Chapter 24: Light Bringer (3)
Contrary to Jin Seo-yeon’s concerns, it seemed the Korean government had anticipated the appearance of undead in this area. To defeat the undead, who couldn’t be properly damaged by regular weapons, they had stationed holy power users throughout the battlefield.
One of the high-rankers brought in from abroad was the Guardian Angel from the UK, also known as the Protector Angel. She is an SS-grade Holy Mage.
At first, she assisted not by attacking directly, but by enchanting the party's weapons with holy magic.
"Holy Enchant!"
The Guardian Angel's buff magic affected everyone participating in the expedition. Even though there were over a thousand hunters involved, spread out over several dozen kilometers, the enchantment reached them all.
Not only did it imbue their weapons with the holy attribute, but it also massively increased their attack power. Naturally, everyone was in awe of the strength of a high-ranker.
With their newfound holy buffs, the hunters courageously unleashed a barrage of skills against the oncoming skeletons.
"Power Attack!"
"Whirlwind!"
"Storm Slash!"
The government had prepared silver bullets, which were unexpected. Even the cannonballs were filled with silver dust.
Silver was already known to be particularly effective against undead. When combined with the Guardian Angel's buffs, they dealt devastating blows to the undead.
They mainly targeted the airborne Bone Wyverns.
"All troops, commence firing!"
Ratatatatat!!
Boom, boom, boom!
A massive network of fire filled the ash-gray sky.
With hunters and the military working together, the swarming undead monsters began to fall like autumn leaves.
The hunters, who had formed a wide perimeter, fought diligently, determined not to let a single one of the undead slip through.
Sometimes, the Bone Wyverns would break through the barrage and attack ground forces, but the hunters would band together to repel them. Even if there were injuries, the healers quickly stepped in to restore the wounded.
At this rate, it seemed they might clear the dungeon break more easily than expected.
However, there was still an unsettling factor.
A large, medieval-style castle, now tainted black, had appeared with the rift. A Bone Dragon sat on the spire of the castle, silently watching the battle unfold.
Even more ominous energy than that of the Bone Dragon seeped out from the black castle.
Woooooo!!
The black aura wailed like the cries and screams of the damned.
What on earth had happened in this dungeon?
If they had successfully cleared the dimensional dungeon, could they have saved these countless undead, who had once been human?
There were various theories about what happened in failed dungeons. Some said the world within the gate had been completely destroyed, while others believed everything could be reset and reappear in the form of a dimensional gate.
But that would only be relevant if they managed to completely stop the dungeon break. Right now, ending the break was more important.
"Take out the other monsters before that dragon does anything!"
In boss raids, the basic strategy is to deal with the lesser mobs first. At the very least, they needed to handle the annoying Bone Wyverns in the sky to feel secure.
Six high-rankers were deployed for this operation in total. Taking balance into account, they were positioned at the vertices of a hexagon, centered on the battlefield.
Although the other high-rankers couldn’t use holy magic like the Guardian Angel, they were still incredibly formidable when they moved.
Whenever something flashed, monsters at that location would collapse in droves.
Jin Seo-yeon’s party was holding their own well, led by their Fireballer.
A collaboration between an S-rank Supporter and an S-rank Fire Mage.
Fortunately, the undead were not only weak against holy magic but also against fire.
With Jin Seo-yeon’s support added, the monsters around them were roasted before they could even get close.
KABOOM!!
The days when numbers alone could overwhelm the enemy were long gone. Now was the era of hunters, where a powerful few could dominate the many.
When the Fireballer unleashed a fan-shaped burst of flames, it engulfed an area as large as two to three soccer fields.
Whoooosh!!
Even fellow humans, not just the enemy, couldn’t help but watch the scene in awe.
"That’s… insane!"
"Is that really the power of a human?"
It was far more powerful than when they had seen it before. It seemed the Fireballer hadn’t been able to fully display his strength within the confines of the spaceship.
They were certainly living up to their reputation as one of the top thousand rankers in the world.
However, even the high-ranker Fireballer looked like a child compared to the Guardian Angel.
The Guardian Angel gathered mana and unleashed her ultimate skill.
"Spear of Judgment!"
The moment the Guardian Angel activated the skill, the sky began to tremble.
Rumble! Rumble!
The clouds that had been scattered across the sky swirled into a vortex, as if stirred by a giant ladle.
As they spun faster and faster, the clouds soon formed into a massive ring with a giant hole in the center.
The completed ring was large enough to encompass all the peaks of Mount Kumgang.
It was so vast that you couldn’t see the edges without turning your head sharply.
From that space, an enormous number of lightning bolts began to rain down, as if a deluge was pouring from the sky.
But these weren’t just lightning bolts.
They were spears, imbued with divine energy.
Countless holy spears rained down, striking the undead.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The undead, which had filled the land so densely there was hardly room to stand, began to melt away like ice cream under the scorching sun.
Even the Bone Wyverns, which had been fiercely claiming dominion over the sky, floundered helplessly in the storm of spears, flapping about like frightened sparrows.
A mere graze from the spears would obliterate their wings, sending them plummeting to the ground.
It was total devastation.
Even the hunters, who had been fighting the undead with all their might, were momentarily dumbstruck, staring at the Guardian Angel’s skill in awe.
"Is this… a miracle?"
Even the land of death that had once decimated an entire continent was powerless before the might of the Guardian Angel.
Nova had once said that the power of high-rankers was comparable to the seventh-generation battleships of the Eos planet.
Of course, they couldn’t travel between planets, but in terms of combat power, they were comparable.
Hyun Suho could now understand what Nova meant.
‘You never know. Maybe they could even manage interplanetary travel.’
One should never judge a hunter’s abilities by common sense.
Nova had said that even they couldn’t predict the abilities of top rankers.
There was a reason why Korea was so passionate about producing top rankers.
The undead horde that had swarmed in like a raging locust swarm had noticeably thinned out.
Naturally, people turned to look at the black fortress where the Bone Dragon was perched.
To their surprise, a dome-shaped barrier had formed there, blocking the pouring holy spears.
This confirmed it.
"The Bone Dragon isn’t the only threat. There’s a powerful dark sorcerer over there."
Someone who could control not only people and Wyverns, but even the Dragon with undead.
Who could this dark sorcerer, with such immense power, possibly be?
They began to suspect that it might not be a human, but a demon.
The seemingly endless storm of holy spears suddenly ceased as the skill’s duration ended.
The number of undead felled by this attack was roughly 80% of the initial horde.
Though the barrier barely held on, with the remaining forces, the hunters believed they could sweep through what was left.
As they were thinking this, a black wave erupted from the dark fortress.
Boom!
The black wave gently brushed the earth as it passed.
A wave of malevolent energy, more evil and sinister than darkness itself.
As it approached, the hunters recoiled in terror, but fortunately, it had no effect on their bodies.
What it did affect was not the humans, but the undead.
As the black aura swept over, the undead, which had been shattered into pieces, began to rise once more.
Clatter! Clatter!
It wasn’t surprising that the fallen undead were rising again.
After all, they were already dead.
They were nothing but puppets controlled by necromancy.
But now the situation was different.
The undead were supposed to be the polar opposite of divinity.
It was natural for necromantic magic attached to the undead to be eradicated when hit by divine magic.
But for some reason, the undead were reviving even after being struck by weapons imbued with divine buffs and divine magic cast by the Guardian Angel.
Even the bones that had been shattered into pieces were restored to their original state.
The hunters, who had thought they had nearly secured victory, were left dumbfounded.
"What in the world…."
"Retreat! Fall back!"
About 75% of the fallen undead had risen again.
Although it was significantly fewer than before, it offered no comfort.
Too much stamina and mana had been expended fighting the undead up until now.
Above all, the morale of the forces had plummeted.
Even if they fought with all their might from now on and defeated the undead, what would they do if they rose again?
The Guardian Angel's mana was not infinite.
The government’s communication device rang, directing the situation.
[The one controlling the undead is likely in the fortress! You need to find and kill them!]
It was a textbook decision, but the problem was the method.
To find the hidden dark sorcerer, they would first have to clear away the horde of undead.
Attacking from a distance was one option, but it seemed impossible to break through the barrier that had blocked even the Guardian Angel’s ultimate magic.
Nor could they afford to waste mana by wildly casting skills in a desperate hope.
They had yet to grasp the full extent of the Bone Dragon’s and the dark sorcerer’s powers.
Then it happened.
Someone completely unexpected appeared on the battlefield.
[It’s time for the master to take action.]
"Good."
Hyun Soo-ho’s original role was to protect Jin Seo-yeon from Jin Sa-geol’s schemes.
For this, he had received an advance payment of 300 million won.
But even Jin Sa-geol wouldn’t be able to pull any tricks in a battle like this.
Hyun Suho was positioned on high ground with a clear view of the battlefield.
“Bipo! Cannon mode.”
(*ˊᗜˋ*)
Beep! Boop!
At the command, Bippo moved onto solid rock and transformed into cannon mode.
By connecting the core of the Genocide to Bipo, the plasma cannon was completed.
When Hyun Suho grabbed the cannon's handle, it connected to Nova.
[Perfect synchronization with the plasma cannon at 100%. Target confirmation in progress.]
Nova and Hyun Suho were already one.
When he looked up at the battlefield, he could precisely select the undead monsters entangled with the hunters.
Soon, electronic sights began to appear on each of the numerous undead in Hyun Suho's view.
[2,036,126 targets within strike range confirmed. What shall we do, master?]
“Let's start by dealing with the pigeons.”
[Understood. 1,035 Bone Wyverns within firing range confirmed.]
At that moment, all the targets on the ground disappeared, leaving only those of the Bone Wyverns in the sky.
“What’s the maximum number we can hit at once?”
[It depends on mana consumption.]
"Let’s use 30% of the charged amount."
[Confirmed. Approximately 100 plasma shots can be fired simultaneously.]
Nova was a super AI from an advanced civilization.
Even if all the supercomputers on Earth were combined, they wouldn’t amount to a speck of Nova's capabilities.
If they had enough mana, they could have targeted everything in sight.
For now, they had to be satisfied with about 100 shots.
Taking a deep breath, Hyun Suho carefully pulled the trigger.
Crackle!!!
A massive plasma beam was unleashed from the plasma cannon.
The plasma, which initially seemed like a single mass, split into smaller beams as it traveled forward.
Each plasma beam, flying like a flash of light, pierced through the chests of the Bone Wyverns with pinpoint accuracy.
Crack!
About 100 plasma beams had been fired.
But over 150 Bone Wyverns were hit.
Nova had calculated for penetration to maximize efficiency.
The Bone Wyverns, pierced by the plasma, fell helplessly to the ground once more.
Boom!
"What, what is this?"
The hunters, who had been in despair at the resurrected army, were startled and turned around.
“Is this support? Who has such a power…?”
“Is there another ranker?”
“But it’s no use. Even if they fall, they’ll just rise again.”
As if to confirm their fears, another black wave erupted from the fortress and swept across the battlefield.
Buzz!
The hunters expected the Bone Wyverns to rise again and take flight.
“…They’re not getting up?”
“Could it be… they’re dead for good this time?”
Of the undead that had been struck by the Guardian Angel, all but about 25% had been resurrected.
But for some reason, none of the undead that Hyun Suho had defeated were able to resurrect.
"As I observed," Nova confirmed.
"As expected, there was a mana core."
Nova quickly analyzed the difference between the undead that resurrected and those that didn’t. The conclusion was that only those with a specific part destroyed could not resurrect.
Hyun Suho deduced that a specific mana core controlling the undead must be located in that spot. Fortunately, his assumption was correct.
"Great! Let's keep this up!"
Hyun Suho fired another plasma blast, taking down around 150 bone wyverns once again.
If he had been told to face the wyverns directly, it would have required much more effort. These were tenacious monsters that wouldn’t easily die, even with holes in their bodies. However, breaking the mana core was possible with just a small amount of plasma.
In just two shots, nearly 300 wyverns had fallen.
Excluding the astonishing display of power from Guardian Angel, no one else had shown such prowess. In fact, purely based on results, Hyun Suho’s performance was far superior to Guardian Angel’s.
Realizing that his method was working exceptionally well, Hyun Suho quickly moved towards Jin Seo-yeon.
Jin Seo-yeon still had a dumbfounded expression on her face, unable to process the abilities Hyun Suho had displayed.
"Suho, how did you manage that?"
She now knew that Hyun Suho wasn’t just a simple repairman but an EX-ranked Hunter. However, it was still unbelievable to her that he could demonstrate such incredible power, considering he hadn’t been a Hunter for long and likely had a low level.
"I've detailed the explanation in a text message. Please check it."
"Huh? A text message?"
Perplexed, Jin Seo-yeon checked her device and found a detailed document describing the weaknesses of the undead monsters. She was fighting so intensely that she couldn’t believe he had found time to write such a long, detailed document.
"Explanations later! Could you give me a mana buff like before?"
"O-of course."
Jin Seo-yeon cast a single-target buff, usually reserved for Fireballers, onto Hyun Suho.
Hyun Suho then asked, somewhat hesitantly, "And if there’s a mana potion available…."
"They’re over there. The government provided them, so take as many as you need."
"Thank you."
Where Jin Seo-yeon pointed, there were 10 large mana potions. Mana potions were extremely expensive, each easily costing billions of won. Just two of them would exceed the 300 million won Hyun Suho was promised as payment.
"I've got permission…."
Hyun Suho decided to take them all.
"Now that I have enough mana, it's time to really go wild! Come on, Bippo!"
*Beep beep! Bo!*
When Hyun Suho called, Bippo ran over like a puppy and embraced him. Well, it didn't literally embrace him, but Bippo transformed into a soft, slime-like substance that enveloped Hyun Suho's entire body.
Then, it hardened and turned into armor.
"Switching to battle suit mode."
Turning his head to check his status, Hyun Suho noticed that the battle suit looked quite different from when it first transformed. Previously, it was a rough, utilitarian design focused solely on functionality. Now, it actually had some style to it.
"I found a lot of references on the internet. I took inspiration from the appearance of characters in special effects shows."
"Like… Kamen Rider?"
"That’s one of them."
Well, it's better to look cool anyway, as long as there's no trouble with copyright.
"Let’s go!"
Hyun Suho jumped high, and plasma thrusters erupted from his back, propelling him into the sky. He had practiced for such an occasion a few times, but this was the first time using it in actual combat.
"It's been a while since I’ve been in battle mode as a warship," Nova remarked, her tone unusually excited.
"Can you keep moving quickly while still hitting the targets accurately?"
[I'll show you why I call myself the best AI in the universe.]
For optimal targeting, it was best to ascend as high as possible. As Hyun Suho flew into the sky, his chest opened, revealing the entrance to the plasma cannon.
"Targets identified," Nova reported.
"Fire."
*Crackle!*
This time, 200 wyverns fell simultaneously.
As Hyun Suho soared through the sky, hunting down the bone wyverns, the tide of battle shifted 180 degrees once again. The fact that the defeated bone wyverns didn’t resurrect rekindled hope among the hunters.
Meanwhile, Jin Seo-yeon began to relay the weaknesses of the monsters to others via radio, as Hyun Suho had informed her. She explained that if they destroyed the small mana cores located in the ribcage area, the monsters wouldn’t resurrect.
Even knowing this, it wasn’t easy to destroy the cores. Despite being called a "mana core," it was only about the size of a fingernail, making it hard to hit even if the target was stationary.
Yet, Hyun Suho was hitting every single one without a single miss.
"Who in the world is he…?"
People watched in awe as Hyun Suho continuously unleashed bright blue plasma from the sky, every shot eliminating a bone wyvern.
*Crackle! Crackle!*
As he fought, freely consuming mana potions, the sky seemed to rain down light.
Among those watching was an official from the Hunter Association—a civil servant sent to monitor and oversee the situation.
"Who is that Hunter? Is he one of ours?"
"Hold on a second."
After some searching, the official found Hyun Suho’s information.
"Here it is. He’s a mercenary hired by the Jinryong Group. His name is Hyun Suho, an A-rank armored soldier."
"What’s his codename? Does he have one?"
"He doesn’t seem to have one yet."
"Perfect. I’ve just thought of a good one."
One of his duties at the Hunter Association was to come up with codenames that could effectively promote the country’s Hunters. As childish as it may seem, there was no more effective way to market Hunters.
"What is it?" his subordinate asked.
Pointing to the blue plasma filling the sky, the official responded, "Light Bringer."
