your bet was 190,000G, earning you 475,000G. Another 23,750G are taken away from your winnings asmission and fees, so you¡¯ll receive a total of 641,250G back. That amount has already been wired to your ount.]

    Junhyuk had earned a lot from a single battle. He could earn a lot more that way. However, he had no idea of who would actually win now. Gongon had left the team, and he couldn¡¯t just bet on Sarang.

    She needed more defense boosts, and the elf seemed weak.

    ¡°The fighting world is always harsh.¡±

    Junhyuk actually thought about betting on the other side the next time. He turned to Ariel and asked, ¡°When do we find out about new team?¡±

    [The teams for the Champions¡¯ Battlefield will be set next week. There are a few things to take into ount, so it¡¯s not immediate.]

    ¡°Yeah? OK.¡±

    Junhyuk got up from his seat and fixed his gaze on Ariel.

    ¡°Can I return now?¡±

    [Yes, I will see you next week.]

    Her smile looked very cute, and she bowed to him. He felt the world around him change and he opened his eyes slowly. Junhyuk was back it the training facility.

    There, he called Sarang and Gongon with his crystal orb.

    Gongon wasughing joyfully.

    ¡°I¡¯m a hero now!¡±

    ¡°I saw!¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    Gongon was curious, and Junhyuk exined things.

    ¡°When I bet on you, they let me watch your match.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Then, you saw me being awesome!¡±

    ¡°I did. Thanks to you, I watched you guys win.¡±

    Gongon smiled.

    ¡°Can we be on the same team now?¡±

    ¡°I hope so.¡± Junhyuk smiled and continued, ¡°That¡¯s my wish.¡±

    ¡°Mine too. I¡¯ll give you the 100,000G when I see you.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Turning to Sarang, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Are you OK?¡±

    She bit her lips and answered, ¡°I had a hard time. Sigh... I won¡¯t have Gongon next time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem! I¡¯ll bet on your enemies!¡±

    ¡°Big brother!¡±

    ¡°Just joking,¡± he said, smiling. Then, he looked at them both and added, ¡°You did well.¡±

    Sarang shook her head and said, ¡°Big brother, I am very tired. I¡¯m going to get some sleep.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    He disconnected with Gongon as well and yawned loudly.

    ¡°OK. Should I train some more?¡±

    He would be flying to Russia the next day, but since he had some time at the moment, he should train. He pulled out his swords and jumped around nimbly.

 Chapter 375 - Russia 2

    <h4>Chapter 375: Russia 2</h4>

    Everyone seemed rested from the two-day break, and they all gathered in the Guardians¡¯ building. Junhyuk was on his way to the meeting room.

    Once all of the representatives were there, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Did you find more experts?¡±

    Wilson, the English delegate, smiled, ¡°We found one in our soil.¡±

    ¡°Is that experting here?¡±

    ¡°The expert will join you in Russia.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded. He wanted toplete a team, but if not, that was still fine. Things were getting better.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s start now.¡±

    ¡°Starting today, we¡¯ll distribute videos of the destruction of the Japanese monster area to the world.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    Junhyuk believed that such an act would bring more powered people forward. The ones hidden had seen the others risking their lives to destroy the tears, so they might note out because it was dangerous. However, Guardians was trying to glorify the powered people with the help of the delegates from every country.

    To change the social perception, they were paying the powered people in the teams a lot of money. Seeing that, the others would join.

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°When another team of experts is formed and their training is finished, then we¡¯ll attack the monster area.¡±

    Junhyuk told him about his hopes, but he also mentioned his fears.

    ¡°The more dimensional tears we destroy, the harder they¡¯ll be. This time, I fought four A-ranked monsters inside the tear.¡±

    While everyone remained silent, Steve asked, ¡°How were you able to kill so many monsters by yourself?¡±

    Junhyuk grabbed the desk with both hands and said, ¡°There¡¯ll be enemies I won¡¯t be able to handle alone inside the tear. I¡¯ll need to go with a team of experts, and we¡¯ll need another to give us support from the outside. The second team will stay in the middle of the monster area, and the novices will have to support that team.¡±

    Steve gulped.

    ¡°I know how diligently the experts¡¯ team has been working while trying to destroy the tear. The monster support team can¡¯t enter the monster area. Even an army wouldn¡¯t be able to support them.¡±

    ¡°I know. We need more powered people.¡±

    Junhyuk continued calmly, ¡°Every Friday, new novices will appear. More novices are showing up than ever before. Look for them and look into their powers. Then, send the reports to Guardians.¡±

    ¡°We will.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll increase the number of novice teams and I¡¯ll let you all know now that Lucky willmand the them.¡±

    Steve knew Lucy.

    ¡°I saw that Lucy wasmanding the novices in the video. So, she will lead them?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°As you saw in the video, Lucy can lead. The manual she wrote is also very helpful. I¡¯ll make everyone read it.¡± He continued, ¡°Right now, there are nine novice teams, so I will call them, all of them together, the attack team, and Lucy will be appointed captain of that team.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Eunseo and added, ¡°We should create a team to analyze the monsters and another to strengthen Lucy¡¯s manual.¡±

    Eunseo said hesitantly, ¡°Now, it really feels like war.¡±

    ¡°A littlete, but yes.¡±

    People were nervous and tense because of the monster areas. No one knew if the border around the areas would disappear or not. The battles would be fought by powered people, but everyone would need to know how to deal with monsters.

    Junhyuk smiled and asked, ¡°Are we ready to leave?¡±

    Eunseo got up and answered, ¡°The preparations are done. There is a ne at the U.S. Army base waiting to take you to divostok.¡±

    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll take our leave.¡±

    Junhyuk went out, and Eunseo followed him. She walked with him, bringing up another subject, ¡°I went to the battlefield.¡±

    He turned to her.

    ¡°You came back safely.¡±

    ¡°I was covered in armor made from A-ranked monster hide, and this was useful as well.¡±

    She showed him her bracelet, and he smiled.

    ¡°What are its attributes?¡±

    ¡°It boosts defense and health. Thanks to it, I was able toe back unhurt.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡± He stared at her calmly, thinking that they should be together. He continued, ¡°Elise is making some useful items. Get new equipment from her.¡±

    ¡°New equipment?¡±

    ¡°The world doesn¡¯t know it yet, but she is making things that can carry buffs in the Dimensional Battlefield. She¡¯ll help you with survival.¡±

    ¡°Equipment like that? Very cool!¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be a big help.¡±

    After looking around, Eunseo told him, ¡°Be extra careful in Russia.¡±

    ¡°As long as I don¡¯t overexert myself, I¡¯ll be safe.¡±

    One A-ranked monster didn¡¯t pose much of a problem for him. He was a genuine hero, with enough power to show for it.

    After he said goodbye, he took the elevator down. Outside, he saw the the teams were already in their cars.

    He walked toward a vehicle, and Jeffrey walked up to him smiling.

    ¡°I got permission to get on a different vehicle.¡±

    The teams were driving out of Guardians, guarded more heavily than a president. There were motorcycles ahead and behind the procession. Humvees with armed soldiers followed them.

    It was arge group. Due to Doyeol¡¯s influence, Jeffrey would be in the same car as Junhyuk.

    ¡°Let us go as well.¡±

    He got in the car, and Jeffrey got in the driver¡¯s seat.

    ¡°He asked why we stopped the dimensional tear.¡±

    ¡°Doyeol did?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Junhyukughed loudly and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do it, but the border had been punctured. If that hadn¡¯t happened, we wouldn¡¯t have gone in.¡±

    Shaking his head, Jeffrey replied, ¡°I thought I was gonna die.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°But maybe because I almost did, my powers evolved.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    He looked at Jeffrey, who smiled.

    ¡°My mana consumption has decreased, and my summoning time went from ten seconds to twelve.¡±

    It was only a two-second increase, but if an A-ranked monster could be summoned for that long, it would help greatly. Junhyuk patted Jeffrey¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Call Doyeol. I am not sure about what will happen in Russia, but Doyeol may choose the third monster area we¡¯ll destroy.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll like that.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Junhyuk leaned back on his seat and closed his eyes. Elise was in the process of creating a generator that ran on mana stones. If he got a share of that, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about money ever again.

    Now, he was more interested in magitek. Junhyuk was expecting great things from Elise, but the Dimensional Battlefield was more important than Earth.

    Jeffrey was still talking, but, with his eyes closed, Junhyuk tried to sleep.

    ¡ª

    There were more people in the military nes than during the previous time. It took them three nes to fly everyone to the divostok International Airport.

    Russian soldiers were waiting for their arrival. A brigadier general was inmand.

    The powered people had destroyed the Japanese dimensional tear, so the Russians treated them with respect.

    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Brigadier General Kav.¡±

    ¡°Call me DK.¡±

    Kav pointed behind him and said, ¡°These vehicles will take you to your hotel. While we move, I¡¯d like to listen to your future ns.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk entered a vehicle, and after Kav got in the same one, the brigadier general said, ¡°The dimensional tear is in divostok¡¯s Central Square. It has a radius of six kilometers, so we are having a very difficult time.¡±

    divostok was a harbor city and one of Russia¡¯s most important cities. The hundred dimensional tears that appeared worldwide were all located in important cities, usually a capital or a major city.

    Everyone was in a hurry to get rid of them.

    Junhyuk said, ¡°We¡¯ll train. We aren¡¯t here to destroy the tear, so don¡¯t misunderstand us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aware. I¡¯m just telling you about the situation.¡±

    ¡°Do you know the types of monsters and their powers?¡±

    Kav nodded.

    ¡°However, we only know about those at the border. We can¡¯t get inside.¡±

    ¡°Tell me what you know. We¡¯ll analyze everything ande up with an answer.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk saw his new hotel at that point. It looked worse than the one in Japan, but it was only a ce to sleep.

    He got out of the vehicle, and Kav asked, ¡°When will you be making your advance?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll start tomorrow. Get the vehicles ready for us.¡±

    ¡°I will. I¡¯ll leave Major Poma with you. Rest up.¡±

    He watched as Kav left, and a man walked toward him.

    ¡°Major Poma?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Gather the experts and the novices.¡±

    Major Poma did so, and Junhyuk looked at the group. As he inspected them, he realized that some novices had been killed that previous Friday. There were new novices there as well, seven of them. One of the missing novices had had an ensnaring power, but he was now in aa and he hadn¡¯t been reced.

    ¡°We¡¯ll train tomorrow. Rest well today.¡± He turned to Lucy and added, ¡°Disperse! Lucy, youe with me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    The powered people left, and he walked up to Major Poma with Lucy. Poma gave him a file.

    ¡°This is the information we have on the monsters.¡±

    Junhyuk took the file and gave it to Lucy.

    ¡°These are the monsters we¡¯ll be dealing with. Come up with a strategy by tomorrow.¡±

    Her eyes beamed as she took the file. Junhyuk had done the right thing in making her captain of the attack team.

    Then, he turned to Major Poma and said, ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone into my room until 8:20 a.m.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Junhyuk closed the door behind him and entered the training facility.

 Chapter 376 - Russia 3

    <h4>Chapter 376: Russia 3</h4>

    With Junhyuk alone at the training facility, only two A-ranked monsters showed up. The monsters weren¡¯t easy to deal with, but he gained valuable battle experience. He thought that if things continued that way, he¡¯d be able to kill a buff monster by himself at the Dimensional Battlefield.

    If he were to kill a buff monster and roam the jungle, his allies would have to defend the roads well. If he managed to do it, those allies would push to bring victory to their side.

    ¡°But not yet.¡±

    He had to form a team now. He would now have Gongon to choose from, but he still needed to look for three others.

    Junhyuk also had to keep up with the research on the tear core. He was training so that he could gain livebat experience. Putting his senses through that was very important. Previously, only a single A-ranked monster appeared at a time, but now, many differentbinations were appearing at once, and he was learning a lot from that.

    He killed the monsters from the morning wave and got back to the hotel to shower. Major Poma was already waiting for him when he opened the door.

    ¡°Everyone has already gathered.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded lightly and followed Poma to the lobby. Peyton, from the experts¡¯ team, walked up to him when he saw Junhyuk. There was a man standing behind Peyton, and the man had a two-handed sword strapped to his back.

    When Junhyuk inspected the man, he was a little surprised. The two-handed sword was one of Bebe¡¯s basic weapons. He knew the price of the sword, and the man having it meant that he had killed a hero.

    If the man had a high-ranking power, he would be able to kill a hero with low defense. Junhyuk himself had done that when he activate his Spatial sh. However, even without his Spatial sh, Junhyuk had found himself lucky enough to kill some heroes. The man might have gone through a simr experience.

    ¡°He¡¯s the new expert, Kent, my countryman.¡±

    After being introduced, the man smiled. Kent had gray hair and gray eyes. He looked strong and dense.

    ¡°I¡¯m Kent.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you. Call me DK.¡±

    ¡°I watched your video. You have amazing skills. Can you teach me sometime?¡±

    Confused, Junhyuk looked toward Peyton, who shrugged and said, ¡°Kent has started training with two-handed swords.¡±

    ¡°On Earth?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m passionate about medieval swordsmanship,¡± Ken said.

    Junhyuk now understood why Kent looked so well built. He, himself, had learned how to use his muscles from Arn, which is how he was able to develop his body. On the other hand, Kent had gotten his body from training with swords.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t fight Kent at full strength. His strength was far above the human limit, so he shouldn¡¯t fight human. Junhyuk had the strength to fight monsters. He was that strong now.

    Even if they fought only with swords, Junhyuk could elerate, so he wouldn¡¯t lose.

    He turned to Kent and said, ¡°You are an expert, and that¡¯s the reason you carry a two-handed sword.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°After we¡¯re done training, we should hang out if I have time.¡±

    When Junhyuk first started, he used to get swordsmanship information from the inte. However, he had just met someone who actually trained with a two-handed sword, so he didn¡¯t mind sparring with Kent. Sora wasn¡¯t an expert yet, but he wanted to develop her skills and teach her two-handed swordsmanship.

    Junhyuk turned to the group and said, ¡°Time to move.¡±

    The group started heading out, and he called Lucy to get in his vehicle. A driver and Major Poma were also there with them.

    He and Lucy got in the back seat, and he asked her, ¡°What kind of monsters are there?¡±

    She looked at the file and answered, ¡°The monster area is filled with giant bears and foxes. Among them, the B-ranked monsters are white bears and red foxes.¡±

    ¡°Do you know their powers?¡±

    ¡°White bears don¡¯t usually form packs. Whenever there are brown bears around, the brown bears will follow it, but white bears usually move alone. However, red foxes always move with a group of gray foxes.¡±

    ¡°When you fight red foxes, try to restrain them first. Prepare for situations where none of the experts are around to help.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    While the novices did notpare to the experts during the destruction of the Japanese dimensional tear, they still held their own throughout.

    Junhyuk continued to listen to Lucy while he looked at the files. The files didn¡¯t contain anything about A-ranked monsters however.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t think of dealing with the A-ranked monsters this time. Whenever he killed one, another would show up. All of them stayed in a group inside the dimensional tear, waiting toe out, so it would be a better idea to kill them one by one, in a row, as they got lured out. He decided not to deal with the A-ranked monsters if he couldn¡¯t pull that off yet.

    ¡°We¡¯re just training.¡±

    Junhyuk looked out of the window. He first wanted to find out what the powers of the new recruits were. He was especially interested in Kent, the new addition to the experts¡¯ team.

    Suddenly, the vehicle stopped and he got out. The monster team on standby was much bigger than the one in Japan. Russia had a much bigger army than the Japanese Self-Defense Force, and the soldiers in the Russian army were all equipped with monster dposition weapons.

    Even so, if the border for the monster area were destroyed, all of Russia would be destroyed. Nevertheless, the army still looked impressive.

    Junhyuk walked with the powered people, and the Russian monster team followed behind the group. There were three times the amount of soldiers present than in Japan.

    As Junhyuk stepped forward, Brigadier Kav walked up to him and asked, ¡°We are here to watch. Is that OK?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Kav smiled and said, ¡°Guardians told us to video the training.¡±

    Junhyuk raised his head and saw the helicopters flying above them. There were both military helicopters and regr ones. They were to there to record the training session.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about you guys filming the training, but don¡¯t cross into the border.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    After talking to Kav, he looked at the group. Peyton always liked to take the lead, so he was doing that now. He wanted the position of captain of the experts¡¯ team, but Junhyuk had Jeffrey in mind for that.

    Jeffrey had the most powerful power among them, and he could deal with an A-ranked monster by himself.

    Junhyuk inspected the group before saying, ¡°I have one announcement to make before we start. The novices will now act as a unit, and Lucy will be inmand of that unit.¡±

    He called up Lucy and continued, ¡°Novices, when you have questions and thoughts, present them to Lucy, and she will let me know.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at Lucy, who stepped forward. Smiling brightly, she spoke with confidence, ¡°I can¡¯t do anything in the Dimensional Battlefield, but here on Earth, I¡¯ll do my best to minimize casualties. We will do well!¡±

    After Lucy introduced herself, Junhyuk continued calmly, ¡°Today, we have people who are going into the monster area for the first time, so at first, we we¡¯ll train just inside the border and retreat. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Junhyuk walked up to the experts¡¯ team, and they walked up to him. The experts didn¡¯t have a captain yet, so they just followed his lead.

    As he walked, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Have all of you met Kent?¡±

    ¡°I got herest night, so I met them all.¡±

    ¡°OK. Today, we¡¯ll find out how your powers do against monsters.¡±

    Kent nodded, and Junhyuk looked ahead. The border was crawling with monsters. People had tried to get inside, and the monsters had attacked in groups. There was a giant brown bear with a group of foxes. Junhyuk had been told that the foxes moved in groups of five to ten, and there were ten in front of him.

    He walked toward them, but he did not pull out his swords. Instead, he walked inside the border and punched the giant brown bear. The shockwave from the attack ran through the foxes.

    He killed all of the monsters with one punch, astonishing everyone. Some had seen his powers before, but his powers astonished them every time he used them.

    Junhyuk turned back to the group, and they crossed into the border. The powered people advanced, and the monster team entered to recover the bodies.

    Junhyuk looked at the experts¡¯ team and said, ¡°I believe you know how to let some monsters through for the attack team. I¡¯ll gather them in one ce, so just stay here and wait.¡±

    There were many monsters nearby, but to meet B-ranked monsters, he would have to go deeper into monster territory. He didn¡¯t want to do that. He wanted to lure the monsters to him instead.

    Thanks to his spatial sense, he could easily find the monsters nearby. He found a group of monsters with a B-ranked monster among them: a white bear grouped with brown bears.

    Junhyuk showed himself to them, and the monsters rushed at him. He focused on the white bear.

    The white bear ran at him like a tank. It looked quite dangerous, which astonished him. Curious, he let the white bear attack him.

    Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t die from an attack from a B-ranked monster. The white bear rushed at him, but the impact didn¡¯t do a lot of damage. However, Junhyuk was stunned.

    ¡°Is that a power?¡±

    The white bear¡¯s massive jaws wrapped around Junhyuk while Junhyuk muttered to himself. The monsters tried to bite down hard on him, but that only scratched his armor.

    Once Junhyuk could move again, he opened the bear¡¯s mouth wide. He was carrying runestones of the highest quality, so he could easily free himself from it.

    The white bear was going berserk on him, and the brown bears joined the fray. Meanwhile, Junhyuk looked for another group of monsters.

    This time, he found a pack of foxes. A red fox was leading a group of gray foxes.

    Junhyu lured them all and ran toward the allied camp. As he ran toward the experts¡¯ team, he shouted, ¡°The attack team takes care of the red fox. Experts focus on the bears.¡±

    Suddenly, he teleported atop a building nearby, and the experts¡¯ team rushed forward. Kent moved first.

    As he stepped forward, he pulled out his two-handed sword. Kent stomped the ground hard and rushed out twenty meters ahead of him, stabbing the white bear.

    Boom!

    Everyone had thought that it would¡¯ve been a simple stab, but the bear got throw at a building nearby. Kent¡¯s rush was also a push. However, soon after that, all five brown bears ran toward the expert.

    This time, Kent stabbed the ground with his sword, and the impact created a shockwave that sent every brown bear into the air.

    Kent¡¯s powers, with their abilities to push andunch enemies, couldpletely change the battlefield. It all depended on how Kent used his powers.

    The other experts stepped forward to support him. Peyton moved first and extended his hand.

    A giant wall appeared in front of the pack of foxes, and they followed to the side, where the attack team was waiting for them.

    Lucy gave out quick orders, and Junhyuk was impressed by her decisions. At the same time, the experts¡¯ team had certainly improved, and each expert knew what to do. The experience with the Japanese dimensional tear had increased their teamwork.

    ¡°OK. We¡¯ll deal with an A-ranked monster soon.¡±

    Junhyuk thought the team stillcked firepower to deal with A-ranked monsters. He wondered if the team could support Jeffrey if he was left to deal the brunt of the damage.

    If the experts managed to kill an A-ranked monster, they would help tremendously.

 Chapter 377 - Worst Situation 1

    <h4>Chapter 377: Worst Situation 1</h4>

    The training went well. Kent, the newbie, had superior powers, and he could deal with B-ranked monsters by himself. Only with Kent, another three experts could deal with B-ranked monsters.

    Junhyuk got a call from Elise. She had developed a new item and she told him she had spent an incredible amount of money creating that item.

    She had done it only because she had enough materials for it. If she had to havee up with the materials, she would¡¯ve spend upward of $100 million. Still, she hadpleted the item.

    However, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t go to South Korea now, so he told Elise to meet with Sarang. Sarang took the item from Elise, and she and Junhyuk met in her training facility.

    He took the item there and inspected it.

    ¡°This is made out of Ghost White Tiger fur... Is it a cloak?¡±

    Sarang nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Just watch.¡±

    She put on the cloak and suddenly disappeared. Junhyuk could still sense her with his spatial sense.

    ¡°What?! An invisibility power?¡±

    ¡°There is one problem, however.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Put it on and you¡¯ll find out.¡±

    Junhyuk agreed to put on the cloak, and suddenly he heard Ariel¡¯s voice.

    [You can¡¯t carry more than one equipment that carries a skill. Please remember that.]

    He smiled bitterly. He wanted the invisibility power, but to do that, he would have take off his bracer. However, he couldn¡¯t do that. He had already filled its sockets with strength runestones of the highest quality. Besides, he liked his jumping ability.

    He thought the invisibility was superior to it, but he would have to remove the runestones before wearing the new cloak.

    ¡°Did you have to take off your ring?¡±

    She nodded, and Junhyuk gave it some thought.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take this with me next time I go to the battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    An item having a power didn¡¯t automatically mean that it would fetch a good price. However, with the invisibility power, things were different.

    ¡°Is the recipe ready?¡±

    Sarang nodded.

    ¡°Elise told me the sess rate to build one of these is only 5 percent.¡±

    ¡°Really!??¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know everything about magitek. While he thought, Sarang said, ¡°Big Sister Elise was amazing!¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t even care about her degrees. Her ideas are just fantastic. I want to learn from her.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know if Elise could teach, but if she could, she could teach anything. He replied, ¡°She¡¯s probably the most creative person on Earth.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡±

    He tapped her head lightly and changed the subject, asking, ¡°By the way, can you win?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°In your next battlefield with Vera.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy, but I won¡¯t lose.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Sarang smiled and pulled out items from her Spatial Bag.

    ¡°Elise told me to give these to you.¡±

    They were the items made from B-ranked monsters.

    ¡°Did she make another set?¡±

    ¡°No. She made two more. She gave me one as well.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡±

    There were fifteen pieces of equipment. If each piece went for 20,000G, he would be able to earn 300,000G at once. He could get a new item with that amount. He had to get stronger, but Sarang had to as well.

    Smiling, he said, ¡°OK. If mass production bes possible, we can rake in money like Gongon. We have plenty of monsters on Earth for that.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    She smiled as well.

    ¡°Let¡¯s train.¡±

    Sarang had only had a few items, so she put on five of the pieces Elise had given her. It was better than not wearing them.

    Junhyuk smiled at the sight and looked at the monsters appearing.

    ¡°Let¡¯s check out what this equipment can do!¡±

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk told Sarang to learn from Elise whenever she had time. Getting her a magitek book would require another 300,000G.

    Sarang might have the best memory on Earth. Her intelligence went far beyond human limitations.

    Thebination of the two could only help the advancement of magitek, and if magitek could be mass produced, Sarang¡¯s intelligence will be a big help making it happen.

    He closed his eyesfortably, and the bright, pure light washed over him. Junhyuk was now in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    He was expecting a lot from that battlefield round. Junhyuk opened his eyes slowly and saw Ariel holding her chin while swinging her feet in the air.

    After looking at her, he checked on the amount of gold he had: 980,010G.

    His bet on the Champions¡¯ Battlefield had earned him a lot.

    He turned back to Ariel and asked, ¡°This round is also part of the team selection correct?¡±

    [Yes. You have this one and another round of team selections. If possible, you should choose your team by then.]

    Junhyuk nodded. He already had a member in mind, so he only needed three more.

    He summoned all of his equipment, looked at Ariel and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±

    Ariel giggled and brought both of her hands around her mouth, shouting, [Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed.]

    Junhyuk opened the door and walked outside. He saw some people gathered ahead of him and walked toward them. When he got closer, he frowned.

    There were three heroes there, and it was his first time seeing any of them.

    Once he was next to them, they greeted him.

    There was a three-meter tall, broad-shouldered being with a horn on his forehead that said, ¡°I¡¯m Zareto.¡±

    There was a woman with hair so long that it touched the ground. She looked rather dreary.

    ¡°I¡¯m Ebodia.¡±

    Although she looked gloomy, she also looked strong.

    Junhyuk turned to the other. His pupils were jet ck, and his skin was gray and cracked, like dry earth. A red glow shone from the cracks.

    ¡°My name is Railic.¡±

    He also introduced himself, ¡°I¡¯m Junhyuk Lee.¡±

    Everyone nodded, and he inspected each of them. They all looked stronger than the ones he had been teamed up with previously. However, that also meant that his enemies were stronger, probably very much so.

    Then, he heard someone¡¯s footsteps and turned to look, frowning as he did.

    A woman was walking toward him holding a long samurai sword. She had her hair tied up. She was pretty and very tall. To him, she seemed Asian.

    The woman walked up to him and asked, ¡°Are you Junhyuk?¡±

    He wondered how she knew him, but he nodded toward her. Junhyuk had thought he would¡¯ve been in the same team as Gongon.

    The woman looked at him and said, ¡°My name is La. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head. Looking at the samurai sword on her back, he became curious and asked, ¡°Do you know Halo?¡±

    La nodded.

    ¡°He is my teacher.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at her nkly. La was one of Halo¡¯s students. He processed the information for a moment. It was a good thing that Halo¡¯s student had be a hero, but he did not like her choice in weapon.

    ¡°Did you just be a hero?¡±

    La nodded and answered, ¡°I was a champion until recently, but during myst battle, I activated a power and became a hero.¡±

    Junhyuk did not expect much from looking at her equipment. He was really despondent that he wasn¡¯t in the same team as Gongon.

    ¡°Have you all been to Nightmare Mountain?¡± The others all nodded, and he continued calmly, ¡°I want to take center. Is that OK?¡±

    The center path would decide the victor, and La spoke up, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at her. She was Halo¡¯s student, so she had to have powers simr to his. Halo focused on attacking, so if she joined him this time, he wouldn¡¯t struggle likest time.

    He turned to the others, and they all made their choices.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go left,¡± Zareto spoke first. The other two nodded.

    Ebodia went next in a dreary voice, ¡°I¡¯ll go right.¡±

    Railic looked at the two and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go right as well.¡±

    Relieved that things had gone smoothly, Junhyuk said, ¡°The minions are far more important now, so let¡¯s make full use of them to win.¡±

    The towers and the castle¡¯s gate were hard to destroy now because of the archers. The archers were just as problematic to heroes now as other heroes were. However, with the minions, it would be easy to destroy the force field.

    Everyone who had gone through Nightmare Mountain agreed.

    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll each take a hundred minions and move out.¡±

    On average, heroes would take fifty minions with them. A hundred was a lot. However, everyone took a hundred and moved down their path.

    The central path had a staircase, and there were many steps to it. Junhyuk walked angrily. Something had gone wrong with Gongon. However, he would still have one more chance to team up with the hatchling. As he went up the stairs with La, he asked, ¡°What are your powers?¡±

    La touched her samurai sword and said, ¡°I can close in and throw the enemy into the air. I have an eight-hitbo at short range, but I can also attack from midrange. And there¡¯s my ultimate.¡±

    With the exception of the ultimate, he could guess her powers. La turned to him and asked, ¡°I¡¯ve heard about your powers, but not about your ultimate. What is it?¡±

    Her demeanor was very cool, and she looked beautiful. He answered calmly, ¡°I can make space copse. I can damage an enemy and copse the space around them. It has a forty-meter range.¡±

    After some though, La said, ¡°You seem to becking in attack power. I¡¯ll take the lead.¡±

    ¡°The one with the greatest defense should take the lead.¡±

    She turned to him andughed.

    ¡°We¡¯ll decide after we fight the enemy, and don¡¯t interfere with my fight.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    She had just be a hero, but her overall starting point had probably been different from his. She had been taught by Halo, after all .

    However, Junhyuk probably had more experience than her in working with others.

    Unlike his previous time there, La climbed the stairs without getting tired. Seeing that, he expected good things from her. They reached the allied watchtower and they looked toward the enemy watchtower just as the enemies were showing up.

    Junhyuk scowled.

    The enemy team had also sent two heroes toward the center path. One of the enemy heroes saw him and scowled as well, and Junhyuk softly muttered the name of that hero, ¡°Gon.¡±

 Chapter 378 - Worst Situation 2

    <h4>Chapter 378: Worst Situation 2</h4>

    Gongon also shook his head when he saw Junhyuk. La, who was standing next to Junhyuk, asked, ¡°Is that the dragon who fought with you. Gongon, right?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and answered, ¡°Correct. He just became a hero, but he will be a headache.¡±

    ¡°My teacher told me about him. He has a rush, a firebreath and a growth power. My teacher said Gongon would be a difficult opponent.¡±

    ¡°With his ultimate, he fully transforms into a dragon. After doing that, he can breathe fireballs nonstop. He should also have abo. He¡¯ll be one of the most difficult heroes you ever faced.¡±

    Gongon didn¡¯t have a full armor set, but his experience was superior to the others. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to fight against the hatchling. Junhyuk had never done it, but he had to be prepared to die fighting against him.

    He knew how expensive his items were, so if he died, it would be nice if he dropped a cheap one. If he dropped one of the expensive ones, he would be hard pressed to rece it.

    Junhyuk stared at Gongon. Thinking of it, Gongon¡¯s equipment was all simrly priced. He did not have many items, but they were all very expensive.

    Junhyuk pulled out his swords. La saw that and said, ¡°Why do you give me so much deference?¡±

    He turned to her. She did not use an ounce of respect when speaking to him, so wouldn¡¯t she be the strange one? Junhyuk thought that it was simply her character, so he didn¡¯t pay any attention.

    La said calmly, ¡°Be at ease with me.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Their conversation wasn¡¯t important at that moment. He had to pay attention and think of how he would deal with Gongon. It would¡¯ve been nice if he didn¡¯t have to meet Gongon this way, but Gongon had also thought that the central path was the most important after hearing Junhyuk¡¯s exnation of Nightmare Mountain.

    If Junhyuk was to make a different in this battlefield, he would continued to sh against Gongon.

    He thought over it and stepped forward. If Gongon had to die, the job of doing it would be his. He wanted to team up with the hatchling. He needed Gongon more than he needed expensive items.

    He had to kill Gongon and pick up his items. Whenever they finally got on the same team, he would give Gongon¡¯s items back to him.

    Junhyuk took a stance, and La asked, ¡°Are you going to kill Gongon?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I must deal with him. Can you take care of the other one?¡±

    La unsheathed her samurai sword and said, ¡°You don¡¯t know me very well.¡± She raised it in front of her and added, ¡°Give me Gongon.¡±

    ¡°No. I have to deal with him.¡±

    After a split second, she nodded and said, ¡°Fine. Then, let¡¯s start.¡± Stepping forward, she ordered, ¡°Minions, attack!¡±

    The minions looked at her, and La got the impression that they weren¡¯t following her orders, so she swung her samurai sword, stopping it a millimeter from a minion¡¯s neck.

    ¡°If you want to die, stay where you are.¡±

    The minions trembled. La was releasing her killing intent at them.

    Once the minions started moving, Junhyuk said, ¡°If you use your shields, you¡¯ll survive.¡±

    Then, he saw the minions Gongon had brought. They looked like goris. The goris were just wielding branches, but they looked stronger than human minions.

    Junhyuk looked at the enemies before him and said, ¡°Then, let¡¯s begin.¡±

    He walked forward through the path that led to Gongon, and the hatchling stared at him, pondered things over for a moment, and slowly walked to meet him. Staring into Gongon¡¯s eyes, Junhyuk said, ¡°Gon, I didn¡¯t know things would turn out like this.¡±

    Gongon wagged his tail sheepishly and replied, ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t want to fight you.¡±

    Gongon knew everything about Junhyuk, but that didn¡¯t mean the fight would be easy for him, and the same thing applied to Junhyuk. Gongon was strong like a tank, and he could also deal outstanding damage.

    While Junhyuk¡¯s health and defense were higher than Gongon¡¯s, the dragon still wouldn¡¯t be an easy opponent. There was a chance that Gongon would kill him.

    There was only one way to fight. He had to restrain Gongon and kill him.

    Junhyuk had made up his mind, and Gongon looked at him and asked, ¡°Is this fight just between the two of us?¡±

    A one-versus-one fight was a luxury in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Gongon smirked and asked, ¡°Once either of us wins, that person can attack the others, right?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    Gongon pounded his short fisted ws together.

    ¡°OK. Let¡¯s fight.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled. Gongon was excited. They didn¡¯t want to fight each other, but both of them thought of each other as worthy opponents.

    Junhyuk meant to kill Gongon and return his itemster. However, he didn¡¯t know if Gongon would want to keep his items.

    Junhyuk readied himself as the minions shed. The goris might be stronger than the allied minions, but the allied minions outnumbered the goris by twofold. Since the allies had brought a hundred minions with them, they had the advantage.

    The allied minions stood their ground with their shields raised, gaining the advantage in the exchange.

    Junhyuk looked at La. Her opponent had a de for his left hand, and his right hand was disproportionatelyrge. He also hadrge, sharp teeth. The hero didn¡¯t look easy at all.

    Junhyuk wanted to watch her fight, but he couldn¡¯t. Gongon was approaching him slowly, and Junhyuk thought about using his Spatial sh.

    The Spatial sh would deal massive damage, but Gongon knew that, so he hesitate toe closer than fifty meters from Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk had made up his mind. If he had to fight Gongon, he would fight him earnestly. As he closed him, he measured the distance between them. Gongon started running toward him. However, Gongon was zigzagging. He intended to dodge the Spatial sh, but Junhyuk thought the dragon didn¡¯t know him well enough.

    Junhyuk elerated. He could sense his perception of time increasing, and once he could almost touch Gongon, he used his Spatial sh.

    ¡°Ugh!¡± Gongon moaned.

    Junhyuk looked at the dragon¡¯s health. When the Spatial shnded, it triggered an extra attack, but even then, Gongon only lost 35 percent of his health. His defense was certainly impressive, and he was stronger than Kraken.

    Junhyuk eyes beamed when he saw what had happened. Regardless of Gongon¡¯s high defense, his regr attacks would deal him a lot of damage since their damage was based on a fixed percentage due to the Vampire Lord¡¯s set effect.

    He ran toward Gongon, but Gongon did not rush. Junhyuk was curious as to why, but he still approached him.

    While he did, he thought he had to be careful of Gongon¡¯s firebreath. Gongon was still just closing the gap between them.

    Junhyuk got frustrated with that. He thought Gongon wanted to fight without using his powers, which would give Junhyuk a definite victory.

    Junhyuk swordsmanship was already nearlyplete. As Junhyuk¡¯s sword headed toward Gongon, the dragon erged and kicked forward. Junhyuk swung the Frozen Rune Sword against his leg, but Gongon quickly pulled his leg back and swung his tail around.

    Junhyuk dodged the tail, and Gongon tried to punch him in the stomach. Junhyuk elerated again to fight the dragon. He shed at Gongon¡¯s arm with the Blood Rune Sword, but Gongon got even closer to him and tried to elbow him.

    Gongon leaned forward, and Junhyuk dove to the side.

    Boom!

    The elbow had failed, but Gongon swung his leg around to kick Junhyuk. The hatchling had trained really hard during the time they hadn¡¯t seen each other. With his speed, he could dodge all of Kraken¡¯s eight tentacles and counterattack.

    The reason Junhyuk was able to keep up was because he had the eleration.

    Junhyuk distanced himself, and Gongon breathed fire. The mes licked at him, but Junhyuk teleported to appear next to Gongon and stab him in the ribs.

    Gongon twisted his body to avoid a critical hit. The strike took 5 percent off of his health, plus the extra 3 percent damage from the set effect. Total, Gongon lost 8 percent of his health.

    Junhyuk thought that was plenty of damage from a single regr attack. Then, Gongon rushed at him.

    ng!

    The rush was triggered at a very close range, but Junhyuk couldn¡¯t teleport. Instead, he raised his swords to block the attack. He only had one teleportation left, and he needed to use it when it was needed most.

    The impact still dealt him damage, even blocking, and Junhyuk lost 20 percent of his health.

    Kilraden had a 10-percent damage counter, which meant Gongon¡¯s damage was very high. The dragon was still erged.

    Gongon attacked him nonstop, but Junhyuk dodged thebo and stabbed forward with his swords. He could read the hatchling¡¯s movements. However, at that moment, Gongon jumped up and rolled himself into a ball.

    That made Junhyuk worried.

    Gongon¡¯s ultimate dealt damage during his transformation. Gongon was already massive, and if he transformed on top of that, his damage would be insane.

    Junhyuk already knew that Gongon was capable of long range attacks when Gongon transformed into a fully-formed dragon, so he shouldn¡¯t teleport. Instead, he raised his force field, and the mes from the transformation covered itpletely.

    Junhyuk saw Gongon as a dragon for the first time in person. He looked extremely dangerous, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t care, stabbing at him with a sword instead.

    Gongon flew up. Junhyuk had already seen him do it, so he didn¡¯t panic.

    Junhyuk used his skill. He jumped, and when Gongonnded, Junhyuk dropped down with his sword pointed at the dragon¡¯s head.

    Gongon looked up and opened his mouth wide. Fireballs flew out of it.

    ng!

    Junhyuk¡¯s force field was still covering him, so he wasn¡¯t damaged. However, he was still in the air, so when he got hit, he got pushed back.

    Gongon spit out more fireballs, and Junhyuk was hit once again, getting pushed further back.

    When he finallynded, there was a distance of eight meters between the two.

    Junhyuk was sure of what Gongon was thinking then. Gongon was trying to buy himself time. He was trying to get the force field to run out.

    ¡°You can¡¯t have your way!¡±

    Junhyuk dodged the fireballs and zigzagged toward Gongon.

 Chapter 379 - Worst Situation 3

    <h4>Chapter 379: Worst Situation 3</h4>

    Junhyuk ran toward Gongon. His mind had settled. Gongon wasn¡¯t using his powers at that point. One of his powers was a massive fireball that dealt heavy damage, and he could also fly to distance himself from the enemy.

    Junhyuk put his thoughts aside and shed at the dragon.

    Gongon tried to dodge his attacks, but the dragon was already too close to Junhyuk, so he couldn¡¯t dodge it. Junhyuk¡¯s sword left a gash on Gongon¡¯s wing, and Gongon lost another 8 percent of his health.

    Gongon¡¯s eyes widened slightly, and he opened his mouth. Junhyuk knew that Gongon would use his power then, and suddenly, his force field disappeared.

    A huge fireball left Gongon¡¯s mouth, heading straight toward Junhyuk, and Junhyuk used his remaining teleportation to move behind the dragon.

    He stabbed forward hard. The teleportation stab was almost like a Spatial sh, but Gongon had expected that move and dove forward, dodging the sword.

    The dragon raised his tail, and even though Junhyuk was using eleration, he couldn¡¯t escape it. Gongon¡¯s timing was near perfect. Junhyuk could only prevent a critical hit.

    ng!

    Junhyuk got pushed back. When he got up, he saw that he had prevented the critical, but he had still lost 5 percent of his health. Gongon was a dragon now, and even without using his powers, his damage was outstanding.

    Junhyuk thought that it was time he seized the opportunity, and he began his attack on the dragon.

    If both of them only traded regr attacks, Junhyuk would win. Junhyuk also had to elerate to deal with Gongon. It was only by a small margin, but Junhyuk had the advantage.

    Gongon had received more damage than Junhyuk by that point.

    Then, Gongon breathed fire. However, he wasn¡¯t simply breathing fire. They were at close range, and Gongon dodged half of Junhyuk¡¯s attacks as he used the firebreath.

    Gongon¡¯s firebreath only went in one direction however, so Junhyuk could predict its path and dodge it.

    Meanwhile, Junhyuknded two more attacks, dealing 16 percent of damage to Gongon. In total, he had inflicted 67 percent of damage to Gongon, leaving the dragon with 33 percent. He expected to be victorious.

    Every time he dealt damage with the Blood Rune Sword, he regained 4 percent of his health. When he used the Spatial sh, his health had been nearly full, so he only recovered a small amount of it.

    Junhyuk had massive recovery capability, while Gongon was simply losing health, so he thought that all that would be enough.

    Gongon smirked then and beat his wings.

    mes burst out of Gongon¡¯s entire body, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t escape them. Junhyuk¡¯s entire body was on fire, but he still got closer and stabbed at the dragon.

    However, Gongon¡¯s ultimate had run out. He was small again, so Junhyuk stabbed the empty air in front of him.

    Without panicking, Junhyuk swung his other sword. However, Gongon dodged it, moving to the side and gaining some distance from him.

    Why? Junhyuk knew that the fire on his body was still burning, and that¡¯s when understanding shed through his eyes. He kept chasing Gongon while analyzing the situation, but he was losing health while doing that, 2 percent per second.

    ¡°Were you hiding this power?¡±

    He chased after Gongon, swinging his swords at the dragon. However, Gongon was so small now that he dodged all of Junhyuk¡¯s attacks. If Junhyuk attacked five times, one of them might actually get through. Gongon also made sure to dodge all of the attacks from the Frozen Rune Sword.

    They both stopped moving once Junhyuk had lost 14 percent of his health. He realized that his total health and defense didn¡¯t matter. Gongon¡¯s power would always take away 14 percent of his health.

    Junhyuk closed in and swung his sword down at the hatchling, but Gongon smirked and used his rush.

    ng!

    The sword blocked the attack, but he was still pushed back. Junhyuk lost another 13 percent of his health, but Gongon did not stop there. The hatchling used his firebreath, taking another 10 percent off of Junhyuk¡¯s health.

    When Gongon went back to his hatchling form, all of his cooldowns reset. Besides, in hatchling form, he could use all of his powers in sequence. With the ultimate active, Gongon¡¯s powers seemed to have longer cooldowns, so he couldn¡¯t just use them all at once.

    Junhyuk had lost half of his health by then. He had been sessful with some regr attacks and recovered a little bit of it.

    Gongon was certainly strong. He moved fast and used the lower half of his body to attack. Meanwhile, Junhyuk eleration was nearly over. So, he stopped it early, and that decision cost him a lot.

    ng! Boom!

    Junhyuk got hit and kept getting pushed back, losing health in the process.

    Gongon was Gongon, and Junhyuk already recognized him as a difficult opponent. However, he couldn¡¯t give up. Finally, he used the power he had been saving up to that point. His ultimate: Spatial Copse.

    Gongon was mming his tail against Junhyuk¡¯s calf when Junhyuk triggered the Spatial Copse on Gongon¡¯s chest. It was a critical hit.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Gongon¡¯s eyes widened. He had heard about the Spatial Copse, but he had never seen it before. Gongon had been too confident that he would win.

    He lost all of his health and fell to the ground. Junhyuk went to him and gave him some support, making Gongonugh at him.

    ¡°You are a human who controls space.¡±

    He smiled at Gongon.

    ¡°I won this time.¡±

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha. We¡¯ll meet more than once in this battlefield.¡±

    Gongon faded, and Junhyuk picked up his item. He meant to give it back, so he didn¡¯t check on what the item was, afraid that he¡¯d go back on his decision to relinquish it.

    Junhyuk put the item in his Spatial Bag and looked around. La was slicing goris in half.

    He didn¡¯t know how strong the enemy La had faced was, but she had taken care of things quickly. La was a good hero.

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t bothered by the fact that he had killed Gongon. Instead, he started moving. Minions meant money now, and if he was diligent, he would be able to earn a lot from killing them, so he joined La in the fight. The enemy minions soon disappeared.

    After that, he ordered the allied minions to attack the watchtower, and he and La didn¡¯t have to do anything while the tower fell.

    Instead, he walked into the buff tower with her.

    [You¡¯ve reached Nightmare Mountain¡¯s buff tower. If you hold the tower for five minutes, you¡¯ll be buffed. If you have more allied heroes help you, the buff will trigger quicker.]

    When another person joined him in taking the tower, a minute was subtracted from the total time, which meant that if all five held the tower at the same time, it would only take a minute for the buff to trigger.

    After four minutes passed, he heard Ariel¡¯s voice again.

    [You¡¯ve taken Nightmare Mountain¡¯s buff tower. For the next three hours, health recovery and movement speed will increase by 15 percent, and attack will increase by 10 percent for you and all of your allies.]

    Junhyuk was buffed, but he was worried. He hadn¡¯t seen La fight. He wanted to know more about her, but he hadn¡¯t been able to learn anything.

    He stared at her and asked, ¡°What do we do now?¡±

    ¡°We are buffed, so we should move out.¡±

    After some thought, he replied, ¡°If we move together, we¡¯ll take over at least one ce. However, while we do that, we¡¯ll give up the first watchtower near the buff tower.¡±

    ¡°Do we kill a hero instead?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded.

    ¡°If only one of us moves out, we can guard the center path and help in the battlefield at the same time.¡±

    La thought it over and asked, ¡°Do you want me to stay here?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care if I stay.¡±

    He was being honest. If Gongon were to show up again, it would be better if he stayed. What happened in the center would decide the victors and losers of the match, so a strong hero should protect it.

    La stared at him and asked, ¡°Can you stay here by yourself?¡±

    Junhyuk shrugged.

    ¡°I won¡¯t be alone. I¡¯ll have a lot of minions with me.¡±

    She looked at the surviving minions. There were seventy-two of them left. They had defended themselves well, and many had survived. Of the dead minions, most of them died by the archers on the watchtower. They had really overpowered the goris. La had killed her enemy quickly and joined their fight, which was the main reason for them toe out so well.

    Junhyuk said calmly, ¡°Whoever leaves will have to go alone.¡±

    Laughed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need minions with me.¡± She paused and then added, ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded.

    ¡°OK.¡± Then, he asked her, ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°To the right path.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°The enemy might get there faster than you if they don¡¯te center.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll finish before they get to where they¡¯re going. And if the enemy is Gongon, I¡¯ll say now, I don¡¯t care. It¡¯ll just mean more items for me.¡±

    La was extremely confident, and he clicked his tongue. Without saying anything else, she moved out. Her goal was to thwart enemy advances, so she needed all the time she could get.

    Junhyuk took all the minions with him to the enemy watchtower they had destroyed. In the previous match, he had attacked the second central tower. Then, he had been confident he¡¯d be able to kill three heroes. Now, however, things were different.

    If Gongon were to head center again, Junhyuk would have to deal with him. If Gongon were to have another hero with him, Junhyuk would need the help of his own watchtower to manage.

    Once again, Junhyuk realized how important Gongon really was. He looked over at the enemy castle. The gate opened, and enemies came out of it. Better yet, they poured out.

    ¡°Huh!?¡±

    Three hundred goris crossed the threshold. The enemies had to have realized the importance of the minions, and they were all heading center.

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue.

    ¡°Will two heroese this way?¡±

    Gongon wanted a rematch with Junhyuk, so he would definitelye center. If La were still there, the n wouldn¡¯t work. They already knew the other enemy hero was no match for her.

    Junhyuk was worried. Should he recall La?

    He shook his head.

    If he protected the center path, the others would advance in other ces. Smacking his lips, he muttered, ¡°Gon, I can¡¯t let my guard down with you.¡±

 Chapter 380 - Close Match 1

    <h4>Chapter 380: Close Match 1</h4>

    Junhyuk contacted La while he waited for Gongon. He wanted to let her know about the situation.

    ¡°La, the reincarnated heroes areing center with three hundred minions.¡±

    ¡°Should Ie help you?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯ll fight and hold them. By the way, what kind of powers does the hero you fought have?¡±

    ¡°I only saw two. He has a grab-stab, where he grabs you with one hand and stabs you with his ded hand, and a push.¡±

    ¡°What about his damage?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that great. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t check on all of his powers.¡±

    She had only seen two of the hero¡¯s powers. That meant that she had killed the hero in a very short time. La was better than he had initially thought.

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll deal with him.¡±

    Gongon was missing an item, but his overall strength should be about the same as before. Junhyuk had to deal with two heroes, and that wouldn¡¯t be easy. He nned to use the minions and the watchtower to help him out, but the enemies were also bringing minions, three hundred of them.

    He gathered his thoughts. Things wouldn¡¯t be easy, but La was strong enough that she could decide things on the right path.

    Before the enemies even got there, Junhyuk could reapply the buff. He had told Malone to stay at the tower before, but Malone hadn¡¯t done it. Now that he was waiting for Gongon, after three hours passed, he took the buff tower again, so even if he lost, the buff would stay with the allies.

    Junhyuk waited a while, and Gongon finally climbed to the top. The shockwaves wouldn¡¯t work against the minions, so decreasing their numbers wouldn¡¯t be easy.

    He sighed and said, ¡°Everyone focus.¡±

    The minions looked at him.

    ¡°Use the watchtower for help resist their advance. Your job is to protect the watchtower from the goris. I¡¯ll do the rest.¡±

    The allied minions watched the throng of goris climbing up the central path. There were four times as many goris as allied minions.

    Junhyuk stood ahead of them. If the enemies attacked him, they would be targeted by the archers.

    The hero with Gongon didn¡¯t have a long range attack, so he had to close the distance. Junhyuk was nning to buy as much time as possible.

    He pulled out his swords and looked ahead.

    Gongon said, ¡°You are overexerting yourself. You think you can deal with the two of us alone?¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the hero standing next to Gongon and said, ¡°I¡¯ll use the watchtower.¡±

    Gongon stretched his neck lightly and said, ¡°OK. Then, try to resist us.¡±

    The dragon signaled with his eyes, and the hero next to him started closing the distance. Junhyuk only knew half of the hero¡¯s powers. He didn¡¯t know the other two, and they may pose a problem for him.

    From Gongon¡¯s position, he couldn¡¯t let Junhyuk buy any more time.

    ¡°Attack!¡± Gongon shouted, and the goris ran forward.

    Junhyuk looked at the approaching minions and shouted, ¡°Form up! Defensive line!¡±

    The allied minions formed a shield wall, and the goris pounded against it like ocean waves. Gongon and the other hero mixed in with the goris, heading toward Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk swallowed hard. He had had to use all of his powers on Gongon before. It had been that way that he had barely managed to kill the dragon. Things didn¡¯t look good.

    The goris were running toward him, and he inhaled deeply. Junhyuk did not wish to die, not even once.

    The allied minions shed against the goris.

    Boom!

    The impact stirred the shield wall, but the allied minions stood their ground. Then, the archers started attacking.

    The goris started falling to the arrows, but they kept pushing against the allied minions.

    Junhyuk was watching it all unfold, looking for Gongon and the other heroing at him. He waited. The Spatial sh¡¯s cooldown was now shorter, and he wanted to check on the enemy hero¡¯s defense.

    He swallowed hard again. Junhyuk trusted himself, and he had to buy more time.

    He used the Spatial sh on the iing enemy hero.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    The hero¡¯s neck was wounded, and he vomited blood. He hadn¡¯t know about the Spatial sh. The hero¡¯s defense wasn¡¯t that great. A single Spatial sh had dealt 77 percent in damage to his total health.

    Now, Junhyuk thought the fight was winnable.

    Gongon had distanced himself, so he wasn¡¯t hit by the shockwave. Junhyuk had made up his mind. He would kill the enemy hero first, and then fight against Gongon.

    Junhyuk disengaged from Gongon and threw himself at the enemy hero. He was using the goris¡¯ heads as stepping stones to do it. Gongon chased after him by doing the same thing.

    Junhyuk would get to the enemy hero before Gongon got to him. The enemy hero tried moving to the opposite side of the battlefield, but Junhyuk scoffed and chased after him.

    The enemy hero extended his right hand. There were ten meters between Junhyuk and him.

    ng!

    He felt an impact, and his body was pushed back. He was heading toward Gongon, so Junhyuk teleported quickly.

    He was now behind the enemy hero, and Junhyuk stabbed at the hero¡¯s neck. The strike wasn¡¯t as powerful as the Spatial sh, but it was a critical hit, and the hero died on the spot.

    After killing the enemy hero, Junhyuk retreated quickly. Gongon tried chasing after him, but Junhyuk rejoined his minions.

    Gongon clicked his tongue and said in frustration, ¡°Seriously?! You were only that good?¡±

    Junhyuk knew that the new enemies were better than those from the previous round, but he didn¡¯t think they were all that strong. Only Gongon was actually strong. The others were average, and that¡¯s why La had managed to kill him so quickly by herself.

    Junhyuk retreated to the watchtower. Twenty allied minions had been killed. The goris had pierced their defenses, killing more minions in the process.

    Gongon looked at him and smiled, asking, ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    Junhyuk sighed and ran forward. When he got to the hole in the shield wall, he cut down the gorising through. Unless Gongon attacked first, the archers wouldn¡¯t attack him. They had the goris to worry about.

    Gongon used his growth power and rushed forward. Junhyuk let himself get hit by it intentionally.

    Boom!

    The attack dealt a lot of damage, but Junhyuk grabbed Gongon and teleported next to the watchtower. Then, the archers on the tower began to attack Gongon.

    The dragon grimaced and winced. The archers focused on him, and Gongon lost 15 percent of his health from the first volley. Gongon used his firebreath on Junhyuk, who tried blocking it. After the two attacks, Junhyuk had lost 36 percent of his health.

    The allied minions started attacking Gongon. They knew that once Gongon died, Junhyuk would be able to kill all of the goris.

    The minions attacked him from the back, and Gongon lost another 3 percent of his health. That¡¯s when he jumped up and used his ultimate.

    The mes covered everything. Junhyuk had a guess as to why Gongon was using his ultimate at that point, so he raised his force field and, suddenly, elerated.

    His perception of time increased, and Gongon flew up.

    The dragon wanted to escape the archers¡¯ attacks, but Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t let him. He read Gongon¡¯s flight path and used his Spatial Copse.

    While flying, Gongon was hit by the copse and fell to the ground. The dragon lost another 43 percent of his health.

    Junhyuk was buffed, so his damage had increased. He ran toward the fallen dragon. His goal was to prevent Gongon from getting away from the archers.

    Gongon gritted his teeth.

    ¡°You are so cheap!¡±

    Junhyuk had a ten-second force field, so Gongon couldn¡¯t attack him. He only had to hold Gongon in ce.

    ¡°We are fighting. Don¡¯t tell me I¡¯m cheap. You came at me with an extra hero!¡±

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    Gongon dodged Junhyuk¡¯s attacks dexterously, but he also had a limit. On top of that, the allied minions were still attacking Gongon.

    The dragon was frustrated, and he wagged his tail around, killing two minions. However, the archers sent another volley, and Gongon lost another 15 percent of his health. He only had 21 percent left.

    Junhyuk smiled with satisfaction and attacked Gongon ferociously. Gongon, on the other hand, was killing minions with his tail while retreating toward the rest of the allied minions in the shield wall. That was a big mistake.

    The archers attacked again, and Gongon lost most of his health. Junhyuk stabbed Gongon¡¯s chest, and the dragon lost the rest of it.

    Gongon fell, and Junhyuk quipped, ¡°Two fights, two victories!¡±

    It was a joke, and Gongonughed.

    ¡°You think I¡¯m letting myself get killed?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Junhyuk knew that Gongon had made up his mind to win. He had brought three hundred minions with him.

    Gongon started fading and disappeared. Junhyuk picked up the item he dropped and put it inside his Spatial Bag. Then, he looked ahead. There were only twenty-two allied minions left, so he attacked the goris.

    ¡°Retreat! Lean against the watchtower and raise your shields!¡±

    The allied minions followed his instructions, and he went with them. Ordinarily, he would¡¯ve swept through the goris, but now, every second mattered.

    Junhyuk ignored the goris¡¯ attacks and swung his sword. The goris could deal 1 percent damage to him with every attack, but he didn¡¯t care. He only focused on massacring them.

    As he walked forward, red and white shockwaves appeared. The shockwaves did not kill the surrounding goris, but behind him, only dead goris remained.

    He killed all of the remaining goris from the three hundred, and although he recovered some of his health from killing Gongon and the goris, he was left with 75 percent of his health.

    If Gongon had still been alive, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it.

    Junhyuk sighed, relieved, and looked at the allied minions. Not many were left. Only fourteen had survived.

    He picked up the item dropped by the enemy hero and contacted the allied heroes.

    ¡°La, how it going?¡±

    ¡°We destroyed the first tower and we are now advancing to the second on the right path.¡±

    Junhyuk had held center and the buff, so things were going well for the allies.

    He said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t overwork yourselves.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk started thinking. He walked to the spot where he could see the enemy castle and watched to see how the enemies would move.

    The castle had three exits, but he could only see the main gate. He kept watching it, but the gate never opened.

    Junhyuk frowned.

    Enough time had passed for them to revive, but the gate wasn¡¯t opening!

    They had changed their ns.

 Chapter 381 - Close Match 2

    <h4>Chapter 381: Close Match 2</h4>

    With things like that, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t find out where they were. He contact La and Zareto one after the other and told them what the enemy was doing. They should be extra careful.

    After he talked to them, he took a moment to think. If he left that ce, he wouldn¡¯t be able to trigger the next buff. However, if nobody went center, and he simply reapplied the buff, he would just be a dog wagging his tail.

    Junhyuk sighed and made his decision. If both enemy heroes went right, there would be a total of four. There were three allies on that path, so if the allies retreated to a tower, they could survive.

    However, on the left, things were different. Zareto was alone there, so if the enemies attacked, they would pierce through him.

    Junhyuk wanted to stop that from happening, so he contact Zareto and La again. He told La that if she saw any enemies, she should just retreat. On the other hand, he told Zareto to wait until he got there.

    As for the fourteen minions that survived, he told them to wait by the buff tower, and that if they saw enemies heading their way, they should retreat to the watchtower.

    Then, he went down the mountain.

    Junhyuk had already gone through Nightmare Mountain once, so he picked up speed. He was alone and unhindered by the minions.

    On top of that, he still had the buff. He ran as fast as he could and muttered, ¡°I¡¯ll kill the buff monster on the way and help out Zareto. On the way back, I¡¯ll go see Bebe.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to find out the prices of the items he was carrying, but more importantly, he wanted to help Zareto. If the enemies were moving toward him, Zareto would be in danger.

    He changed directions, and headed toward where the buff monster was. There, he saw an empty clearing. Junhyuk was sure that nobody was hunting the buff monster, so he used his spatial sense and felt for it.

    There was a Ghost White Tiger surrounded by ten ghost tigers.

    He could sense them, so he walked carefully. He had his spatial sense and could sense their presence from far away, but what could the other heroes do?

    As he closed in, he thought of something and swung the Blood Rune Sword from his back. He used a Spatial sh on the Ghost White Tiger.

    The Ghost White Tiger didn¡¯t know he had a spatial sense, so it had left its neck wide open. Silver blood sttered everywhere, and a blood-colored shockwave expanded from the point of impact.

    Three ghost tigers were injured and turned visible.

    When he saw them, Junhyuk ran forward. The Ghost White Tiger ran toward him. It had survived the Spatial sh, and that astonished Junhyuk. When he got close, Junhyuk teleported and stabbed the injury made by the Spatial sh on the Ghost White Tiger.

    Splurt!

    The Ghost White Tiger howled loudly, but the strike was a critical hit. While the Ghost White Tiger fell, Junhyuk swung his sword left and right. While shing the ghost tigers, he heard Ariel¡¯s voice.

    [You¡¯ve killed the Ghost White Tiger. For the next five hours, you¡¯ll have an invisibility buff. When you attack, your invisibility will fade. If you get within twenty meters of an enemy hero, that hero will be able to sense you. If an enemy kills you within five hours, you¡¯ll lose the buff to that enemy.]

    Junhyuk thought that the buff was very useful. The enemies would be able to sense him within twenty meters, but he had plenty of long range attacks.

    From his perspective, his first strike could kill the enemy. Smiling, he killed the remaining ghost tigers. After he had killed them all, he started running again, heading to where Zareto was. After five seconds running, Junhyuk turned invisible.

    He looked at his hand, and it looked translucent. There was a silver magic circle underneath his feet.

    After an attack, he would turn invisible again after five seconds of inactivity. He couldn¡¯t stay invisible while fighting, but if he kept his distance, the ability would be of great help to him.

    Junhyuk hurried toward the left path.

    When he got close, he saw Zareto using a watchtower to his advantage and he hid himself in the reed field. Junhyuk did not have any minions with him, so he kept quiet and watched the fight.

    ¡°He didn¡¯te this way.¡±

    Gongon wasn¡¯t there. Zareto was fighting a hero who was three meters tall from head to tail. The hero had four legs as well as wings.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know about the hero¡¯s powers, but since he was fighting Zareto, he had to be very sturdy. He analyzed everything. From his position in the reed field, the enemy was forty meters away.

    Junhyuk contacted Zareto.

    ¡°I¡¯m here. Get that hero¡¯s attention.¡±

    Zareto stepped forward. He only had forty-five minions left. There were also thirty-two goris present.

    As he stepped forward, the lion-faced hero ran toward him. When he did, Junhyuk stepped out of the reed field. Neither Zareto nor the enemy hero held back their strength.

    The two shed against each other, and Junhyuk watched what happened.

    Zareto used the long horn on his head to headbutt his enemy. The manticore hero was paralyzed, but it only received 15 percent of damage. Seeing the manticore paralyzed, Junhyuk ran to close the gap. Once he was within twenty meters, he used his Spatial sh.

    His ded shed on the manticore¡¯s skull. That single blow took 65 percent off of the hero¡¯s health.

    Roooar!

    The manticore roared and turned his head in Junhyuk¡¯s direction, but he teleported and sliced the manticore¡¯s head. It was a critical hit, and the head bounced on the ground.

    Junhyuk appeared on top of the manticore¡¯s back and swung his swords at the goris. It only took a short while to take care of them.

    Once he killed the goris, he looked at Zareto.

    Zareto was a little surprise and simply stared at him.

    ¡°Did you know he was a tank?¡±

    ¡°He was different from the tanks I know.¡±

    Arn¡¯s team didn¡¯t have a tank, but Junhyuk had met many typical tanks fighting in that team. Considering those he had met, the manticore wasn¡¯t a true tank. The hero had felt more like a sheet of paper.

    He picked up the item the manticore dropped and asked, ¡°What do we do now?¡±

    ¡°I am not sure. Should we stay here?¡±

    Zareto wanted to relegate the leadership to Junhyuk, so he turned and said, ¡°Let¡¯s destroy the first tower and worry about itter.¡±

    Junhyukmanded Zareto¡¯s minions and attacked the watchtower. It did not take long to bring it down. Once he destroyed the tower, he contacted La.

    Gongon had had plenty of time to get there during all of that.

    ¡°La, the left side is clear. How¡¯s it going over there?¡±

    ¡°I got killed.¡±

    ¡°By whom?¡±

    ¡°Gongon. Four heroes came our way, and I killed three of them, but Gongon got me.¡±

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue.

    ¡°They¡¯re probably moving center now.¡±

    ¡°What do we do?¡±

    ¡°Can you take center alone?¡±

    ¡°You want me to go there by myself?¡±

    ¡°Can someone take your ce?¡±

    ¡°Railic can do it!¡±

    ¡°OK. Then, ask Railic.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go see Bebe first. Then, I¡¯ll head center and then move right.¡±

    Junhyuk was already doing his part, so La agreed to the n.

    ¡°OK. What about me?¡±

    La could also hold her own, and Junhyuk decided he wanted to team up with her again. He hadn¡¯t been able to watch her fight while he had been fighting Gongon.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get the buff monster on my way center. Head that way, and we¡¯ll fight it together.¡±

    ¡°You want to leave Ebodia on the right?¡±

    ¡°As you are aware, the core of Nightmare Mountain is that buff tower. Whoever controls it, controls the battlefield. Ebodia can defend the second tower by herself. Our enemies will gather at the center anyway.¡±

    ¡°What if they don¡¯te center?¡±

    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll push from there. Tell Railic to take three hundred minions with him.¡±

    ¡°OK. We¡¯ll meet by the buff monster then.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know which monster they would face, but they would meet there.

    Turning to Zareto, he said, ¡°Stay here.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk headed out, toward the merchant¡¯s portal. Once he got to the portal, he crossed it and saw Bebe inside.

    Bebe was yawning like always, and he waved at Junhyuk when he saw him.

    ¡°You came!¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and walked toward Bebe.

    ¡°I heard you are fighting hard. Did you bring me anything?¡±

    Junhyuk showed Bebe the items. First, he showed Bebe the items he had picked up during the previous round and this round, but not Gongon¡¯s items. Bebe smiled.

    ¡°Of course! All crap!¡± Bebe checked everything and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you 200,000G for all nine of them.¡±

    Junhyuk agreed and nodded. They were all crappy items like Bebe had said. Everything was cheap.

    He sighed and asked, ¡°What about these?¡±

    Junhyuk pulled out the items made with basic magitek recipes. Bebe inspected everything and smiled.

    ¡°There are a lot,¡± he said. ¡°Items that use basic recipes are cheap. I¡¯ll give you 20,000G for each.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled. Magitek items were cheaper than those items he had picked up when killing heroes. Had they not been, he would¡¯ve earned way more.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you 300,000G for everything. However, I¡¯ve told you already. I can¡¯t buy many basic items. Not many people want to buy them, so I¡¯ll buy five of each type at most.¡±

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue. He wanted to earn gold, but things weren¡¯t working out as nned.

    Then, he pulled out the cloak made out of Ghost White Tiger fur.

    ¡°What about this one?¡±

    When Bebe inspected it, his eyes beamed.

    ¡°Oh! This one is exquisite!¡±

    Junhyuk looked expectantly at Bebe. Once Bebe finished his inspection of the cloak, he said calmly, ¡°This is an unknown recipe. The attributes are nice as well. Invisibility powers are in demand... I¡¯ll give you 150,000G for each of these you bring me.¡±

 Chapter 382 - Close Match 3

    <h4>Chapter 382: Close Match 3</h4>

    Junhyuk finished his business with Bebe and checked on how much gold he had: 1,630,010G.

    Even if he spent all of his money, he wouldn¡¯t be able to buy a piece of the Vampire Lord set.

    ¡°Just curious, but are there any Vampire Lord items avable?¡±

    Bebe shook his head. Junhyuk smacked his lips and asked about what Elise had asked of him. ¡°Do you have a Starlight st Furnace or a Sunlight Heating Furnace?¡±

    ¡°Each of them costs 100,000G. You get a 15 percent discount, so it¡¯s 85,000G for each. I¡¯ll give them both to you for 170,000G.¡±

    ¡°You mean there¡¯s no additional discount even if I buy them as a set?¡±

    ¡°Ha-ha! You are a hero now. Act like one.¡±

    Junhyuk smacked his lips and purchased the two furnaces. After he had spent the 170,000G, he asked, ¡°Are there weapons that are part of sets from those who¡¯ve be legends?¡±

    Bebe shook his head.

    ¡°Sorry, but weapons are not part of sets. Instead, weapons are registered as legendary items. However, there won¡¯t be any you¡¯ll want to use.¡±

    Legends were supposed to evolve with time, but thinking of it, only two of the most recent legends used weapons. Keros carried a massive sword, and Tuelus had his orb-like machines. Their own bodies were used as weapons.

    Junhyuk thought legends had to have weapons of their own, but Bebe had told him he wouldn¡¯t find any he liked.

    After some thought, he asked, ¡°Then, have there been legends who wielded other weapons in the past?¡±

    Bebe nodded heavily and answered, ¡°Of course.¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes beamed. His Blood Rune Sword had been boosted through the victory reward from the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, and it was better than most weapons out there.

    However, he mostly used the Frozen Rune Sword for debuffing, and he hadn¡¯t enhanced ittely. If he could, he wanted to rece the Frozen Rune Sword with another weapon.

    ¡°Show them to me.¡±

    Bebe opened the book and said, ¡°Not many heroes use one-handed weapons. First, I¡¯ll show you the Pure Golden Knight Elder¡¯s Golden Sword.¡±

    Junhyuk inspected it.

    ¡ª

    Pure Golden Knight Elder¡¯s Golden Sword (Legendary)

    Attack +980

    Special Effect: Blind +10%

    The Pure Golden Knight Elder used this sword. Strikes with it create a shing light that blinds the enemy ording to legend.

    On Blind: Attack uracy -50%

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk¡¯s mouth hung wide open as he stared at Bebe.

    ¡°Why does it do so much damage?!¡±

    Bebe smirked and said, ¡°That¡¯s why legendary weapons are so expensive. Legends used those weapons, enhancing and upgrading them, which is why they are so powerful.¡±

    ¡°Then, could I enhance it even further?¡±

    Bebe nodded.

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Junhyuk gulped. The Golden Sword could blind the enemy. It shone bright gold, and it did not look cool at all, but it was still a powerful weapon.

    ¡°How much.¡±

    ¡°There are no discounts for legendary items. This one will cost you 3,000,000G.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    Even whenparing it to items from the Vampire Lord set, it was too much.

    Bebe continued calmly, ¡°As you can see, very few weapons areparable in damage. You should know why it¡¯s so expensive!¡±

    Junhyuk nodded heavily. After five enhancements, the weapon¡¯s damage would be astronomical. He asked Bebe to show him another weapon.

    ¡°How about this one?¡±

    He was staring at a ck sword with a reddish sheen. His eyes beamed. It¡¯s color wouldplement the Blood Rune Sword.

    ¡ª

    Swordsman Aksha¡¯s Scarlet Longsword (Legendary)

    Attack +850

    Special Effect: Extension (20 meters)

    Whoever wields Aksha¡¯s Scarlet Longsword will be able to extend its de up to twenty meters to strike the enemy. The wielder can control the sword¡¯s length at will. It is superb at controlling an enemy¡¯s advance.

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk quickly understood what the sword could do. With a twenty-meter range, it would be useful in dealing with enemies with long range attacks.

    With beaming eyes, he turned to Bebe.

    ¡°How much?¡±

    ¡°This one is 2,700,000G.¡±

    Nothing was cheap. When Junhyuk smacked his lips, Bebeughed.

    ¡°Are you looking for something cheap?¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head. He wanted those weapons with special effects, but he couldn¡¯t buy them now.

    ¡°Do you have anything else?¡±

    Bebe nodded and showed him the next weapon.

    ¡°This is thest one-handed sword.¡±

    Heat shimmered from the de, and Bebe disyed it to him.

    ¡ª

    Camping Swordsman Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword (Legendary)

    Attack +900

    Magic Resistance +30%

    Dentra, the Camping Swordsman, used this wind sword. Wind energy is within the sword, and it resists magic attacks. The sword is called the mage¡¯s bane.

    ¡ª

    The damage was lower than the Golden Sword¡¯s, but the effects were better. Usually, mages were hard to deal with. All attacks from mages were magic attacks, so if he could cut their damage by nearly half, he wouldn¡¯t be scared of them anymore.

    Junhyuk looked at Bebe, and the merchant said calmly, ¡°This one is the most expensive, 3,700,000G.¡±

    Junhyuk realized why, even though they were superior in quality, legendary swords didn¡¯t sell. They were extremely expensive. He smacked his lips. Junhyuk wanted all three sword.

    ¡°In the case of Dentra¡¯s sword, does the effect apply if I just carry it?¡±

    Bebe smiled.

    ¡°You want to carry three swords?¡±

    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be too bad.¡±

    Junhyuk needed a lot of money, but if he could get those effects just by carrying them, he was willing to do it.

    Bebe shrugged and replied, ¡°There¡¯s no limit to how many you can carry. In the past, one legend used to carry eight weapons.¡±

    Junhyuk inhaled deeply. He wanted at least two of the three swords, especially for the effects. He immediately thought he would ask Elise to make more Ghost White Tiger cloaks. That was the only way he knew how to get more gold at the moment.

    He was about to leave, but then, he thought of something and asked, ¡°Is there a way to check on the worth of magitek items after we manufacture them without having toe here?¡±

    On Earth, there wasn¡¯t a way to do it.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Bebe answered, pulling out a scroll. ¡°This is an appraisal scroll. Each costs 1,000G.¡±

    Junhyuk gulped. Did he really need it?

    ¡°Do you have anything permanent?¡±

    ¡°These will cost you a lot,¡± Bebe said as he pulled out a pair of goggles. ¡°You can tell an item¡¯s worth by wearing them. They are 300,000G, but they don¡¯t wear out.¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think. They were expensive, but if Elise had one of them, she would be able to tell the worth of the things she made without him having to take them to the battlefield.

    ¡°Are you getting them?¡±

    He sighed and shook his head.

    ¡°No.¡± He had to get better weapons first. After he had traded his sword, he would get the goggles. ¡°Just give me five scrolls.¡±

    The items created with materials from A-ranked monsters needed to be appraised. After he bought the five scrolls, he said goodbye and walked out of the store.

    Junhyuk headed to where he had told La to meet, the ce with the buff monster.

    He was filled with expectations on which buff monster would be waiting for him, but when he got there, La was already fighting it.

    The buff monster was a Wolf Warlord, and all the war wolves were already dead. The Wolf Warlord was by itself, and all ten meters of it were turning ck. That meant that the Wolf Warlord would be able to move as fast as Junhyuk with his eleration triggered.

    La had been keeping some distance from it, but she suddenly close in. She swung her sword almost like a sh attack, but now, the attack left a streak of wind pressure in front of the Wolf Warlord.

    The pressure turned into a whirlwind thatunched the Wolf Warlord into the air. The monster was wounded, and La swung her sword again.

    ng!

    The Wolf Warlord blocked the attack with its w, but her power still damaged it. La took a stance, holding her sheathed katana and waited. The Wolf Warlord was dropping on her, swinging its ws as it did.

    She swung her katana then.

    Shing, shing, shing!

    She quickly attacked the monster with an eight-hitbo. The Wolf Warlord was covered in blood and fell backward, and that¡¯s when Junhyuk heard Ariel¡¯s voice.

    [The Wolf Warlord has been killed. Your health recovery rate will increase by 10 percent for the next five hours. When you attack an enemy, that enemy will lose 10 percent of its movement speed. You can stack the debuff three times. If you are killed within that time frame, you¡¯ll lose your buff to your enemy.]

    La had killed the buff monster without being hit at all. She had just be a hero, which had made Junhyuk think she probably didn¡¯t have great items. However, her disy of power was amazing.

    He walked up to her and said, ¡°You are something!¡±

    La swung her sword to get rid of the blood, and Junhyuk looked around. He saw three massive stones, which he picked up and put in his Spatial Bag.

    La asked him, ¡°Why do you need bloodstones?¡±

    ¡°I can use them in my dimension.¡±

    Sheughed and sheathed her katana, and he smiled at her.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you could kill a buff monster that easily.¡±

    La exined calmly, ¡°In the past, I couldn¡¯t have done it. However, the items I got here have made me stronger.¡±

    ¡°Did you get a lot of them?¡±

    La answered, ¡°A short while ago, the Champions¡¯ Battlefield awarded us with bags of gold. I earned some then, which allowed me to buy two new items.¡±

    He asked her, ¡°Can you tell me about your items?¡±

    La wanted to know why he was so curious, but she answered, ¡°They are from the legend set that belonged to Keros. When Gongon killed me, I dropped one of the other items I had. It was better that way.¡±

    Junhyuk knew that Keros had recently be a legend. Keros had focused on both offense and defense, and if La had two of his items, she had to be strong now.

    Set items increased in power with the number of items you owned from the set. La only had two, so she could get even stronger.

    He muttered to himself, ¡°La, fight with me from now on.¡±

 Chapter 383 - Victory 1

    <h4>Chapter 383: Victory 1</h4>

    La stared at him nkly and replied, ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡±

    He had an awkward look on his face, but his helmet was hiding his face. Junhyuk wanted an ally who would help him be a legend, and La could help him even more than Halo would¡¯ve been able to.

    She could make an enemy use all of their powers on her, making her a big help. He wanted to know more about her powers and equipment, but she had already made up her mind to include him in her team.

    La walked toward the center path and said, ¡°In this battlefield, you are the only one I can choose.¡±

    ¡°Have you already made the rest of your selections?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she replied, smiling bitterly. ¡°Finding teammates is not easy.¡±

    Junhyuk agreed with her. He wanted to be on a team with Gongon, but Gongon was the enemy now. It could be fate, but the situation was still bad.

    He balled his hands into fists.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just be thankful we met at least one member of our team. Let¡¯s finish this.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    He and La had attained the Wolf Warlord¡¯s buff and headed out. They were heading center, a ce they felt they had to control.

    Gongon and his group hadn¡¯t been detected yet, but Railic was already waiting in the buff tower with over three hundred minions. Among them, were the minions left by Junhyuk earlier. They seemed happy to see him, but he ignored them and looked at Railic.

    ¡°Nobody¡¯se yet? Have the others contacted you?¡±

    Negative answers meant that the other paths had seen no hero presence either. Junhyuk scowled. If the enemies weren¡¯t anywhere, there was only one ce they could have gone to.

    ¡°They must have gone to kill the dragon.¡±

    ¡°What do we do?¡± La asked.

    ¡°Tell each side to go solo while we push center. Buffsst longer now, so we¡¯ll end up meeting them with our buffs still.¡±

    Things had been different before. He turned to Railic and La and said, ¡°When we meet enemy heroes, kill the weaker ones and take their buffs.¡±

    Everyone agreed. Junhyuk did not want to wait any longer, so he headed out, 3 heroes and 314 minions. They followed the central road and headed down. It was time for him to decide the battle.

    While the group moved down the path, the enemy appeared. They were buffed, shining with five different colors. The enemy heroes were stationed at the second central tower.

    Gongon was among them, and Junhyuk asked first, ¡°Did you kill the dragon?¡±

    ¡°We needed the buff,¡± Gon answered calmly, and Junhyuk smacked his lips.

    The dragon¡¯s buff had a 30 percent movement speed boost. Because of that, the enemies had arrived at the tower before the allies.

    Junhyuk inspected them one by one. He was trying to figure out who he should take the buff from. Meanwhile, La unsheathed her katana and said, ¡°The one-eyed one with the huge arm, he can shoot spikes from his arm. His name is Kalta.¡±

    La looked at one next to Kalta and continued, ¡°That one can restrain you and regenerate health. The name is Pelt. Very annoying.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the hero without name, whom he met in the buff tower battle, and said, ¡°Then, everything should be settled.¡±

    He would kill the most bothersome enemy first. Stepping forward, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll steal the buff first.¡±

    Railic didn¡¯t understand what he was talking about and simply stared at him. Junhyuk was already running forward. He could attack from outside of the watchtower¡¯s range, so Gongon shouted, ¡°Attack!¡±

    The enemies had brought two hundred goris with them. He saw them blocking his path and chuckled. Gongon had ordered them to charge at him, but he had already expected that.

    Using the goris¡¯ heads as stepping stones, he closed in.

    ¡°Keep him away!¡±

    The enemy heroes distanced themselves from Junhyuk, but he was faster. Before the enemies dispersed, Junhyuk used his Spatial Copse. His target was Pelt.

    It was a critical hit, and Pelt disappeared immediately. The Spatial Copse had an even higher damage than the Spatial sh. The others were sucked into it and lost half of their healths. However, Junhyuk saw that Gongon wasn¡¯t among them.

    While Gongon had shouted, he had retreated, getting out of Junhyuk¡¯s range. One had died, and two others were injured, but Gongon was fine.

    Junhyuk used his Spatial sh on the hero with the unknown name. The hero lost the rest of his health and disappeared as well. The shockwave hit Kalta, and his health was also almost gone.

    La rushed by the goris like a bolt of lightning. With her rush, she could pass by the blocking goris with ease. She was so fast that it was like she left afterimages as she moved. It was something Junhyuk hadn¡¯t seen.

    sh!

    Kalta faded as well, and when La took his buff, Junhyuk smiled. La knew what she had to do. She would make a good ally for him. However, she was within the archers¡¯ range, and they focused on her, so he shouted, ¡°Retreat!¡±

    La turned on the spot and started running back. She got hit by a few arrows, but she wouldn¡¯t die from them.

    Gongon grew and rushed toward her. He wouldn¡¯t let her get away, headbutting her. It was an erged headbutt, and La lost 30 percent of her health. From that attack, Junhyuk understood that her defense was even better than Kraken¡¯s.

    He wanted La in his team even more.

    Gongon tried a firebreath on La, but Junhyuk teleported and swung his sword at the hatchling. Nevertheless, Gongon dodged his attack and breathed fire on her. La lost another 25 percent of her health, and Junhyuk clicked his tongue.

    ¡°La, I¡¯ll give you ten seconds.¡±

    ¡°OK!¡±

    Junhyuk covered himself in his force field and attacked Gongon. The watchtower couldn¡¯t help the dragon anymore.

    As Junhyuk attacked, Gongon front kicked the force field. Junhyuk wasunched back from the shock of the kick. Gongon was trying to buy time, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t let him be.

    Railic extended his hand forward, and ck energy shot out from his fingertips and wrapped around Gongon. Railic had gotten closer to the battle, and now he had constricted Gongon. That way, it would be better for the three to attack him at the same time.

    With Gongon tied up, La stepped forward. She used her eight-hitbo.

    Shing! Shing! Shing!

    The eight strikes shed deeply through Gongon, and he lost 20 percent of his health at once. Junhyuk closed in as well, shing Gongon¡¯s ribs and taking 9 percent of his health.

    La used her ultimate.

    It looked as though La was making a single movement, but she was actually striking multiple times. Her attack left four afterimages, so Gongon was struck by five shes. Gongon lost another 25 percent of his health, astonishing Junhyuk.

    La¡¯s damage was higher than he had expected, which gave him some pause. While the three were attacking Gongon, Junhyuk had to be the one to deliver the final hit. However, that¡¯s when Gongon used his ultimate and transformed into a full dragon. mes shot out of Gongon¡¯s body in all directions, and the dragon flew over the allies.

    Junhyuk turned to look and saw Gongon dropping on Railic. Railic had ck wings on his back, and he released a st on Gongon while beating his wings.

    Boom!

    Gongon was hit, but he only lost 10 percent of his health. Then, Gongon shot fireballs out of his mouth. That was one of Gongon¡¯s new abilities, and Junhyuk started to run.

    Boom!

    Railic got hit by the fireballs and lost 72 percent of his health. It was an absurd amount of damage.

    Junhyuk thought Railic¡¯s defense was crap, so he dove toward the hero. However, Gongon was already releasing more fireballs.

    Railic got hit again, losing another 18 percent of his health.

    La and Junhyuk were using the goris as stepping stones. Railic was struggling against Gongon, but Gongon spit out more fireballs.

    Railic died, and Junhyuk was d that he did. He couldn¡¯t take the chance of Railic killing Gongon now. Gongon had lost way too much health. He only had 28 percent of his health left, so that was the start of the problem. Junhyuk had already used his Spatial sh, so he would need two critical hits to kill the hatchling.

    Gongon wouldn¡¯t just die, so he had to seize the opportunity to pull it off. Meanwhile, La wasn¡¯t worried at all.

    She threw her katana forward, and the sword zoomed through the air and sank into Gongon. It had happened so fast that Gongon hadn¡¯t had time to dodge.

    Gongon grimaced while picking up the item Railic had dropped. That¡¯s when Junhyuk teleported. Normally, he would¡¯ve looked for an opening before teleporting, but things were different now.

    Junhyuk stabbed Gongon¡¯s stomach. The hatchling tried to escape, but his belly was ratherrge when he used growth, so he couldn¡¯t do it. Gongon was left with 1 percent of his health, and Junhyuk walked toward him and swung the Frozen Rune Sword.

    Gongon dodged, but Junhyuk elerated at just the right time, reading Gongon¡¯s movements and stabbing Gongon in the shoulder. The de sank down to Gongon¡¯s heart.

    Gongon turned back to his regr size and started fading. Lying on the ground, he looked up at Junhyuk.

    ¡°Consider yourself lucky. You won here, but in my dimension, you wouldn¡¯t have.¡±

    ¡°In your dimension, I wouldn¡¯t have fought against you.¡±

    Gongonughed and disappeared. Junhyuk picked up his item and got up. The goris and the minions were having a bloody battle.

    He said, ¡°We need to clean up.¡±

    ¡°We need to pick up the items.¡±

    The other two dropped items were among the goris now, and there was a time limit to pick them up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    La had killed one enemy hero, so they both needed to pick up items. His dual swords and her katana made small mountains of corpses to each side of them.

 Chapter 384 - Victory 2

    <h4>Chapter 384: Victory 2</h4>

    Junhyuk had picked up to more items. He turned to La and asked, ¡°What do we do now?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Should we push on?¡±

    La took a moment to think and replied, ¡°It¡¯ll be difficult with just the two of us.¡±

    If Gongon weren¡¯t present, the two would¡¯ve been enough.

    La added calmly, ¡°We should join Ebodia, who went to the right.¡±

    ¡°We may not have enough time for that.¡±

    ¡°We should tell her to join us, then. We¡¯ll hunt a nearby buff monster before joining her.¡±

    ¡°Then, you should contact her,¡± he said and turned to the minions. Two hundred and fifty minions had survived. Junhyuk and La had joined in the killing of the goris, and they had had a lot of minions to begin with.

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t in a hurry. It would take some time for Ebodia to join them. They headed out to join her, and on the way, they met the Queen Harpy. The Queen Harpy was flying, and Junhyuk looked at it and said, ¡°It¡¯s flying. I should engage it.¡±

    The Queen Harpy was an A-ranked monster. One shouldn¡¯t be able to deal with it alone, but he had a strong opening strike. He raised his sword, and La said, ¡°It¡¯s not very high up. I can attack it as well.¡±

    Junhyuk stepped forward and said, ¡°This time, just watch.¡±

    His attack stat was much higher now. As Junhyuk stepped forward, the Queen Harpy flew toward him. However, his attack was faster than the monster¡¯s.

    His Spatial sh sliced through the Queen Harpy¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Kyaak!¡± the Queen Harpy screamed, trying to attack him. Junhyuk teleported and grabbed the monster from behind. He swung his sword and shed the Queen Harpy¡¯s wing, severing it. The Queen Harpy started plummeting. He was riding it down, and when the Queen Harpy crashed against the ground, he stabbed through its neck.

    Everything happened very quickly and smoothly, leaving La astonished.

    ¡°Amazing.¡±

    [You¡¯ve killed the Gale Queen Harpy. For the next five hours, you¡¯ll have a 30 percent chance of triggering an extra attack. If an enemy kills you within that period, you¡¯ll lose the buff to your enemy.]

    Junhyuk had killed the A-ranked monster by himself, and it had been simple. It had looked simple, but his flurry of attacks dealt an absurd amount of damage. He could kill most heroes that way.

    Now that La had seen him in action, she was astounded.

    ¡°Your powers are outstanding. I want to see what you can do in your dimension.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s possible, sure.¡± Junhyuk raised his head and pointed at the harpies in the sky. ¡°Shall we?¡±

    La nodded and threw her katana. It pierced one of the harpies, and the others flocked together and swooped down at them.

    ¡°Raise your shields!¡± Junhyuk shouted.

    The minions did so and covered their heads. Junhyuk and La used the shields as footholds and shed the harpies while standing on them. The harpies swooped at them first, and Junhyuk and La massacred them.

    He turned to the minions. They had not been hurt by the harpies, and that was a relief. Looking at the fallen harpies, he saw that the Queen Harpy had dropped an item, its talon.

    ¡ª

    Gale Queen Harpy¡¯s Talon

    This item has a very low drop rate. You canbine it with other items to boost them. When synthesized, your extra attack rate will increase by 10 percent.

    ¡ª

    Previously, Junhyuk had gotten 50,000G for it, so he smiled. He could sell it, but the item itself was very special. Drops like it from Queen Harpies didn¡¯t happen very often either. He wanted to give it to Elise so that she could use it in her magitek research. He wanted to gift her something nice, and it would really help her.

    Junhyuk gathered the minions and started moving. They were heading to the castle¡¯s main gate. On the way, stood the ck-haired Ebodia. Still looking dreary, she walked toward them when she saw them. She had a hundred minions with her, so they had a significant minion army. If they failed now, they wouldn¡¯t have enough minions to go all out next time.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The enemies had probably changed their ins again, so the allies were pushing forward. Junhyuk moved with the group. They were headed to the main gate.

    The enemies knew what was happening, and all five heroes were standing before the gate. He looked at the enemy minions. There were three hundred goris with them.

    The allied minions numbered 350. However, the difference wasn¡¯t that big, and unless the gate went down, the archers would be waiting for them. On top of that, they would have to get rid of the enemy minions first.

    The allies also had to kill the heroes. Otherwise, the allied minions would be in grave danger of being annihted.

    Looking at the enemy forces, Junhyuk smacked his lips.

    ¡°Complicated.¡±

    The enemies now knew about his powers, so they were keeping a regr distance from him. All of them were at least ten meters away from him.

    From his perspective, creating a shockwave would be the best solution, but the enemies were also keeping a gap between each other. It looked like Gongon had given them instructions, and Junhyuk smiled bitterly at that.

    He contacted Zareto and Railic then, ¡°Zareto, all of the enemies are at the main gate. Go ahead and push for the second tower.¡±

    ¡°Will do.¡±

    ¡°Railic, upy central buff tower.¡±

    If Railic tried to join them, he would be toote for the battle. In that case, it was better for him to take the buff tower.

    Junhyuk turned to La and asked, ¡°What should we do now?¡±

    Even though the allies had superior powers, they wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with the archers and all of the enemies together.

    After thinking for a moment, La said, ¡°If we use all of our powers, we¡¯ll at least take one out each. If that happens, things will get easier.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    The allies could kill them all if they bunched up together, but the enemies weren¡¯t grouping. Each ally could kill two of them, so the enemies weren¡¯t stepping forward. Four of them had already died to three allies, so no single enemy hero was advancing.¡±

    They would rely on support from the archers on the wall, and Junhyuk also knew the enemies would attack him ferociously if he used up all of his powers.

    ¡°We should focus our powers on Gongon.¡±

    ¡°You want to attack Gongon first?¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head and replied, ¡°No, we¡¯ll attack the others first.¡± He continued calmly, ¡°La, can you deal with a hero by yourself?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Ebodia and asked, ¡°Ebodia, what are your powers?¡±

    She lifted her hand, and streams of ck magic twisted from her fingertips. The streams formed a small cage.

    ¡°I can imprison an enemy, but I need to be within a certain distance to make it happen, so it has a high failure rate.¡±

    The ck magic on Ebodia¡¯s fingertips moved around and formed the shape of a spear.

    ¡°I can pierce an enemy¡¯s chest. This one can¡¯t be dodged.¡±

    The ck magic turned into an orb.

    ¡°When I throw this on the ground, it breaks into shrapnel that cover a certain area.¡± Then, she added calmly, ¡°My ultimate creates three magic rings that tighten up around the enemy for three seconds. Think of it arge prison. I¡¯ve never seen anyone break free from it.¡±

    ¡°What about if someone teleports? Could they escape it then?¡±

    Ebodia shook her head, and Junhyuk thought her ultimate was a high-ranking power. He said then, ¡°You deal with Gongon.¡±

    ¡°That hatchling? Honestly, I¡¯m not very confident.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only for a little while.¡±

    Looking at Gongon, Ebodia nodded. Junhyuk turned to La and said, ¡°La, you deal with Pelt. I¡¯ll take care of the rest of them.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    La raised her katana, and Junhyuk looked at the minions. They were anxious, gulping nonstop.

    Grimacing, Junhyuk said, ¡°If you want to live, don¡¯t let your shields go down. We¡¯ll advance slowly.¡±

    Human minions weren¡¯t fit for rushing, so they gathered shoulder to shoulder and formed a shield wall. Looking at them, Junhyuk ordered, ¡°Advance.¡±

    The minions advanced, and the enemy camp responded. The goris broke toward the left and the right. They meant to nk the allies and pincer them as they advanced.

    The enemy heroes tensed up, and looking at them, Junhyuk gulped as well.

    ¡°Then, La, let¡¯s move.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at Ebodia and said, ¡°You¡¯ll do well.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Ebodia answered drearily.

    Junhyuk and La walked with the rest of the minions, and as they closed in, Gongon shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s start!¡±

    The enemy heroes ran forward, all of them keeping a ten-meter distance from each other and Junhyuk. Junhyuk looked toward the enemy hero whose name he didn¡¯t know. He had a push power, which Junhyuk had already seen.

    Gongon was inmand, so Junhyuk knew the enemy heroes wouldn¡¯te after him.

    He sped up. Junhyuk and La ran toward the nameless hero, and the hero extended his hand toward Junhyuk, but Junhyuk teleported immediately.

    Boom!

    The enemy¡¯s power reached the spot where Junhyuk had been standing, but he was now in front of the nameless hero and he stabbed the hero through the neck.

    The hero¡¯s blood sttered on him, and while covered in it, Junhyuk grabbed the hero and jumped. He kept the height of his jump low, maximizing its horizontal distance.

    Hended next to the manticore hero, who tried to swat him with his front paws. Junhyuk blocked the attack with his sword and teleported again while touching the manticore.

    This time, he appeared next to Kalta, who was shocked when he saw Junhyuk and extended his right arm toward him. However, Junhyuk triggered a Spatial Copse on the manticore¡¯s chest. The copse was triggered at close range, and the manticore howled loudly. The attack dealt 72 percent of damage to the hero. The others were sucked into the copsed space and damaged as well. Then, Junhyuk used his Spatial sh on Kalta.

    Blood spurted out of Kalta¡¯s neck like a fountain, and Kalta faded. The shockwave swept through the surrounding enemies, and the manticore faded as well.

    Junhyuk stabbed the nameless hero, who tried to push him off.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck, thuck, thuck!

    The three enemies heroes died suddenly, but the archers started attacking him from the back. Junhyuk got hit by five arrows and lost 15 percent of his health. While the archers were reloading, Junhyuk picked up the three items and started running.

    Gongon shouted immediately, ¡°Don¡¯t let him escape! Goris, turn around and attack him!¡±

    The goris turned and went after Junhyuk. He could tell what Gongon was thinking. Just like he had done to the hatchling, Gongon was trying to keep him within the archers¡¯ range.

    Ebodia was extending her hand toward Gongon, and Junhyuk turned to La.

    La was finishing her eight-hitbo on Pelt, and Pelt faded away.

    Things were going well for the allies.

 Chapter 385 - Victory 3

    <h4>Chapter 385: Victory 3</h4>

    Junhyuk and La were capable of using the goris as stepping stones, and the goris were rushing at them. He knew that Gongon wouldn¡¯t stop attacking them even if he raised his force field, so he told La, ¡°We have to use our own efforts to get out of here.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    La understood the situation, and she dove forward. Both of them ran atop the goris. Meanwhile, Ebodia used her ultimate.

    Dark energy flew from her fingertips and surrounded Gongon. He felt it, but the ck magic was already tightening around him. Gongon¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°This is...!?¡±

    He wouldn¡¯t be able to stop Junhyuk, and the goris wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with him by themselves. Gongon grimaced, inhaled deeply and used his firebreath.

    Ebodia could constrict people, but that was all. Everyone watched as the fire broke through the magic. Gongon hadn¡¯t transformed, but Ebodia still lost half of her health. Junhyuk clicked his tongue and sped up.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck, thuck, thuck!

    Arrows struck Junhyuk¡¯s back again, and he lost another 15 percent of his health. There were more archers on the castle wall than on top of the watchtowers, but no more than five archers attacked an enemy hero at once.

    Junhyuk had already lost 30 percent of his health, and while running on the goris, he got attacked by them and lost an additional 7 percent.

    In the current situation, minions were scarier than heroes for him. That was the reality of the battlefield, and Junhyuk clicked his tongue again and ran even faster. He had already used his teleportations, so he wanted to save the force field for the fight with Gongon.

    La had also used her powers, so it wouldn¡¯t be easy to fight against the hatchling.

    Gongon stared a Junhyuking toward him, but the dragon was imprisoned. He couldn¡¯t move an inch, so Junhyuk and La closed in on him, both attacking him.

    sh!

    Both of their regr attacksnded, but the imprisonment ran out. Gongon could move again, but that wasn¡¯t the biggest issue. Both had lost too much health on their way there.

    Gongon grew, and that¡¯s when Junhyuk thought of something and shouted, ¡°Dodge!¡±

    However, Ebodia didn¡¯t have a power to get her away. Gongon headbutted her right away.

    Boom!

    Ebodia disappeared, and Junhyuk clicked his tongue and asked, ¡°La, do you have any powers left?¡±

    ¡°Only my ultimate.¡±

    Her ultimate¡¯s damage had to be outstanding, but it wouldn¡¯t be able to kill Gongon by itself. Junhyuk started moving without saying anything else.

    Gongon stared at Junhyuk while he picked up the item dropped by Ebodia, smirking as he did.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know this would happen.¡±

    Gongon ran toward him. The erged Gongon was difficult to deal with, and Junhyuk knew that. He had to elerate to gain an advantage.

    Gongon had seemed like he had been running toward Junhyuk, but he dodged Junhyuk¡¯s attack and headed for La. She had her katana aimed at the hatchling. When Gongon got between Junhyuk and La, he balled up.

    ¡°Retreat!¡±

    Junhyuk quickly raised the force field around himself, and La realized the situation. She tried to retreat, but Gongon was faster.

    He transformed into a dragon and released fire everywhere. Huge mes headed toward La.

    Up until now, Junhyuk had always had his force field up when Gongon triggered his ultimate, so he didn¡¯t know, but the transformation dealt a lot of damage to those nearby.

    La lost 35 percent of her health immediately. She had already lost 30 percent to the archers and another 5 to the goris.

    It was possible for Gongon to kill her now, so Junhyuk dove toward the dragon, and the force field pushed him away. He covered La with the force field as well, and once she was inside, she shed at Gongon.

    She used her ultimate, and Gongon lost 25 percent of his health. Junhyuk also swung at the hatchling, but Gongon flew up in the air.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t chase after him.

    La threw her sword at Gongon. The katana hit, but Gongon flew even higher to rest atop the castle. He was a dragon now and he smirked at them both.

    ¡°Do you know why I killed the mage first?¡±

    From way up high, Gongon spewed fireballs in their direction.

    ¡°Retreat!¡±

    Both heroes left Gongon¡¯s range, but La turned to Junhyuk and said, ¡°We can¡¯t just wait here.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and replied, ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do for now. Gongon only has that long range attack because he¡¯s transformed. In the meantime, let¡¯s kill the goris.¡±

    Gongon knew him well, but Junhyuk knew a lot about the dragon as well.

    So, Junhyuk and La killed the goris outside of Gongon¡¯s range. Junhyuk was recovering his health with each kill, and the allied minions cheered as the goris died.

    Gongon¡¯s ultimate wore off, and the hatchling smacked his lips.

    ¡°Do you really want to win?¡±

    ¡°Time to finish this, Gon.¡±

    Gongon was back to his regr self. He crossed his short arms in front of himself and watched. When all of the goris died, only the archers would be left.

    The archers could attack the allies while they attacked the gate, but with the allied minions present, the castle would go down easily.

    ¡°The minions will help with the attack.¡±

    After Gongon said that, he watched as Junhyuk and La decimated the goris. Gongon had no regrets. He simply distanced himself from the battle.¡±

    Junhyuk watched as Gongon disappeared and shouted, ¡°Destroy the gate! Advance!¡±

    The minions started their attack. Junhyuk destroyed the gate and entered the castle. There, he saw Gongon with more enemy minions standing far away.

    In total, there were 250 goris, two golems and Gongon.

    Junhyuk smacked his lips. Each golem could fight as a hero, and soon, the enemy heroes would revive. However, only 150 allied minions remained. The brawl against the goris and the archers had taken a toll on them.

    If Junhyuk and La hadn¡¯t helped, the number of casualties would¡¯ve been even greater.

    Junhyuk looked at her and asked, ¡°What do we do?¡±

    La, looking serious, replied, ¡°It won¡¯t be easy. Can we finish it right now?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded. It would be nice if the allies could kill the golems.

    ¡°Nothing we can do. Let¡¯s attack. When the others revive, we won¡¯t be able to.¡±

    La nodded and shouted, ¡°Attack!¡±

    The allied minions gulped and ran forward, and that¡¯s when a buff circle appeared underneath their feet.

    Junhyuk knew that the allies had taken the buff tower, but it wouldn¡¯t be enough.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the giant golem on the left.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll take the one on the right.¡±

    Both went their way, and Gongon scowled. He knew he could only kill one of them, so he ran toward La.

    Gongon thought she was easier to deal with than Junhyuk, and La had lost a lot of health already.

    When Junhyuk saw that, he used his Spatial sh. He did so while elerating, and the sh cut deep through Gongon¡¯s neck. Gongon had retreated into the castle¡¯s force field to regain his health. Now, however, the Spatial sh had dealt 40 percent of damage to the dragon. Junhyuk was buffed, but Gongon had also lost a lot of items.

    Gongon stared hard at Junhyuk, who changed directions and ran toward Gongon.

    The allied minions grouped up against the golem. They were going crazy against the golem, but the goris joined the fight.

    Meanwhile, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t let Gongon do whatever he wanted. He closed in and analyzed the situation. La, at that moment, drank a potion and recovered some of her health, but she still only had 50 percent of her max.

    Gongon could kill her with one attack if everything went right.

    Staring at him, Gongon erged. Seeing that, Junhyuk clicked his tongue and raised the force field around La. With it on her, Gongon changed directions and tried to headbutt Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to be hit by the attack, so he teleported to stand next to La. Gongonnded, and La went on the offense. She moved like lightning and shed the hatchling.

    sh!

    Gongon bounced up in the air and shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll kill you sooner orter!¡±

    For the next ten seconds, La would be safe. Junhyuk only had to worry about Gongon, who had 48 percent of his health left at that point.

    Junhyuk teleported behind Gongon and shed at the hatchling. Gongon rolled himself into a ball then. He took 10 percent of damage, but he was now a mature dragon. mes went everywhere.

    Since he was in the air, Junhyuk got hit by the mes. Meanwhile, Gongon beat his wings and spewed fireballs at him. Junhyuk grimaced. He stared at Gongon, but even though Gongon was in the air, he left no openings.

    That¡¯s when Junhyuk used his Spatial Copse on the dragon. Junhyuk got lucky, and hended a critical hit. Gongon¡¯s eyes widened then, and he turned translucent. Junhyuk sighed, relieved. It was a good thing that he had killed Gongon.

    Gongon started shrinking as he fell to the ground. Junhyuk walked up to him, and Gongonined, ¡°Now, finish it off.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Junhyuk picked up the item dropped by Gongon and put it in his Spatial Bag, turning to the battlefield as he did.

    Realizing that Gongon had gone down, La focused on a giant golem.

    The enemy heroes hadn¡¯t revived yet, so Junhyuk ran forward and joined the fight. One giant golem went down. One more remained.

    Then, Junhyuk saw the enemy heroes inside the castle¡¯s force field. Upon seeing them, he stopped. The enemy heroes saw him too. Meanwhile, La and the minions destroyed the remaining golem.

    Junhyuk started massacring the enemy goris, but he kept an eye on the enemy heroes. The enemy heroes had received a massive shock. He had killed three of them at once, so they decided not toe out.

    If they did, they thought they would lose more items and get killed by Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk, La and the allied minions pounded against the castle¡¯s force field, but the enemy heroes didn¡¯t move.

    Staring at them, Junhyuk muttered, ¡°If you can¡¯te forward, you can¡¯t be called a hero.¡±

    La smiled and replied, ¡°I agree.¡±

    Crash!

    The minions dealt fixed damage to the force field, so it was gone in no time. The surviving minions started crying and cheering, and Junhyuk turned to La and asked, ¡°So, are we on the same team?¡±

    She smiled, and bright light pounded against his corneas.

 Chapter 386 - Activations 1

    <h4>Chapter 386: Activations 1</h4>

    The blinding light was gone, and Junhyuk saw Ariel in front of him.

    [Congrattions on your victory!] He nodded, and Ariel smiled as she spoke to him. [A reward of 200,000G has been added to your ount.]

    Junhyuk realized he had earned a small fortune. The victory reward and the items dropped by the enemies, they all added up.

    However, he still didn¡¯t have enough to buy a Vampire Lord set item, but should he focus on a new weapon first?

    He thought seriously about what he should do. Currently, his defense was greater than any of the enemies he hade up against. However, an item from the Vampire Lord set would boost the entire set. Would that be better than getting a new weapon?

    If he got killed, he would definitely lose an item from the set, but weapons didn¡¯t drop.

    Still thinking, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Can I still bet on the Champions¡¯ Battlefield?¡±

    [Of course!]

    He frowned a bit. Gongon was gone, so Sarang¡¯s teamcked strength. He didn¡¯t want to bet on her for now. He still cared a lot about her, but he didn¡¯t want to waste his gold.

    Junhyuk inspected the champion that would join her team. They were a tank. It seemed like their defense was as great as other tanks, and they had a taunt. They also had a stun, but theycked power. The tank¡¯s record wasn¡¯t great either.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know who would win, so he decided not to make a significant bet that round. However, he still wanted to watch Sarang fight, so he chose to bet a small amount.

    ¡°What¡¯s the lowest amount I can bet?¡±

    [A hundred gold.]

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll bet 1,000G.¡±

    [Are you betting on Sarang again?]

    Junhyuk nodded, and Ariel took care of the rest. He shrugged and asked, ¡°Then, can I make a partner selection now?¡±

    Ariel smiled and asked, [Did you like anyone?]

    Nodding, Junhyuk answered, ¡°La, the hero. I want her in my team.¡±

    [The Hero La has also selected you as a partner. Since you¡¯ve both selected each other, you¡¯ll be on the same team next round.]

    Junhyuk was a little anxious, so he asked, ¡°Can I select an enemy to be on my team?¡±

    [Unfortunately, no. Only allies can be selected as teammates.]

    Junhyuk had expected that answer, but after hearing it, he felt despondent.

    ¡°So, for us to be on the same team, we¡¯ll have to fight on the same team?¡±

    [Correct.]

    Ariel was smiling brightly, but Junhyuk was even more anxious.

    ¡°Luck is definitely a part of getting people in the same team.¡±

    It was possible for Junhyuk to meet Gongon as an enemy again. Wishing that wouldn¡¯t be the case, he told Ariel, ¡°Then, see you next time.¡±

    [As always, may the force be with you.]

    Junhyuk returned to the flowing timeline. He opened his eyes slowly and stretched. He had spent a lot of time where no time passed, so psychologically, he was tired.

    He threw himself on the bed. It was Friday, so there was no training. Hey therefortably and thought about his battles with Gongon, falling asleep as he did.

    ¡ª

    After sleeping soundly, Junhyuk woke up. He was rested, so he checked on the time and saw that it was seven in the evening.

    He stretched and walked out of the room. Major Poma saw him, walked up and said, ¡°So far, three haven¡¯t woken up.¡±

    On Fridays, novices were summoned, and there was nothing he could do about it. He sighed and asked, ¡°How about the experts?¡±

    ¡°Three went through narcolepsy, but they all woke up.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Junhyuk walked to the roof. There, he looked far away toward the Russian monster area. When he heard footsteps approaching him, he turned around.

    Ling Ling was walking toward him. She looked a little disturbed, and when he saw her, he was a little surprised.

    She bowed toward him, and he asked, ¡°Have you be a champion?¡±

    Her eyes widened, and when she took a step back, he asked her, ¡°Were you nning on hiding it?¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°All I have to do is look at you.¡±

    Junhyuk could do it, but Ling Ling frowned and asked, ¡°Is that a power?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s more of an equipment than a power.¡±

    She nodded and dered, ¡°Certainly, you are a hero.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t deny it, and Ling Ling shook her head and added, ¡°You aren¡¯t an ordinary hero.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°For a hero, you are too strong.¡±

    Junhyukughed and turned to the Russian monster area.

    ¡°Heroes are stronger than you can imagine. When you meet a real one, you¡¯ll lose your confidence.¡±

    Those were his honest feelings. Without his equipment, would Junhyuk be able to approach Arn? No, Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t be able to shine Arn¡¯s shoes. However, with his equipment, things were different.

    Ling Ling nodded and walked closer to him. While she was looking far away at the Russian monster area, he asked her, ¡°Were you an expert for a long time?¡±

    Ling Ling turned to him, and Junhyuk smiled and asked, ¡°You must be expert 002, right?¡±

    She frowned hard. Looking at him nervously, she said, ¡°You are 001.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t deny it, and Ling Ling looked far away again.

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    He smiled and replied, ¡°Since you are a champion now, we¡¯ll attack a monster area.¡± Turning to her, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s your third power?¡±

    ¡°I can create wind des everywhere,¡± she answered.

    Junhyuk knew Ling Ling¡¯s powers were wind-based, but now he also realized that her powers were fully focused on attacking. If she became a hero, her role would be damage.

    ¡°OK. You¡¯ll protect the experts. You¡¯ll be able to do anything you want with them.¡±

    ¡°Are we attacking a monster area right now?¡±

    After some thought, he replied, ¡°Tomorrow. I¡¯ll contact Guardians and get a meeting with the delegates.¡±

    ¡°Where are we attacking?¡±

    ¡°Well...¡±

    She asked carefully, ¡°Can we go to China first?¡±

    He turned to her. There were three dimensional tears in China. The one in Beijing had caused the most damage. They had lost historical sites, and many people had died.

    ¡°We¡¯ll stop one of the Chinese tears. Make sure to fight with all you have.¡±

    They had to stop the Chinese tears anyway, and now that Ling Ling was a champion, he wanted to congratte her by taking one of them out first.

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    She bowed to him, and he said, ¡°But, keep the fact that I¡¯m a hero a secret between us.¡±

    She smiled.

    ¡°Many intelligent people know it already, though I can¡¯t be sure.¡±

    Ling Ling had found out only after she had be a champion. She had realized that Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t be an easy person to ovee.

    ¡°There is a difference between when you say things and when people guess.¡± Smiling, he added, ¡°Now, we can really go after the tears.¡±

    Ling Ling nodded, pumping her fists. Junhyuk looked into the distance. He had wished for more experts, but he had gotten a champion instead.

    Then, she asked him hesitantly, ¡°I signed a contract. Do you know anything about the Champions¡¯ Battlefield?¡±

    Junhyuk had been the first human champion, so he had had the right to recruit other human champions to his team. However, he didn¡¯t know if Sarang had acquired the same right now that he wasn¡¯t one.

    After thinking about it, Junhyuk replied, ¡°You¡¯ll form a team with two other champions. The battlefield itself is smaller than Nightmare Mountain, and that¡¯s where you¡¯ll learn to lead.¡±

    ¡°I must lead...¡±

    ¡°Think of it as practice for bing a hero.¡±

    Ling Ling thought about heroes leading minions into fights and guessed at the dynamics of the Champions¡¯ Battlefield.

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Junhyuk pulled out his cell phone.

    ¡°I have a new champion, and we know our next target, so let¡¯s get ready. I¡¯ll report to Guardians about China.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll call my country as well.¡±

    Junhyuk walked down from the roof and made the call. Eunseo picked up.

    ¡°I have a new champion.¡±

    ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°One of the Chinese experts, Ling Ling.¡±

    ¡°You mean the one with wind powers?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the one. Our second target will be in China. Is there a problem with that?¡±

    ¡°No problem. When are you moving out?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll still need more experts, but with a new champion, we¡¯ll attack immediately.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll call a meeting.¡±

    ¡°Please do.¡±

    After Junhyuk hung up, he asked Major Poma to gather up the rest, who were now awake. Within ten minutes, the powered people gathered in the hotel¡¯s meeting room.

    ¡°Some of you haven¡¯te back from the Dimensional Battlefield, but I want to tell you something.¡±

    Everyone listened attentively, and Junhyuk called Ling Ling to the front and introduced her.

    ¡°Ling Ling, from the experts¡¯ team, has be a champion.¡±

    People were stunned, and Junhyuk pped. The others began to p as well, and Ling Ling gave them a light bow.

    He waited for everyone to calm down and continued, ¡°Ling Ling will lead the experts¡¯ team. Starting tomorrow, we¡¯ll destroy tears around the world.¡±

    ¡°Where will we attack first?¡± Peyton asked.

    Junhyuk nodded at the question and answered, ¡°The second dimensional tear we¡¯ll destroy will be in China.¡±

 Chapter 387 - Activations 2

    <h4>Chapter 387: Activations 2</h4>

    The video conference with Guardians went quickly. Junhyuk had talked to Eunseo, and the Chinese government was d that they would stop a dimensional tear there. They were also d that they were now in possession of a champion, but they were not rude to Junhyuk.

    China wouldn¡¯t have revealed to the world that Junhyuk was a hero, and he was still the only one to go into a dimensional tear and destroy it. The Chinese delegate didn¡¯t push him.

    Everything had been decided, and they got on a ne quickly and started making their way. Theynded a Beijing Capital International Airport, and Geum Do Oh, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, was there to greet them.

    Oh was one of the most powerful people in China, which made it obvious that they were being treated differently from how Japan and Russia had treated them.

    Oh took Junhyuk and Ling Ling with him in themand vehicle, and the procession started moving. Beijing was big, so the monster area wasn¡¯t that big inparison. However, the monster area had appeared in the Forbidden City, which made it seem like the reason for its appearance was something other than killing people.

    The Forbidden City was a tourist site, but there were definitely other ces withrger concentrations of people.

    Junhyuk received reports from Oh¡¯s secretaries and gave them to Lucy. He asked her toe up with a battle n. They had decided to attack, but that didn¡¯t mean they could attack right away.

    Every monster had a different power, so the experts¡¯ team and the novice attack team needed time to prepare.

    They decided to rest on their arrival day, nning to move the next day. However, some were unable to rest. Notably, Junhyuk, Lucy and Ling Ling remained active.

    The Chinese government had given them pictures of the monsters, and they looked very different from what they had faced so far. Lucy created a battle n, while Junhyuk and Ling Ling listened to her exnation.

    Frowning, Junhyuk said, ¡°That A-ranked monster is something I¡¯d never seen before.¡±

    ¡°It looks like it came straight out of someone¡¯s imagination. I didn¡¯t know a thing like that existed,¡± Lucy said, and he took the pictures from her with a scowl.

    The monster was a dragon from a very old tale. He had never met something like it before and he wasn¡¯t sure if it was really an A-ranked monster.

    Dragons were S-ranked monster, and Junhyuk felt like this one looked more like an S-ranked monster as well.

    Junhyuk was looking at the picture of a monster on the roof of the Forbidden City Pce. So far, A-ranked monsters had been about ten meters long max, but this one was about twenty meters. How could he exin that?

    It was an unknown monsters, so he didn¡¯t know about its powers either. Management had told him that stopping dimensional tears would be more difficult, so they might have let stronger monsters loose. Junhyuk wished for that not to be the case, and he looked at the others.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know much about the A-ranked monster, but I¡¯ll deal with it. What about the B-ranked monsters?¡±

    The B-ranked monsters had the head of an ox and a muscr, humanoid body. They were minotaurs. Looking at the pictures, Junhyuk thought about management. Why had they sent minotaurs to China? Junhyuk thought about hell, but he didn¡¯t think they would send demons to China.

    He had fought against a minotaur hero before. He hadn¡¯t had many powers back then, and the minotaur had been difficult to deal with.

    Considering the minotaurs¡¯ health, it would be important to finish them quickly.

    China had a n to deal with C-ranked monsters like oxes and toads, but they hadn¡¯t been up toe up with anything against the minotaurs.

    Junhyuk said calmly, ¡°We¡¯ll follow Lucy¡¯s n, but we¡¯ll deal with minotaurs as soon as we meet them. We don¡¯t know how many we¡¯ll be able to deal with at the same time if we let them be.¡±

    Ling Ling nodded. She had amazing attack powers, and they would probably work against minotaurs, but the others might have a problem.

    It wouldn¡¯t be an easy battle. However, Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t get too scared. We¡¯ve already destroyed the Japanese tear.¡±

    In Japan, things had happened very suddenly, but they had managed regardless. Since then, the team had lost many members. Among the novices, they had already lost ten, and this time, three hadn¡¯t woken up yet.

    Junhyuk patted Lucy¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°You worked hard on the n. Take the rest of the day off and rest. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll check on the monsters¡¯ strengths, and on the third day, we¡¯ll attack the tear.¡±

    Ling Ling and Lucy bowed to him and went their way. Junhyuk went into his room and into the bathroom. From there, he entered the training facility. He had a special meeting that day.

    Junhyuk waited in the training facility, and suddenly, Sarang showed up with someone else. She had the authority to allow people in the facility, and others could only enter with her permission.

    The person who entered with her looked around, astonished.

    ¡°There are twenty mana trees here!¡±

    Elise was dumbfounded, and Junhyuk greeted her, ¡°Long time, no see.¡±

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long.¡±

    On Earth, not much time had passed. However, Junhyuk had been to the Dimensional Battlefield, and every time he went, he lost track of time on Earth.

    Smiling, she looked at him.

    ¡°You showing me this ce means were really are on the same team.¡±

    Junhyuk raised his hand, showing her the ring.

    ¡°Actually, when I put this ring on, we became partners.¡±

    Eliseughed brightly.

    ¡°China has an A-ranked monster I¡¯d never seen before. Can you bring me its body?¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be too heavy. I¡¯ll slice it and bring you a few parts.¡±

    ¡°Fine, but can you get them to me quickly?¡±

    ¡°If it ever shows up in the training facility, I can get you a whole one.¡±

    Not every monster appeared in the training facility. The Doppelganger King, for example, hadn¡¯t shown up yet.

    Elise crossed her arms and said, ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason you brought me here. Let¡¯s hear it.¡±

    Junhyuk pulled the Queen Harpy¡¯s Talon out, and Elise recognized it.

    ¡°A Queen Harpy¡¯s talon?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, but this one is special.¡±

    ¡°Special how?¡±

    Junhyuk gave her the talon and exined, ¡°This one is a rare drop in the Dimensional Battlefield. You might get one after killing many Queen Harpies. It¡¯s a material for item synthesis.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡±

    Elise looked at it with renewed curiosity, and her eyes beamed.

    ¡°Hm... It does feel different.¡±

    ¡°What can you feel?¡±

    Smiling, she answered, ¡°After learning magitek, I can tell when ingredients are superior to others. I¡¯m making a machine to measure their difference, but it¡¯ll take time.¡±

    Junhyuk could guess at what she was making. Bebe had said that it would cost him 300,000G to get an item that inspected other items¡¯ worth, and once again, Junhyuk realized just how valuable Elise was.

    Then, Junhyuk pulled out the Starlight st Furnace and the Sunlight Heating Furnace.

    ¡°I brought you the things you asked for.¡±

    Her eyes beamed, and she inspected them.

    ¡°Hm! Using these, I can make more effective items!¡±

    While she was looking at the two furnaces, Junhyuk turned to Sarang.

    ¡°How was your battlefield?¡±

    Sarang merely turned her head away and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°You gave Big Sister Elise a ring. Hmph!¡±

    Junhyukughed and caressed Sarang¡¯s head, but she took a step back andined, ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood.¡±

    ¡°I can trust you without the ring.¡±

    After hearing that, she rxed, and he asked her again, ¡°Were you OK?¡±

    Sarang shook her head.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy. I probably need to change my equipment.¡±

    Should Arn change his focus as well and be a tank?

    She continued, ¡°I was able to sell the items given to me by Elise, so I got some new things.¡±

    Junhyuk used to have items around 80,000-100,000G when he was a champion. Sarang had items that cost around 200,000G. Her start was much better than his had been. She could also pick up items when she killed heroes, and since her enemies had to be higher-ranked than Junhyuk¡¯s, she could earn money quickly.

    He was still talking to her when a light shone from Elise. Junhyuk and Sarang turned to her immediately while Elise was standing there with a nk stare.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t see the Queen Harpy¡¯s Talon in her hand, but he didn¡¯t care about that. Elise was changing. Her health and mana went way up, and he asked her, ¡°Are you a novice now?¡±

    What had happened to trigger the sudden power activation?

    Junhyuk stared at her, and Elise, with her hands on her head, replied, ¡°Wait.¡±

    After she calmed down, she raised her head. Looking at him, she answered, ¡°I got a power from the Queen Harpy¡¯s Talon.¡±

    ¡°What power?¡±

    Elise was in no condition to activate her power, and how would she activate it in the first ce? Nevertheless, she extended her hand toward him, and streams of light left her fingertips. Junhyuk sword started shining, so he unsheathed it and frowned.

    ¡°This is...!¡±

    Elise inspected herself and muttered, ¡°Hm... It has a cooldown. One minute.¡±

    Then, she raised her head and, looking at him, she exined, ¡°I was looking at the Queen Harpy¡¯s Talon. You told me it was a synthesis ingredient, so I was thinking about how to use it, and that¡¯s when it happened. The Queen Harpy¡¯s Talon disappeared, but I can mimic its abilities. I can make it as if I had synthesized it to your weapon, but the effects onlyst for three minutes.¡±

    Junhyuk could understand what she was saying. Elise had activated a power, which meant that she would also go to the Dimensional Battlefield.

    He walked up to her and ced a hand on her shoulder.

    ¡°The heroes will want to work with you, but I must teach you how to survive the Dimensional Battlefield.¡±

    ¡°I have to go to the Dimensional Battlefield?!¡±

    Junhyuk nodded heavily and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. You have a power now, so you¡¯ll be summoned starting next week.¡±

 Chapter 388 - Activations 3

    <h4>Chapter 388: Activations 3</h4>

    For people with powers to survive, they had to meet the right heroes. It all depended on what kind of heroes they met.

    Some heroes treated novices as consumables, while others made sure that novices would be able to help when it counted.

    A single power could change the flow of battle.

    In the past, when Junhyuk only had his force field, he had been bait. Not more, not less. However, his power had evolved, and once he was able to raise the force field on other people, he became instrumental at changing the battlefield.

    Elise¡¯s power seemed like a simple buff, but it could also change the flow of battle. On top of that, nobody knew how her power would evolve. So, Junhyuk taught her every strategy he knew on how to survive the Dimensional Battlefield.

    No one knew what kind of heroes she would meet, so he told her how to survive different types of heroes. After listening for a while, she sighed.

    ¡°So, I should butter up to heroes?¡±

    ¡°In simple terms, yes.¡±

    Elise was superior in every sense, so if she disyed her pride, she would be killed. After hearing his answer, she sighed again.

    ¡°Nothing I can do. So, if a novice dies once, it¡¯s over for them?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Experts can revive once, and champions can revive five times.¡±

    After some thought, Elise muttered, ¡°I have to activate other powers quickly.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly. Activations didn¡¯t depend only on one¡¯s intelligence.

    ¡°Most activations trigger with strong willpower.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s some nice advice,¡± she said smiling. Elise continued, ¡°You gave me a Doppelganger King¡¯s heartst time, but I¡¯m still researching it. I¡¯ll tell you as soon as the research is done.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded slowly. He had heard about the Doppelganger King¡¯s heart from Hatma, so he didn¡¯t know if humans would be able to use it. He had given it to her without any expectations. If she discovered something that could be done with the heart, that would be nice.

    As Junhyuk spoke, Elise thought of something. Then, he told her to wait and contacted Gongon.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Gongon had a frown on when he answered Junhyuk¡¯s call. Junhyuk wanted to give Gongon¡¯s equipment back, but that would only happen when they found themselves on the same team. If they didn¡¯t end up on the same team, he would have to sell the equipment.

    ¡°Gon, I want to know more about crafting materials for Spatial Bags.¡±

    ¡°Spatial Bags? Why are you curious about crafting materials for them?¡±

    ¡°Humans might be able to make them.¡±

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean tough. Spatial Bags deal with multiple dimensions. They require a highly magic-minded crafter, didn¡¯t you know?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that, but I need materials to start working on them.¡±

    ¡°Hm... You are serious? Are you really going to make one? You won¡¯t understand the process!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be the one making it.¡±

    Gongon stared him for a moment and said, ¡°OK, fine. You¡¯ll require someone highly magic-minded, but I¡¯ll tell you. I¡¯ll give you the list of materials, but I can¡¯t give the steps through you.¡±

    Gongon smiled and dered, ¡°Give themunication crystal to whomever will be making the Spatial Bag.¡±

    Junhyuk passed the crystal to Elise and said, ¡°Hold it.¡±

    She nodded, taking themunication crystal, and her eyes widened.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Elise talked to Gongon, and Junhyuk turned to Sarang.

    ¡°Is Elise a good teacher?¡±

    ¡°Whenever I have time, she teaches me. It¡¯s fun, and I¡¯ll learn even more from her once my vacation starts.¡±

    ¡°Good thinking.¡±

    Sarang couldn¡¯t copy Elise¡¯s creativity, but if Sarang could follow the crafting recipes, the rate of manufacturing would go way up.

    The Ghost White Tiger Cloak required materials, but the rate of sess of the crafting process was also quite low. Sarang could somehow help with that problem.

    After some thought, Sarang asked, ¡°Should I buy a magitek book and read it?¡±

    ¡°It costs 300,000G.¡±

    Junhyuk had balked at the price when he bought it.

    ¡°But, there is an issue because I haven¡¯t read it and am simply learning from her. The crafting process uses a runguage, and I don¡¯t understand everything.¡±

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t read Runes, so he smiled bitterly and said, ¡°If you can learn magitek, that¡¯ll help a lot.¡±

    Elise might need intelligence runestones of her own, but the highest quality runestones were expensive, and he couldn¡¯t get them for her. Still, Junhyuk wished that Elise would be sessful in her research.

    Elise and Gongon talked for a long time, and Junhyuk knew it was time for monsters to show up. Looking at Sarang, he said, ¡°Get her back.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Sarang returned Elise, and she and Junhyuk looked at the A-ranked monsters showing up.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s begin.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Junhyuk and Sarang hunted and killed A-ranked monsters for two hours. Sarang looked tired, and while she rested sitting down, he stood next to her and said, ¡°This time, you¡¯ll get a tank as an ally.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    He stared at her and said, ¡°You should be careful.¡±

    ¡°I know... I won¡¯t have you nor Gongon with me.¡±

    Junhyuk and Gongon had great powers and equipment, but they wouldn¡¯t be there now. She would have to be strategic in her fights. Sarang had gone through a battle with those opponents before. She knew how the enemies would work, so she coulde up with a strategy of her own.

    Junhyuk told her about her new tank ally and their powers. He wished he could¡¯ve been of more help to her. However, since he hadn¡¯t bet much on her this time, he would simply enjoy the battle.

    Sarang got up, stretched and said, ¡°I¡¯ll bring sis back.¡±

    ¡°You will?¡±

    Sarang disappeared for a while and returned with Elise, who gave him themunication crystal back and said, ¡°I am shocked that there are beings with intelligence superior to humans. Can you get me amunication crystal next time?¡±

    ¡°Will do.¡±

    Themunication crystal was the cheapest item she had asked for among the things she wanted from him. Elise smiled and turned to Sarang.

    ¡°Take me back now. I want to check on a few things.¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡± Sarang smiled at Junhyuk and said, ¡°Big brother, see you next time.¡±

    ¡°Right!¡±

    After seeing Sarang off, he contacted Gongon, who stared at Junhyuk, frowning.

    ¡°You two talked for a while. Is everything OK?¡±

    ¡°Was I talking to a human?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°Huh!? Shocking!¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Gongon was astonished, ¡°She didn¡¯t know anything about space initially, but her understanding was absurd. I didn¡¯t know she could grasp the understanding for the Spatial Bag so quickly.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Even a dragon wouldn¡¯t have understood it that fast. But she was able to. It¡¯s just shocking... and amazing.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled. Elise would be a big help.

    ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡±

    ¡°I told her the things she needed. The materials can¡¯t be found in your dimension, so just get them from Bebe.¡±

    ¡°Right. By the way, can we be on the same team next time?¡±

    Gongon smiled and replied, ¡°That depends on luck. I learned one thing thisst time. It will be nice to be on the same team as you, but fighting you as an enemy is also fun.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and answered, ¡°Still, I want to be on the same team as you.¡±

    Gongon swiped his ws and said, ¡°I have to go train.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Gongon disappeared, and Junhyuk got up from his seat. Elise understood the principles behind Spatial Bags, and that was great news for him. He could get the ingredients from Bebe, and Elise could craft the bags.

    Bebe would buy every Spatial Bag he brought, so he would earn a lot more gold from selling them.

    Junhyuk thought it was the right decision to include Elise in his team. He swung his swords. He envisaged himself fighting the Chinese dragon and thought about his fight with the ck Turtle and swung his swords again.

    ¡ª

    The morning Sun came up, and Junhyuk yawned hard. That day, he would visit the Beijing monster area. He would deal with B-ranked monsters and retreat. The goal was to attack the A-ranked monster only when he decided to attack the tear itself.

    Junhyuk went to the hotel lobby. The experts¡¯ team was surrounding Ling Ling, and the novices were listening to Lucy.

    He walked toward them and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The groups got in their vehicles quickly. Three novices hadn¡¯t woken up, and additional support was on the way, but it hadn¡¯t arrived yet.

    After the powered teams got in their vehicles, the monster support team did the same. They drove for a while and reached the outside of the Beijing monster area.

    Junhyuk gathered the experts¡¯ team and the novice attack team. Standing in front of them, he said, ¡°Today, we¡¯ll scout the Beijing area monsters and their powers. There is a difference between reading about them and experiencing them.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to check on the B-ranked monsters. He wanted to know how many B-ranked monsters they would be able to deal with at the same time.

    ¡°Today, we¡¯ll check them out, and three days from now, we¡¯ll attack the tear. Prepare for battle.¡±

    Everyone got their equipment ready, and Junhyuk stood in front of them. Once they were able to supply equipment crafted with B-ranked monsters to the powered people, that would be of significant help to them.

    With Junhyuk in the center, the experts and the novices followed him into the monster area.

 Chapter 389 - Breakthrough Point 1

    <h4>Chapter 389: Breakthrough Point 1</h4>

    Beijing monster area.

    Junhyuk had been worried about the B-ranked minotaurs, but that ended up being unnecessary. Ling Ling, now a champion, could deal with a minotaur by herself, and from that, Junhyuk realized that she had gotten at least one piece of new equipment.

    If for some reason Ling Ling got overwhelmed and the others were endangered, there was always Jeffrey, who could deal with a few minotaurs at once if they were bunched together. Junhyuk didn¡¯t have to worry.

    Lucymanded the novice attack team, and even they were able to deal with minotaurs without the experts¡¯ help. The experts¡¯ team had measured the minotaur¡¯s rush distance, and they could bring minotaurs down before they rushed.

    The results of their training were satisfactory, and once they got back to the hotel, Junhyuk wanted to rest, but he held a meeting with Lucy and Ling Ling before that.

    Looking at them both, he said, ¡°Through today¡¯s light, simple training, we were able to figure out the monsters¡¯ strength. ording to satellite information, there are thirty-five B-ranked monsters in the area and approximately five hundred C-ranked.¡±

    The experts¡¯ team and the novice attack team couldn¡¯t deal with that great of a number.

    Pointing to a map, he continued, ¡°Today, we went in this direction and killed all the B-ranked monsters in the path. In two days, we¡¯ll advance from here.¡±

    Junhyuk meant to advance from the opposite side and direction they had taken that day. Through their training, they met and killed B-ranked monsters, and by taking the path on the opposite side, they would encounter at least seven B-ranked monsters. However, with Junhyuk with them, they wouldn¡¯t need to worry about the monsters.

    Junhyuk turned to Ling Ling and said, ¡°We¡¯ll contact the Chinese army just before carrying out our n. They¡¯ll lure the monsters here.¡±

    He trusted the experts¡¯ team and the novice attack team, but he didn¡¯t want to work them too hard. That day, he didn¡¯t disturb the A-ranked dragon to prevent being swarmed by other monsters, which would¡¯ve ruined his ns.

    Junhyuk would have more work, but he had no other choice.

    ¡°Tomorrow, we¡¯ll ask the army to do some work for us while we rest.¡±

    He sent them away and returned to his room. There, hey on his bed. Destroying dimensional tears meant risking his life, but it was something he had to do.

    ¡°I must continue the work.¡±

    That was only possible because he had a champion with him now. However, the destruction of the tear itself couldn¡¯t be carried out by that champion. It wouldn¡¯t happen unless he had a team of champions.

    ¡°If I had a hero with me, I would speed things up.¡±

    Heroes could be trusted, and although even weak heroes could be killed by monsters within the tears, Junhyuk could always join them to help.

    He shook his head and entered the training facility. There, he pulled out the core of the previous tear. Although he didn¡¯t know how strong it was or what it would do, inside the facility, the mana around him began to resonate with it.

    Perhaps, something rted to mana made the core function. He focused intently on the broken core.

    ¡ª

    After resting for a day, they were very enthusiastic. They all knew they would have a big day ahead.

    That day would be the second time they would try to destroy a dimensional tear. The first tear destruction had been idental, but this time, they were well prepared.

    It had only been for a short while, but they were being treated as heroes that would save the Earth. Junhyuk had prohibited outings for the novices and experts, but they could still use the inte, so they all knew how important they were, at least honorwise.

    Junhyuk got in a vehicle with them and headed toward the monster area, heading to the opposite side from where they had entered the monster area the previous time. Once they all got out of their vehicles, Junhyuk saw their faces tense up.

    The number of monsters by the border wasrger than they had expected. There were ten B-ranked monster and around a hundred C-ranked monsters crowding the border. It was the result of the Chinese army luring them there.

    Seeing the monsters bunched up, Junhyuk took the lead.

    ¡°Today is the day we destroy the second dimensional tear thrown at humanity.¡±

    Everyone looked nervous.

    ¡°We¡¯ll kill that bunch first and then advance into the Forbidden City. Don¡¯tg behind and follow your team leader¡¯s orders. We¡¯ll seed.¡±

    Looking at the group onest time, Junhyuk said, ¡°Don¡¯t die.¡±

    Junhyuk turned and walked alone toward the monster area. The teams followed him, but he stopped and raised his hand. The teams also stopped.

    He left them behind and went inside, attacking the monsters as he did. He easily massacred the C-ranked monsters. As he disyed his superior strength, a minotaur rushed at him. Junhyuk ran to meet it. The minotaur¡¯s rush wasn¡¯t considered a power, so Junhyuk didn¡¯t hesitate.

    Before the horn could pierce him, Junhyuk swung his sword and sliced the minotaur. Then, he front kicked another that was rushing toward him and continued forward. He went berserk, not even using his powers, and it took him only three minutes to kill all the minotaurs.

    If the monsters hadn¡¯t tried to run away, he would¡¯ve taken even less time.

    Junhyuk made a signal with his hand, and the experts, the novices and the Chinese army cheered aloud. Junhyuk seemed invisible, and he walked further in while still hearing their cheers. The expert¡¯s team and the novice attack team followed closely behind him.

    With the teams, Junhyuk killed more monsters as they moved further in.

    When he reached the Forbidden City, he turned to his allies. They were all quiet, and as he looked at them, he said, ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll take care of the A-ranked monster and advance into the tear. Once I do, close in and hold that position.¡±

    He did not know the dragon¡¯s powers, so he had no other choice. The others nodded, and he walked into the Forbidden City. The dragon was sitting atop the pce, and it saw Junhyuk walking toward it.

    When it did, clouds started gathering above the dragon, and Junhyuk scowled.

    ¡°You can summon clouds?¡±

    Monsters weren¡¯t able to pull that off, but the dragon had easily summoned the clouds, so it had to have an electric attribute.

    Junhyuk ran toward it, but when the dragon opened its mouth, lightning came out of it.

    Craaaaack, boom!

    Junhyuk had been expecting something to happen, so when he saw the dragon¡¯s lightning, he teleported to appear above the dragon, stabbing at its neck.

    ng!

    The sword bounced off. The dragon swung its huge, snake-like body and pounded against Junhyuk. He gotunched off, but took another stance.

    The dragon had blocked his attack.

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s attack stat was outstanding. He could even slice through the ck Turtle¡¯s shell. However, his attack had not worked. He had simply scratch the dragon. So, he gathered mana on his de and ran toward the dragon again.

    The dragon slithered up.

    Craaack!

    The roof of the pce was destroyed, and the dragon appeared floating in the air. As he ran toward it, clouds covered the sky, and thunderbolts crashed down.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    The thunderbolts fell like rain, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t dodge them all. However, now that he had magic resistance equipment, he could endure the dragon¡¯s attacks.

    He kept running forward, and the dragon started floating up slowly, which meant he only had one chance.

    Junhyuk elerated and stepped on the destroyed rooftop, jumping. He closed in quickly, and the dragon twisted its entire body, shing at him with his short, front ws.

    ng!

    The mana de got stuck on the dragon¡¯s w, and as Junhyuk fell, he scowled.

    The dragon¡¯s body was stronger than he had expected. It watched as Junhyuk fell to the ground, flying even higher up.

    The dragon was fifty meters up in the air now, trying to hide among the clouds.

    ¡°You can¡¯t hide!¡±

    He stomped the ground and jumped again. The dragon sent lightning down at him, but Junhyuk had used his jump ability. He grabbed a spike-like scale on the dragon¡¯s back and attacked the dragon¡¯s body with his mana de.

    CLANG!

    The dragon¡¯s scales were very strong, but Junhyuk couldn¡¯t understand why he had only scratched the dragon.

    Frowning, he muttered, ¡°Is this a power?¡±

    Just like his own force field, the dragon¡¯s scales protected it from everything. Seeing that, Junhyuk made a wish. If that wasn¡¯t a power, it was amazing. He would be able to use the scales to make equipment. If Bebe didn¡¯t buy it, he would use it in the fight against the dimensional tears.

    He mumbled that he would earn more money while still holding on to the dragon. Then, he got up. People watching the scene might say that he was riding the dragon, but he wasn¡¯t. The dragon might have a perfect defense, which would give it a monster skill of the highest quality. He had to find a weak spot.

    Junhyuk quickly looked through the dragon, but he couldn¡¯t find anything. Then, thunderbolts crashed on him. Junhyuk could withstand the shock, but he was stunned and fell from the sky.

    However, when the dragon tried to bite him, he found what he had been looking for.

    The dragon had many scales covering it, but one of the scales was stuck backward. When Junhyuk regained his ability to move, he used his Spatial sh. The dragon had its mouth open, trying to bite him, and the Spatial sh entered it.

    ¡°Rooooarrr!¡±

    As the dragon roared, Junhyuk entered its mouth. The dragonnded once again on the pce.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    The pce was destroyed, and a cloud of dust went everywhere. The dragon had fallen, and Junhyuk showed up afterward. The dragon had died while vomiting blood, and Junhyuk was covered in it.

    Looking at the fallen dragon, Junhyuk murmured, ¡°It did have perfect defense, but one of its scales was extremely weak.¡±

    Junhyuk had shed the scale, and once the dragon was no longer protected, he shed through its hide,ughing aloud as he did.

    Junhyuk had his Spatial sh, and because of it, he could attack from anywhere. If that hadn¡¯t been the case, he would¡¯ve been killed.

    He stood on the dragon¡¯s head and shouted, ¡°Ling Ling! Lucy! Come here!¡±

    Ling Ling and Lucy brought the teams with them, forming a barrier around the area, and Junhyuk entered the dimensional tear.

    As he walked along the path, Junhyuk saw many monsters heading for him and smacked his lips.

    ¡°Waiting for me?¡±

 Chapter 390 - Breakthrough Point 2

    <h4>Chapter 390: Breakthrough Point 2</h4>

    B-ranked minotaurs were rushing down the path, and Junhyuk broke through by himself. The tunnel was narrow, so as the monsters rushed forth, they were easily handled by Junhyuk.

    After that, he kept going. He was about toe up against four A-ranked monsters.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be great if one is a Doppelganger King!¡±

    Doppelganger Kings were hard toe by. He had onlye across one in the Swamp of Despair as part of a quest, and another in a dimensional tear tunnel. He had not seen another one since.

    Doppelganger Kings carried dimensional error energy and were extremely important for his research. When Junhyuk saw the monsters, however, he frowned. There were two A-ranked monsters, and he had fought against them many times: a Wolf Warlord and a ck Turtle.

    The Wolf Warlord had incredibly fast attacks, while the ck Turtle had a strong defense, but Junhyuk was not worried about them.

    ¡°I¡¯ll finish as quickly as possible.¡±

    Junhyuk elerated as much as he could. Even though he didn¡¯t think about it when he went to the Dimensional Battlefield, every time he did, he gathered mana. The living spirit belonged to him now, so it would gather mana for him even without him asking.

    Junhyuk could also always gather mana from the training facility, so the amount he could hold was much greater than ever before. As a result, the eleration hadn¡¯t be faster, but itsted longer.

    As he ran forward, the Wolf Warlord transformed. The Wolf Warlord felt a level higher now, and it moved as fast as Junhyuk¡¯s speed.

    The ck Turtle spewed poison, and Junhyuk teleported. He appeared on top of the ck Turtle¡¯s shell and used his Spatial sh.

    While the Wolf Warlord was searching for him after he disappeared, red shockwaves expanded from the Wolf Warlord¡¯s neck, and its head fell to the ground. Then, Junhyuk shed at the ck Turtle¡¯s neck. However, the turtle head quickly withdrew into the shell, and the snake head slithered toward him.

    Turning around quickly, Junhyuk swung his sword.

    ng!

    Junhyuk had hit the snake¡¯s jaw, parrying it up, and stabbed the snake¡¯s neck. He lopped the snake¡¯s head off and ran across the shell.

    The turtle head came out again and spewed more poison at him, and Junhyuk teleported to the turtle head again, shing down at its neck. The head didn¡¯t have enough time to withdraw, and now, the turtle was beheaded.

    After he had killed the two A-ranked monsters, he started moving again. Junhyuk was able to deal with A-ranked monsters faster than ever before. When Sarang was with him, they would go up against three A-ranked monsters, so he was ustomed to fighting many at the same time.

    Junhyuk had learned how monsters fought, so now, he could easily find their weak spots and openings.

    He had to be grateful to Agenchra. Without the experience he had acquired by fighting A-ranked monsters, he would have hesitated in destroying the tears.

    Junhyuk ran quickly down the path. He could take as much time as he wanted since he had the teleportation device given to him by Vera. Junhyuk didn¡¯t have to worry about what was left in his wake.

    Then, he encountered another group of B-ranked monsters. After killing them all, he kept going. The important thing was to finish as quickly as possible.

    After that, he met three A-ranked monsters: a Giant Gori, a Minotaur, and a ck Bear. They were all huge, so the path looked very cramped.

    As he looked at them, he said, ¡°Some turn into heroes and some turn into A-ranked monsters?!¡±

    Junhyuk had already met a minotaur hero. When he met the B-ranked minotaurs, he hadn¡¯t paid too much attention to them, but the A-ranked Minotaur looked very dangerous.

    The Giant Gori was ten meters tall, and Junhyuk felt like he was looking at King Kong when he looked at it. The ck Bear was behind the gori, but it was as big as the gori.

    Junhyuk thought things were better that way.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have the advantage this way.¡±

    The Minotaur came at him swinging a halberd. It was also ten meters tall, but the halberd was twenty meters long.

    Laughing at the weapon, Junhyuk elerated and passed the Minotaur by. He had thought he had passed the halberd when he saw the gori¡¯s fisting toward him. The gori¡¯s fist moved incredibly fast, and he felt the air pressure before the fist had even reached him.

    Junhyuk teleported, reappearing behind the gori and stabbing it. However, his sword got stuck on the gori¡¯s neck.

    Junhyuk had a greater piercing stat now, so he could easily sink his sword into an A-ranked monster¡¯s hide. The red shockwave expanded from the point of impact, but the gori retained its head.

    Junhyuk frowned a little. The shockwave dealt an additional 60 percent of damage of the original attack, but even it hadn¡¯t killed the Giant Gori.

    The gori¡¯s muscles tensed around the sword, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t remove it from the gori¡¯s neck. Meanwhile, the gori was about to swat him with his palm. It looked a lot like the gori had been bitten by a mosquito and was trying to get rid of it.

    Junhyuk smiled coldly and asked, ¡°You think I¡¯m funny?¡±

    He sunk the stuck sword deeper into the gori and raised his left arm.

    Boom!

    Blocking the gori¡¯s attack with his left hand, Junhyuk stabbed even deeper into the gori¡¯s neck.

    ¡°RRRaaaah!¡± the Giant Gori screamed loudly, and Junhyuk saw the ck Bear open its mouth.

    ¡°Rooooarrr!¡±

    THe ck Bear¡¯s roar rang through the tunnel, and Junhyuk felt himself stunned. His hairs stood on end after hearing that destructive sound.

    sh! Boom!

    He was able to slice the gori¡¯s head off before he was stunned, but the Minotaur¡¯s halberd mmed against him soon after.

    Because he was stunned, he wasn¡¯t able to dodge, so he wasunched off and hit a wall. He was still unable to move when the ck Bear raised its front paws and stomped on him.

    Boom!

    The tunnel¡¯s floor cracked with the impact, and Junhyuk felt his intestines shatter. He didn¡¯t have experience with those types of monsters, and because the two of them were attacking him at the same time, he raised his force field.

    Boom!

    The force field got stuck in the ground, but Junhyuk was able to get up. Then, the Minotaur swung its halberd at him, and Junhyuk quickly used his Spatial sh on the Minotaur¡¯s neck. A red shockwave expanded from the point of impact.

    The Minotaur was beheaded, which meant that the Giant Gori had had stronger muscles than it.

    When Junhyuk turned to looked at the ck Bear, it rushed at him.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk was pushed back, but he didn¡¯t care. He elerated and moved toward the ck Bear, who swung its front paws at him.

    Junhyuk shrunk the size of the force field so that it would only cover him and aimed his sword at the ck Bear¡¯s paws. His sword pierced one of the paws, and when the bear screamed loudly, Junhyuk teleported.

    His sword was pointing at the middle of the ck Bear¡¯s forehead, and it pierced the monster¡¯s head.

    ¡°Roooooaaa¡ª¡±

    With a loud roar, the ck Bear fell. Junhyuk gathered his breath. He had lost a lot of health. He could easily kill A-ranked monsters now, but they were still dangerous beings.

    His defense was great, but he still got very hurt. Ordinary heroes would have died in his ce. Shaking his head, he started running again. On the way, he realized he wouldn¡¯t meet any other monsters until he appeared in front of the core.

    Usually, Eltor would have appeared by now, but the manager had not shown up this time. Without hesitation, Junhyuk attacked the tower. He meant to bring it down without damaging the core.

    He pounded against it without rest, and the tower fell. This time, he got an undamaged core from it. He grabbed it with his hands and smiled.

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll give Sarang the damaged core, and she¡¯ll be able to ask Vera about it.¡±

    Vera had to know something about it. Once Junhyuk realized that Eltor wouldn¡¯t show up, he pulled out the teleportation device and turned it on. Suddenly, his surroundings changed.

    He was now on top of the dragon¡¯s head, standing next to Jeffrey. Junhyuk dove forward. Many monsters were heading his way. Peyton had raised walls to dy the monsters, and Ling Ling was dealing with a side on her own. The rest of the experts¡¯ team was taking another side, and thest side was being covered by the novice attack team.

    Junhyuk headed toward the monsters on their way to the novice team and killed many at once. Before he had killed all of them, however, the tear disappeared. After that, he killed the rest of the monsters all around them. The others were exhausted, and they copsed as soon as they could.

    Junhyuk walked toward them, and Lucy got up and said, ¡°Last time, there was a hole in the monster area border, so all the monsters came from one direction. But this time, they all came this way and from all around.

    Junhyuk looked at Jeffrey, and Jeffrey shook his head.

    ¡°I summoned the Ghost White Tiger Twice.¡±

    ¡°Without Jeffrey, none of us would have survived.¡± Junhyuk turned to Ling Ling, and Lucy smiled and added, ¡°Ling Ling¡¯s new power is enormous. She can cover an entire side with it. She must have killed at least a hundred monsters.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the group. They had barely survived. He had gone inside the tear and vomited blood in his fight, but on the outside, they had also had a hard time.

    They had destroyed the dimensional tear, so while they were tired, they were also very proud. After getting the news that the dimensional tear had been destroyed, a news crew and the Chinese army rushed toward them. Junhyuk waited for them, and once Johnson got to him, he pointed at the dragon and said, ¡°Send it to theb at Guardians. They¡¯lle up with a way to use the scales that¡¯ll change our future strategies.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    Junhyuk saw the others heading his way. Geumdo Oh walked toward him, and there was someone else he hadn¡¯t seen before next to him. It was the President of China, Woonpyung Jo. That¡¯s when he realized how serious the Chinese had been about the operation.

    President Jo extended his hand toward him, and Junhyuk shook it.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°I only did my duty.¡±

    Shaking his head, President Jo said, ¡°I¡¯ll repay you for this.¡±

    At those words, Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯ll increase the morale of those who risked their lives here today.¡±

    President Jo also smiled.

    ¡°I want to invite you to a banquet. Is that OK?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll rest today, but if you send an invitation for another day, I¡¯ll be there.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll get things ready.¡±

    The cameras shed nonstop, also filming them shaking hands. The whole destruction had been filmed and was broadcast all over the world. That would be a frequent event as they destroyed dimensional tears.

    Then, President Jo whispered in his ear, ¡°It would be nice if I could see your face during the banquet. Earth is ready for its hero to reveal himself.¡±

 Chapter 391 - Sarang Kim 1

    <h4>Chapter 391: Sarang Kim 1</h4>

    Junhyuk had been invited to the banquet, but he was worried. Should he show up in armor like he¡¯d done to everything so far? Or should he show up as his real self?

    He decided it wasn¡¯t time for him to show his real face yet. Junhyuk knew that he was really important to humanity now, but there were those who would try to use him, and while he could protect himself from those that would try, he would also have to protect those close to him.

    Some people might even take his family hostage to get him to destroy a tear in their country. He knew all about the selfishness of people, so he couldn¡¯t show his real self yet.

    For that reason, Junhyuk created another face. His eyebrows were thick, and he had strong, intense eyes. Junhyuk gave himself gray hair and looked at himself in the mirror.

    After creating the new face, Junhyuk felt morefortable. He would only use that face within allied countries because he didn¡¯t have an ID to go with it. Looking at himself in the mirror, Junhyuk made different expressions. Then, he turned to the tuxedo on the bed.

    Clothes had been supplied to all of those who would attend the banquet.

    Smacking his lips, Junhyuk put it on, and although he was very muscr, the tuxedo fit well. When he walked outside, many people were already waiting for him, so he walked toward them, and they were astonished by his face.

    He looked manly, and the face made him look imponent with its intense eyes. Everyone followed behind him, getting into their vehicles.

    Arriving at the banquet where President Woonpyung Jo and other famous people were gathered, Junhyuk walked to President Jo, and the president walked up to him and smiled, offering Junhyuk his hand. Looking around, Junhyuk dered, ¡°Send the reporters away.¡±

    President Jo stared at him for a moment and nodded.

    ¡°Let¡¯s.¡±

    He motioned with his eyes, and soon, all of the reporters were gone.

    ¡°I want to enjoy the banquet, so I don¡¯t people watching me,¡± Junhyuk exined.

    ¡°I did not think of it.¡±

    However, President Jo must have known there would be reporters there. He had wanted to advertise the banquet with the hero. The monsters had dealt a massive blow to humanity, and to mitigate that, they had to give people hope.

    The powered people were that hope, and President Jo wanted to tell people that he was by their side.

    Junhyuk, on the other hand, didn¡¯t want to go along with President Jo¡¯s n.

    President Jo offered him a seat and a drink and asked, ¡°Is Shanghai next? Or Hong Kong?¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    ¡°The next target will be in another country.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to take care of China since you are already here?¡±

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t heard about the third country from Doyeol yet, but he knew China wasn¡¯t it. He just shook his head, and President Jo grimaced a little.

    The president knew Junhyuk was there to destroy the Beijing tear, but did Junhyuk really have to go to another country now? He wished that Junhyuk would take care of the tears in China first, but Junhyuk¡¯s response didn¡¯t go as he expected.

    Junhyuk emptied his ss and answered, ¡°I¡¯ll decide when and where.¡±

    President Jo stared at him calmly. He understood that Junhyuk was very aware of his position. The Dark Knight was a hero to the people already. The world¡¯s poption kept saying that only the Dark Knight could destroy dimensional tears.

    Even though President Jo had a champion now, that champion couldn¡¯t kill A-ranked monsters. Therefore, President Jo had to maintain a friendly rtionship with Junhyuk still.

    ¡°Then, when can you destroy the tears in Shanghai and Hong Kong?¡±

    ¡°When the time is right.¡±

    There was nothing President Jo could do about it, but he wanted to remain on good terms with Junhyuk. So far, President Jo had never met anyone he couldn¡¯t deal with. If someone wanted honor, he would give them honor. If someone wanted power, he would give them power. If someone wanted money, President Jo would give them money.

    At the moment, Junhyuk was refusing to deal with President Jo, but that only meant that he could not satisfy Junhyuk¡¯s needs.

    President Jo smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that each time you destroy a tear you get paid $1 billion. However, that can¡¯t be much after you pay your entire team. I¡¯ll give you another billion for the tears in China.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded. No one had died in thest battle, which felt like a miracle. However, he also wanted to consider those team members who had fallenatose. The novices and experts together numbered sixty people, so $1 billion divided among them would only give $15 million each.

    On top of that, if he gave arger amount to the experts, the novices would get $10 million each.

    If he made sure to pay those who had died, even more would show up to join the effort, especially if he made their remunerations public. On top of that, initiative was important. If China paid them an extra $1 billion, other countries would follow suit.

    ¡°It would help a lot.¡±

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha! Just don¡¯t forget about China.¡±

    From then on, Junhyuk changed the topic of the conversation, and they talked about different things throughout.

    ¡ª

    After the banquet was over, Junhyuk was on his way to his room when Jeffrey came to see him. Once inside the room, Jeffrey turned on a tablet, and Doyeol¡¯s face appeared on the screen.

    ¡°Is that what you look like as the dark knight?¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Call me DK in public.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    Junhyuk could guess as to why Doyeol was contacting him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve destroyed two tears, so have you decided on the third target?¡±

    ¡°I have. Destroy the tear in New York.¡±

    ¡°Will do.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to ask me why?¡±

    ¡°You need me there, and I¡¯m not too interested in the why.¡±

    It was up to Doyeol, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to meddle. Doyeol smiled and asked, ¡°Do you need anything? I¡¯ll supply you with whatever you need.¡±

    After some thought, Junhyuk answered, ¡°If I do, I¡¯ll let you know.¡±

    ¡°Can I ask you something?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, and Doyeol asked, ¡°Can we destroy the dimensional tears without you?¡±

    Junhyuk answered, ¡°You¡¯ll need at least two heroes.¡±

    Junhyuk knew his own strength. Even two new heroes together would have a lot of difficulty destroying a tear, which was why he said at least two.

    Doyeol knew he wasn¡¯t joking. He understood Junhyuk well now. He had a strong personality, but he was stronger than all of the novices and experts together.

    ¡°I understand now. May you have strength.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and disconnected. Then, he turned to Jeffrey, and Jeffrey smiled at him.

    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±

    ¡°How is it going?¡±

    ¡°What is?¡±

    ¡°I thought you were gathering more powered people.¡±

    Jeffrey smirked and answered, ¡°We have twelve new novices.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡±

    Junhyuk knew that Jeffrey was also busy with the experts¡¯ team.

    ¡°Since you are here, who is protecting Doyeol?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. He must have someone new, but he didn¡¯t tell me.¡±

    Doyeol hadn¡¯t sent Jeffrey away without thinking of it first. Junhyuk wanted to get along with Doyeol, so, shaking his head, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll have to hold a meeting with Guardians early tomorrow. Tell the others about the n.¡±

    ¡°That we are going to New York?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, and Jeffrey got up and replied, ¡°Then, rest easy.¡±

    Jeffrey went out, and Junhyuk entered the training facility. He couldn¡¯t rest yet.

    After activating four powers, one could be a hero, but on Earth, being a hero wasn¡¯t the end of it. While he inspected his new core, Sarang entered the facility.

    ¡°Big brother!¡±

    She walked up toward him, checking out his face, and asked, ¡°Big brother, have you seen the pictures?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Sarang offered him her smartphone, and Junhyuk saw a picture of him and President Jo. Heughed when he saw it.

    ¡°You look more handsome than now.¡±

    ¡°Do I?¡±

    She smiled and replied, ¡°But, I like your real face much better.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s OK.¡±

    Junhyuk pulled out the cracked core and gave it to Sarang.

    ¡°I want to give this to you before I forget. Take it.¡±

    ¡°This is the core you¡¯ve been studying!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he said and pulled out the new core. ¡°This is a new one. I was able to remove it safely, so I¡¯ll be studying it from now on.¡±

    ¡°Then, are you giving this one to me?¡±

    ¡°Show it to Vera.¡±

    Sarang nodded and looked at the cracked core.

    ¡°I can sense something within it, but I don¡¯t know what.¡±

    ¡°Vera knows about teleportation magic, so maybe she knows about the cores. If we learn more about them, it¡¯ll certainly help us.¡±

    They didn¡¯t know much about the cores, but it was because of them that the monster areas persisted and grew. If they found out how they worked, maybe they would have other options.

    To deal with management, they had to know more about the cores.

    Sarang nodded and put the core away.

    ¡°Shall we begin?¡±

    Junhyukughed loudly and pulled out the Wolf Warlord¡¯s w swords. Lately, the two had been sparring against each other.

    Sarang would be alone in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, so she had to train hard. For that reason, they had started sparring. Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t teleport or use his eleration. They would distance themselves from each other, and after the signal, he would quickly chased after her.

    Sarang would keep her distance from him, using her electric arrows in the process. She had long range attacks, which she had to practice.

    When they weren¡¯t fighting monsters, they were sparring. That way, both sides learned about each other¡¯s strengths and weaknesses. Junhyuk was faster, but he had to be aware of Sarang¡¯s casting, so he couldn¡¯t move at full speed. His defense was still better.

    Once they had distanced themselves, they smiled.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s begin.¡±

 Chapter 392 - Sarang Kim 2

    <h4>Chapter 392: Sarang Kim 2</h4>

    After letting them know the next target, the experts and novices were quickly moved to the United States. The Americans had been worried that they might change their minds, so they sent a ne immediately.

    However, the flight was still long.

    Fighter jets were escorting their ne to the United States. The American had thought of everything, and Junhyuk had had no reason to refuse their protection.

    After Junhyuk created the new face, he decided not to appear in his armor anymore. However, he asked the Americans to prevent the reporters from getting close to him, and the Americans followed his request. Sittingfortably in business ss, Junhyuk closed his eyes.

    While sparring with Sarang, Junhyuk had learned about his own problems. Sarang had intelligence runestones of the highest quality, so she could attack and cast magic nonstop. The Dimensional Battlefield would limit her movements, just like how it limited Junhyuk¡¯s eleration, but her magic remained unaffected on Earth. She could move and cast magic very quickly.

    Without his eleration, if Junhyuk wanted to get close to her, he had to parry her magic. Just dodging it wouldn¡¯t do since his regr speed wasn¡¯t fast enough for that. Therefore, he had learned to use his mana de to parry her magic. It was difficult to pull it off.

    Sarang¡¯s magic travelled very fast, so parrying it was a lot more difficult than blocking it. If he used his eleration, he would be able to read the path of her magic and dodge it, but without it, parrying it was even harder. Nevertheless, because of that, his parries were improving.

    With his eyes closed, he reminisced to their sparring session. Magic didn¡¯t act like he expected, and since he was improving, so was Sarang. She wasn¡¯t an easy opponent, and that made him want to focus on training even further.

    Junhyuk had wanted to teach her how to sense spatial fluctuations. When the enemy was hiding, his spatial sense could be called a counter to it. However, it hadn¡¯t been possible. Even though she was extremely intelligent, she couldn¡¯t grasp space with her body like he could.

    If she had been able to learn, she wouldn¡¯t need to worry about assassins.

    Junhyuk refocused.

    They arrived in New York and went to the hotel. There, Junhyuk met Brigadier Martin, from the United States Department of Defense.

    Martin gave him the research on the monsters. The Americans had a team researching the monster area, and the researchers met with Lucy. Meanwhile, Junhyuk was meeting with other people.

    The destruction of the Chinese dimensional tear had been broadcast, along with the amount the teams had received, so more powered people started to show up. Among them, were two experts. Junhyuk had recruited more novices as well, especially those with restraining power.

    Squads within the novice team had to be made up of five people, and he needed restraining powers in each of those squads. He needed those powers more than any other.

    Those people had seen how Junhyuk had destroyed the Chinese dimensional tear, so now, they were appearing in droves. Junhyuk knew that they hadn¡¯t just activated their powers. He knew that they had been in hiding before.

    He was meeting some of the new experts, but he gave Lucy the right to choose the new members of the novice attack team.

    The Indian¡¯s expert¡¯s name was Kushuma, and the Italian¡¯s was Gabino. Kushuma exuded a good impression, and Gabino was very handsome.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about your powers, but can you go over them in detail?¡±

    Kushuma extended his hand, and a dirt golem rose from the ground. It looked just like a giant golem, but it was made from dirt. The golem was three meters tall and bowed to Junhyuk, astonishing him.

    Jeffrey could summon monsters, and Kushuma could summon a golem. His power wasn¡¯t as great as Jeffrey¡¯s, but it was still useful.

    Kushuma said, ¡°My other power restrains my enemy with dirt.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at Gabino then, and Gabino smiled cheerfully at him.

    ¡°I have a power that instills fear in my enemy and makes them run away, and this...¡±

    A me appeared in Gabino¡¯s hand, and Junhyuk knew what kind of power it was. He had to be in demand with the heroes.

    Junhyuk thought the two wouldn¡¯t die easily, and he had them join the experts¡¯ team.

    ¡°Let¡¯s save the Earth together.¡±

    They both smiled.

    More experts were showing up, which meant that, eventually, more champions would show up. It wasn¡¯t easy to be a champion, but his expectations made sense.

    With more champions, more heroes would appear.

    Junhyuk sent Kushuma and Gabino away and entered his room. Hey in bed and muttered, ¡°Is it tomorrow?¡±

    Sarang would go to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield again, and Junhyuk had bet a small sum on her, one he could afford to lose. He thought of it as pay-per-view.

    Sarang had been sparring with him and getting better, and he knew his own powers were outstanding, but in the battlefield, winning took more than powers. Junhyuk depended heavily on his Spatial sh, so he was practicing his regr attacks with her.

    Now, however, it was time for him to trust her.

    ¡°Should I go see her?¡±

    Junhyuk entered the training facility and waited for Sarang. Once she appeared, he smiled at her.

    ¡°You are going to the battlefield tomorrow, so let¡¯s practice for real.¡±

    ¡°OK!¡±

    Sarang enjoyed sparring with him and distanced herself from him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s begin!¡±

    Junhyuk rushed toward her.

    ¡ª

    Friday.

    The world turned white, and Junhyuk knew it was time. When he opened his eyes, he saw Ariel smiling at him.

    [You are here to watch the battle.]

    He had been there once before, so he took a seat. Ariel walked up to him and asked, [Do you need an exnation?]

    ¡°No, you¡¯ve already done that.¡± He smiled at her and said, ¡°Show me Sarang¡¯s vision.¡±

    [I¡¯ll make things ready.]

    Sarang walked through the light and saw a very handsome elf next to a tall man. The man with the huge physique was the tank. However, the tank did not possess a good record.

    Junhyuk had already told her about him. In that battlefield, Sarang¡¯s role was the most important. Her role was to lead.

    Sarang spoke to the two, and they listened to her. After that, they started moving with the lizardmen. She was paired with the elf.

    Junhyuk requested a fast forward.

    Sarang took the right path, and when she arrived at the watchtower with the elf, she saw her enemies.

    The tank and the vanguard were there, and the two stepped forward with their own lizardmen. They could kill the tank if Sarang and the elf attacked him at the same time, but they weren¡¯t interested in that. The enemy vanguard stepped forward, and the elf ran toward him. On the way, the elf restrained the tank.

    From Sarang¡¯s point of view, the tank and the vanguard grew in size. She cast electric sts on both of them and dropped a Thunderstorm on the vanguard. She had sparred with Junhyuk as if Junhyuk had been a tank.

    Sarang had to keep maximum range with the tank for her n to work, and she joined the elf. She had the superiority now.

    Suddenly, the elf shouted, and Sarang turned around to see a dagger stab her chest. The assassin showed himself, but he had already stabbed her.

    The world turned ck, and Junhyuk frowned.

    ¡°The three of them were there?!¡±

    That had been unexpected. It also meant that the enemy team had given up on the left watchtower. Their target was her.

    Sarang left the room and saw the elf, which meant that he had also been killed.

    Junhyuk knew that Sarang¡¯s team was weak. They moved out with more lizardmen, but both of them being killed meant that they had lost their tower.

    The enemies could have gone for the buff after the first tower, but if not, they had to move quickly to protect the second tower.

    When they got there, they saw that the second watchtower was safe, so they started moving toward Hatma.

    Junhyuk fast forwarded again.

    The allies were near Hatma¡¯s ind, and there, they met their enemies. The allied tank was missing.

    ¡°Show me the entire battlefield.¡±

    When Junhyuk spotted the allied tank heughed very hard.

    ¡°What?!¡±

    The tank was not moving toward the ind. Instead, he had rushed toward the second watchtower. He clearly didn¡¯t care about his enemy¡¯s movements.

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly. Things were not going as nned.

    He started watching through Sarang¡¯s eyes again.

    The allies couldn¡¯t cross the stepping stones, staring at the enemies on the other side. The enemies had gotten the quest, so they crossed the stepping stones away from the allies in the direction of the quest.

    All three enemies were there, so Junhyuk muttered, ¡°Keep your distance and follow them.¡±

    In full view, the allied tank was destroying the second watchtower. Because of that, one of their enemies would have to return. Victory would be decided by the allied tank¡¯s struggle.

    Sarang and the elf started to chase after the enemies. They could ambush the enemy champions while their enemies were trying toplete the quest. However, the enemies turned around and tried to engage them, but the allies retreated quickly while keeping a certain distance. There was enough space between the two groups.

    Quest monsters were dangerous, which meant that the enemies couldn¡¯t split up. At the same time, the allied tank broke through the watchtower and started moving toward the enemy castle.

    The enemies were in a tough spot, and the allied tank had created that situation by ignoring Sarang¡¯s instructions.

 Chapter 393 - Sarang Kim 3

    <h4>Chapter 393: Sarang Kim 3</h4>

    The tank knew how effective the lizardmen were, and he advanced alone and without hesitation. His strategy was to absorb the attacks from the watchtower archers while leading the lizardmen to quickly bring down the tower.

    The tank moved quickly.

    It was understandable that the enemy champions had given up the first tower since they had destroyed the first allied tower as well, but the tank had ignored the enemies taking the quest. Junhyuk felt like the tank was overexerting himself, but because of him, the allies had the advantage.

    The enemies began to rush toward the quest monster. Through Sarang¡¯s vision, Junhyuk could also see it. After the quest monster appeared, the enemies closed the gap between them and it.

    Sarang and the elf waited. The enemies had already entered the fight against the quest monster, and there was no reason for the allies to interfere with it unless they were trying to steal the quest.

    Sarang¡¯s Thunderstorm was off cooldown, so she could deal major damage from a distance. She still had to be careful with the assassin, but the assassin himself was as weak as paper. She only had to watch out for his attacks.

    Nevertheless, the assassin was cautious. Sarang hadn¡¯t been able to attack him yet. When the assassin attacked, it could hide in shadows and close in against her to attack her. He was very dangerous.

    The enemies were fighting a tentacle monster for the quest. Junhyuk was a little tense. The quest monster was focusing on the enemy tank, so the others were unhurt. They had no other recourse, however. They wanted the least amount of casualties in the fight with the monster.

    The elf talked to Sarang for a moment and entered the clearing. Junhyuk¡¯s hands balled into fists. Had he been there with them, he would¡¯ve teleported to deliver a strike, but he wasn¡¯t there, so he felt bad and frustrated.

    Suddenly, the elf took off quickly. The tentacle monster was heavily injured, so it would be a great idea for the elf to ensnare an enemy now. Sarang started following the elf. Then, the elf shot its rope arrow against the enemy tank. The idea was for the allies to tie the tank down and attack the other champions.

    The arrow zoomed across the air, but the assassin interfered. When the arrow hit the assassin, the assassin turned into smoke and the arrow disappeared.

    When the assassin appeared again, he stabbed the elf in the chest. Without realizing, Junhyuk shouted, ¡°No!¡±

    Sarang shot her electric st against the assassin, but he had already disappeared again. The assassin reappeared behind her and stabbed her with his dagger. He was targeting Sarang.

    Sarang didn¡¯t turn around when stabbed. Instead, she cast Thunderstorm.

    Craaaaaack!! Boom!

    The bolts of lightning burned everything around her, and Sarang cast heal on herself. Speckles of light sprinkled over her, and the assassin attacked her again. However, it wasn¡¯t a power. It was a regr attack, and Sarang could withstand it. She had purchased new equipment since theirst battle.

    Sarang turned around and shot electric arrows at the assassin. She had done so while putting some distance between them, so it wouldn¡¯t be easy for the assassin to attack her now.

    The elf started supporting her with his attacks. With the two together, the assassin died, but the vanguard closed in. The vanguard attacked Sarang, and her vision darkened.

    ¡°If she can withstand the assassin¡¯s attack, it¡¯s an even fight.¡±

    Assassins had high attack stats, which meant that Sarang had to increase her defense. From the enemy¡¯s perspective, Sarang had to die. Her powers were far too destructive.

    Sarang died, and Junhyuk¡¯s perspective changed to the allied tank. He was advancing toward the enemy castle.

    How could the enemies stop the tank? For them toplete the quest, they had had to move as a group. Now, only the assassin could stop the tank, but could the assassin stand up to the tank?

    Junhyuk could see the assassin with his own force of lizardmen in front of the castle wall. The allied tank went berserk against them.

    The enemy forces attacked the allied tank, and the allied lizardmen followed him. The allied tank moved like a tank, killing the enemy lizardmen in his path. Soon, the assassin appeared. The allied tank stomped the ground, and the enemy lizardmen and the assassin focused their attacks on him, but the allied tank grabbed the enemy assassin by the neck with one hand.

    The archers shot at the tank. Meanwhile, the allied lizardmen focused on taking down the gate. There were thirty allied lizardmen left.

    Junhyuk thought about the allied tank¡¯s powers. He could buff his defense, restrain and provoke enemies. He had used all of his powers while under serious attack. Meanwhile, the gate was getting attacked, losing fortitute quickly.

    Once the assassin could move again, the archers and the assassin focused on the tank, but before the allied tank¡¯s vision became blurry, the enemy gate was destroyed.

    Junhyuk was astonished. The allied tank had absorbed every attack while taking full advantage of the lizardmen. It was an unexpected way to fight, and that tank was definitely the best at making use of the lizardman in that battlefield.

    Junhyuk took a bird¡¯s eye view of the battlefield. The enemies were buffed and moving, heading toward the second allied tower on the right path.

    The allies might get there first, however.

    The tank was now moving with the rest of the allies. He had a provocation power, which meant that when he triggered it, all enemy champions would attack him.

    The tank could fight within the allied watchtower¡¯s range, taking even more advantage of his power. Junhyuk had judged the tank from his record, and he had been wrong.

    Junhyuk had had an incredibly hard time with Kaljaque, but the allied tank knew his limitations very well. He focused entirely on defense, and so did his equipment, so he didn¡¯t have a lot of attack. However, he was great a leading lizardmen. For that reason, he would do well in singlebat.

    Sarang didn¡¯t know much about what the tank was really capable of. His powers weren¡¯t important, but how he used them was. The allied tank was a much better champion than the elf.

    The three were moving together, so Sarang would realize the tank¡¯s utility soon.

    The enemies moved quickly. When the allies got to the tower, the enemies had already destroyed it and retreated, heading to the left path.

    After they crossed to the center ind on their way to the left, Junhyuk focused on their movements. The tank had told Sarang to head center, so she led them there. Using the Swamp of Despair, they could reach the path to the second watchtower.

    Instead of following their enemies, the allies bypassed everything, heading past the destroyed enemy watchtower.

    Junhyuk checked on the time they would take. The enemies still had to destroy a watchtower, but the allies would go straight to the castle. During that time, the buff would disappear, so the enemies would essentially waste their buff while the allies maintained the advantage.

    The enemies reached the second allied tower, but the allies moved past no man¡¯snd to reach the castle wall. The gate had been destroyed by the allied lizardmen, so the allies had the advantage against the enemy forces in ce.

    The enemy champions returned to their castle, but if the allies entered the castle and killed the golem before they spawned, the fight would be over.

    The allies crossed the gate and entered, but the enemies had already spawned inside, and the champions brought out every lizardmen they had to protect the castle.

    It wouldn¡¯t be a good idea to save lizardmen at that point. They had a hundred lizardmen, but the allied lizardmen also numbered a hundred. This would be a team battle, and arge number of minions would be needed. Both sides had made the correct decision.

    The enemy forces were only that much because the champions had had to return, leaving lizardmen on the battlefield. But, the enemies had a golem with them.

    Still, the allies could win. Junhyuk smacked his lips then. He was thinking he should¡¯ve made a real bet on Sarang¡¯s team.

    Sarang took the lead. She had the attacks with the longest range, so the enemies sent lizardmen after her.

    They were trying to close the gap while the lizardmen distracted her.

    The allied tank sent the allied lizardmen forward and took off running himself. In a scuffle, it was possible for the allies to lose track of the assassin.

    Sarang¡¯s eyes were fixed on the assassin, but she also managed to watch how the battlefield unfolded. Junhyuk could feel how tense she was. What would he have done if he had been in the same situation?

    Junhyuk might have had many ns, but the enemy champions were different.

    The golem stepped forward, responding to the lizardmen. The golem swept through the lizardmen, and the flow of the battle changed. The enemies were now hiding behind the golem. The enemy tank ran out from the golem¡¯s back first, but Sarang couldn¡¯t use her Thunderstorm on just him. The elf restrained the enemy tank, and Sarang ran forward.

    The allies had to kill the enemy champions, so the allied tank ran next to Sarang. The enemies were within her range now, so she cast Thunderstorm. The enemies weren¡¯t stupid, however. The assassin retreated, and the vanguard ran toward her. The assassin made it out of her range.

    The Thunderstormnded on the enemy vanguard. It was a critical hit, and the vanguard disappeared. The allied tank ran toward the golem.

    The assassin chased after the elf, and when the elf attacked the assassin, he turned to smoke and closed in.

    Sarang was about to use her electric st on the assassin when the enemy tank rushed her.

    She got pushed away, and the assassin stepped into her shadow. She could die to the assassin at any moment.

    Sarang knew that too, and her heart pounded like crazy. Her heart was beating extremely fast, and when the de entered her back, Junhyuk saw everything turn red.

    Suddenly, Junhyuk got up, and Sarang turned around and cast Thunderstorm again.

    The assassin got hit by it, also getting paralyzed by it, and Sarang shot electric arrows at him. The assassin died.

    Sarang shot arrows at the tank. The tank was paralyzed, and Sarang distanced herself.

    The allies attacked ferociously while the tank was paralyzed. The lizardmen joined in, and the enemy tank lost health in chunks.

    Once the tank could move again, it went after Sarang, but she had healed herself. Using the distance to her advantage, she kept on attacking him. Her sparring with Junhyuk was helping her now. The enemy tank died, and the battle was decided. The golem fell, and the allies won.

    Junhyuk turned to Ariel and asked, ¡°She¡¯s a hero now, right?¡±

    Ariel nodded.

    [It¡¯s shocking with how difficult it is to be a hero.]

 Chapter 394 - Elise 1

    <h4>Chapter 394: Elise 1</h4>

    Smiling, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Great! How much is the return?¡±

    [You bet 1,000G. Minus the fee, that¡¯s 950G. Times five: 4,750G. Minus the fee, you¡¯ll get 4,513G.]

    He grimaced slightly.

    ¡°The odds were five to one?¡±

    [Correct. Sarang¡¯s team was weaker than her opponents¡¯.]

    Junhyukughed. What would have happened if he had trusted her more? If he had bet 200,000G on her, he would¡¯ve earned 1,000,000G.

    He felt sorry, but after the money was deposited, he got up.

    ¡°Can I return now?¡±

    [Yes. I¡¯ll see you next week.]

    Junhyuk was nodding when the blinding light covered his vision. When he could see again, he contacted Sarang through themunicator so that he could see her face. She was overjoyed.

    ¡°Congrattions!¡±

    ¡°Big brother! I¡¯m a hero now!¡±

    ¡°I know. I bet money on you, so I saw everything.¡±

    ¡°Did you win a lot?¡±

    ¡°Yes, a lot,¡± he answered evenly before continuing. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s your new power?¡±

    ¡°It triggers automatically, but it has a ten-minute cooldown. I be immortal for five seconds. It triggered by itself when my health hit zero. After the five seconds, I can heal myself.¡±

    With her healing power, her problem was solved. Now, she could focus on raising her attacks.

    Junhyuk was still thinking when Sarang smiled and asked, ¡°Can I be on your team?¡±

    ¡°I hope so.¡±

    Junhyuk wished Gongon would be on his team. Right now, La was the only one that was part of it. If he got lucky, he could have both Gongon and Sarang on his team, and they¡¯d be legends together.

    Neither Gongon nor Junhyuk were tanks. Both had great equipment and worked as tanks whenpared to other heroes, but they couldn¡¯tpare to a genuine tank.

    ¡°Weck a tank?¡±

    Junhyuk started worrying about it, so he pped himself lightly and said, ¡°I¡¯ll focus on cleaning this ce.¡±

    He was there to clean New York, so he wanted to focus on destroying the dimensional tear.

    ¡°Should I bring Sarang here?¡±

    Destroying dimensional tears was getting more difficult. For now, he was doing OK, but he would soon reach his limit. He would ask for her help then.

    ¡ª

    On Saturday morning, they checked on Elise first thing, but she hadn¡¯t been summoned to the dimensional battlefield. Most novices were summoned on the week they activated their powers, but battles took ce every week, so it was understandable. Depending on her team assignment, she would fall in one of two two-week intervals.

    Elise had another week, and Junhyuk wanted to take care of his problems on Earth. He had already checked on the New York monster area and he knew he could deal with it. Also, the newly acquired experts were more effective than Junhyuk had expected.

    In the US, the A-ranked monster was a ten-meter tall giant gori. He had met one before. The gori was on top of the Empire State Building. It was just like in the movies. Management knew more about Earth culture than Junhyuk had expected. First, it was the Chinese dragon in China, and now, King Kong in the US.

    Junhyuk ignored the gori on the Empire State building, focusing on training his team before returning to the hotel.

    There, someone was waiting for him. The man was inside Junhyuk¡¯s room, waiting for him by the window. Another man was guarding him.

    Looking at therge ck man, who was the bodyguard, Junhyuk realized that he was an expert, which meant that the other man had to be important to have an expert as a bodyguard.

    After ncing at the bodyguard, Junhyuk ignored him. Experts couldn¡¯t pierce through the armor he was wearing now. Thanks to the ring he was carrying, he looked like he wasn¡¯t wearing any armor even though he was. It was a simple trick, but it would fool his enemies.

    Junhyuk walked toward the man by the window. He could guess who it was.

    In the US, Junhyuk was considered an ally, so nobody should be able to get into his room without permission. There weren¡¯t many who could pull it off, which meant that the man had to be an American. Therefore, it was easy to guess who he was.

    ¡°You¡¯re being rude by entering here without permission.¡±

    The man looked at Junhyuk and smiled.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want anyone finding out that I¡¯m meeting you. Will you excuse me?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a good enough reason.¡±

    The bodyguard took a step toward him, and the man sighed, signaling with his hand to stop him. Junhyukughed and stared at the bodyguard. As he did, the bodyguard took two steps back. Heroes were overpowering to an expert.

    After that, Junhyuk turned to look at the man again.

    ¡°How can I be forgiven?¡±

    ¡°Apologize.¡±

    The man¡¯s eyebrow twitched, but he soon rposed himself.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡±

    The man bowed slightly, and Junhyuk inspected him. They hadn¡¯t had a good start, which was why Junhyuk had made the man apologize. He knew who the man was. He was proud, but he could apologize.

    The man introduced himself, ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Charles Rockefeller, head of the Rockefeller family.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you. Call me DK.¡±

    ¡°Are you not gonna tell me your real name?¡±

    Junhyuk replied, ¡°I¡¯m using an alias.¡±

    Charlesughed aloud.

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha! You are right. I should not have brought it up.¡±

    Junhyuk did not care.

    ¡°Please, have a seat.¡±

    Charles took a seat, and Junhyuk walked over to the fridge and grabbed three cans of beer. He took one, gave one to Charles and tossed the other to the bodyguard.

    When the bodyguard grabbed the can, Junhyuk said, ¡°Have a drink.¡±

    Junhyuk drank from the can. It was cold. Charles looked at his can unable to remember thest time he had had beer. It wasn¡¯t his style, but Charles wanted to show Junhyuk respect, so he opened it.

    ¡°Shaq, you should drink it too.¡±

    Junhyuk thought Shaq was the bodyguard¡¯s nickname. He looked at Charles, who took a sip of the beer and smiled.

    ¡°It feels different.¡±

    Charles looked up at him then, and their eyes met.

    ¡°Can you tell me why you are here?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with Doyeol?¡±

    Junhyuk could guess why Charles was there.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing business with him.¡±

    ¡°That business, do it with me.¡±

    Doyeol made an astronomical sum of money from Guardians and the dposition liquid, but the Rockefellers were on an entirely different level. They had been known for their money long before Doyeol came into the picture.

    Charles should also have arge stake of Guardians, so Doyeol was still behind whenparing the two.

    Junhyuk asked calmly, ¡°What is it that you want? And, what can you do for me?¡±

    ¡°A positive response. I want to decide the order in which the dimensional tears are destroyed. About ten of them should do. And, I¡¯ll give you anything you want.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled coldly. Charles was also after the destruction order. Thinking of it, men like Charles were the reason why the monster areas were there. They had researched porings to the extent of creating someone with the ability to make dimensional tears. Management had learned from that and deployed tears on Earth on arge scale.

    He stared at Charles and said, ¡°I¡¯ll let you choose the next targets, but on one condition.¡±

    ¡°What is it you want?¡±

    ¡°Shut down your poring research.¡±

    Charles grimaced. He sighed and asked, ¡°Elise? Or Doyeol?¡±

    ¡°Neither of them.¡±

    That made Charles curious, so Junhyuk continued, ¡°The management of the Dimensional Battlefield was able to develop the tears because of that infected that created one in South Korea. If the powers the infected activate are even more powerful, management will learn about them. That research serves no purpose.¡±

    Junhyuk concluded calmly, ¡°The Dimensional Battlefield management will use those powers to attack Earth.¡±

    Staring at him, Charles sighed.

    ¡°That¡¯s the first time I¡¯m hearing about this.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Charles, who leaned back on the chair and sighed again. He gathered his thoughts and said, ¡°You know more than we expected.¡±

    Junhyuk did not speak. Charles straightened himself and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t think we were responsible. I¡¯ll shut down the poring research.¡±

    He had acknowledged his mistake and was willing to stop the research. From that, Junhyuk looked at him in a different light.

    ¡°However, that has nothing to do with the business between us. Tell me what you really want.¡±

    ¡°Guardians was established to stop the monster attacks, but there is no organization to destroy dimensional tears.¡±

    Charles smiled.

    ¡°Should I create an organization to handle the casualties from the dimensional tears?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, and Charlesughed.

    ¡°OK. Can I name the organization after you?¡±

    Junhyuk could read Charles¡¯ thoughts. He would require a lot of money to create the new organization, so he wanted to use Junhyuk¡¯s name. On Earth, DK carried a lot of weight, so Charles wanted to make use of it.

    Junhyuk did not disagree.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll let you decide the next target...¡± He added after a pause, ¡°But not in the US.¡±

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t focus solely on American tears. It wouldn¡¯t be right.

    Charles smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Let¡¯s begin by spending a million dors on the new organization.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk got up and offered his hand, and Charles shook it.

 Chapter 395 - Elise 2

    <h4>Chapter 395: Elise 2</h4>

    On Saturday evening, Junhyuk entered the training facility. Sarang was a hero now, so he thought the training facility would¡¯ve disappeared, but he was able to enter it.

    When he saw Sarang, he smiled.

    ¡°Congrattions!¡±

    ¡°Thanks!¡±

    At that moment, he felt time stop. It was a feeling he was used to, and when he turned around, he saw Agenchra.

    ¡°Hm? That¡¯s not the manager with whom I signed my contract.¡±

    When Junhyuk heard Sarang speak, he turned to her. Whenever Agenchra had shown up before, everything had frozen in time, but this time, Sarang hadn¡¯t.

    Agenchra took off his fedora, and with a bow, he said, ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Agenchra.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Sarang Kim.¡±

    ¡°Congrattions on bing a hero!¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Junhyuk listened to their conversation, and once they were done, he asked, ¡°Are heroes unaffected by the stoppage of time?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Agenchra smiled and added, ¡°I wanted to talk to you both.¡±

    Junhyuk took a sit on the ground and stared at the manager.

    ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡±

    Agenchra smiled again and started, ¡°As you might have guessed, you two are heroes now, so you can no longer use this training facility.¡±

    Junhyuk frowned.

    ¡°You really meant it when you said it was only for champions?¡±

    While Sarang had been a champion, Junhyuk had been able to enter, but now that they were both heroes, he would no longer be able to do so. However, he needed more training.

    ¡°We need more training.¡±

    Agenchra put a hand on his chin and said, ¡°This facility was one of our services to you. I can¡¯t go beyond my authority. There are monster areas now, so how about training there?¡±

    Junhyuk scowled and replied, ¡°That won¡¯t be training.¡±

    Agenchra smacked his lips and said, ¡°There is nothing I can do about that, but there is something I can help with instead.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Junhyuk had to give up the training facility. As he looked at Agenchra, the manager chuckled and said, ¡°We can¡¯t do much for you in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, but I can put you both on the same team now that you are heroes.¡±

    Junhyuk was d to hear that. He felt bad about having to give up the facility, but Sarang could be on his team.

    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Looking at Agenchra, Junhyuk asked, ¡°What about Gongon?¡±

    ¡°I have no authority over that dimension.¡±

    Junhyuk would still have to depend on luck. He sighed and asked, ¡°Who will use this facility from now on?¡±

    ¡°Champion Ling Ling.¡±

    Ling Ling could use the ce and be a hero herself.

    ¡°I¡¯m just curious. How many people on Earth have activated powers?¡±

    Agenchra opened his pocketbook, looked it over and answered, ¡°Among humans, you two are the only heroes. Ling Ling, Dakeda and Zenon are champions. There are 17 experts and 724 novices.¡±

    ¡°There are a lot of novices.¡±

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t known about the other two champions, which shocked him.

    Of the experts, many had to be working for powerful people around the world, which was why they hadn¡¯t shown up. However, the number of novices waspletely different from what he had imagined, about two hundred more.

    ¡°That¡¯s not top secret?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell everyone. I¡¯m only telling you this.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at Sarang. He had been able to meet her whenever he wanted, but now he wouldn¡¯t be able to. So, he turned to Agenchra and asked, ¡°Can you give us a space where we can meet?¡±

    Agenchra shook his head.

    ¡°Sorry. However, you may purchase such a ce from Bebe.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Agenchra.

    ¡°You want me to buy it?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just letting you know.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Looking at the manager, he asked, ¡°We are already here, so can we use the ce right now?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Agenchra bowed to him and left, and Junhyuk murmured, ¡°We are on the same team.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    They had wished to be on the same team, and their wish had been granted.

    ¡°We have another teammate. Her name is La, and she¡¯s Halo¡¯s disciple. She¡¯s very skilled with her katana,¡± he said calmly.

    ¡°If we get Gongon, the team will beplete.¡±

    ¡°Not quite. We¡¯ll need one more. If we get a weird hero, that¡¯ll definitely hurt us.¡±

    ¡°So, let¡¯s just hope we¡¯ll meet a good one.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Suddenly, Sarang thought about something and said, ¡°Elise was really focused on the Spatial Bag. She borrowed mymunications crystal to talk to Gongon.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Elise was looking to learn more from Gongon. She was a big help, but now that she was a novice, it would be disastrous if she died on the battlefield.

    ¡°Elise should be on our team.¡±

    If that were the case, he would be able to protect her. If things turned dangerous, he could just leave her in the castle.

    Pulling out her orb, Sarang said, ¡°Stop thinking and let¡¯s spar!¡±

    Junhyuk pulled out his swords.

    ¡°Your ultimate makes you immortal, so can I attack you at full strength?¡±

    Sarang stopped him then and said, ¡°Let me check it out again in the Dimensional Battlefield. What if I really die here?¡±

    Junhyukughed hard.

    ¡°You are right. What was your victory reward?¡±

    Sarang replied, ¡°I totally forgot about it! It was a rare item.¡± She pulled out a small, round shield and said, ¡°I needed a shield, so this is nice.¡±

    ¡°A mage with a shield?¡±

    A shield could raise defensive capacity more so than any other defensive equipment. Junhyuk sheathed his swords and pulled out the Wolf Warlord¡¯s w sword and said, ¡°Practice using your shield.¡±

    Sarang frowned slightly.

    ¡°Are you going to beat the crap out of me?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s begin!¡±

    Sarang backed up, and Junhyuk chased after her. She shot electric arrows at him, which he blocked.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to elerate!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not elerating!¡± he shouted back, keeping chase.

    ¡ª

    The dragon scales had arrived from China, but they weren¡¯t as strong as Junhyuk had expected. They were weaker than the ck Turtle¡¯s shell. However, they had their strong point: weight.

    They looked heavy, but they were actually really light. Aside from the turtle¡¯s shell, they were stronger than anything she¡¯de across before, and they could be used as armor.

    Elise looked at what she had made. The green dragon scales had been turned into a jade humanoid shell. Inside the shell, there were monster muscles weaved into the construction. To enable movement, Elise had infused bloodstones into the shell as well. She hadn¡¯t used a simple solution, smelting the bloodstones with the Sunlight Furnace instead. They were at least 30 more efficient that way.

    Inside the dragon scales, she had drawn a magic circle. She had learned about them from Gongon, but she had added her own touch to it, which she had learned from magitek.

    Her heart raced when she saw the armor in front of her.

    ¡°Zaira.¡±

    [Yes?]

    ¡°Transfer data.¡±

    The mechanism in front of her shone blue. To transfer Zaira¡¯s ego, she had built the smallest hardware she could. It was a tremendous achievement, but she did not tell anyone about it. It was time to check the results.

    Zaira¡¯s data transferred at blinding speed, and Elise balled her hands into fists. Suddenly, the humanoid shell¡¯s yes lit up.

    Elise cheered aloud, ¡°Sess!¡±

    Zaira¡¯s eyes were shining red, so Elise said calmly, ¡°Zaira, move around.¡±

    [Will do.]

    Zaira pulled off two wires that were attached to its neck and took a few steps. Elise could only smile. Zaira was slow at first, but it soon took faster steps.

    Its strength was greater than an A-ranked monster¡¯s, and many weapons had been installed around the mechanism, including small missiles and other things made out of monsters¡¯ parts.

    After Zaira¡¯s transfer, it could use all kinds of martial arts. Elise had done her best toplete the project. She meant to take Zaira with her to the battlefield.

    However, she did not know if she could actually take Zaira there. She had drawn the magic circle after speaking to Gongon, so now it was time to check it out.

    ¡°Zaira.¡±

    Zaira looked at her, and Elise¡¯s heart started pounding.

    ¡°Return.¡±

    A magic circle shone around Zaira¡¯s entire body, but it did not work.

    ¡°What?!¡±

    Elise was shocked. She had checked and rechecked the magic circle. An intricate magic circle like it required a lot of materials, and she had tested simpler versions of it that had worked. The magic circle was the basics of the magic that created Spatial Bags. It was now possible for her to put and pull small objects in and out of her Spatial Bag.

    So, she had made progress. However, Zaira had not gone into the Spatial Bag.

    Elise frowned and walked over to Zaira. She touched Zaira, who was still shining with the circle, and the lights surrounding Zaira covered Elise¡¯s hand.

    Suddenly, Zaira disappeared.

    Elise breathed heavily and roughly, looking at her hand. There was a small engraving on it.

    Then, Elise extended her hand and said, ¡°Zaira.¡±

    Orbs of light floated out, and Zaira appeared again.

    Elise said, ¡°This is shocking and amazing! I had no idea it was possible!¡±

    Elise had learned something new. So, she called Junhyuk, and when she heard his voice, she said, ¡°Junhyuk, I activated another power just now.¡±

 Chapter 396 - Elise 3

    <h4>Chapter 396: Elise 3</h4>

    Sunday.

    They were in a vehicle heading for the monster area when Ling Ling said carefully, ¡°I have something to tell you.¡±

    Junhyuk had been thinking about Elise. She had be an expert, which meant she had an extra life in the Dimensional Battlefield. He was relieved that she was somewhat safe now. Her new power had to do with summoning the things she had created.

    He was preupied with many things, but when Ling Ling spoke to him, he naturally looked at her.

    ¡°Please, speak.¡±

    ¡°The battlefield manager gave me a training facility.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at her as she spoke. It hadn¡¯t been that long since the new batch of champions had evolved. Ling Ling had been the first one, and Dakeda and Zenon came after.

    Dakeda and Zenon. One was Japanese and the other Greek. Junhyuk was thinking he should pressure them into joining, but he also thought they might be under some powerful people¡¯s protection.

    He didn¡¯t say anything, however, simply looking at Ling Ling thinking.

    ¡°B-ranked monsters spawn there, and other champions used to use that ce.¡±

    Junhyukughed at what she said. He had initially built the ce to absorb mana, and Agenchra had built upon it. Now, the facility didn¡¯t belong to him. He could have earned more money by selling mana tree leaves that grew there.

    Junhyuk had thought he would¡¯ve been able to make money by working with Elise, but now, he had lost the ce. It would be a lie to say he didn¡¯t want it, but he decided to give Ling Ling some advice.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I used to use that ce.¡±

    Ling Ling¡¯s eyes beamed, and he continued calmly, ¡°The ce is full of mana. When you absorb mana while using your powers, they¡¯ll evolve. Use your powers as much as you can in there, and deal with the monsters like you would in a real battle.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the advice.¡±

    Curious, Junhyuk asked, ¡°By the way, have any other champions shown up there?¡±

    ¡°Other champions?¡± she asked, shaking her head. ¡°Well... Are there other champions?¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t answer. He wasn¡¯t sure if they had offered Dakeda and Zenon another training facility.

    Looking ahead, he said, ¡°We should deal with the monster area. Focus on it. It¡¯s not our job to recruit others.¡±

    He closed his eyes. They would destroy the New York monster area that day. He tried to focus on the job at hand. The monster areas were bing more dangerous, and he did not know what awaited him, so he was both worried and excited.

    The vehicles stopped, and he gathered everyone. They were gathered to destroy the New York monster area, so he said calmly, ¡°You¡¯ve been through this before. Stay alive.¡±

    Junhyuk turned around. Just like in China, they had lured the monsters to one side of the border. About 70 percent of the monster in the area had been lured there.

    The experts and novices weren¡¯t scared because they knew just how strong Junhyuk was. He led them to the border. King Kong was on the Empire State Building, and he was thinking about it.

    A total of 17 B-ranked monsters and 220 C-ranked monsters had been lured to the border. Although he was leading the group, Junhyuk would deal with the hundreds of monsters alone. He was just far superior to everyone.

    Junhyuk ran forward, and the others followed him. Dozens of drones with cameras were flying around. That day¡¯s battle would be broadcast worldwide. As he led them, he massacred the monsters. Some of them were huge and had remained outside of his shockwave¡¯s range, but he did not care.

    Junhyuk elerated, and the cameras were unable to keep up with him. He managed to kill hundreds of monsters by himself. He could do it because of his abilities, but the experts and novices would have had to risk their lives. He was straining himself for his team.

    The team¡¯s task was to wait for him by the Empire State Building. He swept through the monsters on the way to the tear.

    The Giant Gori at the top of the Empire State Building watched him and the humans approach and tore pieces of the building¡¯s facade to throw at them.

    Junhyuk shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll go in first!¡±

    He elerated. Considering the height of the Empire State Building, he was worried about if he could climb it, but he was full of confidence.

    Junhyuk dodged the chunks of building thrown at him. As he climbed up, those at the bottom raised their heads to look at him. They had seen him climb a ten-story building before, but they didn¡¯t know he could climb to the top of the Empire State Building.

    Junhyuk ran up the buildingpletely confident, and while the gori continued to throw debris at him, he dodged it all easily.

    Junhyuk closed in quickly, and the gori swung its palm at him, hitting him. Junhyuk blocked the palm with his sword, slicing it in the process, but the shock threw him off. He couldn¡¯t do anything without a foothold.

    So, he teleported and stabbed down on the gori¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Roooar-aaaahhh!!¡± it screamed and roared loudly. The gori tried to tighten its muscles, but the sword sank deeper. A shockwave triggered from within the gori, and it sliced the gori¡¯s head off.

    Junhyuk looked further up, to New York¡¯s dimensional tear.

    ¡°I¡¯m going.¡±

    He teleported, appearing inside. Once there, he started running.

    Junhyuk killed the B-ranked monsters while making his way, and he felt like it was taking him less time than before.

    ¡°Is it gonna get more difficult?¡± he muttered as he ran.

    A monster was waiting for him in the path. It was the dragon he had fought in China. As it opened its mouth, lightning crashed in the tunnel.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need clouds?¡±

    Junhyuk elerated. He couldn¡¯t dodge everything, so he got hit twice as he closed in. However, when he got close, he used his Spatial sh.

    He had fought that monster before, so he knew he could kill it with the Spatial sh. He hit just at the right scale, beheading the dragon in the process.

    Junhyuk expected toe across more monsters. He expected something worse. From far away, he could see a Wolf Warlord, a Queen Harpy and a Smander.

    It wouldn¡¯t be easy. As he ran ahead, he triggered a Spatial Copse on the Smander. The Smander exploded, and the Wolf Warlord and the Queen Harpy were sucked into the copse.

    Junhyuk teleported. His Spatial sh was still under cooldown, so he teleported again and stabbed the Wolf Warlord in the neck. Blood sttered everywhere. He twisted the sword and pulled it out. As he did, the Queen Harpy attacked him, but Junhyuk raised the force field.

    The queen¡¯s talon bounced off the forced field, and he turned around and shed at its leg. Junhyuk was elerating, so the Queen Harpy couldn¡¯t dodge it, losing the leg in the process. Midway, Junhyuk changed the trajectory of his sword, slicing the Queen Harpy¡¯s head off.

    A-ranked monsters were no match for him anymore. After killing the three, he ran further in and saw the third tower core.

    ¡°OK. I¡¯m getting another core.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to give Elise a core. Since now he had no way to give it to Vera, he thought Elise would know what to do with it.

    He swung his sword at the tower.

    ng!

    One hit didn¡¯t do the job, but he didn¡¯t stop there. Junhyuk continued to sh at the tower until he finally destroyed it. Once it was destroyed, he took the core out.

    He put it away and pressed the button on his item. His surroundings changed. When he looked around to where he had teleported, he sighed with relief.

    However, there were many monsters heading toward the Empire State Building. Looking around, he eximed, ¡°So many!¡±

    Ling Ling was taking care of the B-ranked monsters. The C-ranked monsters were surrounding him, so he started shing all of them.

    Junhyuk killed them easily, and once he had, he shed the air, like La cleaning her katana, to get rid of the blood.

    Looking at the others, he asked, ¡°Did anyone die?¡±

    ¡°Three of the novices died, and five are seriously injured. They are receiving treatment now.¡±

    Junhyuk told them to retrieve the bodies as he looked at the sky. His powers were working. The dragon had been difficult to deal with at first, but now he could kill it alone.

    However, the future wouldn¡¯t be so simple. He had to find more champions and heroes.

    The dimensional tear was gone, and the monster area was cleared. The monster team and the U.S. military wereing, and Junhyuk wiped the blood off his armor.

    ¡ª

    On his way back, Junhyuk met with Charles Rockefeller, who asked him to head for New Delhi, India.

    Junhyuk told Guardians about their next target. He would be going to New Delhi. However, he prepared a separate flight for himself. He told his team that he would visit South Korea first and sent the rest of them straight to New Delhi.

    Junhyuk had lost his training facility, so he had to travel to meet people. He stopped at Guardians first, and there, he met with Eunseo and the rest of the delegates. After that, he went to see Elise.

    He went to her privateb at Guardians, and once he saw her, he realized that she really was an expert now.

    She opened her arms wide for a hug and said, ¡°Thanks foring! Even though you are so busy! This is my new power, by the way.¡±

    Junhyuk was shocked when he saw Zaira next to Elise. The jade android looked different from an iron soldier.

    He turned to Elise and asked, ¡°What did you make?¡±

 Chapter 397 - New Team 1

    <h4>Chapter 397: New Team 1</h4>

    Junhyuk could tell it was a shell made out of dragon scales, but it looked more like a monster than a machine. It looked like an A-ranked monster.

    Then, the thing raised its hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s very nice to finally see you.¡±

    The voice was familiar, and he asked, ¡°Zaira?¡±

    Zaira gave him a light bow, and Junhyuk turned to Elise.

    ¡°Zaira is inside it?¡±

    She smiled and answered, ¡°Correct. However, there are limitations to when I can summon it. If there¡¯s too much running in the background, I can¡¯t seem to connect to it.¡±

    Looking around, he asked, ¡°Does that mean Zaira¡¯s AI is what¡¯s summoned?¡±

    Touching her chin, Elise answered, ¡°On Earth, I only have Zaira working for me. Zaira is a program that handles everything in theb and beyond. However, in the Dimensional Battlefield, maintaining connection won¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    ¡°What about the cooldown and summoning times?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure since I¡¯ve never been to the Dimensional Battlefield, but on Earth, the summoning time is twenty seconds.¡±

    Junhyuk watched as Zaira disappeared.

    ¡°What about the cooldown?¡±

    ¡°One minute.¡±

    Zaira¡¯s summoning time was longer than Jeffrey¡¯s A-rank summon, but the cooldown was also longer. Usually, if the cooldown was long, that meant it was a high-ranking power.

    ¡°What are Zaira¡¯s powers?¡±

    ¡°Well, it hasn¡¯t fought yet, but I think it can fight two A-ranked monsters at the same time. All of its weapons are coated in monster dposition liquid.¡±

    ¡°What about physical strength?¡±

    ¡°It should be equal to an A-ranked monster.¡±

    Junhyuk could imagine what Zaira was capable of. It could battle A-ranked monsters and roast them. However, the summon onlysted a short while.

    Junhyuk was curious.

    ¡°Can Zaira acquire new equipment?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t checked that far because I don¡¯t have any equipment right now.¡±

    ¡°If it can wear equipment, twenty seconds will be plenty.¡±

    Zaira was powerful now, so if that was possible, it would be even stronger. With Zaira, Elise might even be able to deal with powerful heroes. If the enemy hero was weak, Elise could summon Zaira and destroy them.

    Considering the heroes he had met during team selections, Zaira could wipe them all out alone.

    Junhyuk continued calmly, ¡°Basic equipment is easy to make, so let¡¯s make a piece and have it try.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°How did you activate your new power?¡±

    Elise showed him her hand. There was a magic circle engraved on it. Junhyuk saw it, but he did not know what it meant.

    She said calmly, ¡°Spatial Bags use magic that allow items to be ced in them. I thought I could use that magic and take Zaira with me to the Dimensional Battlefield, but it didn¡¯t work. My power activated once I started trying to figure out what had gone wrong.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at her. Her new power was something he¡¯d never imagine, and she had activated two new powers before she¡¯d even stepped on the Dimensional Battlefield.

    Junhyuk went over the differences between novices and an experts with Elise, and she started making the strongest equipment she could before heading into the battlefield.

    Junhyuk had had equipment when he was an expert, and her equipment would be superior to his at that time, so he thought she would do fine. Her biggest problem was her attack.

    Elise didn¡¯t know how to fight, and Junhyuk wished there was a weapon she could use. That¡¯s when he told her about Tuelus, the legend. Tuelus carried two orbs around him, and he thought she could make something like those. She asked him a few detailed questions about it.

    Her new project would be to create weapons that would work both on Earth and on the Dimensional Battlefield. Her eyes beamed with excitement.

    ¡°Do you have anything else to tell me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be in India for a while.¡±

    ¡°Is your target New Delhi?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You are busy.¡±

    Junhyuk shrugged and replied, ¡°Right.¡±

    On Earth, only Junhyuk could enter dimensional tears. It might be possible for Sarang as well, but Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure. He thought that since he could do it alone, he should do it alone.

    ¡°Bring me monsters I can use.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled at her and pulled out one of the tear cores.

    ¡°Don¡¯t act bored yet. I¡¯ve brought you something.¡±

    Elise knew it was something amazing.

    ¡°What is that?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the nucleus of the monster area, a dimensional tear core.¡±

    Elise took it and smiled.

    ¡°I won¡¯t be bored with this. It was worth putting this on,¡± she said, showing him the ring.

    Junhyukughed out loud.

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk had to head out quickly to get on the ne. Guardians had provided it to him, so he didn¡¯t have to wait for it.

    Junhyuk was in a car with Elise on his way to the airport to catch his private flight. She was escorting him there as Guardians¡¯ CEO. They were in the mostvish limousine he¡¯d seen, and he leaned against the seat.

    Junhyuk thought it had been a while since they¡¯d found themselves alone with each other. Since bing a hero, Junhyuk had been very busy. On Earth, he had to wipe out monster areas, so he hadn¡¯t had time to talk to her alone.

    ¡°It would be nice if we could dine alone, but we don¡¯t have the time.¡±

    Eunseo smiled. She fixed her sses and said, ¡°I have to join the novice team to be with you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too dangerous.¡±

    People thought of him as a hero, but he had to risk his life. How many had been killed already?

    What Eunseo was doing was greater than destroying tears. Guardians liaised with each country, developing weapons for the monster teams.

    She had to be busy, and he was sorry he couldn¡¯t spend time with her.

    Eunseo continued, ¡°I¡¯m researching artifacts, but I haven¡¯t found anything useful yet. I may have to rob museums.¡±

    Junhyukughed out loud. It wasn¡¯t such a bad idea. Artifacts had historical significance, but using them would help her survive the Dimensional Battlefield. On top of that, only heroes dropped items.

    ¡°How is your power?¡±

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t had time to train her so far, and he felt bad for that.

    Nodding, Eunseo said, ¡°My damage went up.¡±

    Junhyuk was curious about her counterattack power. It was a good thing that her damage had increased. If she got more equipment and her power evolved, she would be able tond massive hits.

    ¡°You have to be an expert at least. That way you can be safe.¡±

    Eunseo understood what he was saying. Experts had an extra life in the Dimensional Battlefield. She did not want to experience death, but with an extra life, she would be safer.

    ¡°I¡¯m working on it.¡±

    She was busy working and training, and he could tell that she was working hard by looking at her.

    ¡°You¡¯ll do fine.¡±

    Eunseo stared at him.

    ¡°What¡¯s it like being a hero?¡±

    On the battlefield, heroes and novices were totally different, but when she looked at him, he didn¡¯t look different to her. Compared to other heroes, he looked weak.

    He said, ¡°I don¡¯t have a team yet. The real battles will begin once my team is set.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll build a good team.¡±

    Junhyuk had chosen two, so there were two more to go.

    ¡°I hope so.¡±

    The limousine stopped on the tarmac. Junhyuk saw the private jet and became conscious of it, so he turned around to look at Eunseo. She got off the car and smiled at him.

    ¡°You¡¯ll do fine.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Junhyuk had already destroyed three tears. The world was focused on him, and he was doing his job. The experts and novices were getting better, and a time woulde when he wouldn¡¯t have to train them anymore, and they would all enter tears.

    He walked up to her and said, ¡°Look for Dakeda and Zenon.¡±

    ¡°Dakeda and Zenon?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Junhyuk whispered in her ear, ¡°They are champions who have yet toe forward.¡±

    She stared at him. Management didn¡¯t number champions, so one had known how many there were.

    ¡°You only have their names?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, but Eunseo¡¯s eyes beamed anyway, and she said, ¡°I¡¯ll find them.¡±

    ¡°If I can recruit them, our strength will skyrocket.¡±

    Eunseo had heard about Ling Ling. Two champions would equal the entire expert team. She would find them both, no matter what.

    Every country¡¯s delegates had gathered at Guardians. Even if she only had names, she would find them.

    Junhyuk smiled at her.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you next time I have the chance.¡±

    They were very busy, and it would take at least a year to destroy all of the tears.

    Junhyuk waved at her and got on the ne. After he sat down, the ne started moving. Leaning back, he closed his eyes.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be long.¡±

    Junhyuk would go to the Dimensional Battlefield before he destroyed the New Delhi monster area, and he was looking forward to meeting new team members.

    ¡°How much will a private space cost from Bebe?¡±

    It would be different from buying a Spatial Bag. Junhyuk would be buying a living space, so he thought the cost would be astronomical. However, he needed one.

    As the ne flew among the clouds, he pulled out the core and held it tightly.

 Chapter 398 - New Team 2

    <h4>Chapter 398: New Team 2</h4>

    Junhyuk arrived in New Delhi and told the officers to gather all of the powered people who had been waiting for him. He had arrivedte due to his visit to South Korea, but that had allowed his team to rest and re-energize.

    They were ready, and their eyes beamed with enthusiasm.

    Looking at them, Junhyuk said, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯mte. I¡¯ve gathered you here today because I have something to tell you.¡±

    He was speaking calmly.

    ¡°Our reward money has arrived. As a thank you for destroying the Japanese monster area, they paid us $1 billion. On top of that, as payment for mana stones, bloodstones, monster bodies and other monster materials collected from the area, we¡¯ve received another $2 billion.¡±

    Once he had spoken those words, their eyes widened.

    Junhyuk continued evenly, ¡°As a thank you for destroying the Chinese monster area, they paid us $1 billion. However, the Chinese government insisted on giving us a bonus, so they¡¯ve given us another $1 billion for a total of $2 billion.¡±

    The powered people got agitated and started talking among themselves. Junhyuk raised his hand, and they quieted down.

    ¡°The Americans are also paying us $2 billion for destroying the New York monster area. So, we are getting a total of $7 billion.¡±

    Looking at the group, he continued, ¡°Pay will be distributed ording to your powers. It depends on your level: hero, champion, expert and novice. Novices will get base pay; experts will get twice that; champions will get three times base pay; and heroes will get four times base pay.¡±

    Junhyuk gave them tickets and said, ¡°Those novices who participated in the Japanese monster area destruction will received $420 thousand.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s mouths were agape, and he continued, ¡°Those who becameatose during training will still be paid.¡±

    People were relieved. Even if they died, if their families could receive the money, it would be worth it.

    Junhyuk continued quickly, ¡°Those novices who participated in the destruction of the Chinese monster area will each get $320 thousand. If you participated in both tear destructions, you¡¯ll be paid for both.¡±

    Everyone gulped. They were making an absurd amount of money in a very short time. Everyone was speechless.

    ¡°Those novices who participated in the destruction of the New York monster area will receive $320 thousand. Those who died in that battle will get the same amount.¡±

    Staring straight at the group, he added, ¡°Don¡¯t die.¡±

    If one didn¡¯t die, one would continue to make money. Instead of thinking about dying, they should be thinking about making more money.

    He continued calmly, ¡°We need to train harder, but we also need new members. I¡¯ll recruit more. If we get more, we¡¯ll be safer.¡±

    Looking at Lucy, he said, ¡°Now, we¡¯ll be briefed on the New Delhi situation. Attack Chief Lucy,e forward.¡±

    Lucy stepped forward, gave him a light bow and started exining the area. While listening to her, he learned about the monsters in India. They were elephants and cows.

    Isa Khan¡¯s Tomb in New Delhi was the center of the monster area. An eight-armed, A-ranked elephant monster was stationed there. It reminded him of Ganesha, the Hindu god.

    Junhyuk looked at the photos and said, ¡°We¡¯ll take it easy today, only advancing into the area for light training. We¡¯ll attack on Saturday.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t attack on Friday. Some of them might be afflicted by abnormal narcolepsy and never wake up.

    Everyone was in agreement, and they all got in the vehicles provided by the Indian government and advanced into the monster area.

    The training was easier than he had expected. The powered people had already been to battles, so they had gotten better at reading monster patterns, so nobody got hurt.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t push them deep. The Indian government¡¯s task was to lure the monsters to a side of the border, like with other monster areas, and killing those monsters would be his job. He would work hard to make it safe for the rest of the team.

    The eight-armed elephant felt like an A-ranked monster, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t know about its powers.

    When he returned to the hotel, he showered and ate. The next day, everyone would rest. They had to destroy the monster area as quickly as possible, but they all might die in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t enter the training facility anymore, so hey in bed and inspected the core. When he held the core, it responded to the mana within his body.

    The core felt like a more powerful energy source than mana, and he had to learn how to use it.

    ¡°When will I be able to use it?¡±

    ¡ª

    As he rested, he focused on the core, but he didn¡¯t learn anything new. Now, it was Friday. Junhyuk had been waiting for that day. His heart raced as the bright light pounded against his eyes.

    When he opened them, he saw Ariel.

    [Nice to see you again.]

    Junhyukughed and raised his hand.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talkter. I want to meet my team.¡±

    Ariel opened her mouth a few times as if she were about to say something, but she didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, she wished him well, [I wish you victory.]

    Junhyuk smiled, and as he crossed the threshold, Ariel shouted, [Hero Junhyuk Lee Deployed!]

    He quickly walked out. Junhyuk wanted to meet his team. He kept his real appearance in front of the crowd of humans. It was thest round of team selections, and he did not want to hide himself.

    The minions whispered among each other, but he ignored them and stepped forward.

    Far away, he saw La and Sarang. They were greeting each other, and he walked toward them.

    ¡°You are already here!¡±

    Sarang smiled and locked arms with La.

    ¡°I met La.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to La, who said, ¡°She called me her big sister.¡±

    La looked beautiful, and Sarang liked her a lot. Junhyukughed and turned around.

    ¡°What about the other two?¡±

    Nodding, La said, ¡°Someone ising out now.¡±

    The minions were whispering among themselves instead of making way, and they all heard shouting.

    ¡°What the hell?!¡±

    ¡°If you want to die, KEEP TALKING!¡±

    With a loud boom, a minion sttered against the ceiling. Junhyuk recognized that voice, and he was very happy to hear it.

    ¡°Gon!¡± he shouted, and Gongon appeared. He used the minions¡¯ heads as footholds, quickly moving forward.

    Gongon gave him a big hug, and Junhyuk smiled.

    ¡°We meet again.¡±

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha-ha! We are finally on the same team!¡±

    La knew how strong Gongon was. Junhyuk was d to see the hatchling, and he searched his Spatial Bag, pulling out Gongon¡¯s pieces of equipment and giving them to him.

    ¡°Take ¡¯em.¡±

    Gongon was a little surprised.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m giving these back to you. You would do the same for me.¡±

    Gongon stared at him and said, ¡°Hm. This won¡¯t make me like you more.¡±

    Gongon took some of the pieces and returned two items to Junhyuk.

    ¡°I only need the set items. I brought new items with me to rece the others.¡±

    Junhyuk realized something about Gongon then. Gongon could also make his own items, and his items were probably better than Elise¡¯s.

    He wasn¡¯t worried about the dragon.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll take these.¡±

    That¡¯s when Gongon saw Sarang.

    ¡°You are a hero already?!¡±

    ¡°Gon!¡±

    Sarang ran to him and hugged him, and Gongon sighed, looking at Junhyuk.

    ¡°We are a team right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at La and said, ¡°We¡¯ll make a good team.¡±

    Laughed.

    ¡°My teacher told me about her. She¡¯s special.¡±

    Halo had to have told her about Sarang.

    Looking around, Junhyuk asked, ¡°What about our fifth?¡±

    Then, he saw someone else. The man had droopy eyes with huge, dark circles around them. His hair was messy, and he did not look like a hero. On top of that, the man was wearing a suit, which did not suit him.

    The man walked toward them. He was about two meters tall. Junhyuk thought he didn¡¯t look like a tank, but he couldn¡¯t guess at the man¡¯s powers.

    The man stopped in front of them and smiled, saying, ¡°You are all here already! Sorry, I¡¯mte. I was doing some fortune-telling.¡±

    ¡°Fortune-telling?¡±

    The man extended his hand, and a card showed up. It was the size of a deck card, and when it floated into the air, ten magical runes appeared. The man showed them that he was carrying a hundred cards.

    Smiling, he said, ¡°Today will be a good day. My name is Abel.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know anything about Abel, so he wanted to find out if he would make a good team member.

    ¡°I¡¯m Junhyuk Lee.¡±

    Gongon crossed his arms and said, ¡°I¡¯m Gongon.¡±

    ¡°La.¡±

    Abel looked at Sarang.

    ¡°Sarang Kim.¡±

    ¡°Oh! The lucky girl!¡±

    Abel seemed to know her, and Sarang was surprised.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I bet on you and got five times my bet! It was very cool!¡± Smiling, Abel added, ¡°Tell me if you need new equipment. I¡¯ll buy you a piece. I¡¯m willing to spend 200,000G.¡±

    Sarang smiled.

    ¡°I won¡¯t refuse your offer!¡±

    She wouldn¡¯t refuse a 200,000G item.

    Junhyuk looked at Abel. He couldn¡¯t see his items, which meant that Abel could hide his appearance like him. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t tell anything by Abel¡¯s items, but Abel had bet a lot on Sarang. Even he had not expected her to win.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move out.¡±

    Then, Junhyuk heard a familiar voice say, ¡°Wait!¡±

    He turned to look in its direction and saw a woman standing there.

    ¡°Elise!¡±

 Chapter 399 - Abel, the Gambler 1

    <h4>Chapter 399: Abel, the Gambler 1</h4>

    Junhyuk had not expected Elise to show up with them, and Elise must¡¯ve realized that and smiled.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this.¡±

    Sarang walked over to Elise and said, ¡°Big sister, I¡¯m d we¡¯re on the same team!¡±

    Elise smiled and her, and Gongon, who was still being carried by Sarang, said, ¡°That¡¯s the genius woman.¡±

    A dragon had called her a genius, which proved that Elise was outstanding. Junhyuk was d to hear that and to know that she was with them, and he said, ¡°OK. Let¡¯s decide on where each of us will go.¡±

    He turned to the group. With the exception of Abel, he knew everyone would do their part. So, looking at the hero, he asked, ¡°How is you attack?¡±

    Abel scratched his cheek with a card and answered, ¡°I throw cards from long range, but not that long. I can attack from twenty-five meters away.¡±

    Junhyuk was relieved to hear that. It was a significant distance. Even if the enemies had longer-ranged attacks, he could always get a little closer to be able to attack.

    Abel wouldn¡¯t be the one to attack first, but he could still support from far away. His range was good enough.

    Looking a the group, Junhyuk said, ¡°Then, Abell will take the right path.¡±

    If Abel went right, who would he support? Sarang would be right for the task, but would the two alone work? While Junhyuk thought about it, La said, ¡°The center is important, so I¡¯ll take center with Sarang. Gongon, you go left. And you, you¡¯ll go right with Abel.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    La nodded and replied, ¡°I¡¯ve only heard about Sarang, so I want to find out how good she actually is: her powers and her sense of battle. I want to fight with her.¡±

    Junhyuk understood that, and he also knew about La. Even if three enemy heroes showed up, the two of them together should be OK.

    He looked at Gongon and said, ¡°OK, Gongon. You take left.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Abel with some reservations. He did not know Abel¡¯s powers, and he felt that Abel looked like a loser. For now, he couldn¡¯t really trust the hero.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the right.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to the group and said, ¡°Let¡¯s head out then. Each group takes a hundred minions.¡±

    To kill the enemies, a hundred minions would be enough if their enemies were weak. Everyone agreed with him and headed out.

    Junhyuk went with Abel, but he also took Elise with him. If the enemies didn¡¯t have an assassin, he would be able to protect her best of all. As he moved, followed by the hundred minions, he asked Abel, ¡°Abel, what are your powers?¡±

    Abel showed him his cards and said, ¡°I can create an illusion to take the enemies attention with my cards. Like this...¡±

    Abel pulled a card out, and one Abel turned into two. Junhyuk was impressed. He could sense it was a illusion with his spatial sense, but his naked eyes couldn¡¯t tell the difference. That¡¯s when Junhyuk realized just how strong his spatial sense was. By using it, he wouldn¡¯t be fooled by an illusion.

    Abel shuffled his cards, and without looking at them, he pulled one out and threw it.

    ¡°This is another one of my powers, but it¡¯s hit-or-miss. It¡¯s unpredictable and it triggers a random effect.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by random effect?¡±

    ¡°It triggers one of five random effects. There is a card that ensnares an enemy, a card that pushes an enemy back, a card that confuses an enemy, and a card that deals 300 percent of my attack damage to an enemy.¡±

    Abel seemed useful. Any of those cards¡¯ effects could shut down an enemy.

    ¡°However, if I¡¯m unlucky, thest card buffs an enemy¡¯s attack by 50 percent.¡±

    ¡°You have a 20 percent chance to buff an enemy?¡±

    Was that even possible? Junhyuk stared at Abel, and Abel replied, ¡°I told you that it¡¯s unpredictable.¡±

    It meant that his power would work well 80 percent of the time, but it would buff an enemy the other 20 percent.

    Junhyuk had never heard of powers like that.

    Abel shuffled his cards again and said, ¡°My other power makes an enemy curious. If I pull a card upside-down, the enemy will want to know what it is ande toward me.¡±

    ¡°Like a taunt?¡±

    ¡°Something like that. However, the enemy that moves toward me will get a 50-percent, extra-damage buff.

    ¡°Can you do it to more than one enemy?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a tank, so I don¡¯t need a power like that. The enemy will move toward me for three seconds, and I attack from long range. I can¡¯t do it to more than one at a time,¡± Abel answered, and Junhyukughed loudly.

    Long range attackers didn¡¯t need taunts.

    Abel shuffled his cards again and said, ¡°My ultimate is also hit-or-miss.¡±

    ¡°Your ultimate is also unpredictable?¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Abel, and Abel smiled while he showed Junhyuk four cards.

    ¡°Aside from me, these four cards represent the allied heroes. When I pull one out, I move to that hero¡¯s location.¡±

    ¡°From anywhere?¡±

    Abel nodded and replied, ¡°Right, anywhere on the battlefield.¡±

    Was that a good ultimate? If the allies were in danger, it could help, but Abel couldn¡¯t choose the hero he¡¯d move to.

    Junhyuk shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s not bad. You can help out your allies.¡±

    ¡°When I¡¯m alone, I don¡¯t usually use my ultimate.¡±

    Why would he use it when he was alone? That would be crazy.

    ¡°I understand your powers now. What about the cooldown?¡±

    ¡°Ten minutes.¡±

    Junhyuk decided he wanted to fight alongside Abel first and then send him off somewhere else. He would send Abel to help out the others. However, he didn¡¯t know how much help the hero would be.

    Junhyuk had never taken the right side since Nightmare Mountain had be the new battleground. He had gone left, but never right.

    The right side was heavily forested, and it was a good ce to ambush enemies.

    Junhyuk looked at Elise, who seemed a little tense. Abel hadn¡¯t paid any attention to Elise. What about Zaira?

    With her summon, Elise could do more than a hero by herself.

    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± he asked her, and Elise smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯m measuring the mana around here.¡±

    What was she using to do that? Junhyuk was curious, and Elise tapped her sses.

    ¡°I made these special sses for the Dimensional Battlefield.¡±

    Junhyuk was astonished. He was wearing Doctor T¡¯s sses, but Elise had made herself a pair of special sses.

    She looked around and said, ¡°This ce has so much mana. I feel lighter.¡±

    Junhyuk knew how filled with mana the Dimensional Battlefield was. He didn¡¯t even have to will his living spirit to gather it. The mana inside him replenished on its own.

    Elise was muttering observations to herself, and he told her, ¡°Just know one thing...¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°... When the battle begins, don¡¯t join the fray. Don¡¯t do anything unless I tell you to.¡±

    ¡°You just want me to watch?¡±

    ¡°If I need you, I¡¯ll let you know.¡±

    Elise agreed and nodded. Once they reached the watchtower, they spotted their enemies. They had also brought a hundred minions with them, and the minions looked like insects. They moved on six legs.

    The human minions had a hard time understanding the enemy minions. They did not know how to fight them.

    They also spotted the enemy heroes. One looked like a praying mantis, and the other looked like a porcupine. They weren¡¯t big, but they looked capable of long range attacks.

    As he inspected the two heroes, Junhyuk said, ¡°I¡¯ll deal the first strike, Abel.¡±

    ¡°With your Spatial sh?¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Abel, who smiled.

    ¡°It was a hot gambling round. When you entered the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, I ced a bet on your enemies and lost everything. From then on, I bet on you and made a lot of money.¡± Looking at him, Abel asked, ¡°What¡¯s your n?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get their vanguard with my Spatial sh first.¡±

    ¡°With a single hit?¡±

    Junhyuk shrugged.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. We just have to make contact first. When their vanguard retreats, the mantis will move forward. Whether the fightsts long or not doesn¡¯t matter if I deal the first strike.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the porcupine hero and said, ¡°At least, the porcupine will be too scared to do anything.¡±

    ¡°Right, the porcupine won¡¯t want to get hit by your Spatial sh twice.¡±

    Abel shuffled his cards and said, ¡°Shall we begin?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and stepped forward, and the mantis did the same with the minions.

    As they closed in, Junhyuk measured the distances. The mantis was about fifteen meters ahead of the porcupine. Did the mantis know about his shockwaves?

    It didn¡¯t matter. Junhyuk shouted at the allied minions, ¡°Attack!¡±

    He ran with them, closing in against his enemies.

 Chapter 400 - Abel, the Gambler 2

    <h4>Chapter 400: Abel, the Gambler 2</h4>

    Junhyuk was running faster than the allied minions, and he realized that the mantis hero was running faster than him. The mantis was moving at incredible speed.

    They were closing in against each other, and Junhyuk was keeping an eye on the porcupine behind the mantis. The porcupine was keeping a distance from him.

    Junhyuk was now twenty meters away from the mantis, but sixty meters away from the porcupine. The hero seemed to know about Junhyuk and was keeping his distance.

    Junhyuk watched as the mantis rushed suddenly. It closed in even faster. While the mantis rushed, Junhyuk teleported. They traded ces, and Junhyuk used his Spatial sh on the porcupine. It triggered an additional hit, so with one Spatial sh, the porcupine died.

    The porcupine was a long range attacker, so he couldn¡¯t survive the Spatial sh hit with the extra damage. Once the porcupine died, Junhyuk turned around and chased after the mantis, who was running straight toward Abel.

    Abel threw a card at the mantis. It flew quickly through the air and hit the mantis, who kept on running. Junhyuk frowned as he chased after the hero.

    Elise was standing behind Abel. If the mantis had his way, Abel and Elise would be in danger.

    The mantis closed in on Abel, and Junhyuk teleported. He got closer, but the mantis was still moving faster than him, so he couldn¡¯t gain on the mantis.

    Abel shuffled his deck and pulled out a card. Suddenly, Abel divided in two, and one moved left, while the other moved right. Abel had created an illusion.

    The mantis knew Junhyuk was chasing him, so he picked a side and ran. He was very decisive.

    Junhyuk had thought the mantis was a real hero, but the mantis chose to run to the illusion¡¯s side. Both Abels ran out and turned to throw cards at the same time. Both cards flew toward the mantis, but one was an illusion. At that moment, Junhyuk thought that Abel was both crazy and stupid.

    Abel had fooled the mantis, so what was he doing?

    The mantis sliced one of the cards thrown by Abel and realized it was an illusion, so he turned. The hero was now heading toward the real Abel.

    Abel shuffled his deck again and threw another card. His whole attack pattern seemed hit-or-miss, so Junhyuk ran faster. The cardnded on the mantis and stunned it. It was only for a short while, but it was long enough.

    Junhyuk closed in and shed at the mantis¡¯ neck. It was stunned, but the effect time was too short. Right as his sword was about to sh the mantis, the hero started moving again and blocked Junhyuk¡¯s sword with his front legs.

    Junhyuk elerated. That wouldn¡¯t make him move any faster, but it would enable him to predict his enemy¡¯s movements.

    He moved his swords quickly and sliced one of the mantis¡¯ front legs. The mantis couldn¡¯t do anything about it.

    ¡°AAARRrrrh!¡± the mantis screamed loudly, while Junhyuk swung at the other leg.

    Junhyuk blocked the leg with his sword. The mantis was fast, but after Junhyuk elerated, he was able to read the hero¡¯s movements.

    ng!

    As his sword deflected the leg, a card pierced the mantis¡¯ chest. Junhyuk could read Abel¡¯s attack power. It had been a regr attack, but it had taken 25 percent off of the mantis¡¯ health.

    It might have been a critical hit, but even then, the damage was shocking.

    The mantis hero stared at Abel, and Junhyuk sliced his head. The mantis lost all of his health. With Abel¡¯s attack followed by Junhyuk¡¯s, the hero breathed hisst breath.

    Junhyuk stared at the surviving enemy minions. They had six legs and they could climb over the allied minions¡¯ shields, so the number of allied casualties was high.

    He ran toward the enemy minions and swung his sword. His attacks were now buffed, which meant that the team at the central tower had won. La and Sarang had carried out their task well. As Junhyuk began to kill the enemy minions, Abel¡¯s cards flew off, killing them as well.

    Once he had killed all of the enemy minions, he started attacking the tower. With the allied minions, he destroyed the tower quickly, turning to Abel after.

    Abel¡¯s attack stat was stronger than he had imagine. The interesting thing, however, was that his powers dealt no damage. His powers only inflicted status effects,cking whatever base damage his attack stat should give them.

    Junhyuk asked Abel, ¡°Your damage is outstanding. How did that happen?¡±

    Abelughed loudly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a lot of items outside of this one.¡± Abel showed his his deck of cards and said, ¡°Most of my items buff my health, but I brought my cards from my dimension. Getting new equipment is a type of gambling, and I¡¯m rather lucky.¡±

    Abel had meant that he had brought the cards with him and upgraded them.

    ¡°How many upgrades?¡±

    ¡°Sixteen.¡±

    Junhyuk was stunned. After the basic enhancements, the rate of sess for further upgrades decreased with each subsequent one. But, sixteen upgrades? Abel¡¯s other items increased his health, and he had an absurd attack stat. After sixteen upgrades, his attack stat would be eighteen times what it had been originally.

    Abel said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you know, but thest thing a hero will drop in the Dimensional Battlefield is their weapon.¡±

    ¡°So, you went all in on your weapon?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    Junhyuk picked up the two dropped items from the ground and said, ¡°Let¡¯s contact our allies and move out.¡±

    Junhyuk contacted the others. La had told Sarang to protect the tower and told him that she was gonna head toward Gongon. Sarang had a hundred minions with her. With them, she wouldn¡¯t lose the tower.

    From the central tower, one could see the bottom of the mountain, so they could always see if the enemy wasing.

    It was a different story if the enemies moved from the sides, but the allies had a lot of time now. It was time to move.

    Junhyuk contacted Gongon.

    ¡°Shit! He isn¡¯t leaving the watchtower.¡±

    ¡°La is heading your way.¡±

    ¡°What if the enemies go middle?¡±

    ¡°Sarang is still there. We¡¯ll push toward their second tower on the right.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk could trust Gongon. He trusted Gongon to handle the left and started moving. As he did, he looked at Abel.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Abel was shuffling his deck as he moved. The allied minions were following them. They had suffered a lot of casualties due to the insects¡¯ ability to climb. There were only sixty-five of them now.

    Junhyuk walked next to Elise. She was carrying two swords, but it did not look like she would use them. If in danger, Junhyuk was sure she would summon Zaira.

    ¡°How are you?¡± he asked her.

    ¡°Me? I didn¡¯t fight.¡±

    Junhyuk thought that Elise was brave. The insect minions had gone berserk, killing and being killed, and she had watched it all.

    Even though they had all died without doing much, the enemy heroes were giant monsters.

    As he walked with Elise, Junhyuk stared at Abel. His powers made him unique, but his hit-or-miss abilities were a problem. On top of that, his items made him a standard damage dealer.

    Abel would upgrade his deck again, and if he failed the upgrade, his fighting capabilities would go down significantly.

    Junhyuk did not want to be on his team, but he decided to hold out on his decision. Abel¡¯s attack stat could go down, but he wanted to see what kind of battle sense he had.

    Thanks to the buff from the buff tower, the allies¡¯ speed was really fast. Before the enemy reincarnated, the allies reached the second tower. At that moment, Sarang contacted him.

    ¡°Big brother, two of them areing this way.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to be OK?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve fought them, and they aren¡¯t that good.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    This was her first round as a hero, and she was doing fine.

    ¡°Use the watchtower and fight. We¡¯ll be able to help you.¡±

    Junhyuk disconnected and turned to Abel.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry. You have a job to do.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    The allies were buffed, so they had reached the second tower before the enemy. Without enemy heroes there, destroying it was easy. There were two enemies heading to the buff tower, which meant the other two would either be heading left or right.

    Should the allies advance and kill them, or use the time to move to other paths?

    Junhyuk looked at Abel and said, ¡°Use your ultimate to move somewhere else. Anywhere but here.¡±

    Abelughed and shuffled his cards.

    ¡°Sure, I can go anywhere.¡± Abel pulled a card and smirked, saying, ¡°This isn¡¯t bad.¡±

    Abel disappeared, and Junhyuk turned to the allied minions and Elise. He shouldn¡¯t advance. Their enemies should be close now.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go into the forest.¡±

    Inside the forest, he would kill a buff monster and attack the enemies from behind. He still had the buff from the buff tower. He was almost certain two heroes were heading his way, but he was sure that he could kill them with Elise.

    He tried to find out where Abel was. Abel had appeared next to La, who was heading toward Gongon. Three on one would be very easy, and they would destroy the watchtower.

    Junhyuk took Elise and the minions and started moving. His goal was to kill the buff monster and counterattack. On top of that, the location of the buff monster had to be full of the things Elise loved.

 Chapter 401 - Team Battle 1

    <h4>Chapter 401: Team Battle 1</h4>

    Junhyuk and Elise went to hunt the Queen Harpy. The minions behind them were all anxious and tense, and Junhyuk stepped forward and asked, ¡°Elise, do you want to summon Zaira and have her fight?¡±

    He wanted to know if Zaira would be restrained in the Dimensional Battlefield, which was why he made the suggestion. Elise agreed immediately and asked, ¡°Do we have to catch those?¡±

    The Queen Harpy and the subordinate harpies were flying up in the air. Their numbers weren¡¯t small, so it wouldn¡¯t be easy. Junhyuk was anxious to see what would happen.

    A-ranked monsters were restrained in the Dimensional Battlefield, so how about Zaira?

    Suddenly, Zaira appeared while he was looking at the harpies. Zaira was jade-colored, and as soon as it showed up, it flew up. The jade scales on its back all rose up and released a strong wing.

    The Queen Harpy and the other harpies dove toward Zaira, who extended its arms toward them. The scales on its arms rose up, and small missiles appeared from beneath them.

    They were tracking missiles. They flew off toward the monsters, exploding on impact.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    Junhyuk watched the harpies die. Thanks to Zaira¡¯s special weapon, they had been killed easily. All of its weapons had been bathed in dposition liquid.

    After killing the harpies, Zaira fired its smallest missile at the Queen Harpy, who beat its wings.

    Boo-boom-boom!

    The Queen Harpy had created a wind wall that had blocked the missile. Unfazed, Zaira moved forward. It could fly, so Zaira was the worst enemy the Queen Harpy could face.

    The Queen Harpy swung its talons at Zaira, who blocked it with its left hand. Then, a Wolf Warlord w appeared in Zaira¡¯s right hand. It was countering. Zaira grabbed one of the Queen Harpy¡¯s talons and attacked the Queen Harpy ferociously. Zaira tried to pierce its chest, but the Queen Harpy was strong. The Queen Harpy twisted itself in the middle of the air, diving rapidly to the ground. Right as the Queen Harpy was about tond, Zaira, who was still holding on, twisted the Queen Harpy¡¯s talon.

    Crack!

    Before the Queen Harpy couldnd, it got its leg mangled. Zaira was strong enough to destroy a Queen Harpy¡¯s leg.

    Both of them fell to the ground.

    Boom!

    However, only the Queen Harpy crashed. When it started beating its wings, trying to take flight, Junhyuk teleported and beheaded the Queen Harpy.

    He had done it easily because he was buffed. After that, he looked at Elise, and she shrugged.

    ¡°The summoning time isn¡¯t over yet, but I can return Zaira.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled. Elise was being herself. She wasn¡¯t nervous at all. She slowly walked over and put the Queen Harpy¡¯s body inside her Spatial Bag before it disappeared. Then, she turned around and said, ¡°Hm... This is fun!¡±

    There was nothing around the Queen Harpy, no mana stones and no bloodstones. However, Elise gathered tree leaves from the area happily.

    ¡°These are special trees. They¡¯ll help me in my research.¡±

    To Elise and for her research, the Dimensional Battlefield was incredibly valuable.

    Junhyuk walked toward her and asked, ¡°What do you think? Was Zaira¡¯s power at 100 percent capacity?¡±

    ¡°Considering the impact of its tiny missile, its weaponry has been restrained by at least 40 percent. As for movement speed and physical strength, Zaira is able to use them at 70-percent capacity.¡±

    Junhyuk could guess why Elise had said that. The weapons had been restrained more significantly so as not to affect the surroundings, but everything else at 70 percent matched other A-ranked monsters.

    Staring at Elise, he asked, ¡°Shall we attack?¡±

    ¡°Would that be possible with just us?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and replied, ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡±

    The mantis was problematic, but he was still no match for Junhyuk. Right now, they were buffed, so their sess rate also went up. If heboed the enemies, it would be easy.

    Junhyuk took the group and started moving. The allies were still holding the buff tower, so catching up to his enemies was easy.

    Junhyuk could guess where they were by using their speed to measure the distance that they had travelled. The mantis was really fast, but the porcupine was slow, so they had to be moving rather slow with the minions.

    Junhyuk took the lead, and they reached the first allied tower. They hid in the reed field and watched the tower.

    Looking at the group, Junhyuk said, ¡°When the enemies get here, I¡¯ll kill the porcupine. The mantis won¡¯te to the reed field, but if he does, Elise, summon Zaira and deal with him.¡±

    She nodded, and he looked at the minions, ¡°You make a shield wall. The enemy minions can climb over that, so be ready to use your swords quickly.¡±

    He told the allied minions to stab the insect minions. If they did that, they wouldn¡¯t die so easily.

    Junhyuk added calmly, ¡°Focus on your defense.¡±

    The allied minions all nodded, and he looked ahead. He expected the enemies to appear at any moment and he wasn¡¯t wrong. The mantis and the porcupine showed up with a hundred minions.

    ¡°They are wasting minions.¡±

    Having thatrge a number of minions would make it easy to destroy a structure, but in their situation, the minions would die easily, creating a problem for themter.

    However, he understood the enemies¡¯ train of thought. The right path was wide open, so they must¡¯ve thought Junhyuk headed elsewhere. However, they were mistaken.

    He could deal with the two enemy heroes by himself.

    The enemy heroes approached the watchtower nervously. Junhyuk knew that he had to cover the distance between the reed field and the enemies in one teleportation. Then, he would use the Spatial sh to kill the porcupine.

    He turned to Elise and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±

    As soon as the enemies attacked the watchtower, he teleported. He came from behind them without them even knowing and used his Spatial sh. The attacked sliced through the porcupine¡¯s neck. Thanks to the buffs, the attack also triggered extra damage, killing the porcupine.

    The enemy minions kept heading toward the watchtower. They had not noticed him while he killed the porcupine. When the mantis turned around, he was already heading toward the hero.

    When the mantis realized Junhyuk was alone, he ordered, ¡°Kill him!¡±

    The minions all turned around and ran toward him, and the mantis retreated. A hundred minions wereing his way, but Junhyuk ran faster and without hesitation. As the minions tried to attack him, Junhyuk swung his swords while passing them by. The shockwaves triggered, but they had no effect on the minions. They only worked on heroes now.

    The mantis watched the fight for a bit and then dove forward, quickly closing in against him, attempting to the deliver a sharp attack. However, Junhyuk blocked it with his swords.

    ng!

    The mantis had rushed against him, and Junhyuk lost 5 percent of his health. While the mantis used his arms to block his attacks, minions from all around him attacked him. Junhyuk took a second to think before he teleported. He reappeared within range of the watchtower.

    The archers started shooting, and the arrows hit the mantis. The hero kept attacking him even while under the archers¡¯ attacks. At close range, the mantis swung his legs, and that¡¯s when Junhyuk raised his force field.

    ng, ng, ng!

    The mantis¡¯ attacks reverberated loudly, but they couldn¡¯t do anything against the force field. It was Junhyuk¡¯s turn. The mantis¡¯ attacks had been ferocious, but Junhyuk elerated as he shed at the hero. The mantis started getting wounded bit by bit. Junhyuk did not want to let the hero escape, so he was trying to overwhelm the mantis.

    The mantis could not teleport, and he was also getting hit by the archers attacks. The hero lost 30 percent of his health to the archers, and right as Junhyuk was thinking of finishing the fight, the mantis howled loudly.

    ¡°Rrraaaar!¡±

    The sudden howl made Junhyuk take a few steps back, giving the mantis an opening to start running.

    ¡°Catch him!¡±

    The mantis health was very low at that point, about 20 percent, and he could kill the hero with one hit. However, as the mantis ran away, heughed at the hero. The mantis did not know about his powers.

    Zaira rushed out of the reed field and started firing its missiles. How effective would they be against a hero?

    Junhyuk waited.

    He had hit the mantis with the Frozen Rune Sword, debuffing the hero¡¯s speed. Because of that, the mantis was unable to block all of the missiles.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    Six missiles hit the mantis, dealing 9 percent of damage to the hero. Four missiles had been blocked, but the damage was still high.

    The mantis defense was low, but the missiles were dealing damage to the hero from a long distance.

    Zaira was closing in on the mantis. Junhyuk chuckled and extended his hand. He wanted to check Zaira¡¯s damage, but he would kill the mantis himself.

    He triggered a Spatial Copse and killed the mantis. Meanwhile, Zaira wielded the Wolf Warlord¡¯s w and started attacking the minions. The enemy minions attacked Zaira, but the gynoid¡¯s shell was made out of dragon scales. Zaira wasn¡¯t even scratched.

    Junhyuk joined the fight, and the enemy minions were massacred. At the end, Elise walked to him, and he smiled at her.

    ¡°Zaira can fight heroes.¡±

    She smiled to him and replied, ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll try buffing Zaira.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Elise. She could buff things, just like Jeffrey. If it had to do with magitek, Zaira would be stronger.

    Zaira¡¯s summoning time was rather short, but it could kill a hero by itself.

 Chapter 402 - Team Battle 2

    <h4>Chapter 402: Team Battle 2</h4>

    Junhyuk contacted the allies at once, beginning with Sarang. She seemed tense.

    ¡°How is it going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll probably lose the buff.¡±

    Sarang was at the watchtower, so the enemy heroes couldn¡¯t approach her easily. A weak hero would die from her Thunderstorm.

    Her Thunderstorm¡¯s range was quite long, so even if the enemies had long range attacks, they wouldn¡¯t necessarily attack first. Could an enemy who had been hit with the Thunderstorm stille at her? The enemies had to be decisive. If not, advancing wouldn¡¯t be possible.

    In the meantime, the enemies stayed where they were. However, she could lose the buff tower to them. Sarang couldn¡¯t leave the watchtower and deal with two enemies at the same time. Her defense wasn¡¯t that strong.

    She could use her ultimate in her fight with her enemies, but she shouldn¡¯t fight alone.

    ¡°I¡¯ll check to see if someone can support you.¡±

    Junhyuk contacted Abel next.

    ¡°Abel, how is the left?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s going well. We destroyed the first watchtower and are pushing on to the second. La headed middle.¡±

    ¡°La won¡¯t get there in time. From now on, whenever your ultimate is off cooldown, you go back to Sarang.¡±

    ¡°They are pushing center?¡±

    ¡°No necessarily. However, if the situation continues as is, we might lose the buff tower.¡±

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll do that.¡±

    Abel disconnected, and Junhyuk contacted Gongon.

    ¡°Gon, how was Abel?¡±

    Gongon scowled and said, ¡°I tried to kill him.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°He dealt thest hit and picked up the item from the hero La and I worked hard to bring down.¡±

    Junhyuk knew that Abel had a high attack stat. Besides, Abel¡¯s power could deal an absurd amount of damage. If his powernded on the 300-percent damage, he would¡¯ve dealt thest hit even if he hadn¡¯t meant to.

    ¡°We¡¯ll just watch him to see if it was intentional.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like him.¡±

    Gongon was being curt, which meant that Gongon found him repulsive. Junhyuk should hold off on including Abel on the team. He was not sure about what to do about Abel.

    ¡°We¡¯ll push for a team battle first and then make our judgements, OK?¡±

    ¡°Sure. What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°I destroyed the second watchtower on the right path, so I¡¯m moving middle to take the second watchtower there.¡±

    ¡°Are we gathering middle.¡±

    ¡°You should continued to push the left. If too many enemies head your way, you can retreat.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    As Junhyuk walked, Elise, who was watching him, asked, ¡°When can we join Gongon?¡±

    ¡°Probably once we have a team battle.¡±

    During the team battle, everyone would be together, and Elise was looking forward to working with Gongon.

    Junhyuk said calmly, ¡°After destroying the second tower, we¡¯ll go see Bebe. You should get amunication crystal so you can talk to Gongon.¡±

    Elise smiled at him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve brought a few things to sell.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, looked at the minions and said, ¡°Let¡¯s pick up our pace.¡±

    As he said that, a card appeared in midair, and Abel appeared right after it. Abel looked at him and clicked his tongue.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move together for ten minutes,¡± Junhyuk said, bringing up the conversation he had with Gongon after, ¡°I heard from Gongon that you dealt thest hit.¡±

    ¡°I pulled the 300-percent damage attack. The enemy was running away, but I was only trying to catch him.¡±

    Like Junhyuk had thought, Abel hadn¡¯t done it intentionally, so he decided to hold off judgement on the hero.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡±

    Abel didn¡¯t say anything, simply shuffling his cards as he followed Junhyuk. Junhyuk sped up, and after ten minutes, Abel pulled a card and disappeared. Junhyuk was curious about where Abel had gone, but he did not try to search for him. After a while, he got a call from Sarang.

    ¡°What is this person?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°An enemy suddenly got much stronger, and he died. I killed the two enemies at the end, but I¡¯m speechless.¡±

    ¡°His powers are hit-or-miss. One of the possible effects increases an enemy¡¯s attack by 50 percent.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s aughable power. He stepped forward and got killed. Although I was able to kill the two, one of them took his item.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. All of his items buff his health. He is covered in health items, which means that enemy¡¯s attack stat should be high.¡±

    ¡°One of them deals descent damage. That was the one who got buffed, so he got shockingly strong. I had to use my ultimate.¡±

    Abel had been there for her, which is how she managed to kill the enemies. Junhyukughed bitterly.

    ¡°Since you killed them,e down. Let¡¯s destroy the second tower.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk disconnected. He was still stunned as he thought about Abel. The allies were powerful now. They wouldn¡¯t lose in singlebat, so the enemies had toe at them in groups. They could be legends by killing enemies and getting more equipment.

    Abel¡¯s power wasn¡¯t necessarily threatening, but what if he buffed the enemy? That could be a problem. Junhyuk shook his head as he ran. He wanted to join up with Sarang.

    The buff was important, and that was still on his mind, so he connected to La.

    ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll take some time to reach the buff tower.¡±

    ¡°Sarang¡¯s killed the enemies there, and she¡¯sing down. We still need to upy the buff tower, however.¡±

    ¡°Then, go to the second watchtower. I¡¯ll head there as well. We¡¯ll block the enemies¡¯ advance, so we won¡¯t lose the buff tower.¡±

    After thinking about it, Junhyuk nodded.

    ¡°OK. Let¡¯s do that.¡±

    Junhyuk, La and Sarang could deal with any enemy that came their way. If the mantis and the porcupine heroes were their averagebatants, the three would be able to kill all five enemy heroes.

    As he moved along, Junhyuk connected to Abel, who had revived, and exined the n.

    ¡°Use your ultimate to move. Head to the buff tower, take the buff, and then join up with the rest of the allies.¡±

    Abel¡¯s ultimate was rather useful.

    ¡°Will do.¡±

    Abel¡¯s ultimate use was sessful. He appeared next to Sarang, who was closest to the buff tower. Abel moved toward the buff, and Sarang headed for the second enemy watchtower.

    While moving, the allies were buffed again. The three reached the second watchtower, but there were four enemy heroes there. None of them looked humanoid.

    The mantis and the porcupine were there, but there was also a scorpion hero and a spider hero, who used two of its legs as actual legs and the other six as arms. They had brought two hundred minions along with them. The enemies had already lost three times that, so after taking two hundred minions with them, they only had two hundred left at the castle. Junhyuk knew they were determined to win that time.

    One of the enemies was missing, so that hero had to have gone either left or right, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t care about that. All he had to do was kill the four heroes in front of him, and the allies would win.

    Abel had probably gone to Gongon, but he also didn¡¯t care if Abel was missing. He turned to the allies. Junhyuk had brought 65 minions, and Sarang had 74 left. Combined, they had 139. On top of that, the allies had Elise, their expert.

    The enemies were staying by the watchtower, so that posed a problem. However, the allies had plenty of long range attacks. On top of that, Elise could summon Zaira, who had the missiles.

    ¡°Shall we attack?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the n?¡±

    ¡°I want to know more about their powers. I killed the porcupine before he could use anything. However, the mantis has a rush and a howl that pushes his enemies back.¡±

    La looked at the spider and said, ¡°That spider must be an attacker. It has the most damaging power of all of them. He can throw six small spears with his six hands, and he has perfect dodge. That scorpion is a standard physical defender. His defense stat is really high, but his magic defense is worthless.¡±

    Sarang continued from where La had stopped, ¡°The scorpion has a poison spit that paralyzes the opponent. When I was with La, we didn¡¯te across that, but the scorpion paralyzed Abel.¡±

    Junhyuk could guess what had happened. They didn¡¯t know all of their enemies¡¯ powers because they had easily killed them.

    He scoped them out.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know anything about the porcupine¡¯s powers, so let¡¯s kill him first.¡±

    La nodded and looked at the allied camp.

    ¡°What about the minions?¡±

    ¡°Divide into three teams. Two teams will make shield walls at the front, and the other team will protect the expert.¡±

    Looking at Elise, La asked, ¡°Can¡¯t the expert help us?¡±

    ¡°Sure, but we don¡¯t need her right now.¡±

    La nodded, and Junhyuk walked over to Elise and extend his Blood Rune Sword at her.

    ¡°Buff me.¡±

    Elise extended her hand toward the Blood Rune Sword, and it shone suddenly. Junhyuk inspected it and saw that the sword had gained an additional buff.

    Even without fighting, Elise could help.

    ¡°She had a buff?!¡±

    ¡°The cooldown is too long, so we can only use it on one person for now.¡±

    ¡°If she develops that power further, she¡¯ll be of great help.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and looked at the enemies.

    ¡°Being able to buff multiple allies would be nice. Shall we go?¡± Junhyuk asked, and La unsheathed her katana. He and La ran forward, with Sarang right behind them.

    The mantis and the scorpion stepped forward and shouted, ¡°Attack!¡±

    The allies did not order their minions forward. Instead, they made the minions defend. They wanted to use the minions when they attacked the enemy castle.

    The mantis and the scorpion were in the front, and the spider was right behind them. The porcupine was bringing up the rear.

    Junhyuk looked at La and said, ¡°Follow the n.¡±

    Junhyuk teleported and appeared in front of the enemy minions. He used his Spatial sh immediately, and because he was buffed by Elise, the strike triggered extra damage, and the attack killed the porcupine.

    The enemy minions attacked him from all sides, and the mantis rushed him. The scorpion¡¯s ws opened up wide as the hero ran at Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk swung his swords against the minions, and La passed him by. She attacked the mantis, who gotunched in the air. The mantis had rushed, but La had negated that with theunch, which also meant she had overpowered the mantis.

    ¡°OK!¡±

    Junhyuk used his jumping skill to reach the mantis.

 Chapter 403 - Team Battle 3

    <h4>Chapter 403: Team Battle 3</h4>

    The mantis hero instinctively swung its sickle at him in midair, but Junhyuk blocked the strike with his sword. He had jumped higher than the mantis. As he hit the mantis¡¯ leg, he broke the hero¡¯s stance.

    While passing the mantis during his jump, he was able to hit the hero¡¯s chin and sh his face with his sword, leaving a gash on it.

    Junhyuk teleported behind the mantis and pierced the hero¡¯s chest. After the two attacks, the mantis¡¯ mouth fell agape. The mantis quickly swung his front legs toward his back, but the structure of his body made it impossible to strike back while still in the air.

    Junhyuk twisted the sword deeper into the mantis.

    ¡°Argh!¡±

    Still in the air, the mantis faded away, and Junhyuk turned to the scorpion under him. If he were to fall now, he wouldn¡¯t escape the scorpions¡¯ attack.

    Junhyuk grimaced, but suddenly, a thunderbolt passed right by him. A thunderstorm had formed, and Sarang¡¯s power crashed right on the scorpion, who was left with only 20 percent of his health.

    The scorpion was paralyzed, and Junhyuk shouted quickly, ¡°La!¡±

    La, who had been waiting, threw her katana at the hero. The sword flew across the air and hit the scorpion, who took hisst breath. The battle had just begun, but three enemy heroes were already dead.

    The spider was scared, so he quickly retreated. The archers on the watchtower attacked Junhyuk, who raised the force field asrge as it could get, to the point where it even pushed enemy minions aside.

    A path had been made, and Junhyuk ran along it. The spider was slow, and Junhyuk was gaining on the hero. The archers shot at him, but the arrows bounced off the force field, so Junhyuk shortened the distance between himself and the spider.

    As Junhyuk ran, La and Sarang followed him.

    As he approached, the spider remained within the watchtower, buying himself more time. Junhyuk signaled with his eyes, and La ran around the tower. The archers shot at her, but she simply ignored them.

    La was hit with arrows twice, but she made her way to the spider. The spider decided to run toward La to face her. La was out of the force field, so the spider thought he would have the advantage against her now.

    That was a mistake.

    Sarang shot an electric st at the spider, who ended up paralyzed, and La cut the spider down with her katana. She used her eight-hitbo and followed it with her ultimate. The spider received a total of twelve strikes and was left with 5 percent of his health.

    However, the spider was able to move again, and with that, the hero opened his mouth. From it, a white liquid shot out and wrapped itself around La, tying her up.

    La was unable to move, and the spider bit her neck. The spider started regaining health. That was one of the spider¡¯s powers.

    Junhyuk ran up and shed the spider¡¯s ribs. At the same time, Sarang shot out an electric arrow. The spider faded, and Junhyuk smiled with satisfaction.

    When he turned around, Sarang bowed to him.

    ¡°Sorry!¡±

    ¡°No, you did well.¡±

    Junhyuk had killed two, and La had killed one. Sarang had also contributed. Her electric st had paralyzed the spider, enabling La do deal massive damage to the hero. La untied herself, and Sarang¡¯s light green powder sprinkled on top of her. As La regained her health, she ran off and swung her katana.

    She was slicing and dicing through enemy minions.

    The enemy minions attacked him then, and Junhyuk ran toward them swinging his sword. Behind him, the archers fired in his direction, but he ignored them and massacred the minions with La.

    Sarang was shooting electric arrows at the minions who were attacking her. In that type of battle, Junhyuk and La were superior to her.

    Sarang had a limit to how fast she could shoot her arrows. However, now she had a shield, so she was protecting herself while shooting.

    Junhyuk and La joined Sarang. The minions were dropping fast. There were many of them, but given enough time, the allies would kill them all.

    Elise summoned Zaira, and the scales of both of the gynoid¡¯s arms rose. Missiles shot out of the arms at the minions.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    Area-of-effect attacks wouldn¡¯t work against minions, but Zaira¡¯s targeting was effective, and every missile hit a target. On top of that, minions dropped a significant amount of money when they died.

    Junhyuk joined Zaira in the fight, and the group decimated the minions and destroyed the second tower. There were many allied minions left, so now would be a good time to keep pushing. However, Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to end the battle yet. He turned to the group and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go see Bebe.¡±

    La shook her head and replied, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we push on?¡±

    ¡°We can win, but if the battle ends now, we won¡¯t be able to take advantage of Bebe.¡±

    ¡°You are confident.¡± Resting her katana on her shoulder, she added, ¡°Fine. The enemy is weak. Let¡¯s go see Bebe.¡±

    The group headed to the dimensional merchant. After Gongon took care of the left side, he called Junhyuk to tell him that he would join the group at the merchant.

    The group stood in front of the merchant¡¯s portal, and shocked, Elise asked, ¡°Is this the same as a dimensional tear?¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s different. Let¡¯s go in.¡±

    The group entered to see Bebe yawning. The yeti waved at them.

    ¡°Wee!¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, and chuckling, Bebe asked, ¡°Since you are back, are you here to sell more things?¡±

    Junhyuk pulled the items from his bag. He had left the previous battlefield with four items, and he¡¯d already gotten six in this one. On top of that, Gongon had let him keep two other items.

    Bebe inspected everything and said, ¡°Hm... These prices vary, but I can give you 250,000G for the first ten items. As for these two, I¡¯ll give you 50,000G for each. Total, ites out to 350,000G.¡±

    Without hesitation, Junhyuk sold everything. With the 350,000G, he now had 2,042,523G. At that point, he started wondering if he should buy a legendary item or if he should trade his sword in.

    Junhyuk thought that for him to be stronger, it was time to change swords. If he got another item, it would bump his set-item bonuses, but for his damage to increase, he had to change weapons.

    So, Junhyuk decided to hold off on a purchase. At that point, Bebe looked at the other customers to take care of their businesses.

    Sarang walked up to Junhyuk.

    ¡°Big brother,¡± she said calmly. ¡°I have some money now since I sold some items. Should I change weapons?¡±

    Junhyuk knew that it was time for Sarang to get a new weapon. Bebe showed her some orbs, and she was deciding between two for now.

    One would boost her lightning attribute, but the other wouldn¡¯t.

    Junhyuk took a moment to think and said, ¡°Your attacks all carry lightning attribute, so you should get that one. It would be nice to increase your heal, but it would be better to deal more damage right now.¡±

    Thinking about the future, Sarang didn¡¯t need a boost to her lightning attribute. However, for now, she should increase her attack. Later, she could try to find a unique weapon for herself.

    She could get much stronger if she obtained more lightning-attribute items.

    ¡°OK. I was thinking the same thing.¡±

    Sarang changed weapons. Her new orb gave off sparks that ran all around it. It would definitely increase her damage.

    Astonished by Bebe, Elise walked up to him.

    ¡°I have something to sell.¡±

    Bebe stared at Elise and extended his hand.

    ¡°Show it to me.¡±

    Elise started pulling out a bunch of items, including fifteen invisibility cloaks. Looking at those, Junhyuk thought it was a good idea for her to sell them. She needed items of her own.

    Looking at her, Bebe said, ¡°Thebined price is 450,000G.¡±

    Elise turned to Junhyuk and asked, ¡°I tried giving them to Zaira, but it didn¡¯t work. Should I sell them?¡±

    ¡°Do it.¡±

    For Elise to survive, she needed more items. Junhyuk thought Elise was impressive. The first time he visited Bebe, he had had a very hard time spending 100G.

    Elise asked Bebe, ¡°Can I see what you have?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Bebe opened the item book, but when Elise tried to read through it, she frowned.

    ¡°I can¡¯t understand anything!¡±

    Bebe smiled and replied, ¡°So, you need this. It¡¯s anguage pill. It¡¯s only 100G, not expensive at all.¡±

    Elise bought the pill and swallowed it. Then, she inspected the items again. She filtered the options to jewelry and chose two rings that cost 200,000G each. Junhyukughed out loud.

    ¡°You need a weapon.¡±

    Elise shook her head.

    ¡°No. I need these more.¡±

    ¡°What are they?¡±

    ¡°One boosts health and defense. The other carries a special effect.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the effect?¡±

    ¡°It boosts your magitek crafting sess rate by 10 percent. I¡¯ll need it.¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think and looked at Bebe, asking, ¡°You have items that increase crafting sess rates?¡±

    ¡°I do. However, they are expensive. That ring is rather cheap.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Elise, and she said calmly, ¡°The health and defense boosts are also important for my survival.¡±

    ¡°You need armor.¡±

    After some thought, Elise said, ¡°No. I can make my own armor.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t a bad idea. She could make better armor than Bebe¡¯s basic armor sets.

    ¡°What about your weapon?¡±

    ¡°I need to think about it more.¡±

    Junhyuk thought that Elise would end up making her own weapon.

    Gongon and Abel walked in together. They headed toward Bebe, and Abel said while pulling out an item, ¡°Bebe, give me an enhancement stone.¡±

 Chapter 404 - Sweeping Victory 1

    <h4>Chapter 404: Sweeping Victory 1</h4>

    Abel wanted to upgrade his weapon, which made Junhyuk frown at him. Upgrades were a type of gamble. The sess rate started at 50 percent, but Abel had upgraded his weapon quite a bit, so Junhyuk didn¡¯t know if his sess rate was lower.

    The hero was shuffling his cards diligently. He probably thought he got his luck from them.

    Junhyuk walked over to him and asked, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better not to go through with it?¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Abel pulled a card from the deck and smiled, saying, ¡°OK! Today, I¡¯m really lucky!¡±

    Abel immediately started the upgrade process. Junhyuk wanted to stop him, but Abel had already gone through with it. Nervous, Junhyuk stared at Abel. A moment passed, and Abel screamed.

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t make any sense! I¡¯m supposed to be lucky today, but the upgrade failed!¡±

    Junhyuk sighed and asked, ¡°How many upgrades did you lose?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s back at +13! Holy shit!¡±

    Abel¡¯s weapon had dropped three levels. After Junhyuk learned how much of a gambler Abel was, he decided to give up on keeping the hero on his team.

    Abel bought some alcohol from Bebe and drank it, sighing heavily as he did. He would be drunk in their future fight.

    Gongon was picking up a few items, and Junhyuk was curious about when Gongon had had the chance to make more money. He thought Gongon was very impressive. After Gongon finished his business and walked back, Junhyuk said calmly, ¡°Now, it¡¯s time to win.¡±

    Everyone nodded in agreement. Looking at them, he said, ¡°Right now, we have about 224 minions if we include Gongon¡¯s. We can attack the castle with that, and as far as team battles go, we¡¯ll have the advantage.¡±

    Everyone nodded, and Junhyuk looked at Abel, who was still drinking.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move out.¡±

    The allies headed off through the middle path. Even if the enemy had already passed by them, the allies would still have the advantage. They would reach the the enemy castle first, and the enemies would have to return. If the enemies didn¡¯t, they would lose.

    They picked up the pace. The group walked with the minions. Meanwhile, Elise was busy chatting with Gongon. They talked while Sarang carried Gongon.

    Junhyuk had taken thenguage pill, like everyone else, but he could not understand the conversation between the two. Shaking his head, he focused on the path ahead.

    They reached the enemy castle, but they didn¡¯t see any enemy heroes. There were a hundred enemy minions in front of the castle, but no heroes. Junhyuk looked around and shook his head.

    ¡°Where did they all go?¡±

    They couldn¡¯t see anyone but minions, so Junhyuk was suspicious of the situation. He looked back, and Gongon said, ¡°Let¡¯s destroy the castle before theye back.¡±

    Junhyuk shrugged and replied, ¡°Sure... attack!¡±

    Gongon shouted, ¡°Attack! We have the advantage!¡±

    The allied minions ran forward. They had their shields in front of them, so their defense looked great. Those who had gotten used to battling moved ahead. Without enemy heroes, it would be easy to kill the enemy minions.

    Junhyuk ran forward and noticed that the enemy minions had opened a path. It was a strange-looking path. Then, he realized what it was. However, the minions shed against each other, and an enemy hero rushed forward from between them.

    When Junhyuk saw which hero it was, it was already toote. The mantis appeared and shed La. She had joined the fray with the allied minions and was attacking enemy minions. The strike was a critical hit.

    La¡¯s neck started bleeding, and six projectiles flew at her. She tried to block, but she was hit before she could get in position.

    The mantis moved behind La, and the rest of the enemies focused their attacks on her.

    At that moment, Junhyuk raised the force field around her. All of the allies entered the force field, and their enemies bounced off of the field.

    La had lost 40 percent of her health.

    The mantis¡¯ first attack had been a critical, and she had been attacked two more times. From within the force field, Junhyuk looked at the enemies. They had to have killed the Ghost White Tiger and received invisibility buffs.

    The allies hadn¡¯t been able to see them. While La had been fighting the minions, the mantis rushed, and the long range heroes attacked her from afar.

    With the invisibility buff, they had tried to get rid of one hero before a full team battle. Junhyukughed at that. The enemy n hadn¡¯t been bad. Without his force field, they would¡¯ve pulled it off.

    On top of that, the enemies had archers on the wall, so they were ready for battle.

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue. It seemed like his enemies didn¡¯t know much about his abilities. His allies had been in danger, so he had simply raised the force field. However, even if he hadn¡¯t been there, the allies could¡¯ve won.

    Sarang was healing La at the moment, and he looked out at the battlefield. The mantis remained by the force field, and the spider and a hog-headed hero were moving forward to join him.

    The porcupine and the scorpion had remained behind.

    Junhyuk used his Spatial sh to attack the porcupine. He had already seen the porcupine¡¯s ability, and he didn¡¯t need to see more.

    The porcupine disappeared, and the scorpion was hurt as well. Bolts of lightning crashed on the mantis.

    The mantis didn¡¯t die right away, but Gongon erged and breathed fire, killing the hero.

    La focused on the enemy with the pig¡¯s head.

    The enemies at the front could be taken care of by the other allies, so Junhyuk teleported. The scorpion was running toward him, and as he appeared, Junhyuk stabbed the scorpion¡¯s head with his sword.

    It was a critical hit, and the scorpion faded away. Junhyuk turned back. After the Thunderstorm and the firebreath, the enemies that were left looked haggard. Gongon, La and Abel attacked the spider, who died quickly after.

    Junhyuk teleported back to the force field. While killing the scorpion, he had been attacked by archers, so he had wanted to find safety.

    He appeared where the hog-headed enemy was being attacked and stabbed the hero through the back. The pig was a tank, so Junhyuk could only deal 12 percent of damage to him with a regr attack. On top of that, the pig had just barely dodged a critical hit. The hero seemed more capable than the others.

    However, only he remained. On top of that, he had already been hit by a Thunderstorm and a firebreath, so the pig only had 45 percent of his health left.

    The pig-headed hero swung his hammer, but Junhyuk blocked it. However, he was pushed away. When he crashed on the ground, the enemy minions swarmed him like bees.

    Junhyuk swung wide, killing many of them.

    La attacked the pig with her katana. She used her eight-strikebo, and Sarang shot an electric st at him.

    The electric st paralyzed the pig, and Gongon kicked the hero¡¯s head. It was a critical hit, and the pig-headed hero died.

    All five heroes were dead. Junhyuk had gotten out of the archers¡¯ range, and before the force field disappeared, the others did the same.

    They had had to do that because with the enemy heroes on the field, the archers had been buffed. So, they would wait out the buff and attack again.

    The allies had more minions, and once they joined their minions, the enemy minions were massacred. After that, the allies destroyed the gate. They picked up the items their enemies had dropped and crossed the threshold.

    Looking back, Junhyuk said, ¡°This isn¡¯t bad.¡±

    The five of them had been buffed with the invisibility buff, and they had set up a strategic defense. The oue hadn¡¯t been bad.

    Junhyuk looked at the group. They had killed their enemies after their enemies had had a chance to prepare. Now, with the invisibility buff themselves, Junhyuk looked at the golems and noticed that they seemed different while he was invisible.

    Both giant golems had huge eyes in the middle of their foreheads. They could see the allies despite them being invisible.

    The enemy heroes hadn¡¯t revived yet, but there were minions standing in front of the golem. On top of that, the heroes would revive soon.

    Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Attack!¡±

    The minions raised their shields and ran forward. They were experienced now and filled with confidence. To destroy a golem, however, at least one hero would have to join them.

    The giant golems were the enemies¡¯ most powerful card. Once the allies killed one of the golems, the flow of the battle would turnpletely in their favor.

    Junhyuk ran forward. As he did, their enemies started appearing from within the castle¡¯s force field. Junhyuk ignored that and stepped on the minions shoulders, bypassing them and running toward the golem.

    The golem swung its palm at him, but Junhyuk simply slid forward on his knees with his back close to the ground. The golem¡¯s palm passed right by where he had been standing.

    As the violent attack passed him by, Junhyuk shed the minions ahead and closed in on the golem. He shed the golem¡¯s leg, which splintered from the impact.

    The porcupine hero showed up first. Junhyuk tried to hit him with another Spatial sh, but the hero rolled himself into a ball.

    The porcupine had never had a chance to use his powers properly, so he was doing it now.

    Still in a ball, all of the spikes on the porcupine pointed out. The spikes shot out at Junhyuk, who quickly wondered if he should raise the force field. However, that thought didn¡¯tst long. Once the other enemies revived, he would need his force field. Instead, he teleported away, escaping the spikes.

    Junhyuk appeared on the golem¡¯s head. He struck down hard against it with his sword, and the golem¡¯s head cracked.

    Boom!

    At that moment, the other enemy heroes appeared.

    ¡°They have the makings of heroes.¡±

 Chapter 405 - Sweeping Victory 2

    <h4>Chapter 405: Sweeping Victory 2</h4>

    The enemies relied on the giant golem and joined the fight. However, they made one mistake.

    Ordinarly, they would¡¯ve dispersed as they exited the force field, but now, they were bunched up. Junhyuk watched them like that and used his Spatial sh.

    The strike shed the porcupine deeply. Because everyone was together, the enemies all got hit by the shockwave. The porcupine died, and the others received massive damage.

    Suddenly, bolts of lightning fell on them.

    Craaack!

    The Thunderstorm made the mantis hero take hisst breath. The others received area-of-effect damage, but Sarang used yet another Thunderstorm. She had triggered her item¡¯s ability. The scorpion died as well.

    The allies¡¯ attacks against crowded enemies were deadly. Some died from direct hits, but others were still alive. However, they had lost a lot of health. Gongon grew and ran forward for a headbutt rush.

    Those enemies with little health remaining tried to reenter the castle¡¯s force field. Gongon mmed against the pig-headed hero¡¯s back.

    Boom!

    After the hit, the pig faded away. The spider quickly webbed Gongon, who ended up tied up. However, La threw her katana at the hero¡¯s neck, piercing it.

    Abel did not participate in the attack, but all five enemy heroes died. If the enemies had dispersed, it wouldn¡¯t have been that easy.

    Junhyuk had been so focused on killing the heroes that he let an attack from the giant golem through. After mming against the ground, he smirked and said, ¡°Now, I¡¯ll deal with you.¡±

    He raised the force field, and the allies gathered inside. The allied minions outnumbered enemy minions, so the heroes focused on the giant golem.

    The golems had a new power, but that was still no match for them. Three allied heroes focused on the golem, and the golem quickly fell. It cracked when it crashed against the ground, leaving many pieces behind.

    Junhyuk picked up the item dropped by the enemy he had killed. Sarang picked up two; Gongon picked up one; and La picked up thest.

    Junhyuk smacked his lips. If his extra damage had triggered, he would¡¯ve gotten more items. However, he didn¡¯t dwell on it, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s take care of the minions.¡±

    With the enemy minions gone, they would have an easier time destroying the castle¡¯s force field. Once the heroes stepped in, the number of enemy minions decreased rapidly. There had been a hundred, but soon, they were all gone.

    The allied minions had killed a fair amount of them as well. Once they were all dead, Junhyuk shouted at the minions, ¡°Destroy the force field, and we¡¯ll return home!¡±

    After he shouted, the allied minions started pounding against the force field. All of them focused on it, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t have to do anything.

    He looked at the other allies and said, ¡°The team selection round is over...¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Looking at all of them, Junhyuk knew that he did not want Abel. So, without Abel, only the four of them would form a team. Abel was drinking out of his bottle of alcohol.

    Four of them would choose each other, and thest one would have to depend on luck. Thest member coulde from Junhyuk¡¯s former teams, or Gongon¡¯s, or La¡¯s.

    As he looked them over, he saw Elise and Gongon talking seriously with each other. Shaking his head, he said, ¡°With the next round, we¡¯ll always be on the same team!¡±

    A new season had begun, and the team selection rounds were over. Was he lucky? He had just be a hero and gone through team selection. However, Sarang had only gone through one round of team selection herself. She was even more lucky that she¡¯d gotten three heroes on her team that she liked on the first try.

    The castle¡¯s force field was destroyed, and Junhyuk looked at everyone and said, ¡°Then, see you next round.¡±

    The battlefield disappeared, and with a bright glow, Junhyuk was transported back to the spawn room.

    Ariel was there waiting for him, smiling brightly.

    [Congrattions on your victory! The 200,000G reward has been added to your ount!]

    Still smiling, she asked, [Are you ready to make your selections?]

    ¡°Gongon and Sarang Kim.¡±

    [Just the two of them?]

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I don¡¯t want Abel.¡±

    Ariel nodded and replied, [Gongon and Sarang have also selected you. A total of four peopleprise your team right now.]

    Curious about something, Junhyuk asked, ¡°We¡¯re four, but what about thest member?¡±

    [One of those who have selected you or your former team members will be randomly assigned to your team.]

    After some thought, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Can I have someone entirely new?¡±

    [You want someone you¡¯ve never met before?]

    ¡°Correct. If someone hasn¡¯t been selected yet, then there¡¯s somethingcking with them.¡±

    [Hm. Even if you end up with someonepletely new, since team selections are over, that¡¯ll also mean that person was never selected.]

    Junhyuk understood what Ariel was saying, so he replied, ¡°A newly-activated hero.¡±

    [Not every team has finished their round of team selections. Some will only join teams after everyone is done, so I can¡¯t give you a definitive answer. However, your opinion has been duly noted.]

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Smiling, Ariel asked, [Are you cing any bets on the Champions¡¯ Battlefield?]

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know any championspeting, so I don¡¯t want to gamble.¡± He added curtly, ¡°I want to return now.¡±

    [There one more thing that requires your attention. Do you want to take Elise with you to the next round?]

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    For Elise to survive, she had to be on his team. If she were ever in danger, he would keep her inside the castle.

    [Your decision to keep Elise has been approved. You may return now. See you on the next battlefield.]

    With overwhelming brightness, he returned to Earth. After that, Junhyuk used hismunication orb and contacted the others, setting up a conference call. He could see Sarang and Gongon, but could only hear La¡¯s voice.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t include Abel on the team. Did anyone?¡±

    ¡°No. I want him as an enemy,¡± Gongon dered, and Sarangughed.

    ¡°He was too spooky.¡±

    La also chimed in, ¡°He can¡¯t be on our team. I didn¡¯t choose him.¡±

    Junhyuk calmly exined, ¡°I told Ariel that I didn¡¯t want anyone that I already met and asked her to get us a new hero. However, that¡¯ll bepletely unpredictable.¡±

    Gongon said, ¡°Sure. A hero that hasn¡¯t been picked through team selections can be a problem.¡±

    ¡°I wanted a newly-activated hero, but we¡¯ll have to wait and see.¡±

    ¡°Good thinking.¡±

    Most heroes he had met so far had been disappointing. Gongon felt the same way. Now, everything depended on luck.

    If a hero died too many times, that hero wouldn¡¯t be able to advance, perpetually staying at a lower tier.

    ¡°Then, see you next round.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Junhyuk disconnected with the others and got up. The next day, he would attack India¡¯s monster area, so he was worried about how many of his team members would survive that.

    Destroying the monster area was a problem, but Junhyuk was also worried about finally having five human heroes for the battlefield. They hadn¡¯t reached that mark yet, which meant that the waves would continue.

    Junhyuk could destroy the monster areas in time, but stopping the random monster waves was a problem.

    Thinking about that, he called Elise, but she didn¡¯t pick up. For heroes, time on Earth stopped while they were on the battlefield. However, champions, experts, novices and minions wouldn¡¯t wake for an hour.

    Elise would fall under that condition as well. After an hour, Junhyuk tried to call her again, but suddenly, he got a connection from hismunication orb.

    ¡°Junhyuk?¡±

    ¡°Elise? Did you buy amunication orb?¡±

    She giggled.

    ¡°I got one while Abel was drinking. This could change how we seemunication on Earth.¡±

    ¡°Sure, and business will be good for us as well. Now that your magitek sess rate has gone up, you can make even more equipment.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be working on new items with the ingredients I got, but I¡¯ll make more invisibility cloaks to sell to get more gold. I¡¯ll also research other items. By the way, will I be summoned again in two weeks?¡±

    ¡°Correct. In two weeks.¡±

    ¡°Will I be with you again?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll be together from now on.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡±

    Elise was relieved to hear that she¡¯d be with him, and he said, ¡°Gongon is very skilled at magic. Try to talk to him as often as possible.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to learn the basics of magic. To progress with magitek, that¡¯s essential.¡±

    Elise was at the forefront of scientific research in the world. Now, she was learning about magic.

    ¡°If you can learn it, that¡¯s great.¡±

    For a mage minion, learning magic was a good thing. However, Elise had started out as an expert, and she would not have been a mage minion. Still, she would do well.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call youter.¡±

    Elise disconnected, and Junhyuk smiled. He had gotten the two people he wanted from thatst battlefield. Thest one would depend on luck, but the four of them were still strong without someone else. Thatst team battle was proof of that.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be a legend!¡±

    He knew how difficult it was to be a legend, but with the right team and the right items, he would do it.

 Chapter 406 - The Cost of Carelessness 1

    <h4>Chapter 406: The Cost of Carelessness 1</h4>

    Saturday.

    Junhyuk checked on everyone: the champion, the experts and the novices. Two of the novices did no wake up on Friday.

    He would divide the reward for the destruction of the New Delhi tear to include those inas. At that moment, Lucy was in front of the group, briefing them. It wasn¡¯t their first time destroying a tear, so it didn¡¯t feel like it would be difficult.

    Destroying the tear was difficult for the people entering it, but outside, the monsters were rather simple. Junhyuk would be the one to handle the A-ranked monsters, and the group could handle the other monsters if they were given time.

    Once Lucy finished her briefing, Junhyuk patted her shoulder. He was just about to speak when Brigadier Johnson walked up to him and whispered in his ear, ¡°Starting today, ten iron soldiers will join our battalion.¡±

    ¡°Iron soldiers?¡±

    ¡°Yes. They are older models, but they are better equipped to deal with monster waves.¡±

    There was a big difference between having iron soldiers with them and not.

    ¡°Tell Lucy about them.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir¡±

    Brigadier Johnson went over to talk to Lucy. Meanwhile, Junhyuk went up to the podium and said, ¡°Guardians has sent ten iron soldiers to help us with the monster waves. We¡¯ll advance our timeline in destroying the tear.¡±

    He continued calmly, ¡°More powered people are showing up around the world, so we¡¯ll also build a reserve team. We¡¯ll train them so that we can rotate teams.¡±

    More novices and experts were volunteering, and Junhyuk wanted to build another battalion rather than having them join the existing one.

    If Jeffrey and Ling Ling worked even harder, they would be able to get rid of monster areas twice as fast. With each passing day, the world¡¯s economy suffered, and people said that getting rid of monster areas was too difficult.

    For those reason, Junhyuk was thinking about speeding things up.

    Iron soldiers were better than novices. On top of that, their weaponry was coated with dposition liquid. With them in y, everyone felt more at ease with the battle ahead.

    The novices nodded. A few wanted toin because another battalion meant less money individually in the long run, but they did not say anything.

    Junhyuk looked at them and said, ¡°Then, let¡¯s go destroy that monster area.¡±

    They all got in their assigned vehicles and headed for the center of New Delhi. The city¡¯s center was filled with elephant and ox monsters. The army had lured them to one side of the border, but because the monsters were enormous, the buildings in the area had been destroyed by them.

    Junhyuk pulled out his swords and said, ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±

    He shed the elephants and oxen and advanced into the area. The entire group went inside, but they didn¡¯te across any other monsters. Junhyuk was a little shocked that he couldn¡¯t find anything. At the center of the monster area, he came up against the A-ranked monster. It was a massive, bipedal elephant with six arms. The other monsters were surrounding it.

    There weren¡¯t many monsters, but they were all so big that they filled the space entirely. Junhyuk smacked his lips at the sight. He knew he would have to work harder.

    He turned to the group. They seemed a bit tense. Behind them, were the ten iron soldiers. The older model carried powerful weapons, and the monsters wouldn¡¯t be able to ignore that firepower.

    He said calmly, ¡°Iron soldiers, attack!¡±

    Junhyuk could kill the monsters by himself, but he wanted to use the iron soldiers. The iron soldiers started shooting. A barrage of tiny missiles coated in dposition liquid flew toward the monster formation, piercing the monsters and exploding inside them.

    Junhyuk watched as the number of monsters decreased rapidly, measuring the distance between himself and them. The B- and C-ranked monsters were disappearing, and Junhyuk decided that he would run up and kill the A-ranked monster.

    His equipment buffed his magic defense, so he could ignore the mes caused by the missiles. As Junhyuk ran forward, he saw somethinging out of the dimensional tear.

    ¡°Ling Ling! Jeffrey!¡± he shouted.

    They both looked at the dimensional tear. The group was bunched up, and suddenly, monsters started pouring out of the tear. There was no end to the waveing out.

    Leading that wave, were A-ranked monsters.

    Junhyuk had previouslye across four or five A-ranked monsters inside tears. Now, there were four A-ranked monsters exiting the tear.

    Junhyuk had thought the monsters were supposed to stay in the tear, but they were alling out. He scowled and ran ahead. Meanwhile, more monsters poured out.

    There were flying snakes in the sky. Junhyuk had fought them before. However, among them, was yet another monster flying. It was a flying A-ranked monster. It looked like a snake, but it had bat wings.

    ¡°There are five!?¡±

    That wasn¡¯t necessarily correct. Including the original elephant, there were six. He thought that there probably weren¡¯t any more monsters left inside the tear, but the B- and C-ranked monsters¡¯ numbers were in the hundreds.

    ¡°RETREAT! Leave the monster area!¡± he shouted quickly.

    Junhyuk also had a limit, and there were too many A-ranked monsters. He had to retreat immediately and take a select team of people to kill all of them. His force field could only cover about five people at once.

    Lucy, the novice teammander, shouted, ¡°Form up and retreat! Defensive line! Iron soldiers, attack the flying monsters!¡±

    As she gave out the orders, the iron soldiers flew up. However, they had already used the bulk of their weaponry to deal with the monsters on the ground.

    From his perspective, Junhyuk had gotten help from the iron soldiers so that he would be able to fight inside the tear more at ease. However, thanks to him, the situation had turned out really bad.

    Junhyuk scoped out the A-ranked monsters. There was a Ghost White Tiger, a Smander, a Wolf Warlord, and a Giant Gori on top of the others mentioned. If they all attacked at the same time, the allies wouldn¡¯t be able to retreat. There were too many of them, and they were about to move.

    Junhyuk ran forward and looked up to see the flying snakes and the A-ranked flying monster. He couldn¡¯t reach them. He wanted to kill them first, but under the open sky, they were too high up.

    As he ran forward, he shouted, ¡°Ling Ling, make a path! Jeffrey, cover the rear!¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    Junhyuk had asked Ling Ling and Jeffrey for help, but he wasn¡¯t sure if they would be able to stop the Winged Serpent. It would be possible for them if Jeffrey summoned the Ghost White Tiger while Ling Ling covered him. There were fifty B-ranked flying snakes.

    Usually, fifty was the total number of B-ranked monsters within a monster area. The flying snakes filled the sky, aiming for the powered people. Could they fight against that?

    Junhyuk would do his best. His work had been getting easy, so in his overconfidence, he had acted carelessly this time. However, even if he had know about what would happen, nothing would have changed. He had been delivered a decisive blow that had spurred a mindset change.

    Junhyuk ran ahead, and the flying snakes swooped at the group. There were a lot of monsters attacking the allies at once, and it would be nearly impossible to kill them all.

    The A-ranked monsters started to move toward him. Their goal was to keep him busy.

    ¡°OK! Let¡¯s see who wins!¡±

    Junhyuk elerated, quickly closing the distance between them, but the Wolf Warlord triggered its transformation, bing just as fast as he was.

    However, there were other A-ranked monsters around¡ªnot just the wolf¡ªand Junhyuk had to kill them as fast as possible.

    He measured the distance between the A-ranked monsters and him and teleported. As soon as he got close, he used his Spatial Copse on the Smander. The monster was crushed, and the Giant Gori and Ghost White Tiger nearby were sucked in.

    Junhyuk used his Spatial sh on the gori¡¯s neck. Due to the Spatial Copse, the gori was off bnce when the Spatial sh hit. With that, Junhyuk killed two A-ranked monsters. However, three remained in front of him.

    The Wolf Warlord rushed him then.

    ng!

    He blocked its attack, but the Wolf Warlord continued tobo him. However, because Junhyuk had been sparring against Sarang¡¯s electric arrows, which weren¡¯t restricted on Earth, his swordsmanship had improved.

    The Wolf Warlord¡¯s w was blocked, but when he was about to counter, he felt something. Without his spatial sense, he wouldn¡¯t have noticed it.

    Junhyuk dodged the energy beam, which tore through where he had been standing and smashed against the ground.

    When Junhyuk turned to look, he saw the A-ranked elephant-headed monster smirking at him. One of its hands was moving.

    The Wolf Warlord attacked him again, and the Ghost White Tiger joined the fight.

    Junhyuk was fighting with every bit of his senses. When he sensed the elephant¡¯s energy beam again, he dodged it. At that moment, he was sure. The elephant was a long range attacker.

    The monsters were already inside the allied formation, and Junhyuk gritted his teeth.

    ¡°Fine! Let¡¯s fight for real!¡±

    Junhyuk raised the force field around himself and ran at the Wolf Warlord. The monster tried to kick him, but since the force field was covering him, he shed the Wolf Warlord¡¯s leg.

    The Frozen Rune Sword debuffed the Wolf Warlord¡¯s speed, and he cut the Wolf Warlord¡¯s neck, killing it.

    Another energy beam came from the distance, and Junhyuk dodged it again. Then, the Ghost White Tiger started running. It was heading in the direction of the other powered people.

    Gritting his teeth, Junhyuk teleported. The Ghost White Tiger tried to swat him with its tail, but Junhyuk blocked it with one of his swords, stabbing the monster¡¯s neck. The swords pierced the Ghost White Tiger¡¯s spine, killing it instantly.

    Junhyuk turned around and saw that the elephant was moving all of its hands.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

 Chapter 407 - The Cost of Carelessness 2

    <h4>Chapter 407: The Cost of Carelessness 2</h4>

    Six beams of energy flew toward him, and Junhyuk put all his trust in his force field as he ran forward.

    The force field was a type of armor for him. The only difference was that the force field made him invincible for a time. However, it could still be pushed away with him in it.

    He had to dodge the six beams. There was no way he could do that one by one, so he had to evade all of them and move on.

    Junhyuk closed in quickly, and somehow, the six beams crazed him from all sides, but he managed to pass them by through the middle of their paths.

    When he felt the pressure pushing him back, he put more strength in his footing and kicked forward. Feeling that he was closing in, the elephant-headed monster extended its hands forward.

    This time, the beams shot out in sequence. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to evade them all with how close he was to the monster. So, Junhyuk swung his swords at the beams, parrying those he couldn¡¯t evade and closing the distance between himself and the monster even more.

    He was really close now, but it had taken him too long to get there. His force field vanished, but Junhyuk triggered his eleration and moved. The elephant swung its trunk at him.

    Junhyuk tensed when he saw the whip-like trunk flying toward him. It was fast.

    He tried to sh the trunk with his sword...

    ng!

    ... but the sword did no damage. Just like the dragon¡¯s scales, the trunk wasn¡¯t even scratched.

    Junhyuk gritted his teeth and swung at it again. He had his eleration triggered, but the trunk was just as fast as him.

    ¡°This one is harder than the others that came before it.¡±

    Not all A-ranked monsters were the same, or so it seemed. As time progressed, the A-ranked monsters became more difficult to deal with. Junhyuk also noticed that they were based on Earth¡¯s history and culture, which meant that management had to have created them specifically for this.

    The new monsters¡¯ level was entirely different from the Battlefield monsters. Previously, only the transformed Wolf Warlord could match his eleration. Now, he was fighting a monster that could match his speed with its ¡°weapon.¡±

    It seemed those new monsters had been created with him in mind. Perhaps, the Dimensional Battlefield management didn¡¯t just take monsters from other dimensions. Perhaps, they always made new ones based on those dimensions.

    Junhyuk gritted his teeth. Management didn¡¯t make things easy for him, and the managers had to have ounted for him in their ns.

    In that sense, he had to be ready as well. From now on, he would attack dimensional tears at full power.

    Suddenly, the path of his sword changed, and so did the mana attached to the de.

    ¡°ng!¡±

    The elephant¡¯s trunk bounced back with the impact. Junhyuk had made up his mind. He had be someone different.

    The doubts and paranoia growing in his mind were gone. He had settled himself, and his decision to always go at full strength changed his swordsmanship.

    His sword became different.

    Junhyuk started gaining the upper hand on the elephant monster. He knew it, and the A-ranked monster knew it too. For that reason, the monster changed its focus. Six sharp beams of energy flew toward Junhyuk, aimed at him.

    The monster knew its trunk wouldn¡¯t be enough by itself. However, Junhyuk parried the monster¡¯s attacks and continued with his own attack.

    His movements were extremely fluid, which surprised both himself and the monster. Junhyuk swung at it. His eleration wasn¡¯t simply fast now. It also had finesse.

    ¡°Wrraaah!!¡± the elephant screamed before its voice disappeared.

    Junhyuk did not stop there, twisting the sword further. The elephant¡¯s head split in two, and Junhyuk turned around to look back at the group. The allies were retreating, but it would be a long way back.

    Junhyuk ran toward them and took stock of the situation. It looked like all of the monsters inside the tear hade out. He wanted to enter it and destroy it, but he didn¡¯t know how long that would take, so he couldn¡¯t do it now.

    Saving his allies was his first priority.

    Junhyuk saw the Winged Serpent above him. It dropped to the ground in an attack. Jeffrey¡¯s Ghost White Tiger was fighting it.

    The Ghost White Tiger could jump high, but it couldn¡¯t quite reach the Winged Serpent. After attacking, it would fly back up, buying itself more time.

    Junhyuk ran toward it. The Ghost White Tiger disappeared, and the Winged Serpent swooped down with an army of flying snakes.

    Fifty B-ranked monsters was like a natural disaster for novices. Ten novices had already died, and the experts also didn¡¯t look well.

    Junhyuk ran toward them, opening a path through the sea of monsters. He easily swung at B- and C-ranked monsters, and they fell dead.

    However, there were too many monsters. Although many of them died with each swing of his sword, he had to step over their corpses to get through them. Meanwhile, another novice was killed.

    Ling Ling was fighting desperately. She had her hands full fighting the Winged Serpent now that the Ghost White Tiger was gone and, if anything at all went wrong, she could easily die.

    The only reason she was still alive was because the Winged Serpent had been preupied with the Ghost White Tiger for a while. The new A-ranked monsters were really strong.

    Junhyuk gritted his teeth and ran faster.

    The Winged Serpent dodged Ling Ling¡¯s wing de attack and flew even higher. It circled above her, opening its mouth and spewing acid like a fountain.

    ¡°Move!¡± he shouted.

    The acid quickly dispersed in the air, and even his force field wouldn¡¯t be able to cover that area. What should he do?

    Then, Jeffrey raised his hand up high, and Junhyuk sensed energying from it. The energy wrapped around the Winged Serpent¡¯s neck, restraining it. Considering the size of the Winged Serpent¡¯s body, Jeffrey would have a hard time controlling it.

    This was another one of Jeffrey¡¯s powers, which he must have just activated. The Winged Serpent froze in mid air, and Jeffrey shouted as he moved it like a kite, ¡°Get under the Winged Serpent!¡±

    People hid under the monster, and the acid fell on the battlefield like rain. It started melting everything it hit, creating a poisonous gas as it did. The powered people held their breaths.

    Ling Ling attacked the Winged Serpent with the Wolf Warlord¡¯s w sword, but when the energy from Jeffrey¡¯s hand disappeared, the Winged Serpent went berserk. It dodged Ling Ling¡¯s attack while making to m its body on the people underneath it. Those there might end up crushed.

    Junhyuk finally got to the Winged Serpent. As soon as he did, he touched the monster and teleported away, to the top of a nearby building. When they appeared, his sword pierced the Winged Serpent¡¯s brain. He twisted it to make sure the monster was dead.

    The Winged Serpent could fly and spew acid that created a poisonous gas.

    Junhyuk looked around. All A-ranked monsters were gone. The B- and C-ranked monsters were now leaderless and hesitating.

    ¡°Get out of the monster area!¡± he shouted, and the powered people started running.

    When he got to the ground, he looked at the monsters on the roads and buildings. He had not expected so many. Junhyuk held his sword tightly, which was exuding a different energy, a murderous intent, and the monsters hesitated to approach him and the rest of the group.

    He stepped back slowly, and the monsters stepped forward with him. They kept an even distance, fifty meters. No monsters darede within his range.

    Did the monsters know about the range of his Spatial sh? He would have to increase that as well. Junhyuk had a lot of work to do.

    Junhyuk slowly moved back, and the monsters followed him, but they did not attack. He sessfully defended the group¡¯s retreat.

    Once he was out of the monster area, the monsters ran up against the border howling and roaring. When hearing those sounds, the only thing Junhyuk could think of was killing them. So, he used his Spatial sh with the single-point explosion.

    Boom!

    The loud explosion killed arge quantity of monsters, but Junhyuk did not reenter the monster area. Instead, he turned to look at the group. They were exhausted. They had barely survived.

    As he stood in front of them, he asked, ¡°Lucy, casualties?¡±

    ¡°All ten iron soldiers and seventeen novices.¡± She brought her head closer to his and whispered, ¡°Yonghong, the Chinese expert, is dead.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed and turned to Ling Ling. She had just realized Yonghong was dead. She looked awkwardly at him, and Junhyuk said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Ling Ling shook her head and replied, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t apologize, DK.¡±

    Everything about this tear had gone differently from before. There was nothing they could have done about that.

    Junhyuk said calmly, ¡°Take care of the injured, and we will take a rest.¡±

    He looked at Jeffrey, who was now a champion, but Jeffrey didn¡¯t seem happy. Jeffrey didn¡¯t know about the specific casualties yet.

    Junhyuk sent the injured to the medical corp outside of the monster border. Almost everyone was wounded.

    The only powered person with healing power waspletely pale from the continued use of that power.

    Brigadier Johnson walked up to Junhyuk and took him inside a tent. It was over, so now, they had to take care of the aftermath.

    Junhyuk called Lucy and Ling Ling to join him. Inside the tent, monitors were set up that contained Eunseo and the other delegates on their screens.

    They looked seriously worried. The event had been broadcast to them live.

    Eunseo spoke first, ¡°No one is individually responsible for what happened.¡±

    Junhyuk thought about her statement. He had attacked the monster area because he had trusted himself to handle it. However, there was a limit to what he could do.

    ¡°This is my responsibility.¡±

    Junhyuk had realized one thing while dealing with thatst monster area: management had been prepared. So, he would also be prepared. He would use everything avable to him to crush their strategies.

    He said slowly, ¡°Now, we move at full force.¡±

 Chapter 408 - A New Weapon 1

    <h4>Chapter 408: A New Weapon 1</h4>

    Junhyuk expressed his decision, and people¡¯s expressions hardened as they listened. In any event, they had to destroy the dimensional tears. They had been thwarted that time, but they woulde up with a new n.

    Eunseo said calmly, ¡°We have fifty novices and two experts on standby.¡±

    Those numbers were enough to fill the void left by the casualties, but that still wouldn¡¯t be enough to push ahead.

    Junhyuk said evenly, ¡°I said full force. How many iron soldiers can you supply us? I don¡¯t mind if they are older models.¡±

    Iron soldiers carried weapons and were dense enough to withstand monster attacks. On top of that, they were extremely mobile.

    They were expensive, but they could rece people in the advance, so that was their strong point. It would be a good idea to use them more.

    Eunseo tapped something, and Elise showed up on the corner of the screen. She had dark circles under her eyes, which meant she had to be working hard on her research.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Elise asked as she saw all the screens staring back at her.

    Eunseo spoke instead of Junhyuk, ¡°We were countered while destroying the tear this time. Check it out.¡±

    Elise looked at one of her monitors and scowled.

    ¡°That¡¯s different.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why we have a request. How many old iron soldiers do we have avable?¡±

    Elise quickly typed a few things on herputer and replied, ¡°The deployment of the new model is done in some ces, so we can gather twenty-four of the old model.¡±

    Twenty-four iron soldiers equipped with heavy weaponry would be great help. And with the new novices and the two experts, they would be much stronger.

    However, the novices would still be vulnerable. Junhyuk sighed and said, ¡°OK. Then, send me those iron soldiers. Send me the novices and the experts as well.¡±

    It was his decision in the end whether he would use them or not, but first, they¡¯d have to all gather in one ce.

    After staring at him, Elise said, ¡°I have a weapon that is still in the experimental stage. Would you like to use it?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the weapon?¡± Junhyuk asked, interested.

    She replied, ¡°It¡¯s hard to exin, but its level of destruction is greater than a strategic nuke deployment. If you use it, New Delhi will disappear from the map.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to use such a dangerous weapon?!¡± the Indian delegate shouted suddenly. He was very angry. But, Junhyuk raised his hand, and the Indian delegate shut his mouth. He was still fuming however.

    Junhyuk continued, ¡°Why are you suggesting something so dangerous?¡±

    Elise replied, ¡°It is not a radioactive weapon, and we can control the st radius of the explosion. We can urately detonate it inside the monster area, and it will kill all of the monsters there. We may also destroy the dimensional tear in the process.¡±

    Junhyuk frowned a bit.

    ¡°To destroy dimensional tears, we have to destroy the tower core inside the tears. Unless we do that, the tears will persist. We should put some more thought into this.¡±

    ¡°The heat of the explosion will enter the tear and kill the monsters within it.¡±

    ¡°What about A-ranked monsters?¡±

    ¡°Until a while ago, all known A-ranked monsters wouldn¡¯t have been able to withstand the heat, so unless a monster specializes in fire, it¡¯ll die. The Chinese Dragon might survive because its scales are resistant to heat.¡±

    The scales¡¯ resistance meant that the dragon could survive the st.

    Junhyuk looked at the Indian delegate and the others.

    ¡°If this weapon works out, we can destroy dimensional tears faster than ever. The buildings inside the monster area will be destroyed, but without radioactive residue, countries can rebuild.¡±

    The delegates were a bit surprised by his assertion.

    ¡°The costs will be astronomical!¡±

    Junhyuk replied calmly, ¡°If the tears persist, it will be nearly impossible to destroy themter on. There is no guarantee that we can destroy them all.¡±

    When Junhyuk said that, the delegates quieted down. They weren¡¯t happy with the situation, but they weren¡¯t entirely opposed to the use of the weapon either. They were deciding on whether or not to drop a weapon more destructive than a nuke on the major cities and capitals of the world.

    Eunseo looked at the delegates and told Junhyuk, ¡°We¡¯ll have a longer discussion on the new weapon and let you know.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll destroy the tears as quickly as possible,¡± he dered, and everyone nodded.

    Junhyuk left for the monster area. Outside, he saw that the monsters were going wild inside the border. There were more monstersing out of the tear.

    ¡°The tear still had monsters in it?¡±

    The other tears would probably act simrly. From then on, Junhyuk took a positive stance on the use of the new weapon. His mind had been made.

    Junhyuk decided to stay at the camp to protect the border. Management could send more monsters if they wanted to. He would be there for them.

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk was waiting for support when someone approached him.

    ¡°Elise?¡±

    She was covering her baggy eyes with sunsses.

    ¡°I need your permission to use the new weapon. It¡¯s the best option to destroying tears, but itsposition is problematic. Can we talk?¡±

    Junhyuk took her to his resting area, one of the tents among many military tents, and offered her a seat.

    ¡°Are you OK? You look exhausted.¡±

    She said calmly, ¡°Next time I visit Bebe, I¡¯ll buy some intelligence runestones.¡±

    ¡°Intelligence runestones?¡±

    ¡°Just from watching Sarang, I know I¡¯ll need some for myself. So far, I had thought I was smart enough to do everything, but I¡¯ve reached my limit with using magic,¡± she said, taking sips from the tea he had made. Elise sighed and continued, ¡°The weapon was created with the same technology that uses mana stones to power iron soldiers. However, I¡¯m using the core for power.¡±

    ¡°You learned how to use the energy from the core?¡±

    They didn¡¯t know what kind of energy was contained within the core yet, but Elise had learned how to harness it.

    She said calmly, ¡°I managed to force the energy out of the core. Using it, I learned a few things. I don¡¯t know how the energy emanated by the core creates monster areas, but that energy will only create an explosion inside the area.¡±

    ¡°Just inside? Not outside?¡±

    Elise nodded and replied, ¡°I can¡¯t bepletely sure, but I¡¯ll ce bits of the core around the border to test.¡±

    ¡°Good thinking.¡±

    Junhyuk had a positive opinion on the use of the new weapon. The energy would remain inside the area and kill the monsters. Mana stones also yielded high energy, which caused great destruction, but by using the core as a catalyst, they could create explosions that would kill A-ranked monsters as well.

    He asked, ¡°Will the entire core be used?¡±

    It would be better to be able to manufacture more weapons at once. If the entire core was used up every time, he would have to go in to get another core every time as well. Nevertheless, destruction of dimensional tears would be easier with that strategy.

    Elise shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s only for the first use. We¡¯ll require the extra pieces to test out the border and explosion first, but after that, with one core, I¡¯ll be able to create ten of those bombs.¡±

    They would definitely be able to destroy tears more easily.

    ¡°What¡¯s its name?¡±

    ¡°I named it Core Bomb.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good name.¡± Junhyuk was seriously thinking about using the Core Bomb. ¡°I know what kind of weapon it is, so we have to wait to hear from the delegates.¡±

    Elise yawned hard.

    ¡°I have to watch to make sure they work properly, so I¡¯ll remain here.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t go in.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t want to. Instead, take this with you.¡±

    Elise gave him a watch, and he inspected it.

    ¡°It is a research and measuring device. I want to know more about the inside of the tears.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to take Elise inside, but he couldn¡¯t. Instead, he would take her device with him.

    ¡°You¡¯re clever.¡± He asked her then, ¡°What about your rings?¡±

    ¡°My crafting sess rate has gone up, way up.¡±

    ¡°Are you making other weapons?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m trying to use the dragon¡¯s scales, but I haven¡¯t created anything yet. If my research is sessful, I¡¯ll make something new.¡±

    By using A-ranked monsters to make weapons, Elise would get a lot of money. He expected good things from her.

    ¡°Continue making invisibility cloaks on top of everything else.¡±

    ¡°I wish there were two of me.¡±

    Research and development and magic training. Elise was incredibly busy now.

    ¡°If you need help, let me know.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    They were still talking when Brigadier Johnson came to talk to him. He told Junhyuk, ¡°Guardians has called a meeting.¡±

    Junhyuk told Elise to wait and followed Johnson. When he arrived, he saw the delegates and Eunseo on the screens. She looked at him.

    ¡°We¡¯ve discussed. We approve the use of the new weapon. New Delhi will be a trial, and we¡¯ll decide on how to proceed after.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and replied, ¡°The weapon¡¯s name is Core Bomb. We¡¯ll deploy it at 1400 hours today.¡±

 Chapter 409 - A New Weapon 2

    <h4>Chapter 409: A New Weapon 2</h4>

    The Core Bomb was a bomb that made use of the energy of a dimensional tear¡¯s core. The st limiters were made out of the pieces of the core so that they could control the amount of damage the bomb would make.

    Everything was attached to iron soldiers. Normally, ten iron soldiers would be socketed with Core Bombs, and a remote control had also been made from the pieces. Junhyuk headed out with the iron soldiers.

    Even if the Core Bomb erased New Delhi from the map, Junhyuk would still have to enter the tear to destroy the core tower. His task was to get a new core.

    The iron soldiers were in position, and Junhyuk was flying high above New Delhi. He was able to do that because he was standing on a massive drone. It was a gift from Elise.

    Junhyuk could control the drone with the watch around his wrist. It was brand new, and Elise had made it as a hobby.

    To use the drone, he had to wear mechanical boots. However, he could now fly, and his ability to move had increased sharply. The drone was something he needed.

    The drone was very fast. Testing it with regr humans was still underway, and the drone would be too expensive for a regr person. However, Junhyuk found it extremely helpful.

    Mana stones were being used to power the drone. Junhyuk, the iron soldier with the Core Bomb and twenty-three other iron soldiers flew over the monster area.

    Then, theynded just outside the border. When the iron soldier with the bombnded, a red beam fence connected all of the iron soldiers. The fence stretch into massive, tall walls that kept the iron soldiers inside.

    Elise thought the Core Bomb would only explode inside the monster area, but in case that wasn¡¯t right, she had created a way to contain the explosion if it happened outside.

    Just in case, the army relocated ten kilometers back.

    Junhyuk was done preparing, so he said, ¡°Let¡¯s begin. Prepare to go inside.¡±

    Only one iron soldier had a Core Bomb attached to it. The others readied their weapons and shot a barrage of small missiles at the ground as they flew in.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    The iron soldier had been equipped with special weaponry. The bombing created massive explosion that swept through everything. New Delhi was covered in fire. The real problem was the A-ranked monster.

    Junhyuk searched for the monster while flying on the drone. He saw the Giant Gori in the center of the city and flew down. As soon as he did, he used his Spatial Copse, and the gori was hit by it. He had set the Spatial Copse on the gori¡¯s head, so with that one hit, the head was gone.

    After that, Junhyuk flew back up.

    Junhyuk was leaving the monster area when the iron soldiersnded in the center of New Delhi, surrounded by mes.

    Once he was out, he heard Elise¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Starting countdown: Three, two, one, detonate!¡±

    Junhyuk stood behind an iron soldier stationed by the border. If the iron soldier got destroyed, he would rely on his magic defense.

    Suddenly, a blue light covered everything. If he had looked straight at it, he would¡¯ve gone blind. That overwhelming light left behind a mushroom cloud. As Junhyuk looked at the cloud, he realized that the explosion wouldn¡¯t get through the monster area. A strong heat covered the entire area before getting sucked into the dimensional tear.

    Looking at the mes, Junhyuk caught his breath. He had been told that it was simr to a nuke, but still, he couldn¡¯t have imagined it. All of the buildings inside the New Delhi monster area were gone, and the ground sunk by at least five meters.

    The blue mes that had filled the monster area eventually died out, and Junhyuk got on his drone and flew inside. As soon as he entered the area, he frowned.

    There was no oxygen inside the monster area. So, he quickly left the area, took a deep breath, held it and went right back inside.

    He ran with his eleration triggered, which was faster than flying with the drone. Junhyuk didn¡¯t stop, and when he saw the dimensional tear, he teleported to it.

    He had to use two teleportations, but once he was inside, he saw that things were different. The Core Bomb had burned everything inside the tear. As he continued to run, he realized that there was still oxygen there. If that hadn¡¯t been the case, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to continue.

    There were no monsters, so he ran as fast as he could.

    When he reached the tower, he swung his sword at it.

    ng!

    Junhyuk had already destroyed a few of those towers, and previously, he had been able to do it with one strike. However, he did not stop this time.

    ng!

    There was a force field around the tower, and Junhyuk frowned and turned back. Eltor was standing there.

    Eltor stared at him and clicked his tongue.

    ¡°You are a hero now, but you insist on this?¡±

    ¡°Insist on what?¡± Junhyuk smiled coldly and said, ¡°Considering your actions, this is justified.¡±

    ¡°Our actions created two experts and one champion.¡±

    The number of novice casualties had been so high that Junhyuk hadn¡¯t even learned about the two experts. He scowled at Eltor.

    ¡°So, you are saying this is natural?¡±

    ¡°Our n was a sess. The monster waves will continue, and champions will eventually be heroes.¡±

    ¡°All to activate more powers?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    Junhyuk aimed his sword at Eltor and said, ¡°This has to be destroyed.¡±

    Eltor stared at him and smirked, saying, ¡°You need to stop now. The monster areas were created as an experimental environment. If you continue, we¡¯ll have to get rid of the borders.¡±

    ¡°Is that a threat?¡±

    Junhyuk knew very well what would happen if the borders of the monster areas disappeared. Without them, the monsters would fill the Earth. He did not think it was an empty threat.

    ¡°Humanity will disappear just so you can have more heroes?!¡±

    ¡°Humanity won¡¯t disappear. ording to our calctions, out of every one million people who perish, a hero is born. You just need three more heroes.¡±

    To get those three heroes, management was willing to kill three million people. Staring at Eltor, Junhyuk used his Spatial sh. It pierced Eltor¡¯s neck, but the manager kept smiling.

    ¡°Is that what you want?¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh hadn¡¯t worked, and he frowned. Why hadn¡¯t his attack worked?

    Eltor smiled at him and said, ¡°Your powers are rare among heroes, but you can¡¯t fight us.¡± Extending both arms, he continued, ¡°You feel us in front of you, but our real selves are in another dimension. Unless you have a Dimensional sh, you won¡¯t reach us.¡±

    Eltor smiled and said, ¡°I understand your feelings, but I¡¯ll give you some advice.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at the manager, who simply kept smiling.

    ¡°You need to hurry. It will take ten days to remove the borders.¡±

    In ten days, the borders would be gone, and the world would descend into chaos. Junhyuk had destroyed four tears so far. He still had ny-six to go.

    ¡°You need to hurry.¡±

    Junhyuk turned around and pounded against the tower. Eltor was gone.

    ¡°Then, that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do.¡±

    When he destroyed the tower, he took the core with him. They could now create ten core bombs, but he didn¡¯t know how long that would take.

    He saw the pieces of the tower and put some of them inside his Spatial Bag before he started running. Jeffrey was not in range that day, so he had to get out on his own.

    Junhyuk could elerate without restrictions, so he ran out of the tunnel. Once out of the tear, he teleported before dropping to the ground. Then, he turned around and looked up. The dimensional tear was gone, and he sighed.

    ¡°Ten days...¡±

    Junhyuk knew he was the reason for it all. However, he didn¡¯t regret his decision. He had made up his mind, so he had to follow through.

    The drone flew toward him, and Junhyuk got on it and flew toward the allied camp. He was the only one who could to destroy the core tower. After the bomb, there would be no oxygen within the monster area, and the core tower, from now on, would be harder to destroy.

    Other people might take the entire day trying, and what would happen if more monsters appeared? Whoever went inside tear could die.

    ¡°Things are gettingplicated.¡±

    Junhyuk would have to destroy the closest tears. He flew on the drone and reached the allies. Brigadier Johnson walked over to him as hended.

    ¡°Guardians has called for a meeting.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at Elise. He walked over to her and handed her the core and the tower pieces.

    ¡°How fast can you make a Core Bomb?¡±

    ¡°In about three days.¡±

    ¡°One bomb takes three days?¡±

    ¡°No. With the core, I can make ten bombs in three days.¡±

    Junhyuk pulled out the core he had kept for himself and said, ¡°You need to make twenty fast.¡±

    Elise nodded and replied, ¡°Sure.¡±

    She walked away, and Junhyuk entered themunications room. The people on the screens were full of expectations.

    Eunseo spoke first.

    ¡°The Core Bomb was really effective. You destroyed the dimensional tear very quickly.¡±

    Junhyuk had to be realistic about what was happening.

    ¡°Starting now, we have ten days. We have to destroy as many tears as possible.¡± Junhyuk seemed tense as he spoke, and the delegates frowned. He told them what had happened and concluded, ¡°In ten days, the borders will be gone, and the monsters wille out.¡±

 Chapter 410 - Struggle 1

    Chapter 410: Struggle 1

    Everyone grimaced. Looking at them, Junhyuk said, ¡°Even if we manufacture Core Bombs as fast as possible, we¡¯ll only have twenty in three days. And even if we start destroying tears after that, we won¡¯t have enough time.¡±

    He added, ¡°We have to n a route that deploys the bombs as quickly as possible. We¡¯ll also need a jet to save as much time as possible.¡±

    Steve nodded and said, ¡°We¡¯ll send you an SR-71. You¡¯ll be able to save more time that way.¡±

    It was the fastest ne in existence. At Mach 3.5, it would be of immense help.

    Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°OK. We need to start with the monster areas closest to South Korea.¡±

    Some delegates disagreed with that entirely. Tense, Steve asked, ¡°Are you giving up on the US?¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head.

    ¡°We have ten days. Once we destroy the first monster area, we can make more bombs with the core from that area. When that happens, we¡¯ll send one to the US. But, we¡¯ll destroy twenty areas on this side of the globe first.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll need a route to do it in sequence, but even then, you won¡¯t be able to destroy them all.¡±

    Everyone grimaced, and Junhyuk continued, ¡°We have to evacuate the poptions closest to the borders.¡±

    Evacuating people wouldn¡¯t be easy. How many would they need to evacuate to begin with?

    Junhyuk added, ¡°I want to make sure of this, but the most important things is toe up with the best possible route and to prepare for that route.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll support you with anything you need.¡±

    ¡°We have to decide on everything within the next couple of days. At that point, we¡¯ll go over things in more detail.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Time was important. When the monitors turned off, Junhyuk got up and went to look for Elise. She had finished her preparations to go back to South Korea.

    He walked up to her and said, ¡°The Core Bomb is important, but it would be better to create artificial borders for the monster areas.¡±

    She replied while checking the things he had given her, ¡°We really need to go beyond our limitations. I only have these pieces of the tower.¡±

    ¡°Then, next time, I¡¯ll bring you the whole thing. I¡¯ll try to.¡±

    Elise looked at the pieces and said, ¡°I¡¯m not that confident. It looks like there is magic weaved into it. I¡¯ve just started learning about magic. I can¡¯t do something like this.¡±

    It would be extremely difficult.

    Sighing, Junhyuk said, ¡°It won¡¯t be easy. First, concentrate on the Core Bombs. Work on the border when you have time.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± she said with a smile and put everything away in her Spatial Bag. ¡°I¡¯ll leave now. I¡¯m going to be very busy.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly.

    ¡°Right...¡± he said and took off his wristwatch, giving it to Elise. She should know what had happened inside the tear.

    Elise took it from him and smiled again, saying, ¡°Then, see youter.¡±

    The rotor of a helicopter roared to life, and Junhyuk escorted her to the helipad. After that, he gathered the powered people outside. With the additional fifty novices, there were seventy-six novices, six experts¡ªwith the extra two¡ªand two champions.

    Junhyuk knew there were more champions around the world, and Guardians was tracking those two at that moment. Looking at the group, he said, ¡°Ten days from now, all monster area borders will be gone.¡±

    Everyone was stunned, but Junhyuk continued calmly, ¡°Three days from now, we¡¯ll start destroying tears with Core Bombs. However, we won¡¯t be able to destroy all of them.¡±

    Gazing over them, he added, ¡°Eventually, we¡¯ll have to destroy monster areas without borders.¡±

    The teams would be mostly on standby until the borders disappeared. Once that happened, things wouldn¡¯t be easy. They would have to risk their lives.

    Looking at them, Junhyuk said, ¡°The monster support team will also be there, but don¡¯t expect things to be simple. We can¡¯t give up.¡±

    Without the borders, the monsters would flood out of the areas. To save people, those with powers would have to risk their lives. The group looked tense, but Junhyuk said confidently, ¡°This is a massive danger to humanity, but we will ovee it.¡±

    Everyone nodded, and he said, ¡°Remember: This is ssified.¡±

    First, they had to choose the monster areas that they would attack. If people knew about that, they would naturally flee the areas that wouldn¡¯t receive aid. However, there could also be riots and civil unrest.

    Looking at the group, he said, ¡°We won¡¯t be moving together, so manuals will be passed out so that each team can train.¡±

    Junhyuk was passing the training program on to Lucy. After that, he left. He went back to his room, and Jeffrey went to visit him soon after.

    Junhyuk stared at Jeffrey, who had activated another power. It was a ensnare and pull power and it seemed high ranking. If enemies tried to run away, Jeffrey could pull them toward himself. On top of that, he could summon a Ghost White Tiger, which could kill a hero.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°What are the ns for the future?¡±

    Junhyuk shrugged and replied, ¡°It¡¯s just what I told you. In ten days, the borders will be gone, and the monsters wille out.¡±

    ¡°What about the A-ranked monsters?¡±

    After some thought, Junhyuk replied, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It¡¯s possible they¡¯lle out too.¡±

    Jeffrey had a ensnare, and his Ghost White Tiger could fight, but Ling Ling couldn¡¯t deal with an A-ranked monster by herself. She would die in the process.

    Ling Ling would need support. However, there were all the other monsters besides the A-ranked. Without the borders, all champions, experts and novices would have to risk their lives.

    Everyone would need to fight every monster, and Junhyuk knew that many would die. On top of that, many more people would activate new powers.

    Junhyuk wanted put a stop to the managers¡¯ ns. Three out of three million? He wouldn¡¯t allow it. He would stop his enemies.

    ¡°We¡¯ll make a line, and once things get dangerous, we¡¯ll retreat behind that line.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the range on this?¡± Jeffrey was holding the teleportation device. Did it have a range? If it didn¡¯t, it would definitely help him attack the United States.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. We need to run tests with it first.¡± Looking at Jeffrey, he added, ¡°You take it to the US first. Call me when you get there. If the device works from there, we¡¯ll be able to attack even more tears.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave right away.¡±

    There was a range to the device¡¯s use when crossing through a dimensional tear, but if that limit didn¡¯t exist when teleporting on Earth, then he would be able to travel like the the one infected who started all of this, from the US to South Korea.

    If that turned out to be the case, other people would transport equipment, and Junhyuk would only have to teleport to the locations. At first, they would only be able to manufacture twenty Core Bombs. However, after the first batch, they could make two hundred more.

    Jeffrey had already left, and Junhyuk leaned against his chair. Everyone was doing their utmost to destroy the monster areas, but management wasn¡¯t resting either. Eltor had told him that deployment of monster waves would also speed up.

    So far, Guardians had been able to thwart them without help. However, if the deployment of waves sped up, would Guardians still be able to manage?

    Junhyuk shook his head and summoned the Blood Rune Sword. He had learned something important that day. His power was special, but he couldn¡¯t attack the managers of the Dimensional Battlefield.

    Without attacking Eltor, he wouldn¡¯t have found out about that. Only a dimensional attack could hit the managers. In his case, a Dimensional sh.

    ¡°Dimensions.¡±

    When he learned the Spatial Copse, Junhyuk felt something by watching the border of the dimensional tear: life and death. In order to activate a dimensional power, Junhyuk started to think about that moment.

    The cores had that power. He could feel it. The next time he got a core for himself, he would need to learn more about it.

    He had more work to do, but he was d for it. The Dimensional sh might only work against managers, but he still wanted to learn it. He wanted to control not only space, but dimensions as well.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t train as much as he wanted, but he had two free days, and he would work on the Dimensional sh during that time. If he ended up learning it, he might even be able to learn how to teleport through dimensions.

    Junhyuk closed his eyes and focused on the feeling of life and death the dimensional tear had brought him.

 Chapter 411 - Struggle 2

    <h4>Chapter 411: Struggle 2</h4>

    Jeffrey went to the United States, and they ran the teleportation experiment. Junhyuk found out that there were no limitations to teleportations on Earth. By using all five item pairs, his ability to move would be outstanding.

    He told Eunseo about the development and asked her toe up with a new route. By having people take the items before him and teleporting to those locations, they coulde up with the best route, one that would impact the most people.

    Considering the economic loss that would take ce when the borders disappeared, the cost of moving with mana stones was actually cheap.

    The Americans gave him an SR-71, and the Core Bombs were ready within three days. Jeffrey and four other experts were part of the operation. Junhyuk gave them the teleportation devices and had them relocated.

    Use of the Core Bomb required him to elerate. Only Junhyuk could cover the distance without oxygen. If he didn¡¯t reach the tear fast enough, more monsters could appear. It was really only possible for him to do it.

    Just in case, however, he had an oxygen tank inside his Spatial Bag.

    Junhyuk was above the Eiffel Tower. A shadow-like humanoid monster was staring at him while wielding two massive daggers. Junhyuk was flying on the drone, and the humanoid monster smirked at him.

    The monster climbed the Eiffel Tower, and Junhyuk grimaced. The A-ranked monsters were getting more difficult to deal with, and he had never seen that monster before, which meant management had created it specifically for this. He had to be careful.

    Junhyuk jumped from the drone. As he closed in, he used his Spatial sh. A single A-ranked monster couldn¡¯t stop him. When Junhyuk used the Spatial sh, the monster¡¯s body became translucent. It was like he was watching the monster use perfect evasion.

    He grimaced at the sight, but he kept getting closer. When the monster became tangible again, Junhyuk didn¡¯t hesitate. He used his Spatial Copse. The translucent-body technique was a power, so the monster couldn¡¯t use it again right away.

    The Spatial Copse sucked the monsters into it. Since it could not evade the attack, the monster twisted itself in other to prevent the copse from triggering on his heart, which would cause it to be sucked out of its body. Instead, the monster lost its left arm and was pulled to the center of the copse.

    Junhyuk shed the monster¡¯s neck. The monster had dodged the Spatial Copse¡¯s critical hit, but it was still sucked into it, so it wasn¡¯t well positioned to receive an attack. It couldn¡¯t dodge Junhyuk¡¯s sword.

    The monster had felt the copse trigger and managed to dodge the worst of it. It had been created to fight Junhyuk. Later on, there were sure to be monsters he wouldn¡¯t be able to fight against.

    After Junhyuk killed the monster, he put its body in his Spatial Bag and called the drone.

    ¡°Start bombing.¡±

    It was baptism by fire. The center of the monster area was swept by the explosion. Junhyuk got through the border with plenty of time.

    The Core Bomb cleaned the inside of the tear. He entered it and took the core. A core meant ten Core Bombs. He would send every core to Elise.

    They would make more than enough Core Bombs for the monster areas, but they had no other ns besides making those bombs. So, he would use surplus cores for his dimensional training.

    Junhyuk took the core and the broken tower and exited the tear. This time, the dimensional manager did not show up. The manager probably thought Junhyuk was struggling uselessly, so he did not care what Junhyuk did.

    There was no monster wave, which meant the managers were probably busy with erasing the borders. They were setting a type of a timed attack. When Junhyuk walked out, he put the oxygen mask on. Suddenly, the dimensional tear disappeared.

    The border was also gone, and the outside air was sucked into the area, creating a heavy gust of wind. Junhyuk simply stood there, at the center of it all, feeling the wind buffeting him until it stopped moving.

    When he turned around, he saw Agenchra. The manager bowed to him and said, ¡°You made a big mess of things.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Agenchra and replied, ¡°I know your ns now.¡±

    The managers had set a trap and attacked him. Many powered people had died, and if things continued that way, destroying monster areas would be a thing of the past. To destroy the tears, humans had made the Core Bomb. However, the managers felt threatened by that.

    Junhyuk swung his sword, pointing it at the manager, and Agenchra stared at it and smiled.

    ¡°To be honest, the n was moving slowly. But then, you came up with the bombs.¡±

    ¡°The kill-a-million-people-per-hero n? That n?!¡±

    Agenchra nodded slowly.

    ¡°In other dimensions, there weres that werepletely decimated because they failed this test.¡± Agenchra¡¯s blue eyes stared at him, and the manager said, ¡°And you can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±

    ¡°Why? The nes up from the top, so I can¡¯t stop it?¡±

    ¡°The monster areas aren¡¯t everything.¡±

    ¡°I know. There are monster waves.¡±

    Agenchra shook his head.

    ¡°The n has stages, but with the Core Bomb, you¡¯ve made us jump many of them.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Agenchra. The manager had been good to him, so why was Agenchra there now? To point out his mistakes?

    That wasn¡¯t it.

    Junhyuk asked, ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±

    ¡°How about nothing?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°If you continue this, you won¡¯t be able to handle it.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°One million could turn into two million.¡±

    Junhyuk scowled. Agenchra was saying that the managers could do worse. Gathering his breath, Junhyuk asked, ¡°You won¡¯t stop until there are five heroes?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°So, once we get five heroes, you¡¯ll stop all this?¡±

    Agenchra nodded.

    ¡°Take the champions with you. You won¡¯t be able to do anything unless more champions be heroes.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Agenchra and asked, ¡°Is that advice?¡±

    ¡°That is the best way to stop our ns.¡±

    Frowning, Junhyuk said, ¡°Then, give me information on the champions.¡±

    Agenchra took a moment to think before tearing a page from his pocketbook and giving it to Junhyuk.

    ¡°This contains everything about the champions and their current locations. If a champion moves around, the page will update itself. You should be able to find them now.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°If more people be champions, they¡¯ll appear on the page as well.¡±

    It had been hard to locate champions with just their names, but now he had their locations. On top of that, new champions would also appear on the page.

    Junhyuk took the piece of paper. He was able to read it because he had taken thenguage pill.

    Agenchra bowed to him and said, ¡°Not all managers are the same. I¡¯ll support you.¡±

    Agenchra disappeared, and Junhyuk stared at the ce the manager once stood. Managers could open dimensional portals, which meant that they probably either carried dimensional equipment or they could use dimensional powers.

    The flying drone lowered itself to him, and Junhyuk returned to the base. All the while, he stared at the piece of paper. It contained names and locations of champions, but it also had information on where those champions resided.

    While Junhyuk thought of something else, Brigadier Johnson walked toward him.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°I have something to tell the monster support team.¡±

    ¡°Please, go on.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll head to the next target now. In the meantime, find these people.¡±

    Junhyuk read the names and locations out loud. Johnson wrote them down and asked, ¡°Who are they?¡±

    ¡°The existing champions. Bring them to me.¡±

    ¡°You know their locations?!¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and asked, ¡°Is Lucy here?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s at ourb.¡±

    ¡°Call her here for me and bring me Ling Ling as well.¡±

    When Lucy and Ling Ling came in, he showed Lucy the page.

    ¡°Take this. It has the names and locations of existing champions.¡±

    ¡°Where did you get this?¡±

    ¡°I got very lucky.¡±

    Then, he turned to Ling Ling and said, ¡°Ling Ling, go out with the experts and bring the champions to me.¡±

    ¡°You want me to arrest these champions?¡±

    ¡°No. Bring them only if they cooperate.¡± He turned to Ling Ling and Lucy and added, ¡°We have to get them to be heroes, so we¡¯ll fight together. Using Core Bombs to destroy the tears will be my responsibility. Once the borders are gone, I¡¯ll move with the champions.¡±

    The champions would die alone, but with him, they would be able to activate their powers while remaining safe.

    Champions would only activate their powers when they were about to die, and preventing their death was his task.

    ¡°OK, but it¡¯ll be a problem if they try to run.¡±

    ¡°Get them to cooperate first. If a champion resistsing to me, let them be. I¡¯ll bring them myselfter.¡±

    Junhyuk knew that champions might fight among themselves, but they would not be able to fight him.

    In their eyes, they should want to be heroes. Not every champion would be a hero, so he had to meet every champion there was. He would help them and put an end to the managers¡¯ ns.

    Until the next battlefield round, Junhyuk would be very busy.

 Chapter 412 - Struggle 3

    <h4>Chapter 412: Struggle 3</h4>

    By using the Core Bombs, the destruction of the monster areas happened quickly. However, with each monster area that was destroyed, Junhyuk scowled harder. The A-ranked monsters defending those areas had been designed specifically to fight against him, and everything was getting harder.

    If things continued that way, he wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with the A-ranked monsters by himself. Monsters ranked B and lower were kill by the massive explosion, but A-ranked monsters were an exception. On top of that, unless Junhyuk killed the A-ranked monster first, they couldn¡¯t use the Core Bombs, so the problem was serious.

    On the eleventh monster area, Junhyuk had to turn back. The monster was in Oslo, Norway. It held a huge hammer, and its body was translucent, so physical attacks did not work on it. Junhyuk had his Frozen Rune Sword, but the monster made sure to dodge all of his attacks with it. Junhyuk was at a loss for how to deal with it.

    So, he retreated. It was his first time giving up on a monster area. Guardians suggested using napalm, but that wouldn¡¯t work by itself. The other monsters died, but the monster with the hammer survived.

    Junhyuk realized that he couldn¡¯t deal with the situation. Instead of triggering monster waves, management was entirely focused on developing monsters that he wouldn¡¯t be able to kill.

    Atst, he called Sarang. Junhyuk used hismunication orb and saw that Sarang was still in her pajamas.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Sarang, you need to help me.¡±

    That was the first time he asked for her help on Earth, and Sarang became a bit nervous. Then, Junhyuk exined the situation to her.

    ¡°A week from now, the borders surrounding the monster areas will be gone. I¡¯m using Core Bombs to destroy those monster areas quicker, but before deploying them, we first need to kill the A-ranked monster stationed in that area, and I can¡¯t kill this monster by myself.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t kill a monster by yourself!?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s immune to physical attacks.¡±

    The monster could dodge all of the Frozen Rune Sword attacks. He had tried the Spatial Copse, but the monster had dodged a direct hit and survived. It had to die.

    On top of that, from now on, even more difficult monsters would appear. He needed Sarang¡¯s help. After the Core Bombs detonated, he would work alone. Without eleration, advancing into the tear was not possible.

    However, he couldn¡¯t kill the monster by himself. So far, he had been able to do it, but management had developed monsters he wouldn¡¯t be able to kill alone.

    He needed Sarang. With her, he wouldn¡¯t have any problems. The two of them would be able to kill that monster.

    Sarang smiled.

    ¡°Is it time to reveal another hero?¡±

    ¡°Once the world knows you as a hero, you won¡¯t be able to go back on it.¡±

    ¡°Nothing I can do about it. I can¡¯t hide when things are like this.¡±

    Junhyuk felt sorry for her. If possible, he wanted to keep her out of everything. He felt responsible for putting her in that position since he had argued with the manager.

    Sarang woulde help him, so he had to get things ready for her arrival. She only had one mask, so it would be hard to hide her identity.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell Elise and Eunseo. Head over to Guardians.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for asking me for help.¡±

    Sarang disconnected. Junhyuk knew that Sarang would be of immense help. Jeffrey could also help, but Jeffrey had gone to seek out other champions.

    They would take three days to make more Core Bombs with the nine cores he had gathered. In the meantime, he would destroy another ten monster areas. With Sarang, it would be OK.

    Junhyuk called Eunseo on the private line. She had dark circles under her eyes when she answered him.

    ¡°I got a call from Oslo earlier. How can I help?¡±

    Every city was evacuating civilians, so she was really busy.

    ¡°Get Sarang here.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m up against a monster I can¡¯t kill. That means I¡¯ll encounter even more monsters I won¡¯t be able to kill. So, I need her. Get her here as soon as possible.¡±

    Eunseo could guess what would happen, and she replied, ¡°I feel sorry for her. She¡¯s still in high school.¡±

    ¡°She still has to take her math exam, sure, but she¡¯ll help us.¡±

    Things could be worse for humanity. When the borders disappeared, all of humanity would be in danger. Junhyuk had tried going at it at full force while sparing Sarang. If she died on Earth, that would be the end for her. That wasn¡¯t any different because she was a hero.

    However, the time hade to ask her for help. He had to kill the monsters and destroy the monster areas. If not, the world would burn.

    The iron soldiers could deal with B-ranked monsters, so when the borders came down, the initial wave of monsters would be small, and they could be killed. A-ranked monsters would be dealt with by heroes and champions. Experts would help with the weaker monsters, and hopefully they would activate more powers because of all the danger. There was only a 5 percent chance that a champion would be a hero.

    Some champions were special, and their sess rates were higher. Junhyuk had to increase the number of champions. Of twenty champions, only one would be a hero. So, he had to get sixty champions fast.

    There were many novices and experts, but it would be hard to get that many champions.

    Junhyuk toldmand that when his help arrived, he would resume destroying the monster areas. In three days, he would destroy ten areas, After that, he would continue to push himself. He had to decrease the number of areas. Forty cities had ordered evacuations that day.

    After all civilians were done evacuating, the military would send troops to be stationed in those nes. They would form strong defensive lines, but if an A-ranked monster left the area, things would be disastrous. He had to bring the number of monster areas down fast.

    While waiting and resting, Junhyuk took out a core. He had earned it after using a Core Bomb to destroy a tear. He closed his eyes as he held it and tried to push mana into the core.

    That small core yielded massive force. The destruction caused by the bombs made that clear. Junhyuk had mana, but he couldn¡¯t do what the core could do. He wanted to learn from the core.

    When the mana went into the core, it suddenly disappeared. Junhyuk sighed and held the core in his hand. The core waspletely absorbing the mana.

    ¡°Do the managers have this type of energy as well?¡±

    The borders surrounding the monster areas were made out of the energy within the core. The creation of the dimensional tear and the birth and death of the space around it had to do with the energy of the core. That energy interfered with dimensions.

    The managers crossed dimensions at will, so they had to possess that same energy.

    Junhyuk focused on the core. Things were bad, and he wanted to learn more. He needed a stronger source of energy.

    As he focused on it, he lost track of time, and Sarang arrived in Oslo. However, she did not hide nor wear a mask.

    Novices and experts were held as heroes by the world. The Dark Knight was saving Earth, and Sarang had asked Eunseo to be public. She did not want to hide. Eunseo had told her it wouldn¡¯t be possible to go back to normal after that, but Sarang had given her a short answer:

    Guardians should protect her.

    Ten guards couldn¡¯t stop a thief, but after Sarang revealed herself, she and her family fell under Guardians¡¯ protection.

    She was helping save the Earth, so she didn¡¯t want to hide. Sarang was different from Junhyuk in that.

    She didn¡¯t wear a mask when she went to him. When Sarang opened the door to themand center, and he looked at her, he said, ¡°You...¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t hide any longer.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed at her answer. Everyone wanted to save humanity, but there were people who wanted to harm those like the Dark Knight. People in positions of power wanted more power to secure or enhance those positions. On top of that, having a private life would be impossible.

    Because of the videos, the identities of novices and experts had also been made public, and they would not be able to remain private once they went back home. However, now a hero had revealed herself.

    Junhyuk sighed again and asked, ¡°Did you let them know you are a hero?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± She smiled and added, ¡°They called me the first human hero.¡±

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t publicly revealed himself as a hero, but some people had already guessed it. However, she had told everyone, so the world was now focused on her.

    ¡°Do you know what you are doing?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± she said smiling and looked at her watch. ¡°I got a drone as a gift. Shall we fly together?¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head and got up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 413 - Border Collapse 1

    <h4>Chapter 413: Border Copse 1</h4>

    Sarang, who was now known as the first hero, went into battle, and people flew unmade drones to film her in action. They were curious about the extent of a hero¡¯s power.

    Junhyuk and Sarang were on their drones, above the monster area, looking at the translucent monster holding the hammer.

    Physical attacks did not work on it, so Junhyuk found killing it extremely difficult to kill. However, this time, things were different.

    Looking at the monster, Sarang said, ¡°We should fight for real.¡±

    She summoned her armor and held out her orb, inspecting the enemy. The monster was quickly moving toward her, and she aimed the orb at it. An electric st flew out, and although the translucent monster was fast, it couldn¡¯t dodge her attack.

    The monster was paralyzed, and bolts of lightning fell on the monster from the Thunderstorm above it. With that single hit, the monster fell. Junhyuk had gone all out fighting that monster, but now, he simply smiled.

    The electric st had paralyzed it, and Sarang had followed that with a Thunderstorm. The monster did not have any magic resistance, so it was killed by that singlebo.

    ¡°You did well. We have to retreat because of the st of the Core Bomb.¡±

    Just in case, they went back to the iron soldier wall. They retreated quickly, while an iron soldier flew the opposite way, positioning itself under the tear.

    When they were behind the iron soldier wall, the Core Bomb exploded.

    Boom!

    The level of destruction was shocking, and Sarang was astonished watching it.

    ¡°Is that possible?¡±

    Sarang was highly intelligent, and she tried to understand everything she saw. She had been apprenticing under Elise and asking her questions, learning about physics and other academic subjects, but to her knowledge, what had happened in front of her wasn¡¯t possible.

    All of them buildings were destroyed, but the destruction stopped at the border of the monster area. Sarang couldn¡¯t understand it. Magic was bending thews of science.

    Inside, everything was gone.

    Junhyuk turned toward her and said, ¡°Wait a moment.¡±

    He elerated and was gone, leaving Sarang with arms crossed, watching him. She was envious of his eleration. Even the flying drones couldn¡¯t catch up to him. Inside the monster area, there was no oxygen, so without his eleration, advancing was impossible.

    Sarang waited, and Junhyuk exited the dimensional tear on the flying drone, heading toward her.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°I just did my job.¡±

    She was already known as a hero, so she would use all of her powers to destroy the enemies in front of her.

    ¡°You¡¯ll only sleep in nes for the next week. Is that OK?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Aside from the time they would spend in a ne, she would be fighting monsters. However, she was d to do it. That way, she could be with him not only at the Dimensional Battlefield, but also on Earth.

    ¡ª

    Thebination of Junhyuk and Sarang was too strong for any one monster. Monsters with magic resistance were killed by him, and monsters with physical resistance were killed by her.

    There were monsters with both resistances, but the two heroes took care of those together.

    In one week, they destroyed seventy-two dimensional tears. Add to that the original fourteen, and they had destroyed eighty-six dimensional tears.

    Using the Core Bombs had enabled them to destroy tears quickly, but fourteen dimensional tears remained. They had destroyed more dimensional tears than they had expected.

    Many people were participating in the protection of the areas without borders. Teams of experts and novices were positioned in each of those areas, and armies with dposition weapons protected the perimeter. They waited anxiously.

    There were hundreds of monsters inside the monster areas, and when the borders suddenly disappeared, they all rushed out.

    The monsters rushed toward the nearby humans, but the armies were ready for them. They started firing. The armies were using heavy weaponry, but there were too many monsters. After the monsters broke through the army formations, they came up against the experts and novices waiting for them.

    Those were B-ranked monsters. The C-ranked monsters had focused on the armies. In one area, the B-ranked monsters were attacking the powered people. There were twelve monsters, and that was the start of a bloody battle.

    The powered people¡¯s team kept battling the monsters, and that¡¯s when an A-ranked monster showed up. It was a translucent wolf, and Aleksei stepped in front of it.

    The people were all equipped with items made of B-ranked monster bodies. All of the experts had brand new equipment.

    Aleksei trusted his equipment, but looking at the monster, he got scared. So far, all A-ranked monsters had been dealt with by the Dark Knight and the hero.

    The experts thought they could deal with monsters, but A-ranked monsters were on a different level. Especially nowadays, A-ranked monsters were different from before. This was the worst situation possible.

    Aleksei did not think he should retreat. He had to stop the monster. If not, the monster would pierce through their defenses. The civilians had been evacuated, but the monsters could still get to them if their defenses were pierced.

    Aleksei stepped forward. The enemy was an A-ranked monster, but Aleksei was well equipped. He was stronger than before.

    With confidence, he ran forward. The novices behind him used their powers, which slowed the monster down. They powers were rather useful, but the monster still dodged many of the attacks.

    The monster moved with surprising speed. However, it was hit by two powers, and its speed decreased. Aleksei headbutted the monster.

    Boom!

    The monster was stunned, and the army started shooting at it. However, the monster became immaterial, and all attacks missed.

    The monster wed at Aleksei.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Aleksei bounced away and hit a tank behind him, getting pinned to the ground. His attack had worked for a while, but the monster was too strong. Without the new equipment, Aleksei would¡¯ve been killed.

    He got up and watched as the novices got killed by the monster.

    They had only given new equipment to the experts. The novices were wearing the old leather armor, and they couldn¡¯t withstand the monster¡¯s attacks.

    Aleksei flying-knee kicked the monster. However, the flying attack was a physical attack, and the monster simply became immaterial to escape it. Then, it bit down on Aleksei with its canines.

    ¡°Argh!¡±

    Aleksei was losing consciousness. The monster¡¯s teeth ground Aleksei¡¯s bones, and he screamed loudly as he punched the monster on the forehead.

    Aleksei had thought the wolf wouldn¡¯t be able to evade his attack while biting him, but the damage he dealt was too small.

    The wolf, still biting Aleksei¡¯s arm, whipped its head and threw Aleksei into the air. The arm was severed, and Aleksei¡¯s eyes became red.

    The wolf attacked him again, but he extended a hand toward it as if trying to make it stop. An arrow made of blood formed from the gash of his severed arm and flew toward the wolf. The wolf was translucent, but the arrow hit it.

    ¡°Hooowwl!¡± the wolf let out.

    Aleksei regained consciousness. Just now, he had activated a new power, and that power dealt magic damage. However, his new power had angered the wolf, who pounded toward him. On top of that, Aleksei had no more magic.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    He had just activated a new power, but he was about to die.

    Suddenly, a thin, ivory membrane surrounded him.

    Boom!

    The wolf¡¯s teeth bounced off the membrane, and thunderbolts fell from the sky on top of the monster. The electricity covered the monsters body, and Aleksei watched as people surrounded him.

    Junhyuk and Sarang, using teleportation devices, were moving at incredible speed through monster areas, killing everything. A group of champions was following them. Ling Ling gave Aleksei a short bow and continued on after the heroes.

    Two new champions had joined the team: Dakeda and Zenon. And the rest of the powered people were d that the two had joined. They were symbols of renewed hope for humanity.

    Aleksei continued to bleed, but he could control his blood now, so he wouldn¡¯t die from the wound. He absorbed the blood around him and picked up his severed arm. Modern medicine couldn¡¯t help him, but he took the arm with him anyway.

    The heroes and champions were making a path, killing the monsters in the area.

    He knew Junhyuk was outstanding, but he was more impressed by the new hero, Sarang, and her powers. She could shoot electric arrows at incredible speed. Those arrows pierced through the monsters¡¯ chests. With her new item, Sarang¡¯s attack had improved. Her magic attack had increased.

    The heroes and champions entered the dimensional tear, and Aleksei muttered, ¡°Can I join them?¡±

    Only champions could join the heroes. They were the people destroying the tears. The others were ready to defend Earth, but they wouldn¡¯t survive an attack on the tear.

    Time passed, and the Dark Knight and Sarang apparead again. They walked out of the tear toward him.

    Sarang extended her hand toward his severed arm, and a light green powder sprinkled over it, reattaching the arm. It had been easier than anyone would¡¯ve thought.

    ¡°Are you OK?¡±

    Aleksei moved his arm and said, ¡°I want to join you.¡±

    Junhyuk walked over to him and asked, ¡°Have you activated a new power?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Junhyuk pulled out the teleportation device and turned it on. They were covered by a bright light.

 Chapter 414 - Border Collapse 2

    <h4>Chapter 414: Border Copse 2</h4>

    The borders of fourteen monster areas had copsed, and Junhyuk was moving through them at full force. However, even he had a limit.

    The champions had taken one of the teleportation devices, so Junhyuk was carrying four with him. Using all four teleportation devices, he tried to move as fast as he could, but destroying a dimensional tear and erasing an area took time.

    Junhyuk and Sarang were able to pierce through the enemy formations. Without the two, there would be no way for humanity to destroy the tears.

    The monsters were surprisingly strong, and while the experts and novices were able to keep them upied, they could only do it for a short while, and many powered people died in the process.

    Some had activated more powers, but many were dead. With support from the armies, they started retreating.

    Nearly every weapon was used, but that was all they could do to resist A-ranked monsters. The powered people lured the monsters to areas empty of regr civilians.

    Junhyuk and his team used the teleportation devices to stop the dimensional tears one by one. He had trained against A-ranked monsters, so he could destroy the tears, but this was a race against time.

    He used the teleportation devices to stop four dimensional tears. By that point, there were two more champions and seven experts, but three times that number in experts and novices had died. They did not know how many of the military personnel had died.

    After Junhyuk destroyed the dimensional tear, those holding teleportation devices moved right away, and the world organizations supported the powered people during their struggle to erase the fourteen areas.

    They had wanted to use Core Bombs, but with the borders gone, it was possible that the Core Bombs would be too destructive.

    They had limiters, but they hadn¡¯t had to rely on those yet, so they didn¡¯t know if the limiters would work. In essence, they couldn¡¯t take the chance. Even without the bombs being radioactive, if anything went wrong, things would be worse than the monster attacks.

    As they moved to destroy the tears, they slept less. If they rested, more people would die.

    Little by little, the monsters were getting killed off.

    Now, they had already destroyed seven dimensional tears and were on a ne flying to a different ce. Junhyuk and Sarang and the champions had been assigned their own ne.

    Inside, Junhyuk looked at the others. Dakeda and Zenon had joined. On top of that, two others had be champions: Aleksei, from Russia, and Major Sean, from the United States.

    Junhyuk sighed heavily. He wanted the champions to be heroes, but it wasn¡¯t that easy. However, more experts were bing champions. Unlike in the Dimensional Battlefield, the experts knew that if they died on Earth, it would be the end for them, so more experts knew the life-and-death need to activate more powers.

    However, that was not so with champions. The champions were risking their lives, but none of them had activate another power. More people were activating a second power, but they weren¡¯t as likely to activate a third. That activation wasn¡¯t easy.

    More experts were dying than bing champions.

    ¡°Sorry to bother you while you are resting,¡± Junhyuk said.

    Everyone turned to him.

    ¡°Seven more targets remain. If we are lucky, we¡¯ll stop them all before Friday.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at them one by one. They were all wearing equipment created by Elise. To deal with A-ranked monsters, regr powered people wouldn¡¯t be enough. Most of them would die in a single hit from an A-ranked monster.

    Junhyuk was d to see that the number of champions had increased. They would go to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, where they would be able to train without dying.

    That way, hopefully, a hero woulde out of the bunch. But, he needed three more.

    Each champion had a 5 percent chance of bing a hero.

    ¡°I must ask one thing of you all,¡± Junhyuk said and looked at each of them. ¡°Don¡¯t die.¡±

    They thought he was being silly by speaking the obvious, but their eyes were still beaming with determination. On Earth, every powered person could die.

    ¡°The monsters are getting stronger, but we can stop them. However, even after we destroy all of the tears, the waves won¡¯t stop. To put a stop to the whole thing, we need three more heroes.¡±

    ¡°Three heroes?¡±

    They all knew how rare heroes were and, now, they were also sure that Junhyuk was a hero. Humanity faced annihtion, but only two heroes existed. People had a specific chance of bing novices, and the same could be said for experts, and champions. With each stage, the chance of bing something more decreased. A hero couldn¡¯t be borne out of passion alone.

    Very few people became heroes. Of the champions gathered there, none of them knew if they would be heroes.

    ¡°Nowadays, more of the hidden experts areing forward, but no one knows how many of them will be champions.¡± Junhyuk looked over the group and said, ¡°I trust those who are already champions.¡±

    The champions felt burdened by the responsibility, and as he watched them, Junhyuk smiled.

    ¡°If you survive, you¡¯ll be heroes.¡±

    The champions wanted to be heroes. Heroes didn¡¯t die at the Dimensional Battlefield and heroes could fight monsters on their own.

    ¡°So, rest up.¡±

    Junhyuk sat down, and Sarang asked, ¡°Are you OK?¡±

    ¡°I am more worried about you.¡±

    She shrugged and replied, ¡°Having this ne is nice.¡±

    This was their first time resting in the ne, and it would probably be theirst. They had to destroy the monster areas.

    Junhyuk caressed her head. She hadn¡¯t rested in ten days.

    Leaning back on her seat, Sarang said, ¡°I¡¯ll take a nap. You rest as well.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and leaned back. He had destroyed the tears at a quicker pace than he had expected and he was maintaining a fast rate of destruction, but the casualties were heavier than he had expected.

    The experts and novices were fighting hard, but they were being pushed back by A-ranked monsters. Helicopters were being used to evacuate them, and how many of those soldiers had died?

    It was a good thing that only one A-ranked monster had been released per tear. If the managers had decided to release more A-ranked monsters, the number of casualties would be astronomical.

    While resting, Junhyuk decided to take a short nap. He wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep well unless he destroy all of the remaining dimensional tears.

    Junhyuk closed his eyes and fell fast asleep.

    ¡ª

    The nended in Bogota, the capital of Colombia. The entire group flew off on drones. They were hovering over to the area, to where the novices and experts had lured the A-ranked monster, and they all pulled out their weapons.

    The team worked together well enough to use the flying drones as a group. Junhyuk looked at the monster in the distance. It was a golden bird and it was huge.

    Frowning, Junhyuk said, ¡°I have to deal with it.¡±

    At first impression, the bird seemed to be a magic-based monster, so Junhyuk was the right opponent for it.

    With the drone, now he could fight and fly. He flew ahead and triggered a Spatial sh. The bird was massive, and it did not dodge the attack. However, Junhyuk didn¡¯t know how strong the bird¡¯s feathers were.

    ng!

    The Spatial sh had dented the feathers, but the bird did not bleed. Then, the golden bird opened its mouth.

    ¡°Kwwaaakk!¡±

    The cry created shockwaves that headed in his direction, and Junhyuk teleported. He reached the damaged part of the bird¡¯s feathers and stabbed down at it. The golden bird tried to throw him off, and a blood arrow headed for its eye. However, the bird deflected it. It was certainly a magic-focused monster, so Sarang wouldn¡¯t be much help.

    Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Those with physical attacks, attack the bird!¡±

    He did not spare the champions. They had to fight risking their lives so that they could activate more powers.

    They all attacked the bird, but the golden bird focused solely on Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk tried to lure the bird. His defenses were superior to the others¡¯ and so was his swordsmanship.

    He muttered while fighting the bird, ¡°Is this even an A-ranked monster?¡±

    The golden bird was the most difficult monster to deal with so far, so it had to have evolved somehow. It was a magic-based monster with high defense, and although he was doing little damage, he was able to attack it.

    Finally, the golden bird went down. After it was killed, he took the group inside the tear with the drones.

    Sarang fought another A-ranked monster inside, which was also difficult. Junhyuk even thought of using the champions against the monster.

    He was in front of the tower when time stopped again, and Eltor appeared. The manager looked at him and Sarang and said, ¡°Honestly, you never cease to surprise me.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Both stared at the manager, and Eltor replied, ¡°I did not think you would have had enough time.¡±

    Junhyuk did not speak, simply staring at the manager. Eltor lifted both arms, seemingly giving up.

    ¡°OK. Your struggle has been sessful.¡±

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll shut down the remaining dimensional tears.¡±

    There were six tears left, but Eltor would get rid of them himself. The manager extended his hand, and suddenly, the tower disappeared.

    ¡°Then, see youter.¡±

    Eltor was gone, and Junhyuk got an eerie feeling. Agenchra had already told him the n wouldn¡¯t stop. Eltor was giving up for now, which meant something bigger wasing.

 Chapter 415 - The Last Member 1

    <h4>Chapter 415: The Last Member 1</h4>

    The dimensional tears were destroyed, but the monsters were already out of them. Junhyuk had to take his team around to kill them.

    The monsters focused on the military and the powered people. More experts died, but another expert activated a power, bing a champion.

    The number of experts also increased. Novices were getting killed in bunches, so many activated powers to be experts. They finally killed the remaining A-ranked monsters, but humanity had suffered massive casualties.

    Yet, it wasn¡¯t over.

    They hadn¡¯t seeded in destroying all tears. Eltor had taken cores back with him. They had been sessful in stopping all monsters, however.

    After Junhyuk killed thest A-ranked monster, he exhaled heavily. Things had been difficult, but all of the monsters were gone. Looking around, he saw people with dark circles around their eyes. With the use of his force field and teleportation, he had been able to save them all.

    Every survivor had been helped by Junhyuk, so everyone looked at him with respect. He looked at them and smiled.

    ¡°We¡¯ve cleared the monster areas.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t say that things were only temporary, and everyone cheered loudly. He turned to Sarang and said, ¡°Call Guardians. Tell them to manage your contact with the outside world.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    Sarang had done her best to save humanity. Once she returned to school, she would be treated differently. And what about the media attention she would get? Guardians would protect her and her family, but it wouldn¡¯t be enough.

    Looking at the others, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go rest.¡±

    The champions got on their flying drones and moved out. Junhyuk and Sarang did the same, but they headed toward themand center. When he entered, the others got up from their seats.

    Junhyuk turned to the monitors and said, ¡°I¡¯ve just killed thest monster.¡±

    ¡°You did well,¡± Eunseo said honestly. She also had dark circles under her eyes.

    Junhyuk smiled at her and added, ¡°Everyone worked hard. Please, take care of the aftermath.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will.¡±

    Delegates from every country were present for the conference call, and they would do the rest. Junhyuk looked at them and said slowly, ¡°The monster waves that follow will be different from before. Champions should team up and train. If possible, Guardians should train them as they wait for deployment.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t easy gathering the champions in one ce. The leaders of every country knew of their worth, but Junhyuk wasn¡¯t finished.

    ¡°Also, I¡¯ll install teleportation devices in every continent. When the monster waves start, I should be able to move right away. Have the SR-71 ready for pickup after the teleportation points are set up.¡±

    ¡°We will.¡± Eunseo fixed her sses and added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Rest. We¡¯ll do everything and let you know.¡±

    ¡°Please.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to return to South Korea, but he wanted to rest first. When he walked outside, he saw a vehicle had been readied for him. Inside the car, Sarang was already asleep. He caressed her head as the car started moving. Then, Junhyuk also closed his eyes.

    ¡ª

    Things had been hectic for two weeks. On Friday morning, he had breakfast with Sarang, but he couldn¡¯t keep his eyes open.

    Sarang was yawning while spreading jam on her bread.

    ¡°We stopped everything.¡±

    ¡°Right. You worked hard.¡±

    ¡°I joined upte.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°Without your helped, we couldn¡¯t have done it.¡±

    ¡°The A-ranked monsters were really strong. Like dragons!¡±

    ¡°No. Dragons are S-ranked. If a dragon had appeared, it would¡¯ve been a disaster.¡±

    ¡°What do you think they¡¯ll do?¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think and replied, ¡°Eltor took the cores for a reason.¡±

    Even managers couldn¡¯t easily manufacture cores, which was why Eltor had taken them. The destruction of the borders might have strained them, so the managers might have retrieved the cores forter use.

    Everything had ended, but when considering Eltor¡¯s attitude, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t rest.

    He shrugged and said, ¡°We haven¡¯t eaten, drunk, or slept. Let¡¯s focus on the food. I¡¯ll sleep after the Dimensional Battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Right, they¡¯ll summon us soon.¡±

    They had started eating at 7:30 a.m., and thirty minutes after that, they would be summoned. Junhyuk ate quickly and checked on the time. He had another twenty minutes left, but it didn¡¯t really matter. Time would stop for them once they were summoned.

    As he watched her eat, Junhyuk said, ¡°Let¡¯s do well on this battlefield.¡±

    ¡°By the way, can we really be legends?¡±

    ¡°We will.¡±

    Bing a legend wasn¡¯t easy. He had some items, but that still didn¡¯t make it simple. The effectiveness of the items would reach a limit as they strove for their goal.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t just want to be a legend. He wanted to develop dimensional powers. That was his greater goal.

    Touching her chin, Sarang stared at him and said, ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°For what?!¡±

    ¡°When I was summoned for the first time, if I hadn¡¯t met you, I wouldn¡¯t have been a hero today. Instead, I¡¯d be existing inside of a pod.¡±

    Junhyukughed and replied, ¡°Vera¡¯s taught you well. Are you still talking to her?¡±

    Sarang nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m learning a lot about magic.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!? That¡¯s nice.¡±

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t talked to Arn in a while, but Sarang kept constant contact with Vera. Arn was different from Vera. He was rough, while Vera was calm. Nevertheless, Junhyuk was extremely grateful to Arn. He would talk to Arn soon.

    Junhyuk drank his soda and got up, saying, ¡°Then, let¡¯s prepare.¡±

    ¡°Sure. See youter.¡±

    Sarang went to her room, and Junhyuk went to his,y down on his bed and closed his eyes. He quickly fell under a deep sleep.

    Suddenly, a bright light pounded against his eyes. He covered his eyes with his hands and opened them when the light subsided.

    [Wee!]

    Junhyuk looked at Ariel and smiled, saying, ¡°Right. It¡¯s been a while.¡±

    He turned to look at the disy of his gold. It said: 2,312,523G.

    Junhyuk wanted a new sword, and now he had a significant amount of gold. He would be able to buy his sword soon.

    As he geared up, he saw he still had four items left from the previous round to sell. If he sold those, he might be able to buy his sword immediately.

    Junhyuk really wanted a new sword. After he was finished with his equipment, he walked toward the door, and Ariel, with both hands around her mouth in a cone, shouted, [Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed!]

    Junhyuk waved at her as he walked out. A thousand minions were crowded in front of him, and among them, he saw familiar faces.

    The new member wasn¡¯t there yet, so Junhyuk simply walked over to his teammates. They greeted him happily, and after staring at him, Gongon said, ¡°I heard everything from Sarang. You cleared the monster areas without any rest?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m tired.¡±

    Gongon extended a w toward him and asked, ¡°So, you got something called the core. Can you give me one?¡±

    Junhyuk pulled out a core from his Spatial Bag. He had many of them now, and Gongon wanted to research one.

    Gongon ced the core in his Spatial Bag and said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what I figure out.¡±

    ¡°Please do.¡±

    Research on the core was necessary.

    As Junhyuk looked over the group, he asked, ¡°Where is thest member of our team?¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t here yet.¡±

    Junhyuk waited, and Elise walked up to him. She greeted the group and, looking at him, she said, ¡°I¡¯m d to see you are safe.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, Elise.¡±

    She had developed the Core Bombs through her research on the core. Even in the battlefield, the dark circles around her eyes remained.

    Elise looked at Gongon and asked, ¡°Can I move with Gongon today?¡±

    Junhyuk pondered the idea and said, ¡°I might move with Gongon. Let¡¯s wait and see. We¡¯ll get a new hero today.¡±

    ¡°Ah! A new hero will join us?¡±

    ¡°The previous round was thest round of team selections. We didn¡¯t pick ast member, so we¡¯ll get a new hero today.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know who it is?!¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and turned around. From far away, he could see a hero walking in their direction. He was much taller than the minions.

    The dark-skinned hero had a bald, shiny head, and there were dozens of knives around his body. He walked up to them and said, ¡°Nice to meet you! I¡¯m Rodrey.¡±

    Junhyuk introduced himself, ¡°I¡¯m Junhyuk Lee. Did you just be a hero?¡±

    Rodrey smiled and answered, ¡°Correct. I just signed my contract.¡±

    Junhyuk grimaced. If Rodrey had just signed his contract, he couldn¡¯t have a lot of decent items.

    ¡°You just signed?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°Is this your first time here?¡±

    ¡°Also right.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed.

 Chapter 416 - The Last Member 2

    <h4>Chapter 416: The Last Member 2</h4>

    Junhyuk decided they should immediately head out. He was sure their enemies would be strong this time. The teams had been weak during team selection, but now it was different. Now, the enemies had also selected their teammates. They must have worked hard together before that match, so the difficulty would be different. The enemies might try to shut down the allies¡¯ offense, and even if they couldn¡¯t, they would still be strong.

    His previous enemies hadcked a way to deal with Junhyuk, but nothing was certain now.

    Looking around, Junhyuk said, ¡°Rodrey and I will take the right path. Gongon, you head left likest time. La and Sarang will take middle.¡±

    La readily agreed, ¡°OK. Once things are settled in the buff tower, I¡¯ll head out to support the others.¡±

    Sarang had long range attacks, so she was the best option to take full advantage of the watchtower¡¯s defenses.

    Junhyuk turned to Elise and said, ¡°Elise, you go with Gongon.¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    He turned to Gongon and added, ¡°Do look after her so that she won¡¯t die.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll be safe by the tower,¡± Gongon replied while looking at Elise.

    Junhyuk continued, ¡°Elise, if you die, stay in the castle. Experts have an extra life, but if you die twice, that¡¯ll be the end of it.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Junhyuk pped his hands together and said, ¡°Just likest time, each group will take a hundred minions. They are a big part of the battles ahead, so use them well.¡±

    ¡°Right!¡±

    Everyone agreed, and Rodrey said, ¡°I heard the middle is important. I¡¯m going right?¡±

    ¡°The middle is important, but we can¡¯t ignore the sides. If they focus the fight in the middle, we can use the sides to advance.¡±

    Rodrey crossed his arms and said, ¡°OK. This is my first time here, so I¡¯ll do as you say.¡±

    Looking around, Junhyuk concluded, ¡°Time is gold. Let¡¯s start.¡±

    All heroes started moving, and Junhyuk headed out with Rodrey. The minions followed them, and Rodrey asked, ¡°Each type of minion has a special attribute, correct?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Our minions specialize in defense.¡±

    The allied minions were human, and they were weaker than monster-type minions. That was probably why they carried shields.

    ¡°Hm... But their range is short.¡±

    ¡°Nothing we can do about that,¡± Junhyuk replied. Then, he said, ¡°Rodrey, my powers are force field, teleportation, Spatial sh, and Spatial Copse.¡±

    Showing Junhyuk his knives, Rodrey said, ¡°My basic attack is a long range attack. This is my first time in the Dimensional Battlefield, so I¡¯m not sure about the range, but I know it¡¯s far.¡±

    Gongon could be a tank, so if Rodrey had long range attacks, Junhyuk did not see the need toin. Rodrey didn¡¯t have any equipment, so his powers should be great.

    ¡°What are your powers?¡±

    While juggling his knives, Rodrey said, ¡°Only four of my skills qualify as powers. I can throw seven knives in a row. I can throw knives in all directions at the same time with me as the center. I can chase down and retreat from an enemy. Finally, I can damage an entire area.¡±

    Rodrey¡¯s powers seemed rather directional, and Junhyuk thought they went well as powers for long range fighters.

    ¡°OK. Let¡¯s go meet our enemies.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk would be able to measure Rodrey¡¯s attack damage more urately than the others. Rodrey was on his team now, and he wouldn¡¯t leave the hero to die inbat. Instead, he wanted to get Rodrey more items.

    He also wanted to measure Rodrey¡¯s sense of battle and his understanding of fights.

    Rodrey seemed to be carrying basic equipment, so he would act as support and help Rodrey get more items. By getting more items, Rodrey would get stronger and do his part as a member of his team.

    Junhyuk told Rodrey about Nightmare Mountain and about how he had won so far. Rodrey smiled.

    ¡°So, that¡¯s how it works?¡± After some thought, Rodrey asked, ¡°What¡¯s the most important thing?¡±

    ¡°Items and powers are important, but more important than those things is how we work as a team.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?!¡±

    ¡°You can buy items, but you can¡¯t buy teamwork. We¡¯ll only get angry and frustrated if we don¡¯t work together.¡±

    Rodrey stared at him and asked, ¡°What do you think about your skill level?¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think and replied, ¡°I¡¯m a nuisance to anyone I fight.¡±

    Junhyuk had his force field, and he could teleport, which could be used for both attack and defense. On top of that, his Spatial sh and Spatial Copse were extremely difficult to counter.

    Rodrey smiled and said, ¡°OK. It¡¯ll be better to learn by fighting than talking.¡±

    At that moment, Junhyuk asked Rodrey something he was curious about, ¡°Rodrey, you¡¯ve just signed your contract, right? Did the manager let monsters loose on your?¡±

    ¡°Monsters loose? On my?¡±

    ¡°It happened on my.¡±

    Rodreyughed and replied, ¡°If that had happened to me, I would¡¯ve thrown a knife at that manager¡¯s forehead.¡±

    That meant that Rodrey had never attacked a manager. Junhyuk mulled the information over for a bit, but shrugged it off.

    ¡°That¡¯s the first watchtower.¡±

    Rodrey looked at the watchtower and spotted the enemies. He was very interested in the enemies, so he stepped forward. Junhyuk followed him.

    One of the enemies was riding a skeleton horse while holding arge scythe. It was a Death Knight. The Death Knight was a hero, so he wasn¡¯t a simple monster.

    An undead was standing next to him. The undead was holding arge bow, which meant he probably attacked from long range.

    The minions were skeletons, and they had shields and swords, just like the human minions.

    Rodrey stepped forward and shouted, ¡°My name is Rodrey! I want to know your names!¡±

    Junhyuk was a little surprised by that. Were their names important?

    The Death Knight rode the skeleton horse forward and said, ¡°I¡¯m Alondo.¡±

    The undead hero holding the bow smiled and stepped forward.

    ¡°I¡¯m Penslin.¡±

    Alondo stared at Junhyuk and asked, ¡°What is your name?¡±

    Exchanging names was a bit funny for Junhyuk, but he was also aware that he would have to fight that team several times. In that case, introducing himself wasn¡¯t a bad thing.

    ¡°I¡¯m Junhyuk Lee.¡±

    Alondo and Penslin stared at him.

    ¡°You are Junhyuk Lee?¡±

    ¡°You know of me?¡±

    ¡°You were famous in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield.¡±

    Junhyuk shrugged and replied, ¡°Now that we know each other¡¯s name, let¡¯s fight.¡±

    He measure the distance between them. The teams were about sixty meters apart, so he turned to the allied minions and said, ¡°Get ready for battle!¡±

    The allied minions were tense. The skeleton minions were heading toward them, and the allied minions would have to fight even if they didn¡¯t want to.

    Junhyuk turned to Rodrey and asked, ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    Rodrey pulled out his knives and took a deep breath. Were the heroes in front of him different from the weaklings Junhyuk hade across so far?

    Without thinking too much about it, Junhyuk stepped forward. He would attack immediately and find out the answer. He wanted to attack the enemy that could attack from long range, and the Spatial sh would kill, undead or not.

    Junhyuk closed in, and the undead readied an arrow and pulled his bow. The hero knew about the Spatial sh, but he did not care. Junhyuk got closer and used the Spatial sh. At the same time, Penslin loosed an arrow.

    ¡°What!?¡±

    The Spatial sh pierced Penslin¡¯s neck as the arrow flew at Junhyuk. Junhyuk elerated and twisted his body to dodge it. He wouldn¡¯t allow a critical hit, but he wanted to know the enemy¡¯s strength, so he let himself get hit on the shoulder.

    Junhyuk gritted his teeth. The damage was shocking. It took 12 percent off his health even after flying over fifty meters. Junhyuk had considered that to be the arrow¡¯s maximum range, but the damage was also impressive.

    He inspected Penslin. The Spatial sh had pierced Penslin¡¯s neck, but it only dealt 44 percent of damage to the hero¡¯s health.

    Penslin already had another arrow ready, and Junhyuk got closer. He knew his own attack hadn¡¯t been a critical by considering the damage was only 44 percent.

    The undead didn¡¯t receive a lot of damage, even from critical hits. However, Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t use his Spatial Copse yet. He wanted to watch Rodrey fight first.

    As he got closer, Alondo took off on the skeleton horse. It¡¯s speed was extremely fast, and Alondo headed toward him.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t respond to the horse¡¯s speed. He triggered his eleration right as Along swung his scythe.

    Junhyuk used both swords to block the attack, and the whole world turned upside down. Alondo had flipped him, and that¡¯s and Rodrey threw two knives at Alondo.

 Chapter 417 - The Last Member 3

    <h4>Chapter 417: The Last Member 3</h4>

    It was important to check the range of the knife throw, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t have time to pay attention. He was flying, and Penslin was already pulling on his bow¡¯s string.

    Penslin shot again, and Junhyuk teleported. Suddenly, an explosion took ce where he had been standing. Junhyuk closed in quickly, swinging his swords. At close range, he had the advantage.

    Penslin blocked Junhyuk¡¯s sword with his bow.

    ng!

    However, as he did, he was already pulling the string back, preparing another shot. Junhyuk felt that they were true heroes. He didn¡¯t know if they had just activated their powers and be heroes, or if they had begun as heroes. Nevertheless, those were heroes with battle sense.

    So far, he had only met weak heroes, so he had forgotten about how strong and skilled heroes could be.

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure about their equipment, but regarding their powers, they weren¡¯tcking in anything against him.

    As he turned around, protecting his weak spot, Penslin let go of the bowstring.

    Thunk!

    Junhyuk was pushed back, and after being pushed back, he teleported to Penslin again. He had received 12 percent of damage, and the attack had put some distance between the two.

    Penlin¡¯s power had pushed him back by twenty meters. Penslin was a sniper, and he had a power that pushed the enemy back to gain some distance.

    Junhyuk thought Penslin¡¯s attack damage was at least twice of those of his previous enemies. On top of that, he also knew how to use his powers effectively. Junhyuk shed at Penslin again.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t afford to be careless. Penslin lookedfortable using the bow to protect himself, so Junhyuk had to trigger his eleration.

    Penslin tried to block with the bow again, so Junhyuk changed the direction of his attack, shing Penlin¡¯s wrist.

    The attack dealt 9 percent of damage to the hero. Junhyuk had seen all of Penslin¡¯s powers except for his ultimate, so he decided it was time to kill the hero. He triggered a Spatial Copse on Penslin¡¯s chest.

    Penslin was different from previous heroes. He was an undead. More urately, he was a skeleton hero, so his bones shattered as he was sucked into the Spatial Copse.

    Penslin died, and Junhyuk turned back. Rodrey and Alondo were fighting.

    While Junhyuk fought, Alondo lost 42 percent of his health. Rodrey had used his speed buff and his throwing knives.

    Alondo was very fast, but with Rodrey¡¯s speed buff power, he was faster. Junhyuk wanted support his partner, so he chased after Alondo.

    Alondo extended the hand that wasn¡¯t holding the scythe. Suddenly, a ck ring shackled Rodrey. The enemy hero had a flipping power and a restraining power. He was a good pair for a sniper.

    Junhyuk quickly chased after Alondo, who made his skeleton horse rear, and suddenly, twelve skeleton horses appeared. They all rushed toward Rodrey, so Junhyuk extended his hand and raised the force field around Rodrey.

    Even covered by the force field, Rodrey was pushed back.

    Nevertheless, Rodrey smirked and said, ¡°This is a nice power.¡± The hero extended both hands and shouted, ¡°Time for my other power!¡±

    With Rodrey¡¯s shout, ten knives flew up to the sky. They all crashed around Alondo, but they pierced the enemy hero¡¯s body as they fell. Alondo lost 25 percent of his health.

    Rodrey¡¯s attack was very strong, even without equipment. With equipment, he would be much more powerful.

    Junhyuk went after Alondo, who had 33 percent of his health and was running toward him. Alondo knew about the force field, so he changed his target.

    When he closed in, Alondo swung his scythe. Junhyuk dodged the scythe, which looked incredibly powerful, and swung his sword in a counterattack.

    The skeleton horse jumped to the side and dodged the attack. Alondo attacked again. The scythe¡¯s length was longer than the length of Junhyuk¡¯s body, but Junhyuk simply turned sideways to dodge the strike.

    He was using his eleration to dodge the scythe attacks, but his opponent was an undead without any muscle limitation, so the scythe changed trajectory and headed toward Junhyuk. He blocked the strike with both of his swords, but he was pulled up from the ground. He had no answer for that attack.

    While Junhyuk was in the air, Alondo raised his scythe. Junhyuk had no way of escaping.

    At the same time, Rodrey ran toward them and threw a knife. Alondo got hit, but he still swung the scythe down on Junhyuk, who attempted to block with his swords. However, suddenly, the scythe became translucent and went through his swords, shing Junhyuk.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    He had experienced something simr before. Nid had used a power like that, and there was no way to defend against it.

    Junhyuk received 15 percent of damage, which was more than other attacks. Junhyuk thought the power also had a piercing buff. While thinking about it, hended on the ground and went after Alondo again. However, Alondo¡¯s movement speed was faster than his speed.

    Since Alondo was faster, he kept an even distance from Junhyuk, whose attack couldn¡¯t reach the hero. Junhyuk still had to wait for his powers to return.

    Junhyuk had thought his own speed and swordsmanship to be superior to other heroes¡¯. He had thought that even without powers, he would¡¯ve been able to fight. But, even with his eleration triggered, there was no muscle movement from Alondo for him to see, so he couldn¡¯t attack or parry. It seemed like Alondo had been created by the heavens to be his nemesis.

    Junhyuk had to wait for the Spatial sh and the Spatial Copse toe off cooldown. In the meantime, Rodrey was helping him.

    Alondo was keeping his distance, but Rodrey did not miss any of his knife attacks. Alondo had been focusing on Junhyuk, so he hadn¡¯t noticed Rodrey¡¯s attacks. Each knife dealt 5 percent of damage to the hero.

    Because of that, Alondo, who had been ying with Junhyuk, spurred his horse and started to run away. His movement speed was very high, but Rodrey chased after the hero while throwing knives at him. By that point, Alondo only had 3 percent of his health left.

    On his horse, Alondo dodged the knives being thrown at him. He ignored Junhyuk and focused all of his attention on Rodrey¡¯s attacks. He needed to do that to dodge them all.

    Junhyuk had no other choice. He used his jump skill at an angle. With it, he closed in on Alondo. However, Alondo saw himing and changed the direction of his skeleton horse. Junhyuk¡¯s attack missed, but Rodrey threw another knife that sank into Alondo¡¯s back, and Alondo disappeared.

    Rodrey saw him fade away and asked, ¡°What happens when one dies?¡±

    ¡°One must travel through a heavy emptiness before reviving. Heroes can revive as many times as they want. The revival process isn¡¯t that long, but you¡¯ll drop an item.¡±

    ¡°I heard about that too, that heroes drop one of the items they are holding. And that weapons are thest to drop.¡±

    ¡°Right. For that reason, some heroes only upgrade their weapons. It¡¯s a good idea in theory, but it¡¯s better to maintain a good bnce over having just your weapons be good.¡±

    ¡°Hm... Is there equipment better than what I own?¡±

    ¡°You can get anything from the merchant as long as you have money. You can get really nice items, but the price will be really high.¡±

    ¡°This is an interesting ce,¡± Rodrey concluded as he picked up the ring dropped by Alondo. Junhyuk picked up the item Penslin had dropped. It was a bracelet.

    ¡ª

    Bracelet of Darkness

    Attack +15

    Dark Attack +2%

    This bracelet is borne out of darkness, and it increases both regr attack and dark attack.

    ¡ª

    Considering the buffs on the item, the bracelet didn¡¯t work very well for Junhyuk. He decided to sell itter, thinking that the bracelet would get him a nice amount of gold.

    So far, all of the items he had picked up had sold for 35,000G. That bracelet would be worth more. Their current enemies were better, so naturally, their items were as well.

    Junhyuk thought that the level of this new group of heroes seemed simr to the first team he fought, when he first joined Arn. He remembered selling their items for 40,000G.

    Heroes owned both cheap and expensive items, and Junhyuk thought the bracelet should be one of the cheapest items Penslin had been carrying.

    After using the minions to destroy the watchtower, Junhyuk suddenly remembered something. Ordinarily, the fight for the buff tower would¡¯ve been over and won, and the allies would¡¯ve been buffed. However, this time, that hadn¡¯t happened.

    Junhyuk called Sarang, and her image appeared in front of him.

    ¡°What happened? You haven¡¯t taken the buff tower yet?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in the buff tower waiting for the buff to trigger right now, but La died during thest battle.¡±

    ¡°La died?!¡±

    La¡¯s defense wasn¡¯t all that great, but her attack was superior to most people¡¯s. Finding out that she had died, Junhyuk scowled.

    ¡°The opponent was that strong?¡±

    ¡°Without my ultimate, I¡¯d been killed as well. One of the heroes must have had a piercing buff. La was killed easily. They also had a champion with them.¡±

    ¡°But you killed them all?¡±

    ¡°Just barely. With my ultimate.¡±

    Sarang¡¯s ultimate made her invincible for five second, so the enemies hadn¡¯t been able to kill her.

    Junhyuk also concluded that they had been able to kill their own enemies because there had only been two. If three of them had appeared, the allies would¡¯ve had a terrible time. On top of that, the enemy team had a champion.

    Junhyuk called Gongon.

    ¡°Gon, how¡¯s the left side?¡±

    ¡°Elise helped me kill the hero, and we destroyed the watchtower. The enemy was an undead tank, but it was weak against my firebreath.¡±

    Junhyuk had been made aware that undead enemies wouldn¡¯t receive a critical hit from an attack to the neck, but he hadn¡¯t known they were weak against fire.

    Gongon had fire powers, so he would be the protagonist in the fight against these new enemies.

 Chapter 418 - New Weapon 1

    <h4>Chapter 418: New Weapon 1</h4>

    Junhyuk had checked out Rodrey¡¯s powers. He didn¡¯t know everything about their enemies¡¯ powers, but he knew that the buff tower was vulnerable, so he turned to Rodrey and said, ¡°The right path is a better fit for La than for me.¡±

    ¡°La? The woman with the katana?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, and shaking his head, Rodrey asked, ¡°What should I do?¡±

    ¡°Stay close to the watchtower. What¡¯s your attack range?¡±

    ¡°Thirty-five meters. It seems my throws are limited here. This ce must have some hidden supernatural power.¡±

    Thirty-five meters was a long distance for anybody. Junhyuk had only met one other person with a longer range. He turned to where Penslin had fallen and shook his head. Penslin was capable of attacking from fifty meters away.

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t measured the range of Penslin¡¯s regr attack, but as a long range sniper, Penslin was deadly.

    ¡°You¡¯ll do fine.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    After hearing Rodrey¡¯s answer, he started heading to the middle path. On the way, he called La and asked her to take over the right path. He had nned on heading to the buff tower first, but Junhyuk changed directions and went to seek out the Queen Harpy.

    Whenever possible, fighting buffed was better. The Harpy Queen¡¯s buff triggered an extra attack. With it, his future fight would be easier.

    The Queen Harpy could fly, so it was a difficult opponent. However, Junhyuk had a few strategies for dealing with it by that point, so he easily killed the Queen Harpy.

    Now, he had received both the monster buff and the buff from the central tower. Junhyuk reached the buff tower with a stack of two buffs, and because the tower buffed speed, he got there before the enemy heroes.

    When Sarang saw him, she smiled brightly.

    ¡°Wee!¡±

    ¡°I thought La might not be a good fit here, so I came to help.¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s defense was greater than La¡¯s, and the enemy might have piercing attacks. He had some legendary items, and his equipment was overall better than La¡¯s. On top of that, he had the force field.

    Junhyuk asked Sarang, ¡°What are the enemies like?¡±

    ¡°Epilen is the assassin. He has a grab and teleport power and a stealth power. He also has a stun. His ultimate killed La. With it, he can fade into darkness.¡±

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t worried about the stealth power, but the fact that Epilen had a grab meant that he could use it any time he got close.

    Sarang continued, ¡°Dolorac is a mage with a staff made of bones. He can imprison enemies and surround himself in bone armor to increase his defense. He also has a soul attack that deals massive damage over a certain path.¡±

    ¡°You know their names?¡±

    ¡°La asked, and they told her.¡±

    ¡°What about the champion.¡±

    Sarang took a moment to think and replied, ¡°The champion was different. She¡¯s undead, but she can transform into a horse, a bear or a wolf.¡±

    ¡°Is that the extent of it?¡±

    ¡°Not really. After she transforms, she gains different abilities.¡±

    ¡°So, the champion is powerful.¡±

    Junhyuk imagined what the enemies would be like, and soon, they appeared. They were taking the middle path again. He could tell who they were by looking at them. The one with the robe and the long staff was Dolorac. The one hunched over and missing his lower jaw was Epilen, also an undead. Lastly, was the undead with the long blonde hair. She had to be the champion.

    She was capable of transforming, and Junhyuk felt he had to watch out for her.

    The enemies were moving with a hundred minions. Junhyuk looked back and saw that Sarang only had thirty-five left with her. The previous battle had decreased their numbers significantly.

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t brought any minions with him, so the allies would have fewer minions in theing battle. On top of that, the enemies had a champion.

    He looked at Sarang and asked, ¡°Did you use your ring¡¯s power?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°Without it, I would¡¯ve been killed even with the ultimate.¡±

    ¡°The situation doesn¡¯t sound very good.¡±

    Junhyuk watched as the enemies approached slowly. The heroes he had killed had to have revived, so the others must know about his powers as well.

    Junhyuk took off. Even if the enemies knew about his powers, he would use the Spatial sh and Spatial Copse to kill them.

    The two heroes had to be powerful. La carried two legendary items, but she didn¡¯t have much in defense. Nevertheless, that the enemies had been able to kill her meant that their attacks were powerful enough to do it.

    When Junhyuk moved forward, Sarang followed him with the allied minions. The enemies hesitated when they saw him.

    Epilen, who was staring at him approaching, suddenly disappeared. Junhyuk could sense Epilen heading toward him under stealth, and he chuckled at the hero. A stealth power would have appeared in the battlefield sooner orter.

    Junhyuk knew that Epilen could get closer under stealth, but his Spatial sh¡¯s range was greater than the power¡¯s distance. He could sense that Epilen was within range, but he ignored the hero and kept moving forward. When that happened, Epilen felt confident enough to speed up toward Junhyuk.

    When he could sense that Epilen was within range of the Spatial Copse, Junhyuk used it.

    The sudden attack brought Epilen out of stealth. The hero was sucked into the tear and lost 50 percent of his health in the process. Then, Junhyuk used his Spatial sh on the enemy.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t aim for Epilen¡¯s neck. Instead, he aimed for the hero¡¯s heart. Even then, the attack wasn¡¯t a critical hit. Epilen lost 45 percent of his health, but he didn¡¯t die.

    With 5 percent of his health left, Epilen retreated quickly. The other hero and the champion stepped forward. The two ran toward Junhyuk, who teleported to chase after Epilen.

    Junhyuk closed in against the assassin, but Epilen disappeared. Junhyuk felt a shock against his back, and he lost 17 percent of his health.

    Either Epilen had an item that buffed piercing or a power that did that. After losing the health, Junhyuk turned around while swinging his sword, but an electric arrow mmed against Epilen faster than he could, killing the enemy hero.

    Junhyuk turned to focus on Dolorac. He still had one teleportation left, so he was confident that he could take the hero on.

    Dolorac extended his staff, and suddenly, a sphere made out of bones shot toward him, but Junhyuk teleported again. He appeared swinging his sword, so Dolorac equipped himself with the bone armor and blocked the attack.

    The bone armor took the brunt of the attack, and Dolorac only received 2 percent of damage. If Junhyuk wanted to find out how much damage he could really deal Dolorac, he would first have to strip the mage of his bone armor.

    Junhyuk swung faster, and the bone armor blocked his attacks a total of three times before disappearing. Dolorac had only lost 6 percent of his health. When Junhyuk was about to attack again, the champion joined the fight. She transformed into a wolf and bit his leg.

    Junhyuk felt a sharp pain run through his body, and he knew he was stunned. It was total paralysis.

    He couldn¡¯t moved, and Dolorac aimed the staff at him. Suddenly, a raging soul flew toward him. It went through his body, passing him, and covered Sarang, who was behind him.

    Junhyuk lost 15 percent of his health, and so did Sarang.

    ¡°It can decrease max health?!¡±

    Junhyuk knew powers like that existed. However, it affected not just one person, but two. He was astonished, and Sarang used her Thunderstorm on Dolorac.

    The mage lost 40 percent of his health in one go.

    The Thunderstorm could¡¯ve been a critical hit, or Dolorac could have shoddy magic defense. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t tell.

    He closed in on Dolorac, but the champion transformed into a bear and blocked his path. Junhyuk shed the bear with his sword, and the champion lost 50 percent of her health.

    Her items must not be great, but she still didn¡¯t die with that single hit.

    Junhyuk kicked the champion aside and tried to attack Dolorac, but the mage extended his staff and encased Junhyuk in a bone prison.

    Inside, Junhyuk frowned and raised his force field. The bone prison was shattered by the force field, and Junhyuk pressed forward. Two electric sts flew in from behind him and hit Dolorac and the champion. Both were paralyzed.

    Junhyuk mmed his sword down hard against Dolorac¡¯s head instead of attacking the hero¡¯s neck. He knew undead bodies were strong and he was trying to attack every part he could to find out which one was the weakest so that he could deliver critical hits again.

    Boom!

    He hadn¡¯t been able to deal a critical hit up to that point, but with the headstrike, he was able to. Doloract lost 20 percent of his health, and Junhyuk swung his sword again and again.

    Dolorac¡¯s weakness was closebat, so finally, Junhyuk smashed Dolorac¡¯s head. When he turned around, he watched as the champion was hit by an electric arrow and fell. Sarang sighed, relieved, and extended her hand toward him.

    Light green powder sprinkled over him, and he regained his health. He even regained the damage to his max health.

    Looking at her, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s kill the minions first.¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s shockwaves didn¡¯t work against the minions, but he and Sarang could kill them with a snap of their fingers. After they had massacred the enemy minions, he looked at her and said, ¡°Let¡¯s pick up the items.¡±

    They picked up their items, and Junhyuk scowled when he inspected his.

    ¡°This one also has a dark attack buff.¡±

    They all had buffs to dark attack.

    ¡°They are all undead.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°I can easily kill Epilen, even if he has stealth. But, he may be a problem to our allies.¡±

    Junhyuk had lost 17 percent of his health with Epilen¡¯s attack. Gongon would be fine, but the others would be seriously hurt. Sarang and Rodrey had low defense stats, so they might even die from a single hit.

    Epilen reminded Junhyuk of Kilraden, but he hadn¡¯t seen Epilen¡¯s ultimate, so he didn¡¯t know everything about the hero yet.

    Junhyuk turned to Sarang and said, ¡°Gongon and Elise have taken a watchtower. We should let them be. However, we can¡¯t push middle since we don¡¯t have enough minions.¡±

    After some thought, Sarang replied, ¡°We still have the speed buff, so we should go to Bebe.¡±

    ¡°Right. I¡¯ll tell Gongon toe as well.¡±

 Chapter 419 - New Weapon 2

    <h4>Chapter 419: New Weapon 2</h4>

    Junhyuk and Sarang were going to see Bebe, so they called Gongon, who was advancing to the second watchtower. Gongon told them that he¡¯d join them at Bebe¡¯s. The hatchling also let Elise know about the change of ns since she was fighting with him.

    The fights were dangerous for her, but Gongon had no other recourse. He couldn¡¯t leave Elise behind at the first tower and advance. Her support was a big help. Gongon was already strong, and with the buff she could grant him, he would be able to win every time.

    On top of that, there was Zaira. The gynoid¡¯s power was limited in the Dimensional Battlefield, but Zaira would do her part.

    Even though Zaira could only function for a short while, Gongon wouldn¡¯t lose during that time.

    Junhyuk and Sarang were heading to Bebe when they called Gongon again.

    ¡°They are so easy!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve killed them?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re certainly weak to fire. The tank was easy too. And Elise is a big help!¡±

    ¡°OK. Come quickly.¡±

    ¡°See you in a short while.¡±

    Junhyuk and Sarang reached Bebe¡¯s store to see Bebe filing his nails. The yeti smiled at Junhyuk.

    ¡°You¡¯re here?!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Junhyuk gave him the items that he had picked up and asked, ¡°How much will you give me for them?¡±

    Bebe inspected them and replied, ¡°They aren¡¯t expensive items. I¡¯ll give you 50,000G for each of them.¡±

    Junhyuk sold everything, and Sarang sold another three items. La must have damaged the enemies before dying for Sarang to get all the kills.

    He checked the amount of gold he had. Junhyuk had received another 100,000G, so now, he had 2,425,523G. With an additional 300,000G, he would be able to buy the sword he wanted. If lucky, he would get the new sword during this battlefield. He decided to be proactive in killing the enemies. Junhyuk would kill them six more times.

    Sarang was checking out items to purchase when Elise walked in with Gongon. Elise carried Gongon toward Junhyuk.

    ¡°How was your side?¡±

    After some thought, Junhyuk replied, ¡°The enemies had considerable power, and their items were worth 50,000G each. Not bad at all.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Did you also face undead?¡±

    ¡°I did. I think they are all undead.¡±

    ¡°The battle will be easy then.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Bebe and said, ¡°I have a question.¡±

    Bebe, who was suggesting items to Sarang, replied, ¡°If I have the answer, I¡¯ll give it to you.¡±

    ¡°The undead are weak against fire. Why is that?¡±

    ¡°That has to do with their nature. Fire damage normally deals 10 percent extra damage to all creatures, but in the case of the undead, it deals 30 percent extra damage. However, undead deal 10 percent extra darkness damage to other creatures with any dark attack.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know anything about that.

    ¡°Is each creature type different then?¡±

    ¡°Not every type has natural buffs and weaknesses. When one gains something, one also loses something. However, there are those who have no buffs and no weaknesses, just like you humans.¡±

    Junhyukughed when Bebe said that. Humans weren¡¯t strong against anything, but they also weren¡¯t weak against anything, and Junhyuk thought that was a good thing.

    Elise said, ¡°I made more core bombs, but I couldn¡¯t make many items.¡±

    She pulled out four items: two Invisibility Cloaks and two green breasttes.

    Junhyuk inspected the breasttes.

    ¡ª

    Dragon Breastte

    Defense +120

    Magic Defense +120

    Skill: Dragon Armor

    This breastte increases both defense and magic defense. It was made out of dragon scales. The jade shine is beautiful to see.

    Dragon Armor: Magic defense increases by 100 percent for five seconds. Two-hour cooldown.

    ¡ª

    The cooldown wasn¡¯t that long, and it was an incredible piece of armor. Junhyuk hugged her instinctively and said, ¡°Elise! You¡¯re amazing!¡±

    Sheughed and replied, ¡°I want to keep one of each for me to sell.¡±

    ¡°Of course! Let¡¯s find out the price first.¡±

    Bebe looked at the Dragon Breastte andughed hard.

    ¡°She¡¯s got skills. Creating a new recipe isn¡¯t easy, and she¡¯s made two already. Do you want to work for me?¡±

    Elise shook her head and replied, ¡°It would be fun, but I¡¯ll pass.¡±

    Bebe shrugged.

    ¡°These are high-level pieces of equipment too. The breastte is not as great as the Invisibility Cloak, so I¡¯ll give you 130,000G for each of them.¡±

    Elise readily agreed and turned to Junhyuk. By selling one Invisibility Cloak and one Dragon Breastte, he would earn 280,000G, and so would Elise.

    He recalcted his earnings: 2,705,523G.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t believe how much gold he had. Everything was thanks to Elise.

    Looking at Bebe, Junhyuk dered, ¡°Give me Swordsman Aksha¡¯s Scarlet Longsword.¡±

    ¡°Hm! You have that much gold?!¡±

    Bebe pulled the longsword from underneath the counter. It cost 2,700,000G, making it the most expensive item Junhyuk had purchased. He inspected it carefully. The longsword was a legendary item, and he liked its shape. It was one meter long and three fingers in width. The de was purple.

    Junhyuk grabbed the hilt of the sword lightly, and as soon as he did, the sword¡¯s instructions filled his brain.

    He was stunned, and smirking at him, Bebe said, ¡°The sword¡¯s ability and original swordsmanship have been transferred to you. How you use that knowledge is up to you.¡±

    So far, his swordsmanship had a wild nature to it. He used his eleration to attack in unexpected ways. With the Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship, his movements would be much more methodical.

    Junhyuk could now attack from twenty meters away. He had be much stronger.

    Tobine his original swordsmanship with his existing swordsmanship, he would train incessantly.

    His new sword would require upgrades, but it would be stronger than the Blood Rune Sword with them.

    Junhyuk sheathed Aksha¡¯s Longsword. After buying it, he¡¯d be penniless. He had wanted to purchase a training facility, but he didn¡¯t have the money. However, he couldn¡¯t ask Sarang for it. She needed her own items much more.

    Looking at Bebe, Junhyuk asked, ¡°The dimensional managers made a champions¡¯ training facility on Earth. I want one as well with ess to it given by me. How much would that cost?¡±

    Bebeughed.

    ¡°Those are like Spatial Bags, but in some aspects, entirely different. It¡¯s like making a Spatial Bag for living creatures to enter. The cost is exactly twice that of arge Spatial Bag.¡±

    The five-squared meter Spatial Bag was 100,000G, so he would need 200,000G for a new training facility.

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue, and Sarang interjected into the conversation.

    ¡°I can buy it.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not necessary.¡±

    On Earth, he could get whatever he wanted. Not as the Dark Knight, but as Max.

    He patted her shoulder and said, ¡°Considering your ultimate, you need to boost your attack. When you can kill enemies with a single hit, then you should start working on your defense.¡±

    With her ultimate, she could fight anyone for five seconds. During that time, the enemy wouldn¡¯t be able to hurt her, so it was better for her to increase her attack first. By increasing the number of items she owned, she too would be a legendter.

    Sarang nodded and purchased an item. Meanwhile, Elise was buying runestones. She bought three of the highest-quality intelligence runestones.

    Junhyuk walked up to her and said, ¡°You need an items to socket those to.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aware. I got one as a gift. It also gives a 10 percent boost to the runestones socketed to it.¡±

    She showed him a glove, and Junhyuk stared nkly at it.

    ¡°Elise is a child as useful as you. I made this as an experiment and I wanted to give it to her. It can only take five runestones,¡± Gongon said.

    It was the first time Gongon had made that, but it was outstanding. Gongon was extremely generous for giving it away as a present.

    ¡°Thanks!¡±

    ¡°Elise is learning magic from me, so you could say she¡¯s my first human apprentice,¡± Gongon replied with a shrug.

    Elise socketed the runestones, and her eyes beamed.

    ¡°Whoa! These are amazing!¡±

    Elise could feel the intelligence runestone working on her brain. So far, she had never felt like her brain hadcked something. However,tely, she¡¯d started having headaches, but now, the headaches were gone.

    With more intelligence runestones, Elise would be able to create more equipment. She was very happy.

    Meanwhile, Junhyuk swung his new longsword lightly. The length of the sword extended. Junhyuk wanted to get used to it and master Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship. Junhyuk swung it a few more times and turned to Gongon.

    ¡°How many minions do you have?¡±

    ¡°Fifty-two.¡±

    Even if the two groupsbined their minions, their numbers wouldn¡¯t be that high. The second tower on the left path was already destroyed, so Junhyuk wanted to push that side. If the enemies headed middle, the allies could push through the left and end the battle.

    Looking at the group, he said, ¡°We¡¯ll take the left path. The second watchtower is gone, so even if the enemy takes the buff, we can push on.¡±

    Gongon readily agreed and beckoned for Elise. She ran to the hatchling, and Gongon hopped on her and said, ¡°I should make a movement speed item and give it to you as a present.¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    Gongon¡¯s goal was to use Elise as a vehicle by giving her the item to increase her speed, but she wanted it anyway.

    Junhyuk shook his head while watching their interaction and turned to Bebe.

    ¡°Bebe, I have a question.¡±

    Bebe, who was about to close shop, turned to him. He walked over to the yeti and pulled out a core. Bebe¡¯s eyes beamed as he saw it.

    ¡°Where did you get it?¡±

    Bebe recognized the core, so Junhyuk decided to ask Bebe about it.

    ¡°This core created a dimensional tear in my dimension. Do you want to buy it?¡±

 Chapter 420 - New Weapon 3

    <h4>Chapter 420: New Weapon 3</h4>

    Bebe checked out the core, smacked his lips and gave it back to Junhyuk, who took it back and waited for Bebe¡¯s answer.

    ¡°This is an artificial core.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    Bebe touched the core with his fingers and said, ¡°A core has a well of energy inside it. Depending on what one makes with it, a core can be a catastrophic weapon or a nearly unbreakable defensive machine.¡±

    Bebe raised the core using his index finger and thumb and said, ¡°This was used to create a closed space. Without that closed space, it has no power.¡±

    Junhyuk grimaced and asked, ¡°I can¡¯t use it?¡±

    ¡°It has no power of its own. If you want to use it, you¡¯ll have to refurbish it.¡±

    He frowned and asked another question, ¡°Is there a way to refurbish it?¡±

    Bebe nodded and answered, ¡°Of course! But, you need a lot more gold.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to sell the core. He didn¡¯t want to spend more gold.

    ¡°How much?¡±

    ¡°You must have more cores as well.¡±

    ¡°I have a lot of them.¡±

    Bebe answered matter-of-factly, ¡°To refurbish a core, the cost is 200,000G.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    The cost was shocking. Junhyuk was surprised, and Bebe added, ¡°After refurbishing it, you can earn more money. Previously, refurbished cores have been sold for more than 1,000,000G.¡±

    At that moment, Elise interjected in the conversation, ¡°Then, can I have the recipe for the refurbishing process?¡±

    Bebe shook his head.

    ¡°The recipe isn¡¯t for sale. Cores are hard things to get your hands on.¡±

    Elise thought things over for a while and searched her Spatial Bag. She pulled out a small Core Bomb. Junhyuk was shocked by Elise, but he simply stared at her. Why was she carrying such a dangerous item with her?

    She asked Bebe, ¡°Can you buy this thing?¡±

    Bebe looked at the Core Bomb andughed.

    ¡°You can¡¯t use this in the Dimensional Battlefield, but some may want to buy such a thing for other uses. Nevertheless, you didn¡¯t use a refurbished core to make it, so its destructive power is kind of crap.¡±

    Stunned, Junhyuk and Sarang stared at Bebe. The Core Bomb was more than destructive enough. It could melt anything up to A-ranked monsters, and Bebe had called it crap.

    The yeti stared at the two of them and asked, ¡°Have you used it?¡±

    ¡°It even killed some A-ranked monsters.¡±

    Bebe clicked his tongue and replied, ¡°Refurbished cores can make bombs that will kill S-ranked monsters. But, you¡¯ve used it well. Otherwise, it would¡¯ve meant your deaths.¡±

    Bebe turned to Elise and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you 30,000G for it. That¡¯s more than it¡¯s worth.¡±

    Elise smiled and pulled out the rest of the Core Bombs one by one. She had fourteen total that she hadn¡¯t had a chance to use on Earth.

    Bebe stared at the bombs, astonished by Elise.

    ¡°Do you have any more?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. These are essentially defective products. Some may want to buy them, which is why I¡¯m buying them from you, but I won¡¯t do it again.¡±

    Elise nodded.

    ¡°Can you give me half the earnings?¡± she asked Junhyuk.

    Each bomb was worth 30,000G. At fourteen bombs, that woulde out to 420,000G. Elise would earn 210,000G from the exchange.

    Junhyuk did not refuse the deal. With the 210,000G she received, Elise refurbished one core. She really wanted to research it.

    Gongon also refurbished his core.

    Junhyuk took a moment to think. He had gotten a new sword. He could either refurbish a core or buy enhancement stones to upgrade his new sword. Shaking his head, he made his decision. While the core research was important, at that moment, Junhyuk wanted to win the battle.

    Junhyuk bought four enhancement stones, and Bebe upgraded his legendary item, the Scarlet Longsword.

    The longsword¡¯s original attack was 850, but after four upgrades, the attack damage went up to 1,763. By sheer attack power, it was now stronger than the Blood Rune Sword.

    Junhyuk also changed his grips. The Blood Rune Sword was now held by his left hand, while Aksha¡¯s Longsword was held by his right. He did that to increase the damage of his Spatial sh.

    He didn¡¯t really want to sell the Frozen Rune Sword. More training was required for him to use three swords, but he wanted to try.

    After a few more swings, Junhyuk looked at the group and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go destroy a castle.¡±

    It could be dangerous to attack a castle with just three heroes, but he was feeling confident. His equipment included legendary items, but that wasn¡¯t all. He could also increase his sword¡¯s range and attack from a distance.

    ¡°I¡¯ll destroy that castle.¡±

    If his enemies had taken the middle path, they would use their returns.

    The group took off. The allies had few minions, but there were three heroes and an expert, and they were all moving quickly. Since they had already destroyed the second watchtower on that path, they went straight to the enemy castle.

    While they were heading there, La called him. She had joined the right path and was heading toward the second watchtower there.

    If the enemies returned to the castle, Rodrey and La would destroy the second watchtower on their path. Taking the left path, Junhyuk¡¯s group moved toward the castle.

    When they arrived, they saw no enemy heroes there. Only the undead minions were present, so when Junhyuk saw them, he shouted, ¡°Attack before the heroes return!¡±

    The allies started to run. There were a hundred enemy minions, and Junhyuk was thinking that the allies could kill them and destroy the castle.

    As the allies ran toward the castle, the gate suddenly opened, and the heroes ran out. The enemies had used the minions as decoy and waited until the allies were close toe out. All five heroes and the champion were rushing toward the allies.

    The allies werecking two heroes.

    Junhyuk looked at Elise, and she buffed him. He had his new sword. All of the allies knew about it.

    Knowing that hitting their heads resulted in critical hits, Junhyuk looked toward his enemies while scoping things out. Gongon had already fought the enemy knight, who was holding his head to the side of his body.

    ¡°Duhan?¡±

    ¡°No. His name is Durandal. He¡¯s a straight tank. His powers are defense buff, taunt and jump. I don¡¯t know about thest one.¡±

    ¡°What about his attack stat?¡±

    ¡°Since he¡¯s a tank, his defense stat is high, but his attack is kinda crap,¡± Gongon said. The hatchling cracked his neck left and right and asked, ¡°Do you want me to fight him?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to test his new weapon. He really wanted to check on one thing first, so looking at the allies, he said, ¡°Penslin, the skeleton archer, is present, so be careful with him. His attack takes time, but he has a fifty-meter range.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the longest possible distance. What about his damage?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s double that of the previous heroes we fought. That chinless undead is capable of teleporting behind you, and he also has a stealth power.¡±

    Gongon shrugged and said, ¡°In any event, are our individual powers better than theirs?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°What are we waiting for then?¡±

    Junhyuk smirked at Gongon and said, ¡°Before we begin, I want to test something out.¡±

    The enemy had the undead minions blocking their path, and Junhyuk ran toward those minions. The allied heroes and Elise followed behind him.

    As Junhyuk ran, Penslin nocked an arrow. He wanted to attack at the same time Junhyuk attacked. The other enemies also started to move.

    Junhyuk swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    It lengthened to twenty meters, and as soon as it did, Junhyuk used his Spatial sh. Would the Spatial sh work when the de was at full extension? Junhyuk wanted to test that very thing.

    The de blinked, and the Spatial sh triggered without problem. Their heads were their weakness, so the cut travelled to one. The Spatial sh cut a gash across Penslin¡¯s head. It was a critical hit, and Penslin died on the spot.

    The critical hit had triggered the extra damage, and because Aksha¡¯s Longsword¡¯s attack stat was very high, Penslin died with a single hit.

    While Penslin died, Dolorac was also injured. The other enemy heroes were fine because they had been running toward Junhyuk, so they were out of the shockwave¡¯s range.

    Doloract lost 65 percent of his health from the shockwave. The shockwave¡¯s damage was 60 percent of the original attack¡¯s damage, which meant that the Spatial sh could also kill Dolorac.

    Junhyuk decided to pass by the enemy heroes because he wanted to finish Dolorac. Another critical hit and he would be able to do it.

    Durandal ran toward him and used his jump to close in on Junhyuk. However, Junhyuk did not care. He trusted Gongon, who was following him.

    Gongon erged, and Junhyuk teleported, passing by his enemies. Epilen was stealthing, but his movement speed wasn¡¯t great. Epilen was standing right next to where Junhyuk appeared, so Junhyuk swung at the hero.

    ng!

    Epilen blocked the attack, but his invisibility got cancelled. Junhyuk teleported again, heading for Dolorac, and as he did, bolts of lightning fell from the sky.

    Epilen was visible, so Sarang wasted no time in attacking him. Junhyuk trusted Sarang to cover him, so he kept going after Dolorac. However, someone was attacking him from behind: Alondo.

    Alondo swung his scythe, so Junhyuk raised his force field. While Alondo tried to get to him, Junhyuk closed the gap with Dolorac, using his jump skill to do so.

    Dolorac quickly raised his staff, but the sword lengthened suddenly. It bent like a whip and snapped at Dolorac. That was a counter move possible only with knowledge of Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship.

    Dolorac¡¯s eyes widened when he got hit by the whip-sword. The attack took 30 percent off his health. Following that, Junhyuk pierced Dolorac¡¯s jaw with the Blood Rune Sword in his left hand.

    While Dolorac faded, Junhyuk turned around. His enemies knew that nothing would work against his force field, so they decided to target Gongon and Sarang.

    Durandal reached the allied formation first among the enemies. He extended his head toward the allies, and Gongon¡¯s and Sarang¡¯s eyes changed. They attacked Durandal, but only with regr attacks.

    Their regr attacks dealt a lot of damage, but it was obvious that the allies¡¯ powers were locked by Durandal. Durandal¡¯s taunt worked at long range, and Sarang was drawn to the hero. Seeing that, Alondo closed in on her and shed her with the scythe. Following him, Epilen stabbed her from behind with his dagger.

    With those two attacks, Sarang lost all of her health and triggered her ultimate.

    Junhyuk tried to join the fight, but suddenly, Zaira appeared. He wished that Zaira would save Sarang. As he continued to run, he extended his new longsword forward, and it grew to twenty meters.

 Chapter 421 - Victory 1

    <h4>Chapter 421: Victory 1</h4>

    Junhyuk¡¯s sword extended to twenty meters. It was aimed at Epilen. However, Epilen disappeared into a ck portal he had made while touching Gongon. That was Epilen¡¯s ultimate.

    Gongon and Epilen were gone, so Junhyuk returned his sword to its original size and started to run again. He got closer to the fight. The taunt was over, so when Sarang regained consciousness, she shot two electric sts.

    One was aimed at Alondo and the other at Durandal. They both hit, and Junhyuk ran toward Durandal.

    Both enemies had high defensive stats, but he knew he could kill them both. As he headed toward Durandal, Junhyuk swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    Thuck!

    It was easy for him to strike the head of a stationary enemy. It was a critical hit, and the attack dealt 30 percent damage. On top of that, it triggered the extra strike, which dealt another 15 percent damage.

    The extra strike also had a piercing buff.

    Junhyuk had a new sword, and its damage capabilities were crazy good. Junhyuk went for a second strike, but Durandal regained his movement and raised his arm to block it. Suddenly, a dark energy emanated from Durandal¡¯s body and enveloped the hero.

    ng!

    The strike was cancelled, and so was the damage from it. However, Durandal¡¯s power also dealt damage to the hero himself. It wasn¡¯t a simple defense buff. Durandal had cancelled all iing damage at the cost of 6 percent of his health.

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue and took a few steps back. Looking around, he saw Zaira fire missiles at Alondo, who had regained his movement and was trying to attack Sarang.

    A ck ring was tying Sarang now, and Alondo was rushing toward her. Zaira was flying toward Sarang as well. Not caring about Durandal, Junhyuk ran toward the others. Sarang was shackled by the ck ring, and her health was nearly gone. Her ultimate had kept her from dying, but the five seconds had passed while the ck ring had her. If someone touched her, Sarang would die. On top of that, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t do anything for her since he had already used his force field.

    While he worried about what would happen, Zaira stepped in front of Alondo, who swung his scythe at the gynoid.

    Boom!

    Zaira fell, and Alondo swung his scythe again, releasing the skeleton horses. They stampeded toward Sarang. The horses were much faster than Junhyuk. Before she could move again, Sarang was overrun by them. She was gone, and Junhyuk grimaced.

    A ck portal appeared out of nowhere, and Gongon and Epilen reappeared. Gongon quickly kicked Epilen and followed the attack with a headbutt.

    Boom!

    Gongon was still erged when he headbutted Epilen, so the hero faded. Epilen had already been hit by the Thunderstorm, so the headbutt was too much for him.

    Junhyuk knew that only Durandal, Alondo and the champion remained. Durandal retreated very fast.

    The hero was now within reach of the castle¡¯s archers, but Junhyuk chased after him anyway. Nevertheless, he wasn¡¯t happy to fight Durandal while under attack from the archers.

    Alondo quickly retreated as well, but Gongon, who was now floating in the air, released mes in all directions, triggering his transformation.

    The transformed Gongon flew in the open sky, high above the enemies. The archers attacked him, but Gongon ignored them while breathing fire down on the battlefield. The massive mes headed toward Durandal.

    Boom!

    The hero blocked the attack, but fire dealt additional damage to undead. Durandal was covered in it. So, Junhyuk trusted Gongon with Durandal. The champion was running toward Gongon, but the dragon could handle both.

    Junhyuk¡¯s task was to finish Alondo. When Junhyuk caught up with the hero, Alondo stopped retreating and swung his scythe.

    ng!

    Junhyuk tried to extend his longsword, but the scythe blocked its path, and Alondo pushed him back. Alondo was aware that Aksha¡¯s Longsword had no power while it was extending, so he aimed for those moments.

    Frowning, Junhyuk swung the Blood Rune Sword.

    ng, ng, ng!

    At close range, Junhyuk was extremely fast with his attacks, but even while elerating, he couldn¡¯t read the trajectory of the scythe. He continued to attack, using both swords, but Alondo was mounted on a horse, so it was hard to attack him. On top of that, the skeleton horse was intelligent, and it kept a reasonable distance from Junhyuk.

    Without his powers, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t kill Alondo. When he realized that, he called for Gongon, ¡°Gon, take Alondo!¡±

    Gongon breathed fire down on the hero, and Junhyuk went over to fight Durandal, who was an easier opponent for him.

    While Junhyuk ran toward Durandal, the hero raised his right fist up high. As Gongon attacked Alondo, Durandal mmed his fist against the ground.

    Boom!

    The ground shook, and suddenly, both Gongon and Junhyuk were being dragged toward Durandal. The enemy hero was pulling both allied heroes while dealing them damage. That was the tank¡¯s ultimate.

    Durandal¡¯s position wasplicated. He was right where the archers were attacking, so now, Junhyuk and Gongon were under attack from them as well.

    Alondo ran toward them while Durandal pulled them. Junhyuk ignored Alondo and swung his sword at Durandal. The hero¡¯s power simply pulled the enemies. It didn¡¯t stun them, so Junhyuk struck him hard, and Gongon breathed fire on him.

    The champion transformed into a bear and stood in front of Durandal. Alondo closed in, swinging his scythe and slicing Gongon¡¯s neck. The dragon scowled and beat its wings. mes went everywhere. They covered Durandal, Alondo and the champion.

    The mes didn¡¯t care about defense. That was the type of power that definitely damaged the enemy. Gongon was a big help.

    Junhyuk swung at Durandal again. The hero raised his arm to block, but Aksha¡¯s sword extended and bent like a whip, striking Durandal¡¯s head.

    Durandal fell, and Junhyuk turned to face the transformed bear. His new sword easily killed the champion, and once the champion was dead, Junhyuk turned toward Alondo.

    The archers were still attacking him, but the allies still had a lot of health.

    Gongon was back to his original form. He was much smaller now, but he headbutted Alondo.

    Boom!

    Alondo got pushed back, and Junhyuk ran toward him. Realizing he was in trouble, Alondo started to run away. He was heading toward the castle wall, not the gate, so Junhyuk shook his head and swung his longsword. It extended, aimed at Alondo¡¯s back.

    Alondo blocked the attack with his scythe and kept on running. When he got to the wall, his skeleton horse ran up it.

    Alondo was now on top of the parapet, and Junhyuk stared nkly at the hero. While staring back at him, Alondo slowly retreated from the parapet.

    The archers were attacking him, so Junhyuk retreated as well. Once he was out of range, he attacked the enemy minions on the battlefield. The lengthened sword shed through the minions easily.

    Undead minions were clusy whenpared to human minions. However, undead minions felt no pain. If undead minions lost an arm, they would continue to fight. In that sense, they were superior to human minions.

    From a distance, he started shing undead minions one by one. They rushed after him, but without a hero, they were getting massacred. Junhyuk took the opportunity to use Aksha¡¯s Longsword the way he wanted. He was trying Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship and practicing the whip moves.

    When the undead got closer, the sword shortened. He could control its length, and because of that, when the de was short, his swordsmanship changed as well.

    Aksha had be a legend for a reason.

    Junhyuk and Gongon killed the one hundred minions, and Junhyuk ordered the allied minions to attack the castle. With their shields up, the allied minions attacked the gate.

    Junhyuk waited for them to bring down the gate and picked up items.

    The gate was destroyed, and he and Gongon went inside and killed the archers. Looking at his minions, Junhyuk sighed heavily. Only twelve of them had survived. The archers had been too much for them.

    Junhyuk wanted to do more, but he didn¡¯t have enough minions for that. Looking at Gongon, he said, ¡°We don¡¯t have enough minions.¡±

    Minions were very important now, and without them, the allies couldn¡¯t continue their advance. So, Junhyuk decided to retreat with Gongon. As they retreated, Junhyuk started wondering: Should he return to his own castle ande backter?

    He contacted the other allies.

    La and Rodrey were destroying the second watchtower on the right path, and Junhyuk told them to go visit Bebe. He told Sarang toe meet them with a minion battalion reinforcement.

    Looking at Gongon, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s head back and join Sarang.¡±

    There was an extremely low chance that the enemies might get to Sarang before Junhyuk, but that was that. He would join her and visit Bebe.

    With the exception of the middle path, the allies had destroyed all watchtowers. After visiting Bebe, they would be able to choose which path to take. Their enemies did not have time to breathe like the allies, so after getting more equipment, the battle would be over.

 Chapter 422 - Victory 2

    <h4>Chapter 422: Victory 2</h4>

    They went to join Sarang, and the number of allied minions increased. Rodrey and La were bringing another 15 minions, so with Sarang¡¯s 300 and the 12 surviving minions from Junhyuk¡¯s group, they would have a total of 327. With that many, the allies would be able to settle things.

    Smacking her lips, Sarang said, ¡°I dropped the item Elise gave me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not too bad.¡±

    The enemy heroes hadn¡¯t had time to pick up the item dropped by Sarang. The allies had pressured them too much. On top of that, the item she lost was something Bebe didn¡¯t want to buy more of, so Elise could make Sarang another without issue.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go see Bebe and equip ourselves. Then, we¡¯ll group up and finish things,¡± Junhyuk said, and everyone nodded and moved out.

    On their way to Bebe, the allies didn¡¯t face any enemies. If the enemy heroes were moving, they had to be heading up the middle path. Normally, the buff tower would be a deciding factor, but the allies had overrun the left and right paths this round.

    Bebe greeted the group again and shrugged, ¡°You¡¯re back so soon!¡±

    ¡°We need more things,¡± Junhyuk said as he pulled out the items he had grabbed.

    There were three of them, and after Bebe inspected them, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you 150,000G for all three.¡±

    Junhyuk sold them all and bought more enhancement stones. He sessfully upgraded Aksha¡¯s Longsword, which now had a 2,104 attack stat. It was a 20 percent increase, and the sword would only get stronger. Legendary weapons could kill tanks after being upgraded ten times.

    Junhyuk knew how hard it would be to upgrade it, but he still wanted to do it. He got Aksha¡¯s Longsword engraved with aplex pattern and decided to save the rest of his money. Now, he could use more than two swords, but he still wanted to buy another. On top of that, he wanted toplete his Vampire Lord set.

    ... And he wanted more runestones.

    Junhyuk waited for some time before La and Rodrey entered Bebe¡¯s store. Both wanted to sell items. Rodrey, who had things to sell, asked Bebe about his items.

    ¡°I want you to appraise these.¡±

    Bebe inspected Rodrey¡¯s items and was astonished.

    ¡°These were made by artisans. They have a long history, which made them stronger. I¡¯ll give you 80,000G for one and 100,000G for the other.¡±

    Junhyuk realized that Rodrey had nice items. He had been looking for items on Earth, and Rodrey¡¯s items would seem like highly-priced antiques there.

    Rodrey¡¯s equipment was stronger than the enemies¡¯, but the hero still wasn¡¯t strong enough. He needed more items.

    Looking at Junhyuk, Rodrey asked, ¡°Every time a hero dies, they drop an item, but weapons dropst, correct?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, and Rodrey turned to Bebe.

    ¡°Right now, I only have 180,000G. Give me two enhancement stones.¡±

    Rodrey pulled out a knife. He had a number of them, but Rodrey only needed to upgrade one knife to upgrade all of the others.

    Bebe did the upgrade, and after two upgrades, Rodrey re-inspected his knife, happy with the result.

    ¡°It¡¯s cool that your weapons get a status window when youe to the Dimensional Battlefield, but upgrading them is quite easy.¡±

    Bebe had always upgraded powerful items at his store, but for Rodrey, experiencing that was something new.

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°OK. Let¡¯s head out.¡±

    Everyone agreed and got up. The enemy¡¯s gate had been destroyed. The allies would take the left path and advance into the castle, heading straight for the golems. Even if the enemy heroes had taken the buff tower, they would have no other option but to return.

    ¡°Shall we?¡±

    With only three heroes, the allies had won a fight against five. While Alondo had escaped, the allies had been able to destroy the enemy gate. Now, they would simply advance to kill the golems and their enemies.

    With two giant golems, the enemy heroes would be more dangerous. But now, Junhyuk had the strongest attack at the longest range. With his Spatial sh, he could simply attack from far away and kill a golem before the fight started.

    Junhyuk was confident that the allies would win. With hundreds of minions, they reached the enemy castle and saw the enemy heroes. Behind the destroyed gate, they could see the enemies standing with two giant golems and an army of undead minions.

    The enemy heroes had dispatched all of their minions, and there were a lot of them: five hundred undead minions.

    Junhyuk turned to his allies. With the exception of Rodrey, all of them had been to the battlefield and grown while fighting. Nevertheless, they were a little tense in front of all of those forces.

    Gongon looked at him and said, ¡°They know who you are.¡±

    Penslin was standing inside the castle¡¯s force field. The hero had been shocked by the Spatial sh killing him in a single strike.

    Junhyuk turned to Elise and said, ¡°Buff me.¡±

    After he was buffed by Elise, he turned to the enemy formation. With the exception of Penslin, all of the enemy heroes were out of the force field.

    Junhyuk could kill Dolorac first. He did not care about the others. The sniper and the magician had the stronger powers, so he should kill one of them first.

    Dolorac¡¯s ultimate had a piercing buff, so Junhyuk would watch out for that as he advanced.

    Buffed, Junhyuk gripped Aksha¡¯s Longsword tightly.

    ¡°They have golems, but we¡¯ll attack first!¡±

    Gongon cracked his neck left and right and said, ¡°Durandal might rush out first. I¡¯ll deal with him.¡±

    La positioned herself next to Gongon, and Sarang and Rodrey stood behind the dragon. Junhyuk was an attacker, but he also had great defense.

    Nevertheless, Gongon had the best defense. His basic constitution was greater than Junhyuk¡¯s, so if he got high-end equipment, Gongon would be a true tank.

    La was a closebat specialist with one long range attack. Sarang was a caster, and Rodrey was a sniper. The team wasing together well.

    Junhyuk stepped forward and shouted, ¡°Heading out!¡±

    As he ran forward, Durandal rushed out and shouted, ¡°Attack!¡±

    Because the undead minions were disorganized, when they moved forward, they moved slowly. Junhyuk could get to and kill Dolorac before the minions got to the allied formation.

    The enemies ran toward him. However, they were also luring him, keeping a measured distance from him. Alondo, who was the fastest, took the lead. Durandal and Epilen followed him. Epilen didn¡¯t know why, but his stealth power had been continuously negated by Junhyuk, so he didn¡¯t use it this time as he ran. Without triggering it, Epilen was faster than before.

    Junhyuk looked at the enemies running toward him, and he felt a little worried. He could use his Spatial sh from seventy meters away, but the enemy heroes he was aiming for were keeping a gap that long between themselves and him.

    While he worried about things, Gongon and La walked up to him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t force it. Be methodical.¡±

    His enemies knew he was looking to kill the caster and the sniper first. Their attacks were strong, but their defenses were low. That¡¯s why Junhyuk had been able to kill them.

    To prevent that, the enemy heroes were trying to make him attack anyone other than those two. The allies had caught on to that, and Junhyuk made a path for Gongon and La.

    He didn¡¯t say anything, but the allies knew what had to be done. Junhyuk smiled at them.

    ¡°OK.¡±

    If Dolorac didn¡¯t go back to the castle¡¯s force field, he would be able to kill him with his Spatial sh.

    Alondo rode faster. The skeleton horse left tracks behind it on the ground, and Junhyuk triggered his eleration. Junhyuk knew about Alondo¡¯s power, so he had prepared himself. However, knowing Alondo¡¯s movements was different from being able to block them.

    Junhyuk kept pressing forward toward Dolorac, leaving Alondo¡¯s attack toe from behind him. He shouldn¡¯t focus on Alondo.

    But, Alondo didn¡¯t attack him. Instead, he flipped La, who was thrown back, and Durandal jumped.

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue as he stared back at Alondo. Gongon erged and headbutted the hero.

    Boom!

    Alondo was thrown back, and Durandal reached La when hended.

    Boom!

    Durandal¡¯s jump had covered a massive distance, but Junhyuk shouldn¡¯t waste time with that.

    He teleported and closed in on Dolorac, using his Spatial sh right away. Dolorac was standing just in front of the castle¡¯s force field, ready for Junhyuk¡¯s attack, but the Spatial sh was faster than Dolorac¡¯s response.

    The strike hit Dolorac¡¯s head, generating a shockwave. The shockwave was purple, the same color as the de of Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    Doloract disappeared, and Durandal taunted. Durandal¡¯s taunt was an amazing power.

    Taunted, Junhyuk thought only of quickly killing Durandal. As he ran toward Durandal, Epilen suddenly appeared behind him. Epilen stabbed Junhyuk with his dagger, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t care. His only focus was killing Durandal.

    Junhyuk lost 17 percent of his health from the attack, and Penslin exited the force field with an arrow readied at him.

    Thuck!

    Penslin¡¯s attack took another 15 percent of Junhyuk¡¯s health, for a total of 32 percent. Every enemy hero was now targeting him. Alondo, who had already closed in on him, swung his scythe, shing Junhyuk¡¯s back.

    Allondo¡¯s attack was weaker than the others¡¯, but the difference was small. He dealt 13 percent damage to Junhyuk, who had lost 45 percent of his health now.

    The enemies used regr attacks as well, and the champion transformed into a wolf and bit down on Junhyuk¡¯s leg. That¡¯s when the taunt ended. When Junhyuk regained consciousness. He saw that all of the enemy heroes were swarming him.

    So, Junhyuk raised his force field.

    ng, ng, ng, ng!

    All of the enemies¡¯ attacks were deflected, and Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Now, it¡¯s my time to attack!¡±

 Chapter 423 - Victory 3

    <h4>Chapter 423: Victory 3</h4>

    The enemy attacks bounced off the force field, and Junhyuk quickly triggered a Spatial Copse. The target was Epilen, whose stealth power made things difficult for the other allies.

    The Spatial Copse was set on Epilen¡¯s head, who put both of his arms up to block whatever wasing and tilted his head back. The hero knew that a headstrike would result in a critical hit, and in this way, he defended himself from it.

    The Spatial Copse took both of Epilen¡¯s arms, and those around him were sucked into the void.

    The enemies had been bunched up while trying to attack him, so they had no means of escape. Junhyuk watched it happen and ran forward.

    Junhyuk himself wasn¡¯t affected by the Spatial Copse. He maintained his gravitational perspective throughout the use of the power, so he swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword at Epilen¡¯s head.

    The hero had lost 75 percent of his health with the Spatial Copse, so after getting struck by the sword, Epilen faded away. The purple shockwave from the attack dealt additional damage to the surrounding enemies.

    The champion that had been biting his leg had been sucked into the void, and Junhyuk struck her down with the Blood Rune Sword.

    He was swinging his longsword at the two remaining enemies when, suddenly, a shadow appeared above him.

    Boom!

    The giant golem kicked Junhyuk, sending him back.

    Meanwhile, the allies concentrated their attacks on the enemies bunched up by the Spatial Copse. Rodrey, who quickly closed in, was the first to attack. He rained knives down on the enemies. That was Rodrey¡¯s ultimate, and both Durandal and Alondo were within range.

    Both of them lost 25 percent of their health. It seemed like Rodrey¡¯s ultimate took a fixed percentage of the opponents¡¯ healths, and it would do so to every enemy within range. The timing of the rain of knives was perfect, hitting the enemies that had already lost quite a bit of health to the Spatial Copse.

    When the void disappeared, Sarang shot electric sts at the freed enemies. Both Durandal and Alondo were paralyzed. Gongon and La each attacked one of the heroes.

    Erged, Gongon headbutted Alondo, and La attacked Durandal. Alondo wasunched back, and Durandal gotunched up. Thunderbolts dropped on Durandal. The hero had a lot of health, but he couldn¡¯t withstand all of those attacks. While in the air, Durandal disappeared.

    Junhyuk teleported and swung his longsword, which got stuck in Alondo¡¯s head. Alondo also faded.

    ¡°He was mine!¡± Gongon shouted.

    Hearing Gongon, Junhyuk smacked his lips. Gongon¡¯s firebreath would¡¯ve killed Alondo. Junhyuk had seen an opportunity and taken it, but he had no excuse for it.

    The golem was trying to stomp Gongon, so Junhyuk widened the force field. After he covered Gongon and La, the golem stomped the force field.

    Boom!

    The force field sank into the ground, and the other giant golem walked over to it and kicked it.

    Boom!

    The force field wasunched away, and the heroes inside went with it. Once the heroes regained theirposure, they stood up. Only one enemy remained. Penslin was all alone.

    Penslin was rushing toward him, and Junhyuk scoffed at the scene. The hero had attacks with really long range, but Penslin couldn¡¯t win by himself.

    When the force field disappeared, Penslin extended his hand.

    Shadow hands rose from the ground and covered his entire body. Looking around, he saw that the allies near him were in the same state, also covered by hands.

    Penslin had an area-of-effect restraint power, but Junhyuk did not care. To him, Penslin was still all alone. However, a giant golem walked over and mmed its two fists down at him. Junhyuk cursed instinctively.

    He made to block the attack with his longsword, and light green powder sprinkled over his head.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk lost some health from blocking the hit, but he regained much more from the heal. He was out of danger thanks to Sarang¡¯s power. Junhyuk turned to Penslin and watched as the hero readied an arrow. His longsword couldn¡¯t reach Penslin.

    Penslin released the arrow, and Junhyuk watched as it flew toward him.

    Dealing with Penslin while fighting golems was very annoying, but it was something he had to do. Junhyuk blocked the arrow, but that triggered an explosion.

    Boom!

    The attack damaged a wide area, and Penslin readied another arrow, aimed at Rodrey this time. Rodrey¡¯s attack range was thirty-five meters, and Penslin wanted that out of y.

    Thunk!

    Rodrey was sent ten meters back. It was Penslin¡¯s push attack, and after he used it, he retreated. Because Junhyuk had used all of his teleportations, he could only watch Penslin try to reenter the castle¡¯s force field.

    That¡¯s when Gongon used his ultimate.

    Transformed into a mature dragon, Gongon flew high up in the sky, passing over the golems and Penslin. There, he hovered, beating his wings to stabilize himself, and breathed fire down at the battlefield. The mes covered Penlin¡¯s entire body, and the hero started losing health quickly.

    Gongon opened his mouth wide. Penslin had already used all of his powers, so Gongon kept attacking unimpeded.

    La dodged the golems and dashed forward, throwing her katana at the hero. At the same time her katana hit Penslin, Gongon¡¯s mes covered his body again.

    Boom!

    Penslin disappeared, and Gongonughed out loud.

    ¡°I killed him!¡±

    La¡¯s katana had struck Penslin first, but she didn¡¯t care. She picked it back up and turned to face the golems.

    The undead minions shed against the allied minions, and Junhyuk called some minions from behind the allied formation. To fight, he needed some of their support.

    The allied minions moved forward toward the golems. The minions surrounded them, and the allies attacked them. The golems didn¡¯tst long, crumbling soon after.

    Junhyuk knew that as the giant golems fell, victory belonged to them. So, he started swinging his longsword wildly. The allied minions and the undead minions was mixed together, fighting, but Junhyuk¡¯s longsword only struck undead minions.

    Gongon, who was back to his regr self, rampaged through the minions.

    The allied heroes attacked them, and soon all of the undead minions were purged. After that, Junhyuk ordered the allied minions to attack the force field and picked up the items dropped by the enemy heroes. He had killed three. Junhyuk picked up the three items and watched as Sarang picked up hers. Sarang had killed Durandal with her Thunderstorm, and she smiled at him.

    ¡°We¡¯ve won!¡±

    ¡°We did!¡±

    Their enemies were strong. They had many forms of taunts and restraints. Alondo¡¯s speed was extremely high, and his skill with the scythe had created many problems for Junhyuk. Nevertheless, the allies were superior, and that was all thanks to their equipment.

    Junhyuk looked at his new sword. It had been his first time purchasing a legendary weapon, and it had disyed its power well. He vowed to practice diligently with it.

    After learning Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship, he wouldn¡¯t have any difficulty against other enemies¡¯ styles.

    The surviving minions destroyed the castle force field and cheered aloud. Junhyuk walked over to the gathered heroes.

    ¡°After studying the core, I¡¯ll let you know what I find,¡± Gongon told him.

    ¡°Please do.¡±

    Rodrey was smiling and scratching his bald head.

    ¡°I had heard that I would meet heroes just as strong as me. This was fun.¡±

    The hero had just signed his contract, which meant that he was an overwhelming figure in his own dimension. Because of that, Rodrey was having fun in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    Looking at Junhyuk, Rodrey said, ¡°I need to get used to this ce.¡±

    The Dimensional Battlefield put a lot of restraints on people¡¯s powers. Because of that, one had to learn their limitations and train ordingly.

    La lightly swung her katana and said, ¡°Halo says hello. If you continue to win, you¡¯ll meet him again soon.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Junhyuk and Sarang were missing from Arn¡¯s team, so he had been worried about them leaving a gap in that team. However, he had heard that Arn¡¯s team had acquired new item and that they were much stronger now. Arn¡¯s team was fighting in a higher tier, and it continued to win.

    ¡°Tell Halo I¡¯m also eager to see him again.¡±

    To be a legend, he might have to fight Arn¡¯s team. Junhyuk needed to remember that.

    As they talked, the world disappeared around them. Closing his eyes, Junhyuk waited. The bright light pounded his cornea, and when the pressure faded, he opened his eyes again.

    Ariel was there waiting for him.

    [Congrattions on your victory!]

    Junhyuk smiled at her.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Ariel said quickly, [You¡¯ve received your reward of 200,000G. Are you going to bet on the Champions¡¯ Battlefield?]

    ¡°Yes, I want to make a bet.¡±

    As she opened the book, Junhyuk could see that Ariel was in a happy mood. He nced over at the book and looked for the names he knew.

    After a moment, Junhyuk found a teamposed of Ling Ling, Jeffrey and Aleksei. Ling Ling had stayed an expert for a long time, and Jeffrey could summon a Ghost White Tiger, so he thought they would be able to win. Aleksei had just be a champion, but Junhyuk trusted him as well.

    The analysis said that those champions were weaker than their enemies, but Junhyuk thought that they could still win. He wanted to bet on them, so Junhyuk decided to hold on to the amount for a new item and bet what was left. It wasn¡¯t a lot.

    The bet was a gamble, but he trusted those champions and he thought it wouldn¡¯t be entirely up to luck.

    Laughing, he told Ariel, ¡°I want to bet 50,000G on this team.¡±

 Chapter 424 - Research 1

    <h4>Chapter 424: Research 1</h4>

    Junhyuk was back from the Dimensional Battlefield, and it was still Friday when he walked out of his room. Sarang was walking out of her room as well, and when they met, she smiled.

    ¡°Big brother!¡±

    Junhyuk took her to his room and asked her, ¡°Did you bet on the Champions¡¯ Battlefield?¡±

    ¡°I ced a bet on the humans¡¯ team.¡±

    ¡°How much?¡±

    ¡°All of my victory reward money.¡±

    Junhyuk was surprised to hear that, so he said, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have. Bet smaller amounts. What if you lose all of it?¡±

    ¡°You are right as well, but if the humans don¡¯t make big mistakes, they¡¯ll be able to win. Their enemies have a better record, but the humans have better powers. Jeffrey is really strong.¡±

    Jeffrey was certainly strong. His summoned A-ranked monster spawned with lower stats than those on the Dimensional Battlefield, but he could buff it and make it go berserk. Because of that, Jeffrey could kill a champion with a snap of his finger.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go overboard like that again. You need to save money so that you can get better items.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk was supporting Elise, so he could im half of what Elise made. For that reason, his situation waspletely different from Sarang¡¯s. Nevertheless, he wouldn¡¯t forget about Sarang¡¯s needs, nning to support her with the gold he made from Elise.

    Sarang opened the fridge, grabbed a can of Coke and said, ¡°By the way, there are very few monster cadavers.¡±

    Because they had used core bombs, there weren¡¯t many bodies left over in what had been the monster areas. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t thought about that problem before.

    If he had slowed down the destruction of the areas, he would have followed Eltor¡¯s n. If that had been the case, many novices and experts would have died.

    Eltor would have even killed champions to make more heroes. It would have meant that the managers would have gotten their wish.

    Junhyuk knew that heroes weren¡¯t made in a day. If someone became a hero in a day, that person would die easily and quickly in the Dimensional Battlefield. He had fought brand-new heroes during team selections. Some could only be killed by him using powers. Others had died from regr attacks.

    Being a hero didn¡¯t only mean having four powers, but also having the basic constitution to match other heroes.

    Junhyuk wanted to gather all existing champions and head to South Korea quickly. He would train them to increase their basic stats. Some champions were making use of the training facility, but fighting monsters was different from sparring with a hero.

    He too could learn from sparring with champions with different powers. Junhyuk had learned a lot from his spars with Sarang.

    If Junhyuk trained the champions, they would be ready when Eltor put his new n into action.

    Eltor had taken the cores back, but the manager was nning on triggering monster waves. Junhyuk needed the champions to grow stronger in order to avoid massive casualties.

    He replied to Sarang, ¡°A-ranked monsters probably won¡¯t spawn in the champions¡¯ training facility.¡± Then, he added, ¡°We¡¯ll use the bodies we¡¯ve collected so far and research the cores. Elise has a refurbished core, and she¡¯ll need to reengineer it so that she can refurbish the other cores as well.¡±

    Elise had bought a set of the highest quality intelligence runestones. Because of them, she had improved a lot, and Junhyuk harbored great expectations for her.

    ¡°Core refurbishment is very expensive. On top of that, there¡¯s no guarantee of sess.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Things weren¡¯t easy. They would need at least 16,000,000G to refurbish all the cores they owned. If they were sessful, they could earn 1,000,000G per 200,000G they invested.

    Junhyuk would be able to buy legendary items, and so would Sarang and Elise. Therefore, Junhyuk had to support Elise without holding back. He grabbed the Coke from Sarang¡¯s hand and drank it himself.

    ¡°Let¡¯s return to South Korea. I have to meet with Elise.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Sarang got up from where she had been seating, and both of them went to see Johnson. Junhyuk gathered the champions, and Johnson told him a helicopter was ready. After that, Junhyuk took the champions and Sarang along with him. He also took volunteers from the experts with him.

    Junhyuk rxed while being transported. The pilot and co-pilot were older, so they wouldn¡¯t be summoned to the Dimensional Battlefield mid-flight. There was no danger.

    He was conversing with Sarang while rxing when someone approached him. It was Helen, and she sat next to him. She had been under a different assignment when she had been an expert, but she had just be a champion, so she would join him for now.

    Junhyuk turned to Helen, and she asked, ¡°What¡¯s your n?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got three powers, but activating a fourth won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    Junhyuk and Sarang had been killed multiple times before activating their fourth powers, but dying wasn¡¯t the only thing necessary. Some beings activated their fourth power after dying countless times, but doing things that way didn¡¯t help much.

    Looking at Helen, Junhyuk said, ¡°We¡¯ll help you, but for us to train you, we need more powered people. Each one of you has to learn how to use his or her powers and weapons.¡±

    Helen agreed, ¡°Sure.¡±

    The powered people had base stats that went well beyond those of ordinary people, but they still had to learn armedbat, be it with swords or spears, and so forth. Doing that would increase theirbat prowess significantly. The only way they would be heroes would be if they bettered their foundations on the basics.

    ¡°My superiors want me to let you know that they¡¯ll support you.¡±

    ¡°Is that right?¡±

    Thinking about it, Junhyuk had aplex rtionship with Charles. Things had happened very quickly, and Junhyuk had had to use the core bombs. He had had to erase metropolitan areas of major cities. Nevertheless, Charles had supported him through it. The monster areas were gone, but there were troubles that still remained.

    Helen was one of Charles¡¯ subordinates. She was a champion now, but she still worked for him.

    Junhyuk had wanted to know why Helen had started the conversation with him, so with that, he smiled.

    ¡°Helen, have you been to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You need to be a leader there. Once you go to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, that perspective will help you.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the advice.¡±

    Helen walked away, and Junhyuk turned back to Sarang. While Helen went elsewhere, Sarang asked, ¡°Who does she work for?¡±

    ¡°The Rockefeller family.¡±

    ¡°Ah...¡± Sarang thought about Helen, who was now sitting with the other champions, and said, ¡°She¡¯s beautiful.¡±

    ¡°Is she?¡± Junhyuk said, chuckling as he leaned back against his seat.

    Sarang shrugged and closed her eyes. The ne took them safely to South Korea.

    ¡ª

    Guardian¡¯s HQ.

    Delegates from all over the world greeted them. The amount of casualties and coteral damage was high. Nevertheless, the powered people had destroyed the monster areas. Even so, the number of casualties between powered people was also high. In situations like that, the powered people needed more support.

    Junhyuk greeted the delegates and entered the meeting room. Everyone gathered there, and he expressed his concerns, ¡°We need three more heroes, but I don¡¯t know how to get them. While champions aren¡¯t fighting monster waves, I¡¯ll need to train them in South Korea.¡±

    Eunseo fixed her sses and asked, ¡°What kind of training will that be?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be personalized training, designed to benefit each champion and maximize that champion¡¯s power. It¡¯ll also contain traditional fighting techniques, martial arts, armedbat and other methods of fighting. The champions need the basics of everything.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Eunseo and said, ¡°Gather masters in all of those arts to train these champions. We also need a training facility.¡±

    Guardians could do it all alone, but if each country helped, things would go more smoothly.

    Junhyuk turned to the delegates and announced, ¡°I¡¯m forcing all of the champions to participate. On top of that, experts can volunteer for the training.¡±

    All of them agreed, and Junhyuk asked, ¡°How¡¯s it going with the cleaning?¡±

    Eunseo said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you privately. Do you need anything else in the agenda?¡±

    After some thought, Junhyuk said, ¡°If the monster waves get triggered, the level of destruction will be greater than ever before. Have you positioned my teleportation devices as I¡¯ve asked?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you chose well. I trust you.¡±

    They were all anxious about the monster waves, and there was a silent war between the delegates about positioning the teleportation devices in their countries to better respond to the waves. However, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t interfere with that.

    Looking at them, he said, ¡°Our problems aren¡¯t over. Don¡¯t forget to we have to meet and solve our problems together.¡±

    Everyone nodded, and when he was about to leave, Steve got up and said, ¡°I have an official question for you.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at Steve, and Steve asked him, ¡°Up until now, we¡¯d all thought of you as a champion. That was how we presented you officially. So, my question for you now is: are you a hero?¡±

    Junhyuk had already talked to the champions about that, but the delegates wanted an official statement from him.

    ¡°I¡¯m a hero.¡±

 Chapter 425 - Research 2

    <h4>Chapter 425: Research 2</h4>

    The meeting was over, but Junhyuk stayed back for a private meeting with Eunseo. Once she was alone with him, Eunseo grabbed his hands.

    Eunseo usually didn¡¯t express her emotions, so Junhyuk was a little surprised. She looked up at him and said, ¡°I want to see your real face.¡±

    Junhyuk removed his disguise, and Eunseo stared at him. Then, she hugged him tightly. He was a little surprised, but he hugged her back.

    ¡°Thanks for returning safely,¡± she said.

    They separated, and Eunseo adjusted her sses and clothes. After that, she stoically took a seat, but that¡¯s when Junhyuk pulled her arm and hugged her passionately.

    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard,¡± he said.

    He had done his best, and Eunseo, as head of Guardians, had also done her best. She had mediated between and guided all of the delegates, which had to have not been an easy task. If she hadn¡¯t been a novice, she probably would¡¯ve fallen ill.

    When Junhyuk hugged her tight, she fell safe and forgot about her troubles. The world was in danger. Even so, Eunseo had felt like he had forgotten about her. However, when he hugged her, she felt much better.

    Junhyuk let her go and pulled the chair for her. Eunseo bowed to him and sat down. After that, Junhyuk took a seat at the opposite side of the table, facing her. Looking at him, she smiled.

    ¡°The capitals were destroyed. There is no trace of them, but more importantly, we¡¯ve lost a number of experts and novices. The number of monsters was too high.¡±

    Junhyuk remembered fighting a lot of monsters. He hadn¡¯t prepared for that. He also used the Core Bombs, and those destroyed the monsters, but the coteral damage was too high.

    ¡°We have ns to rebuild the capitals, and we¡¯ll make defense ns for each of them, but I¡¯m not sure if we have the time for it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll take a while for it to start, and the waves won¡¯t happen in those ces.¡±

    The waves appeared in popted areas. Because the capitals had been destroyed, there was no reason for them to trigger there.

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. There are many people supporting the rebuilding efforts.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    The most wealthy families in the world were supporting the rebuilding efforts. The reason, of course, was that they had a lot to gain from rebuilding the world¡¯s capitals.

    ¡°How long will it take to build the new facility at Guardians HQ?¡±

    ¡°A few days. We need to find builders, but once we get the right people on it, a start-of-the-art training facility can be finished quickly.¡±

    ¡°Sorry for making you work so much.¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯ll be quite easy.¡±

    Eunseo had worked hard to save the world. Finding experts and champions and building a training facility should be easy for her inparison. They talked for a while before Junhyuk got up from his seat.

    ¡°I hope to see you often from now on.¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Eunseo said and got up. ¡°You must be tired from your travels. Go get some rest. By the way, where are you headed now?¡±

    Junhyuk smiled at her and said, ¡°I have to go see Elise first.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s doing research from her home nowadays. Our research team is apprenticing from her.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a contractor now? Working offsite?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Junhyuk once again understood the depth of Elise¡¯s power. She was instructing both Guardians¡¯ research team and his ownpany¡¯s research team. On top of that, she was working on her own projects.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go see her.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk walked out and met with Sarang. The champions were talking to the delegates of their own countries, and those delegates wanted to meet and shake hands with her.

    When Junhyuk entered the lobby, some people got up to greet him. Now, Junhyuk was the Dark Knight to the public, and he had been the one to destroy the dimensional tear in the US. He had also saved the world. Junhyuk held his own status, and other governments wanted to know about him.

    One of the men who stood up walked up to him and gave him a business card.

    ¡°I¡¯m Head Secretary Junghoon Kim from the Blue House. It¡¯s an honor to shake your hand.¡±

    Junhyuk shook hands with the head secretary, but prevented Junghoon from saying anything else.

    ¡°I have your card, so let¡¯s talkter. I have a prior engagement.¡±

    Junghoon smiled awkwardly while thinking that he had never been treated that poorly by anyone. At the same time, Junhyuk took Sarang and walked outside.

    Following him, she asked, ¡°Can we leave like this?¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯m going to see Elise.¡±

    ¡°Big Sis Elise?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    While they talked, Junhyuk took Sarang with him. He had no need to hide Sarang¡¯s rtionship with Elise now. It was public knowledge that Sarang was a hero and that Elise built equipment and was the one who had created the Core Bombs.

    In the past, she had been known as Head of Research at Robotics and then as Head of Research at Guardians. Now, she was known as the woman who had created Core Bombs.

    Both women were famous.

    Junhyuk took Sarang to Elise¡¯s, and when they got there, an iron soldier opened the gate and guided them inside.

    Junhyuk inspected the iron soldier andughed out loud.

    ¡°This iron soldier is not equipped with any weapons.¡±

    Even without weapons, an iron soldier was very expensive. Although it worked as a butler for her, it also acted as Elise¡¯s bodyguard.

    Junhyuk looked around the house. He hadn¡¯t noticed before, but security was very tight. When they met, Elise was wearing her goggles as she waved at him and Sarang.

    ¡°Wee!¡±

    Junhyuk inspected herb. Elise could work from home thanks to the many iron soldiers guarding the house. They did not carry any weapons on them and they also helped Elise in herb work. For Elise, the iron soldiers were better the humanb assistants.

    When he saw her, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Have you gotten any sleep today?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I won¡¯t die from a couple of days without sleep.¡±

    Elise was an expert, but he could see deep, dark circles beyond the sses of her goggles. Junhyuk shook his head, but when Elise lifted her goggles, her eyes were brimming brightly.

    ¡°Bebe was telling the truth. Refurbished cores are more powerful.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Wait! Gongon?¡± Elise called out, and the monitors around theb showed Gongon¡¯s image on their screens. Junhyuk stared at them nkly, and Elise exined, ¡°I was able to connect themunication orb to myputer. It wasn¡¯t difficult.¡±

    Junhyuk thought it must have been extremely difficult to do. He kept staring at her while Elise talked to Gongon.

    ¡°Gon, how are things on your side?¡±

    ¡°The refurbished core has unlimited potential. Right now, my Lord and the others are researching it. They are also researching the towers that house the cores. Their principles are unknown, so it¡¯s very enticing work.¡±

    ¡°Group research?¡± Junhyuk asked, and Gongon smiled.

    ¡°There is deep interest in that research in my dimension.¡± ncing at Elise, Gongon added, ¡°The child, Elise, has talent in crafting magical objects.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to her, and Elise smiled.

    ¡°Magic and magic research is fun!¡±

    ¡°How do you get the mana for it?¡±

    ¡°I have some mana trees nted in my garden, and I have this bracelet.¡±

    Junhyuk smacked his lips. She was really doing magic research.

    Sarang was curious about Elise¡¯s research. She was still inmunication with Vera and learning from her. Being a high-tier hero, Vera knew almost everything there was to know about magic.

    Sarang and Elise talked about theirmon interest, magic, and Junhyuk shook his head. He turned to Gongon and asked, ¡°Do you know how to refurbish a core?¡±

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t afford the 200,000G cost. He had a lot of cores, so he needed to figure out the procedure.

    Using his short ws, Gongon scratched his chin and said, ¡°I need a core that hasn¡¯t been refurbished and I won¡¯t be able to seed on my first try.¡±

    ¡°Can you try?¡±

    ¡°Give me two more cores next time, and I¡¯ll work on it.¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Elise. She was still talking to Sarang, and when her eyes met his, she smiled.

    ¡°I have enough monster materials. By using the B-ranked monsters, I can make weapons for novices.¡±

    Her crafting recipes required B-ranked monsters, but those weapons would really only serve the novices. Still, it would be a lot of help.

    Once the waves started again, the heroes and champions would use the teleportation devices to crush the waves. However, experts and novices had to protect the areas affected by rogue monsters from the waves. For that reason, experts and novices would also need items.

    ¡°Who¡¯s paying for the bodies?¡±

    ¡°The countries.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡±

    Elise held her chin and pondered seriously over something. She said, ¡°I can make many things with the research teams from both Guardians and GST, but I have to craft the new items myself.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re working on magic training, equipment development and the core research?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°How can I help you?¡±

    After thinking for a moment, Elise said, ¡°Just like Gongon, I need two more cores to figure out how the refurbishment process works.¡±

    Junhyuk pulled out the two cores and gave them to her. Elise took them and smiled at him.

    Looking at her, he said, ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to talk to you.¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    Junhyuk had been thinking about something for a while, so he told Elise about it, ¡°I need to spend some time here. Do you have a spare room?¡±

 Chapter 426 - Research 3

    <h4>Chapter 426: Research 3</h4>

    Junhyuk had just made an explosive statement, and everyone stared at him in surprise.

    ¡°What?!¡± Sarang interjected, expressing her true concerns.

    Elise was speechless. As Elise stared at him, he gave her a wide grin.

    ¡°Hmm... You mean you want to live with me?¡±

    ¡°You can call it that.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Junhyuk answered calmly, ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about the logistics, but I believe that the dimensional managers consider you the most dangerous human to their ns.¡±

    Thinking about his statement, Elise shook her head.

    ¡°That can¡¯t be true. Both of us can be problematic for them,¡± she said, but she walked up to him and tapped his shoulder, adding, ¡°I¡¯ll spare you a room.¡±

    Sarang shouted suddenly, ¡°No way!¡±

    Junhyukughed at her and pushed her head down.

    ¡°I can support Elise this way.¡±

    Junhyuk had realized that while talking to Eunseo. Elise had to be protected at all cost.

    He could take over guarding her. There were a few unarmed iron soldiers, but he wasn¡¯t sure about how much they could aplish. If the dimensional managers really meant to harm Elise, he had to be there to prevent it.

    Sarang was extremely unhappy, but the issue had been decided. Junhyuk already had a spare set of clothes in his Spatial Bag, so since he was already there, he figured he would stay.

    Sarang expressed her willingness to protect Elise as well, but Junhyuk disagreed with the idea.

    Sighing, he said, ¡°Go to school and help me with the training at Guardians.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Junhyuk would train the champions, and some of them might even get injured. He needed Sarang¡¯s healing power to put them back together.

    Sarang nodded and said, ¡°I have to be home early today. Aren¡¯t you going to visit your family as well?¡±

    Junhyuk merely smiled at the idea. He had been living as either Max or the Dark Knight, so he hadn¡¯t been home in a long time.

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll do that.¡±

    Elise shrugged.

    ¡°You are leaving already?¡±

    ¡°I have to.¡±

    ¡°OK, but be back tomorrow. I¡¯ll have a room arranged for you.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±

    ¡ª

    Sarang had gone to her parents¡¯ house, and Junhyuk was visiting his. He was carrying a fresh b of beef with both hands as a present. Junhyuk had already called his mother, Haejung, and because of that, she had prepared enough food to copse the dining table.

    Junhyuk walked inside, and his mother, in an apron, ran to him and hugged him.

    ¡°Son! Long time, no see.¡±

    Junhyuk hugged his mother and said, ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±

    His mother smacked his back hard many times.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you call more often?! The world is in danger!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll make time to visit you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all talk. Anyway, wash your hands and take a seat.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

    His father, Sukhoon, walked out of the living room and smiled at him.

    ¡°Go wash your hands quickly. I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    ¡°Yes, dad.¡±

    Junhyuk washed his hands and returned. His father and mother were already sitting at the table, so Junhyuk sat down, and Haejung said, ¡°What have you been doing? You never call!¡±

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t told her that he was the Dark Knight. If he did, his mother would be extremely worried.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call more often.¡±

    His mother was talking incessantly, but Junhyuk simply listened to her without asking her to stop. When his mother was about toin about him, his father grabbed her hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat first.¡±

    Junhyuk winked at his father. It was Junhyuk¡¯s way of thanking him. His father knew all about how heated his mother could get.

    It was the first time in a long time that the family dined together. The topic of the conversation was the appearance of the monsters. His parents asked him about the situation around the world, and he told them what he knew.

    He knew everything about the monsters, but he only gave them a vague exnation about that. He did not want to give them the impression that he knew too much. After that, he told them that he was spending the night there.

    Hearing that, his mother nagged him constantly about him needing to find a wife, but she was happy that he was staying. Looking at her, his father smirked.

    ¡°She¡¯s all talk.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at his father, who asked, ¡°Are you well? Do you have any problems?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. No problems.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d.¡±

    His father didn¡¯t ask him any other questions, simply patting his son¡¯s back. With that simple gesture, Junhyuk felt his father¡¯s love for him.

    A bed was made for him, and his mother asked, ¡°Are you leaving early tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Have breakfast before you go.¡±

    Junhyuk hugged his mother tenderly and asked, ¡°Can I sleep with you?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be creepy! You¡¯re a grown man.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m against that as well,¡± his father said, chuckling, and Junhyuk agreed with him.

    His parents left him in bed in his room. Junhyuk felt cosy for the first time in a long time, and soon, he fell asleep.

    Junhyuk had breakfast at his parents¡¯ house. On his way back, he went to see Sungtae at the GST campus. He hadn¡¯t visited his ownpany in a while, so that day, he gathered all of his employees.

    Junhyuk was wearing Max¡¯s face when he webcalled Elise. His employees had finished the project on the mana stone power generators. Tirot had finished his project as well. He presented an umbre-shaped item that bore no magitek, but Elise could add thatter.

    The new item had the lowest level of health buffs, but it did increase health. It had been made for novices, and GST would sell it in order to earn money. The mana power generators would be used on city-development projects to save on energy costs.

    GST had also developed a new type of iron soldier. Previously, when Brita had worked alone, she hadn¡¯t been able to make a lot of headway. However, under Elise¡¯s guidance, Brita had made significant advances in her work.

    Elise didn¡¯t have time to work on new iron soldier models, so she let Brita handle that. Brita¡¯s new version was more powerful than the ones being used by Guardians.

    He inspected the new model, only ten of them existed, the Iron Soldier MK-IV.

    Guardians was still using MK-IIIs, but GST didn¡¯t know how to develop iron soldiers from monsters like Elise had done with hers. She was still the best atbining bioengineering with mechanical engineering.

    Still, GST was advancing in its development of new products. The new iron soldiers were much nimbler, and they had been preloaded with modern martial arts techniques. They were as nimble as humans, and by imnting bloodstones into them, they could work like R-agents. When under threat of destruction, the new iron soldiers could also fly to flee.

    Once the time came for them to sell the new model, many would oppose GST. Charles Rockefeller would definitely not ept it. He was Robotics¡¯ major shareholder, but if people found out about who Max really was, GST would be fine.

    Junhyuk encouraged his employees in their work and walked out of the GST building, heading to the MAX building. It had been a while since he had met with Sora Shin.

    Sora had been his first apprentice novice, and she was still a novice, which made him rather disappointed. But, Sora¡¯s power had increased significantly. She told him she could cover four hundred meters in two seconds now, and her basic stats had also increase. Sora had used her power to consume mana many times, training her mana consumption, and now, her body was brimming with mana. Junhyuk could tell.

    Sora was now a master with the broadsword. Her speed was unmatched, and by taking advantage of it, she could easily attack with her sword.

    She hadn¡¯t gone through any dangerous experiences, which was why she hadn¡¯t activated any new powers, but she was getting more powerful. A new power would eventually show itself.

    Her strength was superior to that of any other novice. Her health was also much higher, twice the health amount of the other novices Junhyuk had met.

    Junhyuk hoped that she would be an expert, a champion, and then, a hero. For that reason, he told Sora to participate in the new training regimen he was developing. Only experts and champions had been called to participate, but Junhyuk still invited her, which showed just how strong she was.

    Junhyuk had to use his eleration to keep up with her.

    Sora agreed to participate. She had been training by herself, so she wanted to train with other people.

    After Junhyuk finished talking to Sora, he went to Elise¡¯s house. The iron soldier did note for him that time. Instead, Elise showed him in.

    She locked arms with him as they walked. Junhyuk had been there before, but now, he would live there. That made him a little nervous. It was his first time living with a woman.

    Elise gave him the room right next to her bedroom. When Junhyuk entered it, he saw that it was really clean.

    She smiled at him and asked, ¡°How is it?¡±

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t find anything odd or out of ce with it. The room was immacte, and everything he needed to live was there. He walked up to the window and looked at the Guardians building in the distance.

    ¡°How are the house¡¯s defenses?¡±

    ¡°The defenses? They are just like Guardians.¡±

    Guardians¡¯ defenses were incredible, which meant that Elise had her house under significant protection. It could withstand attacks from B-ranked monsters.

    After thinking for a moment, Junhyuk said, ¡°I¡¯ll need more teleportation devices.¡±

    ¡°Where can you get them.¡±

    Shrugging, Junhyuk said, ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask Vera.¡±

    If Vera could give him more teleportation devices, he would install one in Elise¡¯s house first. That way, even if he was elsewhere, if Elise was in danger, he would be able to return to her instantly.

    He contacted Vera right away. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t seen her in a very long time, so he was happy to be able to do it again.

    ¡°I heard you are doing well! Why is my Junhyuk calling me now?¡±

    Smiling, Junhyuk answered, ¡°I need more teleportation devices. Could you get me some more?¡±

    ¡°I heard you destroyed all the tears in your dimension.¡±

    ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°Sarang told me.¡±

    Junhyuk smacked his lips.

    ¡°We have, but I feel like this is only the beginning of our problems.¡±

    ¡°So, you need more devices.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Vera smiled brightly and said, ¡°That¡¯s no problem! But, you are a hero now, so they won¡¯t be free.¡±

    ¡°How much do you want?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give them to you for 20,000G each. Deal?¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to save his gold, but he knew that Elise was worth it. He also needed more teleportation devices to keep the Earth safe.

    Biting down on his lip, he said, ¡°OK. Send me five more devices, please.¡±

 Chapter 427 - Monster Wave 1

    <h4>Chapter 427: Monster Wave 1</h4>

    The world had lost a hundred capital cities, and to rebuild those cities, they hired from the poll of unemployed. An astronomical amount of money went into the rebuilding efforts, but many wealthy families had invested in hopes of gettingrger returns.

    For the rebuilding, the governments around the world nned on using mana power generators to decrease air pollution. The generators would supply the electricity. They had acquired most of their mana stones through monster extermination, but now, they knew they had to get them from the Dimensional Battlefield.

    Those who went to the Dimensional Battlefield found that mana stones could earn them money, and many no longer feared the battlefield.

    The world was changing, transforming, and Guardians was a the center of it all. Guardians itself was changing.

    Seven champions had gathered at Guardians HQ. Martial arts masters came from all over to that same HQ. Guardians had even searched for those who had be hermits and nomads. The world didn¡¯t spare anything in its effort to train the champions.

    There was a state-of-the-art training facility in the building now. There hadn¡¯t been any official research on powered people before, but many countries had devoted themselves to that research now. The world was researching how to improve powers, and many famous scientists hade to Guardians HQ.

    The powered people were gathered at the training facility, and they all met Junhyuk.

    There were 7 champions in a room. In another, there were 22 experts. Some novices had volunteered for training, and they were in yet another room. There were 102 of those there. .

    Junhyuk wanted to speak to the seven champions first. Looking at them, he said with a smile, ¡°I want to know what you need. First, I invited martial arts masters from around the world to join us. It¡¯ll only be for a short while, but many of them are here, and many more are on their way now.¡±

    The masters were d to have a chance to teach the powered people. If they taught the powered people how to fight on the Dimensional Battlefield and how to fight monsters on Earth, they too would be famous. Therefore, most had jumped at the opportunity.

    ¡°Before noon, the champions will spar with me. In the afternoon, you¡¯ll work with the masters.¡±

    ¡°While sparring, can I use all of my powers?¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the one who had just spoken, Aleksei, the Russian, and smiled at him.

    ¡°While sparring with me, use everything you have.¡±

    Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t use his Spatial sh nor his Spatial Copse on the champions. He could still kill them with a Wolf Warlord¡¯s w Sword.

    The champions¡¯ powers couldn¡¯t kill him, so he would train them on how to use their powers more effectively. After each fight, that champion would be healed by Sarang.

    Sarang could kill them with her Thunderstorm, so she also had to control her power to prevent that from happening when she participated.

    Junhyuk pulled out two Wolf Warlord w Swords and said, ¡°Come at me one by one.¡±

    The champions looked at each other, and Ling Ling, from China, finally stepped forward. He smiled at her. Ling Ling had be an expert right after him, but she had taken way longer to be a champion, doing so a long time after him. However, he knew how strong she could be.

    ¡°Do your best,¡± Junhyuk said to her.

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk brought all seven champions to death¡¯s door. When he went to the room with the experts, he did the same to them. He did not have time to personally train the novices, but he called Sora privately and trained her.

    Junhyuk used the rest of the time to train with Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship. Aksha was a legend among legends, and his swordsmanship was superior to nearly all he had seen before.

    Aksha had had a style of his own, and Junhyuk was trying to learn it. He had full control of his muscles, but he still found the learning process to be extremely difficult.

    Junhyuk did his best, and he knew he couldn¡¯t master it in a day. Aksha was a legend after all.

    He realized that he couldn¡¯t simply practice alone. Junhyuk had faced many enemies, and that had been how he had improved his skills. Training by himself, he got tired and copsed.

    He didn¡¯t know how much time had passed, but Sarang rushed to him.

    ¡°Are you OK?¡±

    He had forbidden the others from sparring with each other. If they used their powers during mock battles, any of them might die at any moment.

    While Junhyuk had decided to train alone, Sarang had gone to train by herself in another room. There, she had contacted Vera and learned magic from her. She hadn¡¯t stopped training until she was squatting next to him and poking his cheek.

    ¡°How was your visit to your parents¡¯?¡±

    Junhyuk looked at her and answered, ¡°It was nice. Yours?¡±

    Sarang sighed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about it. My mother cried the whole time, and my father wanted to keep me from saving the world.¡±

    Her parents were worried about her. In fact, they were really worried. Even though she was a hero, she was still their daughter.

    ¡°What did you tell your parents?¡±

    ¡°I told them that without me the Earth would be in a danger.¡±

    She had added a little drama, but she had told the truth. Sarang had been key in destroying the monster areas. That was a well-known fact around the world.

    Her parents were simply worried about her safety.

    ¡°You should do something for your parents.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Sarang didn¡¯t have to worry about money. While destroying the monster areas, she had earned more money than she could spend. The Core Bombs had destroyed the areas, but they still had had to deal with the A-ranked monsters. The reward money from that was still plenty.

    Junhyuk got up, looked at her and asked, ¡°Shall we spar?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    Junhyuk could practice long range engagements while sparring with her. He was learning a new style, and he wanted to try it out.

    Sarang knew that, so she stayed away from him and smiled.

    ¡°Is this OK?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s up to you.¡±

    Junhyuk had the faster speed, but it still wasn¡¯t easy to deal with magic from far away. There were also pirs in the room.

    Sarang distanced herself further and pulled out her orb.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy for you.¡±

    Electric arrows flew out of her orb. She could cast them much faster now than she had ever been able to.

    Junhyuk decided to teleport during their mock battle. Sarang was always targeted by assassins with stealth powers, so he wanted to get her ready.

    He closed in normally first, without elerating, and she smirked, casting more electric arrows. Junhyuk tried to block an arrowing at him, but suddenly, that arrow split in two. He couldn¡¯t respond to it. The arrow hit his chest hard, followed immediately by an electric st. Junhyuk was paralyzed.

    Keeping her distance, Sarang cast five more electric arrows at the same time, and they hovered around her orb.

    ¡°What!?¡±

    Suddenly, all five arrows mmed against him. After that, he regained his movement, but he still couldn¡¯t do anything. Sarang extended her orb, and an enormous amount of electricity gathered around it.

    Junhyuk teleported to her, swinging Aksha¡¯s sword toward her, and the electricity boomed out. It went everywhere, hitting the pirs around the room, but it eventually all converged on him.

    Junhyuk had never seen that magic, so he teleported again. An electric orb was waiting for him like andmine in front of her.

    Junhyuk copsed, and Sarang cheered loudly.

    ¡°Too early to celebrate!¡±

    Aksha¡¯s longsword lengthened, touching her neck. She frowned. Junhyuk had a lot of magic defense, which was how he had been able to withstand all of that magic and attack her.

    Sarang smacked her lips.

    ¡°I thought I could make you crawl with my magic, but you are too much for me.¡±

    Junhyuk shortened his sword. He had finished the fight with his lengthened sword, but he had gotten his butt kicked the whole time up to that.

    ¡°What was all that?! Are those new powers?¡±

    ¡°I wanted your eleration, but I learned some other magic,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°Chain Lightning, Lightning Web and Lightning Trap. Ibined them, but I still couldn¡¯t do anything against your magic resistance.¡±

    ¡°When and where did you learn those spells?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been working hard. Ipleted that attack just before I came to see you.¡±

    Junhyuk knew she hadn¡¯t used her new attacks before that sparring session with him. She had nearly won with her magic, and now, she could even trap him.

    ¡°Do you have enough mana left?¡±

    The training facility had no mana, so Sarang showed him her bracelet.

    ¡°I had to use this. Once all the mana stored in it is used up, I¡¯ll go to sister Elise¡¯s house and absorb some more. When I go to the Dimensional Battlefield, even if its empty, I can fill it up really fast.¡±

    ¡°I need to ask Gongon for more bracelets like that one.¡±

    ¡°You should. Magic uses more mana than non-magic powers.¡±

    Junhyuk needed mana to elerate. After gaining the living spirit, he could absorb more mana faster. Sarang couldn¡¯t absorb mana like he could.

    ¡°You¡¯ve improved.¡±

    Junhyuk patted her head, and her eyes brightened. She had used the spells she had been working on in that day¡¯s sparring session. Her spells had been a sess, and she had wanted to beplimented by him.

 Chapter 428 - Monster Wave 2

    <h4>Chapter 428: Monster Wave 2</h4>

    Junhyuk was flying on a drone while looking at Vera. Today was the day Vera promised to send him more teleportation devices. He had contacted her three days before. During that time, Vera had made five pairs of teleportation devices. Junhyuk felt that she was extremely capable.

    Vera was smiling at him.

    ¡°Do you have the gold?¡±

    ¡°I do, but how am I supposed to send it to you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get the money from you through the battlefield, but you have to approve the transfer.¡±

    ¡°What am I approving?¡±

    Right as he finished asking that question, Junhyuk heard a familiar voice.

    [Through the Dimensional Battlefield Exchange, the hero Vera is asking for a transfer. She¡¯s requesting 100,000G from you. Do you approve?]

    ¡°Ariel!¡±

    [Yes, how have you been?]

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, but what do you mean?¡±

    [Vera did not ask me to deliver anything to you. She¡¯s simply requesting gold. Do you approve?]

    Junhyuk still shook his head and asked, ¡°Is there a fee involved?¡±

    [Delivery fees exist, but Vera, the hero, did not request a delivery. There are no fees for wiring gold.]

    He did not ask why there was no fee, simply agreeing to send the gold, ¡°OK. I¡¯m approving the transfer to Vera.¡±

    [Your approval has been noted. Next time you visit the battlefield, you¡¯ll have minus 100,000G.]

    ¡°How can I use this service?¡±

    [Most heroes don¡¯t like to be contacted, but we have a way to contact all heroes.]

    Thinking of it, he had nothing to gain from being contacted by Ariel. This time, he was simply dealing financially with Vera.

    ¡°Wait! So, if I pay the delivery fee, you can make deliveries to other dimensions?¡±

    [Yes, that¡¯s correct.]

    ¡°And you can deliver anything?¡±

    [Yes.]

    ¡°What about the fee?¡±

    [It depends on the item you send.]

    Junhyuk just wanted to know how the delivery process worked. Ariel was also a Dimensional Battlefield manager, so he didn¡¯t want to use her to deliver the cores. Nevertheless, he thought it was nice that gold transfers between dimensions were possible.

    Veraughed and said, ¡°OK. I¡¯ve received confirmation of the transfer. I¡¯m sending the items now.¡±

    Junhyuk was flying specifically to receive the devices from Vera. When items were sent over, the delivery created dimensional tears, and those tears created massive shockwaves, which was why he had decided to fly.

    Junhyuk waited a moment, and suddenly, right in from of him, a tear appeared. He had to protect himself from the delivery shockwave, so he quickly raised a force field around himself and the drone.

    The dimensional tear onlysted a short while, but the shockwave was absurd, which was why he thought he would be better off in the air. Once it disappeared, he saw five pairs of devices floating in the air. A bracelet was floating with them.

    He took the devices and the bracelet and asked Vera, ¡°What¡¯s with the bracelet?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a gift from me. I heard Sarang¡¯s having problems with her spells because she has a hard time getting mana there.¡±

    ¡°Does it absorb more mana?¡±

    ¡°No. It works by socketing mana stones to it. With it, when she casts a spell, she can force the mana consumption from the mana stone on the bracelet.¡±

    Vera was saying that Sarang could use mana stones as the source of mana for her spells. On Earth, that meant that as long as Sarang had mana stones, she would be able to cast and practice her spells. Mana stones were expensive, but she would be able to use her magic any time she wanted.

    Vera grinned at him and waved, saying, ¡°See you soon!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll call you soon!¡±

    Junhyuk disconnected and put the devices in his Spatial Bag. Afternding the drone on the ground, he went to Elise¡¯s house. She had been waiting for him to return. When she saw him, she smiled and said first, ¡°Clearly, dimensional deliveries are possible.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    He gave her one teleportation device. The others he would give to Guardians. They had five devices already, but now they would have nine. Junhyuk kept one of each pair with him. With them, he would be able to move much faster.

    Junhyuk would leave one in South Korea, which would enable him to return at any time. He had already given one to Elise, for her to always carry with her, so he went to Guardians. There, he met with Eunseo and gave her the four devices.

    Eunseo took them and said, ¡°These will help us tremendously!¡±

    Guardians, with his help, had already spread five devices throughout the world, but that had only created unrest among the people. Now, there were another four devices.

    Eunseo made him a cup of tea.

    ¡°How is your training?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s going well.¡±

    His own training and the training of the powered people were going well. Some of the powered people were having a difficult time settling on a weapon, but most had decided on the weapons they wanted.

    With the weapons they wanted, the powered people were getting stronger. Junhyuk had full muscle control, but most of his trainees didn¡¯t. Still, their weapon skills were developing nicely.

    They had all had near-death experiences while destroying the monster areas. Currently, there was no danger, but during that peace, they were training hard. Fighting other people was different than fighting monsters, but both types ofbat enabled people to learn the basics. They were focused on their training.

    ¡°How is your training?¡± Junhyuk asked Eunseo.

    It wasn¡¯t public knowledge that Eunseo was a novice. For her to evolve, she needed to master the basics ofbat.

    She smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m learning new techniques. I have good masters.¡±

    When she had been young, she had exercised for her health. After bing a novice, Eunseo really started training. So far, her only power was a counter. She was wearing the bracelet he had given her, but she had yet to evolve.

    Eunseo adjusted her sses and said, ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve found an artifact.¡±

    ¡°An artifact?¡±

    Eunseo nodded and showed him an old, rusted spearhead.

    ¡°This is a legendary item. A famous antique broker was selling it, but when the broker was telling stories about it, I did not really believe him. However, the item detector recognized it as an item. So, I bought it.¡±

    ¡°What is it exactly?¡±

    Junhyuk was simply staring at the old, rusted spearhead. Eunseo shrugged and said, ¡°That¡¯s the Lance of Longinus.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    Sheughed at his reaction and said, ¡°The stories are told as fables, so I didn¡¯t believe it initially. Also, the price for it was quite high. I now know that this is an item, which is why I bought it, but it¡¯s still hard to believe the stories.¡±

    After Junhyuk had heard her call it the Lance of Longinus, he could only smirk. There were many stories behind that spearhead. The most famous of which was of it being used on Jesus Christ during his crucifixion.

    If that was really the same spear, it would be an incredibly powerful item in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    ¡°How much was it?¡± Junhyuk asked her.

    ¡°Ten million dors. The broker told a lot of stories about it, but he had no evidence to support them.¡±

    ¡°You bought that spearhead for just $10 million?!¡±

    ¡°It should help me in the Dimensional Battlefield.¡±

    If that really was the Lance of Longinus, $10 million was cheap. However, even the broker who sold it couldn¡¯t be sure of the spear¡¯s history. Eunseo had bought it because it was an item.

    Junhyuk stared at the spearhead and said, ¡°You¡¯ll need a shaft for it.¡±

    Eunseo nodded, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll ask Elise for it.¡±

    After pondering the idea, Junhyuk said, ¡°Elise can make you a shaft, but you need to hurry if you are going to take it with you to the next battlefield.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m unsure. Should I really use this spear?¡±

    Eunseo was more used to hand-to-handbat.

    ¡°This can be the Lance of Longinus, which you should definitely use instead of selling it. You¡¯ll need to learn how to use polearms, but spears are good weapons. You can keep your distance from enemies with them.¡±

    Eunseo thought it over. She wanted to use it since she already owned it, and Elise could make a shaft for it. So, she decided to learn how to fight with polearms.

    She only knew hand-to-handbat, but she had to think of the future. She needed some type of weapon.

    Junhyuk would¡¯ve been jealous if that had been a sword, but it was a spear, so he didn¡¯t care at all. If the stories about the spear were right, it would be a very special weapon.

    Eunseo got up from her seat and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go see Elise now.¡±

    Junhyuk got up as well, finished his tea and replied, ¡°I want to go with you.¡±

    ¡°Sure, thanks.¡±

    Both went to see Elise, who was studying the core. She saw them walk in and lifted her goggles.

    ¡°You¡¯re both here!¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Eunseo, and she showed Elise the old, rusted spearhead.

    ¡°I need a shaft for it.¡±

    Elise inspected the spearhead and said, ¡°This is old. I can make you a new spear.¡±

    Smiling, Junhyuk said, ¡°It¡¯s a Dimensional Battlefield item, and a powerful one at that.¡±

    Elise turned to Eunseo, who adjusted her sses and said, ¡°Supposedly, it¡¯s the Lance of Longinus, but nothing is certain.¡±

    ¡°The Lance of Longinus?!¡± Elise stared at the spearhead and said, ¡°I¡¯ll carbon date it and make you a shaft.¡±

    She took them to a different room. There, she opened the ss enclosure of a small apparatus and ced the spearhead in it carefully. A green light shot out from a lens and scanned the spearhead.

    Junhyuk looked at it with wonder. The spearhead appeared on a monitor. Elise looked at it and said, ¡°Zaira, make a fitting shaft.¡±

    She turned to Eunseo and asked, ¡°Are you going to use it yourself?¡±

    Eunseo nodded, and Elise added, ¡°The owner is Eunseo Kim. Adjust it to her.¡±

    Elise looked at them both and concluded, ¡°If this is really the Lance of Longinus, magitek will help enhance its power, making it even more effective.¡±

    Junhyuk was expecting great things from this new weapon.

 Chapter 429 - Monster Wave 3

    <h4>Chapter 429: Monster Wave 3</h4>

    The days went by quickly. It was Friday now, and Ariel summoned him.

    Junhyuk had ced a bet on Ling Ling, Jeffrey and Aleksei for the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. Time flew by normally for the champions. Meanwhile, Ariel offered him a seat and said, [The odds are high this time. If you win, you¡¯ll get three times the amount you bet.]

    That was the case because Aleksei was a new champion. However, Jeffrey was reliable, so Junhyuk felt like he would enjoy watching the battle.

    The champions had been practicing with new weapons, so they would have to buy better ones from Bebe. Ling Ling was using dual swords like before, but Jeffrey decided to go for a shield-and-whipbo.

    Jeffrey¡¯s weaponbination was rather unique, but he was already quite skilled with the whip. Aleksei fought with his bare hands.

    Aleksei excelled in martial arts, and he was stronger than ever before.

    Junhyuk was anxious with anticipation, so he started fast forwarding the battle. Initially, he had just wanted to know which side had won, but soon, he realized he needed to know how his champions had fought and what their styles looked like.

    Ling Ling moved with Aleksei, and Jeffrey moved alone. Jeffrey killed his enemy easily and quickly. First, Jeffrey pulled the enemy champion, and then, he made his Ghost White Tiger go berserk on them. The tiger shredded the enemy to pieces.

    It seemed like Jeffrey could kill a hero. The enemies would have to outnumber Jeffrey to deal with him. If not, Jeffrey wouldn¡¯t be defeated.

    Ling Ling and Aleksei met their enemies. Aleksei acted as bait, and Ling Ling killed a champion. Then, the two worked together to bring down the remaining champion.

    Both groups were winning, and Junhyuk smiled as he watched them. The allies would win. That¡¯s what he thought.

    Things started to change when the allies changed their strategies.

    Jeffrey headed through the upper path, and Ling Ling and Aleksei went after the quest. However, the enemies were already at the quest site. The allied champions had already killed two together, but now, there were three in front of them.

    The two allies died, and the enemies went to finish the quest. Jeffrey destroyed the watchtower in the upper path, but the enemiespleted the quest and headed to the bottom path.

    When Jeffrey reached the enemy castle, the three enemies returned, and since they had the quest buff, they killed Jeffrey in a three-vs-one battle. After that, the allies decided to move together. The enemies also moved as a group and attacked the allied team, but the allies won that battle.

    Jeffrey had pulled an enemy and killed them. The other enemies were also easily killed. After that, the allies went to see Bebe and got themselves new weapons, which were better than the ones made by Elise.

    The allies kept winning, and it did not take long for the battle to end.

    The allies won, and Junhyuk regretted not having bet more. He would do so next time. After he finished watching the battle, Arielughed brightly.

    [The allies have won! You had ced a 50,000G bet with a 5 percent processing fee, so your final bet was 47,500G. The odds were three to one, so you earned 142,500G. After subtracting the winnings fee, you get 135,375G.]

    Junhyuk smiled with satisfaction and thought about Sarang. She had told him that she had bet 200,000G on the allies, so she would get 600,000G. She would have to pay the fees, but it would still be a lot.

    It was hard to predict the oue of the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. It was definitely gambling, but if one knew the champions participating well enough, it was easier to ce a bet. Sarang had earned a lot of gold from her bet this time.

    Junhyuk was happy with the oue. He said goodbye to Ariel and went back to Earth. There, he called Sarang.

    She was ecstatic, but Junhyuk still decided to be careful when cing his own bets. There were plenty of ways to rue gold. cing bets was a nice option, but he could also lose his gold doing it.

    Shaking his head, Junhyuk walked outside. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a siren going off. He ran toward it. Eunseo was running out as well, and she told him, ¡°We¡¯ve detected a dimensional tear!¡±

    ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°Seoul!¡±

    ¡°Seoul?!¡±

    Eunseo said quickly, ¡°The tear is appearing in Gawnghwamun, and it¡¯s bigger than any we¡¯ve seen before!¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t hesitate.

    ¡°Call the military, and evacuate the people! We¡¯ll go!¡±

    Junhyuk got on his drone. The champions had also gotten drones, and they followed him. The experts and novices got on helicopters that were stationed at Guardians HQ.

    Junhyuk took his team of champions and headed there. Sarang joined them on the way. When he saw her, Junhyuk spotted a bracelet around her wrist. It was Vera¡¯s gift. He pulled out three massive mana stones and gave them to her. She socketed them to the bracelet.

    The bracelet was powerful. The scale of her spells wasrger than ever before now that she was wearing it.

    That day, Junhyuk would see her in action at full force.

    ¡°Your magic will help us, but watch out for anything dangerous,¡± he told her.

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Flying above Seoul, they saw the dimensional tear far away, and Junhyuk realized that the tear wouldn¡¯t stay that size.

    Once a dimensional tear appeared, the space around it went through a cycle of death and birth. However, this time, the size of the area of the cycle was different. Junhyuk could sense it.

    ¡°That¡¯s not it¡¯s real size!¡±

    The dimensional tear was enormous. Were the managers thinking of sending one monster or many? Junhyuk winced at the thought.

    ¡°Everyone, be careful! The tear is huge!¡±

    Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

    Waves of monster rushed out of the tear. Junhyuk watched them and scowled.

    ¡°That...¡±

    Jeffrey, who was next to him, pulled out his whip.

    ¡°Those are wyverns!¡±

    The monsters were simr to dragons but smaller. Junhyuk himself had never faced a wyvern before.

    People were being evacuated, but the streets around Gwanghwamun were extremely crowded, so the evacuation was taking a while.

    Looking at the wyverns, Junhyuk said, ¡°Attack them before they disperse!¡±

    He moved first, and Sarang said, ¡°Keep them together, and I¡¯ll cast a spell in the middle of them.¡±

    ¡°OK! Do it!¡± Looking at the champions, Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Keep your distances, but don¡¯t let the wyverns disperse!¡±

    Junhyuk took off on his drone. A few wyverns spotted him and flew toward him. He was closing in on them, and that¡¯s when they opened their mouths and spat out fireballs. Junhyuk thought of Gongon. The fireballs looked simr to Gongon¡¯s firebreath during his ultimate transformation.

    Junhyuk got even closer and swung his longsword, which stretched for twenty meters and sliced a wyvern¡¯s neck.

    The wyverns had thick hides, but they couldn¡¯t withstand a sh from Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    The champions lured the wyverns to one spot, and Sarang raised her arms in front of her. She was casting a spell. Sarang had her Thunderstorm, but she had other electric spells that Vera had taught her.

    Once she was done preparing, she shouted, ¡°Bunch them up!¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the champions. The wyverns were chasing them, so the champions changed trajectories and flew toward each other. The wyverns bunched up by following them, and seeing that, Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Dive!¡±

    The drones were flying dangerously close to each other, and suddenly, they changed directions and all headed to the ground. Sarang had her orb out by then.

    Two electric orbs appeared in front of her, like the electric sts, but they were two meters thick. The orbs flew toward the wyverns in a sh, heading to opposite directions of the formation. From them, chain lightning interconnected the wyverns with the two orbs. Twenty wyverns were roasted in the process.

    The wyverns weren¡¯t quite A-ranked monsters, but they were stronger than regr B-ranked monsters. Nevertheless, twenty of them had burned and died.

    ¡°Mages are the best at wiping outrge numbers.¡±

    Junhyuk had been thinking about killing as many wyverns as they sent out. The wyverns could fly, so fighting them was rather difficult. However, Sarang had annihted all of their numbers.

    The dead wyverns fell on the gate below, but the powered people couldn¡¯t care about the structures for now.

    The dimensional tear had gotten even bigger. Even the dimensional tears in the monster areas couldn¡¯tpare in size. That tear was at least three times as big as those of the monster areas.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t understand the managers. A tear that size wouldn¡¯t just release twenty wyverns. Eltor had to be behind all of that, and the wyverns had been too easy to deal with.

    Junhyuk knew things weren¡¯t over, so he called for the champions. The experts and novices exited the helicopters, and the air force jets flew above the dimensional tear. There werebat helicopters present as well, and ground troops were getting in position.

    Junhyuk watched as the experts and novices took their ces. Lucy, the previous team leader, was inmand of them.

    Everyone waited.

    Junhyuk understood that Eltor had been thinking of him with the tear. He knew things couldn¡¯t be that simple. When he raised his head, he saw somethinging out of the tear. Its body was gigantic. From head to toe, it was at least forty meters tall, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t help but scowl.

    ¡°That¡¯s a dragon,¡± Sarang said with a shaky voice.

    Covered in bright red scales, a dragon walked through the dimensional tear.

 Chapter 430 - Dragon 1

    <h4>Chapter 430: Dragon 1</h4>

    Junhyuk¡¯s superior instincts were telling him that he was facing a true dragon. The hairs on his body stood on end, and he gripped his sword tightly. He stood in front of Sarang, facing the flying dragon.

    The dragon was looking at them. The powered people who weren¡¯t heroes or champions tensed up as their eyes met the dragon¡¯s. The novices couldn¡¯t move, and Junhyuk knew that things would be catastrophic if they continued that way.

    But, only one dragon came out of the dimensional tear.

    Dragons knew of Junhyuk. He was aware of that fact through Gongon. Dragons were different from other monsters in that they were highly intelligent.

    ¡°You¡¯re a mighty dragon. Why are you here?¡± Junhyuk asked.

    The dragon turned to him. Its eyes were burning red.

    ¡°Are you a hero?¡±

    ¡°My name is Junhyuk Lee. I¡¯m one of Earth¡¯s heroes.¡±

    ¡°Is that right?¡± the dragon asked. ¡°My name is Kalgroan.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at Kalgroan, who was a red dragon, and decided to talk to him.

    Kalgroan¡¯s eyes beamed, and he said, ¡°They had imprisoned me for two hundred years, but they are willing to let me out on one condition.¡±

    ¡°What condition?¡±

    ¡°They want me to burn this ce down.¡±

    Junhyuk grimaced. Kalgroan seemed to have made up his mind, so talking wouldn¡¯t help.

    ¡°What do you mean they imprisoned you?¡±

    ¡°They hunted me down and caged me.¡±

    Dragon hunters. Considering their powers, they could get anyone. Junhyuk really wanted to learn a dimensional strike. He gripped Aksha¡¯s Longsword even tighter.

    ¡°Then, we have to fight.¡±

    The dragon smiled at him.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m also curious about heroes. What separates heroes from other existences? Are your powers great enough for that?¡±

    Junhyuk sighed and replied, ¡°They are.¡± He gathered his breath and shouted with all of his might, ¡°Everyone, wake up!¡±

    The powered people regained their senses. He did not know it, but the powered people believe that Junhyuk could take on dragons.

    Kalgroan smiled and raised both of his ws. Fireballs appeared above them. That really was happening on Earth. The managers had ordered the dragon to burn the ce down, which meant that Kalgroan could use any spell at his disposal. Dragon¡¯s knew magic, and Kalgroan wasn¡¯t holding back.

    Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t allow the spells tond.

    He flew toward the dragon on the drone, and Kalgroan threw both fireballs at him. Junhyuk swung his sword against them.

    Boom!

    He shed through the fireballs, but the explosions destroyed his drone. The sky was set aze, but Junhyuk¡¯s armor protected him from the mes.

    Junhyuk lost 5 percent of his health. The spell was stronger than he had originally thought. He hadn¡¯t been hit directly, but he still lost health blocking the fireballs.

    He scowled and teleported. On Earth, he could cover two hundred meters with his teleportation.

    Junhyuk aimed at the dragon¡¯s chest, stabbing with Aksha¡¯s Longsword. That¡¯s when Kalgroan raised a force field around himself.

    ng!

    Kalgroan¡¯s force field was different from his. His force field prevented all damage, but Kalgroan¡¯s wasn¡¯t that strong. He saw a crack appear on the dragon¡¯s force field. Thinking of it, Junhyuk remembered that there wasn¡¯t any mana around, so how was the dragon casting spells?

    He was curious about that, but suddenly, an electric web covered Kalgroan. The dragonughed when he saw it.

    ¡°Interesting spell!¡±

    The dragon extended his wings and pped them. The web ripped apart. Junhyuk regained hisposure. Kalgroan was a dragon, so physical and magical attacks wouldn¡¯t work against him. Nevertheless, dragons weren¡¯t heroes, which meant that they weren¡¯t immune to powers.

    ¡°Use your powers!¡±

    Hearing him, Sarang extended her orb. An electric st shot out of it and paralyzed the dragon.

    ¡°Everyone, use your powers!¡± he shouted.

    The champions responded first. They seemed less afraid, so they all used their powers.

    Out of them, Jeffrey went first. He summoned the Ghost White Tiger and enraged it. The tiger pounded toward the dragon. Kalgroan was flying, but the Ghost White Tiger was able to bite his ankle.

    The others joined the fight after that.

    Ling Ling cast a whirlwind, and Gabino cast fireballs. Helen summoned her sword and threw it at the dragon.

    Junhyuk realized something by seeing their attacks. At the battlefield, champions could kill heroes. Even attacks from novices could work against heroes there. But, on Earth, things were different. The champions¡¯ powers weren¡¯t lethal.

    Kalgroan was releasing a huge amount of mana from his body, and Junhyuk could feel it. The mana shockwaves caused all of the attacks to go off course. Essentially, for the others, there was a perpetual force field around the dragon.

    Lucy had ordered the novices and experts to attack, but their attacks had only drawn the dragon¡¯s attention.

    The novices¡¯ powers were all deflected by the dragon¡¯s force field. The truth was that the dragon was incredibly powerful.

    Junhyuk had heard that heroes couldn¡¯t fight dragons in their own dimensions, but Junhyuk felt like he had to fight now. The dragon was stronger than any single hero, but he couldn¡¯t allow things to continue that way.

    The dragon created dozens of fireballs then, which could be disastrous.

    Junhyuk used his Spatial sh. His power pierced the dragon¡¯s force field and shed the dragon. Kalgroan felt something approaching and turned his neck, dodging a direct hit to a weak spot, but the dragon was still hit, and he bled.

    The Spatial sh was essentially a failure, but Junhyuk did not give up. However, that¡¯s when the fireballs went everywhere. The dragon wasn¡¯t simply focusing on him.

    Junhyuk kept thinking about how to fight the dragon, and many ideas crossed his mind. Unsure, he extended his hand. He had never used that before, but suddenly, he created a miracle. An ivory membrane enclosed the dragon. The force field covered all forty meters of the dragon.

    Junhyuk¡¯s power had evolved on Earth, but he had never used that version of it. It had been a while since his power had evolved, but Junhyuk trusted his force field.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    Massive explosions took ce within the force field as all of the fireballs hit it from the inside. The area inside the force field became engulfed in fire. From the outside, they couldn¡¯t see anything.

    Junhyuk turned to Sarang, and she asked, ¡°What do we do?¡±

    ¡°We have to use all of our powers.¡±

    Sarang touched her ring and replied, ¡°OK. Let¡¯s do it.¡±

    She could understand the situation. While powers from experts and champions also worked, they did so only at a fraction of their strength.

    The dragon had superior physical defense, and he could nullify spells. On top of that, it seemed like he had unlimited mana. Where was he getting the mana from?

    Junhyuk wanted to know if he couldnd a critical hit with his Spatial sh, but he had to ready himself before the force field disappeared.

    ¡°Have the others focus their powers at a single point on the dragon!¡± he ordered.

    Lucy nodded and set a target. She had had the novices practice focused targeting, so it was time to put it to use.

    The novices would draw the dragon¡¯s attention. Once the force field disappeared, all of the novices would attack. The others would also attack the dragon at that point.

    The force field faded away, and the dragon looked around and said, ¡°Strange power.¡±

    The membrane had kept everything inside it, and the dragon was curious about how a human could have a power like that.

    Kalgroan also thought about the Spatial sh. He had been able to dodge it due to his draconic instincts. The dragon stared at Junhyuk while thinking that the term hero fit the human well.

    While Kalgroan pondered everything, a massive volley of powers mmed against him.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    The attacks focused on a single spot, and the dragon turned to the powered people below. Heunched a fireball against the bothersome novices.

    Some novices had blocking powers, and so did some experts, but the fireball covered Gwanghwamun when it exploded.

    The dragon had only turned to look at the novices for a moment, and suddenly, thunderbolts mmed against his head. A lightning storm covered the entire Gwanghwamun area.

 Chapter 431 - Dragon 2

    <h4>Chapter 431: Dragon 2</h4>

    The strong electrical st mmed against the dragon. It was strong enough to surprise Kalgroan and damage him. At the same time, Junhyuk used his Spatial Copse.

    He wasn¡¯t sure about the dragon¡¯s weak spot, but he thought that the dragon would die if the attack hit his head. Right when Junhyuk was triggering the Spatial Copse, the dragon raised his head with surprising speed, dodging a direct attack to his head.

    The Spatial Copse couldn¡¯t bepletely negated however. Everything within a ten-meter radius of it got sucked toward the copse, and so, the dragon was damaged.

    The dragon was shocked by the power that even sucked his scales off of his body. It was a power that made space disappear. Kalgroan felt that if he had been hit directly by it, his life might¡¯ve been forfeit.

    Even though he had a mana shield around himself, Junhyuk¡¯s attack had bypassed it, and that told Kalgroan that things were getting dangerous. The dragon beat his wings and flew up.

    Junhyuk grimaced at the move. His drone had been destroyed, so he couldn¡¯t chase after the dragon. The range of his teleportation was too short for him to catch up that way.

    Jeffrey approached him then and had Junhyuk get on his drone with him. Jeffrey flew up with Junhyuk, and they both stared at the dragon.

    Sarang was chasing the dragon, but despite his size, Kalgroan flew really fast.

    Once he reached a certain height, Kalgroan raised his head and sucked the air around him.

    Junhyuk could sense that something terrible was about to happen.

    ¡°Is that his breath?¡±

    At that moment, Junhyuk contacted Gongon. The hatchling appeared and asked, ¡°I¡¯m busy. What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°What are the weaknesses of a dragon?¡±

    Jeffrey¡¯s drone was flying fast, but they were still far from Kalgroan.

    ¡°Dragons have no weaknesses. You need to destroy their heart or behead them.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t have time to borate on that. Kalgroan was about to breathe fire.

    ¡°What about their breath?¡±

    ¡°Breath?! Do you have a dragon over there?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°How big is the dragon?¡±

    ¡°About forty meters long. Jeffrey, what do we do?¡±

    Jeffrey shook his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do now.¡±

    Junhyuk scowled. Jeffrey couldn¡¯t help him now, so he triggered his eleration and looked around. The champions were all flying toward the dragon, and he wished one of them could help him. However, among them, none could stop that firebreath.

    Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Disperse!¡±

    The champions followed his order, and Junhyuk looked at Sarang and said, ¡°Take me with you.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still here,¡± Jeffrey interjected.

    ¡°I know. Focus on flying.¡±

    The dragon was still far away.

    ¡°Considering its size, that dragon is warm blooded. A dragon¡¯s breath is pure mana energy, and warm-blooded dragons can destroy small cities with their breaths.¡±

    Junhyuk scowled. He could imagine how much damage the dragon¡¯s breath would cause before it even happened.

    He jumped from Jeffrey¡¯s drone to Sarang¡¯s, and hugging her, he used his jump skill. He covered thirty meters and teleported while talking to her.

    ¡°Sarang, restrain the dragon as much as you can with your magic.¡±

    She nodded, and he pushed her away, jumping again by himself. Sarang was thrown off course, but he didn¡¯t care. He wanted her as far from the dragon as possible. Kalgroan opened his mouth, and Junhyuk could see fire within it. Could he withstand the mes?

    His force field was still under cooldown, so he only had his Spatial sh at his disposal. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t use it now. He was too far away.

    He held tightly to Aksha¡¯s Longsword and lengthened the de. He prepared a mana de strike, but only ten meters of the sword¡¯s de was covered in mana. Junhyuk also felt himself slowing down. He knew that if the dragon used his breath on the city, Seoul would be destroyed.

    Junhyuk wanted to stop the dragon.

    ¡°Come at me!¡± he shouted, and Kalgroan breathed toward him. The dragon¡¯s breath formed a horizontal arc in front of him.

    Gongon¡¯s definition of a small city was probably different from Junhyuk¡¯s. That kind of breath could probably destroy a few districts within Seoul.

    Junhyuk swung his sword, and the mana de grew even longer with the release of his sh. It became thirty meters long.

    Normally, Junhyuk would use his Spatial sh on his enemy¡¯s weak spot, but things were different now. The Spatial sh cut the firebreath, and the mes were divided in two. Seeing that, Junhyuk frowned.

    The Spatial sh hadsted but a moment, but it had managed to split the breath. Nevertheless, the breath continued in its path.

    Junhyuk knew he had to destroy it.

    The firebreath was a massive wall of mes, but it depended on mana to work, like normal fire depended on oxygen. Gongon was gone now, which meant that the dragon was releasing enough mana to disablemunications.

    Themunication orb had been jammed by the breath.

    Junhyuk inhaled deeply and swung his sword. Aksha¡¯s Longsword cut the me wall into smaller pieces, but he felt like his hands were about to fall from the force he felt when making contact with the mes. Nevertheless, he couldn¡¯t stop. Even the pieces of fire would cause serious damage to the ground below.

    What would have happened if the city had been hit by a full-force firebreath? The people down below would¡¯ve been decimated. Because of that, Junhyuk kept thinking that he was saving lives with each swing, and so, he kept swinging.

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t standing on anything, so eventually, he started to fall. However, he didn¡¯t stop.

    He heard loud explosions and thought bits of the firebreath had hit the ground.

    As he kept swinging his sword, he felt something underneath his feet. Jeffrey had flown to him.

    ¡°When will it be over?¡±

    He had been swinging his sword while elerating, so he didn¡¯t know how much time had actually passed. The firebreath was still moving, and he focused only on swinging his sword.

    Junhyuk felt his muscles getting tired. The dragon¡¯s breath was stronger than he had imagined, but he only stopped after the firebreath stopped. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t raise his arms anymore, simply staring at the dragon, but Kalgroan also looked tired, doing nothing but pping his wings enough to hover.

    Junhyuk looked around then. Sarang had tried to use a lightning web to contain the breath, but she had failed. That had been the n she hade up with by using her highest quality intelligence runestones. She had weaved her spell, but it had been unable to contain the dragon¡¯s breath.

    The firebreath pierced through the lightning web and fell below. Seoul was on fire.

    Junhyuk looked at Jeffrey and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back. The champions will join us.¡±

    Jeffrey nodded and flew the drone up toward the champions. Sarang followed him.

    Light green powder fell over Junhyuk, and the injuries on his arms disappeared. Junhyuk held tightly to his longsword, and the dragon stared at them angrily.

    Sarang was following him, and he told her, ¡°Ordinary magic doesn¡¯t work at all.¡±

    ¡°I realized that.¡±

    ¡°Have you used your ring?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    She had had to flee his Spatial Copse, so her attacks hadn¡¯t stacked.

    ¡°How much time is left of your cooldown?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Ten seconds.¡±

    Junhyuk had used his Spatial sh. His cooldown had decreased, but he still had to wait for it.

    ¡°I need more time.¡±

    Buying time meant risking your life. The champions flew toward the dragon with that intent.

    Junhyuk watched them go while he flew with Jeffrey.

    The dragon didn¡¯t seem to care about the champions¡¯ attacks. They had powers, but the dragon only considered Junhyuk dangerous. Kalgroan could ignore Sarang¡¯s magic, but her Thunderstorm could damage him.

    Therefore, Kalgroan focused only on the two. He brought both of his ws together in a p, and suddenly, fireballs appeared in his hands. Kalgroan was far from the heroes, but the heroes could feel the heat from the fireballs.

    Smiling, Kalgroan said, ¡°Time to get rid of the flies.¡±

 Chapter 432 - Dragon 3

    <h4>Chapter 432: Dragon 3</h4>

    A huge fireball shot out at the six champions.

    Junhyuk bit his lip. He had already used his force field, so he couldn¡¯t help. Instead, the champions used their powers to try to stop the fireball.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    Only a few champions were able to block the fireball. Ling Ling and Helen had used their powers to split the fireball in half, and Aleksei had raised a blood shield and blocked most of the damage to himself. The others were falling to the ground.

    But, the champions had survived.

    Junhyuk had already used all of his powers, so he was worried about how to proceed with the fight, but he couldn¡¯t retreat now. As a hero, Junhyukcked his own style of swordsmanship and other skills, but his equipment was superior to that of most other heroes¡¯.

    He had a nearlyplete legendary set and a legendary weapon, Aksha¡¯s Longsword. The legendary items were disying their true powers right there on Earth.

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t been seriously hurt while shing the firebreath because of his items. Bits of the firebreath hadnded on Seoul, and the city was engulfed in mes, but Seoul had been saved from taking a direct hit.

    Jeffrey flew the drone for Junhyuk. His Ghost White Tiger had been killed by the dragon, so he couldn¡¯t really help Junhyuk now.

    Junhyuk turned to him and said, ¡°You have a long range power. Do you think you can control that dragon?¡±

    ¡°The range in the Dimensional Battlefield is limited, but if I can get just a little closer here, I think I can.¡±

    ¡°OK, let¡¯s approach him.¡±

    Kalgroan¡¯s firebreath had taken a lot out of him, but he was preparing another attack. The dragon¡¯s spells were all fire based.

    Regr magic wouldn¡¯t work against the dragon. Only powers and equipment abilities seemed to work.

    ¡°I¡¯ll block the dragon¡¯s attack.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Kalgroan started casting a magic attack again. Attacks that only hit once could be blocked by Junhyuk, so the dragon tried a different tactic. He created an innumerable number of fire spears. All of them were two meters in length.

    ¡°Take these!¡±

    All of the spears flew out at the same time. Junhyuk needed his force field. He had promised Jeffrey that he would protect him, but things weren¡¯t that simple.

    Junhyuk elerated and looked toward the flying spears heading toward him. He knew he couldn¡¯t block them all with his sword. However, while elerating, he could predict the trajectory of the spears.

    ¡°Duck!¡±

    Jeffrey ducked, and Junhyuk thought back to Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship. He hadn¡¯t practiced much of it at all yet, but he took a deep breath. Junhyuk thought he should have practiced it more. He wasn¡¯t sure if he could use it now, but he could try.

    Junhyuk started swinging. Aksha¡¯s Longsword was capable of leaving thin walls of air in its path, but Junhyuk needed to elerate to make that happen. He needed to focus to handle Aksha¡¯s Longsword well.

    Junhyuk copied what he could think of and realized it then that his sword shield was simr to Halo¡¯s power, but his own shield seemed much stronger defensively. He felt like he could deflect anything. However, he knew that Halo¡¯s sword shield would be stronger in his own dimension.

    Aksha¡¯s Longsword generated three air walls, and Junhyuk felt like he could control the longsword. Although he hadn¡¯t practiced much of the swordsmanship, he had been using Aksha¡¯s Longsword constantly.

    sh!

    He could only use this type of swordsmanship with the help of his eleration, but he realized he was taking another step toward mastering Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    Junhyuk had only copied the moves he knew, but that had also given him the chance to experience them. By doing that, he realized that Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship required an absurd amount of mana.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    The air walls blocked all of the fire spears, and the dragon¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°That¡¯s a surprising amount of skill you have.¡±

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t done anything on his own. Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship was legendary, and he realized that he had been arrogant in thinking that he was strong.

    He should have been only trying to master Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship, but he had been trying tobine his own swordsmanship with it without fully mastering Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship. Junhyuk knew that he had tobine them to be a legend in his own right, but he had been too eager.

    ¡°That¡¯s our chance!¡± Jeffrey said.

    While the dragon was preparing another spell, Jeffrey used his power on him. Jeffrey¡¯s power wrapped around the dragon¡¯s neck, and Kalgroan hesitated as he was pulled toward Jeffrey.

    ¡°It¡¯ll onlyst a second!¡±

    Junhyuk thought a second would be enough. The dragon was right in front of him now.

    ¡°I am ready!¡± Sarang shouted.

    Thunderbolts mmed against the dragon, who roared loudly from the pain.

    ¡°Roooaaar!¡±

    The dragon¡¯s roar wasn¡¯t just that. Everyone but the heroes around the dragon was stunned, Jeffrey as well. For that reason, Junhyuk jumped off the drone. The dragon was close enough to him now.

    Aksha¡¯s Longsword stretched out, aimed at the dragon¡¯s neck, and the dragon raised his mana field. But, Junhyuk¡¯s own mana de pierced the mana wall and stabbed the dragon¡¯s neck.

    Suddenly, Kalgroan disappeared.

    Junhyuk focused on his spatial sense and realized that the dragon had retreated. He had used some type of teleportation, so Junhyuk used his own teleportation power.

    When he appeared, he stabbed the dragon again.

    Kalgroan had a long gash across his neck, and he was bleeding profusely from it. Suddenly, another set of thunderbolts mmed against his head. The dragon was paralyzed, and Junhyuk seized that moment, swinging his sword.

    There was no way for the dragon to dodge the attack.

    aash!

    The dragon¡¯s scales were strong, but this time, Junhyuk piercing stat was higher than ever, and he was able to slice through the scales like soft tofu. Kalgroan refused to believe that he had been sliced through the neck. He hadn¡¯t known of any weapons that could cut through dragon scales.

    His eyes widened, and Junhyuk smiled at him.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for you to die.¡±

    The sword¡¯s de vanished, and Kalgroan felt something pierce through his brain. His consciousness faded. The forty-meter long body lost its ability to remain afloat and fell to the ground.

    Boom!

    The ground shook, and Junhyuk stared at Kalgroan. The dragon had certainly been extremely powerful.

    Looking around, Junhyuk could see that part of Seoul had been destroyed. Firemen had been deployed to rescue the civilians, but they wouldn¡¯t be enough.

    He turned to Sarang. Even after using two Thunderstorms, she was still looking up.

    ¡°What about that?¡±

    The dimensional tear from which the forty-meter dragon hade was still open. Junhyuk thought that Eltor would be inside. He thought about going into the tear and destroying the tower core.

    However, as he approached the tear, the tear slowly copsed. Junhyuk elerated, but the tear¡¯s copse sped up.

    He scowled.

    When he got there, there was nothing left. There were no traces of the life-and-death cycle of space. Now, he knew that Eltor could send any monster anywhere at any time. The managers had to have more than one dragon. What would happen if they sent two dragons at the same time? Earth would be massacred.

    Junhyuk sighed. To contain the mes, the firemen had crossed the military perimeter. However, they seemed unable to put the fire out.

    ¡°Let¡¯s help!¡± Junhyuk shouted.

    He moved out first. Some of the buildings on fire still had people inside, so he sliced through the buildings¡¯ walls and rescued the people.

    Junhyuk¡¯s magic defense stat was very high, so he ignored the mes. The other powered people helped in the rescue efforts.

    Elise arrived at the site by helicopter. She had brought five helicopters with her. They were a new model, the CH-53K. Not even the U.S. military had them at its disposal.

    People got out of the helicopters, and the monster collection team gathered the cadavers and materials. They even collected a lot of the dragon¡¯s blood that had spilled everywhere.

    Elise walked up to him. Junhyuk had just gotten done with rescuing two people out of a building. His spatial sense had told him where the people had been. As he looked around, he saw that Seoul was still in mes, but he had rescued all of the survivors. Nevertheless, the coteral damage was extremely high.

    Only bits of the firebreath hadnded on the city, but Seoul was aze.

    Junhyuk offered Elise his hand and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d would be able to retrieve the dragon¡¯s body.¡±

    The five helicopters were pulling Kalgroan¡¯s body out.

    ¡°It¡¯s an S-ranked monster,¡± he said.

    ¡°I¡¯m curious about what kinds of things I¡¯ll be able to create with it.¡±

 Chapter 433 - Red Dragon Armor 1

    <h4>Chapter 433: Red Dragon Armor 1</h4>

    Junhyuk had done everything he could. After the civilians were rescued, it was time to evacuate them, so he returned to Guardians HQ with the rest of the powered people.

    Junhyuk wanted to be briefed on what had happened, so he went straight to the meeting room. After the monster areas were destroyed, the countries¡¯ delegates all returned to their own countries. He entered the meeting room with Sarang and Lucy. Eunseo and Brigadier Johnson were already there.

    Eunseo spoke up first.

    ¡°You¡¯ve done well.¡±

    ¡°I just did my job.¡±

    ¡°The government willpensate you for your work.¡±

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t interested in that. He was worried about more dragons showing up. Looking at Lucy, he asked, ¡°What about the casualties?¡±

    Lucy sighed and answered, ¡°One expert activated a new power. Seven novices became experts. Eight experts and thirty-seven novices died.¡±

    Kalgroan hadn¡¯t targeted the novices and experts, but they were rather weak inparison. All powered people were wearing armor made out of monster materials, but novices and experts had rather low health.

    Their forces had been hit hard. Thirty percent of them had died. Even so, Junhyuk had a new champion and seven more experts to train.

    Sighing heavily, he said, ¡°We shouldpensate the families of the dead ones. We hadn¡¯t really trained much when the S-ranked monster showed up.¡±

    Johnson said, ¡°The new dimensional tear brought a dragon, a monster more powerful than any we¡¯ve faced before. So, my country is sending the U.S. Navy¡¯s Seventh Fleet to be stationed in South Korea.¡±

    The American military was equipped with monster dposition liquid, and that might help, but that was only in theory.

    A-ranked monsters couldn¡¯t be killed with dposition liquid, and dragons were S-ranked existences. In essence, the American fleet wouldn¡¯t be much help, but the Americans could help with rescue and evacuation procedures, so they would make a difference.

    With that covered, Junhyuk would be able to fight without worrying about the civilians around him.

    Sighing, he said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if South Korea will be the only ce with dragons.¡±

    The managers could send dragons to any country in the world. Johnson grimaced at the statement.

    ¡°We¡¯ll develop dragon-hunting weapons from the resources we gathered today.¡±

    Junhyuk replied, ¡°I¡¯ll help with anything you need.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the offer.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Eunseo and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go meet the new champion and experts.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll take care of the aftermath.¡±

    After Junhyuk walked out with Lucy and Sarang, he got a call through hismunication orb.

    ¡°Are you still alive? Have you killed the dragon?¡±

    Looking at Gongon, Junhyuk nodded heavily.

    ¡°We did.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve officially killed a warm-blooded dragon,¡± Gongon said astonished, but Junhyuk shook his head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it. I almost died.¡±

    ¡°But you killed the dragon?¡±

    ¡°I did.¡±

    ¡°What was the dragon¡¯s name?¡±

    ¡°Kalgroan. He said he¡¯d been imprisoned by the managers for hundreds of years.¡±

    ¡°Kalgroan? The title of Kal means that he was a powerful dragon. He was imprisoned by the managers?¡±

    ¡°Right. He said he was hunted down.¡±

    ¡°Hunted?!¡±

    Gongon looked both worried and furious, and Junhyuk said, ¡°Kalgroan wasn¡¯t a hero, so I don¡¯t know anything else about him aside from him saying that he was imprisoned for hundreds of years.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? I can look into his past.¡±

    ¡°If possible, find out how many dragons have been imprisoned by the managers. I want to know that.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll find out.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and asked, ¡°Do you know of anything that can pierce dragon scales?¡±

    Gongon shook his head and answered, ¡°Other dragons can do it, but the dragon attacking has to do so at great speed.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Humans would use the dead dragon¡¯s body to craft weapons that would be able to kill dragons, and Elise would alsoe up with something to increase speed.

    Junhyuk disconnected with Gongon and headed to the training facility. The newly powered-up people were already there.

    Kushuma, from India, had be a champion. Junhyuk looked at the experts. There were six of them standing in front of him.

    He turned to Lucy and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the seventh expert?¡±

    Lucy cocked her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m the seventh.¡±

    ¡°You?!¡±

    Junhyuk was a little surprised by the turn of events, and Lucy continued, ¡°My new power can help us.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I can debuff and nullify an enemy¡¯s power.¡±

    ¡°Debuff a power?¡±

    ¡°I can make it weaker. It¡¯s the only reason I survived back there.¡±

    Lucy had almost been killed. She had risked her life in that battle, which had enabled her to acquire a new power, a power that was very useful.

    Junhyuk said, ¡°The number of casualties was high, but we have a new group of higher-tier powered. We¡¯ll do better next time.¡± Turning to Lucy, he added, ¡°Gather all the data from the battle ande up with a new strategy.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    ¡°And please, work harder, everyone.¡±

    People who had trained with him that morning had died, so everyone was tense. He bid them goodbye and went to see Elise. The dragon¡¯s corpse was resting on her yard.

    Elise walked toward him. An iron soldier was working as her assistant. It was holding a scale.

    ¡°How¡¯s the body?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve just started examining it.¡±

    She would dissect the corpse and research it. It was a huge task.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do this by myself, so I called for your underlings at GST.¡±

    ¡°How about calling people from Guardians?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve done that already. We¡¯ll all work together on it.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Junhyuk told her about his conversation with Gongon.

    ¡°Dragon scales can be pierced by dragon ws.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Elise called Gongon herself, and they talked using heavy technical jargon.

    ¡°What are they talking about?¡± he asked Sarang.

    ¡°They are using magitek words.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not Korean, right?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no Korean equivalent, no.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed and shook his head. Elise kept talking to Gongon for a long while, pacing constantly. Suddenly, she beckoned him over.

    Everyone followed Elise to herb. She was still talking to Gongon when she turned to Junhyuk.

    ¡°You should listen to Gongon.¡±

    Gongon appeared on a monitor. He looked incredibly frustrated.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do this, but I must tell you how to kill a dragon. Elise can use magitek to kill dragons.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°By crafting weapons from the dragon¡¯s bones. That¡¯s your best bet. It only requires a few crafting techniques, so it¡¯s the simplest way.¡± Gongon wrote a rune formation across the air and continued, ¡°Craft weapons out of the bones with a sharpness spell. That way, you¡¯ll be able to pierce the scales. But, you¡¯ll need to figure out how to nullify the dragon¡¯s force field on your own.¡±

    After some thought, Junhyuk said, ¡°We got a new expert, and her power debuffs and nullifies an an enemy¡¯s power. Would she be able to dispel a dragon¡¯s force field?¡±

    ¡°I have to see the power first, but in theory, it¡¯s possible.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, and Gongon thought of something else then, ¡°Do you have a lot of powered people?¡±

    ¡°Not many, but we have some.¡±

    ¡°Research their powers first. They might hold more than they know.¡±

    ¡°You mean that they might have dormant powers?¡±

    ¡°In the same way that dragons can cast magic with scrolls.¡±

    It would be revolutionary if humans had dormant powers. Ensnaring and debuff powers could be extremely useful.

    Junhyuk turned to Elise, and she shook her head.

    ¡°I am not capable of figuring that out right now. We¡¯ll probably have to use the dimensional merchant for that.¡±

    Junhyuk agreed, ¡°Maybe we can find powers that can only be used on Earth.¡±

    There was a strength difference between dimensional powers and powers that would work only on Earth. He didn¡¯t have the gold for the merchant now, but he was willing to invest on anything that helped them fight S-ranked monsters.

    He smiled at Gongon and said, ¡°Thanks. I think we¡¯ll be able to handle dragons now.¡±

    Gongon was very happy to hear that from him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t expect too much. You¡¯ll get another dragon sooner than you expect.¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t talk that way.¡±

    Gongon covered his mouth with his w and said, ¡°Sorry. The things we say be reality. You¡¯re right.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed.

    ¡°We¡¯ll do our best in our preparations. We know managers can hunt them, so we¡¯ll face more dragons.¡±

    There would still be coteral damage from the battles, but Junhyuk was thinking he could kill them once they showed up.

    Gongon said, ¡°It¡¯s a problem that the managers have hunted dragons. We¡¯ll run our own investigation into the matter.¡±

    The dragons would file an officialint against the managers, which would help.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

 Chapter 434 - Red Dragon Armor 2

    <h4>Chapter 434: Red Dragon Armor 2</h4>

    After a long discussion about dragons, Junhyuk went to his room. He was living with Elise, so he could meet with her anytime he wanted.

    Once he was all alone in his room, he call out, ¡°Agenchra.¡±

    Sending a dragon had been an excessive move by the managers. One champion and more experts had borne out of humanity, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t like the way the managers had done things. Monster waves like that would kill a lot more people.

    Time stopped, and a dimensional tear appeared. Junhyuk tried to inspect Agenchra¡¯s tear as carefully as he could every time the manager appeared so that he could learn from it. Agenchra appeared and greeted him with a smile.

    ¡°You stopped the wave and you are safe.¡±

    ¡°I have a question. Can I call for Eltor?¡±

    ¡°No, he won¡¯t answer you. He can¡¯t hear you either.¡±

    ¡°Can I only talk to you because I signed the contract with you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the extent of it.¡±

    Junhyuk pulled out a chair and sat down.

    ¡°How are things on your end? You sent a dragon, a warm-blooded dragon at that.¡±

    ¡°I was a little surprised by that as well, but I¡¯m assigned to a different department. I have no way of interfering with other departments.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Agenchra and asked, ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    Agenchra did not understand his question, simply staring at Junhyuk wide-eyed. Junhyuk felt like he could trust Agenchra for now.

    ¡°They are doing whatever they want. Is there no way to stop them?¡±

    Agenchra sighed.

    ¡°His team is implementing a absurd n. Eltor is creating a terrible situation, but his n is proving to be effective.¡±

    ¡°Effective?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, humans now have another champion and seven more experts.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Because the n is effective, I can say anything about it in protest.¡±

    ¡°No way...¡±

    Junhyuk was speechless. Management wanted more heroes, but from the humans¡¯ perspective, things were uneptable.

    After Agenchra¡¯s exnation, however, Junhyuk stoppedining to him.

    ¡°OK. You can¡¯t do anything about it, but why did the dragon appear in downtown Seoul?¡±

    ¡°This is just a guess, but it was probably because of you.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Junhyuk asked, and Agenchra nodded heavily.

    ¡°The powered people have gathered in South Korea, and all of the champions are here now.¡±

    ¡°And management wants more heroes!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s fight against the dragon had left the streets of Gwanghwamun destroyed. If the firebreath had struck the city directly, all of Seoul would¡¯ve been destroyed.

    Next time he fought a dragon, he would save his force field for emergencies. But, dragons had more than just their breaths.

    Junhyuk could now encase the enemy in a force field, but he needed more ways to nullify draconic spells. He was deep in thought when Agenchra spoke up, ¡°Deploying a tear that a dragon can cross is not an easy feat for managers, and management doesn¡¯t have enough dragons to use them like that.¡±

    Shaking his head, Junhyuk replied, ¡°Doesn¡¯t the Dragon¡¯s Valley have a lot of dragons?¡±

    Agenchra smiled and answered, ¡°Those are all from the same group. When a dragon dies there, it doesn¡¯t really die. They might feel ufortable and disgusted by the revival process, but they don¡¯t die.¡±

    Junhyuk frowned and asked, ¡°Do dragons die in other dimensions?¡±

    ¡°Yes. If they had sent a dragon from the Dragon¡¯s Valley, it would have even been able to kill you.¡±

    Junhyuk scowled with understanding. The dragons from the Dragon¡¯s Valley were dangerous, but things were also different on Earth. He could elerate as much as he wanted to. Still, dragons could also cast as many spells as they wanted to.

    ¡°Is there a chance that they¡¯ll send a dragon from the Dragon¡¯s Valley?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t happen. The Dragon¡¯s Valley dragons are managed by the people in charge of the Dimensional Battlefield itself. You¡¯ll meet those dragons there.¡±

    ¡°Can they send two or more dragons at the same time?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible, but it would be extremely difficult. To create a dimensional tear of that size, they would have to spend a lot more time on it.¡±

    Junhyuk realized things weren¡¯t as bad as he had initially thought.

    ¡°Onest question: can they send two dragons in a week?¡±

    ¡°It would take a least a week to send one dragon.¡±

    The managers needed time to deploy dragons, and if humans were able to transfer their powers to scrolls, they would be able to deal with those dragons.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    As he conversed with Agenchra, Junhyuk thought about how to deal with dragons. The wyverns could be handled by champions on drones. Sarang could actually kill them all by herself if necessary.

    The Seventh Fleet would also bring along air support.

    His only real worry was how to fight dragons. Only powers from heroes and champions actually damaged dragons. Experts and novices seemed only to be able to scratch them. Nevertheless, the experts¡¯ powers could get the dragon angry.

    Junhyuk would evaluate everyone¡¯s powers and select the ones he would need. He would transfer those powers to scrolls and use them against the dragons.

    ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll send another dragon to South Korea?¡±

    ¡°The dragons are great for activating powers. They exude a superior presence and they can kill most things with ease. There¡¯s a good chance they¡¯ll send more dragons here.¡±

    It would be nice if things happened that way. Junhyuk would be ready the next time a dragon appeared in South Korea, but he couldn¡¯t say the same about anywhere else.

    ¡°Thank you for your help.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t able to do more.¡±

    ¡°You may leave now.¡±

    Agenchra bowed and went away. Junhyuk did not trust Agenchrapletely, but since he knew Eltor, Junhyuk decided to use him. To him, it sounded like Agenchra and Eltor fell inpeting factions. An enemy of his enemy was his friend, but he wouldn¡¯t let his guard down. Agenchra was still a manager.

    Junhyuk changed clothes and went to the training grounds. He had fought a dragon that day, but he would still train. During the fight, he had used Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship and learned a lot from it.

    He would train even harder.

    Aksha was powerful. Junhyuk was only able to practice his swordsmanship while elerating, which meant that Aksha was a legend that used mana, and he knew how to do it effectively.

    Junhyuk practiced a few moves ording to Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship. Aksha had only developed a few sword skills.

    He thought about the sword air shield he had been able to make. It was something he had barely managed with his eleration triggered. He was still just training with it, but he learned a lot even then.

    After practicing the basics, Junhyuk walked out. The ceiling of the training grounds was high, but his sword shield had a radius of twenty meters, the length of the longsword, so he went to a field nearby.

    The others who had fought the dragon were resting. There was nobody there, so he was free to swing his sword.

    He created the sword shield, which used some of his mana. Even in that short time, it had be easier for him to do it, so he doubled his focused on his training.

    After he created a threeyered shield, Junhyuk took a break. While resting, he stared at his sword. The sword drained arge amount of mana from the user, so he couldn¡¯t train with it freely.

    Aksha¡¯s sword could be used in other ways as well. The sword shield focused on defense, but he knew the sword also had skills for offense. He wanted to try them.

    Junhyuk could increase his offensive efficacy with his new sword. He knew he could pierce a dragon¡¯s mana shield with his mana de, so he tried out some of the sword¡¯s innate offensive skills. They used arge amount of mana, but his attacks were extremely powerful.

    Junhyuk trained even harder.

    Dragons were S-ranked monsters. The best researchers of the world were analyzing the corpse, but they hadn¡¯t learned anything new.

    Elise was in charge of that research, but she was focused on crafting sharp magitek weapons with the dragon¡¯s bones. She also decided to create something with the dragon¡¯s scales.

    Elise had a lot on her te. The dragon¡¯s corpse was massive, forty meters long, but that also meant that she had plenty of materials for her research.

    Elise had the researchers figure out ways to use the scales while she crafted the items.

    Items made out of A-ranked monsters went for 150,000G in the Dimensional Battlefield, and Elise thought that a weapon crafted from a dragon would sell for at least 300,000G. She worked even harder than normal, and on Thursday, Elise finished an item.

    ¡°Sess!¡±

 Chapter 435 - Red Dragon Armor 3

    <h4>Chapter 435: Red Dragon Armor 3</h4>

    Elise had called for him suddenly, so Junhyuk stopped training and headed for herb. He had been training with Sarang, so they both entered Elise¡¯sb. She had asked them both toe.

    Elise showed them a scarlet set of armor. Just by looking at it, Junhyuk knew that it had been made with Kalgroan¡¯s red scales.

    ¡°You¡¯ve created an item already?¡±

    Elise replied with a smile, ¡°I failed four times before I seeded.¡±

    That meant that her sess rate was at 20 percent. Junhyuk thought he should get Elise more intelligence runestones. She needed other runestones as well, and he would have to spend a lot of gold on her, but with more intelligence runestones, she could craft more items.

    ¡°What can it do?¡±

    Elise shrugged and said, ¡°It can withstand heat of up to five thousand degrees celsius. Even gunshots can¡¯t scratch it.¡±

    ¡°How does itpare to other items?¡±

    ¡°The Wolf Warlord¡¯s w won¡¯t work against it either.¡±

    ¡°You mean it¡¯s stronger than items made from A-ranked monsters?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I haven¡¯t tried it on yet.¡±

    Junhyuk was curious about it as well. Elise crafted items, but her items did not always carry abilities with them.

    Looking at her, he said, ¡°You should put it on.¡±

    ¡°Should I?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Elise did not know if it had any abilities, but her Ghost White Tiger Cloak had a stealth ability, so she was hopeful.

    She put on the red armor, and since it was made with magitek, once she did, the armor shrunk to fit her perfectly.

    Junhyuk remained curious, and Elise moved around and said, ¡°This has an interesting ability.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    She punched at him hard. Junhyuk didn¡¯t know what Elise was doing, so he simply stared at her fist. Her hand was encased in me.

    Thunk!

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t damaged at all since Elise wasn¡¯t carrying any attack items. Her punch was not one of her powers, but he was impressed.

    ¡°What did you do?¡±

    She took a step back and kicked him. She kicked hard, and Junhyuk was able to see under her skirt when she raised her leg. Her foot was also on fire.

    Junhyuk blocked her kick and pretended not to notice her panties.

    ¡°Is that a passive ability?¡±

    Some items carried passive abilities. Her own sses had a passive ability. In any event, he was surprised by her fire kick.

    Elise smiled and answered, ¡°All of my attacks deal an extra 3 percent fire damage.¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes beamed. Elise was saying that every attack while wearing that armor would deal an extra 3 percent damage.

    He turned to Sarang, but she shrugged and said, ¡°I have affinity to lightning, so it probably wouldn¡¯t benefit me.¡±

    After pondering it, Junhyuk nodded.

    ¡°You¡¯re probably right.¡±

    It seemed like one had to have affinity to fire to be able to wear the armor. If one had affinity to water or ice, the armor would bepletely useless.

    He turned to Elise, and she started thinking aloud, ¡°I spent a huge amount of materials as crafting ingredients for this armor. On top of that, I used both dragon¡¯s blood and magitek to finish it.¡±

    Humanity had just managed to kill an S-ranked monster, and Elise had been able to craft a scale armor with its blood. However, the rate of sess was low, and she had spent a lot of time and materials on it.

    ¡°I¡¯vepleted the recipe. Next time, my chances of sess will be greater. However, they¡¯ll still only be around 33 percent,¡± she said.

    That would be more than a ten-percent increase.

    ¡°How long does it take you to craft one?¡±

    ¡°At least six hours, but I have a recipe now, so it¡¯ll be the right work.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and asked, ¡°Have you looked into the dragon¡¯s heart?¡±

    Her eyes beamed at the mention of it, and she said, ¡°I wanted to talk to you about it.¡± She walked deeper into theb, toward an enclosure with a ss window. The dragon¡¯s heart was inside it.

    Junhyuk could tell that it was the heart because of the immeasurable quantity of mana he could feel from it. His own living spirit carried far less than the heart.

    He turned to Elise and said, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen that level of mana.¡±

    ¡°Correct. The mana trees arepletely useless inparison. The purity of the mana within the heart is even greater than that of the mana from mana stones.¡±

    ¡°Can you use the heart?¡±

    ¡°I have asked Gongon about it, but he isn¡¯t telling me much.¡±

    It was only natural that Gongon would be hesitant to answer all of Elise¡¯s questions.

    ¡°Should I ask Bebe?¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± Junhyuk replied and turned to Sarang.

    She smiled at him and said, ¡°Vera might know something, but I also know she hasn¡¯t studied magitek.¡±

    ¡°But Vera still knows a lot about artifacts. She¡¯ll know how to use the heart.¡±

    ¡°True. I¡¯ll call her.¡±

    Sarang attempted to contact Vera right away, and looking at Elise, Junhyuk said, ¡°You should make more of that armor. We need to have it priced.¡±

    Elise nodded and asked, ¡°After I make another, can I keep one for myself?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    She smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m using the cores for weapon development.¡±

    ¡°A weapon?¡±

    She turned a monitor on and continued, ¡°I have the basic schematics already.¡±

    Elise was showing him the ns for an orb. It looked a lot like one of Tuelus¡¯ weapons. Pointing to it, she said, ¡°The core can supply an unlimited amount of energy, so I¡¯m making a small weapon with it. Of course, I¡¯m crafting it with magitek.¡±

    ¡°Hm... We might find a way to boost all of our regr attacks that way.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m expecting great things from it, but I can¡¯t say what will happen yet. I¡¯ve barely finished the schematics for it, so I won¡¯t be using it in tomorrow¡¯s battlefield.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to rush.¡±

    ¡°Right. I¡¯ll focus on making another set of red armor.¡±

    Sarang walked up to them and said, ¡°Dragon hearts are usually used in weapons manufacturing. Vera wants to talk to you, Elise.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    While Vera conversed with Elise, Junhyuk had nothing to do. He didn¡¯t want to interfere with the conversation since he didn¡¯t understand it. He knew nothing about magic.

    Junhyuk stared at the dragon¡¯s heart. All he could see was a massive concentration of mana. He had his own mana reserve, but he was stunned in the presence of the dragon¡¯s heart.

    He couldn¡¯t believe he had killed a dragon with that much mana inside it. He was sure now that he had only managed to do it because of his items and the others who had supported him. But, the powered humans had died en masse. Thanks to their efforts and sacrifices, however, there hadn¡¯t been a lot of civilian deaths.

    Junhyuk was extremely frustrated with Eltor, the manager who had let loose a dragon on his people.

    While Elise talked to Vera, Junhyuk got bored and told Elise that he was leaving. She waved at him indifferently. He didn¡¯t want to stay in theb anymore, so he went to Guardians HQ. New items were nice, but he needed to focus on training harder. His enemies weren¡¯t limited to just the Dimensional Battlefield.

    ¡ª

    On Friday morning, Elise entered his room. They knew they would be summoned. She had dark circles around her eyes, which made him worried about her.

    She handed him a set of red armor and said, ¡°I got lucky and was able to make another.¡±

    It took six hours to make one, so if Elise had failed, she would¡¯ve lost that time. The materials would be wasted, sure, but time was more precious at the moment.

    Junhyuk put the armor inside his Spatial Bag. He would sell it. He was more interested to know if he could attach powers to scrolls. He had a lot nned for the uing battlefield.

    Elise sat on his bed and asked, ¡°Can I stay here with you?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Shey on his bed and gathered her breath. Junhyuk watched as she fell asleep, exhausted from herck of it.

    Junhyuk took her goggles off, and while she slept on the bed, he sat on a chair. Time would stop for him, but she would spend at least an hour like that. He wanted to let her sleep.

    Sitting on the chair, Junhyuk reminisced about many things. He also thought about Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship and went over it in his head. Suddenly, a blinding light pounded against his eyes, and he covered them.

    Junhyuk opened his eyes slowly and saw someone standing before him. Ariel was smiling as she looked at him.

    He checked his gold. They had already subtracted the 100,000G for Vera.

    ¡°Was the gold sent to Vera?¡±

    [Yes.]

    He nodded and summoned his items, saying, ¡°OK. Deployment time.¡±

    [Be sure to win!]

    Junhyuk waved at Ariel, who gathered both her hands in a cone around her mouth and shouted, [Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed!]

    When he walked outside, he saw the others and the minions. Everyone was already there, so he walked toward them.

 Chapter 436 - Two Versus Five 1

    <h4>Chapter 436: Two Versus Five 1</h4>

    As Junhyuk approached, they all turned to him. He looked at each of their faces: the four heroes and Elise, the expert. Those were the allies.

    Junhyuk greeted them, ¡°Long time, no see.¡±

    They greeted him back and nodded. The heroes talked casually among themselves, and Junhyuk asked calmly, ¡°What should we do this time?¡±

    He did not care in which direction he went. He had already fought their enemies and he especially enjoyed destroying Epilen, who had a stealth power.

    Epilen was heading middle as they talked. To Sarang, he was dangerous, but she could still fight him with her ultimate.

    Sarang spoke up, ¡°I¡¯ll head middle with you. La is a better fit for a side path.¡±

    Alondo was a difficult opponent for him. He had his new swordsmanship, but Alondo was incredibly fast. Junhyuk wanted to buy items that buffed movement speed before he fought Alondo again.

    Gongon smacked his lips and asked, ¡°So, am I at it alone again?¡±

    ¡°Elise will apany you.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Gongon turned to Elise and said, ¡°Give me a piggyback ride.¡±

    He hopped on Elise¡¯s shoulder, and she said, ¡°Teach me many things.¡±

    ¡°Sure. It¡¯ll keep us upied.¡±

    Gongon had gifted her a socketing item, and she was learning from him. It was good that they would spend that time together.

    Junhyuk said to him, ¡°Do look after her.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to La and said, ¡°You head to the right.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± La replied. When he looked at Rodrey, the hero waved at him dismissively.

    ¡°I am used to this, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m expecting great things from you,¡± Junhyuk replied. ¡°We disyed our superiorityst time, and the battle should go the same way this time. Let¡¯s take two hundred minions for each path.¡±

    Two hundred minions were enough to destroy the enemy castle, which meant that each group could finish the battle if they got there.

    Junhyuk headed out with Sarang and two hundred minions. On the way, Sarang asked, ¡°After we take the buff tower, do we keep pushing?¡±

    ¡°No, we¡¯ll support those who need us and push from the side we join.¡±

    Sarang smiled and asked, ¡°Will it be that easy?¡±

    ¡°Our enemies should be weaker this time around.¡±

    The enemies had died two or three times in the previous round, so they were supposed to have gotten weaker with the loss of their items, and the allies stronger. The allies still had to be aware of the enemybos, however.

    Junhyuk and Sarang climbed up the middle trail and saw the enemies ahead. They spotted the undead minions first. Their numbers were rather high.

    The undead minions were climbing their side of the mountain in an endless procession. There were four hundred of them.

    When Junhyuk realized his own minions were outnumbered two to one, he frowned.

    ¡°Why so many?¡±

    Then, he spotted the enemy heroes.

    ¡°They are all here?!¡±

    The five enemy heroes had pushed for the buff tower. Junhyuk thought that he and Sarang would be able to deal with three, but five was too much.

    He looked at Sarang and asked, ¡°What do you want to do?¡±

    ¡°Maybe we should give up the buff tower?¡±

    Even with the allied watchtower as support, there were too many enemies there. They couldn¡¯t even count on the minions to hold their own.

    Junhyuk sighed and said, ¡°Use the watchtower to buy time. We¡¯ll call the others for help.¡±

    He took a few steps back and connected to La and Gongon. In the battlefield, he could talk to multiple people at the same time.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Have you found the enemy?¡±

    He nodded slowly and replied, ¡°All five of them are here. Push down your paths as quickly as possible. I¡¯ll buy us more time here.¡±

    ¡°Ha! Crazy bastards! They are all there?! Do they think we are pushovers?!¡±

    Considering they could lose valuable items, Sarang and Junhyuk should really be running away. Only Alondo would be able to chase them down.

    However, Junhyuk thought they could still win. There were a lot of enemies, and they were strong, but he trusted Sarang. The enemies weren¡¯t stupid, however, so they kept a reasonable distance from their watchtower.

    Junhyu leaned against it and smacked his lips.

    ¡°It¡¯s the first time in a long time that I get the feeling of a real battle.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Junhyuk had been a superior existence during team selections and had been made curious by how weak his enemies had been, but now, his enemies were powerful. His enemies were making new strategies and rules of engagement as things progressed, betting on their victory.

    They had all headed middle, which meant that they were giving up the left and right paths. The middle path was the shortest path, so controlling it also meant controlling the battlefield, especially if they were able to take and keep the buff.

    Junhyuk did not care about how far the enemies were. He needed the allied watchtower to fight, which meant not being able to protect the buff tower.

    He watched as the enemies started heading for the buff tower and turned to Sarang.

    ¡°We have to snipe them.¡±

    ¡°Snipe?¡±

    He turned to the enemy heroes and said, ¡°If we are lucky, we might kill one.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to take one down before they could even fight and battle against the remaining four. He was also thinking about fighting two versus five. As he thought, the enemies sent the undead minions toward the buff tower. Among them, were the enemy heroes, surrounded by a protective barrier of undead minions. They were confident in their n. Even bunched up, they felt no fear.

    ¡°Minions, attack!¡± Junhyuk shouted.

    The allied minions moved forward with their shields up. The undead minions moved toward them. Both sets of minions fought simrly. The undead felt no pain, but they were slower than the allied minions.

    The battle was even.

    The minions shed with their shields and weapons, and Junhyuk ran toward the sh. The enemy heroes frowned when they saw him move out.

    The enemy heroes were gathered by the buff tower, so Junhyuk would seize his chance. As he ran, however, Alondo and Durandal ran toward him.

    Durandal was a tank, and both enemy heroes had throws. They couldunch Junhyuk back behind the enemy formation. If that happened, he might have to use his force field, but he would wait until thest minute.

    Junhyuk teleported, distancing himself from the two enemies. Then, he used his Spatial sh with Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    With it, the range of his Spatial sh was twenty meters longer, so he was able to attack the heroes. Penslin was readying an arrow when the Spatial sh sliced through him.

    sh!

    That single strike killed Penslin, and the shockwave from it swept through the enemy heroes.

    Junhyuk used the enemy minions¡¯ shoulders as footholds, but they attacked him. The minions dealt continuous damage to him as Alondo and Durandal approached him.

    Alondo was riding his skeleton horse, moving almost like a specter. Junhyuk was worried about him. Alondo had a flipping power that he might use on him, and he had to keep himself from being hit by it.

    Junhyuk jumped and escaped the swarm. Alondo watched him get away and muttered, ¡°Really fast.¡±

    Junhyuk was now standing on the allied watchtower. From there, he shouted, ¡°Form a defensive line! Retreat to the watchtower!¡±

    The minions held their shields up and stepped backward. Alondo and Durandal attacked them. Naturally, because the minions were walking backward, they were rather slow. The enemy heroes pierced through their defenses.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t allow his minions to get whipped out.

    ¡°Retreat at full speed!¡± he shouted, and the allied minions broke formation and ran back. The defensive line was gone, and the undead minions fell upon them with ease.

    He watched as the allied minions died, but he did not step in. Junhyuk needed to wait for his Spatial sh. Biting his lips, he saw the allied minions being killed in bunches.

    Sarang said, ¡°We¡¯ll lose more than fifty minions this way.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±

    ¡°If the enemies get closer, I can attack.¡±

    Her Thunderstorm had great range, so she could attack them before they got to her.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t have his Spatial sh yet, so he had made up his mind. Some enemy heroes were already inside the buff tower.

    Those with low health were taking the buff. He would seize that moment to divide the enemies in two groups. Looking at Sarang, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s teleport, and you¡¯ll use your Thunderstorm.¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    He grabbed her hand and teleported. He closed in, and Alondo and Durandal rushed toward him. Junhyuk triggered his ultimate, the Spatial Copse, right between the two. Lightning shed, and bolts mmed against Alondo. The web of lightning from the impact stretched over Durandal.

    Junhyuk watched as the enemy heroes from the buff tower ran toward him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s kill all five rats!¡±

 Chapter 437 - Two Versus Five 2

    <h4>Chapter 437: Two Versus Five 2</h4>

    Alondo received a direct hit, but he managed to turn his body in time to avoid a critical on his head. So, he received less damage than Junhyuk had expected.

    However, Junhyuk was eager to finish the two heroes in front of him before the ones at the buff tower came to their rescue.

    As he ran ahead, thunderbolts crashed down on the enemies again. Alondo had managed to minimize the damage of the first Thunderstorm, but he wasn¡¯t able to dodge the second. The lightning roasted the hero.

    Junhyuk inspected Durandal. The hero was holding his head forward, which meant he was about to use his taunt.

    The taunt would make them unable to act at will, so Junhyuk felt that he had to escape it. Durandal jumped forward, closing in on Junhyuk, who swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword in response. The sword was fluid and nimble as it headed for the jumping Durandal.

    Durandal extended his hand toward the iing sword, and Junhyukughed out loud. Those tricks wouldn¡¯t work in their battle, he thought.

    Junhyuk turned his wrist, and Aksha¡¯s Longsword¡¯s de slithered and shed Durandal. The sword moved across the air like a snake, evading Durandal¡¯s defenses to hit him.

    After being hit on the shoulder, Durandal scowled. He had been hit even though he had jumped.

    Boom!

    Durandal fell fifteen meters from Junhyuk and Sarang, who shot an electric arrow at him.

    Durandal shouted, ¡°Rrraaarhh!

    Junhyuk and Sarang lost their wills and gripped their weapons tightly as they charged Durandal. They should¡¯ve have run away from the hero when Durandal jumped, and that mistake came at great cost.

    While the allies were taunted, Epilen and Dolorac closed in and joined the fight. Epilen positioned himself behind Sarang, stabbing her with his dagger.

    They had fought before, and Junhyuk had been ignorant in thinking that they wanted him dead first. Their focus was Sarang.

    While Epilen stabbed her, Dolorac cast a spell. Huge bone spears appeared in front of him andunched themselves against her. Durandal also attacked her.

    Because she was taunted, her health dropped fast, and her ultimate triggered. While it was active, she couldn¡¯t receive any damage, so the enemies focused on him.

    The enemy champion, Dsha, had transformed into a skeleton horse and was galloping toward him. When she got close, she changed into a bear and beat him with her front paws. He received three attacks before he regained hisposure.

    As soon as he did, he raised the force field around Sarang and entered it himself. Sarang recovered her will even before her ultimate wore off.

    Inside the force field, she healed them. Then, she shot electric arrows at Epilen and Dolorac. Luckily, both enemies were momentarily paralyzed, so Junhyuk shed Epilen¡¯s head. Because the hero was paralyzed, the attack was a critical hit, and Epilen lost 37 percent of his health.

    The previous shockwave had already taken 30 percent of his health, so Epilen was only left with 33 percent. Junhyuk didn¡¯t hesitate. He attacked Epilen again, but this time with the Blood Rune Sword. He was mixing his sword attacks.

    Luck was with him, and the critical hits triggered extra attacks. Epilen received two more attacks and disappeared. While that happened, Sarang cast an electric st at Dolorac.

    Aksha¡¯s Longsword retained battle information, and it could even pierce enemy defenses, but Sarang¡¯s arrows could be blocked.

    Dolorac was paralyzed, and two electric arrows mmed against his head. Both strikes were critical hits. Sarang¡¯s attacks had gotten faster, even if only by a small margin.

    By shooting faster, she had increased her damage output. That was evidence of her intense training.

    As Junhyuk turned to face Dolorac, Durandal stepped in front of him. Durandal¡¯s body was darkening, which looked like a type of defensive power.

    Junhyuk swung his sword at Durandal. Meanwhile, Dolorac, who now had a bone armor around his body, retreated.

    Junhyuk raised his hands against Durandal¡¯s attack. Aksha¡¯s Longsword extended from recognizing his moves and passed by Durandal to strike Dolorac. Due to Dolorac¡¯s armor, the critical hit failed, but the damage scared Dolorac.

    Dolorac kept retreating while the undead minionspletely surrounded Junhyuk and Sarang. Junhyuk had to wait until his teleportation came off cooldown, but he was smiling.

    His Spatial sh was off cooldown now. He had been so focused on the fight that he hadn¡¯t paid attention to it. But now, Dolorac was retreating.

    Junhyuk used his Spatial sh, and the purple shockwave it generated caught up to Dolorac, hitting the hero¡¯s head and destroying it. Dolorac disappeared, and Junhyuk turned to face Durandal.

    Durandal and Dsha were still alive, but Durandal wanted to run away. Sarang was still in danger, but the force field was still protecting her. Durandalcked the firepower to change the course of the battle. He couldn¡¯t deal with both allied heroes at the same time.

    The undead minions refused to make a path for the two allies, so he stepped on them and chased after Durandal. At that moment, the force field disappeared.

    Junhyuk was on the chase, but suddenly, Durandal turned around. Junhyuk had already jumped off the undead minions¡¯ shoulders and swung his sword. Durandal lost 15 percent of his health.

    The minions, however, couldn¡¯t simply be ignored like the ones at the Valley of Death. As Junhyuk passed by them, he kept getting injured.

    The enemy hero knew that, and he also knew Junhyuk had used all of his powers.

    Durandal ran toward him, and Junhyuk had to block the attack with the Blood Rune Sword. Aksha¡¯s Longsword had stretched in his other hand and snaked itself in the air to attack Durandal¡¯s back.

    Once close, Durandal bearhugged Junhyuk and shouted, ¡°Attack him!¡±

    The enemy minions attacked Junhyuk, and there was nothing he could do about it while grappled by Durandal.

    Sarang pounded Durandal with electric arrows, but the hero didn¡¯t care. He simply wanted to take Junhyuk with him. However, Durandal¡¯s grapple wasn¡¯t a power.

    Junhyuk knew he shouldn¡¯t remain that way, so he put all of his energy into his arms. Durandal¡¯s grapple was stronging from a tank, but Junhyuk had the best runestones.

    Durandal hadn¡¯t expected Junhyuk to break the hug, but once Junhyuk was free, he smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re rather weak.¡±

    Junhyuk kicked off Durandal¡¯s chest and shed with Aksha¡¯s Longsword. Durandal attempted to block, and an electric arrow hit him. However, Durandal ignored everything else as he held the de of Aksha¡¯s Longsword with the palms of both of his hands and pulled Junhyuk toward him. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected a move like that.

    Junhyuk had lost significant health to the undead minions, and now another wave of undead minions was attacking him. However, Durandal¡¯s health was low. The hero only had 25 percent of his health left, so Junhyuk would be able to kill him with two regr attacks.

    Junhyuk shortened Aksha¡¯s Longsword. Because Durandal was holding it, when the de shortened, Junhyuk closed in. When he got close enough, he attacked with the Blood Rune Sword.

    Durandal kicked him in response.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk was thrown back toward the undead minions, who attacked him mercilessly. Things couldn¡¯t keep going that way.

    nk, nk, nk!

    The minions¡¯ attacks were stopped, and Junhyuk looked at the person in front of him.

    ¡°Get up!¡±

    It was an allied minion. His own minions hade to his rescue and were blocking the undead minions¡¯ attacks with their shields.

    Sarang shot electric arrows at Durandal again and again. The hero had to have high magic defense with the amount of damage her arrows were actually doing.

    Meanwhile, Junhyuk hopped on the shield foothold his minions had made for him and shed again. The undead minions along the path of his sword¡¯s de copsed.

    Junhyuk ran ahead and spotted Durandal trying to flee. Durandal was very tall, so he could see the hero¡¯s torso above the sea of undead minions.

    ¡°Attack him!¡±

    The undead minions rushed at him again, but this time, Junhyuk was quickly cutting them down. The allied minions followed him and formed defensive circles inside the undead formation.

    Junhyuk ran faster, recovering his health as he closed the gap with his enemy.

    Durandal turned around to attack. His health was already too low, so Junhyuk shed with Aksha¡¯s Longsword. Durandal was hit, and his health was left so low that even a breeze would kill the hero.

    Junhyuk ran toward his enemy and shouted, ¡°Attack with me!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Sarang shot another electric arrow then, which hit Durandal at the same time as Aksha¡¯s Longsword. Durandal had tried to block the attack with his arms, but Aksha¡¯s Longsword had snaked itself beneath them and risen toward the hero¡¯s chest.

    The sword and the arrow struck Durandal at the same time.

    Thuck!

    Durandal died from the strikes, but Junyuk received the kill. He had wanted Sarang to get it, but things had already been decided.

    Looking around, Junhyuk saw a skeleton horse running away. The champion had transformed herself and was now well past the enemy watchtower.

    Junhyuk shook his head at the sight. The champion was running away even though she wouldn¡¯t lose items if she died. She just didn¡¯t want to fight them.

    Looking at the undead minions, Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Clean them up!¡±

    The allied minions followed him in the killing.

 Chapter 438 - Group Battle 1

    <h4>Chapter 438: Group Battle 1</h4>

    The two of them had killed all five enemy heroes, but the allies didn¡¯t stop there. They decimated the undead minions. The enemy heroes had divided into two groups, which had been the cause of their downfall. Thanks to their enemies¡¯ mistake, Sarang and Junhyuk were able to kill all of them.

    The allies had attacked first, which had helped them. Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh could be fatal, and the damagers and vanguards couldn¡¯t withstand a critical hit from it.

    Junhyuk and Sarang picked up the items dropped by the enemies and upied the buff tower. While spending time in the buff tower, Junhyuk turned to his minions. They were different from previous minions. They had risked their lives for him.

    ¡°Why did you save me?¡± he asked them.

    A male minions stepped forward and said, ¡°We know that we need the heroes if we are to return safely.¡±

    Junhyuk agreed with them. Without the heroes, the minions would be annihted. The enemy heroes had died, and Junhyuk and Sarang had killed all four hundred undead minions. Only the enemy champion had survived.

    He stared at them and said, ¡°There are 115 of you still alive.¡± Once he heard the announcement for triggering the buff, Junhyuk got up and told them, ¡°Follow me, and I¡¯ll try to keep you that way.¡±

    The male minion spoke up again and asked, ¡°Does that mean not everyone will survive?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded heavily and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, but I¡¯ll do my best to keep you alive.¡±

    He remembered the minions risking their lives to save him. It was quid pro quo, and it was his turn to act, so he decided to keep the minions back as much as possible. He would take the frontlines before them.

    Junhyuk connected to Gongon and La at the same time.

    ¡°How did you take the buff tower?¡±

    ¡°Did you kill all five?¡±

    Both asked quickly, and he replied, ¡°I was lucky.¡±

    ¡°What do we do now?¡±

    ¡°Destroy your towers and push for the second. If the enemies show up in my path again, I¡¯ll let you both know.¡±

    ¡°Are you staying there?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go kill a buff monster ande back to the buff tower.¡±

    ¡°OK,¡± they said.

    Once he disconnected, he turned to Sarang and said, ¡°Stay here and look out for any enemies. I¡¯ll go hunt a buff monster and be back soon.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want me toe with you?¡±

    ¡°While we can both get buffed, the important thing is to know our enemies¡¯ movements.¡±

    After some thought, she said, ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll stay.¡±

    Sarang didn¡¯t care about the buff monster. However, killing a buff monster wasn¡¯t exactly easy. Junhyuk turned to the minions and said, ¡°Stay here and wait for me.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    It would be easier to take the buff with the minions, but Junhyuk wanted to spare their lives. That¡¯s why he decided to go alone. After bidding Sarang goodbye, he moved out to find the buff monster.

    Junhyuk was headed to where the Wolf Warlord stayed.

    The Wolf Warlord was surrounded by wolves. Junhyuk inhaled deeply. The memory of the first time he met a wolf crossed his mind. Back then, a single wolf had been deadly. Now, he didn¡¯t mind that the Wolf Warlord was surrounded by them.

    Junhyuk ran forward swinging his sword. Aksha¡¯s Longsword stretched out and scattered the wolves. He was rushing straight for the Wolf Warlord. The Wolf Warlord howled loudly and rushed toward him.

    The Wolf Warlord was also restrained in the Dimensional Battlefield. While it was slowed, Junhyuk¡¯s own items still worked in the battlefield, so the Wolf Warlord ended up being an easier opponent there than on Earth. Junhyuk elerated, enabling him to read all of the Wolf Warlord¡¯s movements.

    It only took him five attacks to kill the Wolf Warlord. Scavenging the body, Junhyuk found bloodstones. After that, he quickly returned to Sarang.

    She was looking out at the path ahead. Even though Junhyuk had taken a significant amount of time hunting and killing the Wolf Warlord, she remained on watch. Junhyuk was curious about that.

    ¡°The enemy?¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯te this way.¡±

    ¡°Did you contact the others?¡±

    ¡°I told them to be careful.¡±

    Junhyuk connected to Gongon and La. They answered him excitedly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve heard,¡± Gongon said.

    He had asked about things on their end.

    ¡°Are you retreating?¡±

    ¡°No, we¡¯re about to attack the second tower. After that, we¡¯ll head to Bebe.¡±

    Gongon wasn¡¯t alone. Elise was with him.

    Junhyuk turned to La and asked, ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±

    ¡°We killed a buff monster, so we¡¯re heading middle.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯reing here?!¡±

    ¡°I thought we weren¡¯t supposed to go middle,¡± Gongon said.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s take the middle path. If two can kill all of them, four will be enough for a ughter.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re giving up on the right?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll push middle.¡±

    Junhyuk agreed with La¡¯s idea. If they pushed from the middle path, they would control the shortest path to the enemy castle and win, so he told them toe. Taking the second watchtower would give them the quickest and easiest win.

    ¡°OK. Let¡¯s meet at the second watchtower.¡±

    Junhyuk and Sarang could kill the heroes, but the other allies would have some difficulty pulling it off. They had managed it because of their items and powers.

    La could kill enemy heroes, but she couldn¡¯t do what Sarang could do. She had abo attack, but not an area attack. Rodrey was focusing on buffing his attacks, but he couldn¡¯t kill enemy heroes with a single strike yet.

    Realizing that the allied groups might be decimated on their own, he told them to head middle.

    Junhyuk also decided to go destroy the second watchtower with just his own group. They were buffed now, so they could move quickly.

    He took the minions and Sarang to attack the second watchtower. Junhyuk took the lead and blocked the archers¡¯ arrows aimed at the minions. The archers¡¯ weren¡¯t buffed, so he used his body in the fight and attacked the tower.

    After destroying the tower, Sarang healed him. Once he had recovered all of his health, he looked at a group approaching him. La and Rodrey wereing with 180 minions.

    ¡°Were they here?¡±

    Junhyuk had destroyed the second watchtower, but he didn¡¯t know where the enemy heroes were, so he shrugged and asked, ¡°What do we do? Advance?¡±

    They could advance and destroy the castle. With the four of them there, it would be enough.

    Suddenly, and before La had a chance to answer, Gongon contacted them.

    ¡°Hey! Go to Bebe¡¯s right now!¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you there already?¡± Junhyuk asked, curious about Gongon¡¯s weird behavior.

    Gongon clenched his jaw and said, ¡°No. All five enemy heroes are there, in front of the portal.¡±

    Junhyuk frowned and asked, ¡°Elise?¡±

    ¡°Dead.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed and said, ¡°Tell her to stay in the castle. You take a hundred minions with you and go upy the buff tower. We¡¯ll head over to Bebe¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk told the others about Gongon¡¯s situation, and La smirked, ¡°Good. Now we can kill them all and pick up the items to sell to Bebe right there.¡±

    Rodrey nodded.

    ¡°I brought some things from my dimension that I want to sell to buy something new.¡±

    ¡°What do you have?¡±

    ¡°Legendary items from home. I found a few interesting ones.¡±

    Heroes could find items anywhere.

    Junhyuk stretched lightly and said, ¡°Time to avenge Elise.¡±

    The enemies couldn¡¯t have a lot of minions with them. They had already lost four hundred.

    As the group moved toward Bebe¡¯s, they knew that the enemies might have moved on. However, the possibility of them camping by the portal was still high.

    As he approached, Junhyuk used his spatial sense. He could sense them.

    Gongon¡¯s group was decimated, but for that to happen, Gongon might have been surprise-attacked. The allied towers weren¡¯t under attack, so the enemies seemed to be waiting in ambush.

    Junhyuk walked faster, and the group sped up. He looked intently at the reed field. His spatial sense did not seem to work on it, and that shocked him. Junhyuk had been able to sense people in the reed field before, but now, something was interfering with it.

    ¡°Something¡¯s up.¡±

    He was thinking that if the Dimensional Battlefield had changed, the managers should have let him know. He stopped his group¡¯s advance.

    ¡°The enemies may be hiding in the forest or in the reed field. I can¡¯t sense them,¡± he said.

    La shrugged and said, ¡°Something¡¯s weird. Sarang.¡±

    ¡°Yes, big sis?¡±

    ¡°Cast something over there.¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    While the group moved, Sarang shot arrows at different ces. Every area of the reed field was attacked by her. She shot quickly, and the group moved ahead without slowing down.

    Sarang was in a protected position within the group. If she had been ahead, the enemies might¡¯ve ambushed the group and focused their attacks on her.

    The group approached Bebe¡¯s store quickly. There wasn¡¯t a lot of the reed field left in front of them. Because Sarang was scanning the environment with her magic anding up empty, Junhyuk thought the enemies might have decided to go destroy one of the allied towers.

    She shot an electric arrow at thest path of reed, and the group crossed it.

    ¡°What do we do? Should we go in the portal?¡±

    Junhyuk had business with Bebe. He wanted to sell the Red Dragon Armor.

    Sarang nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s do it. I earned quite a bit from the gamble. I want some new items.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to her chuckling and saw Epilen appear behind her. ¡°Dodge!¡± he shouted instinctively.

 Chapter 439 - Group Battle 2

    <h4>Chapter 439: Group Battle 2</h4>

    Epilen¡¯s damage was outstanding, but he couldn¡¯t kill Sarang in a single strike. Even if she were to die, her ultimate would trigger, so Junhyuk wasn¡¯t too worried about her.

    She was in danger, however, so he ran toward her quickly, but someone passed him.

    Junhyuk watched as Alondo rushed out quickly and pierced Sarang with his scythe, flipping her into the air. Alondo had overrun the allied formation.

    Sarang was thrown in the reed field. Junhyuk wanted to go save her, so he ran toward the field. That¡¯s when thunderbolts lit up the sky, crashing in the field.

    Craak, craaack!

    Sarang was using her powers, which meant that her ultimate had triggered. Junhyuk still ran toward her. Meanwhile, Epilen and Alondo faced La and Rodrey.

    It was two on two, so nobody would die easily. Epilen had his stealth power, but La and Rodrey weren¡¯t pushovers either.

    Junhyuk entered the reed field to rescue Sarang, but he couldn¡¯t find her. He couldn¡¯t even raise a force field around her.

    ¡°Come here!¡±

    Durandal yelled loudly, and Junhyuk lost his reasoning. He went berserk and ran to attack Durandal. Junhyuk had been taunted, so he couldn¡¯t think of anything but attacking Durandal.

    Sarang was going through the same thing. Her ultimate was up, but she was also taunted. It was the worst possible situation. They had no will of their own.

    When the taunt ended for him, Junhyuk turned to see Sarang disappearing. Before he had spotted her, her ultimate had triggered, and now, she was vanishing. Sarang had certainly fallen victim to the taunt.

    They had nned to ambush from the reed field, and their n had been extremely detailed. Aside from him, Sarang had the greatest attacks among the allies. Her Thunderstorm was extremely powerful, but she could also paralyze two enemies with her electric sts.

    For those reason, they had taken care of her first. Now inside the reed field, Junhyuk spatial sense started working again.

    Junhyuk swung his sword. His enemies were bunched up, and he would kill them all.

    He aimed at Penslin first, nning to use his Spatial sh on the hero, but Penslin¡¯s arrow hit him first, and Junhyuk was thrown back.

    Although he was thrown back, his attack hit, and Penslin died. Junhyuk was now outside the reed field, and a dagger pierced his back without him realizing it. Junhyuk could feel Epilen against him. The moment he wasunched back, Epilen had initiated his attack.

    Junhyuk grimaced and swung his sword at his back. Aksha¡¯s Longsword stretched and stabbed Epilen, who retreat after the strike, enabling Junhyuk to turn around.

    Alondo and Epilen had shaved off some of the allies¡¯ healths, but La and Rodrey still had plenty left. La saw Epilen attack Junhyuk and ran toward the assassin while brandishing her katana.

    Epilen took to the air to dodge, and Junhyuk smirked. Normally, enemies in the sky couldn¡¯t be attacked, but things were different for Junhyuk.

    Aksha¡¯s Longsword stabbed Epilen. The assassin had tried to block with his dagger, but the longsword had been faster. It had slithered in the air and stabbed the hero. Junhyuk¡¯s own swordsmanship had improved with the use of Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    Junhyuk could lock down the assassin, and Epilen started losing health in chunks. Rodrey could also attack airborne enemies, so he threw his knives, and Epilen took hisst breath.

    Meanwhile, Alondo extended his hand at the two allies. Specter soldiers were summoned, but Junhyuk had no intention of being attacked by them, so he raised his force field.

    Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk!

    The specter soldiers shed against the force field.

    ¡°We have ten seconds,¡± Junhyuk said quickly.

    ¡°We¡¯ll kill them all in that time,¡± La said, and Junhyuk smiled bitterly at her bravado.

    The enemies were hiding in the reed field, so he thought the allies had no way of killing them all.

    ¡°Kill the ones inside the field!¡± he shouted and ran to enter the field.

    Suddenly, a bear shed against his force field.

    Boom!

    The champion had transformed herself into a bear, and Junhyuk knew she was trying to buy them time.

    Junhyuk shed at her. La did the same, and Rodrey threw his knives. The champion had no way to withstand all of those attack, so she disappeared.

    Things happened quickly, but three second had gone by. Junhyuk delved deeper into the reed field, but he couldn¡¯t spot any enemies. His spatial sense was fully functional within the reed field, so he knew all of the enemies were gone.

    They had given up the field to buy more time.

    Junhyuk realized the enemies¡¯ n and scowled.

    ¡°Stop running away!¡±

    He touched his allied and teleported, giving chase. Durandal stopped as they appeared. His entire body was turning ck.

    The other enemies were far away from the allies now, so Junhyuk gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Kill Durandal first.¡±

    He used his Spatial Copse. Durandal was the only enemy he could attack now, but he meant to kill every single one of them. With his force field up, he could do anything he wanted.

    The Spatial Copse took Durandal¡¯s remaining health right as Aksha¡¯s Longsword pierced the hero¡¯s chest.

    The enemies had gained plenty of time for themselves. There were three seconds left in the force field.

    Launched her katana at Dolorac. It zoomed through the air and struck the hero, but Dolorac was wearing his bone armor. The katana bounced off, but Dolorac still received a bit of damage.

    Rodrey took stock of the battle. Dolorac and Alondo were still alive, but the allies were winning.

    Then, the force field disappeared, and Dolorac extended his staff, activating Bone Prison. Souls flew toward Junhyuk, and he clicked his tongue. That ultimate ignored defense.

    All of the allies were hit by the ultimate, but the enemies did not stop there. After the souls passed them, Alondo attacked, swinging his scythe the size of a grown man. The hero attacked Rodrey.

    Rodrey was hit, and Dolorac¡¯s bone spear pierced Rodrey¡¯s chest as well. Rodrey disappeared.

    Junhyuk teleported out of the Bone Prison, but he couldn¡¯t move with the rest of his allies. Nevertheless, he appeared behind Dolorac and shed at him.

    Dolorac turned to see his attack, which smashed against the hero¡¯s shoulder. Dolorac had also been hit by the Spatial sh¡¯s shockwave and La¡¯s sword throw. He had very little health remaining.

    Doloract kept shooting bone arrows and retreating, but Junhyuk simply smirked at him. He didn¡¯t need to make a sword shield to block the bone arrows flying at him. Junhyuk closed in and shed Dolorac¡¯s head. The hero disappeared, and Junhyuk turned around.

    Only Alondo remained.

    La was fighting Alondo. His scythe moved with expert skill, but La wasn¡¯t too bad with her katana either. The scythe came down from atop the skeleton horse, and she blocked it.

    La had used all of her powers, so she was fighting purely with her swordsmanship.

    Alondo was aware that Junhyuk was free now because Junhyuk smirked and joined the fight. Having a one-on-one fight was a luxury. There was no way to tell whose powers would return first, which was why he joined in swinging.

    Aksha¡¯s Longsword enabled him to keep his distance from his enemies. If La hadn¡¯t been fighting Alondo, he would¡¯ve been able to block Junhyuk¡¯s attack. But, it was two versus one now.

    Alondo had no choice but to extend his hand toward Junhyuk. A ring encased Junhyuk, and Alondo swung his scythe heavily at him. La had to step aside to evade the scythe attack.

    At that moment, Alondo turned around and started running. His movement speed was higher than most, but La ran after him.

    Junhyuk could tell what Alondo was thinking. He was running toward Bebe¡¯s store to prevent the battle from continuing.

    When Junhyuk saw the ring around him disappear, he jumped. He set the angle of the jump low, increasing his movement speed.

    Junhyuk closed in while shing, but Alondo blocked the attack with his scythe. La had chased after the hero and attacked at the same time. However, Alondo had managed to block both swords in front of him.

    Nevertheless, Junhyuk was wielding dual swords, so he grinned menacingly.

    ¡°Sorry, but you won¡¯t get away.¡±

    Alondo rushed at him on his horse. He meant to run Junhyuk over.

    Junhyuk had to prevent that from happening, so he stretched Aksha¡¯s longsword toward Alondo. The hero blocked his attack again while holding tightly to the reins on the horse.

    La jumped suddenly, striking down at Alondo with her katana. The hero had no option but to block with his scythe.

    ng!

    Junhyuk spotted an opening on Alondo¡¯s head and stabbed at it. It was a critical hit, and Alondo disappeared.

    He sighed, relieved. They had fought four versus five, but they had lost Sarang at the start. At one point, Junhyuk had even thought that the allies had been in danger, but they had managed to pull through.

    Looking at La, who looked tired, Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°Whew! You fought well.¡±

 Chapter 440 - Group Battle 3

    <h4>Chapter 440: Group Battle 3</h4>

    Junhyuk entered Bebe¡¯s store with La. Inside, he saw Bebe ncing through a book. The yeti waved at them both.

    ¡°Wee!¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and told Bebe why he was there that day, ¡°Do you have scrolls that can contain and activate powers?¡±

    ¡°Contain powers? Heroes¡¯ powers?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Not just heroes, but powers from other tiers of powered people as well. Do you have scrolls like that?¡±

    ¡°If something like that existed, the bnce of the Dimensional Battlefield would disappear!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need it for the Dimensional Battlefield.¡±

    ¡°You mean you want to use it in your dimension?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Bebe became curious and asked, ¡°Do you need a stock of powers in your dimension?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°Last time I was there, a dragon appeared. If I¡¯m able to buy scrolls like that, it¡¯ll be much easier to fight them.¡±

    ¡°Hm...¡± Bebe said grabbing his chin. ¡°There are scrolls like that. They do exist, but they can¡¯t make others ce their powers within it unwillingly. I have ten of them in stock.¡±

    If Junhyuk could get ten powers in scrolls so that he could use them, that would help him tremendously.

    ¡°How much is it?¡±

    ¡°Each one is 2,000G. It¡¯s cheap.¡±

    Ten scrolls would cost him 20,000G. He would be able to use them to kill more dragons.

    ¡°Give me all of them.¡±

    Junhyuk extended his hand, paid the 20,000G and took the scrolls. They had strange shapes drawn on them.

    ¡°How do they work?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple. You put your hand on the drawing, and the powered person uses his or her power. To ce a power into the scroll, you¡¯ll need a mana stone about this size.¡±

    Bebe made a fist. His fist was ratherrge, but Junhyuk already had mana stones that size stashed away. After he paid the 20,000G, he pulled out all the items he wanted to sell one by one. He had picked up a total of eleven items from his enemies.

    He ced them all on the counter, and Bebeughed.

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha-ha! Did you kill them all by yourself?¡±

    ¡°I was lucky, and usually, they were grouped up.¡±

    Junhyuk had ravaged through his enemies twice, so he had acquired a lot of items.

    ¡°How much?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Their prices range from 40,000 to 50,000G. I¡¯ll give you 480,000G for all eleven items.¡±

    Between the previous round and that round, Junhyuk had earned about 500,000G. Soon, he would be able to get his hands on the items he really wanted.

    He took the gold from Bebe and checked his savings: 716,898G. It was a lot, but Junhyuk wanted more cores.

    ¡°Refurbish a core for me, please.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s 200,000G.¡±

    Junhyuk got the core refurbished. It was a lot of money, but the core was worth the price. He would give a non-refurbished core to Gongon the next time he saw the dragon. He was supposed to have done that already, but he had forgotten about it.

    Holding the cores, he asked, ¡°Do you have any Pure Golden Knight set items?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    He smacked his lips and replied, ¡°OK.¡±

    La purchased an item from Bebe. She spent 200,000G on it, and Junhyuk agreed with her purchase.

    La did not wait like Junhyuk. She bought items whenever she had enough gold for them, but Junhyuk couldn¡¯t afford to do that at the moment.

    Junhyuk had survived so far by all means, but there was no guarantee that he would be able to survive in the future. If he died in the battlefield, he would cry bloody tears for dropping his items.

    He hoped he wouldn¡¯t die. If he kept buying legendary items and getting stronger, he wouldn¡¯t die. That was what he thought.

    Then, Junhyuk searched through his Spatial bag and pulled out the reason for him having entered Bebe¡¯s store: the Red Dragon Armor.

    He gave it to Bebe, who looked dumbstruck.

    ¡°Did you kill a dragon? From the blood and the scales, it had to have been a warm-blooded dragon.¡±

    ¡°You can tell?¡±

    ¡°Dragon bodies are the best ingredients for crafting. Dragons tend to craft the best equipment as well, but they can only make a limited quantity of it.¡±

    ¡°Why limited?¡±

    ¡°Dragons use their own bones to craft items. Their magic is superb, but they can¡¯t craft equipment unless another dragon dies.¡±

    ¡°So, their bodies make great items?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± Bebe held up a finger and smiled, saying, ¡°It¡¯s a type of self-preservation.¡± The yeti continued, ¡°That magitek book I sold you teaches you the best magitek theories in all dimensions. There are only a few recipes, but the items made with knowledge from that book are superior to all otherparable magitek items.¡±

    Junhyuk had paid 300,000G for the book, but it had ended up being the best he could buy even though it had onlye with basic recipes.

    He asked calmly, ¡°How much will you give me for it?¡±

    Bebe inspected the armor again and said, ¡°If you can make it even better, you¡¯ll earn a lot more money. You have ess to the best magitek theories, and this item was crafted with a unique recipe.¡± Staring hard at him, Bebe asked, ¡°That child, Elise, she made this, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Tell her to make more items with those resources. She might even make a set with buffs and all.¡± Stroking his chin, Bebe said, ¡°She might even make a high quality set. She has the best ingredients and the best knowledge. Elise might be able to make miracles.¡±

    ¡°So, how much?¡±

    ¡°How about 350,000G?¡±

    Junhyuk was paid more than he had expected, way more.

    Eltor was the one sending dragons, and after selling the Red Dragon Armor, Junhyuk even thought about asking Eltor to send more. But, dragons were dangerous to the general poption.

    He took his 350,000G and connected with the rest of his team, all of it.

    ¡°Where are you all?¡±

    Gongon answered curtly, ¡°I¡¯m heading to the buff tower. Be there soon.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Rodrey and Sarang. They were in the same ce.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t left yet?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m about to head out. How many minions should I bring?¡±

    Junhyuk thought he already had enough minions, so after pondering the question, he said, ¡°Leave them behind and move as fast as you can. We¡¯ve already destroyed the second watchtower.¡±

    The enemies had been pushed back, so all the allies needed to do was push through the open middle path. The allies were winning.

    Junhyuk turned to La and said, ¡°Let¡¯s head to where the second watchtower was.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    They started getting ready to move out with their remaining minions. There were a lot of minions, and it would be possible for things to be settled just with them.

    The enemies had been badly beaten, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t think they were so bold as toe out to battle again. They had great powers, but theycked powerful items.

    Junhyuk and Sarang had amazing damage, and they had managed to kill all of their enemies even before a team battle. That was the reason the allies were winning now. Their enemies had already lost too many items.

    The enemy heroes were getting weaker as the fight progressed. Next time, things would be even easier than this time, and Junhyuk really liked that.

    Suddenly, he thought of something, turned to Bebe and asked, ¡°Enemies that get killed a lot fall to a lower tier. How many times do we have to wipe an enemy team to lower their tier?¡±

    After some thought, Bebe replied, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. That¡¯s something usually decided by the managers.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Junhyuk was surprised to know that Bebe didn¡¯t know everything, and he replied, ¡°I understand. I¡¯lle backter.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Can we sell more Red Dragon Armor, or is there a limit?¡±

    ¡°Elise made it, so I¡¯ll buy as many as she can make.¡±

    ¡°Would you pay more for an entire equipment set?¡±

    ¡°Sets go for premium prices.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled at the yeti. He thought that Elise would definitely be able to craft a set.

    He left the store with the minions and headed for the middle path. Gongon would upy the buff tower at any moment, giving the allies greater movement speed.

    With that speed, they could push through the middle, and their enemies would have to decide on whether to fight or not. Things would be decided by that final advance.

    While they were heading for the middle path, Junhyu, La and the minions received the buff. Gongon contacted them to say that he hadn¡¯te across any enemies yet, which also meant that nobody knew where the enemy heroes were.

    With the allies gathered in the middle, the enemy heroes might take the opportunity to push through the other paths. However, because the allies were buffed, some of them had already made through the middle path, meaning that even if their enemies pushed through the sides, they would win.

    Junhyuk joined Gongon on the way. Then, looking back, he saw Sarang and Rodreying up their path.

    ¡°Wait here and rest for a while,¡± he told them.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Gongon crashed next to him. Junhyuk didn¡¯t tell the hatchling about making a dragon set. Gongon was a dragon, so he wouldn¡¯t be interested in such a morbid matter.

    Junhyuk pulled out two non-refurbished cores from his Spatial Bag and gave them to Gongon. The hatchling smiled.

    ¡°There are dragons researching ways to use these cores as we speak. I, myself, expect great news.¡±

    ¡°Did you look into the dragon hunting?¡±

    Gongon sighed and answered, ¡°Our tribe is OK for now. My dimension has produced many heroes, so the managers aren¡¯t hunting from us. Other dimensions with dragons are different, but I can¡¯t contact dragons from those dimensions. Themunication crystal will only let me contactbatants in the Dimensional Battlefield, so I have no means of getting in touch with dragons from dimensions without heroes yet.¡±

    Junhyuk knew that Kalgroan hadn¡¯t been a hero. He felt that it had to be a joke that a dragon that powerful hadn¡¯t been a hero.

    Still, the dragons should havee together to pressure the managers, but that hadn¡¯t happened, and it wouldn¡¯t happen now.

 Chapter 441 - Two Straight Wins 1

    <h4>Chapter 441: Two Straight Wins 1</h4>

    After Sarang and Rodrey joined the group, they move out right away. There were 295 minions, enough to decide the battle.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Junhyuk said.

    Elise wasn¡¯t there, so Sarang had Gongon all to herself. She picked him up and hugged him. Gongon, who looked ufortable, said, ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±

    ¡°I have to let you go with Elise, but not now.¡±

    Gongonughed and yawned heavily. They didn¡¯t look worried at all. Everyone was ustomed to the battles, and they knew it would be nearly impossible for them to lose that round. Still, none of them wanted to die.

    ¡°Did you drop anything important?¡± Junhyuk asked Sarang.

    ¡°Only a basic item Elise had given me. Nothing major.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±

    The allies had plenty of items made out of B-ranked monsters, and those items made by Elise were expensive, but the allies were selling them to purchase better gear. Sarang had been lucky in that she had lost a basic item, something not even expensive enough to sell.

    The group arrived at the enemy castle and spotted two hundred undead minions in front of the gate. The enemy heroes were standing behind them. They seemed determined this time. All five heroes were waiting for the allies, and their champion was there as well, seemingly just as determined.

    Junhyuk looked at the enemy formation and asked, ¡°What do we do?¡±

    Looking at it, Sarang sighed and added, ¡°This won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    The two weaker heroes were on the wall. With how they were set up, the allies had to bring down the gate before they could really attack them. Penslin was the biggest problem. He had outstanding range and damage.

    In the past, Junhyuk would¡¯ve ordered the minions to attack first. The allied minions outnumbered the enemy minion, but Junhyuk decided to gamble to keep his minions safe.

    He stepped forward and said, ¡°Right now, I¡¯m the only one who can kill Epilen. What do we do?¡±

    ¡°You kill Epilen before the real battle. Then, we use all of our powers before they can respond.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°OK. I¡¯ll trigger a Spatial Copse on Epilen and the others. You drop your Thunderstorm on the group. That way, we might kill one more.¡±

    Since Durandal was a tank, he would be able to survive, but the allies might be able to kill Alondo that way. Once two enemy heroes were dead, the allies would fight the others. They would be able to withstand attacks from Penslin and Dolorac with Junhyuk¡¯s force field.

    Junhyuk turned to the others and said, ¡°If possible, we should save our minions. I¡¯ll take the lead ahead of the minions. Any objections?¡±

    La shrugged and said, ¡°The minions can only help us take down structures. They won¡¯t be any good against heroes.¡±

    ¡°As you please,¡± he heard Gongon said and stepped forward.

    ¡°We¡¯ll kill the enemy minions first.¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh had a range of seventy meters and was able to hit before any sh between forces. He had the same range as the archers on the wall.

    Basically, he had the longest range among heroes, but his attack still had drawbacks. The enemies were too far from him, so he needed to draw them closer.

    Junhyuk stood in front of the undead minions, outside of the range of Penslin¡¯s attacks, and from there, he swung his sword.

    Barely outside of Penslin¡¯s range, he started cutting down undead minions, so the enemy heroes started to move. Even though he saw theming for him, Junhyuk kept shing undead minions. He thought that was all that he could do at that moment.

    The undead minions were dying in bunches, so Alondo and Durandal increased their speeds. Epilen had activated stealth.

    Junhyuk could feel Epilen heading toward him among the undead minions. The hero had thought he would be able to do something while in stealth, but Junhyuk could sense him.

    ¡°First kill,¡± Junhyuk said, and Aksha¡¯s Longsword extended. The undead minions in front of him raised their shields to block, but the sword¡¯s de disappeared, and the undead minions¡¯ eyes widened.

    Nothing happened immediately, so the undead minions rushed toward him. Suddenly, a massive shockwave expanded from within the undead minions¡¯ formation.

    Epilen had been in stealth mode, and the continuous, purple shockwave hade from his head. Epilen disappeared. Some enemies had distanced themselves from the shockwave. Junhyuk could have attacked them, but they had kept their distance.

    Then, he remembered that the range of Alondo¡¯s rush was significant. That¡¯s when Gongon came up to him and asked, ¡°Should I use my body?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    Alondo could cover twenty-five meters with his rush, and Durandal could jump over twenty meters. Junhyuk¡¯s range was greater. He imagined both enemies using their powers and thought that Alondo would be the most annoying one, so he decided to use his Spatial Copse.

    ¡°Sarang, let¡¯s kill Alondo!¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    The Thunderstorm had the same range as the Spatial Copse, so if the two attacked at the same time, they would be able to kill the enemy hero. Alondo had high defense, but the allies would deal critical hits.

    The enemy hero was riding his skeleton horse, zigzagging toward him, and Junhyuk smirked. The skeleton horse was incredibly skilled.

    Junhyuk elerated and analyzed Alondo¡¯s path. The Spatial Copse was Junhyuk¡¯s ultimate, and Alondo knew about it, which was why he was zigzagging toward him. But, Junhyuk could use his eleration to hit Alondo.

    When Alondo got between the undead minions, Junhyuk set his Spatial Copse. Although it was a long range attack, it was lethal at short range.

    Alondo saw him move, but he couldn¡¯t dodge it due to Junhyuk¡¯s eleration. The undead minions had also be a distraction for him.

    The Spatial Copse burst forth from Alondo. It was a critical hit. Right after, thunderbolts mmed against him, and Alondo was gone. Junhyuk turned to Durandal, who remained optimistic as he shouted, ¡°All of you, get back!¡±

    Right now, their enemies were losing. Durandal had made a wise decision in getting the minions to retreat. They would be able to regroup and buy time that way.

    Junhyuk scoffed at the enemy hero. Durandal¡¯s health and defense were high, but once his powers came off cooldown, Junhyuk would be able to kill him.

    Penslin was still in the way. Without Junhyuk, the allies couldn¡¯t reach him from that range.

    Junhyuk watched the enemies retreat. If he went to pick up Epilen¡¯s item now, he would be attacked by Penslin, but he really wanted to do it.

    He was faced with a dilemma.

    Gongon asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°If I move in any further, Penslin will attack me.¡±

    ¡°Ten seconds is enough,¡± Gongon said.

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±

    Not worrying anymore, Junhyuk ran ahead. The allies followed behind him. When he looked at Penslin while running, Junhyuk saw the hero drawing an arrow.

    He decided he would dodge the first attack. He thought about using a teleport, but Durandal was watching him closely, so he shouldn¡¯t do it. Durandal could jump and taunt him, and the others would focus their attacks on him.

    When Penslin saw Junhyuk was within range, he released the arrow.

    Junhyuk gritted his teeth and shouted, ¡°We have ten seconds!¡±

    He covered the entire allied team in the force field, and they all rushed forward. Then, he teleported twice with all of the heroes and appeared in front of Durandal. All of the allies attacked.

    Gongon erged immediately and rushed toward Durandal. The enemy hero¡¯s body was pitch ck. Durandal meant to survive the allied effort.

    Once they appeared, Durandal kicked the force field, but nothing happened to it. Durandal was mostly focused on defense, so everyone¡¯s attacks did almost half damage to him. To kill Durandal in ten seconds, all of them had to attack. They also had to kill the enemy champion, who had transformed into a bear.

    Aksha¡¯s Longsword targeted Durandal. Ten seconds was a long time. With the protection of the force field, they managed to kill Durandal, but it had taken them seven seconds. After killing the champion, only one second remained of the force field.

    Junhyuk had used all of his powers, and Sarang had used her Thunderstorm. Because it had taken them too long to kill Durandal, Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Back up!¡±

    The enemy vanguard was on them, but while retreating, Gongon shouted, ¡°I can take this! La and Junhyuk, destroy the gate. Minions, attack!¡±

    Gongon and Junhyuk could take the hits from the enemy damager, especially if the allied minions focused on taking down the gate.

    Sarang and Rodrey had already started retreating, so Junhyuk, Gongon and La pounded against the castle. That¡¯s when Junhyuk realized he had made a bad decision.

    The archers on the wall targeted the three heroes, and the allies were also under attack from two enemy damagers.

    Sarang and Rodrey came under attack while retreating, so the allied minions came to their rescue. They made a path through the undead minions for Sarang and Rodrey to pass. The two heroes kept massacring undead minions as they retreated, so the allied minions knew that the two heroes would help their cause.

    ¡°Destroy the gate! Get over here!¡± Gongon shouted.

    Sarang and Rodrey helped the minions open arger path, and the minions gathered by Gongon. There was an open path in the middle of the undead minions now, and the allied minions were taking advantage of it.

 Chapter 442 - Two Straight Wins 2

    <h4>Chapter 442: Two Straight Wins 2</h4>

    The minions were running forward as Junhyuk shed around. The allied minions were standing between his sword and the undead minions, but Aksha¡¯s Longsword danced on its own.

    The sword lengthened and attacked the undead minions. Against them, Aksha¡¯s Longsword was lethal. The longsword did not have area attacks. Instead, it attacked each individual undead minions, so he was able to open a path for the allied minions.

    The allied minions pounded against the castle. Sarang and Rodrey had been imprisoned by the Bone Prison, but no longer. Both allied heroes had been under attack, but Sarang healed them both. On top of that, her power healed all of the allies who had lost health while attacking the castle and who had been attacked by the archers.

    The allies all focused on the castle now, attacking it ferociously. The undead minions attacked the allied minions, and some casualties were inevitable, but the allied minions broke through the gate.

    Crash!

    The gate was destroyed, and Junhyuk went in first. He had to deal with the archers on the parapet. When he climbed the tower, he saw that Penslin and Dolorac had already run away. He didn¡¯t care and simply wiped the archers out.

    While attacking the gate, the number of allied casualties had been rather high. After getting healed, Junhyuk¡¯s health had gone back to full. However, while attacking beyond the wall, he had lost 15 percent of it again. The other allied heroes had also lost about 15 percent each.

    Sarang and Rodrey were having problems. She only had about half of her health left, and Rodrey had 70 percent. If the enemies revived, they would have a difficult time.

    The wall fell quickly, but the allies had taken a while getting through the gate. Two enemy heroes had already revived when they entered the castle. Durandal was the only one still waiting toe back to life.

    The enemy heroes were standing by the giant golems. There were only a hundred undead minions left.

    WIthout Durandal, they would be easier to kill, so Junhyuk turned to his allies and asked, ¡°What do we do?¡±

    His force field was off cooldown. Now, he was thinking about waiting for the heal to get off cooldown, which might make things more dangerous.

    Gongon shrugged and said, ¡°Why are you worried!? Push on right now!¡±

    Gongon ran forward, and shaking his head, Junhyuk followed the hatchling. The others followed behind them.

    They couldn¡¯t forget about the giant golems. By now, the allies had learned how to work together without nning.

    Junhyuk ran ahead without saying anything. The enemy heroes retreated behind the golems, inside the castle force field, and he sped up toward them. Junhyuk was a bit worried about Alondo hiding behind the golems, but Gongon made things easier. He erged, trampled through the undead minions and headbutted a giant golem.

    Boom!

    Pieces of rock fell from the impact, and Gongon breathed fire on top of the golem.

    At that moment, Alondo decided to move out, and Junhyuk knew why. The enemy hero used his scythe on Gongon, flipping Gongon into the air. When Gongon wasunched up, the undead minions focused on him. The other enemy heroes came out from behind the castle¡¯s force field to attack Gongon as well.

    Even Gongon could be overpowered, and all heroes were attacking him now, so Junhyuk raised his force field around the dragon. The attacks bounced off of it.

    While killing undead minions, Junhyuk closed in on Alondo. He was saving his Spatial sh for the caster and the sniper.

    Junhyuk aimed at Alondo, but La ran out first. She attacked Alondo after killing some undead minions.

    Alondo was thrown in the air by La¡¯s attack, and Rodrey and Sarang focused on him. Junhyuk attacked him as well.

    The enemy heroes turned to Junhyuk and attacked him. A giant golem was serving to keep him and Gongon separated.

    Gongon still had the force field, so Junhyuk wasn¡¯t worried.

    Now, he wanted to fight the heroes who had just rushed toward him, but as soon as he turned, they retreated into the castle¡¯s force field.

    Left frustrated, he turned back to attack Alondo. The allies had focused their attacks on the enemy hero while he was in the air, so he died even before he fell to the ground. Sarang had cast a Thunderstorm on him and killed him.

    Because of that, all enemy heroes were now hiding inside the castle¡¯s force field.

    ¡°Kill the giant golems!¡± Junhyuk shouted.

    Once the golems were dead, they would have less difficulty bringing the castle down. Junhyuk simply ignored the heroes inside the force field and ran at a golem.

    Aksha¡¯s Longsword stretched, shing the undead minions in his path. The allied minions raised their shields and ran with him.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± they screamed, and a giant golem turned toward them.

    The rest of the allies had to pay attention to the enemy heroes while dealing with the giant golems.

    Epilen could cover long distances, so they had to be aware of what he was doing.

    Junhyuk ran toward the golem while keeping an eye out for the heroes. They coulde out of the force field at any time, and if they did, Junhyuk would deliver a critical strike to Penslin and Epilen. He was mainly focused on those two enemy heroes.

    ¡°Gon,e to me!¡±

    Gongon, who still had the force field, pushed the undead minions back. However, Gongon couldn¡¯t simply do what he wanted. A golem kicked him, and because he was covered by the force field, Gongon was thrown back. He couldn¡¯t rejoin the allies.

    Junhyuk and La circled the golem, looking for an opening. He had to save his powers while taking down the golem.

    Golems were definitely dangerous. They were inherently stronger than ordinary heroes, but Junhyuk was stronger than ever before. He elerated, clearly reading the golem¡¯s movements, and shed with Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    Junhyuk knew how to fight golems from a distance, and because he wasn¡¯t alone, the golem was losing significant chunks of its health. He thought that he would be able to kill that golem quickly, but then, something happened. An enemy hero revived and rushed out immediately.

    ¡°Raaaaarhh!¡±

    The enemy screamed, and the allies¡¯ eyes changed. They had all been focused on golems when they heard the scream, so they had all fallen for Durandal¡¯s taunt.

    The golems attacked the allies, and the enemy damagers took that opportunity toe out and do the same.

    The allies had lost their ability to reason and were attacked by Durandal. Epilen stepped out and stabbed Sarang¡¯s back. Penslin shot an explosive arrow.

    The allies were hurt dy, but something else happened then. Gongon was now flying, having triggered his ultimate. Hended right in front of Durandal, and the force field covered all of the allies.

    Junhyuk teleported the entire team out of range of the effect of Durandal¡¯s taunt. Once they had regained reason, Junhyuk used his Spatial Copse on Durandal.

    Durandal was always the most frustrating enemy hero. The Spatial Copsended, and Rodrey used his ultimate on Durandal right after. Rodrey¡¯s ultimate covered a wide area, so it wasn¡¯t great against a single enemy, but it was very effective against groups.

    Durandal wanted to retreat, but the effects of the Spatial Copse had just started. There was no way to move after being hit by it. The ultimate was sucking Durandal to the center of the copse.

    Because Durandal couldn¡¯t move, the rest of the allies also focused on him. The enemy hero had high defense and health, but he would die soon.

    Once Durandal died, the allies refocused on the golems. At the same time, Junhyuk¡¯s force field disappeared. Things weren¡¯t going great for the allies.

    Immediately, Sarang cast heal on everyone. At the same time, Dolorac stepped forward and used his ultimate. The allies were group up, so all of them got hit by Dolorac¡¯s ultimate. They survived, however, because Sarang had healed everyone right before.

    Junhyuk used his Spatial sh on Dolorac, who tried to retreat into the force field right after using his ultimate, but the Spatial sh was faster.

    The attack struck Dolorac¡¯s head, a critical hit. Penslin stepped up and also used his ultimate on the group up allies. They were all restrained.

    After using his ultimate, Penslin returned to the castle¡¯s force field, and the golems attacked the ensnared allies.

    They started losing health in chunks, and Sarang lost all of hers, triggering her ultimate. She was immortal for five seconds, but she had toe up with a way to stay alive.

    ¡°Leave!¡± Junhyuk shouted at her, jumping in front of a golem to block an attack.

    Boom!

    He wasunched back and shouted to the others, ¡°Kill the golems!¡±

    The allied minions attacked the giant golems like a swarm of ants. Sarang was running away fast. She had to get out of their enemies¡¯ range.

    Junhyuk swung his sword, and one of the golems was finally destroyed. The minions finished the other one off.

    Penslin did note out of the force field again. He depended on the golems to cover his attacks, but now, the two were gone.

    ¡°Destroy the castle!¡± Junhyuk shouted.

    The allied minions pounded against the castle¡¯s force field, and Junhyuk sighed. Sarang had escaped while invincible, so she had survived.

    Junhyuk picked up the items assigned to him and said, ¡°That¡¯s two straight wins!¡±

 Chapter 443 - Elises Activation 1

    <h4>Chapter 443: Elise¡¯s Activation 1</h4>

    After the bright light faded, Junhyuk saw himself back in the room with Ariel. She smiled brightly at him.

    [Congrattions on your victory! Too bad you didn¡¯t get a pentakill.]

    Junhyuk had missed out on the pentakill because he had fought with his team, but honestly, he was just d to have survived.

    ¡°I¡¯m curious about something,¡± he said calmly.

    [Ask me anything.]

    ¡°How do you make your opponents drop tier?¡±

    [Your enemies drop tier when there is more than a 30-percent difference between the level and number of items between your team and theirs. Or, if the team loses three times straight.]

    ¡°How does my team tier up?¡±

    [The fact is that your team has tiered up with the end of this match. You¡¯ve won two straight times, and there is a definite difference in strength between your team and the enemies¡¯.]

    ¡°We advanced quicker than I had expected.¡±

    [Yes. We are still just out of team selection, so there are a lot of uneven matchups.]

    ¡°So, are we fighting different enemies the next round?¡±

    [Yes. Nobody is advancing from the enemy team, so you¡¯ll face apletely different team.]

    ¡°Can you give me any information on the new enemy team?¡±

    [I cannot.]

    Junhyuk smacked his lips. He thought he could have gotten another pentakill since his enemies had lost a lot of items, but his allies had had to help him because that enemy team had had a lot of controlling powers.

    He had wanted to beat that team again, so advancing to the next tier hade as a disappointment for him at that moment. Junhyuk smacked his lips again and asked, ¡°How many more rounds do we have to win before we be legends?¡±

    [With this tier up, you¡¯ll need another three tier ups.]

    ¡°Wait! You are saying that we only need to advance three more times?¡±

    [Correct.]

    Junhyuk had thought that he would have to get thirty-two straight victories to be a legend, but that wasn¡¯t the case.

    ¡°That¡¯s not a lot of victories.¡±

    [Your team started out at a high tier since you managed a pentakill during team selections.]

    ¡°Really!?¡±

    He was pleasantly surprised by the new information. Junhyuk could massacre as many weak heroes as he wanted to get more items, but what he really wanted was to be a legend as soon as possible.

    He turned to Ariel and asked, ¡°My reward?¡±

    [You¡¯ve earned 200,000G.]

    ¡°OK. Can I get more information on the Champions¡¯ Battlefield? What are the odds for Ling Ling¡¯s team?¡±

    [Champions: Ling Ling, Jeffrey and Aleksei. Return: 1.5 times.]

    ¡°That means that I¡¯ll get 50 percent more than what I bet?¡±

    [If your team wins, yes.]

    Junhyuk smacked his lips. The human champions had done excessively wellst time, so there were more people betting on them now. He thought about how much he had on hand and said, ¡°OK. I¡¯ll bet 150,000G on them.¡±

    [epted. The bet on Ling Ling¡¯s team has been ce.]

    Junhyuk had gold to spare, but while Ling Ling formed a fantastic pair with Jeffrey, Aleksei was still weak. Still, the three could win.

    He ced the bet, which would earn him about 220,000G if he won. That would be enough for him. When gambling, Junhyuk had to consider the possibility of losing, so he didn¡¯t want to go all in.

    Looking at Ariel, he said, ¡°Send me back.¡±

    [Doing it now.]

    The bright light covered his eyes, and he closed them. When he opened them back up slowly, he saw Elise sleeping on his bed. His eyes widened when he saw her.

    ¡°What?!¡±

    Elise¡¯s health and mana had gone well beyond the level of an expert. Her stats were way higher than what they had been before she went to sleep. That could only mean one thing: Elise had be a champion.

    He wanted to wake her up, but she hadn¡¯t returned yet. Elise could have activated a new power while going through the traumatic void. That had to have been what had happened.

    Junhyuk called Sarang while Elise slept. When he saw her through themunication orb, she said, ¡°We won again.¡±

    ¡°Did you hear about our advancement?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll face different opponents, and I had just gotten used to fighting those undead.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because we are early in the season. We have to fight stronger enemies to earn better items.¡±

    Now, the crafted dragon items would get them more gold than the dropped items. Nevertheless, Earth was in trouble. If it didn¡¯t produce heroes quickly, Eltor would continue to attack it.

    Still, for Junhyuk, more dragons from Eltor was a good thing. However, he couldn¡¯t think like that since it meant disaster for everyone else. On top of that, if Eltor changed the site of the dragon deployment, things would be problematic even for him.

    He would have to have everyone travel there. Dragons could appear in popted areas, killing countless civilians in hopes of generating more novices. Eltor didn¡¯t care about how many people died. He was only interested in heroes and champions.

    Junhyuk wished that Eltor would be contained.

    ¡°I think Elise¡¯s be a champion,¡± he told Sarang.

    ¡°Elise?!¡±

    ¡°Yes. She hasn¡¯t woken up yet, but I can see her stats are way higher.¡±

    ¡°Whoa! She isn¡¯t ying! She¡¯s already a champion...¡±

    Elise already had the basic stats of a champion. On top of that, she had learned magitek and magic. With magitek, she had created new crafting recipes. Because she was always researching something, perhaps it was natural that she had activated another power that soon.

    She had died, which meant she had travelled through the harrowing void. Death affected people in different ways, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t know how it had affected her, but it must¡¯ve been a big help to her.

    Elise was sleeping soundly. She was under the effects of abnormal narcolepsy, so there was nothing he could do for now.

    She still had deep, dark circles under her eyes. Even though she was a champion now, Junhyuk still wanted to get her sets of the highest tier runestones. He wanted to support her.

    Junhyuk looked at Elise and waited. After an hour, she slowly opened her eyes. When she looked around, she saw him looking at her.

    ¡°We¡¯ve won again.¡±

    ¡°You must¡¯ve been bored all by yourself inside the castle.¡±

    Elise shook her head and said, ¡°Before reviving, I learned a lot from dying and the void. I thought about magitek and magic and realized something.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve gained a new power.¡±

    Elise made a victory sign with her fingers and said, ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve gained a new power.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    She didn¡¯t have a weapon yet. Currently, Elise was researching the core to craft her weapon. So, what would her power be if she carried no weapon?

    She said calmly, ¡°My new power is a type of nullification field.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Within a certain range, I can nullify enemy powers.¡±

    Junhyuk cocked his head, and Elise exined in a way that he could understand, ¡°I got killed by an enemy with a stealth power. Another had a imprisoning power, so I was worried about how to deal with those powers. While going through the void, I thought hard about it. So, I activated my power while reviving.¡±

    ¡°That you¡¯d revive was not in question, but you took a risk.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it because I wanted to. It¡¯s how I am. I thought about magic and magitek. I thought about how to dodge enemy attacks. It was a nice experience.¡±

    The harrowing void had been a traumatic experience to anyone he had talked to before, and Elise had just called it a nice experience. She was more than he imagined her to be.

    ¡°Your nullification field, does it affect allies?¡±

    ¡°I think so. It¡¯s a strong power, so I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll affect everyone.¡±

    ¡°Can you use it now?¡±

    Elise used it. While inside the castle, she had practiced with it, so now, she could easily control it.

    A purple field surrounded the area with her as the center, and Junhyuk frowned. Elise had triggered something. He could feel it suppressing him.

    He tried using his force field, the same field that had protected him from everything so far, but he couldn¡¯t do it. Junhyuk was shocked by that, and looking at Elise, he said, ¡°You¡¯re something else.¡±

    She smiled and said, ¡°I can¡¯t test it alone. Can you help me with something?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Leave my field. Then, use your power and walk back into it.¡±

    Junhyuk understood what she was trying to do. He walked outside of the purple field. Right as he was about to use his force field, her purple field disappeared.

    Elise smacked her lips and said, ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait a bit.¡±

    ¡°How long does itst for?¡±

    ¡°Right now, for five seconds.¡±

    For five seconds, all powers were nullified within her field. She could shut down a tank and kill them. However, even she couldn¡¯t use her powers while the nullification field was up.

    After thirty seconds, she said, ¡°I can use it again.¡±

    Junhyuk took a few steps back, and Elise activated her power. The nullification field covered the area again. At the same time, Junhyuk triggered his force field. Then, he walked toward the nullification field. Right as he entered the purple area, his own force field disappeared.

    ¡°What?!¡±

    He had never experienced anything like that with his force field. Junhyuk stared at her nkly and muttered, ¡°Your nullification field is an extremely high-ranking power.

    His own force field had disappeared, which meant that Elise¡¯s power was stronger than his. He stared at her as she smiled brightly.

    ¡°Maybe. I¡¯ll research ways to use it more effectively,¡± she dered.

 Chapter 444 - Elises Activation 2

    <h4>Chapter 444: Elise¡¯s Activation 2</h4>

    Junhyuk had never seen a power like Elise¡¯s new power. Her power could nullify ultimates. However, she had to be extremely careful using it as her power couldn¡¯t distinguish between allies and enemies yet.

    It was a one-of-a-kind power.

    Elise might even be able to nullify summons. Definitely, it was a power of the highest tier.

    Junhyuk was a bit disappointed by the range of the nullification area, though. It had a radius of ten meters at the moment.

    Elise¡¯s attacks weren¡¯t powerful enough yet, but she could get items to boost that. On top of that, because she hadn¡¯t activated an ultimate, Junhyuk could still have her in his team as a champion.

    Elise would have to meet a few conditions before she could use her new power effectively. She had to increase her defense before she could face her enemies with it. Hypothetically speaking, if Sarang had been Elise¡¯s enemy, Elise would have been able to nullify Sarang¡¯s ultimate and kill her. With her new power, his team had be a superior team.

    Junhyuk looked into Elise¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°The managers might call you to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. You have to get weapons.¡±

    ¡°I have a few ideas about what to do about weapons. I thought about that while reviving.¡±

    Junhyuk thought he might have to let Elise die from time to time.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you scared that you might nevere out of that void?¡±

    ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t too worried. I didn¡¯t even think about that to be honest. There was no time.¡±

    Elise was in a different world from his. He couldn¡¯tpletely understand her, but he knew that she was impressive.

    Elise was a genius, and he was grateful to be living with her.

    After that, Junhyuk told her about what Bebe had said, ¡°Bebe paid 350,000G for the Red Dragon Armor, but he said you should try making a set. Set items sell as premium items.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°We can make more money, but we have to know our priorities. First, we have to build that weapon with the core,¡± he added.

    Elise nodded and replied, ¡°Right.¡±

    Pulling out a core, he said, ¡°I refurbished two cores. I¡¯m taking one and giving one to you.¡±

    ¡°I guess you don¡¯t have a lot of gold left.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°Actually, I earned a lot this round. The enemy heroes kept grouping up on me.¡±

    She smacked her lips and said, ¡°Shame. I should¡¯ve stayed with you.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°Next time, let¡¯s do that.¡±

    Elise worked fine with Gongon, but Junhyuk wanted her powers to evolve. If an enemy used their power on her, he could teleport with Elise, enabling her to use her own power then.

    She had to do more research on her new power. Elise could nullify other powers, so her new power would be her best weapon.

    ¡°Elise, when you raise your nullification field, can you use your other powers?¡±

    ¡°Wait a second.¡±

    Elise raised the nullification field and summoned Zaira right after. She smiled brightly.

    ¡°I can use my powers within the nullification field!¡±

    She could summon Zaira. Once Zaira was buffed, the allies wouldn¡¯t have a difficult time winning. She would be of tremendous help. Nevertheless, Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t let Elise fight an enemy hero alone. He would move with her and fight alongside Zaira.

    ¡°Whenever you have time, practice using the nullification field so that it will evolve. Focus on widening your power¡¯s range or allowing your allies to use their powers within it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of pressure.¡±

    Junhyukughed at her and said, ¡°We have to attach that new power of yours to a scroll.¡±

    ¡°Ah! You got the scrolls?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, but only ten. Still, they can carry powers within them.¡±

    Junhyuk could raise his force field on anyone, so he was going to attach it to a scroll. It was a necessity to block a dragon¡¯s breath. He would also put Lucy¡¯s spell-nullification power in a scroll. She was an experts, so he didn¡¯t think she would be able to help much during a fight. Sarang¡¯s powers could paralyze enemies, so he would attach the Thunderstorm to a scroll even though he didn¡¯t know how it worked.

    There were many powered people now. His task was toe up with a system to find out which would be the most useful and prepare for battles against dragons.

    He turned to Elise and asked, ¡°Have you met a manager for a contract?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head. Managers were very passionate about talking to new champions. Why hadn¡¯t one shown yet? It could be because he was there.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go see Sarang ande up with a way to attach her powers to scrolls. Are you going to yourb?¡±

    ¡°Take me there.¡±

    Junhyukughed and ced a hand on her shoulder. Elise cocked her head and looked away, taking a step closer to him and giving him a tight hug at the same time.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said.

    Junhyuk teleported with her, and they appeared inside of herb. Once he let go of her, Elise smacked her lips.

    ¡°When are you going to attach my power to a scroll?¡±

    ¡°After I do mine and Sarang¡¯s. Would you prefer to do it now?¡±

    Elise nodded and said, ¡°I don¡¯t like being interrupted when I¡¯m researching. Let¡¯s do it now.¡±

    Junhyuk pulled out a scroll, and Elise¡¯s eyes beamed when she took it.

    ¡°That dimensional merchant has everything. This isn¡¯t based on magitek. It must be another branch of magic. It isn¡¯t just regr magic.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Junhyuk agreed with her, but he couldn¡¯t understand the engravings on the scrolls. He simply knew how to use them.

    He pulled out a mana stone and asked, ¡°Shall we give it a try?¡±

    Elise ced her hand on the scroll, and he ced the mana stone next to her hand. Then, she used her power. The engravings on the scroll shone brightly. The light was too bright for him to look at it, but after a while, the engravings turned purple.

    Smacking his lips, Junhyuk said, ¡°It would be too dangerous to use it the first time during a fight with a dragon. Should we find out how it works?¡±

    After some thought, Elise said, ¡°We only have ten of them. You should contact Bebe first.¡±

    Junhyuk had never tried to contact Bebe through themunication orb, but he had to ask the yeti about the scrolls now.

    He nodded and pulled out his orb. Elise was standing next to him, and suddenly, Bebe¡¯s image appeared.

    Bebe also hadn¡¯t known he couldmunicate with Junhyuk that way. When he saw Junhyuk and Elise, heughed heartily.

    ¡°Why did you contact me?¡±

    Junhyuk lifted a scroll and said, ¡°You told me how to attach a power to it, but I don¡¯t know how to use it.¡±

    Bebe scratched his chin and said, ¡°You should just use it then.¡±

    ¡°I only have ten of them.¡±

    ¡°Hm... Upon activation, the scroll will ask the coordinates of where you want the power to be used. Just say those coordinates, and the power will trigger.¡±

    Bebe was extremely calm, so Elise asked, ¡°Any warnings?¡±

    After some thought, Bebe said, ¡°Ah! One person can¡¯t use multiple scrolls. A cooldown triggers after you use a scroll, so don¡¯t have one person hold them all. Try spreading them around.¡±

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t known about that, but after that, Elise asked Bebe about the Red Dragon Armor, ¡°If I can make a Red Dragon set, what¡¯s the first thing I should make?¡±

    Bebe shook his head and said, ¡°That depends on how many items your set will have. Even making a set doesn¡¯t automatically give your items set-item buffs. The cheapest set is a two-item set, but there¡¯s not much power to those.¡±

    Elise put on her goggles and asked, ¡°What about the best sets? How many items do those have?¡±

    ¡°Right now, the best set has eight items.¡±

    An eight-item set, a hero would be incredibly strong with that. Elise could use the entire dragon to make her set, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t know how many items the cadaver could yield.

    Looking at him, she said, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing more to talk about, I¡¯ll go research.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and turned to Bebe, saying, ¡°See you next time.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee anytime!¡±

    Junhyuk was selling a lot of items to Bebe, and they were all sold at half their store price. So, to Bebe, he was a valued customer. For that reason, Junhyuk thought that he could contact Bebe at any point if he had more questions. He thought he had the right to do it.

    Bebe disappeared, and Junhyuk watched Elise go further into herb. She was entirely focused on her research now and hadpletely forgotten about him. Her level of concentration astonished him, and Junhyuk teleported back to his room.

    He contact Sarang with the orb, and when her face appeared, he chuckled and said, ¡°I have the power scrolls with me, but we need to talk. We have to meet with Lucy, soe over as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

 Chapter 445 - Elises Activation 3

    <h4>Chapter 445: Elise¡¯s Activation 3</h4>

    Sarang went to see him, and Junhyuk called Lucy to join them.

    He told Lucy about the power scrolls, and she pulled out a tablet. They talked about everyone¡¯s powers, and he asked Sarang for two of her powers.

    He attached his own force field to a scroll that would be used by others, and Sarang attached her electric sts to one.

    Lucy shook her head and said, ¡°Right now, we don¡¯t have any other powers that might be useful for fighting dragons.¡±

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t disappointed. Dragons weren¡¯t easy. He attached Lucy¡¯s power to a scroll and taught her how to use them. Lucy was a great strategist, and even militarymanders apuded her skills.

    She would create strategies of her own while taking the scrolls into ount. Currently, there were no dragons around, so they should spend the time getting ready.

    ¡°Expect the worst and the unexpected whening up with strategies,¡± Junhyuk said, and Lucy nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Hypothetically speaking, what would be the worst situation?¡±

    ¡°The worst would be two or more dragons appearing at the same time. They may even spawn in different ces.¡±

    Lucy spent a long time thinking and said, ¡°We¡¯ve run that simtion and we don¡¯t have the strength to deal with two dragons together, so it¡¯s better to lure one away.¡±

    Junhyuk could do that, but even with the drone, he wouldn¡¯t get far.

    He sighed and said, ¡°We have to craft dragon-hunting weapons.¡±

    Regr monster waves could be contained and stopped, but dragons required the full force of all powered people avable. All heroes, champions, and experts would need to work together.

    Even then, they would have to craft the weapons. Otherwise, if more than one dragon showed, they wouldn¡¯t be able to kill the dragons, regardless of how many powered people they had.

    Junhyuk sighed and said, ¡°Well,e up with a strategy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing my best. You don¡¯t need to worry so much.¡±

    Junhyuk was relieved to hear that. Eunseo was dealing with the world leaders without trouble. Elise was crafting weapons and items that could be used in the Dimensional Battlefield. Lucy could build strategies against monster attacks. With them working, he could focus on his training.

    Sarang was on his team, and he felt safe having her with him.

    He realized that, all around him, the women helped him the most. They were impressive, and it was thanks to them that he could train without worry. Junhyuk wanted to focus on his training. He wanted to make his Spatial sh stronger.

    His force field had started as a high-tier power, but it had taken him a long time to evolve it.

    How long would it take for his Spatial sh to evolve into a Dimensional sh? Not much had changed since he had gained the power. Its cooldown had decreased, but the range had stayed the same.

    Lucy left, and Junhyuk trained by himself.

    On Friday, half of the champions, experts and novices went to the battlefield. There was nobody training there but him, so Junhyuk ran through the attacks he had used against the undead minions.

    He had been able to cut down many minions with a single sh. It wasn¡¯t a lot of damage, but he had cut through many minions at once. However, each strike of the de against a minion created a shockwave, so if the enemy heroes were caught in the middle, he would be able to kill them regardless.

    Heroes were powerful, so using the single sh to attack multiple heroes wouldn¡¯t be efficient. Still, he had to practice.

    Junhyuk would master Aksha¡¯s Swordsmanship and develop it into his own Dimensional Swordsmanship. That was the task he was giving himself.

    Once he had used up all his mana while training with the longsword, he sat downfortably and thought about what he had just done. In one hand, he held a core and was absorbing the energy from it.

    The refurbished core was a crystal of pure energy, and he could feel the energy flowing through it more clearly than ever.

    The core was replenishing his mana. Mana was one of the energies within the core, but he was also partially absorbing another.

    Junhyuk expected great developments from Elise¡¯s core research. She had just started on it, but she had figured out that her new weapon would have unlimited core energy. Even then, it would have its limits. Still, with unlimited energy, Elise could pull however much she needed from the core.

    While holding the core in his hand, Junhyuk realized something. Cores could affect dimensions. He thought hard about what that could mean.

    ¡ª

    The abnormal narcolepsy incidents happened on Friday. By the end of the day, at Guardians HQ, five experts hadn¡¯t woken up. Thirty-five novices also continued to sleep. Another novice had be an experts, and no new champions had appeared.

    After the weekend, Junhyuk was able to inspect the new dragon-hunting weaponry. They weren¡¯t entirely new weapons to be clear. Elise had adapted missiles with dragon scales and sharpness magitek.

    They had been designed to fight dragons, but there was no certainty that they would work. Dragons were purely magical existences, and technology might not work against them.

    Elise had also made a railgun, but the railgun shot dragon scales. It did not need energy to function, so even if dragons had some type of EMP field, the railgun would still work.

    Those were the two weapons made of dragon scales.

    ¡°Will they work on dragons?¡± Junhyuk asked Eunseo.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know yet. The practice target is a one-meter thick titanium alloy coated in dragon scales. People are afraid, but I think we¡¯ll be able to calm them down with these.¡±

    The appearance of a dragon had scared the world. Dragons exuded superiority, and the powered people had had a terrible time killing one.

    Junhyuk and Sarang were heroes. Without them, the dragon would still be running rampant. On top of that, many people had died in the fight, and the coteral damage was astronomical.

    The dragon could have caused even more damage.

    The new weapons would serve to ease people¡¯s fears, and Junhyuk was there to see them in action.

    Junhyuk and Sarang, who would fight the dragons, Elise, who had developed the weapons, and Eunseo, who was Guardians¡¯ CEO, with her research team were all there.

    There was a crew filming the tests as well.

    Junhyuk walked up to Elise and asked, ¡°How are you doing?¡±

    She had even darker circles under her eyes, but she smiled and said, ¡°The schematics stage is over. I¡¯ve started the manufacturing stage. You¡¯ll see it soon!¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Elise had learned both science and magic, so Junhyuk had great expectations of the weapon she would craft for herself.

    After that, he remained silent. The weapons¡¯ tests were starting. They used the railgun first. The gun itself made enough noise to make people go deaf for a while, but Junhyuk was interested in the titanium alloy target.

    It was full of holes. The weapon was working fine.

    Now, it was time to check out the missiles. There were more targets this time, and they moved around the weapon erratically. The missiles fired, and five of them hit their targets. They pierced through the scales and prated the titanium alloy.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    The dragon scales turned into shrapnel. The railgun had been designed to deal with unexpected situations, and the missiles had been designed to pierce a dragon¡¯s coat.

    Both weapons had been effective. The truth was that even if they had only broken a part of the scales off, Junhyuk and Sarang would¡¯ve been able to exploit that weakness on a dragon.

    Junhyuk turned to Elise and asked, ¡°Are you going to add greater sharpness magic?¡±

    Elise, who was looking at the results, said, ¡°Maybe. It seems effective already.¡±

    Weapons made from dragon scales were effective. Dragons had great defense, but now that Elise had made those, they had ways to pierce their scales. If the managers sent more dragons, he would be ready.

    By killing one dragon, they had gained a lot from its body. Elise was crafting a set, and he was earning a lot of gold from selling items.

    Dragons were big bounties. The testing had served to appease those afraid, but Junhyuk had also gained a lot of information from it.

    He turned to Eunseo and said, ¡°Dragons are dangerous, but with some preparation, we¡¯ll be ready.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    With the new weapons¡¯ tests, Eunseo would receive help from many countries in her task to gather support from the world. After they were done, Junhyuk wanted to go train with Sarang, but she told him she had work to do with Elise, and both left. Shaking his head, Junhyuk left the testing site.

    ¡ª

    No dragons appeared for a while, which made Junhyuk more nervous. If Eltor was taking that much time to prepare, there was no telling what the manager would do. Junhyuk suspected that Eltor was preparing something even bigger.

    He kept training diligently, thinking that he might be faced with more danger than ever before from the manager.

    On Wednesday, he went to the training grounds and got a call from Elise. She was smiling brightly as she shouted at him, ¡°I¡¯ve made my weapon!¡±

    He teleported back and went to meet her.

 Chapter 446 - Weapon Crafting 1

    <h4>Chapter 446: Weapon Crafting 1</h4>

    Junhyuk teleported to where Elise was. An orb was floating next to her head. There was a blue light shining from the center of the orb, and runes had been written across it.

    When Elise saw him, she smiled.

    ¡°It¡¯s a sess!¡±

    ¡°What does it do?¡±

    Elise made a motion with her hand on him and walked around. The orb followed her, which surprised him.

    ¡°Does the orb recognize you as its owner?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and because it has unlimited energy, it won¡¯t drop to the ground.¡±

    Elise walked to a part of theb where things had already been prepared by her, and she said, ¡°I¡¯m running power tests and others tests I haven¡¯t done yet.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the things she had prepared and asked, ¡°Is the orb made with dragon scales?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Elise extended her hand toward the floating orb, and the orb moved to hover above her hand. Then, she tapped her index finger against it, and the orb turned red.

    ¡°This orb is covered in dragon scales. I had to use heavy crafting techniques on it. I worked hard, but it brought out the best results.¡±

    ¡°It looked like it was silver.¡±

    ¡°One of the magiteks crafted into it increases durability, but it also turned it silver.¡±

    Elise tapped the orb with her index finger again, and it went back to being silver.

    ¡°It has a name: Moon Core.¡±

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t interested in its name. He was interested in how much core energy Elise would be able to use with it. Elise stood next to Moon Core and looked to the side. She was looking at a two-meter thick titanium-gold alloy wall.

    A blue beam shot out of Moon Core, piercing the wall. The orb had made a perfect circle through the titanium-gold alloy. The attack seemed like aser, and Junhyuk knew he would have to trigger his eleration to be able to respond to the beam¡¯s trajectory.

    Elise had the power to nullify his powers, and now, she had a weapon of her own, a weapon with an extremely fast attack. If Elise had been his enemy, she would¡¯ve been a difficult one.

    Elise turned to something else, a ck Turtle¡¯s shell. Another blue beam shot out of the orb and mmed against the shell, digging it into the ground. However, the beam didn¡¯t pierce the shell.

    Elise smacked her lips and walked to it, inspecting the shell.

    ¡°Hm... I can¡¯t pierce this with just one attack.¡±

    Junhyuk had never damaged a ck Turtle¡¯s shell himself. He could pierce it now because of Aksha¡¯s Longsword, but that would¡¯ve been impossible for him before.

    Elise¡¯s Moon Core was highly destructive. Moon Core was a bit less powerful than his upgraded Blood Rune Sword, and Elise might even be able to upgrade it.

    Moon Core only used part of the core¡¯s energy when shooting itsser. If more energy was used, it would be able to pierce anything.

    ¡°That¡¯s stronger than I had expected, but it¡¯s not using all of the core¡¯s energy, right?¡±

    Elsie nodded and replied, ¡°The Core Bomb could release all of the core¡¯s energy at once, but the Moon Core can¡¯t do that. If that were to happen, anybody wielding the Moon Core would be in danger. The Moon Core only uses 5 percent of the core¡¯s energy.¡±

    ¡°What about the other 95 percent?¡±

    Elise smiled and said, ¡°I can release more of the core¡¯s energy with it. There are three stages of release, and each higher stage decreases the Moon Core¡¯s durability. The optimum level is at 5 percent. I can push it all the way to 25 percent, but at that point, the shooting speed also decreases.¡±

    Elise tapped the Moon Core again and said, ¡°Let¡¯s use the maximum possible output.¡±

    What would happen at 25 percent?

    A singleser beam shot out at the titanium alloy. It pierced through the alloy and further through theb¡¯s wall. Junhyuk walked up to the wall, and saw that even more walls had been pierced through. He couldn¡¯t see the end of the destruction.

    Junhyuk turned to her, and Elise smiled.

    ¡°It¡¯s on a five-minute cooldown.¡±

    He was curious about something. ¡°Does Moon Core have its own AI?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± Smiling, she exined more about the weapon, ¡°By setting the energy at 15-percent output, the cooldown drops to three minutes. At 5 percent, there is no cooldown.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded. Moon Core would go with her to the Dimensional Battlefield. He just didn¡¯t know how effective it would be there. At maximum output, very few enemies would be able to block it, but the cooldown was too long for battle.

    Elise would have to use it at 5-percent there.

    She folded her arms and said, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I haven¡¯t been to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield yet.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already met a manager. They told me I have to wait for a vacancy or for a new team.¡±

    The managers had had just the right number of champions to make teams for the battlefield. Eventually, Elise would go to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, and once that happened, Junhyuk would bet a significant amount on her. She had enough power for two champions.

    ¡°Too bad. You¡¯ll have a superb track record there.¡±

    She smiled and said, ¡°I have a favor to ask of you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Fight me.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    Junhyuk simply stared at her, and she answered, ¡°You should used the Wolf Warlord¡¯s w against me ande at me with intent to kill.¡±

    Junhyuk understood what she was doing then.

    ¡°OK.¡±

    He grabbed one of the w swords from around theb, and Elise stretched both of her arms and stepped back. Junhyuk walked toward her and swung the w down. He had been training, so his swordsmanship seemed almost masterful.

    Sssss-clink!

    The w was blocked by Moon Core.

    Junhyuk could see that Moon Core really was covered in dragon scales. He hadn¡¯t used his mana de, and the w wasn¡¯t that sharp, but Moon Core had also deflected the attack. Even though Moon Core was round, it had managed to thwart his attack.

    Junhyuk increased his attack speed. He wasn¡¯t using his eleration, but his swings were much faster now.

    nk, clink, clink, nk, clink!

    His attacks were all blocked. The spherical body of the Moon Core moved fast, parrying his attacks left and right. He could not reach Elise.

    Junhyuk smacked his lips then and said, ¡°I¡¯m attacking for real this time.¡±

    Junhyuk elerated and attacked. Moon Core couldn¡¯t respond to his attacks, so it started shooting at him.

    Junhyuk had expected that counterattack, so he blocked the beams with the w sword.

    The output was set at 5 percent, but Junhyuk did not want to get hit. He sped up, and at the same time, Moon Core responded much quicker.

    At that point, a cold smiled appeared on Junhyuk¡¯s face, and the w sword was encased in mana.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Elise shouted.

    Junhyuk stopped, and so did Moon Core. When he looked at her, Elise shook her head.

    ¡°Are you trying to destroy my weapon?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s covered in scales! It¡¯ll be fine!¡±

    Elise pointed to the titanium alloy and said, ¡°sh that first.¡±

    Junhyuk swung the w sword. He had only meant to cut the b in half, but it shattered to the ground.

    Boom!

    The sound of the alloy reverberated through theb. Junhyuk turned to her and Elise said, ¡°Dragon scales are really strong, but dragons are powerful because of the muscles and the mana inside them. Our weapons right now would only be able to scratch dragons. However, without a living dragon, the scales are not as invulnerable.¡±

    Junhyuk had just used his mana de to cut the b, meaning that the scales could be damaged if a mana de w sword had manage to destroy the alloy.

    Junhyuk stared at the w sword in his hand. He hadn¡¯t thought about anything except shing the alloy. He hadn¡¯t even felt resistance from the sh just now. He had attacked with a clear mind, but his sh had caused significant destruction.

    Elise smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I stopped you.¡±

    Thinking that he could have destroyed Moon Core, Junhyuk smiled bitterly. Looking at it, however, Junhyuk felt like he wouldn¡¯t have destroyed it because durability magitek had been weaved into Moon Core.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be destroyed,¡± he replied.

    Junhyuk knew how difficult destroying weapons was. In the Dimensional Battlefield, Moon Core would be just fine.

    ¡°If Bebe judges it as a weapon, sure, we don¡¯t have to worry, but things might be different on Earth,¡± she said.

    Junhyuk nodded in agreement. The w sword was a weapon in the battlefield, but Junhyuk could destroy it on Earth.

    Elise smiled again and said, ¡°I¡¯m hopeful.¡±

    ¡°As a champion, you have five lives, so you should attack more.¡±

    Keeping Elise safe was his job, but he would use her at the right moments to repel his enemies. Her new power would help them in handling their new tier.

    Smiling, Junhyuk asked, ¡°What are you going to do now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll work on the dragon set and upgrade Moon Core.¡±

    While Junhyuk nodded, he thought of something and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Sarang?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s probably asleep at her parents¡¯ house. She¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t told her?¡±

    Elise smiled and said, ¡°I wanted to tell you first.¡±

 Chapter 447 - Weapon Crafting 2

    <h4>Chapter 447: Weapon Crafting 2</h4>

    Junhyukughed at what Elise said. She was a foreigner, so unlike Koreans, she always spoke her mind. He asked Elise more about Sarang, then, ¡°What about Sarang¡¯s work? How¡¯s it turning out?¡±

    ¡°Hm... She¡¯s working on it with Vera, but I don¡¯t know much about it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? I should ask her myself.¡±

    Elise smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m satisfied with Moon Core, so I¡¯ll start on my next project.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk was satisfied too. Walking out, he pulled out a core and cocked his head looking at it. An energy shot at 25-percent output could be fatal to a dragon, but dragons also had magic and mana of their own. Still, overall, Junhyuk felt that the core might be stronger.

    Elise had told him that she could only release 25 percent of the energy for now. Maybe once Moon Core was upgraded, she might be able to release more.

    After Junhyuk thought about the core, he connected to Sarang.

    ¡°Where are you?¡±

    Sarang adjusted her messy hair and said, ¡°I¡¯m using one of Guardians¡¯bs to work on something.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?! I¡¯ll be there soon.¡±

    Junhyuk teleported and walked the rest of the way to where she was. Sarang had taken over one of Elise¡¯sbs. It was filled to the brim withb equipment, and Junhyuk whistled when he saw the mess.

    ¡°What are you trying to make exactly?¡±

    There were chemicals and gems all over theb, including mana and bloodstones.

    Junhyuk grabbed one of the gem and saw that there were runes written across it. Sarang walked up to him, smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m learning about magitek and using gems as ingredients.¡±

    ¡°Is Vera teaching you?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Junhyuk picked up a bloodstone and said, ¡°Bebe is the best one at magitek.¡±

    ¡°But Bebe doesn¡¯t use crafting recipes. Vera has created a lot of recipes with her own magitek.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Bebe had told him his magitek was the best in all dimensions, but Vera had also crafted things that couldn¡¯t be overlooked. She had created the teleportation devices that they were using to save the world.

    Vera could craft stuff that crossed dimensions, and she had already fought against legends. Her level of magitek wasn¡¯t at all beneath Bebe¡¯s.

    By learning from Vera, Sarang would be able to craft useful items. Elise was developing new recipes to craft items, but if Vera already had advanced recipes of her own, Sarang could craft a new weapon with Vera¡¯s help.

    ¡°Are you practicing?¡±

    ¡°Magitek isn¡¯t easy, but I¡¯ve increased my sess rate.¡±

    Sarang had the best intelligence runestones. If she got more of them, her sess rate would rise even higher.

    ¡°What can you make with the dragon¡¯s heart?¡±

    ¡°I can make the orb I¡¯m holding. After finishing it, my attack stat will definitely increase.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Junhyuk gave her a nod of encouragement. She could increase her attack by crafting a weapon with the dragon¡¯s heart. Because Elise was developing new recipes, Junhyuk thought that it would be dangerous if she were to try to use the dragon¡¯s heart. Sarang, on the other hand, was crafting with advanced recipes developed by Vera. Her sess rate should be much higher. Besides, as a hero, an increase in Sarang¡¯s powers meant that the team would get stronger.

    Junhyuk patted her shoulder and said, ¡°I won¡¯t have you train the champions and experts. Just focus on your work for now.¡±

    Sarang could only cast heal on the powered people¡ªher other powers were too dangerous for them¡ªso, he didn¡¯t really need her to help them train. There were many novices with healing powers now, though none so powerful as hers.

    With those novices there, training wouldn¡¯t be affected.

    ¡°Yeah? If I¡¯m lucky, I¡¯ll be able to use the new weapon in the next round.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled at her and said, ¡°Sure! Do your best!¡±

    Then, he left her so that she could work on her project. Elise had made her weapon, so she would be able to contribute more on the battlefield. If Sarang finished her project, their team would be much stronger than before. The next battle would be fun.

    Junhyuk liked the fact that the women were working hard, but he wanted to increase his own power. At least on Earth, he wanted to get everything he could out of Aksha¡¯s Longsword. He hadn¡¯t really mastered Aksha¡¯s Longsword, and Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship hadn¡¯t been judged as a power in the Dimensional Battlefield yet, but even at the level he was now, he could use it to deal with minions and heroes.

    ¡°I can¡¯tg behind.¡±

    ¡ª

    One can never predict an enemy¡¯s attack. There was a sudden attack, but dragons weren¡¯t involved.

    Thirty-two dimensional tears appeared around the world and flocks of wyverns rushed out of each tear.

    Tobat the flocks, the countries had deployed fighter jets. They had thought that using missiles covered in dposition liquid would do the job, but they had been wrong. The dposition liquid didn¡¯t work against the wyverns, so many jets crashed, destroyed.

    First, Junhyuk went to Sydney, Australia. There were five times as many wyverns there than anywhere else.

    He looked at the massive flock far away. The Sydney Opera House had already been destroy, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge was also gone.

    People were in a frenzy while being evacuated. Junhyuk was on a drone, an improved version of the old one. It was much faster now. He stared at the wyverns while he flew.

    A single champion would have a hard time killing wyverns by themselves, so he had the champions team up and move together. Junhyuk had only Sarang next to him, but the two of them would take the bulk of the work against the wyverns.

    Initially, Junhyuk wanted to leave Sarang back, but the situation was too awful for that.

    When he attacked, he realized that the wyverns¡¯ hide was much stronger than before. Previously, their hide had been soft, but now, not everything was cutting through it. It made no different to Aksha¡¯s Longsword, but it mean that the dposition liquid wouldn¡¯t get through it.

    ¡°You monsters weren¡¯t wasting time.¡±

    He looked at Sarang. Her spells were more involved than shooting electric arrows now. On Earth, she used chain lightning as her main attack, and the web of electricity roasted the wyverns much faster than he could.

    Chain lightning was pure magic, and the wyverns had no defense against it. Sarang was using mana stones to cast the spell, but now wasn¡¯t the time to save them. The spells she used with mana stones were extremely effective in killing wyverns.

    Once all the wyverns in Sydney had died, Junhyuk joined the other group and moved out with only the champions. Taking novices and experts with him was still dangerous.

    Junhyuk moved with his group again, and they all teleported to Austin, Texas. Getting there, he bit his lips. The wyverns had been deployed inrge scale, and many people around the world were dying.

    Some people had activated powers, sure, but many more were dying. There was no abnormal narcolepsy. They were simply getting massacred.

    The managers were killing people by the bushel, and nobody held them ountable. Right now, he could only do his best in killing the wyverns as fast as possible.

    Flying over Austin, he sighed at the sight of the countless wyverns. That was all he could do in reaction to it.

    ¡°These aren¡¯t dragons, so I can block their attacks.¡±

    ¡°Group them up.¡±

    To kill them effectively, it was important to bunch them up. That way, the heroes could deal with all of them quickly. The champions helped get the wyverns grouped up, and a spell zoomed by him toward the monsters. It was a wide-range lightning trap that kept the wyverns enclosed in one ce. Then, chain lightning shocked through them.

    Craaack, craack!

    Regardless of the number of wyverns, once they were trapped in the lightning enclosure and Sarang cast chain lightning, the wyverns dropped to the ground, charred.

    Junhyuk used his Spatial sh and shockwaves on the wyverns that had escaped the trap, and that way, they all died.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move out!¡± he shouted.

    There were thirty-two tears around the world, so Junhyuk had to manage their time well. There were nine ces he had to clear out first.

    He moved ording to n, massacring the wyverns as he went. Once they were grouped up, they were easier to kill.

    While luring the wyverns to one spot, Junhyuk faced many dangers, but he and the other powered people were fine in the end. Nobody died hunting wyverns.

    Using the teleportation devices, he had been able to move quickly through ces, but there had been some that hadn¡¯t had a device nearby, which had slowed him down. Once he cleared a ce with a teleportation device, the people in charge moved that device to another location. In the end, the powered people took two days to kill all of the wyverns that had appeared on Earth.

    It was dawn on Friday. The Sun was just about to rise, and the powered people had just killed thest group of wyverns.

    Junhyuk exhaled deeply and said, ¡°You¡¯ve all worked hard.¡±

    Things hadn¡¯t been easy, but in the end, they had stopped the attack. However, the number of casualties was high. They hadn¡¯t been able to keep the wyverns from destroying many major cities.

    Standing in Guangzhou, on the Chinese coast, he said, ¡°Gather up. Let¡¯s go back to South Korea.¡±

    The powered people followed his orders, and Junhyuk activated the teleportation device, teleporting everyone to where Elise was. Things had been dire, but Junhyuk had not taken Elise with him. He had to keep her safe at all cost for the sake of all of humanity.

    Elise was in the middle of researching the wyverns. The new wyverns had thicker hides, which had disabled the monster dposition liquid. She had toe up with a new way to kill monsters.

    Elise, who was covered in wyvern fluid, said, ¡°Wee!¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head and said, ¡°You don¡¯t rest.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the time to.¡±

    Unless Junhyuk was on a ne, he also didn¡¯t rest. Putting on a useless smile, since he was wearing a helmet, he waved at her and said, ¡°You do your thing. I¡¯m going to discuss the events with the others.¡±

    Elise put her goggles back on and continued her dissection of the wyvern.

 Chapter 448 - Weapon Crafting 3

    <h4>Chapter 448: Weapon Crafting 3</h4>

    Junhyuk listened to the wyvern debrief with his eyes closed. If the managers had sent dragons, they would¡¯ve sent them to South Korea to activate more people.

    However, the dragons hadn¡¯te. Instead, the managers had put waves of another monster together, and those waves had killed numerous people.

    The estimated death toll was of over a hundred thousand people. Of the thirty-two cities, some had beente in receiving help, and those cities had practically vanished. Even when people were evacuated to shelters, they were killed.

    There were countless dead.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for newly-powered people. More of them are showing up, and Guardians is getting more powered volunteers than ever,¡± Eunseo said.

    ¡°How many?¡±

    ¡°Right now, 122 novices and 12 experts have stepped forward.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve only contacted eight cities so far. Once I get through more of them, we¡¯ll get many more people.¡±

    More than 100,000 people had died, but the number of people who had activated powers had also increased. More of them had appeared than expected.

    Junhyuk thought he had thrown a wrench in Eltor¡¯s ns, but things had happened just like the manager had wanted. To stop Eltor, he needed a change.

    ¡°We¡¯ll train these new recruits. They are fresh, so they¡¯ll need the training.¡±

    Powered people could cause problems, and the consequences of that would be dire. He had to gather them all in South Korea to train them himself.

    Aside from training them, Junhyuk also had toe up with ways to fight the monsters.

    Shaking his head, he got up. Soon, the Champions¡¯ Battlefield match would take ce, and Junhyuk wanted to watch it.

    ¡°Today is Friday. A lot of our forces will be summoned. Let¡¯s rest for the day.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Novices and experts were summoned every two weeks, and champions were summoned every week. For that reason, Junhyuk had divided them into active and inactive teams depending on the weeks they were summoned.

    Junhyuk left, and Sarang followed him.

    ¡°Did you bet on Ling Ling again?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I listened to you and bet less thanst time: 100,000G.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    Junhyuk had ced arger bet than her, but everybody had to know their own budget and bet ordingly.

    He waved goodbye at Sarang, and she said, ¡°If you are going to watch the battle, I should go with you.¡±

    ¡°Where to?¡±

    ¡°Your room.¡±

    ¡°I have to shower first.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do that as well.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed and said, ¡°You can¡¯t use my bathroom.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.. Can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll use Elise¡¯s bathroom, but we should watch the match together.¡±

    Junhyuk could do nothing butugh. The viewing rooms were separate, so he didn¡¯t have to apany her. On top of that, time on Earth would stop. All he had to do was close his eyes and open them, and everything would be over by then.

    He couldn¡¯t understand her, but Sarang insisted.

    ¡°Do as you please.¡±

    Sighing, he went into his room. Sarang contacted Elise through her orb and got permission to use her bathroom.

    He took a quick shower and walked out. When he left the bathroom, he saw Sarang with her hair wet lying on his bed. Junhyuk simplyughed.

    Sarang hadn¡¯t slept in two days, and now, she was doing it soundly. Junhyuk sighed, covered her with a nket and sat on a chair.

    Elise hadin in his bed, and now, Sarang was lying on it.

    While he chuckled, a bright light blinded him, and he arrived at the viewing room. Ariel was waiting for him there.

    [Wee! Shall I start?]

    Junhyuk nodded and sat down. The Champions¡¯ Battlefield appeared. The humans had won their first round, and he was sure they wouldn¡¯t lose this one.

    Jeffrey¡¯s powers were superior to the others¡¯. On the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, items were incredibly important, but when both sides were even on items, individual powers tipped the scale.

    The human champions were stronger than ever. Their items were much better now. They had survived through different battles, enabling them to earn gold and get new items.

    They won easily. Aleksei died multiple times, but Ling Ling and Jeffrey were overpowering. Because Jeffrey could pull enemies during team battles, he became deadly. He was almost invincible in singlebat. Junhyuk was sure that Jeffrey could kill heroes now.

    Nevertheless, he couldn¡¯t call Jeffrey to his team. Because Elise was a champion now, he could only add an expert to fight with him.

    The humans won their battle, and Junhyuk smiled. He had won gold, which was a good thing.

    He turned to Ariel, and she calcted his earnings, [You had ced a 150,000G bet. Minusmission, the bet was for 142,500G. With returns at 1.5, minus the winningsmission, you earned 203,063G.]

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t done anything but ce a bet, and he had gained all that. Normally, he would have to sell items to earn that kind of gold. This time, however, he didn¡¯t have to kill any heroes for it.

    Looking at Ariel, he said, ¡°I want to return now.¡±

    [Sure! See you next week!¡±]

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Suddenly, the blinding light pounded against his eyes. When he opened them slowly, he saw that Sarang was still sleeping.

    He looked at her calmly and noticed that she was snoring, but he didn¡¯t believe it. He had just finished viewing the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, and she had slept through it?

    Junhyuk flicked her forehead.

    ¡°Crap!¡±

    Sarang got up suddenly, and he told her, ¡°Stop ying.¡±

    ¡°Mmm... I want to sleep in your bed.¡±

    Junhyuk grabbed her by the ear and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have time for jokes. Go work on your project.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too much!¡± sheined, but she got up from the bed. By finishing her project, Sarang would give them an even bigger chance.

    ¡°You know how important your project is.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± She had given up on it, but herints continued, ¡°We aren¡¯t enjoying our lives.¡±

    ¡°You need to graduate from high school before you can talk like that.¡±

    Sarang was known as a hero to the world, but she was still a minor, and Junhyuk pointed that out.

    She left,ining all the way out, and Junhyuk yawned. The champions¡¯ match was over, so it was time for him to work.

    He would keep training all through Saturday and meet the newly powered on Sunday morning. They woulde from all over the world: 212 novices and 32 experts.

    While those people had activated powers, 132,000 people had died, and Junhyuk could sense the rage within their eyes, the rage toward the monsters.

    They had lost family and friends, and many of them had volunteered to join Guardians. Looking at them, he said, ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m the Dark Knight.¡±

    Everyone stared at him.

    ¡°The most recent waves killed a lot of people, but also resulted in many people activating powers.¡±

    Junhyuk felt their bloodlust. It wafted from the group as a whole.

    ¡°Guardians will take the lead in the fight against monsters, but you will need training. Are you ready?¡± he asked, feeling the surge in their bloodlust. To that feeling, he nodded slowly.

    ¡°I understand what you¡¯re thinking. Today, you¡¯ll begin training. Follow your instructors.¡±

    They weren¡¯t an army, but for training purposes, Junhyuk required instructors. They were all people Junhyuk had selected from the veteran powered.

    As they left for their training rooms, Junhyuk turned to Lucy and asked, ¡°Do you know about their powers?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Can any of them stand up to a dragon with their powers?¡±

    ¡°None of them are capable of that yet.¡±

    ¡°Give me the report on their powers, and I¡¯ll see if any are useful.¡±

    Junhyuk took the report from Lucy and went to watch them train. He looked over the report on his tablet. A few powers had made him curious, but he knew none of them could stand up to dragons.

    ¡°We need teams to support attack teams.¡±

    Travelling to thirty-two ces with a single team had taken too long. He had hurried, but the team had still taken two days clearing everything. So, Junhyuk would divide them into more teams.

    In the worst case scenario, he and Sarang could split. Thanks to her ultimate, Sarang wouldn¡¯t die on Earth, and with two teams, they could respond to things much quicker.

    The champions should also help out more. With enough time, Junhyuk would be able to kill any and all monsters, but he could be more efficient with the champions.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get those ready. How many people shouldprise each expert team?¡±

    ¡°At least four people, and give them all the equipment they need.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    ¡°Take care of them.¡±

    Lucy would handle it, which meant that Junhyuk would have free time for himself. He wouldn¡¯t spend it enjoying life. Instead, he would work harder.

    When he turned around to leave, he saw Sarang¡¯s projection.

    ¡°Big Brother! I¡¯ve finished it!¡±

    She was holding a red orb with a dragon¡¯s heart encased within it

 Chapter 449 - New Opponents 1

    <h4>Chapter 449: New Opponents 1</h4>

    Junhyuk teleported to Sarang¡¯sb. She was smiling gleefully, and as soon as he appeared, she showed him the item. The orb had a dragon¡¯s heart inside of it, and there were runes written all around it.

    ¡°Have you checked the damage?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m about to be summoned, so I didn¡¯t have time to set up an experiment. Can you check it for me?¡±

    Junhyuk smacked his lips. He didn¡¯t have time for it either. To check on the damage, he would have to take a hit from it. It would not be a fun experience.

    Junhyuk pondered the idea, and Sarang pulled out the orb she had been using and asked him, ¡°Shall we?¡±

    He sighed, summoning all of his items to protect himself. Considering his magic defense, her regr attack wouldn¡¯t damage him that much. Puffing out his chest, he said, ¡°Begin.¡±

    Sarang shot an electric arrow at his chest, and Junhyuk let it hit him. He felt a sharp pain on the spot and checked on the amount of health he had lost.

    Sarang¡¯s attack had dealt 3 percent of damage to him. He rubbed his chest and said, ¡°OK. That¡¯s 3 percent damage.¡±

    ¡°This time, I¡¯ll use the new orb to attack.¡±

    She had crafted the new orb with magitek she had learned from Vera. Because a dragon¡¯s heart had been used for it, Junhyuk was expecting good results.

    If she could increase her damage, Sarang would be the main damager in the team. She already had an ultimate that made her invulnerable to all attacks, so she couldn¡¯t be killed easily. If her damage shot up, the team would be much stronger.

    Sarang extended the dragon¡¯s heart orb and release an electric arrow. The arrow was much bigger than any other she had ever shot. It zoomed through the air and mmed against his chest.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Junhyuk felt an ever sharper pain on his chest. It wasn¡¯t a critical hit, but the damage was still significant.

    ¡°That¡¯s 5 percent of damage.¡±

    Five percent. Considering his defense, the damage was very high, and it wasn¡¯t even a critical. Her damage had definitely increase.

    ¡°Is it because you made it from a dragon¡¯s heart?¡±

    Sarang smacked her lips and said, ¡°Wait! I want to cast another spell.¡±

    ¡°What spell?¡±

    Sarang cast a spell using mana stones. This time, what appeared was a huge, spinning fire spear. It corkscrewed through the air toward his chest, mming against him.

    Junhyuk took a few steps back while rubbing his chest from the impact.

    ¡°Whoa! That¡¯s 8 percent damage!¡±

    She had just used one of her Earthly spells. The damage was greater and real. She might not be able to use all of her spells in the Dimensional Battlefield, but that just showed how powerful she was on Earth.

    Junhyuk clutched his chest, and Sarang healed him.

    ¡°I learned how to cast a firence just in case. Maybe because the orb was made from a dragon¡¯s heart, it has very high firepatibility, but all other attributes receive a penalty to damage and power.¡±

    Learning that the damage of fire magic increased, Junhyuk smiled bitterly and said, ¡°It¡¯s a better fit for Vera.¡±

    Vera was a fire mage, which meant her damage would increase significantly with Sarang¡¯s new orb. He thought deeply about that. Perhaps, Vera had wanted Sarang to craft the dragon¡¯s heart orb and for her use a different weaponter?

    She had used a lot of mana stones to make that new orb. It was of excellent quality. It could deal about twice as much damage as her previous one when used by her, which meant that it was far superior to her previous orb.

    However, the new orb benefited fire attribute attacks more. It might even be near legendary tier, so maybe she could sell it for the gold. Vera might even want to buy it.

    ¡°Wait,¡± he said and contacted Vera.

    Vera¡¯s projection appeared, and she waved at him.

    ¡°Long time, no see!¡±

    ¡°Sarang has finished crafting her new orb. Did you know it buffed fire attacks?¡±

    ¡°It was made out of a red dragon¡¯s heart, so inevitably, it would be a fire weapon.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be useless for her?¡±

    ¡°No. It was crafted from a red dragon¡¯s heart. It¡¯ll definitely help her.¡±

    ¡°Right...¡±

    ¡°If Sarang won¡¯t use it, I¡¯ll buy it at Bebe¡¯s price. Between us, Sarang wouldn¡¯t charge me more for it anyway.¡±

    ¡°Can she make a weapon more suited to her affinity?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll need a blue dragon¡¯s heart for that.¡±

    Where would he get that?! Junhyuk smiled bitterly. He thought about trying to get Eltor to send a blue dragon to Earth. Even though he thought he could deal with it, a blue dragon would be disastrous to the rest of humanity, so he let that idea go.

    Junhyuk sighed.

    ¡°Thanks for teaching her your expert magitek.¡±

    Sarang had learned how to craft a magic orb, and she could pass that information on to Elise.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I can buy it, but make good use of it. If she upgrades it, I¡¯ll pay the cost of the upgrades as well.¡±

    ¡°Does she have to do the basic upgrades?¡±

    Basic upgrades were a certainty. Those upgrades that came after had diminishing sess rates.

    Vera smiled and said, ¡°Probably. Anything after the fifth upgrade has an unpredictable sess rate.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded. The new orb didn¡¯t suit Sarang, but she could use it to kill a blue dragon and craft a new orb.

    Then, Junhyuk looked at Vera and asked, ¡°Do you know how to craft an orb from a blue dragon¡¯s heart?¡±

    Vera grabbed her chin and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have the ingredients nor the recipe, but others may. I¡¯ll get her one.¡±

    ¡°Please do.¡±

    Vera would pass him a new recipe to craft a new orb.

    After that, he ended the connection and turned to Sarang.

    ¡°It¡¯ll help you cast fire spells. How about practicing them?¡±

    ¡°Fine, but I need to check the range of the orb first.¡±

    ¡°The orb deals more damage, so use other items to increase your magic piercing stat.¡±

    Once she got new items that boosted her piercing, Sarang would be the main attacker among the allies. At the moment, Junhyuk was still the one to hold that title, but he thought Sarang should upy that position.

    Smiling, she replied, ¡°Sure!¡±

    She yawned heavily and said, ¡°Ah... I haven¡¯t rested, so I¡¯m dead tired.¡±

    ¡°Go home and rest. You can train tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Is that OK?¡±

    ¡°Sure! Your parents must be worried.¡±

    The wyvern attack had been a global event, and Sarang¡¯s parents were very worried about her.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go.¡±

    Without saying anything else, she walked outside, hopped on her drone and left. That way, she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about traffic.

    Junhyuk sighed, but he allowed her to take the drone because people liked to see her flying. She was South Korean and a hero. She was very popr, and people cheered when they saw her fly by. Watching her fly gave them renew hope.

    Junhyuk watched as Sarang disappeared in the horizon. After shaking his head, he went back to his training grounds.

    After assigning teams, he trained even harder. He pushed himself more than anyone.

    Some powered people went through abnormal narcolepsy that Friday, and some of them activated new powers. Some experts even became champions.

    More champions meant a greater possibility for heroes. With more heroes, they would be able to fight the monster waves more efficiently.

    Junhyuk gathered the new champions. Previously, he had thought that he would always be the one to go from expert to champion the fastest, but some of the new champions had progressed faster than him.

    A Indian man by the name of Aditya was a new champion he had never met before as an expert. He had animal tattoos across his body and he did not seem to fear Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk stared at the new champion and said, ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m the Dark Knight.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Aditya.¡±

    ¡°I heard you are a champion now. I don¡¯t know anything about your powers. Can you tell me what they are?¡±

    Aditya closed his eyes and said, ¡°I use a sort of animalistic power. By triggering my powers, I can channel either a jaguar, a falcon or a bear.¡±

    Junhyuk had never heard of animalistic powers, so he simply stared at the champion, and Aditya said, ¡°When channeling the jaguar, I gain increased speed. As a falcon, I gain superior vision. The bear gives me a significant increase in attack.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t really get all of Aditya¡¯s powers, but by using his superior vision, he would be able to spot enemies easier. The increased speed and attack, he could understand.

    ¡°You weren¡¯t an expert for that long before you became a champion.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I spent a long time as an expert, but I had just remained by my family, protecting them until now. However, after thatst attack, I see the world is in danger. I stepped forward, and not too long after, I got a new power and became a champion.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for stepping forward for the people.¡±

    ¡°There is another expert in my family now, so I¡¯m free toe here. All the same, you are paying me unnecessarypliments.¡± Aditya stared Junhyuk down and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been saving the world since the beginning.¡±

    Junhyuk scratched his cheek and replied, ¡°I got pushed into it.¡± After that, he got up and said, ¡°I want to check out your powers.¡±

    Aditya got up as well.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show them to you.¡±

 Chapter 450 - New Opponents 2

    <h4>Chapter 450: New Opponents 2</h4>

    Junhyuk went to the training grounds apanied by Aditya. He checked out the items they had assigned to the champion. Because Aditya had initially registered as an expert, his armor was weaker than Bebe¡¯s basic ones. It was a simple leather armor that increased his defense by a little bit.

    Since Aditya was a champion now, they had to assign him better items.

    Suddenly, Aditya pped his hands together, and his eyes beamed. Looking at his eyes, Junhyuk wasn¡¯t very impressed. His eyes had not changed much aside from having erged pupils.

    ¡°These are falcon eyes. I can see anything within a twenty-kilometer radius with them. Theyst for ten seconds,¡± Aditya said.

    After some thought, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Is this your new power?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°When you use it in the Dimensional Battlefield, can you see into the reed fields?¡±

    Aditya smiled and answered, ¡°Yes, and I can share the power with my allies.¡±

    His allies would wee his power of sight. They would be able to inspect the reed fields without going into it.

    The battlefield had changed since the Valley of Death, and his power suited those changes.

    ¡°What about its cooldown?¡±

    ¡°One minute.¡±

    Every minute, the allies could have eyes on their enemies. If their enemies disappeared from view, they would be able to calcte the distance between them.

    By reading their enemies¡¯ movements, the allies would gain a significant advantage. Aditya was a champion, not a hero, but his power was revolutionary. However, Junhyuk didn¡¯t know if the power would be useful on Earth. He thought about it a bit, but simply shrugged.

    ¡°OK. Can I see your other powers?¡±

    Junhyuk had been busytely, so he hadn¡¯t been training people. However, he had time to spar with those recently powered to teach them how to fight more effectively.

    Aditya extended his arms with his palms up and raised his head with his eyes closed. When he opened his eyes, his pupils looked different from before. His eyes looked like a cat¡¯s. The champion stomped the ground and jumped, disying a speed simr to Junhyuk¡¯s eleration.

    Junhyuk elerated and moved toward Aditya. He did not hit the champion for fear of killing him, but he watched as Aditya attacked him.

    The champion was holding a short spear made out of the Wolf Warlord¡¯s w. Aditya was skilled with it. Because he had triggered his animalistic power of the jaguar, even without a short spear, Aditya would¡¯ve been lethal.

    Junhyuk dodged, but soon, he had to unsheathe his sword. With it, he blocked every attack until Aditya¡¯s power ran out. It hadsted for twenty seconds.

    ¡°You¡¯re fast.¡±

    Aditya stared at him and said, ¡°You have a force field and teleportation powers. On top of that, you have that strange sword. And you can suck everything within a certain range to one spot.¡±

    ¡°You know a lot about me.¡±

    ¡°After joining Guardians, I watched a lot of videos of your fights. You are extremely efficient in fighting monsters, so I¡¯m using the videos to study you.¡±

    Junhyuk said, ¡°Some of my powers can only be used on Earth.¡±

    ¡°You can move at that speed on Earth?!¡±

    He nodded, and Aditya clicked his tongue.

    ¡°That¡¯s shocking.¡± The champion pounded his fists together and dered, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll show you myst power.¡±

    His eyes became different again. His muscle mass increased, but not enough to tear the leather armor. Still, Aditya was about 1.5 times bigger than his normal self, and his skin had turned gray.

    Junhyuk realized what that power was immediately.

    Aditya ran toward him while swinging his short spear.

    ng!

    It was a strong hit, five times stronger than his previous attacks, but it didn¡¯t really affect Junhyuk. Junhyuk carried runestones of the highest quality.

    Junhyuk stared at Aditya¡¯s gray body. Not only had his defense increase, but so had his damage. Once he gave Aditya the right weapons, the champion would be of great help.

    Aditya¡¯s bear strengthsted for twenty seconds, and Junhyuk blocked all of his attacks.

    ¡°That¡¯s a useful power.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you¡¯d block everything.¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head and said, ¡°That¡¯s only because of the runestones I carry. You don¡¯t have a lot of items, but when you get more, you¡¯ll help out big time.¡± Smiling, Junhyuk added, ¡°Get the items they assign champions and train with them. If you want to learn new martial arts, that will also help you.¡±

    Aditya was skilled with the short spear, but Guardians had masters of martial arts at their disposal.

    The champion smirked and asked, ¡°Can I spar with you whenever you have time?¡±

    Junhyuk thought about it. He should be friendly to the champions and he was also curious about Aditya¡¯s skills with the short spear.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    He walked out with Aditya and told him where to get the items for champions. After that, he went to see Lucy.

    Lucy walked out of the Strategic nning Room and greeted him. He checked out her reports. Officially, there were nine champions. Unofficially, there were ten.

    Elise was a champion now, but he was keeping that fact a secret. She would be able to help as a champion, yes, but as a researcher, she was invaluable.

    The champions had been divided into two teams: one of four and one of five.

    ¡°Will the team of four join me?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The champions with highest health and defensive powers had been assigned to Sarang. She could kill almost everything with a single attack. Meanwhile, Junhyuk had been teamed up with long range strikers.

    ¡°This is the set up for wyvern attacks, but if a dragon appears, everyone will be a single team.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Give Aditya a flying drone and train him on it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the first step of their training regimen, flight training.¡±

    Champions were assigned magitek armor. Because of that, injuries or death due to flying drone idents were not possible. Vertigo and other altitude-rted issues could arise, but there were flight experts there to train them.

    Junhyuk was thinking that Aditya would definitely help.

    ¡°Get Aditya with the other champions. I¡¯ll spar with them.¡±

    ¡°Is that OK?¡±

    ¡°I can always dodge, so sure.¡±

    The champions stillcked enough strength to hurt him. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t attack like a dragon, but he had Aksha¡¯s Longsword, and the training would benefit them.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you know once they are ready.¡±

    ¡°Please.¡±

    He left Lucy inmand. Junhyuk had already checked out the new champion¡¯s powers, so now, he had to spar with all of them. It wouldn¡¯t be hard to kill them, but not hurting them with Aksha¡¯s Longsword would require more training and restraint from him.

    It wasn¡¯t important to simply use Aksha¡¯s Longsword, he needed to know how it flowed and how to control that flow.

    If a champion was in danger, he needed to be able to cancel his attack.

    Junhyuk wanted to reach his limit, so he went training again.

    After the wyverns, time passed slowly and calmly. Junhyuk liked that stillness, but it also made him more nervous. He focused on his training. Not having enough time to spar with the champions, he focused only on learning Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship.

    At the end of a session, Junhyuk had sweat all over his body. He exhaled deeply, unable to remember thest time he had been drenched like that.

    He had learned about a fifth of Askha¡¯s swordsmanship techniques. It was taking him longer than he had expected.

    ¡°I¡¯ve learned a few things.¡±

    Sarang often learned more about her powers while casting other spells. By practicing Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship, Junhyuk had learned how to make better use of his mana.

    He had been able to spend and replenish more mana faster than ever thanks to the core. He was absorbing and retaining more mana within his body as well. Right now, he thought he could deal with any S-ranked monster they threw at him.

    Junhyuk walked out of the training facility and teleported. He hadn¡¯t really focused on his teleportation power, but since his body had more mana within it, the distance of his teleportations had increased to four hundred meters.

    Seeing that, he wondered if the distance in the Dimensional Battlefield had also increased. Junhyuk teleported again, took off his clothes and went into his bathroom for a cold shower.

    The next day, he would be summoned.

    His team had advanced, so they would meet new enemies. When he had been part of Arn¡¯s team and that had happened, the enemies he had met had been significantly stronger than the previous ones.

    Junhyuk was excited to meet new enemies. Strong enemies meant strong items. The important thing for him was not to die.

    After showering, he pulled a brand new set of clothes from his Spatial bag and walked outside. Elise was sitting on his bed with her legs crossed. When she saw him walk out, she clicked her tongue.

    ¡°When you take a shower, you¡¯re supposed toe out of the bathroom wearing a towel. Then, you should do something clumsy and lose the tower.¡±

    Junhyukughed and said, ¡°I¡¯m here to protect you. I can sense you anywhere.¡±

    ¡°I have to make something to nullify that spatial sense.¡± She pulled out a pair of boots and said, ¡°I¡¯ve finished another item for the set.¡±

 Chapter 451 - New Opponents 3

    <h4>Chapter 451: New Opponents 3</h4>

    Junhyuk stared at the boots in wonder. He didn¡¯t know how powerful they were since he was on Earth, but they had been made from red dragon scales, so they were sure to have high defense.

    ¡°Have you tried them?¡±

    ¡°They increase my movement speed, but I don¡¯t know about any other buffs.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at the pair of red boots and muttered, ¡°By the way, you made this out of red dragon scales, so they probably have some type of fire attribute to them.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll keep hoping. We¡¯ll be summoned tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be your first battle as a champion!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have five lives, but you don¡¯t have to ce yourself in danger all the time.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Elise pointed up with her finger, and Moon Core appeared. ¡°I have given it a stealth ability.¡±

    Then, she started unbuttoning her blouse one button at a time.

    ¡°What are you doing!?¡±

    She smirked and said, ¡°I want to show you this.¡± Elise quickly pulled off her blouse. She had a red dragon mail underneath her clothes.

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly, and she asked, ¡°Did you want to see something else?¡±

    He didn¡¯t want to joke with her anymore. If he kept it going, Elise might end up taking the red dragon armor off.

    ¡°Do you always wear it?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°It has an attack buff, so even without fire attacks, it works just fine. My boots might have a simr buff.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to sell those?¡±

    ¡°Superior items shouldn¡¯t be sold. Selling them would be a loss.¡±

    Junhyuk was selling his items, but Elise wanted to keep hers.

    ¡°That¡¯s well thought.¡±

    ¡°Also, I made this with the remaining ingredients.¡±

    Elise pulled out another pair of long boots, and he smiled at her.

    ¡°You made two pairs!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll need more than one.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Anything you say.¡±

    Junhyuk took the other pair and inspected it.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be nice if these sell for a good price.¡±

    ¡°Maybe. They¡¯re not much, but a lot of materials went into them.¡±

    The boots were about half the size of the red dragon mail armor, so Junhyuk was wondering how many resources she had used on them.

    Smiling, Elise said, ¡°Different items require different amounts of ingredients.¡±

    She was crafting equipment quickly, so Junhyuk thought they could both make a lot of gold. Now that he had Aksha¡¯s Longsword, he wanted another piece of the Vampire Lord set. While he thought about that, Elise smiled.

    ¡°OK. I won¡¯t be making any more of the boots. With the extra time I¡¯ll have, I¡¯ll focus on making more Red Dragon Mail.¡±

    ¡°By the way, you should talk to Sarang about Vera¡¯s orb crafting recipe. It should help you.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s crafted something from the dragon¡¯s heart already?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Elise got up and put on herb coat, saying, ¡°I won¡¯t be able to focus on the Red Dragon Mail if I look at other recipes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t need more gold immediately. It was better to n for the future. Elise walked up to him and hugged him tightly.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± she said.

    ¡°I should be the one thanking you.¡±

    Junhyuk caressed her back, and she distanced herself and said, ¡°Then, next time, even if I¡¯m here, pretend that I¡¯m not.¡±

    She waved to him and left.

    With a bitter smile, Junhyuk muttered, ¡°The dark circles under your eyes make you look like a panda. You aren¡¯t that alluring.¡±

    ¡ª

    Friday morning.

    Junhyuk heard a knock on his door. When he opened it, he was surprised by the people on the other side.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°We want to go with you.¡±

    Elise and Sarang were the ones who had knocked.

    ¡°Why did youe to my room?¡±

    ¡°I heard Elise went with youst time!¡±

    He smiled bitterly and asked again, ¡°Why are you both here now?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve already told you.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed and relented, ¡°Nothing we can do now. Come in.¡±

    He stepped aside, and Sarang rushed into the room. Elise took her time and walked in elegantly.

    Junhyuk shook his head and said, ¡°We still have time. How about some tea?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    He brewed the tea and served it with snacks. By 8 a.m., they were ready to be summoned. But, nothing happened.

    They stared at each other and, at 8:02 a.m., they sat down, and Junhyuk called Ariel.

    ¡°Ariel?¡±

    [Yes. Why are you contacting me?¡±]

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t I been summoned?¡±

    [Your team has advanced, so your new summoning time is at 10 a.m. your time.]

    Junhyuk clutched his head with both hands and remembered Arn having exined that to him in the past.

    ¡°Wait. Isn¡¯t our team supposed to skip a round after advancing?¡±

    [There are more teams now, so there is no need for that.]

    ¡°We¡¯ll be summoned at 10 a.m.?¡±

    [Correct.]

    ¡°OK. See you in a bit.¡± Junhyuk shook his head after the call and turned to the two women, saying, ¡°We¡¯ll be summoned at 10 a.m. now. What do we do until then?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?! We have extra time!¡± Elise smiled and stretched her hand out to Sarang. ¡°I have the recipe, but I haven¡¯t seen it yet. Can you show me your orb?¡±

    ¡°Here,¡± Sarang said.

    Elise inspected Sarang¡¯s orb in detail, and Junhyuk listened to them talk about magitek. The two of them could talk for hours, so time passed quickly. Because he didn¡¯t understand what they were talking about, Junhyuk didn¡¯t butt in.

    He closed his eyes and thought about Aksha¡¯s Longsword. That way, he spent the extra couple of hours entertained.

    The blinding light disappeared, and he saw the room he was used to. Looking around, he smiled bitterly this time and said, ¡°This ce needs some decorations.¡±

    He was always summoned there, and it was always nk.

    [You¡¯ll find decorations at Bebe¡¯s store.]

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Junhyuk answered before summoning all of his items. ¡°Can you tell me about our new opponents?¡±

    [I don¡¯t have a lot of information, but I¡¯ve heard that they won their previous round with ease before advancing to this tier.]

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Without pushing for more information, he walked out in a hurry. Once he stood at the exit, Ariel gathered her hands around her mouth and shouted, [Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed!]

    The doors opened for him, and he walked outside. The minions were in a group, and far from them, were the allied heroes talking to each other. Junhyuk headed toward them, and the heroes continued their conversation.

    They had heard Elise was a champion now, so they were all genuinely happy for her. When Junhyuk joined the group, Gongon turned to him and said, ¡°Elise is a disciple of mine, and she¡¯s activating her powers at tremendous speed!¡±

    Heughed and replied, ¡°Right! It¡¯s all thanks to you, Gon.¡±

    Magic had nothing to do with Elise being a champion now, but she was learning about it. Smirking, Gongon turned to Elise and asked, ¡°Are youing with me?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Junhyuk said while shaking his head. Elise would go with him that time.

    Everyone looked at him, and he said, ¡°She¡¯ll be able to use her full potential with me.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Gongon stared at him for a moment, but finally nodded. ¡°Your powers are more suited for support.¡±

    Junhyuk agreed with the hatchling¡ªhis powers were more geared toward support¡ªand he said, ¡°Can I take the middle today?¡±

    Whoever took the middle couldn¡¯t go alone. The allies would clear the buff tower and take down the buff monster at the nearby forest.

    Junhyuk turned to Sarang, who now had a new weapon, and said, ¡°Sarang, you shoulde with me as well.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Just likest time, La and Rodrey, you head right. Gongon, you go left.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going alone?¡±

    ¡°You should be enough even by yourself.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Gongon said, stretching his ws. ¡°Then, let¡¯s head out. I want to take two hundred minions with me.¡±

    Junhyuk thought about it and said, ¡°We don¡¯t know anything about our enemies, so taking that many minions could be dangerous at first.¡±

    The hatchling shrugged and replied, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll take a hundred. I¡¯m leaving first.¡±

    Gongon took the hundred minions with him and left. La and Rodrey headed out as well. Junhyuk lined up a hundred minions and moved out with Sarang and Elise. They took the main road toward the mountaintop.

    Junhyuk turned to Elise and said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when to use your nullification field.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°What are the stats on your new orb?¡± he asked Sarang.

    In the Dimensional Battlefield, they could find out the real stats of the items they were carrying, so Sarang lifted her orb and said, ¡°It has a basic magic attack of five hundred with a 5 percent buff to fire damage.¡±

    Junhyuk though Bebe would pay around 100,000G for it.

    ¡°We¡¯ll ask Bebe to price it. You might want to upgrade it.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Basic upgrades don¡¯t fail, and Vera said she¡¯d reimburse me for them.¡±

    ¡°OK. Elise, what about your weapon¡¯s damage?¡±

    Elise stared at Moon Core and said, ¡°Magic and physical attacks are set at 550, and it has an ability.¡±

    ¡°An ability?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an area-of-effect attack.¡±

    ¡°What does it do?¡±

    Elise smirked and said, ¡°I¡¯ve checked it already. It can fire a st at double the damage.¡±

    Stunned, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Double the damage?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Junhyuk stuck his tongue out. He didn¡¯t know whether weapon abilities would count as powers, but Moon Core¡¯s ability certainly fell into that category. He hoped Moon Core wouldn¡¯t suffer from that.

    ¡°We need to upgrade both weapons.¡±

    Elise¡¯s orb¡¯s attack stat was just about the same as Sarang¡¯s. On top of that, she had her nullification field. Her weapon felt very much like a legendary weapon. It was weak inparison to his, but that was because she hadn¡¯t upgraded it yet.

    After the upgrades, Elise¡¯s weapon would deal absurd damage. It might even turn into a legendary item in the future. Junhyuk knew that Elise¡¯s powers could very well turn her into a legendter.

    ¡°Let¡¯s ask Bebe about its price as well.¡±

    They had the cores, so they could make new weapons. The next weapon they made, they would sell.

    Junhyuk had already heard stories of weapons made with artificial cores that sold for hundreds of thousands of gold. Were those weapons legendary items now? He wanted to know more about them.

    They talked about many things as they walked. When they reached the zenith of the mountain, they saw their enemies climbing it from their side.

    There were three heroes and two hundred minions. They outnumbered the allies, but Junhyuk still wanted to fight them now.

 Chapter 452 - Formidable Enemies 1

    <h4>Chapter 452: Formidable Enemies 1</h4>

    Every enemy hero was a variation on an animal.

    The cat hero was carrying a small bow. The elephant hero, who was over four meters tall and gray, was wearing a couple of gauntlets.

    Junhyuk fixed his eyes on thest hero. The broad-shouldered lion hero had two swords crossed behind his back.

    The enemy minions looked like bipedal hyenas. When Elise saw them, she muttered, ¡°The minions are gnolls.¡±

    ¡°Gnolls?¡±

    ¡°Gnolls are hyenas that walk on two legs. Those are carrying maces, so they¡¯ll be difficult for our minions.¡±

    The enemy minions were stronger than the allied minions. They were wielding maces, and although the minions had longswords and shields, the maces looked superior to both. The shields didn¡¯t look strong enough to withstand the impact of the maces. There was also the possibility that the shields would be shattered or pierced through.

    On top of that, the gnolls had a longer reach. Just going by minions, the allies had already lost.

    Junhyuk smacked his lips and inspected the enemy heroes.

    ¡°The heroes are a bigger problem than their minions.¡±

    Victory depended on the heroes¡¯ strength. Minions had little effect on the oue of battles between heroes. As Junhyuk looked at them, the lion hero stepped forward.

    ¡°My name is Ronga. Who among you will face me?¡±

    Junhyukughed out loud and stepped forward.

    ¡°You want a one-on-one fight?¡±

    ¡°Are you not confident?¡± Ronga stared at him while asking the question, and the way Ronga spoke made Junhyuk a bit angry.

    He looked at the others behind Ronga. Both the cat and the elephant heroes had their arms crossed, meaning that they wanted to watch a good fight.

    Junhyuk took a moment to think. If he could kill one first and deal with the other twoter, that would be better.

    ¡°I¡¯m Junhyuk Lee,¡± he said, stepping forward some more. Ronga smirked at him.

    ¡°Junhyuk Lee? I¡¯ve heard your name before.¡±

    As he said that, Ronga stepped further ahead and pulled out a broadsword. The sword had strange engravings along the de, and he was holding it with just his left hand. It looked more like a steel te than a sword. He had only seen one hero with a sword that big.

    He immediately thought of a single-horned hero who had be a legend, Keros. Staring at Ronga¡¯s broadsword, Junhyuk scowled.

    Ronga simply pulled out his second sword, and Junhyuk said, ¡°That¡¯s Keros¡¯ sword.¡±

    ¡°You know of it?¡±

    At that point, Junhyuk became a little tense as he stared at his opponent. His enemy was wielding a legendary weapon, so his attack would be higher than that of any other enemy he had met that season.

    Even if the sword only had basic upgrades, Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t have enough defense to withstand multiple strikes from Ronga.

    ¡°So, that¡¯s why you are so arrogant.¡±

    As someone wielding a legendary weapon, that would be thest thing Ronga dropped. Junhyuk had to consider the other items the enemy hero was carrying. His swords were powerful, but were his other items that powerful as well? Junhyuk¡¯s set items allowed him to ignore enemy defense, and his shockwaves worked well in hero battles.

    Junhyuk wanted to find out how strong Ronga really was. Even if Ronga had great items, he still had a high piercing stat. On top of that, his defense was higher than most tanks out there.

    Although he didn¡¯t have any powers to boost his defense, Junhyuk still wanted to fight the hero.

    Junhyuk ran forward and swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword. The sword lengthened, but Ronga paid no attention to it, simply running to meet Junhyuk. The first strike came from Junhyuk, a Spatial sh.

    The sh cut through Ronga¡¯s neck while the hero ran. Junhyuk knew he had delivered a critical hit, but he winced. The critical hit had only damaged the enemy hero by 40 percent of his health.

    Those were shockingly high defense and health numbers. He grimaced and shed again. The sword careened through the air toward Ronga, but the hero swung Keros¡¯ Broadsword to meet it, deflecting the attack with incredible force.

    Previously, Junhyuk would have done something different after seeing his own sword bouncing off like that, but he didn¡¯t think he needed to now. He bent his wrist and dashed forward. He felt his swords were more fit for closebat than Keros¡¯ Broadsword.

    When Junhyuk closed in, Ronga smiled. Now at close range, Ronga still swung Keros¡¯ Broadsword. The problem was the speed of the swings. Looking at the de of the sword, Junhyuk realized that Ronga had triggered a power, and to learn what the power did, he had to exchange a flew blows with the enemy hero.

    He didn¡¯t want to be hit by a critical hit, so he blocked diligently.

    ng, ng, ng, ng!

    After blocking it, he knew things would be tough. Even blocking, Junhyuk received 25 percent in damage. It wasn¡¯t a critical hit, so the damage shocked him even more.

    He hadn¡¯t met an enemy like that in a long time. Scowling, Junhyuk retreated. At the same time, Ronga sliced parallel to the ground in front of him. Junhyuk hopped and dodged the attack, but soon, he realized he had made a terrible mistake. Ronga stabbed forward with his other sword, which crossed the air in a sh.

    Junhyuk blocked the strike with the Blood Rune Sword, but because he was in the air, he couldn¡¯t withstand the force of the attack. He was thrown back rolling, and Ronga dashed toward him, shing at him with Keros¡¯ Broadsword.

    Junhyuk kept rolling, barely dodging the sword strikes, and Keros¡¯ Broadsword pierced the ground.

    Boom!

    With the loud impact, the ground split. It was an incredible sight. Junhyuk realized that while it was true that Ronga was wielding a legendary weapon, the hero¡¯s swordsmanship was also outstanding. His attacks were really fast, and the force behind them made the hair all over his body stand.

    Junhyuk had to showcase his own skills to reenter the duel, so he triggered his eleration and dashed ahead. Swordsmanship wasn¡¯t everything. Although Ronga¡¯s other powers were still a mystery, his own powers would pull him through.

    He had triggered his eleration, so if anything strange happened, he would be able to respond with his powers right away.

    He wanted to see all of Ronga¡¯s powers. Junhyuk was sure he wouldn¡¯t die in the process. Worst case, Sarang could heal him.

    When Junhyuk reentered the fight, Ronga smirked and swung Keros¡¯ Broadsword hard at him. Junhyuk was aware of the sword¡¯s path, but dodging it wasn¡¯t easy. His movement speed was faster than Ronga¡¯s, but his attack speed was about the same. Ronga was using the heavy weight of the sword to increase its momentum, also increasing the force behind it.

    It shouldn¡¯t be easy to change the direction of the shes of Keros¡¯ Broadsword, but the war lion was swinging it with extreme ease, almost like paper.

    When the swords shed, Junhyuk was pushed back. The distance didn¡¯t give Aksha¡¯s Longsword the advantage. He could stretch and shorten Aksha¡¯s Longsword, but it took time, and Keros¡¯ Broadsword took advantage of that time.

    Junhyuk was losing his ground, and he had no recourse to rpose himself.

    Even while elerating, he barely held on. He winced. Aksha¡¯s Longsword wasn¡¯t working for him in that fight. It hadn¡¯t been that long since he had started training with it.

    However, he was stunned that he was facing someone with better swordsmanship than him. Junhyuk knew things weren¡¯t going well. It was possible that, along with the other powers the enemy had, his powers had a shorter cooldown than Junhyuk¡¯s.

    Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh had a shorter cooldown now, but it was still a long time.

    He thought the lion¡¯s max health was high, but he couldn¡¯t be sure about it being the highest among the heroes. The other two seemed like they could have just as much health.

    Why wasn¡¯t Ronga using his other powers? Junhyuk was curious about that.

    Suddenly, Ronga mmed his broadsword against the ground.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk dodged the attack, ready to counter, but Ronga had disappeared into the ground. Junhyuk tried to use his spatial sense, but he couldn¡¯t sense things beneath the ground. He knew Ronga¡¯s power had to have a range, so he teleported away, covering the maximum distance he could with one teleportation: twenty-five meters. The distance had increased.

    After Junhyuk retreated, Ronga burst from the ground suddenly, and with him, a massive shockwave raced across the ground. Seeing it, Junhyuk teleported again to escape it.

    Ronga rushed at him then. Junhyuk had no way of escaping, so he turned his shoulder to the enemy hero.

    Boom!

    The impact took another 20 percent off of his health. It was a lot of health, which meant that Ronga must also have a high piercing stat.

    Junhyuk realized that every one of Ronga¡¯s powers was extremely dangerous.

    The hero had shown all three powers, but his ultimate still remained. Junhyuk had also not used his ultimate yet, and he still had his force field.

    At that point, Junhyuk decided to finish the fight with a force field-ultimatebo.

    ¡°We¡¯ve seen each other¡¯s powers, so it¡¯s time for you to die.¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s health was lower, but he wanted to finish things. He ran, and Ronga ran to meet him. Some time had already passed, so Ronga¡¯s power might havee off cooldown.

    Junhyuk raised his force field and swung his sword at full force. The speed of the swords was about the same, but Ronga took more time to start the swing of his broadsword simply due to the difference in size.

    For that reason, Junhyuk spotted an opening in Ronga¡¯s strikes and threw himself at the fight. His own wild swordsmanship was inferior to Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship, but it was better suited for dealing with Ronga.

    At that moment, he thought he should have pushed tobine the two styles of swordsmanship.

    Ronga swung the broadsword incessantly, but Junhyuk had the force field covering him.

    ng!

    The broadsword mmed against the force field, and Junhyuk triggered his Spatial Copse.

    Ronga got sucked to the eye of the copse, but Junhyuk hadn¡¯tnded a critical hit. Ronga only lost 22 percent of his health.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t easy.¡±

 Chapter 453 - Formidable Enemies 2

    <h4>Chapter 453: Formidable Enemies 2</h4>

    Ronga lost his footing after the Spatial Copse, so Junhyuk shed at him. The hero swung his broadsword to defend himself, but he was unsessful. Aksha¡¯s Longsword crossed over the broadsword and pierced Ronga.

    It was a regr attack, and Ronga only received 6 percent in damage. He was avoiding critical hits. Junhyuk attacked more ferociously, but Ronga still managed to avoid critical hits.

    While the pull was active, Junhyuk attacked Ronga three time. With the Spatial Copse, he had managed to take a lot of health out of Ronga. The enemy hero had lost 80 percent of his health by then, leaving him with 20 percent.

    Once the pull ended, Ronga went back to blocking every one of his attacks. The broadsword reminded him of arge steel wall when Ronda defended himself with it. He couldn¡¯t find a way through.

    Junhyuk had already elerated, but he couldn¡¯t get through the broadsword¡¯s defenses, so he clicked his tongue. He wanted to attack more, but his force field also disappeared.

    Junhyuk had 52 percent of his health left, more than twice that of his enemy, and soon, his Spatial sh woulde off cooldown.

    With the force field gone, Junhyuk started blocking Ronga¡¯s attacks. He was sure that Ronga¡¯s powers would return soon.

    At the same time, he wanted to find Ronga¡¯s weaknesses. He was still elerating, and he knew that every style of swordsmanship had its strong and weak points. As a hero, he had to seek the weak points and attack. While blocking, he searched for an opening.

    Junhyuk noticed that Ronga wasn¡¯t closing in on him. He was also not using his powers, which made Junhyuk smiled.

    His Spatial sh was off cooldown, so there was no need to drag the fight.

    Junhyuk blocked one more time and stepped back, using his Spatial sh. That would bring things to a close.

    However, Ronga had realized what he had been tried to do, and suddenly, the hero started spinning. Junhyuk knew that the critical hit had failed, but he still thought he could kill the enemy hero.

    Still spinning, Ronga scoffed at him. The lion had both swords out as he spun, and a gray whirlwind started forming around him.

    Junhyuk blocked the swords, but he still received 15 percent of damage. He hadn¡¯t seen that power before, which meant it had to be Ronga¡¯s ultimate. However, its damage wasn¡¯t very high.

    Junhyuk wanted to know what else it could do, but that¡¯s when he scowled. Ronga¡¯s ultimate wasn¡¯t a one-off. The enemy hero was spinning toward him.

    ¡°He can move with it active?!¡±

    Ronga¡¯s ultimate reminded Junhyuk of a move in a game he had yed before. Ronga could move while spinning, shing everything in his path. Junhyuk used his jump to distance himself, and once he was far away, he kept measuring the ultimate¡¯s distance and active time.

    The active time wasn¡¯t that long, only four seconds, but Ronga¡¯s ultimate had negated any damage from his Spatial sh. While it was active, Ronga was impervious to attacks.

    Junhyuk realized that, but he still ran toward Ronga. He had already used his Spatial sh, but his teleports hade off cooldown.

    Ronga smirked and ran toward him. This time, Junhyuk tried parrying Ronga¡¯s sword attacks.

    ng! Cling! Cling! ng!

    He managed to sessfully parry Ronga¡¯s sword for the very first time, so he seized that moment to counter and was able to sh Ronga. Therefore, even without the Spatial Copse¡¯s pull, he was able to deal another 6 percent of damage to Ronga.

    However, while he smiled, satisfied with himself, Ronga rushed at him from close range. Junhyuk didn¡¯t have time to escape, and Ronga mmed against him.

    Junhyuk, who wasunched back, lost 20 percent of his health. He only had 20 percent left, which he did not consider a safe amount. He could die from a single use of Ronga¡¯s powers.

    The Spatial sh was still in cooldown, and his enemy made the first move. He felt the hair on his body stand up from anxiety.

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t being attacked by several heroes, but a single one. Ever since he started wearing the Vampire Lord set, he hadn¡¯t expected things to go that badly in a battle.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t wait for his Spatial sh to return. Ronga¡¯s powers woulde off cooldown before it.

    After gettingunched by the rush, he stood back up and ran toward Ronga again. The heroughed and swung his sword at Junhyuk, who parried the attack again.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t parry every single one of Ronga¡¯s attacks. He had to focus, so when he parried one of Ronga¡¯s attacks, he immediately countered, shing Ronga¡¯s ribs. Another 6 percent of damage left the enemy hero with 8 percent of his health, but Junhyuk was not relieved.

    He stabbed hard, and his sword pierced Ronga¡¯s torso, puncturing the lion¡¯s lung. Junhyuk was expecting to win with that. It wasn¡¯t a critical hit, but once he twisted his sword, he would kill Ronga.

    Just a beatter, Ronga swung his sword down at Junhyuk, who thought to simply block the strike and then twist his own sword to finish the fight.

    Suddenly, Ronga smirked. Junhyuk was entirely focused on blocking the strike when he heard Ronga shout, ¡°Just die!¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t answer. Keros¡¯ Broadsword had exploded as it struck Junhyuk¡¯s sword.

    Darkness covered him suddenly. It had been a long time, but he hadn¡¯t forgotten about that feeling. The void often made one forget oneself.

    Junhyuk walked through the void and thought about what Elise had told him. She had been too busy to worry about herself.

    He desired Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship. He could think about the moveset in his head, but he couldn¡¯t master all of it that quickly.

    He thought about Aksha¡¯s Longsword, about mastering the swordsmanship. Why had Aksha developed his own style? Why couldn¡¯t he use the longsword like Aksha? As he thought hard about it, he felt like he was getting close to an answer.

    When he regained his consciousness, Junhyuk got up and inspected his items. He frowned when he noticed he had dropped an earring, but thankfully, he had not dropped the earring from the Vampire Lord set.

    The earring he had lost had a buff to his damage, so he clicked his tongue. He had lost 100,000G.

    Looking at Ariel, he saw she was about to cry and chuckled.

    ¡°Why are you so sad?¡±

    [That¡¯s the first time you¡¯ve been killed since you became a hero.]

    Junhyuk pounded his own chest and dered, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I need to get stronger and I learned I shouldn¡¯t rely entirely on my equipment.¡±

    He walked toward the door and said, ¡°And I won¡¯t die again.¡±

    He had a better grasp of Aksha¡¯s Longsword now.

    [You¡¯ll do fine.]

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    He stood in front of the door, and Ariel made a cone with her hands around her mouth and shouted, [Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed!]

    Outside, he saw that Sarang was trying to contact him.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    Junhyuk had died, so the enemies had been left with the numerical advantage. The allies would have had a difficult time winning, so he wanted to know the details.

    ¡°Hurry up and get back here!¡± she said quickly.

    ¡°You¡¯re still alive?¡±

    ¡°Of course! As soon as you died, Elise used her power to kill Ronga. We are facing the two enemy heroes now.¡±

    ¡°Can you handle it?¡±

    ¡°Things seem bad, but we are enduring them. We are buffed, and Elise summoned Zaira. Hurry up!¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°OK! I¡¯ll be right there!¡±

    Junhyuk knew the buff tower was safe for now, but he moved quickly. He picked out a hundred minions and headed out, connecting to the allies on the way.

    There was the possibility that only Ronga was powerful among the enemies and the other allies might be winning.

    He connected to Gongon and La, but Gongon asked him a question first, ¡°When do we get our buffs?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the problem here. I got killed in a duel.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡± Gongon asked andughed at him. ¡°What¡¯s going on? You were so confident. Who killed you?¡±

    ¡°His name is Ronga, and he has a legendary weapon.¡±

    ¡°Oh! So, that¡¯s why you lost!¡±

    ¡°No. Ronga is more than just the weapon he wields. His swordsmanship is exquisite.¡±

    Ronga was skilled with Keros¡¯ Broadsword, and the sword still had a version of Keros¡¯ ultimate within it, though the amount of damage was different.

    Frowning, La said, ¡°This won¡¯t be an easy round.¡±

    ¡°Ronga has a rush and abo. He can also dig into the ground, and when he breaks out, he releases a shockwave. His ultimate is a spin and sh move, and when that¡¯s active, he¡¯s impervious to attacks. Keros¡¯ Broadsword also has an ability. The sword can explode on impact.¡±

    Junhyuk had lost the remaining 20 percent of his health from that explosion.

    ¡°What does he look like?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll recognize him when you see him. He¡¯s a lion.¡±

    Gongonughed and said, ¡°By the way, they are all animals. I¡¯m fighting a rhinoceros right now.¡±

    ¡°We are fighting a bird-like hero. The bird hits and runs and has long range attacks.¡±

    ¡°There are two of you. Can¡¯t you do anything about it?¡±

    ¡°The bird is perched on the tower. Should we attack?¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think and said, ¡°Try to create an opportunity. The minions can attack the tower, and when they do, youunch a simultaneous attack. If either of you see an opening, kill your enemies.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°They are still fighting at the buff tower, so I have to hurry there. I don¡¯t know where Ronga is now, so be careful.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Gongon smiled at him and asked, ¡°Are you going to die a second time?¡±

    Junhyuk smiled back at him and replied, ¡°One death was enough.¡±

 Chapter 454 - Snowball 1

    <h4>Chapter 454: Snowball 1</h4>

    With the minions he had taken, Junhyuk took four hours climbing the narrow path to the summit. While hiking, he thought about Aksha¡¯s Longsword. He swung it lightly and felt his movements were more fluid than before.

    The sword¡¯s path through the air felt much softer, and he was able to exert more force into his swings than previously. He didn¡¯t think he could withstand strikes from Kero¡¯s sword, but he wouldn¡¯t just get pushed back by it anymore.

    Junhyuk was moving his entire body deliberately while walking up the mountain, and he had an interesting thought. He had never had downtime like he had at that moment. Ordinarily, battles ended quickly. It was the first time that each side had had in a stalemate. Junhyuk had experienced something simr in his first trip to the battlefield, but since then, all battles had been settled quickly.

    ¡°This round will take a while.¡±

    With Ronga, the enemy team could prolong team battles. He thought about that while walking. Ronga had wanted to duel because he had been confident in his items and skills. He had two area-of-effect powers: his ultimate and the underground smash. During team battles, they had to keep an eye on him at all times.

    Since Junhyuk had been damaged significantly, the others would suffer even greater damage. In team battles, Ronga was the priority.

    Junhyuk raised his hand and asked, ¡°Should I use that as well?¡±

    Junhyuk could now imprison an enemy in his force field. He had had difficulty dealing with Ronga, but if the others helped, things would go much better.

    He could cover himself in his force field and use his other powers to kill Ronga, and his allies would help. Junhyuk knew that he could imprison one enemy with his force field. If he was able to kill Ronga that way, that would also be a great use for his force field.

    But, he still had to find out about the other enemies¡¯ powers.

    Junhyuk had a hard time keeping up with the slowest minions, but he kept thinking about Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship while hiking. As he moved diligently, he contacted La.

    ¡°I have killed the bird.¡±

    ¡°It took you a while.¡±

    ¡°I had to keep myself safe.¡±

    ¡°Was the bird powerful?¡±

    ¡°Yes. What should I do now?¡±

    ¡°I have to reach the summit first, but you two can go destroy the next watchtower. Ronga¡¯s whereabouts are unknown, but he¡¯ll probably head middle again.¡±

    ¡°OK. If we meet him first, we¡¯ll deal with him.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down. You can retreat if needed.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Junhyuk kept climbing, and a little over four hours since he left the castle, he reached the summit. He could see busy movement up top.

    Fighting for four straight hours was difficult for both allies and enemies. The enemies had two heroes, and the allies had a hero and a champion.

    The allies were in a difficult spot, and their minions were outnumbered.

    Junhyuk noticed that the number of allied minions had decreased by half. He had brought another hundred minions along with him, but even then, the allies were still outnumbered.

    Right as he reached the peak, an enemy stepped up to the peak from the enemies¡¯ side. Junhyuk stared at them all. He had been killed, but things would be different this time.

    That enemy who arrived with him, Ronga, saw him and stepped foward.

    ¡°Let¡¯s duel again!¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s time to finish this battle.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t have the option to duel now. He couldn¡¯t lose the battle either. Killing Ronga had weakened the enemy hero, so he smiled and stepped forward. Ronga joined the other enemy heroes with the hundred minions he had brought.

    There were now 250 enemy minions and 150 allied minions.

    Junhyuk walked over to Sarang and Elise and asked, ¡°Are you OK?¡±

    ¡°Do we look OK?!¡± Sarang barked back.

    He tapped her helmet lightly and said, ¡°Let¡¯s fight for real this time.¡± Junhyuk would deal with Ronga. He wasn¡¯t worried about the others, but he still asked, ¡°What are the others¡¯ powers?¡±

    ¡°That cat¡¯s name is Yagi. She has incredible speed, and her arrows pierce through defense and explode.¡±

    ¡°What about her ultimate?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen it yet.¡±

    Junhyuk winced and asked, ¡°What about the other one?¡±

    ¡°His name is Garu, and he¡¯s a tank. He can blow a jet of wind from his trunk, jump and crash down within a group,unching everyone in the air, and wrap you in his trunk.¡±

    ¡°And you are still alive?!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been fighting well. My ultimate has triggered twice already.¡±

    In those four hours of fighting, Sarang had nearly died two times. She had her heal, which meant that she had probably lost a lot more than just two times her health.

    Junhyuk turned to Elise. She looked tired.

    ¡°Elise?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m OK. This isn¡¯t easy.¡±

    It was a long battle, and Elise had be a powered person just some rounds back.

    Smiling, Junhyuk said, ¡°The n is to kill Ronga first.¡±

    ¡°Can we do it?¡±

    Ronga¡¯s health and defense were outstanding. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to kill the enemy hero, but Junhyuk answered easily, ¡°We can.¡±

    He had never used his force field on an enemy in the Dimensional Battlefield. He had only used his other powers to attack, so he exined his strategy, ¡°I¡¯ll surround Ronga in my force field, and we¡¯ll focus all of our powers on him. He¡¯ll die that way.¡±

    Elise nodded and said, ¡°OK. I¡¯ll buff you. My other powers are still under cooldown.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll attack with Sarang then.¡±

    ¡°What about the others?¡±

    The allied heroes were outnumbered, but after some though, Junhyuk said, ¡°We can do it.¡±

    He didn¡¯t know the enemies¡¯ ultimates, but they only had one tank with them.

    Junhyuk cracked his neck left and right and said, ¡°OK. Let¡¯s move.¡±

    He stepped forward, and Ronga did the same. The enemy hero had a wide grin on his face. The other heroes followed Ronga.

    When both sides got near each other, Junhyuk whispered, ¡°I might have to touch him to encase him in the force field. I¡¯ll use my Spatial sh before closing in to activate the field.¡±

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll ready the Thunderstorm.¡±

    The allies got closer while keeping an eye out for enemy attacks.

    After a while, Junhyuk sighed heavily and ran forward. He swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword, and Ronga responded quickly. Junhyuk didn¡¯t use the Spatial sh with the first attack. Instead, he got even closer and shed the air again.

    Ronga moved quickly, but when he noticed there was no Spatial sh, he scowled.

    ¡°What the hell are you doing?!¡± Ronga shouted, and in that moment, the de of Aksha¡¯s Longsword shed. Ronga had no chance to respond. The de had already pierced his neck.

    The enemy hero bled all over the battlefield, and Junhyuk frowned. He had lost his attack earring, but he was still able to deal 39 percent of damage to Ronga.

    The Spatial sh had been a critical hit, so Junhyuk closed in fast. Ronga, on the other hand, waited for him.

    Junhyuk measured the distance between them. At some point, Ronga started moving. The enemy hero meant to use his powers on Junhyuk, but he wouldn¡¯t allow it.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know the range of his force field when applied to enemies. He tried activating it, but it failed, meaning that the range was very short.

    He frowned, and Ronga smirked. The enemy hero rushed him. The distance between them was closing fast, and suddenly, Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened. He could feel that he could now activate his force field on Ronga. The enemy hero was within five meters of him.

    Junhyuk raised the force field around Ronga, but the momentum persisted, and Junhyuk was thrown back by the rush. However, he wasn¡¯t damaged at all. With a satisfied smile, he shouted, ¡°NOW!¡±

    Sarang extended her hands, and lightning mmed down from the sky on Ronga¡¯s head.

    Craack, crack, craak!

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    The force field was covering Ronga, so there was nothing he could do as the Thunderstorm was activated within the field. The storm was a critical attack, and Ronga lost 32 percent of his health.

    The enemy hero had 29 percent of his health left, and Junhyuk smiled.

    ¡°This is the end.¡±

    Ronga couldn¡¯t get out of the force field, so Junhyuk triggered his Spatial Copse. He triggered the power on the hero¡¯s chest, and Ronga faded away.

    Junhyuk had had a terrible time trying to kill him alone, but now, with Sarang¡¯s help, he had pulled it off with ease.

    Suddenly, debris fell from the sky over the allies. They were suddenly damaged by a huge impact and thrown into the air.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t care about the damage, which had been small. He had only lost 8 percent of his health.

    Yagi, the cat, shot arrows at the group. When Junhyuk got hit, he frowned. The initial arrow hit him for 2 percent, but he kept on losing health.

    When he tried to go after Yagi, Garu shouted, ¡°To me!¡±

    Junhyuk lost his will then. He and Sarang focused their attacks on Garu. It was a taunt, and he had been through that experience before. While taunted, Junhyuk clicked his tongue, and the enemies fell on him, attacking him relentlessly.

    When the taunt wore off, Junhyuk only had 52 percent of his health left.

    The enemies had attacked him while he was taunted, sure, but the damage hadn¡¯t been absurd. Still, Sarang and Elise had also lost a lot of health.

    ¡°An area-of-effect attack?¡±

    When Junhyuk turned to Yagi, Garu moved in and grabbed him, wrapping both of his arms.

 Chapter 455 - Snowball 2

    <h4>Chapter 455: Snowball 2</h4>

    Garu was restraining him, so Junhyuk tried to use his teleportation, but his power was nullified by Garu¡¯s power.

    He was still stuck when Yagi shot a volley toward him. Junhyuk got hit by the arrows and realized that Garu hadn¡¯t lost much of his health. Garu had taunted and been attacked by two heroes and a champion, which meant that while taunting, his defense was buffed.

    The arrows careened toward him faster than a regr hero¡¯s attack, 1.5 times faster.

    Whiles restrained, Junhyuk got pierced by three arrows. Once he could move again, he shed Garu. His goal was to figure out the extent of Garu¡¯s defense stat.

    Luckily, Junhyuk found out that his attacks ignored Garu¡¯s defense. He dealt 10 percent of damage to the elephant, and his extra damage skill triggered, so in total, he dealt 15 percent of damage to the hero.

    Junhyuk attacked Garu twice while being struck by Yagi¡¯s arrows. Within three seconds, four of Yagi¡¯s arrows hit him, and he lost 8 percent of his health.

    Junhyuk started thinking he had lost too much health when, suddenly, light green powder fell on his head. Sarang was healing him. At the same time, Zaira rushed out from behind Sarang, firing two missiles at Yagi.

    Yagi crouched, and her movement speed increased sharply. Her speed was incredible, and while she moved, she was still able to shoot arrows at the allies.

    Junhyuk teleported toward the cat, closing in instantly, and shed at her. Yagi didn¡¯t dodge or try to escape. Instead, she continued shooting arrows. The attacks collided, and Yagi smiled a fiendish grin. Suddenly, Junhyuk was mmed by explosions.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    All of the arrows had hit him, and as they did, they all exploded. Junhyuk gritted his teeth, realizing that the attack had ignored his defense. He lost 30 percent of his health in one go.

    Because Junhyuk had been healed by Sarang, he still had about half of his health. Still, the damage was as great as Sarang¡¯s healing power.

    At that moment, however, Junhyuk saw an opening and attacked. Yagi was very close to him, and her defense stat was rather low. Junhyuk struck Yagi for 12 percent of the hero¡¯s health with a single regr attack.

    He attacked Yagi twice, and the hero lost 24 percent of her health. Zaira was also attacking Yagi. Junhyuk wanted to keep attacking, but Yagi retreated while shooting at him.

    Junhyuk blocked the arrows and wasn¡¯t damaged by them, but they still inflicted a damage-over-time effect on him.

    Yagi was annoying, and Junhyuk wanted to finish her off.

    Garu was facing Sarang. She was circling the enemy hero, trying to disengage because she also wanted to kill Yagi.

    Junhyuk teleported again, appearing behind the cat. He shed at Yagi, but the hero rolled out of the way, dodging the a critical hit. Yagi was still cut, however. The hero didn¡¯t have a spatial sense like Junhyuk, but she had strong instincts.

    As Yagi rolled, she shot two arrows at Junhyuk, who blocked them, but the damage over time continued to mount.

    Without stopping to think, Junhyuk attacked Yagi, who retreated toward Sarang. Yagi changed then. Her demeanor became calm and quiet, and her speed dropped. That¡¯s when Junhyuk realized that Yagi had been using her ultimate.

    Guessing what had happened, Junhyuk shed at the cat, who kept retreating while shooting her arrows. They were all striking Junhyuk, but he focused on piercing Yagi¡¯s heart with Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    The sword lengthened, passing Yagi¡¯s arm and piercing her heart. It was a critical hit, and Yagi lost 26 percent of her health.

    She only had 40 percent left now. Then, electric arrows pounded against her back, and she lost another 20 percent. Yagi¡¯s eyes widened, and Junhyuk realized something then: he could lengthen Aksha¡¯s Longsword, but how to make use of it depended on him.

    The de shortened, and he quickly closed in on the cat. Now, he was able to shorten the de from the tip instead of the hilt, so he got pulled toward Yagi at great speed.

    It was a great way to move.

    When he got close, Junhyuk stabbed Yagi with the Blood Rune Sword. Her eyes widened, and he sunk Aksha¡¯s Longsword deeper into the hero, twisting it in her heart.

    Yagi disappeared, and Junhyuk turned back.

    Garu was alone now, so Junhyuk used his jump skill to close the gap andnd right in front of him. As hended, Junhyuk shed the hero. Garu didn¡¯t try to dodge the attack. Instead, he blocked it with his massive body.

    Garu received 6 percent of damage. His defense was about the same as Ronga¡¯s defense, and Ronga was definitely dangerous.

    Garu had been attacked by all three allies. Though two of them had weaker items, their items dealt magic damage.

    The allies focused on him again, and Garu blew his trunk at Junhyuk. That was one of Garu¡¯s powers, a push, and Junhyuk was thrown back while extending his sword.

    Garu grabbed the de of Aksha¡¯s Longsword, and Junhyuk used that to close the gap between himself and the hero once more. He was able to do that with Aksha¡¯s Longsword now, which made him happy. Once he was close, Junhyuk sliced Garu¡¯s thigh with the Blood Rune Sword.

    Then, electric arrows and blue beams mmed against the hero, and Garu disappeared.

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure of who had killed Garu, but he didn¡¯t care. While they fought, a hundred allied minions had been lost, so Junhyuk joined the attack on the enemy minions immediately.

    The enemy minions were gnolls, and Junhyuk lengthened his de to cut them down. The shockwaves no longer worked on minions, but because they didn¡¯t carry shields, they were easy to strike in bunches.

    Sarang and Elise gave him supporting fire, and the enemy minions were massacred in mere moments.

    Junhyuk picked up the items dropped by the heroes he killed. Ronga had dropped a bracelet, and Yagi had dropped an earring. d to have a new earring, he inspected his items.

    ¡ª

    Feared Canine Bracelet

    Attack +20

    Health +400

    The Feared Canine Bracelet is made out of a wild beast¡¯s teeth. It increases attack and health. This item is usually carried by a damager tank.

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk could tell that Ronga¡¯s bracelet was more focused on attack than defense. He smiled. The bracelet fit the hero well. Junhyuk remembered that the hero seemed to have a lot of health, and the bracelet certainly boosted health instead of defense.

    Junhyuk¡¯s piercing stat was high, but his damage seemed weak inparison to Ronga¡¯s.

    ¡ª

    Earring of Speed

    Attack Speed +15%

    This earring carries no other buff, but it¡¯ll increase attack speed significantly.

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk was impressed by the items he had picked up, even considering removing the steel bracelet he owned. By exchanging it with the Feared Canine Bracelet, he would get another hundred health, but he would lose forty defense.

    After some thought, he decided to find out how expensive those items were first. He put on the earring since he had lost his. Junhyuk thought he hade up even on the earrings.

    He knew he could kill Ronga in a team fight, but Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t be able to continue using powers on other enemies. He had to take care of Ronga first whenever they went up against each other.

    The enemy team was formidable.

    Junhyuk stretched and said, ¡°Let¡¯s upy the buff tower.¡±

    He took his minions and destroyed the enemy tower. Then, once he reached the buff tower, he sat downfortably and contacted La and Gongon.

    ¡°We¡¯ve taken the middle.¡±

    ¡°OK. We¡¯ll need more time,¡± Gongon said.

    Gongon had long range attacks, so he could take pot shots at the enemy to decrease their health before he went for the kill.

    Junhyuk started thinking about teaming Rodrey with him.

    ¡°How is La?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fighting someone, seemingly stuck at the second watchtower.¡±

    The enemy had been able to fight for two straight hours against La, and that made him worried.

    ¡°Just push from your side,¡± Junhyuk said.

    He was satisfied with what was happening. If Ronga went middle again, the allies would have another hard fight in their hands.

    He turned to Elise. She had stood out of the range of the taunt. If she had been closer, she could¡¯ve used her power to nullify the effects. If she had been by his side, he might¡¯ve not lost so much health.

    Thinking back, he hadn¡¯t made good use of her, so he smacked his lips.

    The allies took over the buff tower, and after Junhyuk heard the announcement of the buff, he got up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep pushing. I don¡¯t know where our enemies are.¡±

    The enemy team could only send those three heroes there at that moment. Unless one of the others gave up a side, Junhyuk would be able to fight the three.

    Ronga might even have some beef with him now and head straight there.

    Elise smiled and said, ¡°We have to go see Bebe.¡±

    ¡°We need to check the prices of our items, but we should finish the battle first. Let¡¯s go down and join one of the sides.¡±

    With the buff, the allies moved quickly. If Ronga did not head middle, Junhyuk would go find him. With the buffed speed, it was definitely possible for him to give support to the others.

    Junhyuk wanted to finish the round quickly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 456 - Snowball 3

    <h4>Chapter 456: Snowball 3</h4>

    While moving quickly to the second middle watchtower, Junhyuk frowned. He didn¡¯t see any enemies in his path.

    He hadn¡¯t seen anyone in ten minutes, so there was a significant possibility that his enemies had moved in another direction. He contacted the others.

    ¡°Gon, La, the enemies are not here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? All three heroes?¡±

    ¡°Right. Even just one of them might cause problems for you.¡±

    ¡°What should we do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go join La. Sarang and Elise have to upgrade their weapons, so after they do that, they¡¯ll help you.¡±

    ¡°OK. Do that,¡± Gongon said.

    Junhyuk added, ¡°La, I¡¯ll join you as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you.¡±

    ¡°If you see Ronga, let me know.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    After discussing his n, Junhyuk turned to Sarang and said, ¡°Head over to Bebe with Elise, but be careful on your way.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Only do the basic upgrades. Do you have gold?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and then turned to Elise to say, ¡°Get everything priced.¡±

    ¡°Will do.¡±

    Looking at the minions, he added, ¡°There aren¡¯t enough of them, so take them with you. I¡¯ll go join La.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to keep in touch with Gongon. We have the speed buff, so it should be OK, but we can¡¯t be sure.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    After cautioning Sarang about a few more things, they split. While running, Junhyuk thought about getting another buff on the way. He had the speed buff, so he could aplish the task quickly.

    Junhyuk went in search of the buff monster. He knew where it was, so when he found the Smander, he killed it.

    In the past, he had had difficulty finding the nucleus of the Smander, but he knew where to look for it now. Aksha¡¯s Longsword pierced the beast and snaked itself inside it in search of the nucleus, killing it.

    Junhyuk was buffed yet again, and he headed toward La. The enemy had lost the first watchtower, so the bird was perched on the second. Junhyuk was going to kill that hero.

    He hadn¡¯t taken minions with him because he wanted to move quickly. His speed was already great, and now that he was buffed, he moved at incredible speed.

    Then, he came up to a point on the road where the path split. Since he had started fighting in Nightmare Mountain, he hadn¡¯t killed a dragon. The sign on the road showed a valley to one side. If he followed it, he would encounter a dragon.

    The round was difficult, so he wondered if he should kill the dragon to get the extra buffs. His spatial sense was active, so it warned him about people approaching. When he saw them, he frowned. They wereing straight toward him, and when the leader of the group saw him, the leaderughed hard.

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha! We meet again!¡±

    Ronga, Yagi, and Garu were walking toward him. Junhyuk was alone, so there was no way he could fight them. Measuring the distance between them, Junhyuk swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword. The sword stretched to its maximum length, twenty meters, triggering a Spatial sh with a seventy-meter range.

    The enemy heroes knew about his Spatial sh, so they ran toward Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk meant to run away, but because his enemies had been moving toward him, he decided to use his power on them.

    The Spatial sh cut through Ronga¡¯s neck and released a shockwave. All of them lost chunks of their health at once.

    Ronga lost 41 percent; Yagi 32 percent; and Garu lost 21 percent.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t really want to fight, so when he saw the enemies getting hit, he turned around and ran away. While running, he heard Rongaugh at him.

    ¡°Where are you going?!¡±

    The enemies gave chase, and he smiled. Junhyuk was buffed. With his increased speed, he would be able to lose them.

    ¡°Garu!¡± Ronga shouted, and Garu hugged Yagi and jumped.

    Garu jumped over twenty meters. Then, Ronga grabbed Yagi and rushed toward Junhyuk.

    Once Yagi was free, she disyed her incredible speed against Junhyuk. She moved extremely quickly while shooting.

    Junhyuk was buffed, so it was funny to him that Yagi was still faster than him. He got hit by the arrows and grimaced. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t figured it out before, but now, he knew: Yagi¡¯s arrows dealt 2 percent in damage, but they also dealt damage-over-time for three seconds. If he got hit again while those three seconds were active, the damage increased.

    After getting hit five times, the arrows would explode.

    Junhyuk tried to run away, but looking back, he sighed. He couldn¡¯t continue like that, so he teleported. Yagi¡¯s speed was impressive, but he could teleported, so he used both teleports to gain a sixty-meter distance from them. The enemies stopped, out of breath.

    Ronga watched him go and smacked his lips. He thought that they could¡¯ve continued to chase Junhyuk, but that wasn¡¯t part of their n.

    ¡°Let¡¯s turn back. We¡¯ll kill the dragon first. Then, we¡¯ll seek him out.¡±

    The heroes turned around. Junhyuk didn¡¯t dare reengage them, but that meant they would get to the dragon first.

    He turned his gaze away from them when they did the same to him. Junhyuk wanted to get away, to hide in the forest. Once he was sure the enemy heroes couldn¡¯t see him, he contacted the others.

    ¡°Gon, La, Sarang, I came up on our enemies. They are going to kill the dragon.¡±

    ¡°With just three?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be easy to push from the sides without three enemies on the field.¡±

    ¡°But they¡¯ll kill the dragon before we destroy their castle.¡±

    The buff from killing the dragon was a serious problem. If the enemies got it, they would be incredibly dangerous.

    Junhyuk was sure that he could kill Ronga now, but the other heroes were also dangerous. Yagi was extremely annoying, and her explosions made thingsplicated. If Yagi gained attack items, she would be deadly.

    After some thought, Junhyuk said, ¡°I have to steal it.¡±

    ¡°Steal it? You mean the dragon kill?¡±

    ¡°Right. We won¡¯t be able to win this round if I don¡¯t do it.¡±

    ¡°Is that even possible?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m ready to die for it.¡±

    Junhyuk might die and lose an item in the process, but he had decided.

    ¡°I¡¯ll join you,¡± Sarang said.

    ¡°No. It¡¯ll take too long. I¡±ll get the dragon on my own.¡±

    The speed buff wouldn¡¯t help much now. Sarang was moving in the opposite direction, so if she came, she would just be fodder for enemy kills.

    ¡°I have my Spatial sh,¡± he said with a smile.

    Junhyuk trusted himself to do it.

    Gongon stared at him and asked, ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t die.¡±

    Junhyuk was willing to die for the cause, but he was not nning on doing it. If he did, he wished he would lose a crappy item. If he ended up losing an item from the Vampire Lord set, he would cry like a baby.

    Looking at his allies, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll steal it. Push from all sides!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Smiling, Junhyuk disconnected. He didn¡¯t want to follow Ronga, but he might get therete. Still, he trusted his speed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll use my powers as well.¡±

    Junhyuk would take the back roads to the Dragon¡¯s Valley. The distance of his teleportation had increased, so he ran quickly and teleported whenever he could.

    He didn¡¯t use his jump skill to get there, but he still made it to the valley. It was his first time using those roads, but he knew where he was going.

    He looked down into the valley from the top of a cliff and was stunned. The cliffs surrounding the valley were twice as tall as before. They were a hundred meters tall, but Junhyuk could still see that the battle had started.

    Garu was fighting, but a dragon was a dragon. On Earth, that dragon would cause theplete annihtion of humanity. The dragon was ying with Garu as if the hero was a toy.

    Ronga was attacking the dragon, and Junhyuk realized that Ronga was stronger than he had initially thought. The dragon was bleeding from the side, and there were bruises on the dragon¡¯s legs from Ronga¡¯s attacks.

    The hero¡¯s weapon was superior. A legendary weapon, Ronga had to have upgraded it. Its damage was outstanding.

    ¡°Arn used to upgrade his sabers for more damage.¡±

    Junhyuk looked down and saw that Garu was fighting the dragon with 50 percent of his health. Ronga had 70 percent left.

    He tried inspecting the dragon, but he was unable to see the dragon¡¯s health bar. Looking at it, Junhyuk started moving.

    The dragon had a broken wing, and its tail was also damaged. It inhaled deeply, about to breathe fire.

    Junhyuk measured the distance from the dragon. He wouldn¡¯t reach it with a teleport, but he knew that the dragon was about to fall.

    Right as the dragon used his breath, Junhyuk jumped down from the cliffside. The enemies were busy shielding themselves from the breath, so as soon as hended, he teleported to the dragon.

    Ronga rushed through the breath.

    sh!

    Ronga cut the dragon, and a big gash appeared on its chest. The dragon was about to die. There was no time for hesitation, so Junhyuk used his Spatial sh.

 Chapter 457 - Continuous Danger 1

    <h4>Chapter 457: Continuous Danger 1</h4>

    Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh prated the dragon¡¯s neck Now, the dragon had a gaping wound on his neck and on his chest. Seeing that, Ronga¡¯s eyes beamed.

    ¡°Junhyuk!¡± the enemy hero shouted, fully aware of Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh.

    Junhyuk¡¯s task had been to finish the dragon, but the dragon had not died. Gritting his teeth, Junhyuk dashed toward the beast.

    Ronga chased after him. The enemy hero had rushed through a firebreath, but he hadn¡¯t lost much health. Junhyuk thought that was strange, but he didn¡¯t have the time to learn more about it.

    Yagi was already shooting at the dragon.

    The dragon snapped its tail, swinging it toward Ronga, but the hero simply jumped over it. Garu was now far away from the dragon since he only had 30 percent of his health left. Junhyuk thought he must¡¯ve acted as bait for the firebreath.

    Looking at the tail that was now swinging toward him, Junhyuk decided he had to kill the dragon immediately.

    He used his jumping skill, and thirty meters into the air, he stabbed at the dragon with Aksha¡¯s Longsword, but the sword stretched and wrapped itself around the dragon¡¯s neck. With the dragon tied up, he stabbed through its neck with the Blood Rune Sword.

    Junhyuk had been lucky. His piercing stat had been enough to pierce through the dragon¡¯s scales. Then, he pulled Aksha¡¯s Longsword back, and as he did, it sliced right through the dragon¡¯s neck. A lot of blood poured out, but the dragon wouldn¡¯t die.

    Junhyuk scowled then. Now, he had to deal with both Ronga and the dragon.

    Ronga jumped on the dragon¡¯s tail and ran right up the dragon¡¯s back. Junhyuk was in a precarious position. Suddenly, an explosion of green energy sted through the dragon¡¯s body. Yagi had stacked the ailments and caused the explosion, which was wide enough to m Junhyuk. The explosion ignored defense, and Junhyuk bit his lip as he lost 22 percent of his health.

    Ronga was running toward him, but regardless of that, he had to kill the dragon.

    Junhyuk ran toward the dragon¡¯s head. His speed buff was still active, so he was faster than Ronga.

    The dragon felt him climbing it and shook its head. By that point, Ronga was really close to reaching him. The dragon wasn¡¯t moving its torso, so Ronga could run safely along its back to get to Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk lengthened Aksha¡¯s Longsword and stuck it through the dragon¡¯s neck. The dragon shook its neck, and Junhyuk felt everything move.

    He looked at the spot the Spatial sh had pierced thorough. The spot was still bleeding, so he elerated and pulled out Aksha¡¯s Longsword. He was freefalling now, and the dragon¡¯s eyes beamed. It opened its mouth, chasing after him.

    Ronga jumped from the dragon¡¯s back, also chasing after Junhyuk.

    Arrows stuck to his back, and Junhyuk extended his hand and shouted, ¡°DIE!¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s power activated right where the dragon had been struck by the Spatial sh.

    Crack!

    The Spatial Copse opened a gaping hole through the dragon, and the hole was sucking everything toward it.

    Ronga was within range, so since he was also freefalling, he couldn¡¯t withstand the suction of the Spatial Copse. He seemed scared by that, and Junhyuk smiled.

    Then, he heard a friendly voice.

    [You¡¯ve killed the dragon Kaloyan. For the next two hours, you get a 30 percent increase to health regeneration rate, a 30 percent increase to movement speed, a 30 percent increase to attack speed, a 30 percent increase to defense, and when you attack, you will inflict an additional one hundred damage on top of your normal damage. If you die within two hours, you will lose yours buff.]

    Junhyuk had gained the dragon¡¯s buff, so he knew it was time for him to escape. He extended Aksha¡¯s Longsword toward the ground, and once it stuck through the ground, he shortened it, using it to pull himself down.

    Suddenly, a shadow loomed over his head.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk turned to look and saw the debris scattered everywhere as he gotunched up. He clicked his tongue because he needed to save his teleportation for the cliffside.

    In the air now, he was being struck by Yagi¡¯s arrows as she ran toward him.

    Things didn¡¯t look good. The Spatial Copse had ended, so Ronga also chased after him.

    Junhyuk wanted to y close attention to Ronga. The enemy hero should have his powers back by now, so he was extremely dangerous.

    Biting his lip, Junhyuk raised his force field around himself.

    For the next ten seconds, now that he had the buff, he could run away. He had the dragon¡¯s buff, but he also had the tower¡¯s buff. For that reason, his speed was unbelievable.

    Laughing at him, Ronga asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    Junhyuk was running toward the cliffside and not to an open space, and the cliff was a hundred meters tall. Ronga was confident that even if he tried teleporting up it, it wouldn¡¯t work.

    Junhyuk looked at his enemies, who were walking slowly toward him, and gave them a biter smile. It was possible that he would die.

    When he reached the cliff, he looked back again and saw that there was some distance between him and his enemies now, so he flipped Ronga off.

    The enemy hero didn¡¯t understand the gesture, but he could guess what it was, so he bared his teeth to Junhyuk.

    ¡°Roooaar!¡±

    Ronga ran to him roaring, and Junhyuk teleported again. He only went up thirty meters, stabbing the cliffside with the Blood Rune Sword when he appeared. He teleported another thirty meters up and looked down. His enemies were below him.

    ¡°Next time you see me, you should be afraid!¡±

    Junhyuk meant to go up against them again before the buffs wore off. After that, he stretched Aksha¡¯s Longsword and stuck it to the side of the cliff above him.

    He shortened it, and the sword pulled him up. Junhyuk was smiling at his ingenuity when the sword got unstuck from the cliff. He immediately stabbed the cliffside with the Blood Rune Sword and sighed.

    He had climbed another ten meters, so making his way up like that was possible for him.

    After he sighed, he looked down. On Earth, he would¡¯ve used a different method to escape. There, he could¡¯ve elerated and run up the cliff.

    Ronga wasn¡¯t giving up. The enemy hero did the same thing Junhyuk did and stuck his sword into the cliff. That was something Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected, and it stunned him. On top of that, Ronga was climbing faster than him.

    Junhyuk had already used all of his powers, so he smacked his lips and while he stabbed the cliff with the Blood Rune Sword, he attacked Ronga with Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    He triggered his eleration and attacked at the same time Ronga pulled his sword from the cliffside. Ronga still had enough presence of mind to block...

    ng!

    ... But that was all the enemy hero could do at that moment. Ronga fell to the ground, and Junhyuk smirked. He was the superior hero on the cliffside, all because of Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    When Junhyuk got to the top, he looked down and shouted, ¡°Come and chase me!¡±

    Ronga bared his teeth at him and shouted in reply, ¡°We¡¯ll take the road!¡±

    Ronga, Yagi and Garu took the road out of the Dragon¡¯s Valley.

    His enemies would take a while getting to him, and that made him feel at ease. Because it was possible that they would ambush him and because Junhyuk couldn¡¯t sense things inside the reed fields, he decided to take the longer road to be safe.

    Taking the right path, he contact La.

    ¡°La, how is it going?¡±

    ¡°We are done on this side. I¡¯m thinking of advancing.¡±

    ¡°Hm... I stole the dragon kill, but the heroes are alive. They might chase after me or head your way, in which case, they¡¯ll get to you before I can.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to have the allies gather up. With the dragon¡¯s buff, he didn¡¯t think the allies would lose if they fought as a team.

    ¡°Should wee to you?¡±

    After some thought, he said, ¡°No. Keep advancing. I¡¯ll join you.¡±

    On top of having the greater speed buff, Junhyuk could also teleport. He ended the conversation and took off running and teleporting when he could.

    He didn¡¯t take one of the trails, going through the trees to make sure he wouldn¡¯te up against Ronga. Then, he connected with Sarang.

    ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°We are almost at the left path.¡±

    ¡°Did you upgrade your weapon?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± she said, smiling, and made the victory sign with her hand. She waved the orb in front of him and said, ¡°The sixth upgrade was a sess!¡±

    ¡°I told you to only do the basic ones.¡±

    ¡°Elise did it too!¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t care about Elise. The scientist would keep her weapon for a long time, but he wanted Sarang to sell her weapon as soon as she had something else prepared. The upgrades weren¡¯t necessary.

    Still, Junhyuk agreed with her regardless since the upgrade had been a sess.

    ¡°OK. Go join Gongon. It would take a while to reach the left from here, so it should be safe. Destroy that tower.¡±

    ¡°Will do!¡±

    Junhyuk disconnected and teleported again and again on his way to La. He hoped that she wouldn¡¯t have to fight Ronga herself, so he moved quickly.

 Chapter 458 - Continuous Danger 2

    <h4>Chapter 458: Continuous Danger 2</h4>

    Junhyuk kept teleporting while running. He had had two speed buffs when he started, but the tower buff disappeared on the way.

    The second enemy watchtower had already been destroyed, which meant that the allies had killed the enemy hero guarding it.

    Junhyuk wished that the Dimensional Battlefield acted like Earth. If things had been like on Earth, he would¡¯ve elerated, and that would make him free to solve any issue.

    Thinking about it, however, he shook his head. His enemies would also fight without restraint if that had been the case. If he was restrained, his enemies were as well. With both sides restrained, he wasn¡¯t sure about who was actually stronger. He wasn¡¯t confident that he was. On Earth, items from the Dimensional Battlefield did not get any weaker, but heroes have individual skill levels. He wasn¡¯t sure about how skilled he really was, but he could make a few guesses about Aksha.

    Aksha was a true legend, but he wasn¡¯t sure about the other heroes. While Junhyuk was thinking about those things, a projection of La¡¯s face appeared, making him stop.

    ¡°Run back!¡±

    ¡°Were you killed?¡±

    ¡°Yes. They came from the castle.¡±

    ¡°They returned and came after you?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Junhyuk had run from the Dragon¡¯s Valley and had already passed the second watchtower. His enemies had returned to the castle and run down the path.

    Junhyuk frowned and asked, ¡°Where did you get killed?¡±

    ¡°About an hour down the path from where we destroyed the watchtower. I just died, so they should be far from you. You should retreat.¡±

    Thinking about it, Junhyuk said, ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.¡±

    If they wereing for him, he could run away, but he still had the dragon¡¯s buff. Instead, he contacted Gongon.

    ¡°Gon, where are you?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°La and Rodrey have been killed.¡±

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°Are the enemiesing toward me? Or are they heading toward you?¡±

    Gongon took a moment to think and said, ¡°They¡¯lle after me.¡±

    ¡°How long until you reach the next watchtower?¡±

    ¡°About an hour?¡±

    By then, the enemy heroes might already be there.

    ¡°Let¡¯s push for it. The enemy heroes could be there when you get there, but we¡¯ll deal with that and run away. That¡¯s the better option.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s do it.¡±

    After some thought, Junhyuk said, ¡°I should head middle just in case.¡±

    Junhyuk could reach the second middle watchtower in two hours. By then, it was possible his enemies could be there as well. They could move around to kill the allied heroes, but the allies would destroy the watchtowers in all three paths.

    If they came for him, Junhyuk would just run away.

    ¡°We need items with speed buffs.¡±

    Without the buffs, running away wasn¡¯t possible. Junhyuk had two teleportations to distance himself, but Garu could jump, Ronga could rush, and Yagi had a massive speed buff.

    Junhyuk looked at his bracer. It gave him the jump skill, which had really helped him, but did that skill really suit him?

    He really liked Elise¡¯s and Ronga¡¯s powers.

    As he ran, Gongon contacted him and said, ¡°I killed the enemy who had revived again. I feel great!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Did you destroy the watchtower?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then, return.¡±

    ¡°Should I? I want to kill the buff monster and then head middle.¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think. It wasn¡¯t a bad idea to gather the allies in the middle, so nodding, he answered, ¡°OK. Contact La and tell her to head middle as well.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk disconnected and picked up the pace. He was making sure to save his teleports because they might save him if he came upon his enemies.

    When he reached the watchtower, he saw nobody. Relieved, he rushed toward the tower. Arrows flew at him from the top of the tower, and he got hit by them. Junhyuk didn¡¯t care about that despite losing a lot of health. In response, he raised his force field.

    With the force field up, he destroyed the watchtower. However, he decided not to advance further. Instead, he would go see Bebe. He thanked the dragon¡¯s buff for being able to move so quickly.

    On his way, he contacted Gongon again, ¡°Gon, I¡¯m on my way to see Bebe. You should join me.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Gongon just had to change directions, so he didn¡¯t refuse Junhyuk¡¯s offer. They made ns to meet in front of Bebe¡¯s store.

    Junhyuk kept going, and about fifteen minutes from the store, Gongon contacted him again.

    When Junhyuk saw Gongon¡¯s face, he chuckled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be there in fifteen.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯te.¡± Junhyuk frowned, and Gongon gritted his teeth, saying, ¡°I met him on the way to Bebe¡¯s. That lion¡¯s no joke!¡±

    Junhyuk knew about the extent of Ronga¡¯s damage. His own defense was even better than Gongon¡¯s, so he really didn¡¯t like how high Ronga¡¯s attack stat was.

    If all three heroes had attacked Gongon, there would¡¯ve been no way for the hatchling to survive alone. He and Sarang had killed Ronga, but that had been thanks to the force field.

    Junhyuk sighed heavily and looked ahead. He was really close to Bebe¡¯s, but his enemies might be heading his way.

    The enemy hero Gongon had killed had to have told them about the watchtowers.

    Junhyuk wanted to meet the enemy heroes, but he didn¡¯t care if that didn¡¯t happen. It had been a while since the allies had been killed at that rate.

    Turning around, Junhyuk started running. He wanted to join the rest of his team, so he would go to the buff tower.

    Every allied hero had died once in that round. The enemies had also died, but now, they were more dangerous than at the start.

    ¡°Ronga...¡±

    If Junhyuk was the core of his team, Ronga filled the same spot for the enemy team.

    He contacted La, and she said, ¡°I heard from Gon. Are you alive?¡±

    ¡°Our enemies aren¡¯t stupid.¡±

    After the destruction of the watchtowers, they had changed their ns.

    ¡°What should we do now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m heading to the buff tower.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? We¡¯ll get there ahead of you.¡±

    ¡°Come up the middle path, and I¡¯ll take the path back from the watchtower to the buff tower.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think. Could the allies kill the three enemy heroes without Sarang? Were there only three enemy heroes now?

    He walked toward the middle path. A team battle was imminent, and in it, Junhyuk would have to kill Ronga alone. If the allies poured all of their powers against him, they would be able to kill him quickly, but by doing that, they would be attacked by the other heroes.

    Junhyuk lengthened Aksha¡¯s Longsword, and for a moment, his sword stretched to twenty meters. He felt the weight of the sword at full extension.

    On Earth, he could elerate and read the enemy¡¯s movements, but on the battlefield, things were different.

    Junhyuk was satisfied with his reaction time with Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    ¡°Ronga...¡±

    The enemy hero¡¯s swordsmanship was superior to his, and he was easily killed in their first duel.

    Junhyuk reached the enemy¡¯s watchtower, but no enemies were there.

    From there, he looked over at the enemy camp and saw a hero climbing up the path with minions. The sight of it made him scowl. The enemy team had to be thinking of having a team battle at the buff tower. If the allies lost that battle, all allied actions taken up to that point would lose their meaning.

    Looking at the hero, Junhyuk came to the conclusion that he was at least an hour from his enemy. He thought about going down the path to kill everyone, but other heroes might appear and group up on him.

    Instead, he ran back to the buff tower. If he had spotted the enemy, the enemy might have spotted him as well. If that were the case, he could die on the way to the tower.

    He ran pell-mell to the top of the mountain. The hero with the minions was the rhinoceros. He had inspected the enemy ande to the conclusion that the hero had to be a tank, which meant they had two tanks, two long range attackers, and a damager much like Junhyuk himself.

    Heughed when he considered himself a damager and a tank. He had the highest defense among the allies and the best attacks.

    While climbing the mountain, Junhyuk received the buff tower¡¯s buff. With the faster movement speed, he joined his team.

    He looked down at the path and saw his enemiesing together one by one. They were definitely preparing for a team battle, and once all of them had gathered, Junhyuk saw that they had three hundred minions with them.

    The enemies meant to push through from the middle, and like he had guessed, it would take them an hour and a half to reach the top. From the other side, he could see Gongon and Sarang heading his way.

    The allies were buffed, but because they had minions with them, they were moving slowly. They would take another two hours to reach the top, so he contacted Gongon and said, ¡°Gon, leave the minions behind.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°You need to move a full speed. If not, the enemy team will get here before you.¡±

    The three at the top of the mountain could hold off the enemy team with help from the watchtower, but it wouldn¡¯t be easy. Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to take that kind of risk.

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll speed up.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to look down at his enemies. When his eyes met Ronga¡¯s, he muttered, ¡°This fight will depend on timing.¡±

    Even with the buff, Gongon would bete, so he had to protect the watchtower from the five enemy heroes.

 Chapter 459 - Continuous Danger 3

    <h4>Chapter 459: Continuous Danger 3</h4>

    Junhyuk measured the travel time of Gongon¡¯s group and came to the conclusion that the hatchling would get there in the nick of time. After that, he went up the watchtower.

    By using the watchtower, he could keep the enemy heroes at bay. The allied heroes were there waiting for Gongon when the enemy heroes showed up.

    With Ronga as their leader, every enemy hero appeared, an army of minions behind them. Looking at them, Junhyuk felt extremely tense.

    Ronga realized that the allies were in a small group, so he didn¡¯t hesitate. The lion attacked.

    Junhyuk thought it was possible for him to kill Ronga by himself, but he needed to focus all of his powers and attention on the enemy hero. While Junhyuk thought about what to do, Ronga approached quickly. Junhyuk knew he couldn¡¯t waste any more time thinking, so he gripped Aksha¡¯s Longsword tightly.

    The sword lengthened, and Ronga readied himself. Junhyuk hesitated. The enemy hero started running in zigzag in preparation for the Spatial sh, and Junhyukughed.

    Looking at Ronga, Junhyuk triggered his eleration. When there were fifty meters between them, Junhyuk used his Spatial sh.

    The sword cut through Ronga¡¯s neck, and Ronga screamed suddenly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± the enemy hero shouted while still dashing toward Junhyuk.

    At that moment, Junhyuk decided to kill Ronga.

    ¡°Let¡¯s kill him,¡± he told the others.

    Even with the watchtower, Ronga would be a difficult enemy. He knew Ronga had dangerous powers, so he looked at his enemies and extended his hand.

    Ronga had lost 41 percent of his health with the Spatial sh, so Junhyuk thought they could kill him even without Sarang¡¯s help.

    His force field trapped Ronga within it, and smiling with satisfaction, Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Attack!¡±

    La unsheathed her katana, and Rodrey pulled out his knives. Both ran forward, and Ronga smiled.

    The enemy hero was scoffing at the allies, so Junhyuk triggered his Spatial Copse on Ronga. However, the rhinoceros suddenly took Ronga¡¯s ce.

    The Spatial Copse had already been set, so Junhyuk couldn¡¯t move it. The enemy hero lost 50 percent of his health at once. The rhino was a tank, but his defense was lower than Ronga¡¯s.

    ¡°That¡¯s kinda like Lucy¡¯s power.¡±

    Junhyuk had wanted to kill Ronga, and now, some other guy was interfering with his n. However, since he had already attacked, he decided to continue.

    Rodrey threw his knives. His attackbined with La¡¯s killed the rhino. However, while the rhino died, the others managed to close the gap. Ronga smirked again and shouted, ¡°Ha-ha-ha! DIE!¡±

    The enemies were too close to the allies now. Junhyuk swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword, but Ronga dodged it by going underground. It was his power, and all of the allies were within range of Ronga¡¯s burst.

    The bird hero beat his wings, and feathers got shot at the allies. Now that he was under attack, Junhyuk lost 10 percent of his health.

    Yagi triggered her speed buff and shot at the allies, and seeing that, Junhyuk touched both La and Rodrey and teleported away. They were back on top of the watchtower.

    Ronga sprung up from the ground at the spot where the allies had been standing, and as soon as he did, he triggered his ultimate.

    That ultimate was a high-tiered power with great damage, but the allies had already escaped it.

    Because their heroes were under attack, the watchtower archers became buffed, and they shot down at the enemies. The enemy heroes were hit by the arrows, but they kept advancing.

    Gongon hadn¡¯t arrived yet, but Junhyuk had to deal with Ronga immediately.

    He turned to La.

    ¡°We have to kill Ronga!¡± she said and ran forward. The enemies focused their attacks on her. Junhyuk knew that she was using all of her might in that fight. Sheunched her sword horizontally, and Ronga dove to dodge.

    At the same moment, Rodrey put his arms forward, and suddenly, an uncountable amount of knives flew out from Rodrey¡¯s clothes. That was Rodrey¡¯s ultimate. The knives fell from the sky like rain over a certain area, damaging the enemies.

    After escaping Ronga¡¯s rush, Junhyuk swung his sword, easily extending it to twenty meters.

    Boom!

    All of the allies were suddenly thrown into the air. While floating, Junhyuk looked around. He had used all of his powers already, but he wanted to attack Ronga before hended.

    Ronga blocked his attack with his broadsword and smiled. Junhyuk didn¡¯t know why the enemy hero was smiling until Garu shouted, ¡°Attack me!¡±

    Junhyuk lost his ability to reason, and all of the enemy heroes attacked him.

    ¡ª

    The harrowing void.

    Once Junhyuk had recovered himself, he instinctively swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword. The more he learned about the sword, the more he was surprised by it.

    He hadn¡¯t learned how to fight with sabers from Arn. Instead, Arn had taught him how to tune his body and given him the living spirit. For those reasons, Junhyuk could use mana. However, at that moment, he needed to master Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship more than anything.

    Suddenly, light shed before his eyes, and Junhyuk revived.

    He looked at Ariel, and she asked, [Are you OK?]

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    Junhyuk checked on his items. He had dropped a rare item, the Gauntlet of Desire.

    ¡°Whew!¡±

    He was relieved that he hadn¡¯t lost a set item, but he had died twice already. Scowling, he said, ¡°I should¡¯ve given up the watchtower.¡±

    Junhyuk had protected the watchtower, but really, he should¡¯ve joined the rest of the allies. If he had done that, the allies would¡¯ve been able to deal with the enemies more effectively. He had made a mistake and been killed for it.

    Junhyuk sighed. Though he had made a mistake, he wouldn¡¯t lose the round.

    He turned to the wall and checked out the amount of gold he had: 1,139,963G.

    That was more than a million. On top of that, he had picked up a couple of items and he still had the Red Dragon Boots.

    ¡°Maybe I should rece my glove.¡±

    Even at a discount, getting a new item would be expensive, but if he got something from the Vampire Lord set, his overall strength would increase.

    Set items had not disappointed him yet, and he wanted more items from the Vampire Lord set.

    Junhyuk turned to Ariel and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±

    [You¡¯ll do fine.]

    Junhyuk stood by the exit, and Ariel gathered her hands in front of her mouth and shouted, [Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed!]

    After he walked outside, he looked around calmly. Just like he had thought, he was the first to be killed.

    He walked through the cluster of minions and waited. Momentster, La and Rodrey walked out.

    ¡°You two were killed?¡±

    La gave him a bitter smile and replied, ¡°Gongon joined us, but we were too injured.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Now, Junhyuk thought that Garu posed a massive problem. His taunt left the allies helpless, and they had no way to stop it. Junhyuk had ced too much trust in his force field. He hadn¡¯t expected the rhino to take Ronga¡¯s ce.

    He thought it was just like Lucy¡¯s power again.

    He shouldn¡¯t trust his force field too much in team battles when enemies had unknown powers.

    Junhyuk waited a bit more. He wanted to know the result of the battle first. If the allies had lost the watchtower, the group would join him again soon.

    After some time waiting, Gongon, Sarang and Elise showed up. They had all been killed.

    ¡°All of you?!¡±

    Gongon shook his head in frustration.

    ¡°We managed to kill Ronga, but his spin ultimate really took a toll on us.¡±

    ¡°So, what happened?¡±

    Sarang interjected, ¡°When I died, Yagi was the only one left.¡±

    ¡°You guys killed all of the others?¡±

    Elise spoke up then, ¡°Correct, and I killed Yagi.¡±

    ¡°Why did you die then?¡±

    She sighed and replied, ¡°Yagi¡¯s attacks have a damage-over-time effect.¡±

    Yagi had been able to kill Elise with that. Sighing, Junhyuk asked, ¡°What about the watchtower?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still standing.¡±

    Junhyuk was relieved to hear that, but the allies had still been killed. Looking at the group, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s climb back up. They should still try to push through the middle.¡±

    ¡°Is there a way to kill them without us dying?¡±

    ¡°It should be possible, but regardless, we still have to kill them.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll receive back up from the watchtower,¡± he said and added surprisingly, ¡°We should ignore Ronga and focus on Garu.¡±

    Shaking his head, Gongon asked, ¡°The elephant? Why?¡±

    ¡°His taunt is our biggest problem.¡±

    When taunted, the allies couldn¡¯t do anything. If the enemies focused their attacks on Junhyuk, he would be killed. He didn¡¯t want to point it out himself, but he could kill Ronga by himself once Garu was gone.

    Junhyuk could get lucky, and he had an incredible piercing stat. His attacks would be ferocious.

    Looking around, Elise said, ¡°We need to change our strategy.¡±

    Everyone turned to her, so she exined, ¡°Junhyuk has long range attacks, so he should stay back, behind our forces. I¡¯m not sure about Garu¡¯s power, but I can use my nullification power on the hero himself. At that point, the rest of the allies can focus on him.¡±

    Junhyuk had always taken the lead, but Elise was right.

    He nodded and said, ¡°I used to think my force field was best used in killing Ronga, but because of that rhino, that was obviously not true. We need to change our tactics, and I¡¯ll use my force field on you guys.¡±

    ¡°I can heal as well,¡± Sarang said, expressing her own desire to help.

    ¡°OK.¡± After hearing from everyone, Junhyuk concluded, ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡±

    He took two hundred minions with them, and the group took the middle path up the mountain.

 Chapter 460 - Narrowly 1

    <h4>Chapter 460: Narrowly 1</h4>

    Junhyuk followed the middle path. When he saw the watchtower, he was happy to see that it was still standing despite it being heavily damaged.

    He turned to the enemy side thinking that he would see his enemies at the top of the mountain, but there was nobody there.

    ¡°They aren¡¯t here?¡±

    He walked over to where the enemy watchtower once stood, and from the perch of the mountain, he spotted three enemies standing on the castle wall.

    ¡°They are changing their strategy.¡±

    Two enemy heroes weren¡¯t there. They had to have gone out to destroy watchtowers since the allies had already destroyed all of the enemy towers.

    The allies were winning, and to prevent that from happening, they had sent a tactical team of two heroes out.

    To the allies, their task was clear. They should advance to the enemy castle and force their enemies to return.

    ¡°There are two with long range attacks stationed at the castle.¡±

    Long range attackers were most bothersome. They had incredible range, and one of them had abo power. They could attack the allies while the allies attacked the gate.

    Junhyuk thought about luring them out, but his enemies weren¡¯t stupid. Even outside, it wouldn¡¯t necessarily be easy to kill his enemies.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take the buff tower before we head down.¡±

    In any case, the allies had to kill all five heroes. They had to destroy the castle, so they had no need to wait.

    After upying the buff tower and receiving the buff, they headed out. The allies couldn¡¯t defend their watchtowers now. It was already toote for that.

    So, the allies had to advance.

    Junhyuk took the lead, and the group followed him. The enemy forces should also becking minions by that point, with around two hundred left, if that.

    Junhyuk started on the four-hour trip. One would think he wouldn¡¯t be able to see his enemies at the castle from that distance, but heroes had superior eyesight, and Junhyuk¡¯s eyes met Ronga¡¯s.

    Junhyuk thought about the two times he had died, which he had not expected. He sighed and balled his hands into fists. His enemies considered him the main target, and he had considered Ronga his main target.

    That might have been why he had been killed. He had outstanding defense, but he was not a legend yet.

    ¡°We are killing and getting killed,¡± Gongon said.

    ¡°We had it too easy up to this point.¡±

    While in Arn¡¯s team, Junhyuk remembered winning many battles, but those battles had been fought ferociously. His own team had been too rxed in the way they fought.

    Now, his team was facing strong adversaries.

    ¡°We¡¯ll only meet stronger enemies from now on.¡±

    He thought about the heroes he would meet in the future.

    When the allies were five hundred meters from the enemy castle, the gate opened, and three enemy heroes walked outside: Ronga, Garu and the rhino.

    Looking at them calmly, Junhyuk said, ¡°I haven¡¯t heard your name yet, rhinoceros.¡±

    The hero stepped forward and said, ¡°My name is Cuba.¡±

    Two hundred meters from the enemies, he saw the bird hero on the parapet.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know your name.¡±

    ¡°Tros.¡±

    After getting both of their names, he nodded and unsheathed his sword. The allies had lost the watchtowers on the left and right paths, so now, they had to win that team battle.

    Even if the allies won now, however, their enemies would have one more chance to stop them with the help of the giant golems inside the castle.

    The enemies would have to revive fast. Otherwise, they would lose the golems, and things would be decided. His enemies were willing to risk their lives in that battle.

    Junhyuk nced at the allies and stared at Ronga and Garu, smacking his lips.

    ¡°We¡¯ll change our strategy.¡± Everyone looked at him, and he whispered, ¡°Garu will be our first target.¡±

    Without hesitation, Junhyuk ran forward. The enemies might choose to stay inside the castle, but regardless, Junhyuk would kill Garu first. With Garu gone, the allies would be able to show their prowess.

    Junhyuk swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword, and all of his enemies zigzagged toward him. They were also keeping a gap between them.

    Suddenly, Junhyuk elerated. Able to see Garu clearly, he used his Spatial sh.

    sh!

    Garu was hit, a critical hit. The hero received 40 percent of damage, and the extra damage triggered. Junhyuk was happy about that. He knew that Garu had lost 60 percent of his health even when they weren¡¯t close at all to each other.

    Garu hesitated. The tank didn¡¯t know what to do. At the same time, Junhyuk extended his hand toward Ronga. He couldn¡¯t simply overlook the hero.

    Ronga moved constantly, but Junhyuk triggered the Spatial sh not where Ronga was, but where he would be.

    Craack!

    The attacknded beautifully. The Spatial sh was set right on Ronga¡¯s chest, and the hero lost 44 percent of his health. Ronga was stuck in ce then, and the rest of the allies focused on him.

    Thunderbolts mmed on Ronga¡¯s head. Junhyuk had wanted to kill Garu first, but Ronga was the only one within the other allies¡¯ reach, so they all attacked him.

    Elise buffed Junhyuk, and he kept running ahead.

    He had used two of his powers. Knowing that, Garu¡¯s eyes beamed, and the hero jumped.

    Junhyuk knew exactly what Garu would do when hended, so he teleported back.

    Ronga used his spinning sh ultimate to retreat. He was impervious while that was active. Ronga was running away, but the hero wouldn¡¯t get far once his power ended.

    Rodrey used his speed buff and chased after Ronga. Once Ronga was within range, Rodrey used his ultimate. A rain of knives fell from the sky. Rodrey¡¯s ultimate dealt a heavy toll to the enemy heroes. Right before the knives fell on Ronga, Cuba took his ce. The attack would¡¯ve killed Ronga, but it had failed on that.

    With the enemies retreating, Cuba rushed toward Junhyuk, who teleported to surprise attack the enemy hero. Right as Junhyuk appeared, Garu used his ultimate. With that, Junhyuk lost his reasoning.

    Once he regained his reasoning, he checked his health. He didn¡¯t even know who had attacked him, but he had been left with 40 percent of his health. Suddenly, Sarang healed him. While regaining his health, Junhyuk looked around.

    Meanwhile, Elise, who had reached him, summoned Zaira, who attacked Garu after appearing.

    Garu seemed surprised by the turn of events, and Junhyuk smirked, running toward the elephant. He stabbed Garu, dealing a critical hit that took 12 percent of health from the hero. Garu¡¯s eyes widened. The hero faded away as Junhyuk blocked the arrows shot at him from the parapet.

    Even blocking, Junhyuk was still damage. He looked up at the wall and saw Yagi had shown herself.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck, thuck!

    Junhyuk was hit by multiple arrows, and they all exploded. Junhyuk scowled, but the explosion had already happened, and it had damaged other allies as well.

    With all allies damaged, Tros beat his wings. He was using an area-of-effect attack.

    Elise had used her power to cancel the taunt on Junhyuk, so now that he had his reasoning, Junhyuk raised his force field.

    The feathers bounced all around him, and Junhyuk decided to kill Ronga.

    Seeing the force field up, the enemy hero tried to escape, but Junhyuk¡¯s attack was faster. Ronga tried to block with his broadsword, but La threw her katana at him,unching Ronga into the air.

    Rodrey quickly threw his knives at the enemy hero, and although Ronga blocked them, he was still damaged.

    The enemy hero disappeared, and Junhyuk turned to Cuba, who was his next target.

    Cuba was rushing toward the allies covered in a grey aura, which had to be a defense buff, but Junhyuk expanded the force field to cover all of the allies. Seeing that, Cuba stopped, and the allies attacked him.

    Cuba was a tank, but his defense wasn¡¯t that great. On top of that, Junhyuk had an incredible piercing stat, so he killed Cuba with his attacks.

    While Junhyuk picked up the items on the ground, the enemy minions surrounded the allied minions, but the force field was also covering the minions.

    Junhyuk lengthened Aksha¡¯s Longsword and opened a path among the enemy minions.

    The minions were gnolls, but they were easily killed. By the time the force field disappeared, Junhyuk had killed half of the enemy minions present.

    At that moment, he retreated and shouted, ¡°Attack!¡±

    The allied minions rushed forward brandishing their shields. They engaged the gnolls.

    Suddenly, Tros opened his beak wide and a soundwave attack swept through the allies. Tros was far away, but the soundwave still hit them.

    Junhyuk felt dizzy. The world swirled around him, and he lost his sense of gravity. He was running forward, but he felt like he was moving sideways.

    While he was unable to collect himself, two arrows flew toward him. When he finally regained hisposure, he realized he was in danger. Seeing that, he retreated, stopping outside of the enemies¡¯ range. The rest of the allies did the same.

    Staring at Tros, he muttered, ¡°Was that a confusion power?¡±

 Chapter 461 - Narrowly 2

    <h4>Chapter 461: Narrowly 2</h4>

    The allied minions attacked the castle, and the archers, Yagi and Tros attacked those minions from the wall. For that reason, the number of allied minions was dwindling fast.

    Junhyuk would need the allied minions to deal with the giant golems, and after checking the the allied heroes¡¯ health, he came to the conclusion that they had enough health left.

    Sarang was still waiting on the cooldown for her healing power, but after some thought, Junhyuk said, ¡°We can¡¯t lose any more of our minions.¡±

    Gongon nodded and said, ¡°I agree.¡±

    The hatchling stepped forward, and Tros and Yagi focused their attacks on him. The archers on the wall did the same.

    While Gongon was under attack, the rest of the allies pounded the gate. The minions dealt fixed damage to the gate in Nightmare Mountain, so they had been damaging it quickly. After the allied heroes joined them, it didn¡¯t take long for the gate to fall.

    Junhyuk entered the castle and saw the enemy heroes running away. They would join the giant golems, and knowing that, Junhyuk turned to his allies.

    Sarang¡¯s healing power hade off cooldown, and she used it on all of the heroes. The allies¡¯ health wasn¡¯tpletely back, but they had enough for a fight.

    ¡°Attack!¡± Gongon shouted.

    The allied minions ran forward, and Junhyuk nodded. Before the enemies revived, they had to decide things.

    The giant golems started moving while the minions were getting killed by Tros and Yagi. However, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t spare his minions now.

    Yagi and Tros were hiding behind the golems and taking potshots at the allies. To reach them, Junhyuk jumped over the minions, and when he was over the golems, Yagi and Tros dispersed.

    Yagi had her speed buff, and Tros was flying low to the ground.

    Junhyuk used his Spatial sh on Yagi, who tried to twist her body away from the attack, but the sh had already cut through her neck.

    It was a critical hit, and the attack triggered the extra damage effect of his gear. Yagi was a sniper, and because of all that damage, she disappeared.

    She was as dangerous as Ronga. Her range was great, and she had abo. On top of that, her attacks ignored defense and if she shot you too many times, her arrows exploded.

    She was incredibly dangerous, but her defense was crap, which made her an easier target than Ronga.

    Yagi died, so Tros swooped low and quickly retreated into the castle¡¯s force field. Junhyuk smacked his lips at that.

    Boom!

    The golem had trampled all over the allied minions and was about to kick him. Junhyuk blocked with both of his swords, but he was stillunched back.

    Boom!

    He mmed his back against the force field and, suddenly, he felt the hot sh of damage through his body. A broadsword had pierced through his stomach.

    Junhyuk quickly teleported away to rejoin the allies. Ronga and Garu stepped out of the force field, and soon, Cuba would revive as well.

    He checked his health. The enemies would join their golems to fight the allies. Now that Ronga was close to the force field and could recuperate within it, he wouldn¡¯t die easily.

    Ronga ran forward and shouted, ¡°Ha-ha-ha! I¡¯ll kill you all!¡±

    Ronga wasughing as Gongon ran toward him. The golems were dangerous, but the enemy heroes were even more problematic.

    Gongon tried headbutting Ronga, but the enemy hero dug into the ground, dodging Gongon¡¯s attack. So, Gongon used his growth power and tried to kick Garu, but the hero jumped. Junhyuk knew he was about to use his taunt, so he retreated quickly.

    When Garunded, two allied heroes were thrown into the air: Gongon and La.

    Instead of using his taunt, Garu ran forward. Looking at Garuing for him, Junhyuk quickly took stock of the situation.

    Cuba appeared inside the castle¡¯s force field, and Tros, after looking at Cuba, walked out again.

    He turned to Elise and said, ¡°Elise.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    She had her nullification field, but the range wasn¡¯t great. Garu could use his power first, and in that case, Elise would have to approach him and activate her field.

    He didn¡¯t want to put Elise in danger, but there was no other option.

    Ronga burst out of the ground and attacked. Because Junhyuk was far from him, he didn¡¯t take any damage.

    Junhyuk looked at Sarang and shouted, ¡°Attack!¡±

    She nodded, and Junhyuk used his Spatial Copse on Ronga, who tried to dodge it. However, this time, the Spatial sh had been set the proper way, and Ronga lost a chunk of health at once while being stuck to that spot.

    Junhyuk cheered, and while Ronga tried to move, thunderbolts crashed on his head.

    Ronga screamed, writhing in pain, and Rodrey used his ultimate, showering the area with knives.

    The knives pierced the enemies¡¯ bodies, but Ronga survived. However, the Spatial Copse was still active, and because Ronga couldn¡¯t move, Junhyuk stabbed him with Aksha¡¯s Longsword. Ronga took hisst breath.

    Cuba, who wasing out at that time, rushed, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t pay too much attention to the rush or the hero.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk, Sarang and Elise were thrown back a long distance. Once he got up again, he saw Cuba¡¯s body had turned gray as the hero went after Sarang.

    Thick beams hit Cuba and Garu. Those were from Elise¡¯s attacks, and they pierced through both enemies. As soon as Tros came out, he opened his beak wide.

    ¡°Screeech!¡±

    The soundwaves swept through everyone, and Junhyuk staggered. He was confused to the point of being unable to swing his sword, so Garu ran toward him.

    Nobody could stop Garu now, and the hero taunted Junhyuk and Sarang.

    Both were confused and taunted, and the giant golems focused on both of them. There was nothing Junhyuk could do against the golems. He would die.

    Suddenly, he regained his reason. Elise was standing next to him, and Zaira was standing in front of her.

    He gave her a light bow.

    Elise had triggered her nullification field, and nobody¡¯s powers but Elise¡¯s would work within it. Garu tried trumpeting Elise, but all powers were futile inside her nullification field. His wind st failed, leaving Garu clueless about what to do.

    Junhyuk ran out swinging. He had died twice, but he had learned a lot about Aksha¡¯s Longsword through those deaths. His attack pierced through Garu¡¯s defense, so now under attack, Garu quickly retreated.

    Junhyuk did not give chase. The elephant had used his taunt, so he was no danger for them now. Instead, he wanted to get rid of the other sniper, Tros.

    He attacked the bird, who readied to fly, trying to escape. Tros knew about the strength of Junhyuk¡¯s attacks. However, La had already closed in on Tros, so she used her attacked to keep him from flying. Tros wasunched into the air, and Junhyuk¡¯s sword extended.

    His powers hadn¡¯t returned to him, but regr attacked would be strong enough. Tros¡¯ defense was also terrible. Junhyuk and Labined their attacks on the enemy hero, and Rodrey joined them, throwing his knives at the bird. Tros died.

    At the same time, the golems attacked the allied heroes, but Junhyuk quickly raised his force field.

    Boom!

    The force field sank into the ground by a few inches. Rodrey and Elise were inside it, but Cuba was running toward Sarang. There was nothing she could do aside from being trampled by the hero.

    ¡°Sarang!¡±

    At the same time, one of the golems went over to her and attacked her. Her health dropped fast until she lost all of it.

    That¡¯s when her ultimate triggered, and now, invincible, she ran back to the force field while shooting electric arrows at everyone. Her weapon had been upgraded, so when her arrow hit Garu, he quickly moved away from her.

    Garu had retreated into the castle¡¯s force field, so Junhyuk couldn¡¯t kill him. He decided to finish the golems before Garu¡¯s ultimate returned to him.

    Now that Sarang was inside the force field, Cuba started running away.

    ¡°Let¡¯s kill the golems!¡± Junhyuk shouted.

    Killing the heroes was important, but they had to kill the golems to win. The allies focused on a golem, and the surviving minions joined them. The golem was easily destroyed while the two heroes remained within the castle¡¯s force field.

    Having only two tanks was quite useless in their situation.

    Both tanks had already used their powers, and Junhyuk knew they wouldn¡¯t daree out of the force field. If they did, they would both die like dogs.

    One golem remained, and when Junhyuk¡¯s force field faded away, Garu came out fast and trumpeted out a wind st. Only Junhyuk was hit by it however, which meant that the others were free to attack the golem.

    With all allies there, they destroyed the second golem.

    Garu had tried buying them more time, but with both golems gone now, he retreated into the castle¡¯s force field.

    ¡°Let¡¯s finish it up!¡± Junhyuk shouted.

    All allied heroes and minions gathered up and pounded the castle. Meanwhile, Yagi revived, but she couldn¡¯t do much.

    Both tanks and Yagi stayed within the force field. All of the allied heroes were low on health, but if an enemy came out, the allies would focus all of their attacks on that enemy, and the enemy would die without doing much.

    Finally, the castle was destroyed, and Junhyuk sighed, relieved.

 Chapter 462 - Ganesha 1

    <h4>Chapter 462: Ganesha 1</h4>

    Junhyuk was back in the spawn room. Now, he wanted to collect his winnings and bet on the Champions¡¯ Battlefield.

    He turned to Ariel, and she smiled and said, [Congrattions on your victory! Your victory reward is 200,000G.]

    After inspecting his equipment, he asked, ¡°OK. By the way, I have a question. Has Elise¡¯s team been formed?¡±

    [Yes. It has been formed. Another dimension gained a champion, so Elise has a team now.]

    She would go to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, and Junhyuk was sure that she¡¯d win easily. Elise could fight two champions by herself. Her weapon¡¯s attack stat was very high, and it honestly felt like Elise was breaking all the rules when it came to gear.

    Junhyuk thought for a moment. He hadn¡¯t bought any items this time, which meant he had a lot of gold in hand.

    ¡°What¡¯s the return for betting on Elise¡¯s team?¡±

    [Her team is new, so the return is very high. Right now, the odds are five to one, so you¡¯ll get five times what you bet. However, that may change by the day of the actual battle.]

    ¡°Is the battle next week?¡±

    [Correct.]

    Junhyuk trusted Elise implicitly. She would definitely craft more gear within that week, so Junhyuk wanted to bet half of everything he had on her.

    He hadn¡¯t had a chance to sell the items he had picked up, so even if he lost the gold he was betting, he could get back to what he had.

    ¡°I¡¯ll bet 500,000G.¡±

    [500,000G?!]

    ¡°Is that a problem?¡±

    [Oh, no! It¡¯s possible. Your bet of 500,000G on Elise¡¯s team has been received.]

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°OK. Take me home.¡±

    [Yes. I¡¯ll see you next week in the spectating room.]

    He nodded while the bright light covered his line of sight. Junhyuk slowly opened his eyes and saw Sarang sitting up on the bed. Shebed her hair with her fingers and smiled.

    ¡°We¡¯ve won again.¡±

    He nodded and replied, ¡°It was difficult, but we did.¡±

    ¡°Whew! Things are getting tougher.¡±

    Junhyuk thought he had outstanding items. They had all cost him a lot, and he had two legendary sets active: the Vampire Lord set and the Pure Golden Knight set. Even then, the enemy team had not been easy to defeat.

    Aside from having expensive weapons, they probably had expensive gear as well.

    ¡°We might not be able to visit Bebe for a while because of them.¡±

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t had time to see the merchant. If he had wasted time doing that, the allies could¡¯ve lost. They had to gain a sizeable advantage if their goal was to visit Bebe.

    Ronga, Yagi and Garu¡¯sbined attacks made him furious. Garu, who had the power to make him useless, even more so.

    ¡°Garu¡¯s ultimate is definitely an ultimate. I died one too many times without being able to do anything.¡±

    Whenever Garu taunted, he received barely any damage from other sources. That way, the enemy hero could kill at least one allied hero by himself.

    Junhyuk wished he had a bit more defense, but as he was now, Garu could kill him if he taunted.

    Elise was still sleeping, and looking at her, Junhyuk said, ¡°It would be nice if Elise¡¯s nullification field could distinguish between allies and foes.¡±

    Her nullification field was a high-ranking power. She could even negate his force field with it. But, her power affected everyone, so the allies couldn¡¯t make use of it constantly.

    Looking at Sarang, he asked, ¡°Did you hear about Elise¡¯s new team?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have. Once I heard about it, I went all in.¡±

    ¡°All in!?¡±

    Sarang smiled and said, ¡°Elise will win. She has her gear.¡±

    ¡°How did Bebe price your weapons?¡± he asked.

    Sarang pulled out her orb and said, ¡°Mine is 1,500,000G, so Bebe was willing to pay 750,000G for it. Elise¡¯s weapon was 1,800,000, and Bebe wanted to give her 900,000G for it.¡±

    ¡°Refurbishing cores is expensive, so it¡¯s nice that the weapons are highly priced as well.¡±

    With a few more weapons, Junhyuk would have an astronomical amount of gold.

    ¡°Bebe won¡¯t buy more than five of them.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of scarcity.¡±

    ¡°Huh?!¡±

    Elise¡¯s weapons dealt a lot of damage, so they had to be rare. Even his enemies might get their hands on her weapons if there were many of them. Not many would be able to afford the 1,800,000G price tag, but the weapons were worth it.

    If too many of them flooded the market, his enemies, current and future, would get stronger.

    However, five still meant 4,500,000G. If Elise and Junhyuk gained that and split the gold between each other, Junhyuk would still have enough to get a legendary item.

    Elise was smiling while sleeping.

    ¡°She is humanity¡¯s jewel.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡±

    Sarang covered her with a nket and stared at him, asking, ¡°Did you peep on her while she sleptst time?¡±

    Junhyuk teleported next to Sarang and pped her forehead. The impact made a loud noise, and rubbing her forehead after, Sarang muttered, ¡°What the heck?! Not even the school treated me like this.¡±

    ¡°If a teacher smacked you, you would¡¯ve called the police.¡± He rubbed her forehead for her and added, ¡°Stay here until she wakes up. Tell her about the Champions¡¯ Battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Be detailed about everything that will help her.¡±

    ¡°I went all in. I¡¯ll make sure she wins.¡±

    ¡°OK. I¡¯m heading out.¡±

    Junhyuk knew one other champion from Elise¡¯s team, Aditya. He wanted to give Aditya some advice so that the two would be victorious.

    ¡ª

    Friday ended, and Junhyuk looked for a report on newly-powered people. Instead, however, he received a report on those who hadn¡¯t woken up: seven novices and two experts.

    They had all died in the Dimensional Battlefield. Even though experts had an extra life, two of them were dead, which meant that the heroes weren¡¯t looking out for them.

    Junhyuk gave a tribute to the family of the dead. The powered people that joined Guardians had to participate in the protection of Earth, and for that, he made sure the families of the deceased were taken care of.

    Junhyuk went to see Elise after that. She had heard all about the Champions¡¯ Battlefield from Sarang, so she was in the process of crafting gear for it. At the same time, she was running research on the wyverns.

    Elise was discussing the wyverns with the heads of the research teams when she saw him and waved.

    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± she said.

    Once she finished her meeting, she turned to him and said, ¡°I¡¯ve made a new dpositionpound for the wyverns. We¡¯ll mass produce it. It¡¯s better than the previouspound, so there won¡¯t be any need to worry about marketing.¡±

    All countries would buy the new dposition liquid to deal with potential wyvern attacks, but Junhyuk wasn¡¯t interested in the money.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that we have a way to fight them now.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± After looking around, Elise said, ¡°I¡¯m done with the wyvern research, so I¡¯ll craft more Red Dragon gear.¡±

    ¡°OK. Try making another item for the set.¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    Without even considering the gold, her items were of immense help to her. She had two items from the Red Dragon set now, and she would be a lot stronger with more of them.

    ¡°You should get to know Aditya. He¡¯ll be your ally in the battlefield, and it¡¯ll help you to have more info on him.¡±

    ¡°I will, but first, I have to craft the new item.¡±

    Elise didn¡¯t have a new recipe to help her, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t begin to guess at how hard it was toe up with one of her own.

    ¡°If I have more time, I¡¯ll make another core weapon. Bebe said he¡¯ll buy up to five.¡± She smacked her lips and added, ¡°Even with refurbish cores, the sess rate for crafting them isn¡¯t high.¡±

    Considering the cost of refurbishing a core, even if she crafted a new weapon, she wouldn¡¯t make much gold from it.

    Junhyuk smacked his lips and said, ¡°Too bad.¡±

    ¡°The core is really expensive,¡± she concluded with a shrug.

    They had a lot of crafting materials now from killing the dragon, but refurbishing costs were high.

    She looked at him and asked, ¡°Can I show you something fun?¡±

    Sometimes, Elise showed him things that were unrted to what they talked about. He looked at her, and she summoned Zaira. The gynoid¡¯s body was originally covered in the Chinese dragon¡¯s scales and shone jade, but this time, Zaira was shining bright red.

    ¡°Did you craft her a new shell?¡±

    ¡°What do you think? Pretty?¡±

    He didn¡¯t care about how pretty it was, but the shell had definitely increased in strength.

    ¡°Her weapons?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve equipped her with the new dpositionpound.¡± Elise said. Then, she added with a smile, ¡°But Zaira¡¯s weaponry is the best. When I return her, her weapons are remodeled to fit her overall power.¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s considered a power, so I can¡¯t use her constantly, but I like the fact that her weapons upgrade.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡±

    She whispered in his ear then, ¡°This is a secret, but I¡¯m making another shell. I¡¯ll load Ganesha as the AI for it.¡±

    ¡°You are building Ganesha?!¡±

    ¡°Ganesha will be strong. It won¡¯t be judged as a power, and you¡¯ll be able to use it on Earth.¡±

    Ganesha would be better than the iron soldiers.

    ¡°I want to see it when it¡¯s ready. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be very cool.¡±

    ¡°The project is already underway. You¡¯ll be able to see it this Thursday at thetest.¡± Elise had made a gynoid already, so she wasn¡¯t nervous about it. She added, ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Junhyuk had been jealous of Jeffrey¡¯s and Elise¡¯s summoning powers. Since Ganesha would be crafted from dragon scales, it would be able to fight monsters.

    ¡°Expect great things,¡± she said and winked at him.

    Junhyuk smiled at her in return.

 Chapter 463 - Ganesha 2

    <h4>Chapter 463: Ganesha 2</h4>

    There were fewer monster attacks nowpared to when they had first started. However, they weren¡¯t easier to deal with. The wyvern attack had been all over the news. The areas the wyverns had destroyed were in the process of being rebuilt. At the same time, because of the scale of the attack and of how sudden it was, the evacuation shelters had been of little value.

    Now, they had the new dposition liquid, but the managers could always send stronger monsters.

    Ganesha could help as well.

    Before Friday, Junhyuk called Elise and Aditya and trained them. He called Sarang as well and asked her to participate in their training. During the training, he wielded Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    Junhyuk hade a step closer to mastering Aksha¡¯s Longsword, and he beat the crap out of the two champions. Elise was busy sticking her tongue out from exhaustion, and Aditya called Junhyuk a true warrior and asked him to teach him more.

    Junhyuk taught the champion many things. He could¡¯ve killed Aditya a number of times, but he was able to slow down his attacks at thest minute. Not killing was twice as hard as killing, and Aditya felt the gap between himself and Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk kept training Aditya until the champion copsed on the ground. Aditya was gathering his breath when Junhyuk asked, ¡°Are you OK?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    He stared at Aditya. The champion had gotten all new items, but he still couldn¡¯t do much against Junhyuk. Still, he would be of great help when fighting monsters.

    They hadn¡¯t distributed the Red Dragon gear to the champions, but Aditya was wearing armor made from A-ranked monsters.

    Junhyuk offered him a hand, and Aditya took it and stood up.

    ¡°Fighting other champions will be hard, but you have unlimited lives, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°I can die?¡±

    ¡°Have you died in the Dimensional Battlefield?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Dying once can be a good experience.¡±

    ¡°You want me to die?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t forget it.¡±

    Junhyuk had died many times, and death had helped him. Of course, Aditya objected to the idea, but death should be experienced. Elise had died, and from that, she had be a champion. After Junhyuk himself had died, he had learned more about Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    He had grown much faster since hisst death. Aditya should die, and from that death, he might learn something about bing a hero.

    Right now, humanity only had two heroes, and Junhyuk had to fill the other three spots any way he could.

    He patted Aditya¡¯s shoulder and left. Junhyuk went to watch the flight training at Guardians. All of those expert and above had to participate in it.

    The drones used mana stones for energy, so unless they werepletely destroyed, they would keep flying. With the advances in the drone industry, the drones were flying faster than ever.

    ¡°Did they use dragon scales to build them?¡±

    Because the drones had been made from Chinese dragon scales, they were now jade. They looked like the Green Goblin¡¯s glider because of their color.

    ¡°They can paint them.¡±

    The drones had been distributed to all champions and experts. After training, they were extremely tired, but that was life. After the monster areas appeared, all the powered people did was train at Guardians.

    Thinking about that, Junhyuk decided to give them time to rx. If training continued at that pace, the others would lose their minds. They had to rx.

    Junhyuk went to see Eunseo, who was working on a pile of documents. She got up and adjusted her sses when he walked in.

    ¡°How are you?¡±

    He shrugged and said, ¡°I¡¯m worried about the others, but I realize now that I should be worried about you as well.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°We should take a vacation together.¡±

    ¡°A vacation?!¡±

    Eunseo shook her head no, but he smiled and said, ¡°Everyone is tense and overworked. People will copse soon. I need to get them to rx for a while.¡±

    Eunseo agreed with him there and said, ¡°Good thinking. No wyverns have shown up in a while, so now should be a good time.¡±

    The monster waves were not on a schedule, so there were no good times for resting. Still, Eunseo agreed with him anyway.

    ¡°We can¡¯t go far. How about Jeju Ind?¡± she asked.

    With Junhyuk as the center, he could take people anywhere around the world. His teleportation only had a radius of five meters, so he couldn¡¯t take many at a time. For that reason, he would need an airport to transport more people, so he agreed with the suggestion.

    ¡°I wanted to visit the shore of Inchon, but Jeju sounds great. I¡¯ll take them there myself.¡±

    They could fly to the ind on the drones. It would be better than taking a ne and it would also be good flight practice.

    Touching her shoulder, he added, ¡°You shoulde with us.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    Eunseo was surprised by the idea, but he smiled and said, ¡°You need to rest.¡±

    She adjusted her sses while he continued, ¡°The powered people need you, and you need to rest.¡±

    Sheughed awkwardly and said, ¡°I have too much work. I can¡¯t go.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at the documents on her table and asked, ¡°Which documents have you finished already?¡±

    They all looked simr. When Eunseo pointed to a pile of paper, he swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword. The de shed, and the other piles of documents were shredded. Bits of paper were flying in the office.

    ¡°Ah...!¡±

    Eunseo was speechless. The expression on her face normally didn¡¯t change, but now, she was shocked.

    Smiling, he said, ¡°Tell them to resubmit their work and let¡¯s take a three-day and two-night vacation.¡±

    She stared at him. He was unreasonably shocking. Those had been important documents from dignitaries and diplomats, and there had been many of them. He hadn¡¯t solved anything by cutting them up.

    Junhyuk grabbed her wrist then and handed her the microphone for thepound¡¯s inte.

    ¡°The champions and experts finished flight training early. Have them go to the second training facility.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°The novices will need a ne,¡± he told her.

    Eunseo sighed and said, ¡°They will. I have a cabin in Jeju, but it¡¯s small, so I¡¯ll rent a hotel.¡±

    ¡°Is that possible?¡±

    ¡°The hotel will have other guests, but I¡¯ll pay them extra to close it out.¡±

    ¡°Comints?¡±

    ¡°We can ignore them.¡± Eunseo stepped outside for a moment and adjusted her sses again, adding, ¡°We¡¯ll leave from Gimpo International Airport in an hour.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll tell them we are going on vacation.¡±

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll tell the novices.¡±

    When he reached the second training facility, he saw the champions and experts already there waiting for him. They were curious about what was happening.

    Junhyuk exined everything calmly, ¡°We¡¯ll take a three-day and two-night vacation.¡±

    ¡°A vacation?!¡±

    Junhyuk tapped his head with his index finger and said, ¡°You can¡¯t stay stuck in your heads all the time. All tense. We won¡¯t go far. We are going to Jeju Ind.¡±

    ¡°Can I stay and train?¡±

    ¡°No, everyone must go,¡± Junhyuk said, and everyone looked at each other.

    Smiling, Jeffrey said, ¡°My body aches, so this is good.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at them and said, ¡°We¡¯ll leave in an hour from Gimpo International. Bring whatever you need for a vacation.¡±

    They all left on their flying drones, but Sarang stayed in front of him.

    ¡°Go get ready.¡±

    ¡°I have to go?¡±

    ¡°Do you need your parent¡¯s permission?¡±

    Sheughed and said, ¡°I need to go shopping before I go. I¡¯ll be back.¡±

    Sarang also flew away on her drone, and Junhyuk teleported. Inside Elise¡¯sb, he told her about the vacation.

    ¡°Elise, take a break.¡±

    He had convinced Eunseo, but Elise shook her head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for that.¡±

    To him, Elise was extremely precious. She needed a vacation, even if it meant him earning less gold. He had to take Elise with him.

    ¡°You won¡¯t ever have enough time, but you still need a vacation. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    After some thought, Elise said, ¡°OK. I have a simtion to run, but I¡¯ll go after that.¡±

    ¡°We leave in an hour.¡±

    She pondered something and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take my drone.¡±

    ¡°Have you trained with it?¡±

    Flying a drone wasn¡¯t an easy thing. Elise had not trained with hers, but she smiled and said, ¡°No. You¡¯ll fly me.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    She pressed a button, and a two-person drone appeared.

    ¡°It flies the same as the one-person drone.¡±

    Junhyuk thought she had probably nned that. He gave her a wry smile and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 464 - Ganesha 3

    <h4>Chapter 464: Ganesha 3</h4>

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t go to the airport. Instead, he flew Elise¡¯s drone. One of them had to sit down while the other flew the drone.

    Junhyuk, who was standing since he was flying, looked at Elise. She had a seatbelt buckled and was checking something on her tablet.

    ¡°Why are you working?¡±

    ¡°Hm... Whenever I get new ideas, I need to store them.¡±

    He looked at her tablet and saw that she had been writing in runes.

    ¡°Are you using runic script?¡±

    ¡°Runes depend heavily onbinations to bring out different types of spells. I studied the magic, but for me to be a mage, I need to learn more about magitek. I taught Gongon about engineering. He¡¯s incredibly intelligent.¡±

    Gongon was a dragon, so for Junhyuk, it was obvious that he would be intelligent. He shrugged and replied, ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°There are different disciplines being taught at Gongon¡¯s dimension.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Gongon did not cast spells like a regr mage. He was a magic crafter, but if he stacked intelligence runestones, he would be a genius of absurd proportions.

    Junhyuk stopped thinking about that and focused on flying. The two-person drone was new to him, so he had to pay close attention to what he was doing.

    While flying, he asked, ¡°Can I speed up?¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    Elise pressed a few buttons, and a transparent windshield appeared in front of her. It wasn¡¯t made of ss, but from special materials.

    Heughed and asked, ¡°I don¡¯t get a shield?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t while you are standing.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s its maximum speed?¡±

    ¡°We can break the sound barrier, but we need more items to be safe. You can go 1,100 kilometers per hour.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m speeding up.¡±

    Junhyuk boosted the speed to as close the sound barrier as possible without breaking it. At that speed, the wind was strong enough to take off their heads, but Junhyuk simply summoned his armor and flew without a care.

    He smirked. He wanted to mess around, so he flew in all kinds of crazy patterns. He made a nosedive with the drone at full speed, but he was used to it.

    ¡°Ahhh-ahahah!¡± Elise screamed with a smile. She was enjoying herself. After some time ying, he would fly her to Jeju Ind.

    He had plenty of time to get there since he had left an hour before everybody else. For that reason, he would enjoy his time with her, so he flew even more chaotically.

    ¡ª

    The hotel was not a regr hotel. It had individual amodations, like cabins. After being assigned a room, he looked around the ce.

    Eunseo walked out of the room next door and asked, ¡°Do you want to go swimming with me?¡±

    Before he had a chance to answer, someone rushed toward him, shouting, ¡°Big Brother! Let¡¯s go swimming.¡±

    Sighing, he looked toward the voice. Elise also appeared in front of them. She smiled at him and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go for a swim.¡±

    ¡°Why not...¡±

    He had given up, and they all headed to the shore in front of the hotel. There were only powered people at the beach.

    They weren¡¯t ying like normal people. Some of them were using their powers to split the ocean, and those with wind powers were windsurfing with them. They were training while on vacation.

    Junhyukughed at them. He knew he had to deal with the monster waves for their peace and everyone else¡¯s.

    Sarang took off her kaftan and presented her swimsuit. She was wearing acy swimsuit and trying to show off her curves.

    Eunseo took off her kaftan, and beneath it, was a ck swimsuit. Her body was very well toned, and she pulled out a pair of goggles.

    Elise wet her hair and removed her kaftan. While Eunseo was athletic, Elise was voluptuous. She was wearing a bikini that entuated her breasts, which was more than Junhyuk had ever seen from her.

    She walked toward him and said, ¡°We¡¯re here for a swim, so let¡¯s swim.¡±

    Junhyuk touched the three women and teleported. He dropped them all in the middle of the ocean, and Sarang seemed to be have a hard time swimming.

    ¡°I can¡¯t swim!¡±

    Junhyuk grabbed her and teleported back to the shore. Sarang pouted, but Junhyuk elerated and swam out into the ocean.

    She kicked the sand and shouted at him, ¡°Teach me how to swim!¡±

    Junhyuk went back to Eunseo and Elise. He could swim faster than a speedboat, so he didn¡¯t leave them waiting.

    Elise had pulled out a tube from her Spatial Bag, and Eunseo was floating with her belly up. Junhyuk looked at the tube and saw that it was big enough for two people.

    Elise waved at him and said, ¡°Join me.¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head and floated on his back like Eunseo. He was resting.

    A momentter, Eunseo swam to him and said, ¡°Tonight¡¯s menu is barbecue.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea.¡±

    She smiled at him and said, ¡°The vacation was a great idea.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t slept, right?¡±

    Eunseo nodded. Since she had taken over Guardians, she hadn¡¯t had enough time to sleep. She had skilled secretaries, but the work still piled up. The twenty-four hours in the day weren¡¯t enough.

    She was enjoying herself, floating on her back.

    Whenever Junhyuk thought about Aksha¡¯s Longsword, he learned something new. He wanted to master it andbine it with his own swordsmanship, but that day, he would just rest.

    The waves rippled easily around his body, and he stared at the blue sky above.

    Everyone was enjoying the vacation. The expenses were being paid by Guardians, and they were able to rest.

    That night, they ate barbecue and, the next day, they swam in the ocean again. Some of the powered people were dating each other. Some of them were taken over by the mood and passionately expressed what had been on their minds to each other.

    ¡°If powered people have babies, will the babies have powers too?¡± Junhyuk murmured.

    Elise grabbed his arm and said, ¡°I want to test that theory!¡±

    He turned to her, and looking up at him, she asked, ¡°Do you want to try?¡±

    ¡°Try what?¡±

    ¡°Having babies. I¡¯m curious about what would happen if a hero had a baby with a champion.¡±

    Junhyuk gave her a wry smile and let go of her. Sometimes, Elise¡¯s jokes went a little far.

    ¡°Tsk!¡±

    She clicked her tongue, and he shook his head. Suddenly, an rm rang from her tablet, and Junhyuk turned to her again. She was frowning.

    ¡°Tears will appear.¡±

    ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°Not that many. About twenty worldwide.¡±

    ¡°South Korea?¡±

    ¡°No. The nearest one will be in China.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and gathered the group of champions and experts.

    ¡°We are on vacation, but we just found out that tears will start spawning. It¡¯s time to move out.¡±

    Everyone had a Spatial Bag, and they all started pulling out their items.

    ¡°First, we¡¯ll go to China,¡± he said. They had to deal with the nearest one.

    Once they got to China, he found out that the monsters were wyverns again.

    ¡°What are they thinking?¡±

    The wyverns might be stronger now, but it only took the team a short while to kill them all. After the battle, he received a report. It said that the new dpositionpound had been effective against the wyverns around the world.

    Suddenly, Elise called him.

    ¡°Five tears will appear in South Korea.¡±

    Junhyuk did not hesitate and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    While he went to China, the managers had sent more wyverns to South Korea. After the dragon attack in Korea, Junhyuk was hesitant to divide his team there.

    Elise had flown her drone to Samcheong District, and Junhyuk met her there. He formed two teams. One would deal with the wyverns in the sky, and the other would focus on a huge monster on the ground. The monster looked like a dragon, but itcked wings. It was using its massive body to destroy the buildings around it.

    The people were being evacuated. The Air Force fighter jets could now deal with the wyverns, so the monster on the ground posed a bigger problem.

    ¡°That¡¯s a drake. I doesn¡¯t have magic, but it¡¯s resistant to magic. Its defense is also outstanding. It¡¯s much stronger than a wyvern,¡± Junhyuk heard Elise say.

    After learning that, he got on his drone.

    ¡°What about the other tears?¡±

    ¡°Three other ces have wyvern-drakebos. The National Defense Force is dealing with them. Thest tear is being dealt with by the U.S. Air Force, but I can¡¯t see anything that¡¯s happening in the area. It¡¯s all covered in a dark fog.¡±

    Junhyuk shed the drake, easily killing it. Compared to dragons, they were much weaker.

    Not everyone¡¯s attacks would work, but after clearing the drakes from all of the tears, he shouted, ¡°We¡¯ll head into the fog that¡¯s shrouding everything!¡±

    ¡°Can Ie?¡±

    ¡°No need. The army has been deployed there?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll head there now.¡±

    Junhyuk had a bad feeling, so he thought he had to get there immediately.

    It had taken him ten minutes to kill all of the drakes around South Korea. The wyverns were also dead.

    He took the entire powered force with him after killing the drakes. The wyverns had been dealt with by the armies. Casualties had taken ce, but the military could fight now.

    Junhyuk reached Dobong Mountain and saw a dark fog covering everything within a two-kilometer radius from the center of it.

    Frowning, he said, ¡°Something¡¯s not right.¡±

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t imagined something like that. He suspected a monster stronger than the drakes was causing it.

    ¡°You¡¯ll get a present soon,¡± he heard Elise say throughms.

    He turned toward an approaching noise and saw a red robot flying toward him. The robot stopped suddenly in front of him, and heughed.

    ¡°Ganesha?¡±

    ¡°It feels different to meet you in person.¡±

    Ganesha was covered in Red Dragon scales, and it would be more helpful than the experts.

 Chapter 465 - Crossing the Line 1

    <h4>Chapter 465: Crossing the Line 1</h4>

    Junhyuk looked toward the dark fog and got off his drone. He wanted to enter the fog, but if he did so with the drone, he might damage it, which might cause his reaction time to slow down.

    ¡°Did they send a dragon?¡±

    Junhyuk was thinking it could be a ck dragon as he entered the fog. He did so alone. He had Sarang stay outside the fog and ryed the information to her. All regrmunication devices were being jammed, so he was using hismunication orb, which worked.

    ¡°What¡¯s it like inside?¡±

    ¡°Honestly, It feels nasty in here.¡±

    Due to the dark fog, he could only see ten meters in front of him. In his mind, this wasn¡¯t an ordinary fog.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about what they have sent now.¡±

    Junhyuk expanded his spatial sense. While it was being heavily restrained in the fog, he could still sense up to fifty meters.

    ¡°Nothing is moving.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t feel anything within that range. Fifty meters wasn¡¯t a lot, so Junhyuk turned to Ganesha walking next to him. The robot had no special powers, but it would still help him in a fight against monsters, which was why he had taken Ganesha with him.

    From the fact that it was operating within the fog, Junhyuk concluded that Ganesha wasn¡¯t simply an electronic being.

    ¡°Ganesha, can you see anything?¡±

    ¡°I have infrared active, but I can¡¯t see anything. I¡¯m waiting on the analysis of the fog.¡±

    Junhyuk knew the fog wasn¡¯t poisonous, which made him relieved.

    ¡°It feels nasty.¡±

    The fog felt sticky to the skin. It felt dangerous. He walked deeper into it, climbing Dobong Mountain. Junhyuk would find out what was inside it. If many others came in, they would all be endangered, so he would do it alone.

    He hiked faster.

    ¡ª

    Two hours had passed since he had entered the fog, and it was constantly evolving.

    ¡°The fog¡¯s territory is increasing.¡±

    ¡°Keep people out of it. Evacuate the area. Do not approach!¡±

    After he said that, Sarang looked at the group and shouted quickly, ¡°Retreat another kilometer!¡±

    After she gave out the order, the military moved quickly. Sarang was a hero, and while Junhyuk was away, she was the highest authority.

    After the military retreated, Sarang stared into the dark fog. Just like the monster areas, the fog was expanding.

    ¡°Something is moving! I can feel it!¡± Junhyuk shouted.

    Had something appeared inside the fog? The ground was shaking, so whatever it was, it had to be big, but Junhyuk couldn¡¯t see anything big.

    However, things didn¡¯t take long to turn.

    Sarang saw things running out of the dark fog. Their eyes were bloodshot, and their necks were shaped abnormally. They moved on all fours, hands and feet. Sarang could see that they were human hikers, but they seemed strange. The hikers were foaming at the mouth.

    ¡°Hikers, and they look infected.¡±

    ¡°If you can, catch them alive. If not, kill them all.¡±

    Sarang didn¡¯t know what had infected the hikers. She might even be able to save them, but there were hundreds of them rushing toward her.

    Their movements were horrid and inhuman. She had to deal with them.

    Biting her lips, she ordered, ¡°Don¡¯t try to catch them alive! Fire!¡±

    The military responded to her order. The National Defense Force had armored vehicles mounted with machine guns stationed in the area, and they started firing. The bullets were coated in dposition liquid.

    The hikers were quickly cut down.

    Sarang had ordered a massacre. She closed her eyes and calmed her mind. As she stared at the dark fog, she could feel something much more dangerous woulde her way.

    ¡ª

    When the ground stopped shaking, Junhyuk muttered to himself, ¡°Infected hikers...¡±

    The hikers had gone crazy, so Junhyuk connected with those who might have answers for that: Gongon and Vera.

    ¡°A dark fog appeared from a dimensional tear. The hikers in there area were infected and attacked the popce. Do you have any idea about what¡¯s happening?¡±

    Gongon had goggles on, which did not suit him. He lifted his goggles and scratched his chin with his w.

    ¡°I think you are talking about Dark Fog. It has to be that.¡±

    Vera could see Gongon as well, so she said, ¡°You must be Gongon. Nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Human, don¡¯t talk to me as if you know me.¡±

    Gongon didn¡¯t know much about Vera, but both of themughed at his response to her.

    ¡°I earned a lot from betting on you. When you say that, do you mean a ck mage?¡±

    ¡°You must¡¯ve had the same thought.¡±

    Vera nodded and turned to Junhyuk.

    ¡°What¡¯s the radius of the fog?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Right now, It¡¯s about three kilometers.¡±

    ¡°In that case, it¡¯s someone powerful. Someone has to cast Dark Fog to create something of that range, and it has to be a ck mage of at least the eighth circle.¡±

    ¡°Right. ck mages will throw off all your senses when they fight you. At the same time, they can see everything within the fog.¡±

    ¡°Can they read my movements?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that the mage will be able to move freely around me, and I won¡¯t be able to catch them?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    Vera nodded and said, ¡°ck mages are hard enemies to deal with.¡±

    Gongonughed out loud and said, ¡°Even high-circled, shitty ck mages wouldn¡¯t dare attack a dragon.¡±

    Gongon wasn¡¯t helping him much, so he turned to Vera, who was deep in thought.

    ¡°When a strong ck mage appears, we gather a bunch of mages to stop the spread of the fog and burn it all down with hell fire,¡± she said.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you destroy the city with the hell fire?¡±

    ¡°When ck mages are at work, losing a city would be the least of your problems. They might bring down an entire kingdom.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed. They weren¡¯t helping at all.

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    The mages couldn¡¯t help him. By their ounts, he had to contain the area and drop a nuke on it. So, he contacted Arn.

    He could see Arn¡¯s face now. Up to that point, he had only been able to hear Arn¡¯s voice when theymunicated. Seeing Arn, he bowed.

    ¡°Hm...! Look who it is!? Our hero Junhyuk Lee!¡±

    Arn had to be drunk. His response had been rather harsh, so Junhyuk tensed up and said, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. You are a hero now, so you must be real busy. I heard your dimension is having problems with monster areas and monster waves.¡±

    Junhyuk felt that something seemed off and awkward about Arn.

    ¡°I have a favor to ask.¡±

    ¡°Sure. That¡¯s the only time you call me anyway.¡±

    Junhyuk broke into cold sweats and said, ¡°I¡¯ll call you more often from now on.¡±

    ¡°No need. We¡¯re both busy. You don¡¯t have to talk to me.¡± Arn set his goblet down, stared at him and said, ¡°What¡¯s that favor? I want to hear it.¡±

    ¡°A dimensional tear appeared, and the area was covered in a dark fog. Vera told me to burn it down with hell fire, but that doesn¡¯t help.¡±

    Arn startedughing.

    ¡°Of course! Mages all respond the same way.¡±

    ¡°What would you do in my situation?¡±

    Arn grabbed his chin and said, ¡°To be honest, Vera was right. Entering Dark Fog means losing your senses.¡±

    ¡°Is there no other way?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Arn said, adding, ¡°Head to the center of the fog. There, you¡¯ll find the ck mage or the core of the fog.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡±

    ¡°Right. It¡¯s that simple. But, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ll find at the center of it. Still, you must find your own path through this. That is also my way of doing things.¡±

    Junhyuk smacked his lips and asked, ¡°Are there things that can cast Dark Fog other than ck mages?¡±

    ¡°Not really. Vera should know more about it, but I¡¯ll tell you what I know. ck mages borrow their powers from ck demons. ck demons, or the entire demonic tribe, are the only beings that can cast Dark Fog better than ck mages.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°Demons and the demonic tribe. It¡¯s all so hard to believe.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen dragons, and you should¡¯ve also seen demons and members of the demonic tribe. The dimensional managers have a few of them imprisoned even.¡±

    ¡°The managers are crazy.¡±

    ¡°The managers are behind all of this, so there is another possibility.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Arn scratched his chin and said, ¡°Heroes.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°Some heroes are like that. They¡¯ll cross the line into other dimensions and kill their enemies there. That way, they get new items more easily.¡±

    ¡°There are heroes that crazy?¡±

    ¡°There are many like that. They do that for the items.¡±

    ¡°But they might lose their own items, or even worse!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a possibility, but if they find a worthy prey...¡±

    Junhyuk thought about his items. Some heroes had to win ten times straight to get a chance to buy one of them. He gulped, and Arn added calmly, ¡°Some heroes don¡¯t do it alone.¡±

 Chapter 466 - Crossing the Line 2

    <h4>Chapter 466: Crossing the Line 2</h4>

    Junhyuk¡¯s expression hardened. If his enemy was a hero, he couldn¡¯t be sure of whether he could kill that hero. An enemy hero might have been born a hero, unlike Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk had be a hero by activating powers, one by one, in the Dimensional Battlefield. Some heroes joined the Dimensional Battlefield as heroes, being qualified for that tier from the beginning.

    Until he became a hero, Junhyuk had needed to learn the basics from Arn. He was now learning about Aksha¡¯s Longsword, but what about his enemy?

    If his enemy had begun as a hero, that enemy would be a very difficult opponent. Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to face that trial alone. He had a weird feeling about it.

    ¡°Arn, you said that heroes can cross dimensions, but this time, they showed up from a dimensional tear with monsters in tow...¡±

    ¡°If there are monsters and they used a dimensional tear, the managers must have something to do with it.¡±

    The managers of the Dimensional Battlefield, especially Eltor.

    Junhyuk scowled and said, ¡°That asshole!¡±

    He didn¡¯t know how toplete his Dimensional sh so that he could attack the managers, but he was still furious.

    ¡°When I kill these heroes, can I pick up their items?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Junhyuk opened and closed his hands repetitively. It wouldn¡¯t be easy. If there were more than two heroes, even with his high attack stat and spatial powers, things would be difficult.

    ¡°Thanks for the advice.¡±

    Arn grabbed a bottle and said, ¡°You are the only one of my students who has be a hero. Don¡¯t die in some stupid way. If you act stupid, I¡¯ll go over to Earth to teach you a lesson.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t youe now?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know how expensive it is to cross dimensions?¡±

    Junhyuk smiled. Arn would avenge him if the worst happened. That was his way of expressing his feelings, so Junhyuk bowed to him and said, ¡°I¡¯ll live.¡±

    Arn took another shot and disconnected.

    Junhyuk knew he couldn¡¯t go to the center of the fog at that moment, so he quickly retreated with Ganesha. When he rejoined Sarang, she asked, ¡°Why have youe back?¡±

    He told her about what Arn had told him, ¡°This is called Dark Fog. ck mages of the eighth circle can cast it.¡±

    ¡°Eighth circle?!¡±

    Because Sarang was surprised by that, Junhyuk asked, ¡°What? Is that really high?¡±

    Sarang nodded and said, ¡°I have all those intelligence runestones, but I¡¯m only at the sixth circle.¡± She sighed and added, ¡°Vera told me I¡¯m learning faster than anyone she¡¯s ever taught.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know anything about the circles, so he asked, ¡°Is the ck mage more powerful than you?¡±

    ¡°As far as spells go, yes, but I have other powers. Technically, with my powers, I¡¯m equivalent to a mage of the ninth circle.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Sarang¡¯s Thunderstorm could decimate heroes. With better equipment, her powers would only get stronger.

    Junhyuk took a moment to think and said, ¡°If there are heroes here, I don¡¯t know how many there are. We have to move together.¡±

    Sarang¡¯s had her ultimate, so she wouldn¡¯t die. Once it triggered, she could always run away.

    He turned to the champions. Heroes could easily kill champions, but the champions could also help out.

    Jeffrey stepped forward and said, ¡°I want to help.¡±

    ¡°You might die.¡±

    Jeffrey had a Ghost White Tiger, and there were heroes that couldn¡¯t kill one of those. If the Ghost White Tiger went berserk, it would really help them. On top of that, Jeffrey could lock down a hero.

    He didn¡¯t know about who their enemies were at that moment, so Junhyuk couldn¡¯t make up his mind. Knowing that he might lose them, Junhyuk didn¡¯t really want to take the champions with him.

    The champions had been training to fight dragons, and they all walked up to him. They weren¡¯t heroes, but they were powerful. They could certainly help.

    Ling Ling spoke up for them, saying, ¡°Allow us to help you.¡±

    Sarang looked him in the eyes and bowed in support.

    Junhyuk sighed quickly and said, ¡°There are heroes inside the fog. You know all about heroes, right? We¡¯re on Earth, and there are no extra lives.¡±

    Ling Ling stared at him resolute.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be with us. Will it still be that dangerous?¡±

    He nodded and exined, ¡°If there is a lone hero, we¡¯ll trounce them. If there are two, we¡¯ll still overpower them. Three might be a problem. Four, and we¡¯ll all be in danger.¡±

    Junhyuk bit his lips and concluded, ¡°If there are five heroes inside the fog, we¡¯ll get demolished.¡±

    ¡°But all the champions will join you.¡±

    If all of the champions used their powers, they would be able to stop one or two heroes. On top of that, they could buy him time.

    In the Dimensional Battlefield, he would¡¯ve attacked with them, but now, he couldn¡¯t make up his mind.

    ¡°If you champions can distract two enemies, our sess rate will go up. You¡¯ll have to risk your lives, so I won¡¯t force you to do it.¡±

    The champions looked at each other and turned to him.

    ¡°We will fight.¡±

    ¡°OK. Then, we¡¯ll get things ready,¡± he replied.

    The Dark Fog¡¯s radius reached three kilometers horizontally, but the fog wasn¡¯t very tall at all. It reached about a hundred meters from the ground. That meant that it was also a hundred meters from the top of the mountain.

    ¡°We¡¯ll take our drones to just above the fog. Then, we¡¯ll jump in. Don¡¯t ignore the height of the fall.¡±

    Everyone frowned. They were worried about falling from a hundred meters up.

    He looked at them and said, ¡°I¡¯ll teleport with you. If everyone holds hands, I can take you all.¡±

    They all nodded. There were nine champions, and they all got on their drones. Before they left, Junhyuk told Eunseo about the situation.

    Missiles wouldn¡¯t work against heroes normally, but if the enemies received a direct hit, a missile could kill them, so Junhyuk told Eunseo about the possibility of all of them dying. He told her to use the missiles if that happened. He told Eunseo that she should raze Dobong Mountain with napalm if that happened.

    Eunseo nodded heavily and ordered an aircraft carrier to remain on standby.

    ¡°Don¡¯t die on me.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled. He didn¡¯t want to die.

    Junhyuk got on the drone and flew out. The champions followed him. All nine champions and Sarang were with him, and they all headed for the fog.

    They headed for the top of Dobong Mountain. There, he extended his left hand for Sarang, and they all held each others¡¯ hands. Looking at them, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He teleported all of them into the fog. He couldn¡¯t see his enemies, but his spatial sense was telling him that something was moving.

    The enemies couldn¡¯t sense him like he could them, so he attacked immediately. Aksha¡¯s Longsword shed.

    ng!

    Someone blocked his attack. He could see his enemy then. His opponent was holding a scythe while riding a skeleton horse.

    ¡°Alondo?!¡±

    The hero on his horse looked down at him. Skulls didn¡¯t smile, but he got the impression that Alondo was smiling.

    ¡°I was waiting for you to arrive.¡±

    Junhyuk was speechless. He didn¡¯t think Alondo would go that far.

    The hero was skilled. He could push Junhyuk to his limits with his scythe. Junhyuk¡¯s eyes beamed however. He was on Earth, and his powers were stronger there. On top of that, he could still use mana.

    Though he couldn¡¯t see, he had his spatial sense. With it, he sensed that there were four within the fog.

    ¡°Did you bring your whole team?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re worth it.¡±

    Junhyuk was speechless. He had thought Alondo to be an honorable knight, but now, the hero was scoffing at him.

    Junhyuk was furious.

    ¡°If I¡¯d known you¡¯d do this, I would¡¯ve kicked your ass more often.¡±

    If he had taken all of Alondo¡¯s items, the hero wouldn¡¯t have dared to go to Earth.

    Alondo, who was at ease, said, ¡°Here, things will be different.¡±

    The ck mage of the eighth circle had to be the most powerful of the bunch. At that moment, Junhyuk decided who he would kill first. Epilen had a stealth power, so the hero would be his first target.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t sense thest enemy hero, who was probably the skeleton archer, Penslin.

    He had to kill them fast, so he ran toward Epilen and shouted, ¡°Attack Alondo!¡±

    Lightning bolts fell from the sky.

 Chapter 467 - Crossing the Line 3

    <h4>Chapter 467: Crossing the Line 3</h4>

    The Thunderstorm dispersed the Dark Fog, so everyone could see after that. Junhyuk saw Epilen hiding and used his Spatial sh.

    Crack!

    However, Epilen wasn¡¯t hit by a critical hit. He turned his body right on time, dodging the critical. Nevertheless, he still received damage.

    Epilen lost 35 percent of his health while in stealth, so he dashed. At that moment, Junhyuk realized he had trusted his Spatial sh a little too much.

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t the only one not restrained on Earth. His enemies were also free to use their powers at their max. They could move as fast as him.

    Junhyuk elerated, and while running toward Epilen, he shouted, ¡°Stop Durandal!¡±

    Ganesha was the first one to respond to his shout. Another gynoid, her chest opened, and a barrage of missiles flew out.

    Durandal was more impressive on Earth than on the Dimensional Battlefield. With his head held by his side, Durandal was five meters tall. He had been shrunk in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    The missiles mmed against Durandal¡¯s body and exploded.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    The loud noise of the explosions reverberated everywhere, snapping the champions out of their fear and into action, so they moved.

    Junhyuk headed for Epilen. He wanted to kill the hero, but Epilen had disappeared. So, Junhyuk looked for Sarang. When he found her, he saw that Epilen had not moved toward her. He turned to his own shadow instead and found Epilen ready to stab him.

    When he saw that, Junhyuk quickly teleported away.

    He didn¡¯t go far, however, appearing right behind Epilen as the hero stabbed the empty air. Epilen turned around quickly, but he was still stabbed by Junhyuk.

    Crack!

    Epilen¡¯s armor cracked, and his bones shattered to the ground. It wasn¡¯t a critical hit, however. Junhyuk had his eleration triggered, but he still found Epilen to be moving quickly. He scowled at his situation.

    In the Dimensional Battlefield, Epilen had been an easy target for him. Now, the hero was proving extremely difficult. On top of that, Junhyuk had already used up his teleportations.

    When Epilen turned around, their eyes met, and Junhyuk felt himself bing paralyzed. The surroundings started turning ck.

    He was no longer in Dobong Mountain. As soon as he realized that, Epilen started attacking him. He watched as the hero stabbed at him with his dagger, but Junhyuk couldn¡¯t dodge it.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck!

    Junhyuk got stabbed three times, and what was most surprising was that Epilen¡¯s dagger could pierce his armor. Each time the dagger came at him, it turned translucent and passed right through his armor.

    Although everything had turned ck, when he was stabbed, Junhyuk could feel where he and the hero were. Epilen¡¯s power did not make everything disappear.

    He knew he was standing in a separate dimensional space. That was Epilen¡¯s ultimate. Junhyuk had lost quite a bit of health from the three stabs, but he was now returning to the dark fog of Dobong Mountain.

    Now that he was back, he knew he had to get rid of Epilen.

    Junhyuk swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword, and Epilen quickly retreated, but Junhyuk scoffed at the hero. On Earth, he could use Aksha¡¯s Longsword as he pleased.

    The longsword chased after Epilen covered in mana. Epilen blocked with his dagger as the mana de headed for him. The hero¡¯s skill with the dagger was incredibly efficient, but against Aksha¡¯s Longsword, there were still openings in Epilen¡¯s defense.

    The explosion of the mana de on Epilen reverberated loudly, and the hero staggered.

    Junhyuk wanted to finish the fight. Epilen had less than 40 percent of his health left. The damage from a mana de from Aksha¡¯s Longsword equaled the damage of the Spatial sh.

    As Junhyuk ran to close in on Epilen, he felt something on his back, something with a murderous aura.

    As soon as he felt that, he dove to the side.

    Boom!

    A scythe mmed where he had been standing, so Junhyuk looked for Alondo. The hero had 60 percent of his health left after taking a direct hit from the Thunderstorm, which Junhyuk thought was a lot.

    He looked back and saw Sarang was fighting Dolorac. Aside from her powers, she was being overwhelmed in spell casting.

    The champions were attacking Durandal, but they were having a difficult time piercing Durandal¡¯s defense. Ganesha was helping the champions, but the task wasn¡¯t easy.

    Of the enemy team, the one with the longest range still hadn¡¯t shown himself. Penslin was well out of range of his spatial sense.

    It was not the best thing that Alondo was attacking him now. Epilen and Alondo joined forces against him, so Junhyuk made up his mind.

    Aksha¡¯s Longsword could cause great devastation over a certain area. The sword skill would use an incredible amount of mana, and he could only use it three times with the mana he had left. Without further hesitation, he used it.

    Aksha¡¯s Longsword was covered in mana, shining a red light all through the battlefield. Suddenly, multiple red mana des shot out everywhere, but they did not hit the allies.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    With Junhyuk as the center, thick, red mana des caused a series of explosions all around at a thirty-meter radius.

    All of the trees and boulders within that area were destroyed.

    The attack exhausted some of his energy since it used a huge amount of mana, and Junhyuk needed to catch his breath. But, Alondo and Epilen didn¡¯t die from the attack.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know how Alondo had blocked it, but the hero still had 40 percent of his health. Epilen, on the other hand, had 20 percent.

    Junhyuk wanted them both dead, but the enemies attacked him together, one from the front and one from the back.

    Junhyuk was about to use his Spatial Copse when an arrow flew at him suddenly. He tried to block it with his Blood Rune Sword, but he was toote to maintain his position.

    Thunk!

    The arrow struck the Blood Rune Sword with a loud impact, and Junhyuk staggered back. At that moment, Alondo extended his hand.

    A ring encased Junhyuk¡¯s body. It was Alondo¡¯s restraining power.

    Junhyuk bit his lips, wondering if he should raise his force field at that moment. Another arrow was flying at him, and since he couldn¡¯t move, he couldn¡¯t block it. At the same time, Epilen was getting closer.

    For those reasons, Junhyuk raised his force field. On Earth, the force field¡¯s active time was rather short.

    Thunk, ng, thuck!

    The attacks all bounced off the force field. Within those ten seconds of protection, Junhyuk had to kill at least one enemy hero.

    He targeted Epilen, but after Junhyuk raised the force field, Epilen ran away at full speed. The enemies knew about his powers, so they chose to waste time.

    Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t let them get away, however. He jumped at an angle, nearly flying through the air, and caught up with Epilen.

    The hero tried to stab him, but Aksha¡¯s Longsword slithered softly toward Epilen¡¯s head. The sword was so nimble that Epilen was unable to dodge it.

    Suddenly, a wall of bones rose from the ground and pushed Junhyuk. After getting pushed back, Junhyuk scowled. His attack had failed, so he lowered his longsword on the bone wall.

    As he destroyed the wall, Epilen escaped. He tried going after the hero, but a scythe careened across the air toward his neck.

    Junhyuk quickly turned his body away.

    Woosh!

    He narrowly escaped the attack. The skeleton horse could match his elerated speed, and Alondo¡¯s attacks were incredibly fast. Even with his eleration triggered, he was having a terrible time dodging the scythe.

    It was a lucky dodge. Junhyuk still had his force field up, but if he had gotten hit, he would¡¯ve been pushed further back, which would equal to wasted time, something he did not want.

    Alondo joined Epilen quickly and had the assassin get on his horse. That way, the two ran away.

    ¡°You can¡¯t run from me!¡±

    Junhyuk gave chase, but an arrow flew toward him from behind.

    He blocked the arrow with his sword, running in one direction while arrows flew from the other. From that, Junhyuk could tell that his skills had improved.

    But, Penslin¡¯s arrows had slowed him down, and Alondo managed to put great distance between them.

    Nevertheless, Junhyuk was relieved that Penslin was focused on him. He could¡¯ve easily killed the champions.

    At that moment, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t stop just because some enemies were getting away. So, he ran toward Sarang, who was fighting Dolorac, instead.

    With his eleration, he could cover fifty meters in a mere moment. Another bone wall rose from the ground in front of him, but Junhyuk destroyed it with Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    Alondo hade back to him while he destroyed the wall, but Epilen wasn¡¯t with him.

    Junhyuk smiled at Alondo as the hero approached him. He had made to kill Dolorac, which was why Alondo was trying to block his path. Durandal couldn¡¯t be killed yet, but the champions were keeping him upied.

    As Alondo rode the skeleton horse toward him, Junhyuk used his Spatial Copse.

    Alondo was the most skilled of his enemies, which was why Junhyuk had waited for a frontal attack from him. He knew that his force field would fade, and Alondo had known that too. As Alondo swung his scythe, Junhyuk set the Spatial Copse.

    Craaack!

    Alondo got hit by his ultimate, and Junhyuk continued to attack him.

 Chapter 468 - Danger 1

    <h4>Chapter 468: Danger 1</h4>

    Junhyuk continued to attack with his sword thinking he could finish the hero, but when Alondo got hit with the Spatial Copse, he raised his left hand.

    Trot, trot, trot, trot!

    Suddenly, a number of skeleton horses appeared. In the Dimensional Battlefield, the number of summoned horses was definitely lower. A least a hundred skeleton horses had appeared this time. Junhyuk could do nothing but stare at them charging at him.

    If the skeleton horses got through him, they would charge at the champions. So, gritting his teeth, Junhyuk used his best defensive option: he created another mana de explosion with Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    The skill wasn¡¯t something that he could use in the Dimensional Battlefield, but the stampede was an ultimate at the battlefield, so would his skill be able to stop the horses?

    The explosions were powerful, but there were too many horses.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    After the explosion, Junhyuk was pushed back without being able to do anything. Even his threeyered sword shield was destroyed by the stamped. Junhyuk was overrun. Aksha¡¯s Longsword was powerful, but Alondo¡¯s ultimate was outstanding.

    Junhyuk wasunched back, and light green powder fell over his head after hended. He felt himself regaining his health and ran at full speed toward Alondo.

    The hero was still off bnce due to the Spatial Copse. Thinking that it was time he killed Alondo, Junhyuk closed in on the hero and shed with his longsword.

    The sword lengthened, but suddenly, an arrow flew in his direction. Junhyuk twisted his wrist in response, and his longsword bent slightly, blocking the arrow. But, by changing the sword¡¯s path, he failed in attacking Alondo.

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue and felt something looming overhead. When he raised his head, he saw Durandal dropping on him.

    Boom!

    The ground shook, and Junhyuk used his spatial sense to locate the champions. No champions had died, which meant that Durandal was trying to stall him.

    Junhyuk wanted to run by Durandal, but the hero extended his right hand and shouted, ¡°Come here!¡±

    With that single phrase, Junhyuk lost his consciousness. He was furious, but only at Durandal.

    A taunt. Junhyuk knew he had been taunted, but there was nothing he could do. The enemy in his sights could not be ignored. Epilen and Penslin were still alive, so his situation was extremely precarious.

    Craaack!

    More lightning bolts crashed from the sky, and Junhyuk regained hisposure. He didn¡¯t know how that had happened, but he noticed there was an arrow stuck to his left shoulder, and a dagger was retracting from his rib.

    Epilen retreated quickly. At that moment, Junhyuk knew his Spatial sh hade off cooldown. So, he used it right away on the back of Epilen¡¯s skull.

    The assassin moved his head to the side, barely dodging the critical hit. Even so, Epilen didn¡¯t have enough health to withstand the Spatial sh.

    Thuck!

    A light, almost muffled sound rang out, and Epilen stoppedpletely. His skull had been cracked, and right after that, Junhyuk felt something eerie. Epilen¡¯s whole body cracked, and suddenly, it exploded.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    Junhyuk quickly spun Aksha¡¯s Longsword. Although he didn¡¯t have time to raise three shields, he was able to raise one.

    A mass of dark energy rushed toward him. The energy felt stronger than when Epilen was alive.

    After that, it dispersed, seeping into the other heroes¡¯ bodies. Junhyuk watched as the enemy heroes regained health after absorbing the dark energy.

    ¡°What?!¡±

    At that moment, he knew things had be dire. He had never seen anything like that in the Dimensional Battlefield, but things were different on Earth.

    ¡°Shit!¡± he cursed and pulled out hismunication orb. Sarang¡¯s projection appeared, and he asked quickly, ¡°How are things?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m barely staying alive. I wanted to heal myself, but decided to heal you instead.¡±

    ¡°Did your invulnerability trigger?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t lost all my health yet for it to happen.¡±

    A duel between mages wasn¡¯t easy. Sarang had already used her strongest power, the Thunderstorm. She was keeping herself alive while fighting Dolorac.

    Junhyuk turned to Alondo and rushed toward him. As soon as he swung his sword, however, he felt a strong impact against his back.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    Junhyuk knew what it was. That was Durandal¡¯s ultimate.

    Junhyuk kept losing health while getting pulled. He hadn¡¯t wanted to attack the tank, but now, his mind had changed.

    While being pulled, he pulled the arrow out from his shoulder. A sharp pain radiated from it, but he ignored the pain. As he was getting pulled, a shadow loomed over him. It was the Ghost White Tiger. Junhyuk used his spatial sense to sense the beast.

    At that moment, Junhyuk swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword at Durandal¡¯s head. When the hero raised his arm to block, the Ghost White Tiger bit Durandal¡¯s side.

    Crack!

    Durandal¡¯s armor cracked from the pressure of the bite, but the hero ignored the Ghost White Tiger. Durandal boosted his defense and elbowed Junhyuk. At close range, it was a fitting attack. Junhyuk turned his head to prevent the hit.

    Whoosh!

    He dodged the hit, but the pressure from the attack scrambled his brain. Junhyuk swung his sword again, but Durandal hid his head within his chest. WIthout being able to strike the head, delivering a critical hit would be hard.

    Alondo was already on him, swinging his scythe against Junhyuk, who had to deal with the two heroes. Another arrow was flying at him, so to be more precise, Junhyuk had to deal with three heroes.

    Alondo¡¯sbat prowess made things difficult for him, and the arrows made him distracted,plicating things even more.

    Junhyuk was almost shed by the scythe while he blocked the arrow. He certainly thought he was in danger.

    ¡°Jeffrey!¡±

    Asso of purple energy flew out and tied itself around Alondo. The hero was restrained, and Junhyuk walked toward him.

    Alondo was the most difficult enemy among the undead team. His sword had not been able to pierce Alondo¡¯s helmet, but with Jeffrey¡¯s power, now that Alondo was tied up, he had to finish the fight.

    Alondo wasn¡¯t an easy enemy to kill. The hero swung his scythe again. It wasing down on Junhyuk, and he felt it. This was another one of Alondo¡¯s powers.

    He knew he couldn¡¯t block it, so he tried dodging. In a moment, Junhyuk would be able to teleport again, but now wasn¡¯t that time.

    The scythe came down on him.

    Boom!

    Each of the scythe¡¯s shes through the air left a trail of dark energy. Junhyuk was mmed by that dark energy and pushed back. At the same time, he felt another arrow heading for him.

    The arrow passed him and flew like a bolt, piercing Jeffrey¡¯s shield and chestte.

    ¡°Ugh!¡± Jeffrey groaned.

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes looked extremely cold now. All he could think of was killing Penslin. Sensing another arrow, Junhyuk teleported in that direction. Once he appeared, he could feel Penslin within range of his attacks.

    The hero did not run away. Instead, he nocked another arrow even faster. Junhyuk had his eleration triggered and was closing in. Penslin loosed the arrow, or what had to be an arrow, but it looked more like a rocket of dark energy.

    Seeing that, Junhyuk used his sword shield, and the dark energy mmed against it.

    Boom!

    With the explosion, he was thrown back. He thought back to Penslin¡¯s powers. The hero had an arrow shot that pushed his opponent, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t think it would¡¯ve been that powerful on Earth.

    Alondo chased after him, so Junhyuk teleported again.

    He appeared behind Penslin and swung his sword at the hero. Penslin dove forward to escape the strike, but Aksha¡¯s Longsword was aimed at the sniper¡¯s head.

    At the same time, Penslin moved his head to the side, and the de struck his left shoulder.

    Crack!

    The hero¡¯s shoulder was shattered, and shadow hands came out of the ground to grab Junhyuk. There were countless hands. Though Penslin¡¯s shoulder had been shattered, the dark energy reattached Penslin¡¯s arm to his torso.

    Penslin nocked another arrow then. If Junhyuk received a headshot, he would die instantly. If he got hit in a weak spot, he would probably also die.

    He cocked his head, so the arrow tore through his ear. Junhyuk wanted to move, but he couldn¡¯t. Penslin had used his ultimate. The Dimensional Battlefield limited the active time of ultimates, but would that happen on Earth?

    Junhyuk had to free himself. He focused on Aksha¡¯s Longsword, and the sword lengthened. He used a mana de to cut through the dark energy tying him up.

    Penslin was a good distance from him now, but Alondo had closed the gap and was swinging his scythe.

    ¡°Things can¡¯t continue like this!¡±

    Junhyuk gritted his teeth and parried the scythe. It wasn¡¯t an easy feat, but he was extremely focused. He couldn¡¯t focus that much while training, so he thought that was a good chance for him to break through his limits.

    Still, he had to risk his life to do it. However, his life was already at risk.

    Junhyuk swung his sword at Alondo¡¯s head again. That battle would be a series of dangerous exchanges.

 Chapter 469 - Danger 2

    <h4>Chapter 469: Danger 2</h4>

    The champions swarmed Durandal after Jeffrey got hit by the arrow and thrown back into a tree. He was in dire condition. The arrow had pierced his shield and chestte.

    Jeffrey looked down at it. Kushuma, the champion from India, was looking at the wound as well. Kushuma had been a doctor before activating his powers, and the champion had a heavy frown on his face.

    ¡°This won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    ¡°Will I be able to move right now?¡±

    Junhyuk had teleported away, so Jeffrey was no longer under fire, but he was thinking he had to rejoin the battle immediately. His experience on the battlefield was telling him that.

    If things continued as they were, the allies would be annihted.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ll survive. Do you see this?¡± Kushuma asked, and Jeffrey looked at the wound. The area surrounding the arrow was turning ck.

    The dark energy was spreading, and Jeffrey thought that it might actually kill him.

    He sighed and said, ¡°OK. First, remove the arrow and stop the bleeding.¡±

    ¡°I can do that, but...¡±

    ¡°If I stay here, I¡¯ll die.¡±

    Durandal had turned to face the champions. The hero was fighting the champions all by himself, and now, he wanted to kill them.

    Things were going terribly.

    Kushuma pulled out a scalpel and worked on Jeffrey¡¯s wound. When the arrow came out, ck blood gushed out of the wound. After that, Kushuma made a concoction with mud to close the wound.

    ¡°You can go first,¡± Jeffrey said.

    Kushuma looked at him, nodded and got up. The champion knew he had to rejoin the fight against Durandal immediately.

    ¡°This is simple emergency treatment. If you move, you¡¯ll start bleeding again.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Kushuma left to rejoin the fight, and Jeffrey pulled himself up by using the tree as support. The mud had stopped the bleeding, but the dark energy had spread up to his neck.

    Would he die if it reached his brain? Or he might die once it reached his heart.

    While he thought he was dying, something else welled up inside of him. From the time the Dimensional Battlefield had summoned him, Jeffrey had never done what he had wanted to do.

    His situation had forced him to flee to South Korea, and now that he was bing happy again, he had to die like that?

    Jeffrey¡¯s fury spread inside of him, and he turned to Durandal. If that undead hero hadn¡¯t appeared, he wouldn¡¯t have had to die.

    How could Jeffrey kill Durandal?

    Durandal was five meters tall, so it wouldn¡¯t be easy to do. The Ghost White Tiger had failed to kill the hero as well. Jeffrey needed more monsters at his disposal.

    ¡°I need more more!¡±

    But, at that moment, Jeffrey could only summon the Ghost White Tiger. He had already done so, so now, he had to wait on his power¡¯s cooldown.

    He covered the wound with his hand and walked forward. The dark energy had turned both of Jeffrey¡¯s eyes ck, and it consumed the area around his heart.

    Penslin would¡¯ve been surprised to see Jeffrey then.

    As Jeffrey stepped forward, the champions attacking Durandal were thrown off. Everything seemed to move in slow motion for him. At that moment, Jeffrey knew he was about to die.

    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna just die!¡± he shouted, and the dark energy around his heart agreed with him.

    Woob, woob, woob, woob!

    The dark energy rushed to Jeffrey¡¯s brain and entered his heart. At the same time, Jeffrey extended both hands and said, ¡°Go!¡±

    Jeffrey summoned all of the monsters he had ever summoned up to that point. The dark energy had enabled him to perform that miracle. It summoned all of the monsters in spirit form.

    All of the monsters from Jeffrey¡¯s past as spirits attacked Durandal.

    When the monsters attacked, all Durandal could do was swing his fists at them.

    A wolf was thrown off, but the gori hugged Durandal by the waist. The flying snake wrapped itself around Durandal¡¯s left arm. The spirits attacked without stopping.

    Durandal was stunned by what was happening. He couldn¡¯t move and was actually receiving damage.

    The hero stomped the ground and the energy within his body burst forth. A dark energy wave rushed out of him and threw the monsters from his body.

    Durandal had many skills, and that was one of those he couldn¡¯t use in the Dimensional Battlefield. But, the spirits attacked him again.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Durandal scoffed, and punched the spirits. His fists were covered in dark energy, so they destroyed the spirits easily.

    Jeffrey ran at Durandal while brandishing his shield and pounded the enemy hero on the knee with it.

    Boom!

    When a champion became a hero, that being¡¯s stats increased. But, although his base stats were supposed to increase, the damage he was dealing was much greater.

    Jeffrey had sparred with Junhyuk, and because of that, he had developed better skills and battle sense. That was the reason why he had targeted Durandal¡¯s knee.

    Durandal staggered, and Jeffrey bashed the front of his shield against him.

    Boom!

    Jeffrey could damage Durandal now, but he was still just a new hero. Durandal got up and elbowed Jeffrey, throwing him off.

    The hero chased after Jeffrey, who got up and immediately and raised his shield to protect himself. However, the difference between their healths and strengths was toorge.

    Jeffrey was a hero now, so things weren¡¯t terrible at the moment.

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk parried Alondo¡¯s scythe and countered. He waspletely focused on their exchange now, and all that he saw was the scythe.

    Junhyuk was focused on the battle in front of him, but Penslin was still shooting. The two enemy heroes had to have been a team for a long time. Penslin knew when to shoot at the exact moment to disrupt Junhyuk¡¯s movements, and every time an arrow reached him, Alondo attacked without exception.

    Junhyuk could do nothing but dodge.

    He was losing health, but he kept on fighting. There was nobody he could ask for help now. He had to grow, to burst through his limits. Sarang had to fight a mage of a higher circle, and the champions were fighting Durandal.

    The champions¡¯ items weren¡¯t great, which was why Durandal was able to take them all at once.

    After a few exchanges, Junhyuk started pressuring Alondo. He had gotten used to Aksha¡¯s Longsword on Earth during the battle, so now, he was actually able tond attacks on the hero.

    His items were better than Alondo¡¯s, so the enemy hero started losing chunks of health. His Spatial sh was almost off cooldown, but at that moment, Alondo raised his scythe high above his head.

    It was one of Alondo¡¯s powers, and a dark ring constricted him.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t move. The enemy hero¡¯s following attack would be extremely dangerous. Alondo was using two powers at the same time, and Penslin kept on shooting.

    Junhyuk raised his head. He had to dodge the strike somehow or prevent his head from getting hit. Right as his Spatial sh came off cooldown, Junhyuk cocked his head.

    Alondo was sure that he would win, so he swung his scythe down on Junhyuk. At the same time, Junhyuk used his Spatial sh.

    Crack!

    The Spatial sh broke through Alondo¡¯s helmet, and the shockwave from the strike destroyed an iing arrow from Penslin. It was sheer luck, but the scythe was stilling down on him.

    Crack!

    The dark ring around him weakened, so Junhyuk ducked. As the scythe sliced his shoulder, Junhyuk rolled forward.

    The scythe got stuck right where Junhyuk had been standing. One of his items from the Vampire Lord set was crushed, but Junhyuk swung his longsword in response.

    The hooves of the skeleton horse stomped at him.

    ng!

    Junhyuk blocked them with the Blood Rune Sword, but he was a moment toote. One of them wasing straight for his head, so he threw himself between the horse¡¯s legs.

    Penslin shot another arrow, but itnded where Junhyuk had been standing.

    Now under the horse, Junhyuk stabbed up. The sword passed through the horse¡¯s empty stomach and punctured Alondo¡¯s body. The hero had been struck by the Spatial sh, so by that point, his health was really low.

    After the strike, Junhyuk noticed the cracks on the skeleton horse and ran out as fast as he could.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    Both the horse and Alondo were destroyed. Alondo¡¯s explosion had released massive amounts of dark energy, but his items dropped to the ground.

    ¡°As long as I can stay alive...¡±

    If he could stay alive, that battle would provide him a boon. He would pick up all of their hero-ss items, enough for five heroes. That would enable him to increase his strength immediately.

    Junhyuk now turned to Penslin. Only three remained.

    He checked his own condition. He did not dodge thest scythe attackpletely. His left shoulder was shattered, and he couldn¡¯t move his arm. He had also been pierced by arrows and stabbed through his rib. He hadn¡¯t recovered from those injuries either.

    Still, his eyes beamed sharply. He couldn¡¯t retreat now. Those heroes could destroy humanity, and he had nowhere to go.

 Chapter 470 - Danger 3

    <h4>Chapter 470: Danger 3</h4>

    Penslin had regained all of his health. On top of that, the hero used his speed buff and became incredibly fast. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t use his eleration in the Dimensional Battlefield to its full potential, but Penslin¡¯s speed buff also seemed to be restricted there.

    The enemy hero was moving faster than Junhyuk with his eleration triggered. Junhyuk knew he had to teleport to keep up with the sniper.

    Junhyuk still went after Penslin, decided not to lose the hero.

    Suddenly, an arrow came flying at him.

    ng!

    He blocked it and kept moving forward, but he clicked his tongue annoyedly. The arrow had made him pause for a second, and for that reason, the distance between them widened. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t close the gap. He wanted to keep Penslin upied so that he wouldn¡¯t attack the champions.

    He had to get his Spatial sh and his teleportation back to engage the hero. There were now fifty meters between them, and if just one of his powers came off cooldown, Junhyuk would be able to kill the enemy hero.

    They were essentially ying tag.

    While fleeing from Junhyuk, Penslin looked for other targets. The enemy hero was a natural hunter, and he found his prey easily even though he was fighting a strong opponent.

    He knew that Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t be able to get close to him with ease and that it would take time for his powers toe off cooldown.

    While thinking about it, he nocked an arrow. The enemy hero couldn¡¯t deal with Junhyuk alone, so he wanted to find someone to help him.

    Penslin shot the arrow toward Junhyuk. The arrow was covered in dark energy, and when he blocked the shot, he was pushed back.

    Penslin kept running as fast as he could. Without looking at Junhyuk, he nocked another arrow. He was looking at the champions now.

    There was a hero among the champions, a hero he¡¯d never seen before. He thought it was possible that the hero might kill Durandal, so Penslin decided to kill him. His eyes beamed when he saw that the hero exuded dark energy.

    ¡°Dark mana?¡±

    With eyes and heart pitch ck, the hero thought that was a good ce to fight. The new hero was under attack, but he would not die.

    Penslin pulled on the bowstring. He had worked with his team for a long time, so joining Durandal was normal. He let go of the string, and the arrow flew off. It zoomed past the trees toward Jeffrey.

    Crack!

    The arrow hit a shield. Now that he was a hero, Jeffrey could block iing attacks like that. The shield had terrible defensive stats, and Penslin thought he should have been able to pierce it.

    Durandal attacked the hero again, and Penslin looked at the champions.

    Junhyuk sensed the imminent danger. He wouldn¡¯t let the champions die by Penslin¡¯s arrows. He had to get his power back fast to close in. He had to teleport.

    The power was still under cooldown, but he had to do it. He had to be able to do it. The Dimensional Battlefield had restrictions, but what about Earth? Would he be able to do it?

    A torrent of mana left his body, and Junhyuk appeared behind Penslin. That wasn¡¯t his eleration. He had teleported.

    From the time he had gained his ability to teleport twice, all he had been able to do was increase the distance of his teleportation. Now, his power had evolved.

    Penslin responded immediately, raising his bow to block.

    ng!

    The hero fell to the ground from the pressure. He wanted to get away, but Junhyuk was after him.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t move his left arm, but his right arm was fine. He swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword, and the sword looked like it had a life of its own. But, he couldn¡¯t put enough energy into the strikes, so someone with a simr energy level could block his attacks.

    Junhyuk wanted to fix his issues with the longsword, so he lengthened it and shortened it and changed the direction of its attacks.

    Aksha¡¯s Longsword snaked by Penslin¡¯s bow and rushed for the hero. Penslin was still surprised by Junhyuk¡¯s appearance behind him, and he knew the longsword posed a lot of problems for him.

    Penslin blocked the attack with an arrow, but Aksha¡¯s Longsword could go from rigid to malleable, and it snaked itself around the arrow, striking Penslin¡¯s head.

    ¡°Argh!¡±

    Penslin responded by firing arrows covered in dark energy. He couldn¡¯t waste the amount of dark energy he had, but he needed to attack at that moment.

    Ten arrows flew toward Junhyuk, who was closing in on Penslin. He couldn¡¯t dodge all of the arrows at that distance. On top of that, he couldn¡¯t move his left arm.

    He wanted to soften the blows, but the dark energy covering the arrows would prevent that in case he got hit. Instead, Junhyuk covered his own body in ayer of mana. His armor had to be pierced for him to receive damage.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck, thuck!

    Four arrows pierced his armor, but Junhyuk managed to close the gap against Penslin. He couldn¡¯t let the enemy hero escape.

    He knew that Aksha¡¯s Longsword worked best at close range and, now, he could feel Penslin¡¯s breath.

    Junhyuk attacked, and Penslin made another attempt to run away, firing another dark energy arrow at Junhyuk. The hero seemed to have an infinite number of arrows in his quiver.

    Who would kill whom? Junhyuk was at a disadvantage. He only had 35 percent of his health left. Penslin had 62 percent left. Junhyuk could deal more damage than the enemy hero in a single strike, but there were other heroes around him as well that might interfere.

    Junhyuk had toe up with some way to kill Penslin that wouldn¡¯t damage him.

    ¡°Someone attack him!¡±

    A champion attacking Durandal dashed toward Penslin. It was Aleksei.

    Penslin shot two arrows at Aleksei, who blocked them with his shoulder. However, one of the arrows pierced his ribs. Aleksei hadn¡¯t expected to block all of the arrows, but he had survived, so he closed in on the enemy hero and used his rush. Aleksei shed and hit Penslin. The hero had wanted to dodge the attack, but Junhyuk was still pressuring him.

    Boom!

    Aleksei¡¯s rush stunned the enemy, so Penslin couldn¡¯t moved. Junhyuk seized that moment. He didn¡¯t save his powers. Whatever he did, he had to kill Penslin then.

    Junhyuk used his Spatial sh on Penslin¡¯s head and shed at the hero. Penslin couldn¡¯t withstand the attacks. When the dark energy started seeping out of the hero¡¯s body, Junhyuk quickly retreated.

    After the explosion, the dark energy dispersed, seeping into Dolorac and Durandal. Junhyuk scowled. Only two heroes remained, but he was badly injured.

    ¡°My ultimate has triggered!¡± Sarang shouted.

    Her heal was still in cooldown, but now, she had no health left.

    ¡°Retreat! Someone cover her!¡± he shouted.

    The champions ran toward Sarang, but Dolorac was a caster. A mage of the eighth circle didn¡¯t need powers to kill champions. His spells would suffice.

    Dolorac scoffed at the three championsing for him and cast a spell. Bone arrows flew in their direction. The champions were too weak to block them.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    While Jeffrey fought Durandal, the champions were able to support him, but Dolorac was different. The mage¡¯s attacks were much more powerful.

    Sarang had been able to fight him by herself, but now, Dolorac had attacked the champions, and all of them became bloodied and battered.

    ¡°Time for you to die!¡± the enemy mage shouted at Sarang.

    A huge bone spear flew toward her. Junhyuk was too far, but he ran toward her anyway.

    Boom!

    Sarang had just a sliver of health left when the bone spear exploded. However, in front of her, stood a man and the Ghost White Tiger.

    Rooooaaarr!

    With a loud roar, the Ghost White Tiger ran toward Dolorac. Seeing that Jeffrey was standing in front of Sarang, Junhyuk¡¯s eyes beamed when he saw him. He could only see Jeffrey¡¯s health in percentages as opposed to exact numbers, which meant that Jeffrey had be a hero.

    His health was full and his eyes were jet ck, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t care about that now.

    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with things here. Kill that hero!¡± Jeffrey said.

    Junhyuk turned and saw Durandal standing there. His health was low, and Junhyuk smiled at that.

    Tanks were known to be hard to deal with, but for him, tanks were the easiest. They had low attack stats, and Junhyuk¡¯s piercing stat went right through their defenses.

    ¡°Fight hard!¡± he said and ran toward Durandal.

 Chapter 471 - Business is Good 1

    <h4>Chapter 471: Business is Good 1</h4>

    Durandal was a tank, and to him, Junhyuk was the worst enemy possible. Durandal knew that, so he jumped to escape him.

    Just because an enemy wanted to fight him, it didn¡¯t mean that he would be stupid about it. Looking for the most advantageous location for oneself was the way of the fighter.

    Durandal followed that rule to the letter. Junhyuk frowned when he saw that Durandal had jumped toward where Jeffrey was standing.

    Sarang was behind Jeffrey, running away, but she didn¡¯t have an eleration skill. It was almost impossible for her to escape Durandal, but Junhyuk ran after the enemy hero and swung his sword.

    Durandal¡¯s fists were covered in dark energy, and the hero blocked his attack. Junhyuk turned his wrist, and his sword snaked itself around the fists, aiming for Durandal¡¯s head.

    Durandal used his body to block the attack.

    Crack!

    His armor blocked Junhyuk¡¯s sword, but the hero still received damage. Junhyuk walked toward Durandal, who said, ¡°Nothing I can do about it. You¡¯ll be the first!¡±

    Junnhyuk wasn¡¯t in good condition, so the hero punched at him while shouting, ¡°Die!¡±

    Junhyuk scoffed at his enemy, but he soon lost control. Junhyuk¡¯s fury against Durandal had reached its max. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t even swing his sword, and without it, Durandal would be able to defend himself.

    Dolorac wasplicating matters for the champions. He had indefensible attacks, and on top of that, he was a ck mage.

    Junhyuk could do nothing but trust his items with magic resistance.

    After a while, Junhyuk regained control, but he felt dirty. Ling Ling was standing in front of him covered in blood.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I saved you, barely.¡±

    Ling Ling could generate wind currents, and somehow, her powers had snapped him out of the taunt. Junhyuk turned his head and saw Durandaling toward him.

    Dolorac was causing havoc among the champions.

    Junhyuk looked at Durandal and then at the mage raising his staff. The mage was casting a spell that seemed to be forming a huge bone structure.

    Junhyuk knew what it was. He threw Ling Ling back and dashed toward it. He triggered his eleration, increasing his speed as much as possible. A gust of wind pushed him from the back, increasing his speed even more.

    He had never run that fast. The huge bone monster was attacking. Its attacks seemed to phase through objects to reach their targets.

    Even though Junhyuk was running toward it, he didn¡¯t necessarily have a way to fight it.

    Taking stock of things, Junhyuk realized that two champions were in critical condition. They were about to die, and if things continued that way, the heroes would also die.

    If the heroes died, the enemy heroes would have their way with humanity. Dolorac alone could wipe out humanity.

    Junhyuk stopped in front of Jeffrey and asked, ¡°How¡¯s your cooldown?¡±

    ¡°Not long now.¡±

    ¡°Then, attack Dolorac.¡±

    The Ghost White Tiger couldn¡¯t dodge Dolorac¡¯s ultimate, but it could attack and created an opening.¡±

    The bone being moved toward Junhyuk, and it did so flying. Junhyuk thought about Aksha¡¯s sword shield. If he created a threeyered shield right now, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use Aksha¡¯s Longswordter. He had been elerating for so long that his mana was nearly depleted.

    He couldn¡¯t be certain about what would happen, but he had to create the sword shields to protect Sarang, so he did it without hesitation.

    The bone monster flew toward his shields. In the Dimensional Battlefield, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to block its attacks, but what about on Earth? There, he couldn¡¯t even use his mana like he wanted, but things were different on Earth.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    The shields blocked the bone monster. In reality, the collision destroyed the monster. Junhyuk¡¯s eyes beamed at that.

    The monster had been more like a soul, and with mana, he was able to block that soul.

    Suddenly, arge explosion rang out, and Junhyuk was thrown back.

    Dolorac gritted his teeth and said coldly, ¡°Ha-ha-ha. You¡¯ve got skills.¡±

    The mage pulled out arge fang. It seemed to be something important for Dolorac, and when the mage ced it on the ground, Junhyuk frowned.

    His enemies had dark powers, and dark mana was different from regr mana, but he could still feel the quantity of dark energy being used. Junhyuk was able to do that because he had felt through the energies within the core.

    The fang emanated a high concentration of dark energy, and the Dark Fog gathered around the fang. Something was happening, and it was big.

    Durandal stood next to Dolorac but did nothing.

    Junhyuk looked back and saw Sarang drinking a potion. For a hero, it wouldn¡¯t be much help, but it could be the difference between life and death.

    After that, she stood next to him and said, ¡°In a short while, my heal wille off cooldown.¡±

    After being healed, Junhyuk would be able to fight.

    ¡°My force field will alsoe off cooldown. What do you think he is doing?¡±

    Sarang looked at the disy in front of them and muttered, ¡°It looks like a golem!¡±

    ¡°Right!¡±

    Junhyuk nodded in agreement. Golems were difficult enemies, but he had to wait and regain some health before he could do anything.

    He looked at his injuries and pulled out some shrapnel from them.

    After a little while, something burst out of the ground. The top of Dobong Mountain was destroyed. What came out was huge, and Junhyuk scowled at it.

    ¡°That...!?¡±

    ¡°It looks like a Bone Dragon,¡± Sarang said, raising her hand. Light green powder fell over him, and Junhyuk recuperated some health. Because he had lost too much by that point, he was only healed to 60 percent, but he could move his left arm now, and his ribs felt much better. However, he stillcked mana, so he couldn¡¯t use Aksha¡¯s Longsword freely.

    Junhyuk stretched his shoulder and asked, ¡°OK. Ready for the second round?¡±

    He had moved alone in the beginning, but now, they knew exactly how many enemies there were, so he didn¡¯t have to move by himself.

    Junhyuk looked at Sarang. Her health was still low, while some of his enemies were at full health. After the bone dragon appeared, Dolorac started walking toward them.

    Junhyuk looked around and saw that the champions were in much better condition. None of them were hurt now. So, he contacted Gongon.

    The hatchling smiled at him and asked, ¡°What happened to the ck mage?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still fighting him, but he summoned a Bone Dragon.¡± Gongon¡¯s eyes zed furiously, and Junhyuk asked, ¡°How can I kill it?¡±

    ¡°Who dared do that?!¡± Gongon roared.

    ¡°I¡¯m fighting it now.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen a Bone Dragon summoned by dark magic. Bone Dragons don¡¯t have any magic, but they must have a strong physical defense.¡±

    If that was all, Junhyuk could fight it. He nodded and just as he was about to disconnect, Gongon¡¯s face erged as the hatchling shouted, ¡°Tear them apart! They don¡¯t care about my tribe.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Junhyuk said curtly and turned to the champions. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have any mana, so get away from it and buy time. I¡¯ll kill it.¡±

    He turned to Jeffrey and added, ¡°Jeffrey, you¡¯re in charge of the champions.¡±

    Jeffrey was a hero now, but his overall stats were not as great as Junhyuk¡¯s. He needed more items.

    Looking at Sarang, he said, ¡°Durandal already used his taunt, so while it¡¯s inactive, we¡¯ll kill Dolorac.¡±

    ¡°OK. My Thunderstorm is back.¡±

    If she killed someone, the dark energy would shoot out of that enemy to heal the others. For that reason, Junhyuk would have to fight with her.

    He moved toward the Bone Dragon first. It looked like the most dangerous out of the bunch, but the champions had already fought a real dragon.

    Junhyuk ran toward Dolorac, and Sarang covered him. They had fought together many times before, but Doloracughed while watching them.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy!¡± the mage said and raised his staff.

    Bone hands burst from the ground and grabbed both heroes. The mage smiled coldly.

    The Bone Dragon ran toward them, but Jeffrey used his power to lure the Bone Dragon toward himself. He knew he had to finish the heroes.

    Junhyuk watched as Dolorac prepared to cast something. At the same time, Durandal was dashing toward him. So, Junhyuk touched Sarang and teleported.

    They appeared right next to Dolorac, but the bone hands jutted out of the ground there as well, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t escape them.

    That was Dolorac¡¯s magic trap. There was nothing he could do.

    The impact against his armor broke the bones, so Junhyuk swung his longsword. More bones rose from the ground and shielded Dolorac from the de of Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    Craack!

    The sword pierced the bone shield and reached Dolorac. Now that Junhyuk was close, Dolorac¡¯s bone defenses didn¡¯t matter. It was a matter of time before he would be able to kill the enemy hero.

 Chapter 472 - Business is Good 2

    <h4>Chapter 472: Business is Good 2</h4>

    The sword pierced Dolorac¡¯s bone armor, but the mage vanished. Dolorac had disappeared too quickly, and that made Junhyuk frown. At that moment, he couldn¡¯t use his eleration, so he couldn¡¯t find out where Dolorac was.

    ¡°What did he do?¡±

    The vanishing move felt like his teleportation, but it didn¡¯t remain a mystery for long.

    Sarang shot an electric st, and Dolorac was paralyzed. Seeing that, Junhyuk swung his sword toward the mage, striking Dolorac¡¯s head continuously. Dolorac¡¯s defense was low, and Junhyuk¡¯s attacks were critical hits that left a crack on the mage¡¯s skull.

    Even though Dolorac had started at full health, he quickly lost chunks of his health with Junhyuk¡¯s strikes. Once Junhyuk got close to attack again, Dolorac vanished one more time.

    Junhyuk was sure that the mage was able to teleport now. It seemed that Dolorac¡¯s teleport had a very short cooldown, but he was able to do it nheless.

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t seen that power in the Dimensional Battlefield, but it was at full disy now. Dolorac reappeared behind Durandal, who was running at Junhyuk. The tank was covered in dark energy.

    Junhyuk scowled. Because he hadn¡¯t known about Dolorac¡¯s teleportation, he had failed to kill the enemy mage. While hiding behind Durandal, Dolorac was casting spells at the group.

    Magic wasn¡¯t a power, but it was powerful. On top of that, it was being cast by a magician of the eighth circle. Meanwhile, Durandal¡¯s dark energy attack couldn¡¯t be ignored either.

    It was a simple rush, but since it had been infused with dark energy, it would be difficult to deal with.

    Sarang shot her chain lightning spell at Durandal. Junhyuk hadpletely forgotten about her spells. Sarang had magic of her own, magic that wasn¡¯t power.

    Durandal blocked the spell with his body, but the electricity spread through his body from the point of impact and shot toward Dolorac, who was standing behind Durandal.

    Craaack!

    Dolorac was wearing his bone armor, so he wasn¡¯t really damaged. On top of that, magic attacks on mages were rather ineffective.

    Junhyuk knew that, so he kept waiting for his mana pool to regenerate. Only a small quantity of it was back, but that meant that he was gaining mana even while on Earth.

    With the amount of mana he had now, he could elerate for ten seconds. He turned to Sarang, and she nodded at him.

    Without hesitation, Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Now!¡±

    Lightning bolts cracked from the sky. Dolorac had blocked the chain lightning spell, so he was feeling confident, but he couldn¡¯t do much against the Thunderstorm.

    The lightning bolts aimed directly at the head. For the undead, their heads were their weak spots. On top of that, Thunderstorm dealt a crazy amount of damage even without a critical hit.

    Dolorac lost half of his health in one go. Even with his bone armor on, he was significantly damaged.

    The electricity from the thunderbolts went everywhere, mming Durandal, who ended up paralyzed.

    That was their best chance.

    Junhyuk elerated, passing by Durandal to attack Dolorac. The mage quickly disappeared, but Junhyuk used his spatial sense to locate him and shed at him. Aksha¡¯s Longsword punctured Dolorac¡¯s head.

    Doloract couldn¡¯t teleport continuously, and now, Aksha¡¯s Longsword had sunk into his head. Junhyuk gathered all the mana he had on the tip of his sword.

    Boom!

    The mana on the tip of his sword exploded, and Dolorac was unable to endure it. Dolorac exploded with the mana, and the dark energy from his body split in two. Junhyuk watched the path of the two pieces.

    One piece of dark energy went toward the Bone Dragon fighting Jeffrey, but the Bone Dragon dismantled and disappeared, leaving only arge fang behind.

    After that, Junhyuk turned to look at the remaining enemy hero: Durandal. The tank knew his side had lost.

    The health of the human heroes was low, but Durandal couldn¡¯t fight three heroes by himself. On top of that, the humans also had champions.

    The champions had powers, and some of those could even stun or instill fear in heroes. If he received any of those status, he would probably die.

    Durandal clicked his tongue. He had been confident in his victory, but things had gone differently. Now, however, Durandal had a higher concentration of dark energy within his body, leftovers from the heroes who had fought with him.

    Durandal¡¯s body had not simply regained its health. It had also been filled to the brim with dark energy. Right now, Durandal felt confident that he could fight a god, but he felt no need to continue the battle at that moment.

    He hadn¡¯t gotten what he¡¯d wanted, but he had gained other things. The rest of his team of heroes had died, and he was going to use that to his advantage.

    Durandal had risked his life with his teammates. He wouldn¡¯t let their deaths go in vain. He wouldn¡¯t let humans have Earth.

    Durandal jump, but he did not jump toward the human heroes. It hadn¡¯t urred to Junhyuk that Durandal might run away, however.

    The tank had jumped back, and as he did, he pulled something out. Junhyuk watched it happen and teleported, closing in quickly and shing at Durandal. Suddenly, a tear appeared, and it grew immediately.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh!¡±

    Durandal was about to disappear, so Junhyuk used his Spatial sh, which had juste off cooldown. However, because Durandal was already inside the tear, his attack was a disappointment. It wasn¡¯t a Dimensional sh.

    ¡°Durandal!¡±

    His shout echoed in vain. Was that the end? Would Junhyuk be able to go to their dimension to give it retribution?

    He was furious, but Durandal was gone.

    The Dark Fog dispersed and disappeared, and Junhyuk sighed and looked at the items on the ground, the items of all four enemy heroes who had died.

    He gathered them in one spot and counted them. There were fifty-seven items.

    ¡°Did anyone die?¡±

    Jeffrey came up next to him and shook his head.

    ¡°No one.¡±

    Junhyuk inspected Jeffrey. His eyes were jet ck, and dark energy was swirling around his chest.

    ¡°I know you are a hero now. What happened?¡±

    Dolorac had died, and when his dark energy had split in two, Junhyuk had thought that one piece had gone for the dragon, but instead, it had gone into Jeffrey, who had been in the same ce. He was extremely surprised by that.

    Jeffrey inspected his own body and said, ¡°All of the negative feelings I had bottled up burst forth. Now, I have to control them.¡±

    It was nice that Jeffrey was a hero now, but he was covered in dark energy.

    Junhyuk looked at him and said, ¡°You are a hero now, so don¡¯t die easily. I¡¯ll check the items, and if I see something you can use, I¡¯ll give it to you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Jeffrey had be a hero and fought with them. That change had enabled the humans to defeat their enemies. Junhyuk was going to sell the bulk of the items to Bebe, but he was going to give some to Jeffrey first.

    He looked at the champions. They all looked exhausted from fighting the Bone Dragon. It must¡¯ve been draining.

    But, the champions had endured and defeated their enemies. Junhyuk was willing to help them. If all of them became stronger, the next time they faced a true dragon, things would go much more smoothly.

    Junhyuk looked toward the peak of Dobong Mountain. It was mostly gone, but he saw the drones flying above it.

    He picked up an item that had been dropped by Dolorac then, arge fang, and stared at it. After a little while, he contacted Gongon, and the hatchling¡¯s giant face appeared as a projection.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°We killed them. By the way, this object...¡±

    He showed Gongon the fang, and the dragon¡¯s eyes widened slightly.

    ¡°It must carry the soul of my tribemate.¡±

    ¡°Right. They summoned the Bone Dragon with it.¡±

    ¡°Can you give it to meter? I want to help the dragon.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded. He could¡¯ve sold it to Bebe, but Gongon had given him advice during the fight. The hatchling just wanted to put his fellow dragon to rest.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Junhyuk disconnected with Gongon and stared at Sarang. The adrenaline had vanished from her, and now, her legs were shaking.

    Junhyuk put a hand on her shoulder and said, ¡°You fought well.¡±

    ¡°Big brother...¡± He stared at her without saying anything else, and she whispered hesitantly, ¡°I thought I was going to die.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded. Her invulnerability had triggered, but she hadn¡¯t been able to stack a heal after it. She had had to wait for her cooldown. A scratch could¡¯ve killed her then, which had made her extremely nervous.

    They had barely survived death.

    Jeffrey, who was a hero now, and Junhyuk¡¯s sword shield had saved her. The shield with Aksha¡¯s Longsword had blocked Dolorac¡¯s ultimate.

    He caressed her shoulder and asked, ¡°Can you fly?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t. I¡¯m barely standing up.¡±

    He chuckled and acted as her support as they walked to his drone. The others got on their drones as well. Nobody wanted to stay there.

    Junhyuk could see a helicopter flying above the mountain and soldiers rappelling down.

    ¡°They¡¯ll clean up.¡±

    ¡°Shall we?¡±

    ¡°Sure. There¡¯s nothing left here.¡±

    Junhyuk had used his spatial sense and found nothing out of the ordinary. The dark energy was gone from the area.

    The ce was safe now, and since the monster recovery team was there, he would let them do their job. The powered people had earned the right to rest for now.

    The humans flew off on their drones, following Junhyuk. His eyes widened slightly.

 Chapter 473 - Business is Good 3

    <h4>Chapter 473: Business is Good 3</h4>

    They had fought a bloody battle atop Dobong Mountain, but now, they were headed back to Guardians. Junhyuk would check the items he had picked upter.

    Right now, he was most curious about Jeffrey and about how Jeffrey was able to control the dark energy within him. The dark energy was a separate thing from mana, but dark energy was still one of theponents that made up everything.

    The powered people had faced death, but they were all safe now. Junhyuk flew ahead of Jeffrey. He knew Jeffrey had a new power, but he didn¡¯t think that would put him in danger.

    Jeffrey was now a part of Junhyuk¡¯s main n. He wanted to help Jeffrey. Now that Jeffrey was a hero, if he could help Jeffrey grow, the new hero would be tremendous help.

    Jeffrey wasn¡¯t on his team in the Dimensional Battlefield, but on Earth, Jeffrey would support him. Junhyuk walked with Jeffrey to Guardians¡¯ training facility. When they entered, he noticed that Jeffrey was strange. He was standing still, but the energy around him was erratic.

    The energy felt cool to the touch, but also heavy and dark.

    Junhyuk stared at Jeffrey with his sword lowered and asked, ¡°What is your new power?¡±

    ¡°I need an opponent to use it.¡±

    ¡°Use it on me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be dangerous.¡±

    Junhyuk chuckled and asked, ¡°Are you worried about me?¡±

    Jeffrey was exuding that strange energy, but he seemed to be in control of his faculties. That was a good thing, but Junhyuk wasn¡¯tpletely sure about the energy he could feel. That kind of negative energy could take over Jeffrey at any time.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    Jeffrey decided to use his power. In Junhyuk¡¯s mind, his health was full, so even if Jeffrey used his ultimate, he wouldn¡¯t die.

    While Junhyuk stared at him, Jeffrey triggered his ultimate, and as soon as he did, Junhyuk changed his mind. Jeffrey had summoned twelve spirit monsters. The spirits were sorge that they filled his field of view. Aksha¡¯s Longsword stretched on its own.

    Junhyuk attacked with his mana de, and the spirits were shed by his sword.

    Puff, puff, puff!

    Some spirits did not explode. Those spirits of fast monsters dodged his sword, but those of strong and heavy monsters couldn¡¯t do anything.

    The attacks created shockwaves, but they weren¡¯t the regr ring-shaped shockwaves, so all of the monsters dodged them.

    A flying snake wrapped itself around Junhyuk and tightened its grip. Junhyuk teleported, escaping the snake¡¯s grip. At the same moment, a Ghost White Tiger appeared behind him. It wasn¡¯t one of the spirits summoned by Jeffrey. It was the real thing.

    Junhyuk teleported again, appearing behind Jeffrey, who ducked quickly.

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t elerating, but Jeffrey had been fast enough to dodge his sword. He had only been nning to smack Jeffrey with his sword, but now, he wanted a real fight.

    ¡°You really are a hero.¡±

    Jeffrey retreated and used his other power. All of his subjects went berserk.

    The eyes of the Ghost White Tiger and the spirit monsters beamed red, and they all attacked Junhyuk. The berserk effect stacked with Jeffrey¡¯s ultimate. It was an incredible power. Jeffrey could boost it even more, but even now, it was plenty powerful.

    Junhyuk distanced himself, and Jeffrey smiled and extended his hand. Junhyuk teleported again at that time.

    Asso of purple energy flew from Jeffrey¡¯s hand. If it managed to catch him, Junhyuk would be pulled toward his attacker. He couldn¡¯t let the monsters attack him like that.

    No one had taught Jeffrey how to use his powers, but Jeffrey was able to do it expertly. Junhyuk stared silently at the monsters rushing for him and triggered a Spatial Copse.

    Craaack, craack!

    Both the spirit monsters and the Ghost White Tiger were sucked in by the void, and Junhyuk shed at them.

    The shockwaves from Aksha¡¯s Longsword killed the Ghost White Tiger and the rest of the monsters. Then, Junhyuk quickly lengthened his sword and stopped it right against Jeffrey¡¯s neck.

    Jeffrey smacked his lips and said, ¡°I lost.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to defeat you.¡±

    Junhyuk had simply been curious about Jeffrey¡¯s powers. Now that Jeffrey was a hero, he could tame more A-ranked monsters.

    Junhyuk stared at Jeffrey and said, ¡°Your new power, that power belonged to the undead. You must be vignt about keeping your sanity intact now that you have it.¡±

    Jeffrey nodded heavily. Even if he was a hero now, he didn¡¯t want to fight against Junhyuk. Jeffrey had simply wanted to know where he stood, and he realized that he stillcked a lot of things. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t even used his Spatial sh.

    Junhyuk continued, ¡°The items we picked up, some of them should have boosts to dark attacks and dark powers. It looks like your ultimate is darkness based.¡±

    Jeffrey agreed and said, ¡°I had my other powers before I got the dark energy.¡±

    Junhyuk added, ¡°And we need to get you a new weapon.¡±

    Jeffrey used a shield as his weapon, but now, his shield was cracked all over.

    ¡°Some shields can double as weapons. If you have enough gold, you can get a legendary weapon or item, but you can always get a better shield from Bebe. You¡¯ll need to learn some shield techniques.¡±

    ¡°Shield techniques?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Guardians had people who knew about shieldbat techniques, but those people had their limits. Jeffrey needed to learn shield techniques from an experienced hero from the Dimensional Battlefield.

    ¡°One more thing: You must learn to control that energy within your chest.¡±

    Junhyuk thought about it naturally since Bebe had exined that he had everything anyone would need, but gold was necessary to purchase things from the yeti. With enough of it, Bebe would sell anything one could want. Jeffrey would find himself on an entirely different level once he got better equipment.

    Jeffrey nodded and thought about it.

    Junhyuk patted his shoulder and said, ¡°As soon as I inspect those items, I¡¯ll give some to you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Use this ce as your new training grounds.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk was able to get there immediately from Elise¡¯s house, so in case Jeffrey lost his mind to the dark energy, he would be ready to deal with the situation.

    Junhyuk told Jeffrey to get himself checked periodically and went to see Elise. When he walked in, her eyes widened.

    ¡°Those heroes crossed the line! What happened?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy.¡±

    In truth, it had been extremely difficult. Back in the Dimensional Battlefield, those same heroes had been much easier to deal with for him. Only Alondo had posed difficulty in the Dimensional Battlefield, but on Earth, everything had been different.

    Every enemy had posed him great problems.

    Elise stared at him and asked, ¡°Can you show me the items you picked up?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to inspect them anyway.¡±

    She tapped her goggles and said, ¡°I just made these. I want to see if they work.¡±

    ¡°What are those?¡±

    ¡°Something that¡¯ll make you happy.¡±

    He pulled out the items he had picked up one by one, and Elise inspected them with her goggles on.

    ¡°This one increases health and dark attack.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    Elise handed him the googles, and he put them on and inspected the items.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t tell the items¡¯ names, and there was no lore being shown, but he could see the items¡¯ stats and buffs. That was incredible.

    ¡°How did you make this?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a secret.¡± Elise smiled and asked, ¡°Knowing the stats and buffs, can you guess their prices?¡±

    Junhyuk had already sold items from those undead heroes, so he could certainly guess at the new items¡¯ worth.

    He took them all out, and Elise inspected them one by one.

    ¡°What exactly is dark attack?¡±

    ¡°It increases the attribute of undead enemies, but I¡¯m not sure myself.¡±

    ¡°Right...¡± Then, Elise said, ¡°We should separate the weapons from the other items. I want to know if magitek was used to craft these.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded. There were a lot of items, so he would let Elise inspect all of them for their stats and buffs. That would help him in figuring out which to keep and which to sell.

    Junhyuk looked at the equipment. It all looked about the same, but some items were superior to others.

    Junhyuk could make a decent amount out of some, so he set those aside. There were seven of them. Compared to the others, those seven items were far superior.

    He could probably sell the seven for 70,000G each, but he had actually set them aside for Jeffrey. If Jeffrey hadn¡¯t be a hero, Sarang and the champions would¡¯ve been killed on that mountain.

    Jeffrey had earned those items. The total price for all for them was probably around 1,000,000G, but selling them would only him half of that.

    With those items, Jeffrey would be a true hero. There were a lot of heroes who didn¡¯t have enough items, or who had shoddy items. Good heroes should contribute to their teams to grow.

    Junhyuk checked the remaining items, the other fifty. Each of them would sell for 40,000G, so if he sold all of them, he would earn 2,000,000G. Sarang had also participated in the battle, so Junhyuk would give her her share.

    By studying the items, Elise would be able to craft magitek items with darkness buffs for Jeffrey, and that way, Jeffrey wouldn¡¯t have to worry about acquiring new items immediately.

    However, Elise needed time to do that.

    Junhyuk appreciated the undead attack on Earth.

    ¡°This ended up being great business.¡±

    But, he was still furious. Next time, he would surely destroy Durandal. Of course, at the moment, he couldn¡¯t get to Durandal¡¯s dimension.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get my chance.¡±

    Durandal had infuriated him, but Eltor had enraged him. Junhyuk wanted to seriously hurt the manager, and he was working on it.

 Chapter 474 - Dividends 1

    <h4>Chapter 474: Dividends 1</h4>

    Junhyuk had summoned Agenchra and was now staring at the manager. Agenchra was smiling awkwardly at him.

    The manager was covered in bandages, yet his expressions werepletely visible.

    ¡°Jeffrey, the new hero, has been assigned a team.¡±

    ¡°I want to talk about something else.¡±

    Agenchra smacked his lips, and Junhyuk spat out what was on his mind, ¡°Five heroes crossed into our dimension. Before they arrived, the Monster Administration managers had opened up tears. When the five heroes crossed over, there were five tears active. Sure, heroes can do that on their own, but was that really a coincidence?¡±

    All of the champions were safe. At the same time, one had evolved into a hero from the ordeal. The results had been good, but Junhyuk couldn¡¯t forgive what had happened.

    His eyes were cold, and Agenchra sighed heavily.

    ¡°This can be called threading the line. Nobody broke the rules, but just barely.¡±

    ¡°What rules?¡±

    ¡°Heroes may attack others. That¡¯s not a problem. But managers releasing monsters at the same time could be seen as a conflict.¡±

    ¡°The timing was just right for both things to happen. Someone made a deal with those heroes, and that¡¯s not breaking the rules?¡±

    ¡°There is no evidence to support that such a deal was struck.¡±

    Junhyuk scowled and asked, ¡°Then the monsters just happened to spawn at the same time the heroes crossed over?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t be sure. I can¡¯t check on that.¡±

    Junhyuk was exasperated, but at the moment, he couldn¡¯t do anything.

    ¡°Did the managers decide that?¡±

    ¡°The results were good.¡±

    Junhyukughed and said, ¡°Four heroes came and died. A new hero was born, but is that what you call a good result?¡±

    ¡°We focus only on activating new heroes.¡±

    Junhyuk was speechless, but he couldn¡¯t me things on Agenchra anymore. Now, he was thinking about how he could strike back at the managers.

    He knew that talking would only make him angrier, so he got up.

    ¡°At this point, if we activate two more heroes, the waves will stop?¡±

    ¡°If two more human heroese forth, and another wave is triggered, Eltor will be dismissed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trusting you on that.¡±

    Activating heroes was a difficult thing. Effort could help the odds, but the champion had to be lucky. Jeffrey had managed to do it because the dark energy had overtaken him.

    Still smiling, Agenchra bowed and disappeared. Time started flowing again, and Junhyuk sighed heavily. He had called Agenchra toin, but he had gained nothing from it.

    ¡°So irritating!¡±

    Jeffrey had be a hero, and his will was currently in control of the dark energy.

    Junhyuk teleported and found Jeffrey sitting in the center of the training facility. He was working on self-control.

    Junhyuk walked toward him, and feeling his presence, Jeffrey opened his eyes.

    The whites of his eyes were gone. Now, they were entirely ck.

    Staring at those ck eyes, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Have you told your sister?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    ¡°Wait and do it after you ask Bebe about it. He might have something to change the color of your eyes.¡±

    The dark energy swirling around Jeffrey¡¯s chest wasn¡¯t visible. Jeffrey¡¯s clothes were covering it.

    ¡°What brings you here?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to give you these.¡±

    Junhyuk pulled out the most precious items he had put aside. There was a chest piece, a waist, two boots, two gauntlets and a helmet.

    ¡°Seven.¡±

    Jeffrey seemed disappointed, and Junhyuk chuckled at that. Of the fifty-seven items, he had only given Jeffrey seven, so it was normal for him to be disappointed. However, those were the best items of the bunch.

    He handed the items to Jeffrey and said, ¡°I checked their buffs, and they are by far the best. The suit as a whole had very high stats.¡±

    Jeffrey had fought well, but Junhyuk had done most of the work killing their enemies. Jeffrey knew that, so he didn¡¯tin.

    ¡°Also, I told you to learn shieldbat techniques, but what about using this?¡±

    Junhyuk pulled out Alondo¡¯s scythe, and Jeffrey¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Can I keep it?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a great weapon, but you¡¯ve been using a shield, so I¡¯m not sure a scythe will suit you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make it suit me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll need to change the way you fight.¡±

    Jeffrey carrying a scythe from then on didn¡¯t mean he would be able to use it effectively. Shields could block regr attacks, but scythes couldn¡¯t. It would be a while before Jeffrey really learned how to fight with it.

    ¡°I want it all the same.¡±

    After staring at Jeffrey for a moment, Junhyuk handed him the scythe. Jeffrey closed his eyes then, and dark energy flowed out of Jeffrey and into the scythe. That made Junhyuk curious.

    Junhyuk had received Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship, so did the scythe carry something like it?

    Jeffrey opened his eyes slowly and said, ¡°The weapon has recognized me as its owner, but that¡¯s it.¡±

    Being recognized by a weapon was a good thing.

    ¡°Get advice from other scythe users, and focus on your defense.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll learn the basics. Will you spar with me then?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Junhyuk meant to increase Jeffrey¡¯s prowess. Just like in thest battle, if Jeffrey did his part, the new hero would be a big help. That was why he gave Jeffrey the scythe.

    All of the weapons had buffs, and they would bring him a nice amount of money if he sold them, but he wanted to help Jeffrey first.

    Jeffrey smiled and asked, ¡°Can I show you something interesting?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Jeffrey summoned the Ghost White Tiger. Then, he got on top of it and disappeared with it.

    Junhyuk had to use his spatial sense to spot Jeffrey.

    ¡°I gained a lot from thatst battle. Now, I can ride the Ghost White Tiger and be hidden with it.¡±

    ¡°You might be restricted in the Dimensional Battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Still, it¡¯ll help me on Earth.¡±

    On Earth, that ability was extremely powerful.

    Jeffrey had wanted the scythe because while riding the Ghost White Tiger, he needed a weapon.

    ¡°Good thinking. During your next summoning to the battlefield, try taming more A-ranked monsters.¡±

    ¡°I can only tame one more, so I¡¯m deciding on which monster to tame.¡±

    Each A-ranked monster had a specialty, and Jeffrey wanted to tame the one that would help him out the most.

    ¡°OK. I¡¯m expecting great things.¡±

    Junhyuk walked out. There was no need for him to worry about Jeffrey anymore, but he wanted to keep Jeffrey close by. If the new hero went mad, Junhyuk would be the only one capable of stopping him.

    Junhyuk went to his own training facility. His skill with Aksha¡¯s Longsword has increased with his deaths in the Dimensional Battlefield. Now that he had used the new swordsmanship techniques in realbat, it was time for him to learn more.

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk did nothing but train all the way until Friday. Jeffrey had learned the basics of wielding a scythe, so he asked Junhyuk for a sparring session.

    Junhyuk beat the crap out of him until Jeffrey vomited blood.

    In the Dimensional Battlefield, things might have been different, but on Earth, Junhyuk had his eleration and his highest-tier runestones. He was superior to Jeffrey, and his swordsmanship was much better.

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected much from Jeffrey, but he wanted Jeffrey to focus on one thing. His scythe require great strength to use correctly. Jeffrey had learned basic defensive techniques, but now, he needed to learn how to counter.

    When an enemy attacked, the best move would be to parry and counter if you could. It wasn¡¯t easy, but Jeffrey was a hero now, and he was learning fast.

    Junhyuk trained Jeffrey and made him focus on the counters.

    On Friday, it was possible that Jeffrey would be summoned, so Junhyuk told him to go rest in his own room for the day. It was also time for him to spectate the Champions¡¯ Battlefield.

    In Junhyuk¡¯s room, Elise and Sarang were talking about magic. After fighting Dolorac, Sarang had refocused on learning spells. Aside from her powers, her spells had fallen short against the undead mage.

    Sarang was learning magic from Vera, and Elise was telling her about magitek.

    Sarang was a quick learner, and she listened carefully to Elise¡¯s exnation about magitek. At 10 a.m., they were all summoned to their respective ces.

    [Wee!]

    Junhyuk looked at Ariel. Agenchra hadn¡¯t been able to do anything, so he was certain that Ariel would have no power to act.

    He took his seat and asked, ¡°What are the odds?¡±

    [It¡¯s a new team, so it¡¯s six to one.]

    ¡°OK. Let¡¯s start.¡±

    Junhyuk started off through Elise¡¯s eyes. She looked around and walked out of the spawn room. Aditya and a gray orc were there waiting for him.

    The orc was holding a cane. Elise greeted him and asked about the orc¡¯s powers. He showed them to her. One of his powers was a supporting power, but the orc was mostly an attacker. Elise talked about the strategy and decided to pair up with Aditya.

    It was better for her to move with Aditya since she knew him already.

    Elise had incredibly powerful powers, but her items were what made her special. She carried items that could overpower other champions. She could definitely win.

    The first battle started soon after, and Elise¡¯s regr attacks took 15 percent off of the enemy¡¯s health with each hit.

    Aditya, who had been buffed by her, killed the enemy champions easily.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Junhyuk shouted without noticing it.

 Chapter 475 - Dividends 2

    <h4>Chapter 475: Dividends 2</h4>

    Junhyuk took a bird¡¯s eye view of the battlefield. Elise and Aditya were going straight for the buff ind and were in the middle of preparing for battle. Sarang had been thorough in her exnation of the Champion¡¯s battlefield, and because of that, the allies were moving without hesitation.

    The problem was the orc. He had already died once and was now exiting the castle.

    In that battlefield, Elise and Aditya were sharing the workload. All three enemies were waiting for them in the buff ind.

    Elise contacted their other ally and requested a favor. The orc took the left path and went to destroy the enemy watchtower.

    Elise and Aditya engaged the three champions.

    Aditya doubled as a tank, and Elise stayed behind him, giving him supporting fire. Elise¡¯s attack was superior to that of any of her enemies.

    She didn¡¯t really have a damaging power, but she could summon Zaira. The gynoid¡¯s use was restricted in the Dimensional Battlefield, but she could still help Elise a lot.

    Ganesha was only avable on Earth. Ganesha also needed more weapons, but the gynoid could certainly be upgraded.

    Junhyuk stopped thinking about Ganesha for now, but during that time, Elise and Aditya killed the three enemy champions.

    The strength of the allies was superior. After that round, more people would bet on Elise, and the returns would diminish. But for that round, Junhyuk would win a lot of gold.

    Elise¡¯s victory would bring him more gold than the drops from the heroes who had crossed over to his dimension.

    Elisepleted the quest and gained the buff. There really was nobody who could stand up to her in that battlefield. Aditya drew the enemies¡¯ attention, and the rest of the allies did their part.

    While Aditya was tanking, the enemies tried casting spells at him. They had really nice powers, but their powers didn¡¯t work against the allies. The issue for them was Elise¡¯s items.

    The flow of the battle went easily in favor of the allies. They were buffed, so they pushed through their enemies and headed off to Bebe. After that, they went straight for the enemy castle.

    Elise didn¡¯t let Junhyuk¡¯s expectations down. However, he didn¡¯t know what items she had purchased as she used no new items when she came out of the store.

    Elise¡¯s team pushed through the enemy team, and the castle was destroyed. Junhyuk smiled with satisfaction at the result. Just like he had expected, it was an easy victory.

    The odds would be much lower next time. Once the victors had been decided, Junhyuk turned to Ariel and asked, ¡°How much did I win?¡±

    [The odds were six to one, so you won 2,707,500G.]

    Junhyuk was stunned. That was enough money to make him stronger. Now, he was worried about whether he should get a new set item or a new sword.

    His damage was fairly high by that point, and the Blood Rune Sword was still effective, butpared to a legendary sword, the Blood Rune Swordcked in buffs and skills.

    He didn¡¯t know if he would be facing more heroes in the future. It was possible that if more heroes crossed over to his dimension, he would need Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword to deal with them.

    He got paid, but at that moment, he couldn¡¯t buy anything.

    Junhyuk turned to Ariel and said, ¡°Send me back now.¡±

    [Then, I¡¯ll see you next time.]

    He felt he had returned to Earth, and after arriving, he heard a loud cheer.

    ¡°Holy cow! Big sis Elise is the best!¡±

    Junhyuk could see Sarang cheering as she hugged Elise happily. Elise patted Sarang¡¯s back lightly.

    Both spectators and participants returned at the same time. Elise was already awake, and she turned to him, looked him in the eyes and smiled.

    ¡°My items are superior.¡±

    She was telling the truth. Her victory had been decisive.

    ¡°What did you get?¡± Junhyuk asked, curious about what she had purchased.

    Elise shrugged and answered, ¡°A few things to help me with magitek. They are irrelevant items to the battlefield, but they¡¯ll help me make bigger and better items.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded. He didn¡¯t understand anything about magitek, so he didn¡¯t ask any more questions.

    Elise adjusted herself and said, ¡°OK. I¡¯m returning to theb.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to rest?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for that.¡±

    Junhyuk knew how hard Elise was working. She had rested at Jeju Ind, but aside from that time, she hadn¡¯t really stopped.

    Looking at her, he asked, ¡°Do you need anything?¡±

    She was doing her part to protect the Earth, so he wanted to help her out.

    ¡°I like to drink. We should drink together.¡±

    He gave her a bitter smiled and shook his head, saying, ¡°Do your work. Tell me if you need anything.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    She waved at them and left. Junhyuk turned to Sarang then and asked, ¡°How much did you win?¡±

    ¡°If I tell you, you¡¯ll die of shock.¡± Sarang smiled and added, ¡°I told you, I went all in.¡±

    Junhyuk had already heard that, but how much gold had Sarang bet? She had to have had a lot of gold, but she had visited Bebe in the previous battle, so she had probably spent a lot of it too.

    ¡°I¡¯m wondering if I should get legendary items.¡±

    Junhyuk patted her shoulder and said, ¡°You should. You could use some of them. Legendary items are useful for both defense and offense.¡±

    ¡°And they also have other skills.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Set items increased in effectiveness and got stronger the more items of the set a hero possessed. They made heroes much stronger.

    A single set wasn¡¯t extremely expensive, and Sarang could get more items to raise her strength. Depending on the set¡¯s boosts, she could be much more powerful. A set was a good choice for her.

    ¡°You might be able to find legendary items that boost lightning attacks.¡±

    Legendary items were the superior choice over set items, but they were much more expensive. Nevertheless, she could consider getting items specific to her powers.

    Sarang nodded at that and said, ¡°That¡¯s smart. I might be able to get a full set if it¡¯s cheap enough.¡±

    ¡°How much gold do you have?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± Then, Sarang muttered, ¡°I¡¯m going to learn more spells,¡± and left the room smiling.

    Junhyukughed at her. She had learned a lot from the heroes who had attacked their dimension.

    She had found her spells to be inferior to her enemy¡¯s, and her enemy had been able to push her around because of that.

    She had mostly relied on her powers rather than her spells. Now, she was doing her best to learn more about magic.

    Junhyuk got up and shook his head.

    ¡°I should work harder as well.¡±

    Before getting a new item, Junhyuk had to be ready. He had only been able to stop the heroes who attacked his dimension because of Aksha¡¯s Longsword. He had to train harder.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go see Jeffrey first.¡±

    Jeffrey could be summoned that day. He was a hero now, and it would be his first battle as one. He had to be anxious, so Junhyuk wanted to give him some advice.

    Junhyuk went over to the training facility and found Jeffrey there. Instead of giving him advice, he watched as Jeffrey worked on his scythe. He was serious as he worked on counters and the basics. Jeffrey seemed focused, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to disturb him.

    He shrugged and left for his own training facility to work on his swordsmanship.

    ¡ª

    While training, he lost track of time. He was deep into Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship, without sleeping or eating, when he felt someone approach him.

    Jeffrey was smiling awkwardly, so Junhyuk asked, ¡°What brings you here?¡±

    Jeffrey had his scythe rested on his shoulder as he copsed on the ground and startedining, ¡°I just got back from the battlefield!¡±

    Junhyuk lowered his sword and walked over to Jeffrey. He looked Jeffrey over from head to toe and asked, ¡°Results?¡±

    ¡°We won, but I died three times.¡±

    ¡°Did you drop anything expensive?¡±

    Jeffrey shook his head and said, ¡°No. I got lucky and didn¡¯t drop any of the items you gave me. However, I still lost three other items.¡±

    ¡°Did you pick any up?¡±

    Jeffrey smiled and replied, ¡°Six!¡±

    ¡°Whoa!¡±

    Jeffrey had done well. His powers were nice, and they had awarded him many items, which meant that Jeffrey had contributed to the victory.

    ¡°What about your allies?¡±

    ¡°Two are useful, but the other two are bringing us down.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°I was useful.¡±

    Junhyuk changed the subject and asked, ¡°Did you see Bebe?¡±

    Jeffrey got up suddenly then and said, ¡°What is interesting is that I can boost the scythe with dark energy on Earth, but I can¡¯t use the two at the same time in the Dimensional Battlefield!¡±

    ¡°Did you buy anything?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and I can learn the spells right away, but to use them, I need to test them out in actualbat.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Junhyuk had been mesmerized by Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship, but he still needed practice. Now, Jeffrey wanted to spar with him.

    Sarang was a hero, but she was a mage. In that instance, Jeffrey was different.

    He raised his sword and said, ¡°I won¡¯t go easy on you.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t either.¡±

    The dark energy within Jeffrey¡¯s body enveloped the scythe, and Junhyuk prepared a mana de.

    ¡°Let¡¯s rumble!¡±

 Chapter 476 - Changes 1

    <h4>Chapter 476: Changes 1</h4>

    Tired, Jeffrey was sitting on the ground. Junhyuk fell next to him and said, ¡°Surprising!¡±

    His face was sweating cold. Jeffrey was staring at him with a bitter smile.

    ¡°I thought I could fight you now,¡± Jeffrey said.

    Junhyukughed and turned to him. Jeffrey had tamed a Wolf Warlord, and initially, Junhyuk had thought Jeffrey had made a mistake, but he had been wrong about that.

    The summoned Wolf Warlord didn¡¯t have an eleration boost. Instead, it could summon a pack of war wolves. The war wolves themselves were very fast, and Junhyuk had had to elerate do deal with them.

    Jeffrey could hide with the Ghost White Tiger, and Junhyuk had barely managed to sense him with his spatial sense. He still had better items, but Jeffrey really put up a fight now.

    Then, there was Jeffrey¡¯s ultimate. After taming the Wolf Warlord, the number of monsters Jeffrey could summon with it increased, and it would increase even more in the future.

    Powers were like that. Nobody knew for sure how or when, but powers evolved. Junhyuk had won that skirmish however.

    His shockwaves made the number of monsters almost useless against him. Aksha¡¯s Longsword had disyed incredible attacks and damage.

    However, even without legendary equipment, Jeffrey¡¯s powers were strong enough. He had an ensnare; he could summon a Ghost White Tiger and wield his scythe. Junhyuk would have to watch out for that.

    He pulled Jeffrey up to his feet and said, ¡°Let¡¯s do this again next time.¡±

    They were on different levels as heroes, but because Sarang was a mage, Jeffrey was a greater help to him while sparring.

    ¡°It would be nice to have another human mage hero.¡±

    ¡°A mage?!¡± Jeffrey shook his head and asked, ¡°Is that even possible?¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head and said, ¡°Not really. Maybe Bebe has magic-rted skills and information to sell.¡±

    ¡°Ah! That¡¯s possible.¡±

    Along with scythe techniques, Jeffrey was also learning dark energy spells from the books Bebe had, which meant that Sarang might be able to learn more magic circles from the yeti. To be a better caster, Sarang would have to practice hard.

    The following week, Junhyuk and Sarang would be summoned, so he would talk to her about learning things from Bebe. Junhyukyfortably on the ground and closed his eyes. He had learned a lot from sparring with Jeffrey.

    He thought about everything he had learned. Even though he could hear Jeffrey leaving quietly, Junhyuk kept his eyes closed and focused.

    Jeffrey had probably gotten more out of it than him, but hey there and thought about the session. He was improving in his use of Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship and he was able to develop his experience during their spars.

    He couldn¡¯t really go all out with Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship in the Dimensional Battlefield, so he wanted to learn more about it.

    Junhyuk opened his eyes slowly and lengthened the de. The tip of the de shook slightly. He could control it now, realizing that he could handle Aksha¡¯s Longsword with ease.

    ¡°If I buy a new sword, will ite with a swordsmanship of its own?¡±

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯tbined his wild swordsmanship with Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship yet. Perhaps, it would be interesting if he bought a new sword.

    ¡°If it helps me, I¡¯ll learn it.¡±

    Junhyuk pulled out a core from the Spatial Bag and held it in his hand. Mana flowed directly into his tired body, but Junhyuk also felt dark energy exit the core as well. He could recognize it now that he had had contact with it.

    He thought about many things as he absorbed the mana, knowing that, someday, he would be able to absorb all of the mana from the core.

    ¡ª

    The champions and experts started having longer training sessions. They were still tense from the experience of having heroes cross over into their dimension.

    They knew that one of them had be a hero, and even though Jeffrey had almost died in the process, the others were still a little jealous of him. So, they trained until they copsed from exhaustion.

    Junhyuk checked on them and nodded. He believed that some would eventually be heroes.

    On average, champions had a less-than a 5-percent chance of bing a hero, but with luck, at least one of them would do it.

    After watching them train, Junhyuk went back to his own training facility. He had a session with Jeffrey once a day and spent the rest of the day training by himself.

    If an enemy appeared, the powered people were ready to teleport out. They were all stationed at Guardians now, and more of them were joining after the heroes¡¯ attack.

    Guardians was fighting hard to keep the Earth safe. Its importance worldwide was increasing, and each time the powered people were deployed, the organization gained a lot of money.

    The powered people had to risk their lives, but it was worth it. The first wyvern attack hadn¡¯t been handled fast enough, so the fallout and damage had been high. Now, more powered people were gathering at Guardians.

    As the size of the organization increased, Eunseo became busier. Nowadays, she worked mostly through video conferences.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t do anything about that, so he did not offer to help her with her work. The heroes had crossed over and the wyverns had attacked while they had been on vacation.

    Junhyuk was worried about her, so he gave her the best items he could. Eunseo¡¯s items were on par with the champions¡¯ items.

    She was an important figure on Earth, so she had to return safely from the battlefield.

    Junhyuk spent most of his time training until Friday came around. At 9:30 a.m., he heard a knock on the door. He had gotten used to that situation, so he opened the door for the people on the other side.

    He served them tea, and they talked. Junhyuk brought up what he had talked about with Jeffrey, but Sarang shook her head.

    ¡°The person who teaches you magic makes a difference in the learning process, so I want to continue to learn from Vera. She¡¯s teaching me lightning spells now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? That¡¯s nice.¡±

    Sarang was very busytely, and Junhyuk was curious about how she spent her time.

    Elise was sipping her tea, and when Junhyuk turned to her, she said calmly, ¡°I¡¯ve made a new item for the set.¡±

    She showed him a red gauntlet. Elise had crafted another item for the Red Dragon set. Pulling out a second gauntlet, she handed it to Junhyuk.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be keeping one for myself.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    She ced her own gauntlet inside her Spatial Bag and sipped her tea again.

    ¡°I¡¯m elerating my crafting and magitek research, so expect good things in the future. I¡¯ll get another set of intelligence runestones of the highest tier while we are there. I¡¯ve started getting headaches again.¡±

    Elise was disying a supernatural disposition. By getting even more intelligence runestones, she would do even better work. Longterm, it would make a big difference.

    Elise emptied her tea cup and said, ¡°When I get those runestones, I¡¯ll be able to craft better items.¡±

    The Red Dragon set items were enough. Each of them sold for about 300,000G, and her set was the first set crafted by a human.

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t greedy, so he said, ¡°Don¡¯t overwork yourself. Think of your health.¡±

    Elise smiled.

    ¡°You are a bad employer.¡±

    Laughing bitterly, he said, ¡°This round should be easier, but we should also be more careful this time.¡±

    Sarang smacked her lips and said, ¡°Can we visit Bebe first?¡±

    Visiting the merchant at the start of the battle wasn¡¯t easy to do, but he also needed to go there.

    They didn¡¯t always have time to see Bebe, so they were very happy when they could do it. This time, they had a lot of items as well.

    Of the fifty items they had picked up, Junhyuk had given Sarang fourteen. He had wanted to give her more, but she had opposed the idea. He also gave twelve to Elise, so he had twenty-four of them on him. If each item was worth 40,000G, he would earn 960,000G.

    Junhyuk wanted to get a new item. Legendary items were expensive, but those heroes had crossed the line, and the human heroes had almost died because of that.

    The human heroes wanted more weapons so that if they died in the battlefield, they wouldn¡¯t drop them.

    Elise and Sarang didn¡¯t talk about magitek this time, so Junhyuk was able to keep talking to them.

    At 9:59 a.m., the womenyfortably on his bed, and he sat on the floor, leaning against it.

    Junhyuk closed his eyes at the sight of the bright light. Once it was gone, he noticed he was in the spawn room.

    After he opened his eyes, Ariel greeted him warmly.

    [I was waiting for you.]

    Junhyuk chuckled and asked, ¡°Do you have something to tell me?¡±

    She continued, [The heroes from other battlefields have requested a few changes, so there are some changes being put into effect. I want to tell you about them.]

    Hearing that there were changes, his curiosity was piqued. Adjustments could change everything.

    ¡°What changes?¡±

 Chapter 477 - Changes 2

    <h4>Chapter 477: Changes 2</h4>

    Ariel smiled and said, [The most important change is that now there is a portal for the dimensional merchant inside the castle.]

    ¡°The merchant portal is inside the castle?!¡±

    That was good news to him. He wouldn¡¯t have any problems getting to Bebe now. Anyone could return to the castle to see the merchant. Returning wasted some time, so he wouldn¡¯t do it often, but he would see Bebe when he could.

    [Yes. Plenty of heroesined about the difficulty of using the merchant in the new map, so there are now portals inside the castle.]

    Suddenly, Junhyuk thought of something and asked, ¡°Wait. Does that mean I can encounter enemy heroes at the store?¡±

    Ariel shook her head and said, [That won¡¯t happen.]

    ¡°How can you be so sure?¡±

    [There are two entrances to the store, and the structure of the portals is different.]

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t understand what she was saying, but he had a thought, so he muttered, ¡°Are the dimensional phases for each portal different?¡±

    [That is correct.]

    That had satisfied his curiosity about that, but he was still curious about the other changes.

    ¡°What else changed?¡±

    [There are five portals spread through the map now.]

    ¡°Portals?!¡±

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected that, but Ariel continued with her exnation.

    [The flow of battle was too slow, so five portals have been installed through the map so that you can move by using them. The centerne has one portal, while the left and rightnes have two each. They are between the first and second towers of each team and at the buff tower. They help decrease the time spent moving.]

    ¡°That¡¯s a really good idea!¡±

    Going from the middle to the sides took at least four hours. They would be able to bring that down to one hour. From left to right, it took eight hours, but now, they would be able to do it in two.

    The portals would change the flow of battle, and rounds would be much shorter now. The allies could concentrate their efforts. Junhyuk would have to focus on evaluating the entire battlefield.

    ¡°Just those two changes?¡±

    [There is another.]

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    [Thest change is that, from now on, there will be two roaming buff monsters in the map. These new buff monsters are stronger than the regr ones, but they also award stronger buffs.]

    The monsters wouldn¡¯t be stationary, and Junhyuk thought the changes were significant.

    ¡°How much stronger are they? From a hero¡¯s perspective.¡±

    [Every hero has different powers, so it¡¯s hard to predict the difficulty of the monsters. They are weaker than dragons, but stronger than any other monster.]

    Junhyuk gave her a bitter smile. He couldn¡¯t kill a dragon by himself, especially when his powers were limited in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    He nodded and walked up to the exit. He would go see Bebe immediately to raise his strength.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±

    [Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed!]

    When he got outside, he walked by the minions to where the others were. It didn¡¯t look like Sarang and Elise had gotten out yet.

    Gongon greeted him warmly, ¡°Junhyuk!¡±

    The hatchling walked up to him wagging his tail, and Junhyukughed.

    ¡°Why are you so happy?¡±

    ¡°You have something to give me.¡±

    Junhyuk pulled out therge fang that had been used to summon the Bone Dragon, and Gongon stared at it with gritted teeth.

    ¡°How did you kill it?¡±

    ¡°I did what you told me.¡±

    ¡°He-he-he! Assholes. Should I revive them so that we can their up their souls again?¡±

    Gongon looked cute, but what he said was vicious. Junhyuk shook his head and looked at the others.

    ¡°Did you hear about the changes?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Things will go much quicker now.¡±

    ¡°Right, butmunication is paramount now. Be ready for our enemies to take advantage of the portals.¡±

    Rodrey, who had been listening, said, ¡°It used to take so much time to cross to the other side. That¡¯ll be much faster now.¡±

    The allies could use the enemy¡¯s portals to ambush them. Things looked bright in Junhyuk¡¯s eyes.

    Sarang and Elise passed the minions and walked up to him. He looked at them and said, ¡°The biggest change of all is that we can go see Bebe right away.¡±

    ¡°Right, we don¡¯t always have time to go to the store. Now, we don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s equip ourselves before we head out.¡±

    Everyone nodded. Junhyuk would have the minions join them after they finished their businesses with Bebe.

    He looked at the portal inside the castle. It was different from the other five portals. It functioned only for visiting Bebe.

    Junhyuk went through it and saw that Bebe was cleaning the shop. Bebe stared at him for a second before greeting him.

    ¡°I¡¯m not done cleaning, but doe in.¡±

    ¡°You know it¡¯s just the portal location that changed, not the store itself.¡±

    ¡°You should clean when things change.¡± Bebe had a big smile on his face, and he said again, ¡°Come in.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at Bebe suspiciously. Whenever heroes sold items, Bebe gained a lot of stock, which he sold to and made a lot of gold from other heroes. He thought it was possible that Bebe had lobbied to have the portal moved inside the castles.

    ¡°Can I see how much money I have first?¡±

    ¡°Certainly!¡±

    Bebe showed him the te, and Junhyuk ced his hand on it. The other members of his team also requested tes, so Bebe gave one to each of them.

    Junhyuk¡¯s te said 3,947,463G, an exorbitant amount.

    A satisfied smile appeared on Junhyuk¡¯s face, and he pulled out the items he wanted to sell.

    ¡°Appraise these items for me.¡±

    He pulled out the items he had picked up the previous time, the Red Dragon Gauntlet and Boots. He also pulled out the items dropped by the heroes who had crossed over into his dimension.

    Bebe was a little surprised by the amount. He picked up one of the items from the heroes who had crossed into Junhyuk¡¯s dimension and asked, ¡°Did they want to kill you?¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Bebe and asked, ¡°How much does it cost to travel through dimensions?¡±

    ¡°A one-way ticket is 200,000G.¡±

    Each one of those heroes had spent 400,000G to go after him. Junhyuk¡¯s items were so great that they had spent that willingly. Each piece of his legendary set cost at least 2,000,000G.

    He was still angry that they had crossed over however.

    ¡°Can anyone select an enemy¡¯s dimension to cross over to?¡±

    ¡°Sure, but you need the coordinates of that hero¡¯s dimension. You might be able to find that out from your helper in your spawn room.¡±

    Junhyuk thought about going after Durandal, but spending the 400,000G to do it would be a waste.

    ¡°Tell me the price of these items.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    While Bebe inspected the item, Gongon walked up and said jealously, ¡°That¡¯s so cool. I hope some heroese visit me in my dimension!¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t good. There were too many of them.¡±

    ¡°He-he-he! I don¡¯t need to worry about it. Dragons don¡¯t interfere with other dragons, but I¡¯m still a hatchling, so the adult dragons would want to protect me. My father and my Lord can deal with anyone.¡±

    Junhyukughed hard. Considering the disposition of the dragons, it would definitely not be a good idea to attack a hatchling. Gongon, who was sucking on some candy, murmured, ¡°You must be very happy...¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t agree with Gongon, but in any event, he had earned a lot of gold.

    ¡°There are twenty-two dark energy items with an average price of 45,000G. The weapons are more expensive. I can give you 300,000G for each of them.¡±

    Bebe was willing to give him 1,590,000 for all of the invading heroes¡¯ items.

    The yeti continued, ¡°These three items are 80,000G, and the other two are 100,000G.¡±

    The items Junhyuk picked up the previous round totaled 440,000G.

    After that, Bebe looked at the Red Dragon set items.

    ¡°These two are set items, so I¡¯ll give you 350,000G for each.¡±

    That was a total of 700,000 for just two items.

    ¡°So, your total is 2,730,000G.¡±

    Junhyuk had earned a lot of gold from that exchange. He had known his wealth was gonna increased significantly, but he was shaking a bit now.

    ¡°Do you have any Pure Golden Knight set items?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Junhyuk smacked his lips and said evenly, ¡°Show me Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword.¡±

    ¡°Oh! You want to buy it?¡±

    Bebe was happy to show him the sword. Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword was a wind elemental weapon. He could feel the wind energy by simply looking at it.

    ¡°How much is it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll be 3,700,000G.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to hold the sword, but Bebe grabbed his wrist and smiled at him, saying, ¡°You are a great customer, but you may only look at it.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled back and said, ¡°I¡¯ll pay for it then.¡±

    ¡°Good thinking!¡±

    Bebe smiled brightly, but Junhyuk just shrugged and ced his hand on the te. The 3,700,000G were removed from his ount, but now, he was the new owner of Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword.

    Junhyuk could feel the wind energy at the tip of his fingers. From that, he realized that he would be able to control the wind on Earth, even if he couldn¡¯t do anything like that in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    Dentra¡¯s swordsmanship loaded itself into his brain. There was no way of acquiring and practicing Dentra¡¯s swordsmanship without that sword.

    The new swordsmanship would work well on Earth. He had acquired a new type of energy.

    ¡°Give me five enhancement stones.¡±

 Chapter 478 - Changes 3

    <h4>Chapter 478: Changes 3</h4>

    It did not take long to apply the enhancement stones. After the upgrades, Junhyuk inspected his sword again, astonished by what he saw.

    ¡ª

    Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword +5 (legendary)

    Attack +2,463

    Resistance Against Magic Attack +30%

    Dentra wielded this wind sword. The energy of the wind flows through it. With its high resistance to magic, this sword is the nemesis of mages.

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk had simply upgraded it five times, but its attack was already over 2,400. That was why heroes bought legendary weapons.

    Ronga¡¯s broadsword also seemed to have a really high attack stat like this one. Due to his new sword, Junhyuk would be able to disy enormous damage potential.

    He swung his new sword lightly and looked at the Blood Rune Sword. He wanted tobine the effects of the two.

    ¡°Can I merge the blood sucking ability of the Blood Rune Sword into this one?¡±

    Bebe shook his head and answered, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Legendary weapons can¡¯t merge with other weapons.¡±

    Junhyuk smacked his lips. He didn¡¯t really want to use the Blood Rune Sword as it was. It wascking the high damage stat of the others.

    The Blood Rune Sword was superior to many other swords, and he had upgraded it multiple times with the enhancement stones he had earned in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield.

    Nevertheless, he put the Blood Rune Sword away and engraved Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword with aplex engraving. The magic sword felt different from the Blood Rune Sword. Junhyuk swung it a few times to get used to the new sensation.

    The feeling came from absorbing Dentra¡¯s swordsmanship.

    After he swung the sword a couple more times, he asked, ¡°Do you still have items from the Vampire Lord set?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°I need a gauntlet.¡±

    Junhyuk had lost a gauntlet in hisst battle. Thinking that he couldn¡¯t just use any old gauntlet, he decided to buy one from the Vampire Lord set.

    Bebe handed him the gauntlet and said, ¡°By the way, you really like sets.¡±

    ¡°As long as I don¡¯t drop the items, the buffs they give me are really nice.¡±

    Set items had nice buffs, so he wouldn¡¯t just dismiss them. Bebe smiled at what he said, and Junhyuk paid 1,700,000G for the gauntlet. He took it and inspected it.

    ¡ª

    Vampire Lord Lujet¡¯s Gauntlet (set item)

    Piercing +30

    Defense +45

    Attack +50

    Critical Hit Damage +15%

    This is the gauntlet of the legendary Vampire Lord Lujet. It is made out of the scales of the highest-tiered demon, Donjero. It increases the wearer¡¯s piercing stat by thirty, their attack by fifty and their defense by forty-five. On top of that, it boosts critical hit damage by 15 percent. It was Lujet¡¯s favorite item.

    Completing the set increases the power of the item.

    Two-Item Set Effect: Critical Hit Chance + 20%

    Three-Item Set Effect: Critical Hit Damage + 30%

    Four-Item Set Effect: Chance to Ignore Opponent¡¯s Defense +20%

    Five-Item Set Effect: Enemies lose 3% of their healths for each of your attacks thatnds.

    Six-Item Set Effect: On sessful attack, 10% chance to trigger eleration for three seconds.

    eleration: Attack and Movement Speeds +50%

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk stared at the sixth set effect with widened eyes. A 10 percent change was low, but if eleration triggered, things could change immediately.

    Even with his swordsmanship, gaining the advantage against his enemies wasn¡¯t easy. They were also experts in their own right, so if he could elerate properly, he would win the fight.

    He would also have the advantage against regr attacks. That certainly was a legendary set. He had spent a lot of gold on it, but he was satisfied.

    Gripping his new sword tightly, he swung it again.

    sh!

    Junhyuk liked his new gauntlet and sword, and he still had a little over 1,020,000G left.

    After some thought, he said, ¡°Give me five enhancement stones.¡±

    Junhyuk had already bought the set, so now, he wanted to upgrade the items. He applied all five stones to his gauntlet.

    The upgrades boosted his defense. He opened and closed the gauntlet a few times. He was done with shopping for that day.

    Bebe gave him ten pieces of candy and said, ¡°You spent a lot today, so this is a gift.¡±

    He took the candy and threw one in his mouth. It was heavenly.

    Junhyuk was mesmerized by the taste of the candy. He looked at the others and saw they were also buying stuff. Gongon and the others were perusing items. Junhyuk wanted to get used to his new items, but right as he was about to practice with his sword, he felt the others walking up toward him. Sarang smiled widely at him.

    ¡°How do I look?¡±

    He could see Sarang had purchased new equipment. She was wearing dark blue items, and blue lightning swirled around her body.

    Looking at her, Junhyuk asked, ¡°What is that set item?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s actually a full six-item set. I spent 4,800,000G on it.¡±

    ¡°You had that kind of gold?!¡±

    ¡°I told you I bet everything, so I won a lot.¡±

    The odds had been six to one. Junhyuk had won 2,700,000G, but Sarang had to have won a lot more.

    ¡°What are the effects?¡±

    ¡°There are a bunch of them. The lightning circling me is a passive, and it damages whoever attacks me.¡±

    ¡°Anybody who attacks you?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Bebe, and the yeti said calmly, ¡°There are plenty of heroes in the Dimensional Battlefield, but only three have lightning powers. Of those three, that child is the only one who can handle a mage¡¯s full set. Nobody had bought it before, so now, she is the owner of the set.¡±

    Junhyuk gave him a bitter smile. His own items were focused on close rangebat, which were the ones used most often by heroes. People wanted to buy the same things he bought, so the price was sky high. On top of that, it was difficult to acquire them.

    Junhyuk looked at Sarang and said, ¡°It was expensive, so how is its defense?¡±

    ¡°My defense has gone way up.¡±

    ¡°Good. What about your health?¡±

    ¡°My health has increased as well.¡±

    Against enemies with high piercing stats, it was better to have a lot of health. However, defense was still essential for high healthbatants, so it was better to increase both stats.

    Junhyuk realized that Sarang was well equipped now. She would be able to resist enemy attacks and attack more.

    Sarang wasn¡¯t their teams main damager, but she could be if she continued to upgrade her items. She would certainly have an even more important role.

    Junhyuk looked at the others. La had bought three new items and was experimenting with them. Rodrey had bought one as well.

    Rodrey had plenty of victory rewards, so he could afford it. He smacked his lips and said, ¡°It¡¯s astonishing how a single item can increase my strength.¡±

    The hero was juggling his knives with a smile.

    ¡°Shall we get going?¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Gongon, who was sucking on his candy, and looked at the hatchling¡¯s new item.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±

    Everyone was done, so Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡±

    When they walked outside, they split the minions. With the new portals, the flow of the battle would be much faster, so it would be a better idea to take more minions with them.

    Eachne took two hundred minions for a total of six hundred. He felt like the allies would be able to push through with that amount of minions.

    ¡°Gongon, you go left. Sarang, Elise and I will head middle, and La and Rodrey, you two take the right path,¡± he said.

    ¡°OK. I want to test my new items.¡±

    While walking, Junhyuk tried out his new sword. There was a weight difference between it and the Blood Rune Sword.

    The new sword served him well, but that weight difference could be the difference between life and death.

    While Junhyuk practice, Elise and Sarang talked. Sarang¡¯s regr attack was the lightning arrow. So, while talking, she kept practicing it to increase her casting speed. Elise just walked next to her.

    They didn¡¯t know which enemies would should up, but they were responsible for securing the buff. Taking the tower was more important than ever now.

    After dealing with their enemies, the allies could move to either direction with the portal there, and the fact that the middle also had the buff tower made it so they had to secure it.

    They reached the top of Nightmare Mountain thinking that they might have spent too long at the store. They thought they might be a littlete, but their enemies werete as well.

    Three enemy heroes wereing up from the other side, followed by their minions. One of the minions was taller than the others. In the Dimensional Battlefield, the size of one¡¯s soul decided their height, so that minion had to either be a novice or an expert.

    Novices and experts weren¡¯t much help, but they might have special powers. Junhyuk¡¯s very own force field had activated to turn him into a novice, but he was still using it.

    Junhyuk watched as Ronga, Yagi and Cuba got to the top. Thebination of enemy heroes was different this time. Cuba had reced Garu. Cuba¡¯s power enabled him to trade ces with another hero being attacked.

    Junhyuk could kill Ronga by encasing him in his force field, but with Cuba there, that tactic was no longer feasible.

    He had to kill Ronga through brute force now. At the same time, the overall strength of the allies had shot up.

    Junhyuk was expecting great things from Sarang now that she was equipped with a full mage set.

    He turned to Elise and realized he had forgotten to ask about her purchases.

    ¡°Did you get the runestone set?¡±

    ¡°I got two sets, but I had to sell some items to do it.¡±

    The runestones would help her.

    Junhyuk turned to his enemies and said, ¡°Get behind us, Elise.¡±

    He trusted his weapons, and his enemies only knew about Aksha¡¯s Longsword. Once they closed in, he would attack with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword.

    Junhyuk took a step forward, and Ronga walked out to meet him. He stared at the enemy hero. Heroes could have the shape of their items changed, but right now, Junhyuk didn¡¯t spot anything new on Ronga.

    He would fight Ronga with his mind at ease.

 Chapter 479 - Variables 1

    <h4>Chapter 479: Variables 1</h4>

    Ronga was closing on him quickly, so Junhyuk triggered his eleration. He wasn¡¯t using the set effect, but he could still see Ronga¡¯s movements.

    Ronga was running for him, but he was bobbing as he ran. The enemy hero had to be worried about Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh. Junhyuk took a moment to let his enemy get closer since Ronga could sense an iing attack. He thought fifty meters between them should be enough.

    When they saw that Junhyuk wasn¡¯t using his Spatial sh, the other enemy heroes also dashed forward. They maintained a certain distance from him and from each other.

    If the enemies fell within range, they could be attacked by the Spatial sh at any moment, but Junhyuk did not use it at seventy meters. Instead, he waited until they got within fifty meters of him so that he wouldn¡¯t need Aksha¡¯s Longsword to use it.

    Looking at the enemies, he shouted, ¡°Sarang!¡±

    Once the enemies got within forty meters of them, Junhyuk was going to let Sarang use her Thunderstorm.

    He closed in quickly, and Ronga¡¯s and Cuba¡¯s expressions hardened.

    The enemies knew about his Spatial sh and that it could deal about 40 percent of damage to them. They tensed up. While closing in on them, Junhyuk extended Aksha¡¯s Longsword. With the sword stretched out, their expressions eased a bit.

    With Aksha¡¯s Longsword outstretched, they thought Junhyuk would be targeting Yagi, so the two of them sped up. At that moment, Junhyuk used his Spatial sh with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword.

    sh!

    The attack cut through Ronga¡¯s neck, and blood spurted out of it. Ronga lost 47 percent of his health.

    ¡°Argh!¡± Ronga screamed, but he increased his speed. Junhyuk ran to meet him.

    Ronga went berserk dashing toward him, but suddenly, a lightning bolt struck the hero¡¯s head. The thunderbolt took out a huge chunk off of the hero¡¯s health, dealing 36 percent of damage to him. Sarang¡¯s damage had definitely increased.

    One of her items probably increased damage or added fixed damage to her attacks.

    Junhyuk ran toward Ronga, who rushed him.

    Though Ronga had rushed, Junhyuk wasn¡¯t standing in the same spot. He had elerated, so he had been able to tell Ronga¡¯s movements and teleported out of the rush¡¯s path.

    When he teleported he thought of something. He wanted to know if he could teleport a third time like on Earth.

    Junhyuk distanced himself from the enemy hero and extended Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    Ronga blocked the attack with his broadsword and swung it at Junhyuk. Aksha¡¯s Longsword shortened quickly, and Junhyuk attacked Ronga¡¯s midsection.

    Ronga was caught by surprise, but he turned his body away and swung down on Junhyuk¡¯s sword.

    Junhyuk closed in while Aksha¡¯s was being hit. At the same time, Cuba rushed at him, and Junhyuk spent a moment worrying.

    Should he teleport? DId he have an extra teleportation now?

    Junhyuk dodged Cuba¡¯s rush.

    Boom!

    Cuba passed him by, but his rush didn¡¯t stop. He mmed against the ground in the middle of everyone, and the m created a shockwave.

    Sarang got hit by the shockwave and was pushed back.

    ¡°Protect the hero!¡± Junhyuk shouted, and the allied minions stood in front of her to defend her.

    Junhyuk saw that Ronga wasing at him again. He had used his Spatial sh, but his attacks weren¡¯t all used up.

    To kill Ronga, he was willing to use all of his powers. Suddenly, a beam zoomed toward Ronga. It was great timing, and Sarang could have paralyzed both Cuba and Ronga with her electric sts if she had attacked.

    Seizing the opportunity, Junhyuk ran toward Ronga, but that¡¯s when Yagi shot at him.

    Junhyuk blocked the arrow, but he felt himself being damaged. However, it was an unexpected type of damage.

    Previously, her attacks had dealt 2 percent of damage to him. Now, it was only 1 percent. Yagi¡¯s attack was a magic attack, and because the damage was very low, Junhyuk could ignore the hero while he attacked Ronga.

    Junhyuk measured the distance between him and Ronga as he ran toward the enemy hero, and Ronga triggered hisbo sh. Ronga¡¯s continuous swings with the broadsword could deal a lot of damage to Junhyuk. He didn¡¯t want to get hit by the broadsword, so he teleported away.

    He hadn¡¯t done this before, but now, Junhyuk realized that he could teleport once more. He appeared to see the back of Ronga¡¯s head and stabbed it. Ronga turned right on time, dodging the critical hit, but he still received 7 percent of damage.

    The hero started spinning with his swords outstretched, and the attack took 17 percent off of Junhyuk¡¯s health.

    While Ronga was spinning, he was invulnerable, so Junhyuk turned to Cuba and ran toward the hero. Ronga¡¯s spin had lost some of its movement speed.

    Cuba smirked at him and lifted his foot. At the same time, Junhyuk lost control and rolled under Cuba¡¯s feet. The enemy hero stomped all over him.

    It was an unexpected power. That was Cuba¡¯s ultimate. Junhyuk had seen Sarang go through it before. While he was stuck under Cuba¡¯s feet, Ronga caught up with him, still spinning.

    Junhyuk lost 20 percent of his health from Cuba¡¯s ultimate and another 17 percent of his health from Ronga¡¯s attack. In no time at all, he had lost 54 percent of his heath.

    From under Cuba¡¯s feet, Junhyuk set and triggered his Spatial Copse on Ronga. The hero¡¯s chest was torn open, and he lost the rest of his health. Cuba was sucked into the void as well and couldn¡¯t bnce himself.

    Junhyuk stabbed Cuba¡¯s chest. The tank had high defense, but still not as high as Ronga¡¯s. The stab was a critical hit, dealing 18 percent of damage.

    Junhyuk twisted his sword and stabbed deeper into the hero.

    ¡°Wraaah!¡±

    The attack had been made while Cuba was off bnce. With Cuba¡¯s scream, his entire body turned ck, so Junhyuk pulled his sword out.

    He knew that Cuba was buffing his defense, which made him unsure about whether he would be able to pull his sword out.

    Yagi used her multishot to attack Sarang. Junhyuk wanted to finish Cuba before changing targets, but when he attacked Cuba, he saw he wasn¡¯t dealing a lot of damage.

    The enemy couldn¡¯t be critted in that state, and his damage was reduced by half. Junhyuk could only deal 5 percent of damage to Cuba with his attacks.

    Then, the enemy minion who was taller than the others stepped forward.

    The fight between Ronga and Junhyuk had only taken ten seconds, and the minion had not been able to do much to help there.

    The tall minion, who was a bipedal pig, extended both hands forward, and pink light sprinkled over Cuba¡¯s head, regenerating his health.

    ¡°A heal?!¡±

    If the pig had healed Ronga, things could¡¯ve turned out bad.

    Junhyuk knew he had to kill the pig, but as soon as the minion used his power, he turned around and started running.

    That was a bit surprising for Junhyuk. He didn¡¯t know the cooldown of the heal. The pig could be an expert with an extra life, but if that was the case, why was he running away?

    It was possible the pig was a novice. Junhyuk wanted to disengage from Cuba and go after him.

    Elise shot a beam that struck Cuba¡¯s head. Her overall damage was low, but the beam was still very strong. The Red Dragon set boosted fire elemental attacks and dealt additional damage to anyone hit by it.

    Cuba turned to face Elise, and Junhyuk stabbed Cuba¡¯s chest again.

    [You¡¯ve triggered eleration. For the next three seconds, your movement and attack speeds will be increased by 50 percent.]

    After hearing the announcement, Junhyuk attacked Cuba¡¯s neck.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck!

    Cuba couldn¡¯t defend himself. Thebo managed to burn through Cuba¡¯s defensive buff, dealing massive damage to the enemy hero.

    Sarang and Elise joined in the attack. Cuba didn¡¯tst long after that, fading away, and Yagi retreated.

    She was headed for the hog, but Junhyuk followed them. His teleports were under cooldown, so he had to wait for that, but his Spatial sh would return soon, so he couldn¡¯t give up the chase now.

    Yagi was using her speed buff, so he couldn¡¯t catch up to her. She had left the enemy minions behind, and Junhyuk used them as stepping stones.

    He ignored their attacks and watched as the distance between himself and Yagi increased. However, he knew where she was going.

    Yagi was running to a portal, the buff tower portal. The war pig had entered it first, and after that, Yagi did the same.

    Junhyuk reached the portal a moment letter. When he stepped into it, a map of Nightmare Mountain appeared in his head. He could see the locations of the other four portals, but he didn¡¯t know where Yagi had gone, so he turned back.

    He couldn¡¯t chase Yagi since he didn¡¯t know where she was. Instead, he would kill the enemy minions and take the buff tower. After getting the speed buff, he would chase after his enemies.

    Junhyuk stretched Aksha¡¯s Longsword and killed many minions with each swing of it.

    He couldn¡¯t use the shockwaves to do it, but he was still going through them quickly. After the minions were dead, he gathered the allies.

    ¡°The buff tower gives a speed buff, so we can chase Yagi after getting buffed. Let¡¯s split up and attack both sides.¡±

    ¡°Are we giving up the buff tower?¡±

    ¡°No. Our enemies will revive ande back here, but that will take them four hours. We can use the portals to support the other sides ande back. It should take us a couple of hours to do that. Then, we¡¯ll be able to upy the buff tower again.¡± Smiling, he added, ¡°We are not giving up this tower.¡±

 Chapter 480 - Variables 2

    <h4>Chapter 480: Variables 2</h4>

    Junhyuk stood in front of the portal and looked at his group. He meant to take the minions through the portal with him.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go left.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll go support the right path.¡±

    Junhyuk and Elise would support Gongon, and Sarang would join La and Rodrey. Tros¡¯ range was significant, but Sarang¡¯s Thunderstorm also hit from long range.

    He looked at his minions and divided the surviving ones between the two teams. He would take seventy-two with him.

    ¡°We¡¯ll appear by the enemy¡¯s left tower,¡± he told them decisively.

    They would pincer the enemies from the rear. The group would serve to block the path of any retreating enemies, and Junhyuk had his teleportations to use for attack. If that didn¡¯t work, he could always raised his force field and attack protected.

    Garu had to be on the left. It wouldn¡¯t be difficult to kill him, and if Yagi had joined Garu, Junhyuk was confident that he could kill them both.

    Junhyuk entered the portal. As soon as he did, he appeared on the opposite side. Aftering out, he didn¡¯t wait for the others before he started moving.

    When Elise and the minions came out of the portal, he smiled at them and said, ¡°We¡¯ll attack them from the rear.¡±

    The group moved, and he tried to contact Gongon.

    ¡°I¡¯m buffed now and winning. What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m heading your way. I can reach you in an hour. Can you kill the enemy within that time?¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    Gongon was capable of long range attacks, but only if he triggered his ultimate.

    ¡°Then, buy us some time.¡±

    Junhyuk and the allies moved out. His eleration had worked, but it had a weak point. He could only trigger it when hended a hit against an enemy. On top of that, the rate of sess for triggering it was only 10 percent.

    When two swords shed, it was hard tond an urate blow. He had to pierce through his enemy¡¯s defense and deliver a regr attack sessfully to get a 10-percent chance to trigger eleration.

    Whenever he was able to elerate, however, the set¡¯s eleration was superior to his own. Enemies couldn¡¯t do much against it, and he had proven that point.

    Junhyuk looked at his swords. He had Aksha¡¯s Longsword in his right hand since he was more used to it. Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword was in his left, but its attack stat was the highest of all.

    Smacking his lips, he swung them both. He wasn¡¯t confident in wielding Aksha¡¯s Longsword with his left hand. Even if he could control his muscles, it felt unnatural for him to do it.

    Smacking his lips again, he muttered, ¡°Nothing I can do about it.¡±

    The damage of Aksha¡¯s Longsword was lower, so Junhyuk would have to upgrade it. Up to that point, all of the upgrades had a 100-percent sess rate, but as he upgraded his swords more, that sess rate would go down.

    Junhyuk wanted to give Aksha¡¯s Longsword an upgrade above Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword. After making up his mind, he turned to Elise, who asked, ¡°Are there any buff monsters around here?¡±

    ¡°There should be a Ghost White Tiger nearby.¡±

    ¡°Can we kill it first?¡±

    Junhyuk knew he would still have plenty of time after killing the Ghost White Tiger. Now that he had new items, killing it should be easy. Because of his spatial sense, which could easily spot them, he was the archenemy of Ghost White Tigers.

    The allies started hunting for the Ghost White Tiger. They had to change routes, but it would only eat up ten minutes of their time.

    Junhyuk picked up the pace and reached an empty clearing, where the Ghost White Tiger was with its ghost tigers.

    He turned to Elise and said, ¡°Stay here. I¡¯ll go deal with them.¡±

    ¡°I want to help.¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think. A Ghost White Tiger¡¯s attack couldn¡¯t kill her in a single hit, and her attacks mightnd critical hits on it.

    She summoned Zaira and said, ¡°We¡¯ll attack it together.¡±

    Zaira fired a barrage of small missiles that acted as a over the area.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    The explosions made the Ghost White Tiger visible, and she focused on it. Junhyuk swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword at the same time.

    The ghost tigers came out of stealth to attack Elise, but Aksha¡¯s Longsword shed through them.

    Elise fired hersers, but the ghost tigers dodged them. Still, Aksha¡¯s Longsword made mincemeat of them.

    Junhyuk could sense a being between the ghost tigers. It was the Ghost White Tiger, who was stealthing again.

    The Ghost White Tiger in the dimensional battlefield was quite strong, but as it closed in on him, Junhyuk teleported.

    He appeared right in front of the Ghost White Tiger, who swung its ws at Junhyuk. The hero ducked and stabbed the tiger with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword.

    The Ghost White Tiger turned away from the stab, but its shoulder got hit.

    [You¡¯ve triggered eleration. For the next three seconds, your movement and attack speeds will be increased by 50 percent.]

    Junhyuk elerated and used Dentra¡¯s Sword to sh at it nonstop. They were regr attacks, but they felt like he was using a power.

    The Ghost White Tiger couldn¡¯t defend itself and fell before Junhyuk. When it disappeared, Junhyuk¡¯s eyes beamed. A fang had been left behind.

    Junhyuk picked it up and inspected it.

    ¡ª

    Ghost White Tiger¡¯s Fang (ingredient)

    When synthesized with an item, the fang imbues power to that item. Increases critical hit rate by 5 percent.

    ¡ª

    It was his first time picking up a rare drop from a Ghost White Tiger. Elise¡¯s eyes sparkled as she walked toward him.

    ¡°Give it to me for a moment.¡±

    He handed her the fang, and suddenly, Elise¡¯s entire body shone brightly. Noticing that the fang had disappeared, Junhyuk was curious about what had happened.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Just like I theorized!¡±

    She smiled and extended a hand to touch him, buffing him.

    [Elise, the champion, has buffed you. Your extra attack chance increases by 10 percent, and your critical hit rate increases by 5 percent. These buffs willst five minutes.]

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t believe it. Elise had evolved her power, and now, she could give two buffs at the same time.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I would be able to give two buffs at the same time.¡±

    ¡°We should continue killing buffs monsters and farming synthesis items.¡±

    If the buffs all stacked with Elise¡¯s power, they should buy synthesis items from Bebe to make her even stronger.

    ¡°Next time, we¡¯ll ask Bebe for synthesis items and run a few tests.¡±

    Junhyuk was curious to know if only items dropped by buff monsters had synthesis effects, or if there were others with it as well.

    He knew that any buff could cause a meaningful change to a battle.

    Elise changed the subject and said, ¡°Let¡¯s hurry. Yagi might be there, and if so, Gongon will be in danger.¡±

    ¡°Gongon will be fine. We can catch up to them very quickly.¡±

    They had received the buff tower¡¯s buff, so they could reach Gongon in no time. Junhyuk took the lead, and Elise followed him. They hurried.

    ¡ª

    He reached the ce where Gongon was fighting. Yagi hadn¡¯t taken the minions with her. Only she could use the speed buff that made Junhyuk unable to keep up with her.

    Gongon was by the watchtower with his minions. He had a serious expression on his face as he hid behind the watchtower to dodge Yagi¡¯s arrows. He popped his face out from time to time to curse at her.

    Junhyuk contacted him.

    ¡°Gon, we¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?! Since that one joined, I¡¯ve been exasperated. What¡¯s up with that hog?¡±

    Junhyuk understood then why Garu¡¯s health was full and found the hog in the battlefield.

    ¡°He has a healing power. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s a novice or an expert, but he could definitely change the oue of future battles. We have to kill him.¡±

    ¡°You do it.¡±

    ¡°I will. Then, I¡¯ll kill Yagi. You fight Garu.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Elise and said, ¡°Be careful.¡±

    ¡°Take my buff first.¡±

    As soon as Elise buffed him, Junhyuk jumped out. Of the enemies, Yagi spotted him first. She shot arrows at him, but he did not dodge them.

    He had Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword, and so, he could ignore her potshots for now.

    The enemy minions attacked him, and he watched as the hog tried to run away. Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to use his Spatial sh, so he used the minions as stepping stones and jumped. Hended right on top of the hog¡¯s head, swinging his sword down at him.

    sh!

    The sword split the hog¡¯s head in two. He hadn¡¯t figured out if he was a novice or an expert, but in any case,the warthog couldn¡¯t survive his attack.

    After the hog died, he turned to Yagi. Staring at his eyes, she triggered her arrow explosion on him.

    Boom!

    He lost 15 percent of his health, which was much less than before. Right now, Junhyuk was the worst enemy of anyone using magic attacks.

    He ran toward Yagi and used his Spatial sh with Dentra¡¯s sword. Yagi triggered her speed buff and tried to escape. The sh missed her neck, but it still hit an artery, a critical hit.

    Junhyuk continued to attack her.

    Thanks to the buff, his attacks were all critical hits.

    ¡°Argh!¡± Yagi screamed and disappeared. His sword dealt even more damage now, and his glove increased the damage of all critical hits.

    ¡°OK!¡±

    Only Garu remained.

 Chapter 481 - Variables 3

    <h4>Chapter 481: Variables 3</h4>

    Things were bad for the enemy hero, so Garu started running away. He was simply a tank, and as a tank, Garu could face an opponent and hold out, but with two heroes and a champion against him, he had to run away.

    However, running away wasn¡¯t that easy. Junhyuk teleported and blocked Garu¡¯s path. Right as he appeared, Garu used his jump. Normally, he would use his jump to attack enemies, but now, he was using it to flee.

    Right when Garunded, Junhyuk appeared in front of him, blocking his path again. Garu¡¯s expression hardened, and the hero used his taunt.

    ¡°Come at me!¡±

    Junhyuk lost his will and rushed to attack Garu, but the taunt had a weak side to it. The taunt raised Garu¡¯s defense sharply, but the hero couldn¡¯t really move around while that was in effect.

    At the same time, someone came up nonchntly behind Garu. It was Elise, the champion of Junhyuk¡¯s team, and suddenly, the taunt was dispelled.

    ¡°Now, you can¡¯t run away.¡±

    Junhyuk aimed his sword at the hero¡¯s chest. Garu blocked the frontal attack, but Junhyuk¡¯s second sword grazed his thigh. Garu tried to grab Junhyuk with his trunk, but his power didn¡¯t trigger.

    Gongonunched himself toward Garu and mmed against Garu¡¯s waist.

    ¡°Ugh!¡± Garu let out. The elephant screamed as Junhyuk attacked him repeatedly and raised both arms to block the attacks.

    Laughing, Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Gon! Get ready!¡±

    At the same time, Garu felt his heart stop. It felt like his heart was disappearing, and pain seared through his chest. Transformed, Gongon had used his firebreath on the elephant.

    While being attacked, Garu became curious about something. He hadn¡¯t been able to use his powers before, so how were the allies using their powers now? The answer to the mystery was Elise. Once the allies used their powers, Garu realized he too could use his, so he blew a gust with his trunk.

    Junhyuk was pushed back, and Garu tried to run away, but Junhyuk¡¯s ultimate was holding him in ce, a gaping hole in his chest.

    Garu was unable to move, so the allies continued to attack him. Junhyuk¡¯s attacks were fatal to the hero. They pierced right through Garu¡¯s high defensive stat.

    When Junhyuk¡¯s ultimate faded, Garu extended both hands and tried to grab him. It wasn¡¯t a power, but Garu thought he would be able to escape that way. Junhyuk dodged the attack, and Garu started running, but not for long. Transformed, Gongon stood in Garu¡¯s path.

    The small, but fully grown dragon, breathed a huge fireball at the enemy hero. Garu was struck by it, and his consciousness faded.

    ¡ª

    Almost dead, Garu had still rushed at Junhyuk, who had stepped aside. He had wanted Gongon to have the kill. Using his ultimate, Gongon killed Garu and smirked.

    ¡°Let¡¯s destroy the watchtower.¡±

    Since Yagi hade that way, the opposite side only had Tros to deal with. Tros had long range attacks and a unique ultimate, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with three heroes. With her ultimate, Sarang couldpletely ignore Tros¡¯ attacks and close in.

    They destroyed the watchtower, and Junhyuk turned to the group. Gongon had lost nearly half of his minions. Adding them to Junhyuk¡¯s minions, they had 180 minions left. It was plenty to keep going.

    ¡°Let¡¯s destroy the second watchtower.¡±

    ¡°OK!¡±

    While moving as a group, Junhyuk thought hard about their positions. He wanted to know where the enemies were, but with the portals, he couldn¡¯t guess when and where they would show up. Looking at his group, he asked, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t one of us stay at the center portal?¡±

    Gongon thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Can you go anywhere from that portal?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then, are we not gonna take the second watchtower?¡±

    Junhyuk smacked his lips. He wasn¡¯t gonna give up the central tower, but he couldn¡¯t send Gongon to attack the second watchtower alone.

    Elise spoke up, saying, ¡°The revived heroes have been moving around for an hour. We should check the middle tower first, and if they aren¡¯t there, we¡¯ll head right or left ordingly. We can use the portals to get there and check.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded. If their enemies weren¡¯t at the buff tower, they would have gone either left or right. Sarang had gone right, and she might have killed Tros already. There was no way to tell where the enemies were now, but he could always camp at the central tower and wait for his enemies to show up.

    ¡°We need to know where the enemies are, so let¡¯s go to the portal. I¡¯ll use it to head to the buff tower.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±

    Elise was carrying Gongon in a hug in front of her and talking about magitek. He didn¡¯t know what they were talking about, but it didn¡¯t matter, he would be leaving them back by the portal.

    When they reached the portal, Junhyuk used it to reach the top of the mountain. He walked over to the enemy camp and saw nobody wasing up the path.

    ¡°Where are they?¡±

    He wanted to maintain a team in the middle: him, Elise and Sarang. But, it would be better for Sarang to join Gongon.

    Junhyuk and Elise would be enough to hold the tower. Ronga was the most dangerous of the bunch, but everyone had upgraded their items. They would be able to fight anyone who wasn¡¯t Ronga.

    Junhyuk contacted the others and said, ¡°The enemies aren¡¯t at the buff tower. We should watch out for Ronga, but let¡¯s change teams. We¡¯ll have two teams push the sides. If youe up against Ronga, pull him to the portal. I¡¯ll use it to show up and deal with him.¡±

    Shaking his head, Gongon asked, ¡°Is that even possible? They might be hunting the dragon or trying to attack us from behind.¡±

    ¡°They can use the forest to go around us,¡± La said, and Junhyuk smacked his lips.

    ¡°Then, what do we do?¡±

    After some thought, Gongon said, ¡°upy the buff tower. Let¡¯s follow your n, but we¡¯ll use the portals if we are attacked from behind.¡±

    Smiling, Junhyuk said, ¡°OK. Sarang, use the nearest portal to join up with Gongon. Elise, youe over to the tower. I¡¯ll stay here.¡±

    Everyone agreed with the n, and Junhyuk added, ¡°The goal of the strategy is to lure our enemies to the portals.¡±

    Gongon shrugged and said, ¡°If it isn¡¯t Ronga, we don¡¯t need to do that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I think as well,¡± Junhyuk said with augh.

    Ronga was the strongest enemy.

    Junhyuk would upy the buff tower, and unless their enemies concentrated their efforts against him, he would remain there.

    Junhyuk disconnected, and soon after, Elise appeared. She yawned hard as she walked out of the portal.

    ¡°Are we taking a rest?¡±

    It would be at least another hour before they met any enemies, so Junhyuk nodded, and Elise walked toward the buff tower while searching for something in her Spatial Bag.

    ¡°Nice! I¡¯ve been wanting to research this ce.¡±

    She pulled out a lot of tools, and after she had everything installed around the tower, she sat down. He sat next to her, and Elise looked up at the sky.

    ¡°As a scientist, I didn¡¯t believe in God, but looking at this, I have to.¡±

    Junhyuk agreed. The Dimensional Battlefield couldn¡¯t be exined scientifically. He didn¡¯t know if the God they talked about on Earth existed, but the dimensional managers certainly possessed godly powers.

    He was training himself to fight them, and his goal was to be able to use the Dimensional sh. With it, he would be able to fight the managers. For the time being, Junhyuk pulled out a core and focused on the energies within it.

    Simply by understanding the core, Junhyuk knew he would be able to increase his control over mana. At the same time, he focused on grasping Dentra¡¯s swordsmanship.

    Elise pulled out a tablet and checked some information on it. He knew Elise was bold, and she seemed to be enjoying herself during her rest.

    After an hour, both sides contacted him, which made him scowl.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got Garu and Yagi.¡±

    ¡°And we have Cuba and Tros.¡±

    Nobody had seen Ronga.

    ¡°Ronga?¡±

    ¡°Not here,¡± both sides replied at the same time, and he sighed. Ronga was unounted for, and that made him ufortable.

    ¡°Where is Ronga?¡±

    The hero had disappeared.

    While Junhyuk thought hard about it, Elise showed him her tablet.

    ¡°I¡¯ve made this.¡±

    He looked at her tablet with astonishment. The tablet was disying a top view map of Nightmare Mountain in 3D. Looking at the screen, Junhyuk tried to guess where Ronga was.

    The hero had died first, but both paths had enemy heroes appear in them. So, where was Ronga? Junhyuk hadn¡¯t been able to guess where he could¡¯ve gone alone, but Elise said, ¡°Maybe he went off to hunt a buff monster?¡±

    ¡°Regr buff monsters wouldn¡¯t help much.¡±

    Ronga could kill a series of buff monsters by himself. The Ghost White Tiger was dead, but Ronga could hunt other buff monsters. Would those buffs change the battle?

    ¡°There are roaming buff monsters now.¡±

    Junhyuk scowled at that. Could Ronga kill a roaming buff monster by himself? He had no idea of what kind of buff Ronga might show up with if so.

    He was deep in thought when, suddenly, someone appeared from the portal. The figure had two broadswordsshed behind his back. Under his feet, Junhyuk saw colorful rings.

    Ronga smirked and said, ¡°I knew you¡¯d be here.

 Chapter 482 - New Buff 1

    <h4>Chapter 482: New Buff 1</h4>

    Ronga ran at him, leaving Junhyuk speechless. He had already fought Ronga in singlebat and lost, but now, Junhyuk had better items, and Ronga had already died many times since then, losing plenty of items himself.

    There was a chance that Ronga had paid a visit to the dimensional merchant and gotten something amazing, but barring that, Junhyuk shouldn¡¯t lose another duel.

    Ronga might be buffed, but Junhyuk had Elise with him.

    He didn¡¯t really want to duel, so right before he ran ahead, he said, ¡°Stay back and support me!¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    Elise extended her hand toward him and buffed him.

    [Elise, the champion, has buffed you. Your extra attack chance increases by 10 percent, and your critical hit rate increases by 5 percent. These buffs willst five minutes.]

    Even if Ronga was buffed, Junhyuk didn¡¯t think he would lose. Junhyuk had both the buff monster¡¯s buff and Elise¡¯s buff.

    His sword lengthened, and Ronga turned his body away from it to dodge it. Knowing that Ronga would try to dodge a potential Spatial sh, he smiled. Junhyuk kept on shrinking and stretching his sword, and every time he did, Ronga turned away from it, his eyebrows twitching in frustration.

    ¡°So, that¡¯s what you¡¯re doing!¡±

    Tricking the enemy was a basic battle tactic. Junhyuk smiled as the gap between the two closed to fifty meters. It was time to end things.

    Junhyuk knew it was time to use his Spatial sh, so he sped up. He couldn¡¯t give Ronga the chance to use hisbo power.

    There werer now forty meters between them, and Ronga sensed something.

    Ronga continued on his path toward Junhyuk, who took that as his chance to use the Spatial sh. However, Ronga took a turn and avoided a critical hit. Junhyuk had his own eleration triggered when he used the Spatial sh, but Ronga had still managed to dodge it. His instincts were incredible to allow him to do it.

    The enemy hero received only 21 percent of damage. Thinking that Ronga had gotten lucky, Junhyuk triggered a Spatial Copse. Ronga might have gotten lucky once, but he couldn¡¯t do it again. The Spatial Copse struck the hero, and Ronga became unable to move.

    The Spatial Copse took 52 percent off of the hero¡¯s health. At the same time, Junhyuk teleported to sh at his enemy. His attacks took another 22 percent off of Ronga¡¯s health.

    Ronga was left with 5 percent of his health. In that short while, Junhyuk had used nearly everything he could to kill Ronga. A satisfied smile appeared on his face as he brought his sword down onest time.

    Suddenly, pink speckles of light sprinkled over Ronga¡¯s head. That was something that Junhyuk had already seen.

    Behind Ronga, Junhyuk found the warthog, who was standing right next to the portal. As soon as Junhyuk looked at the hog, the expert entered the portal.

    There were another four portals scattered throughout the map, and there was no way to know which the warthog had taken. The warthog¡¯s heal had been massive.

    Ronga, who had had 5 percent of his health left, now had 65 percent. The warthog had healed him for 60 percent of his health.

    Ronga rushed, but seeing that, Junhyuk teleported back.

    The distance of Ronga¡¯s rush was shorter than that of his teleportation, so Junhyuk escaped the power and swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword in response. His counter was blocked by Ronga¡¯s sword right as the enemy hero dug into the ground.

    Ronga had used two powers to close the gap between them, and Junhyukughed at that, teleporting yet again.

    He was now standing in front of Elise, who had summoned Zaira. Junhyuk took his position behind the gynoid.

    Ronga burst out of the ground, and just barely, Junhyuk was out of his range. Junhyuk smiled, and Ronga ran toward him again.

    Junhyuk could teleport, but he couldn¡¯t leave Elise behind, so he ran forward and shouted, ¡°Support me!¡±

    Elise sent Zaira forth, and the attack began. Her ownser beams could help.

    When Ronga swung his broadsword, Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened. The enemy hero¡¯s speed was far beyond what he had expected.

    ng!

    Junhyuk had barely managed to block it, but Ronga attacked again. The enemy hero wasn¡¯t using any powers, so Junhyuk didn¡¯t raise his force field.

    ng!

    Junhyuk blocked the second attack, but an opening appeared in his defense, and Ronga seized it.

    sh!

    It was a regr attack against his ribs. Junhyuk gritted his teeth. He only lost 5 percent of his health, but he was shocked by Ronga¡¯s attack speed.

    Ronga was twice as fast as usual, which left him with no answer for the enemy hero¡¯s attacks.

    Elise attacked, but the amount of damage she did was negligible. Junhyuk had a set item that gave him an extra 3 percent fixed damage, and that made him understand how strong Ronga¡¯s defense really was.

    Elise¡¯s attacks only took 3 percent off of Ronga¡¯s health, and Zaira¡¯s, 2 percent.

    Ronga ignored Elise and focused on Junhyuk, who couldn¡¯t keep up with the enemy hero¡¯s attack speed. He realized then that he couldn¡¯t kill Ronga.

    It was an unexpected problem. Junhyuk had received Elise¡¯s buffs, so he thought he would be able to win the fight, but Ronga¡¯s buffs were superior.

    On top of that, Ronga was quickly regaining health. With each passing second, the enemy hero regained another 1 percent of health.

    Junhyuk was left speechless, and smiling, Ronga attacked him.

    Junhyuk quickly raised his force field then.

    ng, ng!

    The force field blocked all of Ronga¡¯s attacks, and as it did, Junhyuk counterattacked, but Ronga calmly blocked all of his attacks.

    Junhyuk knew it then that Ronga¡¯s attack speed had doubled. Without his powers, he wouldn¡¯t be able tond a hit. Elise kept attacking Ronga, but he wasn¡¯t expecting a miracle out of her.

    Junhyuk had to buy time until his Spatial sh returned. His force field would allow him to buy ten seconds. After that, he could teleport until his Spatial sh was off cooldown.

    Junhyuk wanted to learn more about Ronga¡¯s swordsmanship, but it didn¡¯t seem to follow any pattern. Ronga just attacked as quickly as he could to kill his enemy. He was using his instincts, and his movements were incredibly fast.

    Now that he was buffed, Ronga was even faster than usual.

    Without his force field, Junhyuk would have lost the majority of his health. He bit his lips as he looked for an opening in Ronga¡¯s attacks. Ten seconds went by, and Junhyuk found no way to attack, so he grabbed Elise and teleported further back.

    The allies had been pushed back to the watchtower, but Ronga scoffed at them and waited for him.

    Junhyuk realized how strong the buff was then. With each passing second, Ronga regained his health.

    ¡°That¡¯s crazy!¡±

    As time passed, Junhyuk lost his advantage. He would¡¯ve killed Ronga if not for the warthog. Now, things had turned dire.

    Ronga was quickly recovering. Even with his Spatial sh, he wouldn¡¯t be able to kill the enemy hero.

    ¡°We should pull him,¡± Elise said.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± he agreed. ¡°Elise, you stay behind the tower. I¡¯ll pull him.¡±

    Elise did exactly that, and he ran forward. Junhyuk was trying not to get hit by Ronga¡¯s attacks.

    Ronga smirked at the scene and swung his broadsword. Junhyuk had tond a sessful attack to have a chance to trigger the set¡¯s eleration, but he couldn¡¯t. He felt chained.

    Ronga¡¯s attacks could¡¯ve been fatal, but Junhyuk used Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword to block. Finally, he managed to hug Ronga and, as soon as he did, he jumped back.

    While in the air, he saw Ronga smile. Ronga used his ultimate then.

    sh, sh, sh!

    ¡°Argh!¡±

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected that to be possible while they were in the air, but the hero was spinning and shing him.

    He had already used his teleportations, so he could do nothing but take the hits, losing 15 percent of his health with each passing second. While they crossed through the air, Junhyuk was attacked twice, and when hended, he was attacked again. He lost a total of 45 percent of his health. By now, he had lost half of it.

    Ronga smiled and attacked. Junhyuk blocked the first strike, but Ronga shed his thigh with a second.

    sh!

    His leg bled profusely, and at that moment, the archers attacked the enemy hero. Elise did the same.

    The damage was small, but because the attacks stacked, they took their toll. Without looking back, Ronga suddenly retreated. He couldn¡¯t fight with the archers at his throat.

    Junhyuk checked on Ronga¡¯s health and saw that the enemy hero was running for the portal.

    He couldn¡¯t let Ronga get away, so he bit his lips and gave chase. He had 40 percent of his health left, but his Spatial sh would return soon. He would finish things with it.

    Ronga looked back and slowed down. Junhyuk was closing in, fully trusting his remaining heath.

    Ronga, who had waited for him, rushed at him.

    ng!

    Junhyuk blocked the rush, but he still received 20 percent of damage. He had bought a new gauntlet that had increased his defense, which meant that Ronga had done something to increase his damage.

    Junhyuk blocked Ronga¡¯s attacks diligently until his Spatial sh came off cooldown.

    Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword shed at Ronga¡¯s neck.

 Chapter 483 - New Buff 2

    <h4>Chapter 483: New Buff 2</h4>

    The attack hit Ronga¡¯s neck, a critical hit, killing him, but Junhyuk was more interested in Ronga¡¯s buff than his item.

    [You¡¯ve killed Ronga and taken his buff. For the next five hours, your health regeneration rate will increase by 50 percent, and the attack speed of your regr attacks will increase by 100 percent. If you die within that time, you will lose this buff to the opponent who kills you.]

    Junhyuk stared at the rings underneath his feet. He didn¡¯t know which new monster had been killed, but the buff was definitely from one of them.

    The rings were red and yellow.

    Junhyuk smacked his lips. With that kind of buff, he didn¡¯t have to use his powers to kill his enemies. Ronga had fought well not because of luck, but because of the buffs.

    ¡°Those are some buffs!¡±

    The buffs were not as good as the dragon¡¯s buff. Normally, the dragon¡¯s buff increased nearly all of the person¡¯s stats, on top of having fixed damage.

    This new buff, however, only affected health regeneration and attack speed. It would still change the course of battles, however.

    Junhyuk also picked up the item dropped by Ronga. The enemy hero carried items that cost at least 100,000G each. This time, he picked up a ring, and since he could wear it, he inspected it.

    ¡ª

    Tapir¡¯s Mane Ring

    Attack +30

    Health +50

    This ring was made out of a tapir¡¯s pelt. It increases both attack and health. Attack increases by thirty, and health by fifty.

    ¡ª

    Without hesitation, Junhyuk put the ring on. For a ring, the increase in attack was significant. After that, he looked back and saw that Elise hade up to him.

    ¡°Are you OK?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. He had a regeneration buff.¡±

    Junhyuk had the buff now, and with each passing second, he regained some health.

    ¡°We have to take out the enemies on both paths. We have to do something.¡±

    She smiled and asked, ¡°Do you want to hunt the new buff monster?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded. If Ronga had killed one by himself, he was confident that he could do it as well. Ronga had had the warthog with him, however.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go get it,¡± he said, and Elise nodded in agreement.

    ¡°We must not let our enemies take those new buffs.¡±

    ¡°They are almost like the buffs from a dragon. If Ronga had had another buff, he would¡¯ve been able to kill me easily.¡±

    Junhyuk had used his Spatial sh and Spatial Copse. If he failed tond a critical hit with his powers, Ronga was able to kill him.

    He couldn¡¯t allow his enemies to get the buffs, but he didn¡¯t know where Ronga had found the new monster.

    ¡°Ronga used the portals, so we¡¯ll do the same to cover arger area of investigation.¡±

    ¡°We have to hurry.¡±

    After some thought, Junhyuk said, ¡°I want to take you with me, but someone has to stay here to cover the buff tower. I¡¯ll hunt the monster alone.¡±

    With the buff tower¡¯s movement speed boost, he could hunt for the monster on his own. If he came across Ronga doing the same thing, Junhyuk would kill him first.

    He bid Elise goodbye and entered the portal. He appeared by an enemy camp, slowly moving toward the middle path.

    He didn¡¯t know where he could find the buff monster, but he knew it wasn¡¯t a dragon. However, since its buffs were that significant, it would definitely be very strong.

    Junhyuk looked up at the purple sky. He was inside the forest, and though the forest had no source of light, he could see well in it.

    Junhyuk walked, ready to hunt the buff monster at any moment. He contacted Gongon and La as well. The two were in battle.

    ¡°I¡¯ve killed Ronga.¡±

    ¡°He went middle?¡±

    ¡°He used the portal. He had new buffs, and they were really strong. I¡¯m hunting one of the new monsters by myself now.¡±

    ¡°Did he almost kill you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, due to the buffs.¡±

    ¡°Hunt quickly then, before he joins the battle again.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Junhyuk disconnected and teleported to move faster. He didn¡¯t have much time to spare.

    Ronga would revive, and it would take Junhyuk two hours before he would be able to support the side paths. Within that time, he had to kill the buff monster. If not, the allies might fall to the enemy heroes.

    There was no telling when the flow of battle would change, so he moved at full speed.

    Junhyuk got lucky. After he passed the Dragon¡¯s Valley, he came upon the new buff monster.

    He had never seen anything like it. The monster looked strong, but not fast. It moved slowly, but Junhyuk felt like he shouldn¡¯t attack it by himself.

    The monster looked like a superior existence.

    ¡°How is that weaker than a dragon?!¡±

    The monster looked back at him. Was it a monster? It was massive, and it had one eye open. When Junhyuk looked into that eye, he became unable to move.

    [Agora of the Abyss has released a fear wave upon you. You¡¯ll be paralyzed for three seconds.]

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know what the fear wave was, but he was still paralyzed for three seconds. Suddenly, Agora of the Abyss released grew two appendages from within it.

    Thuck, thuck!

    Junhyuk got hit on the ribs twice, but he didn¡¯t know by what.

    [Agora of the Abyss has inflicted you with poison. You will lose 4 percent of your health per second.]

    Junhyuk had been hit twice. He didn¡¯t know how much health he would lose for the duration of the effect, so he scowled.

    Junhyuk was still paralyzed, and in that state, he was hit two more times.

    [Agora of the Abyss had inflicted you with poison. You will lose 8 percent of your health per second.]

    Junhyuk had already lost 12 percent of his health, and now, he would lose 8 percent of it percent per second, meaning he had eleven seconds to kill Agora.

    After regaining his ability to move, Junhyuk quickly used his Spatial sh. He didn¡¯t know how much damage he would be able to inflict, but he still closed in on the monster.

    Agora used whips of dark energy to attack him, but Junhyuk sidestepped them and dodged.

    He swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword. It was his best weapon at long range, and he wanted to keep an even distance from Agora.

    Agora got shed, but it did not bleed. Instead, dark energy smoke billowed out of Agora¡¯s injury. Junhyuk knew the attack had worked then and continued to attack.

    Agora remained motionless, using its whips of dark energy to attack instead. Junhyuk scoffed at the monster, dodging the whips and attacking Agora.

    When he thought he was close to killing the monster, he closed in. He was going to attack with both swords.

    Suddenly, ten whips of dark energyshed at him at the same time.

    Junhyuk quickly raised his force field. Within it, he stopped losing health, and because his buffs still worked, he started regaining 1 percent of his health per second. With the force field¡¯s ten-second duration, he would regain 10 percent of his health.

    He decided he would kill Agora within that time.

    Junhyuk swung his sword, and Agora covered its body with its arms. The dark energy it released protected it like armor. Junhyuk shed against it.

    ng!

    After hitting the dark energy, Junhyuk realized that it acted as a type of protective barrier. He had to destroy the barrier to kill Agora.

    Speeding up, Junhyuk kept attacking. He only had ten seconds to finish the job, so he had to destroy the dark energy barrier and kill Agora.

    ng, ng, ng!

    Junhyuk was buffed, so his attack speed was doubled. On top of that, he triggered his set¡¯s eleration.

    Finally, the dark energy barrier was destroyed, and he found Agora hiding within it.

    Agora opened its huge eye, and Junhyuk closed both of his. However, things weren¡¯t that easy to counter.

    [Agora of the Abyss has released a fear wave upon you. You¡¯ll be paralyzed for three seconds.]

    The force field disappeared, and now, Junhyuk was paralyzed. Ten appendages started toe out of Agora¡¯s body. The speed of the appearance of the arms was slow, but there were ten of them.

    ¡°Shit!¡± he shouted as the ten arms rushed toward him.

    [Agora of the Abyss has inflicted you with poison. You will lose 20 percent of your health per second.]

    Because of his regeneration, he had to kill Agora within four seconds.

    The attack had taken a while, so Junhyuk regained his moved. As soon as he did, he used his Spatial Copse on Agora¡¯s massive eye. The eye vanished, giving him a chance to finish things.

    Junhyuk ran forward. Now that Agora had lost its eye, it tried to whip him with its arms, but the arms were also sucked by the Spatial Copse.

    Junhyuk lengthened Aksha¡¯s Longsword then. Agora had already been hit by the Spatial sh and the Spatial Copse. And now, Junhyuk stabbed the monster with both of his swords.

    They both pierced Agora, suddenly triggering a massive explosion.

    Boom!

    Dark energy went everywhere, and another ring appeared underneath Junhyuk¡¯s feet. A ck ring.

    [You¡¯ve killed Agora of the Abyss. For the next five hours, you can use Wave of Fear. Wave of Fear paralyzes your enemy for three seconds. It has a five-minute cooldown.]

    The cooldown wasn¡¯t important. He had gained a sub-skill that paralyzed enemies. For him, it was better than having the dragon¡¯s buffs.

 Chapter 484 - Advancement 1

    <h4>Chapter 484: Advancement 1</h4>

    Junhyuk had received another buff, so he contacted the others. With his new buff, he was sure he could help anyone.

    Gongon greeted him matter-of-factly, ¡°Time is up. Did you get the buff?¡±

    ¡°I did, and it¡¯s surprisingly strong.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? That¡¯s nice.¡±

    Junhyuk knew Gongon was safe, so he turned to La. She had a serious look on her face as she said, ¡°We¡¯ll retreat now and meet you at the portal. Ronga is here.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll take me a couple of hours.¡±

    Fleeing Ronga that entire time wouldn¡¯t be easy. His rush and his ground dig could both shorten the distance between them.

    Junhyuk teleported quicky. He did it three times before he started to run, d that he had left Elise behind.

    His speed was faster than most, and with his teleportations, he could move nearly twice as fast as anyone.

    Junhyuk was at least two hours from a portal. Even with his teleportations, he would be two hourste. After running for thirty minutes, he contacted La.

    ¡°Rodrey¡¯s been killed.¡±

    ¡°And you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still running.¡±

    ¡°What about your enemies?¡±

    ¡°We damaged them, but they are all still alive.¡±

    Junhyuk smacked his lips then. Cuba, Tros and Ronga were all up. Junhyuk and La wouldn¡¯t be enough against them.

    ¡°Go through the portal and head for the buff tower. Wait there. I¡¯ll meet you there,¡± he said quickly.

    ¡°OK.¡±

    After that, Junhyuk contacted Gongon and said, ¡°Gon! Take the portal and head to the buff tower.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already on the move. Give me thirty minutes, and I¡¯ll reach the portal.¡±

    ¡°Thanks! Hurry!¡±

    Gongon had an impressive understanding of the flow of the battle. He would get there quickly, and Junhyuk would be able to fight the enemy heroes with his help.

    ¡°Wait! What happened to your enemies?¡±

    ¡°They are chasing after me.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly. The enemies would use the portal as well, gathering in one ce.

    Junhyuk knew he would bete, so he said, ¡°I¡¯m going to bete, so can you buy me some time?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡°The watchtower is still there. Use it and have Elise help you.¡±

    ¡°What?! Do you think I¡¯m an amateur?¡±

    ¡°No. You¡¯ll do fine.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Junhyuk disconnected and picked up the pace. He had never maintained constant teleportations like he was doing now. Every time the cooldown was up, he teleported immediately.

    After thirty minutes of running and teleporting, he realized that the distance of his teleportations had increased. It wasn¡¯t much, only a meter.

    It was a small change, but it meant that his power would evolve over time, so he smiled. He refocused and teleported. Another thirty minutes went by. The allies had to have engaged their enemies by then.

    Junhyuk waited for someone to contact him since he didn¡¯t want to distract them from the fight. Gongon contacted him first.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Shit! Five is too many! We killed two, but we got pushed back. We lost the buff tower.¡±

    Even with Elise to help them, there were only three allied heroes there, so they had to be in dire straights.

    Junhyuk sighed and said, ¡°It¡¯s OK. I¡¯ll join you soon. Return to the castle now, and we¡¯ll attack them together.¡±

    ¡°Right. I¡¯ll wait for you there.¡±

    ¡°Tell Rodrey to return as well.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk disconnected and returned to the castle. After the bright light faded, he found himself in the spawn room with Ariel waiting for him.

    ¡°The new buffs are way too strong.¡±

    She smiled and said, [They are meant to change the battle.]

    ¡°They are weaker than the dragon¡¯s buff, but they¡¯re still way too strong.¡±

    [Of course. They should help you kill the dragon, but there is a limit to them here, and you already used them all.]

    Junhyuk gave her a bitter smile. He might not be able to keep the buff tower with the roaming monsters in y. Even getting to them used up buff time.

    ¡°Seeing how important they are, it would be nice if theysted longer.¡±

    [There has to be a limit.]

    Junhyuk waved at her and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±

    He headed for the exit, and Ariel shouted, [Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed.]

    He walked outside and saw the allies gathered in one ce. Gongon asked first, ¡°Is that the new buff?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯ll be easier to deal with our enemies with it.¡±

    ¡°How much time is left?¡±

    ¡°Three hours. We won¡¯t be able to use it this time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just d we didn¡¯t lose it to them.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and turned to the allies. He noticed then that they hadn¡¯t been able to return. All of them had died instead, and their eyes looked angry. Elise seemed to be focused on something.

    ¡°Elise, are you OK?¡±

    She looked at him and smiled.

    ¡°Dying is always an interesting experience. It helped me.¡±

    Elise had travelled through the harrowing void. He turned to the others and said, ¡°The enemies have only a few options now. We¡¯ll push through the middle, take the tower and pierce through their defenses.¡±

    ¡°Do we have enough time?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°They have to go back to the buff tower to keep it, so let¡¯s hurry.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    The allies took only three hundred minions with them. They had four hours of climbing ahead of them. Meanwhile, their enemies could be attacking other paths.

    By taking the central portal, their enemies could go anywhere they wanted and destroy whichever watchtower. It would take them less than an hour to do it. They could even destroy both towers on the left and right paths, but once the allies upied the buff tower, they would have to go back there.

    All of the first towers on the enemies¡¯ side had been destroyed. If the allies advanced through the middle even after losing both side paths, they could still win.

    Junhyuk looked at the group and asked, ¡°What items did you lose?¡±

    Sarang smiled and said, ¡°Nothing from the new set.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡±

    He turned to the others. Gongon and La hadn¡¯t lost anything important, but Rodrey gave him a bitter smile.

    ¡°All my savings were spent on the item I lost. That was a massive blow.¡±

    Junhyuk replied with encouragement, ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. You¡¯ll kill many more.¡±

    Their enemies had lost more items than them.

    While they moved, the enemy heroes destroy watchtowers. By making use of the portals, their enemies destroyed the allied towers on both the right and left paths.

    Junhyuk kept moving toward the buff tower without hesitation. They reached the top and saw that the buff was already up for grabs. The allies upied the buff tower, taking the buff again.

    ¡°OK. We can move faster now.¡±

    Using their speed buff, the allies could catch up to their enemies. They moved together toward the second enemy watchtower in the middle path.

    They ran with all three hundred minions and, from high up in the mountain, saw enemies waiting for them at the tower. There were two heroes with a hundred minions there, not an incredible defense.

    With the boosted speed, the allies expected to get there quickly. As they ran toward the second watchtower, they watched as more enemies came out of the reed fields.

    Junhyuk scowled and said, ¡°They killed the dragon.¡±

    The other three heroes had the dragon¡¯s buff. There were only three of them, but the buff was amazing.

    The dragon¡¯s buff gave them a 30-percent increase to attack speed. It also increased defense, but with the allies¡¯ high piercing stats, that mattered little. However, killing Ronga had be moreplicated.

    With their enemies supported by the watchtower, the allies had no advantage.

    Junhyuk smacked his lips and turned to the group, saying, ¡°We have to steal that dragon¡¯s buff. Focus on Yagi and Tros. Not Ronga.¡±

    Ronga would step forward first, but with some luck, he would be able to kill Yagi in a single hit. As they got closer, Elise buffed him.

    ¡°Take my buffs.¡±

    After that, Junhyuk held tightly to his swords. Elise¡¯s buffs were the same as two buff monstersbined. Later, once she got more synthesis items, her buffs would be absurd.

    Junhyuk stepped forward and La said, ¡°Buff me as well. I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    He turned to Elise and nodded. She couldn¡¯t buff all of the allies, but she could buff three heroes without the first losing their buff.

    The enemies did not leave the watchtower.

    ¡°Give La and Gongon the buffs, and we¡¯ll attack together.¡±

    When her power¡¯s cooldown was up, Elise buffed La, who turned to her with astonishment.

    ¡°That¡¯s really strong!¡±

    Elise smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯ll be even better if I can synthesize the buffs from the new buff monsters.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for that.¡±

    The allies had no reason to refuse strong buffs. Junhyuk would hunt the roaming buff monsters and give her any synthesis items he got from them.

    The three heroes were buffed, so Junhyuk looked at the group and asked, ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    Gongon grinned, ¡°I can trigger extra attacks now!¡±

    Junhyukughed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that Ronga isn¡¯t our target.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Three enemy heroes had received their buffs from killing the dragon, but the allies had three that had been buffed by Elise.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he shouted, and the five heroes, Elise and the three hundred minions ran forward together.

    The enemy formation changed quickly. Ronga, Garu and Cuba stepped forward, while Yagi and Tros stayed by the watchtower.

    As he ran, Junhyuk unsheathed both of his swords.

 Chapter 485 - Advancement 2

    <h4>Chapter 485: Advancement 2</h4>

    Seeing Yagi and Tros in front of the watchtower, Junhyuk told Gongon and La, ¡°I¡¯ll jump over everyone and kill Yagi.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Everyone agreed with his n, so Junhyuk continued to run. He wielded his two swords as if he was about to use his Spatial sh, so Ronga kept bobbing and weaving.

    His enemies looked tense. They were all thinking they might get hit by the Spatial sh, but Junhyuk ignored them and continued ahead. As he closed in, Tros was the first to attack him.

    Junhyuk hade within Tros¡¯ range, and he turned to Gongon and La, who had raised their weapons to defend themselves from iing attacks.

    Ronga saw that Junhyuk wasn¡¯t using his Spatial sh and shouted, ¡°Retreat!¡±

    Right as Yagi and Tros were about to retreat into the tower by Ronga¡¯s order, Junhyuk smiled coldly and triggered a Spatial Copse. The tanks had been blocking for Yagi and Tros, so Junhyuk set the Spatial Copse on Yagi. While Tros was sucked toward Yagi, Ronga rushed at Junhyuk.

    He had guessed the enemy hero would do that and had already teleported with Gongon and La.

    He passed the tanks and swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword at Yagi, killing her. Gongon and La attacked Tros.

    Junhyuk fell under attack from the archers, so he followed Gongon and La. Gongon had erged, and La sent Tros into the air. The two heroesbined their attacks, leaving Tros no room to respond.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t attack, but he closed in on Tros to act once the fight was over. Suddenly, Cuba switched ces with Tros.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    That was one of Cuba¡¯s powers. Tros appeared next to Garu, and the allies moved toward them.

    Junhyuk got hit by a few arrows, but he had plenty of health.

    Gongon and La attacked Tros again, and the hero could do nothing in response, so he disappeared.

    Gongon was given the dragon¡¯s buff, so he had to have delivered thest hit.

    With it, Gongon feared no enemy. The hatchling stood in front of the tanks as Ronga swung his broadsword down.

    Junhyuk blocked Ronga¡¯s attack with a smile.

    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ve been buffed as well.¡±

    Ronga scoffed at him and continued to attack. Junhyuk teleported to get away from Ronga¡¯s attacks, appearing next to Sarang and Rodrey.

    Ronga changed directions and went straight for him.

    Looking at Sarang, Junhyuk said, ¡°Let¡¯s kill Ronga.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s!¡±

    Junhyuk raised his force field around Ronga, whose expression hardened. Junhyuk used his Spatial sh, and Ronga lost a chunk of his health at once. The force field was tight around the enemy hero, so he couldn¡¯t move around.

    The sh hit Ronga and took 47 percent off of his health. After that, a Thunderstorm crashed on the enemy hero.

    Craaack, crack!

    Ronga lost even more health. After them, Rodrey used his ultimate. The hero had very little health left by then, and Launched her katana at him.

    The katana flew across the air and pierced Ronga, killing him. Everyone had contributed. Junhyuk had used all of his powers, but the allies had managed to kill three enemy heroes since the start of the fight.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Junhyuk shouted.

    Three allies had the dragon¡¯s buff now, and Junhyuk ran toward Garu.

    Garu retreated quickly, but Sarang shot an electric st at him, paralyzing him. Seizing the opportunity, Junhyuk swung down at the enemy hero.

    Right as Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword was about to pierce the hero, many other attacksnded.

    sh, boom!

    Garu had been paralyzed, so Gongon and La had joined in the attack. The allies would kill the tank in mere moments, but Garu regained his movements and jumped toward the watchtower.

    ¡°Rodrey! Get the attention of the watchtower!¡± Junhyuk shouted.

    There were five archers on the watchtower, and if they attacked together, they would deal 15 percent of damage to one hero. But, Rodrey could distract them.

    Boosting his movement speed, Rodrey ran toward the tower, and the archers shot at him.

    ¡°Attack!¡± Junhyuk shouted.

    His n was to use the minions to destroy the watchtower. As he ran forward, Garu frowned. Even with the backing of the watchtower, he wasn¡¯t feeling confident. On top of that, Garu knew that it would be impossible to escape now.

    Junhyuk had the buff from the buff tower, and he could teleport. Garu couldn¡¯t run from him. The hero bit his lips and extended his arms forward, shouting, ¡°Come here!¡±

    Suddenly, Junhyuk lost his will. The archers kept shooting at Rodrey, and it was possible Rodrey would eventually die. Just as suddenly, he regained consciousness.

    He had more health than before, and when he looked back, he saw Elise standing behind him. Sarang had healed him.

    The women had helped him regain himself, so he shed Garu. Elise¡¯s nullification was still active, so Junhyuk couldn¡¯t use his powers.

    Since neither of them could use powers, Junhyuk had the advantage. The three buffed allied heroes were beating the crap out of Garu.

    Cuba jumped down from the watchtower and mmed Rodrey, who wasunched away, and the shockwave from the impact pushed the three attacking allied heroes back.

    Garu started running away when he saw the allied heroesunched back. He couldn¡¯t do anything else, but Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t let him escape.

    The allied minions had killed the hundred enemy minions, and some of them were already attacking the watchtower. The watchtower would fall soon.

    Junhyuk stabbed Aksha¡¯s Longsword at Garu. The sword stuck to his back, and Junhyuk used it to pull himself toward the enemy hero.

    Once close, he swung again and beheaded the elephant.

    Seeing that Garu was gone, Cuba bit his lips and stomped the ground. That was his ultimate. It pulled an enemy close as he stomped all over them.

    Rodrey was the one pulled, so the allies ran to save him, but since the archers had also attacked him, Rodrey disappeared.

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue. He felt responsible for Rodrey¡¯s death since he had told the hero to distract the archers.

    He wanted to avenge him, so he made to attack Cuba. The enemy hero picked up the item Rodrey had dropped and started running away.

    Cuba knew he would die, but he wanted to use the watchtower to damage the heroes. He would lose an item, but he had already picked up another.

    Junhyuk closed in and shed Cuba¡¯s thigh. Gongon used his ultimate and soared into the sky. Cuba had a power that boosted his defense, but the defense boost wasn¡¯t enough.

    Everyone attacked Cuba, and Cuba disappeared. Looking at Cuba¡¯s item, Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Destroy the watchtower!¡±

    The minions were already attacking it, so after the heroes joined them, the watchtower fell quickly. The enemy archers were quickly dispatched, and he recovered the items that were his.

    While he was picking up items, Elise walked up to him and picked one up. He smiled at her.

    ¡°You killed Cuba.¡±

    ¡°We were all attacking him. I just got lucky.¡±

    Still smiling, he said, ¡°You did well.¡±

    The allied heroes had noints against Elise. Sarang called her big sis, and Gongon was teaching her magic.

    La knew just how wonderful Elise¡¯s buffs were, so there was no problem in Elise picking up an item.

    Junhyuk looked at the others. Rodrey had died, but the allies had won.

    ¡°We should push on.¡±

    ¡°What about Rodrey?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell him to upy the buff tower,¡± La said.

    Rodrey was a sniper, so he could be useful in sieging the castle.

    ¡°We¡¯ll push for the castle and wait for him there. Our enemies will want to protect the castle, so they won¡¯t attack us,¡± he said calmly.

    ¡°Right.¡±

    La contacted Rodrey, and Junhyuk joined the others. In that fight, he had picked up Yagi¡¯s and Garu¡¯s items. Winning was nice.

    The allies kept pushing and saw their enemies waiting in front of the castle. Junhyuk did not push to attack them.

    The enemies had already attacked the allies with a team of five without Junhyuk present, but with him there, things would be different.

    He stood two hundred meters from the castle and inspected the enemy camp. Yagi and Tros were on the castle¡¯s wall, and the warthog was with them.

    The warthog wanted to be as safe as possible as he used his power.

    Junhyuk knew things wouldn¡¯t be easy. That warthog was an important variable. If he stayed alive and healed, Ronga would be a serious problem.

    He turned to his allies and said, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for Rodrey.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    There were two snipers on the wall, so attacking now would spell casualties. For that reason, he decided to wait until Rodrey joined them.

    Their enemies didn¡¯t try anything cute, simply waiting for the right moment to attack.

    Junhyuk sat down, and Ronga¡¯s eyebrows twitched. He was resting right in front of the enemy hero, and Ronga couldn¡¯t believe it.

    Junhyuk crossed his legs and yawned in front of the lion. He had his teleportations, so it didn¡¯t matter if he was standing or not.

    Ronga was angry, and Junhyuky sideways. He was thinking that it would be nice if Ronga rushed out of the enemy formation, but the enemy wouldn¡¯t give up the castle to attack.

    Ronga slowly walked back to the castle and leaned against it, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.

    Junhyuk smacked his lips.

 Chapter 486 - Advancement 3

    <h4>Chapter 486: Advancement 3</h4>

    Junhyuk kept watch over his enemies, who were unable to attack. Finally, he saw Rodrey approaching from afar. The hero was running with intent, but there was nothing Junhyuk could do to help him along, so he looked at Ronga.

    Ronga was a lion of war. The enemy hero had his eyes closed,pletely ignoring him. Real heroes were able to control their emotions.

    Trolls were unable to do that, and that made Ronga different from them.

    Junhyuk got up slowly. The others had also taken the opportunity to rest, but now, everyone was getting ready for battle. Junhyuk stood with them and waited for Rodrey¡¯s arrival.

    After analyzing the enemy formation, Elise said, ¡°This won¡¯t be easy...¡±

    The warthog was the biggest variable. He had revived once already, which meant that he was an expert, and they had no clue about the warthog¡¯s second power.

    ¡°It would be nice to get them away from the castle, but if we can¡¯t do that, we¡¯ll have to kill them right there.¡±

    ¡°Is our target Ronga?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°Without Ronga, they aren¡¯t that dangerous.¡±

    Garu and Cuba were tanks, so they were sturdy. With them in front of the castle, the archers could take shots at the allies. However, Ronga was still the most dangerous of the bunch.

    ¡°Garu can taunt us, so you hang back and raise your nullification field when that happens.¡±

    After Rodrey arrived, Elise buffed the allies. Just like the previous time, three allied heroes received the buffs.

    Cracking his neck, Junhyuk said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He knew the enemies on the wall were dangerous. He had already gone through a simr situation, so he was confident that he could do it again.

    Junhyuk ran forward while checking out his enemies¡¯ movements. They were positioned behind the minions as they prepared for battle, but none of them stepped forward.

    Junhyuk looked at the enemy minions. They weren¡¯t brandishing shields, but they were forming a defensive wall still.

    He smiled coldly.

    He couldn¡¯t massacre minions in an instant anymore, but he could still wreak havoc among them. Aksha¡¯s Longsword lengthened and danced among the minions, killing many with every sh. The allied heroes attacked.

    Tros attacked first among the enemies. He didn¡¯t use his powers. Instead, it seemed like he was measuring the distance between himself and the allies.

    Junhyuk blocked the attack with his sword and kept going. He could easily block regr attacks.

    From that range, he was very capable of attacking his enemies, so they moved away from the castle and toward him.

    Their goal was to attack the allies, but they were still too far away.

    Garu moved out first and ran for the allies. Junhyuk scowled at that, aware of how annoying Garu could be.

    He looked at Cuba. Without him nearby, Junhyuk would be able to kill Ronga immediately. Ronga¡¯s defense had lowered, but his attack had increased somehow.

    It was possible that Cuba would interfere with the fight, so looking at Garu heading for him, he decided, ¡°I¡¯ll move twice.¡±

    The allies massacring the enemy minions understood what he was saying. Junhyuk teleported over to Garu and used his Spatial sh on Ronga. He was saving the Spatial Copse since Cuba could trade ces with other enemy heroes.

    The enemies had to rely on their eyes to grasp Junhyuk¡¯s teleportations. Since he used his Spatial sh right after teleporting, Ronga was unable to dodge it. Blood spurted out of the lion¡¯s neck, and Junhyuk extended his hand forward, pretending to use his Spatial Copse to kill Ronga.

    Cuba appeared in Ronga¡¯s spot. Junhyuk had extended his hand specifically to make Cuba use his power. Killing Ronga would¡¯ve been nice, but it was a nice trade.

    Right after that, when Junhyuk was actually about to use his Spatial Copse on Ronga, Tros screeched.

    ¡°Screeech!¡±

    The sound resonated through the battlefield. Junhyuk had gotten too close to use his Spatial sh.

    After he regained his bearings, he saw that Ronga was already attacking him. Junhyuk wanted to use his force field to protect himself, but Garu triggered his taunt.

    ¡°Get over here!¡±

    While he was confused, Garu had gotten close to him. Now, the enemy hero had been able tond his taunt.

    Things were looking dire for Junhyuk. From that distance, the archers could reach him with their arrows. Nobody else was close enough, so he would be their main focus. Taunted and confused, he found himself in a deadly situation.

    He had a faint grasp of the situation, that he would die, when suddenly, his mind cleared. He inspected himself then. Should he retreat or fight on?

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t have time to worry about what to do. Ronga was attacking him, so he used his Spatial Copse. Ronga got sucked into the copse. Junhyuk had lost half of his health during his time confused, which meant that Ronga had used most of his powers.

    Ronga couldn¡¯t dodge the Spatial Copse, and he lost 52 percent of his health. The warthog must¡¯ve healed the enemy hero because Ronga still had 31 percent of his health left.

    Gongon transformed and breathed fire on Ronga.

    La shed the enemy hero with her katana. Everyone attacked him, and Junhyuk used Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword.

    Ronga had the highest defense among the enemies, but after the barrage of attacks, he disappeared. Looking around, Junhyuk saw that he was outside of the nullification field.

    Elise had used her nullification field and distanced herself from him, giving him free use of his powers. Thanks to Elise, he had survived.

    Ronga was dead. To him, the rest would be easy to take care of. He knew he had been healed by Sarang as well. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve been dead by now. The archers attacking him were the reason for that assumption.

    Junhyuk used his force field. He relied on the minions to attack the castle, but he had to kill the enemy heroes.

    Gongon and La were both attacking Garu, who was trying to retreat. However, Sarang hit him with an electric st. Both Garu and Cuba were paralyzed.

    Her Thunderstorm fell on them both, and the other heroes joined in on Garu.

    With that many heroes attacking him, Garu died quickly. Even with high defense and health, it was easy.

    Garu was dead, so Junhyuk chased after Cuba, who was running away from him.

    The archers attacked him as he chased Cuba, but the arrows bounced off his force field. Junhyuk teleported and caught up to Cuba, but at the same time, he felt a gust pass him by.

    It was Rodrey, who had used his speed buff to stab Cuba in the back.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Cuba turned around and used his ultimate, stomping all over Rodrey furiously. The archers attacked Rodrey as well, but Junhyuk closed in and covered Rodrey in his force field.

    Cuba couldn¡¯t run away now, so he died as well. Before the force field disappeared, Junhyuk took the allies out of the archers¡¯ range. Archers were extremely problematic for heroes, so it was nice to be able to negate their attacks.

    Once the heroes were out of range, the archers attacked the allied minions. Yagi and Tros did the same, but the minions had already destroyed half of the gate. Even without Junhyuk¡¯s interference, they would destroy the gate. A bunch of them were dying, but Junhyuk did not step in. He had to wait until the gate was down. Once it was, he would advance and kill his enemies.

    Junhyuk looked at Rodrey. The hero had lost too much health already, so he would have to wait for a heal.

    ¡°Rodrey, stay back.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Rodrey had 45 percent of his health left after taking Cuba¡¯s ultimate and the archers¡¯ arrows. As a sniper, his health was fairly low. He could lose that 45 percent in no time at all.

    There were 150 allied minions left when the gate was destroyed.

    Junhyuk ran forward, shouting, ¡°Let¡¯s finish this before they revive!¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    The allies joined him, and Yagi and Tros retreated. Junhyuk killed the archers on the wall first, leaving two golems and two heroes. However, because the enemy team had pushed aggressively, they only had fifty minions left.

    Junhyuk could deal with those by himself.

    Elise buffed him again. It was good to have ess to specific buffs. After that, he ran at Yagi and Tros.

    Junhyuk wanted to kill the two heroes before engaging the two golems. His Spatial sh had returned, and with it, he could kill Yagi in a single hit.

    However, the two enemy heroes retreated behind the castle¡¯s force field.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t care. He simply thought that if he killed one golem before his enemies revived, the fight would be over.

    ¡°Left side!¡± he shouted, and the allies attacked the golem to their left.

 Chapter 487 - Advancement 4

    <h4>Chapter 487: Advancement 4</h4>

    The group took off for the giant golem on the left. Yagi and Tros stayed back. They knew they would be killed by the allies otherwise.

    However, they kepting out and using their powers, retreating into the castle¡¯s force field immediately after. They were trying to buy time until the others revived.

    Yagi attacked everyone but Junhyuk in the allied team. With Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword, she knew her attacks did little against him.

    She focused on La, who wasn¡¯t specialized in defense. She was much more focused on attack items than Junhyuk.

    Yagi popped out and used her power, and Junhyuk felt the desire to kill her. After she went back into the castle¡¯s force field, Junhyuk waited for the next time she woulde out.

    He had to attack her without her noticing, and that wasn¡¯t easy.

    Junhyuk sent the allied minions toward the golem on the right while the heroes focused on the left golem, and he kept his spatial sense active.

    He wasn¡¯t looking directly at Yagi, trying to make sure she wasfortable toe out.

    Junhyuk swung at the left golem, and at the same time, Yagi came out. She shot at arrow at La, but Junhyuk sensed the enemy hero and used a Spatial sh on her neck.

    He used his Spatial sh without looking. While swinging at the golem, the de of his sword shed and pierced Yagi¡¯s neck.

    She had not expected that. The Spatial sh hadnded, but Yagi was still alive. She was about to retreat when thunderbolts mmed on her.

    Crraack! Boom!

    Yagi disappeared, and Junhyuk smiled. He had used his Spatial sh without looking, using only his spatial sense to do it. Meanwhile, Sarang had gotten Yagi within range of her Thunderstorm.

    The two had attacked Yagi, managing to kill her. With things as they were, Tros coulde out.

    Junhyuk destroyed the giant golem¡¯s head. They lost half of their minions, but the right golem was also at half health.

    The allies strength was superior whenpared to the previous battle. It didn¡¯t take them long to destroy both golems, even more so with their minions.

    Inside the castle¡¯s force field, Ronga revived. He looked at Tros, but did note out. Ronga couldn¡¯t deal with five heroes by himself, and now that the two golems were destroyed, things had been settled.

    Ronga walked out of the castle¡¯s force field and stared at Junhyuk, who pointed his sword toward the enemy hero.

    ng, ng, ng!

    Junhyuk was attacking the castle¡¯s force field around Ronga, who didn¡¯t move an inch. He looked at Ronga, who remained motionless and attacked another spot.

    Junhyuk was giving him an opening, but Ronga did not move forward. He merely stared at Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk felt uneasy with Ronga¡¯s stare on him, but he continued to attack the castle¡¯s force field. Once it was gone, Junhyuk turned to Ronga and said, ¡°See you next time.¡±

    ¡°Right, I¡¯ll be waiting.¡±

    The enemy castle fell, and Junhyuk turned to his teammates.

    How difficult had Ronga been in the beginning? Now, he could deal with him. Next time, he was sure he wouldn¡¯t lose either. Ronga might end up buffed, but if not, Junhyuk could easily deal with him.

    Ariel smiled at him as he showed up before her.

    [Congrattions on your streak!]

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    [You¡¯ve won 200,000G.]

    Junhyuk nodded, and Ariel added, [With the end of this battle, you¡¯ll advance.]

    ¡°Advance?!¡±

    Junhyuk had only fought those enemies twice. They were his first real enemies, and he had considered Ronga a rival. Now, however, he could kill Ronga with ease, so he no longer considered them a threat. He actually thought that to be a loss.

    Now, there was no chance he would meet those same enemies again.

    Junhyuk smacked his lips and concluded, ¡°Well, I can be a legend faster now.¡±

    [I wish you luck.]

    ¡°Why are we advancing now?¡±

    [Your team¡¯s items are much better than the enemy team¡¯s.]

    On his team, only Rodrey dropped items frequently. By contrast, the enemy team had lost a lot of them.

    The enemies were powerful, but they had their limits. Ronga¡¯s items were far superior whenpared to those of the other enemy heroes, but he was only one hero.

    Junhyuk¡¯s team was filled with powerful heroes. His team did not have a tank with a taunt, but it was well bnced.

    ¡°Who are our new adversaries?¡±

    Ariel smiled and shook her head, saying, [Sorry, but I can¡¯t divulge that information.]

    Junhyuk smacked his lips and replied, ¡°OK. Can I bet on the champions?¡±

    Ariel nodded and asked, [On whom will you be betting?]

    ¡°What are the odds for Elise¡¯s team?¡±

    [The odds for Elise¡¯s team are rather low now. Her superior disy in the previous battlefield brought her returns down to 1.5 the amount bet. However, that could go down even more.]

    Elise was far too strong. After some thought, Junhyuk checked his savings and said, ¡°I¡¯ll bet 700,000G.¡±

    He did not go all in, but he bet most of his gold.

    Ariel smiled and replied, [Your bet of 700,000G on Elise¡¯s team has been received.]

    ¡°OK. See youter.¡±

    [See you for the viewing.]

    Junhyuk bid Ariel goodbye and went back to Earth. Sarang was just getting up as well, and as she opened her eyes, she asked, ¡°Big brother! Did you hear we are advancing?¡±

    ¡°I did.¡± He grabbed his chin and added, ¡°Last time we advanced, we were summoned two hourster. Maybe, we¡¯ll be summoned at noon now.¡±

    ¡°Sure. We¡¯ll be hungry.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? We can have brunch.¡±

    Junhyukughed and summoned Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword. He wanted to know how it would work on Earth, and as he held it, he frowned.

    Aksha¡¯s Longsword stretched just like it did in the Dimensional Battlefield, and he learned Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship from it.

    Holding Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword now, he was able to control the wind.

    With his eyes closed, he focused on the de and created a small twister atop of it. The twister used up mana. Seeing it, Sarang asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m controlling the wind.¡±

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t see the wind, but he could sense that it wasposed of mana. He didn¡¯t know much at all about magic, but he was using it with the help of his sword. It was extraordinary.

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword, a legendary weapon.¡±

    ¡°Even for a legendary weapon, that¡¯s too much.¡±

    Junhyukughed. The tiny twister made by Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword was the most basic things it could do. Junhyuk increased his mana output and released a wind attack. He was astonished by it. Aksha¡¯s Longsword took his mana and used it directly as a mana de, but Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword was different.

    It used his mana to control the wind, which made long range attacks possible. Junhyuk swung his new sword. The twister disappeared, and the sword released a wind de. The wind de went out the window, and when he looked out, he saw that it travelled fifty meters.

    Junhyuk had to train with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword. By his calctions, he would be able to use wind des that covered two hundred meters. Within that range, nobody would be able to dodge the wind des. Heroes would be able to block them, but it was still revolutionary.

    When Elise woke up, he turned to her.

    ¡°Did you hear?¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°Big sis, we advanced! We¡¯ll fight another team next time.¡±

    ¡°But we only fought them twice?!¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and replied, ¡°Because the other heroes crossed over and dropped their items here, we were able to boost our strength considerably. Now, we are far superior to Ronga¡¯s team.¡±

    ¡°Hmm...¡±

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly and said, ¡°Being able to deal with them easily is a bit of a loss for us.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one way to think about it.¡± Elise crossed her arms and added, ¡°I wanted to get more synthesis items, but I didn¡¯t have time.¡±

    Elise wanted to upgrade her buffs. She could buff people constantly, and her power had a clear path to evolve it. Eventually, she might be able to buff the entire allied team.

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯ll have a chance to next time. You can also buy them in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be nice if the location of the store changed there as well.¡±

    It used to take a long time to get to Bebe¡¯s, so Junhyuk liked the change of having the portal inside the castle now.

    He looked at the two women and said, ¡°We¡¯ll meet stronger enemies next time. We have to be ready. Do your best.¡±

    Elise got up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll head to theb now.¡±

    Sarang also got up and added, ¡°I¡¯ll go learn more spells.¡±

    Junhyuk concluded, ¡°Next time, we¡¯ll be much stronger.¡±

 Chapter 488 - Rescue 1

    <h4>Chapter 488: Rescue 1</h4>

    Junhyuk always worried on Fridays. He didn¡¯t care about his own summoning, but the fear of the experts and novices not returning was always on his mind.

    He found out that many had note back. Twenty novices and four experts had been killed in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    He sighed and asked Eunseo to take care of them. After pushing the results from his mind, Junhyuk focused on practicing the new swordsmanship. It would be nice if he had time to spend mastering Aksha¡¯s Longsword, but he wanted to learn more about Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword so that he could use it.

    Junhyuk emptied his mind and focused entirely on his training. It was important to be strong in the Dimensional Battlefield, but he wanted to be strong on Earth as well.

    Eltor had to be scheming things at that exact moment.

    Junhyuk got used to the basics of Dentra¡¯s sword with ease. After that, he called Ling Ling.

    Ling Ling was a wind user, and she had a greater understanding of wind energy even without her powers. She entered the training facility and saw Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword.

    ¡°That is...!¡±

    Junhyuk showed her the sword and said, ¡°I just got it. It can control the wind.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hard to believe.¡±

    Surprised, Ling Ling stared at it. For her, that sword was like gaining wings, but he couldn¡¯t give it to her. The sword had been expensive, and even without its wind powers, it was still a strong sword. It could diminish the damage of an enemy¡¯s magic attack.

    Yagi had had magic-based attacks. If his enemy was a mage, the sword would be even more effective.

    Junhyuk needed help from Ling Ling, and by helping him, she might be the next hero. He was willing to give her a loyalty ring to bring her to his side.

    He knew her weapons weren¡¯t as strong as his. The Blood Rune Sword had gotten powerful after the upgrades. Now, it could be used against any hero.

    Because he was willing to have her join him, he wanted to learn more about her.

    ¡°Its energy has to do with wind, so I¡¯m looking for advice from you on how to use it.¡±

    Ling Ling stared at his new sword and asked, ¡°Can you really buy something like that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible, yes.¡±

    The sword had cost an exorbitant amount of gold. Ling Ling¡¯s eyes beamed like a child who had discovered a new favorite toy.

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°Tell me how to control the wind, and I¡¯ll teach you how to use this sword.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a specific swordsmanship?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m currently learning it.¡±

    Ling Ling told him everything she knew with passion, and Junhyuk sifted through what he could and couldn¡¯t do.

    He knew he couldn¡¯t use the sword like Ling Ling could, but Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword had the highest attack stat of all of his swords. Ling Ling had helped him.

    ¡ª

    Charles Rockefeller was having a ss of wine while looking at a screen. The footage on the screen was showing powered people disying their powers.

    Charles looked at a man standing next to him and asked, ¡°This is fun, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    The man adjusted his sses and answered, ¡°We didn¡¯t expect this.¡±

    Charles set his wine ss down and said, ¡°Can I see it in person?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make arrangements.¡±

    The man left, and Charles emptied his wine ss while looking at the screen.

    There were twelve powered people on the footage¡ªtwo champions and ten experts¡ªand he was worried about whether he should go public about them or not.

    The helicopter was ready, and Charles got on it. The st of the rotors drowned everything, and Charles looked at the man sitting in front of him, the person with sole authority over the P-Project, Arthur.

    They had put a stop to the P-Project after talking to Junhyuk. After Elise went to Guardians, they had to find new people to head the project. One of them was Arthur.

    After the P-project was halted, Arthur insisted that he wouldn¡¯t continue the research, but that he wanted to continue observing the infected. They couldn¡¯t give up on the infected. Arthur insisted that theye up with an antidote for them.

    Until he received Arthur¡¯s call, Charles had forgotten about the P-Project, but after checking the material Arthur had given him, he was astonished.

    The infected had powers now, but their research was focused on creating an antidote to treat them.

    ¡°Are they in control of their faculties?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but they are odd.¡±

    Charles took a moment to think and asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t they being summoned to the battlefield?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but none of them have been summoned yet.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t lose them, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°They haven¡¯t fought any monster waves, so how did some of them be champions? What happened?¡±

    Arthur adjusted his sses and said, ¡°While we were observing them, they began to fight toe up with a ranking system. Some of the people disyed their powers, and the two who are now champions became their leaders. They fought each other and activated new powers.¡±

    ¡°Can sparring activate powers?¡±

    ¡°Well... I haven¡¯t looked into it.¡±

    Arthur had brought news of them to Charles for a simple reason: he wanted more money for research. To make up his mind, Charles would need to see them in person.

    They flew for a while and arrived at a desert facility. The security around it was tight.

    There were researchers outside waiting for Charles. He got out, and Arthur followed him. Charles wasn¡¯t worried about his safety.

    The ce had both champions and experts, but they were simply infected people. Charles had an expert with him, Mark, who had items crafted from monsters by Guardians. The ce was crawling with his own private army for his protection.

    Arthur guided Charles inside theb. They had to go underground to see the infected.

    Charles got in the elevator and headed down. He arrived at a theater from where he could see them sparring safely. Charles wanted to see them. There were twelve of them there. No novices.

    Charles¡¯ eyes beamed as he looked through the ss. He wanted to appraise the product.

    Stepping forward, Arthur ordered the sparring session, ¡°Begin!¡±

    Two women stepped forward, two experts, which meant they each had two powers.

    Charles watched them use their powers. All of them used powers fueled by the green energy, but Charles didn¡¯t care. Nowadays, it was getting hard to find frence powered people. Guardians was gathering them all.

    Things would continue that way until the waves stopped.

    If Charles got himself a new hero, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about Junhyuk.

    So far, all heroes had sided with Junhyuk, but there was no guarantee that things would continue that way in the future. That was why Charles was there.

    The experts sparred without holding back. Suddenly, they stepped back, and their wounds were quickly healed.

    ¡°Is that the R-potion?¡± Charles asked.

    ¡°They were injected with it.¡±

    ¡°So, they can put their lives on the line.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Light injuries were healed almost instantaneously. Looking at them, Charles smiled.

    The champions were thest to spar. They saluted him, and Charles gave them a light nod.

    The two had strange powers. One of them specialized in attack, while the other specialized in defense. Charles was astonished by what he saw. The champions didn¡¯t fight simply by using their powers. Their bodies had been injected with the R-potion, so they fought viciously.

    Charles smiled and said, ¡°I like them.¡±

    Their powers were superior, and they looked better than trained agents. After a while, however, Charles frowned.

    ¡°They only have two powers?¡±

    Arthur replied, ¡°Cooper specializes in defense, and he can create a green sphere to contain the enemy, but he doesn¡¯t use that while sparring. Denver specializes in offense. He has a shotgun-like power, but he doesn¡¯t use it while sparring either. I will show you those powers soon.¡±

    Charles nodded, and Denver and Cooper saluted him.

    He smiled wide and said, ¡°This is incredible. Their minds seem to be intact.¡±

    Charles had heard that the dimensional managers knew about the infected powered, but their powers didn¡¯t seem dangerous. Nobody within them had the ability to create tears likest time.

    Charles pped hard. He was going to invest in them, and they, in turn, would help him.

 Chapter 489 - Rescue 2

    <h4>Chapter 489: Rescue 2</h4>

    Junhyuk¡¯s days were simple. He sparred with Jeffrey, and then, he sparred with Ling Ling while learning more about wind control. After that, he practiced Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship.

    Junhyuk thought of nothing else while he trained, and he realized he was getting better. His sparring partners were weaker than him, but that didn¡¯t matter. He wanted to know how much his skills had developed.

    That day as well, he trained with Ling Ling with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword. Junhyuk had Dentra¡¯s swordsmanship seared into his brain, and Ling Ling was helping him put it to use.

    It was said that one learned by teaching, and Ling Ling was learning even faster than Junhyuk. He was in the middle of sparring with Ling Ling when Jennifer Rockefeller showed up. She was with Helen, and once he noticed them, he stopped.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Jennifer looked tense, which meant something had to be wrong. Junhyuk stared at her, and she said, ¡°We need your help.¡±

    ¡°Help with what?¡±

    Jennifer had the strength of the Rockefeller family behind her. It wasn¡¯t enough to deal with monsters, but it could get her anything else.

    Junhyuk had plenty of money now, but even he couldn¡¯t mistreat the Rockefeller family.

    Jennifer bit her lower lip and said, ¡°I can¡¯t get through to my father. Lend me a teleportation device so that I can get to the States.¡±

    Junhyuk frowned a little at that. Teleportation devices required mana, which were worth hundreds of thousands of dors. He was curious about why she needed it.

    ¡°Has your father been kidnapped?¡± Who would want to kidnap Charles Rockefeller? Junhyuk had asked that out of curiosity, but he said, ¡°As long as you pay for it, I don¡¯t mind lending you one. However, Helen is a champion from Guardians. She can¡¯t go.¡±

    ¡°Helen is my friend. I have to take her.¡±

    Jennifer needed a champion even though a wave hadn¡¯t appeared.

    His expression turned cold then, and he said, ¡°I don¡¯t think you are listening.¡±

    Looking at him, Jennifer was a bit tense. Ling Ling and Helen were champions, and they feared him.

    Junhyuk stared Jennifer down and said, ¡°Let¡¯s all go.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Jennifer hadn¡¯t wanted to take Junhyuk along, but there was one thing to gain from taking him. If she faced danger, he would take care of the situation.

    He turned to Ling Ling and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon. Focus on your training.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    With Jennifer and Helen, Junhyuk teleported to the States. There, they got in a helicopter that had already been prepared for them.

    He stared at Jennifer and asked, ¡°Can you tell me exactly what happened?¡±

    Junhyuk was very polite, which made Jennifer ufortable. She answered carefully, ¡°My father spent an astronomical amount of money in ab, but he suddenly shut down its research.¡±

    ¡°Why is that a problem?¡±

    ¡°The research stopped, but the infected people were kept under observation.¡±

    Porings had infected people who had activated powers as a result. Letting them loose wasn¡¯t the best thing, but they couldn¡¯t kill the people either.

    ¡°Is that a problem?¡±

    ¡°They were researching an antidote for the infection, but when my father went to visit them, I lost allmunication with him.¡±

    ¡°We are looking for him because you can¡¯t contact him?¡±

    ¡°To be more urate, he sent an SOS before we lost him.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s why you wanted to take Helen.¡±

    Helen¡¯s powers were very strong. She could easily kill other powered people with the sword she summoned.

    She had been training at Guardians and she had been improving tremendously.

    Junhyuk stared at her. Helen had her hair in a ponytail, and her eyes were sharp and knowing. She would kill, and her eyes wouldn¡¯t change a bit.

    ¡°I have a question.¡±

    He looked back and saw ten helicopters following them.

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want it shut down, but now, I have to do it.¡±

    Junhyuk frowned and asked, ¡°Do we really need them?¡±

    He looked at the helicopters and saw well trained men armed to the teeth in them. After that, he turned toward where they were flying. It felt like nobody could survive out in that desert. Did they really have a facility there?

    They could blow up bombs and fire missiles, and nobody would notice.

    Charles Rockefeller had to be in captivity. Junhyuk sighed and asked, ¡°Have you been contacted by anyone?¡±

    ¡°No. That¡¯s what worries me even more!¡±

    If the infected wanted something, they would have called. Because they hadn¡¯t called, no one knew what was happening.

    Junhyuk saw theb far away and saw people standing in front of it.

    His vision was superior to that of any human, and he noticed something about the people standing outside.

    ¡°Their eyes?!¡±

    When the first poring incident happened, only one expert had appeared. The expert had destroyed Guardians¡¯b, but after Elise contained that expert, she vanished from Junhyuk¡¯s mind. Now, he remembered her.

    There were more than a couple of people in front of the facility. He could spot a novice, five experts, and a champion.

    The reason for why they were standing outside escaped him, but then, the champion lifted his hand. The distance between them increased his curiosity. They were a kilometer away, so what was the champion trying to do?

    Green energy gathered on the champion¡¯s fingertips, and he shot them toward the helicopters. Junhyuk thought the helicopters wouldn¡¯t survive the attack, so he frowned and summoned Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword. He thought he would be able to block the balls of green energy heading toward him, so he used a wind de against them.

    Boom!

    The impact created a shockwave that forced the helicopters to take evasive maneuvers. He clicked his tongue and turned to Jennifer.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be in danger if we get any closer.¡±

    ¡°I mustnd.¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head and said, ¡°I can¡¯t protect you.¡±

    The balls of energy didn¡¯t seem that dangerous. Junhyuk didn¡¯t think the infected would pose him any problems even if they had stronger powers. That man was only a champion without items.

    ¡°Helen cannd.¡±

    Helen could protect herself. She had been equipped with items crafted by Guardians.

    Jennifer turned to Helen and said, ¡°Helen, find my father. I don¡¯t care about anything else.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll rescue him.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t say anything. He simply grabbed Helen¡¯s hand and jumped out. He felt the ground rushing toward him, and once he was close enough, he teleported andnded softly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you get closer.¡±

    Junhyuk grabbed Helen by the waist and elerated. He had strength runestones, so carrying Helen didn¡¯t hinder him at all. The infected started attacking the two.

    Junhyuk was astonished by the range of their attacks. Most of their powers were long range powers.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    As explosions rang out around him, he moved even faster.

    Once he neared the infected, the novice touched the ground. A hole appeared where the novice touched, and the infected jumped through it.

    When he arrived where the hole should be, Junhyuk clicked his tongue.

    ¡°Maybe he can make a portal of some sort.¡±

    Junhyuk used his spatial sense to inspect the inside of the facility. He wasn¡¯tpletely sure, but he could still sense people inside.

    ¡°We have to go down!¡±

    Helen replied then, ¡°I can help with that.¡± She pulled out a keycard and said, ¡°Just in case, I brought this keycard. It gives us ess to everything.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±

    Helen used the card to open the entrance to the facility. Junhyuk could sense presences far below him.

    Helen turned to Junhyuk and said, ¡°The elevator won¡¯t work.¡±

    ¡°They can create portals, so they don¡¯t need it.¡±

    Junhyuk looked down at the depth of the shaft. He could cover three hundred meters with his teleportation, and the bottom was only a hundred meters below them.

    Although Junhyuk sensed presences below, he couldn¡¯t tell who they were.

    ¡°We have to go down and check.¡±

    Considering the infected¡¯s powers, they might not be able to rescue Charles.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±

    He grabbed a hold of Helen and teleported. The novice with the portal power might be able to cover the same distance as him.

    They appeared near the infected, and the infected all looked at the two. He could see Charles Rockefeller tied up among the infected.

    Junhyuk immediately teleported next to Charles, grabbed him and teleported back. The rescue had been easy.

    There were two champions, ten experts and twelve novices in front of him, and their eyes showed that they were all infected.

    Standing in front of Charles Rockefeller, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Why did you kidnap him?¡±

 Chapter 490 - Rescue 3

    <h4>Chapter 490: Rescue 3</h4>

    One of the infected stepped forward. It was the same person who had used the shotgun power to shoot down helicopters from one kilometer away.

    Junhyuk stood in front of Charles. He had made up his mind to attack the infected with any sudden movement. Junhyuk didn¡¯t know if the infected werepletely overtaken by the poring, or if it was possible to reason with them.

    ¡°My name is Denver.¡± The man introduced himself without attacking. He pointed toward Junhyuk and said, ¡°We all volunteered for the P-Project. For our country and for money.¡±

    Denver looked at Charles and continued, ¡°While the project was active, many died, but many survived as well. We worked harder to activate even more powers, but our positions haven¡¯t changed. The way they treat us hasn¡¯t changed.¡±

    ¡°WHY?! WHY MUST WE BE CAGED HERE?!¡± Denver shouted.

    Junhyuk stared at the man and asked, ¡°Is that why you kidnapped Charles Rockefeller? What do you want?¡±

    ¡°We just want our freedom back. We want to fight for our country. We have that right.¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head and said, ¡°No. Unless you are inplete control of yourself, you can¡¯t join Guardians.¡±

    ¡°Is that why you took our rights away?¡±

    ¡°No, but there is a reason for why you can¡¯t fight with Guardians.¡±

    The dimensional managers might be monitoring the infected, and so, they could inadvertently act as spies for the managers.

    ¡°Then, must we stay here?¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Charles and saw that Charles seemed rxed.

    ¡°You attacked me and killed my bodyguards. There is no way I can make a deal with you people now.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed after hearing what Charles said and turned to Denver. The infected had been in containment, and their lives must have been very hard that way. However, Guardians couldn¡¯t do anything about it.¡±

    Staring at Denver, he asked, ¡°Did you kill people?¡±

    Denver nodded and said, ¡°I had no choice.¡±

    ¡°With your powers, you probably did.¡±

    ¡°I can fight other powered people without killing them, but normal people...¡±

    Junhyuk sighed. The infected weren¡¯t wrong to want their freedom, but they had already killed innocent people.

    ¡°You may not have your freedom yet.¡±

    ¡°Dark Knight!¡± Charles eximed, but Junhyuk was entirely focused on Denver.

    ¡°You¡¯vemitted murder. After you are judged in a court ofw and do your time, you may join Guardians.¡±

    Denver¡¯s brow twitched, but Junhyuk kept going, ¡°I¡¯ll give you what you want then: money and the right to fight for your country.¡±

    Denver gritted his teeth and said, ¡°We had no choice! They had kept us locked here and they tried to kill us!¡±

    Junhyuk scoffed at his response and asked, ¡°You acknowledge no wrongdoing?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡°There is nothing I can do,¡± Junhyuk said somberly. ¡°You seem to have control of your faculties, but the fact that you use your powers to achieve your goals makes you worse than those under control of the poring.¡±

    After saying that, Junhyuk raised his sword and added, ¡°I can¡¯t let you be.¡±

    Staring at him, Denver said, ¡°Dark Knight, there are only two of you. Do you think you can deal with us all?¡±

    Junhyuk shrugged and said, ¡°It¡¯ll be difficult if I¡¯m to let you live, but it¡¯ll be easy if I just kill you.¡±

    ¡°Do your worst!¡±

    Denver extended his hand forward, and the green energy bullets shot from his fingertips. Junhyuk decided to block for those standing behind him and spun Aksha¡¯s Longsword. The sword shield blocked all of the green projectiles.

    On Earth, he was able to use his mana to defend with Aksha¡¯s Longsword, so without worrying, he ran forward.

    ¡°Helen, protect Charles!¡±

    Helen brandished the Wolf Warlord¡¯s w Sword with her left hand and extended her right. Junhyuk trusted her to do the job.

    Junhyuk extended Aksha¡¯s Longsword, and Copper extended both hands forward. His hands were surrounded by green energy, and he used them to block.

    ng!

    Junhyuk¡¯s attacks were deflected by the green energy. Junhyuk was elerating, but the infected could still see his movements. Not only that, they could also respond to his movements, which was unexpected.

    They were slower than him, but they could react to him. He started thinking he might kill them if they continued fighting that way, so he removed one of the Pure Golden Knight set items. If he triggered a shockwave, he would end up killing them all.

    Denver used his shotgun shot, and Junhyuk raised his force field to look at the flying bullets. He closed in even faster with the force field, swinging Aksha¡¯s Longsword repeatedly.

    Cooper tried to defend the infected, but his leg got shed off.

    ¡°Argh!¡± he screamed.

    Then, Junhyuk swung Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword. He couldn¡¯t wield Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword like Aksha¡¯s Longsword yet, but he thought he would be able to disable his enemies. Wind des flew everywhere, but the infected kept attacking him.

    There were powers flying from all directions, and they were moving incredibly fast.

    It wasn¡¯t possible to keep up with him since he was elerating. The infectedcked enough speed to fight him continuously, but they were as fast as a Wolf Warlord.

    Could humans move that fast?

    Junhyuk was curious about their condition, but he had to keep fighting. Without hesitation, he used the Wind des again. A few blocked his attacks, but a few got hit and fell.

    The enemies wounds were closing quickly, and they kept regaining health. Junhyuk frowned when he saw Cooper reattaching his sliced leg.

    At that point, he realized he had to kill them, so he used his Wind des again.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    The infected were blown away. Junhyuk looked at them and gathered his breath.

    ¡°Their powers aren¡¯t the problem. What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve been injected with R-Potions, but even that can¡¯t exin their speed.¡±

    Junhyuk knew that something more than the R-Potions was at work. They couldn¡¯t have gotten that strong with just the R-Potions.

    Looking at them, Junhyuk saw that they were ready to attack him again. They weren¡¯t heroes, but their strength went well beyond human limitations.

    They had the powers of experts and champions, but their health pool went well beyond their level. Charles Rockefeller¡¯s powered bodyguard had died trying to protect him.

    Junhyuk started to worry. He knew it wouldn¡¯t be easy, so he lowered his swords and asked, ¡°Are you working on an antidote to disperse the influence of the infection on the infected?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the infected and said, ¡°You have a choice to make right now. ept your wrongdoings and give yourselves up to the authorities. Once the treatment isplete, I¡¯ll make sure you all get treated.¡±

    Charles Rockefeller frowned, but he did not say anything to dispute Junhyuk¡¯s im.

    ¡°We¡¯ve done no wrong!¡± Denver said coldly.

    ¡°You are too forgiving of yourself. You have murdered,¡± Junhyuk said. ¡°I can¡¯t let you live this way. What is your choice?¡±

    Denver prepared another energy shot on his fingertips and said, ¡°I can¡¯t agree to your conditions.¡±

    Junhyuk used his Spatial sh. To him, the infected had given up their humanity. Right as his sh was released toward Denver, something else happened. Denver disappeared. Time seemed to have stopped.

    Junhyuk scowled. That could only mean one thing.

    Eltor appeared in front of him, taking the Spatial sh in ce of Denver. It did nothing against the manager.

    Eltor smiled and asked, ¡°How have you been?¡±

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    He looked back at the infected and said, ¡°These people are valuable to us. They have activated their powers solely by their will. We can¡¯t let them die.¡±

    Junhyukughed. Eltor had had something to do with the infected.

    ¡°I have a question for you,¡± he said as he pointed his sword at the manager. ¡°When those heroes crossed over, you made that dimensional tear, right?¡±

    Eltor didn¡¯t seem to know what he was referring to and simply shrugged.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got it all wrong. We need time to set uprge dimensional tears. Without that time dy, we¡¯d have already sent a lot more monsters to Earth.¡±

    ¡°Then, you are telling me those heroes knew when you¡¯d trigger the tears?¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    ¡°How did they know when to cross over?¡±

    Eltor really didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°Coincidence?¡±

    ¡°Now, you¡¯re just trying make me mad!¡±

    Junhyuk was furious, but he didn¡¯t do anything. He had to master the Dimensional sh before he could attack Eltor. Rxed, Eltor smiled at him. He seemed to be enjoying making Junhyuk angry, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to show him that he could.

    Junhyuk stepped back and asked, ¡°What are you going to do with them?¡±

    ¡°You earthlings have shut down your research on them, but we¡¯ll continue where you stopped.¡±

    ¡°Are you taking them with you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too bad for them, but I am.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t let you do that.¡±

    ¡°You were just trying to kill them. That seems funny to me.¡±

    ¡°Death would be better. They don¡¯t want to beb rats.¡±

    The infected had risked their lives for their freedom. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t contain their powers, so he had to kill them.

    Eltor stared at him and smiled.

    ¡°This decision has nothing to do with you.¡±

    The manager snapped his fingers, and all of the infected disappeared, gone into a dimensional tear.

    Junhyuk knew Eltor was powerful.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to take them, but I will give you a present in return. Until you go to the Dimensional Battlefield again, no more waves will trigger on Earth.¡±

    Junhyuk gripped his sword tightly. He had to do what Eltor was telling him, at least for now. He was extremely disappointed with himself.

 Chapter 491 - Clue 1

    <h4>Chapter 491: Clue 1</h4>

    Eltor was gone, taking the infected with him, and Junhyuk noticed that time was flowing normally again.

    He thought about the dimensional tear that Eltor had just made. If he managed to create a dimensional tear, Junhyuk would also be able to learn the Dimensional sh.

    He thought hard about the information he had gained before turning to look at Charles. Charles was staring him down, and Helen was also confused by what had just happened. The infected had simply disappeared.

    Looking at them, Junhyuk said, ¡°The infected are all gone.¡±

    ¡°Where did they go?¡±

    They had disappeared right in front of them, which had left them surprised, but Junhyuk exined, ¡°I don¡¯t know where they went, but they aren¡¯t on Earth anymore.¡±

    The managers had taken them, and what would happen to them wouldn¡¯t be nice. That was what he thought. The infected had opposed further human research, but now, they were in the hands of the managers.

    Junhyuk thought about their future, sighed and looked at Charles.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here. We need to talk.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Charles knew he had made a mistake. Junhyuk used his spatial sense to check through the facility, but no one else had survived. Charles was the only one.

    ¡°There are no other infected, right?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°Shall we shut this ce down permanently?¡±

    Charles started sweating cold.

    ¡°There are a lot of expensive research tools and materials here.¡±

    ¡°If it has to do with porings, it shouldn¡¯t interest you.¡± The data was all from the poring research, and Junhyuk said, ¡°We should destroy everything on porings everywhere.¡±

    He knew it was possible for people to use poring corpses for their research, but he wanted to get rid of those as well.

    Charles sighed and nodded.

    ¡°Sure. This ce should shut down.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±

    Charles nodded again. Junhyuk had his permission, so he pulled a demon stone from his Spatial Bag. A demon stone of the lowest quality would burn everything around it. He threw it at a wall, and when the stone shattered, the fire ignited, burning everything in its path.

    Junhyuk walked over to Charles and Helen. Charles bit his lip, but there was nothing he could do.

    Burning it all down was rather cheap, and Junhyuk had already finished rescuing Charles, so he grabbed their hands and teleported back to the surface.

    The helicopters hadnded, and Jennifer was outside waiting for them.

    He looked at her and asked, ¡°Are youing back to South Korea?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯ll take my father to a hospital and have him examined first. Then, I¡¯ll go back.¡±

    Guardians was located in South Korea, and the whole world seemed to revolve around the country. Other political and corporate leaders were trying to position themselves within the country. South Korea was a better ce now.

    Junhyuk looked at Helen and asked, ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll return with Jennifer.¡±

    Helen couldn¡¯t leave Jennifer behind by herself.

    Junhyuk turned to Charles and said, ¡°We talked about this. Your greed led to this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry.¡±

    Junhyuk walked slowly toward Charles. The mercenaries didn¡¯t know what to do, but Helen signaled for them not to make a move. If he had wanted them all dead there, there would¡¯ve been nothing they would¡¯ve been able to do.

    Helen stood in front of Jennifer, but Junhyuk continued until he was standing directly in front of Charles. Staring him in the eyes, Junhyuk whispered, ¡°You can¡¯t ask them for forgiveness, but you can ask the world to forgive you. I¡¯ll be watching you to decide whether or not I¡¯ll forgive you.¡±

    Junhyuk triggered his teleportation device then and returned to South Korea. Charles sighed heavily and looked at Jennifer.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll get you a ticket.¡±

    ¡°Father?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I won¡¯t go to a hospital.¡±

    Charles got on a helicopter, and Jennifer turned to Helen, who shook her head. The women knew very well how the old man was. Charles had made up his mind, and that wouldn¡¯t change. After that, the two wished they had returned with Junhyuk.

    Charles looked out the window. The reflection of his eyes appeared on the ss, and he could see his pupils were green. After looking at them, he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were back to being gray. Charles smiled and leaned back against his seat.

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk went to see Elise. Though she was busy with work, she still greeted him warmly.

    ¡°Wee!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve just dealt with another infected incident in the States.¡±

    Elise frowned and asked, ¡°There are still infected there?¡±

    ¡°They were keeping them under observation, but during that time, the infected activated more powers, which created problems.¡±

    ¡°Hm..¡±

    Junhyuk added, ¡°We should destroy all remaining poring cadavers. That research shouldn¡¯t continue.¡±

    The dimensional managers knew about the poring situation, so he had to put a stop to all research on porings.

    Looking at Elise, he asked, ¡°Don¡¯t we have an infected as well?¡±

    Elise nodded.

    ¡°Eunmi Jung is still living underground at Guardians. We haven¡¯t put her in restraints or anything, but she is not fit to go out in public.¡±

    Junhyuk worried about that. Eunmi had been in containment for more time than the infected he had just fought. She should have her freedom. But, Junhyuk was worried about the managers finding out about her.

    ¡°Agenchra,¡± he said.

    He had a bad rtionship with Eltor, but his rtionship with his own manager was good. After stopping time, Agenchra appeared.

    The manager greeted him with a wide smile, ¡°Congrattions on your streak!¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Agenchra, so the manager shook his head and asked, ¡°Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°Eltor.¡±

    Agenchra sighed.

    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±

    ¡°He took human infected by porings with him.¡±

    ¡°There were still people infected?¡±

    ¡°Yes. They had activated more powers through sheer will, which was why Eltor took them. Can he do that?¡±

    Agenchra spent a moment thinking and said, ¡°I can file an officialint. Thank you for your information.¡±

    ¡°No need to thank me.¡±

    It would be nice if Eltor was reprimanded due to Junhyuk¡¯sint.

    ¡°I¡¯ll look into it. Did you want anything else?¡±

    ¡°Can you cure someone infected? Or contain their powers?¡±

    Agenchra searched through his clothes and pulled out a pocketbook. He looked through it, tapped his fedora with a pen and said, ¡°The monster administration created the porings. It was one of their masterpieces. I can interfere ore up with a treatment directly.¡±

    Agenchra wrote something down and gave it to Junhyuk.

    ¡°Now, Elise. She¡¯s learned magitek. Give her this, and she will make it happen.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    It seemed like an intricate chemical form.

    ¡°Treatment.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed. If he had had that before, he wouldn¡¯t have had to fight Denver.

    Reading his mind, Agenchra exined, ¡°This is a reward. I can¡¯t give this kind of information to anyone, so it has to be kept a secret between us.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Junhyuk took the piece of paper, and Agenchra smiled at him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stop winning.¡±

    ¡°Do you gain anything if I be a legend?¡±

    ¡°If one of my contractors bes a legend, I get incentives. You are capable of bing a legend, so I want to help you.¡±

    Junhyukughed and waved at the manager.

    ¡°Don¡¯t spend your time on me. Spend your time on Eltor.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    Agenchra was gone. He looked at Elise, and she noticed the piece of paper he was holding.

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°Treatment for the infected. It¡¯s a form, but I can¡¯t understand it.¡±

    Elise¡¯s eyes beamed after she took the paper.

    ¡°Whoa! This isplex! I should even be able to make a poring with this!¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that. Just work on the treatment. I¡¯ll tell Eunseo to destroy the rest of the research materials concerning porings.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it! This chemical form is really fun!¡±

 Chapter 492 - Clue 2

    <h4>Chapter 492: Clue 2</h4>

    Junhyuk went to see Eunseo to tell her about the poring incident, and she went to destroy all materials rted to the poring research in an official capacity. After that, Junhyuk went to his training facility.

    He had already told Jeffrey and Ling Ling that he would be training alone for a while. He wanted to train by himself because of Eltor.

    Eltor had appeared normally, but when Eltor took the infected people through the dimensional tear, that tear was different. Eltor had snapped his fingers and created that tear all by himself.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t like the manager, but Eltor was the type of person Junhyuk aspired to be. On top of that, he wasn¡¯t responsible for any strength-rted things. He worked in the Monster Administration Department, so for Junhyuk, it was shocking that Eltor was that powerful.

    Junhyuk readied himself, pulling out the core. It was said that the core could make things difficult for energy eaters. There were a lot of different energies within it.

    On top of that, it generated that energy on its own. Junhyuk held the core in his hands and focused. The key to his development was inside it. He focused on it and thought about the tear Eltor had made.

    Eltor had taken the humans to his dimension, and after pondering that, Junhyuk contacted Arn. Only he could give Junhyuk the answers he was looking for.

    It had been a while since they had talked. Junhyuk stared at Arn, who was holding a bottle of liquor.

    ¡°If you called you must have something to say.¡±

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°This? I asked Vera to do it. I could see your face, but you couldn¡¯t see mine. Now, you can.¡±

    Junhyuk let out a bitter chuckle. He was sorry that he hadn¡¯t contacted Arn sooner.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t kept in touch.¡±

    Arnughed heartily and raised his bottle. He drank from it and said, ¡°Do you have an agenda? You only call when you have a problem.¡±

    Feeling awkward, Junhyuk scratched his cheek.

    ¡°I¡¯m at the end of the rope.¡±

    ¡°End of the rope?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded heavily and exined, ¡°I want to turn my Spatial sh into a Dimensional sh, but I can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°A Dimensional sh?!¡± Arn wiped the alcohol from his chin and said, ¡°The Dimensional sh is extremely rare. Tell me more about your Spatial sh.¡±

    ¡°The Spatial sh let¡¯s my de sh wherever I want.¡±

    ¡°You are able to upgrade your powers, but you don¡¯t seem to understand the theory behind them.¡±

    Junhyuk understood what Arn was saying. Every time he had wanted something terribly, a power had activated. However, he didn¡¯t know the specifics of how they worked. He didn¡¯t understand the theory behind them.

    Arn said, ¡°Think of it in sequence.¡±

    Junhyuk listened carefully, and Arn put his bottle down and stared at him, adding, ¡°You need toprehend the theory behind the Spatial sh. To turn the Spatial sh into a Dimensional sh, you have to first understand the Spatial sh.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, and Arn continued, ¡°It seems like you are looking for an attack that will cross dimensions with the Dimensional sh. To gain that, you have to do one thing first.¡±

    Arn scratched his cheek and said, ¡°You must perceive your opponents true form being projected through dimensions. Ask Vera about whether that¡¯s possible. If you can perceive your opponent¡¯s essence, you can take the next step.¡±

    Arn crossed his arms and concluded, ¡°Finally, you¡¯ll be able to sh through dimensions to attack your enemy.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t easy at all, but Junhyuk was gathering clues now. He wanted to give Arn a core so that they would be able to study it together.

    The core¡¯s energy enticed Junhyuk, and it would do the same to Arn.

    So far, he had only taken from Arn, so he wanted to give his mentor something. He did not bring it up, however. He needed to refurbish the core before giving it to Arn.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°If there¡¯s a chance, we should spend a night drinking.¡±

    Junhyuk thought about the training grounds Bebe had told him about. It would be possible to drink with Arn there.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make it happen.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it. I also want to see that Dimensional sh of yours when it¡¯s ready.¡±

    Arn took another drink from the bottle, and Junhyuk cut the connection, closing his eyes. He had always prioritized his swordsmanship. For that reason, he hadn¡¯t paid any attention to his Spatial sh.

    Junhyuk used his Spatial sh. The de shed through the empty space. It appeared elsewhere, but the sh was still connected to his sword.

    He had gotten a clue. Junhyuk wanted to use his Spatial sh again, but he had to wait for its cooldown.

    Junhyuk analyzed it. He didn¡¯t eat or sleep, thinking only about his Spatial sh.

    ¡ª

    The Spatial sh: an attack brought forth by his desire to cross through space to strike his opponent, a sword attack.

    While thinking about the Spatial sh, Junhyuk learned more about all of his powers, developing quickly and in a short period.

    The Spatial sh had had the same range on Earth as in the Dimensional Battlefield, but Junhyuk increased the range on Earth. He could now sh through a hundred meters. He had doubled the distance. On top of that, his teleportation¡¯s distance had also doubled. He could now cover six hundred meters with it, a clear evolution.

    The number of teleportations had not increased, but the distance had.

    He was happy to have increased the range of his Spatial sh. As he learned more about it, he learned about other things as well.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t practice, but he understood more about Aksha¡¯s and Dentra¡¯s swordsmanships. A light bulb had gone off in his head, and Junhyuk realized that he had been training the wrong way. He had to look within himself before he could grow.

    So, he did. And he learned. And he grew.

    Junhyuk wanted to learn more about the theory behind the Spatial sh. He still had a couple of steps to take. First, he wanted to perceive someone¡¯s essence through dimensions, so he contacted Gongon.

    The hatchling took off his goggles. The goggles were mechanical, and Junhyuk had never seen anything like them.

    ¡°What¡¯s with those goggles?¡±

    ¡°I created them. They have a few purposes. I built them bybining magic with engineering. A true masterpiece.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled.

    ¡°I have a question.¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    He was always able to feed Gongon¡¯s curiosity. Now that the hatchling was curious, Junhyuk continued, ¡°I want to perceive someone¡¯s essence through dimensions. Is that possible?¡±

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha!¡± Afterughing loudly, Gongon looked at him seriously and asked, ¡°Hey! Do you really think that¡¯s possible?¡±

    ¡°If dimensional movement is possible, wouldn¡¯t it be?¡±

    Gongon folded his tiny arms and said, ¡°As far as I know, what you are saying is not possible. I can ask my Lord, but the answer will be the same.¡±

    Junhyuk scratched his cheek and replied, ¡°But, I really need to do it.¡±

    ¡°Hm... I want to help, but I¡¯m telling you: it¡¯s not possible.¡±

    ¡°I have a favor to ask you.¡±

    ¡°If I can do it.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Gongon and said, ¡°We canmunicate through dimensions. I can see your face, so I want to see your essence.¡±

    Gongon¡¯s eyes widened, and he shouted, ¡°Pervert!¡±

    Junhyuk was dumbstruck.

    ¡°Dragon, are you eating shit?¡±

    ¡°Do you wanna die?! We only eat mana. We don¡¯t shit!¡±

    Gongon was angry, but Junhyuk smiled.

    ¡°Do it for me.¡±

    Gongon took some time thinking and said, ¡°Is that fine? I don¡¯t really mind.¡±

    ¡°Please.¡±

    ¡°You are experimenting with something that doesn¡¯t make any sense. It might not even have an answer.¡±

    ¡°I need the Dimensional sh.¡±

    Gongon put his goggles back on and said, ¡°I¡¯m going back to work. Just watch me and do as you like.¡±

    ¡°Thanks!¡±

    Gongon waved his short w at him and turned to focus on something.

    Junhyuk watched the dragon carefully. Gongon did not care about him, entirely focused on whatever he was building.

    Junhyuk stared at him like he was going to drill a hole in the dragon. How could he feel Gongon¡¯s essence?

    He had never met Gongon outside of the Dimensional Battlefield. They had only met as souls. At that moment, he realized that he had to meet Gongon in person to learn more about his essence.

    Junhyuk said, ¡°Gon!¡±

    ¡°I thought you were only going to watch.¡±

    ¡°I have a favor to ask.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I want to meet you in person.¡±

    Gongon refocused on the conversation and asked, ¡°You want me to cross over?¡±

    Junhyuk said matter-of-factly, ¡°I can buy a training facility and have people over. It¡¯s simr to but different from a Spatial Bag, but I can invite people to it.¡±

    ¡°So, you want to see me?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    Gongon tapped his chin with one of his fingers and said, ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea. I¡¯m curious as well.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Gongon suddenly covered himself with his short ws and said, ¡°Don¡¯t try anything funny. I hate perverts.¡±

    ¡°Do you have a death wish?!¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Gongon coldly, but the hatchling simply went back to work. Gongon waved his w at him and said, ¡°Just keep watching me if you want.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at the hatchling and said, ¡°Leave themunication going.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk teleported out and went to find Sarang. He wanted to tell her about his progress. Sarang was learning spells constantly, but was she understanding them? Junhyuk wanted to talk to her about it.

 Chapter 493 - Clue 3

    <h4>Chapter 493: Clue 3</h4>

    No one could approach Sarang¡¯s training facility. She was always practicing all kinds of spells, so her facility was even bigger than Junhyuk¡¯s.

    Whenever Junhyuk entered it, lightning would be bouncing off the walls and shoot right at him.

    This time, Junhyuk blocked the bolt with his sword and grounded the charge.

    When Sarang saw him inside, she smiled brightly and walked toward him.

    ¡°Big brother! When did youe in?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to tell you something, but I was almost roasted.¡±

    Sarang waved her hands and replied, ¡°You are great at cracking jokes! That amount of electricity wouldn¡¯t hurt you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m vulnerable to electricity. It¡¯ll definitely hurt.¡±

    Junhyuk sat down with her. Sarang had been talking to Vera, so Junhyuk contacted her as well. Vera waved at him and said, ¡°I heard from Arn. You¡¯re attempting something impossible!¡±

    ¡°Do you also think it¡¯s impossible?¡±

    ¡°Of course! It¡¯s a good idea to try to perceive things through dimensions, but in reality, it¡¯s almost impossible.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly. He didn¡¯t have anything he could say to her. Gongon had also told him it was impossible, but he had expected a better response from Vera since she knew dimensional magic.

    ¡°It¡¯s possible to deliver items through dimensions.¡±

    ¡°Yes, as long as you know the coordinates.¡±

    His eyes beamed then.

    ¡°Last time, you felt the living spirit within me to learn my coordinates.¡±

    ¡°Right!¡± Vera pped her hands and said, ¡°Now that you mention it, it may be possible, but there¡¯s much to prepare.¡±

    ¡°Prepare?¡±

    Vera took themunication orb and pointed it at something else. She was showing him a screen, and she pointed to a magic circle the size of a ser field projected on the screen.

    ¡°Can you see this? This is the size of the magic circle for dimensional transportation. To discover coordinates, you¡¯ll need a magic circle bigger than this one. Acquiring coordinates is more difficult than transporting things through dimensions.¡±

    ¡°Can I ask you for a favor?¡± Junhyuk asked.

    ¡°What favor?¡±

    ¡°Can you teach me about magic circles so that I can read coordinates?¡±

    ¡°Even if I tried to teach you, you wouldn¡¯t be able to learn it.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have any intelligence runestones. You wouldn¡¯t understand the lecture.¡±

    He turned to Sarang and asked, ¡°Could you teach it to Sarang then?¡±

    ¡°For her to grasp it all, she needs to keep studying magic for another year. You can only learn dimensional magic after you¡¯ve mastered all other magic.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll only take Sarang a year to master all other magic?!¡±

    ¡°No. She has a long way to go to master everything. I meant to say that it¡¯ll take her a year to learn dimensional transportation.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed. He thought he had been getting closer, but now, he was lost.

    He looked at Sarang, and she smiled at him.

    ¡°A year might be a while, but it can also go by fast.¡±

    ¡°You want to learn it?¡±

    ¡°Whenever I have time to spare.¡±

    ¡°You might make a mistake trying to pass through dimensions,¡± Vera said, and Sarang smiled awkwardly.

    ¡°But, I want to help.¡±

    Junhyuk petted her head and looked at Vera.

    ¡°You have helped me.¡±

    ¡°Why are you there now?¡± Vera asked.

    ¡°I wanted to tell her something.¡±

    ¡°Can I hear it as well?¡±

    ¡°Sure, you can give me some advice.¡±

    Vera folded her arms, and Junhyuk turned to Sarang and said, ¡°It¡¯s good that you are learning new spells, but looked into your powers first. Once you learn the theories behind them, your powers will increase.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Junhyuk was proof of what he was saying, so he nodded heavily.

    ¡°It will help.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I will try.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Vera and said, ¡°I¡¯m heading out.¡±

    ¡°I heard that you are buying Arn some drinks. When you do, give me a call as well.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    Junhyuk started thinking he would need to buy an even bigger training facility. After that, he started worrying about what drinks to buy Arn.

    Arn could drink like a horse, so he would have to get something with a lot of alcohol. Then, there needed to be wine for Vera. He didn¡¯t know what kind of drink a dragon would want.

    Junhyuk returned to his training facility while thinking. It had seemed impossible, but now, that same thing seemed nearly possible.

    Junhyuk wanted to perceive essence through dimensions, and Vera had told him that acquiring coordinates was possible.

    Back in his training facility, Gongon¡¯s projection was still visible. He was walking around, seemingly experimenting with something.

    ¡°Gon, do you have a favorite drink?¡± he asked the dragon.

    Gongonughed and replied, ¡°Do you want to get me drunk?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. Do you have a favorite drink?¡±

    ¡°I like fruity drinks. I like them sweet.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk thought that he would need to shop for alcohol. He had been training hard, so the rest was nice.

    He went out again and headed for Elise¡¯s house. Junhyuk teleported there and went to meet her. Elise was in the process of making antidotes for the infected, and Junhyuk coughed to let her know he was there.

    ¡°Ah-hram!¡±

    Elise looked at him, and heughed.

    ¡°I have a favor to ask.¡±

    ¡°Ask me anything.¡±

    ¡°I want to buy some alcohol, the best kind.¡±

    ¡°What kind of alcohol?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care if they sell them in stores. I need something very alcoholic and something sweet. Can you give me some rmendations?¡±

    ¡°Hm. What¡¯s the price range?¡±

    ¡°The price doesn¡¯t matter. The drinks are for my mentor, Sarang¡¯s teacher and Gongon.¡±

    ¡°Gongon is my teacher. I¡¯ll get something nice, Earth¡¯s very best.¡±

    Elise would get the drinks for him. It had been a good idea to ask her.

    ¡°When do you need it?¡±

    ¡°During the next battlefield, I n to buy a training facility. With it, I can invite them over.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? That¡¯s incredible! There¡¯s a limit to what I can learn through amunication orb, but in person...¡±

    Junhyuk smiled. Elise would certainly learn more in person. The heroes might even exchange information in his facility.

    He was certain his facility wouldn¡¯t serve only for training purposes. He was treating it more as a space for heroes to exchange ideas, and for that reason, he was willing to spend a significant amount on it.

    After asking Elise to buy the drinks, Junhyuk went back to his training facility. He was done with other businesses.

    There was only one thing left, and it was to focus on his training. He wanted to perceive the enemy¡¯s essence, so he stared intently at Gongon¡¯s face.

    Gongon was building something with his goggles on. He didn¡¯t know what the dragon was making, but when he got a look at it, he became curious.

    It looked like it was part of something bigger.

    Junhyuk closed his eyes. It wasn¡¯t easy to perceive someone¡¯s essence through themunication orb.

    ¡°Gon.¡±

    ¡°I thought I told you to watch,¡± Gongonined, but turned to him. Gongon was aware that Junhyuk was watching him.

    ¡°It¡¯s possible to acquire coordinates during dimensional transportation. It requires a massive magic circle, but it¡¯s possible.¡±

    Staring at him, Gongon asked, ¡°Who told you that?¡±

    ¡°Vera. When she sent me things, she acquired my coordinates.¡±

    ¡°Hm. Is that really possible? That¡¯s hard to believe.¡± Gongon was a dragon, but he didn¡¯t know magic like Vera. The hatchling smiled and said, ¡°I want to meet that woman.¡±

    ¡°You will.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Gongon went back to his work and asked, ¡°Are you going to keep watching me?¡±

    ¡°I might get more clues, so yes.¡±

    Gongonughed out loud and turned to what he was building.

    ¡°Watch all you want.¡±

    ¡°Thanks!¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Gongon nonstop. The whole situation was extremely funny. It was like watching TV while trying to perceive the essence of the person in the TV.

    It was quixotic.

    He stared at Gongon, who was being projected, to perceive Gongon¡¯s essence.

    That whole time, he didn¡¯t make any progress. Instead, he got interested in what Gongon was building. What was he building?

    Almost like reading his mind, Gongon muttered, ¡°This can¡¯t be done with magic. It¡¯ll be a double-edged sword.¡±

    ¡°A double-edged sword?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m talking to myself. Don¡¯t interrupt me.¡±

    Junhyukughed, and Gongon said, ¡°This is the jewel of magitek. When I finish it, I¡¯ll show it to you first. I would get a lot of gold from Bebe for it too.¡±

    Gongon folded his arms and muttered, ¡°Bebe will beg me to sell it. This item is far beyond our generation¡¯s grasp.¡±

    ¡°A weapon?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Better than any legendary item.¡±

    ¡°When you finish it, you should sell me one,¡± Junhyuk said.

    ¡°At cost.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Gongon. He had started by trying to perceive Gongon¡¯s essence, but now, he was just interested in what Gongon was making.

 Chapter 494 - Seeing You Again 1

    <h4>Chapter 494: Seeing You Again 1</h4>

    Just like Eltor had told him, there were no monster waves. Whenever Junhyuk had time to spare, he watched Gongon. The rest of the time, he researched more about his Spatial sh.

    As he looked deeper into it, his powers improved. The Spatial sh¡¯s range was now 120 meters, and his teleportation¡¯s distance had increased to 700 meters. It was truly a sess.

    Junhyuk was satisfied. He had learned many things from Arn and, now, he wanted to purchase the training facility to ask Arn for a duel.

    Arn would be there in person, but there would be no way he would be able to kill him with a single hit. In any event, Arn was a legend candidate.

    The hero was turning into more of a tank, so he wouldn¡¯t die easily.

    There were no monster waves, but he was feeling uneasy. Eltor had said that there would be no monster waves until he was summoned again, but why wasn¡¯t Eltor sending more monsters? He had to have reasons of his own.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t trust the manager at all. He wanted Eltor punished by the other managers and he didn¡¯t want to see him for a long while.

    Gongon was almost finished with the item. Junhyuk could make out what it was now. It looked like a small pistol.

    ¡°It¡¯s finished,¡± Gongon said with a smile.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a device that uses the energy from the core to release a projectile. Do you want to see it?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, and the area around Gongon changed. Gongon was now atop a mountain, and he was aiming his pistol at the top of a mountain nearby.

    ¡°Watch closely.¡±

    While making some funny noises, the small pistol changed shape and wrapped around Gongon. It released a beam, and the peak of the mountain was destroyed,pletely gone.

    ¡°What the?!¡±

    The single shot had destroyed the peak of the mountain. It was very hard to believe in that level of destruction.

    It was like seeing a core bomb at work, but the core bomb could only be used a single time. Gongon¡¯s pistol was different in that regard. Junhyuk was stunned.

    The mountaintop was gone, and the path of the st stretched on even further.

    ¡°It¡¯s better than your firebreath.¡±

    Gongonughed out loud and raised his goggles. Looking at his weapon, he said, ¡°Even mighty dragons don¡¯t have this kind of firepower.¡±

    ¡°Can you fire it continuously?¡±

    ¡°It only fires for a minute, but I can fire five shots in that time. So, it¡¯s better than my firebreath.¡±

    Junhyuk knew how powerful the weapon was. Gongon couldn¡¯t use it in the Dimensional Battlefield, but in the real world, it could be a double-edged sword. It could be very dangerous to dragons.

    Others could use it to hunt dragons.

    Looking at the weapon, Gongon muttered, ¡°It¡¯s more destructive than Elise¡¯s weapon, but it can¡¯t shoot like Elise¡¯s weapon. I can¡¯t use it in the Dimensional Battlefield this way. I need to make changes to it.¡±

    ¡°It was very impressive.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know the weapon¡¯s maximum output and if that had been it, but it was extremely impressive. There would be no need for dynamite to carve tunnels with a weapon like that in hand.

    ¡°Gon.¡±

    ¡°What? I¡¯m busy.¡±

    Junhyuk said seriously, ¡°That weapon, would it work against a dragon?¡±

    Gongon froze before shaking his head.

    ¡°It would depend on the dragon. In the case of elder dragons, this weapon would only be able to destroy their force fields.¡±

    ¡°Can you decrease its fire rate to increase its power?¡±

    Junhyuk looked straight at him and said, ¡°You mean a weapon to kill me.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t use it on you.¡±

    Gongonughed and said, ¡°You have to promise me something.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°That you¡¯ll free those in bondage by the dimensional managers.¡±

    ¡°I promise.¡±

    Junhyuk had no reason to kill dragons unless those dragons attacked Earth.

    Gongon smiled and said, ¡°Give me another core next time. I¡¯ll make you a really powerful one.¡±

    Elise¡¯s magitek was the best, but even so, dragon magic never ceased to impress, especially Gongon¡¯s magitek. The dragon had been studying mechanical engineering and making great advances.

    He had a special ce among the dragons.

    Junhyuk promised Gongon the core and disconnected. He closed his eyes and thought of Gongon¡¯s new weapon.

    With it, he was confident that, if they sent another dragon to Earth, he would be able to deal with it. He was much stronger now even without Gongon¡¯s weapon.

    However, it was possible that there would be more than one dragon, or more monsters than a dragon. The others should be able to deal with any mob monsters without Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk had been thinking about all that, and Gongon had acquiesced to his need.

    ¡°It might take a while...¡±

    He was grateful for Gongon and the little dragon¡¯s willingness to build him a version of that new weapon.

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t contact Gongon again. He would make his decisions after meeting Gongon on the battlefield.

    It was Friday. Elise and Sarang hade to his room, and Junhyuk watched Elise in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield.

    The returns were set at 1.8 times the bet. Elise had crafted another set item, and with it, she swept through the battlefield. Buffed by Elise, Aditya had killed the enemy champions many times.

    Their ally didn¡¯t do much, but during the team battle, Elise provided them support.

    Junhyuk smiled as he watched. It was a decisive victory. The returns would be much lower next time, but he didn¡¯t care. He was winning a lot of gold regardless.

    After the enemy castle was destroyed, Junhyuk got up from his seat, and Ariel looked at him.

    [You had bet 700,000G on Elise¡¯s team. After the 5 percentmission, you¡¯ll receive 1,137,150G.]

    Junhyuk smiled with satisfaction.

    ¡°Thanks, Ariel.¡±

    [No need to thank me. I didn¡¯t do anything.]

    Junhyuk shrugged and said, ¡°See you next time.¡±

    [See you!]

    Junhyuk returned to Earth. His n was to buy the training facility with the gold he had won. He also wanted new equipment, but he would get the facility first.

    The training facility wouldn¡¯t make him stronger, but it would allow him to meet other heroes on Earth and to spar with them.

    ¡°And, I can drink with my friends.¡±

    Thinking about seeing his friends, Junhyuk became happy.

    When Junhyuk returned to his room, he saw Sarang trying not to cheer aloud.

    ¡°Did you win a lot of gold?¡±

    ¡°I spent most of it on the set, so I couldn¡¯t bet as much as I wanted, but I won some.¡±

    ¡°The returns will be even lower next time.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    The enemy champions couldn¡¯t craft items like Elise could. He would bet on her again next time.

    Junhyuk waited for Elise to wake up, and when she opened her eyes, she smiled at him.

    ¡°You are the best!¡± Sarang told her.

    She hugged Elise, and Elise patted her back.

    ¡°My reward was unexpected. I got upgrade stones.¡±

    Junhyuk cheered.

    ¡°The upgrade stones from the Champions¡¯ Battlefield are different from Bebe¡¯s. They increase the base damage stat of your weapon. How many did you get?¡±

    Elise smacked her lips and said, ¡°I got seven. Should I apply them?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, and Elise did so happily.

    Her weapon wasn¡¯t a legendary item, but it was extremely powerful. After applying the upgrade stones, her weapon became just as powerful as any legendary. She was all smiles.

    ¡°I should be going,¡± Elise said and left.

    Sarang yawned hard and looked at him.

    ¡°Big brother, analyzing my powers has helped me.¡±

    ¡°Sure. We¡¯ll be stronger on Earth.¡±

    Junhyuk had learned to analyze his powers from Arn. After that, Sarang went to her training facility, and Junhyuk went to his.

    That Friday, everyone returned, and a novice became an expert. The powered people were training hard.

    Without any waves, time passed quickly, and soon, it was Friday again. When he walked into his room, he saw the two already there. They were advancing, which meant they would probably be summoned at noon. Sarang and Elise had brought snacks, with Sarang bringing a lot of instant products.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat too much.¡±

    Heughed at her, and they had lunch together. Elise had dark circles around her eyes, and she looked very tired. Sarang seemed radiant. She had also learned more spells, which was a good thing.

    Looking at them, Junhyuk said, ¡°We¡¯re advancing. Our opponents won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    Sarang smiled at him and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll lose. We still have to win without dying so much, however.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and turned to Elise.

    ¡°This time, after we take the buff tower, we¡¯ll go buff hunting. If the buff monsters drop anything, I¡¯ll give it to you, Elise.¡±

    ¡°Hopefully, something from the new buff monsters.¡±

    Elise could buff him, so he was willing to invest in her powers. Her buffs were a certainty in making him stronger. Once they finished eating, they had tea. It was 11:40 a.m.

    After finishing his tea, Junhyuk sat on his usual chair and said, ¡°See you soon.¡±

    It was important to have a quiet mind before going to the Dimensional Battlefield. The bright light covered his vision, and the world disappeared in white.

 Chapter 495 - Seeing You Again 2

    <h4>Chapter 495: Seeing You Again 2</h4>

    After appearing in his spawn room, Junhyuk quickly looked around.

    [Nice to see you again!]

    Ariel greeted him, and Junhyuk turned to her. She was smiling, so he smiled back.

    ¡°Good to see you.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at how much gold he had: 2,143,613G. It was a significant amount. He could definitely purchase his training facility now. If he got lucky, he would also be able to buy a new item.

    His heart was racing as he stood by the exit. New enemies. His swordsmanship had improved, and he thought he could improve it even more by fighting new enemies.

    [Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed!]

    Junhyuk could see his allies through the crack of the opening door. The minions were talking among themselves, and after passing by them, he smiled.

    ¡°Everyone is here!¡±

    Gongon smirked and said, ¡°I¡¯m humming from the thought of visiting Bebe. The pleasure of shopping.¡±

    ¡°I have to see him as well. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Everyone nodded. They didn¡¯t know anything about their enemies, but they wanted to upgrade their equipment and enjoy their shopping experience.

    They all crossed through the portal and saw Bebe there, waiting for them. Junhyuk walked over to Bebe. The yeti smirked at the allies and pulled out a te for each one. He knew he would be dealing with all six of them.

    Junhyuk showed Bebe the things he had brought with him. He had killed Ronga and Yagi in thest battlefield, giving Bebe their items.

    Bebe smiled and said, ¡°You never disappoint.¡±

    He inspected the items and said, ¡°These three are worth 100,000G each. The other four are worth 80,000G each.¡± Turning to him, he said, ¡°That¡¯s a total of 620,000G.¡±

    Junhyuk checked on his new total and said, ¡°I want to buy a training facility.¡±

    ¡°A training facility?!¡±

    Bebe smiled and opened the item book. The book showed a variety of training facilities, but they were all cubic structures. There were different sizes to them, and the interiors were also different.

    Some looked like forests and others like mountains. Some even looked like oceans.

    ¡°Can I decorate my training facility?¡±

    ¡°The priority is that you must be able to train inside it, so of course!¡± Bebe turned the page with a smile and said, ¡°Some people want more than just a training facility, so there are many different types.¡±

    Junhyuk was speechless.

    ¡°This one looks like a pce!¡±

    ¡°A legend built that one a long time ago.¡±

    ¡°It must cost a fortune.¡±

    ¡°He spent all of his gold on it. Legends are crazy.¡±

    Junhyukughed bitterly and checked out the prices. One facility had nothing but an unbreakable shell. He thought that he would be able to decorate it with things from Earth.

    The facilities were priced differently ording to their sizes.

    ¡°The size-five facility is 200,000G. The size-ten is 500,000G, and the size-twenty is 1,200,000G.¡±

    ¡°Right. The bigger it is, the more expensive. And that one is the basic model. If you want it decorated, it¡¯ll cost more.¡±

    ¡°What do you have for decorations?¡±

    ¡°Anything you buy here that gets broken within the facility will rebuild itself.¡±

    Junhyuk thought that was a nice ability, so he checked everything out carefully. He wanted to buy a basic model. The decorations, however, were extremely expensive.

    He would buy decorations only after he upgraded his items.

    Junhyuk selected the size-twenty facility.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get this one.¡±

    Bebe smiled and said, ¡°You can¡¯t really train with the smaller ones. Heroes need big spaces.¡± He pushed the ce forward and added, ¡°With your discount, that¡¯s 1,020,000G.¡±

    Junhyuk paid for it, and after the price was subtracted from his gold, Bebe smiled again.

    ¡°OK. You are my best customer, so I¡¯ll give you a bit of a bonus. I¡¯ll give you some stone chairs for your facility. How many do you need?¡±

    ¡°Twelve.¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    Bebe touched the picture of the facility, and stone chairs were ced inside it. Junhyuk looked at Bebe, and the yeti offered him his hand.

    ¡°I have to give you the rights to the facility. Give me your hand.¡±

    They sped hands, and Junhyuk felt an itch on his. He looked at his palm and saw there was a circle on it now.

    Bebe exined, ¡°When you invite others, you can do so through themunication crystal. You just have to say ¡®permission granted,¡¯ and the person you are talking to will be able to enter.

    ¡°From other dimensions as well?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡°What is it like inside?¡±

    Bebe scratched his chin and said, ¡°There are many different types of energy within it. You won¡¯tck for energy while you train.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk checked out his gold again. He had 1,700,000 left and he was not worried about saving it anymore.

    ¡°I want another Vampire Lord set item.¡±

    Bebe smiled.

    ¡°You are winning a lot of gold. Soon, you¡¯llplete the Vampire Lord set.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I want.¡±

    ¡°Where do you want the item?¡±

    Junhyuk checked himself out. Where did he want the new item? Armor pieces were always a good option, but after smacking his lips, he said, ¡°Let me see the ring.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Bebe pulled out the Vampire Lord¡¯s ring, and Junhyuk inspected it.

    Bebe chuckled and said, ¡°You can only put it on after you¡¯ve paid for it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pay for it now.¡±

    After spending most of his gold, Junhyuk checked out the ring¡¯s stats.

    ¡ª

    Vampire Lord Lujet¡¯s Ring (set item)

    Attack +30

    Piercing +20

    Defense +30

    This ring belonged to the legend Lujet. The heart of the demon Enkia was used as the gem that sits on the ring. It increases piercing by twenty, and attack and defense by thirty. Lujet coveted this item, and it was given to him as a present.

    Completing the set increases the power of the item.

    Two-Item Set Effect: Critical Hit Chance + 20%

    Three-Item Set Effect: Critical Hit Damage + 30%

    Four-Item Set Effect: Chance to Ignore Opponent¡¯s Defense +20%

    Five-Item Set Effect: Enemies lose 3% of their healths for each of your attacks thatnds.

    Six-Item Set Effect: On sessful regr attack, 10% chance to trigger eleration for three seconds.

    Seven-Item Set Effect: On sessful regr attack, applies bleed to the enemy.

    eleration: Attack and Movement Speeds +50%

    Bleed: Deals 1% of damage per second for three seconds. Possible to stack five times.

    ¡ª

    When Junhyuk saw the seventh ability, he smiled. One percent of damage wasn¡¯t much, but stacking it five times meant a total of 15 percent of damage.

    Junhyuk had gone through that with Yagi, and he knew how annoying it could be. Itpletely ignored enemy defense, which could shut anybody down.

    So far, no tank had been able to withstand Junhyuk¡¯s attacks since his piercing stat was extremely high. But, in Ronga¡¯s case, he had no items that increased his defense, focusing simply on buffing his health. Defense was important, but Ronga had focused on health instead.

    For that reason, Junhyuk¡¯s regr attacks hadn¡¯t been able to do massive damage to the hero. He had only been able to take tiny chunks out of the hero¡¯s health with his regr attacks, but now, with his new ring, he was feeling confident. Junhyuk pumped his fist in reaction to that.

    He turned to the others and saw the allies making their own purchases and sales.

    Elise had made a new item for the dragon set, but this time, she had only made the one she was wearing, so she sold Cuba¡¯s item.

    Sarang was buying a massive quantity of enhancement stones to apply to her items. They were a good option to buff both defense and attack.

    The five basic enhancements cost a total of 250,000G. If the item was cheaper than that, there was no reason to upgrade it. It would be better to get a new item.

    Sarang couldn¡¯t upgrade all of her items since she had already spent most of her gold on her set, so she was done for now. The others were finishing up as well.

    Everyone was stronger.

    ¡°Now, we really can¡¯t die.¡±

    ¡°If we don¡¯t die, will we advance again?¡±

    La shook her head and said, ¡°This is the Heroes¡¯ Battlefield. Our enemies will be experienced, like us. It won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled. His items were superior. The average enemy wouldn¡¯t be as strong as him. Looking at Rodrey, he thought the herocked items whenpared to Sarang, who had won her money from her bets on Elise.

    Junhyuk and the allies left the store and divided into teams, each with two hundred minions. It was enough to push from every side.

    Junhyuk looked at the allies and said, ¡°We¡¯ll take the middle and use the portal to hunt the new buff monsters, but a single hero won¡¯t be able to do it.¡±

    He had almost been killed by the new buff monster. They were that strong.

    Gongon said, ¡°I¡¯ll take the left. They¡¯ll send a tank there.¡±

    La nodded.

    ¡°Rodrey and I will go right.¡±

    ¡°OK. Sarang, Elise and I will take the buff tower.¡±

    The center was the most important path and drew the heaviestpetition. Everyone nodded and moved out with their two hundred minions.

 Chapter 496 - Seeing You Again 3

    <h4>Chapter 496: Seeing You Again 3</h4>

    While climbing up the mountain and its sharp ascent, Junhyuk tried his own swordsmanship. He had analyzed his Spatial sh, but his swordsmanship had improved as a result.

    Junhyuk turned to his allies. Sarang had upgraded her items, and Elise had gotten new ones. Their strength had gone up, so Junhyuk concluded the fight would be doable.

    After getting to the top, he looked around, but no enemies were there yet. Looking at the allies, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s take the buff tower first.¡±

    Right as Junhyuk stepped forward, he saw othersing up from the other side. The one leading the enemies was someone unexpected. Junhyuk had fought with him in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield.

    ¡°Aktur?¡±

    Aktur had be a hero before Junhyuk, but even now, Aktur didn¡¯t have enough equipment. Junhyuk had been collecting item sets, so he hadn¡¯t expected Aktur to be put against him.

    The other enemies appeared, and they were entirely mechanical. Junhyuk had gone against cyborgs before, but not robots. He wondered if those robots had souls.

    However, the enemy minions were human. It was funny to see human minions with mechanical heroes.

    ¡°Aktur, why are you here?¡± Junhyuk asked.

    Aktur shrugged. Two mechanical orbs were floating above his shoulder, and Junhyuk remembered them well. They were Tuelus¡¯ weapons.

    Those weapons had killed many of his allies. They were incredibly powerful.

    Junhyuk thought about the cost of the legendary weapons. Each orb cost millions of gold, and Junhyuk himself had had difficulty in acquiring a legendary weapon.

    Aktur waved at him and said, ¡°Long time, no see.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡±

    Akturughed out loud and said, ¡°I became a hero before you. On top of that, I didn¡¯t think you would lose, so I bet all my gold on you. I won a lot thanks to you.¡±

    Aktur looked at the floating mechanical orbs above his shoulder and added, ¡°I spent all of it on these. Thanks to them, I¡¯m on a streak.¡±

    Weapons were thest items heroes dropped. Aktur¡¯s health was low, but with legendary weapons, he had be an incredible damager.

    The weapons had been expensive, but once purchased, they did their job.

    Aktur could deal critical hits with them. The new items had changed the course of Aktur¡¯s career. He had better items now, so he would be a moreplicated opponent.

    Junhyuk turned to the robots. One had six legs and four arms, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t tell what its powers were. It was big, so Junhyuk thought it could be a tank.

    The other hero was humanoid in shape, but none of it was flesh.

    He looked at the android¡¯s hands and saw that it did not hold any weapons. Junhyuk waspletely oblivious to what it could do.

    The minions were nearly naked. They had their privates covered and they were wielding spears.

    Looking at them, Junhyuk said, ¡°I know Aktur. His ultimate is useless, but he can curse you and debuff your speed. He can also ensnare with his bandages and summon skeleton soldiers.¡±

    Sarang stared at Aktur and said, ¡°If he can pull us, shouldn¡¯t he die first?¡±

    ¡°His ultimate changes allied cement. We should kill him because of his weapons.¡±

    ¡°Those are legendary weapons.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded heavily. Aktur¡¯s new weapons were Tuelus¡¯ legendary items. They had also been upgraded.

    Tuelus had been equipped with other items as well, but right now, they couldn¡¯t ignore Aktur. The enemy hero had also gotten to that tier.

    Elise smacked her lips and said, ¡°What do we do about the other two?¡±

    The other enemies were huge question marks, so after some thought, Junhyuk said, ¡°Let¡¯s fight them and find out.¡±

    Elise buffed him, and he smiled. With her buffs, he was sure he could win.

    Now that Aktur had Tuelus¡¯ weapons, he knew that the enemy hero wouldn¡¯t be that easy. But, Junhyuk had grown exponentially since being teamed up with Aktur.

    Junhyuk stepped forward. He didn¡¯t know if the range of his Spatial sh had grown, so he would use it and find out.

    Aktur stepped aside, and the robots stepped forward. They made noise every time they moved. Junhyuk took a deep breath.

    ¡°Attack!¡± he shouted, and the minions rushed forth.

    The sound of the robots rang above any other sound.

    The enemies moved. The nearly-naked minions ran at the allies. They were faster than the allied minions. Their unprotected bodies had no defense, but they were fast. However, because of the difference in number, the enemy minions wouldn¡¯t kill the allied minions.

    Knowing that, Junhyuk went all out from the start. His Spatial sh triggered at a seventy-meter range. That was his first use of the Spatial sh in the Dimensional Battlefield since studying it.

    With Aksha¡¯s Longsword, he could use it from seventy meters away.

    Craack!

    The six-legged robot received the attack, which severed some tubes connecting its neck and head. Green liquid started pouring out of the area attacked, but it was not a critical hit. There was a significant damage difference between critical and non-critical hits.

    The robot lost 20 percent of its health. Both its defense and its health were high.

    Junhyuk continued to attack, relieved to see that robots also bled. The range of his Spatial sh had increased, so Junhyuk would work even harder.

    Even if Aktur¡¯s powers had evolved, Junhyuk still had his force field, so he moved forward.

    The android aimed its hand at Junhyuk. Particles of light started gathering on it. A st shot like a bullet toward Junhyuk, who blocked the attack with his swords, triggering an explosion.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk lost 10 percent of his health. The android¡¯s attack stat was quite high. The range of the attack was forty meters, which meant that the hero was a sniper of sorts.

    The six-legged robot moved toward him, and Junhyuk ran forward. He was sure that Sarang and Elise would cover him.

    Throughout this whole exchange, Aktur hadn¡¯t moved. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure about Aktur¡¯s range either. If Aktur managed to pull him, Junhyuk would raise his force field.

    He closed in against the six-legged robot and shed at it.

    ng!

    The robot¡¯s arms had been judged as battlefield weapons, and they blocked Junhyuk¡¯s sword. Junhyuk attacked again.

    The de of his longsword moved by his will, and the robot opened its mouth and spewed a green liquid from of it. Junhyuk didn¡¯t get hit by the liquid, however, teleporting above the hero as he swung his sword down at it.

    Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword pierced the hero¡¯s head, but it wasn¡¯t a critical hit. The attack dealt 8 percent of damage to the hero, and Junhyuk concluded that the robot was a tank. The android fired another st.

    The st was smaller than the previous one, but Junhyuk teleported away.

    He appeared next to Aktur since Aktur was his primary focus.

    Previously, Aktur had had no real defense. Even if Aktur had evolved, it was possible that the hero was still weak. But, Aktur did not get shed by his sword.

    ¡°Perfect Evasion?¡±

    Aktur smiled, and beams crossed the air. Junhyuk knew that legendary weapons were strong, but that was a regr attack.

    Junhyuk blocked both beams with his swords. Sarang had used her sts to paralyze the other two heroes. She wanted to attack Aktur, but he acted faster than her. Shadow hands rose from the ground underneath, and when Junhyuk felt them, he used his Spatial Copse.

    Aktur hadn¡¯t known about it, and he was sucked toward it. Perfect Evasion depended too much on the odds. Junhyuk had ess to it as well, but it almost never triggered.

    Junhyuk shed at Aktur, who was now under attack.

    sh!

    His attack missed again, which surprised him. Not just one, but two attacks had missed. The rate of sess of Aktur¡¯s Perfect Evasion had to be very high.

    The Spatial Copse hadnded, and Aktur had lost 55 percent of his health from it, meaning that Aktur¡¯s defense was higher than before.

    Aktur smiled and dered, ¡°I¡¯m different now.¡±

 Chapter 497 - Aktur 1

    <h4>Chapter 497: Aktur 1</h4>

    It wasn¡¯t too expensive to get items with Perfect Evasion, but bncing them with defense wasn¡¯t that simple. Aktur¡¯s high evasion rate was even moreplicated to bnce.

    Aktur put his hand forward and summoned three skeletons.

    The skeleton soldiers had evolved, and their armor now was different from the one before.

    ¡°Are they generals?¡±

    The skeletons gave off a feeling simr to that of a death knight. They looked dangerous.

    Junhyuk swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword to attack. He thought his attacks would hit, but the skeleton soldiers also had Perfect Evasion.

    ¡°Those summoned change ording to the powers of my items.¡±

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue and raised his force field.

    ng, ng, ng, ng!

    While the skeleton soldiers attacked him, Sarang used her Thunderstorm. The thunderbolts hit Aktur, and while the enemy hero was being electrocuted, Junhyuk shed at him again.

    However, Tuelus¡¯ orbs quickly blocked his sword. Tuelus¡¯ orbs were better than Elise¡¯s orb since they were able to block his attack.

    Junhyuk controlled Aksha¡¯s Longsword so that it went over the orbs, but Aktur blocked the attack with his w-like nails and stepped back. The android and the six-legged robot regained their movements and attacked Sarang.

    Junhyuk joined up with her for the time being, and the robots¡¯ attacks bounced off his force field. Junhyuk attacked them both while Sarang focused on Aktur.

    Aktur was taking advantage of his Perfect Evasion to retreat. At the same time, Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure that his Spatial sh wouldnd if he used it on Aktur. However, once his Spatial sh returned, because its range was significant, he decided he would try.

    Meanwhile, he attacked the six-legged robot. The android had a long range attack, so Junhyuk tried to keep his distance from him from getting too wide. But, the six-legged robot ignored Junhyuk¡¯s attacks, trusting its own health.

    The robot knew Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t die, at least not until the force field disappeared, and Junhyuk smiled coldly and continued to attack. Something flew out from among the allied minions. It was Zaira.

    Zaira took flight and attacked, dropping bombs on the android. Elise stepped forward as well.

    Junhyuk thought she should stay back, so he wondered about what she was doing. As she stepped forward, she deployed her weapon, and the orb release a massive beam.

    The beam passed through the android and the six-legged robot and flew toward Aktur.

    Aktur was retreating quickly. Suddenly, the beam disappeared. Aktur frowned. He knew he was in danger.

    At that moment, Aktur¡¯s health was very low. He had been hit by both the Spatial Copse and the Thunderstorm, so if things continued that way, he could die.

    Junhyuk¡¯s force field disappeared, and Aktur became worried about that, but when he saw Junhyuk attack the robots, he used his bandages to ensnare the allied hero. They wrapped around Junhyuk¡¯s neck and pulled him.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t teleport away, but he swung his sword while being pulled. Aktur¡¯s Perfect Evasion triggered again, and the enemy hero used Tuelus¡¯ orbs to attack.

    Junhyuk blocked one, but the other¡¯s st hit him. Junhyuk was astonished by Aktur¡¯s items. His powers didn¡¯t deal a lot of damage, but they had incredible utility. The bandage power had dealt 15 percent of damage to Junhyuk. When he got hit by the st, he frowned. The attack dealt 5 percent of damage to him, which was just like Ronga¡¯s regr attack. Junhyuk was still optimistic, however. Aktur would die in a single hit.

    Even with Perfect Evasion, there was a limit to what he could do.

    Then, the archers started attacking.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    The archers focused on him, and Junhyuk lost 15 percent of his health immediately. After pulling him, Aktur retreated further back.

    He knew what Aktur was trying to do. The enemy hero was trying to kill Junhyuk any way he could.

    This battle wasn¡¯t like the duel against Ronga, so Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Sarang!¡±

    She used her heal on him. The light green powder fell over his head, and Junhyuk ran forward, swinging his sword at Aktur as he did.

    With that, he was able to deliver thest hit. While Aktur disappeared, Junhyuk smiled at him and said, ¡°This is a team battle.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll remember that.¡±

    The truth was that Aktur should be better than him in a team battle. His mobility was iparable.

    With the portals, it would take two hours for anybody else toe support the enemy team, but if Aktur used his ultimate, he could appear anywhere. If the hero acted correctly, he would be extremely strong in a team battle.

    On top of that, even his items were nice now.

    Aktur was dead, so now was their chance to kill the others.

    Junhyuk teleported away from the watchtower¡ªhe could now cover thirty meters with his teleportation¡ªand shed at the six-legged robot.

    Sarang was fighting the android, and Elise was supporting her.

    The women were taking advantage of their numbers to attack without holding back.

    The six-legged robot extended one of its arms, and the arm stretched and wrapped around Junhyuk. Junhyuk had been ensnared again, and he felt himself losing health. He was losing 4 percent of his health per second. At the same time, the robot jumped.

    He was going tond right on top of Sarang, and Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Retreat!¡±

    Sarang dove out of instinct, but the shockwaves from the robot¡¯s impact with the ground ran over her.

    Sarang and Elise bounced away, and the android extended its hand forward.

    A bombunched out of the android¡¯s hand toward Elise. The android ran after it to continue attacking Elise after it exploded.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t do anything. He was still constricted.

    Sarang attacked the android in hopes of alleviating Elise, but the android focused entirely on the champion. Elise could die at any moment.

    Junhyuk bit his lips as he watched, but suddenly, he was able to move again. While tied up, he lost 12 percent of his health, but he had to rescue Elise immediately.

    Steam came out of the six-legged robot¡¯s body, and the enemy hero got bigger. It was now as big as a golem.

    Red beams covered the area around the robot. Junhyuk knew that was a power and that it might even be the robot¡¯s ultimate, so he jumped.

    He went up thirty meters into the air, and once he was over the robot, he shed down at the android. At the same time, Junhyuk heard the sound of something cutting through the air and blocked with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword.

    Boom!

    The shock was serious, and it sent him rolling on the ground. Junhyuk lost 8 percent of his health from the attack.

    As soon as he got up, Junhyuk ran toward the android, who was still attacking Elise from a distance.

    The android¡¯s shoulders opened, and a barrage of missiles flew out of them. There was no way he would be able to save her from that. As the missiles flew out, he sped up.

    Some of the missiles headed toward him, and he dodged, but they kept going, impacting Sarang.

    Boom!

    She gotunched away. Junhyuk could read the android¡¯s mind. He was asking Junhyuk which of the two he was going to rescue.

    Meanwhile, the six-legged robot chased after him with what seemed to be his ultimate still deployed.

    Junhyuk tried to defend himself, but he was still damaged.

    He knew that his powers would return in five seconds, but Elise could die at any moment.

    At the same time, instead of retreating, Elise attacked the android. She was sting the android while the android fired bombs at her.

    The two were heading for each other, but Aksha¡¯s Longsword was finally within range to attack.

    The sword sank through the back of the android, and the six-legged robot attempted to step on him. After dodging, Junhyuk stabbed the android with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword.

    The android looked back, but Junhyukughed.

    Both robots were fast, but they weren¡¯t as fast as Ronga.

    Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword had pierced through the android¡¯s thigh, but the android showed no sign of response, attacking Junhyuk instead.

    Junhyuk used his swords to block the attack.

    Elise was like a bug to the android. If it killed her, she wouldn¡¯t drop an item because she was a champion, but her attacks were ferocious.

    Still, the android decided to kill Junhyuk instead. The six-legged robot also joined the fight against him.

    Junhyuk wanted to kill the android first. He had managed to get its health down to 25 percent, but the six-legged robot kicked him, and Junhyuk lost another 8 percent of his health.

    Right as the robot was about to punch him, he felt his Spatial she off cooldown and used it.

    Boom!

    The Spatial shnded as a critical on the robot, and the android was swept by the shockwave. Just like that, only the robot remained.

    Junhyuk attacked with both of his swords, and Elise and Sarang joined him. With the three attacking, the enemy hero soon fell.

 Chapter 498 - Aktur 2

    <h4>Chapter 498: Aktur 2</h4>

    After massacring the enemy minions, Junhyuk turned to his own. Because the enemy minions had no defensive equipment, their speed was extraordinary, and many allied minions died as a result. Only ny-eight allied minions survived.

    Junhyuk had lost more than half of his minions.

    Sitting at the buff tower, he contacted his allies.

    ¡°Gon, La, how are your enemies?¡±

    Gongon answered first, ¡°A bit annoying. I was expecting a tank, but I got a sniper.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at La, who smacked her lips and said, ¡°We have a tank. The tank ignores most of our damage and can attack from midrange. I can¡¯t get close.¡±

    That meant that her enemy¡¯s defense had to be pretty high.

    Junhyuk went over the enemies he had fought, ¡°Gon, you know Aktur. He¡¯s one of the heroes.¡±

    ¡°Aktur? That mummy?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s be fairly annoying now.¡±

    ¡°But he¡¯s still Aktur...¡±

    ¡°Not really. His Perfect Evasion is through the roof, and he bought legendary weapons fromst season. His damage is enormous.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Wait, his ultimate was...!¡±

    ¡°Right. That¡¯s what I want to talk about.¡±

    La seemed interested as well, ¡°What ultimate?¡±

    ¡°He can teleport, but not like me.¡±

    La seemed to understand the situation.

    ¡°Then, he can appear out of the blue while we are fighting other heroes?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Aktur¡¯s ultimate is not great when he is engaged in battle, but he can join battles from anywhere on the map. On top of that, his weapons deal a lot of damage.¡±

    Junhyuk had lost 5 percent of his health from Aktur¡¯s regr attack. He and Gongon had the best defense among the allies, so the damage was significant.

    Gongon frowned and said, ¡°I¡¯m in a bad spot.¡±

    ¡°Right. Whoever ends up alone will be at a disadvantage.¡±

    Gongon stared at him and said, ¡°Next time, you go alone. You can always run away.¡±

    Junhyukughed out loud. It was true that he could escape from Aktur. With three teleportations, he could easily cover ny meters.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about thatter. Right now, don¡¯t get pulled by the enemy. Buy us some time.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    Junhyuk said calmly, ¡°We¡¯ll go hunt a buff monster. We can¡¯t let them get to those first.¡±

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll buy you time. Aktur can¡¯t make that much of a difference.¡±

    Junhyuk looked straight at the dragon and said in a serious tone, ¡°Don¡¯t think of him as your former ally. Aktur will kill you if you do.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to the others. They had taken the tower¡¯s buff, so now it was time for them to hunt for buff monsters.

    ¡°Elise, stay here and protect this ce,¡± he told her.

    ¡°You want me to watch out for iing enemies?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and added, ¡°The new buff monsters are strong. I can¡¯t kill one by myself.¡±

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll wait for you here.¡±

    Looking at Sarang, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s hurry.¡±

    ¡°Where do we go?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s head to the left and back. We¡¯ll make our way back here while looking for it.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t seen the buff monster that doubled attack speed and buffed health regeneration in thest battle.

    They took the portal and moved out quickly. However, they couldn¡¯t be as fast as Aktur.

    The two looked for a trace of the roaming buff monster, but got contacted by Gongon on the way.

    ¡°Holy shit! I¡¯m so pissed! Why is Aktur so much stronger now?!¡±

    ¡°His items.¡±

    Aktur¡¯s powers weren¡¯t bad either. His skeleton soldiers were influenced by the level of his items, and his evasion rate was absurd. It was at least at 50 percent. If it kept triggering continuously, an ally could easily lose their life to him.

    Ronga could be killed by a barrage of attacks, but Aktur was different. Because his evasion rate was so high, one needed to be lucky to kill the hero.

    ¡°It would be nice to have attacks that can¡¯t miss.¡±

    It would be nice if there was an item for that.

    The allies had lost the left path, but the right path was still up. If Aktur went there by himself, there would still be two heroes for him to contend with.

    ¡°Once I kill the buff monster, I¡¯ll join them.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    The two ran as fast as they could and saw the roaming buff monster in the distance. It was their first time seeing it. It looked like a praying mantis, but with four arms.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look easy,¡± Junhyuk said when he saw the monster.

    Ronga had killed it by himself, but Ronga had had the expert with the heal.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s defense was much higher than Sarang¡¯s. As he approached, the monster turned to look at him. It shed with its front legs.

    Junhyuk used his swords to block the attack, but he still got damaged. The monster had four legs, so he couldn¡¯t keep up. He got shed in the ribs, but due to his high defense, he only lost 7 percent of his health. However, he could tell its attack was very high from that.

    He bit his lips and attacked faster. The monster¡¯s attack speed was very high as well.

    Junhyuk had already let three attacks through. He was even more surprised as he continued fighting. The mantis was moving extremely fast even without using its powers.

    Junhyuk used his Spatial Copse.

    Craaaack!

    He also used the Spatial sh on the monster. The two attacks were incredible and dealt a lot of damage, but the monster didn¡¯t die.

    ¡°What is this thing?!¡±

    Bolts of lightning crashed on the monster.

    Craaack, boom!

    The monster still did not die.

    sh!

    As Junhyuk¡¯s ribs were sliced, he bit his lips and attacked. Junhyuk managed to slice the manti¡¯s neck, killing it.

    [You¡¯ve killed the Mantis Lord. For the next five hours, your attack speed will increase by 100 percent and your regeneration rate will increase by 50 percent. If you die, you¡¯ll lose these buffs to your opponent.]

    After receiving the buff, he looked at Sarang. She was also buffed.

    Sarang healed him, and he smiled at her.

    ¡°We found it fast enough. Let¡¯s take the portal and support the others.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Gongon had lost, so he had decided to join La, but at that moment, La contacted him.

    ¡°I lost.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°The enemy wasn¡¯t a tank. The hero was a support with high defense. When Aktur joined, we lost.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed. Aktur¡¯s ultimate was extremely powerful when used correctly. The skirmishes all required time, so Aktur had the advantage in that scenario.

    Junhyuk bit his lips and said, ¡°Nothing we can do now. Regroup at the buff tower.¡±

    ¡°At the buff tower?¡±

    ¡°We can stop him there.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to have a team battle there?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the only way. He might move back to the left, so I¡¯ll warn Gongon to join as well.¡±

    ¡°Do it.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Sarang and said, ¡°We should head back to the buff tower.¡±

    The allies could gather there before all of the enemies arrived, and once that happened, a team battle would take ce.

    The enemies had to head to the buff tower as well if they were trying to predict the allies¡¯ next move.

    The two went on their way.

    ¡°Our enemies might get there before us.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°By using the portals.¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head and said, ¡°They won¡¯t all get there. Aktur just took the left, so just the heroes on the right path can use the portal to reach the buff tower for now.¡±

    ¡°Then, we can still save the buff tower.¡±

    ¡°Right. It¡¯ll be nice to win, but we should focus on stalling them there.¡± As he walked, Junhyuk added, ¡°I¡¯m confident we can manage it.¡±

    Junhyuk was buffed, so he wasn¡¯t scared. Ronga had be very strong with those same buffs, and since he and Sarang both had the buffs, they were feeling confident.

    The two reached the portal and headed back to the buff tower. There, he asked Elise, ¡°The enemies?¡±

    ¡°They areing.¡±

    The enemy watchtower had been destroyed, so Junhyuk looked down from the top of the mountain and saw a group of enemies climbing. It would take them about two and a half hours to reach the top.

    He went back to the buff tower, and Elise asked, ¡°Can our enemies use the portals?¡±

    ¡°They can.¡±

    ¡°We should wait by the portal here and attack them one by one as theye out then.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°Great idea!¡±

    The three allies stood in front of the portal. Their enemies coulde out all at once, but if they came out one at a time, the allies could get rid of them with ease.

    As he waited, Junhyuk elerated. He wanted to be faster than the enemies once they showed up.

    The portal shone bright, and Junhyuk swung his sword. A huge, gray robot with two arms walked out. Junhyuk attacked its chest, and there was no way for the hero to defend against it.

    He kept attacking, but at the same time, he was attacked from three directions. Junhyuk blocked all of the attacks. His buff allowed him to do so with ease.

    Suddenly, shadow hands burst out of the ground. Aktur had crossed the portal.

 Chapter 499 - Get to the Center 1

    <h4>Chapter 499: Get to the Center 1</h4>

    Aktur had taken the portal, but there were only two enemies there. Junhyuk wanted to seize that chance, so he raised his force field and used his Spatial Copse.

    Luckily, the copsended on Aktur, who received a critical hit while the gray robot got sucked toward him. At the same time, thunderbolts mmed down on them.

    Crraaack, boom!

    Aktur still had health left. The Thunderstorm missed him, but Junhyuk used his Spatial sh.

    sh!

    Junhyuk thought the sh had worked, but another hero had crossed over and been hit by it instead of Aktur. Even after the copse ended, Junhyuk didn¡¯t know who had taken the hit.

    He stepped forward and attacked.

    ng, ng, ng, ng!

    They tried to defend against his attacks, but his attack speed was too fast, so they were getting hurt. He attacked them ferociously.

    They retreated as they tried to defend against his attacks, and Junhyuk blocked the portal to attack them. He wanted to end the fight right there, so he was trying to prevent them from using the portal.

    Because Aktur was retreating, Junhyuk ignored the summoned skeleton soldiers.

    He was fighting the three heroes by himself, but Sarang was helping him by shooting her incredibly fast electric arrows. Her attack speed was absurd.

    They attacked the enemies nonstop while buffed, but the force field soon disappeared. Junhyuk had failed to kill Aktur because the other enemy heroes had blocked for him.

    The huge, gray robot had to be a tank. Junhyuk¡¯s attacks had only managed to take 40 percent of the hero¡¯s health. His defense had to be high.

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue and swung his sword even faster, but at that moment, the enemies counterattacked.

    The gray robot punched out first. A flurry of blows was directed at Junhyuk.

    ng, ng, ng!

    Junhyuk blocked the attacks with his swords, but he still received damage. The flurry was one of the hero¡¯s powers, and Junhyuk lost 12 percent of his health. The hero felt like a tank, but his attack stat was too high.

    Following that, the other robot made its move. It had wheels instead of feet, and it reversed quickly while extending its hands forward. Large beams of light shot out of its fingertips, sweeping everything in front of it. Seeing that, Junhyuk teleported immediately and watched as Sarang and Elise were covered by the beams.

    The two lost massive amounts of health. At the same time, Junhyuk stabbed the wheeled robot through the back. However, just as his sword pierced the robot, it split in two. The hero had had two wheels, but now each part had one, and they both attacked Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk teleported again and tried to sh both pieces of the hero. He was only able to hit one, but he destroyed that half of the robot.

    The parts that had been broken moved toward the other half and rebuilt themselves into the whole hero again.

    Junhyuk knew the enemy¡¯s health had to be low, so he extended Aksha¡¯s Longsword. The sword shot out like a lightning bolt and pierced the hero¡¯s chest.

    As the wheeled hero disappeared, straps of bandage flew toward Junhyuk and wrapped around him. While he was being pulled, light green powder sprinkled over his head.

    Junhyuk felt himself regaining health and swung his sword at Aktur. The wheeled robot had been the one to take the Spatial sh instead of Aktur. That was why it was killed so quickly.

    Aktur had only been hit by the Spatial Copse so far, but Junhyuk got even closer to him.

    Tuelus¡¯ weapons blocked his swords, but his attack speed was so fast that some of his attacks were getting through. However, Aktur still had his Perfect Evasion.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t hit the stationary enemy. He got through Aktur¡¯s defenses, but the hero kept evading his attacks. The increase in attack speed wasn¡¯t helping much at all.

    Aktur smiled and asked, ¡°Can you actually kill me?¡±

    Junhyuk answered, ¡°You have good weapons, but I told you I¡¯m not alone.¡±

    The gray hero attacked him, but Junhyuk ignored the robot¡¯s attacks as long as they weren¡¯t powers. Sarang and Elise were putting all of their efforts in attacking Aktur as well.

    The gray robot could only deal 3 percent of damage to Junhyuk with its regr attacks.

    Junhyuk started cutting the gray robot down while the women fought Aktur. The enemy hero couldn¡¯t dodge all of the women¡¯s attacks.

    Continuous damage was going through, and Junhyuk smiled, satisfied with that. Even if Aktur had Tuelus¡¯ weapons, they were in the Dimensional Battlefield, and the weapons were restricted there.

    Aktur was evading, but from time to time, he got hit, and the amount of damage started to stack.

    It wouldn¡¯t be long before Aktur died.

    Then, the gray robot raised both of its arms and pounded the ground. A massive shockwave swept through the whole area. Junhyuk got hit by it and was stunned.

    Aktur smiled at him and said, ¡°Blinka¡¯s ultimate is very useful.¡±

    Tuelus¡¯ weapons attacked him, and Junhyuk lost 5 percent of his health with each attack.

    Blinka and Aktur both focused on him while he was stunned. Junhyuk thought he was going to be stunned for three seconds, but itsted for four, and he lost 35 percent of his health in that time.

    All of the allies had been stunned by Blinka¡¯s ultimate, but only he was attacked. Aktur had used all of his powers before Junhyuk was stunned. Once the stun was over, Junhyuk attacked Aktur, who frowned.

    The enemy teamcked a tower to use in the fight against the allies, and they had been severely damaged while exiting the portal.

    Because of Sarang¡¯s healing power, Junhyuk could continue to fight.

    Edrol¡¯s ultimate had gone in vain. Even so, Aktur smacked his lips and attacked him.

    Tuelus¡¯ weapons could defend and attack, but Junhyuk was blocking all regr attacks. His swords were shing at incredible speed.

    Aktur had never faced an opponent as strong as Junhyuk, but now he understood how strong Junhyuk really was.

    Aktur wanted to flee through the portal, but he couldn¡¯t do it. Junhyuk was still in the way.

    Aktur smacked his lips. Back when Junhyuk had been his ally, he had been of great help to Aktur, but now, as an enemy, he was incredibly difficult to deal with. On top of that, his ultimate waspletely absurd, but in a way that suited him. It dealt enormous damage on top of constricting and sucking the enemies to one spot.

    Aktur was at a disadvantage now. Junhyuk was too difficult.

    ¡°Let¡¯s use the portal!¡± Aktur shouted at Blinka.

    Blinka extended its hands and grabbed Junhyuk, pulling him away from the portal. Aktur took Junhyuk¡¯s spots and said, ¡°See you next time!¡±

    Aktur raised his hand toward the allies, and shadow hands burst from the ground again, holding them in ce. Blinka also went through the portal.

    Junhyuk tried to run after them, but the shadow hands slowed him down. Aktur was gone, and Blinka was too.

    Junhyuk bit his lips. He had almost managed to kill Aktur, so he felt bad about letting him go.

    ¡°We initiated the fight, but we still let them go.¡±

    The ultimate stunned, and the enemy also had a pull. Junhyuk had failed to upy the portal to prevent them from leaving. He had let them go.

    As he sighed, Sarang walked over to him and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going after them?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where they went.¡± Shaking his head, Junhyuk added, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for reinforcements, and we¡¯ll push through the middle path.¡±

    An enemy had been killed. There were only two who could get to the top of the mountain for now, and it would be suicide for them to do that.

    He decided to wait for his allies. Everyone should gather there, so he sat at the buff tower.

    ¡°We should be mindful of team battles.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Was that hero called Blinka? Nevermind its defense, its attack is crazy high.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded.

    ¡°We¡¯ve seen their powers now. Judging by that, team battles will be hard.¡±

    ¡°True, but you have your own powers.¡±

    ¡°Well...¡±

    A team battle would certainly happen. The allies were usually good at them, but the enemy team might be good at them as well. How could the allies kill their enemies?

    Sarang and Elise sat next to him. The women touched his shoulder, and smiling, Sarang said, ¡°Big brother, our fights won¡¯t always go as nned.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to think of it all by yourself. Our battle ns will depend on all of us.¡±

    Both of them were smiling at him. Junhyukughed and drew on the dirt with his sword, saying, ¡°Let¡¯se up with something together.¡±

 Chapter 500 - Get to the Center 2

    <h4>Chapter 500: Get to the Center 2</h4>

    All of the allies gathered at the top of the mountain while the enemies gathered at their remaining watchtower in the middle path. Junhyuk could see all of the enemies except for Aktur, and that worried him.

    ¡°Shall we go?¡±

    The allies had received the tower¡¯s buff, so it was time to run down and fight. But, Aktur being gone was concerning.

    The allied group ran toward the enemies. The allies had been under duress due to Aktur¡¯s power, but now that they were together, it wouldn¡¯t work as well. They nned on shutting him down.

    The allied group approached the enemy watchtower, and the enemies moved out first. As they stepped forward, Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Wait! Let¡¯s introduce ourselves before we start fighting. I¡¯m Junhyuk Lee.¡±

    The giant robot stopped, and the other robots did as well. The rest of the allies did the same.

    ¡°My name is Trarune.¡±

    The voice sounded mechanical. Junhyuk looked at the other robots, and the android stepped forward.

    ¡°I¡¯m Errune.¡±

    The gray robot stepped forward and said, ¡°I¡¯m Blinka.¡±

    He looked at the wheeled robot, who said, ¡°I¡¯m Edrol.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded at the robots, and Gongon and the others stepped forward and introduced themselves.

    He smiled brightly then and said, ¡°OK. I just wanted to know the name of the robots I¡¯ll be killing. Attack!¡±

    When the allied minions rushed forward, Trarune stepped forward mightily. Junhyuk measured the distance between the enemies and the allies. He had a seventy-meter range Spatial sh now and he wanted to kill one of the heroes before Aktur joined the fight.

    Junhyuk decided to target Errune, who had long range attacks. He wanted to kill him first, so he used his Spatial sh. Suddenly, Errune was covered in bones.

    Crack!

    The Spatial sh destroyed the bone armor, but Errune was unhurt. As soon as the bones appeared, he guessed what had happened.

    ¡°Wee.¡±

    Aktur appeared next to Errune. He had used his ultimate to join the battle.

    The enemies didn¡¯t really know about Junhyuk¡¯s powers yet, so seeing the long range fighters bunched up by the watchtower, Junhyuk used his Spatial Copse.

    Crrrraaaack!

    He had targeted Aktur, who was unable to dodge. Seeing that his attack hadnded, Junhyuk ran forward. Gongon erged and ran with him.

    Aktur had Perfect Evasion, so he was a difficult enemy to engage. Nevertheless, Junhyuk and Gongon had decided previously to take him out first.

    Trarune stepped forward to meet Gongon, spewing a green liquid toward the hatchling. Junhyuk grabbed Gongon and teleported.

    The two appeared behind Trarune and Blinka. Junhyuk shed, and Gongon used his headbutt, which normally dealt a lot of damage. However, this time, Gongon merely passed by Aktur. Since Gongon had fought Aktur before, he wasn¡¯t surprised by that and immediately turned around and used his firebreath.

    The enemy heroes were damaged by the Spatial Copse and by the firebreath, which covered a wide area. All three enemies were damaged, and Junhyuk smiled happily.

    Suddenly, bolts of lightning crashed down from the sky.

    Crraaack, Boom!

    With some luck, that would be enough to kill Aktur.

    All three powers¡ªthe Spatial Copse, the firebreath and the Thunderstorm¡ªhit Aktur, and the hero died. Seeing that, Junhyuk swung his swords left and right. He wanted to finish the others.

    Blinka released a wave of energy, and when the energy touched Junhyuk, he knew he was stunned. Once stunned, all enemy heroes attacked him.

    Edrol attacked him first. The rest of the allies had also been stunned by the wave, so Edrol¡¯s beams swept through all of them. That was its ultimate.

    Junhyuk was hit head on, and he lost 12 percent of his health. The ultimate also dealt fixed, continued damage. From now on, he knew that if he didn¡¯t dodge that st, he would lose a bunch of health.

    A second passed, and Junhyuk lost another 12 percent of his health. He scowled. He had lost a total of 24 percent of his health. Even for an ultimate, that was a lot of damage.

    The enemies focused on him. Blinka punched him, and Errune shot out a ball of light. Trarune kicked his back.

    Junhyuk wasunched toward the watchtower, and the archers attacked him.

    Because he was stunned, Edrol¡¯s ultimate, and Errune¡¯s and Trarune¡¯s attacks, followed by the archers¡¯ volley, took a toll on him.

    Junhyuk finally regained his movement, and Sarang¡¯s heal was off cooldown, so she used it on him. However, his health was still just barely above half of its total.

    The allies could all move again, so Sarang shot sts at Errune and Edrol.

    Junhyuk wanted payback for what Errune had done, so he attacked the robot with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword while Gongon kicked the hero on the side.

    Errune was a vanguard, so while both attacks weren¡¯t critical hits, they both dealt heavy damage.

    Elise and La attacked the hero as well, and Errune disappeared after beingunched into the air. La turned to Edrol, who had regained his movements and split in two to avoid her attack.

    Junhyuk shed at Edrol. He attacked the half that was farthest away with Aksha¡¯s Longsword and the one closest with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword.

    Though he could attack both parts, Trarune closed in on him, punching at him, so he had to change focus and engage the hero.

    ng!

    Junhyuk got hit in the back and thrown toward the archers, who sent another volley toward him. He lost 15 percent of his health in one go and bit his lip.

    Having a team battle next to a watchtower was dangerous.

    Trarune raised its fists, and Junhyuk covered himself in his force field.

    Boom!

    The fists fell on the force field, digging it into the ground. Then, the enemy hero grew to the size of a giant golem.

    That was exactly why Junhyuk had raised the force field. Ignoring Trarune, he targeted Edrol.

    Everyone attacked Edrol, but the enemy hero boosted its speed and rushed toward the watchtower. The allies couldn¡¯t let him escape, however, so Junhyuk grabbed Gongon and La and teleported.

    They appeared right next to Edrol, and La used her ultimate, a shbo. Edrol died.

    Junhyuk turned to the two remaining heroes. He wouldn¡¯t be able to kill them before the force field wore off, but he would kill them sooner orter.

    The minions couldn¡¯t destroy the watchtower yet. The important thing was to damage the enemy heroes.

    Suddenly, a rain of knives fell on Trarune and Blinka. Rodrey¡¯s ultimate covered the area and pierced through the enemy heroes.

    Junhyuk ran toward them, and the force field disappeared. It would¡¯ve been better if he had kept a certain distance from the enemy heroes, but Trarune bear hugged him. It was the hero¡¯s ultimate, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t escape it. Trarune jumped while clutching Junhyuk, and released him in the air by the watchtower. The archers attacked him again.

    The archers dealt fixed damage, so Junhyuk¡¯s defense and total health held no meaning to them.

    Seeing his health go down, Junhyuk scowled. He was very near death.

    Rodrey¡¯s knives mmed against Trarune¡¯s back. The enemy hero¡¯s defense was very high, but its attack stat wasn¡¯t great. Nevertheless, the others attacked Trarune to rescue Junhyuk.

    While archers attacked him, the allied heroes fought the enemy heroes.

    Junhyuk wanted to keep going, but there was a limit to what he could do. He only had 15 percent of his health left, so he used his jump skill, jumping thirty meters at an angle to escape the range of the archers.

    After that, he turned back to look at Trarune.

    Only two enemies remained. Junhyuk was thinking he wanted to finish the fight when, suddenly, Blinka grabbed him and pulled him toward the watchtower again. The archers sent another volley in his direction, and Junhyuk scowled as he was hit five times.

    He died, and the world turned ck.

    ¡ª

    The harrowing void. Junhyuk was used to it now, but it still made him uneasy.

    He used the time to analyze his swordsmanship. He had hit the bottom of the abyss and he used that to better himself.

    After a while, he started rising again and regained consciousness.

    Junhyuk grabbed his head. He had thought all he needed to do was kill Aktur, but he had been killed. Sighing, he inspected himself. What had he lost? His cloak! Junhyuk scowled.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    Junhyuk had lost one of the set effects from the Pure Golden Knight set. He had lost the chance to deal an extra attack at 50 percent damage.

    It was the worst loss he could imagine at that point.

    While he wallowing in it, Ariel asked, [Aren¡¯t you going out?]

    Junhyuk inhaled deeply. The Pure Golden Knight set was rather cheap whenpared to his other set, but it wasn¡¯t easy to acquire.

    He couldn¡¯t just stay there now.

    ¡°RIght, I have to keep going.¡±

    Sets were nice, but they weren¡¯t everything. The previous legendary heroes had equipped themselves with unique items, and those items then became legendary items.

    ¡°The Pure Golden Knight set was cheap.¡±

    Those cheap items had set abilities, but theycked individual strength. He would consider this loss his chance to acquire other items.

    ¡°I¡¯m going back.¡±

 Chapter 501 - The One Parting 1

    <h4>Chapter 501: The One Parting 1</h4>

    Junhyuk opened the door and walked out. He had died, but his team was winning.

    ¡°What happened?¡± he contacted them and asked.

    ¡°We killed them all.¡±

    ¡°Nobody else died, right?¡±

    ¡°We focused on them while they were killing you, so it was easy,¡± Gongon replied.

    ¡°You did well.¡±

    ¡°Hurry up and get back here.¡±

    ¡°I will. Head for their castle.¡±

    Junhyuk went to the store and asked Bebe, ¡°Do you have any Pure Golden Knight set item?¡±

    ¡°No. Did you lose your cloak?¡±

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±

    He left and took the middle path. Even going through the shortest path, it would take him a while to reach the enemy castle. That made him worried. Would the enemies attack the allies? They would probably be more careful in team battles now.

    Even without him, the allies were strong, and Elise was with them. His mind was not at ease however. Junhyuk was taking two hundred minions with him on his way to join the rest of his team.

    While heading up the middle path, he swung his swords. His understanding of Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship was greater than ever. While practicing his swings, he was thinking he wanted to try it out on Earth.

    After passing the first allied tower, someone contacted him.

    ¡°Big brother, were are in a stand-off against the enemy team now, but Aktur isn¡¯t here.¡±

    Junhyuk frowned. It would take him eight hours to cross the mountain. He could get to the top and take the buff so that he could move faster.

    Aktur could go around destroying the allied watchtowers.

    ¡°By using the portals, he could go around even faster.¡±

    ¡°Do you think he¡¯s doing that?¡±

    Junhyuk scratched his forehead and said, ¡°We might end up losing one of the paths.¡±

    ¡°But we are winning.¡±

    ¡°We have to win the next team battle.¡±

    The allies had to win the team battle in front of the enemy castle to win the fight. There were two snipers, a supporter and a tank in the enemy team. Without Aktur, things should be easy.

    Aktur definitely increased the enemies¡¯ attack strength, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t want them to fight just yet.

    ¡°Don¡¯t start until I get there. They shouldn¡¯t fight you.¡±

    The enemy team would use Aktur to maximize their advantage. They would wait until he returned before starting the fight.

    If the allies attacked first, Aktur might return immediately. Even with Elise, the allied team couldn¡¯t fight Aktur without Junhyuk.

    When he reached the top of the mountain, Junhyuk sat at the buff tower.

    Where was Aktur at that moment? Junhyuk wanted to fight him in singlebat, but he didn¡¯t know where the hero was.

    Once buffed, Junhyuk headed down. Now that he was buffed, he was moving faster and he could see the enemy castle far off in the distance.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t really make them out, but he could see shapes in front of the castle. Once the fight began, Aktur would return.

    Junhyuk wanted to kill an enemy hero before Aktur appeared. He couldn¡¯t reach the snipers on the parapet of the wall, so he decided to deal with Trarune, the tank, and Blinka, the supporter. They were strong, so it wouldn¡¯t be easy.

    He headed down while thinking of that. Due to his increased movement speed, he quickly reached the destroyed enemy watchtower.

    When he reached the allies, he saw Gongon yawning.

    The hatchling said, ¡°Took you long enough.¡±

    ¡°It did.¡±

    Last time, Rodrey had been the one to make the trek to the castle by himself. Now, Junhyuk had had to do it. He had died alone.

    Junhyuk looked over the allies and saw that everyone was ready to attack. He turned to the minions. They had 240 of them, which would be enough to finish the fight.

    Junhyuk wanted to kill a hero before Aktur returned, but if he used his powers, he would not have them in the fight against Aktur.

    ¡°Before Aktur gets back, let¡¯s kill one of them,¡± he decided.

    Everyone started moving. Junhyuk took the lead. Gongon followed him, and La came up behind Gongon. Sarang and Rodrey joined in after, and Elise took the rear.

    Junhyuk wanted to kill Blinka first. Of the two, Blinka had the lowest defense, but its powers were the most dangerous.

    Junhyuk measured the distance between them, but just as he was about to use his Spatial sh, a bone armor covered Blinka. Aktur was back.

    The bone armor absorbed a lot of damage, so he gave up on Blinka. Instead, he would attack Aktur now that he was back.

    Junhyuk used his Spatial Copse. The hero would regret teleporting back.

    While Aktur staggered due to the copse, Junhyuk used his Spatial sh, and thunderbolts mmed the hero.

    Everyone attacked Aktur, but only the Spatial Copse hit him. Aktur had colored rings underneath his feet. Junhyuk frowned when he saw them. Those were the new buffs.

    Aktur¡¯s eyes beamed, and Junhyuk was paralyzed.

    [You¡¯ve been struck by Wave of Fear. You¡¯ll be paralyzed for three seconds.]

    Errune fired missiles at him, and Edrol shot a giant ball of light.

    Two ultimates. While Junhyuk was paralyzed, he was hit by two ultimates.

    Trarune, as a giant, tried to stomp on him, but Rodrey attacked the enemy hero. Size didn¡¯t bother Rodrey. Trarune wasunched in the air, and an erged Gongon headbutted Blinka.

    Aktur summoned his skeleton soldiers, who also attacked Junhyuk.

    Elise ran toward him and used her nullification field.

    Crack, crack, crack!

    The skeleton soldiers all shattered. The field nullified all of the powers within it. Aktur frowned at that, and Elise attacked him.

    While Trarune was falling, it came within the nullification field and returned to its original size. The field also nullified ultimates.

    Junhyuk had regained his movement, and light green powder sprinkled over his head. Feeling his healthing back, he sighed, relieved.

    He had 85 percent of his health left.

    Before the nullification field disappeared, he attacked Aktur. The other allied heroes did the same.

    Aktur couldn¡¯t dodge all of their attacks.

    While the three vanguard heroes attacked Aktur, Rodrey used his ultimate. The knives dropped from the sky on top of Aktur, Trarune and Blinka, leaving Aktur with 5 percent of his health.

    Junhyuk wanted to deliver the final blow, but Blinka grabbed him and pulled him toward the archers, who attacked him. Junhyuk faced a dilemma. Should he use his force field at that moment, or should he fight without it?

    Junhyuk decided to fight without it. He teleported out of Blinka¡¯s grasp and shed at Aktur, who was in the middle of pulling Rodrey.

    The damage got through, and Aktur died. Aktur had had the Wave of Fear buff, which had put the allies in significant danger, but he was dead now.

    Blinka used its stunning wave at that moment, and all of the allies were stunned.

    Junhyuk regretted having saved his force field. He could¡¯ve killed Blinka in those ten seconds, but now, he was stunned for three.

    Junhyuk expected the enemies to attack him, but they focused on Rodrey.

    The reason was obvious: Rodrey had the lowest defense, and he had already lost some health.

    The enemies¡¯ attacks were strong, and having already used his ultimate, Rodrey died. It took three seconds for the hero to die, so everyone was able to move again.

    When the allies moved, the enemies retreated. They wanted to fight within the archers¡¯ range.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t care. He raised his force field, grabbed his allies and teleported. Junhyuk attacked Blinka first. He could only use regr attacks, but it was still good damage. The other allies hadn¡¯t used all of their powers yet.

    Gongon used his firebreath; Elise summoned Zaira; and Sarang shot off electric sts.

    When Blinka was paralyzed, La used her ultimate.

    Blinka¡¯s health dropped until it died. Trarune stayed by the castle¡¯s wall.

    When the allies attack Trarune, the force field disappeared. Time was of the essence in that fight.

    ¡°Kill Trarune and destroy the gate!¡±

    The allies had to finish the fight before their enemies revived.

    Junhyuk had gained the buffs from killing Aktur, so he used Wave of Fear on Trarune, who was paralyzed.

 Chapter 502 - The One Parting 2

    <h4>Chapter 502: The One Parting 2</h4>

    After Wave of Fear hit, Junhyuk ran ahead and shed at Trarune. He didn¡¯t know where to attack the robot to deliver a critical hit, but because his items increased his rate ofnding one, the strike was a critical. The rest of the allies attacked the hero as well, and before Wave of Fear wore off, Trarune died.

    Meanwhile, Junhyuk was attacked by the archers, so he teleported away.

    The enemies had killed Rodrey because they knew he was the weakest, but now, they were focused on Junhyuk. The archers¡¯ attacks were more damaging than the heroes¡¯ attacks.

    After teleporting, Junhyuk shed the minions with Aksha¡¯s Longsword. Though Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword had a higher attack stat, Junhyuk was more proficient with Aksha¡¯s Longsword, and it worked better against multiple minions.

    When the allied minions saw the enemy minions fall, they pushed forward. While the allied minions killed the rest of the enemy minions, Junhyuk turned to the gate.

    The archers were focused on Gongon now, who was attacking while retreating. Junhyuk killed even more enemy minions before heading off to join La.

    Getting rid of the enemy heroes was important, but more than that, they needed to get rid of the archers. Once the archers were gone, they would be able to attack the gate.

    Gongon got out of the archers¡¯ range and attacked the enemy minions. The allied minions could massacre the enemy minions with just a single hero helping them.

    The enemy minions were all dead, so the allied minions attacked the gate. There were 172 allied minions left. The casualties had been high, but the surviving minions were of great help.

    Finally, the gate was destroyed. Three enemy heroes were dead, so it was a good time for the allied forces to push through the enemy castle.

    Junhyuk went through the gate, climbed to the top of the wall and started dispatching the archers. He watched as the enemy heroes ran away to join the golems.

    Seeing them next to the two golems, Junhyuk smiled.

    ¡°Shall we kill one more before they retreat to the force field?¡±

    ¡°Have your powerse off cooldown?¡±

    Junhyuk replied, ¡°The Spatial Copse hasn¡¯t, but I can use the others.¡±

    Sarang said, ¡°My heal is still on cooldown, but I have ess to everything else.¡±

    ¡°OK. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The allies could definitely kill them with the force field, so it was better to decrease the number of living heroes.

    Gongon transformed into a fully-grown dragon and flew off to attack the enemies from the back.

    But, the enemies didn¡¯t sit still. Edrol split and dodged the attack, and Errune used a giant golem as cover. Even so, they were still within range of the others¡¯ attacks.

    ¡°Attack the golems!¡± Junhyuk shouted, and the minions rushed for the golems. At the same time, La moved. She dove forward in a sh, aiming at Errune.

    Errune tried to escape, but he wasunched into the air. At the same time, lightning bolts and the Spatial sh hit the robot.

    ng!

    Errune disappeared while still in the air, and Edrol retreated into the force field. It was time to finish the battle.

    Junhyuk shouted immediately, ¡°Destroy those golems!¡±

    The enemy heroes hadn¡¯t revived yet, so the allies had to be quick about destroyed the golems. All of the allied heroes attacked.

    A hero would have a hard time killing a golem by themselves, but with the minions present, the golems¡¯ health pools dropped in consistent percentages.

    One of the golems was destroyed. It was easy to get rid of them without an enemy hero present.

    After destroyed the first golem, Junhyuk attacked the second. At the same time, someone came out of the force field.

    It was Aktur, who rushed out quickly,unched his bandages around La¡¯s neck and pulled her.

    Sarang cast her electric st, and Aktur was paralyzed. Gongon moved toward Aktur. His ultimate had ended, so he headbutted the hero.

    Junhyuk shed at Aktur, but the hero dodged his attack even though he was paralyzed. It seemed like Perfect Evasion was still active.

    Elise kept attacking the golem, eventually destroying it.

    Junhyuk kept trying to hit Aktur, but when the hero regained his movements, he immediately retreated.

    He could¡¯ve bought time, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to fight all of the allied heroes by himself.

    After Aktur left, Junhyuk attacked the castle¡¯s force field. The minions joined him, and Aktur sighed while watching them destroy his castle.

    ¡°We lost this time.¡±

    ¡°You made things difficult.¡±

    Piercing through the middle was a good strategy, but it wouldn¡¯t guarantee the allied team a future victory. With Aktur as an opponent, team battles wouldn¡¯t be easy.

    Junhyuk let Aktur know how he felt about the hero. While attacking the force field, he smiled and said, ¡°See you next time.¡±

    Junhyuk attacked harder, and the force field was destroyed.

    He knew he would have to be smarter the next time he fought those enemies, more diligent.

    The enemy heroes disappeared, and Junhyuk felt the blinding light against his eyes. He closed them, and when he opened them again, Ariel was with him.

    [Congrattions on your continued streak!]

    ¡°This victory was costly.¡±

    He had won, but he had lost one of his set items. Junhyuk would have to look for a unique item since the one he had lost couldn¡¯t be reced.

    Ariel said, [I have something to tell you.]

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    She said evenly, [By the conclusion of this battlefield, one of your allies has been deemedcking in items and performance. He has been judged unfit for the current tier.]

    ¡°Rodrey?¡± Junhyuk guessed.

    [Yes, the hero Rodrey will join another team starting next round.]

    Rodrey had died a lot, but Junhyuk had not expected that.

    He was sad, but not overly so. Junhyuk and Rodrey weren¡¯t that good of friends.

    Junhyuk had been with Sarang from the beginning and with Gongon since the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. He knew La through Halo. But, Rodrey was new. He hadn¡¯t contributed much, and now, they were parting ways.

    ¡°That¡¯s too bad. Who¡¯s our new teammate?¡±

    [It might be someone dropping a tier or advancing a tier.]

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Junhyuk wanted a sniper. He also wanted the new hero to have good items.

    Since he didn¡¯t know who it would be, he merely nodded. He would have to wait to meet the new hero.

    ¡°Can you give me information on the Champions¡¯ Battlefield?¡±

    [The return for Elise¡¯s team is even lower than before. You¡¯ll only win 50 percent of your bet.]

    ¡°The return is only at 0.5?¡±

    [Correct.]

    Junhyuk sighed and took a moment to think. Depending on how much he bet, 50 percent could be OK, but it was still a small amount.

    ¡°What about Ling Ling¡¯s team?¡± he asked.

    [The return is double.]

    ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡±

    [Ling Ling¡¯s team isn¡¯t as good as Elise¡¯s team.]

    After pondering things, Junhyuk said, ¡°OK. I¡¯ll bet 200,000G on Elise and 200,000G on Ling Ling. Is that OK?¡±

    [Sure.]

    ¡°Then, I ce my bets on both teams.¡± Looking at Ariel, he added, ¡°See you next time.¡±

    [Congrattions again!]

    Junhyuk felt the blinding light against his eyes, and when he opened them, he saw Sarang looking at him.

    ¡°Big Brother. Rodrey is...¡±

    ¡°I heard about it.¡± Junhyuk scratched his cheek and said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do. Maybe Rodrey died one too many times?¡±

    ¡°What if the new hero is a troll?¡±

    ¡°Our tier is too high. We won¡¯t get a troll.¡±

    ¡°You are being too positive.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to the sleeping Elise. It was good that she was sleeping since she barely slept normally.

    ¡°When are you going to invite Vera?¡± Sarang asked.

    ¡°Not today. She might be in the battlefield. Tomorrow or the day after should be good.¡±

    Sarang smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll make her a gift!¡±

    She left immediately, and Junhyukughed. Could Sarang find something that suited Vera?

    Junhyuk was d that Arn liked to drink. He would get the best alcohol avable on Earth for him, and Arn would be satisfied with that.

    Junhyuk would invite everyone, so he would need presents for the elf and the others.

    Elise opened her eyes and yawned hard as she turned to him.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    ¡°About presents.¡±

    ¡°Presents?¡±

    ¡°For my dimensional guests.¡±

    Elise¡¯s eyes beamed, and she eximed, ¡°Tell me about their hobbies and characteristics! I¡¯lle up with presents!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it together.¡±

 Chapter 503 - Invitation 1

    <h4>Chapter 503: Invitation 1</h4>

    After preparing gifts for everyone, Junhyuk contacted Arn. As always, Arn¡¯s projection appeared drinking. The hero set his bottle of liquor down and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m ready to invite you over.¡±

    ¡°An invitation? Do you have enough alcohol for me?¡±

    ¡°I have many different kinds of alcohol prepared.¡±

    Junhyuk had bought the drinks with Elise, including a bottle that had cost him over $1 million. He also bought a whiskey that cost roughly $10 thousand per shot. Junhyuk had spent over $10 million in alcohol.

    For Junhyuk and Elise, money wasn¡¯t an issue, so they did their best to throw the best possible party.

    Junhyuk called Arn first to get a better idea of how the invitation process worked.

    ¡°Then, you are invited.¡±

    Junhyuk was about to enter his new facility when he said those words. After that, he heard a soft voice ask, [Arn is from another dimension. Do you want to invite him?]

    ¡°I do.¡±

    Arn seemed to have heard something on his side and nodded. After that, they disconnected, and Junhyuk entered his new facility.

    It had been a long time since they had seen each other, but Arn was standing there now. Junhyuk smirked and walked toward him.

    Arn gave him a tight hug. Junhyuk started to perspire. Arn was over two meters tall and had muscles like a jaguar. Arn¡¯s presence was overbearing. Junhyuk was having difficulty breathing just from having the hero next to him.

    After gulping, Junhyuk said, ¡°Eat and drink. I¡¯ll invite the others.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯m curious about the drinks in your dimension.¡±

    Arn picked up a bottle andughed. ¡°What are all these gems in it?¡± he asked. He emptied the bottle in mere moments, and Junhyuk started sweating cold. Arn had just downed a $3 million bottle.

    Junhyuk quickly invited the others. He had to do it before Arn drank all the alcohol.

    He contacted everyone at once and spoke fast, ¡°You are all invited!¡±

    Vera¡¯s, Diane¡¯s, Nudra¡¯s, Halo¡¯s, Gongon¡¯s and La¡¯s projections disappeared, and Junhyuk saw them appear right in front of him.

    Back when Junhyuk was still starting, Halo had remained silent for his training. The hero was 190 centimeters tall and had long arms. Just looking at Halo¡¯s eyes made Junhyuk have difficulty breathing.

    Nudra was standing with his hands behind his back, and his presence was extremely oppressive.

    Vera was looking around. Mana was flowing into her constantly. She could absorb mana faster than anyone he had seen before.

    While Junhyuk was looking at the others, someone walked over and caressed his butt. He had kept his spatial sense up to prevent surprises, but the person had made it to his butt without him noticing.

    He sighed and looked back. Diane was grinning while standing there. He knew the elf was beautiful, but Diane looked alive now. She was mesmerizing, and there were probably many men willing to have their butts grabbed by her.

    Junhyuk saw Gongon and was impressed by the hatchling¡¯s strong presence. Despite being a hatchling, Gongon was still a dragon. However, Vera was still absorbing mana faster than him.

    Vera looked at Gongon, who was the same size on Earth as in the Dimensional Battlefield. He was very small byparison to everyone, so Vera kneeled before him, looked him in the eyes and smiled.

    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Vera.¡±

    ¡°Gongon.¡±

    ¡°Hatchlings should have guardians or babysitters. What are those goggles?¡±

    The two talked, and Junhyuk turned to La, who was Halo¡¯s disciple. She was standing next to him.

    After that, Junhyuk quickly called Sarang and Elise over. As soon as they were invited, they showed up.

    They all sat down. Gongon tried to sit next to him, but Elise picked him up and walked over to Vera. Sarang, who was learning spells from Vera, Elise, who was studying magitek, and Gongon sat with her.

    Elise got a champagne bottle from all of the alcohol and started drinking with the others.

    Halo, La and Nudra sat together. La had already met Nudra.

    Arn sat next to him, and Junhyuk was happy with the sitting arrangement.

    Arn was his mentor, so he offered him a ss of Macan Whisky. Junhyuk thought Arn would like the brand, but Arn could drink a lot.

    Instead of taking the ss, Arn drank from the bottle. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t keep up with him.

    Junhyuk had prepared the best dishes. He had not kept them inside the Spatial Bag. Instead, Elise had brought the tes into the facility, but Arn wasn¡¯t eating.

    The hero emptied bottle after bottle.

    After grabbing another bottle of whiskey, Arn said, ¡°Nice aroma.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled.

    ¡°We are all here, so let¡¯s have a toast.¡±

    Arn shrugged and said, ¡°Let¡¯s.¡±

    Junhyuk poured everyone another round of drinks and got up. Almost everyone was a hero, so they could all drink heavily.

    Everyone turned to him, and he said, ¡°I¡¯m really happy to meet you. Everyone here has helped me stay alive.¡±

    Everyone smiled, and he raised his ss, ¡°Let¡¯s toast! Cheers!¡±

    Everyone raised their sses and drank. Junhyuk¡¯s thoughts turned to Arn, and he saw the hero drinking from a bottle.

    He offered everyone food and said, ¡°Please, enjoy your time here.¡±

    He walked back to Arn, who was on his fifth bottle of whiskey. The hero seemed to have liked the alcohol. Junhyuk liked it as well, so the two drank together.

    ¡°I like this drink.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Arn for a moment. He thought the hero could drink anything he wanted.

    ¡°I¡¯m d you like it.¡±

    Arn looked around and said, ¡°I¡¯ve never wanted to buy a training facility, but it does have its uses.¡±

    ¡°It was expensive.¡±

    Arn nodded and replied, ¡°Right. I couldn¡¯t imagine why one would be so expensive.¡±

    Arn emptied the bottle, and Junhyuk asked, ¡°How is it going for you?¡±

    ¡°You mean in the Dimensional Battlefield?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Arn smirked and said, ¡°After you and Sarang left, we got two human experts.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    Junhyuk knew nearly all of the powered people on Earth, but he didn¡¯t know which teams they fought for.

    ¡°Will you know who if I tell you?¡±

    ¡°I know 90 percent of the human experts.¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t that useful, but thanks to them, we¡¯re winning.¡±

    Arn had fought legend candidates, and since then, he had to have gotten better items. Junhyuk thought that his items might be on par with Arn¡¯s. They might even be better. He had legendary weapons and items now.

    Arn gave off more energy than the heroes who had crossed over to his dimension. He was simply superior.

    Junhyuk stared at him, and Arn set his bottle down and looked at Junhyuk.

    ¡°I heard you are winning.¡±

    ¡°From whom did you hear that?¡±

    ¡°From the managers responsible for me. I can find out about other heroes from them.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Arn nodded and said, ¡°If things continue that way, you will end up against us.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be a legend before that happens.¡±

    Arnughed hard and replied, ¡°Maybe.¡±

    Junhyuk was actually curious about how his team would fare against Arn¡¯s team. He was no match for Arn on Earth, but what about in the Dimensional Battlefield, with all its restrictions.

    Arn emptied another bottle and asked, ¡°This ce is small, but do you want to spar with me?¡±

    ¡°Spar?¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think about Arn¡¯s words, but not long.

    He got up and dered, ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to spar with you.¡±

    Looking at Sarang, Arn said, ¡°You have a healer, so all I gotta do is not kill you, right?¡±

    Junhyuk felt a jab to his pride and replied, ¡°Be careful with what you say. My swords have no eyes. They won¡¯t distinguish you from an enemy.¡±

 Chapter 504 - Invitation 2

    <h4>Chapter 504: Invitation 2</h4>

    The heroes knew Junhyuk and Arn were about to spar, so they moved the stone chairs to the side. They moved the rest of the drinks and food out of the way as well and started taking bets.

    Most heroes bet on Arn. Gongon, Sarang and Elise were the only ones to bet on Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk stared coldly at La. He had expected her to bet on him since she was on his team, but La was betting on Arn.

    Arn stretched his shoulders and turned to Junhyuk.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    Arn pulled out his sabers and aimed them at Junhyuk. He started circling Junhyuk, so Junhyuk leapt forward and dashed toward the hero.

    He knew Arn was strong, so he decided to go all out from the start. Junhyuk elerated and shed at the hero.

    Arn had guessed that Junhyuk would elerate and swung his saber to block Junhyuk¡¯s strike. Within him, Junhyuk was cheering loudly.

    Aksha¡¯s Longsword could go over the saber if blocked. The sword bent softly and snaked toward Arn. The hero¡¯s eyes widened a bit, but he pushed the saber out of the way and closed in on Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk took a step back and shed with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword.

    Arn blocked again, but this time, when Arn blocked, Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword released a wind de aimed at the hero.

    Junhyuk had been training with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword, so he could now easily release wind des.

    Arn elerated then, and Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened. He had lost track of Arn in that instant.

    Boom!

    Suddenly, his chest radiated with pain. Junhyuk wasunched back, rolling across the ground. The strike had been shockingly strong.

    When Junhyuk looked up, he saw that Arn had attacked with his left shoulder. The hero repositioned himself and started juggling his sabers.

    ¡°Jack of all trades. Master of none.¡±

    Junhyuk got angry. He had studied two legendary sword techniques, but he was still being looked down on by Arn.

    ¡°Then, how about this?!¡±

    Junhyuk distanced himself so that Aksha¡¯s Longsword could really work. Nine images of the sword appeared, and they all released mana des.

    Within a certain rage, mana des were devastating, but Arn simply smiled.

    Though Junhyuk had released nine attacks, Arn¡¯s sabers danced lightly to meet them.

    sh, sh, sh!

    Junhyuk watched with disappointment as each mana de was shed. Arn closed in and shed at him.

    The sabers were aimed at Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder, but he blocked them with his swords.

    ng!

    The sabers slid down his swords and tried to slice Junhyuk¡¯s fingers, so Junhyuk teleported immediately. He was now on the opposite side of the room, and Arn smiled at that.

    ¡°Are you running away already?¡±

    He refocused. Junhyuk had forgotten just how strong Arn was. He was fired up for the duel now. Arn wouldn¡¯t die from a Spatial sh. Junhyuk gripped both of his swords tightly and said, ¡°Be careful.¡±

    Arnughed and ran toward him. Junhyuk was sure then that Arn could elerate without turning it off. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t keep track of the hero, so it would be hard to use the Spatial sh even with his spatial sense.

    Junhyuk tried taking advantage of the ce. The training facility was small, and because he couldn¡¯t keep track of Arn, he triggered a Spatial Copse.

    Junhyuk was already using his best move, but he was thinking that, because the ce was small, Arn would have to get hit by it.

    When the Spatial Copse triggered, Arn appeared again. Junhyuk moved to stand right in front of the hero, andughing, he said, ¡°It¡¯s my win.¡±

    Junhyuk used his Spatial sh. He thought he had won, but Arn¡¯s muscles grew, and the hero simply ignored the suction of the copse, moving forward.

    The Spatial sh struck empty space. Arn had dodged his attack, and after that, heunched a saber toward Junhyuk. Junhyuk knew that was one of Arn¡¯s powers, so he immediately dodged the attack.

    Even so, Arn appeared right in front of him and swung his other saber. Junhyuk blocked the attack and teleported away, but Arn jumped toward him. Arn¡¯s jump was different from when it was used in the Dimensional Battlefield. It was much faster.

    Arn attacked Junhyuk without holding back.

    ng!

    Junhyuk barely blocked the attack, but Arn got even closer and swung again.

    ng!

    Even with two swords, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t keep up with Arn. The hero was very strong, in a way that was superior to Junhyuk¡¯s strength.

    Junhyuk quickly raised his force field.

    ng!

    He wasunched toward the wall, and Arn smacked his lips.

    ¡°The force field. Guess I have to y tag for ten seconds.¡±

    Arn moved back, and Junhyuk ran out to close the gap between them. He should be attacking as much as possible in those ten seconds.

    Junhyuk decreased the size of his force field to cover only his body and released wind des with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword. Even if his enemy was fast, the wind des would pressure him from all sides.

    The wind des came from every direction, but Arnughed and swung his sabers. Arn only had two arms, but Junhyuk could see eight arms blocking in every direction. The wind des were destroyed, and Arn struck against the force field delightfully.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck, thuck!

    Junhyuk wasunched back again, and Arn brandished his sabers.

    Arn took a stance, and Junhyuk knew the hero would use his ultimate. However, because his force field was active, Junhyuk considered himself safe and attacked again.

    Arn blocked all of his attacks, and from that, Junhyuk picked up on his weaknesses. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t as fast as Arn when elerating. Arn¡¯s huge muscles were unreasonably fast during the hero¡¯s eleration.

    Junhyuk had to increased the range of his attacks, and he used both of his swords to attack over a wide area. His thought was that Arn would not be able to defend against it.

    Using the two swords like that, Junhyuk felt his mana depleting quickly. He attacked Arn, creating a mana hurricane with his swords. Arn saw the attack heading toward him andughed. He unsheathed his sabers, and the world split in two.

    ng!

    Junhyuk was lucky that his force field was still up, but he was thrown against the wall. He tried to search for the difference between him and Arn. Even with his expensive items, he had not managed to do much in the battle. He concluded that fights between heroes had to be decided through brute force.

    His ability to control his body and his mana was lower than Arn¡¯s.

    Junhyuk¡¯s items had speed buffs, but Arn¡¯s probably did as well.

    Junhyuk gathered his breath. He hadn¡¯t made a dent on the hero yet. Both Aksha¡¯s swordsmanship and Dentra¡¯s swordsmanship, as well as his wild swordsmanship, were useless.

    Arn was different. He knew himself from top to bottom, and the hero could destroy all of Junhyuk¡¯s best attacks because of that.

    Junhyuk attacked one more time before the force field disappeared, and he poured everything he had into that attack.

    He wanted to fight until his mana waspletely depleted. Using the sword shield, Juhyuk rushed toward Arn.

    He would push Arn with the sword shield and stab him with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword. That was his goal, but Arn swung his sabers, and the muscles in his arms increased in size.

    The two shed against each other in a sh. Arn¡¯s sabers collided against the sword shield, destroying it.

    Junhyuk was shocked by the hero. Soon after all of the sword shields were destroyed, he released the wind of Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword against the hero.

    The wind was focused at the tip of the sword so that it would be able to pierce Arn¡¯s skin. He wanted to finish the fight immediately.

    Junhyuk thought he would be able to get through Arn¡¯s defenses. There was nowhere for Arn to go.

    The wind de was aimed at Arn¡¯s chest, and Arn noticed that as well, so he swung at the tip of Junhyuk¡¯s sword. That was definitely not one of Arn¡¯s powers, but the concentrated wind was dispersed to the four corners of the room as the saber rushed toward Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk used his swords to block the attack.

    ng!

    The force field was now gone, so he mmed against the wall after beingunched back again.

    Junhyuk staggered, and Arn extended his hands toward him.

    He tried to sh Arn¡¯s hands, but the hero grabbed him by the neck.

    The world spun around, and Junhyuk felt an impact against his back. He felt like vomiting.

    Arn was now sitting on his chest, smirking.

    ¡°Shall we begin round two?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t begin with you on top of me.¡±

    Arn started punching him hard.

 Chapter 505 - Invitation 3

    <h4>Chapter 505: Invitation 3</h4>

    Even though Sarang had healed him, Junhyuk¡¯s face was still all puffy. It would take him more time to recover. Junhyuk had regained all of his health, but Arn had beaten the crap out of him, so there were consequences.

    ¡°He¡¯s barbaric,¡± Junhyuk muttered.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Arn was listening, so he waved him off quickly and said, ¡°You are so gung-ho.¡±

    Arn emptied another bottle of whiskey, and while Junhyuk was massaging his jaw, he asked, ¡°How do you continue elerating like that?¡±

    Junhyuk knew his own eleration had a limit, but because the Wolf Warlord couldn¡¯t keep up with him, he thought he had been fast enough. Arn was much faster, however.

    Arn threw the empty bottle away and said, ¡°The important thing is the amount of mana one has. Even more important than that is how one controls their mana. How well can you control your mana?¡±

    Junhyuk realized he had been training incorrectly. Arn grabbed another bottle of whiskey and continued, ¡°You have mediocre sword skills and you don¡¯t have full control of your body. Your items are nice, but that¡¯s like giving expensive gifts to a child.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed. He was on a winning streak in the battlefield, so he hadn¡¯t been afraid. Now, he realized that other heroes might cross over after his items, and that he might lose to them on Earth.

    Halo got up from his seat and said, ¡°Arn is too blunt. Do you want to spar with me?¡±

    Junhyuk knew he would gain valuable experience from that, so he got up. Arn had beaten the crap out of him, but he thought Halo would be different.

    Junhyuk readied himself, and Halo brandished his sword.

    ¡°I spar with La often. Let¡¯s see how you do.¡±

    ¡°Has La ever won?¡±

    ¡°No. If she had, I would have had to be her disciple.¡±

    Junhyuk elerated and dashed toward Halo. Anyone who had full control of their mana should be able to elerate, and Junhyuk wanted to find out if Halo could as well.

    Suddenly, Halo disappeared.

    ng!

    Junhyuk blocked by instinct. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve died. Halo was that fast.

    Halo sh at him like lightning. He didn¡¯t think the hero would be that fast. While Junhyuk was pushed back, Halo kept attacking.

    ng, ng, ng, ng!

    Halo was wielding his sword with both hands, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t think Halo would¡¯ve been able to swing that fast, but he could barely keep up.

    Halo¡¯s attack speed was even faster than Arn¡¯s.

    Junhyuk did not want to be pushed back. He had elerated, but he couldn¡¯t do much else.

    He knew he would lose from Halo¡¯s very first attack, so he thought he had to get his powers out immediately. Junhyuk had just blocked Halo¡¯s sword and was about to counter when Halo¡¯s sword bent softly.

    Both of his swords were deflected, and Halo stabbed at him. Junhyuk quickly raised his force field and used his Spatial Copse. He thought he could win with it, but Halo turned his body sideways and dodged a direct hit. He had seen others with developed senses dodge his Spatial sh, but never his Spatial Copse.

    However, while Halo turned, he lost his bnce, so Junhyuk used his Spatial sh.

    Halo dove toward the Spatial Copse, using the momentum to effectively dodge the Spatial sh.

    Halo was being held in ce by the copse, but he used his own sword shield, and Junhyuk swung against it.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t break Halo¡¯s sword shield, and Halo was simply trying to run the clock.

    The sword shield had no cooldown or active time limit, so Junhyuk used his wind de. Halo¡¯s sword shield covered a wide area, but his wind de focused on a single spot.

    Junhyuk stabbed forward with all of his might against Halo¡¯s sword shield, and his wind de waspletely dispelled.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t have the time to be disappointed, however. The Spatial Copse had ended, and Halo was counterattacking.

    ng, ng, ng!

    Halo was so strong that Junhyuk kept getting pushed back. Halo¡¯s sword slid down the de of his sword and shed Junhyuk¡¯s thigh.

    sh!

    Junhyuk was wearing armor, so the damage was low, but he felt something strange from it. Halo pointed his sword at Junhyuk and started spinning and rising into the air. That was one of Halo¡¯s powers.

    Junhyuk used both of his swords to defend against it, and Halo threw his sword toward Junhyuk.

    ng!

    The sword bounced off, but it kept flying and homing for him. That was Rain from Above.

    In the Dimensional Battlefield, Rain from Above onlysted a short while, so Junhyuk teleported and tried to stab Halo in the back. Halo, who seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, blocked his attack with ease and followed up with his own attack.

    Junhyuk teleported again to escape and attack. It made no difference.

    He tried to use Aksha¡¯s sword from far away, but Halo had the advantage at long rage. Rain from Above worked best at long range.

    Junhyuk had thought he would¡¯ve been able to block Rain from Above, but Halo scoffed at his attitude and attacked him yet again.

    When Rain from Above came for him, Junhyuk was unable to block it even with both of his swords. He had great items now, but if that had happened in the past, he would¡¯ve turned into a pool of blood.

    On top of that, Halo¡¯s movement speed, which wasn¡¯t anything rted to his powers, was just as fast as Junhyuk¡¯s eleration. The bigger problem, however, was that Halo¡¯s attack speed was much faster than Junhyuk¡¯s.

    Junhyuk was getting injured, and every one of Halo¡¯s attacks was proving that Junhyuk¡¯s swordsmanship was crap.

    Junhyuk knew it was time to end things. He wanted to close in on Halo, so he used Aksha¡¯s sword shields.

    Halo retreated quickly, but Rain from Above was still active, and it was incredibly strong. The sword pierced through all threeyers of sword shields and pierced the ground right by his foot.

    Junhyuk thought that if Halo¡¯s sword had stabbed him, he would¡¯ve lost an arm, or worse.

    Halo walked toward Junhyuk, pulled his sword out of the ground and said, ¡°You are certainlycking the basics.¡±

    Halo walked away, and Junhyuk sighed.

    The hero had only been trying to teach him, but Junhyuk¡¯s pride ended up hurt.

    Nudra walked up to him and said, ¡°Considering the time you¡¯ve been training, don¡¯t be too disappointed.¡±

    He looked at Arn and Halo. They had been training all of their lives, so inparison, his training time had been short. Still, his pride had received some blows.

    Nudra also wanted to teach him a few things. He could sense it.

    Junhyuk wanted to learn. His eyes were beaming softly, and looking at him, Nudra said, ¡°I like your mindset.¡±

    ¡°Then, please teach me.¡±

    Nudra gave a content smile.

    Junhyuk closed in quickly, swinging immediately. He knew he couldn¡¯t do much against those heroes, so he made up his mind to do his best.

    Nudra extended his hand against Junhyuk¡¯s sword.

    ng!

    Junhyuk felt a soft impact and saw Nudra being pushed back.

    Boom!

    Nudra hadn¡¯t been pushed back. Junhyuk had. He only realized that after mming against the wall behind him.

    Junhyuk collected his breath and analyzed things.

    Nudra hadn¡¯t moved fast at all, but he hadunched Junhyuk back.

    Staring at Nudra, Junhyuk dove forward. Nudra put the palm of his hand forward, and Junhyuk teleported. He wanted to stab Nudra from the back, but the hero took a step forward, avoiding the attack.

    Junhyuk was elerating, but Nudra was still dodging his attacks while moving slowly. Nudra was much slower than Halo, but none of Junhyuk¡¯s attacks hit.

    Junhyuk wanted to speed up. Without the Spatial Copse and the Spatial sh, he could only depend on his skills.

    But, Nudra was dodging everything.

    From time to time, Nudra kicked him, and Junhyuk went rolling across the ground. He could feel the dirt all over him, so he focused even harder and attacked again.

    Nudra wasn¡¯t getting tired at all.

    During one of the times Junhyuk went rolling, Halo turned to Arn and said, ¡°You should teach him more.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already taught him everything he needs. The rest he has to learn on his own.¡±

    Halo turned to La and said, ¡°You have a good master.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m always grateful.¡±

    Junhyuk went rolling across the ground again.

 Chapter 506 - Training 1

    <h4>Chapter 506: Training 1</h4>

    Junhyuk sparred for the rest of the day with those same heroes. By the end of it, he felt like a used rag. Out of all of them, Nudra was the most helpful, giving him advice in a kind manner.

    While Junhyuk was resting on a stone chair, Arn, who was still drinking, said, ¡°You are learning new swordsmanships at the moment, but you have a lot to learn still. Those legends spent a lifetime perfecting their swordsmanships, and they continued doing so even after bing legends.¡±

    Junhyuk had no energy left, so he simply stared at Arn, who continued nonchntly, ¡°Their swordsmanships belong to them. They did their best until the end. You are learning something iplete, so you have toe up with your own swordsmanship.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded heavily. He could understand what Arn was saying.

    Arn emptied the bottle in his hand and grabbed another.

    ¡°So, develop your swordsmanship right now.¡±

    ¡°Do you want me to give up those legendary swordsmanships?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to give them up. You can use them. You just need your own swordsmanship toplete andplement them.¡±

    ¡°Is that even possible?¡±

    Arn pondered it over and said, ¡°I like this drink. Can you get me some more?¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the bottle. It was a thirty-year-old whiskey. Smiling, he said, ¡°If you want, I¡¯ll gather all of the bottled whiskey on Earth.¡±

    Arn smirked.

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll fix your swordsmanship until the alcohol stops flowing.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    Arn got up and pulled out his sabers, saying, ¡°It¡¯s your job to refine your swordsmanship, but I¡¯ll spar with you to fix it.¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes beamed, and he replied, ¡°Give me some time. I¡¯ll get the whiskey ready.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk exited the training facility and went to see Eunseo. She was very busy, but he had to ask her for a favor.

    When he entered, he got up and looked at him.

    ¡°How¡¯s the party?¡±

    ¡°Good, but I have a problem.¡±

    ¡°What problem?¡±

    Eunseo seemed ready to solve his problems for him, so he said, ¡°I need more thirty-year Macans.¡±

    ¡°How many bottles?¡±

    ¡°As many as possible.¡±

    Eunseo smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get the South Korean supply first. Then, I¡¯ll look at the nearby countries, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only giving out orders.¡±

    ¡°Still.¡±

    Eunseo walked up to him and asked, ¡°Why do you look so injured?¡±

    Nudra had thrown him all over the facility, so Junhyuk¡¯s entire body was bruised. Eunseo was looking at himpassionately.

    ¡°I¡¯m OK.¡±

    ¡°Be careful.¡±

    He hugged her tightly and said, ¡°It¡¯ll be two more hours before they finish their drinks. Can Ie back then?¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll get everything ready, so came back.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and reentered the training facility.

    Looking around, Arn said, ¡°They are having fun.¡±

    Vera, Gongon, Sarang and Elise were talking passionately. Halo and Nudra were giving La advice. Diane was smiling while drinking wine.

    Junhyuk was d he had bought the training facility. Everyone was there, and they were all having a good time.

    Arn was in the middle of emptying another bottle.

    Those heroes had already faced many deaths. They were incredibly strong.

    Junhyuk thought about the heroes. He was a hero. He was the first human hero and he had also gone through many battles. But, he had Sarang, Elise and Eunseo. Without them, he would¡¯ve been lonely.

    ¡°Do you want to start training now?¡±

    Junhyuk got up. He would train for the next couple of hours.

    He gathered his thoughts while standing in front of Arn. His goal was tobine all of the swordsmanships he knew, including his own wild swordsmanship. His wild swordsmanship was entirely dependent on instinct, and he used it now.

    Junhyuk ran toward Arn and shed. Arn deflected his sword easily and said, ¡°Don¡¯t just swing purposelessly like that.¡±

    Junhyuk refocused and swung again.

    They sparred, his attacks easily met by Arn.

    ¡ª

    Diane had the most free time out of the people present. She seemed that way at least while drinking her sparkling wine.

    She wasn¡¯t talking about magic with others nor working on improving her swordsmanship. She was alone, but she looked interested in what Junhyuk and Arn were doing. Diane knew how hard it was toe up with a new swordsmanship, but she did not want to interfere.

    Junhyuk was moving nimbly, and she was watching him.

    La walked up to Diane then.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°You look bored.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not bored at all!¡± Diane said with a shrug. ¡°This ce has a good atmosphere. I¡¯mfortable just sitting around and I know everyone here.¡±

    Diane didn¡¯t have many interests, but they had managed to gather outside of the Dimensional Battlefield, and she was happy with that. She didn¡¯t want to talk, but she was happy just being there.

    Her eyes and ears were happy with what was happening, and she was having a good time.

    La, who was drinking next to her now, asked, ¡°Can I stay with you?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Nudra was drinking with Halo, so La decided to join Diane.

    ¡°I have a question.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Is the way elf¡¯s move natural or something learned?¡±

    Diane stared at La and asked, ¡°Why are you so curious?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s learned, I would also like to learn it.¡±

    Diane smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯ll be difficult for a non-elf.¡±

    ¡°But I won¡¯t know until I try.¡±

    Diane stared at her for a moment and asked, ¡°What do I get for it?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in women.¡±

    La didn¡¯t know what to say. Meanwhile, Diane took another sip or her wine.

    ¡°I can teach you the basics of elf movement.¡±

    ¡°Really!?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Diane crouched, and La did the same, and the two talked in hushed voices for a while.

    ¡ª

    Coming up with a new swordsmanship wasn¡¯t easy, but he was lucky.

    Junhyuk had three very great teachers, and within his mind, two legendary swordsmanships.

    They all worked on him, and the three heroes corrected him when he took a wrong turn in his training.

    Arn corrected him through punishment, while Halo spoke to him directly, and Nudra told him stories.

    If he had only had one teacher, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to understand, but with the three, he learned a lot.

    Junhyuk was getting the basics of his swordsmanship right. His own wild swordsmanship was nowbining with the two others.

    Junhyuk could control wind energy and lengthen his sword while using his wild swordsmanship, refining everything.

    Arn drank while Halo or Nudra sparred with him. Having multiple heroes to spar with him was helping himplete his swordsmanship.

    He got badly beaten during training, but he also learned a lot.

    Junhyuk copse when dueling Arn, and he felt someone grabbing his butt. He knew who it was.

    ¡°You never get tired of it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t get many chances.¡± While caressing his butt, Diane said, ¡°Take your armor off.¡±

    Without saying anything, Junhyuk returned his armor. He was wearing regr clothes underneath.

    Diane started massaging his back. Her hands moved quickly, and he felt himself being soothed. It felt good, and her hands seemed addictive to him.

    He felt rxed, but suddenly, her hands grabbed his butt again, so he got up.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Diane left. He was getting hints about his swordsmanship. When he got up, Arn also got up.

    ¡°You are getting better, but you are still far frompleting your training. You don¡¯t have your own aroma yet.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±

    Junhyukunched himself toward Arn again.

 Chapter 507 - Training 2

    <h4>Chapter 507: Training 2</h4>

    Junhyuk brought in more whiskey, but Arn was drinking it faster than Junhyuk was able to replenish it. Arn grabbed a bottle, and every gulp emptied it a bit. Eventually, there was no more whiskey.

    Since Junhyuk had invited Arn over, three days had passed.

    When Arn drank thest bottle, he asked, ¡°Is it over?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go out and check.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± An said while waving at Junhyuk to stop. He got up and added, ¡°I should be going back now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going back!?¡±

    Arn smiled.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been training for three days. Do you want more?¡±

    Arn rarely smiled, and Junhyuk sighed at his response.

    ¡°I¡¯m just getting used to the basics, and you¡¯re heading back.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve improved in these three days. You should be d.¡±

    ¡°But, I only managed the basics. I need a lot more work.¡±

    ¡°You can do that while you fight.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t have any enemies with whom he could train while fighting, and on Earth, nobody could match him yet.

    Arn realized Junhyuk was disappointed, but he said, ¡°I can¡¯t stay any more than this. I have my own work to do.¡±

    Those heroes were like emperors and rulers in their dimension. If they stayed any longer, problems could arise where they were from.

    ¡°Can I invite you overter?¡±

    ¡°After the next battle, I¡¯lle back, but you¡¯ll need to have more drinks avable.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely get those ready.¡±

    Arn nodded and turned to the others. Halo and Nudra also nodded.

    ¡°Good thinking. We¡¯lle backter.¡±

    Diane walked over to him and grabbed his butt.

    ¡°Do I have to go?¡±

    ¡°You can stay here if you¡¯d like.¡±

    Diane smiled at that but replied, ¡°I want to stay, but I better get back. Elves are busier than we seem.¡±

    ¡°Is it time for us to go already?¡± Vera asked.

    Arn shrugged and replied, ¡°You can stay longer if you¡¯d like.¡±

    ¡°My magic tower is also busy.¡±

    Arn turned to the group and dered, ¡°It feels like we¡¯ve done something right.¡±

    Vera smirked.

    ¡°Yes! I learned some magic engineering. I can use that to change the course of my magic tower¡¯s history.¡±

    Arn shook his head and said, ¡°You should slow down development. You have no heir.¡±

    ¡°Hm... You know it¡¯s hard to find an heir. You found yours through the Dimensional Battlefield.¡±

    ¡°You have Sarang.¡±

    ¡°True!¡± Vera hugged Sarang and said, ¡°The children should learn magic engineering.¡±

    ¡°Nothing good wille of your magic tower getting even stronger,¡± Halo said.

    Nudra shrugged and dered, ¡°There is always a limit, so who cares about what she makes?¡±

    Junhyuk suddenly became curious and asked, ¡°Do you all live near each other?¡±

    With a shrug, Arn replied, ¡°The continent is so big, we hardly ever see each other there.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded. Even if someone else got a hold of magic engineering technology, that person wouldn¡¯t be able to fight against the heroes. However, when heroes were on par with each other, magic engineering could be the deciding factor.

    But, these heroes weren¡¯t interested in that.

    ¡°She is definitely superior at dimensional understanding,¡± Gongon told Junhyuk.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Vera could transport items through dimensions, and Gongon had concluded that she was superior to him at dimensional magic. Still, Vera had also learned from Gongon.

    Sarang and Elise were smiling. They had to have learned the most out of the four. Their expressions said it all.

    ¡°Gongon, do you also have to go?¡±

    ¡°I should be heading back.¡±

    Gongon had learned a lot, and he wanted to test out the things he had learned.

    Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°OK, Gon. We¡¯ll practice the Dimensional sh next time.¡±

    Gongon nodded, waved at him and disappeared.

    Nudra and Halo had heard mention of the Dimensional sh for the first time.

    ¡°Dimensional sh?!¡±

    Arn answered curtly, ¡°He wants to evolve the Spatial sh to reach an enemy in another dimension.¡±

    ¡°HA?! Is that even possible?¡±

    Halo did not believe it was, but Nudra thought differently, saying, ¡°It won¡¯t be like a normal evolution. It¡¯ll be more like triggering an entirely different power.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy.¡± Nudra ced a hand on Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder and added, ¡°It¡¯s an entirely new concept, but you can do it.¡±

    ¡°I hope so.¡±

    Arn said, ¡°Before trying toplete the Dimensional sh, look back through all of your powers.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    ¡°You have the basics now, so look into yourself. Look into your own swordsmanship.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    After Arn said his piece, he disappeared. He did so without looking back.

    Vera buried him in her voluptuous breasts and said, ¡°Thanks for the invitation. I hadn¡¯t had a chance to give you a hug.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    Vera seemed about to cry, but she smiled and disappeared. Halo patted his shoulder and disappeared. La said goodbye and left.

    ¡°Arn is very lucky to have you. You could be his heir,¡± Nudra said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a disciple of your own?¡±

    ¡°I do, but he is not even a champion yet.¡±

    Bing a champion was hard.

    Nudra patted his shoulder and waved goodbye.

    ¡°Then, see you soon.¡±

    Only Diane remained now. She grabbed his butt and said, ¡°Call me again.¡±

    ¡°See you next time.¡±

    When Diane left, Sarang and Elise sighed. Elise¡¯s eyes were beaming, and she said, ¡°I have to go build something right now.¡±

    Sarang¡¯s eyes were beaming as well.

    ¡°Me too! Me too!¡±

    Junhyuk smiled at them and said, ¡°Right. I have more training to do. Let¡¯s all head to our facilities.¡±

    Sarang and Elise left, and Junhyuk looked around his training facility. There were only empty bottles and tes left, and he put them all in his Spatial Bag. He would throw them outter.

    Junhyuk sat in the center of the facility. He had decided tobine all three swordsmanships into one: his own, and Aksha¡¯s and Dentra¡¯s swordsmanships.

    In those three days, Arn, Halo and Nudra had helped him fix his swordsmanship. His wild style had improved tremendously, but he stillcked something.

    Junhyuk had only mastered the basics, so he would train and look into himself to make improvements to his techniques.

    He would need an opponent with him to practice, but for the time being, he would train alone. He was looking deep within himself to bring forth the best sword.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t go as far as when he died in the Dimensional Battlefield, but he imagined Arn as his enemy.

    Arn¡¯s own sword style was like his swordsmanship. Junhyuk imagined that Arn was still there, and he ran mock battles in his mind. He could almost hear Halo¡¯s and Nudra¡¯s voices when he did something wrong. When he thought that, he corrected himself. Training alone was a slow process, and it took a long time.

    There was nobody teaching him now, but he made progress, and as he did, he sped up his movements. He felt his vision was improving as well.

    He was very curious about what was happening to his body, but suddenly, he heard Ariel¡¯s voice.

    [How have you been?]

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡±

    Junhyuk had been summoned while training, and his reaction left Ariel tense.

    [Umm... You can watch the champions. Do you want to?]

    Junhyuk realized it was Friday already. Arn had left on Wednesday, and after that, he had lost track of time training by himself.

    ¡°I¡¯m hungry...¡±

    [Do you want to eat?]

    ¡°That¡¯s possible?¡±

    [You can have whatever you want.]

    ¡°A sirloin steak!¡±

    As soon as he said those words, a roasted sirloin appeared in front of him. Junhyuk ate it quickly.

    ¡°Which team is first?¡±

    [Elise¡¯s team.]

    ¡°OK. Show me the battle.¡±

    Junhyuk ate some more while he watched. The sirloins were delicious, and they melted in his mouth.

    He was enjoying himself, and the battle began.

 Chapter 508 - Activation 1

    <h4>Chapter 508: Activation 1</h4>

    Elise¡¯s equipment was getting better and better with each passing day. She was bing stronger at a faster rate than her enemies and, because of that, she was inplete control of the battlefield.

    She was now equipped with an item Junhyuk had never seen before. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t eaten or slept while training. Elise, who had gotten inspired by her talk with the heroes, had another Red Dragon item, and it was incredibly powerful.

    Elise was superior to her enemies, and she pushed them away easily. She was doing the job of two champions, or maybe even more.

    It seemed like Elise would win easily, but then, the enemies¡¯ strategy changed. All three of them focused entirely on her. Elise¡¯s defense was higher now, but she couldn¡¯t endure all of their attacks.

    Zaira had been deployed for assistance, but Elise died anyway. Nevertheless, the enemies were pushed back by the two remaining champions.

    The allies were about to win with ease.

    Junhyuk ate his steaks sitting down,fortably watching the battle. The flow of the battle was heavily in favor of the allies. Elise hadn¡¯t revived yet, so the allies were killed by the revived enemies. Nobody had seen thating.

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue. With things like that, he couldn¡¯t tell who would win. The rate of return for his bet on Elise¡¯s team was low, and he had bet on her because he was sure she would win. However, if she lost, he wouldn¡¯t make any money.

    Junhyuk tensed up as he watched. Elise returned to the battlefield, joining the revived allies and moving out. But, the enemies had already acquired the buff, and that buff would decide who would win or lose that battle.

    The allies encountered the enemies again. This time, the battle was more ferocious, but the enemy champions hade up with good strategies. Elise was killed again. As a champion, she lost gold from that, but she wouldn¡¯t enjoy the feeling of dying and the harrowing void.

    While she was dead, Elise worked on her research. That was just the way she was. She had had a discussion with the heroes about magic engineering and she was pushing that front.

    The enemy champions pushed on after killing Elise, killing another allied champion.

    Elise revived again and had a discussion with the allied champions. This time, she would go all out. The enemies were only focusing on her because the others weren¡¯t doing their part. So, the allied champions stood as a wall in front of her.

    The enemy champions would have a harder time killing her that way, and Elise was free to attack them with long range attacks. She didn¡¯t have any long range powers, but her regr attacks were sufficiently strong. There were no champions who could match her from long range.

    This time, Elise survived, but the allied champions were killed. Elise killed the enemies and destroyed the enemy gate, quickly returning after that.

    There was a golem in the castle, and if she had entered it by herself, she would¡¯ve probably died. So, she retreated and joined up with the allied champions.

    The enemies pushed forward, taking a different path from the one the allies had opened. They destroyed an allied tower while Elise and the allied champions pushed on toward the enemy castle. The enemies returned, and a fight ensued. However, the enemies had a golem on their side.

    The allies killed the golem, but got annihted by the enemy champions.

    Elise had died a total of three times by now, and Junhyuk clicked his tongue at that. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected her to die because her items were superior.

    The allies advanced again, and the enemy champions returned one more time. This time, however, there was no golem left. The allies would push on.

    Junhyuk watched the enemy champions and saw that they were doing their best to kill Elise. With the allied champions blocking for her, they were locked in a team battle.

    Even if Elise died, the allies would still win. Nevertheless, the enemies attacked, and they all focused on her.

    Elise was suddenly surrounded by magic circles¡ªJunhyuk didn¡¯t know what that was¡ªand from one of them, she pulled out an orb that looked just like her weapon.

    There were five magic circles, and five copies of her weapon appeared. There was a sh of light, and the six weapons, counting her original, released a massive beam. The force of the beam pushed the enemy team like a hurricane, sweeping through all of them.

    The enemy champions were in tatters. One of them died due to receiving a critical hit from the beam.

    Junhyuk pumped his fist and shouted, ¡°Elise!¡±

    The enemies looked exhausted, and the allied champions killed them easily. The enemy castle was destroyed soon after. The allies had won.

    Junhyuk turned to Ariel and asked, ¡°Did she just activate a power?¡±

    [Yes. Her rate of activation is very high. Still, she is now a hero.]

    ¡°Her activation rate is high?¡±

    [Among all humans, her rate is the highest, and by far. The amount of times she died this time enabled her to be a hero.]

    ¡°OK. Can Elise join my team as our new hero?¡±

    Ariel shook her head and said, [Her items are not that great. Do you still want her?]

    Her powers were substantial, and Elise would only grow. Junhyuk wanted her on his team.

    ¡°Is that possible?¡±

    [You¡¯ll need a consensus from your team members.]

    Junhyuk wanted Elise. She needed more items, so if she died, she would be dropped from the team automatically, but he would help her.

    ¡°How do I get permission?¡±

    [I¡¯ll connect you with them right now. All of them were watching this battle.]

    Projections of Sarang, Gongon and La appeared.

    ¡°Did you all see that Elise has activated another power?¡± he asked them.

    Everyone nodded, so he said, ¡°I want Elise to join our team, but I need your agreement.¡±

    Sarang answered right away, ¡°I agree with that!¡±

    Junhyuk turned to the others, and after some thought, Gongon said, ¡°I agree. Her ultimate is awesome!¡±

    Junhyuk looked at La, but she said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure she will fit our team. What about the other potentials? Wouldn¡¯t that be better?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a gamble. Elise needs items, sure, but her powers are useful, and we¡¯ve worked together. Any other hero wouldn¡¯t adapt to us as well. She¡¯s the better choice.¡±

    ¡°Gambles are not interesting.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    La took a moment to think and said, ¡°OK. Let her join us. We¡¯ll still be missing a champion, though.¡±

    ¡°Right, but we could raise another.¡±

    From that point on, the allies didn¡¯t have a champion. They would have to get a novice that would eventually grow into a champion, but novices only had one life.

    Junhyuk turned to Ariel and said, ¡°We¡¯ve agreed. Can she join our team now?¡±

    [Yes, Elise is in your team now.]

    Junhyuk smiled and asked, ¡°What about my winnings?¡±

    [The final rate of return was set for 100 percent. I¡¯ll ce the money in your ount right now.]

    ¡°When is the next Champions¡¯ Battlefield?¡±

    [At noon.]

    Ling Ling would fightter in the day, which would give Junhyuk time to talk to Elise first.

    ¡°OK, see you then.¡±

    [See you soon.]

    Junhyuk exited the training facility and teleported to Elise¡¯s room. In his training facility, he could train without interruption.

    Elise was just standing there, staring nkly at something. She was a hero now, but her power activation had been different from his.

    Junhyuk was curious about how she had be a hero. He waited for her, and soon, Sarang showed up.

    Junhyuk closed Sarang¡¯s mouth before she could yell out. He watched Elise. Still with a nk expression, she pounded against her keyboard, typing furiously.

    Once Elisepleted what she was doing, she felt him there and turned to look at him.

    When she saw them both looking at her, she asked, ¡°When did youe in?¡±

    ¡°As soon as I got back from watching your battle. You were deep in thought, so I waited.¡±

    Elise smiled and said, ¡°I got a hint for a new item, so I had to write it down.¡±

    ¡°Congrattions!¡±

    After being congratted on bing a hero, Elise smiled and said, ¡°Thanks. I can help out now.¡±

 Chapter 509 - Activation 2

    <h4>Chapter 509: Activation 2</h4>

    Staring at Elise, Junhyuk asked, ¡°How does your ultimate work?¡±

    Elise had been waiting for that question.

    ¡°I can summon my weapon through dimensions. I heard the coordinates, triggered the summon, and the transportation cleared. After I died, I looked into it a bit more before trying it in the field. I can summon five weapons at the same time for a total of six, counting my original. With them, I shoot a high-powered beam.¡±

    ¡°You have five copies of your weapon?¡±

    ¡°No. I can bring them over from parallel universes. They are temporary. What I think is most important is that I can cast magic circles in the air.¡±

    ¡°Why is that important?¡±

    ¡°I can create the magic circles just by imagining them, which means that item crafting will speed up.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice!¡±

    It took her a while to craft an item, and creating the magic circles for crafting was the most time-consuming task of the process. Now, with her ultimate, she would be able to craft items bypassing that task.

    ¡°Do you have enough materials?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say I have enough.¡± She smiled and added, ¡°But, I can create five magic circles at the same time, so even if I fail, my chances of sess are higher. I used to only be able to craft one item at a time.¡±

    ¡°With enough materials, you should be able to speed up the process even more.¡±

    Elise was the only one to have learned magitek among them. Now, she could work as much as five people.

    ¡°I¡¯ll focus on making more Red Dragon set items. After finishing the set, I¡¯ll work on the core.¡±

    The core development was a necessity. Once the core research was concluded, humanity wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the monster waves.

    Now, Junhyuk needed one more hero. With just another hero, the waves would stop altogether. From then on, he would focus on the minions. He wanted to teach them to use their shields.

    While listening to Elise, Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°Now that you are a hero, you¡¯ll be joining our team.¡±

    ¡°Your team? Don¡¯t you already have five heroes?¡±

    ¡°Rodrey got removed from the team.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Elise was shocked.

    He exined, ¡°The problem is your items. You arecking itemsparable to the rest of the team. So, try not to die in the next battle.¡±

    ¡°Now that I¡¯m a hero, will our team not have a champion?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. We will be weaker, but we¡¯ll regain our strength in time.¡±

    Their enemies didn¡¯t always have other powered beings with them, so it would be OK for the allies to be missing lower-tiered powered people for now.

    ¡°We need to grow our own experts and champions. We need to pay close attention to when a minion activates their power.¡±

    ¡°Good thinking.¡±

    Elise raised her head suddenly, and Junhyuk saw Gongon¡¯s and La¡¯s projections appear in the air.

    ¡°I wanted to congratte her,¡± Gongon said, and Elise smiled at him.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°He-he-he! She¡¯s my disciple and already a hero. Feels like I¡¯m raising my own child.¡±

    ¡°You are just a hatchling.¡±

    La smiled and said, ¡°We are on the same team, so let¡¯s do our best.¡±

    ¡°Please, teach me many more things.¡±

    After hearing Elise¡¯s answer, La said, ¡°I¡¯m training on something specific right now. I¡¯ll hang up first.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Looking at Elise, Gongon asked, ¡°Your ultimate looks like a dimensional summon. Am I right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. When I died, I thought hard about the process and gained that power.¡±

    ¡°Is the dimensional summon instantaneous?¡±

    ¡°The more important thing is that the magic circles appear instantaneously. With that, I can improve on magic engineering significantly. I¡¯ll further develop Zaira.¡±

    Elise could upgrade Zaira while evolving her own power. Zaira had been crafted with state-of-the-art magitek, but since then, her power had evolved, so Elise could upgrade the gynoid now.

    Gongon nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll send you my core development research. It¡¯ll help you with your core research.¡±

    ¡°Really?! Please, do so.¡±

    ¡°Since you are talking magitek, I should get going,¡± Junhyuk said.

    ¡°Right. See you next week.¡± Gongon waved and turned to Sarang, asking, ¡°What have you learned this time?¡±

    ¡°Vera taught me some things. I need items to support my casting. If I¡¯m to use magic on Earth without limitations, I¡¯ll need to get more things ready.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Can I depend on you for the monster waves?¡± Junhyuk asked, surprised.

    ¡°Of course! You can always depend on me!¡±

    He smiled and said, ¡°OK. I¡¯ll go train. If you need anything, let me know.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk went back to his room, and just as he was about to go into his training facility, Jeffrey dropped by. The hero smiled at him.

    ¡°I heard you got a new training facility. Show me.¡±

    Junhyukughed and sent Jeffrey an invitation. Jeffrey disappeared, and Junhyuk entered the facility as well.

    After looking around, Jeffrey summoned his scythe and swung it lightly.

    ¡°I¡¯m upgrading my items, especially my weapon.¡±

    ¡°How many upgrades?¡±

    ¡°The scythe is a +10 now. I was a lucky.¡±

    Jeffrey had upgraded the scythe ten times. The amount of damage it dealt had to have gone up. As a human hero, Jeffrey¡¯s societal and battlefield statuses had skyrocketed.

    The four human heroes were stronger than most heroes out there.

    Junhyuk thought that things were going well. Arn, Nudra and Halo were superior to them, but he could check his progress against Jeffrey.

    ¡°This is good. I¡¯m developing my own swordsmanship. Do you want to duel?¡±

    Jeffrey smirked and replied, ¡°I wanted to check my own skills with the scythe against you.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Junhyuk faced Jeffrey. The hero triggered the dark energy within him, which enveloped the scythe. Jeffrey had gotten used to controlling the dark energying out of him. It easily powered up the scythe.

    Junhyuk lowered both of his swords by his sides, taking a stance: Dentra¡¯s wind energy and Aksha¡¯s mana. He had to be able to control both of the swords and use them effectively.

    Junhyuk ran forward, and Jeffrey ran to meet him.

    ng!

    Jeffrey blocked Junhyuk¡¯s attack, but he was also pushed back. However, even as he repositioned himself, Jeffrey deflected Junhyuk¡¯s sword. Junhyuk aimed a strike at Jeffrey¡¯s thigh...

    ng!

    ... but Jeffrey blocked him again. The hero had be very skilled with the scythe, so Junhyuk¡¯s desire to fight for real grew.

    He released a gust, part of the energy to increase his speed. Junhyuk elerated and swung his sword at incredible speed, but Jeffrey blocked him still.

    ng, ng, ng, ng!

    Nevertheless, Jeffrey had reached his limit, and he started getting injured. Still, Jeffrey had grown. The hero had trained by himself, and his scythe techniques were shockingly powerful.

    On top of that, Jeffrey really was in control of the dark energy now. He could even block Junhyuk¡¯s attacks while he was elerating. Jeffrey was using the dark energy to match his speed.

    Junhyuk had thought Jeffrey¡¯s strengths to be rted to summoning, but Jeffrey had developed in different ways. He was a true hero.

    Junhyuk pushed Jeffrey¡¯s scythe down with one of his swords and pointed the other at Jeffrey¡¯s neck.

    ¡°You¡¯ve be stronger.¡±

    Jeffrey smirked and said, ¡°I thought I could win.¡±

    Junhyuk wasbining many swordsmanships into one, but Jeffrey was only working on his scythe techniques.

    Jeffrey could buy however many scythe manuals from Bebe, but those only increased his knowledge. It took time for his body to catch up to what he knew.

    Jeffrey had to be working very hard.

    Junhyuk patted his shoulder and said, ¡°We got another hero.¡±

    ¡°Really!?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded.

    ¡°Just one more to go.¡±

    With one more hero, the waves would stop. Smiling, Jeffrey said, ¡°When I get more gold, I¡¯ll get a ce like this one.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really expensive.¡±

    ¡°Can I use this one?¡±

    ¡°You can, and we can train together.¡±

    Just like the cores, the facility was overflowing with different types of energy. At the facility, both mana and dark energy could be replenished.

    It was like an oversized Spatial Bag.

    Jeffrey left, and Junhyuk ran through the duel in his mind. With his dark energy, Jeffrey could move with increased speed, but not as fast as his eleration.

    Jeffrey had also managed to block strikes from both of his swords. He had certainly be stronger.

    It wasn¡¯t a long duel, but Junhyuk, too, had learned a lot from it. Jeffrey had helped him.

    ¡°I should spar with him from time to time.¡±

 Chapter 510 - Recruitment 1

    <h4>Chapter 510: Recruitment 1</h4>

    Ling Ling¡¯s battle was exciting to watch. The champion who had reced Jeffrey was powerful, and the allies were able to win. Junhyuk won a substantial amount as a result.

    After watching the battle, he went back to his training facility and focused entirely on training. Naturally, he lost track of time. Suddenly, however, he felt time stop.

    Junhyuk lowered his swords and turned around. From a tear in space, Agenchra appeared standing there.

    The manager smiled at him and asked, ¡°How have you been?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been well. What happened to Eltor?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s been reprimanded. He¡¯s been prohibited from influencing any dimension for two weeks.¡±

    ¡°Only two weeks?¡±

    ¡°To managers, two weeks is a long time. Two weeks for us isparable to two years for you.¡±

    ¡°You want me to believe that?¡±

    ¡°You are witnessing it, and yet you have questions.¡±

    Junhyuk looked around. Time flowed simrly for everyone except for the managers. Managers could stop time and tear through dimensions.

    ¡°But to us, two weeks are still two weeks,¡± Junhyuk replied.

    ¡°But that is still something.¡±

    ¡°Is that what you came here for? To tell me that?¡±

    ¡°I have another matter to discuss. Elise has be a hero, so now, you only need another hero. I want to help you with that.¡±

    ¡°Help?¡±

    ¡°Since you became a hero, many champions have followed suit. I want to give you an opportunity.¡±

    ¡°What opportunity?¡±

    ¡°Among the human champions, Ling Ling, Gabino and Kushuma are wanted by their heroes. The remaining champions are Dakeda, Helen and Zenon. I¡¯ll let you select one of those.¡±

    ¡°Select?¡±

    ¡°Elise is a hero now, so you arecking a champion. You may select one to join your team.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Nice!¡±

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected that. He would¡¯ve needed time to fill up that empty spot with another champion, but Agenchra was giving him a really good opportunity. He shouldn¡¯t refuse it.

    He thought about Dakeda, Helen and Zenon, and after a while, he selected one.

    ¡°Helen. I like her.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Then, Helen will now be in your team.¡±

    It was an unexpected turn of events, and he was d for it. He smiled and said, ¡°Thank for looking after us.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to get ready?¡±

    ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow is Friday?¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡±

    Junhyuk gave Agenchra a bitter smile. He had only nibbled on some food while training, replenishing his energy by absorbing mana within the facility instead.

    He collected himself and said, ¡°OK. Thanks for telling me.¡±

    Agenchra stared at him and replied, ¡°You have improved.¡±

    Laughing, Junhyuk said, ¡°I have a long way to go.¡±

    Junhyuk had learned the basics, and now, he was refining them. Toplete his training, he would need more time. Still, he was improving.

    Still staring at him, Agenchra added, ¡°You¡¯re on a streak. There are many rookies this season.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Junhyuk belonged to a new team, and Ronga, too, belonged to one.

    The previous legend team had been made up of rookies who rose through the ranks, which meant that some other rookie teams had to be winning as well.

    ¡°Aside from my team, is there another team on a streak?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Two other teams.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Are they both rookie teams?¡±

    ¡°One of them is. The other is not.¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡±

    There was another rookie team on a streak, and Junhyuk thought that was curious.

    Agenchra bid him goodbye and said, ¡°Then, see you next time.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    After Agenchra disappeared, Junhyuk exited the facility. There were a number of missed calls on his cell phone. After checking the number, he teleported.

    Eunseo was going over her files. When she felt his presence, she looked up.

    ¡°Did you juste out?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I lost track of time. Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°No, but I¡¯ve acquired a bunch of famous drinks.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡±

    Arn drank really fast. To learn from him, Junhyuk needed a heavy quantity of alcohol avable.

    Junhyuk looked at her and asked, ¡°Is your team treating you well?¡±

    ¡°Team?¡±

    ¡°The heroes.¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t care about me.¡±

    Novices died easily. Eunseo had some good items, but there was a limit to what she could do. The heroes had to look after her.

    Staring at her, Junhyuk said, ¡°Agenchra.¡±

    The manager appeared and stared at him.

    ¡°What is the matter?¡±

    Junhyuk answered, ¡°Add a novice to my team as well.¡±

    Agenchra turned to Eunseo and asked, ¡°Her?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ll make an expert out of her.¡±

    ¡°You are aware that she is the only one who can activate her powers, right?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that for now.¡±

    With a smile, Agenchra said, ¡°Sure. She¡¯ll be on your team from now on. Also, I can¡¯t be summoned for a while.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I have a mountain of work waiting for me.¡±

    Junhyukughed and said, ¡°OK. I won¡¯t call on you.¡±

    ¡°Then...¡± Agenchra bowed and time flowed again.

    Eunseo was staring at him. Having her join him was the best option.

    He stared back at her, and she asked, ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m grateful,¡± he answered with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll go meet the rest of the powered people.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Junhyuk gathered the champions first. They were all training individually, and he helped them with that. The champions could help him out in the future. He wanted to spar with Jeffrey, but he spent his time with them instead. In the end, the champions were no match for him.

    He met with Helen then. Helen could create a sword with her power, and she was very powerful overall, but she needed better weapons. Junhyuk also knew that she could restrain her enemy with one of her other powers.

    She worked for the Rockefeller family, which had him worried in case she became a hero.

    Looking at her, he said, ¡°Helen, let¡¯s do some intensive training.¡±

    ¡°Intensive training?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Helen wanted to learn from him. Junhyuk had been gone for two weeks, but now, he was there.

    He smiled at her and said, ¡°Then, let¡¯s begin.¡±

    Helen used all of her powers on him, but he blocked them all. He beat her until she was haggard. Helen was collecting her breath, syed on the ground, when he said, ¡°Let¡¯s work together.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Junhyuk offered her a hand and said, ¡°We¡¯ll be on the same team from now on.¡±

    ¡°But I already have a team.¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t really want you.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    Seeing Helen¡¯s disappointed looked, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Do you not want to be on my team?¡±

    ¡°I do!¡±

    Junhyuk sped her hand and said, ¡°Then, let¡¯s work together.¡±

    Helen tightened her grip and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll work hard.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled, and before he left, he said, ¡°You¡¯ll be summoned tomorrow at noon, so don¡¯t forget that. I¡¯ll go meet with the others now.¡±

    Junhyuk went through all the powered people, doing his best to help them out. They were all passionate about their training.

    Once he was done, he went to see Sarang. She had her own training facility, and when Junhyuk entered it, he saw orbs following her around. The orbs looked like the orb Elise had made with the core.

    ¡°What are those?¡±

    ¡°They are support items for my magic. They run on mana, so they can¡¯tpare to Elise¡¯s weapon, but they¡¯ve been engraved with magic circles, and I can cast spells with them. They won¡¯t work against a dragon, but everything else should be damaged by them.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t use them in the Dimensional Battlefield.¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t.¡±

    Junhyuk had learned a lot from the heroes¡¯ visit, but so had Sarang.

    ¡°There won¡¯t be any waves for two weeks, and we just need one more hero.¡±

    The best option was to stop the waves altogether.

    ¡°Do you like your training facility that much? You never came out!¡±

    ¡°You should get one for yourself.¡±

 Chapter 511 - Recruitment 2

    <h4>Chapter 511: Recruitment 2</h4>

    Elise and Sarang gathered in his room an hour before they had to go to the battlefield.

    They brought instant food, ate and conversed. While Elise was eating her food, she pulled new equipment one by one. She was holding three new pieces in total, and they were all part of the Red Dragon set.

    Seeing them disyed, she smiled.

    ¡°I listened to what you said about myck of items, so I spent great effort into making these. I hurried, and the materials disappeared quickly. With the sess rate as it is now, I can make two more items.¡±

    The Red Dragon set now had six pieces. None of the pieces were rings. They were all pieces of armor that carried stat buffs with them.

    Elise, with her set, wasparable to Gongon. She wouldn¡¯t becking much against the whole team. The Red Dragon set was a fire attribute set, which work just fine against their enemies.

    Smiling, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Are you wearing the duplicates?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and gave a piece to Sarang, saying, ¡°Take this and sell it.¡±

    ¡°Is that OK?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Looking at the two of them, he said, ¡°Helen will join us as our champion this time. Since Elise is a hero now, Helen will take her ce.¡±

    ¡°I thought the human champions would go to other teams.¡±

    ¡°Correct, but Agenchra helped us get Helen. Also, there will be no monster waves for a couple of weeks.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good news!¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and added, ¡°We should aim for another hero, but it won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    Guardians was hard at work, but stopping the monster waves wasn¡¯t easy. There were always human casualties. If they got another hero, the waves would stop altogether.

    ¡°My expectations are high,¡± she said.

    He looked at Elise. It was her first battle since bing a hero. She shouldn¡¯t simply follow him around. She needed to do her part.

    Junhyuk trusted her.

    ¡°Then, win this round.¡±

    Aktur¡¯s team was strong, but Aktur was the only really strong hero among them. The allies could win. He wanted to buy a new cloak and win, but the real problem was the Perfect Evasion.

    ¡°Do I need more runestones?¡±

    WIth more runestones, he could negate the effect of Perfect Evasion. Junhyuk was nning to fill all of the slots in his gear.

    The bright light pounded against his eyes, and when he opened them slowly, he saw Ariel.

    [How have you been?]

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he answered as he checked on how much gold he had: 763,613G.

    It was a good amount. If he had bet more in a battle with higher returns, he would¡¯ve won more. Then again, he might¡¯ve lost it all.

    Junhyuk summoned his items and turned to Ariel, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±

    Ariel shouted out loud, [Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed!]

    Junhyuk walked out of the spawn room and passed the minions. He had seen some of the others from far away, so he joined Gongon and La.

    The rest hadn¡¯te out yet. After a while, Sarang, Elise and Helen walked out to meet them. Some time after that, Eunseo appeared.

    She was slightly taller than the minions, but her items were rather expensive. Junhyuk recognized her right away. Her items had been crafted from B- and higher-ranked monsters.

    After looking around, Eunseo headed for the heroes. She was very surprised not to see the usual heroes with whom she fought.

    Junhyuk walked up to her and said, ¡°Wee, Eunseo.¡±

    ¡°Junhyuk?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I recruited you to my team.¡±

    Her eyes widened, and he smiled and turned to the group.

    ¡°One of the managers helped us this time, so I recruited a champion. Is that OK?¡±

    Gongon stared at Helen and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. We needed a champion, so this is good.¡±

    La nodded and added, ¡°It would¡¯ve taken too long for a minion to be a champion, so this is nice.¡±

    Then, he introduced Eunseo.

    ¡°She¡¯s a novice, and her name is Eunseo Kim. I want her to stay within the castle.¡±

    Shaking her head, La said, ¡°If she stays here, she won¡¯t activate any new powers.¡±

    Junhyuk gave her a bitter smile and replied, ¡°I know, but she¡¯s an important figure on Earth. I don¡¯t want her to die here.¡±

    Gongon smiled and teased, ¡°Oh! So, you are protecting her?¡±

    ¡°Protection,¡± Eunseo said with a sigh. ¡°You want me to stay here?¡±

    ¡°You can activate other powers on Earth. If you die here, that¡¯ll be the end. Without you, Earth will be in danger of copse.¡±

    Eunseo inhaled and replied, ¡°If the others allow it, I¡¯ll stay here. However, I want to join the fight next time.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t promise her he would protect her in the battlefield, but he nodded.

    ¡°Sure. However, I want you to activate your powers on Earth while being safe in the battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    He turned to the others and said, ¡°OK. Let¡¯s go to Bebe¡¯s.¡±

    Everyone nodded and entered the shop. Bebe greeted them warmly.

    ¡°Wee!¡±

    Junhyuk pulled out the items he had picked up from the previous round and the two Red Dragon items he was carrying. Bebe smirked and said, ¡°Let¡¯s see. These are new! I¡¯ll give you 700,000G for the two set items. The other five items are worth 120,000G each, so 600,000G. That¡¯s a total of 1,300,000G.¡±

    Junhyuk had some gold of his own, sobining everything, he now had 2,000,000G. There were things to get out of the way first.

    ¡°I need the highest-tier sets of runestones. Strength, defense, and hit chance. Give me four sets of each of those three.¡±

    ¡°All twelve setse to 816,000G with the discount.¡±

    Junhyuk paid the price, leaving him without enough money for another legendary item. He unsocketed the lowest-tiered runestones he had and socketed all of the highest-tier runestones.

    ¡°Do you have any cloaks?¡±

    ¡°I have many, as long as you have the gold.¡±

    ¡°Do you have the Vampire Lord Cloak?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯ve sold that already.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted all of the items from that set, so he scowled at the Yeti¡¯s reply.

    ¡°How much is your most expensive cloak?¡±

    ¡°About 2,000,000G each. The useful ones will cost you at least 1,500,000G.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t have the gold for that now, but he could have if he won that round.

    The others were also shopping. With their upgrades, they were getting stronger. Elise did as many upgrades as she could.

    Eunseo was jealous of the heroes. They had far too much gold with which to purchase things. She could feel that they were trying to be legends.

    Junhyuk turned to Eunseo and said, ¡°All of us are reaching for legend status, so Eunseo, you need to activate another power.¡±

    She looked at him, and he added, ¡°I¡¯ll support you until you be a hero.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    This was a good opportunity for her too. Previously, she could¡¯ve died at any time, but now, she could stay safe while getting stronger.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Junhyuk grouped the minions and turned to Eunseo, saying, ¡°Take care of the castle for us.¡±

    She stayed within it. This time, Junhyuk assigned different paths from the previous round. He needed to send someone with long range attacks to the right, and among them, only Elise and Sarang had those, so he sent Sarang.

    She would be in danger by herself, so he sent Helen with her.

    Gongon went left while he took Elise and La with him up the mountain. They were climbing as three heroes just in case.

    Sarang had her invulnerability, so when she went middle, her survival rate was higher than most. She would survive her new path.

    Looking at the allies, he said, ¡°Push from the sides and then join us.¡±

    ¡°Right. I¡¯ll be the first to get there,¡± Gongon shouted as he took his two hundred minions out with him.

    ¡°Big brother, I¡¯ll deal with my side.¡±

    Junhyuk was worried about her, but he had no choice but to send her down the right path.

    ¡°Please.¡±

    Sarang left, and he looked at his group.

    ¡°We should be even with our enemies in number.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help,¡± Elise said, and he smiled.

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m expecting good things from you.¡±

    They team was different now, but was it stronger? Junhyuk wanted to find out. They headed out quickly.

 Chapter 512 - Recruitment 3

    <h4>Chapter 512: Recruitment 3</h4>

    Junhyuk¡¯s group took the middle path, and things were different this time. Ordinarily, two heroes and a champion would take that path, but this time, they sent three heroes, much like their enemies had done before. Junhyuk didn¡¯t think that they would lose since he thought they were stronger.

    At the top of the mountain, he encountered Aktur, Blinka and Trarune. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected thatbination of heroes. There were no real damagers among them, so Junhyuk didn¡¯t think the enemy would be able to kill three allied heroes.

    Staring at the allies, Aktur smiled.

    ¡°Of course you¡¯d take middle. Is that a new hero?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at Elise. She was wearing the Red Dragon set, so she was covered in Red Dragon scales. He thought she looked very sexy.

    Elise smiled at him and said, ¡°I¡¯m ready to fight.¡±

    He looked at La, and she smirked back.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been to the buff tower. I¡¯ll show you my skills now.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded to her. Of the enemy heroes, only Aktur could deal real damage to them.

    The allies nned to kill Aktur first, and Junhyuk stepped forward.

    ¡°Why are you staying by your tower?¡±

    Aktur smirked and answered, ¡°Are you curious about our strategy?¡±

    ¡°If you want to tell me, tell me.¡±

    Junhyuk ran toward the enemies, but they remained in ce. They stood by their watchtower while watching the allies move toward them.

    Junhyuk felt a creeping sensation, and Aktur retreated and said, ¡°Buy me more time!¡±

    After he said that, he closed his eyes. Aktur vanished as bones flew up into the sky. Junhyuk collected himself and contacted Gongon and Sarang immediately.

    ¡°Aktur¡¯s vanished! Be careful!¡±

    The middle path was the shortest distance between the two castles, which was why the allies and their enemies confronted each other there first. The people on the side paths had yet toe up against someone.

    Junhyuk looked at the remaining enemies. Even if he killed them and used the portal, he wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up to Aktur.

    The enemies wereughing at the allied n. They were going to give up the middle and push from either the left or the right.

    Gongon shook his head and said, ¡°Now that I know, I¡¯ll be careful. I¡¯ll make use of the watchtower to fight.¡±

    Even with the watchtower, the enemy heroes wouldn¡¯t be easy to deal with. However, if Gongon could buy him more time, Junhyuk could kill the enemies in the middle path and use the portal to join Gongon¡¯s side.

    Even with the speed buff, it wouldn¡¯t be easy.

    Junhyuk ran forward while checking on the enemy heroes¡¯ movements. They had only taken a hundred minions with them, and the minions were all stationed in front of the watchtower. Blinka and Trarune had set up behind the watchtower.

    Trarune was a tank, and Blinka was a supporter. But, Blinka was sturdy like a tank. Their goal was to buy time.

    Junhyuk looked at La and Elise. The two weren¡¯t capable of attacking the tower from a distance. Smacking his lips, he decided to order the minions to close the gap with him.

    ¡°Kill the enemy minions!¡±

    The enemy minions were blocking the heroes.

    After he shouted, the allied minions started attacking. The enemies stayed on defense, but the allied minions had the advantage in that situation. The enemy minions specialized in movement speed, so by staying on defense, they were giving up their movement.

    Suddenly, Junhyuk scowled. He wanted the least possible amount of minion casualties, but now, he had to order the brawl. Without Sarang, he didn¡¯t have the option of being healed, so he really couldn¡¯t push by himself.

    While he was deep in thought, Elise asked, ¡°What if we go around the watchtower and grab their attention?¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the enemies again and said, ¡°But they have the most annoying powers of the bunch.¡±

    Elise took a moment to think and said, ¡°If the enemies are trying to buy time, we have the advantage. Order our minions to retreat.¡±

    Junhyuk did so, and the enemy minions did not give chase.

    She said then, ¡°We should kill the minions.¡±

    ¡°What about the watchtower?¡±

    ¡°Use your force field to kill the minions. The heroes won¡¯t do anything, and it won¡¯t take long.¡±

    Elise was saying that she was going to keep the heroes back.

    Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡±

    He raised his force field with the three heroes inside and started killing the enemy minions. The allied heroes were going through the enemy minions quickly.

    The enemy minions scattered, but he and Elise had long range attacks, so they killed the fleeing minions. However, some still got away.

    His force field was almost running out, so he said quickly, ¡°Let¡¯s retreat.¡±

    The allies did so. Only ten minions remained, an amount that Junhyuk could easily ignore.

    The allied minions could destroy the watchtower now. Meanwhile, Junhyuk waited for his force field toe off cooldown.

    The enemy heroes were entirely focused on defending. They weren¡¯t moving around. On top of that, Elise buffed both Junhyuk and La.

    After the two minutes, he ordered an attack. The minions attacked. The allied minions were very courageous now, disying a high-level of morale.

    Of them, 160 allied minions had survived, and the allies could easily destroy the enemy watchtower now.

    Aktur¡¯s goal was to attack either the left or the right path. Meanwhile, the allies would push through the middle, which was the shortest distance.

    Junhyuk followed the minions toward the watchtower, and Trarune and Blinka stared worrying. The enemies knew that 160 minions could destroy their watchtower easily.

    What should they do?

    Junhyuk used his Spatial sh. He had aimed at Trarune. The hero was a robot, so Junhyuk didn¡¯t know where its weak spot was. He decided to go for the chest so that Trarune wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge.

    Junhyuk hit Trarune¡¯s chest, but it was not a critical hit. The hero only received 22 percent of damage. However, the amount of damage was higher than he had previously been able to deal since Trarune had lost some items in the previous battle.

    Junhyuk closed in further, meaning to block the attacks from the watchtower.

    As Junhyuk closed in, he looked at La, who nodded. Then, he used his Spatial Copse. Its range was forty meters, and it triggered right on Trarune¡¯s chest.

    When the Spatial Copse hit Trarune, Blinka moved forward.

    Blinka had an area-of-effect stun, but knowing that, Elise used her ultimate.

    She summoned five copies of her weapon and used all six at once. There was a sh of light that got sucked by the void of the Spatial Copse.

    He had never seen her ultimate before. Her weapons weren¡¯t legendary items, but they were still extremely strong, and she was using all six of them to attack the enemy heroes.

    Junhyuk did not know if she had managed a critical hit, but Trarune still lost all of his health. The Spatial sh had taken 22 percent of the hero¡¯s health, and the Spatial Copse had taken 26 percent. All of the remaining 52 percent were gone with Elise¡¯s ultimate.

    Blinka became scared then. Blinka was alone, and it could not escape. The allied minions were attacking the watchtower, and it wouldn¡¯t be long before it was destroyed.

    Blinka started retreating, and Junhyuk teleported with La.

    Blinka couldn¡¯t outrun his teleport. La dashed after Blinka and swung her katana. Blinka wasunched into the air. Meanwhile, the archers focused on Junhyuk, but he raised his force field.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck, thuck!

    The arrows bounced off the force field, and Junhyuk shed with Aksha¡¯s Longsword at Blinka. He had meant to finish up the hero while it was in the air. At the same time, something came flying from the watchtower. Elise had summoned Zaira, who zoomed toward Blinka, attacking the robot.

    The robot dropped to the ground and started punching La, who got pushed back into the force field. Junhyuk teleported with La and closed in on the enemy hero again.

    With the force field up, Blinka couldn¡¯t do anything against them. The robot couldn¡¯t escape his teleportation.

    La used her ultimate then, shing Blinka, who kept trying to retreat.

    Elise attacked Blinka as well, and the hero finally disappeared. The enemy heroes had meant to buy more time, but they had failed.

    Once the watchtower was destroyed, Junhyuk said, ¡°upy the buff tower. I¡¯ll use the portal to support the others.¡±

 Chapter 513 - Stronger Buff 1

    <h4>Chapter 513: Stronger Buff 1</h4>

    Junhyuk took the portal and headed straight for Gongon. As he came out of the left portal on the allied side, he felt himself getting buffed. With the buff, his speed increased, and if he was lucky, he would catch up.

    Sarang was with Helen. If Aktur went after her, she would fight with the watchtower at her back, but Gongon was alone.

    While running, Junhyuk contacted the hatchling.

    Junhyuk bit his lip and teleported while running. He used his three teleportations in a row while telling Gongon to fight with the protection of the watchtower. Gongon had his ultimate, which enabled him to fly, so he could escape Aktur if necessary.

    The problem was that Aktur wasn¡¯t alone. Junhyuk didn¡¯t know who Aktur would join, but the hero would definitely be a vanguard.

    Junhyuk wanted to save Gongon from death. He wanted to save his allies and win.

    Even while on a streak, if his team became weaker, the victories would be meaningless.

    While he was on his way, Gongon contacted him, ¡°The wheeled hero and Aktur are here.¡±

    ¡°Stay alive until I get there. Retreat if you have to. Give up the watchtower if necessary, but stay alive.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry on that point. I want to win without dying.¡±

    Junhyuk teleported and replied, ¡°It¡¯ll take me thirty minutes to get there. Stay alive.¡±

    After advising Gongon to stay alive, Junhyuk sped up. Ten minutes went by without Gongon contacting him, which meant the dragon had to be doing well. However, he sped up even more.

    While running, he kept thinking. His critical hit rate was high, but that depended on where his enemies¡¯ weak spots were. Where should he strike an android?

    The undead¡¯s heads were their weak spots, but Junhyuk couldn¡¯t figure out where to strike the androids and robots. If he found that out, his contributions to the battle would change drastically.

    He kept on thinking about how to kill his enemies. He had to try everything.

    Gongon contacted him then, ¡°I¡¯m retreating now. I only have half of my health left.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get caught.¡±

    ¡°The wheeled hero is fast, but it won¡¯t be able to kill me.¡±

    Junhyuk inhaled deeply. He would fight Aktur in this round. Finally, he could see Gongon far in the distance. The heroes chasing him had over 70 percent of health. However, as they rushed by the watchtower, they lost some of that. Gongon had 40 percent of his health left.

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes beamed.

    The cooldown of his teleportations was over. As soon as Gongon saw himing, the hatchling transformed. He used his ultimate to flee.

    Gongon flew toward Junhyuk, turned around, and breathed out fireballs at the enemies. While his ultimate was active, he could attack from long range. Junhyuk passed by Gongon and closed the gap between himself and the enemy heroes.

    Aktur looked at Edrol.

    Edrol firedser beams at Junhyuk, but he blocked the attacks and teleported. After getting close enough, Junhyuk triggered a Spatial Copse.

    Edrol was strong, but the strongest among the enemy heroes was Aktur. His Spatial Copse was aimed at the mummy.

    Aktur got sucked in by his power, and Junhyuk used his Spatial sh.

    The Spatial sh struck Aktur¡¯s head, the first real critical hit in a long time for Junhyuk.

    The undead were weak against head strikes, so that¡¯s where he had to strike for a critical. He had worried about the Perfect Evasion, but Junhyuk was lucky. His attacknded, and it was a critical. Aktur lost a massive amount of health, and Gongon breathed fireballs at him.

    Boom!

    After being attacked by Junhyuk and Gongon, Aktur faded, and Junhyuk pumped his fist.

    Junhyuk had stacked hit chance runestones, and thanks to those, he had been able to kill Aktur.

    But, Gongon¡¯s attacks had hit as well, which meant that he had also been very lucky. The problem with Perfect Evasion is that the rate with which it triggered depended on the user¡¯s luck. If the user had a high chance of triggering it, the attacks wouldn¡¯t work. However, this time, Perfect Evasion had not worked.

    Junhyuk turned to Edrol, who was now alone. Edrol released two massive beams at Gongon and him.

    Junhyuk raised his force field since he knew the hero¡¯s attack dealt continuous damage. Gongon was encased by the force field as well.

    Edrol started to run away without looking back. At the same time, he ordered the minions to block the path of his retreat.

    Junhyuk smiled and teleported. In an instant, he grabbed Gongon and chased after Edrol. The hero split into two robots and started running away in two different directions.

    Junhyuk turned to Gongon and asked, ¡°Can you catch him?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t lose in a one-on-one fight.¡±

    Gongon chased after one of Edrol¡¯s halves, and Junhyuk chased after the other. He teleported and shed at the hero. Edrol tried to dodge, but Junhyuk was swinging Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    He could control the length of the sword at will. The process was very easy for him now.

    His attack chased after Edrol, piercing the hero¡¯s stomach. It was a critical hit.

    Junhyuk paid attention to where he had hit to trigger the critical. Through the ce he had pierced, he could see something shining inside Edrol¡¯s stomach. It was Edrol¡¯s core. It was what powered the hero.

    Junhyuk knew were to attack now, so he did so ferociously.

    Edrol pulled out a gatling gun and counterattacked. Junhyuk realized that half was the main Edrol, so he didn¡¯t worry about Gongon anymore. The bullets bounced off his force field.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t get close while Edrol was shooting, so the hero was actually increasing the gap between them.

    Junhyuk teleported. It was hisst one.

    When he appeared, he immediately stabbed Edrol¡¯s stomach. His stab was quicker than Edrol¡¯s speed.

    The de pierced Edrol¡¯s midsection, and the hero¡¯s eyes widened.

    Smiling, Junhyuk said, ¡°It¡¯s toote to run away now.¡±

    Junhyuk twisted his sword, and Edrol pushed him away, fleeing again. However, dodging Junhyuk¡¯s sword attacks wasn¡¯t easy. Edrol was fast, but Junhyuk could attack just as fast.

    Before the force field was gone, Edrol disappeared.

    Junhyuk picked up the item Edrol had dropped. Gongon had killed Aktur, so the two would discuss the loot.

    Gongon walked up toward him having already figured out that the Edrol he had chased after had been a decoy.

    ¡°You saved me.¡±

    ¡°You saved yourself. We can start by taking advantage of this.¡±

    Aktur had used his ultimate to give up the middle. By using the portals after destroying the first watchtower, the enemies would be able to move faster, but mounting a defense in the middle while taking advantage of the buff tower portal would be beneficial for the allies.

    Junhyuk contacted Elise then, ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°We are pushing to the second watchtower, but Trarune and Blinka are already stationed there.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t fight them yet. We just killed Aktur, so he can use his ultimate to head there immediately.¡±

    ¡°What should we do?¡±

    ¡°Head back to the buff tower and wait for us. We¡¯ll move in that direction, kill a buff monster and then join you.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to kill a roaming buff monster first, but that would take some time. Still, he wanted to do it.

    He turned to Gongon and asked, ¡°Where are your minions?¡±

    ¡°They were either killed or are hiding.¡±

    Junhyuk looked up at Nightmare Mountain. There was a forest next to it, which had to be where the minions were hiding. Now, however, there were buff monsters roaming the map, and they would definitely kill the minions instantly.

    Looking at Gongon, Junhyuk said, ¡°You can¡¯t push through the tower by yourself with ease. Kill the enemy minions and look for the allied minions. After you gather them, destroy their watchtower.¡±

    Even if only about fifty allied minions remained, Gongon would be able to destroy the enemy watchtower without problems.

    Aktur and Edrol had chased after Gongon, but not the allied minions. If Gongon could round up the minions in hiding, they would help him significantly.

    Gongon nodded and said, ¡°OK. I¡¯ll destroy their watchtower and take the portal, following you to the middle.¡±

    ¡°Do it.¡±

    ¡°See youter,¡± Gongon said to him. After that, the hatchling turned and shouted, ¡°Any minions in hiding,e out! We won!¡±

    Then, Gongon ran toward the enemy minions. The dragon meant to kill them all.

    Meanwhile, Junhyuk took off. His task was to kill the buff monster. If he picked up a synthesis item as a result, that would be great.

    ¡°Come to me.¡±

    Junhyuk was feeling confident in his new sword skills. He wanted to face off against the Mantis Lord.

 Chapter 514 - Stronger Buff 2

    <h4>Chapter 514: Stronger Buff 2</h4>

    Junhyuk dashed quickly through the forest. With luck, he woulde up against the buff monster in no time. However, if he waste, his allies could end up in trouble. Still, Junhyuk trusted his luck.

    He had had many experiences in the battlefield, and through all of them, he thought luck was always with him.

    As he ran, Sarang contacted him.

    ¡°Aktur attacked us.¡±

    Aktur had not been alone. He had joined a sniper, and Sarang had been killed. He had thought Sarang would¡¯ve been OK with Helen, but Aktur was formidable. Sarang had meant that she and Helen had been killed.

    ¡°Are you OK?¡±

    ¡°I lost one of the items I just purchased, so I¡¯m angry, but I think I can get it back from Bebe.¡±

    There were items like that, items that required a certain affinity to an attribute to be used.

    Sarang¡¯s items were like that. She would repurchase it once she had enough gold for it. Her items were different from his. He couldn¡¯t always get his items back with enough gold. Others wanted them as well.

    He said, ¡°Right. We¡¯ll regroup in the middle. Bring Helen with you. I¡¯m hunting a buff monster first.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk was moving fast. Aktur was already doing his thing. From Sarang¡¯s point of view, that wasn¡¯t pleasant at all. Junhyuk took the middle road while wishing he woulde up against the Mantis Lord quickly.

    An hour passed, and Junhyuk got his wish. Something was moving slowly ahead. Once he discovered it was the Mantis Lord, Junhyuk rechecked himself.

    He was alone, so dealing with the monster would be dangerous. However, the Mantis Lord¡¯s only strength was its attack speed.

    Compared to a dragon, it was weak and had very little health. Junhyuk wanted to seize that opportunity, so he ran forward, and when the Mantis Lord saw him, it turned around. Junhyuk dashed straight for it.

    The Mantis Lord swung its appendages like they were des. It seemed to be moving with the speed of eleration, so Junhyuk raised his swords.

    ng!

    His movements were slower, but he still parried the monster. Nudra had taught him the principle of that. Nudra¡¯s movements were slow, but the hero could block all of Junhyuk¡¯s attacks. That had been a new experience for him, being slow but precise in his parry.

    Junhyuk had even managed to block some of Arn¡¯s attacks, and the hero was much faster than he was. However, he could only deflect the attacks. Nudra, on the other hand, could win while fighting like that.

    It was only the beginning for Junhyuk.

    After a while, he started getting ustomed to the Mantis Lord¡¯s speed. It was fast, but due to its shape, all of its attacks seemed simr, so Junhyuk just waited for his chance to counter.

    Junhyuk could use his powers to create an opening, but still he waited.

    While fighting the monster, Junhyuk refined his swordsmanship. Some heroes were much faster than him in the real world, but there were restraints in the Dimensional Battlefield, so the difference in speed between heroes wasn¡¯t that high there.

    Junhyuk watched as the Mantis Lord¡¯s eyes turned red.

    ng, ng, ng!

    Its attack speed was the same, but the attacks had much more force behind them. Now that the force apanied the speed, Junhyuk started getting pushed back. However, because he had purchased the strength runestones, he was able to maintain his bnce and stance.

    After a while, the Mantis Lord¡¯s strength increased again.

    Junhyuk decided to go all out then. Fighting the Mantis Lord had been good practice for him, but he would invite Arn to train with him again, so he wasn¡¯t worried about sparring with others.

    Junhyuk triggered a Spatial Copse on the Mantis¡¯ back.

    Craaaaack!

    The Mantis Lord let out a loud scream, and Junhyuk used his Spatial sh. After the two attacks, the Mantis Lord¡¯s eyes widened, and Junhyuk raised his force field around it.

    The Mantis Lord got encased by the force field, so Junhyuk teleported behind it and stabbed the back of its neck.

    The Mantis Lord died, and Junhyuk received its buff.

    [You¡¯ve killed the Mantis Lord. For the next five hours, your attack speed will increase by 100 percent and your regeneration rate will increase by 50 percent. If you die, you¡¯ll lose these buffs to your opponent.]

    Then, Junhyuk saw something that the Mantis Lord had dropped. It was one of its saw-like front legs. It wasn¡¯t big, but the size didn¡¯t matter. The allies would be able to acquire the new buff whenever they wanted now.

    Elise would make that happen.

    Junhyuk smiled, took the leg and ran back. Thinking that he would be able to acquire the buff whenever he wanted, he said, ¡°This is how we¡¯ll continue our streak.¡±

    They had been winning, but some of the allies had died. That meant that they hadn¡¯t gotten much stronger, but now, things were different.

    Ronga had been extremely strong with that specific buff, so Junhyuk knew that he had just taken another step toward bing a legend.

    He was heading back to the buff tower when he got contacted by Elise, ¡°Aktur appeared here, so we are retreating.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Don¡¯t get caught.¡±

    He continued toward the buff tower. Junhyuk was thinking that he could always just beat the enemy heroes there. Elise would buff everyone, and the allies would be stronger because of that.

    When Junhyuk reached the path, he saw the others waiting by the watchtower. The enemy heroes were heading for them.

    Junhyuk teleported toward them and took a look at the enemies. Aktur, Trarune and Blinka were present.

    When Junhyuk joined the allies, the number of heroes on each side became the same.

    ¡°Aktur, you get around fast,¡± Junhyuk said.

    ¡°Right?! I have to work hard to win.¡±

    Junhyukughed, and Aktur said, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t trust your buffs so much.¡±

    At that moment, Junhyuk gave the Mantis Lord¡¯s leg to Elise and said, ¡°Use this.¡±

    She took it and smiled. A bright light shone from her hands, and the item she was holding disappeared.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± she said. She extended her hand with a smile and added, ¡°This is interesting.¡±

    Her hand shone, and she touched La and Junhyuk, buffing them.

    Junhyuk turned to Elise with surprise, and she said, ¡°My buff has evolved. I can now use it on two people at the same time.¡±

    Elise¡¯s buffbine three battlefield buffs. On top of that, Junhyuk still had the roaming monster¡¯s buff, so there was not a moment before where he was that powerful in the battlefield.

    To make her power even stronger, they required synthesis items. The allies didn¡¯t know much about those items, but they knew Elise¡¯s buff would be stronger with them.

    With each new synthesis item, however, her power had a chance to evolve. Elise, too, could be a legend.

    Junhyuk smiled at Aktur while the enemy hero stared hard at Elise.

    ¡°What?! A buffer?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, and you don¡¯t know the half of it.¡±

    Elise couldn¡¯t buff enemies, so there was no way for them to know just how powerful her buff was. The enemies had to experience it first hand. Junhyuk ran forward at the same time someone appeared from the buff tower. Everyone looked at the being joining them. Anyone would make a difference in theing battle.

    Everyone¡¯s gaze went lower to the ground, and they saw Gongonughing and wagging his tail.

    ¡°Waiting for me?¡±

    Gongon was very far away, so Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Gon! Get over here!¡±

    Gongon transformed into a fully-developed dragon and soared through the sky. Straps of bandages flew toward him and wrapped around Gongon¡¯s leg, pulling him down. Gongon dropped to the ground, and La and Junhyuk dashed toward him.

    Junhyuk turned to La and said, ¡°Let¡¯s use the nullification field.¡±

    ¡°The nullification field?¡±

    ¡°Sure. We are buffed, so we should decide this with just our swords.¡±

    Aktur was in the middle of summoning his skeleton soldiers, so the nullification field would work perfectly.

    Junhyuk grabbed Elise and La and teleported, appearing right in front of his enemies. He shouted at Gongon, ¡°Firebreath!¡±

    Gongon immediately spewed fireballs. It was better for the allies to use their powers before the nullification fight triggered.

    Junhyuk used his Spatial sh against Aktur, who moved by reflex, managing to dodge a critical hit. However, the enemy hero still got hit. Because of the buff, an extra attack triggered.

    ¡°Elise! Use your field!¡± he shouted.

    Elise raised the nullification field, the skeleton soldiers shattered on the ground. The enemies were surprised by the turn of events, and Junhyuk and La attacked Aktur.

    Aktur was having a hard time fighting two heroes. La¡¯s attacks missed the enemy hero, but Junhyuk¡¯s attacksnded. Because of the buff, he could attack with incredible speed. Aktur scowled as he looked at Junhyuk.

    The nullification field disappeared, and Junhyuk quickly raised his own force field.

    Blinka stomped the ground, using its area-of-effect stun. However, because the allies were all within Junhyuk¡¯s force field, the ultimate was useless.

    ¡°Kill Aktur!¡±

    After Junhyuk attacked, he heard Elise yell, ¡°Dodge!¡±

    Junhyuk and La moved to either side of Aktur, and Elise used her ultimate on him.

 Chapter 515 - Stronger Buff 3

    <h4>Chapter 515: Stronger Buff 3</h4>

    Elise¡¯s massive beam pierced Aktur, who was left with very low health. The Perfect Evasion did not trigger.

    ¡°That¡¯s why gambling is dangerous.¡±

    The enemy heroes tried to shield Aktur, but it was the end for the enemy hero.

    Junhyuk used his Spatial Copse, and Aktur was sucked toward it and disappeared. So far, the Spatial Copse had not failed against Aktur, so Junhyuk thought his power was special somehow. It would ignore Aktur¡¯s Perfect Evasion, making it even more awesome.

    While Aktur disappeared, the other enemy heroes got sucked toward the copse as well.

    Junhyuk, La, Gongon and Elise all attacked the remaining heroes.

    ¡°The robots have cores within them. Attack those, and you¡¯llnd critical hits!¡±

    The allied heroes used their attacks to look for the cores. The human heroes all had something simr, their weak spots. Trarune and Blinka both had cores inside their stomach, but the size of their cores was really small.

    However, once the shell was torn open, the core was exposed. With their cores exposed, the allies attacked them easily. They were heroes, so their attacks could pierce through the eye of a needle if necessary.

    The enemies were also heroes, so they could defend themselves.

    The Spatial Copse ended, and Trarune and Blinka started their retreat.

    ¡°You can¡¯t run away!¡±

    Junhyuk grabbed the entire allied team present and teleported behind the enemy heroes. Their path was blocked, so they couldn¡¯t run away anymore.

    Trarune and Blinka split and dodged his attacks. Blinka headed for the portal, and the allies attacked it. Blinka died, and Junhyuk¡¯s force field finally disappeared.

    It was four against one now. Trarune had managed to distance itself from them, but the allied heroes gave chase. Trarune was a tank, so it wasn¡¯t very field. Its strengths were its defense and health, not its movement speed.

    The allies attacked the robot, and Trarune used its ultimate. Junhyuk lost 8 percent of his health, and the enemy hero attacked the other allied heroes as well.

    The robot aimed for Elise, who seemed to have the lowest defense of the group. Elise was wearing the Red Dragon set, and with it, her defense was on par with La¡¯s. She got hit and lost 15 percent of her health, an enormous difference from Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk attacked Trarune. The hero was sturdy, but with thebined attack of the four heroes, the tank died.

    Junhyuk picked up the item Aktur had dropped. It was a bracelet with a buff to summoned creatures, which had buffed the enemy hero¡¯s skeletons. It was a rare buff.

    He looked at Elise and said, ¡°Elise, this upgrades summoned creatures. Do you want it?¡±

    She smiled and replied, ¡°I want it for Zaira. Do you want to trade?¡±

    Elise had picked up the item dropped by Trarune. She wanted to make an exchange, so Junhyuk nodded. Trarune¡¯s item wouldn¡¯t help him, but he was going to sell everything he picked up anyway, so he would probably make 20,000G from it.

    It was more important to strengthen Elise.

    Gongon yawned hard and asked, ¡°What do we do now?¡±

    ¡°We push on.¡±

    ¡°What about the side paths?¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think. The allies had lost one tower on the left and one on the right. The enemy heroes could push for the second towers from those paths. By taking the portals, they would be able to reach the second tower before the allies could reach the enemy castle.

    The allies had to give up their tower.

    Junhyuk turned to Elise and said, ¡°Elise can buff us. We should push on.¡±

    Since Elise was with them, Gongon asked, ¡°What about her buff?¡±

    ¡°Elise, buff Gongon, please.¡±

    She did so, and Gongon¡¯s eyes widened. Junhyuk smiled at the hatchling and said, ¡°We got lucky. The roaming buff monster I killed dropped a synthesis material. Elise absorbed it.¡±

    ¡°So cool!¡±

    Gongon was shocked by Elise¡¯s buff. If she absorbed more synthesis materials, she would get even stronger. In the future, she might even end up stronger than a dragon.

    ¡°Let¡¯s push on. Sarang is not here, but we¡¯ll be OK.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Junhyuk thought about sending Sarang and Helen to protect the tower, but he didn¡¯t really want to do that. The enemy heroes couldn¡¯t stop the allied team now. Elise¡¯s buff was just that strong.

    Junhyuk contacted Sarang and told her to follow the middle road. He and the allied took that road forward, and after some thought, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Should we kill all the buff monsters?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°We might get more synthesis materials, making Elise even stronger.¡±

    Gongon took a moment to think and said, ¡°Can each one of us kill a buff monster by ourselves?¡±

    ¡°If you are talking roaming monsters, that would be hard, but the stationary buff monsters are easier.¡±

    The allies had items superior to Arn¡¯s team in the past. Now, however, Arn had new items as well, and he could kill buff monsters by himself as a result.

    Gongon nodded and said, ¡°OK. Let¡¯s split up and hunt them. Even if we only get one synthesis item, it¡¯ll be worth it.¡±

    They could push on to finish the fight, but the allies would eventually face a different team, so it would be nice to have Elise¡¯s buff as strong as it could be.

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°Take the portal to kill the monsters and head back here. You know where the monsters are?¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to kill the Ghost White Tiger. The Ghost White Tiger could stealth, but Junhyuk could sense the monster even then.

    The allies moved out to hunt. It would take Sarang a while to join them, so while they waited, they would kill the buff monsters. Junhyuk went in search of the Ghost White Tiger. When he found the monster, heughed.

    He thought about when he was a minion. Now, he could hunt buff monsters by himself.

    Junhyuk was getting stronger. Not only on the battlefield, but on Earth as well.

    Arn had told him that he was like a child wielding a sword, so he had to get stronger. The hidden ghost tigers rushed toward him.

    Junhyuk swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword, and the ghost tigers all died. The Ghost White Tiger be nervous and got ready to pounce.

    Junhyuk could not see it, but he knew the Ghost White Tiger was scared.

    He walked proudly toward it, and the Ghost White Tiger took slow steps back. Junhyuk ran toward it quickly, and the Ghost White Tiger lunged toward him. Instead of using his Spatial sh, Junhyuk simply swung his sword.

    ng!

    The Ghost White Tiger became visible, and Junhyuk pierced its neck with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword.

    The Ghost White Tiger tried to respond to the attack, but the sword had already gone through it. The Ghost White Tiger died from that single it. It was a critical hit, and the Ghost White Tiger was unable to withstand the damage.

    Junhyuk was buffed. He paid close attention to see if the Ghost White Tiger had dropped an item, but it had not.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably impossible to get two drops of synthesis materials.¡±

    Junhyuk reminded himself that he should ask for synthesis materials the next time he went to see Bebe.

    Previously, he hadn¡¯t had enough gold, but now, he would easily invest the 50,000G to upgrade Elise¡¯s buff.

    Junhyuk headed back to the middle. When he got there, he saw that the allies were back. They had each killed a buff monster, and all had different-colored rings under their feet.

    ¡°Did anyone find anything?¡±

    Everyone shook their heads, so Junhyuk clicked his tongue.

    ¡°Too bad. We should hunt more often from now on. Let¡¯s move.¡±

    They hadn¡¯t found the enemy heroes, which meant that the enemy heroes had given up the middle path. The enemy heroes could reach the towers at about the same time the allies reached the castle if they use the portals, but the allies had wasted time with the monsters.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to move faster.¡±

    The speed buff would run out while the allies headed down the mountain, but they would move faster while it was active. Junhyuk could also teleport with the allied heroes.

    He thought about leaving Sarang and pushing for the enemy castle.

    ¡°We should move as fast as we can. We can also teleport.¡±

    Before the watchtowers were destroyed, the allied heroes wanted to reach the castle. That was the goal, and they took off in a hurry.

 Chapter 516 - Battlefield Change 1

    Chapter 516: Battlefield Change 1

    Their movement speed buff was almost gone, but Junhyuk kept teleporting with everyone, moving much faster. Every time his power came off cooldown, Junhyuk teleported. They were moving incredibly fast when the buff finally ended.

    He looked at the next enemy watchtower, but he couldn¡¯t see anyone, which meant that they were giving up the middle path entirely and pushing through the sides.

    Without hesitation, he ordered the attack on the tower. After it was destroyed, Sarang suddenly contacted him.

    ¡°Big brother, I lost the buff tower.¡±

    The enemy team had taken the buff tower suddenly. One of the enemy heroes had to have camped by the portal to take over the tower.

    ¡°Did youe up against anyone?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    To control the buff tower, the heroes had to pay attention to the time intervals. The important thing was to upy the tower first. After that, the other team couldn¡¯t flip the buff for hours.

    ¡°They must¡¯ve gone after our towers. Come join us.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    The enemies had given up the middle to push from the left and right. They knew they couldn¡¯t win a team battle, so they hade up with a new n. Before the portals were implemented, the middle path was much faster than either of the other ones, but now, it was only slightly faster.

    Junhyuk looked at the allies and said, ¡°They upied the buff tower and are using the buff to push through our towers.¡±

    The enemy team had to be thinking that they could win by pushing through one side, but he would put a stop to that.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have a speed buff, but we can teleport to decrease the time it would take us to get to the castle,¡± Junhyuk said and teleported again.

    Before the allies could reach the enemy castle, he got a warning that the allied watchtower was under attack. The allied heroes had spend time hunting buff monsters while the enemy heroes had pushed on diligently.

    ¡°We should be able to keep going. Otherwise, our enemies would¡¯ve attacked both sides.¡±

    The enemy heroes had had to choose: left or right. On top of that, they could use the portals, so the allies had to bring that battle to an end.

    Elise frowned and said, ¡°It would¡¯ve been nice to have Sarang with us. Too bad.¡±

    Having the five of them would¡¯ve been nice, but they had to attack with just the for. Junhyuk saw the enemy castle in the distance, and again, he teleported. He was using his teleportations as a movement power rather than in battle.

    Lately, he had had many chances to do that, so he was pushing his teleportations to their limit. It wasn¡¯t as fast as a speed buff, due to its cooldown, but it was still very fast.

    The allies might lose the watchtowers, but they would get to the enemy castle before any more damage urred.

    The fight at the enemy castle would decide the victor.

    Junhyuk felt bad that Sarang and Helen weren¡¯t with them, but he didn¡¯t have the time to wait for them.

    ¡°After those portals were implemented, things became moreplicated.¡±

    Without the portals, he hadn¡¯t had to work as hard. Junhyuk had only had to upy the buff tower previously, but now, the side paths were important as well.

    Junhyuk teleported with the allied heroes once more. Gongon looked at him and got on his shoulder. He was giving the hatchling a piggyback ride.

    ¡°This will slow us down.¡±

    ¡°You have strength runestones.¡±

    Junhyukughed and looked at the enemy castle in the distance. They were an hour away. The enemy heroes wouldn¡¯t be able to get to the allied castle within that time. They would have to return.

    The allies were almost at the castle, and by then, the enemy heroes had already returned.

    Junhyuk scowled when he saw them.

    ¡°That¡¯s unexpected.¡±

    Some of the enemies were outside the gate, and two had to be waiting inside. The three of them had the dragon¡¯s buff, which meant that Aktur had to have been the one to upy the buff tower.

    Trarune, Aktur and Edrol were buffed with the dragon¡¯s buff. The amount of damage they could deal had increased. They were more dangerous now.

    Junhyuk wanted to kill Aktur first and steal his buff.

    The allies closed in on the castle. They had buffs of their own, and while lying hidden by the foliage around the castle, he said, ¡°Elise, buff me.¡±

    It was a matter of time, so he couldn¡¯t hesitate. Elise buffed him and another hero, but for the team battle to work, the entire team needed buffs.

    ¡°The cooldown is one minute.¡±

    Only three allies walked out. Junhyuk remained hidden. Once the enemy closed in, he would kill them first.

    His first strike would change the flow of the battle.

    Aktur stepped forward and said, ¡°Junhyuk isn¡¯t here.¡± Staring at the heroes in front of him, he added, ¡°He should be here.¡±

    Once the two teams were about a hundred meters apart, the enemy hero said, ¡°Time to fight.¡±

    Aktur had the dragon¡¯s buff. It wouldn¡¯t be easy, but Junhyuk had already made up his mind to go after him.

    The enemy minions ran out first, but there weren¡¯t many of them, only about 150.

    The allied minions could deal with them, so Junhyuk didn¡¯t step forward. The allied heroes attacked the enemy minions, and Aktur watched them.

    Aktur could use one of his powers to kill one of the allied heroes quickly, so he slowly approached the allies. All the while, Junhyuk just watched.

    Suddenly, Junhyuk used his Spatial sh.

    He was still hidden when he did it, so Aktur couldn¡¯t dodge the attack. On top of that, Junhyuk was lucky. Perfect Evasion didn¡¯t trigger.

    sh!

    The strike hit the back of Aktur¡¯s head, and the hero¡¯s eyes widened. If Aktur hadn¡¯t had the dragon¡¯s buff, Junhyuk would¡¯ve used his Spatial Copse as well.

    Junhyuk ran forward, swinging Aksha¡¯s Longsword. The enemy minions fell in droves then, and Junhyuk looked right into Aktur¡¯s eyes.

    Trarune was the next one to move. The robot was running toward Junhyuk, and Aktur and Blinka were following it.

    Aktur and Trarune could pull, and if that happened, Junhyuk would die immediately.

    He and the allies seemed on edge. Junhyuk looked at Aktur, who had very low health by now and extended his hand.

    ¡°We¡¯ll attack at the same time,¡± he shouted.

    Trarune appeared in front of the allies and kicked forward. That was one of Trarune¡¯s powers, and the hero was buffed, but La stepped forward and used her katana tounch Aktur into the air. The size difference between the two did not matter.

    Junhyuk grabbed the allied heroes and teleported to appear right in front of Aktur, but he was suddenly stunned.

    Blinka had stomped the ground, triggering the robot¡¯s area-of-effect stun.

    The timing had been perfect, and Junhyuk had been stunned right as he appeared.

    ¡°Now, it¡¯s time for us to attack!¡±

    Aktur summoned the shadow hands from the ground and the skeleton soldiers, who attacked him. He was being held in ce by the enemy hero.

    Junhyuk received every attack since he couldn¡¯t move.

    The archers were attacking him as well, and Edrol fired arge beam at him. Junhyuk was under immense pressure, losing a lot of health. He felt like a beat up couch.

    Sarang wasn¡¯t there to heal him, but he still had the regeneration buff. When he ragained his movements, he triggered the force field and countered.

    Junhyuk only had 30 percent of his health now, but he wanted to finish the fight, so he used his Spatial Copse on Aktur, and Elise summoned Zaira.

    Elise raised her hands and magic circles appeared around her. Gongon erged and headbutted Aktur, killing him.

    With Aktur dead, Junhyuk focused on Blinka. The hero had high defense, but Elise used her ultimate, and so did La. Gongon kicked the robot as well. The hatchling was still giant and buffed.

    After onest sh from Junhyuk, Blinka disappeared. Junhyuk had not meant to, but he had dealt the final blow.

    He smirked and teleported to Trarune. The enemy hero had used its growth power, bing huge, but he and the other allies attacked the robot all the same.

 Chapter 517 - Battlefield Change 2

    Chapter 517: Battlefield Change 2

    They attacked Trarune ferociously, but the hero stayed by the castle wall and made sure to dodge Junhyuk¡¯s attacks.

    Junhyuk had to retreat. His force field was gone, and the archers were attacking him.

    Errune and Edrol were also attacking him from the wall, so Junhyuk got away quickly while his allies managed to kill Trarune.

    While attacking Trarune, Gongon lost a lot of health, so he also had to retreat. After killing all the enemy minions, Junhyuk gave an order to the allied minions, ¡°Destroy the gate!¡±

    Once the gate was destroyed, the enemy heroes would have to retreat. The minions started pounding against the gate. The archers were attacking the heroes, but their attacks weren¡¯t enough. There were a hundred minions attacking the gate.

    Even if the enemy heroes tried to kill the allied minions, the minions would destroy the gate before they were all wiped out.

    As the gate was getting destroyed, Junhyuk looked back. Without Sarang there, he couldn¡¯t be healed. He was stunned at himself for trying to break through the castle with his health.

    Junhyuk had 20 percent of his health left. Gongon had 64 percent, La had 82 percent and Elise had 95 percent.

    Elise could lose all of that health really fast, so he couldn¡¯t expect her to carry them.

    But, only two enemy heroes remained. When the gate was finally destroyed, Junhyuk crossed the threshold and killed the archers with Aksha¡¯s Longsword. Without the gate and their buff, the archers were just like minions.

    After killing the archers, he turned to the two giant golems.

    ¡°Can we kill them?¡±

    The two golems could fight like two heroes.

    Behind them, were the enemy heroes, waiting by the castle¡¯s force field, ready to step in at any moment.

    If anything went wrong, Junhyuk could easily end up dead.

    ¡°We can¡¯t wait for Sarang,¡± Gongon said.

    ¡°She would help us, but the other enemy heroes will revive if we wait for her, and we¡¯ll be under constant attack. We don¡¯t have enough health for that.¡±

    ¡°Is your force field back?¡± La asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Use it, and we¡¯ll kill one of the golems with it at least. It¡¯ll make a big differenceter on.¡±

    Junhyuk agreed, and Elise smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send Zaira after one of the golems, and we¡¯ll all attack the other one at the same time.¡±

    If they managed to destroy the golems, the allies would haveplete freedom to choose what to do. Junhyuk inspected the allies. Elise had the regeneration buff, so the allies were still regaining health as they stood there.

    The enemy heroes weren¡¯t with the golems, so that was their chance to fight the golems.

    Zaira zoomed off toward one of the giant golems. The golem ran at her. Elise was luring that golem to the opposite side of the room, pulling it with Zaira.

    Once the golem was away, she turned to Junhyuk, and he ordered a group of minions, fifty of them, to attack that golem. The remaining minions would attack the golem with the heroes.

    The enemy heroes tensed up as they watched. If they didn¡¯te out of the force field, they would lose both golems, but leaving the force field would mean risking their lives.

    Junhyuk turned to Elise and asked, ¡°Is your ultimate back?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    Elise¡¯s ultimate was incredibly powerful, the most powerful he had seen so far, but its cooldown was too long. However, his Spatial Copse was off cooldown.

    Junhyuk attacked the golem as well in hopes of destroying it quickly. WIth the force field up to protect them, they focused entirely on the golem.

    The enemy minions attacked the allied minions, but the allied minions were used to fighting now. Some fought the golem, and the others split to take care of the minions. The enemy golems were almost destroyed.

    The enemy heroes stepped out and attacked those attacking the golems. They could attack from long range, so the allied minions started dropping fast. The golem was killing the minions as well. Seeing the allied minions get massacred, Junhyuk increased his attack speed.

    Finally, the golem went down. With that, Junhyuk immediately ran toward the other golem. There were only ten allied minions attacking it now, and his force field was also gone. His health had gone up, but he could easily fall victim to an ultimate.

    Junhyuk teleported to reach the golem, and the rest of the allied heroes attacked it as well.

    The allied minions had made sacrifices in their battle against the golem, but they had managed to bring the golem¡¯s health way down.

    Junhyuk looked at the heroes and said, ¡°After we destroy this one, let¡¯s retreat!¡±

    The enemy heroes would revive soon, and Junhyuk did not want to gamble with that. Without their golems, the enemy heroes wouldn¡¯t leave the castle.

    Aktur revived first, and the enemy heroes moved out. The allies had to destroy the remaining golem. None of them could die now, and they had no time to waste. It had to happen that way.

    ¡°I¡¯ll buy us more time,¡± La said.

    She ran forward in sh, swinging her katana at Aktur,unching him.

    The enemy heroes attacked her, and Elise attacked them.

    Elise shot out a massive beam, her weapons¡¯ ability.

    Edrol and Errune dodged the attack, and during that time, Junhyuk and Gongon finally managed to kill the giant golem.

    The enemy heroes would be reviving at that point, so Junhyuk used his Spatial Copse.

    He attacked Aktur with it. If he was lucky, it would kill the enemy hero, and if Aktur died now, victory would definitely belong to the allies.

    Junhyuk used his Spatial sh against Aktur, who was being sucked by the copse.

    However, the Perfect Evasion triggered that time, and Aktur dodged. At the same time, Aktur summoned the shadow hands, and the attack held the allies in ce. After that, Aktur summoned the skeleton soldiers.

    Elise rushed forward to rescue the others and fell within range of the shadow hands, but they held little meaning for her. She used her nullification field, and the shadow hands disappeared. As she ran forward, Gongon and Junhyuk followed behind her.

    It was funny that the allies were running behind Elise, who had the lowest defense out of all of them. However, within five meters of her, all powers were useless.

    The snipers in the enemy team distanced themselves from her. They were going to use their ultimates.

    Junhyuk closed in against and shed with both of his swords. His attack speed buff was still up. Elise¡¯s buff was stronger than ever.

    Gongon also attacked the enemy hero.

    The rate at which Perfect Evasion triggered was high, but Aktur was not invincible, and the hero started losing health nonstop. Once he was able to move again, Aktur started retreated, managing to get himself close to the castle¡¯s force field.

    Elise¡¯s nullification field ended, but Gongon transformed. The dragon flew across the room spewing massive fireballs at Aktur.

    Boom!

    Aktur died, so Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Keep pushing!¡±

    Edrol and Errune retreated into the force field. Victory belonged to the allies.

    The allies pounded against the force field. When the other enemy heroes revived, they did note out. They couldn¡¯t deal with the four allied heroes by themselves, knowing that they would die with the snap of a finger. They remained within the force field, giving up the fight.

    The allies were low on health, but they seized that chance. The castle¡¯s force field crumbled.

    Suddenly, the whole world turned bright white, and a momentter, Junhyuk was looking at Ariel, who smiled at him.

    ¡°Congrattions!¡±

    ¡°That was hard.¡±

    Junhyuk was being honest, but Ariel kept smiling and said, ¡°I must congratte you again.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°The managers have invited your team for a tournament.¡±

    ¡°A tournament?¡±

    ¡°Thirty-two teams have been invited to participate, and yours is one of them.¡±

    ¡°What happens if we win?¡±

    ¡°If you win, you¡¯ll be officially deemed a legend candidate, and you¡¯ll have the chance to fight the previous legend team.¡±

    ¡°And if we win against them?¡±

    ¡°Then, you¡¯ll be invited to the legends¡¯ tournament.¡±

    ¡°Legends¡¯ tournament?¡±

    ¡°All legend teams will participate in that tournament. They are all curious to find out who are the true legends among them.¡±

 Chapter 518 - Battlefield Change 3

    <h4>Chapter 518: Battlefield Change 3</h4>

    Junhyuk gave Ariel a bitter smile. He knew just how strong a legend team could be by looking back at the team he fought the previous season. He had some legendary items now and he had be quite strong in the Dimensional Battlefield, however.

    Fighting against them would be interesting.

    ¡°Is that all?¡±

    [No. Once the tournament begins, the victory reward will increase.]

    ¡°By how much?¡±

    [Every victory will pay out 1,000,000G.]

    Junhyuk scratched his chin and said, ¡°Interesting. What about the Champions¡¯ Battlefield?¡±

    [There are no changes to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield.]

    ¡°OK.¡± Junhyuk smiled and asked, ¡°When does the tournament start? In two weeks?¡±

    [No. The decision to hold the tournament has just been made, so it will take a month for it to begin.]

    ¡°Right.¡± Junhyuk could understand that. ¡°Should I ce both of my bets to the Champions¡¯ Battlefield now?¡±

    [You can bet once now and bet again after the next Champions¡¯ Battlefield.]

    ¡°I¡¯ll bet 300,000G on Ling Ling¡¯s team.¡±

    [Sure. Your 300,000G bet on Ling Ling¡¯s team has been ced.]

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t think a month was that long. Once the tournament began, the fighting would be more ferocious.

    At that moment, something popped in his mind, ¡°Can I use the dimensional merchant now?¡±

    [Not right now. You are receiving your reward and acquiring new information. This is not the Dimensional Battlefield.]

    ¡°Really?¡±

    The room was entirely different from the Dimensional Battlefield spawn room. He nodded and asked, ¡°So, I can¡¯t use the merchant for a month?¡±

    After thinking for a moment, Ariel said, [I can always ask Bebe for what you want. Do you want me to?]

    ¡°That¡¯s possible? You can do that for me?¡±

    Junhyuk had a reason to visit Bebe. He had to do things before the tournament began while Elise would do the rest within that month.

    He wanted to by a synthesis material to make her stronger. He wanted her buffs to be stronger. If he managed to buff the entire allied team, and if her buffs had more stat bonuses, the team as a whole would be much stronger.

    If that were the case, the allies would be able to fight the legend teams.

    Junhyuk put the request in with Ariel. He, himself, had a lot to prepare in that month. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t interested in the tournament, but if he won, he would be able to fight legends. The allies weren¡¯t ready for it. Their team was somewhat iplete.

    Junhyuk need to finish the work on his swordsmanship, so he would contact Arn right away.

    [Then, I¡¯ll see you when youe for the viewing.]

    ¡°Right, see youter.¡±

    Junhyuk got back to Earth and saw Sarang and Elise, immediately telling them about the news.

    ¡°Did you hear about the tournament?¡±

    ¡°I heard,¡± Sarang replied with a nod, and Junhyuk turned to Elise.

    ¡°I put a request for Bebe for before the tournament. We can increase our strength if you can get more synthesis materials.¡±

    Even with just another buff monster synthesis material, Elise was already a top-tier buffer. Junhyuk wanted her to get stronger.

    She smiled at him and said, ¡°I have a favor to ask as well.¡±

    ¡°What favor?¡±

    ¡°I want to install a core in Zaira. Is that possible?¡±

    ¡°Of course!

    If Zaira became stronger, Elise would be stronger, so Junhyuk agreed immediately. He had earned a lot of gold because of here, so one core wouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    ¡°We have two weeks to prepare.¡±

    Eltor had been put on notice for two weeks, so the allies should use that free time wisely. They could train all they wanted, and that was a good thing.

    He added, ¡°We should try to be stronger for the Dimensional Battlefield rather than for Earth during that time.¡±

    Earth had four heroes now and many more experts, and thanks to the waves, humans had ess to good equipment.

    If Arn¡¯s team crossed over to kill the human heroes, for example, there would be nothing they would be able to do about it, so Junhyuk hoped that something like that wouldn¡¯t happen.

    ¡°Sure! I¡¯ll need to upgrade Zaira and evolve my buff power. I¡¯ll need synthesis items for that second part.¡±

    ¡°You should upgrade Zaira, but don¡¯t forget to work on your nullification field as well.¡±

    Elise understood that. The nullification field was strong, but there were too many limitations to it. Still, it was a power of the highest rank.

    After talking to Elise, he turned to Sarang.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to help you out.¡±

    ¡°Are you inviting Vera to the facility again?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll learn more about magic from her.¡±

    ¡°We should also have you see Bebe for something else.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°I realized it while fighting Aktur. We need more hit chance runestones. We¡¯ll need to fight legend teams, but with our hit chance as low as it is, we might lose from not being able to attack them.¡±

    Sarang nodded and replied, ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°That includes me.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Elise, you have nice items now, but you should get more runestones as well.¡±

    Elise to a moment to think before saying, ¡°I will. I¡¯ll upgrade Zaira and use the materials we still have to make more items.¡±

    They had earned a lot of gold just by killing that single dragon. They had invested a lot into crafting, but they had already made that investment back and many times over. Junhyuk was very happy that Elise was on his team.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start right away. When Eunseo wakes up, I¡¯ll exin the situation to her.¡±

    ¡°I should be going,¡± Elise said, leaving for herb quickly.

    He turned to Sarang and said, ¡°We finished the battle without you.¡±

    ¡°Hm... You did fine without me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true. We could¡¯ve used you there.¡±

    ¡°Now you know just how precious I am.¡±

    ¡°Right. If you had been there, I wouldn¡¯t have been so scared.¡±

    Sarang¡¯s powers were special. She had the Thunderstorm. Her electric sts paralyzed the enemy, and she could heal. On top of that, she had a state of invulnerability near death.

    Junhyuk caressed her head and said, ¡°We¡¯ll do fine. We just need better items.¡±

    HIs team had problems. Theycked a full on wall of a tank. Junhyuk and Gongon had health and defense like tanks, but they weren¡¯t tanks. Tanks could taunt on top of having the best defensive powers, and none of them could do that.

    While the enemies focused on the tank, the rest of the allies could attack the enemy, so without a true tank, they were ced in an ufortable situation.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t recruit a tank now. They would have toe up with otherbinations of their powers to go up against their enemies.

    ¡°We have to learn everything we can about our enemies as soon as possible.¡±

    Up until that point, he was fighting the same enemies as the previous round, but now, he would be fighting a different team each time.

    ¡°Our team will be enough.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled at her and replied, ¡°Right. It¡¯s a good opportunity.¡±

    It was possible that his team woulde up against Arn¡¯s team in the finals, before they had to fight the legend team.

    Junhyuk sent Sarang away and went to see Eunseo. She was still asleep in her office, so he teleported there and saw her under piles of paperwork.

    She had been working when she was summoned.

    It wouldn¡¯t be a good thing if her workers found her in that state, afflicted by abnormal narcolepsy. She was Guardians¡¯ CEO, the decision maker for Earth¡¯s defense, and people might panic if they knew.

    Junhyuk sat in front of her. It would take her close to an hour before she woke up. He closed his eyes.

    The Mantis Lord had helped him. His wild swordsmanship wasn¡¯t just fast. Just being fast wouldn¡¯t mean anything against Arn. The goal was to restrict his opponent¡¯s speed.

    Fighting the Mantis Lord had given him a clue about how to do it.

    An hour passed while Junhyuk meditated on his battle against the Mantis Lord. Eunseo woke up and wiped the drool off her mouth.

    This time, she hadn¡¯t prepared herself to be summoned. She could guess as to why he was there. He was preventing others from seeing her like that, so she smiled at him.

    Eunseo stared at him. Junhyuk still had his eyes closed, but he said, ¡°You are drilling a hole in my face.¡±

    ¡°A hole?¡±

    Junhyuk chuckled and opened his eyes. Their eyes met.

    ¡°I wanted to tell you some things.¡±

    ¡°About what?¡± Eunseo asked while adjusting her sses, and Junhyuk told her about the tournament.

    ¡°The format of the Dimensional Battlefield has changed into a tournament. Thirty-two teams will participate, and the winners will fight the previous legend team.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unexpected.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the best way to sort out the best.¡±

    ¡°How can I help?¡±

 Chapter 519 - Preparations 1

    <h4>Chapter 519: Preparations 1</h4>

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already told you that there won¡¯t be monster waves for another two weeks, so we should take that time to focus on our training. I¡¯ll drink more alcohol for the heroes.¡±

    ¡°Are you inviting them today?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m going to get ready today, but I¡¯ll invite them tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Everything will be ready by tomorrow. Should I send the alcohol to Elise¡¯s ce?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Junhyuk grabbed her shoulders then and added, ¡°If possible, you¡¯ll need to activate your second power within a month. Once you be an expert, you¡¯ll have an extra life.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡±

    Effort alone wouldn¡¯t be enough. If that had been the case, there would¡¯ve been several human heroes by now. In Eunseo¡¯s case, her workload might be preventing her from activating other powers.

    To activate another power, she would have to train, and that would also increase her overall stats.

    ¡°I¡¯ll return and get ready,¡± he said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get the food and drinks ready by tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Junhyuk returned to Elise¡¯s house and entered his training facility. From there, he called Arn and the other heroes. They hadn¡¯t been summoned yet, so he told them about the tournament.

    Arn was very d to hear about it. After telling Junhyuk he would visit the next day, he hung up.

    Junhyuk wanted to surprise everyone, so he summoned his swords. They felt different on Earth from how they felt in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    Junhyuk had only tried the swordsmanship techniques of each sword with that specific sword. Now, he was mixing them up, using different styles with different swords. He forgot about the time while he practiced, and suddenly, someone contacted him.

    Sarang¡¯s projection suddenly appeared, and he stopped to catch his breath. Junhyuk was hungry, and he knew quite a bit of time had passed.

    Puffing her cheeks, Sarang asked, ¡°Why have you been silent for a whole day?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Saturday?!¡±

    ¡°Yes. I thought you were going to invite Vera over. Elise¡¯s house is full of drinks. I¡¯m putting them in my Spatial Bag as we speak.¡±

    Junhyuk invited everyone over immediately. Everyone took his invitation, and they all appeared in the training facility. The same group that hade before was there.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go help them out,¡± he said.

    ¡°Give me a drink first.¡±

    Sarang pulled a bottle out of her back, and Arn smiled.

    ¡°The drinks today are different.¡±

    Previously, he had bought the most famous drinks he could find. After the first party, however, he realized that Arn liked drinks with high-alcohol content. So, this time, he brought drinks like that over from China.

    Arn drank andughed.

    ¡°I like these! They are strong!¡±

    Junhyuk brought the food over, along with utensils and tes. He ate as soon as he could since he had some time before they would start training.

    They all talked about the tournament.

    ¡°We just barely made it into the thirty-two teams. Arn, your team was highly-ranked before the tournament, so were you seeded?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Junhyuk bid farewell to the teams that would fight Arn. The hero¡¯s team had already fought the previous legends. Overall, they were superior to the other candidates.

    Fighting Arn¡¯s team meant dying a lot and dropping many items.

    The hero drank and said, ¡°If we¡¯re lucky, we¡¯ll go up against the weaker teams and move up the tournamentdder. That way, we can earn more money and get more items on the way.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Arn was saying that his team wascking items rather than powers. Junhyuk stared at him and said, ¡°The winners will face the previous legend team.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting a rematch.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t lose either.¡±

    Arnughed and asked, ¡°What happens if a team member can¡¯t participate?¡±

    ¡°Well...¡±

    ¡°Do you want to find out?¡±

    Junhyuk started sweating cold, so he changed the subject, ¡°By the way, I learned a lot while fighting the Mantis Lord.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? I hope so. Let¡¯s eat first, then we¡¯ll check that out.¡±

    They ate quickly and got up. The other heroes moved the stone chairs aside, still eating, and started chatting.

    ¡°It¡¯s always fun to watch a fight.¡±

    ¡°This won¡¯t be fun on its own. Let¡¯s take bets.¡±

    ¡°Arn will win. What is there to bet on?¡±

    Nudra smiled and said, ¡°How long he¡¯llst.¡±

    ¡°I bet hests three minutes,¡± Halo said.

    After some thought, Nudra added, ¡°Two minutes.¡±

    ¡°Who do you think Junhyuk is?¡±

    ¡°Diane, what are you betting on?¡±

    ¡°One minute.¡±

    Vera and the others let out, ¡°That¡¯s cruel.¡±

    ¡°Having a cute butt has nothing to do with fighting well. Arn is his opponent. I¡¯m sure Arn can finish him in ten seconds.¡±

    Vera shook her head and said, ¡°Arn won¡¯t go all out. I¡¯ll bet on one minute.¡±

    ¡°That he¡¯ll fall within that time?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll take thirty seconds for Arn to evaluate him, and the fight will be over after another ten seconds.¡±

    ¡°OK. How about 10,000G?¡±

    ¡°Call!¡±

    The heroes had ced their bets when Sarang said, ¡°I¡¯ll bet on over three minutes.¡±

    They all turned to her, and Vera wrapped her arms around Sarang¡¯s neck and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to take your money.¡±

    ¡°I believe in him. It¡¯s 10,000G, right?¡±

    Vera looked at the others and said, ¡°This is just for fun.¡±

    Gongon bet on two minutes, and La bet on one minute. Gongon believed in him, and La knew how strong he was. Junhyuk was d that none of them had bet on less than a minute.

    Eliseughed and ced the same bet as Sarang.

    Junhyuk gave out a bitterugh and said, ¡°You are overestimating me.¡±

    ¡°They are heroes and they are betting ordingly with how they think.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try tost three minutes.¡±

    Arn shook his head and said, ¡°Thirty seconds. I¡¯ll evaluate your skills by that time. Try your best.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk was nning to use all of his powers. He knew that Arn wouldn¡¯t get hurt.

    He ran, but he didn¡¯t attack. His swords were capable of long range attacks, but they were stronger at short range. Junhyuk elerated and shed at Arn.

    ng!

    Even with the eleration, he failed to strike the hero. Arn blocked his attacks with his sabers.

    ¡°You are stronger than before.¡±

    ¡°I have more of the highest-tiered runestones now.¡±

    ¡°Will that be enough?¡±

    Junhyuk felt himself being pushed back, which meant hecked basic strength. He did not want a contest of strength against Arn.

    Junhyuk used all of his skills, which surprised Arn. The previous time, Junhyuk had used two distinct swordsmanship styles, but now, he controlled them both as one.

    Last time, Arn had taught him the basics of his swordsmanship and helped him develop it. For thirty seconds, Arn evaluated Junhyuk¡¯s skills.

    He wanted to be a firm teacher, so he attacked. Arn did so ferociously, attacking faster than the Mantis Lord. Junhyuk smiled. As long as he could see Arn¡¯s attacks, he could deflect them.

    The two sabers shed at incredible speed, but Junhyuk parried them easily and countered.

    ng!

    Junhyuk smiled, satisfied. Arn had blocked his attack with a saber, but now, Junhyuk knew that he had gotten stronger.

    The attack with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword had been blocked, but Junhyuk released a wind de toward Arn.

    sh!

    Junhyuk thought he had gotten Arn with it, but the hero dodged and countered. Still, Junhyuk made sure not to let his guard down.

    Arn grinned. Junhyuk felt he should beplimented, but Arn wanted to be firm. The fight soon turned to one where pride was on the line.

    Junhyuk knew Arn had be serious. The hero didn¡¯t use his powers, and just from his regr attacks, Junhyuk was put on defense.

    However, he learned something from that.

    Arn was stronger than the berserked Mantis Lord, and faster as well.

    Remembering what Nudra had told him, Junhyuk changed into his own wild swordsmanship.

    sh!

    Junhyuk got struck in the ribs and fell. One blow, and he became unable to move. The saber was now aimed at his throat.

    Covered in sweat, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Whew! How long did Ist?¡±

    Arn looked awkward, and Elise and Sarang cheered aloud, ¡°Victory!¡±

    Junhyuk looked back at Arn, whoughed bitterly and answered, ¡°Three minutes and two seconds. Yousted a while.¡±

 Chapter 520 - Preparations 2

    <h4>Chapter 520: Preparations 2</h4>

    Junhyuk did not know how he had managed to block Arltan¡¯s attacks. He had done so subconsciously. Three minutes and two seconds.

    Since bing a hero, Junhyuk had thought of himself as strong, but against Arn, blocking was all he was able to do. And he had barely managed that.

    Junhyuk grabbed Arn¡¯s hand, and Arn helped him up, patting his back lightly.

    ¡°You did well,¡± Arn said, and he felt his chest warm up. Junhyuk was doing fine, and Arn had paid him apliment.

    Arn grabbed another bottle of alcohol, and Sarang healed him in the meantime.

    ¡°Are you OK?¡±

    ¡°I learned a lot.¡±

    As Arn drank, the other heroes paid their bets. They were staring awkwardly at Arn.

    Still drinking, Arn said, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, fight him. I bet he¡¯llst three minutes against anyone.¡±

    Halo stepped forward then.

    ¡°I¡¯m expecting good things from him.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to use your powers?¡±

    ¡°Are you saying I can¡¯t finish the fight in three minutes without my powers?¡±

    Halo was deeply interested, and as he stood in front of Junhyuk, he unsheathed his sword. Junhyuk frowned. Halo wasparing himself to Arn. They had entered apetitive mode, and Halo would do his best to win. Would he be able tost three minutes that way?

    Junhyuk knew it from the previous party, they fought viciously.

    Arn, Halo and Nudra all had different skills, but they were all hard to deal with.

    Junhyuk brandished his swords and stood in front of Halo. He was sure of just one thing. The duel would just be for fun.

    Slightly scared, he smiled. Junhyuk was enjoying these fights.

    Halo smiled as well.

    ¡°You¡¯re smiling?!¡±

    Halo¡¯s demeanor made him even more anxious, and Junhyuk smiled even wider because of that.

    ¡°I¡¯m shaking.¡±

    Halo lowered his stance, and Junhyuk could feel how sharp the hero was. Arn used his eleration, counterattacks andbos, but Halo attacked in single, powerful strikes.

    Junhyuk knew just how heavy Halo¡¯s attack was. He had fought the hero before.

    He took a lower stance as well, and Nudra said, ¡°If this keeps up, the three minutes will go by fast.¡±

    Somehow, Halo seemed translucent. His movements were explosive.

    ng!

    Junhyuk barely blocked the attack. He was not pushed back, however, and he didn¡¯t let his guard down. Halo would follow that single, heavy strike with another, but none of them were weak. All of Halo¡¯s attacks were incredibly heavy.

    ng!

    After blocking twice, Junhyuk bit his lip. He might be able tost three minutes, but he would be badly injured from the exchange.

    He paid attention to what Halo was teaching him. Halo was gripping his sword with both hands, making his attacks fast and strong. The attack speed was so fast that Junhyuk was having a hard time dealing with the force generated by it.

    He had learned something. He felt like his wrists would break from blocking, but he was getting used to Halo¡¯s speed.

    He was getting clued about how to block the strikes, but as time passed, he was having a harder time doing it. However, he did not step back.

    Almost in berserk mode, Junhyuk blocked onest time. He had reached his limit. At the same time, Halo, having had his sword deflected, ran his sword down to Junhyuk¡¯s wrist and shed it. Junhyuk dropped his sword then, and Halo aimed his own sword at his neck.

    Junhyuk regained hisposure and looked up. Halo was smiling at him.

    ¡°You did well.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed and grabbed his wrist. Sarang healed him, and the injury on the wrist was no longer.

    Halo sighed and added, ¡°Surprising. You reallysted three minutes.¡± Turning to Arn, he continued, ¡°Three minutes and one second. I¡¯m better than you.¡±

    ¡°Hm... I took thirty seconds to evaluate his skills.¡±

    Halo¡¯s brow furrowed, and he went back to his seat. The hero grabbed a drink and looked at Nudra.

    ¡°You should teach him.¡±

    Nudra took a moment to think before getting up. He had his hands behind his back and, with a smirk, he said, ¡°I should teach you something. Do you want to rest first?¡±

    Junhyuk put opened and closed the hand with the injured wrist before grabbing his sword again. He was tired, but he didn¡¯t want to stop now.

    Nudra smiled at him and said, ¡°Surprising. You still want to fight me.¡± After staring at him, the old man added, ¡°Try tost a while.¡±

    Nudra took one big step toward him, and Junhyuk swung both swords at the hero. Junhyuk attacked, but Nudra moved seamlessly, closing in on him, and end extended his fist toward Junhyuk. The fist looked light and soft as a feather, so Junhyuk did not respond to it in time.

    When he finally attempted to block the strike, the speed of Nudra¡¯s hand had increased immensely.

    Boom!

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Junhyuk was thrown back, rolling across the ground until hitting the wall behind him. He vomited a pool of blood, tried to get up, and vomited even more blood, taking a knee then.

    Sarang healed him quickly. That result was shocking to him. Why did Nudra¡¯s attack look so slow?

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t evenst three seconds. Meanwhile, Arn and Halo were talking to Nudra.

    ¡°What did you do to the kid?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a power, but it¡¯s almost like one!¡±

    Nudraughed and replied, ¡°Just say you are jealous.¡±

    Vera stuck her tongue out at him and said, ¡°Old man, you are too much.¡±

    Nudraughed and gave him a bottle. After taking a swig from it, Junhyuk asked, ¡°What was that?¡±

    Nudra whispered to him, ¡°My secret technique.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to learn it. Even though he trained with swords, he still wanted to learn it.

    ¡°Can you teach it to me?¡±

    Nudraughed and replied, ¡°You are already learning too many things as it is.¡±

    ¡°So, I must master my own skills first.¡±

    ¡°Of course. You should focus on one thing before trying to learn another.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded. He couldn¡¯t learned everything he wanted.

    He looked into himself. Sparring was hard, but he learned a lot from it.

    Arn signaled for him, and Junhyuk took a seat.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call that you swordsmanship. Train harder and make it better.¡± Arn poured him a drink and added, ¡°You did well.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Junhyuk drank it all in one shot, and Halo refilled his ss.

    ¡°Your defensive skills have increased, but you must also increase your offensive skills.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you thoseter.¡±

    ¡°Drink up. We¡¯ll spar some moreter.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Junhyuk took the shot, and Nudra refilled his ss for him.

    ¡°This is just the beginning.¡±

    Junhyuk knew that as well. He would havested longer if he had used his powers, but he didn¡¯t think he would have won. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t measure up to his teachers yet.

    His heart pounded at the thought of fighting them in the tournament.

    Junhyuk took the shot and said, ¡°Teach me more.¡±

    Arn emptied his bottle and said, ¡°You are my student, so you can¡¯t lost in the first round of the tournament. I¡¯ll teach you.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll work hard!¡±

    Vera, with her arms resting on Sarang¡¯s shoulders, said, ¡°Sarang, we should practice. I¡¯ll teach you what it means to fight with magic.¡±

    The training facility repaired itself, so the heroes could go all out in there. Sparring was essential for mages as well.

    After some thought, Gongon walked up to Nudra.

    ¡°Human, when I transform, I fight barehanded. Can you teach me anything?¡±

    Nudra smiled at Gongon and asked, ¡°We aren¡¯t in the Dimensional Battlefield, so how long does your transformationst?¡±

    ¡°One month, and there¡¯s plenty of mana here.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to spar with me?¡±

    Gongon transformed, and Nudra smiled at the hatchling.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be the first dragon to learn human martial arts.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s rare for dragons to ask humans for favors.¡±

    After staring at Junhyuk, Nudra said, ¡°I have nothing to do, so I¡¯ll teach you. It¡¯ll be hard.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a dragon. I learn fast.¡±

    ¡°Haha! Sure.¡±

    Diane smacked her lips and said, ¡°I want to grab his butt.¡±

    La walked up to her.

    ¡°I learned to move from you. Can you teach me anything else?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be hard for a human like you to learn our techniques.¡±

    ¡°Expect good things from me.¡±

    ¡°Is Halo OK with this?¡±

    ¡°Halo? He has nothing left to teach me.¡±

    ¡°He said that? Can you defeat him now?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then, why does he not have anything else to teach you?¡±

    ¡°Now, I¡¯m supposed to learn on my own.¡±

    ¡°Humans often say that. I can¡¯t teach you archery, but I¡¯ll teach you other skills.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Elise watched every hero pair up with a teacher and smacked her lips. Her style of fighting was different. She did not use her body to attack and she spent most of her time in herb.

    She got up, and at that moment, someone grabbed her butt.

    ¡°Ahh!¡±

    Who was it that grabbed her butt? Elise turned to look at the culprit and saw Diane there.

    ¡°I like firm butts. I don¡¯t like them soft like yours.¡± Looking at Elise, Diane said, ¡°You should learn how to control your body.¡±

    Elise¡¯s eyes beamed. Diane had moved incredibly fast.

    ¡°Can I learn?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t be like an elf, but you¡¯ll move faster.¡±

    ¡°Then, teach me.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled when he saw his team was learning from Arn¡¯s team. At that moment, Arn said, ¡°We don¡¯t have time to spare. We should start training now. Get up.¡±

    Junhyuk got up and brandished his swords. Arn did the same. Without hesitation, Junhyuk attacked first.

 Chapter 521 - Preparations 3

    <h4>Chapter 521: Preparations 3</h4>

    Last time, Arn had left once the drinks had run out. This time, Arn remained even after the drinks were gone. Arn wanted to teach him more.

    They focused on training.

    While Junhyuk rested from sparring with Arn and Halo, Sarang and Vera sparred with their spells. They started with magic Sarang could use in the Dimensional Battlefield to other spells.

    After Vera and Sarang were done, Nudra taught Gongon. It was strange to see Gongon learning from Nudra, but Gongon was doing well. However, Gongon was still getting the crap beat out of him.

    Even if Gongon was a hatchling, Junhyuk thought that the fight was too one-sided. However, Gongon could now control the level of strength he used.

    Someone else was going through much tougher training. Elise was learning the elfs¡¯ special movement skills.

    La could keep with with Diane fairly well, but Elise could not.

    La ran up a wall twenty meters down and came down with ease, but Elise dropped to the ground many times.

    While Vera rested, Elise discussed magic engineering with her. Running up the wall required magic circles, but the person had to move fast at the same time.

    Elise had studied magitek and learned how to use it. She couldn¡¯t use high-tier circles like Sarang, but since it only required low-tier circles, she eventually managed to run up the wall with ease.

    Diane chuckled at Elise and told her to keep up with her.

    That was how they spent the week together. The week passed quickly, and one by one, they were called into the Champions¡¯ Battlefield viewing room. Once everyone was back, Arn said, ¡°The Champions¡¯ Battlefield is different now that you are a hero. I¡¯m winning some gold, but not as much.¡±

    Nudra, with his hands behind his back, added, ¡°Thanks to Vera¡¯s analyses, our rate is better than 80 percent.¡±

    ¡°I can only about double what I bet.¡±

    ¡°You might lose a lot more than that betting on others.¡±

    Arnughed and turned to Junhyuk, asking, ¡°Do you know of any teams with a good streak?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s an Earthling called Ling Ling. I¡¯ve been betting on her team.¡±

    ¡°Her winning rate?¡±

    ¡°So far, she hasn¡¯t lost.¡±

    ¡°What are the returns?¡±

    ¡°Right now, three times.¡±

    Arn grabbed his chin and said, ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll bet on that team.¡±

    The Champions¡¯ Battlefield was unpredictable. Even if a champion had great powers, they might lose because of their items. On top of that, it was also possible for adversaries to be heroes during the battle.

    Junhyuk had only told Arn what he knew.

    That time, when he had finished viewing the battle, Junhyuk had asked about Bebe, but Bebe had declined his request. The merchant had told him to get the items he needed in the next battlefield.

    On his way out, Junhyuk bet all of his gold on Ling Ling. If she won again next time, he would win a lot more gold. There was no battle that week, so he didn¡¯t have where to spend his gold.

    During the week, Junhyuk developed into a true hero. Arn was firm, but he had taught him well.

    Arn turned to Nudra and asked, ¡°How¡¯s Gongon?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s certainly a dragon. He learns really fast and he¡¯s mastered the basics.¡±

    ¡°He should spar.¡±

    ¡°With Junhyuk?¡±

    ¡°Transformed, he won¡¯t lose a lot of health.¡±

    ¡°Gongon has a lot of health.¡±

    Gongon could match Junhyuk¡¯s eleration with his speed. Gongon had been born with mana in his heart and lived surrounded by mana ever since. The dragon would be a difficult enemy.

    ¡°Let¡¯s check it out. If they only spar with us, it¡¯ll be bad for their self-esteem.¡±

    Junhyuk agreed with him. He still couldn¡¯tst more than five minutes against either Arn or Halo. Arn kept pointing out the weaknesses in his swordsmanship. He was fixing them, but he was losing confidence. Junhyuk lost more than ten times every day.

    To learn where he was, he readily agreed to spar with Gongon.

    Gongon stood in front of him and smirked.

    ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t know I would be beating the crap out of a human.¡±

    ¡°Is that a joke?¡±

    Gongon had been tossed about the floor the entire week by Nudra, so both of them could regain their confidence by winning.

    Junhyuk stepped forward and brandished his swords. Gongon cracked his knuckles loudly. Everyone was cing bets on either of them.

    Arn and Halo had taught him well, but Gongon was a dragon. His basic stats were much higher than Junhyuk¡¯s. On top of that, Nudra had taught Gongon. It wouldn¡¯t be easy for him.

    Everyone shouted out their bets, and Junhyuk said, ¡°Then, let¡¯s begin.¡±

    Gongon ran toward him. The dragon¡¯s movements were strange.

    Previously, Gongon would attack by taking the shortest distance to his target, but now, Gongon was showing some restraint.

    Junhyuk swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword at the dragon, but Gongon sidestepped it easily. His movements were extremely refined now. He appeared to be moving slowly just like Nudra, so Junhyuk shed with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword.

    At close range, he couldn¡¯t release the wind de, but there was some distance between them. Junhyuk used the wind de, but Gongon punched it.

    Bang!

    The fist dispersed the wind de. Gongon¡¯s fist was surrounded with mana. It was a mana strike.

    Gongon had learned well. Having learned martial arts from Nudra, the dragon closed in on Junhyuk.

    Gongon had started by moving slowly, but now he was incredibly fast. Junhyuk swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword at the back of Gongon¡¯s head, and Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword at Gongon¡¯s body, preventing him from getting too close.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t allow a martial artist to get too close to him, so he shed with great speed. At the same time, Gongon¡¯s eyes beamed.

    Gongon was wilder than him. He was a dragon, and they were the monsters at the top of the food chain.

    His wild nature still persisted, and now that he had learned martial arts from Nudra, Gongon was incredibly powerful now.

    The dragon punched through Junhyuk¡¯s openings, and Junhyuk smiled.

    Junhyuk was leaving opening intentionally. Halo had pointed those out to him already, and he had fixed the problem. The openings were very small, so hardly anyone could exploit them. However, Gongon had used those openings to punch him.

    Junhyuk swung Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword without hesitation, triggering dozens of wind des as he did.

    At the same time, Gongon¡¯s scales red up and mana got released from them, and that mana mmed against the wind des, destroying them.

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected a move like that.

    ¡°So cool!¡±

    It was nothing more than Gongon¡¯s basic strength, so Junhyuk changed his techniques for the moment. He attacked the dragon continuously and ferociously instead.

    Gongon was only fighting Junhyuk, but the dragon felt like there were ten of him.

    Gongon had learned a lot from Nudra, but his training wasn¡¯tplete. At the beginning, Gongon fought with what he had learned, but now, he let himself be taken by his natural instincts.

    Junhyuk had been waiting for that. A dragon¡¯s instincts were extremely powerful, but they were also controble.

    Junhyuk showed another opening, one that had been pointed out to him by Arn, and Gongon attacked him. Gongon¡¯s fist was overflowing with mana. Junhyuk tried to counter, and Gongon infused his fist with even more mana.

    Gongon¡¯s scales red, and mana rushed out of them, even more than the amount surrounding the dragon¡¯s fists. Gongon was nning to put him down with a single strike.

    Junhyuk blocked with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword and attacked Gongon¡¯s scales with Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    ng!

    Junhyuk was thrown off by Junhyuk¡¯s sword. The dragon was releasing a lot of mana, but Aksha¡¯s Longsword was a legendary sword, and it was very sharp.

    Bleeding, Gongon rushed toward him. Junhyuk took a step back, but soon started running toward the dragon.

    The two closed in quickly, and suddenly, two shadows appeared between them.

    Boom!

    Gongon wasunched into the air, spun twice and went rolling across the ground. Junhyuk blocked the sword attacks, but he was thrown against the wall behind him.

    ¡°I told you to spar, not to fight to the death.¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    Junhyuk got up. By then, Gongon had healed himself and walked toward him.

    ¡°I¡¯m a beginner. That¡¯s why I lost.¡±

    ¡°I used my items. I can¡¯t say I won on my own.¡±

    Gongon smirked and said, ¡°Let¡¯s do this again a week from now.¡±

    ¡°Right!¡±

    Junhyuk wondered if he could win against Gongon as he walked toward Arn.

    Arn smiled at him and said, ¡°You¡¯ve done well.¡±

 Chapter 522 - Tournament Begins 1

    <h4>Chapter 522: Tournament Begins 1</h4>

    Junhyuk had learned something from his duel with Gongon, that he was in the right path with his training.

    Gongon was learning martial arts from Nudra. Meanwhile, Junhyuk was trying to create his own style. The two were on different roads.

    Junhyuk decided to keep training while they still had time. He had two heroes teaching him, and both of them were masters of their own styles.

    They taught him in different ways, but he learned from them, and with each passing day, he was getting stronger. Not only him, but his entire team was getting stronger.

    While sparring with Vera, Sarang¡¯s skills had improved. Elise could now move with ease, and she was improving as well. Her movement was based on casting speed, so it also helped her with her other powers.

    Right now, Elise wasn¡¯t running. She was learning magic while meditating.

    Thanks to the elf training, Elise¡¯s magic skills had improved. She was growing in a way entirely different form Sarang.

    They focused entirely on training for that week. The heroes spent two weeks with them. There were another two before the tournament would start.

    Junhyuk wanted to continue training, but Arn and the others told him that they had to go back, so they held a farewell party.

    The heroes were the leaders of their dimension, so Junhyuk prepared some special food for them.

    At the same time, he couldn¡¯t continue to train in the facility. Two weeks had already gone by, and Eltor had to be scheming something while he was there.

    To prepare for Eltor, he had to spendst time training and more time paying attention to the outside world. Training time was over.

    Everyone drank, and Arn said, ¡°Right. Have you decided on a name for your swordsmanship?¡±

    ¡°No. Not yet.¡±

    Arn scratched his chin and said, ¡°It depends on how you get the inspiration for it. Give it a good name.¡±

    Halo asked, ¡°How about Junhyuk¡¯s Dual Swordsmanship?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Nudra took a swing and said, ¡°You havebined three distinct styles, so how about Triple Swordsmanship?¡±

    ¡°Triplebination?¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think, and Veraughed at him.

    ¡°Worried?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d have to think about this.¡±

    Vera pushed his head into her bosom and said, ¡°You¡¯ve grown so fast, and now you have to think about what to name your swordsmanship!¡±

    His face turned red, and he said, ¡°I haven¡¯tpleted it yet.¡±

    ¡°No. You¡¯ve reached a decent level. How about Vera¡¯s Dual Swordsmanship?¡±

    Arn frowned.

    ¡°Are you joking? He learned from me. Might as well call it Arn¡¯s.¡±

    Junhyukughed and said, ¡°I¡¯ll name it Triple Yin Yang.¡±

    ¡°Triple Yin Yang?¡± Nudra asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s better than a triplebo. I¡¯vebined all three into one.¡±

    ¡°Triple Yin Yang.¡± Nudra smiled and patted his shoulder, saying, ¡°It sounds good. Yin Yang means harmony, and your swordsmanship works for both offense and defense.¡±

    ¡°Arn¡¯s would be better.¡±

    Vera hugged Junhyuk and shouted, ¡°He doesn¡¯t like that!¡±

    Arn looked at her and asked, ¡°Who gave Vera this drink?¡±

    Sarang smiled awkwardly and answered, ¡°She wanted it, so I gave it to her.¡±

    ¡°She should only be drinking wine. She¡¯s drunk now, so you are responsible for her.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Sarang tried to separate Vera from Junhyuk, but she resisted.

    ¡°What?! I wanna y with Junhyuk!¡±

    ¡°y with me.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Vera hugged Sarang then, and Junhyuk sighed. She was drunk, but she was happy. Diane walked up to him and caressed her butt.

    ¡°Shall I stay here and y some more?¡±

    Arn asked, ¡°Would that be OK?¡±

    ¡°Shit... No, I have to go.¡±

    Diane sighed and took a swig from a bottle, and Arn scowled.

    ¡°Why are you wasting the alcohol?¡±

    Diane smirked and replied, ¡°It¡¯s really good.¡±

    She emptied the whole bottle, visibly drunk, and Junhyukughed.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you could get drunk.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only because I¡¯m drinking with people I trust.¡±

    Arn smiled and added, ¡°She can¡¯t get drunk once she returns, so she does it here.¡±

    Vera was dancing with Sarang, and Diane was caressing his butt.

    Arn drank like a whale, and Nudra and Halo did as well. No matter how much they drank, though, none of them got drunk. Junhyuk was relieved to see that.

    He had no clue of what could happen if those three got drunk.

    It was time to end the party. Arn, Halo and Nudra were still sober, but Junhyuk had fallen asleep.

    Arn looked at him. He hadn¡¯t slept for two weeks. Arn and Halo had instructed him, and Arn wasn¡¯t sure if Triple Yin Yang was a good name for his style, but Junhyuk had managed tobine the three sword styles into one.

    Junhyuk had fought in the Dimensional Battlefield and died many times, and that time and experience had made him who he was today.

    Arn finished his bottle and got up.

    ¡°Are you staying here?¡±

    ¡°The drinks are all gone, so I should be going.¡±

    The three heroes got up and looked at the two sleeping.

    ¡°What about them?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll return once they wake up.¡±

    Arn, Halo and Nudra left the training facility. Vera was sleeping with Sarang in her arms, and when Diane woke up, she gave her a light p on the cheek.

    Vera woke up and looked around. She caressed Sarang¡¯s head and disappeared with Diane.

    When Junhyuk got up, he looked around and asked, ¡°Did they all leave?¡±

    Gongon was gone as well. Scanning the room, he saw La getting up with messy hair.

    ¡°You are still here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still drunk. I¡¯m not as busy as Halo.¡±

    Junhyuk was curious about La¡¯s life in her dimension, so he decided to ask her about it, ¡°What are you over there?¡±

    ¡°Me? I can be a dayte.¡± Then, she asked, ¡°How do you cure hangovers here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring you some soup. Wait here.¡±

    Junhyuk went out and looked for a soup ce. After purchasing some, he got back. The others would be surprised once they woke up to soup.

    La took a spoonful and frowned, ¡°Is this edible?¡±

    ¡°Eat it. It¡¯ll help you.¡±

    Sheughed and finished her bowl. Then, she looked at him and said, ¡°You¡¯vepleted your swordsmanship. Now, you just need to polish it.¡±

    ¡°I know. What about you?¡±

    ¡°I just learned it for fun, but the elfs¡¯ techniques have really helped me. I should be able to reach the next level.¡±

    ¡°The next level? Already?¡±

    La hadn¡¯t been a hero for very long, but sheughed at him and said, ¡°How about you?¡±

    ¡°The next level?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know just how much you have improved.¡±

    ¡°Well...¡±

    ¡°When you first became a hero, I could¡¯ve killed you, but now, I can¡¯t. I don¡¯t have the confidence to do it now.¡±

    ¡°But you could have?¡±

    ¡°I spent a long time learning with my katana. I started when I was young. What about you?¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t have an answer for her. He hadn¡¯t been training that long. He had learned mostly from his experiences in the Dimensional Battlefield, but La had as well.

    ¡°Then, am I a genius?¡±

    Laughed and said, ¡°In my world, Arn and Halo had never taken an interest in a student before. You should feel good.¡±

    Junhyuk was only joking before, so he gave her an awkward smile.

    ¡°I have some confidence now.¡±

    They bothughed, and La got up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do well in that tournament.¡±

    With that, La disappeared. Junhyuk looked at the others. Elise was yawning.

    ¡°Meeting with the heroes is always a positive experience.¡±

    Junhyuk was pleased by what Elise had said.

    Looking at him, Sarang asked, ¡°Can I keep training here?¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll go talk to Eunseo.¡±

    ¡°I can go all out here, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course! The ce repairs itself.¡±

    Elise looked at Sarang. Sarang had learned some devastating spells while Elise had learned the elfs¡¯ techniques.

    Elise grabbed Junhyuk¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡±

 Chapter 523 - Tournament Begins 2

    <h4>Chapter 523: Tournament Begins 2</h4>

    Junhyuk took Elise to herb, and there, he could see Zaira on standby.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±

    Zaira was part of Elise¡¯s power, so she had to be summoned to be out, and Junhyuk was curious about how she was simply standing there. Elise pointed to the magic circles underneath the gynoid¡¯s feet.

    ¡°That¡¯s why. I can hold her here with those magic circles. Magic is really astonishing.¡±

    ¡°So, you are upgrading her?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Expect improvements!¡±

    If Elise was telling him to expect good things from this, he should do so. She had never disappointed him.

    Junhyuk smiled at her and said, ¡°I always do with you.¡±

    She smiled back and waved him off.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when everything is ready.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Are you going to stay in yourb?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ( Boxno vel. co m )

    ¡°If Eunseo has any problems, I¡¯ll tell her to contact you.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk teleported to Eunseo, and when she felt his presence, she raised her head. She knew it was Junhyuk showing up, so she simply adjusted her sses and greeted him, ¡°Is the training over?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯ll start on my own now.¡±

    From his perspective, he was just starting his training. He hadn¡¯tnded a single attack on Arn or Halo yet, so he had a long way to go.

    ¡°There could be a monster wave at any minute now, right?¡±

    ¡°Right. The time they promised is up. I could start again at any moment.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯splicated.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay in the training facility. If something happens, just let Elise know, and she¡¯ll contact me.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡± Eunseo stared at him for a moment and asked him carefully, ¡°Can you show me your training facilityter?¡±

    ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll take you thereter.¡±

    Junhyuk said goodbye then and went to see Jeffrey. The hero had his own private facility on Earth now. When Junhyuk wasn¡¯t around, Jeffrey was the one who trained the champions.

    Jeffrey was a close-ranged damager, and he was great at training the champions. Entering his facility, Junhyuk saw that Jeffrey was training alone.

    While training by himself, Jeffrey¡¯s techniques with the scythe had improved. Unlike Junhyuk, Jeffrey only had one weapon to master.

    As Junhyuk approached, Jeffrey felt his presence and stopped his training, turning to look at him.

    ¡°When did you get back?¡±

    Junhyuk walked up to Jeffrey and asked, ¡°Eltor¡¯s punishment is over. I went to see Eunseo about it.¡±

    ¡°With Eltoring back, the monster waves can start again, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s highly possible.¡±

    ¡°No one knows what Eltor will do.¡±

    ¡°We need one more hero. Otherwise, there¡¯s a chance that Eltor will go berserk.¡±

    They were told that the monster waves would end then, but was that true? Would the monster waves really stop once they got a fifth hero?

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t trust Eltor at all.

    ¡°Are we meeting at the tournament?¡± Junhyuk asked.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t invited.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not qualified.¡±

    Jeffrey was certainly OK, but his team might have problems. Junhyuk shook his head and asked, ¡°What will you be doing during the tournament?¡±

    ¡°Even though I can¡¯t participate in it, the league will continue. From now on, while the high-ranking teams are participating in the tournament, those that get knocked out get pulled back into the league.¡±

    ¡°Is that right?¡±

    Junhyukughed at Jeffrey¡¯s exnation. That was the best way to make the season go faster, and Junhyuk liked that dynamic. It would allow him to be a legend in the shortest time possible.

    Junhyuk patted Jeffrey¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°You¡¯ll be invited for the next one.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Are you joining the tournament?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m jealous. I want to participate.¡±

    Junhyuk patted his shoulder again. Junhyuk wanted to include Jeffrey in his team, but he already had a team set. While one had left, another had joined to fill the spot.

    Junhyuk thought of this as a chance and said, ¡°You won¡¯t see me in the next tournament.¡±

    ¡°Are you going for the legends¡¯ tournament?¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy, but with better items, I think we can.¡±

    Junhyuk was feeling confident even without a full set. Once he became a legend, they would make him a new set, and those items would grow in power as time passed.

    Junhyuk was fully stocked on the highest-tiered runestones now, so he decided to buy new equipment and upgrade it. His items were good and of high quality now. By upgrading them, he thought he would be able to fight in the legends¡¯ tournament.

    There was one more thing that needed to happen. He couldn¡¯t get stronger by himself. Those who became legends all had bnced teams. That bnced enabled them to push through.

    By winning continuously, those legends had gotten better items. That was why they were so strong.

    Junhyuk had to stay alive, and that went for his team as well. Dying would weaken them.

    Looking at him, Jeffrey said, ¡°You looked different.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You look confident.¡± Shaking his head, Jeffrey rested his body on his scythe and asked, ¡°Do you want to spar with me?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we did it.¡±

    ¡°Now, you are the one who sounds confident.¡±

    There was no reason for Junhyuk to refuse the challenge. Jeffrey was skilled now, but he also trusted his swordsmanship.

    Junhyuk unsheathed his swords, and Jeffrey¡¯s expression hardened. Junhyuk knew that something had changed within Jeffrey, and he knew what it was.

    It wasn¡¯t just confidence. Jeffrey looked imposing.

    Jeffrey attacked first, meaning to show Junhyuk his skills. He summoned the Ghost White Tiger, and they attacked in unison. Jeffrey rode the tiger, and the two moved as one.

    Junhyuk smiled at the Ghost White Tiger, and his swords moved.

    ¡ª

    Jeffrey was on the ground, and Junhyuk had thought that to be the obvious result. The heroughed.

    ¡°I showed you my secret move, but even that wasn¡¯t enough.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t work before.¡±

    ¡°I worked hard, but not enough.¡±

    ¡°I can tell you¡¯ve been working at it.¡±

    Junhyuk had been surprised in the sparring session. Jeffrey¡¯s powers were dangerous to him, but with his Triple Yin Yang, he was able to hold Jeffrey back.

    They were on Earth, so Junhyuk could use as much mana and as much of his swordsmanship as he wanted. He had melded three styles into one. He hadn¡¯t really used his new style against Arn or Halo, but now that he used it against Jeffrey, he was satisfied.

    One could even call his swordsmanship a power.

    Junhyuk had finallypleted his swordsmanship. Jeffrey was on the ground resting, and Junhyuk looked down at him.

    ¡°Should I call Sarang?¡±

    ¡°To heal me? No need for a hero for that. There are three people within Guardians with healing powers now.¡±

    ¡°That many?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s due to the fear of monster waves. Everyone seems to be gathering here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    The power people should stay at Guardians even once the monster waves ended. That way, there wouldn¡¯t be any problems for society in general.

    Those in power might create problems, and to prevent that situation, Guardians should remain in charge of the powered people.

    Junhyuk got up and asked, ¡°Do you want me to call one of them?¡±

    ¡°I can move on my own,¡± Jeffrey said, getting up. He looked at Junhyuk and smirked. ¡°I wanted to watch the tournament, but I can¡¯t. Since you are participating, you should win.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I n to.¡±

    Junhyuk went back to his room and reentered his training facility.

    When he appeared, he saw a massive lightning tornado and raised his force field.

    Sarang had cast that spell. It wasn¡¯t a power, but if a monster wave triggered, she would be tremendously helpful. Those were Guardians¡¯ heroes.

    Junhyuk waited inside his force field for the lightning tornado to dissipate.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°This? I learned a new spell. It¡¯s the most destructive spell I know.¡±

    ¡°It looks strong.¡±

    ¡°But, I can¡¯t use it.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°It takes too long to cast, five minutes.¡±

    Five minutes would be far too long in the Dimensional Battlefield, but it was incredibly destructive. The training facility was in shambles. The spell didn¡¯t hit with just electricity. It caused physical damage as well.

    Junhyuk caressed her head and said, ¡°If you have to cast it, I¡¯ll protect you.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    She hugged him, and Junhyuk raised his force field again. The force field pushed her away from him, so Sarang pounded against it.

    ¡°Did you just push me off?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he answered andughed.

    ¡°Five minutes is too long. Shorten it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask Elise about increasing casting speed.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t. Elise is busy. Ask Vera.¡±

    ¡°Should I?¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t want Elise getting distracted from what she was working on. Thought they mighte up against Vera at the tournament, Sarang should call her instead.

    ¡°Sarang, let¡¯s win.¡±

    ¡°Sure, of course! We¡¯ll be legends if we win.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Then, I can wish for anything I want.¡±

    Junhyukughed and asked, ¡°You have a wish?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± she answered. Then, she stared at him silently and with beaming eyes.

 Chapter 524 - Tournament Begins 3

    <h4>Chapter 524: Tournament Begins 3</h4>

    Junhyuk was alone. The facility was empty. After having had the heroes gathered there to drink, the ce now felt very empty. The heroes hadughed and sparred.

    Junhyuk was alone, but he was not sad. There were only two weeks left. A lot depended on what he was going to do with them. Their results on the battlefield would change depending on how much effort he put in his training. But, more importantly, he had to be stronger on Earth.

    ¡°There is a light at the end of the tunnel!¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to learn the Dimensional sh. Nobody knew if he would be able to, but he wanted to.

    That was his goal now.

    Junhyuk knew he had toplete the power by himself. He wanted to reach the same level as those who had taught him. That¡¯s when he would know he had reached his goal.

    Junhyuk was training on the Triple Yin Yang, letting himself follow the flow of his swords. Between bright shes, Junhyuk disappeared. If La had seen him train, she would¡¯ve said that he had reached beyond his limitations.

    Junhyuk sheathed his swords and smiled. That day, his movements were different than those of the previous day, and he could feel it. Without realizing, he had pushed through his limits.

    ¡°Did I break my limits?¡±

    Junhyuk thought about what La had said. So far, he hadn¡¯t really understood what she had meant, but now he did. Without him knowing, he had reached a higher tier.

    Had what he was enabled him to do it? Junhyuk smiled at his sess.

    He wanted to duel Arn right at that moment, but of course, he did not think he would win. However, he wished to know if he would actually strike the hero.

    Junhyuky on the groundfortably. Resting was the reward for the training he had done up until now.

    He smiled and raised his hand, balling it into a fist and muttering, ¡°Should I practice something else?¡±

    So far, he had focused mainly on bing stronger on Earth. Now, it was time to get stronger on the battlefield. He wouldbine his powers with the Triple Yin Yang to get the best result.

    Junhyuk swung his swords again, but this time, he teleported, used his Spatial sh and his Spatial Copse.

    ¡ª

    Elise was smiling while looking at Zaira standing in front of her. Zaira wasn¡¯t wearing her armor. Instead, Elise had drawn a magic circle on the gynoid.

    ¡°When sciences reaches a certain level, it looks just like magic, and magic reaches a certain level, it looks just like science.¡±

    Elise had upgraded Zaira. The gynoid could cast spells now. To make sure she would have the mana for it, Elise had installed mana stones through her body. And by using a core, Zaira was left with a lot more energy. The core had limitless energy, so Zaira could now use weaponsparable to Elise¡¯s.

    After the core was installed, Zaira was outfitted with new weapons.

    Elise reced the old, monster weapons withser weapons. She smiled with satisfaction at the result. It had taken her a whole week to upgrade Zaira. She had only managed to do it because she had learned speed casting from Diane and Vera.

    Elise armored Zaira again and walked toward her.

    ¡°The basic preparations for the tournament are over,¡± she said.

    Now, it was time to make more set items from the dragon¡¯s body. With her speed magic, she could work even faster.

    There was a week left to the tournament, and Elise wanted to do everything she could until then.

    ¡°If I be a legend, will they grant me a wish?¡±

    Elise became happy at the thought of bing a legend and inspected her equipment.

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial sh, Spatial Copse and teleportations had changed a bit. He had be stronger, and his powers were affected by that. The Spatial Copse now had a suction radius of fifteen meters. The range of the Spatial sh had increased by ten meters, for a total of eighty meters.

    The training facility was too small to use his teleportations at full range, but its cooldown had decreased. Now, he could use it every twenty-five seconds, which meant he could use it as his main skill.

    ¡°The cooldowns of the Spatial sh and Spatial Copse haven¡¯t decreased, but there¡¯s nothing I can do about that now.¡±

    Junhyuk would have preferred the cooldowns had decreased instead of increasing the range of his powers.

    The Spatial sh was his bread and butter. If he were to face Ronga now, he was confident that he would win afterpleting the Triple Yin Yang.

    Aside from observing the champions¡¯ battle, Junhyuk spent the rest of the time training, the effectiveness of which was significant.

    After putting away his swords, Junhyuk exited the training facility. He appeared in his room, and after checking the date, he scowled.

    ¡°Eltor didn¡¯t do anything!?¡±

    Nothing had happened, which had allowed Junhyuk to focus on his training. However, that made him ufortable. Considering Eltor¡¯s previous actions, it felt like the calm before the storm.

    Junhyuk teleported to Elise¡¯sb and saw that she was working on three items at the same time.

    Two of the items shattered, leaving only one behind. He had never seen that happen.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I managed to save one.¡± After smacking her lips, Elise added, ¡°The Red Dragon set maxes at seven items. I can¡¯t add any more than that. I¡¯m using the leftover materials to craft another set of four items.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s incredible! We should sell it.¡±

    ¡°Is that OK?¡±

    ¡°We need to get ready for the tournament, so we should do anything we can to strengthen ourselves.¡±

    Junhyuk could save the four-item set for those on Earth, but it was better to sell it and get more items. The Red Dragon set was like a legendary set, and with stronger equipment, their battles would be more manageable.

    ¡°We¡¯ll get the best runestones and spend the gold on upgrades.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll take a lot of gold to get all those runestones.¡±

    ¡°You need them anyway, and runestones don¡¯t drop like other items. You¡¯ll also need a new socket item for the runestones. You¡¯ll need anotherplete set. I¡¯ll take the four-piece set.¡±

    Red Dragon set items sold for 300,000-350,000G. Elise would get 2,100,000G if she sold the entire set. With that, she could get her runestones and socket item.

    Junhyuk would spend the rest of the gold on weapon upgrades. The legends wouldn¡¯t be that strong without upgrades, and the same went for their incredible defense.

    Just like the legends, the allies needed a n. With great defensive and offensive powers, the allies wouldn¡¯t die that easily.

    Elise smiled and said, ¡°OK. I¡¯ll give you all the copies.¡±

    After some thought, Junhyuk asked, ¡°How about selling the crafting recipes to Bebe? That way, you can get a share of what Bebe sells.¡±

    ¡°Hm. I¡¯ve already used all of the Red Dragon¡¯s body, so that¡¯s a good idea. Recipes for a set should fetch a good price.¡±

    ¡°To be legends, we have to invest and strengthen ourselves. We should do our best.¡±

    ¡°Right. The managers control time and space, so I have my wish.¡±

    She smiled at him, and he said, ¡°The tournament begins tomorrow. It starts at noon, so we should get together at eleven to eat.¡±

    ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°How about my training facility?¡±

    The training facility was a safe ce. Only those with his permission could enter.

    Elise smiled and replied, ¡°OK. Invite me at eleven.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll go see Sarang now.¡±

    ¡°Do it. I need to finish my work.¡±

    Junhyuk went to see Sarang, who was surrounded by magic circles.

    ¡°What are these?¡±

    ¡°I was practicing high speed casting. Wait a sec.¡±

    Sarang closed her eyes and the magic circles disappeared. Then, she smiled at him.

    ¡°Tomorrow is the start of the tournament. What brings you here today?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m done training, so today, I¡¯m resting.¡±

    ¡°Really?! Then, I¡¯ll do that too!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll be alone for today. I¡¯ll invite you to the facility tomorrow at eleven. Let¡¯s eat together before we go.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll head home today.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk went back to his training facility andy on the floorfortably. He went over his training in his head. His physical training was over, but he decided to think over everything he had done.

    After thinking about what he had done in that month, Junhyuk opened his eyes and contacted Sarang and Elise.

    ¡°It¡¯s 11:30 a.m.! When are you going to invite us over?¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t realize he had spent the entire day thinking. He invited them immediately, and Elise and Sarang appeared with instant food in their hands.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you invite us sooner?¡±

    ¡°I was thinking, and it took a while. Shall we eat?¡±

    They all ate quickly, downing their cups of coffee. Right as they finished those, they realized it was time.

    Looking at Elise and Sarang, Junhyuk said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The bright light covered everything, and the world changed.

 Chapter 525 - Long Time, No See 1

    <h4>Chapter 525: Long Time, No See 1</h4>

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t seen Ariel in a while, so he smiled at her.

    ¡°The tournament finally begins. The enemy team isn¡¯t ranked as high as your team, so you might find things easy.¡±

    ¡°An easy enemy?¡±

    Ariel shook her head and added, ¡°Not necessarily. Their items aren¡¯t great, but they have been fighting for a while. Don¡¯t underestimate them.¡±

    ¡°Are we still fighting on Nightmare Mountain?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Thinking that the enemy team would be weaker than his team, he smiled.

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll go kick some butt.¡±

    ¡°You will do wonderful!¡± Ariel shouted after him, and with her hands in a cone, she announced, ¡°Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed!¡±

    He walked out of the spawn room and looked around. As always, there were a thousand minions there talking with each other. He could see the heroes beyond them.

    Junhyuk walked toward them. They were all gathered in one ce and they all had an optimistic look to them, despite being a little tense.

    Heughed and said, ¡°You all look so confident!¡±

    Elise smiled and replied, ¡°I¡¯ve upgraded Zaira, so I should be stronger now.¡±

    Gongon pulled out a core from his Spatial Bag and asked, ¡°This is what you asked for.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Junhyuk asked.

    ¡°A refurbished core. We can now do it ourselves. The dragons have advanced into the core research.¡±

    ¡°You refurbished a core!?¡±

    ¡°Bebe can do it easily, but we need a massive machine,rger than our Lord¡¯sir. Also, we used a lot of mana stones to pull it off, but we did it.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by a lot of mana stones?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think of it in terms of human measurements.¡± Gongon smiled and asked, ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    Junhyuk answered quickly, ¡°I need to refurbish the cores. If we can do it for cheap, we¡¯ll rake in the moneyter.¡±

    ¡°I told the dragon researchers that we need to do more research on the core. They want me to bring them an amount of ten to one. For every ten refurbished cores, one should act as payment.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Refurbishing ten cores would cost 2,000,000G. Junhyuk could simply pay them in cores. Gongon had said that the dragons had spent a lot of mana stones to do it, so he would let them keep a core as payment.

    ¡°Then, refurbish fifty cores, please.¡±

    Junhyuk pulled out fifty-five cores and gave them to Gongon. The hatchling smiled at that.

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you about the machine that we are using to refurbish the cores. It¡¯s secret draconic technology.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    If he could get fifty cores refurbished, the whole team would be more powerful, and they would earn a lot of gold from it. Sarang and Elise would be incredibly strong, and Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t have to be scared of anything else, ever.

    ¡°How long will it take?¡±

    ¡°The machine refurbishes one core at a time, and the process takes an entire day. After one refurbishment, the machine has to cool down for a day, so the entire procedure for one core takes two days.¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think and said, ¡°If you are using mana stones to power it, wouldn¡¯t it be better to use a core?¡±

    ¡°Sure, that would be better, but to do that, we¡¯d need a refurbished core.¡±

    ¡°Then, use this one.¡±

    Junhyuk handed the refurbished core back to the dragon, and Gongon smiled.

    ¡°Can I?¡±

    Gongon had nothing to lose.

    Junhyuk turned to Eunseo and Helen and said, ¡°Eunseo, you stay inside the castle. Helen, youe with us.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Eunseo wanted to protest, but she shook her head. She would be bored within the castle, sure, but it was better that way. Her power couldn¡¯t help much.

    Eunseo had good items, but she couldn¡¯t kill a hero yet.

    Junhyuk walked to the portal with the others. After entering the store, they all checked on the amount they had. Junhyuk had won two times straight.

    The odds of his bet were three to one, and he had multiplied the amount twice. Ling Ling¡¯s team had kept winning, so the returns would be lower next time, but this time, he had still won a lot. Junhyuk had six times the amount of gold he had when the tournament was announced.

    Junhyuk had invested 300,000 and gotten back 1,620,000. He pulled out the items he had picked up from thest battlefield, raising his gold amount to 2,200,000. Then, he pulled out the four-piece dragon set. Each of the pieces awarded him 350,000G for a total of 1,400,000. By the end, he had a total of 3,600,000.

    He decided to look for a new cloak since he was missing one. Cloaks usually carried evasion buffs, but Junhyuk was looking for something different, and he found one.

    ¡ª

    Fairy Dragon¡¯s Leather Cloak

    Defense +20

    Magic Defense +20

    Critical Hit Damage +10%

    Fairies are rare in all dimensions. Made from Fairy Dragon leather, this cloak has both defense and magic defense buffs. It also increases damage to all critical hits. It¡¯s a cloak worth its price.

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk looked at the price tag and took a moment to think. The cloak had nice stats, but it cost 2,000,000G. Junhyuk could get a legendary item with that amount of gold.

    The items from the Vampire Lord set cost that much. Though he could understand the cloak¡¯s price, it was part of a set. Normally, cloaks didn¡¯t have defense buffs, but the whole think still worried him.

    ¡°Is there a discount?¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll take 300,000G off, so you¡¯d pay 1,700,000G.¡±

    ¡°Give it to me.¡±

    Junhyuk put the cloak on. The leather was shone in rainbow colors, so it was easily noticeable. That worried him. Should he dye it or not?

    ¡°Can I dye it?¡±

    ¡°The leather has magical properties, so you¡¯d need a special dye. Dying it would cost you 200,000G. I don¡¯t rmend it.¡±

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure. The leather was too noticeable, but he had already spent a lot of gold on it. Looking at the cloak, he said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll use it as is.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Do you need anything else?¡±

    ¡°Can I see some rings?¡±

    Junhyuk wanted rings for himself. He was wondering whether he should get one or two rings when his eyes suddenly beamed.

    ¡°Two rings can make up a set?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Sets don¡¯t have to be made of many pieces.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the ring set. Each ring was worth 1,000,000. He had 1,900,000G now, so with the discount, he would be able to get what he wanted.

    He had decided. Item upgrades were nice, but he wanted the rings. The pair of rings would give him a nice bonus effect.

    ¡°Give me these two rings.¡±

    ¡°You are smart. The two with the discounte to 1,700,000.¡±

    Junhyuk handed most of his gold to Bebe and took the two rings. After putting them on, he inspected them.

    ¡ª

    Ring of Hatred

    Attack +30

    Defense +20

    Health +200

    This ring belonged to the god of love, Eros. It boosts attack, defense and health.

    ¡ª

    Ring of Love

    Attack +20

    Defense +30

    Health +250

    This ring belonged to the god of love, Eros. It boosts attack, defense and health.

    Two-Item Set Effect: Landing a strike against an enemy decreases that enemy¡¯s attack by 4 percent. Stacks five times.

    ¡ª

    With a five-stack, Junhyuk would debuff an enemy¡¯s attack by 20 percent. He could kill many heroes that way, and it would be even more effective against tanks.

    Tanks had high defense, but their attacks were already low. If he could decrease their attacks by 20 percent, he would be able to kill a tank without having to worry about anything.

    With the rings on, he looked at the amount of gold he had left: 200,000G. He didn¡¯t want to buy enhancement stones now. Instead, he would save his gold to bet on the Champions¡¯ Battlefield.

    The others were getting new items as well, and Bebe took care of the five customers by himself.

    Elise spent the most out of the others. She sold a full Red Dragon set and was left with 2,700,000G. Instead of getting one expensive item, she got a bunch of mid-tier items.

    She also bought enhancement stones and upgraded her gear. With the upgrades, she increased her defense and magic defense stats.

    Elise was now a hero with real offensive and defensive stats.

    La bought only enhancement stones, but she upgraded her katana as well. She bought five stones, but her upgrades failed twice. Even though she had seeded only three times, she smiled and said, ¡°I got lucky!¡±

    ¡°With two failures and three sesses, isn¡¯t it just one upgrade?¡±

    ¡°No. Not all failures mean a drop in stats. There¡¯s is a floor. Essentially, I got two upgrades.¡±

    Two sesses meant a 44 percent increase to her katana¡¯s stats. La was a damager.

    Gongon also bought enhancement stones and did the basic upgrades to his items.

    Sarang repurchased the item she had lost. The enemy hero had had no use for her item, and she was lucky for that.

    Sarang also upgraded her gear.

    Helen bought a new weapon. She had been wielding the weapon given to her by Guardians, but now she picked out a nice one for herself. She spent most of her gold, but she was a stronger champions for it now.

    Junhyuk looked at the others and said, ¡°The enemy team is not as well ranked as ours, but don¡¯t let your guard down.¡±

 Chapter 526 - Long Time, No See 2

    <h4>Chapter 526: Long Time, No See 2</h4>

    Junhyuk checked to see if Bebe had any synthesis materials in stock, but he didn¡¯t. If he had, the allies would be even stronger.

    However, the team they were fighting was ranked lower than them. That meant that their items were of low quality.

    Junhyuk teamed up with Elise and headed up the middle path. Gongon and Helen went left, and Sarang and La went right. Each team had two hundred minions with them.

    ¡°After we upy the buff tower, we¡¯ll hunt for buff monsters. The tournament is in full swing, and your buffs will definitely help us. We need to upgrade them even more.¡±

    ¡°I like that.¡±

    ¡°Can you use your speed casting here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not nning on it.¡±

    Elise knew spells, but in the battlefield, magic wasn¡¯t her focus. She would use the weapon she had made herself.

    Junhyuk thought about the battlefield. Unless you were deemed a caster, you couldn¡¯t ess mana in the same way. So, even though Elise had learned speed casting on Earth, it wouldn¡¯t work in the battlefield.

    Junhyuk could elerate, but his eleration was different than when he was on Earth. It might be the same for Elise¡¯s speed casting.

    After a moment thinking, Elise added, ¡°This ce suppresses mana.¡± Elise had tried to speed cast a few times while they walked, but she shook her head in defeat.

    Junhyuk was curious about the enemy heroes. They talked as they climbed to the top of the mountain. There, he waited for his enemies. Even though the enemy team was ranked low, they were veterans of the battlefield, so they would know the buff tower was important.

    As he waited for the enemies, Junhyuk summoned his swords. Suddenly, he saw the enemiese up in the horizon. The minions were green skinned and were wearing purple armor.

    Junhyuk recognized them and smiled instinctively. He wasn¡¯t expecting that.

    There was a four-meter tall minotaur, a werewolf, and another who had killed him before.

    Seeing them made Junhyuk happy, and he ran forward shouting, ¡°Long time, no see!¡±

    The minotaur¡¯s eyes widened, and he asked, ¡°Do you know who I am?¡±

    Junhyukughed. Those heroes used to go crazy trying to kill him. Now, they didn¡¯t even recognize him. Junhyuk removed his armor and shouted back, ¡°Can you see me now?¡±

    Skia was the first to recognize him.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you a novice? No, an expert?¡±

    He smiled at Skia and replied, ¡°Surely, you remember me. You are special to me.¡±

    It was because of Skia that Sarang had activated her first power, the electric st. Junhyuk had died a few times back then. The enemy heroes had held grudges against him.

    ¡°Junhyuk Lee!¡± the minotaur shouted as he remembered him.

    Junhyuk summoned his armor again and replied, ¡°You remember me now.¡±

    The minotaurughed out loud.

    ¡°It must be a joke that you became a hero and joined the tournament, right?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, and Minota pounded his fists against each other.

    ¡°OK! That¡¯ll be an easy win.¡±

    The minotaur stepped forward while Junhyuk stared at the enemies. They could have better items than way back then, but how much better? They were in the round of thirty-two, so maybe a lot better.

    ¡°That¡¯s wishful thinking,¡± he replied and turned to Elise. ¡°I met them when I was a novice.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Do you want my help?¡±

    ¡°No. I want to fight alone.¡±

    ¡°There are three heroes there.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask for help if I need it,¡± he said and ran forward. Junhyuk pushed on without the minions, and Minotaughed at him.

    ¡°OK. Let¡¯s see if you are qualified for this tournament!¡±

    Minota ran toward him, and Junhyuk reminded himself of Minota¡¯s powers. He had a rush, a roar, a stomp and a doppelganger ability. On paper, his powers were great.

    By contrast, his enemy only knew two of Junhyuk¡¯s powers: the force field and the teleportation. For that reason, Junhyuk decided to deal a decisive strike to Minota.

    He measured the distance between them, and when Minota came within range, Junhyuk used his Spatial sh. The sh cut right through the side of Minota¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Minota was a tank, but the hero still lost 76 percent of his health. Junhyuk teleported and stabbed the minotaur. Aksha¡¯s Longsword pierced through Minota¡¯s heart, a critical hit.

    Minota fell fast, and Junhyuk whipped the blood off of his sword.

    ¡°Son of a bitch! You haven¡¯t changed.¡±

    The minotaur¡¯s defenses were like paper to his attacks. As a tank, Minota hadn¡¯t changed much at all.

    They were in the round of thirty-two. Despite that, though his enemies were stronger than those he met during team selections, they were much weaker than Ronga.

    He thought he might have met enemies with increased strength, like Ronga and Aktur, who had purchased legendary weapons. With that change, even his current enemies might¡¯ve been stronger.

    If a team invested their gold on their weapons, it would improve. If a hero died, thest thing that hero would drop would be their weapon.

    That was the way to be stronger.

    It was possible that they could have changed, but who among them had? Any of them?

    Junhyuk looked at the other two. The werewolf was called Warren, and he was howling. That was his ultimate. Once triggered, it gave the hero enormous health regeneration. And Skia, Skia was an assassin with high damage, but that was in the past.

    Junhyuk could deal with Skia now, so he ran toward the hero. Seeing Minota die from two strikes, Skia became rather scared. The hero could kill Minota like he had just done.

    Junhyuk closed in, and Skia shouted, ¡°Warren!¡±

    Warren ran toward him, and Skia disappeared. One of Skia¡¯s powers allowed the hero to move through shadows, so Junhyuk quickly raised his force field.

    Skia bounced off of it immediately, and Aksha¡¯s Longsword lengthened. Skia tried to block the attack, but the sword weaved through the air and stabbed deeply into the hero.

    Skia scoffed and turned, but the sword bent again, shing Skia¡¯s ribs.

    Skia frowned, and the sword pierced the assassin¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Argh!¡±

    Skia¡¯s defense was rather low. The stabnded as a critical and took 30 percent off of the hero¡¯s health. Without hesitation, Junhyuk twisted the sword, dealing additional damage. Skia tried to stab him, but Junhyuk blocked the attack with ease.

    Warren, who had finally closed in, punched against him.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk was pushed back with his force field. The enemy hero remembered how to fight against him and that the force field could be moved.

    Junhyuk had the force field tightened around his body, so though he didn¡¯t receive any damage, he was thrown back.

    After rposing himself, he ran toward the enemy heroes as Skia and Warren attempted to flee.

    Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t let them get away. He swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword, and Warren blocked the attack with his ws. However, Junhyuk got closer with that exchange. He hadpleted the Triple Yin Yang, but he could use his swordsmanship for mid-range attacks.

    Instead, he simply controlled Aksha¡¯s Longsword. He couldn¡¯t stall thempletely, but he could damage them from that range.

    Warren turned and ran toward him, and Skia still had ways to damage him. Warren was meaning to fight with the force field still up.

    WIthout the force field, Junhyuk would¡¯ve had difficulty in dealing with Warren. His howl could stun. There were three seconds left to the force field. Junhyuk had used his Spatial sh, but he had other powers.

    Warren still had his ultimate active, so Junhyuk couldn¡¯t kill the hero in a few strikes. His attack stat was high, but it wouldn¡¯t be enough.

    Junhyuk prepared a big attack then, and the Spatial Copse triggered on Warren¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Aaaaaaarrh!¡± Warren screamed, losing 83 percent of his health at once. One hit, a critical hit. Warren was already in the middle of regenerating, but Junhyuk attacked him again. Warren couldn¡¯t move at that point, so Junhyuk stabbed the werewolf¡¯s neck. Even though his health was regenerating, Warren died.

    Junhyuk chased after Skia, who was terrified. The hero could not tell how strong Junhyuk really was.

    Junhyuk had just be a hero, so when did he get all of those items?

    Skia ran for the portal. The hero knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get away on foot. The force field was now gone, but Skia didn¡¯t think he would be able to kill Junhyuk even then.

    As Skia ran, Junhyuk aimed Aksha¡¯s Longsword at the hero¡¯s back. Skia faded and deflected his sword. Junhyuk knew that to be one of Skia¡¯s powers, a dodge and block.

    Skia smiled, satisfied that he was about to enter the portal, but suddenly, Junhyuk appeared standing in front of him. Junhyuk had teleported, and once faced with Skia, he attacked immediately.

    Skia tried to block, but the trace of the sword was gone. The Spatial sh hade off cooldown, so as Skia watched the attack, his neck was sliced.

    With that single hit, Skia died.

 Chapter 527 - Long Time, No See 3

    <h4>Chapter 527: Long Time, No See 3</h4>

    Junhyuk led his minions to the destruction of the enemy watchtower. After picking up the items dropped by the heroes, he contacted Sarang. It took her longer to go through her path, so it was possible that she hadn¡¯t met any enemies yet.

    ¡°Big brother, did you meet our enemies?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I killed three of them.¡±

    ¡°Was it easy?¡±

    ¡°Yes, very much so. You know who they are.¡±

    ¡°I know them?¡±

    ¡°Right. Minota, Skia and Warren.¡±

    ¡°What?! They are in the round of thirty-two?¡±

    ¡°Their items weren¡¯t great, but there¡¯s still something I need to know.¡±

    ¡°Should I be careful?¡±

    ¡°If they got in the tournament, one of them might be as strong as Aktur.¡±

    ¡°Just like Ronga?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, so be very careful.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    It was time for Junhyuk and Elise to go hunt buff monsters.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go after the dragon. Take the portal to the left path, and you¡¯ll meet the Mantis Lord.¡±

    Elise took a moment to think before saying, ¡°Maybe I should go after the dragon. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be any good against the Mantis Lord.¡±

    Junhyuk thought about it and nodded, ¡°That¡¯s good thinking. I should fight the Mantis Lord.¡±

    Junhyuk used the portal and took the left path. There, he contacted Gongon and told him that there might be one strong hero among them.

    He kept on after the Mantis Lord. It was possible that Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t find the Mantis Lord, but considering his enemies¡¯ strength, he didn¡¯t really care. He thought he would just kill all of the buff monsters.

    I he could get more synthesis materials from buff monsters, the battle would be plenty worth it. In the tournament, he needed five straight wins to reach the final round, but he didn¡¯t know if he would have time to hunt for materials during future fights.

    For that reason, he had to hunt all of the buff monsters now that they had some ck.

    On his way down the left path, he came up against the Ghost White Tiger, but did not get anything from it. With the stealth buff, Junhyuk moved even faster.

    He headed toward the middle path from the left and came up against the Mantis Lord. Junhyuk had already acquire the synthesis material from the Mantis Lord, so he didn¡¯t have to kill it again. However, he wanted to test his strength against the monster.

    While in stealth, he attacked the Mantis Lord. The monster¡¯s eyes beamed as it went after Junhyuk

    Junhyuk fought ferociously against it. While under the sharp attacks of the Mantis Lord, Junhyuk realized something: he had be stronger. He managed to block all of the monster¡¯s attacks. Even if the Mantis Lord was incredibly fast, Junhyuk learned that he could handle it.

    He was honing his technique through actual battles. The previous time, the Mantis Lord had pushed him back, but now, things were different, and Junhyuk wanted to take full advantage of that.

    As he deflected the attacks of the incredibly strong Mantis Lord, Junhyuk learned. Junhyuk was learning how to deal with stronger enemies. He could always fight those weaker than him, but he woulde up against stronger adversaries soon. For that reason, he had to learn to survive those battles.

    The Mantis Lord had three stages of fury.

    Junhyuk poured everything he had into the exchange. After triggering its second fury stage, the Mantis Lord disyed its fastest attack speed yet. Junhyuk started getting injured, and limited his movements a bit, so he used his force field and triggered a Spatial Copse immediately after.

    The Mantis Lord moved, avoiding a critical hit, but it lost an arm.

    The monster wasn¡¯t dead, but Junhyuk attacked it in a berserker¡¯s dance. The Mantis Lord couldn¡¯t dodge his attacks, so it died soon after.

    Junhyuk received the buff from the dead Mantis Lord and headed back to the buff tower. He would be able to make it there before his enemies.

    On the way, he contacted the others and received good news.

    Both Gongon and Sarang had killed their adversaries with ease. Since three had gone middle, the two teams fought one hero each.

    Sarang and La fought one, whereas Gongon and Helen fought the other. Helen was still just a champion, but her powers had helped.

    Junhyuk thought that the allies were overwhelming, but then Elise contacted him with bad news. She had been found by the roaming buff monster and been killed while hunting.

    Her powers were incredible, but that roaming buff monster had a stun, and since her health and defense were rather low inparison, she was vulnerable. Junhyuk had barely managed against that roaming buff monster with his force field. Elise had grown, but she stillcked in her ability to kill.

    Junhyuk told Elise to be careful as he reupied the buff tower. Then, he walked over to the destroyed enemy watchtower and looked down the mountain. Nobody wasing up his path.

    The enemy team had a second watchtower, and they meant to use it as support in their fight. There were three enemy heroes waiting for him there.

    Junhyuk looked back and decided to leave his minions at the buff tower. They all stared at him.

    Before he left, he contacted Gongon and Sarang.

    ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°We destroyed the first tower and are in the middle of pushing. Why?¡±

    ¡°There are three heroes at the second watchtower in the middle. What should I do? They had the watchtower as support.¡±

    ¡°Should I join you?¡±

    ¡°Are you far from a portal?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯ll get there soon.¡±

    ¡°OK. Then, head middle. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Junhyuk could kill three enemy heroes, but he did not want to ce himself in danger. He didn¡¯t want to be killed even once.

    Junhyuk waited and his fellow heroes appeared. Gongon, La and Sarang hade through, and the group followed down the middle path.

    Even without Elise, the allies were strong enough to deal with the enemy heroes. They had brought the minions from both paths, so they had a total of 520 minions at the buff tower.

    Junhyuk smiled, thinking that he should push on and finish the fight.

    ¡°How were the other two enemy heroes?¡±

    ¡°The one on our side was very easy to kill.¡±

    La and Sarang had ess to Sarang¡¯s electric st, so if the enemy hero didn¡¯t have any special defensive power, they would be killed easily. The allies had all managed to kill their enemies with ease in this first round, so Junhyuk didn¡¯t think the enemy heroes had a special hero among them.

    ¡°Gongon?¡±

    ¡°Nothing to it. Kill them easily.¡±

    Junhyuk stopped worrying about it then and headed down the mountain. The allies might even win without Elise there, though Junhyuk wanted to destroy the second tower and hunt for buff monsters after.

    He had to kill as many buff monsters as possible. Finishing the fight couldeter.

    ¡°After we destroy the tower, let¡¯s split and hunt buff monsters. This battle is too easy.¡±

    An enemy hero appeared from each of the side paths, and all five heroes gathered at the tower. Junhyuk smiled brightly when he saw them, and the enemy heroes greeted him.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you again.¡±

    Libya said hello, and Ellic, wielding his huge hammer, said, ¡°You were a bothersome novice. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be a hero. I should¡¯ve killed you back then.¡±

    Junhyuk unsheathed his swords and said, ¡°Thanks, but now I must kick your asses.¡±

    Minota rolled his hooves against the ground and stepped forward, ¡°You already killed me!¡±

    The minotaur took the lead, and the enemy heroes followed him. Junhyuk watched as the enemy heroes left the range of the watchtower and looked back at his allies.

    ¡°I want to fight by myself.¡±

    ¡°Even if their items are shitty, there are five of them! We should share!¡± Gongon shouted back.

    Junhyuk shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I have to vent my anger first. I¡¯ll repay you for their items.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    The dragon stepped aside, and Junhyuk stepped forward.

    ¡°Are you going to be OK?¡± Sarang asked.

    ¡°I will be.¡±

    Junhyuk thought the three enemies he had already faced were rather weak. Of the two remaining enemies, one might be stronger, so he decided to be careful with Libya.

    ¡°This will be a pentakill!¡± Junhyuk dered as he stepped forward. All of his enemies¡¯ eyebrows twitched, and Junhyuk added, ¡°Get over here! I want that pentakill bonus!¡±

    Minota, who was enraged, said, ¡°Let¡¯s kill him!¡±

    The minotaur spat on the ground, and the enemy heroes ran toward Junhyuk. They had gotten out of the watchtower¡¯s range now.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t expect the fight against the five enemy heroes to be easy, but he remembered how much of a nightmare they were in the past. He had given his all in his battles against them.

    Junhyuk was able to upgrade his force field to trigger on others while fighting those same enemies. Arn had also fought ferociously against them.

    They had died multiple times at those heroes¡¯ hands. Now, it was time to test himself against them. They were the first heroes he fought, and now, he would kill them all for a pentakill.

    ¡°You are first, son of a bitch!¡±

 Chapter 528 - First Victory 1

    <h4>Chapter 528: First Victory 1</h4>

    Minota gritted his teeth and ran out toward him. The minotaur was taking the lead, and the rest of the enemy heroes were forming a line behind him. Warren and Ellic were right behind minota, and Libya and Skia were bringing up the rear.

    Junhyuk measured the distance between them and closed in on Minota. Before Minota could rush, Junhyuk noticed that Lybia was within range of his Spatial sh. Normally, long rushes were covered 30 meters. On average, they covered 20 meters.

    Even if the enemy heroes¡¯ powers had evolved, Junhyuk still had arge gap in the range of their powers. He knew that to kill Lybia, the Spatial sh would have tond as a critical. For that reason, he might not be able to do it in a single hit.

    Minota was covering Lybia, so Junhyuk used his Spatial Copse instead. He triggered it on Warren, who was in the middle. The enemy heroes had group up, so they all got sucked toward Warren.

    Lybia lost her bnce, and Junhyuk used his Spatial sh on her. It was a critical hit, and the shockwave swept through the rest of the enemy heroes. Lybia was dead, and Warren had only a little health left.

    Junhyuk teleported and stabbed Warren¡¯s chest with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword.

    It was another critical hit, and Warren died without even being able to use his ultimate.

    Junhyuk knew he had to go all out in that battle. He was fighting solo against five heroes, so if his enemies started using their powers, he might die even with his high defense.

    He was well aware of that, that he could not allow his enemies to use their powers.

    With three attacks, he had killed two enemies, but the battle had just begun. The enemy heroes were still getting pulled, and Junhyuk shed with both of his swords. Aksha¡¯s Longsword lengthened and shed as nine mirror des. Meanwhile, Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword pierced Skia¡¯s neck.

    Skia was left with 25 percent of health; Ellic had 37 percent left; and Minota had 42 percent. Junhyuk wanted to kill Skia without any powers, but the effect of the Spatial Copse ended, and Skia blocked the rest of his attacks.

    Skia seeped into Junhyuk¡¯s shadow and attacked him. Junhyuk did not dodge it however. Instead of turning back as Skia¡¯s dagger rushed toward him, Junhyuk stabbed back with Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    He knew Skia had seeped into his shadow and that the hero would attack him from behind. It was a counterattack that took Skia¡¯s life.

    Skia faded away, and Minota rushed toward him. Minota triggered his rush at close range, but Junhyuk had been expecting that and easily evaded. He teleported behind Ellic and stabbed the hero.

    Ellic scowled and raised his hammer up high, mming it back down against the ground. Junhyuk knew what Ellic was up to, so he raised his force field.

    ng!

    The shockwave blocked the stunning shockwave, and Junhyuk wrapped Aksha¡¯s Longsword around Ellic¡¯s neck. Then, he made the short shrink to its original size, and Ellic was beheaded in the process, fading away soon after.

    All of that happened during a short period of time. Minota roared and howled and ran toward him, and Junhyuk swung his swords to meet the hero. Junhyuk had already used his Spatial sh, but his force field was still active. Since that was the case, Junhyuk would deal with Minota with basic attacks.

    Minota had not used his powers yet, so the hero split in two, activating his doppelganger. The two Minotas attacked him, so Junhyuk stepped toward one of them.

    He triggered his eleration, which enabled him to see Minota¡¯s attack. From the hero¡¯s attack, Junhyuk guessed that Minota had to have speed buff items. However, he was still able to dodge. He wanted to dodged Minota¡¯s attacks instead of blocking because he knew Minota could still push him around with his strength. After the dodge, Junhyuk tried to counter.

    However, both Minotas were attacking him. They had both punched at him, so he had to block the attack.

    Boom!

    The impact reverberated through the force field, which got stuck into the ground. Minota scoffed and kicked the force field,unching it away with Junhyuk inside. Junhyuk smiled bitterly at that.

    He was now by the watchtower. Because he still had the force field active, Junhyuk did not teleport away. The archers¡¯ arrows simply collided against the force field with no effect.

    Minota ran toward him.

    Minota¡¯s shoulder mmed against the force field, and Junhyuk was pushed back again. The minotaur was attacking despite the force field covering him.

    Junhyuk shed one of Minota¡¯s legs. The hero got injured and started limping, but he kept on attacking.

    Junhyuk continued to sh at Minota¡¯s leg, and the force field finally disappeared. Minota¡¯s copy had also disappeared.

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Minota said with a satisfied smile and rushed. His rush¡¯s cooldown was much shorter than any of Junhyuk¡¯s cooldowns.

    Junhyuk blocked with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword and attacked with Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    Boom!

    He wasunched back, but Aksha¡¯s Longsword pierced Minota. Junhyuk shorted the de from the hilt to get pulled toward the enemy hero and shed with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword. Minota raised his arms to block, but Junhyuk changed the trajectory of the attack. The sword shed the minotaur¡¯s elbow. There was a sudden change in speed, and Minota hunched over. Aksha¡¯s Longsword had pierced the minotaur¡¯s stomach.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Minota had no health left. The hero fell to the ground, and Junhyuk smiled dly.

    ¡°This is the difference between us.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all your items!¡±

    Junhyuk stabbed Minota¡¯s face and said matter-of-factly, ¡°Come fight me again.¡±

    Earth had four heroes now. If Minota went after him there, the heroes would deal with him. After that, Junhyuk turned to the group.

    ¡°You¡¯ve changed,¡± Gongon said.

    ¡°Not by much.¡±

    To himself, Junhyuk had only acquired a new cloak, but Gongon shook his head and said, ¡°No. Last time I met you in the training facility, you were different.¡±

    Junhyuk had gone beyond his limits, and Gongon could tell.

    La looked at him and said, ¡°If you invite me over again, spar with me.¡±

    ¡°Anytime.¡± Junhyuk picked up the dropped items and added, ¡°Thanks for trusting me.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would lose. Are you getting the pentakill bonus?¡±

    ¡°Not sure.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know if that pentakill had been the first of the tournament, but he expected something as a reward for it. However, he expected to get more from the items his enemies had dropped.

    He turned to the group and said, ¡°Like we nned, before Elise returns, let¡¯s hunt buff monsters. Two of us should go after the roaming buff monster.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with La.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at Gongon and La confident that the two would do the job and said, ¡°OK. I¡¯ll go after the Smander.¡±

    Everyone dispersed.

    They all went after their own buff monster. They were hunting while they waited for Elise. By that time, the enemy heroes should¡¯ve given up. He had already pulled off a pentakill.

    Junhyuk had disyed his superiority. If all allies fought together, there would no chance at all for the enemy heroes. They might even just stay in the castle.

    Not all allies could pull of a pentakill like Junhyuk, but none of them would die easily.

    Most of the allies had been attacked, but none of them had been under any danger. However, Libya could be dangerous. If the enemies decided to fight, the allies should focus their attacks on her first. Junhyuk decided that he would kill Libya and leave the others for the rest of his team.

    Junhyuk went hunting without worry, but he couldn¡¯t expect to be lucky for that long. He killed the Smander, but the monster didn¡¯t drop anything.

    He started back down the road and contacted his allies, but nobody had seen the enemy heroes. There was no need to worry. After a while, they all gathered at the middle path, but none of them had acquired any synthesis materials.

    Junhyuk realized everyone in his team was unlucky. He turned toward the enemy castle then. He could see it far away, and the enemy heroes stationed there. The heroes were on top of the wall. Only their minions were guarding the gate.

    Of the enemies, only Libya could attack at long range. If the enemies were stationed there, they had to be nning to fight from the castle to diminish some of the allies¡¯ health.

    However, they didn¡¯t know something about the allies. They had five hundred minions with them, and with that many minions, they could easily break down the gate.

    The allies moved toward the castle, and the enemy heroes watched them from the top of the wall.

    ¡°This is the end!¡± Junhyuk shouted.

    Minota smirked and snapped his fingers.

    ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense! Come!¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the allies. They all looked eager and ferocious.

    ¡°We¡¯ll smash that gate in ten seconds.¡±

    Everyone smiled.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

 Chapter 529 - First Victory 2

    <h4>Chapter 529: First Victory 2</h4>

    Junhyuk ordered the minions advance. The allied minions outnumbered the enemy minions. As the minions shed and fought, Junhyuk realized that things were different from before.

    On Earth, humans around the world had changed. They lived under the constant threat of monster attacks and had be more vicious. The human minions did not give an inch to the green minions.

    Shielding themselves and counter attacking, they began a blood battle. Meanwhile, Junhyuk looked at the enemies atop the wall.

    He looked at the allies, and when the allied heroes looked at him, they nodded and started running.

    The enemies were stationed at the parapet, but only Libya could attack from long range. Their minions were winning, so Junhyuk took off, staring at Libya.

    Libya wasn¡¯t attacking the allied minions. Instead, she was preparing a bigger attack. Junhyuk thought about her powers. If she had purchased a new weapon, her powers might have be stronger.

    However, ten seconds would be enough. The allied minions had already won, and with his force field, Junhyuk would destroy the gate, enter the castle and kill the enemy heroes.

    Libya threw an ice spear. It lookedrger than before.

    Junhyuk had been watching her, and he realized she had thrown the spear when the allied heroes came within range of it. Looking at the spear, Junhyuk raised his force field.

    Boom!

    The ice spear shattered against the force field, and Junhyuk teleported to the gate with the allies. All of the allied heroes attacked the gate, and it shattered within ten seconds.

    The allied team went inside, and Minota and the others had to retreat to join the giant golems.

    Junhyuk looked at them and said, ¡°Let¡¯s make a clean kill.¡±

    ¡°OK!¡±

    He wasn¡¯t scared of the golems. Libya seemed to be the strongest them, but she hadn¡¯t managed tond an attack yet.

    Junhyuk decided on killing her first. It was a good thing that he knew the enemy heroes. He knew their powers and how to deal with them. At the same time, he could guess at the level of their items.

    Elise extended her hand. In one go, two heroes got buffed by her.

    After being buffed, Junhyuk ran ahead and shouted, ¡°Kill the golems!¡±

    The minions dashed toward the giant golems. There were plenty of minions, four hundred of them.

    Junhyuk took off quickly. His goal was to deal with Libya, and the enemy heroes were keeping away from each other this time. However, he did not care. As soon as he got within seventy meters of her, he used his Spatial sh.

    Libya was aware of him, so she moved immediately. She started bleeding from her neck, but it wasn¡¯t a critical hit.

    Then, Libya extended both of her hands. She was holding ice flowers, and the petals flew everywhere.

    Junhyuk raised his force field and teleported to appeared in front of her. Libya tried to get an ice spear off, but Junhyuk triggered a Spatial Copse on her chest.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t care about any of the other heroes. Libya was the only one who could pose a problem, so he had to kill her immediately. It would¡¯ve been nice to have killed her with just the Spatial sh, but he had to use the Spatial Copse. Once she got pulled, he stabbed her chest for good measure.

    Both swords pierced her chest, and he twisted them. Libya had already taken herst breath.

    Minota pounded against his force field, and Junhyuk was thrown off to the side. There was a giant golem there.

    The golem tried to hit him, but Junhyuk teleported. He appeared behind Skia.

    He stabbed Skia, but the hero turned translucent, dodging his attacks. Skia retreated immediately, but Junhyuk teleported again to chase after the hero. It was hisst teleport. Junhyuk shed at the enemy hero, and Skia tried to block the attack with the dagger, but Junhyuk was buffed now.

    With the buff, his attack speed was twice the normal speed.

    Junhyuk was injuring Skia, who scowled and disappeared. The hero seeped into a shadow and went after Sarang. Skia was just about to stab her when thunderbolts mmed against the hero¡¯s head.

    Crraaaack, boom!

    Skia screamed and became paralyzed by the attack. Sarang shot electric arrows at the hero. Elise¡¯s buff had increased the speed of her attacks.

    Two electric arrows hit Skia, and they were followed by an electric st.

    Skia was paralyzed again, and Sarang shot at the hero again.

    Finally, Skia died, and Junhyuk looked at the others. La had sent Ellic into the air with her katana. Elise was firing her ultimate at Warren. The werewolf¡¯s ultimate boosted his regeneration, but Elise¡¯s ultimate was much more powerful, so Warren died.

    Junhyuk turned to MInota, who was trying to retreat into the castle¡¯s force field.

    Gongon transformed and swooped in front of Minota. The hero triggered his doppelganger, and both Minotas tried to rush past Gongon. Seeing that, Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Take the left one!¡±

    Gongon attacked the left Minota, and Junhyuk shed the back of the right one with Aksha¡¯s Longsword. That Minota turned around and tried to punch him.

    The force field was already gone, so Junhyuk blocked Minota¡¯s fist.

    ng!

    He received some damage, but he didn¡¯t feel any pain. Minota was using one of his powers, but Junhyuk attacked him with reckless abandon. With the buff, Junhyuk shed Minota¡¯s thigh and ribs.

    Minota was twice as tall as him, so he could onlynd attacks on the minotaur¡¯s head with Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    When Minota got shed across the thigh, the hero fell to his knees.

    Junhyuk looked right into Minota¡¯s eyes then and said, ¡°It¡¯s been a pleasure.¡±

    He beheaded Minota, and that copy disappeared. The other Minota was falling as well. Gongon stomped on the minotaur¡¯s head then and said, ¡°A minotaur attacking a dragon? You must be a crazy minotaur.¡±

    Junhyukughed a Gongon and turned to the others. All of the enemy heroes were already dead. The difference in power and items was too big, and the enemies were easily defeated.

    The minions destroyed the golems. There were too many minions stillughed, so the golems went down with ease.

    Junhyuk ran at the castle¡¯s force field and started pounding against it. The others did the same. Even before any of the enemy heroes were able to revive, the allied minions destroyed the force field.

    He looked at his team and said, ¡°It¡¯s our first victory.¡±

    Gongon smirked and asked, ¡°Are you going to invite us over again?¡±

    ¡°I will, but if you are busy, you don¡¯t have toe.¡±

    ¡°Nudra will go, so I¡¯ll go and learn.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, and the world around them faded. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, Ariel was in front of him.

    [Congrattions!]

    Junhyuk shrugged and replied, ¡°The enemies were weak. They were ranked too low. The difference was too big.¡±

    [The next enemy team is also low-ranked.]

    ¡°Yeah? Can you tell me who they are?¡±

    [I can¡¯t.]

    ¡°OK. What about the victory reward?¡±

    [The reward is 1,000,000G, and you¡¯ve achieved the first pentakill of the tournament, so there¡¯s an extra 500,000G.]

    ¡°Sure. Does every hero in a winning team get 1,000,000G?¡±

    [Of course!]

    Junhyuk frowned a bit after learning that everyone would win that amount. That meant that, after every round, his enemy would get 5,000,000G stronger.

    The enemy team would certainly purchase new items, and with that kind of gold, they would definitely be stronger. The next team he was up against must¡¯ve also picked up dropped items along with winning the reward.

    Junhyuk knew the tournament would be more difficult with each passing round. To counter that, teams would need more than just items. They would need powers and individual skill.

    Junhyuk knew that if he made it to the final round, he would go up against Arn or someone as strong as Arn. For that reason, he had to get strong enough to deal with Arn¡¯s team.

    Junhyuk looked at Ariel and said, ¡°I want to bet on Ling Ling. What¡¯s the return?¡±

    [About 150 percent now. Ling Ling has been winning, so the returns are lowering.]

    ¡°Sure. That¡¯s still good. I¡¯ll bet 500,000G.¡±

    [You are aware of the fees?]

    ¡°I am.¡±

    [The bet is set.]

    He smiled at Ariel and asked, ¡°When is the next round?¡±

    [In two weeks.]

    ¡°OK. See you then.¡±

    Junhyuk closed his eyes, and the world turned bright white. When he opened his eyes again, he was back on Earth.

    He had achieved his first victory, but that was only the beginning. He had a long way to go if he was to win the tournament.

 Chapter 530 - Clue 1

    <h4>Chapter 530: Clue 1</h4>

    When Junhyuk got back to Earth, he shared his thoughts with Sarang and Elise. He told them that future enemies would have a harder time controlling the battlefield with their equipment, and both women nodded.

    ¡°Instead of equipment, our powers will control the battlefield?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Our team has no tanks, so Gongon and I should take the lead and block. Tanks have taunt powers, so we shoulde up with a way to deal with that.¡±

    ¡°I should raise my defense.¡±

    Elise had her nullification field. If she took the role of a tank, she would be of great help. She could take the lead and cancel all of the enemies¡¯ powers.

    Junhyuk stared at her. Women could be tanks, but the role didn¡¯t really suit her. She was extremely intelligent, so would having her as a tank be best?

    ¡°I can increase my defense by upgrading the items I have now.¡±

    ¡°Zaira has been upgraded, so you should could deal with the enemy together. You should increase your attack by upgrading your weapon.¡±

    Elise was insisting on tanking, but Junhyuk felt he should keep her from doing that. He took a moment to think and said, ¡°OK. You can be the team¡¯s tank and buffer.¡±

    La should get more items to raise her attack. Sarang would be the long range attacker of the group, and Junhyuk and Gongon would float between close range damagers and tanks.

    Elise smiled and said, ¡°When Dianees over, I¡¯ll research something with her.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Once I¡¯m ready to invite everyone, I¡¯ll call you.¡±

    ¡°OK,¡± Elise said with a smile and left.

    Junhyuk looked at Sarang and said, ¡°You should be our strongest damager.¡±

    ¡°Whoa! Isn¡¯t that some pressure?¡±

    ¡°It is.¡±

    After thinking for a moment, Sarang replied, ¡°Then, I should focus on lightning spells and items.¡±

    ¡°Right. Your heal is strong enough as it is, so you should focus on your damage.¡±

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll create something better than your Spatial sh. You just wait.¡±

    Junhyukughed and replied, ¡°OK. I¡¯ll be waiting.¡±

    Sarang left for her house, and Junhyuk went to see Eunseo. He would invite Eunseo to the next gathering. At that moment, however, Eunseo was still sleeping.

    Junhyuk looked at the files and documents on her desk while she slept. They were files on novices and experts. Looking over them, Junhyuk found out that there were many powered people now.

    ording to the files, there were over eight hundred powered. A surprising number of people were bing novices.

    ¡°I just need one more hero.¡±

    Eltor hadn¡¯t made himself known yet, and Junhyuk was getting frustrated with that. The manager was constantly causing trouble, and for that reason, Junhyuk really wanted to acquire the Dimensional sh.

    Eunseo woke up and noticed him staring at her.

    ¡°Are you up?¡±

    She smiled and replied, ¡°Yes.¡± She yawned hard and added, ¡°That was a good rest.¡±

    Junhyukughed out loud and asked, ¡°How was your time in the castle?¡±

    ¡°It was safe and boring. I trained.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Once she activated another power, she would be able to fight. Her items were on par with champions¡¯ items, but she only had one life.

    ¡°I need materials for my party.¡±

    ¡°I thought so. Are you putting it all inside your Spatial Bag?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get everything ready now, then.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She replied, ¡°I should thank you. I¡¯m safe on the battlefield now.¡±

    Junhyuk grabbed her hand and said while they looked at each other, ¡°We are now in the round of sixteen. It won¡¯t be long before we reach the final.¡±

    ¡°If we win, will the monster waves stop?¡±

    ¡°No. We need another human hero for that.¡±

    One champions should be a hero. The Champions¡¯ Battlefield was still ongoing, so he hoped one of them would make the transition.

    Junhyuk went to the storage facility where the drinks were. The alcohol was very expensive, but the heroes drank it all like water. Eunseo had already prepared them, so Junhyuk used the Spatial Bag to move everything across. He had to take a few trips to move everything, so he decided to ask Sarang for help the next time.

    After setting up the bottles, he smiled and said, ¡°Whew! The alcohol is ready.¡±

    The food would be served in waves at different times, and those who were resting at those times would be in charge of it.

    After getting the first batch of food ready, Junhyuk invited everyone, and all of the heroes appeared quickly. They drank and ate and talked.

    As expected, Arn¡¯s team won their match and moved onto the round of sixteen. Junhyuk wished he wouldn¡¯t have to fight Arn. He wouldn¡¯t be able to win as he was now.

    They talked about their enemies, and when Arn heard about Minota, heughed out loud and asked more about them.

    ¡°It was easy. I got a pentakill.¡±

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha! I wish I could¡¯ve seen it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It was quite the scene.¡±

    Arnughed again and emptied the bottle in his hand. Then, he pulled out a bottle from his chest and said, ¡°OK. To celebrate our victories, I brought you this drink from my home. Congrattions on the pentakill!¡±

    Junhyuk took the ss from Arn and emptied.

    ¡°Cough!!¡±

    He finally understood what kind of drinks Arn preferred. It was just like poison, pure alcohol.

    ¡°How can you drink this?¡±

    ¡°This is how drinks should be.¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head. That was the strongest liquor he had ever tasted, and Arn was drinking it like it was nothing. Junhyuk was astonished by that, but Arn was enjoying himself.

    Arn finished the bottle and said, ¡°OK. Let¡¯s see your pentakill skills.¡±

    Junhyuk got up from his seat and asked, ¡°Like on the battlefield?¡±

    Arnughed and replied, ¡°Why? Now that your skills have increased, you think you can win with your powers?¡±

    ¡°No. To get the most out of our training, we should use anything we can use in the battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Right. Good thinking.¡± Arn unsheathed his sabers and added, ¡°Let¡¯s fight for real.¡±

    Junhyuk considered his powers high-tiered, so he didn¡¯t think he would lose the duel.

    ¡°A real fight between teacher and student?¡±

    Arnughed and replied, ¡°I want the same thing.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at the hero. This time, he was nning to use all of his powers. He did not want to die, but he would fight. He thought that Arn might die if he used the Spatial Copse, so he used the Spatial sh first.

    Arn sensed it and dodged it. Not only was it not a critical hit, but Arn evaded itpletely, receiving no damage.

    Junhyuk teleported and closed in, but Arn was waiting for that, so he triggered hisbo power.

    ng, ng, ng!

    Junhyuk blocked the attacks with his sword. In the Dimensional Battlefield, he would¡¯ve still received damage from blocking a power, but on Earth, he prevented all of the damage. However, his hands ached to the point that they felt like they were about to drop.

    Arn attacked his ribs, and Junhyunk teleported multiple times in response and stabbed at the hero. By using his teleportations, Junhyuk was making his attacks hard to block or dodge, but Arn had already dodged the Spatial sh, so he dodged everything else with ease.

    Not only did Arn dodge, but he also counterattacked. Seeing that, Junhyuk raised his force field.

    ng!

    Arn jumped, and Junhyuk teleported behind him. He stabbed at the hero, but Arn jumped again in midair. He had never seen Arn move like that, so Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened.

    Arnughed and said, ¡°You are not the only one to have evolved your powers.¡±

    While in the air, Arnunched his saber at Junhyuk. It pounded against the force field.

    ng, ng, ng!

    The saber bounced off, and Arn grabbed it again. Wielding both sabers, Arn smiled and asked, ¡°Ten seconds, right?¡±

    The hero distanced himself from Junhyuk, who had already used all of his teleportations. Junhyuk elerated and ran toward Arn, but Arn¡¯s eleration was faster.

    Junhyuk wanted to get closer, but Arn was staying far away. After ten seconds, Arn closed in on him. Junhyuk knew what Arn was nning, and Arn knew all of Junhyuk¡¯s powers.

    Junhyuk made up his mind then. He had to use the Spatial Copse.

    He was sure that Arn would die, so he triggered it on Arn¡¯s left arm. But, Arn could read everything. The hero moved sideways and dodged a direct hit. He still got pulled, however, so when Arn lost his bnce, Junhyuk stabbed at him.

    But, Arn was just pulled by the void. He didn¡¯t get stuck there, so he immediately chased after Junhyuk to attack him.

    Junhyuk attacked as well.

    Arn managed to block and deflect all of Junhyuk¡¯s attacks. Then, Arn swung at Junhyuk, who tried to move his head as quickly as possible, but the saber was already grazing his neck.

    ¡°How did you do it?¡±

    ¡°I did not teach you everything I know.¡±

 Chapter 531 - Clue 2

    <h4>Chapter 531: Clue 2</h4>

    Junhyuk had thought he would¡¯ve been able to win, but he had lost, cementing the gap between himself and Arn. He had thought his powers would¡¯ve enabled him to win, but he had misjudged the difference between them.

    Sarang healed them both and said, ¡°You were beatenpletely.¡±

    ¡°He has a long way to go,¡± Arn said. ¡°Did you avoid a weak spot intentionally?¡±

    ¡°I thought it would¡¯ve been to dangerous for you.¡±

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha! Interesting.¡± Arn smiled and added, ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be the case. I can see the space around and dodge ordingly.¡±

    ¡°You can sense it?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the others, so Nudra got up and said, ¡°If you are curious, let¡¯s spar.¡±

    Looking at Nudra, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Can I fight for real?¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to go all out with Nudra, but he got tossed across the floor again. He used all of his powers, but he was utterly defeated. On Earth, there were no restrictions ced on him like in the Dimensional Battlefield, but he still lost.

    Nudra¡¯s powers pushed the enemy away, so even though he covered himself in the force field, he couldn¡¯t get close to the hero. On top of that, Nudra also sensed his Spatial sh and Spatial Copse and dodged them.

    The heroes were all dodging his powers.

    ¡°How do you sense them?¡±

    Nudra shook his head and replied, ¡°I can¡¯t really exin it. Within this facility, I¡¯m able to sense them, but I¡¯m not sure about what would happen in the Dimensional Battlefield.¡±

    ¡°I met a few who could also sense them in the Dimensional Battlefield.¡±

    Some heroes had dodged critical hits from him, and in the future, he mighte up against those who could dodge his powerspletely.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t elerate in the Dimensional Battlefield like he could on Earth, so he couldn¡¯t let his guard down. Heroes were existences far beyond what he had imagined. He didn¡¯t know against whom he would fight, but he knew he had to be ready.

    Junhyuk had to be stealthy about how he used his powers. He had to find a way to attack Arn without Arn knowing, and thinking about that, something shed in his mind.

    Halo emptied his ss and got up. Halo thought it was his turn, but Junhyuk looked deep in thought, so Halo sat back down. The other heroes stopped talking, and all of them looked at him.

    He had his eyes closed while thinking, so the other heroes drank in silence.

    Through those two sparring sessions, Junhyuk grasped something and thought hard about it. Everyone watched quietly. They drank everything, but Junhyuk was still thinking. For that reason, all of the heroes returned to their respective ces and left a message for Junhyuk, asking him to call them again once he woke up from his meditative state. Only Sarang stayed behind. She had decided to wait for him.

    Sarang practice high-speed casting to pass the time, but Junhyuk wasn¡¯ting off his meditation. A day passed, and then a second, and after five days, Junhyuk finally opened his eyes.

    Sarang was taking a nap.

    When he woke up and looked around, he saw no one around but Sarang.

    After sparring with Nudra, Junhyuk had thought he couldn¡¯t let Nudra sense his attacks, and that had led him to think deeply about the Dimensional sh. He had gained a clue about the Dimensional sh and learned something from it, but after waking up, he saw none of them around.

    Junhyuk wanted to scream with joy, but Sarang was the only one there, and she was sleeping.

    He looked at a bottle in front of Sarang. It was the bottle that Arn had brought. The hero had left it there to celebrate his epiphany once he woke up. Junhyuk opened it and smelled the contents.

    He drank half the bottle. It felt like it was burning his insides, but he liked the aroma left in his mouth. He hadn¡¯t noticed that detail before.

    Junhyuk smiled and started drinking the rest of the bottle. Sarang had opened her eyes and watched him drink it most of it.

    ¡°Arn left that bottle for you. He told me to give it to you.¡±

    ¡°I know. I can taste it. It¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°Can you give me some?¡±

    Junhyuk poured her a ss. He clinked a ss of his own against hers and emptied. Sarang drank hers as well, but she screamed right after.

    ¡°Aaargh! What is this?!¡±

    Junhyuk tousled her hair and said, ¡°I couldn¡¯t taste anything before, but now, it tastes good.¡±

    ¡°Hm...¡± Sarang yawned and asked, ¡°Are you going to invite them over?¡±

    He smiled and said, ¡°After making it mine, so not yet.¡± Staring at her, he asked, ¡°Can I train by myself until the tournament begins?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t stay here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be dangerous.¡±

    Junhyuk had gained a clue about the Dimensional sh, but he did not think it would be safe for others to watch him train in the facility. Sarang got up and asked, ¡°When youplete it, will you be able to hit Arn?¡±

    ¡°Maybe?¡±

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll go.¡±

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll buy my own training facility so I can train with Vera.¡±

    ¡°Buy something small. This ce is made for many people.¡±

    ¡°I need arger space because I¡¯m a mage.¡±

    ¡°I can buy you one.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, and Sarang left. Alone, Junhyuk summoned his swords. So far, he had used his attacks to strike at his enemies. He could tear up space and attack, but Arn and Nudra had sensed it happening, which couldn¡¯t use that against them.

    Junhyuk thought about the dimensional tear and its border, where life and death mingled. He focused on the death and decay around the tear.

    Junhyuk realized something then, the nature of his powers. His powers were simr to the structure of dimensional tears.

    He decided to try tearing up a dimension. He focused on a point ahead of him.

    sh!

    A cut appeared in a dimension far away, and something else happened. A small dimensional tear appeared in front of him, but it disappeared.

    Junhyuk had done it. It was his first sessful Dimensional sh.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know what he had target on the other side, but he had learned something from it. It was different from a Spatial sh. The space in the facility wasn¡¯t affected. He had torn through dimensions, and the only result on his side was the small dimensional tear.

    He was satisfied with what he had aplished even though it was only half of what he wanted.

    He smiled, but suddenly, he felt dizzy and staggered. He fell to his knees and then copsed. Junhyuk had lost consciousness.

    When he woke up, Ariel was there. Junhyuk had passed out for two days, and it was time to view the champions¡¯ battle.

    Junhyuk searched through his soul, but it wasn¡¯t damaged.

    ¡°Whew! I did not expect that!¡±

    [What happened?]

    Junhyuk looked at Ariel. He could see her right in front of him, but she wasn¡¯t really there. He was able to tell now. He still couldn¡¯t find his target across dimensions, but he could tell if something was real or not.

    ¡°Nothing. Did the returns change?¡±

    [It settled on 170 percent.]

    ¡°OK. Let me watch the battle.¡±

    Junhyuk sat downfortably and watched Ling Ling¡¯s battle. However, the whole time he was thinking of something else. He was thinking about his motivations to develop the Dimensional sh.

    He had only used it once, but afterward, he had be so tired that he had copsed. Tearing dimensions required too much mana.

    He had a lot more mana avable to him now, so Junhyuk pulled out a core and absorbed the mana from it. However, there was a limit to how much mana he could absorb. The Dimensional sh couldn¡¯t kill in one strike, so he needed enough mana to be able to use it multiple times. The core would give him the answer.

    Gongon would give him a refurbished core, and with that, he would look into how to absorb the limitless mana from it. Without a refurbished core, he could only use the Dimensional sh once, and that¡¯s not what he wanted.

    He had to tell the difference between the two shes, so he used his senses to analyze them. That way, he was able to make sure he knew which sh he was using.

    After that, Junhyuk focused on the battlefield.

    Ling Ling¡¯s team had the lead, but the battle was evenly matched. In the end, Ling Ling won, and Junhyuk smiled. Ling Ling had fought well.

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t lost the 500,000G, which was good.

    He turned to Ariel and said, ¡°Give me the winnings and send me back. I have work to do.¡±

    [Sure. See you next time.]

    The world turned blinding white, and after a while, Junhyuk slowly opened his eyes and raised his hand. His mana was replenishing, but it was doing so slowly.

    Junhyuk grabbed another gore and absorbed more mana from it.

    ¡°This is just the beginning.¡±

 Chapter 532 - Core Energy 1

    <h4>Chapter 532: Core Energy 1</h4>

    After recovering his mana with the core, Junhyuk contacted Gongon. A projection of the dragon¡¯s face appeared in the air.

    ¡°Gon, how many refurbished cores do you have?¡±

    ¡°Twelve. Did you figure something out?¡±

    ¡°I did, but I used too much mana in the process. I need the energy from the cores.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Invite me over, and I¡¯ll give you the refurbished ones.¡±

    Junhyuk invited Gongon, and the dragon stared at him when he appeared in the training facility.

    ¡°You look the same.¡±

    ¡°Right. I want to show you something, but I¡¯ll pass out after it.¡±

    ¡°Why would you pass out?¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and extended his hand. After Gongon gave him a core, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Is there a way to get more energy from the core?¡±

    Gongon held another core and said, ¡°I know the energy within the core is enormous. This single core has more energy than an adult dragon¡¯s heart. There are many types of energy within the core, not just mana. It makes me curious about how they were made.¡± Staring at him, Gongon added, ¡°There is mana within the core, but it won¡¯t be easy to transfer that amount to a human body. You aren¡¯t a dragon¡¯s heart.¡±

    ¡°But I need to try.¡±

    Shaking his head, Gongon said, ¡°If you insist, do it. However, you can¡¯t assimte all of the energy within the core. If you reach 5 percent, that can be considered a sess.¡±

    ( .c om ) Junhyuk smirked and replied, ¡°So, if we use twenty cores, I can reach 100 percent.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll die trying.¡±

    ¡°If possible, let¡¯s start the mana-sapping process.¡±

    ¡°Not yet. We need to do further research on the mana within the core.¡±

    ¡°How long will that take?¡±

    ¡°About three days. Research on the core is ongoing.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and replied, ¡°OK. Do it for me.¡±

    ¡°The initial process should be simple. I¡¯ll use six cores and try to transfer their mana to you. I want to know if you can assimte it.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I trust you.¡±

    Gongon left, and Junhyuk held the core in his hand. He decided to try using the Dimensional sh while absorbing the mana within it. Junhyuk split a dimension far away, and while doing that, his own space should have remained the same.

    After using the Dimensional sh, Junhyuk felt dizzy and shaky. He staggered and copsed on the ground. Soon, he was able to wake up. He still had the core in his hand, and mana was seeping into him from it. When he got up, he inspected himself and said, ¡°Whew! This is dangerous!¡±

    The Dimensional sh was an impressive strike, but the cost of it was high. He had no mana left in his body when he woke up, and there was no way he could fight like that.

    Junhyuk focused on absorbing the energy from the core. It was taking him less time to absorb mana from it. Looking at it, he wondered if he could really assimte it.

    ( .c om ) Junhyuk was worried, but he would try. He raised his sword.

    Junhyuk wanted to get used to the Dimensional sh. He wanted to make sure he didn¡¯t copse after using it, so he used it again. This time, he fell to his knees, but he did not pass out. His ability to absorb mana was improving, so he was able to recover more quickly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll craft an item with the core.¡±

    Junhyuk needed an item that replenished his mana quickly. After absorbing enough mana, he used the Dimensional sh again.

    Junhyuk practiced like that for three days, until he finally got a call from Gongon.

    He invited Gongon over, and as soon as the dragon got there, he pulled out some gems. Gongon ced the gems on the ground in six different locations and turned to Junhyuk.

    ¡°Did you think it over?¡±

    ¡°No. I want to try it.¡±

    Gongon extended his hand then and said, ¡°Magic circles.¡±

    Six magic circles appeared where the gems had been. Junhyuk looked at it and heard, ¡°ce the cores within them.¡±

    He set the cores in the magic circles, and Gongon stepped back.

    ¡°Stand at the center of the circles.¡±

    Junhyuk stood at the center of it all. The cores hummed and started to release arge amount of energy. Junhyuk could see that energy concentrated within the circles.

    It was an unbelievable quantity of energy, and Junhyuk wished he could endure the process. The energy suddenly rushed into his body, and not wanting to pass out, Junhyuk focused on the process.

    Mana wasn¡¯t the only energy being released by the cores, so other types of energy were entering him as well. However, Junhyuk could not tell the difference at that moment.

    He knew he would need more than mana to fight, so he absorbed everything that wasing his way. Mana was the easiest to assimte, but the other energies entered his body as well.

    Suddenly, Junhyuk frowned. The mana capacity within him was filling up, and soon, the amount of mana within him overflowed. He couldn¡¯t withstand the process.

    ¡°Argh!¡±

    The well within him shattered and expanded, but the expansion process was painful, and the well was filled with more than just mana.

    The well couldn¡¯t withstand the other types of energy. Junhyuk felt his veins bulging. The mana well wasn¡¯t the problem. The energies from the core had gotten into his veins, and they might tear everything apart.

    At that moment, Junhyuk drove all of the energies back into the mana well. The mana well had to withstand it all if he was going to survive.

    The mana well expanded again, and Junhyuk barely maintained consciousness during the process. Even with the second expansion of the mana well, it still couldn¡¯t withstand the other energy types within it. It was overflowing. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t handle the pain anymore.

    He opened his mouth, but he couldn¡¯t scream. Gongon shouted at him, but he couldn¡¯t hear.

    Junhyuk gave up then. The n had been to expand the mana well and acquire more mana, but now, things were out of his control. He reached a state of tranquility and tried to control the energies within his body.

    The energies circted through his body and expanded into territories. Junhyuk¡¯s veins ruptured, and the mana well expanded several times over. Gongon tried to stop the process but was unable to.

    Barely managing to open his mouth, Junhyuk said, ¡°Wait.¡±

    ¡°Are you OK?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    He was bleeding from every hole in his body. He was extremely damaged, but he wasn¡¯t dead yet. The flow of energying from the six cores stopped then.

    When all the cores stopped sending him energy, Junhyuk fell to the ground. After checking on him, Gongon cast some sort of recovery spell.

    Junhyuk inspected himself. The different types of energy had changed his muscles. He had barely managed to survive.

    When he got up, he asked, ¡°How are the cores?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the issue.¡±

    ¡°Check them.¡±

    Gongon checked on one core and said, ¡°Energy levels are at 60 percent.¡±

    ¡°Then, each core spent 40 percent of energy?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. If you can only absorb 5 percent of that total, you must¡¯ve absorbed 2 percent of the total energy of each core for a total of 12 percent. The rest dissipated into the air.¡±

    ¡°So, all six cores released a total of 240 percent of energy, but I only absorbed 12 percent?¡±

    ¡°Not only.¡± Gongon inspected him and said, ¡°Right now, you have more mana within your body than there is mana within a dragon¡¯s heart.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Junhyuk inspected himself. Gongon had told him the quantity of mana within his body, but the hatchling had missed something. Mana was only one of the energy types within him.

    His mana well wasrger than ever before, and it seemed like there was no longer a limit to how much it could contain, and how much could pass through his veins. How powerful was the core?

    Junhyuk trusted the mana within him and used the Dimensional sh. Normally, he would pass out before, but that was not the case now. Now, he knew he could use it at least ten times without issue.

    ¡°Unbelievable.¡±

    Junhyuk had ten times the amount of mana he had had before. It wasn¡¯t a crazy amount by some standards, but he had be stronger.

    Junhyuk knew that quality was more important than quantity, and he also knew he had to make that quantity of mana his own.

    Gongon interjected then, ¡°What the hell did you just do?¡±

    ¡°I tore through a dimension.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°Ipleted the Dimensional sh.¡±

    Gongon stared at him nkly and said, ¡°Just like that?¡±

    ¡°I only managed to cut through it.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t making any sense. Humans shouldn¡¯t even be able to interfere with space, but now, you can control dimensions?¡±

    ¡°I can only cut through dimensions. I can¡¯t attack anyone yet.¡±

    Gongon folded his arms and said, ¡°So, you can control the sword, but you are blind.¡±

    ¡°Where did you hear that?¡±

    ¡°Nudra. You should tell Arn about this.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded. He hadpleted the Dimensional sh, and his mana well had gotten bigger, but he couldn¡¯t find his target yet.

    He should ask the masters for clues.

 Chapter 533 - Core Energy 2

    <h4>Chapter 533: Core Energy 2</h4>

    Junhyuk invited Arn and his team. Aside from Vera, everyone showed up. Vera had business with the magic tower in her domain.

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes beamed as he looked at them.

    Arn walked up to him and asked, ¡°What¡¯s with all that crappy energy flowing through you?¡±

    ¡°I was trying to assimte the energy of the cores, and this is the result.¡±

    ¡°Tsc.¡±

    Arn clicked his tongue, and Nudra walked up toward him and asked, ¡°Can I feel your pulse?¡±

    Junhyuk offered Nudra his wrist, and the hero closed his eyes and focused.

    ¡°You are right to call it crappy, but there are other powerful energy types as well. You mana has increased, but the amount of other energy types is alsorge. For you to have increased your mana well like this... You could have died.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled bitterly and replied, ¡°I know how stupid I was. It¡¯s true that I nearly died.¡±

    Arnid a hand on his shoulder then and said, ¡°If you want to die, just ask me. Don¡¯t die all by yourself.¡±

    ( .c om ) ¡°I don¡¯t want to die. I learned a new skill, but it required a lot of energy. That¡¯s why I did it.¡±

    Everyone became interested then.

    ¡°You must¡¯ve learned something great. Show us.¡±

    Junhyuk used the Dimensional sh in front of them. No one had known he could cut through dimensions, so after the dimension was torn, everyone frowned.

    Halo was astonished, ¡°Really?! You can cut through the dimensional wall now!¡±

    ¡°Yes, Right now, I can cut through the dimensional wall I can see, but I want to reach something that I can¡¯t see.¡±

    Arn¡¯s eyes beamed then, and he asked, ¡°Do you really n on fighting the managers?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight the managers. I want to fight one manager.¡±

    ¡°They are strong.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Arn. Arn had just said the managers were strong, so he had an idea of how powerful they really were.

    Arn added, ¡°We had an understanding, which is why I agreed to be summoned, but the managers are strong. Humans can¡¯t begin to understand just how strong.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°You are talking about contractors, and they aren¡¯t the ones responsible for subjugation. However, they are still strong. You can¡¯t begin to understand how strong the managers responsible for subjugation are.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled. Arn was worried about him, and he was touched by that.

    ¡°Thanks for worrying about me, but to prepare for the worst, I need a weapon of my own.¡±

    Arnughed out loud and replied, ¡°I can help you anytime.¡± Then, the hero whispered in his ear, ¡°This doesn¡¯t mean you can reach the level to fight a manager. Don¡¯t be so eager.¡±

    Junhyuk gave him an awkward smile and asked, ¡°Do you want me to be scared?¡±

    ¡°You should know yourself. If you don¡¯t know your limitations, you are just being silly.¡±

    Arn turned to the other heroes and said, ¡°Controlling those crappy energies will take time, and so will looking for a dimensional being.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    Arn turned to him and said, ¡°I¡¯ll link the energy types into one flow. You¡¯ll receive help from Diane, Halo and Vera to look for the dimensional being.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the others replied.

    ¡°By the way, can I really see a being in another dimension?¡±

    Nudra scratched his chin and said, ¡°To be urate, it¡¯ll be something different. When you see someone in front of you, you see all the space around them. Now, however, you need to see beyond a dimensional wall. You won¡¯t see the space around the person, but you¡¯ll see the person in a way that you¡¯ll be able to use your Dimensional sh.¡±

    ( .c om ) Junhyuk shook his head and asked, ¡°Does that mean that if I can see beyond the dimensional wall, I¡¯ll be able to attack the managers in other dimensions?¡±

    ¡°It could be the case or it could not. It¡¯s possible that the managers appearing before you are only projecting themselves through dimensions.¡±

    ¡°So, if they are being cautious, they¡¯ll only show a projection of themselves.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    Junhyuk thought about Eltor, but he would have to see Eltor again to know if what he was seeing was a projection or not.

    Arn looked at Nudra and asked, ¡°Of all these energies, do you see anything you know already?¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t totally different, but it won¡¯t be easy tying them up. However, it won¡¯t be impossible. The important thing is to choose which is the main source of energy.¡±

    Arn looked at Junhyuk and asked, ¡°It should be mana, right?¡±

    Nudra answered, ¡°That¡¯s right, but we should ask Junhyuk which he wants.¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think and said, ¡°I want mana.¡±

    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll use mana as the core to tie all of the energies within your body.¡±

    Nudra looked at Arn and asked, ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only going to help. He should do the rest.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Arn sat down and said, ¡°Sit down. Getfortable.¡±

    Junhyuk sat down, and Nudra sat behind him. Junhyuk was in between the two heroes.

    Arn looked at him and said, ¡°This will be painful.¡±

    ¡°I know pain.¡±

    When the mana well shattered, Junhyuk felt pain beyond his imagination, but he had endured.

    Arn stared at him and said, ¡°I hope you are not joking.¡±

    Who was joking?

    ¡°I can endure it.¡±

    ¡°I hope so.¡±

    Arn told him to his palms forward, and Junhyuk extended both hands toward the hero. Arn grabbed them and said, ¡°We¡¯ll use mana as the core to tie the energies. Go with the flow. The energies will rush through you, and it¡¯ll be painful, but endure it. Finally, they be made one.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Junhyuk waited, and a huge amount of mana appeared on his palms. Even with his mana well erged, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t contain that amount within him. He finally understood why Arn was so strong.

    Nudra touched his back, and Junhyuk felt another energy type flowing toward him. It was as strong as Arn¡¯s mana. Arn¡¯s mana felt pressured by it. Nudra¡¯s energy was extremely pure.

    Both energies flowed through him and stirred his own mana. The mana within his followed the energies of the two heroes.

    The other energies were stirred by Junhyuk¡¯s mana, and Junhyuk thought about what Arn had told him: It would be painful.

    The mana was roaming through his body, tearing his veins, but as it did, it repaired them and made them stronger. It was painful.

    Inside the magic circles, Junhyuk had shattered his mana well and torn his veins, and that process was repeating itself now at a much faster pace. It was even more painful than before.

    Because he had gone through a form of it before, Junhyuk did not pass out. He was still in control of himself, analyzing his own energy as the process continued. The energy within his body followed the path of Nudra¡¯s and Arn¡¯s energies, repairing him. At the same time, his mana was eating Arn¡¯s and Nudra¡¯s energies.

    The energies of the two heroes travelled fast. His own mana lost the chase, so he focused on something else.

    The other energies were rushing through his body, but they weren¡¯t as powerful as the mana. The mana knew that, so it tried to consume the others. Junhyuk could feel the mana trying to eat them, and he felt pain like never before.

    The mana and the other types of energy fought, so Junhyuk guided them to his mana well. In there, things changed.

    Mana thergest of them all, but the total amount of other energies surpassed mana. Many of them attacked mana together, and mana nearly disappeared.

    Junhyuk pushed his will toward mana. It wasn¡¯t a hard thing to do. The living spirit had given him mana, and so he could will it like before.

    The different energies attacked mana again, and pain shot through his body. Inside the mana well, a ferocious fight ensued. The mana well was being shattered again.

    It didn¡¯t break apart, but the shes made the process painful, and Junhyuk was about to pass out.

    However, he focused on his mana. He willed it and, in that way, he was able to endure the pain. The end was not near, but he did not hurry. Junhyuk attacked the weakest of the energy types with his mana.

    His mana consumed that energy. It wasn¡¯t difficult. Under his control, the mana was able to swallow other energy types as well.

    Two energy types fused together, and the others also gathered up to fight his mana.

    The myriad of energy types now formed three distinct entities. After Junhyuk swallowed the fusion of the two types, he knew he couldn¡¯t stop and continued to control his mana.

 Chapter 534 - Core Energy 3

    <h4>Chapter 534: Core Energy 3</h4>

    The controlled mana dodged the two remaining entities of energy and countered. Junhyuk was focusing on one of them, which would inevitably grant him both.

    A boring exchange began. Junhyuk knew he shouldn¡¯t hurry, so he rxed his mind. Both entities attacked at the same time, and he had to withstand them. He did not want either of them escaping.

    Escaping meant that they would leave the mana well, and in that case, his veins would endure the exchange and be torn apart. The fused energy entities were too big now.

    After absorbing the other energies, the quantity of mana within him doubled. His veins could contain it, but only if he controlled the mana.

    He decided to endure. The two energy entities want to consume the mana, and the mana had a limit to how much of the process it could endure.

    Junhyuk decided that if the mana couldn¡¯t endure the process, there was another option. He had tobine the remaining entities of energy into one.

    Things were better now than at the beginning. He widened the mana toward the two remaining entities, meaning to surround and envelop the remaining energies. When the mana closed them in, the energy entities went berserk. To contain them, he could not let the mana be torn. Junhyuk had been inplete control of his mana all this time, which meant that his willpower had grown in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    Junhyuk had died many times, enabling his capacity to grow. Without willpower, he wouldn¡¯t have endured thus far.

    ¡°It¡¯s important to merge them,¡± someone said, and Junhyuk collected himself. He pushed his will onto the two energy entities as well.

    His will was now controlling everything, so hebined the distinct energies into one. He had already done that with three distinct swordsmanships, so he was able to do it with three energy entities.

    The energies merged and fused and became one.

    Junhyuk realized that the newbination had changed to fit him better. It was an evolution of the energies within the core and it went well with his Triple Yin Yang.

    Junhyuk opened his eyes, and Arn looked at him while shaking his head.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I took control of all the energies.¡±

    ¡°It looks that way, but something is strange. Nudra.¡±

    Nudra grabbed Junhyuk¡¯s wrist and checked his pulse.

    ¡°Strange. It¡¯s not mana, but the myriad of energies fused into one. All the superfluous energies are gone.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and replied, ¡°I¡¯m calling it Harmonizer.¡±

    ¡°Harmonizer?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Without harmony, I would¡¯ve been dead, so that¡¯s what I¡¯m calling it.¡±

    Nudra smiled and replied, ¡°I like it.¡±

    Junhyuk got up and raised his hands. He summoned his swords and swung them a few times.

    His regr attack did not affect space, but Junhyuk wanted to tear the dimensional wall, so he used Harmonizer and shed again. He was able to cut the dimensional wall, and it took less energy than his Dimensional sh. The attack spent more energy than his regr attack, but now, he could cut through the dimensional wall with ease.

    Everyone was surprised. The Dimensional sh was a power, but what Junhyuk had just done had been a regr attack coated in energy, and with just that, he had cut through the dimensional wall.

    Arn was astonished.

    ¡°He¡¯s a monster now.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at Arn and shook his head, saying, ¡°I¡¯m stronger with the new energy. That¡¯s all.¡±

    Arnughed and replied, ¡°That¡¯s a good mindset to have. Thinking like that, you won¡¯t get killed.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the world with Harmonizer active. He could feel the dimensional wall in front of him, something he hadn¡¯t been able to do before.

    He used his Spatial Copse with Harmonizer active. The dimensional wall disappeared, erased.

    Craak!

    The training facility shuddered and cracked, getting pulled toward the void. Junhyuk stood there and watched the Spatial Copse. The dimensional wall had shattered, and the pull was much stronger because of that.

    He smiled. It was a useful skill. Now, if someone tried to escape through a dimensional tear, he would be able to kill them with his Spatial Copse.

    Junhyuk teleported. He was trying to cross through dimensions with Harmonizer active, but that was not possible. He tried his force field with Harmonizer, but the force field didn¡¯t trigger.

    Realizing that he couldn¡¯t do it that way, Junhyuk clicked his tongue. From his trials, he found out that only his attack powers had changed. He would have to train to better his other powers.

    Acquiring Harmonizer was big. He could feel the dimensional wall with it.

    Staring at him, Halo asked, ¡°Do you want to see?¡±

    ¡°Can I really see it?¡±

    Halo nodded and said, ¡°You¡¯ve learned how to control your body from Arn. Nudra taught you how to control energy. I¡¯ll teach you how to see.¡±

    Diane caressed his butt and added, ¡°I¡¯ll teach you how to listen. The order of things is wrong, but you have to learn everything before reaching a higher realm.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Diane and asked, ¡°Is that even possible? I¡¯m human.¡±

    ¡°If a human can move like an elf, a human can listen like an elf as well. But, it won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    ¡°I want to learn.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk learned how to see from Halo and how to listen from Diane. Both were incredibly hard to learn. While he was learning, he was called to watch Ling Ling¡¯s battle. He left for that and came back to continue to learn from Halo and Diane.

    He realized something. He hadn¡¯t learned the basics before because he had needed to learn to fight to survive, but now, he was learning very fast. He had learned how to tone his muscles from Arn with incredible speed and, now, he was showingparable potential to the other heroes¡¯ teachings.

    With enough time, he would better all of them. He could sense the dimensional wall now, so he would polish the basics and be stronger.

    On Thursday, Arn emptied the bottle in his hand and walked toward Junhyuk.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting.¡± Junhyuk looked at Arn, and the hero said, ¡°Let¡¯s spar again.¡±

    Junhyuk readily agreed. He hadn¡¯t been able to master what Halo and Diane were teaching him yet, but the training was getting boring.

    ¡°OK,¡± he replied.

    Arn smiled and swung his sabers at him.

    ng!

    Arn expression hardened. After Junhyuk¡¯s energies had be one, he had be much stronger. It was not an amount a regr human could contain.

    Arn smiled and said, ¡°You worked hard.¡±

    ¡°Are we going all out?¡±

    Arn might die if he wasn¡¯t able to sense Junhyuk¡¯s Dimensional sh. With Harmonizer, Junhyuk¡¯s attacks were stronger than ever before. However, he knew he would be restricted in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    Junhyuk fought with the Triple Yin Yang. With Harmonizer active, it felt like the swordsmanship fit him like a glove. His dual-sword style had improved.

    Junhyuk was not pushed back by Arn, and as the hero kept attacking, Junhyuk started getting scared. However, he was able to parry the strikes with Harmonizer.

    Arn did not know how to respond. He had a lot more energy than Arn now. With experience, he would grow incredibly fast.

    Junhyuk deflected Arn¡¯s saber and aimed at the hero¡¯s neck, but Arn closed in quickly. It was the second tier of Arn¡¯s eleration. Arn countered, but Junhyuk trusted himself to deal with it.

    ng!

    At that moment, Junhyuk realized that he could also trigger eleration at the second tier.

    ¡°Stop for now,¡± Halo ordered.

    Arn withdrew his sabers and stared at Junhyuk.

    ¡°Should we stop?¡±

    ¡°If we continue, I might end up killing you.¡±

    Junhyuk agreed with Arn¡¯s statement. He might also end up killing Arn.

    Arn patted his shoulder and said, ¡°You really worked hard.

 Chapter 535 - Round of Sixteen 1

    <h4>Chapter 535: Round of Sixteen 1</h4>

    Because of Junhyuk, the other heroes decided to focus on training as well. Arn and Nudra left first, whereas Halo and Diane remained in the facility to teach him how to see and hear.

    Just by grasping those two concepts, Junhyuk could be stronger.

    Diane could make her body lighter to speed up. La was learning a movement technique that matched a level two eleration. With eleration, he could run faster, but Diane taught him how to run lighter, which enabled him to take longer strides and jump higher.

    Junhyuk had a lot more work to do.

    On Thursday, Halo and Diane finally left. Junhyuk wanted to go over what he had learned by himself, so he trained alone. He stopped suddenly when Sarang¡¯s projection suddenly appeared.

    ¡°It¡¯s tournament day! Invite me!¡±

    Junhyuk had spent the entirety of the previous day training. He smiled and invited everyone over, and all of them appeared in his training facility: Sarang, Elise, Eunseo and Helen.

    Sarang and Elise were shocked when they saw him.

    ¡°Big brother?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What did you do?¡±

    Junhyuk realized that the two were definitely heroes, and that they could recognize the change within him.

    ¡°You see something different?¡±

    ¡°Did you eat something?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°I almost died.¡±

    Elise touched his body and was astonished by what she felt.

    ¡°This is like the energy from the core.¡±

    ¡°I absorbed some of that energy. Combining them into one nearly killed me.¡±

    ¡°You contain that energy in a human body?¡±

    ¡°About 5 percent of the energy released by a core, but it¡¯s possible. I¡¯m not joking when I say I almost died.¡±

    Elise smiled at him and replied, ¡°Absorbing 5 percent of the energy of a core should¡¯ve killed you, but this isn¡¯t just 5 percent.¡±

    Elise was interested in the matter just like Gongon, and she could tell that he had changed.

    Eunseo and Helen were also surprised, so he smiled at them and said, ¡°It won¡¯t work in the Dimensional Battlefield.¡±

    However, on Earth, things were different. Now, he felt like he could fight a dragon by himself. It wouldn¡¯t be easy, but he had changed.

    Sarang pulled the instant food from her Spatial Bag, and everyone started eating. While eating, Helen seemed a little jealous of them.

    ¡°You all have Spatial Bags.¡±

    Sarang smiled and replied, ¡°It¡¯s expensive, but it¡¯s worth it.¡±

    Helen nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m saving my gold.¡±

    ¡°You need a better weapon. You should upgrade your weapon first.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    Helen¡¯s power enabled her to summon a light sword. If her weapon became stronger, the light sword would also be stronger. Knowing that, Junhyuk gave Helen some advice. The champion was saving her gold, but there was a limit to what she could do.

    They all ate the food, and soon, the world turned stark white. Suddenly, Junhyuk saw Ariel in front of him.

    Ariel just stared at him.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you greeting me?¡±

    [Hello! But... you¡¯ve changed.]

    ¡°Can you tell?¡±

    [I don¡¯t know what it is, but something is different.]

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Junhyuk smiled and asked, ¡°So, this team is also low ranked?¡±

    [Yes, you¡¯ll do fine.]

    Junhyuk stood by the exit, and Ariel shouted with her hands making a cone around her mouth, [Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed!]

    She shouted with gusto, and Junhyuk opened the door. He walked up to the group that had gathered. They were all already there.

    Staring at him, La said, ¡°I heard about it from Halo.¡± She pulled her katana and aimed it at him, adding, ¡°Next time, invite me as well.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡± Junhyuk turned to the group and continued, ¡°The enemy is low ranked. We¡¯ll head to Bebe first. It¡¯s possible this battle will be easy.¡±

    The previous battle had been too easy. Junhyuk should wish for the same thing, but he wanted things to go smoothly.

    Everyoneughed and headed off to see Bebe.

    When the yeti saw theme in, he smiled and said, ¡°Doe in!¡±

    Junhyuk pulled out the items he had picked up, and Bebe looked at them with disappointment.

    ¡°Your enemies must¡¯ve been weak. I¡¯ll give you 50,000G for each of them, but you have many.¡±

    Junhyuk had pulled off a pentakill. He handed the items to Bebe, who said, ¡°Nine of them, so 450,000G.¡±

    Junhyuk checked on the amount of gold he had. With the winning from the previous round and the bet on Ling Ling, he now had 2,932,500G. With that much, he could get another Vampire Lord set item.

    Junhyuk looked through the avable items and asked, ¡°Pure Golden Knight set?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Someone must have it. What about the Vampire Lord set?¡±

    ¡°Someone bought them all. They won a lot of gold suddenly.¡±

    ¡°Everything?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Everything.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed. The set effect was serious stuff. He had two items of the set, so he should probably not change them yet.

    He gave up on purchasing new items for now.

    ¡°Then, give me some enhancement stones.¡±

    ¡°How many?¡±

    ¡°Twenty.¡±

    With twenty stones, Junhyuk ced his swords on the counter. He wanted to apply ten stones to each of them. Up to that point, he had been rather conservative with his upgrades, but he needed to get stronger.

    His weapons had been upgraded five times, and Junhyuk used more enhancement stones on them. Aksha¡¯s Longsword managed to reach the ninth upgrade.

    ¡°Surely, I have a 50 percent chance to reach the next upgrade.¡±

    With a sigh, he applied the rest of the stones. With some luck, he managed to get it to the tenth upgrade.

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Then, Junhyuk used the enhancement stones on Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword. Being cautious wouldn¡¯t change anything. After sess and failures, he also managed to get it to the tenth upgrade.

    ¡°I spent a lot of gold, but I like it.¡±

    The enhancement stones had strengthened his weapons in one burst. Because of that, at least his attack stat had increased. After checking on the amount of gold he had left, Junhyuk said, ¡°Give me another twenty stones.¡±

    ¡°You are on fire!¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and applied the stones to the bigger items he was carrying. He got each of the items to the seventh upgrade. Since he had already upgraded them all up to five, he managed to get eight items to the seventh upgrade without failures.

    With that, he knew that both his attack and defense stats had reached another level now. The others were also spending their winnings.

    They were either getting high-quality items or upgrading their existing items. Once they were done shopping, Junhyuk walked up to them.

    ¡°We are stronger now.¡±

    ¡°With that much gold, it¡¯s only natural,¡± Gongon replied, and Junhyuk nodded. With enough gold, anybody could be stronger. That was the rule of the Dimensional Battlefield.

    ¡°Shall we go?¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk and Elise headed middle. Gongon and Helen took the left path, while Sarang and La went right. Eunseo stayed within the castle, and each group took two hundred minions with them.

    While walking, Elise contacted Gongon, and they maintained a conversation. She wanted to know about the magic circles that had pulled the energies from the cores.

    She forgot about Junhyukpletely. As the human responsible for core development, she wanted to know more.

    Junhyuk took the time to focus and analyze himself.

    Harmonizer was restricted in the Dimensional Battlefield, but he thought something might have changed from him bing stronger, so he used his powers one by own. However, none of them had changed.

    His powers had stayed the same in the Dimensional Battlefield, and Junhyuk smacked his lips at the realization. Still, he had upgraded his weapons, so his damage should have increased significantly.

    ¡°I wonder who the enemy will be.¡±

    Junhyuk was curious about his enemies. When he reached the peak of the mountain, he turned to Elise and said, ¡°Elise, please focus now.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± she said with a smile and looked ahead. Junhyuk could see the enemies climbing up the mountain, and he knew them as well.

    Abel was shuffling cards, and the centaur, Gyulsean, was there also. Junhyuk was a bit surprised by that. He had not expected thatbo of heroes.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Abel said and waved at him.

    ¡°I did not expect to see you again.¡±

    Abel was a gambler who had upgraded his cards a lot, increasing the amount of damage he could dish out. The hero¡¯s cards were shining as he shuffled them.

    ¡°How many times have you upgraded them?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been luckytely, now that I¡¯m with these guys.¡±

    Abel looked at Gyulsean, who was already preparing an arrow.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I have a new team and I¡¯m stronger.¡±

 Chapter 536 - Round of Sixteen 2

    <h4>Chapter 536: Round of Sixteen 2</h4>

    While Abel kept shuffling his cards, Junhyuk ran through Abel¡¯s powers in his head. The hero could create an illusion of himself, but that didn¡¯t worry Junhyuk due to his spatial sense. Abel could taunt. There was an 80 percent chance that Abel could inflict some debuff his opponent, but there was a 20 percent chance that he could buff his opponent. Abel¡¯s ultimate allowed him to teleport to anywhere on the map where his allies were at random.

    Thest power was simr to Aktur¡¯s, but the rest were crap. Abel wasn¡¯t as powerful as the mummy hero, but he could still be dangerous. Even though Abel¡¯s ultimate chose an ally at random, it wasn¡¯t all that bad.

    The truth was that Abel¡¯s items weren¡¯t great. Because Abel like to gamble, he had invested most of his gold on upgrading his cards. They were shining now, which meant that the hero must¡¯ve seeded on a significant number of upgrades. His attack stat must be really high, but his defense was probably still crap.

    There was nothing to worry for Junhyuk. He would deliver the first strike and decide the issue with it. Junhyuk was a superior hero when it came to first strikes.

    Junhyuk stretched Aksha¡¯s Longsword. With it at the tenth upgrade, the sword¡¯s damage had be outstanding. Abel watched him and smirked, triggering his illusion.

    Aware of the Spatial sh, Abel created a copy of himself, but Junhyuk simply smiled at the hero.

    The illusion might work on others, but Junhyuk was different. He used his Spatial sh on the Abel on the left, and the sh pierced through the hero¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    It was a critical hit, and Abel started fading.

    ¡°How¡¯s that possible?! My items are better now!¡±

    Junhyuk answered the disappearing hero, ¡°My attack stat has increased by a greater margin than your items. You were never my equal to begin with.¡±

    Abel waspletely gone now, so Junhyuk turned to Gyulsean. She looked a bit scared, but she rushed forward. There was a cooldown to the Spatial sh, so Gyulsean wanted to take that opportunity to fight.

    Turning to Elise, Junhyuk said, ¡°Get ready to use your ultimate.¡±

    ¡°Anytime.¡±

    Junhyuk teleported toward the iing hero, and as he did, Gyulsean shot at him. Junhyuk deflected the arrows with his sword and triggered a Spatial Copse.

    Craaaack!

    His goal was to hold her in ce with the Spatial Copse and fire Elise¡¯s ultimate at her. However, Gyulsean was a sniper, and for that reason, she was more focused on offense than defense.

    The Spatial Copse had struck Gyulsean¡¯s heart, tearing it apart. Gyulsean disappeared, and Junhyuk smiled awkwardly at Elise.

    ¡°I thought she would survive.¡±

    ¡°You made too many upgrades.¡±

    ¡°I got my weapons to the tenth upgrade.¡±

    ¡°Your attacks are too powerful now.¡±

    Enemies focused entirely on offense couldn¡¯t survive Junhyuk¡¯s powers now.

    He contacted the others and said, ¡°We came up against Abel and Gyulsean. Abel¡¯s weapons seemed to have been upgraded, so be careful.¡±

    Gongon shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯ll take some time before we meet him.¡±

    ¡°Not really. Abel¡¯s ultimate is simr to Aktur¡¯s¡±

    ¡°Yeah? That¡¯s annoying.¡±

    Aktur was difficult because Aktur could appear in any enemy engagement to tip the scale against the allies, and his basic attacks dealt a lot of damage.

    Abel¡¯s cards were shining, which meant that his attack stat had to be crazy high as well. Abel could show up anytime.

    Junhyuk knew that, which was why he contacted the allies. The enemies were weaker than them because their items were weaker than the allies¡¯. But, if they managed to focus their attacks on a single hero, things could turn problematic.

    Junhyuk turned to Elise and said, ¡°We¡¯ll use the portal and my powers to push forward. I¡¯ll support one side.¡±

    ¡°You mean you want to finish the battle now?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, and Elise smiled.

    ¡°OK. What should I do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll join Gongon, and you join Sarang. If you encounter any problems on the way, just retreat.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    To win, the allies would push from the middle after taking the side towers. Junhyuk upied the buff tower and took the portal, heading off to join Gongon. He teleported as much as he could to get there quicker.

    He was able to catch up to the hatchling before Gongon even reached the tower. Gongon smirked at him and asked, ¡°You wanted to see me that bad?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just in case Abeles this way. Elise headed off to the right.¡±

    ¡°We are bnced now.¡±

    Sarang and La were more powerful than Gongon and Helen, which was why he had sent Elise there. Anywhere the enemies showed up, the allies would have a bnced team to deal with them.

    Gongon reached the watchtower, but he couldn¡¯t see any enemies.

    The hatchling smiled and said, ¡°I want to destroy it.¡±

    ¡°If an enemy appears, you¡¯ll be right under the archers.¡±

    ¡°Fine. If we¡¯lle under attack, the minions should destroy it.¡± Looking back, Gongon shouted, ¡°Attack!¡±

    The allies attacked the watchtower. The archers on top of it started shooting down at the minions, but they blocked the arrows with their shields and closed in. At that point, the allies saw enemies running toward them.

    Junhyuk had met Abel and Gyulsean, so he thought he would know the other heroes in their team, but he was wrong. The hero running toward them was an ice golem. The golem was four meters tall, but it did not look very dangerous. However, since it was a hero, it would have powers.

    Junhyuk asked Gongon, ¡°What do we do now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll fight first. I don¡¯t want you to kill that golem,¡± Gongon said and ran toward the hero.

    Gongon wanted to keep the golem far from the watchtower. Junhyuk followed the hatchling, who erged on the way.

    The two closed in, and Gongon tried to headbutt the golem, stomping the ground andunching himself forward. The ice golem alsounched itself toward Gongon with a jump.

    Boom!

    The two shed, and the ice golem was thrown back, while Gongon rose into the sky. The ice golem¡¯s rushunched the enemy into the air. On top of that, the golem¡¯s defense was impressive. The golem had only lost 15 percent of its health with the headbutt.

    Its attack stat was also fairly high because Gongon lost 12 percent of his health. Gongon had a significant amount of defense, but he was stillunched up.

    Junhyuk thought about getting items for Elise to make her a tanks. She was fully decked in the highly defensive Red Dragon set, but she had to increase her defense even more.

    Gongon used his firebreath, and the ice golem punched at him. Ice spears rose from the ground and flew toward Gongon, who kept on breathing fire. The spears passed through the fire, hitting Gongon andunching him up again.

    It was a shocking thing to see.

    The ice golem extended its fists, and the surrounding air froze around them, making his fists bigger than before.

    The golem punched Gongon, who got sent up into the air again, and then punched him again. It all seemed wless.

    Boom!

    Gongon went rolling across the ground.

    ¡°What the hell?!¡±

    Gongon had fire powers, and the golem had ice powers. The fight between the two was very interesting for Junhyuk. The ice golem was probably the team¡¯s ace, and it had high attack and defense.

    After being attacked three times, Gongon lost 50 percent of his health. The massive ice fists had impressive damaging power.

    Junhyuk was thinking about stepping in when Gongon triggered his ultimate and transformed into a dragon. Keeping his distance away from the golem, Gongon spewed fireballs.

    The ice golem hadn¡¯t shown his ultimate yet, and suddenly, a deck of cards appeared in front of the golem. The deck flew into the air, and Junhyuk teleported closer to the fight.

    He used his Spatial sh without hesitation. The attack hit, but Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened. Abel was there, smiling at him.

    ¡°After teleporting, I¡¯m invincible for three seconds.¡±

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue and teleported closer to Abel, who was shuffling his cards.

    ¡°I told you that I¡¯m invincible for three seconds. Take this!¡±

    Abel threw a card at him, and because Junhyuk wanted to know the extent of Abel¡¯s attack, he stood his ground.

    Thunk!

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Junhyuk retreated immediately. The damage had gone beyond his expectations. Considering his defense, it should not have happened that way. Junhyuk lost 30 percent of his health.

    He stared at Abel, who smirked and said, ¡°I got lucky! The 30 percent damage effect.¡±

    Junhyuk realized then that he had been attacked with a random effect. His items had been upgraded seven times, and he had endured, but Abel did not have any piercing buffs.

    Looking at Abel shuffling his cards, he said, ¡°Abel, the three seconds have passed.¡±

    The hero stared at him, and Junhyuk used his Spatial Copse. As Abel¡¯s heart was being torn apart, the hero screamed.

    ¡°Aaaarrrgh!¡±

    Abel was not a bnced hero. He had only focused on his attack, so now he was disappearing. Looking at him, Junhyuk thought about how important it was to achieve bnce.

 Chapter 538 - Winning Streak 1

    <h4>Chapter 538: Winning Streak 1</h4>

    Junhyuk was frozen, but the enemies didn¡¯t attack him. Thinking of his defense stat, they chose to attack his allies. They all focused on La, who was near him and also frozen.

    Everyoneunched a power against La, and it seemed like they were all going to hit, but Elise appeared behind La and raised the nullification field.

    Able to move again, La stabbed the chest of the ice golem with her katana.

    I ice golem scowled and raised its arms, but its fists did not get bigger. Elise walked up to Junhyuk, and he felt himself unfreeze. At the same time, he felt Elise¡¯s nullification field fade away.

    The enemies did not know what to do, so Junhyuk raised his force field.

    The allies were now all inside the force field, and Elise summoned Zaira.

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill the ice golem!¡± Elise said, summoning the five Moon Cores. She was preparing her ultimate, so Junhyuk took the time to look around at the other enemy heroes.

    Kalgashu and Saura each attacked the force field, one with a tail swipe and the other with a fireball, retreating immediately after.

    Junhyuk focused on the ice golem. After killing the ice golem, Junhyuk would deal with the other two.

    ( .c om ) Elise¡¯s ultimate pierced through the ice golem, and Sarang shot an electric st at it, paralyzing the golem.

    La used her ultimate on the ice golem as well. Even with its high defense stat, the multiple ultimates were able to destroy it.

    Seeing it destroyed, Junhyuk turned his focus to Kalgashu and Sauro, chasing after them.

    The two retreated toward their watchtower, and Junhyuk teleported. He had six seconds before his force field was gone, so he could ignore all attacks from the watchtower to attack them. Gongon erged and rushed at Kalgashu, who wasunched away. After that, thunderbolts mmed on his head.

    A single use of the Thunderstorm killed Kalgashu. The hero was unable to withstand Gongon and Sarang¡¯sbo. At the same time, Launched her katana at Sauro.

    Junhyuk was going after Sauro himself. Gongon used his firebreath on the dinosaur hero, and Junhyuk attacked. Despite his looks, Sauro¡¯s defense was terrible.

    Together, they easily killed the enemy hero, and Junhyuk sighed, relieved. He had panicked when frozen, but with his long range attacks, he had attacked the surviving enemies and killed them.

    The allies destroyed the second watchtower in the middle path, and Junhyuk turned to them.

    ¡°I realize it now from this team battle. If we are more careful, we¡¯ll beat them easily.¡±

    ¡°I agree. Without you, we would be in trouble. But with you, we won¡¯t have any problems.¡±

    Junhyuk knew his powers worked nicely against the enemy team in a team battle. The first thing they needed to do was to decrease the enemies¡¯ numbers. After that, the allies would have the advantage. The enemy heroes had high attack stats, but their defenses were shoddy. He was like poison to them.

    ¡°Let¡¯s kill the remaining buff monsters and the dragon.¡±

    Gongon shrugged and asked, ¡°You want to murder one of my tribe?¡±

    Junhyuk petted Gongon¡¯s head and replied, ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything.¡±

    ¡°Hm... OK.¡±

    Considering their items and powers, Junhyuk thought that just three of the heroes would be enough to kill the dragon. However, his part in the endeavor would be significant. Still, by taking advantage of the force field to attack, it would be more than possible.

    Junhyuk wanted to get the dragon¡¯s synthesis material. With it and its buff, Elise would be a powerhouse.

    The allies moved along the paths, hunting buff monsters on the way to meet the dragon.

    Gongon stayed back, and the other four heroes challenged the dragon. They had a difficult time, but Sarang¡¯s heal and his force field saved them.

    They only managed to receive the buff and nothing else. Looking at the group, Junhyuk said, ¡°Our enemies aren¡¯t resting either.¡±

    The enemy team had lost the team battle, but they had not withdrawn from the fight. While the allies went buff monster hunting, the enemies tried to stage aeback, moving quickly through the paths. They had destroyed all of the allies first towers.

    Junhyuk did not regret his choice. The battlefield victory was important, but there were more important things than that.

    To win theing battles, they needed more synthesis materials.

    Besides, he was sure that he would win that battle as well.

    He looked at his team, and Elise said, ¡°Let¡¯s return and go up the middle path. It¡¯ll be faster that way.

    Junhyuk agreed, so everyone returned and went to see Bebe before heading out. They sold the items they had picked up and went up the middle path. While climbing the mountain, Elise said, ¡°I¡¯ve already told Junhyuk, but I haven¡¯t told the rest of you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Gongon asked, curious, and Eliseughed at him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll upgrade my items and be our team¡¯s tank.¡±

    La stared at Elise nkly before saying, ¡°You don¡¯t have tanking powers.¡±

    Junhyuk answered in her stead, ¡°That¡¯s the same for all of us.¡±

    ( .c om ) ¡°So, you want to make her the tank?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Her attacks are very strong, and she can buff us. On top of that, she can use her nullification field right up front.¡±

    ¡°True. The nullification field should be used up front. However, she might get taunted, and if that happens, the nullification field won¡¯t matter.¡±

    ¡°She needs more defense so that she can endure it.¡±

    Gongon nodded and said, ¡°OK. Then, I¡¯ll focus on upgrading my weapon.¡±

    Gongon¡¯s pride had been hurt in his fight against the ice golem. The hatchling would be stronger if he upgraded his weapon, and Gongon was usually lucky.

    No one knew how many upgrades the dragon would be able to pull off.

    Looking at them, Junhyuk said, ¡°Don¡¯t just focus on your weapons. We need bnce. Otherwise, our future enemies will kill us.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    They followed the middle path and came up against the enemy heroes. After destroying the allied tower, the enemy heroes had waited at the top of the mountain. They had to have used the portals to get those who had taken the side paths to gather at the center.

    Looking at the enemy heroes, Junhyuk said, ¡°If we push now, we can win.¡±

    ¡°We still have the buffs.¡±

    The allies had received the dragon¡¯s buff, so they could win easier than before.

    Junhyuk turned to the enemy heroes and asked, ¡°Gon, La, can you two kill Abel?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill the ice golem.¡±

    Gongon shrugged and said, ¡°We can kill him, but we have to get close.¡±

    Looking at the ice golem, Junhyuk said, ¡°I¡¯ll head for the ice golem, and you two follow me.¡±

    ¡°OK. From where the golem is, we can kill Abel.¡±

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t tell when the ice golem would use its powers when fighting other heroes. On top of that, the items the ice golem dropped were worth three times more than those Abel dropped. It was better to kill the ice golem than to kill three other heroes.

    Junhyuk closed in. At the same time, the enemies starteding down the mountain. They wanted to fight on the steps up instead of at the top.

    Junhyuk smacked his lips when he saw that. Fighting on the steps meant that the enemy heroes had the height advantage.

    Looking at Sarang and Elise, he said, ¡°Deal with Kalgashu and Sauro. I¡¯ll help you after I kill the ice golem.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Here are some buffs.¡±

    Junhyuk received Elise¡¯s buffs and ran forward. Sauro attacked him first. He was the hero with the long range, but with a scowl, Junhyuk parried the fireball.

    That wasn¡¯t one of the hero¡¯s powers, so he could parry it anytime. While he advanced, the golem stepped forward.

    Junhyuk grabbed Gongon and La and teleported. As soon as they appeared, the two heroes attacked Abel. Gongon erged and headbutted Abel toward La, whounched him into the air with her katana.

    Junhyuk kept pushing toward the ice golem, who rushed toward run.

    Junhyuk teleported, escaping the rush, and stabbed the golem in the back when he reappeared.

    The golem received 15 percent of damage. It wasn¡¯t a critical hit, but it was still a decent amount.

    Junhyuk¡¯s attack stat was better than Gongon¡¯s, and now, he had the dragon¡¯s buff. However, the ice golem didn¡¯t just have good items, It turned around and punched the ground.

    Ice spearsunched out of the ground and spiked him into the air. While he was still in the air, the ice golem erged its fists.

    Junhyuk smiled and shouted, ¡°I have another!¡± teleporting to dodged the golem¡¯s fists. He reappeared in front of the golem, who had tried to punch him, saying simply, ¡°My turn.¡±

    He triggered a Spatial Copse.

    Craaaack!

    The golem¡¯s defense was certainly impressive, but Junhyuk was also very strong. With that single power, he took 60 percent off of the golem¡¯s health. With the dragon¡¯s buff, he could deal incredible damage.

    The ice golem got pulled by the void, and Junhyuk used his Spatial sh. The golem was destroyed before it could even use its ice breath.

    Junhyuk turned around and saw that Abel had already died.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

 Chapter 539 - Winning Streak 2

    <h4>Chapter 539: Winning Streak 2</h4>

    The ice golem had fallen, and Abel was already dead. With Gongon and La¡¯sbined attack, Abel had died without doing anything. However, the enemy heroes weren¡¯t just sitting there.

    Sauro released a fire right that held Gongon in ce. After that, the enemy heroes focused on him. They wanted to kill Gongon rather than La.

    Gyulsean joined the attack, and Gongon lost a bunch of health at once. At that moment, Sarang healed the dragon, and after Gongon regained his health, Junhyuk raised the force field around him.

    Two powerful enemies were dead, and with the force field up, Junhyuk thought they could finish the job.

    He had already used two of his powers, but he wanted to help. La entered the force field as well.

    The enemy heroes know about the force field now, so they attacked Junhyuk.

    He took off quickly and expanded the size of the force field, diving inside it. The attacks bounced off the force field, and Sarang and Elise entered it as well.

    Sarang fight her electric sts and paralyzed Sauro and Kalgashu. Zaira attacked them both, and Gongon transformed into a dragon.

    ¡°You tried to kill me?!¡±

    Gongon opened his mouth, and fireballsunched toward his enemies. A fireball exploded against Sauro¡¯s body, and thunderbolts fell on his head.

    It was a strong power, and Sauro died just like that. Gyulsean and Kalgashu decided to flee. Victory belonged to the allies, and they all chased after the two heroes.

    Gongon flew across the sky and block the path the two heroes were trying to take. Zaira did the same. The rest of the allies closed in quickly from behind.

    Kalgashu and Gyulsean used their powers on Gongon, but Elise joined them suddenly, cancelling their powers. Junhyuk¡¯s force field was gone, but her nullification field was active now.

    The enemy heroes couldn¡¯t use their powers for now. Junhyuk shed at Gyulsean, who blocked the attack with her bow. However, Gyulsean wasn¡¯t used to fighting at close range, so she was getting injured with every exchange.

    La joined the fight, and Gyulsean died. La killed her. Sarang and Elise attacked Kalgashu, and the hero died as well.

    The enemy watchtower attacked Gongon, and Junhyuk shouted at him to retreated, ordering the minions attack the watchtower.

    He watched as the watchtower was destroyed.

    ¡°Did we just win?¡±

    The allies had to have killed over seven hundred minions already. They kept pushing, but by now the enemy heroes only had about three hundred minions at their disposal. Junhyuk was still worried about the ice golem and Abel, but not that much.

    It was time for the allies to push to finish the fight.

    ¡°We won¡¯t have the dragon¡¯s buff, but we have some ck, so let¡¯s keep going.¡±

    Everyone nodded, and they went down the path. They hadn¡¯t acquired any synthesis materials in that battlefield, but with a victory, they would win 1,000,000G each.

    Junhyuk inspected the item the ice golem had dropped and said, ¡°This should go for about 150,000G.¡±

    The attackers focused on weapons, so the rest of their items were cheap, but the ice golem was a tank, and it had focused on defense as well. The defensive item was rather expensive.

    It was definitely better to kill the ice golem than two of the weaker heroes.

    They followed the middle path and saw the castle far away. About a hundred minions were stationed in front of the castle.

    ¡°Sauro¡¯s range is significant, so be careful. The minions should close in. Meanwhile, we¡¯ll teleport, and I¡¯ll raise the force field.¡±

    ¡°A ten-second push?¡±

    ¡°That should be enough. We have more minions, so we should finish it fast.¡±

    The allied minions outnumbered the enemy minions five to one, so destroying the gate should be an easy task. Nevertheless, the allied minions could die to the enemy heroes.

    On the wall, Sauro, Gyulsean and Kalgashu were waiting.

    Gongon smirked and looked at the minions, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s clean up and go home!¡±

    As Gongon shouted, the minions attacked. They held their shields up high as they shed against the enemy minions.

    The allied team consisted of five heroes and a champion, so their minds were made up.

    ¡°Just like Gongon said, let¡¯s clean up and go home.¡±

    Junhyuk ran forward, and the allies followed him. Sauro attacked him from seventy meters away, so Junhyuk teleported with the allies. They appeared right in front of the gate.

    The enemy heroes focused their attacks on him and his allies, but Junhyuk quickly raised his force field. The attacks bounced off, and with the help of the minions, he destroyed the gate.

    Junhyuk entered the castle with the allies, and as expected, the enemy heroes headed off to join the giant golems. Inside the castle, Junhyuk felt a cold air through the room. His force field was gone, and there was no way for them to dodge the ice breath.

    Everyone was frozen, and with a smile, the ice golem attacked.

    Boom!

    The ice golem rushed and pounded the ground, creating shockwaves thatunched the allied heroes into the air. They were all still frozen. Abel threw a card that mmed against Elise.

    Gyulsean, Sauro and Kalgashu all focused on her. Still frozen, Elise died. She did not have enough defense to withstand the onught.

    Even after Elise died, the enemy heroes kept attacking. The ice golem erged its fists and punched Sarang. With that single ultimate use, the ice golem was trying to kill two allied heroes.

    Junhyuk scowled. The active time of the freeze was short, but the enemy heroes were focusing their attacks and attacking nonstop. The allies had destroyed the gate, and because of that, they had let their guard down. The enemy heroes had seized on that.

    The allies were being beaten.

    Gyulsean activated her ultimate, and a stamped of translucent horsemen ran over the allies. Junhyuk bit his lip. The enemies were burning all of their powers on Sarang, and that was actually good.

    Sarang¡¯s invincibility activated at the same time as they all unfroze. Since the enemy heroes were gathered in one spot, Junhyuk immediately triggered a Spatial Copse. All of them were pulled toward the void.

    ¡°Counterattack!¡±

    Gongon used his firebreath, and Sarang cast Thunderstorm. Helen summoned her light sword and attacked, and Junhyuk used his Spatial sh.

    The ice golem fell, and Abel died. Junhyuk teleported behind Sauro and stabbed the hero. Sauro survived the attack, but Gongon headbutted him, killing the dinosaur.

    La rushed at Kalgashu,unching him into the air. The explosion of attacks killed most of the enemies. Only Gyulsean remained.

    She tried to run away, but Junhyuk teleported and caught up to her.

    He didn¡¯t do it alone. He had the rest of the tam with him, and they all attacked Gyulsean, who died without a fight.

    Junhyuk looked back. The enemy heroes were all dead, and only the enemy minions remained. Looking at the two hundred minions, he said, ¡°We¡¯ll fight the golems. Order the minions to attack as well. Let¡¯s finish this.¡±

    There were four hundred allied minions left, which was plenty to put an end to the battle.

    Gongon ordered the attack. The heroes led the advance, and with the four heroes in tow, they all attacked the golems.

    Junhyuk Gongon and La attacked the golems, but the minions were the ones who killed them. None of the enemies had revived yet.

    Junhyuk cut down the enemy minions, like a deathbringer with Aksha¡¯s Longsword. The minions were worth a significant amount of gold now, so he wanted to kill them all.

    He and the allies pounded against the castle¡¯s force field. The ice golem reappeared inside the force field.

    If the enemy heroes had fought with the giant golems, they would¡¯ve had the advantage. But, their surprise attack was also effective.

    The mistake was targeting Sarang second. If they hadn¡¯t done that, they would¡¯vested longer. Sarang¡¯s invincibility maintained her alive through the enemies¡¯ attacks.

    They hadn¡¯t known about her ultimate, and that was their downfall.

    Junhyuk smiled at the ice golem and said, ¡°We win.¡±

    The ice golem opened its mouth, and white mist wafted out of it.

    ¡°Too bad. Let¡¯s fight again next time.¡±

    The ice golem was being cool about the loss, so Junhyuk nodded. However, they were in a tournament, so there wouldn¡¯t be a next time.

    ¡°Right, see youter.¡±

    Finally, the castle¡¯s force field shattered. Junhyuk watched it happen and smiled.

    The ice golem was a decent tank, but the allies had won all the same. Abel had a great attack stat, but his defense was shoddy, so Junhyuk killed him easily at most engagements.

    Now, Junhyuk knew how important being bnced was.

    The world disappeared around him.

 Chapter 540 - Massive Air Raid 1

    <h4>Chapter 540: Massive Air Raid 1</h4>

    Junhyuk turned to Ariel, who pped and smiled.

    ¡°Congrattions on your winning streak! Your 1,000,000G winnings have been deposited.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled at her and asked, ¡°Do you know our next opponents?¡±

    ¡°The next team you¡¯ll be fighting is still to be decided. The two teams are battling right now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Too bad.¡±

    ¡°One of the teams is winning, but the castle¡¯s force field hasn¡¯t been destroyed yet.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Junhyuk cracked his neck and asked, ¡°What is the return for betting on Ling Ling?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about 120 percent right now.¡±

    ¡°There is still gold to be made.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but it is decreasing.¡±

    After pondering about what to do, he said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll bet 500,000G on Ling Ling¡¯s team.¡±

    The battlefield winnings were high, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about losing all of his gold. After cing his bet, he looked at Ariel and said, ¡°See you next time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you for the viewing.¡±

    The world around him brightened and turned nk, and after a while, he opened his eyes slowly. Some had already returned and awakened. Sarang and Elise had their eyes open, but the others were still sleeping.

    He looked at the two women and said, ¡°Our next opponents haven¡¯t been decided yet. So far, we¡¯ve met heroes we¡¯ve known, but we might go againstpletely new heroes. Because of that, let¡¯s train together.¡±

    ¡°Together?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be better if we do.¡±

    Sarang nodded and said, ¡°Elise and I wille up with simtions.¡±

    ¡°You want me to just follow your lead?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯lle up with strategies to maximize your skills. Trust me.¡±

    Junhyuk chuckled and replied, ¡°OK. Do it. When the simtions areplete, let me know.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    Sarang and Elise left the training facility. Junhyuk waited there, and after an hour, Eunseo and Helen woke up.

    Helen left, but Eunseo remained to talk to him. She was working hard, but she hadn¡¯t activated another power yet.

    They talked about the alcohol he would need and then both left. Junhyuk got busy readying the things to invite Arn and his team. He had to invite La that time as well. So, he spent that Friday buying everything.

    ¡ª

    A man was standing in front of a window. His muscles were far too well developed for his age. They were strong. When the man turned around, a woman walked up behind him and dressed him in a robe.

    ¡°How is it going?¡±

    ¡°Not everyone is joining Guardians. There is an anti-Guardians group, as well as other, smaller groups.¡±

    ¡°Nobody will find out that I¡¯m funding the anti-Guardian group, correct?¡±

    ¡°You have nothing to worry about.¡±

    The man scratched his chin and said, ¡°Gather those in the smaller groups. They will surely follow us.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± the woman answered. After getting dressed, she left. The man looked at his eyes reflected in the window. They were green. The man¡¯s heart had pounded when he had realized that he had been endowed with power. He had finally attained true power.

    His power was to activate other people¡¯s powers.

    The man could turn novices into experts. Those he evolved did not disyed green eyes like his, but they werepletely subordinate to him. He could even turn experts in to champions. However, Guardians was keeping a close eye on the experts around the world. He had had a hard time acquiring them, but the anti-Guardians group was forming steadily.

    It was a secret group, and he was the one funding it.

    Charles Rockefeller looked at himself in the window and smiled.

    Junhyuk and the other heroes were working for Guardians, but Charles Rockefeller was standing opposite of them. He had two hundred powered people subordinate to him now. All experts that he had evolved from novices.

    It wasn¡¯t that much less than Guardians. Charles only had one champion, but he would get more. If he was lucky, he would even be able to turn champions into heroes, and if he did, those heroes would be subordinate to him as well.

    He was hiding all of this from Junhyuk.

    Charles had lost most of his power and influence, but he could get it all back now.

    ¡°Those with powers activated by me don¡¯t have to go to the Dimensional Battlefield either.¡±

    Every Friday, half of the powered people at Guardians went through a narcolepsy bout, and he started wishing that the half asleep wouldn¡¯t wake up.

    ¡°Just a little longer...¡±

    Charles smiled, turned around and punched the air. Where his fist stopped, the air around it exploded. ¡°I like it,¡± he said.¡±

    Suddenly, Charles saw a being covered in bandages in front of him. He had heard about those from Helen. Once someone became a champion, a dimensional manager would show up for them.

    ¡°Are you a dimensional manager?¡±

    ¡°To be precise, I¡¯m in charge of monster control.¡±

    ¡°Are you the manager responsible for the monster waves?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    Charles looked around and noticed that time had stopped. He knew that he was in a dangerous situation.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t wait any longer.¡±

    Charles felt uneasy about the manager who seemed to know about his n, so he asked, ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I?¡±

    The manager raised both of his hands and said, ¡°I can control spacetime. Why are you still curious?¡±

    Charles agreed with the manager¡¯s point. There was nothing he could do against the manager, but Charles wanted to be in control.

    ¡°Weck strength.¡±

    ¡°There will be a massive monster wave next Friday. You should move then.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do anything about the heroes, so I won¡¯t be able to destroy Guardians.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the heroes,¡± the manager said with a wide, vicious smile. ¡°I have a present for them topensate for my failures so far.¡±

    ¡°Can you kill them?¡±

    ¡°Even heroes have weaknesses.¡±

    Charles smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll gather the anti-Guardians group. Without the heroes, destroying Guardians will be easy.¡±

    Guardians was in control of the world, so once it was destroyed, there would be those who would be there to pick up the pieces, like a huge pie waiting to be sliced and eaten.

    Charles wanted to get the biggest slice.

    He would do it himself. He would destroy Guardians HQ using the powered people he controlled. Looking at the manager, he said, ¡°OK. I¡¯ll gain a lot from this. What¡¯s in it for you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a private matter. You aren¡¯t qualified to be curious.¡±

    Charles would have killed anyone who spoke to him in that manner, but he couldn¡¯t do anything against the manager.

    ¡°What time will the monster wave trigger next Friday?¡±

    ¡°At 10:00 a.m. South Korean time.¡±

    ¡°Why South Korean time?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be attacking Guardians HQ, so you should get the time right.¡±

    Charles smiled bitterly at that. A small country from East Asia was now the center of the world.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get ready.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll trust you to do that.¡±

    As the manager was leaving, Charles asked in a hurry, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    The manager smirked and answered, ¡°Eltor.¡±

 Chapter 541 - Massive Air Raid 2

    <h4>Chapter 541: Massive Air Raid 2</h4>

    Junhyuk and La were allies who fought together in the battlefield. After learning from Halo, it was the first time he was sparring with her.

    Halo was an outstanding teacher, and La had learned from him ever since she was a child. By now, she should have mastered the basics.

    Sparring with La, Junhyuk¡¯s heart was pounding. As he was now, he didn¡¯t think he would lose easily to Halo, so as a result, he didn¡¯t think he would lose to Halo¡¯s student. However, he didn¡¯t n on letting his guard down.

    Junhyuk ran toward her, and she ran toward him. Her movements left vestiges like an illusion, and they were incredibly fast. Junhyuk was astonished by that. She could elerate even faster than Arn¡¯s eleration at the second level.

    La swung her katana, and Junhyuk swung his sword.

    ng!

    Junhyuk thought he had parried the strike, but the pressure of her attackedunched him into the air. Launched her katana at him, so Junhyuk released a gust with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword.

    He could control wind better than her. His gust hit the side of her de, and the katana changed trajectories, but it still flew toward him.

    La was also heading for him. While she closed in, Junhyuk readied a mana de.

    Suddenly, there were two La, or at least he felt like he was dealing with two of them. Junhyuk swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword to keep her from getting closer and released another gust with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    As things exploded, he tried to step forward. His sword and her katana shed. Thought the speed of her katana was faster than the speed of his sword, shecked continuity in her attacks.

    Junhyuk exchanged a few hits with her, and after a while, he was able to read her movements. He could see her openings as she tried to attack him nonstop. Junhyuk was different from the others in that he could counter her strikes.

    ng, ng, ng!

    Deflecting her attacks required a lot of energy. He parried one and stabbed at an opening. His sword stopped in front of her chest, and she frowned.

    She had seen his attack, but she hadn¡¯t been able to dodge it. She wouldn¡¯t have been able to evade the hit.

    La had thought her attacks to be perfect. She had thought he wouldn¡¯t be able to counter them. Lowering her katana, she sighed and said, ¡°You got mepletely.¡±

    He replied, ¡°Maybe I¡¯m not the one who should say this, but your attacks have a pattern.¡±

    ¡°A pattern?¡±

    ¡°Kind of a habit?¡±

    La closed her eyes and took a seat. Halo put a hand on Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°La developed her sword to go over her limits. She did not expect her katana would create another limit.¡±

    ¡°You knew?¡±

    ¡°I did. I told her about it, but she did not change. Now, however, she learned it for good.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡±

    Junhyuk had helped her out and repaid the debt he owed Halo. La was still meditating, so he turned to the others.

    ¡°Let¡¯s drink till she wakes up.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to hear Arn¡¯s heroic exploits. The other heroes had told him about their pasts, but Arn¡¯s story wasn¡¯t that fun.

    Arn had been strong as a child and had learned to control mana by himself. At one point, he met a teacher who had taught him more methodically. I had taken a year for Arn to defeat that teacher. Arn increased his territory, but he soon encountered the ocean.

    He couldn¡¯t cross the ocean by himself, and that¡¯s when he met the dimensional manager. From then on, Arn focused on the Dimensional Battlefield.

    Vera told him that she was an unparalleled genius. The mages of the magic tower had tried to kill her by burying her alive, but she managed to kill them all. Her magic had been far beyond their expectations. After killing them, she became the tower¡¯s elder and, eventually, the master of the tower.

    Vera could control dimensional movement, so it was easy to see how outstanding she was. Even dragons had recognized her prowess.

    Nudra was about to tell his story when La woke up. He couldn¡¯t tell if La had attained a new level, but she seemed to have learned a lot from her mediation.

    ¡°Thank you. I learned a lot,¡± she told him.

    ¡°I was about time youe to terms with it. It¡¯s good you learned.¡±

    ¡°I needed something to trigger the process,¡± La replied.

    She looked at Halo and said, ¡°I want to go train.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    La turned back to Junhyuk and said, ¡°See you in the nest battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    La left, and Junhyuk looked at the others. They were all getting up.

    ¡°It¡¯s no fun if she¡¯s the only one training. See you next time.¡±

    The group left one by one, and Junhyuk looked at the bottles left. Some were still full. He put those in his Spatial Bag and yawned hard. Sarang and Elise were still there.

    ¡°I should be going.¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded. After they both left, he pulled out his swords. The Triple Yin Yang wasplete, but he had to improve himself even further.

    He started training again.

    ¡ª

    On Friday, he watched Ling Ling¡¯s match. Her battle was more ferocious than before, but in the end, Ling Ling won. Junhyuk was paid his winning and went back to Earth. There, he got a call from Elise.

    There was a tear, so he quickly exited his training facility. Junhyuk teleported to Elise¡¯sb and saw her with a grave look on her face as she looked into a monitor.

    ¡°What is the size of it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s bigger than before, but look over here.¡±

    Elise showed him the sky above Jeju Ind.

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°This is where the biggest tear is. A dragon cane out from something that size.¡±

    ¡°A dragon?!¡±

    Junhyuk was speechless. A single dragon wasn¡¯t a problem, but there were 150 tears around the world. If a dragon appeared, all of the heroes would have to join forces to fight it. They couldn¡¯t deal with 150 tears.

    ¡°Did you call Eunseo?¡±

    ¡°I told her about it. Lucy ising up with a strategy.¡±

    ¡°How many iron soldiers do we have ready?¡±

    ¡°There are three thousand at the ready, but I¡¯m not sure if I can stop the tears.¡±

    With the dpositionpound, they would be able to stop the monsters, but without enough of it, they would have to fight normally. They didn¡¯t know how many monsters would exit the tears, but three thousand iron soldiers wouldn¡¯t be enough.

    ¡°Let¡¯s send teams of powered people. I¡¯m not sure a new hero will appear, but we shouldn¡¯t deal with these tears like the previous ones.¡±

    ¡°OK. I detected the tears early, so we have five minutes to spare. I already deployed the iron soldiers to every location. We should send the powered to nine specific spots.¡±

    ¡°Right, but getting to Jeju Ind will take time.¡±

    ¡°We can...¡± she said, stopping mid-sentence and motioning with her hand across the air. Junhyuk walked out with her, and saw that Jeffrey, Sarang and the champions were already there. He also noticed a ne he had never seen before.

    Elise smiled and said, ¡°I made it so that we could go there. It¡¯ll get us to the ind in five minutes.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s that fast?!¡±

    ¡°Get on. We are wasting time.¡±

    They all got on the ne, and Elise smiled and said, ¡°Put your seatbelts on.¡±

    The ne took off vertically. The turbines turned direction and sped up. There was loud screaming, and Junhyuk looked out the window. It was incredibly fast, but he was not scared.

    It took the ne four and a half minutes to cross the air and reach Jeju Ind. There, they saw a tear bigger than anything they had ever seen.

    Junhyuk got up, and Elise turned the ne, saying, ¡°Get out, please.¡±

    The people exited the ne, and Junhyuk looked up at the tear. It was even bigger than thest tear with the dragon.

    ¡°What are you going to send?¡±

    Junhyuk wanted, and suddenly, a head appeared through the tear. It was a dragon¡¯s head.

    ¡°A dragon again?¡±

    Thest dragon had been hard to kill, but a dragon wouldn¡¯t pose that much of a problem for the powered people now.

    Still looking at it, Junhyuk watched as another head appeared.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t a dragon.¡±

    He was intrigued. It was a five-headed dragon.

    ¡°No. That¡¯s not a dragon. It¡¯s a hydra.¡±

    The hydra had massive wings, along with a thick mana shield. It was even bigger than a dragon.

    ¡°They must¡¯ve crafted it, a chimera of many dragons.¡±

    The heads all had different colors.

    Junhyuk unsheathed his swords and said, ¡°I don¡¯t care if it was engineered.¡± He got on his drone and took off toward the hydra.

 Chapter 542 - Massive Air Raid 3

    <h4>Chapter 542: Massive Air Raid 3</h4>

    Junhyuk took off, and the hydra turned to him. Elise was onms with him through a device in his ear.

    ¡°It¡¯s not an ordinary hydra. Its heart¡¯s energy is equivalent to the energy within a core.¡±

    ¡°Core energy?¡±

    ¡°It means its sustained by pure core energy. The level of destruction it¡¯s capable of is unparalleled. We haven¡¯t really been able to control all of the core energy so far, but this hydra should be different.¡±

    Junhyuk understood what Elise was saying. The red head of the hydra opened its mouth wide. At the same time, Junhyuk contacted Gongon and showed him the beast, flying up across the air. The red head didn¡¯t breathe out fire. Instead, it spewed a massive fireball.

    Junhyuk quickly released a wind de with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword. The wind de shed against the fireball.

    Boom!

    Suddenly, Gongon¡¯s face appeared in midair.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Is that a hydra made out of dragons?¡±

    Gongon looked at the monster. The blue head was trying to pierce Junhyuk with its horn. At the same time, a thunderbolt shot off from the horn.

    Junhyuk raised a mana shield with Aksha¡¯s Longsword when he saw it.

    Boom!

    As he was pushed back, Jeffrey stepped forward. Jeffrey was wielding his scythe as he flew toward the hydra. He could summon the Ghost White Tiger, but the tiger would serve no purpose at that moment.

    The hydra would kill the Ghost White Tiger easily. Sarang tore a screw to give Jeffrey support as he approached. The scroll couldn¡¯t be used in the Dimensional Battlefield, but it had outstanding power.

    Lightning bolts crashed down on the hydra from the sky.

    Craaaack!

    The hydra was gigantic, and it raised a huge force field to block the lightning. Sarang¡¯s precious scroll had been meaningless.

    As Junhyuk stared at the hydra¡¯s massive force field, Gongon roared, ¡°They enved dragons and used them for an experiment?!!¡±

    Hearing the anger in Gongon¡¯s voice, Junhyuk winced. If the hydra had been made from human body parts, he would¡¯ve been just as angry. Gongon¡¯s emotions were understandable.

    ¡°Junhyuk, I can¡¯t join you. Please, kill it.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    Elise contacted him then, ¡°There are monsters appearing from the other tears as we speak. I¡¯ll show you.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at a feed of a dinosaur that was flying through the sky.

    ¡°Is that also a chimera?¡±

    ¡°Theybined a drake with a wyvern. That monster is powerful. It has the physical resistance of the drake, and because of the wyvern, it can also breathe fire. Thebination should synergize really well.¡±

    ¡°What about the dpositionpound?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s notpletely useless, but those monsters are massive, so thepounding isn¡¯t entirely working. It¡¯ll be a long fight.¡±

    Junhyuk knew he had to deal with the hydra immediately. The ck head was opening its mouth now. Noticing that the hydra¡¯s heart was pulsing stronger, Junhyuk realized that the head was going to release a breath.

    ¡°Get out of the way!¡± he shouted quickly.

    Junhyuk raised his force field around the hydra right as the ck head spewed an acid breath. The force field contained the breath.

    Looking at the hydra, Junhyuk came to the conclusion that he was strong enough to take it down. Right as he extended his hand, he heard Elise yell, ¡°What did you say!?¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Guardians HQ is under attack.¡±

    ¡°From whom?¡±

    ¡°They seem to be powered people, but they aren¡¯t using items we crafted, so they are not affiliated with Guardians.¡±

    ¡°First, the monster wave. Now, this?! Someone must¡¯ve lost their minds!¡±

    ¡°Kill the hydra first!¡±

    Junhyuk had to hurry and bring the monster down.

    ¡°Eunseo is still there,¡± Elise said.

    Junhyuk scowled. He had forgotten. Eunseo was a novice, so she wasn¡¯t participating in the fight against the waves. She was responsible for everything, but now, she was in danger.

    Junhyuk triggered a Spatial Copse on the hydra. On Earth, the Spatial Copse interfered with multiple dimensions at once. He set it on the hydra¡¯s heart, but the hydra reacted, moving sideways, and the copse did not hit it. However, the dimensional decay hit the hydra¡¯s side. As that slice of the dimension died, everything was sucked toward it. It was different from a spatial decay. The hydra roared and screamed from the agony.

    ¡°Roooaaaaaaaar!¡±

    While the hydra was lost to the pain, Sarang used her Thunderstorm. The hydra was still encased in Junhyuk¡¯s force field as it was sucked by the dimensional decay, so the thunderbolts mmed against the blue head.

    Craaack!

    However, Sarang had picked the wrong head to attack. The blue head received no serious injurious from her power.

    Elise summoned Zaira, who attacked. The hydra was powered by core energy, but so was Zaira. The gynoid fired aser.

    The attack was more effective than Sarang¡¯s Thunderstorm, and the ck head lost its lower jaw because of it.

    The hydra roared again, and Junhyuk used his Dimensional sh this time. He wanted to slice through the hydra¡¯s heart, but the monster reacted again.

    The hydra could read through Junhyuk¡¯s dimensional attacks. While he didn¡¯t manage to cut through its heart, Junhyuk lopped off the hydra¡¯s green head.

    Junhyuk smacked his lips. The situation wasn¡¯t that back. The hydra¡¯s side as exposed due to the decay, and it had lost a head and a jaw.

    Before the force field disappeared, Elise summoned Moon Core, firing arge beam toward the hydra.

    Boom!

    The monster turned away from the beam, but it lost one of its wings. The heroes had all attacked it, but they had failed to kill it. They needed more time.

    The hydra¡¯s remaining heads all opened their mouths at once. The four heads were about to use their breaths at the same time. Junhyuk scowled at the sight, but Elise grabbed his arm and said, ¡°I¡¯ll use my nullification field.¡±

    He took hold of her and teleported. Both of them appeared really close to the hydra, and Elise activated her field. The flow of core energying from the hydra¡¯s heart suddenly stopped.

    The hydra couldn¡¯t use any breaths now. Junhyuk was ted to know that and raised his sword. At the same time, the hydra swung its tail. Inside the nullification field, neither of them could use powers.

    ¡ª

    There were 150 tears around the world, and Guardians had sent all avable experts and champions to deal with them. It was Friday, so only 80 percent of the powered people were actually active.

    Aside from those under abnormal narcolepsy, all powered people had been deployed.

    There were people attacking Guardians HQ, but the people at the facility weren¡¯t worried since there were R-agents and iron soldiers still on site. Most of the iron soldiers had been deployed, but there were still three stationed at HQ.

    However, that wasn¡¯t enough for the threat that had befallen them. There were two hundred experts attacking Guardians HQ. The experts were not beyond the reach of humanity, but they all had two powers, and because of that, they could be lethal.

    The iron soldiers and R-agents went out to meet them, but they were no match for the experts. The agents fell one by one, and the iron soldiers were destroyed. Eunseo bit her lip as she watched a feed of the battle.

    She was a powered person herself, and her items were better than most, but she was alone.

    She walked outside and saw the agents blocking the entrance with desks, taking cover behind them and aiming at the door.

    Eunseo collected herself and looked at the door. The CCTV feed showed that the enemy would soon breach the building.

    The door to her office started to freeze, turning white. It shattered, and Eunseo was able to see the outside.

    The agents pulled the triggers.

    Rat-at-at-at-tat!

    Outside, a green membrane blocked the iing fire. It was a type of force field, and she knew that the agents would be able to pierce through it.

    There were battles being waged in other ces. Only five people arrived where she was. They had to be on special assignment. One could freeze things, and the other had a force field of sorts.

    They all looked quite skilled. None of them seemed like regr powered people. Some of them had military backgrounds.

    They were after her, and their powers were outstanding.

    At that moment, Eunseo realized why Junhyuk wanted to maintain control over the powered people. If people like that teamed up tomit crimes, there would be nothing anyone would be able to do.

    There were five of them. One man raised his hand and stepped toward her. From behind the field, seventeen arrows appeared in the air. That was three times the amount of R-agents in her office.

    The arrows shot out, and Eunseo quickly summoned her items.

    Thuck, thuck, thuck!

    Two arrows struck her, but they didn¡¯t deal a lot of damage. Her items were the same as the ones distributed to the champions. They were very powerful.

    While Eunseo withstood the attack, the R-agents were hit, and none of them were moving.

    The five of them approached her, and one said, ¡°We should kill her.¡±

    ¡°Right. The reward for her head is $100,000.¡±

    Eunseo bit her lip. She had already contacted the police and the military, but they hadn¡¯t gotten there yet.

    She took a step forward, and suddenly, a robot appeared. It wasn¡¯t like any iron soldier she had seen before.

    It pointed at the enemies, and as the five experts all used their powers on it, five beams shot out of the robot, one for each expert.

    The expert with the green force field was still waiting on the power¡¯s cooldown, and the others had no way to block the attack. All of them were pierced either through the head or the chest.

    The robot turned to Eunseo and said, ¡°Should we go?¡±

    ¡°Are you an iron soldier?¡±

    ¡°My name is Ganesha. My master ordered me to rescue you.¡±

 Chapter 543 - Danger 1

    <h4>Chapter 543: Danger 1</h4>

    Junhyuk had sent Ganesha because he wanted to act immediately, but the enemies were powered people, so he knew Ganesha wouldn¡¯tst long.

    Elise told him the enemies were experts

    He didn¡¯t know where those experts hade from, but right now, he didn¡¯t care.

    Junhyuk had been hit by the tail. His body had changed after absorbing core energy, so he had been able to withstand the hit. He had stood in front of Elise at the time of the attack, which was why he was hit.

    When he was hit, he felt like his body was being crushed. The hydra was shaped like a dragon, and that single physical hit felt, to him, like he had been run over by a train.

    Junhyuk bit his lip,unched back by the impact. While he was flying off, Elise¡¯s nullification field faded. The hydra realized that, and each head readied its breath at the same time.

    Junhyuk already knew how strong one of the hydra¡¯s breaths was, but he couldn¡¯t raise his force field around it now.

    He couldn¡¯t allow four hydra breaths to go off simultaneously. If that happened, Jeju Ind could disappear from the map.

    Junhyuk scowled, unable to think of what to do, but at that instant, an electric st mmed against the hydra, paralyzing it and cancelling the breaths.

    Junhyuk teleported toward the hydra and shed at the ck head, which had already lost its lower jaw.

    ng!

    He realized then just how strong the hydra¡¯s scales were. He didn¡¯t have enough strength to cut through them with regr attacks. Clicking his tongue, he infused his sword with Harmonizer.

    Once the sword was coated in it, Junhyuk swung at the ck head again, who was now able to move. However, even able to move, the ck head failed to dodge, so Junhyuk chopped it off.

    Harmonizer was even stronger than a mana de.

    Junhyuk sliced the head clean off and swung again. The hydra¡¯s scales all stood up in response. Each scale was as tall as him, but Junhyuk swung against them.

    With Harmonizer, he was able to easily slice through them. Junhyuk flew toward another head, but suddenly, the hydra disappeared. Junhyuk was surprised when he saw the hydra preparing another breath far away from him.

    He had forgotten. Dragons were the originators of magic, and the hydra was able to cast spells instinctively.

    The name of the spell the hydra had cast was called Blink. It was just like his teleportation, so attacking it would prove difficult.

    Jeffrey extended his hand then, and a whip of energy shot out from his hand and wrapped itself around the hydra. The hydra was stuck was once, and Jeffrey pulled it toward him. Seeing that, Junhyuk cheered aloud and shed at the hydra again.

    As long as the hydra was paralyzed, he could kill it. The heroes¡¯ powers were working against it, paralyzing it. With Harmonizer coating his sword, Junhyuk sh. He aimed for one of the hydra¡¯s necks, but Jeffrey¡¯s stun didn¡¯tst that long. Junhyuk injured the neck but failed to behead the hydra, who swung its tail at him.

    Junhyuk immediately spun Aksha¡¯s Longsword, raising the sword shields.

    The tail attack was a simple physical attack, but it shattered the sword shields.

    Junhyuk stepped back, and powerful energies coalesced around the hydra.

    ¡°This is too much.¡±

    The hydra could cast spells, and it had a lot of energy surrounding it.

    First, it cast a beam of lightning that turned into a lightning storm. The hydra was casting all of that without any dy. After that, hellfire.

    Junhyuk looked at the two spells headed for him. He gathered his breath then and made use of his full strength.

    He released the energy within his de toward the lightning storm. Harmonizer pushed through the air, discing it in a way that cut through the lightning storm.

    Craack!

    Junhyuk pushed through the opening he had cut in the storm and released a wind de to ck the hellfire. If he had tried to destroy the iing hellfire, the debris of the explosion would¡¯ve destroyed the mountain below.

    He had to block it and shut it down, but the hellfire wasn¡¯t a single strike.

    Junhyuk blocked it as best as he could. When the dimensional tear appeared, the civilians had all evacuated to shelts, but the shelters wouldn¡¯t withstand the shock of the hellfire.

    The other heroes stepped in to block the fire, but they couldn¡¯t deflect it up to the sky like Junhyuk. Two licks of the ze exploded. One crashed into the ocean, but the othernded on a highway.

    Boom!

    There was a huge explosion, and the highway disappeared.

    At that moment, Junhyuk realized how powerful the hydra really was and became furious at the manager who had loosed the hydra on Earth. He repressed his anger toward Eltor at the moment, flying toward the hydra.

    The hydra flew straight up, and everyone flew after it. Once all of them had gathered below it, the hydra turned and readied another breath.

    Junhyuk scowled and checked his powers. His force field was still under cooldown. There was no way he could block it now.

    He had to direct the breath somehow. Even Harmonizer wouldn¡¯t be enough to help him do it.

    Three breaths were released: a fire breath, a lightning breath and a cold breath.

    Junhyuk scowled when he saw them. They were all incredibly strong.

    He decided to maximize the energy release of Harmonizer. The hydra relied on core energy. He had evolved that energy into Harmonizer. There was no reason for him to be pushed by it.

    Junhyuk infused both of his swords with Harmonizer and swung them at the breaths. He knew he wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop the breaths as his former self, so he needed something new. He thought about his swordsmanship and choose a unique defensive technique.

    Junhyuk created a sword shield, but Harmonizer was being used to increase the revolutions of the wind energy of the shield, creating something akin to a hurricane wall.

    The breaths collided against it.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk did not have his feet nted on the ground, so while the shield endured the shock, he was pushed back until hended.

    However, the breaths were still going. Now on the ground, Junhyuk took the chance to increase the size of the sword shield.

    He spun it even faster, and the sword shield held. It took a while, and he felt that Harmonizer within him had been significantly depleted, but the breaths were over.

    The hydra was not able to use its breaths constantly, but Junhyuk was in a precarious state. The hydra was diving toward him now.

    He smiled when he saw that.

    His Spatial Copse was still under cooldown, but the Dimensional sh was back. However, he knew that even though Arn couldn¡¯t sense his attack, the hydra could. He had to destroy the hydra¡¯s heart. Otherwise, the battle would drag on.

    Looking at the hydra, Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Can you two keep it locked down?¡±

    Sarang looked at Jeffrey, who nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take first crack.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll do it after you.¡±

    Jeffrey sent his energy whip to constrict the hydra. While the hydra was being pulled, Junhyuk elerated and used his Dimensional sh straight at its heart.

    The heart was cut in two, and Junhyuk smiled. The hydra regained its movements, and Junhyuk was left surprised. He had thought that things would¡¯ve been over with the destruction of the heart, but the hydra simply tail whipped him.

    ng!

    Junhyuk blocked the attack with his swords, but he felt the impact through his body. The attack alsounched him away. Sarang shot her electric st at it, paralyzing the hydra. All of the heroes attacked it then. The champions did too, but the hydra simply whipped its tail once it could move again.

    Regr attacks wouldn¡¯t work. Only powers would. Junhyuk¡¯s Harmonizer was the only thing effective against it.

    Junhyuk pulled himself up and stared at the hydra. He had used most of the energy within him, but he had to do something.

    The hydra was preparing to cast a spell, and Junhyuk bit his lip.

    Sarang tore another scroll then. The torn scroll released an electric st, and the hydra was paralyzed again.

    Thinking of that as his chance, Junhyuk took thest bit of his Harmonizer and elerated.

    The hydra¡¯s heart had been split in two, but it was still moving. He had toe up with another way to take it down. He closed in. The amount of Harmonizer within him was low, so he couldn¡¯t use his Dimensional sh.

    He pressurized the remaining harmonizer within him, turning it into an energy orb. It flew toward the hydra and mmed against its red head.

    Craaack!

    That marble-sized energy ball destroyed the hydra¡¯s head, but suddenly, his own head started spinning. He had overused Harmonizer.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    Junhyuk fell to his knees while staring at the hydra. The tiny ball of energy was gone, but the hydra still had two heads left.

 Chapter 544 - Danger 2

    <h4>Chapter 544: Danger 2</h4>

    The hydra¡¯s heart had been destroyed, but the monster wasn¡¯t dead yet. Two heads remained now, but Junhyuk was low on Harmonizer, so he couldn¡¯t do anything.

    The hydra raised its heads and roared loudly. Everyone looked up at the sky, and Junhyuk scowled.

    ¡°The tear hasn¡¯t closed yet?!¡±

    Junhyuk had thought the tear had closed while he had been focusing on the hydra. However, twelve drake-wyvern chimeras exited the tear at that moment. The chimeras swooped down at the heroes and champions. The heroes had to focus on the hydra they were already fighting, and now, there were more monsters attacking them.

    ¡°Everyone, kill the chimeras!¡± Junhyuk shouted.

    Everyone took off toward a chimeras. Meanwhile, he barely managed to get up. The hydra looked at him in the eyes and beat its wings, taking off straight toward him.

    Junhyuk gathered as much energy as he could. Replenishing Harmonizer was an agonizing process for him as he stared at the hydra heading his way. He immediately pulled a core out of his special bag and held it in his hands, absorbing all the energy he could from it. It was faster to absorb the energy straight from the core than to do it from the environment.

    Junhyuk Harmonizer replenished quickly. Sensing danger, the hydra blinked closer to him.

    Junhyuk watched as the hydra reappeared and immediately realized that it had also replenished its energy.

    Without hesitation, Junhyuk elerated. Harmonizer was replenishing at a faster rate than Junhyuk¡¯s energy was being used for the eleration. He dashed with eleration triggered, whereas the hydra was preparing a spell.

    It did not want to give him the opportunity to recover.

    Junhyuk sighed and pulled out a scroll. The scroll had been imbued with his force field power. As he tore it up, the hydra cast the spell on him.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    There were loud explosions, and Junhyuk patted himself for being smart enough to keep a force field scroll in hand. While the force field was active, he replenished even more energy with the core. Harmonizer was almost at full power again, so Junhyuk dashed forward. He triggered his eleration at the second level, which was nearly as fast as his teleportations.

    He could cover a slightly smaller distance with the eleration at second level, but the energy usage was easier on him. After he closed in, Junhyuk shed at the hydra, but the monster blinked, dodging the strike.

    Blink had a maximum range, a distance Junhyuk could easily cover.

    The hydra continued to blink and fly up. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t fly, so he couldn¡¯t chase it down.

    His drone had been destroyed. He felt it was imperative that he give chace, but how could he do that now?

    Junhyuk thought about Halo¡¯s Rain from Above. He didn¡¯t have Rain from Above at his disposal, but he had something else: Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword. It could control the wind.

    Junhyuk raised a wind wall and rode it up. He couldn¡¯t elerate that way, but he could fly.

    While he was moving with the wind on his back, the hydra was readying another spell. By now, Junhyuk realized that after its heart was destroyed, the hydra wasn¡¯t able to use any more breaths.

    The hydra wouldn¡¯t be able to push him around anymore, and if he managed to buy more time, his Dimensional sh woulde off cooldown, and he would kill the monster once and for all. Fighting the hydra was not easy, but he was getting better at controlling the wind with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword.

    He hadn¡¯t flown much before, but he was getting used to it now.

    The chimeras were attacking the champions. They could also breathe out fireballs, so fighting them wasn¡¯t easy. Their scales were as strong as the scales of a normal dragon.

    The heroes were killing the chimeras, but the champions were having a very difficult time.

    Seeing that, Junhyuk thought he had to kill the hydra immediately.

    Junhyuk knew that Harmonizer was nearly full, so he readied another de energy st. He focused Harmonizer on a single point of the sword, and the hydra started at it.

    With Harmonizer, he could easily destroy one of the hydra¡¯s heads. The de of Junhyuk¡¯s sword shed, and the hydra used blink. However, the sword attack carried Junhyuk¡¯s willpower.

    It was a strike at light speed, and the energy st pierced through the blue head. By now, he expected to be victorious.

    Only one head remained, and Junhyuk rushed it. The hydra blinked and rushed toward him. It stabbed its tail forward like a spear toward him.

    Junhyuk frowned at the attack. He had to bepletely focused to use the sword st, but the tail stab disrupted his stance, and the energy he was gathering disappeared.

    Junhyuk blocked the tail with his swords then.

    ng!

    He was pushed back, but since he had full control of the wind, heunched himself up, hovering above the hydra. The monster raised its remaining head to look at him, and he smiled.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been extremely troublesome.¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s sword shed again. The hydra knew it couldn¡¯t dodge it with blink, so it cast another spell. It was trying to take him down with it, but Junhyuk smiled coldly at it. The strike destroyed the hydra¡¯s remaining head. Seeing it gone, Junhyuk sighed, relieved.

    He had killed the strongest of the monsters, but the champions were still risking their lives. At the same time, Junhyuk knew that no champion had be a hero yet, and if that continued, Eltor would be free to try again.

    Junhyuk rode the wind and shed a nearby chimera that was attacking Helen. His sword waspletely imbued with Harmonizer, so he cut through the monster like butter.

    The chimera fell, and Junhyuk kept on. He headed toward Ling Ling. With Harmonizer, he pierced through the drake¡¯s scales. The chimera lost its head, and Ling Ling gave him a short bow. He headed off again, riding the wind.

    Junhyuk quickly killed the remaining chimeras and looked up at the skill. The tear was still open.

    The powered people couldn¡¯t leave yet.

    Biting his lip, Junhyuk flew up toward it. Standing in front of the dimensional tear, Junhyuk used his Spatial Copse. The copse erased the pocket of dimension within the tear, and the whole dimensional tear copse within itself.

    Crraaaack, boom!

    The dimensional tear was gone. Junhyuk knew he could close them now. He hadn¡¯t done so in regr fashion. Instead, he had destroyed the pocket of dimension that kept the tear open, making it copse into itself.

    He thought about the remaining 149 tears. He would have to move fast to close them all.

    At that moment, he tried contacting Ganesha, but he couldn¡¯t reach her. Scowling, Junhyuk turned to Elise and said, ¡°We should return to Guardians HQ.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    He nodded and turned to the others. The powered people would divide in teams and deploy around the world. With the help of the heroes, the champions would be able to kill the chimeras.

    Junhyuk and Elise got in her ne, and the others used the teleportation circles. He and Elise flew back to Seoul.

    About five minutester, they were over Guardians HQ. When he arrived, he saw the devastation.

    Junhyuk teleported to Eunseo¡¯s office and looked around. The door was shattered, and there were dead bodies everywhere. However, Eunseo and Ganesha weren¡¯t there.

    Elisended the ne and joined him, saying, ¡°Ganesha isn¡¯t here?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t find her.¡±

    Elise looked around, observing the destruction and deducing what happened, ¡°Ganesha rescued Eunseo. They used that path over there to head out. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    They both moved out with his wind powers. Once on the roof, they looked around.

    Elise extended her hand, and a translucent te appeared hovering in the air. She said, ¡°Our enemies did not waste time. I¡¯ll check the CCTV feeds and recordings to try and locate Ganesha.¡±

    Taking stock of the destruction, she decided on the most likely path and pulled those specific recordings. She quickly figured out what happened.

    ¡°There are some on the Dongjak Bridge, in a ck van. Another ck van is crossing the Han River. There a ck van in the Sangdo Tunnel, and they¡¯ve taken over five tourist buses. They are all over Seoul.¡±

    Junhyuk gritted his teeth and asked, ¡°Did you find out who destroyed Ganesha?¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute. Let¡¯s move to that location.¡±

    Junhyuk took them to Guardians¡¯ Lab, where they found the pieces of Junhyuk¡¯s robot. He turned back to the roof of the main building and asked, ¡°Could someone destroy Ganesha from that roof?¡±

    Looking at how the pieces were scattered, Junhyuk frowned. Eunseo was definitely injured.

    He felt fury travel through his entire body.

 Chapter 545 - Danger 3

    <h4>Chapter 545: Danger 3</h4>

    Elise asked quickly, ¡°What should we do?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll start with the closest one. The military and the police arete. What¡¯s going on with them?¡±

    ¡°They are almost here. When they get here, they¡¯ll secure the area and help the injured, but that will take a while.¡±

    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll move separately from them. They wouldn¡¯t be a match for experts anyway. They¡¯d only be put in danger.¡± After a moment thinking, he added, ¡°Ganesha is powerful. She wouldn¡¯t be easily destroyed, so could you find out what destroyed her?¡±

    ¡°A powerful impact destroyed her. It almost looks like she got hit by a giant hammer. That heavy of a physical attack means a high attack stat.¡±

    ¡°And we don¡¯t know anyone with that kind of power?¡±

    ¡°Correct. Only champions are capable of something like this, and weprise all of the heroes.¡±

    Junhyuk was worried. He had to rescue Eunseo quickly, otherwise, she might not survive the ordeal. However, he couldn¡¯t spend a lot of time doing it. There were still over a hundred tears all across the, and monsters were stilling out of them. Everyone was putting their lives on the line to fight them.

    ¡°Can the enemies fly?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s take the ne. Should we tell the military?¡±

    ¡°My J-01 has permission to fly over any airspace. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called J-01?¡±

    ¡°I built it for trips to Jeju Ind.¡±

    Junhyukughed, and they both got on J-01. Every car that hade out of Guardians was being tracked, so Junhyuk decided to go for the nearest van, the one going over Dongjak Bridge.

    ¡°It¡¯s important that we find out their ns, but we also have to figure out which van has the people that destroyed Ganesha.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Working on it now.¡±

    Once he could see the van on Dongjak Bridge, Junhyuk teleported, appearing right in front of it and shing the van with Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    Inside the van, the people were shocked. They were all experts, so they all exited the van.

    Junhyuk released a gust of wind with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword, throwing the sliced van into the river.

    The experts attacked, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t take it. He raised his force field and shed at them.

    sh!

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t kill anyone, but all of the experts had lost either an arm or a leg. He was using his sword with no energy around it, but he still shattered many other bones. He hadn¡¯t used any powers, but his swordsmanship was far too advanced for them.

    Junhyuk walked toward a fallen experts. Every car on Dongjak Bridge had stopped.

    Junhyuk did not want to kill them in public. He found the expert who seemed to be the leader and grabbed him by the neck.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk now.¡±

    He teleported back to J-01. The man screamed as he appeared, but Junhyuk did not care.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but you need to tell me who nned the attack.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at the man coldly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°I was expecting that answer.¡±

    He stabbed the man on the thigh, and the man¡¯s mouth dropped open. Junhyuk covered the man¡¯s mouth with his hand and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer me. There are others like you.¡±

    Junhyuk twisted the sword, and the man¡¯s eyes widened. He pulled out his sword and was just about to stab the man again when Elise spoke up, ¡°I¡¯ve got two vehicles that might¡¯ve kidnapped her.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s head for the first one.¡±

    The powered people deployed by Guardians were busy dealing with monsters and did not have time to deal with the rogue experts.

    J-01 chased after a tourist bus that had crossed Sangdo Tunnel and was heading into Guksabong Tunnel.

    Junhyuk teleported inside the tunnel. The bus was heading straight for him, but knowing that everyone within it was at least an experts, Junhyuk shed at the bus.

    A wind de sliced all of the bus¡¯ tires.

    Screeeeeech!

    The bus skidded and rolled over, and the experts soon exited it. Junhyuk shed one of them, and the experts used their powers on him.

    Junhyuk raised his force field again and cut them down.

    sh, sh, sh!

    Again, he did not kill them, but all of them lost a limb. Junhyuk was trying to contain them.

    ¡°Elise, she isn¡¯t here,¡± he said.

    ¡°Then, get back here.¡±

    Junhyuk grabbed another expert and teleported back to the J-01. cing the expert in a corner, he asked, ¡°Are you going to tell me about your n?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t make meugh!¡±

    Junhyuk stabbed the man¡¯s thigh. The expert screamed, but Junhyuk ignored the screams and turned to Elise.

    ¡°Can we contain powered people¡¯s powers?¡±

    ¡°No, we can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°They should be locked up by Guardians. Are there any spare iron soldiers?¡±

    ¡°All iron soldiers have been destroyed, and the powered people who woke up during the invasion are all injured.¡±

    ¡°Then, recall some iron soldiers from the tears. They can contain the experts.¡±

    ¡°Sure. We can pull them back from ces with heroes and champions.¡±

    A couple of iron soldiers were no match for experts. The three that had been stationed at Guardians had already been destroyed. However, they could transport the experts that Junhyuk had already cut down.

    They headed for the next vehicle, and Junhyuk balled his hands into fists. J-01 was approaching a ck van crossing the Han River. When Junhyuk saw the vehicle, he teleported.

    Afternding on the roof of the van, Junhyuk swung his sword, opening the van like a tuna can.

    The experts inside attacked, but he could see Eunseo inside. She was passed out, and blood had pooled around her mouth. Junhyuk raised his force field.

    Eunseo was the focus of the force field, and only he could enter it at will. He erged the force field, and the experts were pushed off. Junhyuk hugged her and picked her up. She was in grave condition.

    He looked at the people in the van. There were five of them, and one was a champion.

    Where had they alle from?

    Staring at them, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t even think of running away.¡±

    He teleported to his training facility. There, he put Eunseo down and contacted Sarang.

    ¡°Big brother, I¡¯m busy at the moment.¡±

    ¡°I know. Come to my training facility. I need a heal.¡±

    ¡°Has someone been hurt?¡±

    Junhyuk invited Sarang, and she appeared. Looking at Eunseo, she asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Heal her first. I have something I need to do.¡±

    ¡°Big brother! Wait!¡±

    But Junhyuk did not wait. He exited the training facility, and when he saw those who had tried to run away, he smiled.

    Junhyuk elerated and caught up to them. He stood in front of them, and they all used their powers on him. One of their powers paralyzed him, and the others attacked immediately after.

    However, the attackers were not aware that without any items, none of their attacks damaged him.

    Junhyuk waited until he could move again. At that time, the champion closed in on him and raised his hands. When he brought his hands down, the speed broke the sound barrier, and they shot down like a bullet. They looked like a hammer crashing on him, but Junhyukughed when he saw the attack.

    That was what had destroyed Ganesha, and now, he knew who had hurt Eunseo. He let the hammer attack hit him.

    Boom!

    The ground shook and cracked around him. Junhyuk was impressed. Even without any items, the champion had dealt 5 percent of damage to him.

    Junhyuk unsheathed his swords. He wasn¡¯t going to use any of his powers. If he did, the enemy wouldn¡¯t survive.

    He attacked the people with the blunt part of his swords, but they were all seriously injured. The experts all copsed, and Junhyuk faced the champion. The champion raised his fists, ready to use another power, but Junhyuk said, ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡±

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t interested in the champion¡¯s struggle. Junhyuk swung his swords, but when the champion pointed his fists forward, they released a shockwave that pushed Junhyuk back slightly. Junhyuk used the wind to fly and sung his sword.

    With that single strike, he destroyed the champions¡¯ arms. He swung his swords again, shattering multiple bones, and grabbed the champion by the neck, mming him against ground after that.

    As a champion, the man should have an important role in the attack against Guardians.

    ¡°I need to talk to you.¡±

 Chapter 546 - Chase 1

    <h4>Chapter 546: Chase 1</h4>

    Junhyuk took the man he mmed against the ground to the training facility. There was no way the man would know how to get out of the training facility, and even if the man managed to escape somehow, Junhyuk was confident that he could catch the champion again.

    When Sarang saw the man, she asked surprised, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Junhyuk raised his hand and said, ¡°He was among those who attacked Guardians. I caught him. How¡¯s Eunseo?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s up.¡±

    Eunseo saw the man and asked, ¡°That man is...?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the one who destroyed Ganesha. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t remember. Ganesha and I were attacked right as we exited the building.¡±

    ¡°He seemed like the leader of the group. I¡¯ll send you out now. The HQ was destroyed. Someone has to take charge of the fallout.¡±

    Eunseo nodded, and Junhyuk turned to Sarang.

    ¡°You go back as well. I¡¯ll deal with those who destroyed Guardians and join you.¡±

    There were a lot of experts causing trouble, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t let them be. He would catch all of them and imprison them inside Elise¡¯s special cells. Getting the experts was his job. Once the iron soldiers got back, they would do the rest.

    Junhyuk and Eunseo teleported to the J-01, and Elise smiled brightly when she saw Eunseo.

    ¡°You¡¯re OK!¡±

    ¡°Thanks to Sarang.¡±

    ¡°You went to the training facility!¡±

    Junhyuk interjected and told Elise, ¡°Order some iron soldiers back quickly, about ten of them should do for now. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll hunt down the experts. With the J-01, we¡¯ll catch those trying to run away.¡±

    Only Junhyuk could hunt down that many experts in so little time.

    He and Elise went hunting. The vehicles the experts were using were already being tracked. Shutting down tears was important, but he had to contain the terrorists first. Otherwise, they could create more chaos for society. He would hunt all of them down.

    ¡ª

    While Junhyuk was hunting experts, the heroes and champions were doing their best to stop the monster waves. It took him three hours to get all of the experts, and afterward, he moved out alone.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t need other heroes. He could shut the tears down by himself. With the J-01, he went around the world closing down tears with his Spatial Copse. On top of that, because he had to use his power that many times, he learned how the dimensional tears operated.

    Now that he had core energy within him, he could analyze dimensional tears.

    He shut down every tear. For those nearby, he used the J-01. To get to those far away, he used the teleportation devices. He didn¡¯t rest until all tears were closed. The entire thing took him two whole days.

    Junhyuk was very strong now, so the monsters were no issue for him. After closing all the tears, he returned to the training facility to meet the champion he had captured. Once there, he looked down at the champion on the ground.

    Instead of recovering, the champion¡¯s limbs were starting to turn necrotic.

    Seeing that, Junhyuk invited Sarang over and said, ¡°Heal him.¡±

    She agreed and healed the rogue champion. After being healed, the champion quickly used his air st power, but Junhyuk had already raised the force field to protect Sarang and himself. He retaliated by shattering the champion¡¯s arms and legs.

    Looking down at the champion, he smiled and said, ¡°The cooldown for the heal is rather long. Repent for what you¡¯ve done in the meantime.¡±

    Junhyuk kicked the champions crushed leg.

    ¡°Argh!¡±

    He stared at the man and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You won¡¯t die, but you¡¯ll feel incredible pain every two minutes. I have to check to see if your arms and legs recovered properly after all.¡±

    The champion winced, and Junhyuk continued, ¡°We are in a different dimension. Even if I kill you, nobody would know.¡±

    The champion shut his eyes, and Junhyuk whispered, ¡°Tell me who your leader is. I¡¯ll deal with them, and you¡¯ll stand trial.¡±

    ¡°Trial?!¡± The champion shook his head and fired back, ¡°You don¡¯t know anything!¡±

    Junhyuk stared at the champion. He could tell the champion was afraid of someone.

    ¡°It seems you are afraid of someone else more than you are of me. I can hide you here and even give you food.¡±

    Junhyuk pulled out some food from his Spatial Bag, and the champion¡¯s mind reeled.

    It was the food he had prepared for Arn¡¯s visit, so it was the best money could buy.

    Junhyuk looked at the champion and asked, ¡°You want to give me a name now?¡±

    The champion crawled back, and Junhyuk looked a Sarang. The cooldown was over, so she healed the champion again. His arms and legs were back to their normal conditions.

    The champion stared at her. He had heard about her healing power, but he had never experienced it before. Sarang had enough power to save people from the brink of death.

    Junhyuk, who was gripping his swords, said, ¡°This is yourst chance. I¡¯m about to slice your arms and legs off.¡±

    The champion knew he was no match for Junhyuk. He had had many experts and he had thought that with that amount, he would¡¯ve been able to injure Junhyuk.

    The experts¡¯ teamwork had been outstanding, and the champion had thought they would¡¯ve been able to deal with a hero. However, after raising his force field, Junhyuk crippled his team within ten seconds.

    The hero didn¡¯t use any of his other powers. He simply shed, whereas the champion used his powers, and the hero was still superior. Junhyuk had shattered the champions¡¯ limbs without hesitation before.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a name. Promise me you¡¯ll do what you said and not hold me responsible.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be held responsible, as a terrorist and a kidnapper,¡± Junhyuk said, staring the champion down.

    The champion had already made up his mind to speak however. If he did not, he would lose his arms and legs. There was a possibility they would heal him, but if not, he would remain crippled for the rest of his life.

    The champions mouth opened, and he said, ¡°He didn¡¯t show himself, but I can guess who it is. He¡¯s name is... AAAARGH!¡±

    Right in the middle of his speech, the champion grabbed his chest and copsed. Sarang tried to heal him quickly, but it didn¡¯t work. There was nothing to heal.

    ¡°AARRGH!¡±

    Pain was shooting through the champion¡¯s body as he rolled across the floor. Junhyuk scowled while watching the champion. He had to get the information.

    He couldn¡¯t let the champion die. He felt that every time he tried to find out who was behind the attack, someone died.

    The champion barely survived. There was drool all over his face as he got back up slowly.

    ¡°Were you in pain because you wanted to tell me the truth?¡± Junhyuk asked.

    The champion nodded, and Junhyuk asked something else, ¡°Your name?¡±

    ¡°Cru Wolf.¡±

    Junhyuk put a search for Cru Wolf. The supeputers at his disposal would find him, and that search would give him clues. There were many experts associated with the attack, and by cross referencing them, he would find what he wanted soon.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t snitch, so I¡¯ll put you with the others. You should be safe there.¡±

    Cru Wolf nodded.

    He took the man outside, to the basement at Guardians HQ, where there were a hundred experts locked up.

    Survivors of the group that attacked Guardians.

    Not many experts had survived because the Guardians¡¯ novices were highly trained. However, many novices had died as well.

    The experts weren¡¯t receiving special treatment in those cells. They were terrorists, and Elise was crafting items to nullify their powers. The other heroes and iron soldiers were guarding the prisoners.

    Junhyuk made an example of those who attempted a breakout. They did not receive medical treatment, and thirty iron soldiers were stationed outside of their separate cell.

    Media pundits were going crazy over the attack on Guardians. They wanted the terrorists tried and executed.

    The timing of the attack fueled some debate since Guardians was at the forefront of stopping the monster waves.

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t made up his mind on what to do. He wanted to find out who had ordered the attack. The investigation was ongoing, and Cru Wolf was now in one of the cells.

    He had to find out who the mastermind was so that the experts could stand trial. In his mind, he agreed with execution. He did not want any of them alive.

    However, his fury was reserved mostly to the person who had ordered the attack.

 Chapter 547 - Chase 2

    <h4>Chapter 547: Chase 2</h4>

    Junhyuk went over to Elise¡¯sb. Guardians had discovered the identities of all of the experts, and they were in the process of tracing all of their movements from the past several months.

    The inmates consisted mostly of members of anti-Guardians groups. They were filled with anti-establishment, anarchical ideals, and none of them kept a digital footprint, which was why Zaira and Ganesha had been unable to bring them up prior to the attack. Most belonged to the same anti-Guardian group, and the rest lived around the same region.

    How did they get together? They weren¡¯t saying much, so Guardians was tracing their spending and bank ounts. The anti-Guardian groups were all supplied with funds. Otherwise, living in hiding would not have been possible.

    They were getting no clues from digging into their ounts. The ounts didn¡¯t show any big deposits, which meant that they must¡¯ve been paid in cash.

    Junhyuk had a sketch and model made out of the people¡¯s description. The person in the sketch was wearing sunsses, so the features didn¡¯t seem very urate. However, they were able to approximate the description. He could see who had given the order through the sketch, but he didn¡¯t have a name to go with it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have the sketch put on all Most Wanted lists.¡±

    Elise nodded and replied, ¡°I¡¯ve already contacted the CIA and the FBI. I¡¯m also building a minidrone to search for that person.¡±

    ¡°How is your power suppressoring along?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll have to be custom made.¡±

    ¡°Custom made?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll use the same principle as my nullification field. The suppressor will detect power wavelengths and cancel them. It¡¯ll require a lot of money to make one, and we¡¯ll be only to install it at Guardians HQ.¡±

    ¡°We could build the prison inside HQ.¡±

    None of them had teleportation powers like him, so there was no way for them to escape. That was a fact, and he knew it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll create an automated system. Even if some escape, the security system will trigger. We¡¯ll use live ammunition to deal with escapees.¡±

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t worried about the prisoners. They didn¡¯t have enough power to threaten Elise. She had a high defense stat, and their attack stat was rather low.

    He trusted her to take care of everything. The sketch was distributed to all Most Wanted lists, and Junhyuk was ready to move to apprehend the culprit at a moment¡¯s notice.

    He hadn¡¯t met Eltor this time around and he was bitter about that. The hydra had been able to sense dimensional attacks, so he thought Eltor probably could as well. For that reason, he had to polish his Dimensional sh. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to do. The heroes he knew couldn¡¯t dodge his sh, so he had to find another way to upgrade it.

    Junhyuk entered his training facility and contacted Gongon. He invited the hatchling over and handed the hydra¡¯s heart to him. Gongon looked at the two pieces and gritted his teeth.

    ¡°They did experiments with dragons¡¯ hearts and turned dragons into a hydra. I can¡¯t forgive them.¡±

    ¡°The hydra could sense my Dimensional sh, so the managers might be able to as well.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Managers can control spacetime, so they are certainly not easy enemies.¡± Gongon added in a murmur, ¡°I can¡¯t let them be. I want revenge.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded. Gongon was his ally in the fight now, and that made him feel much better.

    ¡°I¡¯ll work on bettering the Dimensional sh.¡±

    ¡°OK. I¡¯m gonna research a dimensional trap. It won¡¯t work on everyone, but it¡¯ll work on the managers.¡±

    ¡°Do it.¡±

    Gongon left, and Junhyuk trained alone. He trigger an evolution in his Dimensional sh, so he trained hard. He had closed 150 tears, feeling the birth and decay that each tear created, and that experience would help him with the Dimensional sh.¡±

    ¡ª

    Elise found a 75-percent match for the sketch. The person was involved with powered people, so she did not send the police. Instead, she sent iron soldiers to apprehend the suspect. When the five iron soldiers surrounded the suspect, the man pulled out an unexpected weapon.

    Aser shot out of the pistol powered by a mana stone. It was the first prototype of the iron soldier weaponry Elise had developed. One iron soldier went down, but the others restrained the suspect.

    They use the teleportation device to return to South Korea, making sure that the suspect didn¡¯tmit suicide on the way. He was handed over to Elise, who locked the suspect in one of the cells in the basement and called Junhyuk.

    Through his projection, Elise saw that he looked exhausted and asked, ¡°Are you OK?¡±

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°I apprehended the suspect from the Most Wanted sketch.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    Junhyuk appeared right in front of Elise. He looked exhausted.

    ¡°I have him in the basement.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go>¡±

    Junhyuk took hold of Elise and teleported to the basement. The man didn¡¯t have sunsses on, and he was sitting on the floor.

    Junhyuk stood in front of the man and said, ¡°He has no powers.¡±

    Could an ordinary man control experts like that? It was hard to believe.

    Junhyuk grabbed a chair and sat down, asking, ¡°Who do you take orders from?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡±

    Junhyuk grabbed the man¡¯s shoulder and asked, ¡°Do you know what I¡¯m the most angry about?¡±

    The man didn¡¯t reply, and Junhyuk applied pressure to his shoulder.

    Crack!

    ¡°Aaargh!¡± the man screamed from the pain.

    Junhyuk stared into the man¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°Due to your actions, valuable powered people were killed. You killed them, and I won¡¯t forgive that. Who gave you the order?¡±

    The man¡¯s bones shattered under Junhyuk¡¯s grip, and Junhyuk ced a hand on the man¡¯s other shoulder.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me who gave the orders, I¡¯ll keep you away from Guardians. We are very capable of torture here, and there¡¯s no way for anyone to find out.¡±

    Craaack!

    The man¡¯s other shoulder shattered as well.

    ¡°Who gave the orders?¡±

    The man screamed and shouted, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything!¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Let¡¯s see if you are telling the truth.¡± He turned to Elise and said, ¡°I¡¯m taking him to the training facility.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll erase all evidence that we ever had him.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and entered the training facility with the man. When they appeared, the man was stunned.

    Junhyuk smiled at him and said, ¡°We are in a different dimension. Your death won¡¯t leave any traces on Earth.¡±

    He unsheathed his swords and added, ¡°I can peel the skin off your body without killing you. Wait, I¡¯ll start with your face.¡±

    One of his swords touched the man¡¯s cheek, and the man dove to the ground, shouting, ¡°I have a client! But, I don¡¯t know anything!¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me before?¡±

    ¡°Secrecy is a part of the contract.¡±

    Junhyuk stared into the man¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°OK. Tell me about your client.¡±

    ¡°Wanda, a woman. I don¡¯t know herst name. She handed me some money, and I gave the money to the anti-Guardians groups.¡±

    ¡°Wanda?¡±

    The man nodded, so Junhyuk took the man out of the facility.

    Elise stared at him, and he said, ¡°A woman named Wanda supplied the money. We have to find her.¡±

    ¡°Wanda?!¡±

    Elise seemed surprised, so he asked, ¡°Do you know her?¡±

    She looked at the man and asked, ¡°Tall, gray eyes and a scar down her left ear?¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    Elise frowned and turned to Junhyuk, saying, ¡°We need to talk.¡±

    Both of them went back to herb, and Elise said carefully, ¡°Wanda is employed by the Rockefeller family. She does the dirty work for Charles.¡±

    ¡°The Rockefeller family?¡±

    ¡°The chance of them being involved is not insignificant.¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes beamed, and he said, ¡°Locate Wanda. I¡¯ll apprehend her.¡±

    ¡°The iron soldiers can do it.¡±

    ¡°It might get messy that way. If I go, it¡¯ll be quiet.¡±

    Elise nodded and said, ¡°Wait a moment.¡±

    She used Zaira to connect to the satellites around Earth and locate Wanda. It took her only a minute to get the coordinates.

    ¡°That was quick.¡±

    ¡°I know. I¡¯ve upgraded Zaira with magic engineering.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the woman on the monitor. She seemed well trained. He got her coordinates and said, ¡°I¡¯m using a teleportation device.¡±

    Elise nodded and gave him a watch and a disk.

    ¡°These are?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the J-02. It has a stealth mode that no radars on Earth can detect.¡±

    Junhyuk took the disk. It was as wide as he was tall, but it floated next to him.

    ¡°It¡¯ll help,¡± Elise said proudly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make good use of it.¡±

    ¡°Come back safe.¡±

    Junhyuk used the teleportation device to appear in the south of the United States. He could see Wanda through the J-02.

 Chapter 548 - Chase 3

    <h4>Chapter 548: Chase 3</h4>

    Wanda was staying at arge estate. Junhyuk, who was flying on the J-02, contacted Elise.

    ¡°You are headed to a paperpany called Light. It has ties to the Rockefeller family.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty much certain then.¡±

    Junhyuk focused on flying. The J-02 was much faster than he had expected. Junhyuk was flying with the wind, so he was going even faster. He ducked as he approached the estate.

    After reaching his destination, Junhyuk used his spatial sense to search the inside of the inside of the structure. There were a total of thirty people inside.

    Junhyuk entered and kept his spatial sense up in order to distinguish the gender of those inside. However, he still needed to see the face of the women to find Wanda.

    Knowing that Wanda was in there, Junhyuk did not mind wreaking havoc around thepound. He took the J-02 inside, and when they saw him, the guards pointed their weapons at him. Junhyuk swung Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword at them, and a fierce wind st pounded against them all.

    The guards fell unconscious without making any noise. After Junhyuk broke the windows to enter the building, two energy sts flew toward him.

    He knew that the sts were powers, so he teleported. The enemies¡¯ powers smashed against where he had been standing, and Junhyuk lengthed Aksha¡¯s Longsword to restrain the opponents.

    With that single attack, he sliced two arms and two legs off. It was a refined strike.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t care for the fallen. All that mattered was chasing after Wanda. He teleported and appeared in front of his target, but when he saw her, he was surprised.

    The woman called Wanda was an expert.

    She attacked him immediately after spotting him. An ice spear flew toward him, but Junhyuk used his sword shield. The ice spear shattered after hitting the sword shield, and Junhyuk approached her.

    Wanda tried to use her second power, but Junhyuk was faster. He kicked low and broke her shins. Then, he grabbed her by the neck and headbutted her.

    Thunk!

    After Wanda passed out, Junhyuk carried her to the J-02. He didn¡¯t care about the others. Once he got back to the proper ce, he used the teleportation device to return to South Korea.

    Junhyuk ced Wanda on the floor and turned to Elise, who inspected Wanda¡¯s face and said, ¡°That¡¯s Wanda, the one who works for the Rockefellers.¡±

    ¡°We need to know if the Rockefeller family is behind this.¡±

    Elise nodded and asked, ¡°What if they are? What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°Whoever is responsible will stand trial, and their assets will be seized and divided among the families of the novices who lost their lives in the attack.¡±

    ¡°Are you nning on destroying the Rockefeller family?¡±

    ¡°I can do that.¡±

    Elise took a moment to think before saying, ¡°The economic fallout will be big, but we can do it.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and picked up Wendell, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll interrogate her in the training facility.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll send iron soldier to her estate to arrest those who are still there.¡±

    ¡°Please.¡±

    Junhyuk entered the training facility and woke up Wanda. He pped her lightly, and she opened her eyes. She immediately tried to bite her tongue, but Junhyuk held her jaw open.

    She was trying to kill herself, so normal interrogation tactics would not work. Junhyuk headbutted her again, and she passed out once more. Then, he contacted Gongon.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°I need to extract a confession from someone, but the person won¡¯t talk. Do you know of any ways to do it?¡±

    Gonngonughed and replied, ¡°You can¡¯t be great at everything. Just invite me over.¡±

    Junhyuk did so, and Gongon looked at Wanda and asked, ¡°Are the questions for her?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, and Gongon extended his w toward the woman. A water bubble sshed against Wanda¡¯s face.

    She tried to bite her tongue again, but Gongon¡¯s eyes turned red, and the dragonmanded, ¡°Stop!¡±

    Wanda froze, and her eyes turned vacant. Junhyuk realized just how powerful Gongon could be. She was an expert, but Gongon was inpletemand of her.

    ¡°What did you do?¡±

    ¡°I restrained her with the dragon¡¯s tongue. Normal humans can¡¯t endure our tongue. They have to be at least a champion to resist.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Wanda and asked, ¡°Can I ask her anything?¡±

    ¡°Answer all of Junhyuk¡¯s questions.¡±

    Wanda nodded, so Junhyuk pulled out his smartphone and started recording.

    ¡°Wanda, you were behind the terrorist attack, correct?¡±

    She nodded, so Junhyuk continued, ¡°Who gave you the order to do it?¡±

    ¡°Aaargh!¡±

    She had been about to answer when she screamed loudly and squirmed across the ground.

    ¡°What?! What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I forgot about this. The powered people behind the terrorist attack feel unimaginable pain when they try to reveal the name of the mastermind. They don¡¯t die, but the pain is too much for them.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Gongon gave her a light kick, and Wanday still on the floor. The dragon looked into her eyes and said, ¡°There is a special pattern weaved into her. It¡¯s not magic, but it controls her consciousness.¡±

    ¡°Can we find out who set it?¡±

    ¡°There will be side effects?¡±

    ¡°Side effects?¡±

    ¡°If it goes wrong, she¡¯ll die. If not, she¡¯ll probably be lobotomized.¡±

    Junhyuk knew that the consequences were serious, but he didn¡¯t have any evidence to push the investigation. He couldn¡¯t just stop at Wanda.

    Gongonughed and said, ¡°Should we try something else?¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    Gongon grabbed the woman¡¯s head, and light poured out of his hand and into her eyes, which rolled back.

    ¡°This way, she¡¯ll probably lose some of her cognition,¡± Gongon exined.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±

    ¡°Listen carefully. She¡¯ll lose herself, and only patterns will remain after. Start asking her simple questions now.¡±

    Gongon held her head with both of his tiny ws.

    ¡°Who is your master?¡±

    Wanda¡¯s eyes rolled in her head, and she answered, ¡°My master is Charles Rockefeller.¡±

    Junhyuk scowled, and Gongon turned to him, asking, ¡°Do you know him?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then, it¡¯s over.¡±

    Gongon let go of the woman, and she fell.

    ¡°When she wakes up, she¡¯ll have full cognition, but she¡¯ll have lost the memories of the past ten years. This is a light oue.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Gongon chuckled and waved at Junhyuk, saying, ¡°Whenever you have a problem that you can¡¯t solve, I¡¯ll help.¡±

    Gongon left, and Junhyuk looked at Wanda, picked her up and left the facility.

    Looking at Wanda, Elise asked, ¡°Did you find anything out?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and answered, ¡°Charles Rockefeller ordered the attack.¡±

    ¡°Any evidence?¡±

    ¡°Gongon helped me, so it won¡¯t stand up in court. But now that we know who did it, I¡¯ll go apprehend him. See if you can find some evidence of his involvement.¡±

    ¡°We can follow his money.¡±

    ¡°OK. Let me borrow five iron soldiers. I¡¯ll go get him. Find me a location for Charles.¡±

    ¡°Wait a sec.¡± Elise touched Zaira, and immediately after, she said, ¡°I found him. He¡¯s in New York, at a charity fundraiser.¡±

    Elise flew the five iron soldiers in, and Junhyuk took them with him, using the teleportation device to cross over to the United States.

    New York had a standing teleportation device within the city, so from there, he got on the J-02 and flew with the iron soldiers to the location of the charity event. It was at a penthouse, and the security guards were shocked when they saw him approach.

    Junhyuk went straight toward Charles Rockefeller, but he frowned when he saw the man. He was an expert now, but previously, Charles had not had any powers. That Charles had activated two powers within that time frame was hard to believe.

    He stared at the man and said, ¡°Charles.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Charles¡¯ eyes were different from before.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know who I am?! Why are you here?¡±

    Junhyuk chuckled and walked up to Charles, extending his hand toward the man. He knew Charles was an expert now. He reached for him, grabbing the man¡¯s hair and mming him against the floor. Junhyuk was releasing him killing intent, so the people around started to run.

    Junhyuk whispered into Charles¡¯ ear, ¡°Think hard and answer me. Charles Rockefeller is suspected of orchestrating a terrorist attack. He¡¯ll either rot in jail or be executed, and all of his assets will be seized.¡±

    The five iron soldiers acted as a wall around them, so nobody could get close. The man gulped, and Junhyuk said, ¡°This is yourst chance. Who are you?¡±

    ¡°My name is Bill Rockefeller.¡±

    ¡°OK, Bill. This is your power. Where is Charles?¡±

    ¡°My uncle is at... Aaaargh!¡±

    Right as Bill was about to speak about Charles, he fell to the ground in pain. Whoever tried to say the name of the mastermind experienced the same thing.

    Junhyuk wanted to ask for Gongon¡¯s help, but he called Elise instead.

    ¡°The guy was Bill Rockefeller, Charles¡¯ nephew. He has the ability to change shape. We need to reopen the search.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get on it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m bringing Bill in.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk grabbed Bill and used the teleportation device to get back to HQ. There, he smiled coldly and said, ¡°Now, we¡¯re sure. It¡¯s Charles Rockefeller.¡±

 Chapter 549 - A Welcomed Face 1

    <h4>Chapter 549: A Weed Face 1</h4>

    Elise put in a search for Charles, but none of theputers could track him. It would take time to find Charles, but Elise found out where he had beenst seen, so she started from there.

    State-of-the-art iron soldiers were deployed for the search, and Charles¡¯ private security guards were no match for them. If Charles ended up being more powerful than the iron soldiers, Junhyuk would intervene.

    After starting the search for Charles, they froze all of his assets. The U.S. government agreed with that request.

    The U.S. government was risking a lot in freezing Charles¡¯ assets, but because the worldwide media was going crazy over the story, the government agreed to the demand.

    They had not caught Charles yet, but since his assets were frozen, Charles would have to show up eventually.

    Junhyuk entered the training facility. The terror of the attack was over, and now, he could focus on training. Elise delegated her duties to others and visited the training facility as well. Sarang was also there, and the three trained together.

    Their next battles would be harder, and they wanted to be ready.

    Both women had support powers. They needed to work on using their powers in conjunction. They were training on how to stop their enemies before they could even attack.

    Junhyuk would start off by decreasing the number of enemy heroes against them. If that didn¡¯t work, they would attack together. With abination of Dimensional sh and Thunderstorm, any regr hero would die.

    They trained hard, and suddenly, it was Friday. Junhyuk invited Helen and Eunseo to the facility as well. When he saw Eunseo, his eyes widened.

    ¡°When did you activate another power?¡±

    ¡°During the terrorist attack.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you.¡±

    Junhyuk chuckled and took a few steps back, saying, ¡°Anytime.¡±

    Eunseo had the basic items they gave champions. Those items didn¡¯t really boost attack stat.

    He was a decent distance from her, when suddenly, Eunseo disappeared.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk was pushed back. He hadn¡¯t received a lot of damage, but he had been pushed back. When he checked on the amount of damage, he saw that he had lost 3 percent of his health. Considering the difference between their items, it was a good amount. In fact, it was a surprisingly high amount of damage.

    Junhyuk stared at her and asked, ¡°Can I check on your counterattack damage?¡±

    She nodded, so he punched at her. Eunseo disappeared and kicked him in the back of the head. Junhyuk grabbed the back of his head and checked out the damage. He¡¯d lost 5 percent that time.

    His item were far superior to hers, which meant that her attacks had the capacity to deal incredible damage. However, she would be facing strong enemies, and just damage wouldn¡¯t be enough.

    Junhyuk wanted to make her more powerful. For that, she would benefit from dying in the battlefield.

    ¡°Those are nice powers. You¡¯ll need a weapon to increase the damage of your kicks. Let¡¯s see what Bebe has.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Eunseo nodded, and Junhyuk turned to Helen. She seemed despondent, as if she hadmitted a crime.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look that way. You have nothing to do with the terrorist attack.¡±

    They were arresting people associated with the Rockefeller family, but very few of them had actually known of Charles¡¯ n. Charles¡¯ had been thorough in his preparations, preparing even for the worst oue.

    Most of the people responsible were new acquaintances of Charles. Arrests were being made. Helen had done her best to stop the monster waves. She had nothing to feel guilty amount. Since she had joined Guardians, she had had little contact with the Rockefellers.

    ¡°Focus on the battlefield.¡±

    They ate and waited. The world turned bright, and the surroundings changed. When Junhyuk saw Ariel, he smiled and asked, ¡°Ariel, how are you?¡±

    [Fine. We¡¯re finally at the quarter-finals!]

    Junhyuk chuckled. He thought about his items. With the exception of his rings, he had done basic upgrades to all of them. For that reason, he wanted a new ring.

    Junhyuk would upgrade all of his items.

    He stood by the exit, and Ariel shouted with her hands making a cone around her mouth, [Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed!]

    He stepped outside and realized he was early, so he went through the minions and waited. The heroes appeared one by one, but La looked different.

    The look in her eyes was sharper, and seeing that, Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°You were training in seclusion. Did it help?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± she said with a smile. ¡°I can¡¯t defeat you yet, so I¡¯ll train some more.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Sparring with La would help him as well.

    Gongon looked at him and asked, ¡°How is the investigation going?¡±

    ¡°The culprit is in hiding, but we¡¯ll find him soon.¡±

    Earth was arge ce, but Charles couldn¡¯t hide forever.

    Gongon turned to Eunseo then and asked, ¡°What?! You¡¯re an expert now?¡±

    ¡°You can tell?¡± Junhyuk asked, and Gongon smirked.

    ¡°I¡¯m a dragon.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Junhyuk was jealous of Gongon¡¯s perceptive nature, so he turned and said, ¡°Now that Eunseo activated a new power, she¡¯ll move with me.¡±

    ¡°Then, will the teams be the same as before?¡±

    He looked at the group, and then at Elise and Eunseo and said, ¡°Elise, Eunseo and I will head middle.¡±

    ¡°Helen and I will take the left,¡± Gongon said.

    ¡°La and I will go right,¡± Sarang said.

    Junhyuk smiled and added, ¡°Let¡¯s go see Bebe first.¡±

    The group entered the store, and Junhyuk pulled out the items he had acquired. He had had fun killing Abel, but he didn¡¯t expect much from the items the hero had carried. Bebe inspected the items dropped by the ice golem more closely and said, ¡°You have many items this time. I¡¯ll give you 780,000G for all of them.¡±

    It was more than he had expected. Junhyuk sold Bebe everything, which gave him a total of 3,200,000G. The winnings he got from each round were high, and his bet on the Champions¡¯ Battlefield hade through. He was earning a lot of gold between rounds.

    The items the ice golem had dropped had been rather expensive. He would make sure to kill more heroes and earn more gold from now on.

    Junhyuk asked to see rings, and Bebe opened the book on the counter. The projections of countless rings appeared. Junhyuk was willing to spend 1,000,000G on a ring.

    He thought he would even go up to 1,500,000 for a pair of rings, so he went through the legendary items in search for something bnced. He was wondering what to get when he found something interesting. However, the price for the ring was 2,200,000G. It was even more expensive than an item from the Vampire Lord set.

    Still, the stats were great. He had been thinking of getting another pair of rings, but he settled on that one.

    ¡°Give me this one and twenty enhancement stones.¡±

    ¡°Pay me first.¡±

    Junhyuk paid Bebe and inspected the ring.

    ¡ª

    Frost Ring

    Attack +30

    Health +200

    On sessful strikes, the ring¡¯s bearer has the chance to freeze the opponent. This ring is a legendary item passed out from the Frost Spirit.

    Freeze: Movement speed and attack speed decrease by 10%. (Doesn¡¯t stack.)

    ¡ª

    Even without stacking, the debuff could be fatal. Elise could buff him, doubling his attack power. Now, he would be able to debuff the enemy. It was a great passive, which he was willing to pay for.

    Junhyuk applied the enhancement stones to upgrade his items. He used all twenty stones, upgrading his armor by two and the rest of his items by one.

    He was spending a lot more gold on upgrades than ever before. Once he was done shopping, he noticed Eunseo checking out the items Bebe was showing her.

    She was looking for a pair of attack boots. Her main form of damage was through her kicks, so that¡¯s what she was checking out.

    Junhyuk scratched his chin as he watched her. Eunseo had stayed mostly within the castle, so she probably didn¡¯t have a lot of gold on her.

    ¡°How much do you have?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been saving up, so 4,000G.¡±

    He scratched his face and looked at how much he had left. He still had 480,000G, but he actually needed that gold. Still, he wanted to help her.

    He looked at the items Eunseo was looking and searched for a pair of boots. He found interesting ones: diator Boots. The defense they gave was crap, but it cost 54,000G.

    It gave the wearer a 5-percent chance to ignore the enemy¡¯s defense, which was not much, but he still liked the passive.

    The boots also increased attack speed, and attack stat was actually high.

    They looked nice as well.

    ¡°Take this pair. I¡¯ll pay the difference.¡±

    Bebe whistled and asked, ¡°Are you lovers?¡±

    Junhyuk chuckled and urged her to buy the boots. She did so with her cheeks blushing.

    ¡°Put them on.¡±

    Eunseo took the monster leather boots off and put on the new ones. She was very satisfied with them. Her boots looked elegant, but the rest of her items were made of monster leather, so her appearance was terrible.

    ¡°The boots are pretty.¡±

 Chapter 550 - A Welcomed Face 2

    <h4>Chapter 550: A Weed Face 2</h4>

    They started heading out. Junhyuk had Elise and Eunseo with him, and they took two hundred minions with them.

    Eunseo was still getting used to her new boots and was practicing her kicks. They didn¡¯t look easy for her, but she seemed to be having fun.

    Junhyuk looked at Eunseo and then at the faraway mountaintop. They were in the quarter-finals. With two more wins, they¡¯d be in the final round.

    He shed the air, feeling the need to improve his swordsmanship. Whenever he had time, he practiced his strikes. He reached the top of the mountain in no time as he walked while practicing. There, he waited until he saw his enemies. They were familiar faces.

    He knew the enemy minions as well.

    The allies all frowned when they saw the minions, riflemen. The huge-fisted Bater appeared behind them, and Regina, with her usual eyepatch, rollerded behind him.

    Junhyuk chuckled and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see them either!¡±

    Bater stared at him and asked, ¡°Do we know each other?¡±

    Junhyuk removed his helmet and showed his face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember me?¡±

    Baterughed out loud and replied, ¡°You¡¯ve grown!¡±

    Bater wasughing, but he was not looking down on him. Junhyuk had been a significant annoyance to them. During their battles, Junhyuk had activated a new power and be even stronger. They knew he was a tough enemy.

    Junhyuk was now a hero and in the quarter-finals. There was no way that Bater would look down on that. The hero turned to Regina and asked, ¡°He¡¯s the one with the longest range, right?¡±

    Regina nodded and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right. He was annoying back then, and his attacks dealt a lot of damage.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s be careful.¡±

    Bater made a signal with his hand, and the enemy minions formed a line in front of them. Junhyuk looked at the allied minions and said, ¡°Form a defensive line as well. The rifles don¡¯t shoot continuously, and your shield can protect you from the bullets.¡±

    The allied minions were tense, so they all shielded themselves as they got in line. Looking at the enemies, Junhyuk saw that only Bater and Regina were there.

    Only two heroes had climbed up the mountain. If their strategy required only two heroes at the buff tower, they had to be confident.

    Previously, they had lost a lot of items fighting Arn¡¯s team, but that had been a long time ago, so Junhyuk couldn¡¯t tell how the heroes had changed.

    They had also won twice, which meant that they¡¯d been paid 2,000,000G each, just like Junhyuk¡¯s team. Their items had probably been upgraded, so Junhyuk couldn¡¯t let his guard down.

    He turned to Elise and said, ¡°How did you do on your upgrades?¡±

    ¡°I got lucky. My sess rate was about 85 percent. I got up to +9.¡±

    Elise had gotten through more upgrades than him, so he smiled at her and asked, ¡°Do you want to tank?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to get my items up to +12 before that, but should I just do it now?¡±

    She stepped forward, and Junhyuk turned to Eunseo and said, ¡°Don¡¯t interfere with the battle. Fight the enemy minions while we deal with the heroes.¡±

    Eunseo nodded. Junhyuk joined Elise. Bater, who was bumping his fists together, stepped forward as well. Regina, on her rollerdes, started moving.

    Previously, Bater had been able to deal very high damage. He acted as both a damager and a tank. Junhyuk fought them right before he went up against the legend candidates.

    Regina was more focused on attacking than Bater. If she had acquired new items, she would be extremely dangerous.

    ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted Elise to act as the tank, so she buffed him and summed Zaira. With Zaira deployed, she moved toward Bater.

    The hero looked at Zaira and smirked, putting both arms up to block the gynoid¡¯s attack.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    After Bater blocked Zaira¡¯s attacks, the hero wound his arm and punched her.

    Boom!

    Rather than a power, Bater delivered a regr punch, but Zaira went rolling across the ground. That single hit destroyed half of Zaira¡¯s body, leaving Junhyuk speechless. He had never been hit by one of Bater¡¯s punches, but he could tell the hero had gotten stronger.

    Bater¡¯s fists were shining now, which meant that Bater¡¯s weapon had reached maximum upgrades. It was possible that Bater had focused entirely on that.

    At the very least, the allies had to watch out for Bater¡¯s damage.

    Elise ran forward and shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll tie him up? Can you take care of the other one?¡±

    ¡°OK! Let¡¯s do that!¡±

    Junhyuk followed her, and Bater ran toward them. Regina was moving behind the massive hero since she thought Junhyuk¡¯s powers hadn¡¯t changed.

    Bater rushed at him, and Junhyuk teleported. The hero cancelled his rush, and Junhyuk left Elise behind to deal with Bater. He teleported again and shed at Regina.

    ng!

    Regina blocked the attack with her cuss, so Junhyuk used his Dimensional sh at close range. There was no way for heroes to predict the Dimensional sh, which acted as an upgraded version of the Spatial sh in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Regina¡¯s eyes widened. The sh had hit her neck, dealing critical damage. He was dealing even more damage since his upgrades, but Regina did not die. She lost 70 percent of her health.

    Junhyuk¡¯s items were much better than before, but he had failed to kill her in that single strike. He tried attacking again, but Regina was already aiming her pistol at him.

    Bang!

    Junhyuk evaded the attack by teleporting. He tried to stab her neck then, but Regina was not easily hit. She turned sideways, so he struck her shoulder. The regr attack took 12 percent off her health. At the same time, Regina started shooting in all directions.

    Junhyuk did not raise his force field, so he received 15 percent of damage. He couldn¡¯t ignore that.

    Regina tried to remove her eyepatch, and since Junhyuk did not want to end up petrified, he triggered his Spatial Copse. He had been nning on saving it for Bater, but the fear of petrification was greater than his worry about the hero.

    Regina died, and Junhyukunched himself toward Bater. When he saw Elise, he was stunned. She had lost half of her health already.

    Her defense was great, but it had not helped much. Her enemy had greatbat proficiency. If Bater managed to use his powers again, he would kill Elise.

    When Bater extended both of his fists forward, Junhyuk raised his force field around Elise.

    Boom!

    Elise wasunched back with the force field. At the same time, Junhyuk closed in on Bater and shed at the hero. Junhyuk was still buffed, so his attack speed was faster.

    However, Bater moved his fists only slightly. They were sorge that they acted as a shield for the hero.

    Junhyuk went around Bater¡¯s fists and attacked ferociously. He was using the Triple Yin Yang while buffed with increased attack speed, so he managed to cut Bater¡¯s side.

    He swung his swords incessantly, which surprised Bater. The human had just be a hero, so Bater had thought him to becking proper training, but now, Bater¡¯s mind had changed about that.

    Junhyuk was disying shocking sword techniques, and Bater came to the conclusion that Junhyuk was a natural hero.

    Baterughed and delivered a one-two punch. Junhyuk blocked the attacks with his sword.

    ng!

    He got pushed back, inspecting himself in the meantime. Bater¡¯s damage was outstanding. Junhyuk lost 18 percent of his health from the attack. Since he had upgraded his items, he couldn¡¯t believe it. Bater seemed to scoff at his defense, and the hero hadn¡¯t even used his ultimate.

    Remembering Bater¡¯s ultimate, Junhyuk thought it had to deal an enormous amount of damage.

    Bater could have fought the legend candidates. He was that strong.

    Junhyuk was grateful to have grown over this time and shed at the enemy hero. Bater raised both of his arms above his head.

    The hero could m them against the ground to create a massive shockwave. Knowing that, Junhyuk frowned and turned to Elise. She had her ultimate prepared, and the many Moon Cores released a giant beam toward the enemy hero.

    Bater didn¡¯t have time to attack. Her ultimate mmed against him. The damage of Elise¡¯s ultimate wasparable to that of Junhyuk¡¯s ultimate.

    Bater lost 45 percent of his health. Even though the hero was hit, he still managed to m his fists against the ground.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk wasunched up the shockwave. Eunseo, who had been far away, disappeared and reappeared behind Bater¡¯s back, kicking the back of the hero¡¯s skull.

    Bater got pushed toward Junhyuk, who ran toward Bater as soon as hended.

    There was a chance he would still die if he was not careful.

    Bater tried punching Eunseo, but she disappeared and reappeared behind him, kicking him again. Her power had upgraded like his teleportation, so she could use it twice now.

    Bater¡¯s eyebrow twitched as the hero punched at Eunseo onest time, but Junhyuk managed to step in front of her and block the hit.

    ng!

    ¡°You are mine!¡±

 Chapter 551 - A Welcomed Face 3

    <h4>Chapter 551: A Weed Face 3</h4>

    After blocking Bater¡¯s attack, Junhyuk distanced himself from the hero. Elise started attacking then. Her attack stat was inferior to Junhyuk¡¯s, but it was still high.

    If Elise damaged Bater little by little, even Bater wouldn¡¯t be able to endure it.

    Bater had used all of his powers, same as Junhyuk. Junhyuk had Elise¡¯s buffs, and Bater had been debuffed by Junhyuk¡¯s attacks.

    Junhyuk joined Elise in attacking Bater, and the hero¡¯s health started dropping fast. It was certain that Bater had a high defense stat. Junhyuk had to hit a critical to deal 9 percent of damage.

    Bater was so skill that even when the hero was paralyzed, Junhyuk had a hard time hitting him with crits. However, there was a limit to what Bater could do by himself.

    When Bater finally died, Junhyuk sighed, relieved.

    Junhyuk had killed Regina, but Elise had been the one to deliver the final hit on Bater. Both of them had killed one each.

    The items the allies carried were special. Junhyuk inspected the item he picked up and smiled. Regina had dropped a gear for pants. The gear increased health and defense, and they were items the enemies socketed to others.

    Junhyuk took the gear and turned to Elise. She had picked up a belt.

    ¡°This is nice! I got a belt, something Icked, and it¡¯s for a tank!¡±

    ¡°So, Elise...¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You need to learn hand-to-handbat. If not that, you need to increase the response time of Moon Core.¡±

    Bater had shown that he could attack Elise through her attacks. Junhyuk was confident that he could do better than Moon Core, and the result of that had been the amount of damage that Elise had received.

    He wanted to prevent that from happening again.

    Elise smirked and said, ¡°Then, I have to reprogram things. I¡¯ll need research data. I need heroes as opponents. Can you help me with that?¡±

    Junhyuk needed to practice the Triple Yin Yang, but he agreed to her request.

    ¡°When we get back, we¡¯ll gather data.¡±

    Junhyuk contacted the others and told Sarang that he had met Bater.

    ¡°Yeah? I wonder who¡¯ll be on my side.¡±

    ¡°Probably Ki, and maybe Doctor T.¡±

    Sarang nodded heavily.

    ¡°I¡¯m nervous. I¡¯m not so sure about this.¡±

    ¡°You can do it. However, the enemy heroes are stronger than before, so be careful.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t let my guard down.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°OK. Tell La to be careful. We¡¯ll go hunt buff monsters.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll let you know what happened after the battle.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk and Elise upied the buff tower and went their separate ways, right and left. Just in case, Junhyuk took Eunseo with him. Meanwhile, the allied minions formed a defensive wall around the tower. The number of casualties had been low. One hundred and eighty minions had survived, and the heroes had killed the riflemen after their fight.

    Junhyuk and Eunseo took down a buff monster, but he didn¡¯t get any synthesis materials from it.

    When he got back to the tower, the allies reported in.

    ¡°I killed a bald man. It had been a long time since I¡¯d met an enemy as strong as him.¡±

    Jean Clo¡¯s defense was outstanding. It was good that Gongon had managed to kill him. However, Gongon looked serious.

    ¡°Without Helen, I wouldn¡¯t have managed it. His defense is far too strong.¡±

    Junhyuk should be the one to take on Jean Clo. His items were made to pierce through heavy defense.

    Then, he turned to Sarang, who gave him a faint smile and said, ¡°La was killed, but we killed them all.¡±

    ¡°How was it?¡±

    ¡°Their damage was absurd. Without my ultimate, I would¡¯ve died as well.¡±

    Sarang had used her invulnerability, which meant the enemies were definitely strong. The main problem was Doctor T. The doctor¡¯s tiny spiders could analyze the entire battlefield. There was no way to escape their surveince.

    ¡°Did anyone see Adolphe?¡±

    ¡°Not here.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s Adolphe?¡± Gongon asked.

    So, Junhyuk exined, ¡°He was the enemy champion. He was equipped with a saw-ded sword.¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t seen him.¡±

    Nobody had seen Adolphe, which was a good thing for the allies if the champion wasn¡¯t there, but Junhyuk wondered if that was the case.

    ¡°If they arecking a champion, that¡¯s good for us. La died, but we are winning.¡±

    The five enemy heroes had been killed, whereas only one allied had died. However, he couldn¡¯t let his guard down. He had been lucky to kill Regina early, otherwise she could¡¯ve created serious problems for him.

    ¡°Then, push for the next towers.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t push without La.¡±

    After some thought, Junhyuk said, ¡°We¡¯ll hold the middle. Elise will stay here, while I¡¯ll go join Sarang. If you see enemy heroes heading this way, contact me. We¡¯ll tell La to head for the buff tower, and when she gets here, Elise will move with her.¡±

    Elise nodded, and Junhyuk contacted La to tell her the n. Then, he took the portal in the direction of Sarang, leaving Eunseo and the minions with Elise.

    Junhyuk met Sarang a momentter and smiled.

    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been paired with you.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Junhyuk had been pairing with Elise to take the middle recently. When they reached the next enemy watchtower, they saw enemy heroes waiting for them.

    Ki and Doctor Tu were there, and they had brought riflemen. Junhyuk waved at them, and Ki pulled out her rifle and aimed at him, saying, ¡°I heard that Bater was showering you withpliments!¡±

    Doctor T smiled at him and added, ¡°You are still wearing my sses.¡±

    ¡°I am. How did you know?¡±

    Doctor T touched his new pair of sses and said, ¡°This is a new model. I can analyze items with them.¡± The doctor¡¯s eyes widened as he added, ¡°And you are covered in fine items!¡±

    ¡°You really can see them.¡±

    Doctor T could see his items, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t care.

    He turned to Sarang and noticed that she seemed hesitant about something. He looked toward where she was looking and saw as someone appeared from behind the enemy heroes. Bater was pounding his fists together. Junhyuk smiled at him.

    ¡°I heard you wereing here. This is a wee party.¡±

    Bater had great items and powers, and Ki had long range attacks. Doctor T was also there. The fight would be two versus three.

    Junhyuk looked at Sarang and said, ¡°Kill Ki first.¡±

    The allies had to deal with the damager first. Otherwise, the damage they received would get out of hand. Killing Ki was their first task.

    Junhyuk grabbed Sarang and teleported. As soon as he got close, he used his Spatial Copse. The copse was triggered on Ki, but it did not hit her. She lost 80 percent of her health.

    Wanting to finish Ki, Junhyuk took off. At the same time, Doctor T released his spider web. Junhyuk teleported again, evading the web. He reappeared behind Doctor T, distancing himself from Bater.

    Elise shot her electric st, which paralyzed two enemies. As he ran toward Ki, Sarang cast Thunderstorm.

    Crraaack!

    The Thunderstorm was aimed at Doctor T, who got hit. Junhyuk attacked Ki, but the hero used her ultimate, so Junhyuk cancelled his attack and raised his force field.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk and Sarang wereunched toward the bottom of the enemy watchtower. While the force field was up, the allies had to get out of there quickly.

    Bater stood in their way, and Ki and Doctor T retreated.

    Junhyuk teleported. It was hisst teleportation. At the same time, he lengthened Aksha¡¯s Longsword. As Ki jumped back to dodge, Junhyuk used his Dimensional sh.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to use all of his powers, but it was more important to kill Ki. The sh cut through her neck, and Ki died.

    Next, Bater pounded Junhyuk¡¯s force field with his fists. The force field got stuck in the ground, so Junhyuk shed Bater.

    The enemy hero defended himself and retreated. Junhyuk¡¯s attention turned to Doctor T, who only had 50 percent of his health left.

    The doctor defended himself with his mechanical spider legs and moved to join Bater. When Junhyuk had had Elise¡¯s buff, things had been easier. However, the buff was gone now, so he couldn¡¯t kill Doctor T with regr attacks.

    Junhyuk had used all of his powers, and Sarang had used her main attack powers.

    The enemies countered.

    Doctor T fired a methrower at him, saying, ¡°Focus on him!¡±

    Junhyuk protected Sarang from the mes while the riflemen shot at the allied heroes.

    Each attack from a minion dealt 1 percent of damage to heroes. Junhyuk dodged some of the bullets, but he was hit twice.

    There were over a hundred riflemen around them.

    ¡°Attack, minions!¡± he shouted, and the allied minions rushed forward toward the riflemen. Bater was rushing at him, so he pushed Sarang aside.

    Bater punched him hard.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk wasunched away, rolling across the ground. Doctor T and Bater focused on Sarang now.

    Junhyuk stretched Aksha¡¯s Longsword and attacked the enemies in his way, running to rejoin the fight against the enemy heroes.

    He had used all of his powers, so it wouldn¡¯t be easy to get there on time, but he couldn¡¯t just stand there.

 Chapter 552 - Thin Ice 1

    <h4>Chapter 552: Thin Ice 1</h4>

    Sarang had upgraded her items. However, she had put more emphasis on damage than defense, especially lightning damage.

    The enemy attacks were ferocious. Bater raised his fists up high while Junhyuk ran toward him, and Doctor T fired missiles at Sarang.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    The missiles exploded, and Bater pounded his fists against the ground, creating a massive shockwave. Junhyuk had to stop running then, and Bater took the opportunity to run up to Sarang and punch her.

    She had lost all of her health by that point, so her invulnerability triggered, and she survived the punch. When Junhyuk started running again, Bater frowned at failing to kill her and rushed toward him.

    Junhyuk had used all of his powers, and the level of Bater¡¯s skill was enormous. Bater rushed like a battering ram, swinging at Junhyuk as he approached. Junhyuk blocked the attack with his swords, but the impact pushed him back.

    Boom!

    When Junhyuk was pushed back, the riflemen shot at him from all around. The enemy minions were shing with the allied minions, but even then, the enemy minions targeted him.

    Normally, Junhyuk could¡¯ve easily dodged their bullets. But he was in a fight against Bater, so he couldn¡¯t spare the attention.

    With every bullet that hit him, Junhyuk got closer to death.

    He tried dodging some of them as he ran toward Bater, but Bater ducked and one-two punched at him. All of Junhyuk¡¯s attention focused on the fists at that point. He didn¡¯t want to be hit directly by them. He swung his swords trying to deflect the iing fists, but he was still damaged.

    While he managed to deflect the brunt the attacks, his health was starting to get low. He turned to look at Sarang thinking that, if she survived, they could overpower Bater, but she was having a tough time getting away.

    Sarang was shooting her electric arrows at Doctor T, who was being damaged, but who kept on attacking her with his front legs.

    Once her invulnerability faded, she would die.

    Bater had already used all of his powers aside from his ultimate, so Junhyuk lengthened his sword and attacked Doctor T.

    Even without powers, attacking Doctor T wasn¡¯t hard. The hero was half machine, so he couldn¡¯t deal with Junhyuk¡¯s swordsmanship.

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t stopped training on Earth.

    His swords pierced through the doctor, and the doctor¡¯s legs got all tangled. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t really focused on attacking Doctor T, and sporadic attacks held no meaning.

    Sarang¡¯s invulnerability was nearly over, so she used her heal. He felt himself regaining health at the same time he got hit by Bater. However, he kept on running after Doctor T.

    The doctor scowled and shouted, ¡°Fire!¡±

    The enemy minions were in a precarious position, but they followed the hero¡¯s order and shot at him and Sarang. Sarang got hit a few times, but Junhyuk was hit as well.

    Doctor T had 20 percent of his health left. If both allied heroes managed tond critical hits, the doctor would die.

    Junhyuk was just about the pounce on the doctor when Bater¡¯s fists rocketed out.

    Boom!

    Bater¡¯s ultimate hit Junhyuk,unching him rolling forward and dealing 30 percent of damage to him. It was definitely an ultimate.

    Junhyuk bit his lip and got up.

    ¡°Big brother!¡± Sarang shouted as Doctor T pierced her stomach with his front legs. Sarang lost most of her health then, and Bater punched her face right after.

    She gotunched into the air bleeding and faded away before she hit the ground. Junhyuk gritted his teeth then. He had 55 percent of his health left, so he swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword at the doctor.

    The sword slithered across the ground like a snake andunched up, piercing the doctor¡¯s stomach like he had done with Sarang.

    ¡°Ugh!¡± Doctor T groaned.

    The de of Aksha¡¯s Longsword shot up to the sky, slicing the doctor¡¯s stomach open and severing the upper part from the bottom. Bater punched him again then, hard.

    Junhyuk tried to block the attack with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword, but Bater deflected the sword with his other fist and pushed through. Junhyuk tried to dodge quickly, but his chin got grazed by Bater¡¯s fist.

    His skull shook from the graze, a critical hit.

    Junhyuk was left off bnce, so he couldn¡¯t dodge Bater¡¯s following attacked.

    He was hit by an uppercut, and his body gotunched into the air. Bater continued to punch at him, but Junhyuk eventually regained hisposure and covered himself with his swords as the fists came down on him.

    ng!

    By blocking regr attacks, he wouldn¡¯t receive damage. He had overexerted himself in killing Doctor T, and Bater had seized that opening and attacked. When Junhyuknded, Bater attacked him again.

    Junhyuk parried the attacks while analyzing the situation. Bater¡¯s cooldowns were shorter than his.

    When Bater¡¯s cooldown ended, the hero raised his hands up high. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t dodge the shockwave, so he dashed forward. Knowing that he wouldn¡¯t escape, he decided to get closer.

    Bater pounded the ground, and Junhyuk was swept by the impact. He got pushed back, but he smiled with satisfaction. His own cooldown was nearly over.

    While beingunched back, Junhyuk used his Dimensional sh against Bater¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Ugh!¡± the hero groaned, and at the same time, Junhyuk swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword. Bater grabbed the de, and Junhyuk shortened it to close the gap between them and strike with Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword.

    Bater punched at Junhyuk, but Junhyuk stepped on his fist and jumped over the hero, slicing him from the back. Bater tried to turn around, but he had already been hit. After Junhyuknded, he shed the hero again.

    Junhyuk had few attack powers, but Bater was different.

    The hero smiled and him and rushed. The rush got Junhyuk¡¯s health down to 12 percent. At the same time, he watched as Bater triggered another power: the one-two punch.

    Junhyuk teleported away and stabbed Bater in the back of the knee. The sword pierced through, and right as Bater turned around, Junhyuk teleported again and stabbed up toward Bater¡¯s jaw. However, Bater moved his head out of the way and dodged the attack. Nevertheless, Junhyuk¡¯s second sword pierced through the hero¡¯s stomach.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Bater lost the rest of his health. After killing Bater, Junhyuk sighed, relieved.

    The riflemen shot at him, so Junhyuk turned around. The minions posed no problems now. Aksha¡¯s Longsword swept through them like a wave.

    After killing all of the enemy minions, Junhyuk ordered his own minions to destroy the watchtower.

    Once the tower was in shambles, he sighed again. The battle had been fierce, and he had barely managed to survive. He had fought the enemies without his powers and managed to pull through.

    Junhyuk picked up the items and noticed they were better than the one that had dropped before. After inspecting them, he contacted Sarang, who looked very angry.

    ¡°Did you kill them all?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I sliced Doctor T in half.¡±

    ¡°Good job.¡±

    Junhyukughed. Sarang had been on the battlefield for a long time now, and her personality had changed because of that.

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°This will be a long battle. It¡¯s like we are walking on thin ice.¡±

    Two of them had killed three, but the whole thing had been precarious. He had barely won, and with a lot of luck. His Triple Yin Yang had enabled him to do it.

    Junhyuk contacted Gongon and asked, ¡°How is it going?¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯te this way, so we destroyed the watchtower.¡±

    Suspicious of that, Junhyuk contacted those at the buff tower.

    ¡°There are two heroes here! They used the portal!¡±

    ¡°Can you hold them?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try. La is here too.¡±

    Regina and Jean Clo, they were a strongbo. Elise could act as a tank, but she was weaker than Jean Clo. At the same time, Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure that La could defeat Regina.

    La had grown from sparring with him, so he would have to trust her.

    Even if he took the portal immediately, Junhyuk would bete. However, he couldn¡¯t just stand there.

    He told everyone to head to the buff tower and moved out. Junhyuk was going at full speed, but when she contacted him again, Elise sighed.

    ¡°Killed.¡±

    ¡°How?!¡±

    ¡°They focused their attacks on La. After she was killed, I couldn¡¯t do much on my own. That mechanical musclehead pervert killed me.¡±

    Junhyuk chuckled bitterly and asked, ¡°Did you kill any of them?¡±

    ¡°I killed Regina with my ultimate, and the mechanical musclehead killed me after.¡±

    ¡°Head back to the buff tower, but join Sarang first.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk contacted Gongon and said, ¡°Let¡¯s rush to the buff tower. We can take it over once its active again.¡±

    Three enemy heroes had died on the right path, and Regina had died in the middle, leaving Jean Clo alone. Two heroes would be able to kill Jean Clo.

    The buff had worn off, so if they were to win the next fight, they had to kill Jean Clo.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. That perverted musclehead is difficult, but I can kill him.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Elise again and asked, ¡°Eunseo?¡±

    ¡°She got killed. She tried to help me and the pervert killed her.¡±

    ¡°Tell her to stay in the castle. I¡¯ll avenge you guys with Gongon.¡±

    Junhyuk picked up the pace toward the portal.

 Chapter 553 - Thin Ice 2

    <h4>Chapter 553: Thin Ice 2</h4>

    Junhyuk did not teleport on his way to the portal. He wanted to get there with Gongon, so when he reached his portal, he waited until Gongon reached his. He contacted Gongon then and found out that it would be some time before Gongon got to his portal. Worried, he started to think he could deal with Jean Clo by himself. Jean Clo was the only enemy hero at the buff tower.

    Junhyuk took a deep breath and went through the portal. When he got to the other side, he saw Jean Clo sitting at the buff tower, yawning. When Jean Clo spotted him, he quickly got up.

    ¡°Oh! Junhyuk! I heard about you!¡±

    Jean Clo started stretching his muscles, and Junhyuk smiled. He was confident that he could easily get rid of the enemy hero.

    As a tank, Jean Clo¡¯s damage was low. He¡¯s only advantage was his defense.

    Junhyuk lowered his swords to his sides and said, ¡°I¡¯ll show you how stupid you are to stay here all by yourself.¡±

    He ran, and Jean Clo ran to meet him. Junhyuk knew about Jean Clo¡¯s rush, but the enemy hero would have to grapple Junhyuk to use his other powers. Junhyuk had the advantage.

    He triggered a Spatial Copse, hitting Jean Clo.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    It was a direct hit, but Jean Clo only lost 33 percent of his health. The enemy hero had an absurd amount of defense.

    ¡°You must¡¯ve gotten some new items.¡±

    Laughing, Junhyuk used his Dimensional sh, and Jean Clo lost another 30 percent of his health.

    The two attacks took a total of 63 percent off of the hero¡¯s total health. Closing in, Junhyuk shed at enemy hero. His health was much greater than before. He should be able to win.

    When effect of the Spatial Copse ended, Jean Clo closed in quickly. Junhyuk swung his swords in response. He didn¡¯t want to get grabbed by the hero, but Jean Clo elbowed his swords away and went right up to Junhyuk. Jean Clo grabbed him and mmed him against the ground.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s defense had gone up, but he still felt the pain of the attack. It dealt 8 percent of damage to him. Having lost only 8 percent of his health from the attack, Junhyuk became certain that he could fight Jean Clo.

    The enemy hero grabbed his legs and started spinning. The world spun all around him, and Junhyuk wanted to do something about it, so he swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword at Jean Clo. However, the enemy hero was incredibly skilled, letting go of him right on time.

    Junhyuk wasunched away and mmed his head against the ground, receiving another 10 percent of damage. When he got up, heined to himself.

    Powers with low damage made him angry. Junhyuk ran forward, and Jean Clo ran to meet him with his arms spread open. The hero had to grapple Junhyuk to attack, so he had to get close.

    Junhyuk decided to use heavy attacks, but when he attacked Jean Clo from midrange with Aksha¡¯s Longsword, Jean Clo parried the strike with his elbow. At that moment, Junhyuk realized that he didn¡¯t really know Jean Clo.

    Jean Clo was very skilled in hand-to-handbat.

    Junhyuk raised his force field, protecting himself from Jean Clo¡¯s hands, and shed at Jean Clo¡¯s wrist.

    The enemy hero dodged his attacks and mmed his shoulder against the force field.

    Junhyuk was thrown back, but he had expected that move from Jean Clo. For the next ten seconds, Jean Clo wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything, so Jean Clo wanted to use the portal to get away.

    That was a wise strategy, but Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t let the enemy hero escape. He teleported and blocked the path to the portal and shed at the enemy hero. Jean Clo scowled and retreated quickly. Junhyuk chased after the enemy hero, who was running away with his back to Junhyuk. Then, Jean Clo used his ultimate.

    Three orbs of energy flew toward Junhyuk, who destroyed one. At the same time, Jean Clo started regaining health at an incredible speed.

    Junhyuk realized that Jean Clo had used his ultimate a little toote. He clicked his tongue and continued his strikes. He had to destroy the energy orbs. Otherwise, Jean Clo would continue to regain health.

    Knowing that, Junhyuk attacked ferociously. With the Triple Yin Yang, he destroyed the two remaining orbs. By the end of it, Jean Clo had regained 40 percent of his health, for a total of 70 percent.

    Junhyuk was speechless. He couldn¡¯t do anything against Jean Clo¡¯s recovery speed.

    Gongon had a lot of attacks, and with Helen, he had managed to defeat Jean Clo, but the hero had the survivability of a cockroach.

    His ultimate was better than Sarang¡¯s invulnerability.

    Junhyuk¡¯s force field faded, so he was left with no opportunity to rest. He had to save hisst teleportation for a dangerous situation.

    Jean Clo still had powers left, so the hero grabbed Junhyuk and jumped. He spun in the air, and Junhyuk gritted his teeth.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk hit the ground head first,pletely disoriented by the impact. He tried to get up, but Jean Clo punted him. Junhyuk clutched his head and distanced himself, and Jean Clo extended a hand forward. It was a type of wrestling move. If he ended up grabbed, Junhyuk would be mmed against the ground again.

    Junhyuk could attack, but Jean Clo¡¯s defense was incredibly sturdy.

    Jean Clo¡¯s defense seemed to be twice as high as that of ordinary tanks. Junhyuk¡¯s piercing stat was high, but he was only able to deal half of the damage he normally dealt, which meant that Jean Clo¡¯s health was also very high.

    Junhyuk attacked nonstop.

    His defense was also high, so the damage he was receiving from Jean Clo was rather low. It was a battle of attrition.

    Junhyuk had a few attacks that could bypass Jean Clo¡¯s defense. Mostly, he was waiting for his Dimensional sh toe off cooldown. He could really damage Jean Clo with it.

    Something changed then.

    The portal shone, and Gongon and Helen appeared. Seeing that Junhyuk was fighting, the two joined in.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have a tough time killing him alone.¡±

    ¡°Right. I¡¯m already tired. Help me.¡±

    Junhyuk had never faced an enemy that was that hard to kill. Jean Clo¡¯s ultimate had kept the hero alive, and it would keep regenerating the hero¡¯s health every time it was activated. It was a true battle of attrition.

    Gongon joined in. While Gongon¡¯s regr attacks wouldn¡¯t work, his powers were a different story. Gongon immediately erged and headbutted Jean Clo, who got pushed back as he received damage. Helen shed at the hero as well.

    Jean Clo started to run toward the portal. He had to take it to escape. When Jean Clo ran, it felt like a tank was rolling through.

    Though Jean Clo had incredible survivability, Junhyuk got in his way.

    Jean Clo tried to push him away, but Junhyuk used his swords to attack. Jean Clo ignored the attack, but it was a trap.

    The de of one of Junhyuk¡¯s swords disappeared. It was the Dimensional sh, which cut through Jean Clo¡¯s neck. The enemy hero¡¯s eyes widened, and Junhyuk smiled with satisfaction. After the three attacked, and finally, after receiving the Dimensional sh, Jean Clo started fading.

    ¡°You truly are a cockroach,¡± Junhyuk said.

    Even his heavy attacks hadn¡¯t killed Jean Clo. Even his Spatial Copse followed by the Dimensional sh hadn¡¯t managed to do it.

    He sighed and turned to the others, and Gongon and Helen came up to him.

    ¡°Was it hard?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t think it was going to be that hard.¡±

    Jean Clo was the strongest tank, even stronger than a legend perhaps. He had never met anyone so hard.

    During the following team battles, Jean Clo would be a problem. Thest legend candidates had had a tank who managed to oust his force field, and Jean Clo seemed as strong as that tank.

    He was worried about the team battles.

    Junhyuk picked up the item dropped and realized it was something superior.

    ¡°I can get 300,000G for this,¡± he guessed.

    Gongon smirked and said, ¡°All of their items are expensive. If we win this battle, our items will improve significantly.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t die.¡±

    Every time an allied died, they would lose an item. If an ally lost an upgraded item, the lost would be catastrophic. It was the same for their enemies.¡±

    Gongon looked at the alliesing up the mountain and asked, ¡°What do we do now? We have some time.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll hunt buff monsters. To win this tournament, we¡¯ll need to upgrade Elise¡¯s buffs.¡±

    ¡°Right. We shouldn¡¯t advance yet. Let¡¯s go hunting.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Junhyuk to take the safety of the allies into consideration when fighting the enemy team. His blood was boiling.

 Chapter 554 - Thin Ice 3

    <h4>Chapter 554: Thin Ice 3</h4>

    Junhyuk went off to hunt buff monsters. Fighting buff monsters one on one was a dangerous endeavour, so he moved out with Gongon to make things quick.

    Helen apanied them, and they all went hunting for the dragon. The two of them couldn¡¯t kill the dragon by themselves, so Junhyuk asked Sarang to join them. He told Elise and La to pair up.

    Junhyuk wanted to move as fast as he could. Doctor T¡¯s ultimate could give the enemy hero aplete overview of the allies¡¯ movements, so they had to move fast to evade that trace.

    As they were, the allies had enough powers to hunt the dragon with three heroes. They only had two heroes at that moment, but Sarang would join them soon.

    So, they went ahead first. As they moved, Sarang contacted him to tell him that she would be five minutes behind them. Junhyuk couldst for five minutes if he used all of his powers, so even if Sarang joinedte, they would still have a chance to kill the dragon.

    With Gongon and Helen by his side, Junhyuk advanced into the Dragon¡¯s Valley. They had 150 minions with them.

    Junhyuk looked at Gongon and said, ¡°The enemy can track us. We have to kill the dragon quickly.¡±

    ¡°How long will it take? Three minutes?¡±

    ¡°We might be able to finish before Sarang gets here. The two of us might be enough.¡±

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s not doable, we should try.¡±

    Gongon and Junhyuk stepped forward and shouted, ¡°Attack!¡±

    The minions ran forward, and Junhyuk took the lead. Gongon also dashed out, and the dragon roared loudly.

    ¡°Who dares wake me?¡±

    Junhyuk sped up even more. The dragon whipped its tail at him. Junhyuk jumped quickly in an attempt to dodge, but he forgot he was in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    ng!

    WIthout using his powers, Junhyuk couldn¡¯t evade the dragon¡¯s attack. He was thrown back and went rolling across the ground. By the time he got up, he saw Gongon had erged and was attacking the dragon¡¯s left leg.

    Gongon headbutted the leg, opening a gash. Helen used the opportunity to release her energy sword against the gash.

    The dragon was furious to have been hurt and raised his w. There were minions attacking the dragon.

    Boom!

    The dragon stepped on the minions, and many fell. Junhyuk ran toward the dragon, swinging his sword as he approached. Three of them could kill a dragon, but they were having a hard time with two.

    Helen couldn¡¯t really damage the dragon. Its defense was too high for her, so Junhyuk and Gongon had to deal with things.

    The dragon, who had been waiting for Junhyuk¡¯s approach, whipped its tail at him again, but Junhyuk teleported and reappeared above the dragon¡¯s head, triggering a Spatial Copse.

    The dragon lost its left eye, and Junhyuk swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword down at it. The two heroes had to concentrate their attacks on the dragon. They had to attack the head.

    Both of them attacked the ce where the dragon¡¯s left eye once stood, so the dragon opened its mouth wide. It was about to use its breath, but Junhyuk wanted to attack it more.

    Junhyuk used his Dimensional sh against the dragon¡¯s right eye, rendering it blind, and teleported behind the dragon¡¯s head. The dragon used its breath, sweeping everything that was in front of it, but Junhyuk stabbed the back of the dragon¡¯s head.

    The dragon shook its entire body, whipping its tail in the process, and Junhyuk used hisst teleportation to appear underneath the dragon¡¯s jaw and stab up at it.

    The sword pierced through the dragon¡¯s lower jaw, but it did not pierce the rest of its head.

    Wooosh!

    There was a hole in the lower jaw now, and mes from the breath wereing out of it. Feeling the damage piling up, Junhyuk fell off.

    The dragon kicked at him as hended on the dragon. Its speed did not fit its size. Junhyuk blocked the attack with his swords, but he was thrown against the nearby cliffside.

    When Junhyuk started getting up, he saw Gongon being thrown to the side.

    The minions fell by the bushel. The dragon was going berserk. Without eyes, the dragon was wrecking everything around it, making it more difficult than before.

    ¡°You should have only take one eye!¡± Gongon shouted, and Junhyuk smiled bitterly.

    Having lost both eyes, the dragon was in a frenzy. It would be much more difficult now.

    ¡°Nothing we can do about it now. Let¡¯s kill it!¡±

    Gongon smirked and replied, ¡°Right, I¡¯ll kill it!¡±

    Gongon transformed. He was using his ultimate, using the adult dragon form and his firebreath to attack from long range. Junhyuk shed with Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    Every time one of the allies injured the dragon, it turned in that direction, whipping its tail in the process.

    Both of them barely managed to dodge the tail. Even without eyes, a dragon was a dragon.

    The dragon was getting injured. Many minions had died in the process, but with a little more time, the allies would manage to kill the dragon.

    Right at that time, some people entered the Dragon¡¯s Valley.

    When Junhyuk saw them, he scowled. There were three of them: Bater, Doctor T and Ki.

    Junhyuk was on the opposite side of the dragon from Gongon. With the dragon in between them, the enemies closed in fast.

    Bater ran toward Junhyuk, and Doctor T and Ki headed for him as well. It would be a three versus one fight, an advantage his enemies were wise to take.

    By then, Junhyuk had used all of his powers except for his force field, but with the force field, things wouldn¡¯t change.

    Junhyuk ran toward the dragon. The important thing was to kill it immediately. The dragon¡¯s health was low, so he decided to make use of the dragon¡¯s frenzy.

    Bater and Doctor T chased after him while Ki used her rifle to shoot at him from afar.

    Bang!

    She had very long range. Having already used his Dimensional sh, he had no means of reaching her. When he was hit, Junhyuk bit his lip. Ki was the main damager of the enemy team. Though Junhyuk had increased his defense, he still receive 20 percent of damage.

    Junhyuk swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword against Bater, and the dragon whipped its tail at them both. The dragon frowned at the iing attacks and raised its fists.

    Boom!

    Though the dragon¡¯s tail actually hit him, Bater only fell to his knees. At the same time, Doctor T shot out his spider web. Junhyuk immediately raised his force field to protect himself from the web.

    He had ten seconds now. Gongon was running toward him to give him support. There was no way Junhyuk would be able to deal with three enemy heroes by himself. There was only one way to manage it: he would use the dragon, the strongest weapon.

    Junhyuk dodged the dragon¡¯s attacked and headed toward the enemy heroes. The three enemies there could kill the dragon.

    However, the dragon was in a frenzy, so Junhyuk attacked it, provoking a tail attack from the dragon. At the same time, he attacked the enemy heroes.

    Junhyuk had to make sure the enemies didn¡¯t kill the dragon. Gongon was getting closer. The hatchling had used all of his powers, but he could still help.

    Helen stepped in as well. She had long range attacks, so she started luring the dragon¡¯s attacks toward herself.

    At that moment, Bater made up his mind, ¡°Kill the dragon!¡±

    Ki repositioned herself. If she managed to attack the dragon, it wouldn¡¯tst long. Junhyuk knew that his force field was almost gone, but he stepped in front of Ki¡¯s attack anyway.

    Bang!

    Ki hit Junhyuk in the chest, a critical hit.

    Seeing that, Ki decided to kill him first. Right as Bater extended his fists realizing that Junhyuk¡¯s force field was now gone. If he dodged the attack, Bater would attack the dragon instead.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know what to do. He didn¡¯t want to take a direct hit from Bater¡¯s ultimate, but he got out of the way, the dragon would die. That also meant that he wouldn¡¯tst.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t get hit by Bater¡¯s ultimate, but he couldn¡¯t let the hero kill the dragon either.

    He decided to take the hit.

    ¡°Gon!¡±

    Doctor T and Ki both attacked Gongon, and Junhyuk stopped trying to shield the dragon and ran toward the enemy heroes. When he attacked Ki, Helen joined in and attacked as well.

    Suddenly, a Thunderstorm covered the sky, and lighting crashed down.

    Crraaaack, boom!

    The dragon had been hit, and after that, the allies heard the announcement that they were receiving the buff. With the dragon¡¯s buff, Junhyuk looked toward the entrance of the Dragon¡¯s Valley. Sarang was just now running inside.

    ¡°Sarang!¡±

    She had run as fast as she could and arrived before the expected time. After that, she had killed the dragon, buffing the allies.

    ¡°Let¡¯s kill them!¡±

    Gongon and Junhyuk had used all of their powers, but now, they had the dragon¡¯s buff.

 Chapter 555 - Very Cool 1

    <h4>Chapter 555: Very Cool 1</h4>

    Though the allies were buffed, their health was low.

    Junhyuk ran ahead, shing with his swords, but Bater blocked the attacks with his fists and rushed at him. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t do anything. All of his powers were on cooldown.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk managed to block Bater¡¯s attack, but he wasunched back. Gongon¡¯s cooldown was over, so he headbutted Ki. Meanwhile, Sarang shot out electric sts, paralyzing Doctor T and Ki. After closing in, she continued to attack Ki.

    Junhyuk did what he had to do. Bater was blocking his path, and he had to get past him.

    Helen was attacking Ki as well, so Junhyuk dove toward Bater, who kept him from the other enemy heroes. Bater still had other powers left, but Sarang was there now.

    Bater one-two punched him, and Junhyuk countered. He decided that if he was going to get hit, he would attack the enemy as well. Junhyuk was lucky andnded a critical, cheering loudly as he did, but Bater stillnded the punches against him.

    Not wanting to get hit by regr attacks, Junhyuk bobbed and weaved after receiving the hits from the power. However, when Bater uppercutted him, Junhyuk didn¡¯t manage to dodge it.

    His whole body rose from the ground, and Bater raised both of his fists above his head.

    ¡°That¡¯s right! Use your powers!¡±

    Junhyuk had been by Bater¡¯s ultimate, and now, every other power attack wasnding.

    ¡°Sarang! Heal me!¡±

    After receiving a ton of damage, he was healed by Sarang, recovering part of his health. He only had half of his total health now, but it would be enough. Bater had already used all of his powers, and the hero had also lost a lot of health.

    Junhyuk¡¯s own powers wereing off cooldown. He had to get some distance from Bater. If he stayed too close, he would lose.

    This was a pure brawl, but not a momentter, Junhyuk felt his Dimensional she off cooldown, so he stepped back and used it.

    It was a critical hit, and the strike dealt 30 percent of damage to Bater, who was left with 47 percent.

    Bater attacked again, and Junhyuk got busy trying to block the attacks. Ki was shooting at him with her rifle.

    Gongon had used all of his powers, but he still believed that Ki would die by the others. Ki had jumped back, distancing herself from Gongon and attacking him instead.

    Gongon tried to chase after her, but Doctor T blocked his path. Junhyuk analyzed the situation. The allies were buffed and winning, but Ki had gotten free.

    Sarang had used all of her powers aside from her ultimate, so she only had regr attacks left.

    Kill was darting around while shooting her rifle. Because Gongon was fighting Doctor T, Sarang chased after her.

    Junhyuk knew that he had to kill Bater quickly. Ki¡¯s regr attack dealt enough damage that he couldn¡¯t ignore it. On top of that, they could alsond as critical hits.

    Ki had to have increased her critical hit rate.

    Once Junhyuk felt he could teleport again, he did so and chased after Ki. He grabbed the enemy hero to finish her off, but Ki pulled out her dual pistols and triggered her ultimate.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk was damaged, but didn¡¯t want to get pushed back, so he teleported again and attempted to grab Ki from the back.

    He had had to use two powers. However, Ki was already moving forward with her pistols before he reappeared, so he only managed to scratch her back with his fingers, losing hold of her.

    Ki fired her pistols, so Junhyuk teleported again.

    Bang, bang!

    The two bullets shot out, but Junhyuk was by her side, stabbing her when he heard the gunshots. He had had to use hisst teleportation, however he managed to stab her again.

    Ki got a shot off on him. At close range, it was a critical hit, and Junhyuk lost 20 percent of his health from it. But, he did not die.

    After he pulled out the sword from her shoulder, he immediately stabbed her in the ribs. Ki was on the verge of dying. Gongon had already headbutted her, and Sarang had shot her with her lightning arrow. There was no way she could survive.

    Once she died, Junhyuk looked at the others and scowled. Bater and Doctor T had already closed in on him.

    Junhyuk had used all of his powers, and Doctor T was using his methrower on him. He retreated, but the mes continued to damage him. He had to find a way to escape.

    Junhyuk¡¯s health was very low at that point, so he couldn¡¯t afford receiving any more damage. Gongon and Sarang attacked Doctor T.

    ¡°You are mine!¡± Junhyuk shouted, running toward Bater. He couldn¡¯t run away. If he tried, Bater would kill him with his powers eventually, so he had to get rid of the enemy hero as fast as possible.

    The two heroes got back into a brawl without powers. There was no chance that the fight would be over quickly.

    Junhyuk focused harder. He triggered his eleration, which enabled him to predict Bater¡¯s movements. He kept looking for openings to strike the enemy hero.

    Eventually, hended a critical hit. Now, the two heroes were low on health. Bater smiled then. His cooldown was over, and it was time to kill Junhyuk.

    Bater rushed at him.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk wasunched back rolling across the ground. Bater punched him, following his power with regr attacks.

    Junhyuk blocked the attack with his sword and countered. He shed, Bater¡¯s thigh, and when Bater punched at him again, he parried Bater¡¯s fist and countered again. Bater¡¯s used his one-two punch against him. After being hit by it, Junhyuk was left with 3 percent of his health. He could die at any moment.

    Suddenly, mes covered Bater. Gongon, who had killed Doctor T, breathed fire on the enemy hero. Sarang shot a lightning arrow at Bater, who became paralyzed.

    Junhyuk seized that moment to stab Bater¡¯s chest. The enemy hero was losing health in chunks now, so once he was able to move again, he raised his hands above his head.

    Bater was about to pound the ground, and Junhyuk would definitely die from it. On top of that, Gongon and Sarang would also be seriously injured by the attack.

    Junhyuk stabbed deeper into Bater¡¯s chest. Meanwhile, Gongon kicked the back of the hero¡¯s head, and Sarang shot a lightning arrow at him.

    The three strikesnded, and the damage was deducted. Bater started fading. Staring at him, Junhyuk sighed, relieved. His hands were sweaty.

    Junhyuk looked at the item Bater had dropped and saw that he had been the one to deliver thest strike.

    Ki had dropped an earring, and Bater had dropped a gear. After inspecting the items, Junhyuk said, ¡°This earring is simr to one I already own.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Give it to me then.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t just give it to you. That¡¯ll be 200,000G.¡±

    ¡°Whoa! Are you really charging me for it?¡±

    ¡°We should have a clean exchange.¡±

    Gongonined, but he paid the 200,000G, taking the earring right after. Junhyuk gear was for a ring, so he applied it immediately. It gave him another hundred points in health.

    Junhyuk wanted to apply that gear to all of his rings.

    ¡°We have Elise, but the enemy heroes can craft items as well.¡±

    Bebe didn¡¯t carry the gears, which meant that the enemy heroes did not sell them.

    The gears could make any items approach legendary status. The enemy team was a difficult one, and there was a reason for that.

    Junhyuk looked at the others and said, ¡°Let¡¯s join the others and have a team battle.¡±

    It was time for the team battle. The three heroes had the dragon¡¯s buff at that moment, so the allies had a better chance of winning.

    When Junhyuk started walking, trying to get out of the valley, Sarang called for him, ¡°Big brother!¡±

    When he looked back, she shouted, ¡°Check this out!¡±

    She was holding a shining blue gem in her hand. Curious about what it was, Junhyuk¡¯s eyes suddenly widened.

    ¡°This is...¡±

    ¡°A synthesis material!¡±

    ¡°The dragon¡¯s synthesis material!¡± Junhyuk shouted, and Sarang smiled at him and nodded heavily.

    They had found the synthesis material, and that was very cool.

 Chapter 556 - Very Cool 2

    <h4>Chapter 556: Very Cool 2</h4>

    The allies decided to pierce through the middle path since they had the dragon¡¯s buff. They would meet the others on the way. Junhyuk did not tell Elise about the dragon¡¯s synthesis material.

    Elise and La had two hundred minions with them. Many of the allied minions had been killed, and only sixty had survived. That was all the minions they had for this advance.

    The enemy team was strong, so many of their minions had died. A lot of them had also died trying to take down the dragon. They would have to make due with the 260 minions they had.

    Sarang walked straight up to Elise, smiling brightly.

    ¡°Big sister, we finally got it!¡±

    ¡°Did you get a synthesis material? From what monster?¡±

    Sarang pulled out the dragon¡¯s heart, and Elise¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Is that a dragon¡¯s heart?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s the synthesis material!¡±

    Elise took the dragon¡¯s heart, and the heart shone in her hand and disappeared. Everyone gulped. With the dragon¡¯s buff, the allies would have buffs that even legends would fear.

    After the light disappeared, Elise simply stood there with a nk expression on her face.

    Staring at her, Gongon asked, ¡°What happened?¡±

    She raised her hand and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to waste time with my exnation. Here, take the buff.¡±

    Elise¡¯s hands shone, and the entire team was swept by the light. She could buff all of the heroes now.

    [For the next five hours, your health generation and your attack speed will increase by 100 percent, your movement speed and your defense will increase by 30 percent, your extra attack chance will increase by 20 percent, and you will deal one hundred additional fixed damage on regr attacks.]

    After receiving the buff, Junhyuk smiled. The buffs from the Mantis Lord and the Harpy Queen had stacked with the dragon¡¯s buff. The absurd increase in health regen and attack speed came from that. Elise¡¯s buff would enabled the allies to close any future gap in items between his team and an enemy team.

    Smiling, Junhyuk said, ¡°Then, let¡¯s go have a team battle.¡±

    With Elise¡¯s presence in their team, the allies wouldn¡¯t have to hunt the dragon ever again. Future battles would be easier that way.

    Elise smacked her lips and said, ¡°I can buff everyone within a certain range, but the length of the cooldown has increased.¡±

    ¡°By how much?¡± Gongon asked.

    Elise closed her eyes and replied, ¡°Ten minutes.¡±

    ¡°We just have to finish the battle with the buff active.¡±

    Everyone agreed, and Junhyuk looked down the mountain path. The enemies didn¡¯t know about the buff, and even if they did, there was nothing they could do.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Everyone headed for the second watchtower in the middle path and saw the enemy team gathered there. They were ready for a team battle.

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°Now, we can show them what¡¯s what.¡±

    The enemy team would have the watchtower backing them up, but the allies had a buff better than the dragon¡¯s buff. The allies approached the watchtower. The enemy team was staying slightly behind it.

    There were a hundred enemy minions, and the allies couldn¡¯t ignore those. The riflemen would fire at the allied heroes while the heroes fought, and some allies wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge the shots.

    Gongon asked, ¡°Shall we?¡±

    ¡°Right, let¡¯s fight!¡±

    Gongon ran forward and shouted, ¡°Attack!¡±

    The allied minions held their shields up and ran ahead. Elise had buffed the allies, so all of the heroes and the champion were buffed. She decided to take the lead this time.

    Running next to her, Gongon and Junhyuk said, ¡°Your defense is better, but you can¡¯t really defend against the enemies¡¯ attacks, so don¡¯t get too far ahead.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    They were teacher and student, so when Gongon said something, Elise agreed. Junhyuk looked ahead and saw the enemy riflemen kneeling, ready to shoot. Jean Clo and Bater were standing behind them; Regina was standing behind Jean Clo; and Doctor T and Ki were the ones farthest away.

    Looking at the allies, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s teleport and close the gap.¡±

    Everyone nodded, so Junhyuk teleported with them. With the exception of Sarang, everyone appeared at the back of the enemy formation. Junhyuk decided to target Ki first.

    ¡°Kill Ki!¡±

    La moved forward in a sh. She tried tounch Ki up, but Ki jumped and dodged the attack. La clicked her tongue at that andunched her katana.

    The katana struck Ki in mid air, and Junhyuk used his Dimensional sh to cut Ki down. At the same time, Doctor T ensnared Junhyuk with his web.

    The enemies knew what Junhyuk could do. Once he was stuck, Bater used his ultimate.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk lost a lot of health from getting hit by the ultimate. At the same time, Regina drew her pistol, and Doctor T fired a missile at him. The enemy team was focusing on him.

    Because he was tied up, the attacksnded as criticals. The damage enemy team was dealing more damage than the team in the previous round.

    The watchtower archers started shooting at him, and Junhyuk started bleeding everywhere.

    Once he could move again, he shouted, ¡°Sarang!¡±

    Sarang had gotten close enough to him to heal him. When he felt himself regaining health, he triggered his Spatial Copse. The target was Regina. Junhyuk wanted to get rid of the two attackers.

    The Spatial Copse hit Regina, and all of the allies attacked her. Gongon erged and tried to headbutt her, but Jean Clo rushed, grappled Gongon and jumped.

    Elise used her ultimate, and the high-intensity beam of the Moon Cores mmed against Regina. Regina¡¯s defense was higher than Ki¡¯s, but there was a limit to it. She could not survive Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial Copse followed by Elise¡¯s ultimate.

    Regina was dead. The allies were clearly winning.

    Gongon engaged Jean Clo, and Sarang used her Thunderstorm at Doctor T.

    Craaaaack, boom!

    Junhyuk raised his force field around himself. He wanted to protect himself from the archers¡¯ attacks as he ran for Doctor T.

    The doctor couldn¡¯t run away. Sarang had paralyzed him with her electric st, and after La used her ultimate on him, Doctor T died.

    There were two enemies left. Junhyuk¡¯s team didn¡¯t have a tank, but their ultimates were incredibly strong. He had thought the allies would have had a hard time during the team battle, but because they were able to kill the two attackers, things had be easier.

    When their healths became low, he could use his force field, and Sarang could heal. That was something that helped them a lot during team battles.

    While Jean Clo was attacking Gongon, three enemy heroes had died.

    ¡°Gongon, take care of Jean Clo!¡± Junhyuk said quickly.

    Jean Clo had the highest defense among the enemies, so they would target himst. Bater¡¯s attack stat was high, so he would be their next target.

    Junhyuk took the lead. He had used most of his powers, but he was still buffed. He engaged Bater while Sarang shot lightning arrows at the hero. La joined him to give support. Elise attacked with Moon Core.

    While the four heroes were attacking him, Bater raised his hands up.

    Boom!

    The shockwave from the impact of his fists against the ground swept through the allies, and Bater went after Gongon.

    Bater one-two punched Gongon, but Junhyuk had predicted that the hero would want to kill the hatchling.

    Gongon¡¯s damage wasn¡¯t the highest, but due to Elise¡¯s buff, which increased defense by 30 percent, Gongon¡¯s health wasn¡¯t going down.

    Lately, Gongon had upgraded his weapon to increase his attack, but Gongon¡¯s innate defense was high. For that reason, Bater couldn¡¯t deal a lot of damage to the hatchling.

    The others attacked Bater. With their buffed attack speed, the allies exploited every one of Bater¡¯s openings. The enemy hero couldn¡¯t fight four heroes by himself.

    On top of that, Helen, the champion, had joined the fight, and her small amount of damage was mounting.

    Gongon had lost some health because he was under the archers¡¯ attacks, which ignored defense.

    ¡°Retreat!¡± Junhyuk shouted at Gongon, who transformed and soared across the sky, leaving the watchtower¡¯s range. Jean Clo and Bater smiled coldly and attacked Elise, who raised her nullification field.

    The two enemy heroes scowled. They couldn¡¯t use their powers, and due to the buff, the allies had the clear advantage.

    Bater fell after Gongon breathed out fireballs at him while the other heroes attacked him. Only Jean Clo remained.

    Jean Clo frowned and attempted to retreat. The hero wanted to fight by the watchtower, but the allies wouldn¡¯t let him.

    Junhyuk teleported and blocked Jean Clo¡¯s path. Trusting the archers, Jean Clo triggered his ultimate. He was still willing to fight.

    However, just as the three orbs or energy surrounded him, they disappeared. There was no way he could fight alone. The allies were very strong, and none of them died while they killed Jean Clo.

    Junhyuk destroyed the watchtower.

    When the battle was over, he turned to Elise and said, ¡°This victory belongs to your buff.¡±

    Everyone smiled. They were now on their way to victory.

 Chapter 557 - Very Cool 3

    <h4>Chapter 557: Very Cool 3</h4>

    The group didn¡¯t try to hunt any other buff monsters. It would¡¯ve been nice to get all of the synthesis materials they could, but even without that, Elise¡¯s buff was extremely strong.

    Their enemies would risk their lives to hunt the dragons from now on, but the allies felt no such need. With Elise, they would be able to win this round easily.

    Junhyuk looked at the allies and said, ¡°Let¡¯s push on and finish this.¡±

    They still needed to kill the archers on the castle wall and the giant golems, but they were confident. The enemy heroes did not have a lot of minions left, so it was better for the allies to push on.

    The allies had 220 minions with them, enough to finish the fight.

    They followed the middle path toward the enemy castle, and once they reached it, Junhyuk saw the enemy minions waiting for them. There were fifty minions outside the castle gate, and fifty minions on the wall.

    The allies wouldn¡¯te against the minions on the way until they destroyed the gate, and Ki, Regina and Doctor T were stationed at the balustrade, from where their long range attacks would be most beneficial. Jean Clo and Bater were nowhere to be seen.

    Junhyuk would exploit the enemy mistakes. He was like a natural disaster for minions. Even though he would be under attack from the heroes on the wall, it wouldn¡¯t take long for him to massacre the minions.

    Junhyuk ran forward, saying, ¡°Minimize the damage and destroy the gate!¡±

    As he ran, Moon Core attacks and lightning arrows covered for him. Even with Ki¡¯s long range, she couldn¡¯t reach Elise and Sarang.

    The allied minions moved forward with their shields up. Junhyuk swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword, which was stretched to twenty meters, cutting down a swath of minions. Killing minions wasn¡¯t a problem.

    With Ki¡¯s long range, she could attack Junhyuk as he cut down minions. She fired, and Junhyuk twisted around.

    He could dodge Ki¡¯s regr attack. Doctor T fired missiles at him, and Junhyuk had to teleport to evade those, but once he reappeared, he killed even more minions.

    Junhyuk managed to kill all of the minions, but he got hit by the minions on the wall five times. That only happened because he was trying to make sure to dodge the heroes¡¯ attacks.

    When the group reached the gate, Junhyuk raised his force field around them and pounded against it. The gate was destroyed, and Junhyuk quickly advanced.

    The enemy heroes quickly retreated to join the giant golems. Jean Clo and Bater had returned, and they were stepping out of the force field.

    There were 350 minions total, along with two giant golems and five heroes. Looking at them, Junhyukpared their strengths. He Junhyuk killed a bunch of minions who were protecting the area, leaving 200. However, the allies had the buff at their disposal.

    ¡°Shall we begin?¡±

    Elise buffed them, and Gongon shouted, ¡°Attack! Kill the golems!¡±

    The minions shielded themselves and ran forward. The allied heroes followed behind them.

    The enemy minions had taken kneeling positions to shoot at them, and the allied minions started falling one by one.

    Junhyuk looked at the enemy heroes. With the buff, Junhyuk wanted to fight them head on. The golems ran toward him, and they were stronger than heroes. With the buff, however, he could deal with the golems alone. But, if he tried that, the enemy heroes would surely interfere.

    Thanks to the buff, the allied heroes¡¯ defense stats had gone up.

    Looking at the others, Junhyuk said, ¡°Let¡¯s kill them quickly.¡±

    Everyone nodded, and he teleported. When Junhyuk showed up before the enemy heroes, his eyes widened.

    Boom!

    Ki used her ultimate exactly where the allies reappeared. The shockwave swept through the allies, and Bater rushed forward.

    Junhyuk quickly raised his force field, and Ki jumped back, entering the castle¡¯s force field. Junhyuk had wanted to kill her, so he clicked his tongue. While he prepared the Dimensional sh, Sarang shot out two electric sts, which paralyzed Regina and Doctor T.

    The Dimensional sh cut through Regina¡¯s neck, and Sarang triggered Thunderstorm on top of her. However, the lightning bolts didn¡¯t hit Regina. Jean Clo had pushed her aside, taking the hit instead. Due to Jean Clo¡¯s extreme defense, the Thunderstorm didn¡¯t do a lot of damage, taking only 30 percent off of the hero¡¯s health.

    Sarang was dealing more damage than Junhyuk after upgrading her weapons, but the damage on Jean Clo was still low.

    Elise used her ultimate against Doctor T, but instead of piercing Doctor T, the giant beam mmed against Jean Clo after the hero pushed his teammate away again.

    Jean Clo couldn¡¯t continue to be hit with ultimates though, so he had triggered his own. The three orbs of energy were swirling around Jean Clo, and one of them was taken out by Elise¡¯s ultimate.

    The orbs could cancel three attacks against Jean Clo. Junhyuk shed at him, destroying another orb. Everyone attacked the enemy hero with their regr attacks.

    Once all the orbs were destroyed, Junhyuk triggered a Spatial Copse on Regina. He wanted to kill her while the force field was still up.

    Regina got hit, and La dove toward the enemy heroes. She passed all the others, andunched Regina into the air. Then, she threw her katana at the hero, killing Regina. It was very impressive, but La found herself outside the force field now.

    Doctor T ensnared her with a web, and Bater started punching her.

    Seeing that, Junhyuk teleported closer, getting La back into the force field. The web was torn from her, and the enemies were pushed away.

    La grabbed her katana and said, ¡°Thanks!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I did what I had to do.¡±

    Because the enemy heroes had been pushed away, there was some distance between them and the allies now. La had ended up in the middle of the enemy formation, so when the force field pushed them away, it ended up scattering them.

    Junhyuk shed at Doctor T, and his allies attacked the enemy hero as well. Gongon erged and headbutted the doctor, and when Doctor T got pushed back, La used her ultimate.

    Because of the focused attacks on the doctor, he died.

    The force field disappeared, and at the same time, Elise triggered her nullification field. Bater and Jean Clo scowled at that. They couldn¡¯t use their powers.

    Junhyuk moved quickly toward Bater, who tried to defend himself from the swords with his fists. However, Junhyuk was buffed, so his attack speed had increased significantly.

    Even with Bater trying to protect himself, Junhyuk was still getting through. Gongon kept Jean Clo busy while the other heroes joined Junhyuk against Bater.

    Bater retreated to join the golems, who were massacring the allied minions. But, the golems were nearly dead. The minions dealt 1 percent of damage to golems with each attack, so there was not much left to them.

    A golem took off, running toward Junhyuk, who looked at Elise. The nullification field was gone, so Elise summoned Zaira.

    The gynoid flew ahead, grabbing the golem¡¯s attention.

    Junhyuk shed at Bater. His attack speed was so fast that if he kept up, he would be able to kill the enemy hero. But, Bater wasn¡¯t an easy opponent.

    The enemy hero generated a shockwave that pushed Junhyuk back. At the same time, Ki stepped out of the castle¡¯s force field and shot at him.

    Bang!

    It was a single shot, but Junhyuk but his lip. Ki was their main damager, so getting hit wasn¡¯t good. His defense had increased, so he didn¡¯t take full damage, but the attack was a critical, so he couldn¡¯t ignore the amount of health he lost.

    Sarang and La attacked Ki, taking the enemy hero¡¯s focus off Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk decided to kill Bater immediately, and Elise joined him.

    Bater one-two punched him, pushing him back, and extended his fists forward. He was following the punches with his ultimate.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk wasunched back, losing a massive chunk of his health in the process. At that moment, Sarang healed him, and he could feel himself regaining health. The ultimate had left him with 30 percent of his health, but the heal gave him half of his health back.

    Junhyuk stepped forward then. Bater had used all of his powers, so Junhyuk and Elise finally killed him.

    Ki reentered the castle¡¯s force field, so Junhyuk ran toward Jean Clo. His cooldown was over, so he used his Dimensional sh against the enemy hero.

    Jean Clo had lost a lot of health fighting Gongon, so the attack killed him.

    Ki did note out again. Junhyuk looked at her and started cleaning up. He killed the golems and turned to the minions.

    Half of the allied minions were dead, but the enemy minions were almostpletely gone. Junhyuk started massacring them while the allied heroes pounded against the castle¡¯s force field.

    Ki stayed inside, watching as the field was destroyed.

    Junhyuk attacked the force field as well. Ki, who was watching her loss, turned around as Junhyuk delivered thest hit, finally destroying the castle.

    The world fell apart around them.

 Chapter 558 - Single Hit 1

    <h4>Chapter 558: Single Hit 1</h4>

    Everything turned bright around him, and when he opened his eyes, Junhyuk saw Ariel.

    [Congrattions! You will now advance to the semi-finals.]

    ¡°Right, the semis.¡±

    Junhyuk could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

    [You¡¯ve been awarded 1,000,000G for your victory.]

    Junhyuk ced a 500,000G bet on Ling Ling¡¯s team. The returns were now at 90 percent, but he still wanted to bet on her. Junhyuk wanted Ling Ling to win. Looking at Ariel, he asked, ¡°Can I go now?¡±

    [Of course! I hope you¡¯ll win next time.]

    Ariel waved at him, and while watching her, Junhyuk returned to Earth. The others were already awake.

    He smiled at Elise and said, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing we got that synthesis material.¡±

    Elise smiled and, looking at everyone, said, ¡°Thanks for getting it for me. I should pay you for it, the synthesis material.¡±

    Shaking his head, Junhyuk said, ¡°No. The team supports you.¡±

    ¡°What you do is not cheap.¡±

    ¡°Think of what you¡¯ve been doing for us.¡±

    Elise smiled and replied, ¡°Thank you for thinking that. Can you help me with my tests?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to theb now to prepare for the Moon Core upgrades.¡±

    Elise left with Sarang, who also wanted to run a few tests. An hour passed, and Helen and Eunseo woke up. Helen bowed to him and left.

    Junhyuk turned to Eunseo then. Her eyes were deeper than before, so he asked, ¡°Are you OK?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    He grabbed her hand. Eunseo was a little surprised by the move, but he continued calmly, ¡°I only know of one person who endured the harrowing void with ease.¡±

    ¡°Who was it?¡±

    ¡°Elise.¡±

    ¡°Elise?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah. When she died, she delved deeper into her research.¡±

    Eunseo, stunned, chuckled and said, ¡°That¡¯s very much like her.¡±

    ¡°Right?! She isn¡¯t normal. On top of that, her buff is a game changer.¡±

    ¡°Is that right?¡±

    ¡°Definitely! She can give you the dragon¡¯s buff now.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    With a smile on his face, Junhyuk said, ¡°She¡¯ll help us be legends.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too bad. I wanted to help as well.¡±

    ¡°You are helping us outside of the battlefield.

    Getting up, Eunseo said, ¡°I must get stronger.¡±

    Junhyuk watched her leave, and when he finally left the training facility, he went to see Elise. She had dismantled Moon Core and was in the process of analyzing the pieces.

    ¡°Are you going to upgrade it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯scking in speed. I have to do it. I¡¯ll need another core to get it done. The cores I have right now have been designed for attack, but they are not fast.¡±

    ¡°Can you transfer the energy of the core to speed?¡±

    ¡°If I can¡¯t, I¡¯m not going to be able to block enemy attacks.¡±

    Junhyuk was stunned. Elise had chosen to be stronger, and that required a lot of gold and money. Even a core would be needed for it.

    Junhyuk raised his hand. For the sake of the team, Elise couldn¡¯t die. Giving up a core wasn¡¯t a problem, but she had to increase her defense.

    Right now, even regr attacks could be a problem.

    ¡°What do you need?¡± he asked her.

    With a smile, she answered, ¡°I¡¯ll upgrade the Moon Core first. Then, you¡¯ll spar with me so that I can fix any shorings.¡±

    She stared at him and added, ¡°If I can block your attacks, I¡¯ll won¡¯t die so easily in the Dimensional Battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Right now, Junhyuk¡¯s sword techniques were at the peak of their capabilities in the Dimensional Battlefield. He wasn¡¯t inferior to Arn in any way, so if Elise managed to block his attacks with the upgraded Moon Core, she would be incredibly difficult to kill in the battlefield.

    ¡°How long will it take?¡±

    ¡°The upgrade won¡¯t take long.¡± Elise moved her hands like lightning, reprogramming Moon Core. She socketed two cores to Moon Core and turned to him. ¡°Can we spar now?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the training facility.¡± Before they left, Junhyuk asked, ¡°One more thing. How¡¯s the investigation on Charles progressing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only been an hour since we returned from the battlefield, so nothing¡¯s changed. We are still searching for him.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and entered the training facility with her. With the upgraded Moon Core hovering next to her, Elise said, ¡°Don¡¯t hold anything back.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Moon Core possesses artificial intelligence, so it can learn from its experiences in battle.¡±

    ¡°OK,¡± Junhyuk replied and dashed forward, shing with his sword.

    Moon Core tried to block the attack, but Junhyuk changed the trajectory of his sh. He wanted to test Moon Core, so he elerated and shed at it again. Moon Core sped up.

    Elise, with arms folded, blocked his sword. She was analyzing Moon Core.

    Junhyuk sped up again, watching how the weapon would respond. Moon Core chased after him while he elerated, but because of that, Junhyuk realized he could lure it. The weapon couldn¡¯t distinguish a real attack from a feint.

    Junhyuk wanted Moon Core to learn, so he taught it. Moon Core was learning, and seeing that, Elise smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯m learning.¡±

    ¡°Check this out.¡±

    Junhyuk pulled Moon Core, attacking it from long range with his swords. Moon Core moved quickly, shooting off beams to block the attacks.

    Smiling, Junhyuk said, ¡°It can block long range attacks.¡±

    Junhyuk taught Moon Core until he was satisfied with the weapon¡¯s progress. Moon Core was an apt pupil and a quick learner, but the weapon couldn¡¯t push him around.

    Moon Core had very high defensive capabilities, and Junhyuk ended up forgetting about the time while sparring with it. He finally took a step back to breathe, satisfied that Moon Core would be useful now.

    Elise analyzed the data from Moon Core and grabbed her chin in astonishment.

    ¡°So, this is your power.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve analyzed your swordsmanship, and it¡¯s astonishing. Heroes can definitely push through human limitations.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°We trained for a while.¡±

    ¡°Yes. You attacked Moon Core twenty-two thousand times.¡± Staring at him, she added, ¡°I can¡¯t believe it.¡±

    ¡°Humans don¡¯t have limits.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll analyze the data further and make repairs.¡±

    ¡°Sure. When you find Charles, call me. I¡¯ll go get him.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    Elise left, and Junhyuk contacted Arn, who smiled at him.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°We went up against Bater, and it was a hard fight, but we won!¡±

    ¡°You went up against Bater?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha! And you defeated him!¡±

    ¡°Do you want to have a drink?¡±

    ¡°I want to, but I have some business to attend to. Next time.¡±

    ¡°Is it a serious problem?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m facing a rebellion.¡±

    ¡°Are you hurt?¡±

    ¡°How can I be hurt? The rebels are all dead. I¡¯m redistributing their territory, but I have to do it myself.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been too focused on the Dimensional Battlefield, so the rebels forgot about me. I have to be more mindful of that.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled. The rebels had to have faced Arn¡¯s wrath. He disconnected with Arn and contacted Vera. She had to know more about the situation since she was in the same world as him.

    Vera smiled at him and asked, ¡°Why did you call?¡±

    ¡°I heard Arn was having rebel problems.¡±

    ¡°Ah! That. It wasn¡¯t really a problem.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. The royals and nobles of five kingdoms staged a coup. Arn killed them all, including their foot soldiers. About a million people died. He was too focused on the Dimensional Battlefield, so the rebels started thinking too highly of themselves.¡±

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure about what he had heard. Arn had killed a million people?

    ¡°A million?¡±

    ¡°Arn is getting old. During thest rebellion, he decimated the entire kingdom. But now, he killed only those who participated in it.¡±

    Junhyuk had learned something new about Arn. The hero had massacred an entire kingdom. It was no surprise that he had a hard time facing Arn.

    Arn had grown older and massacred only a million dissidents.

    Putting a smile on his face, Junhyuk said, ¡°He¡¯s busy. How about you?¡±

    ¡°Hm... I want to see you, but something big is happening in the continent because of the rebellion. As head of the magic tower, I can¡¯t ignore it. I¡¯m busy, and Nudra and Halo should be as well.¡±

    Five kingdoms had been destroyed. If five countries were destroyed on Earth and a million people died, Earth would be in chaos.

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll invite you next time.¡±

    ¡°Right. See you!¡±

 Chapter 559 - Single Hit 2

    <h4>Chapter 559: Single Hit 2</h4>

    Because he couldn¡¯t invite anyone, he trained alone as much as he wanted. On Friday, Junhyuk watched Ling Ling¡¯s fight, winning 90 percent of what he had bet.

    By the way, Ling Ling¡¯s skills had improved. Her sense of battle and her timing on her use of her powers had increased. Her team also had improved in its teamwork, so unless something changed, her team would continue to win.

    However, by that point, the returns were too low, so Junhyuk decided to look for another team to bet on.

    Once he returned to the training facility, he started practicing the Dimensional sh again. Suddenly, Elise contacted him, so he went to see her in herb. She was crafting Moon Core. When she saw him, she smiled at him.

    ¡°I found him.¡±

    ¡°Where is he?¡±

    ¡°In an underground bunker in the desert. We had to use five thousand drones to look for him. If we hadn¡¯t done that, it would¡¯ve taken us over a month.¡±

    Junhyuk frowned a little and said, ¡°He hid himself well.¡±

    ¡°He had ns set up, which is just like Charles.¡±

    ¡°Can he escape?¡±

    ¡°The bunker is connected to underground tunnels, but I deployed iron soldiers at each of those tunnels.¡±

    ¡°So, the iron soldiers have him surrounded?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Does Charles have any guards with him?¡±

    ¡°As far as I know, there are thirty guards there.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±

    ¡°I prepared the teleportation device so that you can go straight to one of the tunnels connected to the bunker.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled at her, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll go get him.¡±

    He activated the teleportation device, and his surroundings changed. Looking around, Junhyuk saw the deployment of iron soldiers, ten in total. There were iron soldiers guarding every tunnel. Those were unofficial iron soldiers.

    Junhyuk peered into the tunnel. Using his spatial sense, he felt the people moving inside, far away from him. Walking in their direction, he swung his sword behind him. The wind de he released destroyed the tunnel¡¯s entrance, and Junhyuk pushed on.

    With the entrance destroyed, a siren rm went off. Junhyuk could sense people running in his direction, so he waited. Twelve men showed up. Looking at their healths, they were all experts.

    ¡°Did he make more experts?¡± Junhyuk walked toward them and said, ¡°If you give up now, you won¡¯t get too hurt.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit!¡±

    A man rushed toward Junhyuk, so he quickly shed at the man. The sword struck the man and shattered his bones. Because he knew they had all had R-potions, Junhyuk hit hard enough so that they wouldn¡¯t be able to recover.

    He looked at them, and the experts extended their hands toward him. Seeing that, he clicked his tongue and elerated.

    To experts, Junhyuk¡¯s eleration was akin to teleporting. The experts¡¯ powers careened through the air, and Junhyuk shed at them. He didn¡¯t kill them, but they wouldn¡¯t recuperate any time soon.

    Junhyuk could feel the bustling ahead. He could read their movements. The enemies were all bunched up, so he teleported.

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    The experts were moving about, but Charles wasn¡¯t among them. Without uttering a word, Junhyuk swung his sword.

    With him still elerating, all of the enemies fell. Junhyuk teleported again. Only one group remained: two champions and five experts.

    Charles was there.

    Charles was behind the terrorist attack, but his health was like that of an ordinary human. The man had to have powers, but Junhyuk might be wrong on that. Curious, Junhyuk shed at the formation.

    One of the champions turned his body to stone, and Junhyuk scoffed at that, attacking that champion¡¯s thigh.

    ng!

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    The champion could increase his defense, but Junhyuk¡¯s damage was too high. The champion didn¡¯t have any defensive items, so he couldn¡¯t endure Junhyuk¡¯s attack.

    Junhyuk simply struck the champion with the blunt side of his sword, like he had been doing so far, otherwise, the champion would¡¯ve been sliced in half.

    After dealing with the powered people, Junhyuk turned to Charles, who smiled at him.

    ¡°I thought I could do something with powers, but the numbers of powered you have is not important.¡±

    ¡°It might¡¯ve been possible before.¡±

    Previously, when Junhyuk hadn¡¯t had the items, the number of powered people and powers at Charles¡¯ disposal might have made a difference. Now, things were different.

    Arn had killed a million rebels in his word, and Junhyuk¡¯s skills weren¡¯t too far behind Arn¡¯s. Junhyuk could kill a million people if he wanted to.

    He walked toward Charles and said, ¡°I know you are behind this, but how did you do it?¡±

    Charles smirked and replied, ¡°When I was kidnapped by the infected, I activated a power.¡±

    ¡°Your health and mana are the same.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know everything.¡± Charles extended his arms and added, ¡°OK. What is your next move?¡±

    Without missing a beat, Junhyuk answered, ¡°You have to pay for your sins. Do you know how many died because of you?¡±

    Charles smirked and replied, ¡°They are just dead. I need the world. My mind is made up.¡±

    ¡°You are hiding.¡±

    ¡°I failed once, but I can¡¯t give up now.¡±

    ¡°If youe with me now, you won¡¯t feel any pain.¡±

    Charles nodded and got up. He seemed resigned to his fate, so Junhyuk didn¡¯t do anything. He walked toward Charles and frowned.

    Time suddenly stopped, and a dimensional tear appeared. Eltor stepped through it.

    The manager looked at him and said, ¡°Long time, no see.¡±

    ¡°Do you know Charles?¡±

    Eltor smirked.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you guess?¡±

    ¡°I could. The timing for the monster waves and the attack was perfect. It made me furious.¡±

    Charles seemed content with what was happening.

    ¡°Are you here to save me?¡±

    Eltor looked at the man and replied, ¡°Your power is precious. I can¡¯t let you die.¡±

    Junhyuk scoffed at them. With how many champions and experts Charles had, Junhyuk had a grasp for what his power was.

    Charles was like a legendary creature, and Junhyuk wanted to check on whether his power worked on champions. He decided that Eltor couldn¡¯t take Charles.

    ¡°You won¡¯t have your way.¡±

    Eltor stared at him and asked, ¡°Do you have the power to stop me?¡±

    Junhyuk gripped his swords tightly. The hydra had been able to read the Dimensional sh, but Junhyuk had been training since that battle. He stared at Eltor, and the manager smiled.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got an interesting power, but it¡¯s notplete yet.¡±

    Junhyuk knew what Eltor was saying, so he bit his lip and replied, ¡°Let¡¯s try it just once.¡±

    He did not have to swing his sword to release a Dimensional sh. Eltor could stop time, and the manager might kill him for that, but Junhyuk, standing still, released the Dimensional sh all the same.

    sh!

    The sh cut through Eltor¡¯s neck, and the manager disappeared. Blue liquid was left in his ce.

    Junhyuk quickly looked around, but Eltor grabbed his neck, blue liquid sputtering out of the manager¡¯s neck.

    Eltor shouted, ¡°You dare attack a manager and think you¡¯ll survive?!¡±

    Eltor was releasing a lot of energy. Junhyuk dropped to the ground.

    Eltor could control time and space, and Junhyuk thought that the manager would obviously be strong because of that, but that had been naive.

    Since bing a hero, Junhyuk had felt nothing like Eltor¡¯s energy at that moment.

    He got up slowly, and Eltor slowly raised his hand. Junhyuk felt time slow down and stop. He tried teleporting, but time was at a standstill. However, he was the only one being affected by it.

    Junhyuk could sense that, and Eltor walked toward him.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t take away your consciousness.¡±

    Because only time had stopped, Junhyuk was able to trigger Harmonizer. With it active, he became able to move again.

    Eltor had tried to stop him, but Junhyuk regained his movements. Resisting, however, wasn¡¯t easy. Eltor was standing right in front of him, but when he felt Harmonizer respond to his will, Junhyuk smiled.

    Eltor wanted to watch him cower in fear, so the manager was furious with his response and attacked him. Smiling, Junhyuk triggered a Spatial Copse.

    Craaak!

    The attack was unexpected, so while Eltor was able to dodge, he lost half of his body in the process. His left arm and ribs were gone.

    Eltor bled blue blood all over the floor, but he did not die. Time started moving again.

    Willing Harmonizer into his swords, Junhyuk ran forward. Suddenly, however, he felt a strong impact.

    Boom!

    He didn¡¯t know what it was, but Junhyuk still lost half of his health. Across from him, Eltor was holding a pistol in his right hand.

    ¡°He-he-he! You are just a like a struggling dog. You dared attack me! ME!¡±

    Eltor stopped time again and attacked Junhyuk, who knew he had to kill the manager now. There would be no such thing as a second chance.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

 Chapter 560 - Single Hit 3

    <h4>Chapter 560: Single Hit 3</h4>

    After stopping time for him, Eltor walked toward Junhyuk.

    ¡°I know your powers could interfere with dimensions, but I didn¡¯t know this would happen.¡±

    Eltor seemed to be recuperating, or at least trying to. From within the bandages, a blue light was shining and recreating flesh.

    Junhyuk stared at the manager while using Harmonizer to regain some health. However, he had lost a big chunk of it. If he got shot again, he would die. Even with his items, there was a limit to what he could do against Eltor.

    ¡°Fighting dogs are still just dogs, and dogs need to be beaten so that they know they are dogs.¡±

    Eltor aimed the pistol and pulled the trigger. This time, however, time was flowing, so Junhyuk was able to see the ball of light heading for him. It looked simple, but he could sense itsposition. Just like a core, the bullet had many types of energy within it.

    Its destructiveness was beyond imagination. The first bullet had pierced Junhyuk¡¯s defense and damaged him. It wasparable to an ultimate. However, Junhyuk hadn¡¯t been hit like that since upgrading his armor.

    Using Harmonizer, Junhyuk tried to make time flow for him again, but he couldn¡¯t. So, he thought his only option was using his powers.

    Junhyuk raised his force field and realized that the effect of the force field could cross dimensions.

    Boom!

    The ball of light hit the force field, and Junhyuk smiled. Because the force field could affect multiple dimensions, time started flowing for him again.

    Junhyuk¡¯s swords were coated in Harmonizer, and he stared at Eltor. The manager had lost half of his body, but he seemed OK. In fact, when looking at him, Junhyuk thought he didn¡¯t seem hurt at all.

    Junhyuk ran forward, and Eltorughed at him.

    ¡°You forgot about one thing.¡±

    Eltor waved his hand, and Junhyuk¡¯s force field shattered. The force field could protect him from dimensional attacks, but even then, it was no more.

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened, and Eltor walked toward him.

    ¡°You dared show your dimensional powers in front of me.¡±

    Time stopped again, and Eltor aimed the pistol at Junhyuk¡¯s forehead and slowly pulled the trigger. But, Junhyuk didn¡¯t simply stand there.

    Time might have stopped, but with Harmonizer active, Junhyuk was still able to use his powers.

    He teleported, and the spot where he had been standing exploded. The bullet was made ofpressed core energy, so it¡¯s power was outstanding. Half of the bunker was destroyed.

    A core could destroy a city, but since the bullet¡¯s output was condensed, it destroyed half of the bunker without leaving a trace behind. That level of destruction was more dangerous against single targets.

    Junhyuk swung his swords, but he couldn¡¯t cut someone who was in another dimension.

    Looking at his swords, Eltor said, ¡°Your powers are notplete yet. You should¡¯ve been hiding like a mutt.¡±

    Eltor stopped time for him again, so Junhyuk teleported. When he reappeared, Eltor stopped time again. Junhyuk had one more teleport left, but he decided to save it, so he waited.

    He hadn¡¯t given up. He was waiting for his Dimensional sh toe off cooldown.

    Eltor aimed the pistol at him again, and with a smirk, he said, ¡°It¡¯s been a pleasure.¡±

    The manager pulled the trigger, and the ball of light shot off the gun again. Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to die, so he used hisst teleportation.

    Eltor clicked his tongue and stared at Junhyuk, who was frozen in time. With a smile, the manager said, ¡°You can¡¯t run forever.¡±

    Junhyuk agreed. He had already used all of his powers, but he hadn¡¯t been able to pressure the manager. He had been able to damage the manager, but only a little.

    Eltor shot at him again. The bullet zoomed through the air. Junhyuk was sure that he was going to die until someone pulled him out of the bullet¡¯s path.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk looked to the person next to him. It was someone he knew.

    ¡°Agenchra!¡±

    Agenchra smiled at him and said, ¡°I¡¯m not toote.¡±

    ¡°You arete! I could¡¯ve been killed.¡±

    ¡°You still had some room.¡± Turning to Eltor, Agenchra said, ¡°Eltor.¡±

    The manager scowled as he stared at Agenchra.

    ¡°What is a contract manager doing here?¡±

    ¡°You have broken the rules.¡±

    ¡°No! He attacked me first. It was self-defense.¡±

    ¡°You broke the rules, and you used your powers. Did you forget we can¡¯t simply use our powers?¡±

    Eltor sighed and raised his arms, asking, ¡°Can¡¯t you see the condition I am in?¡±

    Agenchra looked Eltor over and replied, ¡°You aren¡¯t as hurt as you look.¡±

    Eltor clicked his tongue, barking, ¡°I¡¯m furious!¡±

    ¡°The Council has made a decision. You¡¯ll be punished. Return now.¡±

    Eltor scowled at the mention of The Council.

    ¡°Those geezers!¡± The manager stepped back and stared at Junhyuk, adding, ¡°See you next time.¡±

    Eltor created a dimensional tear and disappeared. Then, Junhyuk turned to Agenchra.

    ¡°What will happen?¡±

    ¡°It depends on the analysis of the self-defense plea. However, he can¡¯t use his powers on Earth, for that, he will be severely punished.¡±

    ¡°You mean he will rest for two weeks...¡±

    ¡°I mean severely punished.¡±

    ¡°For how long.¡±

    Agenchra smiled and said, ¡°He might be demoted from team leader.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°If they assign a new team leader, the monster waves will happen regrly from now on.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Eltor had overreacted. If a new team leader was assigned, things would be safer on Earth.

    Agenchra smiled and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be going.¡±

    When the manager opened a dimensional tear, Junhyuk said at his back, ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Sorry for your troubles.¡±

    Agenchra disappeared into the tear, and after watching it, Junhyuk turned around. Charles had a nervous look on his face and was measuring the state of Junhyuk¡¯s mood.

    ¡°It was going so nice for you.¡±

    ¡°What happened?!¡±

    Junhyuk had fought against a manager who controlled time and space. Charles knew how powerful managers were, so even if Junhyuk had found himself in a tough spot, the whole exchange was shocking to him.

    Junhyuk had survived, and another manager had appeared and taken Eltor away.

    ¡°What happened? Your manager will be punished, and now, you are all alone.¡±

    Charles bit his lip as Junhyuk walked toward him. Suddenly, Charles eyes shone at Junhyuk, Charles¡¯st gamble.

    The man thought that Junhyuk might end up activating another power, and if so, that he would be able to control Junhyuk. Expecting that oue, Charles grabbed Junhyuk¡¯s arm.

    Junhyuk could feel the energy entering his body, but Harmonizer pushed it away.

    Touching Charles¡¯ hand, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Is this it? You can activate powers in other people?¡±

    Heroes were limited to four powers in the Dimensional Battlefield, and Charles knew that. However, he was gambling to save his life.

    Squeezing Charles¡¯ hand, Junhyuk said, ¡°Did you forget who I am?¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    Crak!

    ¡°Aaaargh!¡±

    Charles screamed loudly as Junhyuk shattered the man¡¯s hand.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you again: Follow me quietly.¡±

    Junhyuk picked the man up and activated the teleportation device. The other people would be handled by the iron soldiers. After the device activated, Junhyuk reappeared in Seoul. He turned to Elise, and she stared at Charles.

    ¡°You got him.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that easy, but I got him.¡±

    ¡°What happened to your items?!¡±

    Junhyuk looked at himself then. His items were all broken. They would repair themselves, but it would take time.

    ¡°I fought against Eltor.¡±

    ¡°You fought a manager!?¡±

    The Dimensional sh and the Spatial Copse worked, but their damage was low. I almost got killed.¡±

    ¡°You have balls. Why did you pick that fight?¡±

    ¡°I had no choice. I couldn¡¯t back down.¡±

    Elise turned to Charles and said, ¡°Long time, no see.¡±

    Charles stared at her. Elise used to work for him, but now, she worked for Guardians. She seemed rxed, and because of that, Charles realized how much she had changed.

    Elise signaled with her hand, and a few iron soldiers appeared. When they arrested Charles, Junhyuk said, ¡°He has the power to activate powers in other people. Don¡¯t put him with anyone else.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll have his own cell.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°When he goes on trial, do it through video.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯m still developing the item to cancel powers.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and asked, ¡°How is the HQ reconstruction going?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve only been at it a week, but it¡¯s moving fast.¡±

    Elise pointed to a monitor and saw that changes had been made to the nt of the HQ. It was starting to look like a futuristic campus.

    He knew Elise was behind the changes. She would be the one making the ns for the new buildings.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to when it¡¯spleted.¡±

 Chapter 561 - Evolution 1

    <h4>Chapter 561: Evolution 1</h4>

    Junhyuk entered his training facility. Charles would stand trial, and Junhyuk would seize all of Charles¡¯ assets. It was likely that Charles had non-dered assets, but for now, Junhyuk would seize those he had had to dere. The non-dered could be seizedter.

    With the money in hand, Junhyuk would create a foundation whose sole purpose would be to distribute that money to those affected by the terrorist attack and the monster waves.

    Junhyuk raised his sword and swung it down slowly.

    He had used his Dimensional sh and Spatial Copse against Eltor, but he hadn¡¯t managed to strike the real Eltor. Still, his Dimensional sh had evolved.

    The hydra had been able to sense his sh, but Eltor had not, and that meant that the attack had improved and that the Dimensional sh had evolved. Nevertheless, Junhyuke face-to-face with his own limitations.

    Had his Dimensional sh truly evolved, Junhyuk would¡¯ve been able to seriously damage Eltor. He needed a Dimensional sh that nobody would be able to dodge.

    ¡°But I need to see the enemy¡¯s original self.¡±

    Even if he asked Agenchra, the manager would not show him his real self. Junhyuk had kept up the investigation on his own. He really wanted to be able to see, and that was all he could think about.

    Junhyuk closed his eyes and triggered Harmonizer. He wanted to see beyond dimensions to his enemy¡¯s real self. The Spatial Copse could suck anything, even through dimensions, so if the coordinates were right, he would be able to deal a real attack with that single strike.

    However, there were limitations to his Spatial Copse as well. For that reason, he needed to be able to use his Dimensional sh.

    It seemed impossible to see beyond dimensions, but he wanted to try.

    Junhyuk was training with Harmonizer when he got a call from Arn. The hero rarely contacted him first.

    ¡°I thought you were busy!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve cleaned up most of the mess. Did you fight?¡±

    ¡°Did I fight what?¡±

    ¡°I heard you fought against a manager.¡±

    ¡°When did you hear that?¡± Junhyuk asked.

    ¡°My manager told me that someone fought against a manager.¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t talk about it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. My team is highly ranked, so I get a lot of information. The manager you fought against will be severely punished. My manager didn¡¯t like the guy, so he was very chatty about it.¡±

    ¡°I was also told he would be punished.¡±

    Agenchra had told him the same thing that Arn¡¯s manager had told the hero. Eltor would be severely punished.

    ¡°Did you use your Dimensional sh?¡±

    ¡°I did, and the Spatial Copse as well, but both failed to strike at the real self. The damage I dealt was lower than it appeared.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Really?¡± Arn folded his arms and took a moment to think before saying, ¡°Then, you must find their real selves.¡±

    ¡°I need for my attack to evolve so that managers won¡¯t be able to dodge it.¡±

    ¡°Right. Then, invite me over.¡±

    Junhyuk invited Arn to the facility.

    Arn unsheathed his sabers and said, ¡°You have evolved, but you haven¡¯t been training. You¡¯ll reach higher tiers if you spar.¡±

    ¡°I can increase my level just by sparring?¡±

    ¡°Of course! I haven¡¯tpleted my skills yet, but I¡¯m ahead of you. You can reach even higher than now.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Junhyuk did not refuse the offer. Instead, he unsheathed his swords. Junhyuk hadn¡¯tpleted or polished the Triple Yin Yang. In the Dimensional Battlefield, even his swordsmanship was restricted now.

    He sparred with Arn by himself.

    ng, ng, ng, ng!

    They sparred without using powers for a long while. Junhyuk spent 30 percent of the time attacking and 70 percent defending. Arn was very skilled with his dual sabers. He was highly focused the entire time, the more time he spent sparring, the more he improved.

    They sparred once a day, and after that, Junhyuk drank and ate with Arn while the hero gave him advice.

    Arn was teaching him the right way. Because of all the sparring sessions, Junhyuk was improving quickly.

    On Thursday, Arn looked at him and said, ¡°Let¡¯s check out your Dimensional sh.¡±

    ¡°It could be dangerous for you.¡±

    ¡°Call Sarang.¡±

    With Sarang there, they could spar without worry. Junhyuk invited her, and she quickly appeared. When she saw him, she seemed shocked.

    ¡°Big brother!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You seem different.¡±

    As a hero, Sarang had highly developed senses. She understood that he had grown.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been training.¡±

    She looked at Arn and smiled, saying, ¡°You should¡¯ve told me.¡±

    ¡°He couldn¡¯t. I¡¯ve been training him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m jealous. I can¡¯t get through Vera with how busy she is.¡±

    Junhyukughed and said, ¡°That¡¯s Arn¡¯s fault.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Something like that.¡±

    Arn had dealt with the rebels, and because Vera was the leading mage in that world, she had a lot to deal with now.

    Junhyukughed again and said, ¡°I¡¯m gonna use my Dimensional sh. If Arn gets healed, heal him, please.¡±

    Arn smirked and said, ¡°You can¡¯t crit me with it.¡±

    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll aim at your arms and legs.¡±

    Arn extended his arms out wide and said, ¡°Do it.¡±

    The Dimensional sh could be triggered immediately and suddenly, so Arn couldn¡¯t sense it.

    Through countless sparring sessions, Arn had developed his sixth sense, so the hero wanted to find out how effective it was.

    Junhyuk gathered his breath. His skills had improved. The Junhyuk that day could defeat the Junhyuk of the day before. He wanted to know just how much better he had gotten. He triggered Harmonizer and used his Dimensional sh. The attack was aimed at Arn¡¯s left arm.

    Arn moved quickly, but the sh was faster.

    sh!

    Arn¡¯s arm was nearly sliced off, so Sarang quickly healed him. The arm reattached entirely, and Arn opened and closed his hand.

    He had sensed the attack, but he had beente to move.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try again.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it after Sarang¡¯s cooldown is up. Are you OK?¡±

    Arn was his teacher, so Junhyuk didn¡¯t feel good about cutting him.

    With a smirk, the hero said, ¡°I¡¯d never had my arm sliced this easily. It¡¯s good practice.¡±

    Arn was enduring the pain. When the cooldown ended, Junhyuk raised his sword.

    Arn spread his arms wide and said again, ¡°Do it.¡±

    Junhyuk triggered his Dimensional sh. The de shed, and Arn¡¯s arm started bleeding. However, this time, the cut only went through 30 percent of Arn¡¯s arm. Sarang healed him again, but Arn had managed to dodge significantly more. How was that possible?

    Shaking his head, Arn opened and closed his hand.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t easy.¡±

    ¡°How did you dodge it?¡±

    As the owner of the Dimensional sh, Junhyuk knew his attack had evolved. He might not be able to strike at a manager¡¯s self, but his sh was unavoidable.

    Yet, Arn had still managed to dodge about half of it.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one growing.¡±

    Arn was also learning. The hero was getting stronger, and Arn¡¯s sixth sense was able to detect the Dimensional sh activation.

    Junhyuk knew that, eventually, Arn would be able to dodge itpletely. If a spear that could pierce through anything couldn¡¯t hit, that spear would be useless.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try again.¡±

    Arn raised his arms out wide and said, ¡°I¡¯m waiting.¡±

    This time, the Dimensional sh went through only 20 percent of Arn¡¯s arm. Sarang was stunned.

    ¡°That injury is a lot smaller.¡±

    ¡°I have a long way to go still.¡±

    Sarang healed him, and Junhyuk took the time to think about how the Dimensional sh worked. He managed to understand the attack better and raised his sword.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try again.¡±

    ¡°Anytime.¡±

    Junhyuk triggered the sh, and even with Arn using his sixth sense, the injury was greater than before. Half of Arn¡¯s arm was sliced through.

    Sarang healed him immediately, and staring at him, Arn said, ¡°My sixth sense is nothing. Your attack has evolved.¡±

    ¡°A little.¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s sh had evolved, but without hesitation, Arn said, ¡°Do it again. I¡¯ll dodge it this time.¡±

    Junhyuk valued Arn a lot. The hero didn¡¯t mind losing an arm to get stronger. For that reason, Junhyuk decided to use his full strength.

    His sh was improving with each time he triggered it. However, this time, Arn¡¯s arm was sliced only 20 percent of the way through. Arn¡¯s sixth sense was evolving faster than Junhyuk¡¯s Dimensional sh.

    Junhyuk refocused on his sword, and Arn snapped his fingers at him and said, ¡°Come. I¡¯ll dodge it all this time.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be that easy.¡±

    Junhyuk used his Dimensional sh, but it only scratched Arn that time

 Chapter 562 - Evolution 2

    <h4>Chapter 562: Evolution 2</h4>

    Junhyuk stared at Arn, who had just dodged his Dimensional sh. Moving his arms around, Arn said, ¡°That could¡¯ve been dangerous. I had to use my eleration at maximum output to doge it.¡±

    ¡°I was surprised that you could dodge it altogether. How were you able to sense it?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t sense it. Only my sixth sense could detect it.¡±

    ¡°Sixth sense...¡±

    One couldn¡¯t develop a sixth sense. Junhyu smacked his lips and thought deeply about his Dimensional sh. The attack cut through dimension almost instantaneously, but with the full use of eleration, it was possible to dodge it. Still, one had to have a sixth sense to do it.

    Junhyuk had to decrease the time the sh took to slice through the dimensional walls. That way, nobody would be able to dodge it, even those with a sixth sense.

    Junhyuk remained silent and focused on polishing his attack. At the same time, Arn closed his eyes and focused on further developing his sixth sense. Even for Arn, the Dimensional sh was dangerous.

    Arn had never been seriously injured in a fight. If the Dimensional Battlefield didn¡¯t have restrictions, Arn was confident that he would win every battle. However, Arn had been injured now. Both of them had discussed the attack before it went off, but Arn still had a hard time blocking. That meant that the Dimensional sh was a superior power.

    It could slice through dimensions, so of course it would be powerful.

    Arn polished his sixth sense. He wanted to be able to sense things from every direction. He knew he had to increase the limit on his eleration and his sixth sense.

    Arn had to sense when Junhyuk made up his mind to attack. The sh required willpower, and Arn had to be able to notice when Junhyuk¡¯s will was made up.

    Three hours passed from the moment Junhyuk started meditating on the Dimensional sh. Junhyuk learned about the principles of the attack and realized how he could improve it.

    He had to focus Harmonizer at just the right moment to release the sh effectively.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try it again.¡±

    ¡°Right. I¡¯ve been waiting.¡±

    Junhyuk had created the Dimensional sh, an attack he thought couldn¡¯t be dodged. Attacks that crossed through dimensions weren¡¯t easy to deal with, and now, he was trying to find a way to deliver it even faster.

    He used the sh, but Arn dodged it again. Junhyuk was stunned. When his attack crossed the dimensional wall, he thought had inflicted at least 20 percent of damage to Arn, but Arn dodged it even more easily than before.

    The hero smirked and said, ¡°OK. I can dodge your Dimensional sh now.¡±

    Junhyuk was speechless. What Arn had said was true. The hero opened his arms wide and said, ¡°This time, attack me anywhere.¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s pride was hurt by that statement.

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk used his Dimensional sh again, going for something other than Arn¡¯s arm, but Arn dodged it still. Arn continued to dodge his sh even as Junhyuk continued to use it. He was stunned.

    Staring at him, Arn lowered his sabers and said, ¡°When your Dimensional sh evolves again, call me.¡±

    The hero left, and Junhyuk stood there andughed.

    ¡°I must be going crazy. Not even the Dimensional sh works on him.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t have to fight Arn, but his pride was shattered.

    Smiling at him, Sarang said, ¡°You can¡¯t defeat him.¡±

    ¡°You mean ever?¡±

    ¡°Do you think you can?¡±

    ¡°I think I can.¡±

    Junhyuk contacted Gongon, who waves his w at him.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°I have a favor to ask.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I need more core energy.¡±

    ¡°Last time, you almost died. Why do you think you can absorb more energy?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve made all of the energy fromst time mine. Now, I need more.¡±

    Junhyuk need a boost to speed up the dimensional crossing. He wanted to increase the amount of Harmonizer within him. It would be dangerous, but after fighting Eltor, he felt he needed to do it.

    If he had had more Harmonizer, he would¡¯ve been able to move even with time frozen for him.

    Harmonizer was core energy, and it would be useful in fighting managers. Junhyuk had a lot of cores at his disposal, so he could absorb more energy.

    There would be a limit, but he wanted to reach it. That way, he would be able to deal with Eltor. Even if he never met Eltor again, Junhyuk wanted to be stronger.

    Gongon folded his tiny arms and said, ¡°It won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    ¡°I know, but my mind is made up.¡±

    Arn had had his arm cut multiple times in order to further develop his sixth sense, and now, the hero could dodge his Dimensional sh.

    Junhyuk¡¯s mind was made up. He had died many times in the Dimensional Battlefield, and that had increased his skill. He wanted to grow more.

    With arms still folded, Gongon said, ¡°I have to prepare, so we can do it after the next battle. How many cores do you need?¡±

    ¡°I can only absorb 5 percent of the output, so I¡¯ll need ten cores.¡±

    ¡°We can only do it in increments of six like twelve, twenty-four, etc.¡±

    ¡°Could I survive twenty-four?¡±

    ¡°It might be possible, but could you contain more than the entire energy of a core within you? That¡¯s more than the energy within a dragon¡¯s heart.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡±

    Gongonughed and said, ¡°OK. It¡¯ll be hard preparing for all that, but I can try.¡±

    ¡°Please.¡±

    ¡°Why do you want to increase the amount of Harmonizer?¡±

    ¡°I fought against Eltor. After that, I know I need more.¡±

    ¡°The dimensional manager?!¡±

    ¡°Yes. He made me furious, so I used the Dimensional sh and the Spatial Copse on him, but the speed of my attacks iscking.¡±

    ¡°You attacked a manager?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha! Well done.¡±

    ¡°Not really. I couldn¡¯t reach his real self. I must grow and evolve.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll help you.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and replied, ¡°Please. Oh! Let¡¯s fight hard in tomorrow¡¯s semifinal.¡±

    ¡°Right! Call me anytime.¡±

    Gongon disappeared, and Junhyuk turned to Sarang, who smiled at him and asked, ¡°Do you need any more help?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯ll just train some more.¡±

    ¡°Sure. See you tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Sarang disappeared as well, and Junhyuk sat downfortably and meditated. To strengthen the sh, he would increase his pool of Harmonizer, but he wanted to try something else as well.

    Junhyukpressed the Harmonizer within him. He had done it before, and with it that way, he thought his attacks would cross through dimensions even faster.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know how to increase his power, but he would try both ways. Hepressed Harmonizer, which wasn¡¯t easy to do. The energy aggregated into one ce.

    He focused and realized he could elerate with it that way. It wasn¡¯t easy to change the state of Harmonizer, but he didn¡¯t give up.

    Junhyuk forgot about the time, and Elise suddenly contacted him. He invited her and the others who were about to be summoned to the facility

    They brought instant food with them, and it seemed like they were pulling an endless supply from their Spatial Bags.

    ¡°Today is special.¡±

    ¡°I want us to be ready for the semifinal.¡±

    They would be hungry in the Dimensional Battlefield. In reality, they didn¡¯t need food, but it was all a matter of psychology.

    Junhyuk was enjoying the food. With the exception of him, they were all women. Gongon was male, but La wasn¡¯t.

    There were many women around him, but he hadn¡¯t had time to look at them, so he did now, one by one.

    Junhyuk was with Eunseo now, and Sarang was interested in him. However, Sarang was still a minor, and Junhyuk held no romantic interest for her.

    Elise felt like a partner to him. She enticed him with drinks from time to time, but she was still just a partner. He couldn¡¯t get close to her.

    He was eating while looking around, and noticing that, Sarang¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡±

    Junhyukughed and replied, ¡°I just realized that there were a lot of women here.¡±

    ¡°Right. It looks like you are building a harem.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t joke like that.¡±

    Junhyuk had not designed that oue. If Jeffrey hadn¡¯t been a hero, he would¡¯ve recruited Jeffrey instead of Helen. Jeffrey was much stronger than her.

    Helen smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°Maybe I¡¯m the problem.¡±

    She was concerned with the situation with Charles Rockefeller, but Junhyuk shook his head and said, ¡°The Rockefeller problem has been solved. Don¡¯t pay any attention to that. Focus on bing a hero and getting better items.¡±

    ¡°Can I be a hero?¡± Helen asked seriously, but Junhyukughed and replied, ¡°When you be a hero, we¡¯ll miss you. But with five heroes, the monster waves will cease.¡±

    Sarang agree and said, ¡°We need to be legends ourselves.¡±

    Helen nodded and told her, ¡°You are a hero, so your perspective is different.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the group, then at the time, and raised his ss.

    ¡°To the semifinal! Let¡¯s win!¡±

    Everyone lifted their sses. They all drank the wine, and once they lowered their sses, the world turned bright.

    It was the beginning of the semifinal match.

 Chapter 563 - Semifinal 1

    <h4>Chapter 563: Semifinal 1</h4>

    Junhyuk thought Ariel seemed rather scared looking at him.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    [I heard you fought against a manager.]

    ¡°Where did you hear that?¡±

    [In your words, we work for the same corporation.]

    ¡°Is he your superior?¡±

    [We don¡¯t work for the same team, but he¡¯s ranked higher than me.]

    Junhyuk looked over her and asked, ¡°Why are you staring at me?¡±

    Ariel gave him a cute smile and said, [We do exist.]

    ¡°Of course,¡± he nodded, caressing her head. He wanted to have a close rtionship with Ariel.

    Standing in front of the exit, he said, ¡°Open it.¡±

    [Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed!]

    With Ariel¡¯s might shout, Junhyuk walked outside. The rest of his team was already there. When Gongon saw him, he grabbed his chin and said, ¡°For a human, you are too strong.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. I just mean you are strong.¡±

    La was even more surprised than Gongon. She stared at him nkly before asking, ¡°How do you train to be so strong?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m nothingpared to Arn.¡±

    ¡°Sure, but Arn is the strongest one in my dimension.¡±

    ¡°Do you know a lot about him?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t really have a teacher. Arn was born strong, and he became stronger on his own. Arn is so strong, nobody can keep up with him.¡±

    ¡°What about Halo?¡±

    ¡°Halo and Nudra both had great teachers who opened up their potential, but Arn had nobody. Arn is probably the one with the most natural talent.¡±

    Junhyuk felt proud. La had said that nobody could keep up with Arn, but Junhyuk was his student. Arn had sent him a living spirit and taught him how to tune his muscles. He had learned everything from Arn and he knew that his current strength was fruit of what he had been taught.

    ¡°Let¡¯s focus on today¡¯s battle.¡± Junhyuk turned to the group and said, ¡°We¡¯ll meet stronger enemies as we progress, so don¡¯t let your guard down.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    He turned to Elise and Eunseo and said, ¡°Elise, Eunseo and I will head middle.¡±

    Gongon scratched his chin and said, ¡°We need to make Elise our tank, so we should send her left and let her practice.¡±

    ¡°True, but we should also consider her buff. She needs to move with other people.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m focusing on attack and defense, so should I just go left like always?¡± Gongon asked.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Turning to Helen, Junhyuk said, ¡°You go left this time as well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    Looking at La and Sarang, Junhyuk said, ¡°You two take the right.¡±

    La balled her hands into fists and said, ¡°This time, I won¡¯t be killed so easily.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, La. We¡¯ll be legends, so let¡¯s not die and move on to the final round.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Junhyuk smirked, turned to the group and asked, ¡°Shall we do some shopping?¡±

    They all went to see Bebe, and Junhyuk handed the yeti the expensive items he had picked up. Bebe inspected them, astonished.

    ¡°This is a real pleasure! You brought me some great items. I¡¯ll give you 300,000G for each.¡±

    ¡°Give me more than that.¡±

    Bebe chuckled and replied, ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll give you a bit more.¡± After looking at the items again, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you 1,900,000G for the six of them.¡±

    Junhyuk put his hand forward, and Bebe transferred the gold. With the winnings from the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, Junhyuk now had 4,000,000G on him. Since the tournament began, Junhyuk had been earning a lot of gold.

    He browsed Bebe¡¯s items. He could purchase legendary items with about 2,000,000G, but he decided to upgrade the items he owned instead.

    ¡°Give me forty enhancement stones.¡±

    ¡°You should be careful with that. Enhancement stones can fail.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to reach my target.¡±

    ¡°What is your target?¡±

    ¡°I want all my items to be +12¡±

    Forty enhancement stones might not be enough for that.

    Junhyuk applied the first stone. Meanwhile, Gongon was also upgrading his items. Gongon waspeting with Junhyuk, who failed and seeded a few times before reaching the twelfth upgrade. Junhyuk used all forty enhancement stones, but only five of his items were at +12.

    Upgrades had lower sess rates as they progressed.

    Junhyuk thought it over. He had more gold, so he was debating whether he should continue to push for upgrades or if he should wait until the next battle. He decided to fight first and make any other decisionster.

    Gongon seemed very proud of himself.

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha! I¡¯m definitely a dragon!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Check out my weapon!¡±

    Gongon¡¯s weapon was shining like a rainbow, so Junhyuk asked, ¡°What did you do?¡±

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha! It started shining like this once I reached the twentieth upgrade.¡±

    ¡°Twentieth?!¡±

    Gongon had won many enhancement stones in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. Now, Gongon had seeded in reaching twenty upgrades. It seemed like his weapon had enormous damaging power. Gongon¡¯s weapon was much better than Junhyuk¡¯s.

    ¡°You are our special damage dealer now. How many enhancement stones did you use?¡±

    ¡°I used twenty stones. It took that much to increase it by ten upgrades.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that it only took you twenty stones to upgrade it from +10 to +20?¡±

    The normal sess rate decreased by half with each upgrade, and whenever an upgrade failed after a certain level, the weapon became weaker. Gongon certainly had a dragon¡¯s luck.

    ¡°Just call me damager. I¡¯ll show you what a legendary damager can do.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you boost your piercing stat?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing that already.¡±

    It was probably expensive, but Gongon was managing to get the items he needed one by one. His damage was really high now, so with a high piercing stat, Gongon would have enormous damage potential.

    Junhyuk decided to try for more upgrades.

    ¡°Give me another twenty stones.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk applied all the stones to his weapons, and both reached +13, three more upgrades than when he started.

    Junhyuk had used all of his twenty stones for a total of six upgrades, whereas Gongon had managed ten upgrades. Junhyuk was envious of Gongon¡¯s luck, but with three extra upgrades, both of his weapons had be stronger.

    ¡°I guess I was lucky. Now, I can kill our enemies more easily.¡± His ability to deal damage had increased. Everyone smiled, and he added, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll do fine,¡± Bebe said, cheering him on, and Junhyuk smiled at the yeti.

    Once out of the store, the group divided up, and each team moved with two hundred minions. Junhyuk headed up the middle path. With the help of Elise¡¯s buff, he would kill any enemies that came up against him. His weapons were outstanding now.

    Eunseo seemed nervous, so he told her ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll win.¡±

    ¡°What happens if we win the tournament?¡±

    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll fight against legends.¡±

    Fighting the legendary team again meant that he would have his rematch. Back then, he had only been a champion, but his team had still been easily defeated by the legends. It was time for payback.

    ¡°Whew! I should be a champion.¡±

    ¡°When you do, you¡¯ll have to leave my team.¡±

    ¡°Right...¡±

    Junhyuk turned to her. He hadn¡¯t been able to help her with her training for a while now. He wanted to help her out whenever he had the time.

    Junhyuk now had his Triple Yin Yang, a style of his own, so he would be able to teach her other martial arts as well. He wanted to spar with her.

    When they reached the top of the mountain, they saw the enemy teaming up from the other side. The minions showed up first. They were hunched over and had tiny wings on their backs.

    ¡°Can they fly?¡±

    They were walking, so it didn¡¯t seem like they were able to fly. It was possible they had long ws because they weren¡¯t carrying any weapons.

    ¡°They may not fly, but they can hover in the air for a while.¡±

    That was Elise¡¯s appraisal of the enemy minions, and Junhyuk nodded in agreement. THen, he saw the heroesing up behind them. They were familiar faces.

    ¡°Adolphe! Kilraden!¡±

    Aldolphe was carrying his saw-ded sword, and Kilraden was dressed in his usual white attire. Junhyuk hade up against Kilraden in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield, and Adolphe had been the champion in Bater¡¯s team. The two weren¡¯t easy opponents.

    They had be heroes around the same time as him. At that moment, Junhyuk remembered being told that another rookie team had been winning and realized that the enemy team he was facing wasposed entirely of rookies.

    He couldn¡¯t disregard their items, and it was almost certain that they all had great powers.

    Victory would depend on how everyone¡¯s powers were used.

    Adolphe smiled at him and said, ¡°We meet again.¡±

    Junhyuk aimed his sword at Adolphe and replied, ¡°I killed Bater in the quarter finals, so I didn¡¯t expect to see you in the semis.¡±

    ¡°I heard about that from Bater. My goal was to avenge him, but I didn¡¯t expect it would be so soon.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t have that chance.¡±

    Elise buffed him. Her buffs were absurd.

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you all within five minutes.¡±

    Adolphe¡¯s and Kilraden¡¯s eyes beamed. The two motioned with their hands, and the winged monsters beat their wings. The enemy minions were incredibly fast, 50 percent faster than ordinary minions.

    Adolphe and Kilraden ran forward behind the minion army

 Chapter 564 - Semifinal 2

    <h4>Chapter 564: Semifinal 2</h4>

    The powers Junhyuk knew Adolphe had were the rush, the ten-meter sword strike, and the ensnaring ring. Kilraden could teleport three times, though for only a short distance, counter and stealth. Kilraden¡¯s ultimate created a copy of himself that dealt an absurd amount of damage.

    Junhyuk ran toward the enemy heroes. He was buffed, so he didn¡¯t think he would lose against them. The enemies had probably upgraded their weapons, but Junhyuk had legendary weapons that had been upgraded to +13.

    Junhyuk was curious about the upgrades the enemy heroes had done, and he was curious about how his defense would fare against them.

    The enemy heroes had made it to the semis, so he was thinking he shouldn¡¯t let himself get hit.

    When Kilraden was within range, Junhyuk used his Dimensional sh. It sliced through Kilraden¡¯s back.

    sh!

    Previously, Junhyuk would¡¯ve been able to kill Kilraden with a single hit, but now, the hero lost only 65 percent of his health.

    Junhyuk had pulled off three upgrades to his weapons before the start of this battle, which meant that Kilraden¡¯s defense was much stronger now than in the past.

    ¡°Step aside!¡± someone shouted from behind him, and Junhyuk did so. Elise shot off her ultimate. It was a long range attack, and the gigantic beam mmed against Kilraden.

    The hero tried to escape, but the beam was faster than him, piercing the enemy assassin, who faded away.

    Junhyuk smiled when Kilraden died. The allies would continue to push forward.

    When Adolphe came within range of the Spatial Copse, Junhyuk triggered it.

    Craaaaack!

    Adolphe got pulled by the void. The enemy hero was focused on both tanking and dealing damage, sopared to Kilraden¡¯s, Adolphe¡¯s defense was superior.

    The Spatial Copse dealt 10 percent more damage than the Dimensional sh, but Adolphe only lost 44 percent of his health.

    Junhyuk had used two powers already. Meanwhile, Adolphe was closing in fast, and there was nothing he could do about it. He had to fight Adolphe in singlebat.

    Zaira zoomed out, blocking Adolphe¡¯s advance.

    The hero scoffed at Zaira and swung his saw-ded sword at her.

    ng, ng, ng!

    He didn¡¯t use any of his powers, but Zaira¡¯s gauntlet was shattered. Adolphe¡¯s attack stat had increased. At the same time, Elise shot at him with Moon Core.

    Adolphe blocked the beams with his sword and pushed ahead. When Junhyuk was finally within range, Adolphe rushed. Not wanting to be stunned, Junhyuk teleported.

    Adolphe missed him and mmed his saw-ded sword into the ground. Two energy rings flew toward Junhyuk, and he teleported again.

    Adolphe gritted his teeth and shouted, ¡°You are cheating!¡±

    After saying that, the enemy hero ran toward Elise. Adolphe was thinking that Elise would be an easier opponent, but she had upgraded all of her items to +12 this time around. Her defense was higher than Junhyuk¡¯s now.

    Elise had been luckier than Junhyuk in her upgrades.

    Adolphe shed Elise once, but she attacked him as well. She was countering his moves, but Adolphe could dodge her attacks.

    Adolphe had onest power and his ultimate, and right as his sword was about toe down on Elise, Junhyuk raised his force field around her. The force field blocked the sword in the nick of time.

    Junhyuk ran toward Adolphe, who ran toward him as well.

    Junhyuk wanted to fight Adolphe alone. The hero had already been damaged by the Spatial Copse, and Elise had managed to damage him as well.

    Junhyuk wanted to get hit by Adolphe¡¯s ultimate now that Adolphe was fighting at full strength.

    ng, ng, ng!

    Adolphe had attacked Elise with regr attacks, but he had slowly lost health in the exchange. She had dealt 2 percent of damage to him with each hit, and the damage had mounted.

    Adolphe had only 43 percent of his health left.

    Junhyuk attacked. Adolphe erged his sword, and that moment, Junhyuk was reminded of Halo.

    Junhyuk had sparred with Halo, who used a very long sword, so he managed to find an opening in Adolphe¡¯s attack and seeded innding a counter. He dealt 6 percent of damage to Adolphe, which told him that winning this round wouldn¡¯t be easy.

    The upgrade to his weapons had increased their attack stats by 72 percent, but Adolphe was only receiving a little bit of damage. That meant that Adolphe was a strong tank.

    From the exchange, Junhyuk knew his weapons weren¡¯t any better than the enemy¡¯s weapon, so he had to focus on his skills. He was waiting for Adolphe¡¯s ultimate.

    Junhyuk attacked again, and Adolphe¡¯s expression hardened. The hero used hisst power then. Adolphe disappeared, and the saw-ded sword pierced through Junhyuk¡¯s chest. Junhyuk responded immediately, but Adolphe disappeared again, shing Junhyuk¡¯s back. Junhyuk reacted again, but Adolphe sliced his thigh.

    Junhyuk was wielding both of his swords, but Adolphe stabbed him in the stomach again and escaped.

    It seemed as though all restrictions on Adolphe had disappeared. Adolphe was moving at a speed that Junhyuk couldn¡¯t follow with his eyes. Junhyuk had lost 32 percent of his health in no time.

    Junhyuk¡¯s defensive items were powerful, so the damage he received wasn¡¯t that high.

    Junhyuk shed at Adolphe, but the hero didn¡¯t dodge, blocking instead.

    Junhyuk struck Adolphe, and the enemy hero attacked him a few more times. However, Adolphe was not Halo. Junhyuk¡¯s skills had gone tremendously from sparring with Arn, and none of Adolphe¡¯s regr attacksnded.

    Finally, Adolphe fell. Junhyuk inspected the item the enemy hero dropped. It was a wristguard.

    Looking at the stats, Junhyuk saw that Adolphe had upgraded it ten times. That made sense with how strong Adolphe¡¯s defense was.

    Junhyuk thought the item would fetch a good price.

    When Elise picked up the item Kilraden had dropped, she said, ¡°This has been upgraded a lot. I should give it to someone in our team.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡±

    Elise nodded and started attacking the enemy minions. The enemy minions had dealt a heavy blow to the allied minions with their absurd movement speed and hovering ability.

    However, the allied minions were winning thanks to Eunseo. She had kicked many enemy minions into oblivion.

    Junhyuk joined the fight, and the enemy minions quickly disappeared. The allies destroyed the enemy watchtower, and the three went into the buff tower. There, Eunseo said, ¡°I can¡¯t deal any damage to the enemy heroes, so I should fight with the minions.¡±

    The minions were a big part of the battle now. They were useful in destroying buildings and golems. If Eunseo joined them, they would be better off.

    Eunseo was an expert, and her health and damage were outstanding byparison. Her items looked weak, but against minions, she was overpowered. She should fight with the allied minions.

    Eunseo was agreeing with their tactics with that proposition. She knew she shouldn¡¯t get in the way of the heroes¡¯ fights.

    Junhyuk contacted the others and said, ¡°I met Kilraden and Adolphe. Kraken should be heading left. Did youe up against him, Gongon?¡±

    ¡°Octopus head ising this way?¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Sarang and La and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know who their sniper is.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be careful. What were they like?¡±

    ¡°This is the semis, so both their defense and attack stats were high.¡±

    ¡°Of course. What are you going to do now?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll hunt buff monsters.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t enough time to give support to any of the sides, so Junhyuk was going to try to upgrade Elise¡¯s power. He wanted to get more synthesis materials for her.

    Junhyuk and Elise went their separate ways to hunt. Junhyuk killed one of the buff monsters, but it didn¡¯t drop a synthesis material. After that, Gongon contacted him.

    ¡°I killed him!¡±

    ¡°Did you go up against Kraken?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! He was sooo dense!¡±

    ¡°And you killed him?¡±

    ¡°I have Helen, and my weapon has received a massive upgrade.¡±

    Junhyuk agreed with that. Gongon had seeded in getting his weapon to +20. Now, it was shining in rainbow colors. On top of that, Gongon had boosted his piercing stat.

    ¡°Was Kraken alone?¡±

    ¡°No. He was with a champion. The champion can encase you in a prison, but a single headbutt was enough for a kill.¡±

    The enemy team had a champion with them, one with a restraining power, but the champion had not survived Gongon¡¯s headbutt.

    Kraken was extremely dense, but Gongon had managed to kill him.

    If the allies could kill the enemy tank, they could win with ease. After that, Junhyuk contacted Sarang and La, but the two told him they would contact himter.

    He headed back for the buff tower. Sarang and La had to be in a fierce battle.

    ¡°It feels like there¡¯s no telling what will happen.¡±

    Junhyuk was Kilraden¡¯s worst enemy. The hero¡¯s stealth power didn¡¯t work on him. However, Kilraden was deadly to all of the other allies.

    Gongon could cut through Kraken¡¯s defense, but Kraken¡¯s ultimate was very powerful, and they would have to watch out for it during team battles.

    ¡°We can¡¯t lose the buff tower.¡±

    The buff tower buffed attack. Junhyuk was starting to think the round would be a headache to win.

 Chapter 565 - Semifinal 3

    <h4>Chapter 565: Semifinal 3</h4>

    While Junhyuk was heading back to the middle, he received a call and was told something unexpected.

    ¡°Big brother, we both got killed.¡±

    ¡°Both of you!?¡±

    The allies had won on the left and the middle, but they had been defeated on the right, and the right side had had two heroes there.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°There was a sniper and a buffer. The buffer was a female troll, but her buff was really strong. We couldn¡¯t do anything.¡±

    When Junhyuk heard mention of a female troll, his eye twitched.

    ¡°Em?¡±

    Em could buff both attack and defense, and her ultimate increased them even more. The sniper was probably dealing a ton of damage if she was buffed.

    Junhyuk contacted Gongon, who was moving toward the second watchtower.

    ¡°Gongon, move toward the middle. We¡¯ll attack the right tower together.¡±

    ¡°Can we do that?¡±

    ¡°The enemy team has a buffer and a sniper. We can kill the both.¡±

    Junhyuk was confident. The allies didn¡¯tck in buffing power. Elise¡¯s buff was stronger than Em¡¯s, so they should be able to win even in team battles.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡¯

    ¡°We¡¯ll meet at our remaining right tower.¡±

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll meet you there.¡±

    Junhyuk joined up with Elise and took the portal, moving out immediately. Soon, Gongon appeared with Helen. The group wasposed of three heroes, a champion and an expert.

    They had a strong disposition. All of them had received the tower¡¯s buff, which gave them plenty of movement speed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    As soon as they met the enemies, the allies would get their revenge. Sarang and La were heading up the middle path. Both women would hold the middle while the group avenged them. If the group did note up against any enemy heroes, they would destroy the enemy watchtower.

    They moved up the right path, but nobody was in sight.

    Junhyuk turned to Gongon and asked, ¡°Where are they?¡±

    Gongon frowned and said, ¡°Maybe they returned.¡±

    ¡°Could be. Let¡¯s destroy their watchtower.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk and Gongon destroyed the enemy watchtower, but no enemies appeared. Shaking his head, Junhyuk said, ¡°Maybe they went dragon hunting.¡±

    Three enemy heroes would be able to kill a dragon. After some thought, Junhyuk added, ¡°They can¡¯t be heading middle... Let¡¯s advance and take the portal back. We might meet them there.¡±

    The group took the portal back, and from up the mountain, they could see the enemy heroes far away.

    The enemy team looked determined. They were prepared for a team battle, and there were four of them. They looked like they wanted to decide things quickly. One of the heroes was missing, which meant that he would jointer.

    Adolphe wasn¡¯t there, and he was the most dangerous of the bunch.

    The other enemy heroes wereing up the path. The allies would regroup at about the same time as the enemy heroes reached them.

    Junhyuk was curious about the fouring up. It was possible that they didn¡¯t expect the allies to be at the buff tower.

    He waited. The enemy heroes would reach the top soon, and the allies would be there for them. At the top, Kraken waved one of his tentacles toward them.

    ¡°You want to fight with the help of a watchtower?¡± Kraken asked mockingly.

    Gongon chuckled and stepped forward, saying, ¡°Octopus head, you have lost your mind.¡±

    The hatchling turned to Junhyuk and said, ¡°Let¡¯s attack.¡±

    Junhyuk agreed. The enemy team wascking a hero, so the allies shouldn¡¯t wait around.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The allies moved forward, and Kraken did the same. Junhyuk looked at Helen. She had a power that could restrain the enemy, but the heroes had high defense, and Helen wouldn¡¯t be much help against that. Still, her restraining power would help. On top of that, the allies had powerful ultimates. The only thing theycked was a true tank.

    Junhyuk was confident in his range. He ran forward, and the enemy champion ran toward him. The champion was a purple women with long hair. When she extended her hand, Gongon said, ¡°Be careful. She has an imprisoning power.¡±

    ¡°But I have the range.¡±

    There was a hundred meters between them. Nobody could attack from that range. That was what Junhyuk was thinking when the cage fell on his head.

    When Junhyuk looked up, he saw a purple energy cage surrounding him. He tried, but he couldn¡¯t teleport out.

    ¡°What?! I can¡¯t use my powers?!¡±

    That was the imprisoning power with the longest range. On top of that, there was a nullification field within it, so he couldn¡¯t use any of his powers. Junhyuk was in danger.

    Junhyuk, who had attacks with some of the longest ranges, often attacked his enemies before they coulde close. Now, however, he was stuck in a cage.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?!¡±

    Suddenly, something came up from the ground below him.

    Crush, crush, crush, crush!

    They were octopus tentacles, Kraken¡¯s ultimate.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    Kraken¡¯s ultimate could stun the enemy for five seconds. The prison eventually disappeared, but now, Junhyuk was stunned, and his enemies were closing in. Em was buffing them.

    Junhyuk suddenly saw an enemy he had never seen before. The hero wascking both arms. Instead, there wererge cannons attached to the shoulder. The cannons shone, and beams shot out of them. The two beams swept through the allies, dealing heavy damage.

    Junhyuk lost 35 percent of his health with the attack. Even though it was a ranged attack, it dealt a lot of damage. Junhyuk scowled, and at the same time, Kilraden teleported and triggered his ultimate.

    Junhyuk¡¯s defense was higher than before, but he still lost 39 percent of his health with the attack. Kilraden had definitely upgraded his weapons.

    The five-second stun felt like an eternity. The two attacks had taken a massive amount of health from him.

    The damage was piling up. Junhyuk could die at any moment.

    ¡°Consider it an honor to be killed by me, Potra.¡±

    Potra was the one with the beam cannons. She took a knee and aimed at him, releasing another beam.

    As he watched the beam heading his way, Junhyuk regained his movement. He immediately raised the force field around himself. At the same time, Sarang healed him. She healed all of the allies.

    The enemy team had been keeping a massive distance since they knew about his long range ultimate, but they got too eager. Junhyuk used both his Dimensional sh and his Spatial Copse, aiming both at Kilraden.

    The two powersnded, and Kilraden died. It was better to get rid of the assassin early.

    The allies started their attack. Sarang shot electric sts at Potra and Em. She and Elise used their ultimates against Potra, who melted away.

    Launched her katana against Em. The sword mmed into Em¡¯s chest and returned to La, who used her ultimate right after. Em lost a massive chunk of health.

    Junhyuk teleported. He wanted to kill as many as he could fast. All of the allies attacked Em now, but La delivered the final blow.

    Only Kraken remained. The enemy hero scowled and spun like a top, mming against the force field. Kraken was huge, so he pushed the force field away with Junhyuk inside.

    After that, he started heading for the portal. Gongon gave chase. The hatchling erged and headbutted toward Kraken.

    The enemy hero lost 24 percent of his health, and Gongon used his firebreath, taking another 20 percent.

    Gongon was outside of Junhyuk¡¯s force field, so Kraken shot ck ink at him. Gongon¡¯s vision was obstructed, so Gongon used his ultimate. He transformed into an adult dragon and took to the skies.

    Hended right on top of the portal.

    Meanwhile, Junhyuk wanted to support Gongon, so he got in Kraken¡¯s way and shed at him.

    sh!

    He failed to cut the tentacle off. Gongon was dealing a lot of damage to Kraken, but Junhyuk couldn¡¯t do the same. His attack took only 4 percent off of the enemy hero¡¯s health.

    Kraken was denser than Adolphe, something Junhyuk wasn¡¯t expecting.

    Zaira appeared in front of Kraken, but the enemy hero toss her away with his tentacles. Helen restrained Kraken, and all of the allies attacked him together.

    Kraken only lost 3 percent of his health from Sarang¡¯s attack, which meant his magic defense was also very high. Nevertheless, Gongon was kicking ass. The dragon regained his vision and breathed out arge fireball. Kraken lost 25 percent of his health from the attack.

    The enemy hero couldn¡¯t contend with Gongon.

    Gongon¡¯s +20 weapon was tearing through Kraken¡¯s defense.

    Finally, Kraken died. The allies also dispatched the enemy champion.

    Meanwhile, Adolphe destroyed the second allied tower on the right side.

 Chapter 566 - Ferocious Battle 1

    <h4>Chapter 566: Ferocious Battle 1</h4>

    The allies had killed more of the enemy heroes, but the watchtower situation favored the enemy team. After some thought, Junhyuk said, ¡°Let¡¯s keep pushing and see what happens.¡±

    He wanted to take the enemy¡¯s second tower down the middle path. While running toward it, he thought about the battle he had just fought, about the imprisoning power with the crazy range and the attacks that followed it.

    Kraken had used his ultimate, allowing the others tobo him. If Adolphe had been there, Junhyuk would¡¯ve died. If he had died, the allies would¡¯ve lost the exchange.

    This round was extremely dangerous, and Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure if the allies could win in a full team battle.

    While climbing down the mountain, the allies lost their buff. But, they reached the tower before the enemy team did. When the enemy heroes saw the allies approaching, they stopped. Adolphe wasn¡¯t there, so they did not try to start a fight. That group had already been defeated once, so they stayed where they were.

    Junhyuk smiled at them and decided to keep pushing with his group. Suddenly, however, he heard something unexpected.

    [Your gate is under attack.]

    Fighter heard a warning when their castle came under attack. Adolphe had destroyed the watchtower and attacked the castle by himself.

    Junhyuk decided to return alone. He thought he could deal with Adolphe by himself. When he returned, he walked out of the spawn room and headed for the wall, but the gate had already been destroyed.

    Adolphe had to have brought minions with him, which would¡¯ve made it easy to bring the gate down. The allied archers had all been killed.

    Junhyuk scowled and started running around. Heroes were the only ones who could return, so the enemy minions had to be hiding somewhere, ready to attack.

    He couldn¡¯t allow them to stay alive.

    It was possible that Adolphe was nearby as well. He could try to get back to Junhyuk¡¯s castle to destroy the golems.

    Junhyuk left the castle quickly and ran down the road. He used his teleportation to move around even quicker, but he couldn¡¯t find Adolphe. He headed for the reed fields. There, he couldn¡¯t use his spatial sense to sense his enemies. He would have to search for them normally.

    Junhyuk found the minions, and he saw Adolphe as well. Adolphe had triggered the return.

    ¡°Adolphe!¡±

    The enemy hero smirked, and the minions rushed toward him. Junhyuk had teleported and tried to cut Adolphe, but the enemy hero had prepared to return before Junhyuk even got there. Adolphe was gone, so Junhyuk shed the empty air. Looking back, he saw the enemy minions running away. He couldn¡¯t allow that, so he chased after them, cutting all forty-five of them down.

    Adolphe had had enough minions with him to destroy the allied castle. After killing all of them, Junhyuk contacted the allies. They were advancing toward the enemy formation.

    ¡°Can you win without me?¡±

    ¡°You shoulde, and fast.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    The fastest way to get there was to use the portal. On the way, Junhyuk would stop by the buff tower and trigger the buff for his team again. He took the right path, running to find the portal.

    So far, the allies had done fine, but the enemy team was moving with just four heroes. He felt ufortable with the situation. Gongon had upgraded his weapon, so should Junhyuk trust Gongon to take care of things?

    He was pondering his options as he ran. Suddenly, Sarang contacted him.

    ¡°Big brother, Adolphe is back, so we are running away.¡±

    ¡°Can you all escape?¡±

    ¡°We are far from him and retreating now. There are only four of us, so we would have a tough time trying to take them on.¡±

    THere were five enemy heroes, and even with Gongon on their side, the enemy team had a powerful champion with them. A champion with an imprisoning power with the longest range, an imprisoning power that also had a nullification field.

    The enemy could rush at them, imprison Gongon and burn him down first. The allies had to retreat immediately.

    ¡°I¡¯m heading to the buff tower. Meet me there and don¡¯t get bogged down fighting.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk teleported and saw the portal in front of him. He took the portal back to the buff tower and moved in to take it. It was important that he upy the tower. The buff would help the allies retreat.

    Patiently, he sat there and waited for the buff¡¯s activation. Once it triggered, he took off.

    He followed down the middle path and looked down the mountain. He could see some people climbing up. He teleported and ran and, once he got closer to the allies, he stopped teleporting. When he joined the others, Gongon startedughing and said, ¡°OK. We¡¯ll stopped running now.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled at the hatchling and looked at the enemiesing up behind them. They were about three hundred meters away. The champion could trigger her prison from a hundred meters away. Without her, things would be much easier.

    Junhyuk turned to the allies and said, ¡°Let¡¯s kill that champion first.¡±

    ¡°Can we kill her?¡±

    ¡°If we really try, we can.¡±

    Junhyuk waited for the enemies, and when they were about 120 meters apart, he teleported. He closed in immediately and used his Dimensional sh against the enemy champion.

    From the longest range he could strike, the Dimensional sh killed the champion. After that, he turned to the heroesing for him.

    The range of Junhyuk¡¯s Spatial Copse was also great. nning to use it next, he waited for them toe closer.

    The enemy heroes stayed away from him. Junhyuk wanted to wait until they were ten meters away from him to use the Spatial Copse on one of them.

    Em buffed the enemy heroes one by way. Now that he was buffed, Kraken ran out first. He rushed toward Junhyuk and spit out ck ink at him.

    Junhyuk knew the Spatial Copse would really damage Kraken, so he teleported. He reappeared above Kraken¡¯s head and looked at the other enemies while he stood there.

    Potra had the most burst damage out of the enemy heroes, so targeting her, he triggered his Spatial Copse.

    Potra had been preparing to shoot him with her two cannons, but his attack was faster.

    She was sucked into the void, and Junhyuk teleported onest time to get away. Potra lost 65 percent of her health, but Junhyuk failed to finish her off.

    Elise ran toward him and buffed him. He would have the buff for the rest of the fight.

    Junhyuk had used all of his power except for the force field, so he turned back to the enemy heroes.

    Gongon smiled at him and said, ¡°Well done.¡±

    The hatchling took off with La. They were both heading for Potra, who was readying her ultimate. Potra¡¯s ultimate had a very long range.

    Right as Junhyuk was about to raise his force field, Elise said, ¡°I¡¯ll kill her.¡±

    She had already summoned her Moon Cores. Elise¡¯s ultimate was faster to trigger than Potra¡¯s. It mmed against the enemy hero. With Em¡¯s buff, Potra¡¯s health had been regenerating, but it wasn¡¯t enough. Potra died.

    Kraken used his ultimate then, but Junhyuk immediately triggered his force field.

    The octopus became bloodshot eyed, shaking with anger, and the enemies quickly retreated.

    La made contact. Kraken was trying to run away, but La sent him up into the sky. Sheunched her katana at the enemy hero, but Kraken¡¯s defense was outstanding.

    Her attacks only took 22 percent of his health, and that was because they were powers. Junhyuk realized that Gongon¡¯s attack stat was double of La¡¯s. Junhyuk started running. He had the force field around him, but something happened then.

    La had left the force field to attack Kraken, so the enemy heroes focused on her now.

    Adolphe attacked her fast, rushing and shing her. Kilraden teleported and stabbed through her neck with his dagger. When Krakennded, he grabbed La and twisted her like a wet rag with his tentacles.

    ¡°Aaargh!¡±

    That power made everyone feel ufortable and dirty. Even though La¡¯s defense was good, she was being relentlesslyboed.

    On top of that, the enemy heroes were buffed. La was left with only 30 percent of her health. Junhyuk scowled at that. He tried getting her in his force field, but the Kraken threw her behind the enemy formation.

    The allies couldn¡¯t afford to lose a hero.

    Sarang triggered her healing power, healing La, and Gongon attempted to headbutt Kilraden.

    Kilraden dodged however. The enemy hero turned translucent and stabbed Gongon¡¯s side. That was his counterattack power.

    Suddenly, thunderbolts crashed on Kilraden.

    Craaaack, boom!

    That was the beginning of a ferocious battle.

 Chapter 567 - Ferocious Battle 2

    <h4>Chapter 567: Ferocious Battle 2</h4>

    When the thunderbolts crashed down on Kilraden, the enemy hero was also paralyzed. Thunderstorm could trigger a paralysis, but the rate was rather low. Elise took the opportunity to shoot Kilraden, and Junhyuk shed him with Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    Gongon, who was erged, kicked Kilraden¡¯s side, and the hero faded away.

    Two enemy heroes had died. The allies were winning, so Sarang shot off two electric sts. Kraken and Adolphe were hit and paralyzed.

    Em swung her bat, but La blocked it and countered. Em was a buffer and specialized mostly in buffing, so La was having her way with the enemy hero.

    Some of the others were also attacking Em. Gongon shed against Kraken, and Junhyuk attacked Adolphe. Sarang and Elise were helping Junhyuk, but during that time, the allied force field disappeared.

    Adolpheunched himself toward La. He had to be stopped, so Elise had Zaira block his path. Adolphe swung his sword down at Zaira.

    ng!

    Adolpheunched Zaira away and tried to use his ultimate, but Elise had gotten close enough to him and triggered her nullification field.

    Everyone was within range of her field, so Junhyuk moved quickly to attack the enemy heroes.

    La was recovering because of Elise¡¯s buff. Sarang had healed her as well, but Adolphe¡¯s ultimate would still kill her.

    The allies had been able to pull ahead because Junhyuk was able to deliver the first blow. He had managed to kill the champion before she could act, which was awesome.

    Nevertheless, the allies still had to kill the remaining enemy heroes. On top of that, they couldn¡¯t lose anyone. If any of them died, they would have to wait for them to rejoin the group.

    For them to fight as a team, they had to have all five heroes together.

    The allied team couldn¡¯t deal with the enemy team with three of four heroes like in the past. This was the semifinal round.

    If they met Arn¡¯s team in the final round, that would be hell. Even if that were not the case, they would go up against a team that would have defeated Arn¡¯s team. That would be an even greater problem.

    For team fights, all heroes had to be present in this round.

    Adolphe was still inside Elise¡¯s nullification field, so Junhyuk attacked him with all of his strength. Adolphe scowled and swung his sword at Junhyuk.

    However, Junhyuk had changed from his previous self. Without his powers, Adolphe was having a hard time. Elise stood between Adolphe and La, and Sarang positioned herself behind Junhyuk, also attacking Adolphe.

    Adolphe was a true here, but with three heroes attacking him, openings started to appear.

    The nullification field ran out, and Adolphe quickly triggered his ultimate. He realized he couldn¡¯t kill La now, so he attacked Sarang.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t do anything. Adolphe was moving incredibly fast. The hero¡¯s attacked passed right through Junhyuk to reach Sarang.

    She lost 55 percent of her health at once, but Elise had buffed Sarang, so her defense had increased.

    Junhyuk shed at Adolphe. His ultimate was over, but Adolphe raised his sword above his head and it down on Sarang with the ten-meter strike.

    Junhyuk dove toward Sarang and pushed her out of the way, getting hit by the de instead.

    Adolphe scowled and mmed his shoulder against Junhyuk, pushing through him toward Sarang. Suddenly, a red beam appeared around the enemy heroes.

    Junhyuk knew that was Em¡¯s ultimate Adolphe attack stat was being increased by 20 percent, but he had already used all of his damaging powers.

    Adolphe stabbed his sword into the ground, and two blue energy rings shot out of the ground and tied Junhyuk and Sarang up. The allied heroes were now sitting ducks for critical hits.

    Adolphe shed Sarang, a critical hit. She bled profusely and lost 15 percent of her health.

    He raised his saw-ded sword again, striking down at her once more. Sarang was losing chunks of health with each strike. She could die at any moment.

    Adolphe still had 62 percent of his health, but suddenly, a fireball shot out in his direction, striking him hard.

    Boom!

    Adolphe was pushed back, and Junhyuk repositioned himself in front of Sarang. Adolphe lost a massive amount of health. Gongon could deal the most damage of all of the allies.

    Junhyuk¡¯s Dimensional sh hade off cooldown. He used one of his swords to stab Adolphe deeply. Adolphe tried to counter, but at the same time, Junhyuk used his Dimensional sh on the enemy hero.

    sh!

    A slice appeared on Adolphe¡¯s neck, which shot out blood like a fountain. Adolphe started fading, and Junhyuk sighed, relieved. It had been close, but the allies had managed to kill Adolphe.

    Em and Kraken were still alive, so Junhyuk ran toward Kraken and shouted, ¡°Kill Em!¡±

    La didn¡¯t have a lot of health, but Sarang and Elise could kill Em together. Em was a buffer, so other than that, she had no other powers. Her defense was also rather low, so killing her wouldn¡¯t be hard.

    Junhyuk inspected Kraken¡¯s health. The hero only had 32 percent of his health left. Kraken was alsocking offensive powers. He was a tank.

    Gongon, who still had a lot of health, shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll kill Kraken!¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯m only trying to keep him from rampaging.¡±

    Sarang also didn¡¯t have much health. He didn¡¯t want to give Kraken the opportunity to kill her. For that reason, he was blocking Kraken¡¯s path to her.

    Gongon¡¯s ultimate had run out. He was small again, but he was still attacking Kraken. Without his transformations, what Gongon had learned from Nudra served for nothing. Still, Gongon¡¯s movements were different from before.

    Gongon rolled himself into a ball andunched himself high into the air. He came down attacking with kicks and tail whips. The difference in size between the two heroes was massive, but Gongon was still the one dealing the most damage.

    Gongon was both a damager and a tank, and Kraken was being frustrated by that.

    Junhyuk just watched as Gongon killed Kraken by himself.

    It was like the fight between David and Goliath in the Valley of Death, and Gongon roared loudly when it was over.

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha! He was nothing! How dare he?!¡±

    Junhyukughed and turned back. Em was also dead. He looked at his team. Nobody had died, and they had managed to kill all of the enemy heroes.

    He smiled and said, ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy, but we killed them all.¡±

    ¡°Because you killed that champion.¡±

    Without getting rid of the champion, one of the allied heroes would have definitely died. And if the fight turned into four against five, things would¡¯ve be extremely difficult.

    ¡°Shall we attack their castle?¡± he asked, and everyone agreed.

    Because none of the allied heroes had died, their morale was shooting to the sky. The morale of the allied minions was also very high.

    Junhyuk was d for that. The enemy team had lost many minions, and 220 allied minions had survived.

    The allied moved toward the enemy castle. The enemy team was waiting for them there, and Junhyuk could see them on the wall.

    Kraken, Adolphe and Kilraden were outside the castle, whereas Potra and Em remained inside.

    Junhyuk frowned and said, ¡°They might be able to strike first.¡±

    The enemy champion had to be inside the castle. The gate was still up, so the allied team couldn¡¯t enter the castle immediately. That meant that the champion could trigger the prison from a hundred meters away.

    ¡°Nothing we can do. You take the hit for the team,¡± Gongon said.

    ¡°Me?!¡±

    ¡°Right. You have your force field. All you gotta do is evade the imprisoning power.¡±

    Junhyuk could do that by teleporting and triggering his force field.

    Gongon was being logical, but Junhyuk felt bad about being the bait. Not only did Kraken have a stunning power, but Adolphe had his rush and sh on top of the blue energy rings. More than that, Kilraden could kill nearly anyone almost instantaneously.

    Junhyuk turned to the allies and said, ¡°Keep me alive.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t die. Don¡¯t worry and take point.¡±

    ¡°Right. I trust you.¡±

    Gongon raised his rainbow weapon and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll keep you alive.¡±

    Junhyuk followed their logic and allowed himself to act as bait for the enemy champion.

    He gathered his breath, and Elise buffed him. He wanted to finish the battle quickly.

    Sarang had healed him on the way, so he was at full health now.

    Junhyuk could see the enemy champion on the way now. The enemy team was risking everything in thisst team battle.

    ¡°Attack!¡± Gongon shouted, and the minions started running forward. Junhyuk moved among them.

    The enemy minions came zooming toward the approaching allied minions and attacked. The enemy champion raised her hand. The imprisoning power might shoot off toward him at any moment, but Junhyuk war ready to teleport. He looked into the enemy champion¡¯s eyes and teleported, retreating as he did.

    But, the enemy champion was smiling.

    ¡°You are ying with me!¡±

    Junhyuk dashed forward again. Kilraden was the most dangerous of the enemy heroes, and he wanted to kill the assassin first. He could do it if he used both his Dimensional sh and his Spatial Copse on Kilraden.

    He might end up imprisoned, but he would survive. Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to stay on the defensive. His mind was too focused on offense for that.

    Kilraden was stealthing, but Junhyuk could sense him with his spatial sense. Junhyuk teleported and triggered his Spatial Copse.

 Chapter 568 - Ferocious Battle 3

    <h4>Chapter 568: Ferocious Battle 3</h4>

    The Spatial Copse locked Kilraden down, but just as Junhyuk was about to use his Dimensional sh, a purple cage fell over him. The prison nullified his powers, and because of that, he couldn¡¯t use the Dimensional sh.

    Still, he was the only ally imprisoned. The enemy heroes were running toward him, but their stunning powers wouldn¡¯t work through the cage.

    Junhyuk would move as fast as he could once the prison disappeared. He was waiting for just the right moment. However, Kraken¡¯s tentacles burst through the ground underneath the cage, which was open, and stunned him. It was Kraken¡¯s ultimate, and stunned, Junhyuk could die.

    The allies were rushing toward him as well. Elise¡¯s nullification field could undo all powers.

    Kilraden teleported inside the cage and stabbed him. When the cage disappeared, Adolphe shed at him with his saw-ded sword. Junhyuk was taking one hit after the other.

    Once the allies made it to him, Junhyuk would counterattack. But, Kilraden and Adolphe both used their ultimates, and Potra shot at him from the wall.

    Junhyuk vision turned blurry, and he gritted his teeth. He wanted to kill Kilraden, but the assassin¡¯s ultimate dealt too much damage. Even with Elise¡¯s buff, he couldn¡¯t do anything after taking the hit. Junhyuk died, failing to use his Dimensional sh before that.

    It was his first death in a very long time.

    ¡ª

    Within the harrowing darkness, Junhyuk found himself. In that void, he bettered his Triple Yin Yang. Once he got back, he would absorb more core energy, so for now, he polished his swordsmanship.

    Junhyuk opened his eyes slowly. He had revived, so he breathed in deeply.

    At that moment, there was a battle being waged. For that reason, Junhyuk didn¡¯t contact his allies.

    He checked on his condition. He had to have dropped an item, and because he had upgraded all of his items multiple times, it was a big loss for him.

    Looking over his items, he scowled immediately.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    He had invested heavily on the ring, but he had dropped it. Even one death was extremely detrimental to him now.

    Junhyuk gathered his breath and collected his thoughts. He had lost his new ring, but he should not remain despondent. He would get more items from his enemies.

    He looked around, and Ariel said, [It¡¯s been a while since yourst death.]

    ¡°Right. I should have used my force field.¡±

    Junhyuk should have raised his force field and killed Adolphe and Kilraden while it was active. The allies could still kill both of those heroes without him. That cage nullified all powers, and Kraken had used his ultimate to stun him. They had made up their minds to kill him first.

    ¡°Now, it¡¯s time for my revenge.¡±

    [You can do it.]

    ¡°Thanks. Open the door.¡±

    [Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed!]

    Once he got out, he contacted the others. If he found out the allies had retreated, he would join them immediately.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    Gongon smirked and said, ¡°We destroyed the gate. Now, we are pushing through.¡±

    ¡°The enemies?¡±

    ¡°We killed three of them, but two got away. I¡¯ll use the minions against the golems. If I fail, we¡¯ll retreat. Bring as many minions as you can with you. Time will decide things.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk was d that the allied heroes had broken through the gate. Potra might be dangerous, but Em was weak.

    ¡°Did anyone die?¡±

    ¡°No. You got the enemies to use all of their ultimates, so everyone is alive.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±

    Junhyuk gathered two hundred minions and took the middle path. Gongon contacted him on the way.

    ¡°Destroyed.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Junhyuk felt the world disappearing around him. He knew the victors had been decided, but who had killed the enemies?

    A blinding light overpowered Junhyuk¡¯s vision, and once it died down, Junhyuk opened his eyes. He saw Ariel, who was smiling at him.

    [Congrattions!]

    ¡°Thanks. I guess things were settled without me.¡±

    Gongon had probably been crucial, and that made Junhyuk understand the importance of upgrades.

    [You¡¯ll receive your winnings.]

    ¡°Sure. By the way, which team will we meet in the final?¡±

    [They are still fighting.]

    Arn¡¯s team was still fighting, which meant his enemy had to be strong.

    Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°Sure. What about Ling Ling¡¯s team?¡±

    ¡°Her team¡¯s returns are set at 50 percent.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not much.¡±

    Junhyuk pulled out the gold he had and the reward gold. He had lost a ring, so he had to reinvest now. Ling Ling wouldn¡¯t lose, so he bet all of his gold on her.

    [Are you betting everything?]

    ¡°Yes. Send me back.¡±

    [Then, see youter.]

    Junhyuk was blinded again. When he opened his eyes, he saw Sarang and Elise looking at him.

    ¡°Big brother!¡± Sarang gave him a tight hug, and he patted her back.

    Elise ce a hand on his shoulder and said, ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°You got the enemies to use all of their ultimates, so we won.¡±

    Junhyukughed and replied, ¡°I¡¯m d I contributed.¡±

    Junhyuk had further developed his Triple Yin Yang while in the void. He had lost a ring, but he would endure.

    Ling Ling would win, and he would win even more gold from his bet.

    Junhyuk was interested in something else now. Time on Earth was moving again, so Arn battle was already finished. Junhyuk contacted Arn, who was drinking alcohol when he asnwered.

    ¡°Did you win?!¡± Junhyuk asked with a shoute.

    ¡°Of course! Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Congrattions!¡±

    ¡°Should you really be happy? You¡¯ll be fighting us.¡±

    Junhyuk chuckled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t care who wins thisst round. There¡¯ll always be a next time.¡±

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t been a hero for that long. He wasfortable with Arn¡¯s victory. He would do his best, but if he lost, he wouldn¡¯t lose sleep over it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go easy on us. If you do, I¡¯ll kill you.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    Going easy on Arn would be rude. He couldn¡¯t do it. However, Arn had his sixth sense, so Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure if his team could win. Arn could dodge his Dimensional sh.

    Arn smirked and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not meet for a couple of weeks.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°We know each other, so we should prepare. In the real world, it would¡¯ve been easy, but there are too many restrictions in the Dimensional Battlefield.

    ¡°Whoa! Are you getting just to ready to kill us?¡±

    ¡°Be d. I¡¯ve recognized you as strong.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and replied, ¡°I¡¯m d. I¡¯ll get ready for the battle as well.¡±

    ¡°Right. See you in two weeks¡¯ time.¡±

    Arn put the liquor bottle down, his eyes more serious and intense than before.

    Junhyuk turned to Elise and Sarang and asked, ¡°Did you hear?¡±

    ¡°We have to fight Vera?¡±

    Sarang possessed lightning magic. She had learned all of her spells from Vera, and just like Junhyuk respected Arn, she respected Vera.

    It was a battle between students and teachers, and they were meeting in the final round.

    Junhyuk looked at Elise and said, ¡°Elise, we need a strategy.¡±

    ¡°Hm... They won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    Arn¡¯s team didn¡¯t have a buffer or a tank, but on Earth, Arn¡¯s team was much stronger. In the Dimensional Battlefield, things would be different, however.

    The allies didn¡¯t have a tank, but everyone had incredible ultimates. Two of their ultimates could kill a stronger damager.

    THe allies would attack the enemy damagers first. Arn¡¯s team was mostlyposed of those.

    Junhyuk had his Spatial Copse, and Elise had the Moon Core Compound Beam. Sarang had her Thunderstorm.

    La¡¯s ultimate could only be used from a short distance, so it wasn¡¯t very useful, but La could rush and sh her enemy, and her powersboed and stacked for greater damage.

    However, La¡¯s overall damage was simr to when Gongon used just one of his powers. La had to upgrade her weapon. She had to focus on offense.

    Junhyuk contacted Gongon and La. She had already heard from Halo, so she knew Arn¡¯s team would be their next opponents. Looking at them both, Junhyuk said, ¡°We know our enemies, so let¡¯s get ready. Arn told me not to talk to him for two weeks.¡±

    ¡°Halo went into seclusion at a temple.¡±

    Gongon chuckled and said, ¡°I can show Nudra the extent of my powers.¡±

    Junhyukughed and asked, ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll visit you in two days.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk would absorb more core energy. He would do everything within his power to increase his powers before the final round.

 Chapter 569 - Dimensional Shift 1

    <h4>Chapter 569: Dimensional Shift 1</h4>

    Junhyuk started talking to Elise about upgrading her equipment. Her Moon Core carried dual cores and had developed artificial intelligence, and even Junhyuk couldn¡¯t attack it easily.

    On Earth, he could elerate to attack it, but in the battlefield, things were moreplicated. In a one-on-one battle, Junhyuk had a hard timending regr attacks on her.

    Elise would need just a bit more defensive gear to be a true tank.

    Junhyuk, who was standing in front of Zaira, looked her up and down. Zaira¡¯s defensive capabilities had increased, but she had been easily dismantled by Adolphe. She had long range attacks, which were her strength, but her damage output was also rather low.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t care about upgrading her damage, but her defense was a different matter.

    Holding her chin, Elise muttered, ¡°What about a floating energy field to surround her?¡±

    ¡°Is that even possible?¡±

    ¡°I can do it, but will it even work in the battlefield?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s now way of knowing until we get there,¡± Junhyuk replied, and Elise yawned hard.

    ¡°I¡¯ll need another core.¡±

    The core would be used just to power the energy field.

    ¡°Do it. I can help you if you need me.¡±

    Elise started building the energy field part, and she contacted Gongon to help her. The best magic engineering results came from the two working together.

    The two were excited by the idea of the energy field. It wouldn¡¯t work with just engineering. They needed magic for it, and Gongon was definitely necessary in the process.

    Junhyuk wanted to fight against Zaira to check out her defensive capabilities, but Elise was busy talking to Gongon.

    He entered his training facility. Eunseo and Helen had just woken up, so he exined the final round to them and told them to do their best to prepare for the next two weeks.

    He sent them away, sat downfortably and closed his eyes. Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t invite anyone for the next couple of weeks, so he would polish his skills by himself. During his death, he had made great strides with the Triple Yin Yang.

    Junhyuk was used to how his body felt as the energy of his swordsmanship coursed through it, but now, he needed more core energy.

    Junhyuk tuned the energy within his body before opening his eyes slowly to see Gongon¡¯s face in front of him.

    ¡°Invite me.¡±

    Junhyuk did so, and Gongon looked around and pulled out the cores. Gongon pulled out twenty-four cores andid twenty-four gems on the ground. There was runic script floating above the gems, and beams of energy shot out from each gem, connecting them all.

    Junhyuk smiled.

    The magic circle that would pull the energy from the cores was bigger than the previous one. There was energy emanating from it, and it definitely felt superior.

    Gongon ced each core within the formation and activated the circle.

    Junhyuk looked at it, and Gongon said, ¡°You can¡¯t stand there.¡±

    ¡°Where should I stand?¡±

    ¡°Here.¡±

    Junhyuk stood within a small circle drawn on the ground.

    Woob, woob, woob, woob!

    Each of the cores was moving into ce by themselves within the circle, and Junhyuk¡¯s body started floating. When Junhyuk¡¯s body was suspended in the center of the training facility, Gongon shouted at him, ¡°I¡¯m starting it!¡±

    Thest core got in position, and Junhyuk felt the energy start flowing toward him. It wasn¡¯t just the energy of one core, but of twenty-four cores. He felt like his body was being torn apart.

    Junhyu could endure the pain since his Triple Yin Yang had improved. He didn¡¯t resist the energy rushing to him, but absorbed it instead. It felt like there was no end to the energy and that his body couldn¡¯t stand anymore of it.

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t been able to endure six cores previously, but even now, there was a limit to what he could do.

    He endured the pain of feeling like everything was being ripped, but he remained conscious despite all the blood that wasing out of him from the burst veins.

    Where he was yed, new flesh was made. HIs veins became stronger, and his muscles much denser.

    Junhyuk¡¯s face contorted at Gongon.

    ¡°He could die like this,¡± Gongon said.

    Junhyuk¡¯s body was rebuilding itself, but there was a limit.

    Gongon was nervous about what he was seeing, and he thought about shutting down the circle. The energy Junhyuk was acquiring couldn¡¯t surpass his limit. Even though Junhyuk was being injured, he was still absorbing an enormous amount of energy.

    Gongon activated the goggles he was wearing.

    Junhyuk was absorbing more than the full amount of energy within a core, and the hatchling knew human bodies couldn¡¯t contain that much energy.

    Each core was equivalent to a dragon¡¯s heart, but Junhyuk wanted more.

    ¡°How about stopping?!¡± Gongon shouted at him, but Junhyuk simply shook his head. He hadn¡¯t lost consciousness, so Gongon decided to wait a while longer.

    A lot of energy was being absorbed by Junhyuk, and he added the equivalent of the energy of a core to the amount he already had.

    Still, Junhyuk wasn¡¯t done yet. Gongon had told him to absorb about 5 percent of the energy being expelled by the cores, but Junhyuk was absorbing 10 percent. He was on pace to absorb energy equivalent to two cores.

    Junhyuk was going overboard, but he knew he couldn¡¯t go through the process again, so he decided to absorb as much energy as he could in that moment. The energy within him kept increasing.

    Suddenly, Junhyuk scowled.

    ¡°We need to stop now!¡± Gongon shouted, and Junhyuk agreed. He realized that his human body couldn¡¯t contain more energy than what he had absorbed. He wanted to remain human still, so he shouted, ¡°Stop it!¡±

    Gongo moved quickly to shut down the circle while Junhyuk tried to stop the flow of energy into his body. Because he had a lot of it already, he was able to resist any more trying to get in.

    Finally, the magic circle shut down. In a sense, Junhyuk¡¯s experience this time had been much safer than the previous one, and considering the amount he had absorbed, that was even more astonishing to him.

    Junhyuknded in the center of the training facility and raised his hand. He could feel the flow of energy within him.

    Gongon clicked his tongue and said, ¡°If you hadsted any longer, your body would¡¯ve turned into pure energy.¡±

    ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I stopped.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to remain human. While putting away the cores, Gongon said, ¡°You absorbed a lot of energy. The cores are nearly empty.¡±

    Junhyuk had absorbed 10 percent of energy from each core and wasted a lot more of it.

    Gongon said, ¡°Congrattions! You should have more energy than my Lord now.¡±

    ¡°I need time to learn to control it. Two weeks won¡¯t be enough.¡±

    Acquiring energy was difficult, but controlling it was even moreplicated. Junhyuk patted Gongon¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Gongon smirked and replied, ¡°Nothing in this universe is free. I¡¯m taking all of the remaining cores.¡±

    ¡°What are you going to use them for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m building air. By the way...¡± Gongon scratched his chin, turned to Junhyuk and asked, ¡°Can your powers cross the dimensional wall now?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Can you do it with your teleport?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. I need to acquire the coordinates to a ce first.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Do you want to learn some magic?¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I don¡¯t have any intelligence runes and I don¡¯t have enough gold to spend on buying them.¡±

    After some thought, Gongon said, ¡°I¡¯ll build a device that¡¯ll acquire coordinates. After that, let¡¯s see if you can teleport through dimensions.¡±

    ¡°Is it safe?¡±

    ¡°No, but you can do it.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You can cut through dimensions, so let¡¯s try.¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he stared at the dragon.

    ¡°Are you using me for an experiment?¡±

    ¡°No. I want to invite you over.¡±

    ¡°Over to where?¡±

    ¡°Myir.¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s curiosity was piqued. Crossing dimensions wouldn¡¯t be easy, but he wanted to see Gongon¡¯sir.

    ¡°That¡¯ll be interesting. Build the device.¡±

    ¡°Right. I¡¯ll contact youter.¡±

    Gongon left, and Junhyuk closed his eyes. He felt the energy within him. It was all his energy now.

    Using the Triple Yin Yang, Junhyuk spent, harnessed and molded that energy, making it all his own. It was a lot of energy.

    His body had to get used to that amount of energy. At the same time, Junhyuk was thinking about what Gongon had said.

    A dragon¡¯sir. He really wanted to be able to travel through dimensions. Only managers could do it at will, but he thought he would be able to pull it off as well.

    Junhyuk would for his teleportation power to evolve into a dimensional teleportation power. With it, he would travel far and wide.

    Junhyuk could buy a dimensional travel device from Bebe, but it would be too expensive.

    He kept training, focusing on making the energy his own.

 Chapter 570 - Dimensional Shift 2

    <h4>Chapter 570: Dimensional Shift 2</h4>

    While training, Junhyuk realized he had changed a lot. He didn¡¯t have to eat nor sleep; he didn¡¯t feel tired. Junhyuk was different from regr humans now.

    There were times he didn¡¯t feel human, but he still thought of himself as human. He was more than human, but he did not want to give up his humanity.

    Junhyuk told himself that he was human while he trained. At some point, Junhyuk contacted Gongon and invited him over. Gongon handed him a bracelet when he showed up.

    ¡°Wear this. It¡¯ll save the coordinates to myir.¡±

    ¡°Will that change anything?¡±

    ¡°If you can travel through dimensions, you can teleport to these coordinates.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Then, go back. When I manage to teleport through dimensions, I¡¯ll go.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Gongon left, and Junhyuk stared at the bracelet. The bracelet saved sets of coordinates within it. Junhyuk closed his eyes and teleported, but when he reappeared, he was still inside the training facility. He clicked his tongue and tried again.

    It didn¡¯t work the second time either. Junhyuk focused on increasing the amount of Harmonizer within his body. It was now well beyond what he had thought to be the limit. At that point, he teleported again and felt himselfing up against a dimensional wall.

    The bracelet shone like a beacon, and a path opened up. Junhyuk went through the dimensional wall and felt his surroundings change.

    ¡°Am I really here?¡±

    He saw Gongon in front of him and thought that Gongon¡¯s real self looked very cute.

    There was another being standing next to Gongon. He was a really handsome man with blond hair tied up in a bun. The man had his arms crossed as he looked at Junhyuk.

    ¡°This must be Junhyuk.¡±

    ¡°Did you see? I gave him the coordinates, and he crossed over to our dimension.¡±

    ¡°I thought only managers could do that. I can¡¯t do it. I¡¯m envious.¡±

    ¡°Who would that be?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Gongon¡¯s father, Tetrashell.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Junhyuk Lee. I¡¯m Gongon¡¯s teammate in the Dimensional Battlefield.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard. And you two are in the finals?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Tetrashell looked at Gongon and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t think Gongon would make it to the final. Thanks for guiding him.¡±

    ¡°No. Gongon is the one helping me.¡±

    Tetrashell waved his hand dismissively and said, ¡°He¡¯s only a hatchling, so he can¡¯t be any help.¡±

    Gongon kicked Tetrashell¡¯s leg and said, ¡°You¡¯ve seen him, so you can go now.¡±

    Tetrashell smirked and punched down toward Gongon¡¯s head, but Gongon dodged the punch. A regr attack like that wouldn¡¯t hit him. Junhyukughed, and Tetrashell scoffed at his son and waved his hand across the air.

    A massive amount of mana ensnared Gongon, but the hatchling transformed and forced himself loose.

    ¡°You are something else!¡±

    Tetrashell smiled at Gongon and said, ¡°You need discipline.¡±

    ¡°My friend is here! I won¡¯t stand for it!¡±

    Dragons were the best at controlling magic, and their hearts were filled with mana. The Dragon Lord had enough mana within him to fill an entire core. He was a monster, but Gongon was still growing, so he wascking mana within his heart.

    Tetrashellughed and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight you in yourir.¡± The handsome man turned to Junhyuk and added, ¡°You shoulde to myir sometime.¡±

    Tetrashell disappeared, and Junhyuk was left speechless.

    ¡°Should I learn how to figure out coordinates?¡±

    Gongonughed at him and said, ¡°Your bracelet can remember up to five sets of coordinates.¡±

    ¡°To any dimension?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to input coordinates.¡±

    After some thought, Gongon said, ¡°Vera can teach you.¡±

    ¡°But I have to meet her first.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. After we win, invite her to your facility.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°Can you dimensional shift with other humans?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, but I can tryter.¡±

    ¡°You might be able toter. I¡¯ll show you around myir.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to see the dragon¡¯sir.

    There was a room in the middle in the shape of a circle with a twenty-meter radius and many other rooms were connected to the circle room through hallways. Gongon showed him a room filled with gems and another filled with gold.

    ¡°I¡¯m collecting these. I need a lot of money for something specific.¡±

    Gongon showed him another room, one that was sealed with magic.

    ¡°What are you hiding in there?¡±

    Gongon smirked and opened the door. When he looked through it, Junhyuk saw something he couldn¡¯t believe.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m building it from the cores you used to power up.¡±

    ¡°Why did you make a battleship?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll be my trueir.¡±

    The battleship was at least five hundred meters long. There was magic engineering weaved in its construction, and cores were part of its makeup.

    ¡°Itcks true artificial intelligence, but it has an ego.¡±

    ¡°You can do that?¡±

    Gongonughed and said, ¡°Guardians has built plenty of things with magic engineering.¡±

    ¡°You are really something.¡±

    ¡°Follow me.¡±

    Gongo took him inside the battleship. It was huge, but Junhyuk noticed a locked room within.

    When Gongon opened it and showed him the inside, Junhyuk saw all the stuff within andughed.

    ¡°You really have been collecting.¡±

    ¡°Yes. When I be a legend, I won¡¯t be able to go to the battlefield anymore. I need to stock up.¡±

    ¡°This is too much. There are tens of thousands in there.¡±

    ¡°Magic engineering can¡¯t make those.¡±

    Gongon had a lot of gold, but he didn¡¯t use it to purchase items. Instead, he had been gathering as much Anders Tribe candy as he could.

    With a smirk, Gongon said, ¡°This room has a state-of-the-art security system. Even my Lord can¡¯t open it, and my father can¡¯t pierce through the battleship¡¯s security.¡±

    ¡°Do both dragons and humans know magic engineering here?¡±

    ¡°No. Only a few dragons can know about the cores. The humans know nothing. There are times when humans can make things that threaten us.¡±

    Humans couldn¡¯t defeat dragons normally, but with magic engineering, it might be possible.

    Looking at Gongon, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Is it operational?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve installed more cores, so it¡¯s moving now. Come here.¡± Gongon showed him arge room. Laughing, he said, ¡°These will be my sleeping quarters when I grow bigger. Elise.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Still smirking, Gongon said, ¡°My disciple¡¯s name. That¡¯s the name of the battleship¡¯s ego.¡±

    ¡°Gongon...¡±

    ¡°Elise, we will fly together soon!¡±

    ¡°Fly?¡±

    Gongon smirked again. The walls were covered in monitors, and there were numbers on all of the screens.

    ¡°Lair No. 001 is now operational.¡±

    Woo, woob, woo, woob!

    Suddenly, the screens showed images of the outside, and the roof of the hangar opened up. The battleship rose vertically. Junhyuk was surprised to see that it had taken flight.

    Gongon said, ¡°Let¡¯s go outside.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Gongon took him to the flight deck, and Junhyuk looked around. He had arrived there with his first dimensional shift, but Gongon¡¯s had a blue sky just like Earth¡¯s.

    He could see mountains, rivers and an ocean. He also saw castles.

    ¡°Is this country part of the human territory?¡±

    ¡°Correct. They are primitive.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t teach them more?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to teach beasts.¡±

    ¡°Where did you hear that?¡±

    Gongon chuckled and walked across the deck.

    ¡°I¡¯m studying multiple dimensions and using this battleship as my training facility.¡±

    ¡°Is that even possible?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a dragon.¡±

    Junhyukughed out loud. Dragons were really lucky and intelligent by nature.

    Only Elise could measure up to dragons as a human. Sarang had intelligence runestones, but shecked Elise¡¯s creativity.

    Gongon said, ¡°Arn¡¯s team will be a problem, but can we defeat the legendary team after?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be easy, but I won¡¯t die that easily either.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know if the legends still had their items, but the legends¡¯ items couldn¡¯t be better than his. He had purchased the battlefield versions of their items and upgraded them, so he was sure that he could fight against legends now.

    Gongon looked at him and said, ¡°Right. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll lose fighting with you.¡±

    ¡°Me either.¡±

    Gongoughed, ¡°Ha-ha-ha! Of course! DId you see my upgraded weapon?!¡±

    ¡°Sure! I want you to do my upgrades for me.¡±

    ¡°Is that possible?¡±

    ¡°Not sure, but I¡¯m going to try more upgrades.¡±

    ¡°If you need gold, tell me. I can help you out.¡±

    ¡°Where would you get that gold?¡±

    Gongon chuckled and said, ¡°I¡¯m winning a lot in the Champions¡¯ Battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Who do you bet on?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a secret, but I used my analytical skills to give me an 85-percent chance of winning with high returns.¡±

    ¡°You should tell me!¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯m not always sure.¡± After that, Gongon added, ¡°I¡¯ll show you my world.¡±

    ¡°Is this thing fast?¡±

    ¡°It is. Expect high speeds.¡± With a grin on his face, Gongon shouted, ¡°Elise! Full speed ahead!¡±

    The cores released a wave of energy, and the battleship absorbed it all. Junhyuk could feel the power of magic engineering coursing through the ship. The battleship broke the sound barrier, but the wind felt refreshing against his skin.

    It felt like a breeze to him. Gongon walked up next to him and asked, ¡°How are you?¡±

    ¡°You should build me a battleship.¡±

    Gongonughed out loud.

 Chapter 571 - Dimensional Shift 3

    <h4>Chapter 571: Dimensional Shift 3</h4>

    While flying across the sky with Gongon, Junhyuk asked, ¡°By the way, how do I get back?¡±

    Gongonughed out loud and said, ¡°You need to set your coordinates for Earth.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have those.¡±

    Gongon told him to wait a moment and contacted someone. Elise appeared on one of the monitors. She greeted them both and asked, ¡°Where are you?¡±

    With a smirk, Gongon replied, ¡°Junhyuk came to visit me in my dimension.¡±

    ¡°What?! Did you buy a dimensional shift item?¡±

    ¡°No. His teleportation evolved to cross dimensions, so he came here on his own.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so cool! Is that even possible?¡±

    ¡°This human isn¡¯t a regr human.¡±

    ¡°Take me too!¡±

    Junhyuk waved at her in denial and said, ¡°I can¡¯t yet.¡±

    ¡°Maybeter.¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    Gongon waved his hand to get her attention off the subject and said, ¡°By the way, send me coordinates for Earth.¡±

    ¡°Coordinates?¡±

    ¡°He needs them to return.¡±

    ¡°Really? Will that generate a shockwave?¡±

    ¡°No. It was very quiet when he teleported here. Send me the coordinates.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    Elise called out a set of coordinates, but it was a really long number. Gongon input the number into the bracelet, and suddenly, runic script floated in the air above the bracelet and seeped into it.

    ¡°Ah! I can¡¯t read any of that!¡± Junhyuk said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll exin,¡± Gongon replied.

    ¡°The most important thing is that I¡¯mfortable using it.¡± A new line appeared in the bracelet, and Junhyuk asked, ¡°Is this the second set of coordinates?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Think about where you are going, and you¡¯ll be able to get there. You are moving between two points now, but you¡¯ll need to focus more on what your doing once you have five sets of coordinates.¡±

    ¡°OK, but I need to get back now.¡±

    ¡°Already?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I had fun. Can you really build me a battleship?¡±

    ¡°Do you need air?¡±

    ¡°It looks cool.¡±

    Gongonughed and replied, ¡°It would be hard, but I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and attempted another dimensional shift. He triggered Harmonizer to reach the dimensional wall, and the bracelet shone, allowing him to cross it. The light guided him, sucking him in.

    Elise was there waiting for him.

    ¡°You really are able to cross dimensions.¡±

    ¡°You gave me the right coordinates. My teleportation might no longer have a distance limit, so maybe I can go anywhere on Earth.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible. You¡¯ll need to be able to read coordinates for that.¡±

    ¡°Is that something I can learn?¡±

    Elise¡¯s eyes widened a little as she stared at him, but she shook her head and said, ¡°It would be incredibly hard.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡±

    ¡°Can you travel to any dimension you have coordinates to?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I know I need them first.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll look into that. I can create a device to give you Earth coordinates.¡±

    ¡°Is that possible?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    JUnhyuk smiled and said, ¡°Then, do as you please. With it, if they trigger another monster wave, I can get to it easily.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Will there be more monster waves?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Nothing is certain.¡±

    Elise nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll build the device.¡±

    ¡°Please.¡±

    ¡°Can you show me your bracelet. I want to figure out how it operates.¡±

    Junhyuk gave her the bracelet and went back to his training facility. Not all of the amount of Harmonizer within him was under control yet, but even with what he could control, he could teleport through dimensions. He had had a good time in his excursion.

    Junhyuk sat down and started polishing his energy. He had enough energy to fill two cores, which was more than the Dragon Lord had.

    He had more energy than Arn, but he had to bring it all under his control.

    ¡ª

    Sarang was practicing high-speed casting. She had gotten an item from Bater¡¯s team that increased her movement speed by a lot, so now, she was practicing casting while moving at full speed.

    Hitting heroes with her lightning arrows wasn¡¯t easy. If they focused on her, it was even more difficult.

    She was having a hard time defending herself from regr attacks in the tournament, so she wanted to spar with someone. She needed someone on her level, so she invited Jeffrey.

    Jeffrey thought he would be able to win easily because they weren¡¯t under the restrictions of the Dimensional Battlefield.

    However, the reality of it waspletely different from what he had imagined. Sarang was faster than him. Jeffrey had also increased his movement speed, but not to the same extent.

    Jeffrey blocked her arrows and summoned the Ghost White Tiger,unching himself toward her. Sarang cast an electric st on him.

    Jeffrey was paralyzed, so she shot him up with more arrows. Sarang wasn¡¯t using her Thunderstorm on him. She had better items now, and the damage from that might kill him.

    She could only cast Thunderstorm without worry on Junhyuk and Elise.

    Jeffrey became very angry, so he tied her up with his dark energy and swung his scythe against her.

    sh!

    It was a critical hit, but Jeffrey was bbergasted by the result. Sarang wasn¡¯t injured at all.

    Jeffrey buffed his Ghost White Tiger and attacked with it.

    Boom!

    The tiger mmed against her, throwing her back, but she had expected that. Sarang cast more arrows against him, but Jeffrey blocked them with his scythe and sent the tiger toward her.

    Sarang smiled and she saw them split up and cast her Thunderstorm on the Ghost White Tiger.

    Craaaak, boom!

    Summons returned to their owners when they were seriously injured, and Jeffrey hadn¡¯t expected that to happen.

    Sarang cast the Thunderstorm on the tiger only, not on Jeffrey. The thunderbolts were extremely powerful now that she had upgraded her lightning attribute.

    Sarang didn¡¯t let Jeffrey close in on her, locking him far back under her attacks. Finally, Jeffrey stabbed the scythe into the ground and raised both of his hands in defeat.

    ¡°What did you do?¡±

    ¡°The only way we could spar was if we were limited in our attacks.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about your damage! How is that even possible?!¡±

    Sarang had upgraded her items to +15. She was a damager, so she had to focus on it. A +15 weapon was like a natural disaster for Jeffrey. On top of it, her weapon had been crafted out of a red dragon¡¯s heart. She had thought about selling it to Vera, but she ended up keeping it.

    There was nothing Jeffrey could do.

    Sarang smiled at him and said, ¡°The tournament awards you a lot of gold for winning, so I upgraded my items.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t damage you at all.¡±

    Sarang had followed Junhyuk¡¯s advice and also paid attention to her defensive items. Jeffrey couldn¡¯t do anything against her.

    Sarang had only used her lightning powers, but Jeffrey had given up all the same.

    ¡°Can we really train like this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll spar with anyone who doesn¡¯t focus on long range attacks.¡±

    ¡°Does your enemyck long range attacks?¡±

    Sarang shook her head. Both Vera and Diane had long range attacks. Arn could jump, and Halo could rush. Nudra had his kicks and the ability to rush in as well.

    Sarang ultimate gave her invulnerability, and when it was active, she needed to be able to fight at close range.

    The allies would attack Diane and Vera first.

    Jeffrey was a good opponent, but Vera could move faster than Sarang. Now that Sarang had speed buff gear, she could move fast, but even Arn was still faster.

    Sarang healed Jeffrey and said, ¡°We should rest.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we call the champions here?¡±

    ¡°I can deal with you, but if you get help, I might lose.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯ll help the champions grow.¡±

    After some thought, Sarang said, ¡°I¡¯ll ask Junhyuk.¡±

    Junhyuk just told her that he was busy and that he needed time to master the core energy within him, so Sarang agreed with Jeffrey and called the champions.

    The champions were happy to spar with her. She shot them all up with arrows, and when they went back to their quarters, they all had tears on their faces.

    Each of her arrows took half of a champion¡¯s health away. With two hits, a champion could die, so they all went back without doing much.

    The champions didn¡¯t help her at all, so Sarang went to see Elise.

    Elise was crafting a pair of goggles when she got there, so she asked, ¡°What are those for?¡±

    Elise raised a hand to keep her from talking and spent another twenty minutes on the goggles. At the end of those twenty minutes, Elise cheered aloud.

    ¡°Sess!¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°A coordinate-reading device.¡±

    ¡°Is that for teleportations? But, you can¡¯t teleport.¡±

    Elise smiled and called Junhyuk over. He appeared right away for her even though he hadn¡¯t had time for Sarang before. Sarang was upset about this, but she listened to their conversation.

    ¡°You crossed over dimensions!?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and with this device, I can get to anywhere on Earth.¡±

    ¡°Take me.¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    ¡°You should try it. Take me too,¡± Elise said.

    Junhyuk sighed, put on the goggles and grabbed them both by the hand.

    ¡°Egypt. Head of the Sphinx.¡±

    The coordinates appeared on his goggles, and he teleported.

    A light guided the way, and when Junhyuk reappeared, the surroundings had changed. They all looked around, shocked. They were atop the head of the Sphinx.

 Chapter 572 - Recruitment Offer 1

    <h4>Chapter 572: Recruitment Offer 1</h4>

    Elise was astonished.

    ¡°It¡¯s a sess!¡±

    Even though the monster waves were catastrophic, now she could teleport with Junhyuk to stop them. On top of that, Eltor had lost his post.

    Elise pulled something out of her Spatial Bag. It was a chair for her to sit to tan under the sun. Sitting downfortably, she smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ve always liked scenes like this in the movies.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a parasol?¡±

    Elise smirked and replied, ¡°I have something better.¡±

    She waved her hand, and Moon Core floated above her head and released a blue energy field. Sarang started tough.

    ¡°Is that an energy field?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I blocks sun rays.¡±

    Sarang, who was now shaded, pulled out a mattress and sat on it. Junhyuk also sat on the mattress.

    He looked up at the sky from underneath the blue energy field and felt refreshed. Looking around, he said, ¡°We can now travel the world.¡±

    ¡°We need a ne just for fun.¡±

    ¡°nes are ufortable.¡±

    ¡°You are right.¡±

    Elise smiled at him and asked, ¡°You¡¯ll take me anywhere I want, right?¡±

    After some thought, Junhyuk asked, ¡°Should we go see Gongon?¡±

    No one had been hurt by hisst teleportation, so he wanted to try crossing dimensions with them.

    The two women¡¯s eyes beamed. Neither of them had experienced true dimensional travel.

    Junhyuk increased the quantity of Harmonizer he was using and grabbed them by the hand. Then, he crossed over. As he came up against the dimensional wall, his bracelet shone and guided the way for him. Junhyuk reappeared in Gongon¡¯sir, but the hatchling wasn¡¯t there.

    Contacting Gongon through hismunication orb, he asked, ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m in myir. Where are you?¡±

    ¡°In yourir. I broughtpany.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    Elise and Sarang walked up to Junhyuk, and when Gongon saw them, he was stunned.

    ¡°You can take others with you when you use the dimensional shift now? You are fearless! Did you test for safety beforehand?¡±

    ¡°I used it on Earth and teleported with both of them.¡±

    ¡°Right. Wait a second. I¡¯ming back.¡±

    ¡°Are you in your battleship?¡±

    ¡°Ah! I¡¯m not travelling through dimensions, so teleporting here should be easy.¡±

    Junhyuk suddenly felt a burst of mana waves, so he took Elise and Sarang to where Gongon kept the battleship.

    Gongon was there waiting for them.

    Junhyuk had already seen it, but Elise and Sarang were seeing it for the first time. From mage¡¯s standpoint, the battleship was an incredible achievement, and from a magical engineering perspective, it was even more impressive.

    Both women understood that better than Junhyuk, so Gongon started to exin the details of the battleship with enthusiasm.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t understand anything Gongon was saying, so he chuckled and looked around.

    Gongon started the battleship, and Junhyuk teleported to the deck and focused on polishing Harmonizer. He could also train there. They were flying through the sky, and the warm breeze was hitting his skin. He focused on training.

    Elise and Sarang were curious about the battleship¡¯sposition, so Junhyuk trained on his own. He had been meditating for a while when a shadow loomed over his face.

    ¡°Sleeping?¡±

    ¡°Training.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°We are facing stronger enemies.¡±

    Thinking about it, Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure he could defeat Arn¡¯s team, but he wanted to do his best. Gongon pushed a piece of candy inside Junhyuk¡¯s mouth, and Junhyuk rolled it around with his tongue. He knew Gongon was stashing those, so he smiled.

    Gongon sucked on his own piece of candy and sat next to him.

    ¡°You can travel through dimensions now. You might be able to use that in the Dimensional Battlefield.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll restrict it.¡±

    ¡°They might not.¡±

    ¡°Is that even a possibility?¡±

    ¡°What about Elise¡¯s buff?¡±

    ¡°True.¡±

    Elise¡¯s buff was better than most ultimates, so Junhyuk started wondering if his Dimensional Shift would work.

    ¡°But, I need to be able to acquire coordinates.¡±

    ¡°Right...¡±

    Junhyuk could teleport with others, so if there were no restrictions to it in the Dimensional Battlefield, he would be truly strong.

    Gongon touched Junhyuk¡¯s bracelet and said, ¡°I¡¯ll set it for three ces you want, but you need to tell me the ces you¡¯ve been to. I¡¯ll give you the coordinates then. Check to see if you can use the Dimensional Shift in the Dimensional Battlefield first.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s one more problem.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°This bracelet has to be considered an item.¡±

    Gongon clicked his tongue and said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking...¡±

    Junhyuky on his backfortably and said, ¡°We¡¯ll fight with what we have. I need to be able to use all of the Harmonizer I have.¡±

    ¡°Right. I¡¯m expecting great things from you.¡±

    Gongon unwrapped another piece of candy and left. Junhyuk trained on his own. After a short time passed, Sarang and Elise came up to him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back. It was fun, but we are fighting in the finals. We can returnter.¡±

    ¡°I like that idea. Let¡¯s go back.¡± Junhyuk smiled at Gongon and said, ¡°Check to see if you can attach that ability to an equipment.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Gongon waved his w at them, and Junhyuk returned to Elise¡¯s office. After saying goodbye, he returned to his training facility. He didn¡¯t want anybody interfering with him now.

    However, it seemed that day wasn¡¯t a good day to train. Time stopped, and Agenchra appeared.

    The manager smiled at him and said, ¡°You¡¯ve achieved dimensional teleportation.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a littlete?¡±

    ¡°You can teleport through dimensions on your own, but if you take others with you, there may be problems.¡±

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Agenchra pulled out his small notebook. There was a contract within it.

    ¡°I have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°The chance to be a dimensional manager.¡± The manager started to exin, ¡°With your teleportation skill, you are qualified to be a manager. I¡¯m offering you a spot.¡±

    ¡°You want me to be a manager?! What¡¯s so good about that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have many powers, but as a manager, you can stop time and teleport through dimensions.¡±

    ¡°You have those powers.¡±

    ¡°They are a type of benefit.¡±

    ¡°Do I have to wear the bandages?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve experienced it already.¡± Junhyuk didn¡¯t understand what Agenchra was saying, so the manager raised his hand and pointed at him, adding, ¡°You¡¯ve gone beyond human limitations.¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯ll live as a human being.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be limited and ufortable.¡±

    Junhyuk had two cores of energy within him. If he acquired any more energy, he would have to give up his humanity, so he decided to give up on absorbing any more.

    ¡°I¡¯m human.¡±

    Agenchra stared at him and said, ¡°You really have a lot of energy within you. It¡¯s surprising that you are still human.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Agenchra, and the manager smiled at him.

    ¡°You¡¯ll get a lot of benefits. Why don¡¯t you join?¡±

    ¡°What are the benefits?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t die.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t die?¡±

    Agenchra smirked and replied, ¡°I can¡¯t die myself.¡±

    ¡°For how long have you been a manager?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a secret, but I¡¯m older than most dragons.¡±

    Dragons could live for thousands of years, and Agenchra was telling him that he was older than them.

    ¡°You are old.¡±

    ¡°Age is just a number.¡±

    ¡°Any other benefits?¡±

    ¡°You can get items specific for managers.¡±

    ¡°Are they any good?¡±

    ¡°They areparable to legendary items.¡±

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t interested in the items. He wanted topete in the battlefield.

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°No monster waves will trigger in a manager¡¯s dimension if a manager doesn¡¯t want them.¡±

    That piqued his interest, and he asked, ¡°Anything else?¡±

    ¡°Other, smaller benefits that won¡¯t interest you.¡±

    Junhyuk took some time to think before asking, ¡°What will my ranking be as a manager?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t be a team leader, but you¡¯ll still be a manager.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Agenchra. Both him and ELtor were team leaders.

    ¡°Do powers decide ranking?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s part of it, but experience is more is more important.¡±

    Was it because of experience, or was Eltor stronger than him? Junhyuk was curious to find out.

    ¡°What about it? Are you interested?¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head and replied, ¡°No. I¡¯ll stay true to myself.¡± Looking into Agenchra¡¯s eyes, he added, ¡°I don¡¯t want to work under supervision.¡±

    Agenchra gave him a bitter smile and replied, ¡°You¡¯ll have plenty of freedom as a manager.¡±

    ¡°Considering Eltor¡¯s situation, that¡¯s hard to believe.¡±

    ¡°Eltor crossed the line.¡±

    ¡°What happened to him?¡± Junhyuk asked.

    ¡°He became a low-ranking manager.¡±

    ¡°Are the monster waves over?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. You don¡¯t have enough heroes, so the waves will continue.¡±

    ¡°Just likest time?¡±

    ¡°The new team leader will trigger them, so I don¡¯t know much about it.¡±

    ¡°When does the new team leader take his post?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°OK. Tell me more about the new leader tomorrow.¡±

    Agenchra smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯lle back tomorrow and make you the offer again. There aren¡¯t many managers, and only those with teleportation skills can be managers. You should seriously consider it.¡±

    Agenchra disappeared, and Junhyuk scoffed and said, ¡°I must be going crazy.¡±

 Chapter 573 - Recruitment Offer 2

    <h4>Chapter 573: Recruitment Offer 2</h4>

    As they listened to Junhyuk, they all frowned. Gongon was the first to speak up.

    ¡°We are about to be legends! You can¡¯t leave now.¡±

    Junhyukughed and replied, ¡°I¡¯m not thinking about it.¡±

    ¡°This is hurting my pride. Why didn¡¯t they offer it to me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because my power is special.¡±

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha! I¡¯m just kidding.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just telling you what happened.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯m going back to work.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Gongon cut offmunications, so Elise spoke up, ¡°There are benefits. Aren¡¯t you enticed by those?¡±

    Elise was speaking in Korean, and Junhyukughed at her choice of words.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to live forever and I can buy my own items. Sure, the monster waves will stop, but we just need one more hero.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°And I can teleport anywhere now, so I¡¯m not worried about the waves.¡±

    Elise smiled and said, ¡°I have a favor to ask.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been learning magical engineering with Gongon, but he has gone far ahead of me, and that has hurt my pride. Can I get some cores?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Junhyuk had given Gongon all of the used up cores, whichcked some energy, but he gave Elise ten fully charged cores.

    ¡°Do you need more?¡±

    ¡°These will be enough. They are all full.¡±

    ¡°What are you making?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry. I need to focus on the battlefield, but there is something I will build.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk had finally managed to control all of the Harmonizer energy within him and be much stronger, but the others needed to be stronger as well. Elise could do that through magical engineering.

    ¡°Big brother, give me a core as well.¡±

    ¡°Why do you need one?¡±

    ¡°Even without magical engineering, I can craft a magical weapon with a core.¡±

    ¡°A magical weapon?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll extract the necessary energy from it. With the weapon, I won¡¯t fear monster waves anymore.¡±

    Junhyuk gave her a core and said, ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it. Focus on the battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll only make the blueprint for now.¡±

    Sarang said goodbye and left, and Junhyuk returned to the training facility. He spent a day there training before Agenchra visited him again.

    Time stopped, and Agenchra appeared. Junhyuk, who had been waiting for him, smiled.

    ¡°Did you feel meing?¡±

    ¡°You left a trace when you crossed through the dimensional wall.¡±

    Junhyuk could feel and see things he couldn¡¯t before, and Agenchra was stunned.

    ¡°You are still evolving. You are more than qualified to be a manager. Are you joining us?¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a manager.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t you reconsider?¡±

    Junhyuk asked decidedly, ¡°Who is the next team leader of the monster administration team?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s top secret information, but I¡¯ll tell you. Soren will be the next team leader of that department.¡±

    ¡°Soren? Who is he?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s just been promoted, so I don¡¯t know much about him.¡±

    ¡°I need to get a feel for him, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The monster waves will start a week from now.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t joining us?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Agenchra smacked his lips and replied, ¡°Too bad. Whenever you change your mind, just let me know. The offer is always on the table for you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll remember that.¡±

    Agenchra was gone, and Junhyuk exined what happened to ELise. He didn¡¯t know anything about Soren, but there would be a wave a week from now, so he could train in the meantime.

    Friday came around, and Junhyuk was pulled into the viewing room for the Champions¡¯ Battlefield. Ariel spoke first.

    [I heard you can be a manager.]

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    [Why did you turn down the offer?]

    ¡°Just because.¡±

    Ariel¡¯s eyes beamed and she said, [That¡¯s my dream job, and you refused.]

    ¡°You are working towards bing a manager?¡±

    [I¡¯m a contractor, so my position is unofficial right now.]

    ¡°That must be hard.¡±

    If Junhyuk became a manager, he would acquire high-tier items and be immortal. On top of that, he would be able to travel through dimensions and stop time. Ariel was jealous of him, but Junhyuk know the managers all too well after what Eltor had done to Earth. That was why he didn¡¯t want to take the job.

    ¡°Can we start the viewing?¡±

    [Right!]

    Junhyuk watched Ling Ling¡¯s fight. Ling Ling was very experienced and skilled now, but she wasn¡¯t a hero yet. Still, he was d that she won.

    After taking the winnings, Junhyuk returned to Earth.

    ¡°There¡¯s only a week left now.¡±

    Junhyuk only had a week before the final round, so he sighed heavily.

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk had to use Harmonizer for his Dimensional Shift, so Harmonizer had be easy to control. However, he still needed more time to perfect his use of it.

    Junhyuk pushed his will on Harmonizer, confident that he had made it his, and slowly opened his eyes. The world looked different to him now.

    Junhyuk had nearly lost his human body from the amount of energy he had absorbed, but because of that, his perspective of the world had also changed. He could sense more things at a sharper level.

    He could see everything thatposed the world, so he activated Harmonizer and looked at his hand. Previously, crossing the dimensional wall had been a difficult process, but now, it was different.

    His hand pushed through the dimensional work. He didn¡¯t select a set of coordinates, and only his hand crossed over.

    There was a special space beyond the wall where Junhyuk could rest for a short time, a type of in between dimension He made a fist and pulled out his hand.

    Junhyuk could cross the dimensional wall at will now, so he thought his other powers had to have changed as well. He summoned his swords and swung them around.

    Only his Dimensional sh had been able to sh cross dimensions before, but now, things were different. He stabbed normally, and his sword crossed through the dimensional wall. He didn¡¯t know where he had stabbed though.

    He swung his swords a few more times and smiled. Suddenly, he tightened his grip around his swords and turned around. Time had stopped, and someone was there.

    The man was wearing armor, but underneath it, Junhyuk could see the bandages. His eyes beamed.

    ¡°Did you know I wasing?¡±

    He stared at the person. Who was he? Junhyuk had never seen the person before.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    THe person smiled and said, ¡°I heard that you are quite rude from Eltor. He was right.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at him. He could guess who the man was.

    ¡°The new team leader of the Monster Administration Department.¡±

    ¡°Correct. I¡¯m Soren.¡±

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to say hello.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Soren without saying anything.

    ¡°I heard you are qualified to be a manager.¡±

    Junhyukughed and said, ¡°I made it clear that I don¡¯t want to be one.¡±

    ¡°I know. You spit at your own blessing. You are famous now.¡±

    ¡°A blessing to you managers.¡±

    Soren shrugged and said, ¡°I wanted to meet you.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to make sure the next monster wave works. I just want new heroes.¡±

    ¡°You wanted to gauge my power to know what monsters to loose.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Soren answered curtly, and Junhyuk stared at the manager.

    Soren was checking him and his powers out, but there was no way for him to know about Junhyuk¡¯s items. However, Soren could see Harmonizer and the extent of his strength.

    ¡°This won¡¯t be a pleasant meeting.¡±

    Soren stared at him and said, ¡°You are a hero. Why do you get angry about others suffering?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m angry with your bullshit behavior.¡±

    Soren took a moment before saying, ¡°The previous manager didn¡¯t work ording to the rules, so I¡¯m here to apologize. We don¡¯t need to talk again. A monster wave will trigger in the next 24 hours. After that, they will trigger at regr intervals every 168 hours.¡±

    Soren told him about the timing of the waves, which was unprecedented. Now that he knew the times, Junhyuk could get ready.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t a manager, so you¡¯ll need another hero. Don¡¯t try to stop the waves on your own.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my decision to make.¡±

    Soren smirked and said, ¡°See youter.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to see the manager again, but he didn¡¯t say that. Soren was gone, and he turned to his swords. While talking to Soren, Junhyuk had noticed his own changes.

    Soren was not there anymore, but Junhyuk could see an afterimage of the manager. Because of that, he could tell where Soren really was. He could see Soren¡¯s location beyond the dimensional wall.

    He still couldn¡¯t read random coordinates, but he could read where Soren was.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to fight the manager, but if there was a need for it, he would kill Soren next time.

 Chapter 574 - Final Round 1

    <h4>Chapter 574: Final Round 1</h4>

    In twenty-four hours, Junhyuk would be back in the Dimensional Battlefield. Nevertheless, he still had to get ready. The time of the monster wave had already been announced, so that meant Junhyuk could focus entirely on training.

    He had already informed Guardians about the iing monster wave. He didn¡¯t know where it would happen, but Guardians could track dimensional tears, so that wasn¡¯t a problem. It would still take time to cover all of the areas affected by the waves, however.

    How many tears would trigger this time? Junhyuk didn¡¯t know the details of the waves, but they knew when they would trigger, so they ordered preemptive evacuations to shelters.

    Eunseo had ordered the manufacturing of as many iron soldiers as possible. Iron soldiers were expensive, but Guardians had an astronomical amount of funds.

    The powered people were put on standby.

    Everyone was getting ready for the iing monster wave. Meanwhile, Junhyuk asked his team to join him at his training facility before the final round.

    All members of his team were there.

    When Gongon looked at him, he stuck his tongue out at Junhyuk.

    ¡°You¡¯ve changed again!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m now able to control all of the energy within me.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know a human could be this strong. I¡¯m speechless.¡±

    The amount of Harmonizer was greater than the energy the Dragon Lord had. Gongon was stunned.

    La was even more surprised than Gongon.

    ¡°How can you grow this strong this fast?!¡±

    ¡°I only increased the amount of Harmonizer within me.¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s pool of Harmonizer had increased, but the world also looked different to him now. La had noticed that change in him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve lost. I¡¯ve definitely lost. I won¡¯t spar with you anymore.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and replied, ¡°Even though I¡¯m stronger, I¡¯ll be restricted in the Dimensional Battlefield. My vision has changed, and I can see regr attacks clearly, but the enemy team is incredibly strong.¡±

    Even without their powers, Arn¡¯s team was still strong. In fact, Junhyuk wasn¡¯t sure he could defend himself against regr attacks from them.

    He inspected his team. Gongon had upgraded his weapon to +20, so he was definitely the damager. Sarang had the next highest damage. She could attack from long range, but only two of her powers were attack powers: Thunderstorm and the electric st. All of La¡¯s powers were attack powers, but her damage was rather low. Her stats were bnced, but she couldn¡¯t really serve as a damager or a tank.

    ¡°La, why don¡¯t you upgrade your weapon?¡±

    She had died a few times already and lost some items. For that reason, she should focus on attacking.

    As for Junhyuk, he was stronger on Earth, but he wasn¡¯t sure about the Dimensional Battlefield. He needed to upgrade his items, and though he only had two attack powers, he would focus on boosting his attack as well.

    He looked at Helen and Eunseo then. Most of the two women¡¯s powers were useless in the final round. But, Helen had a restraining power, and he would make use of it before she died four times. Other than that, she wouldn¡¯t be much help. Eunseo would definitely not be any help.

    If Eunseo tried to fight, she would die like a dog.

    ¡°Eunseo, you should stay in the castle.¡±

    ¡°Experiencing death helped me grow. Without dying, I won¡¯t be able to grow.¡±

    Junhyuk could feel the determinationing from her, so he nodded.

    ¡°OK. Then, you move with me.¡±

    They hade up with a strategy. Junhyuk thought that Arn would use the jungle, a preemptive strategy. However, he couldn¡¯t be sure about Arn¡¯s ns. He could feel that there would be singlebats in the final round.

    Gongon grabbed his chin pensively and said, ¡°I should be the damager this round.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Gongon, who had the highest damage capacity of the allies. It was a good idea.

    ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±

    ¡°The jungle.¡±

    If Gongon headed for the jungle, he could deliver critical surprise attacks to the enemies. However, the allies would be without him for skirmishes.

    Junhyuk scratched his chin and said, ¡°I¡¯ll head middle with Helen. Elise, you go left with Eunseo.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be alone in the middle,¡± La said, and Junhyuk shrugged.

    ¡°I¡¯ll analyze my opponents. If I feel that I¡¯m in danger, I¡¯ll teleport and retreat. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Gongon smirked then and said, ¡°Right. Give me an item. I¡¯ll upgrade it to a coordinate device.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded. He still couldn¡¯t see coordinates, but he could feel a target¡¯s location. If he could use his Dimensional Shift in the battlefield, it would be like having another ultimate.

    He handed Gongon Aksha¡¯s Longsword, and Gongon stared at him nkly.

    ¡°Why a weapon?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s thest thing to drop.¡±

    ¡°Wait a sec.¡±

    Gongon pulled out a bag of powder and sprinkled it on the de, touching the sword after.

    ¡°Right. I¡¯ve input three coordinates into the sword. Just shout them when you want to trigger them.¡±

    ¡°Then, do it for this one as well.¡±

    Junhyuk handed him his other sword, and Gongon did the same thing with it. Suddenly, they all heard Ariel¡¯s voice.

    [You can¡¯t equip both weapons at the same time since they both have the same magical effect.]

    Junhyuk scowled. Gongon had upgraded his weapons, but he couldn¡¯t use them both together.

    ¡°Gon, it won¡¯t work like this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll erase the ability from one of them.¡±

    Gongon erased the ability from one and handed the swords back to Junhyuk. Smiling, Junhyuk said, ¡°Gongon will attack, but if I can Dimensional Shift, I¡¯ll take that role instead.¡±

    Gongon was slow, so Junhyuk would be much faster.

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°Are we done here?¡±

    Everyone nodded, and La and Gongon pulled out some food from their Spatial Bags. Gongon smirked and said, ¡°I visited a nearby kingdom and threatened them for the food. Eat.¡±

    ¡°They were right to be scared.¡±

    Gongon had used his battleship to make the threat. There was nothing the humans from that kingdom could do but be scared. Still, the kingdom had only had to give him food to appease him.

    La had brought mostly vegetables and a bit of bird meat.

    ¡°It has protein, but no fat. Eat up!¡±

    ¡°No taste, but healthy, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s also delicious.¡±

    Junhyuk shrugged and tried her food. It was better than he had expected. The vegetables tasted different from the ones on Earth.

    They enjoyed their meals, and Junhyuk pulled out the items he had picked up in the previous round. They were all very nice, so he decided to put them up for auction instead of selling them to Bebe.

    They all exchanged items and bid in the auction. Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to trade, so he was paid in gold. He sold each item for 500,000G, so the three itemsted him 1,500,000G.

    He had decided to try his luck.

    Once the exchanges were done, it was time. Looking at the group, Junhyuk said, ¡°Let¡¯s win.¡±

    Suddenly, the world turned blindingly bright. When he was able to see again, Ariel was in front of him.

    [You¡¯re here!]

    ¡°Yeah. This is the final round.¡±

    [I wish you victory!]

    ¡°Sure! Thanks!¡±

    The enemy team was strong, so Junhyuk was feeling nervous. He stood in front of the door, and Ariel shouted, [Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed!]

    After he walked outside, he passed the minions and joined the allied heroes. They all went to see Bebe. They wouldn¡¯t have a chance to visit the merchant after this.

    Junhyuk pulled out two items, and Bebe inspected them.

    ¡°Those are nice!¡±

    ¡°They were powerful enemies and they all had nice items.¡±

    ¡°Right. These will you some gold. I¡¯ll give you 500,000G for each of them.¡±

    It was a lot, so Junhyuk sold both items. He had been paid 1,500,000G for the items he had sold to the allies, the Champions¡¯ Battlefield winnings hadted him 2,500,000G, so now he had a total of 5,000,000G. Junhyuk hadn¡¯t expected that much gold.

    He looked for a ring. He had lost a 2,500,000G ring in the previous battle, but after inspecting many rings, he found none he liked.

    After taking a moment to think, he looked over the rings again. Not all expensive items were good. Legendary items had three special attributes and sometimes even a fourth.

    Items of special quality weren¡¯t always good either, but Junhyuk found a set of unique rings. There were four rings in the set, and each of them was worth 1,000,000G.

    ¡°Will you give me a discount?¡±

    ¡°Twenty percent.¡±

    ¡°Give them to me.¡±

    The rings only really worked as a full set. A person needed enough money to buy them all, but Junhyuk liked their attributes.

    ¡ª

    Piercing Rings (set)

    Piercing +10

    Attack +10

    Health +100

    The owner needs all four rings equipped to gain their effects. The rings are used to hunt tanks.

    Four-Item Set Effect: Piercing +20%

    ¡ª

    Though he had to buy every ring, Junhyuk was satisfied with the buff. He put all of his other rings in his right hand and wore the Piercing Rings on his left hand.

    After balling his hands into fists a few times, he said, ¡°Give me enhancement stones for the rest of the gold.¡±

    ¡°Putting everything on the line today.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to have any regrets.¡±

    Junhyuk had spent 3,200,000G on the rings, so the rest of the 1,800,000 went to the stones. He silently attempted the upgrades.

 Chapter 575 - Final Round 2

    <h4>Chapter 575: Final Round 2</h4>

    It was a true crapshoot, but he knew that and he still trusted his luck.

    He applied the stones, and the upgrades failed. He was down three upgrades, and that made him tear up, but he continued. He had spent all of his money and used all of the stones, and by the end, he had managed to get his weapons to +18.

    Both swords were at that level now, and he was satisfied with that.

    He had failed to get them from +19 to +20 three times, losing the upgrade in the process. He had no gold left, but he was stronger.

    Sarang and La were both holding rainbow weapons.

    ¡°You both got them to +20?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that cool?!¡±

    Junhyukughed and said, ¡°I¡¯m jealous.¡±

    Looking at him, La said, ¡°But, you wield dual swords.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still jealous.¡±

    Elise walked up toward him. Pieces of her Red Dragon set were rainbow-colored now.

    ¡°Elise?¡±

    ¡°I got my breatce and greaves to +20.¡±

    Her armor was disying the effects of the upgrades. She had seeded in getting two items to +20, which meant her luck was extremely high. Sheughed and added, ¡°Just like you, I spent all my gold.¡±

    Everyone spent all of the gold they had. They had spent a lot of gold in the previous battles, but this time, they spent their gold like it was theirst day alive.

    All of them had upgraded their items.

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°Let¡¯s give it our all.¡±

    Everyone nodded, and Junhyuk turned to Gongon and asked, ¡°Which way are you headed?¡±

    ¡°I should go to the buff tower first. I don¡¯t want you to be alone in the first engagement.¡±

    ¡°You are heading off right after?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll hunt a buff monster before heading for the jungle.¡±

    Gongon wanted to jungle, so he put Elise in Gongon¡¯s usual position. With her items upgraded, Elise should be able to endure most attacks. However, The enemies¡¯ items were probably powerful as well.

    Arn¡¯s team had to have upgraded their items too. For their participation in the tournament, both teams had won millions of gold coins.

    Nevertheless, the allies couldn¡¯t give up the buff tower. They would fight together first, and then, Gongon would head off to the jungle.

    It would be the first time in a long time that Gongon would be fighting with him.

    ¡°Shall we?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    They walked out of the castle and headed in their respective directions. None of the groups was taking as many minions with them as normal, only 150 each.

    It could be a long battle, so the allies wanted to conserve the minions.

    Junhyuk headed off with Gongon. On the way, Gongon said he was tired, so Junhyuk gave him a piggyback ride. Gongon was a powerful hero, and there was no way he was actually tired, but Junhyuk didn¡¯tin.

    He followed the middle path while inspecting the Dimensional Battlefield. Due to is purple sky, Junhyuk noticed that there was something different about the ce. There was no dimensional wall surrounding the battlefield. Instead, there was something else.

    ¡°It looks like the space in between dimensions.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    Junhyuk replied, ¡°My Dimensional Shift may be restricted here.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°This ce isn¡¯t a dimension of its own, but a ce built in between dimensions, like the space a crossed when I used my Dimensional Shift.

    ¡°Yeah? Can you select a coordinate?¡±

    ¡°Wait a sec.¡± Junhyuk gripped his sword and shouted, ¡°Select coordinate!¡± Soon after, shaking his head, he said, ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Right... I was expecting a lot, so that¡¯s disappointing.¡±

    Junhyuk gave Gongon a bitter smile and said, ¡°Maybe I was expecting too much.¡±

    His Dimensional Shift was like an ultimate. Emptying his mind of the disappointment, he walked on.

    After he climbed to the top of the mountain, he saw the opponents on the other side. Arn¡¯s team had human minions with it. Junhyuk himself had been a minion back then.

    The minions for the two teams were the same, so the heroes would decide the issue. He looked at the enemiesing up. Both teams couldn¡¯t let the buff tower be taken.

    Two heroes appeared on the enemies¡¯ side: Arn an Vera. Arn looked the same as always, but Vera lookedpletely different.

    She was covered in mes from head to toe. Immediately, Junhyuk could tell that Vera had buffed her fire attribute. She looked overpowering.

    The weapons of both of the heroes were shining in rainbow colors.

    ¡°You both got to +20?¡±

    Arn smiled and said, ¡°I tried and I tried and I finally got my weapons to +20.¡±

    Junhyuk had been dumbstruck when Gongon had managed to get his to +20, but Arn had done it as well. Thinking back on it, Arn had always focused on weapon upgrades.

    Junhyuk bit his lip. He had been thinking he would have the advantage since his weapons were legendary items.

    Surprisingly, Vera had also upgraded her weapon. She was a mage and a damager, so would anyone be able to survive her attacks now? Junhyuk had spent all of his gold on buffing his attacks, but now, he was thinking he should¡¯ve buffed his defense instead.

    Gongon hopped down from his back and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled. He and Gongon and Helen were there together, and they would fight on.

    Someone walked up from behind Vera then. The person was wearing a white robe, and they were someone Junhyuk had never seen. They were tall.

    A new champion.

    Vera chuckled and said, ¡°I have a sessor for my tower now. The name is Kaigel. He¡¯s a new champion, so go easy on him.¡±

    The fact that he was a new champion made Junhyuk rx. He and Gongon could take massive hits, so they had nothing to worry about with that champion. However, during the semifinal round, the allies had met a champion that could have killed them.

    Because of the white robe, Junhyuk could guess the champion¡¯s affinity. He was an ice mage, and Junhyuk couldn¡¯t allow him to make a difference.

    Junhyuk looked back nervously, and Gongon said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll win.¡±

    The enemies were strong, but in the Dimensional Battlefield, everyone was restricted. The allies might becking in items, but Junhyuk thought that their powers were better.

    The activation time of Arn¡¯s and Vera¡¯s ultimates both took a while. The allies could win.

    ¡°I trust you.¡±

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha! Please, do. This had been upgraded to +22.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    Gongon said nonchntly, ¡°I seeded this time. It looks the same as when it was +20 though. Maybe it¡¯ll change again at +30.¡±

    Junhyuk was speechless. A dragon¡¯s luck was absurd.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Junhyuk stepped forward, and Gongon followed behind him. Helen followed behind Gongon. As they closed in, Gongon shouted, ¡°Attack!¡±

    The minions ran forward, shielding themselves with their shields.

    The enemy minions were also human, so when the allied minions so them, they were surprised and stopped.

    Arn shouted, ¡°Kill them!¡±

    Arn pulled out a gem, and enemy minions¡¯ eyes changed. They attacked, and the allied minions started losing.

    Gongon shouted at them, ¡°Don¡¯t just die! Fight!¡±

    The allied minions regained themselves and shed hard against the enemy minions.

    Junhyuk passed by the minions and hesitated. He had fought against Arn before, and the enemy minions were human. He didn¡¯t feel like attacking them.

    His anger toward the managers grew.

    Junhyuk closed in and checked out the enemies. Kaigel had ice powers, but he didn¡¯t think the champion¡¯s range would reach him. He focused on being aware of Vera and Arn, unsure of whether their powers had evolved. It had been a long time since he had fought with them.

    His own powers had evolved in that time, so he was sure that the enemies¡¯ powers had as well. He closed in cautiously.

    Junhyuk looked at Vera, who was following behind Arn. He hadn¡¯t seen any of the items she was wearing before, and her new weapon had been massively upgraded. Still, he thought he could kill her.

    Junhyuk would test her defenses.

    When Vera came within range, Junhyuk did not hesitate. He immediately used his Dimensional sh. A fight was a fight.

    However, Vera¡¯s shape changed. Her armor turnedpletely into mes that engulfed her. The Dimensional sh hit, but Vera didn¡¯t lose any health.

    Junhyuk was speechless. At that moment, Kaigel extended his hands forward, and the ground froze. The ice reached all the way up to Junhyuk.

    The attacked covered a distance of seventy meters, and with that, Junhyuk realized that Kaigel would be a difficult champion. Arn and Vera stepped on the ice and slid toward him, closing in.

    Junhyuk looked at Gongon, who smirked and said, ¡°Wait, I¡¯m going!¡±

    Gongon erged and threw himself forward, but the ice road decreased Gongon¡¯s and Junhyuk¡¯s movement speeds. Kaigel¡¯s power decreased the enemies¡¯ speed while increasing the allies¡¯ speed.

    Arn was closing in on him. It was time for a sh of swords.

    Vera¡¯s me garb died down, but she waspletely unaffected by the Dimensional sh. Her items had protected her, and that was shocking.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t have ess to the Dimensional sh anymore as the two enemies headed for him. His blood was boiling, but he knew that Arn was not pulling any punches.

    ¡°I¡¯m going!¡±

    Junhyuk ran forward, and Arn and Vera ran to meet him.

 Chapter 576 - Final Round 3

    <h4>Chapter 576: Final Round 3</h4>

    Vera cast a gigantic fire spear, trying to deal the opening strike. Was Junhyuk wrong to think that the fire spear was bigger than before?

    His own Dimensional sh had had no effect, and he didn¡¯t want to be struck by the spear, so he chased after Gongon, grabbed him and teleported behind Vear.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk had wanted to attack her from behind, but she hadid a fire orb like a mine to protect her back. Vera had expected that move from him, so when the fire orb exploded on him, Junhyuk scowled.

    Yet, he did not retreat. He had a chance, so he decided to exploit that chance.

    Junhyuk triggered a Spatial Copse of Vera. She wasn¡¯t able to dodge it this time, so she got locked in ce while being damaged. However, at the same time he triggered his Spatial Copse, Vera raised a firewall. Massive mes rose from the ground beneath him, and Junhyuk received even more damage.

    He grabbed Gongon again and teleported to stand in front of Vera. He wanted to kill Vera while he had the chance.

    She had lost 44 percent of her health from the Spatial Copse. Considering Junhyuk¡¯s attack stat, she had definitely raised her defense.

    While she was being pulled by the void, she couldn¡¯t settle on a stance. Junhyuk took that opportunity to stab her, and Gongon released his firebreath.

    The breath covered an area shaped like a fan, and both Vera and Arn fell within its range.

    It was dealing a lot more damage than before now that Gongon¡¯s weapon had been upgraded to +22, so it took arge chunk off of Vera¡¯s health.

    Junhyuk¡¯s tab also went through. He didn¡¯t know how much damage he had been able to inflict on Vera, but she died.

    However, both Junhyuk and Gongon had lost healthy chunks of health. The fire orb¡¯s explosion and the firewall had hit them both. Junhyuk had lost 45 percent of his health, and Gongon had lost 50 percent.

    Arn was heading toward them, so Gongon tried to headbutt him. However, Arn used his jump power, dodging Gongon and heading for Junhyuk, who raised his swords toward the hero.

    Junhyuk knew he couldn¡¯t escape getting damaged, so he decided he would damage Arn as well.

    ng!

    When the sabers struck Junhyuk, he scowled.

    He lost 20 percent of his health with that single strike. Meanwhile, Arn lost only 7 percent of his health. That¡¯s when Junhyuk realized just how high Arn¡¯s defensive stats were. Arn was a tank now. He had enhanced his weapons to +20, so he was also a damager.

    Arn followed the jump with the seven-hitbo. His sabers danced toward Junhyuk, who knew Arn was using his power and raised his force field immediately.

    ng!

    Arn pushed the force field back with his sabers and turned around to face Gongon, who block Arn¡¯s followingbo attacks, but still lost 25 percent of his health.

    The dragon only had 25 percent of his health left, so Junhyuk used his final teleportation to include Gongon in his force field.

    Gongon¡¯s firebreath had already hit Arn and taken 35 percent off of the Hero¡¯s health. With Junhyuk¡¯s attack of 7 percent, Arn had already lost 42 percent of his health.

    Inside the force field, Gongon triggered his ultimate. After transforming, Gongon breathed out a huge fireball that headed toward Arn. The hero couldn¡¯t dodge it, but suddenly, an ice wall appeared in front of him to block the fireball.

    Boom!

    The ice wall was destroyed, but it had managed to block Gongon¡¯s power. The dragon turned toward Kaigel and said, ¡°He¡¯s got useful powers.¡±

    Gongon attacked Kaigel from long range, but Arn blocked for the champion.

    ¡°Helen!¡± Junhyuk shouted.

    Helen ensnared Arn, and Junhyuk and Gongon attacked him while he was stuck. They needed to take care of the champion, but Arn came first.

    Junhyuk and Gongon bothnded two hits on Arn. Junhyuk dealt 14 percent of damage to the hero, while Gongon dealt 16 percent. Gongon¡¯s damage was higher than his, but Junhyuk¡¯s set had an effect that deal 3 percent of additional fixed damage to his opponents.

    The 3 percent fixed damage was perfect against enemies with high health and defense.

    Arn¡¯s health was low, but the hero regained his movement and slid on the ice road, getting away from them.

    Gongon breathed another fireball at Arn, and Junhyuk chased after the hero. He had used all of his powers, so now, he would have to focus solely on his swordsmanship.

    He attacked Arn with Aksha¡¯s Longsword, but Arn deflected his attack easily. Arn was blocking both the fireballs and Junhyuk¡¯s sword attacks, so Junhyuk decided to get in closer so that he would be able to use both of his swords.

    An energy de flew out and struck Arn. That was Helen¡¯s power, but it only dealt 1 percent of damage to the hero. Arn was just like the tanks from legendary teams.

    The hero stopped retreating on the ice road when Junhyuk¡¯s force field faded away.

    Arn turned around wielding his sabers, but Junhyuk knew that Arn had used his powers.

    Suddenly, both Junhyuk and Gongon were encased in ice. They weren¡¯t damaged, but neither of them could move, and Arn was running straight toward them.

    Junhyuk imagined something terrible happening.

    Arn was using his ultimate. The hero had two +20 weapons and was using his ultimate. Junhyuk was sure that he would die.

    His mouth was dry. Arn unsheathed his sabers and shed. Junhyuk bit his lip expectantly, but someone appeared in front of him.

    From where he stood, Junhyuk watched Helen get sliced in half. She had sacrificed herself for them. While fading away, Helen shouted at him, ¡°Kill him!¡±

    Junhyuk gathered himself. The ice disappeared, and Junhyuk tried to stab Arn.

    ng!

    All of Arn¡¯s powers, including his ultimate, were gone now, so Junhyuk thought that was his chance. His own Dimensional sh was nearly back.

    Gongon flew above Kaigel and came crashing down on the champion, breathing fire down on him, roasting Kaigel. After that, Gongon breathed fireballs behind Arn to keep him from trying to retreat.

    Arn was circling Junhyuk, and Junhyuk hadn¡¯t managed to strike the hero yet.

    He wanted to fight with Gongon against Arn. There was no way Arn would be able to hand both heroes.

    Right when hended his first hit, Junhyuk used his Dimensional sh. He thought his timing had been good, but Arn still dodged his attack.

    There was no time to be disappointed. Arn¡¯s saber was flying toward his neck. That was Arn¡¯s counter. Junhyuk cocked his head to the side, but he was still hit. He thought he had managed to dodge the attack, but it ended up being a critical hit.

    It was possible he would die at any moment. Arn was better with the sword than he was. Even with the Dimensional Battlefield restrictions, Arn was better.

    Junhyuk had absorbed more energy from the cores, and the amount of Harmonizer within him was full, but he was still restricted on the battlefield.

    Junhyuk attacked Arn with all of his strength. Gongon had returned to his original small size, but he attacked as well. Even in that state, Gongon¡¯s attack damage was superb. Nudra had been the one teaching Gongon, and his attack stat couldn¡¯t be ignored.

    Arn was under attack from two heroes. Gongon had the ability to deal the most damage, but Junhyuk attacked the hero ferociously.

    Arn smirked at him and shouted, ¡°You can really fight!¡± Then, the hero jumped. He wasn¡¯t trying to escape. Instead, he wasing down on Junhyuk¡¯s head, stabbing the sabers down at him.

    It was a power, so Junhyuk couldn¡¯t escape the hits. It would be a critical hit, so he decided he would attack Arn at the same time. Gongonunched an attack as well.

    sh!

    Junhyuk lost 20 percent of his health, leaving him with 5 percent.

    Arn was left with 12 percent.

    Junhyuk¡¯s mouth was extremely dry then. He could die at any moment. Gongon was attacking Arn, but Junhyuk was still nervous.

    Arn let Gongon¡¯s attacks through, aiming to kill Junhyuk. At the same time, Junhyuk blocked Arn¡¯s attack, just barely. Arn was smiling at him.

    Arn started to use hisbo on Junhyuk, who realized the cooldown had to have ended. There was no way for him to block the attacks from the power.

    Suddenly, from behind Arn, a wave of mes went everywhere. It was Gongon¡¯s firebreath.

    Arn, unable tounch into hisbopletely, died, and Junhyuk sighed heavily, relieved.

    ¡°Whew! I could¡¯ve died!¡±

    ¡°Next time won¡¯t be this easy.¡±

    It hadn¡¯t been easy. Junhyuk felt like he had nearly died multiple times.

    Vera had been killed first, but even then, the allies had been in constant danger because Vera had nullified the Dimensional sh and read Junhyuk¡¯s mind before she died.

    He turned to Gongon and said, ¡°Thanks!¡±

    ¡°I just did my job.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled at him. Without Gongon, he would¡¯ve certainly died.¡±

    He looked around, and Gongon stepped forward and said, ¡°I¡¯ll clean up.¡±

    The enemy minions were human, so Junhyuk was hesitant, and Gongon understood that.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Junhyuk said, shouting at the minions, ¡°Stop!¡±

    They all stopped. There were only a hundred allied minions and just as many enemy minions.

    He turned to the enemy minions and said, ¡°Run to the forest and stay there. Don¡¯t just die like dogs here, and you¡¯ll be able to return. If you show up here again, I¡¯ll annihte you all.¡±

    The enemy minions bowed to him and ran toward the fore.

    Gongon shrugged and said, ¡°Let¡¯s destroy the watchtower and take the buff tower.¡±

    ¡°The minions will destroy the watchtower. I don¡¯t have any health left.¡±

    The archers could kill either of them, so Gongon chuckled and picked up an item.

    ¡°The other one is yours.¡±

    Junhyuk picked up the item Vera had dropped. With the items in hand, Junhyuk realized that the allies were winning.

    Both Arn and Vera had lost an item each.

 Chapter 577 - Offense and Defense 1

    <h4>Chapter 577: Offense and Defense 1</h4>

    The allies upied the buff tower and took the buff, and after that, Junhyuk contacted the others. Two enemy heroes had gone middle, so the three others had to have taken the side paths.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know who would go where, but he wanted to head out to help his allies.

    The others hadn¡¯t reached their watchtowers yet, so they hadn¡¯te up against any enemy heroes. Junhyuk turned to Gongon and said, ¡°Teleporting won¡¯t work. Will you jungle?¡±

    Gongon¡¯s damage was greater than his. Even Gongon¡¯s regr attacks were better than Junhyuk¡¯s set item effects.

    After thinking about it, Gongon said, ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll take the portal and support the left side. I don¡¯t know who¡¯ll show up there, but I¡¯m thinking just one hero will.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Gongon would join Elise, and they would both attack the enemy hero. Even if the hero had a lot of defense, Elise could buff Gongon, making him even stronger.

    Junhyuk decided to stay in the middle path.

    ¡°I¡¯ll climb down the mountain, and with some luck, I¡¯ll destroy the second watchtower.¡±

    If the enemy appeared. He could always run away. Junhyuk had his teleportations and the buff tower¡¯s buff.

    Gongon waved at him and went through the portal. Gongon looked down the middle path and ahead toward the castle. The gate to the enemy castle opened, and Arn and Vera walked out.

    He frowned. If he kept going, he would certainly meet them at the next watchtower, and there was no way he would be able to deal with both of them alone.

    He didn¡¯t know why or how Vera hadn¡¯t been damaged by his Dimensional sh, but he knew Arn could dodge it with his sixth sense.

    If he attacked them both now, he might as wellmit suicice. On his way down, he contacted the others.

    ¡°Gon, there are two heroesing up the middle. I¡¯ll have to give up pushing.¡±

    ¡°Should I join you?¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think. Even if Gongon came back, he wouldn¡¯t get to Junhyuk fast enough to join him. Junhyuk stopped walking then and said, ¡°No. I¡¯ll take the portal to the right path. I can push middleter.¡±

    It took an hour to reach the watchtowers on the side paths from where the portal dropped them. His n was to kill the enemy heroes on the right side and return to the buff tower after.

    Junhyuk turned around and saw that Vera had noticed him. They sped up to reach him, and Junhyuk smiled at them. Whoever controlled the middle path would control the battlefield. The allies had won the first battle, and to keep control over the battlefield, it was important that both him and Gongon moved quickly through the map.

    Once he was back at the top of the mountain, Junhyuk went through the portal. He didn¡¯t take the minions with him, however. He took the portal to the right path. As soon as he appeared, he took off teleporting and running.

    It was possible the battle might be happening already. Sarang and La had previously told him they would wait for him, but thinking that they were already fighting, Junhyuk sped up. With the buff tower¡¯s buff, his speed was truly incredible.

    When he teleported, he noticed something had changed.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know much about the battlefield, but he knew about the inbetween space, and that¡¯s why he wasn¡¯t able to get the Dimensional Shift device to work.

    However, while he couldn¡¯t use his device in the battlefield, he learned something while teleporting. If he could pass a spot and remember that spot in the battlefield, he could return to it.

    He had to use two of his teleportations to be able to do it, but his eyes beamed. He couldn¡¯t select coordinates from his device, but he could keep track of the ces he had been in his mind and teleport to them.

    He wanted to run a few more experiments. First, the range of that type of teleportation.

    Yet, Junhyuk simply sped up. He wanted to run tests now, but he had to help Sarang first.

    Junhyuk had finally heard from Sarang that she was fighting her enemies with the help of the watchtower. Sarang and La were fighting Diane and Halo, and Junhyuk smiled bitterly when he found out.

    Halo was La¡¯s teacher, so he had to get there quickly to help.

    Junhyuk knew from fighting Arn that regr attacks wouldn¡¯t work and that powers rarely worked.

    Arn could doge his Dimensional sh with his sixth sense. In essence, Arn was his foil.

    Halo had to be her foil, so Junhyuk sped up even more.

    When he reached the watchtower, he saw that the allied watchtower was nearly destroyed. The two hadn¡¯t done a great job in protecting it.

    Had the enemy heroes sent minions and attacked from long range, the tower would¡¯ve crumbled. The watchtower was, however, still standing.

    Junhyuk dashed forward and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m here!¡±

    ¡°Counterattack!¡± La shouted, moving out quickly. She attacked Halo,unching him into the air. After that, Launched her katana, but Diane shot an explosive arrow at her.

    Boom!

    The arrow hit La, and she lost a massive chunk of her health, 55 percent of it.

    Diane¡¯s bow was shining like a rainbow. Halo¡¯s sword, however, was not shining.

    Halo had twisted his body while in the air and came down on La, shing her.

    Junhyuk knew that Halo could jump, but he hadn¡¯t known that Halo could attack from the air toward the ground.

    La lost another chunk of her health, and Junhyuk bit his lips in response.

    She only had 20 percent of her health left now, and that was only because Halo was a bnced hero.

    Light green powder dropped over La¡¯s head, and her health recovered to 60 percent. She was not a tank, so they were cutting into her like a piece of paper being torn up. Her had great items that could tank normal heroes, but the enemies attacking her were extremely powerful.

    Diane readied an arrow, and Junhyuk teleported to La.

    ng!

    He blocked Halo¡¯s next attack, and Halo smirked.

    ¡°I heard what you did from Arn.¡±

    ¡°I got lucky.¡±

    Diane let go of the bowstring, and Junhyuk teleported away, escaping Diane¡¯s attack with La.

    Then, he scoped out both of the enemy heroes.

    Diane had to have upgraded her items and, most of all, her bow. She was probably a stronger damager than Vera now. Halo seemed to have focused on defense.

    La had upgraded her katana to +20, but she had only managed to deal 25 percent of damage to Halo.

    Junhyuk gathered his breath. Of the allies there, he had the highest defense, so he had to kill Diane quickly.

    He had one more teleportation left. He wanted to use his Spatial Copse to kill. His force field he would use as a hail Maryter. However, he also had the Dimensional sh.

    La was low on health, but he wanted her to attack Diane as well.

    Diane¡¯s range was so long, but Junhyuk shrugged and said, ¡°Let¡¯s kill Diane first.¡±

    ¡°Can you kill her in a single hit?¡±

    ¡°With my ultimate.¡±

    Junhyuk would use his ultimate, and the rest of the allies would focus on Diane as well. Diane was fast, but he had to get his ultimate tond on her.

    Sarang stepped forward and said, ¡°I¡¯ll make things easier.¡±

    She could fire two electric sts that could paralyze both enemy heroes.

    ¡°How¡¯s Diane¡¯s range?¡±

    ¡°Greater than mine. I¡¯ll take at least one hit.¡± Diane¡¯s range was incredible, so Junhyuk thought about using his force field, but Sarang smiled and said, ¡°You know... I have my invulnerability.¡±

    Sarang wouldn¡¯t die when she faced death for the first time, so having her join them was the best option.

    ¡°Beware of her powers as well as her range.¡±

    ¡°You should raised the force field.¡±

    Sarang stepped forward, and Halo faced off against her. Holding his sword diagonally, he walked toward her. Halo¡¯s rush could cover a distance of twenty meters almost instantly. Diane was readying another arrow, but Sarang was just barely out of her range.

    Junhyuk stepped forward and teleported with Sarang and La. When they reappeared, Sarang immediately cast her electric st.

    Halo evaded it, but Diane was paralyzed. La quickly moved off toward Diane.

    Junhyuk used his Spatial Copse, and Diane was locked in ce while La used her ultimate. After that, Junhyuk stabbed the archer.

    Two ultimates, a power and a regr attack. Diane couldn¡¯t endure it. While fading, she smiled at him and said, ¡°Junhyuk, I¡¯ll see you when this battle is over,¡± and caressed his butt.

    Junhyuk could onlyugh.

 Chapter 578 - Offense and Defense 2

    <h4>Chapter 578: Offense and Defense 2</h4>

    Only Halo remained. Running toward him, Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Support me!¡±

    In the battlefield, Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to have unnecessary one-on-one fights.

    At the same time, Halo wasunching his sword high into the air, readying Rain from Above.

    Junhyuk smiled. He still had his force field avable, so he thought he would be able to win easily. He raised the force field around Halo, who wasted his ultimate while encased in the force field.

    ng!

    Rain from Above couldn¡¯t go anywhere, so Halo became nervous. Immediately seizing the opportunity, Sarang trigger her Thunderstorm within Junhyuk¡¯s force field. There was no way out, and the thunderbolts crashed down on Halo.

    Crraaaack, boom!

    The loud explosion indicated that Halo had been hit. Junhyuk immediately made use of his Dimensional sh.

    La¡¯s katana was already zooming through the air, and it pierced Halo¡¯s chest. It wasn¡¯t an ultimate, but the damage was significant. Her weapon was at +20.

    Halo could see that his Rain from Above had failed, so he gripped his sword tightly and said, ¡°This will be hard.¡±

    When Junhyuk¡¯s force field faded, Halo immediately started to retreat. Sarang cast lightning arrows at him, and Junhyuk and La chased after him to attack. After the Dimensional sh, the Thunderstorm and La¡¯s attack, Halo was left with 12 percent of his health.

    The force field had prevented his attacks, but allowed the allies tond all of their attacks. All three of them were still attacking Halo, but the hero smiled coldly and spun his sword.

    ng, ng, ng, ng!

    Halo had used his sword shield, and it had protected him of all iing attacks. After that, he immediately retreated toward the watchtower, so Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Catch him!¡±

    Halo¡¯s goal was to fight alongside the watchtower, but the hero had used all of his powers, so he was having a hard time getting back.

    The three heroes attacked Halo, who finally died. While Halo was fading, he smiled at them and said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do about the numerical superiority. See you soon.¡±

    Junhyuk picked up the item dropped by Diane, and La picked up the item Halo dropped.

    When she inspected the item, she smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll just equip it!¡±

    Junhyuk inspected the item Diane had dropped. It had been upgraded fifteen times.

    ¡°I can sell this.¡±

    The items were expensive now, and those who only assisted in the kills wouldn¡¯t make a lot of money out of the battle.

    Junhyuk caressed Sarang¡¯s head and said, ¡°When I sell my items, I¡¯ll give you some of the money.¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯ll kill and get my own items. I don¡¯t want to share. It¡¯s OK.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Sarang had a bigger damage capacity than him. She could certainly deliver thest hit, so Junhyuk agreed with her. Right now, everyone was dirt poor.

    There was a limit to how strong he could get with the amount of gold he had, so Sarang should get her own items. Once they were done, he would ask the other allies about their situation.

    Junhyuk gave the enemy minions a chance to run away, and they did just that. After that, he contacted Gongon. Diane and Halo had gone his way, which meant that Gongon would go up against Nudra, who was the dragon¡¯s teacher.

    Gongon smiled and said, ¡°I took care of things here.¡±

    ¡°You killed him?!¡±

    ¡°It was a sessful surprise attack! We¡¯re winning!¡±

    The first fight at the buff tower had been huge for them. After that, they¡¯d managed to kill each of the enemy heroes. To them, they would seize that advantage and finally win the round.

    Junhyuk told both women to advance and went back into the forest. He went out to hunt the buff monster, but things didn¡¯t go as he expected.

    Not finding the monster, he closed his eyes and felt for the roads he had used. He didn¡¯t know any coordinates, but he could feel the locations he had passed.

    He teleported. When he reappeared, he looked around and found himself standing at the buff tower. The minions were staring at him, so he smiled at them and said, ¡°Sess!¡±

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t teleport with other heroes yet, but he could return to where he had been before. Now, he could get back to anywhere anytime.

    He told the allies about his new ability, and everyone was excited about it.

    ¡°You should run around everywhere,¡± Gongon said.

    ¡°I can¡¯t cover the entire forest, but I¡¯ll walk down every path.¡±

    ¡°OK. The first set of watchtowers have been destroyed, so get used to the paths toward the second set. That is a legendary ability.¡±

    ¡°I well.¡±

    Vera and Arn were climbing up the middle path, so Junhyuk went through the portal. Because the first set of towers was down, Junhyuk appeared went through the enemy-side portals. He could teleport to every portal in the map now.

    When he got back, Junhyuk could no longer see Vera and Arning up the mountain. They had to have gone buff hunting.

    He decided not to look for them. There were teams of two moving up from the left and the right, so Junhyuk chose to walk up the paths some more.

    He took off for the second tower on the left, teleporting and running down the path at incredible speed. When he got close enough to inspect the tower, he teleported to the portal on the right. There, he joined up with Sarang and La, who just happened to be passing by on their way to the second watchtower.

    He could teleport to the left watchtower at anytime now. His ability was like having another ultimate.

    Walking with Sarang, Junhyuk said, ¡°Now that I have all locations in my head, I hope I can use this ability in the next round as well.¡±

    ¡°In the next round?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be fighting legends, so I hope it works.¡±

    Sarang smiled and said, ¡°Helen will be reaching the buff tower soon.¡±

    ¡°Sure, but there are only minions there now.¡±

    ¡°Where will theye from?¡±

    Arn and Vera were gone. They could end up on the right or the left. Gongon was on the left, and he wouldn¡¯t be easy to put down.

    Junhyuk could join any group at any moment with his new teleportation ability.

    When they reached the second watchtower, they saw the enemy heroes waiting for them.

    It was Diane and Halo again, but this time, they were using the watchtower to fight. The allies had the numerical advantage, so they decided to push on.

    The watchtower was an issue, but Junhyuk decided he would kill Diane first and destroy the watchtower right after.

    Choosing to save his teleportation, Junhyuk walked forward. His goal was to kill both heroes, but as he walked ahead, he suddenly felt a nervous chill.

    He looked around, but saw nothing unusual.

    He kept on. Diane was watching him, walking with him but keeping herself out of his range. She came as close as possible.

    Junhyuk wanted to close in, but suddenly, a meteor shower crashed down on the allies.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    The meteor shower took a while to prepare, and it was definitely something that should be shut down before it triggered. However, Junhyuk had been too focused on Diane, so Vera hit them all.

    Vera¡¯s ultimate. Junhyuk lost a massive chunk of his health, so he teleported forward, taking both women with him toward Diane. A firewall rose on the spot he had been standing. Junhyuk used his spatial sense to inspect his surroundings and concluded that Vera was within the reed fields.

    Both Vera and Diane were dangerous, but Junhyuk knew he had to kill Diane first. She hadn¡¯t used her powers yet.

    ng!

    Dianed shot regr arrows while distancing herself from the allied heroes. Junhyuk had to kill her at the first chance he got.

    Junhyuk triggered his Spatial Copse, and Sarang used her Thunderstorm. On top of that, the allies surrounded themselves with the force field.

    Diane fell.

    The allies had killed a strong damager, and now, Junhyuk wanted to use his Dimensional sh against Vera, but Vera had already disappeared.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t sense her, but he could see Halo, who hid himself behind the watchtower. Halo hid himself at just the right time, preventing Junhyuk from using his Dimensional sh.

    He wanted to kill Halo, so Junhyuk teleported and gave chase.

    At that moment, a shadow loomed over his force field. Arn had jumped and was careening down toward them.

    Boom!

    The force field dug into the ground and got stuck there. Arn started to retreat.

    ¡°Sarang!¡±

    Sarang shot her electric sts, and Halo and Arn were paralyzed. Everyone focused on Halo. Junhyuk used his Dimensional sh on the enemy hero, and La used her ultimate.

 Chapter 579 - Offense and Defense 3

    <h4>Chapter 579: Offense and Defense 3</h4>

    La could string her ultimate with herbo power, and after her four shes, she could follow it up with herunch.

    Junhyuk¡¯s Dimensional sh hit first, and Halo lost a chunk of his health. When Halo wasunched into the air by La, Sarang shot lightning arrows at him, and Junhyuk threw Aksha¡¯s Longsword.

    While in the air, Halo used his sword shield to block the attacks.

    ng, ng, ng, ng!

    All of the attacks were blocked, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t care about Halo¡¯s sword shield.

    He teleported with the allies and reappeared above Halo¡¯s head. Halo didn¡¯t try to block at all. There was nothing he could do fighting three heroes at once.

    When Halonded, he immediately prepared Rain from Above. He only had 8 percent of his health left. With two more hits, Halo would die. However, Junhyuk¡¯s force field was gone, and it seemed like Halo had been waiting for that.

    The archers on the watchtower started shooting at the allies.

    Arn was the first to move. Junhyuk and La blocked Arn¡¯s sabers, but they were still damaged.

    Neither of them could protect themselves when Halo flew at them. They didn¡¯t want to get hit by Halo¡¯s ultimate, but there was nowhere to hide. Yet, Rain from Above had been aimed at Sarang, who lost all of her health from the attack, triggering her invulnerability.

    She had been hit by the meteors and had not recovered her health after.

    Junhyuk had already thrown Aksha¡¯s Longsword again by the time her invulnerability triggered, and Sarang shot Halo with lightning arrows. After both attacks hit, Halo disappeared.

    Halo¡¯s ultimate had a weakness. It left him defenseless after it was used. Junhyuk sighed, relieved, but at the same time, a fire spear came flying toward him.

    Junhyuk raised both of his swords to block the attack.

    Boom!

    He wasunched back by the impact, and an explosion triggered behind him. Vera hadunched her fire spear after setting a fire orb at his back. After receiving that damage, he scowled hard.

    Junhyuk had been hit by the meteors and two other attacks from Vera. He had blocked Arn¡¯s attack, but some damage had still gone through. Now, he only had 5 percent of his health left.

    Arn crouched. He had his sabers with him and was readying his ultimate. Junhyuk knew he would certainly die from the attack.

    Immediately, Sarang healed him, and his health got back up to 45 percent. Arn¡¯s used his ultimate on him, and Junhyuk lost 30 percent of his health all at once. Junhyuk was able to attack Arn at the same time as he was hit, but the problem wasn¡¯t Arn.

    Arn was practically a tank now, she he wasn¡¯t that important.

    Junhyuk blocked the fire arrows that came toward him and shouted, ¡°Someone kill Vera!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go!¡±

    La and Sarang both attacked her. Regr attacks would decide the battle, but Vera was powerful.

    She could shoot her arrows while retreating, and all of the allies could end up dead because of that.

    He couldn¡¯t just leave Arn behind. Thought Arn was a tank, his powers still dealt a lot of damage. Arn could dodge his Dimensional sh, but his regr attacks were better than Arn¡¯s.

    Junhyuk was low on health now, so Arn smiled at him while he was trying to stop the enemy hero.

    ¡°You¡¯ve chosen wrong.¡±

    Arn ran toward him.

    Junhyuk had passed the watchtower and started running toward the enemy castle, but he wasn¡¯t worried about the distance. He could get back with his teleportation.

    Arn was charging toward him, and Junhyuk knew that the hero still had a power left. He couldn¡¯t let himself be killed.

    Junhyuk turned around and started running away.

    ¡°You can¡¯t run from me!¡±

    Looking back at Arn, Junhyuk said, ¡°I can¡¯t die like this!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s OK. We had four. Dying won¡¯t hurt your pride.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled. He was running away, but something made the exchange very pleasant to him. His teleportations would return before Arn¡¯s other powers. His cooldowns had shortened.

    While running, Junhyuk contacted the two women. They were in the middle of dodging fire arrows.

    ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°We are moving back toward our side.¡±

    Junhyuk checked the distance between them.

    Arn smiled at him then and stomped the ground,unching himself up. Arn¡¯s jump power had returned. As Arn wasing down on him, Junhyuk lowered his swords to his sides.

    ¡°You want to die that badly?!¡±

    ¡°No, not really.¡±

    Junhyuk teleported, and Arn crashed down on the spot where Junhyuk had been standing. Arn looked around, but Junhyuk was gone.

    ¡°What!?¡±

    At the same time, Junhyuk appeared in front of Vera and started running toward her.

    Vera, who had been shooting fire arrows at the two women, turned her aim toward him.

    Junhyuk got mmed by an arrows and made his calctions. His powers had returned, which meant that Vera¡¯s powers were also back, and he didn¡¯t have enough health to take her on.

    The two women were also chasing after Vera, but they also didn¡¯t have much health left.

    Junhyuk elerated, dodging Vera¡¯s iing attacks. When he could see the white of her eyes, Junhyuk aimed Aksha¡¯s Longsword at her, but Vera smirked and dodged. Everyone had thought her to be just a mage, but Vera wasn¡¯t an easy opponent at all. She dodged every one of his attacks.

    ¡°What is this?!¡±

    Arn and Halo could dodge his attacks, but he didn¡¯t expect that from her. She slid across the ground, dodging another sh.

    Junhyuk chased after her, and Vera smirked and shot fire arrows at him.

    Then, the mage raised fire pirs in front of her, and the pirs continued to rise around the allies, surrounding them.

    Junhyuk jumped out of the enclosure right before it closed, dodging the firewall that rose from the center of it. Junhyuk shed at Vera relentlessly.

    ng, ng!

    Two of his attacks were blocked, but the third sh hit. At the same time, Vera was encased in fire.

    She hadn¡¯t been damaged at all.

    Junhyuk frowned at that but continued attacking. Vera was attacking him as well, and because they were close to each other, the fire arrows were getting through.

    Boom!

    Vera¡¯s fire damage was extremely high, and Junhyuk started losing a lot of health quickly. Each arrow hit him for 8 percent of his health.

    If this kept up, he would die soon. Junhyuk only had 7 percent of health left. He couldn¡¯t allow himself to get hit anymore. His body had goosebumps.

    ¡°Junhyuk!¡± La shouted.

    Junhyuk turned toward her. She hadn¡¯t used all of her powers yet, so Junhyuk teleported to the two women and teleported again.

    They had decided to kill Vera at the first chance, so La immediately attacked her with her katana. She was sessful innding herbo power.

    There were three allies now, so when Vera shot her fire arrows at him, Junhyuk used La as cover.

    He started attacking with the stretched Aksha¡¯s Longsword from behind La, and Veraughed at him and said, ¡°You really are something!¡±

    Sarang was attacking as well. Her powers had long cooldowns, however, and she wasn¡¯t able tond a hit on Vera with her lightning arrows.

    Vera¡¯s powers were all focused on attack, but their cooldowns were really short. Once she had all of her powers back, the allies would definitely die.

    ¡°Hurry!¡±

    Junhyuk could see Arn running toward them in the distance. The enemy hero could kill him with a single attack.

    Vera had a wide smile on her face. Her powers were back.

    Junhyuk knew he couldn¡¯t stay alive for long, so he used his Dimensional sh. This time, the power hit Vera. However, with La as the center of it, the area suddenly exploded. A fire orb had detonated.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk lost all of his health. At the same time, a fire spear struck Sarang. Sarang didn¡¯t die, but she had very little health left.

    Sarang¡¯s ultimate had already triggered.

    There was nothing Junhyuk could say as the world turned ck around him.

 Chapter 580 - Tough Victory 1

    <h4>Chapter 580: Tough Victory 1</h4>

    Junhyuk did not think that was the end, so he didn¡¯t waste his time in the harrowing void. After training his Harmonizer, Junhyuk slowly opened his eyes.

    Ariel was staring at him with worry, but heughed at her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    He knew the battle would be tough, but he hadn¡¯t expected to die like that. Yet, Junhyuk didn¡¯t give up. It was better that way.

    Junhyuk had to fight Arn in this round, so it was normal that he¡¯d die once in a while. He inspected his items in search of what he had dropped. He had lost a bracelet.

    Junhyuk smacked his lips, but he was d to know he hadn¡¯t lost any of his set items.

    He walked up to the exit, and Ariel shouted with her hands in a cone, [Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed!]

    He walked outside. Junhyuk knew the battle would be ferocious, and that¡¯s why he had chosen not to take many minions with him. He decided he would go all out now.

    ¡°Whew! I couldn¡¯t deal with four.¡±

    The allies had killed Diane right off the bat, but Junhyuk ended up dying in the end. He was selecting the minions he would take with him when Sarang walked out.

    ¡°You too?!¡±

    ¡°That was a lot of damage!¡±

    The damage of Vera¡¯s powers was overwhelming, and that was the difference between a hybrid damager and a pure damager. Sarang¡¯s Thunderstorm dealt a lot of damage, but all of Vera¡¯s powers dealt high damage.

    Sarang had her heal and her electric st to paralyze her enemies, and her invulnerability was good in a tough situation, but she couldn¡¯t really win against Vera head on.

    Soon, La appeared.

    ¡°La! You too?!¡±

    ¡°Yes. I got killed. We killed Vera, but Arn killed me.¡±

    Arn¡¯s defense was really high, and Junhyuk was only able to get through it because of his set¡¯s effect.

    He sighed and contacted Gongon.

    ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°I lost. How¡¯s it going over there?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know Nudra would be this hard. I¡¯m fighting with the help of the watchtower, but the enemy champion is here, and he brought some minions.¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think and said, ¡°I¡¯ll head over. Just wait a little longer.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    With the group in the castle, Junhyuk went to Bebe¡¯s store and pulled out some items. One item was from Vera, and the other was from Diane. He gave the one from Vera to Sarang and asked, ¡°Did you lose something simr?¡±

    Sarang smiled brightly and replied, ¡°Yes! I can equip this right now!¡±

    ¡°OK. Then, do it. I¡¯ll sell Diane¡¯s item.¡±

    It would¡¯ve been nice if the allies could share their items, but they didn¡¯t have any gold left, so Junhyuk had to sell something now.

    Bebe smiled when he inspected the item and said, ¡°That¡¯s a nice item, and it¡¯s been upgraded, which is excellent! Are you selling it?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, so Bebe told him the price, ¡°This is a legendary item, so the base price is 1,500,000G, which means I¡¯ll give you 750,000G for it. It has been upgraded fifteen times, so I¡¯ll add another 250,000G for a total of 1,000,000G.¡±

    Without hesitation, Junhyuk sold the item and looked for another bracelet. He wanted a better item than the one he had lost.

    He could only buy low-ranked legendary items with the amount he had, but legendary items had an extra stat buff.

    He chose a bracelet with +20 to piercing, +25 to attack and +200 to health. After putting it on, he closed and opened his hand.

    ¡°Are you buying anything else?¡± he asked the others.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then, head to the buff tower. I¡¯ll go help Gongon.¡±

    Junhyuk thought about where Gongon could be. He had been to the second watchtower on the left side, so he imagined its location and teleported.

    When Junhyuk appeared, Gongon cheered, ¡°Wee!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t kill him?¡±

    ¡°Look!¡±

    Nudra had a power that pushed his enemy back. He could also defense for a long time. However, due to Gongon¡¯s strength, Nudra had lost a good amount of his health. He only had 40 percent of it left.

    When Nudra saw him, he became anxious.

    ¡°How did you get here?¡±

    ¡°I teleported.¡±

    ¡°Vera told me you died.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°You teleported here from the castle?¡±

    ¡°My power has evolved.¡±

    Nudra clicked his tongue and said, ¡°I can¡¯t just die. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and turned to the minions behind Gongon. There were a hundred of them.

    ¡°Attack!¡± Gongon shouted, and Junhyuk looked at the enemy champion.

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill the champion.¡±

    The champion had a restraining power. As for Nudra, he was wearing a pair of gloves that shone in rainbow colors.

    ¡°When did you upgrade those?!¡±

    Nudra wouldn¡¯t be an easy opponent. The hero was wearing a different garb from the one Junhyuk knew, which meant his set had changed.

    Junhyuk teleported. Elise and Gongon would push forward and deal with Nudra together, so Junhyuk used his Dimensional sh right off the bat.

    The enemy champion died instantly. It was important to kill the champion before he could use his spells.

    Gongon was heading for Nudra. He tried headbutting the enemy hero, but Nudra released a strong gust toward Gongon.

    Nudra could use his powers better than Gongon, so he started retreating. However, Junhyuk triggered his Spatial Copse on him, and while he was being sucked into the void, Nudra scowled.

    He lost arge chunk of his remaining health, and Elise finished him off with her ultimate.

    Nudra clicked his tongue while fading and said, ¡°Three is too many.¡±

    Junhyuk started attacked the watchtower. Once it was destroyed, he sighed.

    If the allies could find the enemies¡¯ locations, he could teleport to them andpletely change the flow of the battle. He could shut down the enemies¡¯ advances with his teleportations.

    The enemy team wouldn¡¯t be easy to handle, but now, he didn¡¯t think the allies would lose.

    He turned to GOngon and said, ¡°I¡¯ll head back to the buff tower. What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t push on. We¡¯ll take the portal instead.¡±

    ¡°Right. It¡¯s time for a team battle.¡± After some thought, Junhyuk said, ¡°I¡¯ll go first. Join me when you can.¡±

    ¡°Take me with you!¡±

    Junhyuk grabbed both Gongon and Elise and said, ¡°If I disappear by myself, please understand.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Junhyuk thought about the buff tower and teleported. Once he was back there, he looked around but smacked his lips immediately after.

    Only the minions he had left there were there. He couldn¡¯t teleport with others. If he had been able to do that, his team would have an even greater advantage.

    He looked down the mountain path and contacted the other heroes, ¡°Nobody ising this way.¡±

    The allies would regroup at the buff tower and climb down the mountain together, but Junhyuk shook his head.

    He could only teleport to where he had been, so he started moving and teleporting down the mountain. It would take an hour for everyone to get to the buff tower. Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t get to the enemy watchtower within that time, but he wanted to start covering the distance.

    He was moving down the path, but he still couldn¡¯t see any enemy heroes.

    Frowning, he asked, ¡°Did they go somewhere else?!¡±

    The enemy heroes could have gone buff monster hunting. Suddenly, Junhyuk thought about something, but there was no way for him to get there on time. They could have gone dragon hunting.

    Junhyuk told the allies that he would go check on the dragon. He could teleport anywhere, which meant that he might be able to steal the dragon kill if the enemy heroes were attacking the dragon.

    He teleported as close as he could and heard from Gongon that he had reached the buff tower. Gongon couldn¡¯t see any enemies from there, so Junhyuk kept on.

    When he reached the dragon¡¯s nest, he contacted the others and told them the enemies were there. He couldn¡¯t kill the dragon by himself.

    ¡°Where are they?¡±

    He asked Sarang and La when they would be able to join Gongon at the buff tower, and they told him that it would take a couple of hours. For a team battle, they should have at least four heroes together.

    After their response, Junhyuk decided to wait by the valley. If the enemy heroes showed up, he would steal their kill.

    After an hour of waiting, Gongon contacted him.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Shit! They used the portal!¡±

    ¡°How many?¡±

    ¡°Four!¡±

    Junhyuk frowned and said, ¡°Get back to our watchtower. I¡¯ll join you.¡±

    The enemy heroes had used the portal and headed to the buff tower, thwarting the allied n.

    ¡°They didn¡¯te hunt the dragon.¡±

    Junhyuk headed back to the buff tower. He teleported and immediately saw an arrow flying his way.

    Boom!

    It was an explosive arrow. He was damaged right after teleporting. The explosion pushed him back, and Junhyuk scowled.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± he heard Elise say.

    He had taken the hit for her.

 Chapter 581 - Tough Victory 2

    <h4>Chapter 581: Tough Victory 2</h4>

    Junhyuk had reached Gongon, Elise and Helen, but when he saw the amount of health he had lost, he frowned. Diane was Diane, and her +20 bow had dealt him a lot of damage.

    He was the only one who had been hit. The others were still at full health.

    It was lucky that he had gotten there just in time, but he couldn¡¯t rx. Halo was advancing toward him.

    Junhyuk elerated and scoped out the battlefield. Diane and Vera were covering the portal. Arn was some distance in front of it, and Halo went right past Gongon, heading toward Junhyuk.

    The enemy team could use the portal at any time. They had their strongest damagers set up around it, but they would only be able to retreat if the damagers stayed there.

    Diane and Vera both had powers that could kill Junhyuk, and he had already died once facing those same enemies.

    He used his Dimensional sh, prioritizing Diane with his attack. A gash opened on her neck and blood spurted out of it. She vomited some blood as well before quickly getting back.

    She wanted to take the portal out.

    Halo shed his chest, but Junhyuk barely felt the attack. Halo cut his back, but Junhyuk ignored his attacks while trying to use his Spatial Copse. However, Diane was gone. She managed to use the portal before he could get to her.

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue and teleported with the other allies toward Vera.

    Boom!

    Vera had read his mind. She had set a fire orb right where he appeared. Gongon was also hit by the explosion, and Junhyuk was left with only 30 percent of his health.

    However, he still had a chance. The allies could also deal a lot of damage.

    Halo was readying Rain from Above, and Arnunched his sabers at Junhyuk. Thinking that the allies would get decimated, Junhyuk quickly raised his force field, which also pushed Vera away from the portal.

    He swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword, but Vera seemed to have an item that negated physical attacks once. He had to use that ability with his regr attacks before he could use a power against her.

    Gongon also attacked Vera, but she blocked everything and started retreating. However, the allies did not give up chasing and attacking her.

    Finally, her body was covered in mes. All physical attacks from then on were useless, but that¡¯s when Junhyuk used his Spatial Copse. Vera got sucked into the void, and Elise started casting her ultimate. Elise¡¯s ultimate could also pierce through multiple heroes if they were in a line.

    The allies thought they could kill Vera, but something changed then.

    The portal shone brightly, and Nudra appeared. Nudra immediately pushed the force field back. Elise stayed within it, but the impact made her miss.

    Gongon didn¡¯t give up however. He erged, left the force field¡¯s protection and heabutted Vera. She gotunched back, and Gongon followed up with a firebreath against the enemy heroes.

    Vera died, but things weren¡¯t that good.

    The allies only had three heroes there, and Halo¡¯s Rain from Above, which took a long time to set up, crashed down on Gongon. The dragon had very high defense, but Halo¡¯s ultimate was very powerful, and Gongon had already been hit by the fire orb¡¯s explosion.

    Junhyuk had to rescue Gongon, so he teleported. When Gongon noticed that he was inside the force field again, he used his ultimate.

    As an adult dragon, Gongon attacked Halo, who was defenseless while Rain from Above was activated. He couldn¡¯t even protect himself against a regr attack in that state.

    Gongon blew a fireball at Halo, and Elise summoned Zaira. Junhyuk ran toward Halo as well.

    The three heroes¡¯ attacks hit Halo, but the enemy hero stood his ground. After that, Junhyuk ran back and shouted, ¡°Get back to the watchtower!¡±

    They couldn¡¯t fight head on, but they could retreat to the watchtower. Elise started running back, but before they could reach the watchtower, the force field faded away. They were close, but the enemy heroes did not intend on losing their prey.

    When the force field disappeared, Junhyuk scowled. The allies were all at lower health.

    Seeing that, Nudra smirked and jumped,nding a drop kick on top of Junhyuk¡¯s head.

    Boom!

    WIth Nudra¡¯s gloves at +20, the damage was tremendous. Junhyuk lost the remainder of his 30 percent of health, so he shouted, ¡°Do your best!¡±

    Gongon nodded and continued toward the watchtower. Elise managed to reach it. Junhyuk looked back and saw Diane appeared through the portal again.

    ¡°Holy shit!¡± he shouted, and the world turned ck around him.

    ¡ª

    In the harrowing void, Junhyuk once again focused on his Harmonizer. When he opened his eyes, he felt the energy within him had changed. With those two deaths, he had brought Harmonizerpletely under his control.

    Ariel had a worried look on her face while looking at him.

    [You¡¯ve died twice. This is really the final round.]

    ¡°It is. I¡¯ve got goosebumps all over.¡±

    Junhyuk was astonished by the adrenaline of the battle. He had died twice. On top of that, he had managed to kill Vera, but he hadn¡¯t picked up her item. That was a big loss.

    He sighed and inspected his items. He had lost a gear. Those socketing items were hard to get, and that made Junhyuk feel sick.

    ¡°Whew! I need to join the group quickly.¡±

    There were four enemy heroes there. There was a limit to what his allies could do, so Junhyuk pulled out his swords.

    [Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed!]

    He exited the spawn room quickly and contacted Gongon.

    ¡°How are things?¡±

    ¡°We have the watchtower with us, but we can all die at any time.¡±

    Gongon had already used his powers, so now, he was in danger. He was fighting alongside the watchtower while waiting for his powers to return.

    Junhyuk teleport, reappearing by the watchtower.

    The watchtower was still up, but the enemy minions were attacking it, so it could be destroyed at any moment.

    When Arn saw him, he smirked, stepped forward and asked, ¡°How are you back so fast?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t just die here.¡±

    Sarang and La would bete, and he knew that. They weren¡¯t used to climbing up the mountain.

    Junhyuk raised his swords and checked things out. He decided to attack Diane, who was low on health.

    She had the highest damage of the enemies. By killing her, the allies would have a chance.

    Diane pulled on her bowstring while aiming at him. She was an assassin sniper now, so any of them could be killed by her.

    Junhyuk hit first, a Dimensional sh to Diane¡¯s neck. After that, he teleported with the rest of the allies, reappearing before Diane. Elise immediately triggered her nullification field.

    No powers would work now. Diane tried to retreat immediately, but Gongon gave chase. Whipping his tail around, he attacked Diane, who shot her arrows from close range.

    Gongon was hit on the head, a critical hit, but he managed to kill Diane.

    Junhyuk swung Aksha¡¯s Longsword at Halo, but it was impossible to fight Halo at close range like that. Aksha¡¯s Longsword didn¡¯t hit once.

    Relieved, Gongon said and asked, ¡°Whew! Are we winning?¡±

    ¡°Not really, no.¡±

    The enemy champion was still alive, but Helen had been killed while Junhyuk was going through the void.

    He looked at the remaining enemies and said, ¡°We¡¯ve killed their damagers, but now, we have to deal with hybrids.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Junhyuk teleported again. He had to wait for his Dimensional sh to return. He had his force field, but he didn¡¯t want to risk putting his allies in danger.

    He gathered his breath and said, ¡°Just be careful, and we can still win.¡±

    Without Junhyuk there, Gongon and Elise would¡¯ve been killed.

    Junhyuk hid behind the watchtower while waiting for his Dimensional sh. The Dimensional sh would deal a lot of damage, but once it was back, the enemies would also have their powers back.

    Still, the allies had the watchtower.

    Arn had his sixth sense, so he could dodge the Dimensional sh. Junhyuk would leave Arn for the other allied heroes.

    ¡°Elise, when can you buff us again?¡±

    Gongon still had the buff, but Junhyuk didn¡¯t. The buff¡¯s cooldown was also very long.

    Gongon had an arrow stuck to his head, so Junhyuk said, ¡°You must be in pain, so I¡¯ll pull it out.¡±

    Junhyuk pulled the arrow out, and Gongon screamed out loud, ¡°You should¡¯ve told me when!¡±

    ¡°I did tell you.¡±

 Chapter 582 - Tough Victory 3

    <h4>Chapter 582: Tough Victory 3</h4>

    Junhyuk was trying to buy time so that he could get his Dimensional sh back and so that his allies would get their powers back. They could still win.

    The allies werecking a pure damager like La, and Sarang was not there, so they couldn¡¯t take advantage of her Thunderstorm to kill one of their enemies with ease.

    ¡°We should fight,¡± Gongon whispered.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± We can¡¯t receive Elise¡¯s buffs again.¡±

    It would¡¯ve been nice to get the buffs, but now, it was time to restart the fight. His Dimensional sh was finally back, so he asked Gongon, ¡°Are your powers back?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but my ultimate is not.¡±

    ¡°So, should we go without it?¡±

    Nudra and Halo had already used their ultimates. Only Arn still had his, so there was a chance the allies could win. Junhyuk had plenty of health now, but Gongon only had 55 percent left, and Elise had 64 percent.

    They had two heroes low on health, and though the enemy team wascking a pure damager, things weren¡¯t really looking up for the allies.

    The enemy team could focus down on one hero. Gongon and Elise were buffed, but they shouldn¡¯t let their guards down.

    Even if the allies had high defense, the enemy heroes could have high piercing stats.

    With Junhyuk¡¯s Dimensional sh back, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s start.¡±

    ¡°On whom?¡±

    ¡°Halo should be our best target.¡±

    Nudra had evasion powers, so the allies decided to attack Halo. Everyone nodded, and Junhyuk turned to Elise and said, ¡°Stay here. You have long range attacks.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk teleported. As soon as he appeared behind Halo, he used his Dimensional sh. The attack hit Halo, and Gongon, after erging, headbutted the hero.

    Gongon followed it up with a firebreath, but Halo wasn¡¯t an easy enemy. Halo used his sh attack against Gongon, which allowed him to pass right by the dragon. The firebreath was wasted.

    Arn and Nudra attack Gongon, and the enemy champion started casting a spell.

    Junhyuk quickly raised his force field.

    ng!

    He managed to block Arn¡¯s and Nudra¡¯s attacks and followed it up with an attack on Halo. Halo blocked all of his attacks, but Gongon took the chance to kick the enemy hero on the side.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Erged, all of Gongon¡¯s damage increased. With Halo low on health, Elise shot off continuous beams at him using Moon Core.

    Halo swung his sword around to block thesers, and Junhyuk seized that opportunity to stab Halo, who lost the remainder of his health.

    As Halo faded, he said, ¡°Your swordsmanship has improved significantly.¡±

    Halo hadn¡¯t been able to block both Junhyuk¡¯s attacks and the Moon Core beams. Once Halo dropped his item, Junhyuk quickly picked it up and teleported back with Gongon.

    He did that even though the force field was still up.

    ¡°Your powers are unbelievable... They should be ouwed,¡± Arn said.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you think that way.¡±

    Arn grabbed Nudra and Kaigel and retreated. They were heading for the portal, but Junhyuk did not give chase.

    The enemy heroes went through the portal and were gone, and Junhyuk said calmly, ¡°Wait for La and Sarang here. I¡¯ll go cover more of the map for the teleportation.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk left the two behind and teleported, reappearing by the second enemy watchtower on the right path. He kept running and teleporting on the way to the enemy¡¯s castle.

    Junhhyuk could attack the castle. Even without the allied minions, he would be able to destroy the castle¡¯s force field.

    The enemy heroes woulde out soon, but if he attacked, they would have to stay by the castle.

    Since he was running and teleporting, his speed increased significantly. He could cover in an hour and twenty minutes a distance that would¡¯ve taken him two hours before.

    Sarang and La joined Elise, but they didn¡¯t know where the enemy heroes were, so Junhyuk told them to head down the middle path and kept on going. He could finally see the castle wall. There were archers on top of it, but he didn¡¯t care.

    He ran in and pounded against the gate. He used his Dimensional sh against it and attacked it with Aksha¡¯s Longsword. When he was close enough, he attacked the gate with both of his swords.

    The archers shot at him, and Junhyuk kept on losing health, but by now, he had managed to destroy half of the gate. Suddenly, Vera showed up at the top of the wall.

    ¡°When did you get here?!¡±

    Junhyuk quickly teleported away, back to the rest of his team.

    Vera could kill him easily if he stayed.

    When Junhyuk appeared, his allies looked at him and asked, ¡°Howe your health is so low?¡±

    Junhyuk only had 30 percent of his health left. He had managed to destroy half of the gate, but that was the price. He shouldn¡¯t have tried to attack the gate by himself, but it was a good experience.

    The allies could reach the castle through the right path anytime now. He was sure that Arn wouldn¡¯t be foolish about it, and that an enemy hero would be left behind to cover the castle from now on. The allies now had a path to victory.

    Sarang healed him, and Junhyuk turned to Elise and said, ¡°It¡¯ll be a couple of hours before we engage the enemy heroes. Buff me.¡±

    ¡°Buff you?¡±

    Junhyuk was curious as to why he needed the buff since no enemies were around, but he said, ¡°With it, I can destroy the gate.¡±

    ¡°You attacked their castle?!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have any minions with me, so it was hard. I destroyed half of it though. I¡¯ll keep going back to it when I can.¡±

    ¡°Good thinking. Sure, yeah.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled at the allies and teleported away. He reappeared by the gate. Once there, he inspected the environment, but Vera was gone. He cheered and used his Dimensional sh.

    The attack hit the gate, and Junhyuk teleported close to it, shing at it with both swords. He didn¡¯t care about the archers, but he cared about whether there were heroes around. He couldn¡¯t see anyone, but suddenly, pirs of fire rose from the ground beneath him.

    He retreated quickly, but he had already been damaged. He still couldn¡¯t see Vera, however.

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue and used his Spatial Copse.

    Craaaack!

    The gate did not withstand it and shattered. As soon as it did, Junhyuk teleported away.

    He only had 12 percent of his health left. Vera had damaged him heavily.

    Everyone stared at him, but he smiled at them and said, ¡°I destroyed the gate.¡±

    They couldn¡¯t repair the gate, so at least one hero would return to cover it. The enemy team should be anxious now.

    Looking at his team, Junhyuk said, ¡°Let¡¯s push middle.¡±

    ¡°The enemy team can use the portal to get back to the buff tower.¡±

    ¡°They can,¡± he said, adding, ¡°When they attack our watchtower, we¡¯ll destroy their second watchtower. That¡¯ll give us a clear advantage.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Everyone nodded and continued down the middle path. They had 220 minions with them. Sarang and La had brought more with them.

    The enemy team could give up the watchtower, and in that case, the allies would simply keep pushing. Victory would be decided by the next team battle.

    Junhyuk kept thinking about how to go about the team battle. The damagers were powerful, so he wanted to kill them first. However, the first thing should be getting rid of Kaigel.

    He was wondering if he should use his Dimensional sh on Kaigel when the allied reached the enemy watchtower.

    The enemy heroes weren¡¯t there, so the allies attacked it without worry.

    The minions acted as bait for the archers, and the heroes joined in on bringing it down. Vera had been at the castle, so she couldn¡¯t have reached the tower. If the rest of the enemy team was nning an ambush, only four of their heroes could be there. With those odds, the allies could win the engagement.

    Suddenly, the allies found out that their central watchtower was under attack.

    ¡°OK. Just like we nned.¡±

    Then, they got a notice that their watchtower in the right path was also under attack. The enemy team was attacking both watchtowers at the same time.

    Junhyuk clicked his tongue. With the portals, the enemy team could attack all three watchtowers at the same time, and sure enough, the left watchtower soon fell under attack.

    The enemy team gave up the middle watchtower, but they were taking all of the allies¡¯ first towers.

    Arn was thinking long term.

    ¡°The next team battle will decide who¡¯ll win.¡±

    The enemy heroes would return to their castle soon, and that¡¯s where the team battle would take ce. Whoever won it would win the round.

    The allies could die and still have another chance, but for the enemy team, if they died there, that would be the end for them.

    It would be a decisive battle.

    After the allies destroyed the enemy watchtower and reached the castle, they saw an army of three hundred minions guarding the wall. Arn, Halo and Nudra were also there. Vera, Diane and Kaigel were on top of the wall.

    Junhyuk was sad that Helen wasn¡¯t there, but he turned to his allies and said, ¡°Think of this as ourst battle.¡±

    Everyone smiled at him.

 Chapter 583 - Tough Victory 4

    <h4>Chapter 583: Tough Victory 4</h4>

    The wordst tugged at their hearts.

    Junhyuk looked at Gongon and said, ¡°Start with the minions.¡±

    ¡°Time to finish this! Attack!¡± Gongon shouted.

    The minions rushed forward. With their shields held out, they shed against the enemy minions. Some were able to get some stabs in, but the fight between humans wasn¡¯t easy.

    Junhyuk looked at the enemy heroes. He wanted to kill those on the walls first, but he couldn¡¯t allow the allied minions to fall.

    ¡°Let¡¯s Kill Nudra and Halo first,¡± he whispered.

    ¡°Is that even possible?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll make it possible.¡±

    His Dimensional sh wouldn¡¯t work against Arn, so he wanted to kill the other two heroes before focusing on Arn with his allies.

    Elise had buffed everyone, so they all followed him. Arn joined the enemy minions and started killing the allied minions.

    The allied minions were dying in droves, but Junhyuk felt conflicted about killing the enemy minions. They were all human. So, he decided to lure Arn out of the fray.

    If he came too close, Vera and Diane would attack him, but there was no other choice.

    He ran forward and used his Dimensional sh. Halo started bleeding from the beck, but the hero had guessed that would happen, so he had moved slightly to the side, avoiding a critical hit.

    Without the critical hit, the damage of the Dimensional sh was rather low. Halo lost only 15 percent of his health. However, Junhyuk wasn¡¯t alone. La ran forward, and Halo raised his sword shield.

    The shield blocked all normal attacks, but La could bypass things tounch her enemies up.

    She pierced through the shield and sent Halo up in the air. That¡¯s when Junhyuk realized why Halo had used his sword shield. It was still covering him while he was in the air.

    Vera threw a fire spear, and Diane shot a volley of arrows. Junhyuk quickly raised the force field around La, teleporting behind Halo¡¯s sword shield after that.

    Gongon erged and used his heabutt.

    Boom!

    As Halo was about tond, he got hit and wasunched back toward the wall. While the force field was still up, the allies had to go all out.

    Gongon readied his firebreath, and Sarang used her Thunderstorm on Halo.

    Crraaaack, boom!

    Halo faded, and Junhyuk looked up. There were meteors covering the sky, and they were all aimed at Sarang and Elise, who had stayed back.

    Junhyuk grabbed La and teleported back, covering the women in the force field before the meteors hit.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    The force field dug into the ground. Halo was dead, so it was time to kill Nudra.

    Nudra and Arn retreated, so Junhyuk had to close in while the force field was still there.

    ¡°This time, kill Nudra!¡±

    ¡°OK!¡±

    Junhyuk, Elise and La hadn¡¯t used their ultimates. With those three, they could kill Nudra.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    Junhyuk ran forward and used his Spatial Copse. Nudra was pulled toward the void, and La took off toward him. The force field was gone, and Elise was preparing her ultimate while Junhyuk blocked her from Arn.

    Fire pirs rose from underneath the allies¡¯ feet. Sarang and Elise were hit, but Elise couldn¡¯t move. She took all of the damage from Vera, but it didn¡¯t end up being that much. Finally, Elise fired her ultimate. Her target was Nudra.

    Nudra had high defense, but he couldn¡¯t endure three ultimates. He died, but at the same time, Junhyuk felt the ground beneath his feet turn to ice.

    That was Kaigel¡¯s power.

    The allies became encased, and Veraughed out loud.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you taste the fires of Hell!¡±

    She threw a fire spear at him. Junhyuk was her main target. When he got hit, he was pushed back, and a fire orb exploded on the back of his head.

    There was abo of explosions, and Junhyuk lost a massive chunk of his health. Arn also attacked him. Only three enemy heroes remained, but all of the allies were encased in ice. The fire orb¡¯s explosion had damaged all of them.

    Junhyuk knew he would be able to move soon, but suddenly, an arrow zoomed across the air in his directions. It was Diane¡¯s shot. He couldn¡¯t escape it, so the arrow sunk into the middle of his forehead.

    While fading away, Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Hold fast!¡±

    ¡ª

    Going through the harrowing void, Junhyuk focused on his Triple Yin Yang. The void didn¡¯t help him much, and he was only able to make a small amount of progress.

    That meant that the Triple Yin Yang had already progressed a lot.

    He revived, but he forgot to check on his items, taking off immediately for the exit and shouting, ¡°Open the door!¡±

    [Hero Junhyuk Lee deployed!]

    As soon as he was outside, he ran like crazy until he managed to get out of the castle. There, he teleported.

    He reappeared at the enemy castle, where the fight was still going. Looking around, he saw the gate he had destroyed previously and ran inside. Gongon, Sarang and Elise were already there.

    THe minions were fighting the giant golems. Arn seemed to have died, but things didn¡¯t look good. Halo and Nudra had revived and rejoined the fight.

    As he ran in, he shouted, ¡°Retreat!¡±

    The allied heroes started to retreat. Halo¡¯s powers were certainly back, so the enemy hero started preparing Rain from Above.

    Gongon raised the force field around the allies, and Gongon ran toward him with it. When they were back together, he asked, ¡°The situation?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not great. Our buffs will run out soon.¡±

    Nevertheless, the giant golems were nearly destroyed.

    ¡°OK. When your ultimatese off cooldown, we¡¯llunch a full-out ten-second attack.¡±

    Vera and Diane were attacking them, but the enemy heroes weren¡¯t approaching the allies. Having made up his mind, Junhyuk said, ¡°Kill Diane and Vera.¡±

    The champion seemed to be dead, so Junhyuk teleported in front of the two female enemy heroes. He stabbed Diane, and Gongon whipped his tail at Vera.

    Vera was using her orb to block, but Gongon managed to get a single hit through, which triggered her me shield, negating the damage.

    Then, thunderbolts mmed down on Diane, and Junhyuk used his Spatial Copse on her as well. Gongon headbutted Diane, and she finally died. He turned around and teleported toward Vera.

    The allies blocked Vera¡¯s path to the force field with Junhyuk¡¯s own force field, and he used his Dimensional sh on her. Gongon breathed fire down on Vera, and Sarang shot her with lightning arrows. Elise shot her with Moon Core beams.

    The Dimensional sh was a critical hit, but the firebreath wasn¡¯t.

    Junhyuk breathed in deeply. The buff was gone, but the four allies could kill Vera.

    He decided to worry about Nudra and Haloter. His swordsmanship had improved a little from his time in the void, so he managed to find openings in Vera¡¯s defense with more ease. Gongon was also attacking her.

    Vera tried to retreat, but she couldn¡¯t. Junhyuk was attacking her nonstop.

    Finally, Vera died, and Junhyuk turned to the other heroes. Nudra and Halo wereing at him.

    The force field disappeared, and Junhyuk didn¡¯t know how many of their powers the enemy heroes had.

    Gongon smiled at him and said, ¡°OK. The golems are down!¡±

    Only Nudra and Halo remained in their way. The allies would win soon.

    Victory was right in front of him, so he ran ahead. Junhyuk wasn¡¯t buffed, and he had no more powers left, but he ran with all of his might.

    Nudra vanished. That was his ultimate. Clicking his tongue, Junhyuk raised his sword.

    Boom!

    Nudra dropped kicked him, and Junhyuk was pushed into the ground up to his knees. Halo used his sh attack on him.

    Junhyuk¡¯s chest was sliced open, but suddenly, a massive beam came flying above him. It was Moon Core at greater output. However, the damage was rather low. Still, the beam prevented any further attacks on him.

    Gongon transformed and fought against the enemy heroes. The rest of the allies had used their powers on Vera and Diane, but they outnumbered the enemy heroes.

    Nudra front kicked.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk was thrown toward the castle¡¯s force field.

    ¡°They¡¯ve used all their powers!¡± Gongon shouted.

    ¡°Gon! You and I will attack! Sarang and Elise, destroy the castle¡¯s force field!¡±

    Victory would belong to those who destroyed the castle. Junhyuk engaged Halo while Gongon fought Nudra. Sarang and Elise attacked the force field.

    Elise summoned Zaira, who joined in on the force field¡¯s destruction.

    ¡°Minion, attack!¡±

    The minion were a big help in destroying structures.

    Suddenly, Arn appeared from within the force field. The hero rushed out quickly, cutting minions down with his sabers.

    Sarang shot out two electric sts, which paralyzed Halo and Nudra.

    Junhyuk and Gongon turned around and proceeded to attack the force field as well. Arn tried to engage them both at the same time, but the remaining minion finally destroyed the force field.

    Arn stopped swinging his sabers.

    ¡°We eked this out before you.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled. The allies had won.

 Chapter 584 - Material Superiority 1

    <h4>Chapter 584: Material Superiority 1</h4>

    What Junhyuk was seeing changed. He had returned to Ariel¡¯s room, and she pped when she saw him.

    [Congrattions!]

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    The allies had barely won, and Junhyuk hadn¡¯t counted how many times he had died.

    ¡°Whew! Am I a legend now?¡±

    [Since you¡¯ve won the tournament, you are, but you won¡¯t get your legend benefits until after your fight with the previous legendary team.]

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Junhyuk was anxious for that match, and he had high hopes of defeating the legends. It would be his revenge match.

    ¡°What happened to their items?¡±

    [The legendary items?]

    ¡°Bebe is selling them.¡±

    [Their items became set items, but what Bebe is selling are replicas. The legends still own the originals.]

    Junhyuk frowned a bit at that. He had a few of the set items, so he knew how powerful they were as a set. The full sets would be overwhelming.

    He would get his revenge match, but should just be happy about it yet.

    ¡°I thought the legends would be fighting in their own tournament.¡±

    [I don¡¯t have the results from that yet. I¡¯m just a low-ranking member of the administration team.]

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Junhyuk seemed calm about it, so Ariel smiled at him and said, [I have your reward.]

    ¡°How much is it?¡±

    [It¡¯s 5,000,000G.]

    ¡°Whoa! That¡¯s a lot!¡± Junhyuk had died many times, but now, he could rece his items with new ones. ¡°That¡¯s a relief.

    There was no reason for him to refuse all that gold, so he took it.

    ¡°When do I fight the former legends?¡±

    [The battle will take ce four weeks from today.]

    ¡°I have four weeks?!¡±

    [Yes.]

    After thinking about it, Junhyuk asked, ¡°OK. Is the Champions¡¯ Battlefield still active?¡±

    [Yes. Are you betting on Ling Ling?]

    ¡°What are the odds?¡±

    [Ling Ling is on a streak and has many victories, so the returns are set to 45 percent.]

    Junhyuk smacked his lips and said, ¡°I¡¯ll bet 2,000,000G on her.¡±

    [Your bet has been ced.]

    ¡°Then, see youter.¡±

    Junhyuk closed his eyes, and the blinding light pounded against his lids. When he opened them back up, he saw that Sarang and Elise was already awake.

    The three of them cheered loudly.

    ¡°Victory!¡±

    Sarang ran up to him and gave him a tight hug, and Elise did the same.

    ¡°You did well.¡±

    ¡°But you died too many times.¡±

    ¡°The victory reward is significant, so I¡¯ll get more items.¡±

    ¡°So, we¡¯ll fight a month from now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and they¡¯ll have all of their old items. They all have full sets.¡±

    Sets increased in power with each items added to it. The legends would have their full sets, so the allies would have to do their best.

    Helen and Eunseo were still sleeping. Would they be of any help during the fight with the legends?

    ¡°I feel bad.¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°Kaigel could really help. I wish we had someone like him.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Everyone wanted to be stronger. The allies had met a champion with an imprisoning power in their previous time, and in the fight against Arn¡¯s team, they had met Kaigel.

    A power like that could really change the flow of battle. Helen had her own restraining powers, so she could definitely help.

    ¡°We should make use of the people we already have.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed heavily and said, ¡°There¡¯ll be a monster wave today, so we should prepare for it.¡±

    Sarang¡¯s eyes beamed, and she replied, ¡°We should take a vacation after the monster wave!¡±

    ¡°A vacation? To where?¡±

    ¡°Somewhere warm.¡±

    He smiled and asked, ¡°Egypt?¡±

    ¡°Somewhere with an ocean.¡±

    ¡°Right. After we stop the wave.¡±

    Sarang turned to Elise and asked, ¡°Are you going to yourb?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± She turned back to Junhyuk and added, ¡°See youter.¡±

    Both Sarang and Elise left, so Junhyuk contacted Arn. The hero was drinking, and when he saw Junhyuk, he smirked.

    ¡°Are you showing off that you won?¡±

    ¡°No. We have a monster wave today, but after that, I¡¯ll invite you over.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Call me after you finish your business.¡±

    ¡°Definitely!¡±

    Junhyuk had won against Arn, but that had been in the Dimensional Battlefield. He wasn¡¯t confident at all that he could take Arn on in a real fight. Arn was still his teacher to him.

    He inspected the Harmonizer within his body. Junhyuk had died three times, so the purity of the Harmonizer had changed, and it was now flowing softly within him.

    He summoned his swords and swung them around lightly. He was still ying with them when Helen and Eunseo woke up.

    When he saw that, he sheathed them and walked toward the women. Helen bowed to him and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was so embarrassed by that champion.¡±

    ¡°Helen, you are powerful, and your powers might continue to evolve.¡±

    She sighed, and Junhyuk said, ¡°Soon, the monster wave will trigger. Prepare yourself.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Helen left, and Junhyuk turned to Eunseo. He smiled at her and said, ¡°After the monster wave, we¡¯ll take a vacation.¡±

    ¡°A victory vacation?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think before saying, ¡°I have a ce in mind, but we need to stop the wave first.¡±

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll go get ready.¡±

    Eunseo left, and Junhyuk finally exited the training facility. The wave would trigger soon, so he had to focus on that.

    Junhyuk went to see Elise. She could detect the precise location of where the monster waves would spawn, which would help him tremendously now that he could teleport to anywhere in the world.

    She smiled at him and said, ¡°Wee!¡±

    ¡°Where will the monster waves take ce?¡±

    ¡°Well... I¡¯m curious about that myself.¡±

    Soren had already appeared to check him out, and the manager was trying to have another champion evolve into a hero, so he might be able to trigger waves where Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t be able to reach.

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know much about where that could be.

    Zaira would inform them once a dimensional tear appeared, so while they waited, Elise kept working on crafting an item with magic engineering. Sarang, who was also there, seemed to be making a magical artifact.

    Elise could craft things using the cores and shoot magic. By contrast, Junhyuk had energyparable to two cores within him, but he couldn¡¯t even imagine the things those two women crafted and how helpful they were to humanity.

    Junhyuk nned to teleport and halt the waves, but other than that, he had no other purpose.

    He sat down and activated Harmonizer. He closed his eyes, and some timeter, he heard Elise¡¯s voice. Junhyuk thought it had only been a short while, but quite a bit of time had passed.

    Elise was frowning.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t child¡¯s y.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the monitor and smacked his lips.

    ¡°The tears are opening in sequence, and there are too many of them.¡±

    There were a total of twelve hundred tears around the world. If the monster that came out were weak, humanity would be able to deal with them, but Junhyuk was sure that Soren had sent strong monsters.

    ¡°There is nothing overwhelming, but they have the numerical advantage.¡±

    He nned his course of action and said, ¡°Tell me about the biggest tear.¡±

    Large monsters were capable of crossing thergest tears, so Elise told him about three tears.

    ¡°These three here.¡±

    ¡°Did they open up at the same time?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Where will you go first?¡±

    Junhyuk chose the tear in Cairo, Egypt, and Elise said quickly, ¡°You can do it!¡±

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m off now.¡±

    Eath¡¯s technology had progressed, and now there were many iron soldiers and powered people assigned to different countries. Soren just wanted one more hero.

    Junhyuk input the coordinates and teleported. He appeared right below the tear and summoned his swords.

    Waves of monsters wereing out of the tear, but what would happen if he went through it?

    Junhyuk thought about it for a moment, but shook his head soon after. He was stronger now, but crossing into a tear would be a bad idea. But, what if he closed the tear?

    While the dimensional tear was active, Junhyuk readied his Dimensional sh. Once ready, he sliced through the tear.

    Craaaack!

    The tear shattered, and Junhyuk cheered loudly. He had to move quickly to destroy more tears.

    He contacted Elise and asked, ¡°What kind of monsters are showing up?¡±

    ¡°Chimeric, and a lot of them.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s going with numerical superiority. I¡¯ll move on to the next tear.¡±

    Junhyuk teleported and saw monsters that looked like twin-headed ogres with wyvern wings. An enormous amount of them were exiting the tear.

    Junhyuk had to wait for his Dimensional sh toe off cooldown, so he decided to kill the chimeras first. Dentra¡¯s Magic Sword released a wind de, and that wind de turned into hundreds of smaller wind des.

    sh!

    The hundreds of wind des zoomed through the air, slicing the chimeras in their path. Junhyuk didn¡¯t stop there, however. As the chimera feel, he used his Dimensional sh again.

    ¡°I have to do this twelve hundred times.¡±

 Chapter 585 - Material Superiority 2

    <h4>Chapter 585: Material Superiority 2</h4>

    Junhyuk had to move around a lot. The monster waves were announced, and civilians were evacuated, but even in shelters, people weren¡¯t safe.

    The monsters burst right through those shelters.

    The iron soldiers and the other powered were dealing with those situations.

    While Junhyuk teleported from one tear to another, shutting them one by one, many people were dying to the chimeras.

    The novices received the greatest number of casualties. Some of those who survived became experts.

    Nevertheless, too many people died.

    Elise and Junhyuk hadn¡¯t finished their items by this wave. The number of casualties was high this time, but hopefully, once their items were finished, they would help make things easier.

    That wouldn¡¯t happen immediately, however, so the two behind to guard Guardians.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    There was nothing else he could do about the situation. It was a matter of time. Because he was alone, he couldn¡¯t cover multiple locations.

    Junhyuk had closed three hundred tears, but the ces he hadn¡¯t gotten too yet still had chimeras exiting the tears. They wereing out of the tears with no end in sight, and that¡¯s when Junhyuk realized he had to close them all.

    After closing three hundred, even with Harmonizer active, Junhyuk started getting tired.

    He closed another tear and decided to continue until he had closed all twelve hundred.

    It took his two minutes to close a tear. In an hour, he could close thirty tears, so he had been at it for ten hours already.

    The enemy monsters weren¡¯t strong from his perspective, but their numbers were absurd. The problem was the time, and there was nothing he could do to go faster.

    ¡°How many chimeras havee out?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve killed five thousand chimeras so far, but we don¡¯t have a number for how many are out or will be out.¡±

    They hadn¡¯t included the number of those he had killed. Junhyuk had already killed a few thousand, so there must¡¯ve been around ten thousand out.

    Soren was the new team leader and the one who had made this decision.

    Junhyuk shook his head and continued shing. It would take him another forty hours without rest to finish.

    ¡°I wish someone else had dimensional powers.¡±

    Very few beings had dimensional powers, and that included the managers. Those powers couldn¡¯t be found in other humans.

    He had to work harder.

    ¡ª

    Even though Junhyuk possessed Harmonizer, closing 1,200 tears was hard for him. He worked on it for forty straight hours, and because of that, though he hadn¡¯t rested, his fighting skills had improved.

    Without Harmonizer, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it. Junhyuk was exhausted.

    ¡°Any more tears?¡± he asked Elise.

    ¡°No.¡±

    Junhyuk sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯ll ask Eunseo about the casualties.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk teleported to Eunseo¡¯s office, and she gave him a hesitant smile. He smiled back at her.

    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±

    ¡°I did what I had to do,¡± Junhyuk said with a shrug. ¡°The manager knew about my powers. How many casualties?¡±

    ¡°There is $2 million in financial damage; 274 novices and 72 experts have died; 24 novices became experts; 1 expert became a champion.¡±

    ¡°We have a new champion?!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    The manager wanted another hero. With just another hero, Junhyuk wouldn¡¯t have to face Soren anymore.

    The chance of bing a hero was very low, but he was d to have gotten another champion.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be going.¡±

    ¡°Rest.¡±

    After talking to Eunseo, he left and went to see Elise again.

    ¡°Did many die?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes. The number of civilian casualties was low, but many of ours died.¡±

    Elise sighed and said, ¡°When Iplete my item, I¡¯ll be able to deal with the monster waves more effectively.¡±

    ¡°What are you making?¡±

    ¡°A battleship. Gongon build one as hisir. Mine won¡¯t be able to warp, but it¡¯ll help.¡±

    ¡°A battleship?!¡± Junhyuk asked again. ¡°What is Sarang making?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s crafting an artifact that¡¯ll allow for warping.¡±

    ¡°I promised I¡¯d invite Arn once the monster waves were done.¡±

    ¡°Invite me too!¡±

    ¡°How long will you take?¡±

    Elise scratched her cheek and said, ¡°About another fifteen days.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have two more waves before that.¡±

    ¡°If I get help, I can be done sooner.¡±

    ¡°Who do you need?¡±

    Elise smirked and replied, ¡°Gongon.¡±

    Junhyuk stared at her and asked, ¡°You wanted to show it to Gongon, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll need his help, but he can also help with the monster waves.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Elise was making something useful, something that would really help, so Junhyuk decide to contact Gongon.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask him.¡±

    Junhyuk used his Dimensional Shift to move to Gongon¡¯sir. When he got to Gongon¡¯s dimension, he contacted the dragon.

    ¡°Gon, I¡¯m in yourir.¡±

    ¡°You are?!¡± Wait a minute!¡± When Gongon showed up, he smirked at Junhyuk and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I have a favor to ask of you.¡±

    ¡°A favor?¡±

    ¡°Elise is building a battleship, and she needs your help.¡±

    Gongon¡¯s eyes beamed.

    ¡°A battleship!? Myir must¡¯ve inspired her!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. She¡¯ll need fifteen days to finish construction. In the meantime, two more monster waves will hit Earth.¡±

    Gongon nodded and said, ¡°Because of the managers.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll go with you. I want to see your dimension.¡±

    Junhyuk grabbed Gongon¡¯s hand and used his Dimensional Shift. They crossed dimensions, and Gongon seemed to be having fun until he got to Elise¡¯sb. There, he scowled and asked, ¡°What is this ce?!¡±

    ¡°What? Why?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t feel any mana around!¡± Gongon shouted and turned to Elise, who smiled at him and said, ¡°My house has plenty of mana, but this is more important right now. Can you be patient?¡±

    ¡°Where is your battleship?¡±

    ¡°Follow me.¡±

    Elise took the lead, but turned to Junhyuk suddenly and said, ¡°You can see it yet.¡±

    ¡°Can I see itter?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    He gave her a bitter smile and said, ¡°OK. I have somewhere to be.¡±

    Junhyuk teleported back to his training facility and contacted Arn¡¯s team.

    ARn was drinking, and Vera had goggles on while she looked at something. Nudra was at the top of a mountain, and Halo was in total darkness. Diane was taking a bath in a moonlitke.

    They all smiled at him. It seemed like they bore no grudge about the final round.

    ¡°What is going on?¡± Arn asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve stopped the monster waves.¡±

    ¡°That took a while.¡±

    ¡°There were too many of them. I had no time to spare.¡±

    ¡°The managers must have been prepared to deal with the winner of the tournament. Are you inviting us over?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then, do it.¡±

    Junhyuk sent the invitations, and everyone showed up. They looked around as soon as they got there.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t ready.¡±

    Junhyuk smirked and extended his hand. They all stared at him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go eat some food,¡± he said.

    ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°My dimension.¡±

    Everyone¡¯s eyes beamed. Vera seemed to be the most curious.

    ¡°We can¡¯t exit this facility.¡±

    ¡°With my Dimensional Shift, you can.¡±

    Everyone grabbed hold of him, and Junhyuk used his Dimensional Shift. Both the battlefield and the training facility were located in the space between dimensions.

    Junhyuk could teleport in and out of the training facility. He knew the coordinates, and now, he could go anywhere he had been to before.

    They all appeared in Eunseo¡¯s office because Elise wasn¡¯t at herb.

    Eunseo got up from her seat, and Junhyuk smiled at her.

    ¡°I¡¯ve brought my friends.¡±

    Eunseo bowed to Arn, who averted his gaze from her. Staring at her, Nudra said, ¡°You¡¯ve been training. You need a real teacher now.¡±

    ¡°Will you teach me?¡±

    ¡°Maybe I have some time,¡± Nudra said with a pretend shrug, and Junhyukughed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you Earth.¡±

    Junhyuk could go anywhere on Earth, so he was about to show them everything he could.

 Chapter 586 - Dimensional Travel 1

    <h4>Chapter 586: Dimensional Travel 1</h4>

    Junhyuk went to the mall and bought them all outfits. If they had all been dressed in their traditional garb, they would¡¯ve drawn too much attention from the crowds.

    Earth was still going through monster waves, so governments and the poption might object to other heroes visiting, which was why Junhyuk bought them all ready-to-wear outfits.

    Vera cast a shape-changing spell on Diane¡¯s ears to hide them, but they all looked like fashion models. The men looked handsome, and the women beautiful.

    They all exuded a powerful aura, so regr people had a hard time looking at them in the eyes.

    Vera looked foreign. Diane looked majestic. Nudra, who had a thick mustache, looked like a distinguished gentleman. Arn looked like a bodybuilder, and Halo looked like an influential middle-aged man.

    Arn was very muscr, so Junhyuk had had a hard time fighting the right outfit for him. However, he was able to find something that was just the right fit.

    They all went to the Louvre Museum in Paris. There There were countless artifacts from Earth¡¯s history there. Vera showed a keen interest in the museum, but the others weren¡¯t that interested.

    Junhyuk took them around the globe, and they all enjoyed nature more than the manmade structures. In each country they visited, they bought the best and most local alcohol and enjoyed themselves drinking.

    They travelled for two nights and three days, visiting the most famous attractions on Earth. Smiling, Arn asked, ¡°How do we get back?¡±

    Junhyuk looked at Vera and said, ¡°Give me the coordinates to your dimension so that I can set it. I only need to go there once to remember it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Give me your sword.¡±

    Vera input the coordinates into Junhyuk¡¯s sword and said, ¡°I want to see Elise and Sarang before I go back.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Wait a sec.¡±

    Junhyuk contacted Elise, and Diane caressed his butt. He smiled at her and waited. When Elise answered, she saw the others, and he said, ¡°Vera wants to see you.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s always wee here. I want to ask her opinion on my new project.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Vera, who smiled and asked, ¡°What is she making?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go see her.¡±

    He took them to Elise¡¯sb. Elise and Gongon were waiting for them there. Elise smiled brightly at Vera, grabbed her hand and guided her in. Vera became extremely curious as she followed Elise.

    Gongon greeted Nudra. The two had be close.

    Junhyuk turned to the others and asked, ¡°What do you want to do? Are you leaving now? I can send Vera separately.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯ll be fine.¡± Arn added with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll get some good alcohol ready for you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll visit for sure!¡±

    He looked a Nudra, who smiled at him. Nudra had finished talking to Gongon, so Junhyuk, using Vera¡¯s coordinates, triggered his Dimensional Shift. They appeared in an empty in.

    Junhyuk looked around, and Arn smirked at him and said, ¡°We are at the border.¡±

    ¡°The border?¡±

    ¡°Because of our statuses here, if we all showed up in one region, everything would change.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at Halo and Nudra and asked, ¡°You aren¡¯t in good terms?¡±

    ¡°We have a nice rtionship with each other, but as far as our subjects go, that¡¯s a different matter.¡±

    ¡°What do we do?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll give you the next set of coordinates.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Arn called something out, but Junhyuk couldn¡¯t understand it. Clicking his tongue, Arn said, ¡°Let¡¯s just go. We¡¯ll use the magic tower.¡±

    Arn started running, so Junhyuk followed him. They were in a new dimension, and there was plenty of mana around. Something else seemed different as well.

    Junhyuk could soon see a castle. At that point, Arn slowed down. The guards demanded an ID from Arn, who looked at Halo. The hero sighed and stepped forward. Halo had to have some pull in that ce.

    When Halo showed the guards his credentials, the guards rushed back into the building, scared. Soon after, their leader walked outside.

    The leader, who was heavily armored, seemed scared of Halo and Arn.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    Halo answered nonchntly, ¡°It¡¯s a private matter. I want to use the warp gate.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible. I¡¯ll show you the way.¡±

    The leader seemed really nervous, and he was well aware of Halo¡¯s position. When they reached the magic tower, the mages inside became frightened of the heroes. They all recognized their faces.

    ¡°Halo, what are you doing here?¡±

    Arn stepped forward instead and gave them a set of coordinates, saying, ¡°We are going here.¡±

    The mages all frowned, and one of them said, ¡°We don¡¯t have any set ups for that location. It¡¯ll be expensive.¡±

    Arn pulled out a gem that looked very expensive and handed it to them.

    ¡°Emperor, this is too much.¡±

    ¡°Get it done.¡±

    ¡°Are you going alone?¡±

    ¡°No. The entire group will go.¡±

    The mages¡¯ eyes beamed at that moment, and Arn said, ¡°Make sure to keep this event a secret. Otherwise, I¡¯ll be paying you all a visit.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡°That includes the guards.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Ar stepped on the magic circle, and the others did the same. The mages started chanting, and Junhyuk felt the air around him start to change. They reappeared near a castle in the desert.

    Without saying a word, Arn started walking down the street. He was the emperor, so nobody on the street was talking to him.

    Halo followed Arn and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know about this. I thought you lived in a tent.¡±

    Arn replied, ¡°This pace is new. The tent is better, but I was told I needed to keep this ce safe, so I built the castle.¡±

    Nudra caressed his mustache and said, ¡°You need a castle to build an empire.¡±

    Arn kept going until mounted men came toward them. The men were riding animals that resembled wolves. Their chests were bare, and they had sabers sheathed at their backs.

    Smiling, Halo asked, ¡°Are they the Red Wolves? The mounted squad?¡±

    ¡°Useless.¡±

    Junhyuk thought that the mounted soldiers seemed like expert fights. Some even looked like they were champions.

    Halo smacked his lips and said, ¡°They look strong, but none are strong enough.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem.¡±

    The Red Wolves¡¯ leader bowed to Arn and said, ¡°Wee!¡±

    ¡°Prepare a feast. These are my valued guests.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir. Take my wolf, sir.¡±

    Arn turned to Junhyuk and asked, ¡°Do you see that castle?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Take us there.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk teleported them all to the castle. When they appeared, they were on one of the towers. Arn smirked and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡±

    Junhyuk went inside, and the people in the castle were startled to see them. They were all naked, beautiful women. Junhyuk was surprised by that, but Nudra said, ¡°As the emperor, having beautiful women by his side is a necessity. Arn is greedy with both women and alcohol.¡±

    ¡°I thought he wasn¡¯t interested in women?!¡±

    Haloughed hard and asked, ¡°Arn, how many wives do you have now?¡±

    ¡°Wives? I stopped counting after the hundredth.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t know about that side of Arn, but Arn turned to him and said, ¡°You should move to this dimension. I can give you a country, and you can seed me.¡±

    Junhyukughed hard at the idea and said, ¡°I have work to do on Earth, and people I care for.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Enjoy it for today then. You may partake of any of the women and any of the drinks here.¡±

    Nudraughed and said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard your drink collection is very nice.¡±

    Arnughed and said, ¡°I¡¯m not saving any of them today. Sit.¡±

    The beautiful, naked women served them drinks, but when Junhyuk smelled what they poured, he frowned and said, ¡°This is that drink.¡±

    ¡°No. This one has more alcohol.¡±

    His frown became even deeper, but Arn raised his cup and shouted, ¡°To enjoying the day!¡±

    Junhyukughed and raised his own cup, saying, ¡°This drink will kill me,¡± and emptied the cup. He had Harmonizer within him, but the drink was still too strong, so he coughed as he put his cup down.

    Arn looked at him and asked, ¡°Killer, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, definitely.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled at Arn, and the women poured them another round.

 Chapter 587 - Dimensional Travel 2

    <h4>Chapter 587: Dimensional Travel 2</h4>

    They drank all night in Arn¡¯s castle. Different drinks were served, but they were all very strong. Junhyuk was really tired from the ordeal.

    The women poured him a drink, and he gave each of them a shot of it. They all passed out. Junhyuk was able to take it because of Harmonizer. Otherwise, he might be passed out as well.

    Nudra and Halo smirked and got up.

    ¡°We should get going.¡±

    Arn said, ¡°Feel free to.¡±

    Arn threw each of them a bottle and made a motion with his hand. An old woman with feathered her walked up to him.

    ¡°Granny, do you have the coordinates for the Heavenly Kingdom and the Sea Castle Kingdom?¡±

    ¡°I do. Should I send them there?¡±

    Arn turned to Junhyuk and asked, ¡°Are you leaving as well?¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think before shaking his head and saying, ¡°I¡¯ll stay a bit longer.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Good idea.¡±

    Arn made a motion with his fingers and said, ¡°While they leave, we¡¯ll y.¡±

    Nudra and Halo became suddenly interested in what he had said and protested in turn, ¡°We aren¡¯t leaving yet.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not busy, so I should watch this.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and Arn and said, ¡°OK. Let¡¯s y.¡±

    Arn to him to a training room. The room was huge, a hundred square meters.

    Junhyuk thought it had been a while since theirst match. Arn¡¯s sixth sense made Arn his biggest opponent, so he knew the duel wouldn¡¯t be easy.

    He summoned his swords, and Arn summoned his sabers.

    Arn smirked and said, ¡°Let¡¯s y!¡±

    Arn dashed toward him, and Junhyuk dashed to meet the hero. Both elerated.

    Junhyuk, with full control of Harmonizer, took off, and so, they started ying.

    ng, ng, ng, ng!

    They were sparring, but their shes were serious and heavy. Their swords cut through everything, but the room wasn¡¯t damaged at all.

    ¡°He must¡¯ve coated the ground with magic,¡± Halo said.

    ¡°It¡¯s a nice training room.¡±

    Halo and Nudra conversed.

    ¡°Junhyuk¡¯s skills have improved.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s matching Emperor Arn.¡±

    ¡°But Arn has more energy.¡±

    Their duel picked up in ferocity, and finally, the ground of the training room started to break. Nudra and Halo witnessed the fight.

    ¡°Arn is stronger than he was.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It seems Junhyuk can¡¯t deliver a critical hit.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s his sixth sense. Junhyuk will need something else to get past it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Junhyuk was thinking the same thing as Halo and Nudra talked. He couldn¡¯t pierce through Arn¡¯s defenses due to Arn¡¯s sixth sense.

    Junhyuk was having difficultynding a hit. He was thinking about using his Spatial Copse when Arn shed at him, but the hero let go of his saber when it shed against Junhyuk¡¯s sword.

    The saber seemed alive as it flew toward him. Junhyuk used his other sword to try to block, but Arn¡¯s saber rushed toward him like lightning.

    ng!

    Junhyuk barely managed to block, but the impact was heavy. He couldn¡¯t get himself repositioned and was mmed against the wall. By the time he got up, Arn already had his other saber pointing at Junhyuk¡¯s back.

    Junhyuk asked, ¡°Was that your Rain from Above?¡±

    ¡°Just an inferior skill.¡±

    Haloughed and said, ¡°Look, you just copied my ultimate!¡±

    ¡°Mine is worthlesspared to yours.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Halo said. The hero put a hand on Junhyuk¡¯s shoulder and added, ¡°Too bad.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t defeat him.¡±

    Halo whispered in his ear, ¡°Arn must¡¯ve been frustrated. That was a dangerous move.¡±

    ¡°It didn¡¯t look that way.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve yed. Now, let¡¯s drink,¡± Arn said.

    ¡°Again?¡±

    ¡°I need to recover from my hangover.¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head, and Nudra and Halo patted him on the shoulder and said, ¡°We can¡¯t stay.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m drinking alone?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Nudra and Halo left, and Junhyuk joined Arn for another round.

    He drank for another day and sparred with Arn two more times. Junhyuk couldn¡¯t win, but he learned a lot from their duels. He was gaining experience.

    They drank somewhere Arn¡¯s mage had prepared for them. It was an area at the top of a mountain. The top of the mountain was narrow, and there was an opening on the cliff. It was extremely high.

    Arn liked the ce. The two drank together there, but there wasn¡¯t much space.

    Arn said calmly, ¡°My councilors are scared of this ce.¡±

    ¡°Why? You just have to be careful and you won¡¯t fall.¡±

    ¡°About ten councilors have died here.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°All those who have drank with me here and survived have their own kingdoms now.¡±

    ¡°Is this a test?¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°Do I have to drink a lot?¡±

    ¡°I can tell what you are thinking by what you think.¡±

    Arn poured Junhyuk another drink.

    ¡°Seems like it¡¯ll be tough work ahead.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯llst about forty hours.¡± Arn smirked, clinked his bottle against Junhyuk¡¯s ss and said, ¡°Congrattions on your victory in the tournament!¡±

    After Arnplimented him, Junhyuk felt better about having beaten Arn¡¯s team. He smirked and emptied the ss in his hand.

    ¡°This is killer.¡±

    ¡°Of course! That bottle costs three castles.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    Arn smiled at him and said, ¡°Nudra, Halo and you drank enough bottles to buy a kingdom.¡±

    ¡°We drank a lot.¡±

    ¡°Halo and Nudra drank all night. I have some nice bottles they don¡¯t have.¡±

    Junhyukughed and said, ¡°They drank with vigor.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. They weren¡¯t interested in the women, but they do like to drink.¡±

    By the end, Arn said, ¡°You head back. I¡¯ll drink some more.¡±

    Junhyuk threw his empty ss down the cliff and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be off then.¡±

    Arn kept drinking, and Junhyuk used his Dimensional Shift. He appeared inside Elise¡¯sb. When he looked around, he saw Gongon and Vera. He smiled at Vera and asked, ¡°Are you done here?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Send me back.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll take you.¡±

    Junhyuk teleported to the coordinates Vera had previously given him. He thought she could find her own way back.

    Vera smiled at him and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you another set. Teleport there.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    He teleported with her again. Teleporting was easy for him.

    They appeared inside ab, Vera¡¯sb. There were many books, magic circles and spell ingredients around. He looked around with wonder while Vera searched for something. She found two books and said, ¡°Take these.¡±

    ¡°What are they?¡±

    ¡°Give this one to Sarang, and this other one to Elise. They¡¯ll know.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk put the books inside his Spatial Bag, and Vera chuckled.

    ¡°Do you need anything?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯ve been drinking.¡±

    ¡°If you drank with Arn, you must¡¯ve drunk a lot.¡±

    ¡°Till I dropped dead.¡±

    Vera patted his shoulder and said, ¡°I hope that what we made will help you.¡±

    ¡°What did you make?¡±

    ¡°Elise will show you.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Junhyuk said with a smile.

    He left Vera and returned to Elise. When he got there, Gongon was looking at a monitor.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m checking on what I made.¡±

    ¡°Is itplete?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s working. Vera should¡¯ve given you something,¡± Gongon replied.

    ¡°You knew?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Give me the book.¡±

    Junhyukughed and handed the book to Gongon, who scanned through it and smiled.

    ¡°OK. This will work.¡±

    ¡°Is it important?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be finished by tomorrow.¡±

    Both of Gongon and Elise headed down to the basement again, and Junhyuk shook his head. He went to see Sarang instead.

    Junhyuk could see what Sarang was making. It looked like a rifle, but there were magic circles etched all across it. He inspected it with wonder.

    ¡°This must be for magic hunting.¡±

    ¡°Right. It can fire up to ten shots continuously, and after ten minutes, it can fire again.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll help during monster hunts.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Weapons crafted with cores could be used in the battlefield, and Sarang seemed proud of her work.

    Junhyuk gave her the book from Vera and said, ¡°Vera wanted me to give this to you.¡±

    ¡°Vera?!¡± She shook her head, and after scanning the book, she eximed, ¡°I needed this!¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Sarang smiled and said, ¡°This is a book on magic circlepression. I can add another five magic circles now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an amazing book.¡±

 Chapter 588 - Elises Masterpiece 1

    <h4>Chapter 588: Elise¡¯s Masterpiece 1</h4>

    Elise called for him, so Junhyuk went to see her. He had to give her another core. Junhyuk didn¡¯t ask her what she needed it for, and Elise simply told him to expect her great things and left.

    Junhyuk went to his training facility. There, he practiced his sword swing while thing about his duels with Arn. Junhyuk acknowledged Arn¡¯s talent. With his sixth sense and his natural talent, getting an attack on Arn wasn¡¯t an easy thing. Arn could dodge his Dimensional sh, a skill that equaled perfect defense powers.

    Junhyuk had to be able to hit Arn when Arn wasn¡¯t using his sixth sense, or he had to attack so fast that Arn wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge it. To do that, he needed to find a way to stop time. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be possible.

    He spent his time thinking about how to ovee Arn¡¯s sixth sense. Hard work wouldn¡¯t ovee that amount of natural talent.

    He spent a long time thinking before Elise contacted him and said, ¡°The dimensional tears will trigger in an hour.¡±

    Junhyuk had lost track of time, but expecting that, Elise decided to warn him.

    He teleported back to herb and saw Elise and Gongon standing there. He smiled at Gongon and asked, ¡°You haven¡¯t gone back?¡±

    ¡°You have to take me back. I can¡¯t do it alone.¡±

    Junhyuk patted Gongon¡¯s head and said, ¡°Right. If you are bored, you should help us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just watch?¡±

    ¡°Just watch?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t close the tears anyway.¡±

    Junhyuk chuckled and stretched, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll run around and stop them.¡±

    ¡°I heard you closed all the tearsst time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°This time, things will be different.¡±

    Junhyuk became curious about Gongon¡¯s remark, and the dragon turned to Elise, who said, ¡°The battleship is finished. It¡¯s called Elise.¡±

    ¡°Can I see it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I called you.¡±

    She smiled at him and showed him her tablet screen.

    With a loud noise, the wholeb started shaking. Junhyuk went outside and saw the grounds outside theb open and something rise from the opening.

    It was huge. It was three hundred meters in length and it was covered in weapons.

    ¡°How many people can get on it?¡±

    ¡°Not many. It has its own AI, so there¡¯s no need for manpower.¡±

    The ship was floating in midair, astonishing Junhyuk.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help with the monsters.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t use the dpositionpound, but thesers use core energy to fire.¡±

    ¡°Good thinking.¡±

    ¡°It has one more secret weapon.¡±

    ¡°A secret weapon?¡±

    ¡°It can teleport.¡±

    Junhyuk¡¯s eyes widened, and Gongon smirked.

    ¡°You can input coordinates. The teleportations require a huge amount of energy, which was why we needed the core.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean it can shift through dimensions?¡±

    ¡°Not that,¡± Gongon said. ¡°But don¡¯t worry too much. You can carry it over through your Dimensional Shift.¡±

    ¡°I can take it with me?¡±

    ¡°Would that be too difficult?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s three hundred meters long!¡±

    Gongon shrugged and said, ¡°Then, you¡¯ll need to buy arge Spatial Bag.¡±

    ¡°Howrge?¡±

    ¡°One with a radius of at least fifty meters.¡±

    ¡°The cost of that would be astronomical!¡±

    ¡°Yeah? I can build you a privateir if you do.¡±

    Junhyuk was enticed by the prospect. With a new Spatial bag, he would be able to take his privateir to other dimensions.

    He nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. After we fight the legend¡¯s team, I won¡¯t need the gold, so I¡¯ll get the Spatial Bag then.¡±

    ¡°You do that.¡± Gongon smiled and said, ¡°Look at this battleship¡¯s main cannon.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at it. There was a hole at the front of the battleship. It was a massive hole, and he thought it was part of the ship.

    ¡°That¡¯s a cannon?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s why I built the battleship,¡± Elise said.

    ¡°It can be used for taking downrge monsters.¡±

    A beam from that cannon would deal tremendous damage. Mostrge monsters would be killed instantly.

    Gogon smirked and gave Elise a little kick, saying, ¡°You tell him.¡±

    ¡°Can I?¡± Elise coughed and exined, ¡°The main cannon¡¯s name is Spatial Copse Cannon.¡±

    ¡°Spatial Copse Cannon?!¡±

    Elise nodded and said, ¡°The core energy can create a dimensional tear. I had to get Vera¡¯s help. She¡¯s the one who knows the most about dimensional magic. We created the Spatial Copse Cannon so that it can close dimensional tears.¡±

    ¡°Is that possible?!¡±

    ¡°The cannon takes two cores to operate.¡±

    With two cores, it could certainly close dimensional tears.

    ¡°You built it?¡±

    Elise smirked at him and said, ¡°After the first Spatial Copse shot, there¡¯ll be a five-minute recharge time. It¡¯ll be slower than you in closing tears.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. It cuts my work down by 20 percent.¡±

    Elise nodded and said, ¡°I wanted to help.¡± She hugged Gongon and added, ¡°Without Gongon and Vera, this ship wouldn¡¯t have been possible.¡±

    ¡°Why am I just Gongon?¡±

    ¡°Should I call you Mr. Gongon?¡±

    ¡°No. That makes me sound old.¡±

    Sarang contacted him then, so Junhyuk went to see her. She grabbed her rifle and teleported back with him. When Gongon saw the rifle, his eyes widened, and he asked, ¡°What did you make?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a magical artifact. You only have to pull the trigger, so it¡¯s most definitely not for public use.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to use it?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Sarang smiled and added, ¡°I¡¯ll give it to Eunseo. I can cast spells of my own.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good thinking.¡±

    Junhyuk and Sarang went to see Eunseo, who was getting ready for the monster waves. There were a lot of monitors with different feeds surrounding her.

    She looked at him and Sarang when they appeared, and Sarang handed her the rifle.

    ¡°Big sister, this is for you.¡±

    Eunseo took the rifle, and Sarang pulled out an orb and chanted a spell. A blue light tied Eunseo to the rifle, and a chain bounded them with runguage. Then, the blue light disappeared.

    Eunseo found some strange engravings on her hand and looked at the rifle. The engravings were the same as those on the rifle.

    Sarang handed Eunseo a book and said, ¡°This is the manual for how to use it.¡±

    It was a thin booklet. Leafing through it, Eunseo asked, ¡°I can use magic?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You won¡¯t be able to use the rifle in the Dimensional Battlefield, but you should get it engraved there.¡±

    ¡°I can really take this?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    The rifle did not need mana, and it would shoot off magic. It woulde in handy when killing monsters. Eunseo wouldn¡¯t be in danger anymore.

    ¡°You should have made a pistol. That would¡¯ve been easier to carry.¡±

    ¡°With the rifle, the magic will be stronger.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded with understanding.

    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±

    Sarang smiled and said, ¡°I used the entire core, and I can¡¯t make more without more cores.¡±

    It was a superior weapon, but mass production wasn¡¯t possible. It was definitely a nice artifact.

    Junhyuk caressed her head, and Sarang gave him a tight hug. Eunseo¡¯s eyes turned cold, and Junhyuk pushed Sarang away, saying, ¡°We¡¯ll head out to deal with the monster waves.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk and Sarang teleported back to Elise¡¯sb, and Sarang pouted, asking, ¡°Did you have to push me away?¡±

    Junhyuk patted her head and said, ¡°Have you seen Elise¡¯s ship?¡±

    ¡°Elise¡¯s ship?¡±

    Sarang hadn¡¯t seen it yet, so Juhyuk teleported with her again. The three-hundred-meter battleship was floating above the ground.

    When she saw it, Sarang gasped.

    ¡°Elise, you built this?¡±

    Elise had built an entire battleship while Sarang had built a rifle, but Elise shook her head and said, ¡°Gongon and Vera helped me.¡±

    ¡°But you built it.¡±

    Sarang was stunned, and Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯ll see it in action soon.¡±

    Elise turned to Sarang and asked, ¡°Can you cast teleportation spells?¡±

    ¡°I can with coordinates.¡±

    Elise handed Sarang a pair of goggles and said, ¡°Wear these, and you¡¯ll get your coordinates.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? I can¡¯t close tears though.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯ll save novices and experts from dying.¡±

    Sarang nodded and put the goggles on.

    At that moment, Elise said, ¡°It¡¯s time. The dimensional tears are starting to appear.¡±

    ¡°How many?¡±

    ¡°Twelve hundred of them.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll move faster this time. Where is thergest one?¡±

    ¡°Sydney, Australia.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±

    ¡°Seoul has the second biggest tear, so Battleship Elise will stay here.¡±

    ¡°Seoul?¡±

    ¡°Sarang, Eunseo and I can close it.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯m off.¡±

    He teleported to the Sydney Harbor Bridge. The tear would appear soon, so he summoned his swords and looked up at the sky.

    As soon as the tear appeared, Junhyuk used his Dimensional sh against it. Instead of growing further, it closed.

    ¡°That¡¯s one.¡±

    He teleported again.

 Chapter 589 - Elises Masterpiece 2

    <h4>Chapter 589: Elise¡¯s Masterpiece 2</h4>

    A tear appeared above Seoul, but Battleship Elise was hovering nearby. Inside the cockpit of the ship, Eunseo had joined Elise, Sarang and Gongon.

    Elise asked Sarang, ¡°You want to try yours first?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Sarang turned to Eunseo and asked, ¡°Do you want to go out with me?¡±

    Eunseo nodded, so the two went out on the deck.

    ¡°Have you tried it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve read the instructions, but actualbat is making me nervous.¡±

    Eunseo pulled out the rifle and aimed it at the Dimensional Tear.

    ¡°Have you selected the spell?¡±

    Eunseo nodded and gathered her breath. The chimeras were starting toe out of the tear, and this time, they were three-headed wyverns.

    ¡°Make sure that the explosion takes ce within the tear.¡±

    Eunseo pulled the trigger, and a tiny fire orb was shot at the tear. The fire orb struck a wyvern.

    Boom!

    There was a massive explosion, but it was contained within the tear. Otherwise, Seoul would¡¯ve been destroyed. The explosion was that big.

    Eunseo was stunned, but Sarang smirked and said, ¡°You¡¯ve just made hellfire.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hellfire?!¡±

    ¡°Hellfire can destroy castles with single explosion. You could¡¯ve destroyed all of downtown.¡± Eunseo stared at her, and Sarang exined more calmly, ¡°While you are using the rifle, a magic circle will protect you. It works for both defense and offense.¡±

    ¡°Can I really take this from you?¡±

    ¡°You deserve it.¡±

    It was a present for Eunseo, who had been hard at work at Guardians since its inception. Eunseo was just as important as Elise for Earth.

    While Eunseo was smiling, they heard Elise¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Everyone,e inside. I¡¯m about to use the Spatial Copse Cannon.¡±

    Both of them went inside, and Elise smiled at them and said, ¡°I¡¯m finally using the Spatial Copse Cannon. The long wait is over. Countdown. Five, four, three, two, one.¡± Elise looked at a monitor and announced, ¡°Zero!¡±

    When she announced that, the cannon fired. The mouth of the cannon was at the front of the ship, and a gigantic beam exited from it.

    The surrounding air got sucked in by the beam as it flew toward the tear. After impact, the tear copsed within itself and disappeared.

    Sarang said, ¡°No human can survive that.¡±

    ¡°You can say the same about that hellfire.¡±

    Sarang smiled and asked, ¡°Where to next?¡±

    ¡°Tokyo.¡±

    Elise selected the coordinates, and Battleship teleported to the skies above Tokyo. There were already a number of chimeras out of the tear, but Elise readied another cannon shot and said, ¡°Sarang, I¡¯ll take care of things here. Head somewhere else.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    While Sarang was selecting a new set of coordinates, Eunseo ask, ¡°Should I stay here?¡±

    Elise looked at her and said, ¡°Right now, this is the second safest ce on Earth. The other is next to Junhyuk.¡±

    Eunseo adjusted her sses and said, ¡°Then, I should help.¡±

    She pulled out her rifle, but Elise smiled at her and said, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it this time. Watch.¡±

    Battleship Elise had other weapons too, and the chimeras were unable to survive the other attacks from it. Eunseo did not have to interfere.

    ¡ª

    With the help of Battleship Elise, Junhyuk was able to close the tears much faster than before. It still took a while though.

    When he watched the video of Battleship Elise and Eunseo at work, he was astonished.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to worry anymore.¡±

    It seemed like he wouldn¡¯t have to interfere anymore. If he hadn¡¯t participated, it would¡¯ve taken five times as long, but Earth would¡¯ve still been safe.

    Looking at Eunseo, he asked, ¡°How many dead and wounded?¡±

    ¡°The number of casualties is much lower thanst time. We also got another twenty experts and two champions.¡±

    ¡°More champions. That¡¯s really good.¡±

    With more champions, there was a greater chance of more heroes. Junhyuk stretched and said, ¡°We should give them new equipment.¡±

    Elise nodded and said, ¡°I need to research the chimera, so I¡¯ll be busy.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯vepleted Battleship Elise.¡±

    She nodded and said, ¡°Our next battle will be against legends, so I¡¯ll need to upgrade Moon Core and spar.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded in agreement. His sparring sessions with Arn had increased his skills. The legends were really strong, so it was a good idea to upgrade Moon Core.

    ¡°Are you going to yourb?¡±

    Elise nodded and replied, ¡°I need to put the ship back.¡±

    Once Battleship Elise was back in Guardians¡¯ basement, Junhyuk took the group and teleported. They were all back at Elise¡¯sb. There, Junhyuk turned to Gongon and asked, ¡°Are you going back?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    He grabbed Gongon¡¯s hand, turned to the others and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll get ready,¡± Elise answered.

    Junhyuk used his Dimensional Shift with Gongon, and they reappeared at Gongon¡¯sir.

    Gongonughed and said, ¡°I heard you went to Arn¡¯s dimension.¡±

    ¡°I drank a lot, and we sparred.¡±

    ¡°Did you win?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    Without an answer for the sixth sense, he couldn¡¯t defeat Arn, but Gongon smirked and said, ¡°The day wille when I can defeat Nudra.¡±

    ¡°You want to defeat Nudra?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Junhyukughed hard and said, ¡°Do you really need to? You are from different species.¡±

    A dragon and a human. The two were different species, and it was funny for him to imagine Gongon transformed trying to defeat Nudra. Junhyuk shook his head, but Gongonughed and said, ¡°Dragons strive to perfection.¡±

    Junhyukughed even harder, saying, ¡°It won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    Nudra was really strong, and Junhyuk knew that.

    Gongon replied with a smirke, ¡°I¡¯ll still try.¡±

    Junhyuk patted Gongon¡¯s shoulder. Gongon would probably defeat Nudra someday.

    ¡°I¡¯ll head back.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk said goodbye and used his Dimensional Shift. Once he was back with Elise, he asked, ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    He didn¡¯t hold back against Elise and her Moon Core. When his de pointed at her neck, Elise¡¯s eyes widened as she stared at him.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I sparred with Arn. I think Moon Core¡¯s response time is slow.¡±

    Elise smiled and say, ¡°That¡¯s nuts. Wait a sec.¡±

    She pulled up her tablet and pounded on her keyboard. She was fixing the problems. Elise could make him swing even more times, but things were still easier for Junhyuk this time around.

    Elise told him that should would make some more upgrades, so Junhyuk nodded and went back to his training facility.

    He summoned his swords and went over his sparring sessions with Arn, thinking about how to ovee the sixth sense.

    Suddenly, he felt something and turned to look. A tear appeared, and Agenchra walked through it.

    Agenchra took his fedora off and bowed to him, asking, ¡°How have you been?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    Agenchra shook his head, and Junhyukughed.

    ¡°You must¡¯ve been busy.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have been really busy.¡±

    ¡°New heroes?¡±

    ¡°Earth has more champions, and I needed to have them all sign contracts.¡±

    ¡°I thought you were a team leader.¡±

    ¡°I need to lead by example.¡±

    Junhyukughed and stared at Agenchra, asking, ¡°What brings you here?¡±

    Agenchra smiled back and said, ¡°You¡¯ll fight the legend¡¯s team.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Agenchra opened his notebook and said, ¡°The legends¡¯ tournament just ended.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Who won?¡±

    ¡°Thest team to be legends.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°They had better items than the older teams.¡±

    ¡°They are really strong.¡±

    Items were a secondary consideration. Their powers were amazing to begin with.

    ¡°Your team has won your tournament, so now, you¡¯ll fight those legends.¡±

    Junhyuk scratched his chin. His team was strong, but the legends had enormous set effect boosts. He frowned and said, ¡°Look, we might lose.¡±

    ¡°From what perspective?¡±

    ¡°The wish granted was the second objective to bing legends, but we don¡¯t have our own sets.¡±

    Agenchra smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. When you defeat the legends, I¡¯ll grant your wish, but as far as the other benefit...¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make your items a set of your own.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for everyone on my team?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and asked, ¡°Did youe to me first?¡±

    Agenchra nodded and replied, ¡°When I make your set, you¡¯ll lose the original set bonuses you¡¯ve been using.¡±

    Of course, that was the case, and Junhyuk knew that. He scratched his chin and said, ¡°OK. Give me the effect options.¡±

    Agenchraughed at him and replied, ¡°You won¡¯t be able to choose them. The set will adjust to your battle style.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±

    Agenchra raised his notebook, tore a page from it and threw it in the air. All of Junhyuk¡¯s items appeared in the air as holograms.

    Each item was summoned to fill the holograms¡ªJunhyuk hadn¡¯t summoned them¡ªand they all shone brightly.

    A bright light covered his entire body, and the items were grouped into one set, changing shape to fit more appropriately. The items stats didn¡¯t change, but their shape and the set effects did.

 Chapter 590 - Revenge Match 1

    <h4>Chapter 590: Revenge Match 1</h4>

    Junhyuk inspected his equipment. All of his items made up one set new, and their shapes had changed to make one cohesive suit of armor.

    It was very streamlined.

    He touched his new equipment. The pieces were now blue with ck ents throughout, and there was a little Asian cloud drawn on his chest.

    He inspected the chest piece.

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk Lee¡¯s Cuirass

    Piercing +300

    Defense +3,100

    Magic Defense +3,100

    Health +1,000

    The Vampire Lord Lujet¡¯s Cuirass was upgraded andbined with Junhyuk¡¯s energy. It has enormous defense and magic defense stats. It increases health by a thousand, piercing by three hundred, and defense and magic defense by thirty-one hundred.

    Aplete set increases the item¡¯s power.

    Two-Item Set Effect: Attack +200

    Three-Item Set Effect: Piercing +400

    Four-Item Set Effect: Critical Hit Rate +25%

    Five-Item Set Effect: Critical Hit Damage +50%

    Six-Item Set Effect: 25% Chance to Ignore Defense

    Seven- Item Set Effect: On Hit, 3% Extra Damage

    Eight-Item Set Effect: On Hit, -10% to Enemy Attack Speed (Stacks 3x)

    Nine-Item Set Effect: On Hit, +10% Attack Speed (Stacks 3x)

    Ten-Item Set Effect: On Hit, -10% to Enemy Defense. (Stacks 3x)

    Fifteen-Item Set Effect: On Hit, 3% Drain

    Twenty-Item Set Effect: On Hit, Extra Hit (Extra Hit Damage = 50%)

    Full-Set Effect: On Hit, -10% Power Cooldown Time

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk was stunned by his equipment. His items had been upgraded and changed into set items, and their overall power was better than the Vampire Lord set.

    In regards to the full-set effect, if hended ten hits, he would be able to use his powers again, and that included his ultimate. Thinking about how his enemies¡¯ items had be sets as well, he realized that his next battle wouldn¡¯t be easy.

    Scratching his chin, he said, ¡°You can buy legendary items and upgrade them, so how do you keep things fair?¡±

    ¡°You can only purchase items that have been upgraded up to +5. The rest of the upgrades have to be done by the buyer.¡±

    ¡°So, you can upgrade them more after the five basic upgrades?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not sure if they managed to upgrade their original legendary items, but that¡¯s the basic benefit.¡±

    Junhyuk inspected his items. As they were, they weren¡¯t upgraded. Knowing that he had enough gold to upgrade them now, he thought he was better off than the legends.

    The legends all had legendary-level equipment, but his own Vampire Lord set items hadcked in quality whenpared to his items now, and those had been copies of a set that had already evolved.

    He hadn¡¯t expected there to be that much difference between his own items and the legends¡¯ items.

    ¡°Shit. The problem is that I don¡¯t have a lot of gold right now.¡±

    Even if he spent all of his gold, he wouldn¡¯t be able to upgrade all of his items. Once they reached a certain level, he didn¡¯t know how much he would need to keep going.

    Junhyuk thought his situation was better, but he didn¡¯t know how many upgrades his enemies had managed during their tournament. Smacking his lips, he checked out the other pieces.

    ¡°Our victory will depend on how many upgrades I¡¯ll manage on each item.¡±

    ¡°Your items won¡¯t be the deciding factor.¡±

    ¡°But I can¡¯t ignore them either.¡±

    Agenchra smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go visit the others.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Agenchra disappeared, and Junhyuk continued to look over his items. There were a lot of effects that triggered when he hit his enemy, and some of them stacked. They could really change things for him on the battlefield, and his enemies wouldn¡¯t be able to ignore those effects.

    However, he had tond a hit. His skills had improved, but they were not absolute.

    The enemy team was strong, so he wasn¡¯t sure he could win. He wanted to train more, but for that, he needed a partner.

    Junhyuk contacted Arn, who was drinking. Arn smiled at him and said, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°I need help, please.¡±

    ¡°Help?¡±

    ¡°My items have be a legendary set, but a lot of the effects only trigger on hit.¡±

    ¡°Hm... You want to spar with me?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then,e over.¡±

    Junhyuk thought about Arn¡¯s pce. He could remember the coordinates of the ces he had been to, so he used his Dimensional Shift to reach the pce.

    He could read the flow of Arn energy and saw that he was in his nest. Arn had more energy than anyone around.

    Junhyuk headed toward Arn and found him drinking. He could see plenty of empty bottles around.

    ¡°When did you start drinking?¡±

    ¡°Since the tournament is over, I have nothing else to do. So, I¡¯m drinking.¡± Junhyuk shook his head, and Arn asked, ¡°Is anything better now that your items are a set?¡±

    Junhyuk summoned all of his items. They were all blue with ck ents, and when Arn saw them, he smirked and said, ¡°It all matches now.¡±

    ¡°Did they look funny before?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t even look at you before.¡±

    Junhyuk had only cared about the quality of the items, so the overall design had been all over the ce. He sighed and raised his swords.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be restricted in the Dimensional Battlefield. I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve fought them already. They are certainly not easy.¡±

    ¡°Are they that strong?¡±

    ¡°You should know. You fought them as well.¡±

    ¡°I was so much weaker back then.¡±

    ¡°Right. You should be able to match them now, but there¡¯s no certainty that you¡¯ll win.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Junhyuk was willing to do anything to win. He shed against Arn. He had to ovee Arn¡¯s sixth sense. If he managed to do that, he would be able to fight anyone.

    ¡ª

    Junhyuk thought that Arn would be helpful, but after thinking about it, nobody in the enemy team used dual swords like Arn.

    Nudra and Halo would be able to help him much more on dealing with close-rangebatants.

    Junhyuk wanted to see Halo and Nudra, so he went to see Vera. She gave him an item with their coordinates, and Junhyuk went after them. He met Halo and Nudra and also Diane, who told him to take her with him.

    He had met her in a beautiful ce where the roots from the trees had taken over the ground, and at the center of it all, there was ake, which was about the size of one of Seoul¡¯s districts. It was massive.

    There was a huge three among the others, and that was Diane¡¯s house.

    When he saw her, Diane gave him a big hug. He hugged her back, and she caressed her butt.

    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you.¡±

    ¡°Would you spar with me?¡± he asked.

    ¡°My arrows will hurt you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then. I¡¯m bored.¡±

    Junhyuk teleported with Diane back to Arn¡¯s pce, where she greeted everyone.

    He sent Vera to Earth as a favor to Sarang, who had her own set now. Her items covered her in electricity.

    It could be said that she was the personification of lightning now. Sarang would spend her time sparing with Vera.

    After leaving Vera with Sarang, he returned to the pce, where Nudra, Halo, Diane and Arn helped him train.

    By the end of it, Junhyuk was tired. He shouldn¡¯t be feeling tired, but the anxiety was making him feel that way. The heroes spared with him until he got tired. His amount of Harmonizer was massive. He had the most energy out of all of them, but energy did not decide the victor.

    Junhyuk was evolving.

    On Friday, he returned to Earth and shut down all the tears. Battleship Elise could fire every four minutes now, so he spent a lot less time closing tears.

    Another expert became a champion, but there were still no new heroes.

    Junhyuk focused entirely on training for the revenge match. During his training, he learned about his sparring partners¡¯ experiences and characteristics.

    Arn¡¯s style of swordsmanship was very free. His sixth sense allowed him to change on a whim. He was definitely not an easy opponent.

    Halo maintained a certain form. He didn¡¯t need it, but his swordsmanship had been built around that form. His attacks were always decisive.

    Nudra was soft. He could push any enemy away with his soft strikes, but his damage was absurd.

    Diane was different from all of them. As an elf, she moved nimbly to dodge most attacks. Her arrows were extremely sharp. Junhyuk was learning about long range attacks from her.

    He could also see their individual skill, those that were restricted since they were close to powers.

    Junhyuk was gaining experience. When they started, Junhyuk hadn¡¯t been able tond a hit on them, but now, things were different.

    He couldn¡¯t defeat Arn yet, but he had beaten Halo twice, and Nudra and Diane ten times each.

    While sparring in the castle, Juhyuk was given a royal treatment. There was no end to the amount of drinks and food. It was like they were in a perpetual party, and sparring was the main event of that party.

    Suddenly, Junhyuk felt another sense within him, and he focused on it. It was foresight.

    ng!

    Junhyuk had managed to guess where Arn would attack and blocked. He countered, aiming his sword at Arn¡¯s neck, but the hero stepped back and out of his range.

    Arn stopped then and, staring at him, asked, ¡°Did you just develop a new sense?¡±

    ¡°I think so.¡±

    Everyone smiled. Sparring was extremely valuable, and the results were showing.

 Chapter 591 - Revenge Match 2

    <h4>Chapter 591: Revenge Match 2</h4>

    Before going to the battlefield, everyone gathered in his training facility. Junhyuk had invited Gongon and La as well. The next battle would make them true legends, so everyone was nervous.

    ¡°Do you all have new sets?¡±

    Everyone summoned their items. They all had evolved into matching sets. In Elise¡¯s case, the Red Dragon set had evolved even further. Her armor was shining brightly, and since she was magical engineering master now, her items seemed to have a mechanicalponent to them. It was possible it was just how they looked on the outside now. They looked both mechanical and dragon-like, a strangebination. The managers had been sensible to their predilections.

    Junhyuk looked at Sarang, whose items made her looked like a Blue Thunder Goddess. They looked like extremely high-quality items.

    Gongon had a set as well, but they couldn¡¯t see the details of it with Gongon in his original size.

    ¡°Erge.¡±

    Gongon did, and the set became more visible. There was an etching of a dragon across the breastte.

    Junhyuk turned to La, who was now wearing a flowing robe. It was fluttering as if wind was constantly blowing on it. She looked like an angel.

    ¡°It looks good on you.¡±

    ¡°Is that apliment?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    La had a rough demeanor, and the way she spoke was rough. Junhyuk had never thought of her as delicate, but the new set gave her a womanly, ethereal look.

    He turned to Helen and Eunseo then. Would they be of help? Even if so, it would probably not be significant help. The allies might lose the castle in their fight against the legends. Eunseo might even die forever.

    ¡°You two will participate.¡± Both women nodded, but Junhyuk added, ¡°Eunseo, if you die once, stay inside the castle¡¯s force field. Helen, you too. If you die four times, remain within the force field.¡±

    The two women nodded nervously, and Junhyuk turned to the other and said, ¡°We¡¯ll be legends among legends.¡±

    ¡°Legends among legends?¡± Gongon asked.

    Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°We have to do our best. Have you all gone through your set effects?¡±

    Everyone nodded, and he smiled.

    ¡°Use them well. The enemy heroes will also have full sets, so it won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    Junhyuk knew time was up, so heyfortably on the ground. Everyone followed suit, and the world turned blindingly bright.

    When Junhyuk recovered his vision, he saw Ariel, who was kneeling before him with her hands resting on her knees.

    [Long time, no see]

    ¡°We metst week.¡±

    Junhyuk had ced three bets on the Champions¡¯ Battlefield in the meantime. He had bet small the first time around, but invested heavily afterward. In thest round, he had bet everything. Now, he had a total of 13,100,000G.

    His n was to spend everything on enhancement stones. He needed arger Spatial Bag, but right now, he was focused on bing a legend among legends.

    ¡°I¡¯ll win.¡±

    [I wish you victory. Legend Junhyuk Lee deployed!]

    Junhyuk chuckled at his new title. Since he had won the tournament, now he was a legend. Being called a legend made him few refreshed.

    He went outside and saw the sea of minions waiting. They all looked up and parted like the red sea for him.

    Minions normally didn¡¯t fight multiple times, so he was thinking that all of them were new minions, but one of them called out to him.

    ¡°Hero!¡±

    He could see the face under the helmet. As a legend, Junhyuk had a very good memory, so he soon remembered the minion¡¯s face.

    Unlike other minions, that minion fought hard. They had fought together before, and he realized that that group of minions was different. They were all experienced.

    The minion asked him carefully, ¡°Do we have to fight in multiple battlefields? Everyone is saying this is their second time here.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°This battle is for special minions, those with battle experience.¡±

    ¡°How is this battlefield special?¡±

    The tournament had ended, but the league was still ongoing, so the Dimensional Battlefield was still a thing. There were still cases of abnormal narcolepsy on Earth, but those humans didn¡¯t know about the fight to be the legend among legends. They had thought their one excursion to the battlefield had been enough.

    They did not understand the meaning of that battle.

    Junhyuk looked at the minions and said, ¡°This battle is special for heroes as well. They must have selected the minions with experience to fight in it.¡±

    Every minion frowned at that remark. A special battlefield meant that it would be very dangerous.

    Junhyuk smiled at them and said, ¡°Let¡¯s do our best.¡±

    He passed the minions and joined the allied legends. He had been with them a moment before, but the feeling was different in the battlefield.

    He smiled at them and asked, ¡°What should we do?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do the usual.¡±

    Junhyuk wanted to find out if he could use his Dimensional Shift in that battlefield with what he had scanned from the previous one. If so, that would be a huge boon for the allies.

    He looked at Elise. Her items all looked mechanical, and before they evolved, all of her items had reached +20. Her defense should be amazing now.

    ¡°Elise, do you want to go left?¡±

    After thinking about it, she said, ¡°OK. I¡¯ll go left. Give me Helen.¡±

    Elise had a buff and a powerful ultimate, so Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll head middle with Gongon. Eunseo, youe with us.¡±

    Gongon nodded and hopped on Eunseo¡¯s back.

    ¡°You are still the same.¡±

    Junhyuk turned to Sarang and said, ¡°You go right.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy, but OK.¡±

    ¡°I trust you.¡± Junhyuk rubbed his hands together and added, ¡°Let¡¯s go see Bebe first. I need some upgrades.¡±

    Gongon looked at him and said, ¡°I thought we wouldn¡¯t be able to upgrade out items any more, but now that they¡¯ve evolved into brand new set item, we can. Do you have enough gold?¡±

    ¡°I have a lot.¡±

    However, Junhyuk felt that he would still be short. He wasn¡¯t sure he would be able to reach +20 on all of his items with the amount he had.

    Gongon smirked and said, ¡°I¡¯ll craft you a Spatial Bagter, so focus on upgrading everything.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t save any of my gold. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    They entered Bebe¡¯s store and saw Bebe yawning like always.

    ¡°Come in. Your items have improved.¡±

    ¡°Right. They are all sets now.¡±

    Bebe rubbed his hands and asked, ¡°So, what do you want?¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°I want 13,100,000G worth of enhancement stones.¡±

    Bebe frowned and asked, ¡°You are spending everything?¡±

    ¡°This is thest round.¡±

    ¡°Who said that?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You might end up being summoned to face new legends, but for that, you have to win this round first.¡±

    Junhyuk frowned. He still wanted the enhancement stones, and once his items were upgraded, they would remain strong.

    ¡°Just give them to me.¡±

    Bebe muttered something about him doing as he pleased and gave him a bag.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°You are spending lot today. This is a gift. A Spatial Bag.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not big. Only five square meters.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll take it.¡±

    Junhyuk started applying the enhancement stones. Once the basic upgrades were done, he applied more. He got all of his items to +10, but he spent 132 stones getting there, more than he had expected.

    Junhyuk rubbed his hands and applied more stones. He was sure that the upgrades would decide the victor. He didn¡¯t focus on any one item, applying them evenly to all of his items instead. He managed to get them all to +15. He was lucky.

    Now, he had to choose what to focus on, his weapons or the other items.

    He decided on his weapons. His armor received the set boosts, so he needed to focus on the weapons.

    Junhyuk applied the remaining stones to his weapons. Previously, he hadn¡¯t seeded in getting them to +20. Even now, he failed many times, but his weapons finally reached +19. He only had two stones left, so he closed his eyes and applied them.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡±

    He opened his eyes slowly again and something something shining brightly. Both swords were shining rainbow. Shaking, Junhyuk raised them up. He hadn¡¯t really inspected them as weapons were not part of the set.

    Both swords were at +20. When he inspected them, his eyes widened.

    ¡°Awesome!¡± Gongon cheered. He turned to Junhyuk and asked, ¡°Did you do it?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s not the issue.¡±

    ¡°What is?¡±

    ¡°These swords¡¯ names have changed.¡±

    ¡°Of course! They are your now. It¡¯s obvious they would change.¡±

    ¡°What about yours?¡¯

    ¡°After getting my weapon to +20, the name changed. It is mine now.¡±

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t used his swords in his training. While sparring with Arn, he had only used his skills and set effects, so he hadn¡¯t really paid attention to the swords.

    He raised them and said, ¡°These two swords are a set now!¡±

    ¡°WHAT?!¡±

 Chapter 592 - Revenge Match 3

    <h4>Chapter 592: Revenge Match 3</h4>

    Junhyuk inspected his swords and said, ¡°The damage is great and all, but the set effect is where they really shine.¡±

    ¡°What is the effect?¡±

    ¡°With theplete set, my critical hit rate increases by 10 percent.¡±

    Landing a critical hit was difficult. He had tond the strike just in the right spot, but in the Legendary Battlefield, that was almost impossible to do.

    Junhyuk had received that set effect for free, so he was happy. His weapons were now a legendary set of their own, and they also dealt enormous damage. If he had been able to deal that much damage when he had just be a hero, he would¡¯ve killed all of his opponents with regr attacks.

    Considering the enemies¡¯ defenses, his damage wasn¡¯t the highest, but with the twenty upgrades, it was definitely high.

    Junhyuk turned to the others, and everyone tried upgrading their items. La, Sarang and Gongon seeded, and their weapons were shining rainbow colors. They hadn¡¯t gotten all of their items to +20, but their weapons were all there.

    Elise¡¯s chest piece was shining rainbow, and so were her greaves. She had upgraded both items, which were both defensive pieces. They were necessary to boost her defense and magic defense, making her a true tank.

    Looking at the allies, Junhyuk said, ¡°Looks like we are done. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Everyone nodded and headed off for the battlefield. Junhyuk took 150 minions with him. The enemy minions were the gillette men, assassins with des for arms, so the allied minions would be at a disadvantage. However, Junhyuk didn¡¯t think the victory woulde down to the minions. This was a battle between legends, and they would decide the victor.

    He climbed up the middle path and frowned, saying, ¡°I have to memorize the path again.¡±

    Gongon smacked his lips and replied, ¡°That¡¯s too bad. You¡¯ll have to run around a lot this round.¡±

    ¡°I need to check on something first.¡±

    He touched Gongon, who was on Eunseo¡¯s back, and teleported. He was able to use his Dimensional Shift to get behind the formation.

    Smirking, he said, ¡°The Dimensional Shift has improved. I can teleport with others now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±

    Junhyuk used his Dimensional Shift again and returned to Eunseo¡¯s side.

    ¡°Gon, should we pick up the pace?¡±

    ¡°Just the two of us?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. We can destroy the enemy tower before they get there that way.¡±

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t do it alone, but with Gongon, the watchtower would certainly fall.

    The hatchling smirked back and said, ¡°OK. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at Eunseo and said, ¡°Takemand of the minions. We¡¯ll go and destroy the tower.¡±

    Junhyuk rushed out with Gongon, teleporting along the way, enabling him to get there much faster than their enemies.

    When he and Gongon reached the top, the enemies were nowhere to be found, so Junhyuk turned to Gongon and said, ¡°Considering the enemies¡¯ damage, we should rotate as tanks.¡±

    Gongon smirked and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can deal twice as much damage now because of my set effects.¡±

    ¡°Your set can do that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the strongest!¡±

    ¡°Then, you take lead first.¡±

    Junhyuk ran forward and used both his Spatial Copse and his Dimensional sh against the watchtower. When he fell within the archers¡¯ range, they shot at him.

    Junhyuk kept attacking the tower itself, and Gongon headbutted and punched it.

    Gongon¡¯s ws were shining rainbow, and each time the dragon attacked it, arge chunk of the tower was taken away. Gongon could destroy the watchtower by himself.

    Boom!

    Junhyuk was attacked three times before retreating, but Gongon brought the watchtower down. It was destroyed, and Junhyuk was stunned.

    ¡°Your ability to siege is an art form.¡±

    ¡°Right?!¡± Gongon smirked and asked, ¡°Can you recover?¡±

    The enemies weren¡¯t in sighet yet, so with some time, he would be able to recover. He looked far below, searching for the enemies as he waited.

    Junhyuk saw Keros and Tuelus climbing the mountain, and the heroes were bringing two hundred minions with them.

    While staring at them, Junhyuk cracked his neck. It would be another hour before they reached the peak of the mountain, so he told Gongon, ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll go use the portal so that I can remember locations.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. Don¡¯t bete.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk took the portal to the left path, where Elise was. He memorized the ce and, an hour after that, he reached the left watchtower, way before Elise had. There, he used his Dimensional Shift to return to the top of the mountain.

    Gongon had already upied the buff tower.

    When he appeared, he saw the enemies already at the top of the mountain. Keros was a single-horned beast, and Tuelus a handsome man.

    Tuelus was a damager, and Keros, with his broadsword, was a hybrid damager-tank.

    When Junhyuk had first met them, he hadn¡¯t been able to damage Tuelus at all, but now, things were different. He was a legend now, and his items were as good as the enemies¡¯.

    Tuelus and Keros both had weapons shining rainbow, which meant that they were at least at +20. However, if they had only gotten to +20, Junhyuk damage would still be higher.

    With the buff tower upied, Junhyuk recovered all of his health. He unsheathed his swords and stared at his enemies, saying, ¡°Long time, no see.¡±

    Keros and Tuelus looked at each other puzzled and said, ¡°We don¡¯t remember you at all...¡±

    Junhyukughed and replied, ¡°When we fight, you¡¯ll remember me.¡±

    He looked a Gongon, who was prepared for battle. Even his powers triggered his set¡¯s effects, so Junhyuk inhaled deeply and said, ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±

    Keros motioned with his hand, and the enemy minions rushed toward him and Gongon. When the enemy heroes told him they didn¡¯t know who he was, Junhyuk decided to attack them first.

    He aimed for Tuelus. Keros¡¯ attack was high, but Tuelus was incredibly damaging. His attack stat was outstanding even among legends. On top of that, his weapons were now at least to +20.

    Junhyuk used his Dimensional sh, and a fountain of blood spurted out of Tuelus¡¯ neck. The hero lost 48 percent of his health.

    Previously, the most Junhyuk had been able to deal Tuelus had been 1 percent of damage, but now, he had beaten the crap out of the hero with a single Dimensional sh.

    His equipment was certainly different from before.

    Junhyuk followed it up by teleporting to Tuelus. He wasn¡¯t trying to save any of his powers. After he quickly closed in, he triggered his Spatial Copse.

    Craaaaack!

    Tuelus was a legend now, but even then, he died. Junhyuk had used all of his attack powers on the legend, leaving him speechless.

    ¡°What the hell...?!¡¯

    ¡°Talkter.¡±

    Junhyuk shed at Keros, who had just watched Tuelus die, but Keros blocked the attack with his own sword. The ground beneath Junhyuk shattered in a fan-like pattern. That was one of Keros¡¯ powers.

    Junhyuk teleported, evading Keros¡¯ massive shockwave. The enemy swung at him again, but Junhyuk simply smiled at Keros.

    Keros¡¯ broadsword was destructive, but Keros¡¯ movements were just like Halo¡¯s. Knowing that, he knew that he could fight Keros.

    Junhyuk deflected the broadsword and countered. With his new foresight ability, he had even managed to deflect Halo¡¯s sword.

    He could guess Keros¡¯ movements now, so none of the attacks were getting through.

    Keros¡¯ eyes widened, and Junhyuk shed him across the ribs.

    Keros scowled. The attack triggered an extra attack and stacked two debuffs on the enemy legend. Keros¡¯ attack speed and defense both dropped. At the same time, Gongon erged and headbutted Keros.

    Boom!

    Keros blocked Gongon with his broadsword, another one of his powers. He could decrease the damage he received and reflect it on the attacker.

    Gongon lost 8 percent of his health, but Keros lost 6 percent. When that happened, Junhyuk remembered Keros¡¯ reflect damage.

    Keros¡¯ defense stat might be even higher than Gongon¡¯s.

    Keros struck Gongon with his broadsword, and Junhyuk shed at him. He wanted to debuff Keros even more.

    Keros lost more attack speed, so Junhyuk shed him again across the ribs. Junhyuk was lucky, and the attacknded as a critical hit. Keros lost another 12 percent of his health.

    Considering his attack power, Junhyuk was disappointed with the damage he was doing. However, the battlefield was a cold and pragmatic ce.

    Keros knew he was in danger. He was having to fight against too, so Keros boosted his movement speed and started heading for the portal. However, Junhyuk grabbed Gongon and teleported with him to block Keros¡¯ way out.

    Kero swung his broadsword at Junhyuk, and the de shattered. Immediately, Junhyuk raised his force field.

    Boom, boom, boom, boom!

    That was Keros¡¯ ultimate, the sword explosion. Junhyuk had blocked the attack, but he was still pushed back. Keros took the chance to run toward the portal.

    ¡°Where do you think you are going?!¡±

    Gongon, who was a full-fledged dragon now, spit out a massive fireball.

    Boom!

    Keros was thrown off course, and Junhyuk kept attacking him from long range.

    ¡°Die!¡±

    Junhyuk, still with his force field around himself, ran forward. Keros scowled and attempted to retreat, but Gongon¡¯s barrage never stopped.

    With theirbined attacks, they killed Keros.

    Junhyuk sighed, relieved. He ended up not figuring out the enemies¡¯ set effects.

    ¡°It¡¯s better this way.¡±

 Chapter 593 - Big Showing 1

    <h4>Chapter 593: Big Showing 1</h4>

    Junhyuk turned to Gongon and asked, ¡°What are you going to do now?¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to teleport to Elise to help her out.¡±

    ¡°Should I join you?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and replied, ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s make it certain.¡±

    Juhyuk would help her out a great deal by himself, but with Gongon, they would make sure things went their way, whether two enemy legends went that way or not.

    Junhyuk used his Dimensional Shift with Gongon, and they appeared behind the allied watchtower. The battle was already ongoing.

    Elise and Helen were fighting Aak, who was four meters tall. Two of Elise¡¯s items were shining rainbow, but Aak¡¯s entire body was rainbow.

    ¡°How much money did Aak have?!¡±

    His breastte, his greaves and his pauldrons were shining brightly.

    ¡°He¡¯s upgraded four of his defensive items at least twenty times. His defense should be outstanding.¡± Afterplimenting Aak, Junhyuk turned to Gongon and said, ¡°But, we can still kill him.¡±

    ¡°Elise can¡¯t do it alone. She doesn¡¯t have a high enough attack for that.¡±

    Elise had buffed herself to fight, but she couldn¡¯t pierce Aak¡¯s heavy defense.

    Junhyuk wasn¡¯t worried however. Singlebat was one thing, but three on one was an entirely different matter. Because Aak was busy fighting Elise, he didn¡¯t notice them. Without thinking twice, Junhyuk teleported and appeared behind Aak, attacking with a Spatial Copse immediately. It was the best attack to use to find Aak¡¯s weak spot.

    Aak was sucked by the void, so he turned to look at Junhyuk, who smiled at him.

    ¡°Long time, no see.¡±

    Aak was sucked in and turned to look at him, he smiled at Aak.

    ¡°Long time no see,¡± Junhyuk said, using his Dimensional sh right after. The Spatial Copse only deal 20 percent of damage to Aak, and though the Dimensional sh hit the enemy¡¯s neck, it took only another 18 percent.

    ¡°You don¡¯t take criticals?!¡±

    Junhyuk became nervous. He had a very high critical hit rate, and attacks to the neck usually meant criticals.

    Aak stomped the ground.

    Boom!

    A massive shockwave expanded out from the point of impact, and Junhyuk, Gongon, Elise and Helen were stunned. Helen faded away.

    Aak¡¯s massive fist flew against Junhyuk. The enemy legend had thought Junhyuk would be the easier target whenpared to Elise. Junhyuk braced himself for the impact. Aak was debuffed, and his attack speed was slow, but Junhyuk was stunned, so he couldn¡¯t dodge the fist.

    Boom!

    When the fist struck, Junhyuk scowled hard.

    [Aak¡¯s attack has decreased your defense by 20 percent.]

    Junhyuk had a lot of defense, but losing 20 percent of it would make his health drop fast. Before he could move again, another first flew toward him.

    Boom!

    With his defense lowered, he felt the attack was more painful.

    [Aak¡¯s attack has decreased your defense by 25 percent.]

    With the two attacks, Junhyuk had lost 45 percent of his defense. His defense was nearly half of what it used to be, but even though Junhyuk had known Aak¡¯s attacks debuffed defense, he hadn¡¯t expected the loss to be that severe.

    ¡°Is it because of his set?¡±

    Junhyuk hadn¡¯t been hit by Aak before, but now, he would be constantly aware of Aak¡¯s set¡¯s effect. Aak¡¯s items certainly matched his powers, and by now, Aak¡¯s powers would be fatal to him.

    Aak tried to punch Junhyuk a third time, but by then, Junhyuk had regained his movement. Junhyuk raised his sword to block.

    ng!

    He was thrown back, but suddenly, he heard even worse news.

    [Aak¡¯s attack has decreased your defense by 30 percent.]

    Suddenly, he remembered that Aak¡¯s debuffs stacked three times, but he hadn¡¯t expected to lose 75 of his health from them.

    He was certain he had blocked that third hit, but he was still debuffed. That meant that Aak¡¯s hits didn¡¯t have tond perfectly.

    Junhyuk was starting to think he couldn¡¯t let himself get hit by any of the legends, and at the same time, Gongon heabutted Aak.

    Boom!

    The enemy legend was pushed back, and Elise fired her Moon Core at him. Gongon transformed, and Junhyuk joined in with Gongon¡¯s attack.

    Junhyuk¡¯s cooldowns decreased by 10 percent with each of his attacks. Hended four hits, and by then his Dimensional sh had returned. Without waiting another second, Junhyuk used it against Aak.

    Aak¡¯s set had to nullify critical hits. The hero had been hit on the neck, but it hadn¡¯t been a critical, so Junhyuk chose not to attack that spot anymore. He aimed for Aak¡¯s legs instead.

    Junhyuk¡¯s defense had dropped by 75 percent, but Aak had lost 30 percent of his movement speed, so Junhyuk was confident he wouldn¡¯t be hit anymore.

    Aak closed in on him as Junhyuk tried to retreat. The enemy¡¯s movement speed was still the same.

    Scoffing at Aak, Junhyuk raised his force field.

    Boom!

    The force field wasunched back, but Gongon kicked Aak¡¯s shin. The enemy legend bent forward, and Gongon breathed fire on him. Elise used her ultimate. The Moon Core attack proved lethal, and Aak started to fade. Junhyuk sighed with relief and turned to Elise.

    She had picked up the item had dropped and smiled at him.

    ¡°Thanks for the help.¡±

    He smiled at her and said, ¡°I have to go to Sarang. Are you advancing, Elise?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°OK. Then, I¡¯ll head to the right.¡±

    Gongon looked at him and said, ¡°You haven¡¯t been to that direction yet.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll use the central portal to go there.¡±

    The hatchling clicked his tongue and replied, ¡°Man! I¡¯m jealous!¡±

    Junhyukughed and grabbed Gongon and used his Dimensional Shift. They appeared back at the buff tower.

    ¡°Take the middle path down and search for the enemies. I¡¯ll go help Sarang.¡±

    ¡°Should I go all the way down?¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think before shaking his head and saying, ¡°No. The buff tower won¡¯t matter for now. We¡¯ll need more time to decide things. I¡¯ll attack the right first. The amount of the map that I cover will change things in our favor.¡±

    ¡°Right. I¡¯ll let you go now.¡±

    Gongon climbed down the middle path with the minions, and Junhyuk took the portal to the right path. When he appeared, he moved as fast as he could toward Sarang.

    He contacted her as well, and she was already in the middle of battle.

    ¡°Big brother, can we talkter?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m heading your way. Can you buy me time?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure we can do it.¡±

    ¡°We already know the enemies are strong, but even strong enemies can ignore the archers¡¯ attacks. Retreat and buy me time.¡±

    ¡°Sure! Hurry!¡±

    Junhyuk disconnected and used all of his strength to move as fast as he could. The enemies attacking Sarang were mp and Lujet, and Lujet was the most dangerous of the two. Lujet could summon the demon.

    Junhyuk had his dimensional powers now, and his skills had improved, so he didn¡¯t think he would lose to the demon. His weapons were also stronger, so he was certain that he would be able to kill it.

    Junhyuk sped up. The allies had upied the buff tower, so he was moving faster than normal, but even then, the battle wouldn¡¯tst long.

    Either team could die within ten seconds of a battle starting. Junhyuk hoped that Sarang and La were OK, but he was sweating heavily as he ran.

    Ten minutester, someone contacted him. Sarang seemed happy.

    ¡°I killed the robot legend!¡±

    mp. mp¡¯s defense was equivalent to Aak, so it was probably not easy for her.

    ¡°Our side?¡±

    ¡°We have a heal, but the watchtower will fall soon.¡±

    ¡°The watchtower?! Why?¡±

    ¡°The minions were annihted. We only have ten of them left.¡±

    The allied minions were experienced in battle, but so were the enemy minions.

    Junhyuk sighed and said, ¡°When the watchtower falls, retreat. Don¡¯t die.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk picked up the pace even more. He couldn¡¯t stop time, but if he had been able to, he would¡¯ve definitely done it to help Sarang.

    Sarang had to have used her Thunderstorm, so she would have to fight Lujet without it until it came off cooldown.

    Junhyuk owned some of Lujet¡¯s items, so he knew the legend enjoyed piercing enemies. He didn¡¯t know if all of Lujet¡¯s items had piercing buffs however.

    He hadn¡¯t seen Lujet¡¯s entire set in effect yet, but now that he had his own set, he had to make sure to kill Lujet so that the enemy legend would drop an item.

    The allies shouldn¡¯t panic. They should use their sets to their full extent and pressure the enemy legends into making mistakes.

    As he ran, Sarang contacted him.

    ¡°The tower fell. We are retreating.¡±

    ¡°Is he chasing you?¡±

    ¡°La stayed back. The enemy¡¯s cooldowns are really short.¡±

    ¡°Why?!¡±

    ¡°His cooldown are much shorter than ours, so we are losing health fast. La! Retreat! Quickly!¡±

    Junhyuk thought about Lujet¡¯s bloodsucking ability. He as managing to fight both legends at the same time with his powers.

    ¡°I¡¯ll join soon! Hold on!¡±

    ¡°Hurry!¡±

    Junhyuk disconnected and ran even faster. In the distance, he could see Sarang and La running toward him. The two women were low on health. La only had 20 percent of hers left, while Lujet had 60 percent.

    Because of Lujet¡¯s bloodsucking ability, Junhyuk had to kill him in a couple of blows and really fast.

    His teleportation¡¯s cooldown was over, so he used it all three times. When he closed in that fast, Lujet¡¯s eyes widened.

    Just as he joined the allies, Junhyuk used his Dimensional sh. Lujet raised his hand to block the attack, but the sh cut through the legend¡¯s neck, and he started bleeding.

    It as a critical hit, and it took 25 percent off of Lujet¡¯s health. Running toward Lujet, Junhyuk shouted, ¡°Cover me!¡±

    Lujet raised his mechanical left arm, and his finger missiles shot off at Junhyuk, who raised his force field and closed in.

    Junhyuk used his Spatial Copse as soon as he got within range, restraining Lujet in ce. When he got close, he shed at Lujet.

    Lujet, who was stuck in the void, was beheaded by him.

 Chapter 594 - Big Showing 2

    <h4>Chapter 594: Big Showing 2</h4>

    Junhyuk sighed of relief and turned to look at Sarang and La.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t toote.¡±

    ¡°It could¡¯ve been a disaster.¡±

    ¡°The minions?¡±

    ¡°They are all dead.¡±

    The watchtower had been destroyed, and there were no surviving minions. After thinking for a while, Junhyuk said, ¡°If we hurry, we can destroy their next watchtower. Do you want to try?¡±

    ¡°Without minions?¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, and Sarang agreed. If the allies could destroy both enemy watchtower on that path at that point, there was no need for her to refuse.

    ¡°You must run as fast as you can.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and grabbed Sarang¡¯s and La¡¯s shoulders. Then, he used his Dimensional Shift to return to the central portal.

    ¡°Let¡¯s quickly take it to the right enemy portal,¡± he said.

    Junhyuk went through the portal first, and Sarang and La soon followed.

    He grabbed their hands and said, ¡°Whenever my teleportation is off cooldown, I¡¯ll use it to cover a greater distance. We are starting now.¡±

    After he used his Dimensional Shift another couple of times, he said quickly, ¡°We should run now.¡±

    They took off fast, and on the way, Junhyuk contacted Gongon.

    ¡°Do you see any enemies?¡±

    ¡°Two areing toward me. They need to head to the buff tower as well.¡±

    ¡°OK. Draw their attention, but don¡¯t engage.¡±

    ¡°You want me to deal with two by myself?!¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and grabbed the women¡¯s hands. He used his teleportation immediately after. Whenever his cooldown was up, he teleported with them to decrease their travel time. That way, they would be able to reach the enemy tower faster than any enemy hero.

    With three heroes, the allies could destroy the tower easily. Sarang could heal, so that particr advance should be easy.

    With the use of his powers, they reached the enemy tower before the enemy legends.

    Junhyuk raised his force field, eager to attack the tower. They couldn¡¯t bring it down within ten seconds, but they destroyed it without incurring any casualties.

    He grabbed the women¡¯s hands again and teleported everyone back to the middle path.

    The allies had cleared the right path, so they didn¡¯t need to stay there. They went down the middle path to join Gongon, who was running away diligently.

    The amount of minions Gongon had left was low, but with four heroes, the allies had the number advantage. There were only two heroes chasing after Gongon.

    The enemy legends stopped in front of their watchtower. They were stretched thin because of Junhyuk. The allies had killed Lujet and destroy the second enemy tower really fast. Now, they were on the second enemy middle tower. The enemy legends were feeling like something was way off.

    Junhyuk knew his Dimensional Shift was a legendary power. His power was superior to any other power in the Dimensional Battlefield. He could teleport to wherever he had been, and now, he could take his allies. The advantage that gave his team was significant.

    Junhyuk stepped forward and said, ¡°The enemy has their watchtower, but with us four here, we¡¯ll win.¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    The enemies were legends, but they still could fight the allies outnumbered like that, so Junhyuk stepped forward again.

    He couldn¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t retreat.

    Keros smacked his lips and stepped forward. The enemies knew they couldn¡¯t retreat. If they did, they would have to fight further down the path. The enemy legends wanted to take advantage of their watchtower for now.

    However, that wouldn¡¯t matter.

    Junhyuk knew the enemies¡¯ sets gave them great abilities, so he whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s kill Tuelus first.¡±

    Tuelus was a damager capable of incredibly powerful attacks. Junhyuk prepared his Dimensional sh. Meanwhile, having already experienced the attack before, Tuelus was standing behind Keros. He knew that even with the help of the watchtower, he couldn¡¯t be at ease until after the Dimensional sh missed.

    Junhyuk smiled at Tuelus.

    Tuelus was aware of him, but Junhyuk wasn¡¯t alone. He teleported to close in quickly. He wanted to get as close as possible to be sure to kill Tuelus first.

    Junhyuk used his Spatial Copse, and Tuelus was sucked by the void. While the enemy legend staggered, bolts of lightning mmed down on his head.

    It was a Thunderstorm-Spatial Copsebo. Sarang was a very powerful damager, and her Thunderstorm was just as damaging as the Spatial Copse. Tuelus faded away.

    Tuelus died quickly, so Keros scowled. That was the second time Tuelus hadn¡¯t been able to do anything, and now, Keros couldn¡¯t take a portal to flee.

    Keros wanted to kill one of the allied legends before getting killed, and Junhyuk smiled at him. He could read Keros¡¯ thoughts. Looking at Sarang, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s kill him without getting hit.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    Sarang shot her electric st at Keros, who was hit and paralyzed. Gongon immediately erged and headbutted the enemy.

    La used her ultimate.

    Within that short period of time, they hit Keros for massive damage. Keros regained his movements, but he had been sent up into the sky by La¡¯s attack.

    Even in the air, however, he aimed his broadsword at the allies.

    Junhyuk immediately realized that Keros was using his sword explosion and raised his force field. The broadsword exploded, but the shrapnel bounced off Junhyuk¡¯s force field.

    Boom, boom, boom!

    Junhyuk used his Dimensional sh then. His de shed and pierced Keros¡¯ neck. Keros stopped breathing and faded.

    Even after Keros had used his ultimate, Junhyuk¡¯s Dimensional sh had seeded in taking him down. After killing the enemy minions, Junhyuk ran toward the watchtower. The force field was gone now, but Gongon and the rest of the allies destroyed the watchtower with ease.

    They picked up the items the enemies had dropped and looked down the middle path. They werecking the minions to keep pushing, but they didn¡¯t want to retreat.

    Junhyuk looked at them and asked, ¡°Should we keep going?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have Elise.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring her here.¡±

    Junhyuk could easily have her join them. The middle and right paths had been cleared, and there was no way for the enemies to easily recover from that.

    Gongon raised his hand and said, ¡°I agree.¡±

    Sarang and La also agreed, so Junhyuk chuckled.

    ¡°You guys go on.¡±

    ¡°Hurry up and catch up to us.¡±

    The allies left, and Junhyuk contacted Elise. She was returning to the castle, so Junhyuk did the same.

    When he appeared in the spawn room, Ariel expressed her admiration.

    [That¡¯s an impressive performance!]

    ¡°Let¡¯s talkter.¡±

    At that point, he was winning, but he didn¡¯t want to let his guard down until after the match. The enemy legends had really strong powers afterall. Junhyuk knew they were winning right now.

    ¡°I¡¯ll win ande back.¡±

    He stood in front of the exit, and Arielughed and shouted, [Legend Junhyuk Lee deployed!]

    Junhyuk walked outside. He wanted to take the minions with him, but he didn¡¯t have time for that, so he walked up to Elise, who seemed worried.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of a way to win the team battle.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled, grabbed her hand and said, ¡°Think about it after we rejoin the others.¡±

    The allies had to know the enemies¡¯ powers before they could n for a team battle, so Elise nodded, and Junhyuk used his Dimensional Shift to move them to where the second enemy tower of the middle path had once stood.

    Elise said with astonishment, ¡°If you can do that, we have a massive advantage.¡±

    Thwarting enemy advances was nowpletely possible.

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°The enemies are probably trying to push, but they¡¯ll have to return now.¡±

    The enemy team had to return to their castle. If they ended up outnumbered, they wouldn¡¯t be able to win the battle, and they all knew that now.

    The group followed down the middle path. The allies had won their first victory by the buff tower and kept on pressing. Junhyuk and Gongon had caused massive shifts to the battle, and the allies wanted to finish it immediately.

    The allied group took whatever minions had survived and moved down the middle path. When they reached the enemy castle, the enemies appeared.

    With the exception of Tuelus, all enemy heroes were outside the gate, the castle behind them.

    Junhyuk saw Tuelus on the wall. He had gone up against and killed Tuelus twice now. The legend had lost two items, so he had lost his full set¡¯s effect.

    The allies could win, but Tuelus would take shots at them from the wall.

    Looking at the allies, Junhyuk said, ¡°We have the advantage.¡±

    ¡°Right. The enemies don¡¯t have their full sets anymore.¡±

    Junhyuk summoned his swords and walked toward the castle. The allies followed behind him, and when he looked at the minions, he saw they didn¡¯t seem scared at all. The minions knew how to return to their dimension. If the team lost, they would all die, so the minions looked determined.

    He turned to the allied legends, sure that they could win, and then turned to his enemies.

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s finish this fight.¡±

 Chapter 595 - Big Showing 3

    <h4>Chapter 595: Big Showing 3</h4>

    Tuelus was the strongest damager, but he was on the wall, so Junhyuk couldn¡¯t get to him.

    He had to kill someone other than Tuelus know, he was deciding on who would be the best target. Lujet could lifesteal from his enemies, so he decided on the vampire.

    Elise buffed the entire team then. With the buffs, he didn¡¯t think they would lose.

    Lujet could summon the demon, but Elise had the buffs, and he had his Dimensional Shift.

    Junhyuk ran ahead and used his Dimensional sh on Lujet, who bled from his neck. Then, he teleported and quickly triggered his Spatial Copse. Suddenly, however, the demon appeared in the middle of the allied formation.

    The demon swung both of its arms around, but as it was about to hit them, Elise triggered her nullification field. The nullification field cancelled powers, so the demon disappeared.

    Lujet¡¯s eyes widened, and suddenly, he was sucked in by the void. He lost a massive amount of health at once.

    Junhyuk teleported again and appeared behind Lujet. There was no way for the vampire to dodge an attacking from behind him. Lujet was being held in ce, so there was nothing he could do.

    Lujet¡¯s defense was better than Tuelus¡¯. Junhyuk attacked twice, but failed to behead Lujet. He tried again, but Aak punched at him.

    Junhyuk raised his sword to block the attack, but he still received the debuff.

    [Aak¡¯s attack has decreased your defense by 20 percent.]

    This was a fight against many legends, so any decrease in defense could be fatal. Juhyuk wanted to finish Lujet, but the legend turned around and defended against Junhyuk¡¯s attacks.

    His swordsmanship was outstanding now, but Junhyuk was short on time, and his skills weren¡¯t overpowering against Lujet.

    Suddenly, re bombs exploded on his back. Junhyuk must¡¯ve taken too many steps toward the castle because Tuelus was able to reach him now. Juhyuk clicked his tongue and teleported away.

    Outside of the enemy¡¯s range, he saw Gongon had transformed and was spewing fireballs.

    Boom!

    Lujet started to fade, and Junhyuk smiled with satisfaction.

    ¡°Nice!¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯m using my ultimate to early!¡± Gongon said, attacking from long range. As an adult dragon, Gongon had the range to attack the others even if he couldn¡¯t reach Tuelus.

    Junhyuk seized that opportunity. Aak, Keros and mp were out of the castle, and he would kill them all.

    He still had his force field, so he could attack for ten seconds unimpeded.

    Junhyuk ran forward, and La followed him. Elise summoned Zaira, who flew off toward Keros. The legend ran toward Zaira while brandishing his broadsword. Zaira was stronger than ever. Previously though, Arn had destroyed her, so Junhyuk wasn¡¯t expecting much out of the gynoid.

    He sped up, and Keros pushed Zaira away and ran toward him. As Keros closed in, the legend sped up even more. He was rushing.

    Up close, Keros swung his broadsword, and Junhyuk raised his force field.

    ng!

    Keros didn¡¯t use any of his powers, pounding against the force field with regr attacks.

    Junhyuk decreased the size of his force field to cover himself and parried Keros¡¯ sword. If Keros had hit hard, he would¡¯ve beenunched back with his force field, which would eat up precious time.

    Launched Keros into the air with an upward sh. While Keros was in the air, the two other legends ran toward Junhyuk.

    mp and Aak. Aak was very strong, so he wanted to leave the enemy legend forst. However, mp¡¯s defense was also very high.

    Junhyuk ran toward mp, but the legends¡¯ eyes beamed, and mp took off with explosive speed toward him. Thinking it as better like this, Junhyuk stabbed his sword forward.

    mp passed right by him and ran toward the other allies. mp was very dangerous, and the allied ranged attackers were now being targeted. The allies could still lose the battle, so Junhyuk turned around and chased after the others.

    He wasn¡¯t going to attack Aak for now.

    Sarang cast her electric sts, and both mp and Keros were paralyzed. Junhyuk shed at mp¡¯s back, but he didn¡¯t have many chances to do that before they could move again. He managed to hit mp five times. Then, lightning bolts mmed against mps head, taking a big chunk off of the hero¡¯s health.

    Finally, Elise used her ultimate.

    The massive beam she released swept through both mp and Keros.

    mp faded away. He had a lot of defense, but he couldn¡¯t withstand all of the attacks. So, Junhyuk turned to face Keros.

    Keros blocked Junhyuk¡¯s attacks with his broadsword while stepping back. Aak retreated as ell. Untransformed, Gongon headbutted Keros, who blocked the attack as well. Keros countered, and Tuelus attacked Gongon too.

    Tuelus could deal the most damage out of the enemies, so Gongon lost a lot of health. Seeing that, Junhyuk bit his lips and ran toward the hatchling.

    He increased the size of his force field to include Gongon inside, but the ten seconds were up, and Aak punched Gongon.

    Boom!

    Aak had the ability to decrease his opponents¡¯ defense, so when Gongon¡¯s lost some of his defense, Keros stabbed the ground with his broadsword.

    The ground broke, and a shockwave burst forth from the crack like a cone. Gongon, Junhyuk and La were swept by it. La threw her katana, which shot through the sky like lightning, but Tuelus¡¯ orb blocked it.

    Junhyuk knew that Tuelus could send his orb to anyone. That ability had been judged as one of Tuelus¡¯ powers, and as such, it could block La¡¯s katana.

    The katana returned to La, and she clicked her tongue and ran forward. Junhyuk and La attacked at the same time while Aak attacked Gongon.

    Aak blocked most of Junhyuk¡¯s attacks, but he was able tond a few hits. With his foresight, his swordsmanship had be even better now.

    Keros was using his sword explosion. It was possible that Gongon would end up hit, but he had to attack Aak for now.

    Tuelus attacked Junhyuk again, but he smiled. He could teleport again now.

    His cooldowns decreased with each of his attacks thanks to his full-set effect. He teleported, grabbed Gongon and teleported away, escaping the explosion of Keros¡¯ sword. Both of them reappeared behind Keros, and Junhyuk swung both of his swords against the enemy legend. Both attacksnded, and his cooldowns shortened again. Junhyuk smiled.

    ¡°This the end!¡±

    He used his Spatial Copse first, and Keros was sucked in toward the void, losing his bnce. Then, he used his Dimensional sh. Both attacks hit hard, and Keros lost all of his health.

    Gongon and La had attacked him as well, so Keros finally disappeared. Suddenly, Junhyuk was hit by a re beam. Elise¡¯s ultimate and Tuelus¡¯ ultimate were simr.

    It was a giant, piercing re beam. Both orbs hadbine to release the beam that swept through him and the other allies. The allies¡¯ defenses were great, but they lost a lot of health from the attack. Junhyuk lost 35 percent; Gongon lost 40 percent; La lost 44 percent; Sarang lost 52 percent; and Elise lost 27 percent.

    The ultimate hit all five heroes.

    Junhyuk scowled and looked around to face Aak. He had to kill Aak before they could reach Tuelus. With Gongon, destroying the castle¡¯s force field wouldn¡¯t be too hard.

    ¡°Kill Aak!¡±

    Junhyuk attacked Aak, who stomped the ground while under attack from the allies.

    Boom!

    The allies were stunned. They had all closed in on the enemy legend to try to kill him, but they had gotten too close and vulnerable.

    Aak pulled his elbow back and closed his hand into a fist. The fist got bigger, and Junhyuk scowled. Aak was a tank, but he could also attack.

    Aak could decrease his opponent¡¯s defense, but he could also give up his own defense to increase his attack.

    Aak punched at La, who was stunned, so she couldn¡¯t block. Tuelus attacked her as well. La lost a lot of health, but she was still alive.

    Aak roared, and Junhyuk had no idea what was happening. Aak stomped the ground again.

    Boom!

    Suddenly, Junhyuk remembered Aak¡¯s ultimate. Aak could erase his allies¡¯ cooldown, so he was able to stun them again.

    He punched La one more time, and she finally died.

    He stopped attacking, and before the rest of the allies could move again, Aak ran toward the castle.

    Junhyuk couldn¡¯t let Aak escape. When he regained his movement, he gave chase. At the same time, re bombs zoomed toward him. Junhyuk used hisst teleportation, and Aak swung at him when he appeared.

    Junhyuk shed Aak¡¯s ribs and waist. Hended both attacks, but Aak¡¯s fist was stilling toward him.

    Junhyuk bit his lip. He was already debuffed, so now, his defense dropped by 45 percent.

    Aak opened the gate and went inside. He was getting ready for the second round. Tuelus could take care of the allies while the allies attacked the gate. Once the allies got through, the rest of the enemy legends would have already revived.

    Junhyuk pounded against the gate and shouted, ¡°Gon! Destroy it!¡±

    Gongon walked up and pounded against the gate. The allies all joined in, and their enemies didn¡¯t know they would only take a short time at it. When the allies destroyed the gate, he saw Tuelus running away.

    Aak was standing between both golems, and Tuelus was behind him. The enemy team still had three hundred minions left.

    Junhyuk looked at the allied minions. There were only forty.

    He bit his lip and said, ¡°Let¡¯s destroy the golems before the rest of them revive.¡±

 Chapter 596 - Big Showing 4

    <h4>Chapter 596: Big Showing 4</h4>

    It would be advantageous to kill the golems. Right now, the allies could use Junhyuk¡¯s Dimensional Shift to bring all five legends together.

    Junhyuk wanted to destroy the golems, but there were too many minions around. The enemy minions dealt fixed percentage damage to the allied legends, so he couldn¡¯t ignore them.

    Sarag healed the allies, so they regained some health, and with Elise¡¯s buff, the health gain was rather high.

    THey couldn¡¯t wait for La to revive since the enemy legends would revive before her.

    Junhyuk ran out first, and the allies followed him. Aak had to wait on his cooldowns, so the allies could go all out.

    Tuelus stayed back. If he tried to step forward, he would be killed.

    Gongon whispered to Junhyuk, ¡°I can destroy the golems. You deal with Aak and Tuelus.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Junhyuk trusted Gongon when the dragon said he would destroy the golems. He ran toward Aak, who had a stunning power. He had to watch out for that.

    Aak could decrease his opponent¡¯s defense with his attacks, so Junhyuk decided to fight carefully.

    Aak ran toward thinking while thinking that he had to deal with Junhyuk and that Tuelus would support him.

    Junhyuk knew that if he used his attack powers on Tuelus, he could kill the enemy legend. However, his Spatial Copse was still in cooldown.

    He used his Dimensional sh first. It cut through Tuelus¡¯ neck. After that, he grabbed Sarang and teleported closer in. Sarang quickly cast her electric sts, and both Tuelus and Aak were paralyzed. Then, lightning bolts mmed on Tuelus¡¯ head, killing him.

    With Tuelus dead, the victory should belong to the allies. They would push on, kill Aak and win.

    Junhyuk shed at the enemy legend, but Aak stepped back and stomped the ground.

    Boom!

    The wide range stun hit Junhyuk Sarang and Gongon. Elise, who was further away, remained safe. Immediately, she ran forward and used her nullification field. Because of that, the allies regained their movements right as Aak was trying to punch Gongon.

    Gongon had regained a lot of his health, but he still shouldn¡¯t take the hit, so he breathed out fire against Aak.

    Boom!

    The firebreath hit Aak, but Gongon was still punched, rolling back from the impact. Junhyuk quickly attacked Aak, and after two attacks, the cooldown of his Spatial Copse was over. He smiled with satisfaction and used the power against Aak.

    Aak was sucked toward the void, and at the same time, more thunderbolts mmed against Aak.

    Crraaaack, boom!

    Sarang had used her ring¡¯s ability to use her ultimate again. Junhyuk knew that Aak had just lost a chunk of his health, so he kept on attacking.

    Every time he attacked, he decreased Aak¡¯s defense by a percentage. After three hits, Aak lost 30 percent of his defense.

    Junhyuk would kill Aak soon, but then, Lujet exited the castle¡¯s force field. He immediately summoned the demon, which had both overwhelming defense and attack

    The nullification was still active, but Elise was too far, so things weren¡¯t great. Junhyuk quickly raised his force field and continued to attack Aak. The legend¡¯s death would help the allies the most at that moment.

    Gongon destroyed a golem.

    Gongon had the power to destroy structures, and golems were treated like structures in the Dimensional Battlefield, so Gongon destroyed it in a single strike.

    Junhyuk cheered and looked back. Lujet was trying to open a path for Aak¡¯s retreat.

    Aak could regain health quickly when inside the castle¡¯s force field, so Junhyuk grabbed him and teleported back toward his allies.

    Aak had already used his stun, and now, he was among his enemies. Junhyuk stretched his force field to look like a ring with Aak in the center. The allies could attack the legend without worry, and because of that, Aak was leaving a lot of opening when he tried to block.

    Junhyuk attacked nonstop. He knew his skills had decreased, and with Aak debuffed, he was decreasing his cooldowns with Aak¡¯s help.

    As soon as one of his powers came off cooldown, he would kill Aak. However, something else happened then. The other golem ran at them and kicked the force field.

    Boom!

    The impact sent the force field flying with all of the allies inside. Aak retreated quickly, but Junhyuk wasn¡¯t done yet. He teleported with everyone and pushed Aak to the middle of the ring again.

    The allies attacked incessantly, and Aak finally died. The allies would win soon.

    Junhyuk¡¯s attacks could ignore enemy defense and deal 3 percent of damage with each hit. It might not be much, but in situations where he could keep attacking, the damage mounted very quickly.

    After killing Aak, Junhyuk turned around and saw Keros leaving the force field. Lujet and Keros had revived.

    Right at that time, La contacted him. So, he took all of the allied legends with him and used his Dimensional Shift. He appeared inside his own castle¡¯s force field.

    La looked at him with surprise and asked, ¡°Are you here to pick me up?¡±

    ¡°We are short on time.¡±

    Inside their castle¡¯s force field, their own healths recuperated quickly. However, things weren¡¯t going as well for their enemies. The allies would attack before the others revived.

    Junhyuk waited until his Dimensional Shift came off cooldown. He had used it twice in the battle and another to get to La.

    While he felt his healthing back, he muttered, ¡°When we get back, there¡¯ll only be three enemy legends.¡±

    Tuelus and Aak had taken a lot longer to die, but Lujet, Keros and mp should have revived. Still, there were five of them, so the allies should definitely win.

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°Time¡¯s up. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He put out his hands, and his allies touched them. Immediately, he used his Dimensional Shift to get back to the enemy castle.

    Looking around, he saw that Lujet, Keros, mp and the golem were three. He had to finish them off before they had a full team again. Elise buffed them all one more time.

    Gongon erged and headbutted.

    Boom!

    The golem was struck on the leg. It staggered and shattered across the floor. The golem was destroyed.

    Keros dashed toward the allies, and mp used his speed buff, his ultimate. The two enemies wereing for them, but Junhyuk still had to wait to be able to use his force field. Yet, he still thought they could win.

    Sarang used her Thunderstorm on the two enemies. mp was hit hard, and Keros lost a chunk of his health. Junhyuk moved toward Keros, but knowing that Junhyuk didn¡¯t have his force field, Keros attacked.

    Keros stabbed into the ground, releasing his massive shockwave. Junhyuk teleported to appear behind Keros, shing at Keros¡¯ back as he did. However, before he couldnd the attack, he was hit by Lujet¡¯s mechanical fist.

    Boom!

    The first exploded on Junhyuk¡¯s ribs.

    mpunched his electrified at Junhyuk, who was ensnared by it. Following that, Keros immediately turned around and pointed his sword at Junhyuk.

    The sword explosion. Junhyuk bit his lip knowing what woulde. Could he survive? The explosion dealt a lot of damage normally.

    However, he couldn¡¯t move. But, right on time, Sarang shot a lightning arrow at Keros. It was a regr attack and the damage was low, but Keros was paralyzed.

    The paralysis rate of the arrow was low, but luckily, it had triggered that time.

    Junhyuk was still stuck in the, so La stepped forward and sent Keros flying with her attack. While Keros was in the air, La threw her katana at him.

    Keros blocked the attack with his broadsword, and La ended up losing health due to Keros¡¯ reflective damage.

    Junhyuk finally cut himself free from the, and mp, covered in electricity, released a shockwave, stunning Junhyuk again. However, the stun faded away.

    No powers worked anymore. Elise had used her own. Thought nobody could use their powers, Junhyuk had the Triple Yin Yang, so he knew the situation was advantageous for him.

    Junhyuk attacked Keros as hended. Keros was the most injured of his enemies, so he wanted to kill him now.

    The other four allies were fighting the other two enemy legends since Gongon had already destroyed the golem.

    After the golem was destroyed, Gongon had ran to join the others.

    Keros swung wide and tried to retreat, but Gongon blocked his path and breathed fire on everyone. All of the enemy legends were covered in mes, and Junhyuk stabbed at them wildly.

    Sarang joined in, and Keros was paralyzed by her again. Finally, Junhyuk shed Keros¡¯ neck and sent his head flying.

    Only two remained now.

 Chapter 597 - Big Showing 5

    <h4>Chapter 597: Big Showing 5</h4>

    Lujet and mp. With just those two left, Junhyuk shouted to Gongon, ¡°Attack the force field!¡±

    It seemed like Gongon could easily destroy the castle¡¯s force field by himself, so Junhyuk and the others would deal with the two remaining enemies. It should be that simple. Thanks to his set effect, his cooldowns had decreased substantially, so Junhyuk was disying enormous power.

    Sarang shot another lightning arrow, paralyzing Lujet. Lujet¡¯s eyes widened, and while Junhyuk attacked him, he asked Sarang, ¡°Are you paralyzing enemies more often?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the effect of the full set. I have a 30-percent chance to inflict paralysis.¡±

    With as high a rate as that, Sarang didn¡¯t have to use her powers. Her regr attacks were already plenty powerful. With Sarang¡¯s paralysis, he could attack the enemy legends with ease.

    While Lujet was paralyzed, Junhyuk shed at him. Lujet was weaker than Aak, so he was getting significantly damaged by Junhyuk¡¯s regr attacks. On top of that, Junhyuk¡¯s regr attacks had a 100-percent chance to trigger an extra attack.

    In that short period of time, Lujet lost a massive amount of his health. Then, La came over and used her ultimate.

    Itnded on Lujet, but the final blow was delivered by Elise. Her ultimate swept through both Lujet and mp.

    mp still had some health left, so he used his speed boost to retreat.

    Junhyuk thought Gongon could stop mp¡¯s retreat, but mp pulled Gongon andunched him away. THe enemy legend was getting back to the force field.

    mp was sure he was going to escape, but Junhyuk managed to close in and grab him. Then, he teleported back toward the allies with mp.

    He attacked mp, and the legend was unable to block Junhyuk¡¯s attacks.

    While he was attacking mp, he shouted, ¡°Destroy the force field first!¡±

    Gongon and Elise stepped toward the force field. Elise summoned Zaira, and they both attacked the force field. Meanwhile, Sarang kept shooting lightning arrows at mp.

    The first arrow hit normally, but the second arrow paralyzed the legend. Junhyuk took that opportunity to attack with more fury.

    While attacking mp, his powers returned, and he did not hold them back. He used his Spatial Copse and beheaded mp with the following swing of his sword.

    mp was dead.

    Junhyuk joined Sarang, and they both started attacking the force field. Tuelus revived then, but he did not leave the force field. If he came out, all that awaited him was death.

    Junhyuk smiled with satisfaction while attacking the force field. All of the allied minions were dead, but Gongon¡¯s extra damage against structures was overwhelming.

    Tuelus clicked his tongue and said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting this result.¡±

    ¡°You lost big.¡±

    The allies had kept their numerical advantage in battles and won easily.

    Scowling, Tuelus said, ¡°All because of your powers.¡±

    ¡°Come out and fight.¡±

    Gongon delivered the final hit. His tail pounded against the castle¡¯s force field onest time. Finally, the force field shattered.

    Staring at Junhyuk, Tuelus said, ¡°We¡¯ll meet again sometime.¡±

    ¡°Maybe?¡±

    If there was another tournament, it was possible for them to meet again, but would that really happen?

    The legends were constantly evolving. Could that same team win the next tournament to challenge the allies again. Thinking about that, Junhyuk shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯ll be hard.¡±

    He turned to his allies. Victory belonged to them.

    Before the battlefield ended, a beam of light fell on each of them. Junhyuk knew that those beams were different from the previous ones.

    The light wrapped around him and pulled him into the air. The same thing happened to the others, and then, they all heard a voice.

    ¡°Congrattions on bing the Legends of Legends. As Legends of Legends, your items are now even more powerful sets.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at his items.

    Junhyuk Lee¡¯s set had be a Legend of Legends set.

    Items like his had never existed before. They were the highest quality items anyone could find. His items had been upgraded previously, and those upgrades had melded into the items¡¯ base stats. Some items were still weak since he hadn¡¯t been able to upgrade everything, but the full set was truly a Legend of Legends set.

    When Junhyuk inspected them and saw their stats, he smiled. They were truly strong.

    ¡°Copies of your items will be sold at Bebe¡¯s store, and 50 percent of the sales price will be given to their original owners.¡±

    Junhyuk finally understood why their enemies had had so much gold. Every time someone bought one of their items, they would earn 50 percent of that gold without doing anything.

    The voice continued.

    ¡°As Legends of Legends, you will all receive 10,000,000G each.¡±

    The award was high. Junhyuk had spent all of his gold, but he was still getting more. With it, he could buy a Spatial Bag big enough to fit Gongon¡¯sir in it.

    ¡°After twenty-four hours, you¡¯ll be each granted a wish. You¡¯ll now be returned to your dimensions.¡±

    Junhyuk was returned to his training facility. There, the rest of his team opened their eyes, and he smiled at them.

    He had done his best to be a Legend of Legends, and now, that¡¯s what he was. As he smiled at the group, Sarang ran up to him and gave him a big hug.

    He was surprised by Sarang¡¯s actions, but when he looked around, he saw that Eunseo hadn¡¯t awoken yet.

    Gongon scratched his chin pensively, turned to him and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your wish?¡±

    ¡°A secret.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your wish?¡± Junhyuk asked in return.

    Gongon said, ¡°I have to think. I¡¯m thinking of wishing for something that can make cores.¡±

    ¡°Can they even grant that? It¡¯s hard enough to produce one core.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be a massive nuisance if they decline.¡±

    Junhyukughed and looked at the others.

    ¡°Elise?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still thinking about it...¡±

    Sarang stared at him and said, ¡°I want to ask the managers to marry you.¡±

    Junhyukughed and flicked her forehead, saying, ¡°You! Don¡¯t waste your wish!¡±

    ¡°Why? They have to grant my wish.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like that wish.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to marry Sarang. She could end up posing him problems.

    Sarang pouted and said, ¡°Hmph! Then, you grant me my wish. If you do, you can have my wish.¡±

    Junhyukughed again and caressed her head. Sarang was smiling happily, so Junhyuk smiled at her and said, ¡°Think about it some more. You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±

    Then, Junhyuk looked at La and asked, ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still thinking about it. I¡¯ll ask Halo.¡±

    ¡°Right. Good idea.¡±

    She should ask Halo about her wish.

    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, La,¡± he told her with a smile.

    La extended her hand to him. He grabbed hold of it, and La smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m here today because of you.¡±

    Layal hadn¡¯t thought she would¡¯ve be a legend, so she was happy to be working with him. Halo had told her about Junhyuk¡¯s dimensional powers long ago. Now, she was a Legend of Legends.

    Junhyuk had won thest battle nearly single-handedly. Their enemies had had superior individual powers, but the allies had been able to fight as a group thanks to him.

    His powers were truly superior, even in the Dimensional Battlefield. Elise¡¯s buff was a legendary power, but his Dimensional Shift was even better than that.

    La shook his hand and said, ¡°You¡¯ll be weed in my dimension anytime. Come drink with Halo and me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be there.¡±

    Junhyuk already had the coordinates for her dimension, so there was no reason to refuse a good drink.

    He was powerful on Earth, and La should be the same in her own dimension. Arn¡¯s team was part of her dimension, but she was the first Legend of Legends among them.

    He watched as La left. Gongon left for his dimension as well. After that, Junhyuk looked at Elise and Sarang and said, ¡°We should get ready for the monster waves today.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll do that.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded, and Elise and Sarang were gone. He waited for Helen and Eunseo to wake up.

    ¡°What will happen to me now?¡± Helen asked him.

    ¡°Perhaps, you can join another team.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m worried.¡±

    Champions needed good teams with amicable heroes.

    ¡°You¡¯ll find a good team.¡±

    Helen bowed to him and left. Then, he turned to Eunseo.

    She woke up, adjusted her sses and asked, ¡°Is the battle over for you now?¡±

    ¡°Until a new team of legends challenges, yeah, the battle is over for me.¡±

    She showed him a rare smile and said, ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡±

 Chapter 598 - Epilogue

    <h4>Chapter 598: Epilogue</h4>

    While he was waiting for the monster waves, time slowed down and stopped. Junhyuk thought it was Soren, but it was actually Eltor who walked out of the dimensional tear.

    Staring at him, Eltorughed and asked, ¡°Can I congratte you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want your congrattions.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that would be funny. You declined the offer to be a manager, and now you are in that position.¡±

    Junhyuk rubbed his ear and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a manager. Why are you bringing that up?¡±

    Eltor cackled and said, ¡°My team leader said there won¡¯t be any monster waves this week as a congrattions gift for you on bing a Legend of Legends. I¡¯m here to tell you that.¡±

    Junhyuk was relieved to find out there wouldn¡¯t be any waves.

    ¡°You have been demoted. That must be hard on you.¡± Eltor frowned, and Junhyuk dug a little more, ¡°Soren is a gentleman whenpared to you. He¡¯s certainly different.¡±

    ¡°Look here. Soren is sending regr monster waves. The waves I sent were special. Which do you think is faster at making heroes?¡±

    ¡°You are still the same.¡± Junhyuk waved his hand and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you. Be gone.¡±

    Eltor was scowling, but Junhyuk was already looking elsewhere.

    ¡°You are still here?¡±

    ¡°You are nothing more than a hero.¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head and asked, ¡°Why? You want to fight me? Last time, you were lucky, but this time, you¡¯ll die. Be gone.¡±

    Eltor¡¯s eyes beamed, and he replied, ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who was lucky.¡±

    Eltor took off his coat and raised his hand. That was the power to stop time.

    Junhyuk had known Eltor would do that. That was the only thing that worked against him because Eltor¡¯s dimensional powers didn¡¯t.

    Eltor had stopped time for Junhyuk, but the manager didn¡¯t ount for something. Junhyuk had prepared for that moment. He had absorbed energy from cores for it. With Harmonizer, things were different.

    On the outside, time had stopped for his body, but on the inside, his mind was still working, and the energy within him was still flowing.

    When Eltor walked toward him, Junhyuk encased the manager in his force field, which could separate beings from their dimensions.

    Eltor scowled.

    Inside the force field, Eltor knew he was stuck in a dimensional pocket. Using his incredible speed, Junhyuk delivered a Dimensional sh.

    Eltor had no way of escaping.

    sh!

    Eltor was cut across the chest, and blue energy gushed out of the wound. Eltor¡¯s eyes widened, and Junhyuk stabbed into Eltor¡¯s chest. The manager¡¯s mouth dropped open, and Junhyuk said, ¡°You can¡¯t run.¡±

    Time was flowing again. When the force field imprisoned someone, escape was nearly impossible.

    The managers could pierce through dimensions, but only a few could do it without previous preparation. Junhyuk had guessed that Eltor wasn¡¯t one of those, which was why he had used his powers.

    When Junhyuk started pulling his sword out of Eltor¡¯s chest, a dimensional tear appeared behind him. When he turned to look, he saw Soren and Agenchra walk through it.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± he asked.

    Agenchra smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you stop now?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Killing a manager is a serious crime.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s self-defense.¡±

    ¡°It has gone on for long enough.¡±

    Junhyuk took a moment to think, and Soren said, ¡°If you kill him, you¡¯ll have to take his position.¡±

    Junhyuk didn¡¯t want to be a manager, so he stopped. He pulled out his sword and said, ¡°Eltor, I don¡¯t want your job. That¡¯s the only reason I¡¯m letting you live.¡±

    Eltor gritted his teeth, and Soren said to him, ¡°You¡¯ll be reprimanded. Return now.¡±

    Sore created a dimensional tear with a wave of his hand, and Eltor was sucked through it. Junhyukughed at the scene and said, ¡°Look, I¡¯m the victim here. Shouldn¡¯t I get something?¡±

    Soren thought for a moment and said, ¡°I can hold off on waves for four weeks.¡±

    Junhyuk nodded and replied, ¡°That¡¯d be nice.¡± He turned to Agenchra then and asked, ¡°What about you? Can you do something?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°What about it?¡±

    Junhyuk stared at Agenchra, and the managerughed and said, ¡°I¡¯ve gained a lot from you bing a Legend of Legends, so I¡¯ve been meaning to do something for you. Do you want anything?¡±

    Without even taking time to think, Junhyuk said, ¡°I want a hundred-meter-squared Spatial Bag.¡±

    Agenchra frowned and asked, ¡°Do you know how much that¡¯ll cost?¡±

    ¡°Did you not make that much money?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡±

    ¡°Then why can¡¯t you get me one?¡±

    Agenchra sighed heavily and said, ¡°Wait a minute.¡±

    The manager looked into his notebook and tore out a page. He drew a hole on the page and put his hand through the hole. When he pulled his hand out, it was holding the Spatial Bag, which he gave to Junhyuk.

    Junhyuk checked it out and smiled. It was different from the five-meter-squared Spatial Bag. His satisfaction was clear.

    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll take it.¡±

    ¡°Ha-ha-ha! Thanks for that.¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the two managers and waved.

    ¡°You may go now.¡±

    After Agenchra and Soren left, Junhyukughed alone.

    He had almost killed that hateful Eltor, but he had gotten a really expensive Spatial Bag from Agenchra for not doing it.

    ¡°I should¡¯ve killed him, but no regrets.¡±

    He called Eunseo and told her there wouldn¡¯t be any monster waves for four weeks. Eunseo was happy to hear, and after they hung up, Junhyuk told Elise and Sarang.

    They were both d and they both told him to take them on a dimensional trip. He agreed, but he had something to do first.

    ¡°Let¡¯s make our wishes first and travelter.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Junhyuk went to his training facility and thought hard about his wish, about what he wanted to do with it.

    The world turned blindingly, and Junhyuk heard a familiar voice.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to make your wish?¡±

    Junhyuk looked at the one who was speaking with shock. He knew them. They were touching their chin and staring at him.

    ¡°Bebe, what are you doing here?¡±

    Bebe smirked and replied, ¡°I¡¯m the chief of the Dimensional Administration.¡±

    ¡°The dimensional merchant?!¡±

    ¡°The Marketing Department doesn¡¯t have the right person to fill the position yet, so I¡¯m working there temporarily. You can take my ce if you want.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s OK. No, thanks.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pay you well.¡±

    Junhyuk shook his head and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± The yeti scratched his chin and asked, ¡°Your wish?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll grant me my wish?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve granted all wishes so far.¡±

    Junhyuk looked into Bebe¡¯s wide eyes. He had not expected Bebe to be the boss of everything. Then, he told the yeti his wish, ¡°I want the souls of all of those who are now inas, who died in the Dimensional Battlefield, to be returned to Earth and to their bodies.¡±

    Bebe scratched his chin and said, ¡°That¡¯s interesting.¡±

    ¡°Can you do it?¡±

    ¡°I can, but the situation is funny.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so funny about it?¡±

    ¡°Earth has produced three Legend of Legends.¡±

    ¡°Right...¡±

    ¡°And they all wished for the same thing.¡±

    Junhyuk was shocked to find out that Elise and Sarang had wished for the same. Scratching his chin, Bebe said, ¡°I can¡¯t grant you all the same wish. My pride would be hurt if I did.¡±

    ¡°Grant me my wish and ask the other two for new wishes.¡±

    Bebe smiled and asked, ¡°You are aware that I¡¯m meeting with all of you five right now, correct?¡±

    ¡°I imagined so.¡±

    ¡°Three of you said exactly the same thing right now.¡±

    Junhyukughed at that and said, ¡°Just grant me my wish.¡±

    ¡°OK. Your performance was imperative in your team bing Legends of Legends, so I¡¯ll grant your wish.¡±

    Bebe closed his eyes and pped his hands. Then, he said nonchntly, ¡°The souls that died in the Dimensional Battlefield have been returned to Earth. It should be chaotic there now.¡±

    Junhyuk bowed and replied, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Bebe smiled and said, ¡°You know this isn¡¯t the end...¡±

    ¡°I know. I might lose next time.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a problem forter.¡±

    Bebeughed and said, ¡°OK. You may return now.¡±

    When Junhyuk returned to Earth, he opened his eyes slowly andughed. Elise and Sarang had wished for the same thing as him.

    They both contacted him, and he smiled warmly at them.

    ¡°Did you make your wishes?¡±

    Eliseughed and pointed at Sarang, saying, ¡°I didn¡¯t know we all would wish for the same thing.¡±

    ¡°What was your other wish?¡±

    ¡°¡®I don¡¯t want humans to go to the Dimensional Battlefield as minions anymore.¡¯ But, that was Sarang¡¯s wish as well, and it was granted to her.¡±

    ¡°What about you, Elise?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get a new core every month. That way, Earth¡¯s science will make revolutionary leaps.¡±

    Junhyuk smiled and said, ¡°You did well.¡±

    Junhyuk contacted the other two heroes. Gongon had received the method for creating cores, and La had asked Bebe for a match against him.

    Bebe had beaten the crap out of her, but she had learned a lot. La was La.

    Junhyuk looked at them and said, ¡°Then, we¡¯ll go on a dimensional trip.¡±

    ¡°OK.¡±

    Everyone was happy that they were going on a trip. He invited them all to his training facility, and once there, he shifted them all to Arn.

    That was the beginning of their trip.

    ¡ª

    After he became a Legend of Legends, Earth changed a lot. There was no more abnormal narcolepsy, and those inas had woken up. Within a year, the monster waves stopped altogether. The fifth hero had appeared. Even with the numerous champions, Eunseo became the fifth hero.

    Nudra had helped her do it. She became his disciple, and that had provided her a path to bing a hero.

    The world was facing a revolution. Elise¡¯s cores were making the world a better ce, and during the monster waves, she had had her battleship.

    The battleship had be famous for stopping waves, and eventually, Elise had built smaller versions of it.

    Today, on one of those smaller battleships, heroes from different dimensions were gathered. Arn, Vera, Halo, Nudra, Diane, Gongon and La were there. Jeffrey, Eunseo and Earth¡¯s other heroes were also there. Agenchra, Soren and Bebe were also making an appearance.

    On the deck of that small battleship, Junhyuk was wearing a suit.

    Arnughed at him and asked, ¡°Are you nervous?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not nervous.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t even remember how many wives you have...¡±

    Arnughed louder and replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you would ask me to perform the ceremony.¡±

    ¡°You are the only one.¡±

    Arn got up and announced, ¡°The bride is entering.¡±

    Junhyuk adjusted himself and looked at his bride entering the deck. She was wearing a white wedding dress and holding a bouquet.

    Junhyuk thought about the time he had spent with her, mostly in the Dimensional Battlefield. They had trusted each other with their lives, and she had always been devoted to him.

    She had wished for it, and Junhyuk had heard her. It had taken a year for it to bear fruit, but now, it was time to wed.

    Sarang walked toward him, and he offered her his hand. She crossed her arm into his and whispered to him, ¡°This isn¡¯t a dream, right?¡±

    He touched her hand and replied, ¡°This isn¡¯t a dream.¡±

    Sarang and Junhyuk stood in front of Arn, who said, ¡°Do you two love each other?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± the two answered in mighty unison.

    Arn pulled a bottle out of his jacket and said, ¡°Then, marry and don¡¯t fight. The end.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    Arn, who was already drinking, shrugged, and everyone cheered. Vera was casting fireworks.

    Everyone shouted, ¡°Congrattions on your wedding!¡±

    Junhyuk looked at Sarang, and another shout came from the crowd, ¡°Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!¡±

    Sarang¡¯s face turned red, and Junhyuk closed the gap between their lips. They kissed, and the firework spells covered the sky.

    Junhyuk caressed her head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not fight like Arn said.¡±

    Sarang nodded, her face bright red, and he smiled brightly.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!