Chapter 149: Hellfire
"We're on a different level than the average reserves."
Sev, who had short blonde hair and a typical American appearance of a man in his early thirties, his face was filled with pride. Not only him, but the eight men behind him were just as he was.
"Those two women here are on a different level."
The pun was on the tip of his tongue, but the atmosphere among the Alpha Force agents was so serious he couldn't say it out loud. "Hmph."
With Ki-chan's sigh, his eyes, which had been focused on Seo-woon, instantly shifted to Ki-chan. Seeing his clearly uncomfortable expression, he decided it would be best to clarify the situation.
"Hey, you're in a different league..."
Before Seo-woon could finish his sentence, the man and agents crouched down. Of course, Seo-woon's group reacted even faster.
Ki-chan and Juriell stepped forward, forming a barrier to protect the deputies who were still "farming," while Li-ling took up a position to protect the two and prepare for enemies coming from other directions. Seo-woon was flying towards hundreds of flaming arrows flying towards him.
-Whzz!
Thanks to his high agility, Seo-woon could predict the trajectory of the arrows flying towards him. Hundreds of fire arrows that could have harmed his team were split in half by his powerful aura, vanishing into thin air.
His teammates weren't the type to be harmed by simple fire arrows, but Seo-woon dashed forward to draw the enemy's attention.
Years of playing Quad games had naturally acquired a habit of drawing enemy attacks onto himself and facilitating the movement of his teammates behind him.
The agents, sensing a surge of mana and turning around in alarm, widened their eyes as they saw Seo-woon blocking the fire arrows in front of him as if he were showing off. He was on a different level from the other reserves. What he said might be true.
Compared to other reserves who learned their abilities solely through training, he had received government support and systematic training, allowing him to develop his abilities more efficiently than anyone else.
He wore various stat-boosting items, received direct training from high-ranking active players, and was provided with numerous items necessary for their development.
The existence of artificial elixirs, created after hundreds of failures at a secret research facility in the United States, was helping them grow even faster. In fact, their win rate in practice battles against active players was not low at all.
The years of training that had brought them to this point had been filled with repeated hardships and bone-crushing pain, requiring people to give up many of their basic rights. The power they had gained through this process was why they took such pride in the name Alpha Force.
"But… I'm sure that's what happened. What's the difference?"
From what they had heard and learned, the difference in rank was certainly there, but not enough to overcome the overwhelming numbers. They knew that the leader of the target group, Jin Seo-woon, was a Crown Rank.
However, they believed that nine of them could match Jin Seo-woon on their own. They were rookies who had only been players for less than six months. The pride they had carried in their hearts since they first became aware of Cloyd years before they became players was slowly eroding. "Jo, team leader! Look over there..."
Sev, who had been looking behind Seo-woon, glanced in the direction she was pointing. There, an agent was still picking up items from the ground, completely oblivious to the situation around him. "How long have you been 'farming'?! How many times have you died here?"
"It looks like more than ten."
They couldn't even lift a finger as they saw the sub-agent calmly focusing on collecting items and Seo-woon flying like Spider-Man, dodging flying spells and searching for enemies. They were defeated. The word had never sounded so meaningful.
- Knock-knock… Knock-knock…
Then, a player with a long sack approached, dragging a unique war hammer across the ground. Juriell and Lilingwei's expressions hardened at the presence of the lone enemy.
Seo-woon also stopped hunting the magicians hiding in every direction and flew towards his teammates to intercept the enemy. Just by their presence, it was clear these were no ordinary players. "Definitely a Crown. And a rather high-ranking one at that."
"Well, not as good as you, but you did a good job. An Epic Beast. Thanks to you, things got complicated. Those you killed were the key forces for the upcoming battle."
He smiled as he pointed a strange war hammer with a hammer on one side and an axe-blade on the other, with a sharp, spear-like tip in the middle, at Seo-woon.
"Still, killing you would be reward enough."
When he finished speaking, his weapon was engulfed in blue flames, and the two figures blurred together. -Kakanng!
The enemy's attacks were quite natural; sometimes it stabbed like a spear, sometimes it slashed like an axe, and sometimes it struck like a hammer. Seeing himself block ten powerful blows, he didn't seem at all afraid, suggesting he had considerable experience fighting warriors who used powerful energy.
-Kwang! Kwang! Seeing Seo-woon attack without retreating an inch, the enemy took a step back and slammed his hammer on the ground.
At that moment, a bright light flashed, and the ground turned upside down. Seo-woon used his heavy legs to avoid being pushed back against the fierce opposing force. His feet naturally landed on the ground and got stuck.
The enemy's eyebrows furrowed when he saw Seo-woon resisting his ability. Using this ability, most enemies would lose their balance and fly backwards, exposing their weak points.
Even if he maintained his balance and simply stepped back, he would receive praise, but seeing the enemy resisting with sheer force enraged him.
-Kwang! Kwang!
Seeing the enemy rushing towards him, Seo-woon narrowed his eyes. "What's he thinking?"
There was no reason for him to approach by slamming his hammer on the ground.
Whzzt! The moment the hammer struck the ground three times and was blocked by Seo-woon's powerful energy, Seo-woon was pushed backward by an overwhelming force. His face twisted, his feet digging into the ground as he was pushed backward.
-Pssh! Shhh! As Seo-woon was pushed backward, a wire flew out from his back and dug deeply into the ground, only then did Seo-woon's body come to a halt.
"That's an interesting skill."
The man raised one corner of his mouth in response to Seo-woon's words. "You're the one carrying something interesting on your back."
It was a warrior's hammer, crafted using pure Oriharukon by Gaeron, the finest dwarf in Dayon, and enchanted by the alchemist Detaron. It was an item that cost a whopping 300 gold coins.
The special ability imprinted on the hammer, a single shot, contained the power of the previous three attacks and an unstoppable thrust on a fourth consecutive attack, making it impossible for even a dragon to withstand when hit.
-Tak.
Seo-woon blocked the enemy's attack and slightly twisted his wrist, the sound of bones breaking heard. Facing a powerful enemy he hadn't seen in a long time, Seo-woon's heart began to pound with excitement. Fighting a powerful foe was risky, but the rewards were great if you won. "There must be some useful accessories."
After assessing the situation, Seo-woon began to increase his momentum. As he casually ran his hand through his hair and combed it back, a few strands of hair caught in his fingers, and the enemy's expression suddenly changed.
"Captain!"
At the same time, a mage appeared behind the enemy and shouted loudly, "Jinseon. Today isn't your day. Let's see each other next time. I will definitely take that coin around your neck."
As he finished speaking, Seo-woon kept a close eye on the man who was trying to retreat. "Who do you think you are?"
He may have come here on a whim to show off his weapon, but Seo-woon had no intention of leaving on his own. Seeing Seo-woon right behind him, the man started hitting the ground with his hammer again.
-Kukung! Buzz!
Unlike before, he swung the hammer quickly without much force, and just as he swung it at Seo-woon, his mouth twisted, the hammer hitting Seo-woon's arm as he defended himself.
-Shoot! Seeing Seo-woon's body disappear like a mirage as the hammer passed through, the man quickly pulled the hammer handle back towards him.
-Kaang!
Instantly sneaking into the man's blind spot with his Moo-ryeong Hwanbo, Seo-woon was about to land a flurry of blows when the man's body disappeared right in front of him.
As soon as the enemy disappeared, Seo-woon took a defensive stance and began searching for his location, but Ki-chan informed him.
-140! Blink!
The enemy appeared next to the three actively fighting mages, along with Ki-chan and Juriell, and waved at Seo-woon. "See you next time."
Seo-woon frowned as he saw the creature tear scroll and disappear.
"Brother!" Ki-chan approached Seo-woon, who was holding his swollen wrist, and handed him a scroll.
"No problem."
"Blood Sand Mercenary Commander. Roy Milen. Also known as Desert Lord."
Seo-woon bowed his head in response to Juriell's words. "Desert Lord?"
"In the Red Desert, a place filled with wild beasts, he's a man who founded the Blood Sand Mercenary Corps with only his bare hands and a gun. He's always participated in major battles and made a name for himself by playing a key role in determining the outcome of the war."
After hearing her explanation, Seo-woon nodded. "His skills are certainly impressive. His martial arts are formidable, and his aura is unwavering. He could be as strong as the Evil Twins, or even stronger."
Ki-chan nodded at Seo-woon's words. "The magicians you brought with you are quite skilled too, aren't they?"
"That guy must be the leader of Khatz."
Seo-woon nodded at Li-ling-wei's words. "Let's move first. We need to take care of the second location and find a way to contact Kwang-gun."
Just as Seo-woon was about to move, he noticed the White Force agents standing idle. "The situation is clear. Focus on saving the people. You'll only be a hindrance to our enemies."
Hearing Seo-woon's words, Sev and the agents couldn't help but look as disgruntled as before. After seeing the clear difference in their abilities with their own eyes, they couldn't insist any further.
Hearing that there were assistants joining the game, they turned around with slumped shoulders, filled with anticipation that they could "farm" good items if they played correctly.
Ki-chan watched them walk away for a moment, then got on the airboard and asked, "Even if they weren't as skilled, firefighters with a sense of duty would be much more useful."
"In a situation like this, even those types are necessary. Let's get everyone out of here."
Following his command, everyone unleashed their invisibility cloaks from their subspace. Seo-woon's location was already clearly visible on the map, but there was still a distinct difference between being invisible and not.
"We'll definitely be spotted this time."
Seo-woon nodded at Juriell's words. True, but his sudden retreat meant something unexpected had happened. Kwang-gun probably intervened. It might be easier than we expected.
***
-Kwaaah!
White smoke rose from various places among the dying embers. Senluk and a group of men were staring at each other in front of a half-collapsed building.
"Cough! You're well prepared."
Senluk looked at his allies lying in a pool of blood on the ground, and his face paled. "Hey. Even if you're a crown, this is too much! This is a Hellfire Scroll. You shouldn't be so unscathed after being caught in Hellfire!"
Seeing the man who appeared to have already won the battle speak with a tongue-in-cheek, the corners of his mouth turning up, Senluk threw away his uncomfortable, half-crushed helmet.
At the same time, red blood seeped from his flowing silver hair. Clutching a Lightspear tightly in his hand, he panted and looked at the group of enemies approaching him.
He had thought there were only about a hundred enemies just now, but with his allies wiped out, they seemed like an overwhelming number. Especially the seven enemies approaching with sly smiles in front, they were formidable in their current state.
"Blood Sand."
Seeing Senluk's cold gaze upon them, the man in front shrugged. "Don't be like that. You know very well that we are mercenaries fighting for money. We don't show emotion in battle. We only fight for profit."
When he finished speaking and drew his chainsword, four figures appeared in the arena. "My Lord!" Two knights and two mages appeared from thin air and rushed forward, shouting. They were the demon twins and court magicians who had fought alongside Senluk in every battle.
-Kang! "Healing Field!"
The mage slammed his long staff onto the ground and threw a high-quality magic stone he held in one hand above his head. At the same time, a powerful blue wave emitted from it. The players who had been scattered around, expecting their imminent death, revived within the wave and stood up.
Senluk, sensing the healing power within the wave, also began to recover rapidly.
"Attack!"
Seeing him, the enemies quickly rushed forward.
***
"Are you ready?"
Seo-woon asked through his headset, and a reply came through.
"Yes. We await your command."
Hearing the confirmation, Seo-woon looked at his teammates who were hiding in a dark street, avoiding the light of the streetlights. When all three of them nodded, Seo-woon said, "Cut."
As soon as he finished speaking, the bright light surrounding them was cut off, and complete darkness fell.
-Kug-bang! At the same time, Ki-chan's Earth Slash shattered the illusionary spell enveloping the tall building.
As soon as the illusion was broken, several orbs of light shot into the sky, illuminating the area.
-Pafafang!
However, the orbs of light were destroyed one by one by Shadow Arrows launched by Juriell.
"Don't panic! Don't take your eyes off the map! Soon!"
Ignoring the shouts, Seo-woon continued shooting the wire towards the roof of the building.
-Huh?
It's a trap!
Seo-woon, who was flying towards the roof, quickly pulled back her wire as soon as she heard Hamit's words and landed on the building's outer wall. At that moment, a powerful wave of mana was released and the dark sky lit up as white flames fell from above.
-Kva kva kvaaang!!
"Everyone, make way!
Hellfire!"
Juriell quickly retreated and created several layers of barriers, Ki-chan followed. Lilingwei escaped with them, but when she saw Seo-woon reflected in the huge white flames falling from the building's outer wall, she screamed with all her might. "Jin Seo-woon!!!"
The heat of the white flames that descended, destroying layer by layer of the roof of the building Seo-woon was clinging to, was so intense that it could be felt even from Li-ling-wei's position, even though she was quite far away.
"No!"
Juriell instinctively grabbed his waist, preventing him from running towards Seo-woon. Ki-chan gritted his teeth as he watched the enemies disappear in groups through the falling inferno.