Chapter 60 – Unexpected Event. Portal Explosion. (2)

Thanks to the unprecedented level 29 portal explosion, the association was in a state of chaos.

It wouldn’t take much longer before the government representatives arrived as well.

Before the representatives arrived, they had to figure out the reason of the portal’s explosion, as well as a way to deal with this.

Fire was around their feet.

Due to the association’s president raising his voice, the head researcher continued.

“Something you’re suspicious of? What is it?”

“That’s… Did you ever hear of something called the Portal Erasure Test?”

“Isn’t that a completely failed experiment?”

In the days when portals were first appearing. Roughly 3 years after the first Awakened began to appear.

While trying to research a way to eliminate the portals that grew stronger each year, this experiment came to be.

It was to have a lot of Awakened gather up their mana and send it towards the portal.

With condensed mana, they were supposed apply a physical force on the portal itself.

“Yes. While they tried to destroy the portal, it ended up only hastening the portal’s explosion instead. A failed experiment.”

“What. So what does this have to do with our current situation?”

“This is something I heard from the survivors of that experiment. Due to the failure of the experiment, the portal exploded and the monsters that came out from it supposedly were bigger in size and had higher destructive capabilities.”

“… So this matches what Yoon Jong-sun reported?”

“Yes. That’s correct. However, after the failure of the experiment, the cleanup was completely classified, so not much information is available. This is only an eyewitness report.”

“Hm…”

Listening to the department head, the president of the association stroked his chin with a serious expression on his face.

If this explosion was achieved due to deliberate malicious intent, then this situation was going to get out of hand.

Contemplating for a while, he opened his mouth to speak once more.

“Everyone, listen up. What the research head said, not a word to anyone else. The government officials that will be arriving soon cannot learn of this.”

“….”

It was then that Kim Ho Jin of the Awakened special control unit stood up.

Even though everyone was busy trying to save their own necks and trying to match the president’s whims, he stood.

Staring directly at him, Kim Ho Jin spoke.

“What’s the reasoning? In this dire situation of all times.”

With a single phrase from him, he had everyone’s attention.

He had asked the one taboo question that no one was willing to ask.

Noticing the furious look on the president’s face, they stayed silent.

“Ah, department head Kim Ho Jin asks a good question.”

“….”

“Let’s say the portal was blown up intentionally. Who do you think would be behind that?”

“Well that would be…”

“It’s not like the local thugs got together and poured their mana into it! This situation, let’s not make it any bigger than it already is and just find a reasonable excuse! If you can’t find any reasonable excuse, just make one up! Understood, everyone? Just cover it up saying we have a special unit investigating it for now!”

“Yes.”

“Yes president.”

Finishing his spiel, Choi Man Seo stormed off out of the room.

The radical faction. Everyone here probably has the same idea.

But everyone in the radical faction were Awakened.

The blame would also fall the association, because it is their jurisdiction.

That’s why they were trying to cover up the truth with a simple portal explosion story.

To avoid the responsibility they were supposed to carry.

After the president left, Kim Ho Jin couldn’t help but lash out in anger.

“Damn it… You all are only good at taking care of yourselves, aren’t you?”

“Ha, the nerves of yours to say things like that. It can’t be helped.”

The people left in the conference room followed the orders they were given, and started to debate on how to explain the portal’s explosion.

It would be more accurate to say that they were making up the reason though.

They were making it up as they went, relying on the information the association hunters were relaying from the scene.

****

-CRUNCH.

“KWAAAAA!”

The gargoyles were in the middle of charging towards the breakwater.

However, the Mage Gargoyles in the rear were stopped.

It was because they were frozen from the frost magic attacks that over a hundred Awakeneds had cast.

Their wings and body slowly froze, each of them screaming in pain.

The countless magic attacks that were heading for Yoon Jong-sun stopped at the same time.

The gargoyles that used melee attacks did not reach landfall yet.

“ORAAAA!”

Yoon Jong-sun, who was only defending with the shields, began to cast offensive magic.

An orb in one hand, a staff in the other.

A spell materialized between them, and shot itself forward onto the frozen gargoyles.

“KU..KWUA.”

“KWUH!”

The sky colored in yellow by the star shells turned blue in a split second.

Like a huge rainstorm, countless frost arrows hailed upon them.

It was a skill called ‘Frozen Shower’.

The mana cost was a massive 2500, but he was casting one on each of his hands.

It was only possible due to the mana stat he had, as well the weapons he held in each of his hands.

The weapons both raised the mana stat by an enormous amount.

Their bodies frozen and unable to move, they could only receive the full brunt of the attack.

It was as if hammers and chisels were chipping away at them, as the gargoyle’s bodies were being broken apart.

Their final cries were only befitting of just how many monsters were gathered here, reaching all the way to the breakwaters.

If these monsters were regular level 29 dungeon gargoyles, at least half of them should have perished.

Because an A+ ranking attack was casted twice, after all.

However, they were at least 1.5 times larger than their regular counterparts.

They had received a massive amount of damage, but only a few had lost their lives.

Checking on the condition of the monsters, he muttered to himself.

“Guess I underestimated them by a lot. They aren’t just big in size.”

He was the Yoon Jong-sun, the one who had cleared the level 29 dungeon countless times.

While he didn’t expect wiping them all out in one go, he at least thought he could take most of them down.

However the results did not look favorable.

Even after expending 5000 mana, he wasn’t able to deal much damage.

After he finished his attack, the healer next to him spoke.

“General. Most of the vanguard gargoyles are nearly here.”

“How much are you able to restore? My mana that is.”

“Even if we use up all our mana, we can only give you about 2 thousand tops.”

“Hm… We’re not even in a condition to cast shields, huh.”

“What should we do?”

“At that speed, the moment we retreat, this place will become a war torn barren wasteland.”

“Then…”

“We’ll have to hold. Reinforcements should arrive soon. We just have to hold until then.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Yoon Jong-sun turned to the Awakened behind him.

“Looks like it’s going to be a tough fight.”

Magic attacks from over a hundred Awakeneds.

Even with ranker Yoon Jong-sun’s attack, these monsters were not retreating.

The fighting spirit that burned in their eyes was changed to fear and despair.

“Are… are we going to die at this rate?”

“This is crazy. If only I didn’t draw the short end of the stick… Who knew level 29 dungeon monsters would be this strong.”

Each of them were talking with disbelief in their hearts.

The level 29 dungeon could only be cleared by a very small fraction of the Awakened, known as rankers.

They were not able to recognize that the monsters they were fighting were bigger and stronger than the average gargoyle.

They could only tremble in fear at the sheer power of the monsters.

Casting all those AoE skills, the mana expended by the Awakened was enormously high.

Despite being the highest level Awakened from their own respective guilds, it was difficult to cast it more than 4 times.

Yoon Jong-sun split the group in half.

He spoke to everyone on the left side first.

“This side, please cast shields on me. Use spells with the least amount of mana cost.”

“Understood.”

“Yes.”

“This side, when the mage gargoyles begin to thaw out, please cast frost magic on them once more. To take both ranged and melee attacks is too much to handle. Everyone who has nearly spent all their mana, please begin casting shields on me.”

“Yes.”

It was to make sure the mana was used efficiently.

The goal was to hold this location until the ranker magicians of the association arrived.

Even while as he commanded, many magician Awakened had arrived to assist.

Those who could not join immediately due to the Warp skill cooldown were finally arriving via vehicle transportation to provide aid.

As soon as he finished his explanation, the vanguard gargoyles began to attack.

Their sharp talons were ripping apart the shield easily. It was almost laughable how easily the shields tore away.

If the mage gargoyles attacked at this moment as well, both Yoon Jong-sun and the rest of the Awakened gathered here would be instantly wiped out.

“Uah…. Damn it all.”

“KWUAAAA!”

To add onto the dire situation where his mana was running out, the Crowd Clown aggro skill ran its full duration.

If the aggro he was holding was let loose, the entire line would fall apart.

Expending half of the 2000 mana he had left, he took the aggro once more.

Both healers that stood by his side were busy transfusing all the mana they had the moment it regenerated for them.

About 10 minutes had passed like that.

The number of Awakened that stood on the right side freezing the mage gargoyles lessened with time.

That meant that most their mana were used up at this point.

At this rate, it wouldn’t take longer for the ranged attacks come as well.

Yoon Jong-sun’s body was already covered in blood.

If he continued to use his personal shield spell, he wouldn’t be receiving this much damage.

However, due to the limited mana he had left, he had allowed these attacks to go through.

His breathing was ragged.

He did not have any mana left at this point.

“Huff… Hu…..”

“General! You should retreat for now…”

“I’m fine. How are you all doing? Enough mana, right?”

To raise morale, he shouted, and in response the Awakened redoubled their effort on the skills they were casting.

It happened in a flash! All the gargoyles that were attacking were ripped apart.

“KWUAAAA!”

And so….

In the darkening sky, at the end of the breakwater, voices that one could only welcome were heard.

“Oh boy. Grandpops, that’s quite the burden you are carrying.”

“The old man is quite energetic.”

“General!”

“Huff…. Hu, you’re late even here?”

Finally, 40 members from the association had arrived as reinforcement.

As if on the verge of letting out his final breath, he sighed and welcomed them.

Out of the 40 Awakened, there were three that led them.

They were all magician rankers that ranked right below Yoon Jong-sun himself.

“Let go of the aggro, old man. Do you have a nice place reserved for you down in the afterlife or something?

“Ah… Ahahahah!”

Saying some humorous nonsense and arriving next to Yoon Jong-sun was a man in his early 40s.

Yoon Jong-sun, despite his face being matted in dry blood, could only laugh at him.

The new arrival looked towards the healers who were his followers.

It was a silent command to take away those who had received grievous wounds from the battlefield.

Both healers nodded their heads, and while supporting Yoon Jong-sun, began their retreat.

“Granny came as well, so make sure you get proper care.”

“Sang-Ho. I’m counting on you.”

Nodding his head, he casted the aggro spell identical to the one Yoon Jong-sun casted.

At the same time, two other rankers that came with him stood next to him.

“Mage gargoyle.”

“I’ll take care of those.”

“Good.”

“Then Hye Won-Ih, you and I will take care of these.”

“Yes. Understood.”

“Shall we get started?”