Chapter 173   – Air Strike (2)

Woojin looked over the hologram of the Bibi’s Castle, and he nodded his head in satisfaction.  Bibi was doing a good job by herself, so it seemed he wouldn’t have to worry too much about it.

Investments were great, but it would be bad if all his Points were used.  He wouldn’t be able to replenish his troops, and he wouldn’t be able to maintain his Domain. Many Dimensional lords lost their Domains through mismanagement.

“You keep this up even into the future.  You have to protect the Colony no matter what.”

However, this was for his family.  Moreover, his return to earth hinged on the existence of the Colony.

“Understood.”

Woojin was about to get up.

𝔫oѵ𝑒𝙡.com

Bibi yelled out when she saw the Hologram window.

“Uh? Master.  Another Dungeon just broke.”

As soon as her words ended, one could hear urgent steps as two people appeared.

One was the captain of the aircraft carrier, Park-gilsoo.  The other was Nosam, who was in charge of maintenance and design.

“It is good to see you, king!”

“I give my greetings to the lord.”

The two had hastily appeared, and Woojin turned his head towards them.

“Can we see what’s going on below?”

“Yes, sir!”

Park-gilsoo immediately used the screen within the control tower to bring up the map of the region below.  When he zoomed in with the screen, one could see a live high-resolution footage.

“Is that three locations?”

Jung-minchan still had a dark expression as he returned to the control tower.  He spoke to Woojin in a weak voice.

“Recently, there’s been numerous Dungeon Breaks.  There was no warning before they broke.  At the very least, Korea is in a better situation than the other locations.”

“Other locations?”

“The subjugation of the enemy forces never exceeded a day in Korea.  However, several countries had monsters take over key buildings several hours before they besieged it.”

Woojin’s eyebrows arched.

“Did another Colony form on earth?”

“Not yet.  However, there had been intermittent attempts to form one.”

“What are you talking about?”

“There are some in China, who are aiding the formation of a Colony.”

“Why?”

“This is just a guess, but it seems they want to harvest the Dimensional Fragments.”

“Tsk.”

Woojin clicked his tongue as he closed his eyes.

He had already predicted this would happen.  People talked about world peace and the protection of earth, but humans moved based on greed. In the end, they’ll find out it was futile to eat one’s own flesh.

He wanted to protect earth, so he could protect his family.  He was also motivated by his own self-interest….

He felt that he didn’t have much time left.

“I guess I’ll have to take care what is going on below.”

“Master is busy.  Please leave it to me!”

“You?”

It had been a long time since Bibi had accompanied him to the battlefield.  This was why her level was still low.  If she unnecessarily went forward to subjugate the monsters, she might get hurt…..

“I just have to attack with the Colony City.”

“Ah…”

Woojin nodded his head.  This was a moving Colony City.

He had decided on putting a Colony on an aircraft carrier, so they could escape from attacks they couldn’t handle.  Unexpectedly, the aircraft carrier was able to traverse the sky instead of the ocean.

The weapons and troops placed the aircraft carrier wasn’t only for battle on sea.  Now it would be able to be used to attack the the enemies from the sky.

“That’s a pretty good idea.”

“May I be in charge of it?”

“All right.  I’ll leave it up to you.”

The unexpected Dungeon Breaks would continue to happen.  Woojin couldn’t take care of all of them.

Woojin had to do the deeds that only he could do.

‘Thrash’s Executioner.’

He had to solve this puzzle.

If he wanted to solve it, he had to regain his Thrash Set items.  It might give him a clue that he could follow.

He had to be in Alphen instead of earth.

“Bibi.”

“Yes, master!”

“No matter what you do, don’t lose the Colony.”

“Leave it to me!”

He rubbed Bibi’s head once more, then he passed through the portal as he headed towards Alphen.

“Hue hue.  Let’s get started.”

Bibi laughed as she looked at the screen showing what was going on below the control tower.

***

They were at a snack shop near the Daejun Station.

Three high school students were eating stir-fried rice cake near the subway station.  They expressed their admiration as they saw a nearby group of Roused.

“Hooo.  My life would turn around if I Roused to an ability.”

“Pfft.  Why are you talking about becoming a Roused?  You should buy a lottery ticket instead.  The probability of you winning is higher than you becoming a Roused.”

“Bitch.  You never know in life.  Gyungsoo from class 4 became a Roused.”

“I guess you have a point.”

If a student developed abilities to become a Roused, it was a lucky break that even a winning lottery ticket couldn’t rival.

There was no man that didn’t have ambition.  Moreover, there wasn’t a teen, who didn’t have heroic aspirations.

“Hey.  The low Rank Roused are basically manual laborers.”

“Why do you think they are called 3rd rate?”

A low Ranked Roused was basically akin to an unpopular celebrity.

However, there wasn’t anyone, who didn’t want a chance to become a star.  It didn’t matter if it took backbreaking work.

“Ah.  If we are able to developed an ability, we can interview at Alandal.  They only picked the lousy candidates.”

“Well, that might be a cover for who they really chose.”

“That’s right.  Alandal isn’t some factory.  You don’t suddenly become a high Ranked Roused in a short span of time.  That doesn’t make any sense.”

However, there was an obvious reasoning that could explain their actions.  What if they hired Roused with potential?  Maybe they just allowed the flowers to bloom?

“I guess…”

Minjae’s dream was to become a Roused, so he just scratched his cheeks.

“Hey.  You are good at studying, so why are you trying to become a Roused?”

Unlike the past, education wasn’t the absolute ticket to success.  However, it was still the most basic requirement needed to advance in life.

In a world gone mad with monsters, the need for education was that much more important.

“Hoo-ooh.  Let’s just go to cramming school after we eat.”

Minjae and his friends inhaled their stir-fried rice cake and other fried foods.  They were about to leave the restaurant when they stopped at the entrance.  No, they froze in place.

Koo-roo-roo!

Monsters were a regular part of life now.

However, what would it feel like if one faced a monster that one had only seen through tv?

Koo-oh-oh!

The enormous monster held something that looked like a hammer or a steel club.  It was about to bring the weapon down.

“R…run!”

Minjae was barely able to open his frozen lips. His shout was like a catalyst that made his friends move.

Koohng, koohng!

The enormous monster was domineering, but it was pretty slow.  Minjae and his friends ran as if their life depended on it, and they were able to distance themselves from the monster.

“Huhk, huhk! What’s going on?”

“The nearby Dungeon must have Broke.”

“Where’s the shelter?”

“Hooo.  I have no idea.  I must have dropped my phone.”

The three of them had been lucky.  This was the first time they had encountered a monster.  While they were looking around in panic, more monsters appeared.

Koo-roo-roohk.

A Break just happened, so there was no way only one monster would have shown up.

Four other monsters that had a similar appearance to the one before appeared.

The three humans weren’t able to escape, because of fear.  The monsters surrounded them.

“F…fuck.”

“….”

His friends didn’t even have the energy to give a reply to Minjae’s curse word. The Break had happened recently, and they hadn’t been able to find a shelter.  They were now preys that’ll be hunted down by these monsters.

“We are fucked.”

“Hey, Minjae.  What should we do?”

“What do you think?  We’ll just die.”

It was funny.  When he realized he was about to die, he became more composed instead of being afraid.  In the end, he was going to die, so why should he be afraid?

When he put aside his fear, he was able to take in his surrounding.

‘The army isn’t here yet.  We are the only ones nearby.’

It seemed the army hadn’t been mobilized yet.  The sound of gunfire didn’t reach his ears, and he couldn’t hear any sounds of battle.  He could only hear the scream of people, and the roar of monsters.

It seemed the Break happened not too long ago.

There were only four monsters right now, but the numbers would swell.  The chance of their survival was non-existent.

“We are dead.”

“M…Minjae.  What should we do?”

“Why do you keep asking me that?”

“Ooh-ohhk.”

Minjae wanted it with all his heart.

If he had an ability, he could use his own powers to either fight or run away.  However, he was only a regular high school student, who had been about to go to his supplemental class.

What will they say about him in death?

Unfortunately, he had stopped near the Daejun station, because he was hungry.

It seemed eating stir-fried rice cake was going to be his downfall.

“Shit.”

He wished with all his heart.   If he really was a Roused, he wouldn’t be powerless like this.

He felt like a frog in front of a snake.

Kwahhhh!

The monsters kept tightening the perimeter, and they were about to bring down their large weapons.

They would die as a bloody mess.

“Shit!”

He grabbed the hands of both his friends in fright.  If this was a normal situation, his friends would have balked at such a gesture.

Pah-paht!

A miracle occurred.

Teeeng!

An unknown power blocked the weapons, and the weapons were bounced away in midair.

“….!”

Minjae’s eyes was big from surprise.

“M…Minjae!”

“W…what the hell was that? Did you see it?”

“What happened?”

Minjae didn’t even register the shocked words of his friends.  Minjae knew what was going on.

‘I became a Roused.’

He could feel it.  No, a thought suddenly intruded into his mind.  It was the knowledge on how to use his barrier.

Koo-roohk?

The confused monsters swung their weapons again.

Teeng!

A loud roar emanated from the monsters when the barrier formed again.

Koo-ahah!

If there was an impediment, they’ll just have to break through it.

Kwahng, kwahng!

The weapons were tirelessly striking against the barrier, and it wouldn’t last much longer.

“Ooh-oohk.”

It felt as if the pain would break open his head.  He frowned as he gritted his teeth.  If he couldn’t withstand the blows, they were all dead.

He was finally able to develop an ability, yet he was going to die in futility….

Kieh-ahhhhk!

Minjae let out words of defeat when he heard the sound coming from the sky.

“In the end, am I fated to die?”

The sky was dyed black as black birds plummeted to the ground.

He had seen them in the news. It was also a monster that appeared in the national bestseller called Illustrated Monster book.

Wyvern.

They were popular, but it didn’t mean they were nice monsters.  They were scary monsters that could bite off a person’s head with a bite.

He had no defense against this.

He could see over 100 Wyverns.

“Hoo-ah.”

Tuh-uhng!

The barrier exploded.

His shaking body was evidence that he had reached his limit.  He couldn’t use his Roused ability any further.

The monsters approached the fallen Minjae and his friends when the monsters were pulled into the air.

Kee-ahhhhk!

The Wyverns had snatched the four monsters, and they were dropped from high in the air.

Hwah-rooh-oohk, kwahng!

It wasn’t just the Wyvern.  There were weird looking people riding the Wyverns, and they were using magic.

They started sending their magical spells towards the monsters that had started gathering.

“W…what is going on?”

Minjae had no idea what was going on.  He had run away like a madman before he was surrounded by the monsters.  He had awoken to his Roused ability and now the Wyverns were dropping from the sky….

Then there were the mob of monsters gathering up along all the roads.

A Wyvern landed near Minjae and his friends.  It was a Wyvern Rider from the Ratick Race.  He had blue skin, and large ear flaps.

“This is a rescue. Get on.”

Unlike his bizarre appearance, the Rider was able to speak flawless Korean thanks to the Language drug.  Minjae and his friends quickly got on the back of the Wyvern.

Kee-ahhhk!

The Wyvern flew into the air, and the high schoolers desperately held on.

Hwah-roo-roohk, kwahng!

Each of the Wyverns had one or two Ratick Riders, and they were tirelessly sending magical spells towards the ground.

Then several artillery shells that looked like missiles impacted below.

“…”

Minjae gulped when he glance below.

‘I thought my luck had been bad.  I guess that wasn’t the case.’

He had thought he had experienced bad luck when the monsters had found him.

Hwah-roo-roohk.

However, the burning city below told a different story.

He and his friends were the few remaining survivors from the city.

Each road in the city was overflowing with monsters.

****

It was a cave completely frozen in ice.

Kwahng! Zzuh-juh-juhk!

When the enraged Iello paced back and forth.  The ice cracked as the whole cave started to shake.  Lee-sahngho was shaking with his knees bent.

“There is no god here!”

“Please forgive me.”

Lee-sahngho kept lowering his head as he cursed inside.  There was no god on earth, so why did he have to apologize?

“You have to find him!  You must find him!”

“Yes.”

It was an impossible task, but Lee-sahngho wasn’t dumb enough to say it out loud.  He left immediately after giving his answer.  He left to find a god that didn’t exist on earth.

“The Code…the Code…”

Iello’s hands were shaking.

He had returned here, yet how can there be no Code?  There is no way earth didn’t have a Code.