208. Floor 38: Giant Guild Party (3)

I ride the Bicorn and charge forward.

Lightning strikes, storms rage, and walls of fire rise behind the Bicorn.

Giant monsters fall to my swung spear, while holy arrows imbued with Divine Power-Holy Arrows-pour down in all directions.

Undead scatter like broken chopsticks under the Bicorn's charge.

A one-person army.

A thousand-strong cavalry.

When I decide to do it, I do it! This is Lee Do-hee in action!!

She and the Bicorn sweep through the Undead Army as they advance.

Even so, the tens of thousands of Undead remain intact, rushing toward Ddo-ttameok's location. Though their numbers decrease, they're overwhelmingly endless.

I stayed alert for potential ambushes from the surviving two, but surprisingly, no sneak attacks came.

'The lack of them makes me more anxious...'

In the midst of battling the Undead, I'm clearly a prime target, yet they remain hidden? They're definitely plotting something.

Soon, I spot the area where Ddo-ttameok and Japanese Sword are presumed to be. The duo are fleeing across the rooftops of abandoned buildings, surrounded by a black sea of Undead.

Ddo-ttamek handles the flying grotesque birds from the sky, while Japanese Sword uses skills to deal with giant monsters, shadow knights, and meat golems.

They're holding their own cleverly.

Then I join the fray.

"Kids!! I'm here!!!"

So, what can I do alone?

'No one counters Undead better than me.'

[Sanctuary Declaration]

A skill I learned alongside healing and other holy abilities-Sanctuary Declaration.

A thin pink barrier forms within a 500m radius around me.

<Sanctuary Declaration lv.1>

◇ All stats +10 for allies of the same religion within the Sanctuary.

◇ Regeneration +50

◇ Hostile religions and Undead types suffer -10 to all stats and receive continuous damage.

◇ Divine Power cost: 100.

◇ Duration: 1 day.

◇ Size: 500m radius.

---

Ddo-ttameok and Japanese Sword are considered part of my religion.

Thanks to my trait's doubling effect, their stats rise by 20 and regeneration by 100.

"Oh, Do-hee-nim!!"

"You've arrived!"

"Only showing up now, Do-hee-nim?"

The Undead's continuous damage scales with skill level and my Divine Power. Since it's not a high-damage skill, it doesn't wipe them out completely.

Lesser Undead and grotesque birds melt away, while larger foes and shadow knights visibly suffer.

"Now, let's sweep them! Stay alert-no telling when those bastards will ambush us!"

Our counterattack begins.

Ddo-ttameok keeps firing arrows from the rooftop, while Japanese Sword descends to fight alongside me.

With Ddo-ttameok holding the building as a base, the Bicorn and Japanese Sword guard the rear while I block the front.

Giant monsters, death knights, shadow knights-every imaginable foe charges at us.

They swarm us, determined to inflict damage even if they die within the Sanctuary.

Crunch!

Swish!!

I thrust and swing my spear.

Even basic attacks without skills make enemies collapse.

Fluid yet powerful.

I chain movements seamlessly, cutting down foes.

But their numbers are overwhelming. With the cannon fodder gone, higher-tier monsters charge more freely.

'No end in sight?'

The lack of direct attacks from the enemy suggests they're draining our stamina and mana first.

If they're relying on numbers, I have a solution.

"Will this work? Come forth!!"

A portal opens behind me.

Pig Mages, Pig King, and all Puktu Tribe pigs pour out.

The Puktu Tribe immediately assume combat stances upon seeing enemies.

They're different now.

Seasoned warriors who've tasted defeat and battled on the frontlines.

Each has mastered their preferred weapons, secret manuals, and skills-spearmanship, swordsmanship, magic.

Pigs aren't doomed to live like pigs.

It begins with the Pig King's <Battle Cry>.

Boosted by the Sanctuary's effects, their stats rise further.

Pig Mages follow with area magic.

Flame spells rain from the sky, torching the Undead Army-filling my lack of AoE skills.

Fire is second only to Divine Power against Undead. Shadow knights and meat golems fall to direct hits.

Next, a barrage of Magic Missiles.

Puktu Tribe mages who trained to become mages like Pig Mage unleash Magic Missiles.

Though just basic 1st-circle spells, their impact changes with mana pools exceeding 2000.

Summon stats don't drop below 20% of my final stats. With my Divine Power over 10,000, theirs surpass 2000.

Just 2000?

I guarantee my summons have the highest mana here-except me.

2000 is a stat that would make even a 7th or 8th-circle Archmage sweat, considering my 3000 defense.

Using that mana for Magic Missiles?

It's like unleashing 5th-circle Air Blasts.

Boom boom boom!! Kaboom!!

Undead crumble under Magic Missiles. Those surviving face Puktu warriors waiting to unleash flashy skills.

"What? They're fighting well?"

I summoned them expecting cannon fodder, but they exceed expectations.

Seeing them outperform most Awakened is startling-I'd treated them as mine slaves till now.

"That one... seems stronger than me without buffs...?"

Ddo-ttameok scratches her head, watching Pig Mage paint the sky red.

"Indeed, we've gained breathing room."

Japanese Sword and Bicorn casually handle Undead alongside the pigs.

'These are... my summons?'

No idea when they grew this strong, but I'm proud.

"Hehehe, see?! You're not the only ones with summons!"

The Puktu Tribe overwhelms the Undead without my direct involvement.

Basic skills and manuals, but overwhelming mana enables powerful spam. Endless skill usage compensates for modest strength/agility (100-200).

"Go!"

Is this how self-made parents feel watching their kids earn allowance?

Forcing 24/7 mining would qualify as child abuse, but seeing their growth swells my pride.

***

Meanwhile, the giant guild's command center.

The mood is bad. The battle flow is worse.

Oseong Guild Leader screams, flipping tables, while Steel Union Guild Leader restrains him.

Matap Guild Leader Chae Si-ra.

She smokes a cigarette with a hollow expression.

Red dress revealing cleavage, red hair, red eyes.

Horns protrude from her temples, a strange magical tattoo on her chest.

She recalls the battle in disbelief.

"This is absurd..."

Losing after using two ultimate skills? Unthinkable. Both were perfectly countered.

Solar Requiem isn't mere fire magic.

It combines spatial gravity magic and fire magic essence.

Normally, targets flee sideways or backward from the artificial sun's pull-instinct against natural disasters.

But Lee Do-hee was different.

She charged head-on. Using the sun's gravity to accelerate, then slipping free like a satellite orbiting Earth.

Her combat sense is unreal. How does she pinpoint a skill's vital point on first sight?

Same when I summoned the flame giant. Who thinks to dive inside?

Sure, golem cores are often in the chest-but sometimes the dantian or head. If she knew, impressive. If not, her fearless gambler spirit is astounding.

Her disciple failing to use the third skill is regrettable, but killing him beforehand was pure combat genius.

An enemy, yet I admire her.

'If not for this, we could've been good friends. Our tendencies align...'

Surprisingly, Chae Si-ra was the official slut Awakener before Lee Do-hee-just off-camera.

As she puffs cigarettes in admiration, Baek Do-hyun calms the chaotic command center.

He sighs deeply before speaking.

The room falls silent. Oseong Guild Leader only minds Baek Do-hyun.

"Sigh... Abandon capture. Exterminate them. Kill them all."

Kwon Han-jun unleashed Silence earlier because they wouldn't use it anyway.

Since the goal was capture and brainwashing, lethal skills were off-limits. They planned to subdue her cautiously while keeping her wary of Silence's Void Silence skill.

But the situation has changed.

Baek Do-hyun fears headlines like:

[Baek Do-hyun's Direct Disciples Defeated by Pigs!?]

Look at the screen-

Ridiculous-looking pigs oinking while demolishing his disciples' terrifying summons.

If not live-streamed, it'd be mistaken for AI-generated absurdity.

'So she required my personal attention after all.'

Suddenly, Baek Do-hyun recalls Lee Do-hee trembling before him during the Seoul terror incident.

He'd briefly considered sparing her then-her uses outweighed the effort.

Looks and skills aside, her body alone-for milk extraction and Onahole use-was worth minor investment.

'Should I have crushed her back then...?'

But he still desires her. Until now, he pondered capturing and brainwashing her.

Baek Do-hyun hates half-measures.

That's why he hired high-rank Awakener Ju Cheon-gang last time.

This time, he persuaded other guild leaders to pool equipment.

Sure, two are already out, but they still hold overwhelming advantage. Even spamming equipment and item skills in order would easily win.

Yet...

'Why does it feel like we'll lose?'

Lee Do-hee fights beyond her apparent capabilities.

In real-time combat, she miraculously escapes through the only survival path while exploiting enemies' weakest points.

'Reminds me of Lee Do-hyun from back then... Wait. Something's...'

Uncannily similar spear-throwing techniques.

He hadn't seen many beyond Floor 50, but similar skills stood out.

Even during the Seoul incident, Choi Tae-soo risked his life to help her while desperately searching for Lee Do-hyun.

'There's a connection...'

He senses something.

Of course, he'd never dream dead Lee Do-hyun transformed into busty living Onahole Lee Do-hee, moaning through gangbangs.

'Hidden daughter? Disciple? Lover? I'll investigate later.'

First, handle the immediate situation.

"I'm taking main operator duty now."

Baek Do-hyun, leader of the giant guild, assumes direct control.

'First time operating directly since Lee Do-hyun...'

Like Lee Do-hee earlier,

Baek Do-hyun feels nostalgia and rage.

***

The endless Undead sea shows signs of ending.

'Why aren't they showing up?'

Unease grows.

No sacrifices left to gather-what are they planning?

Just as we nearly repel the Undead onslaught-

Grrrrrrrrr...!!

Undead charge madly, disregarding their lives.

Their bodies swell grotesquely, ready to burst.

"What the-"

Not just them.

Small monsters melted away, but large ones' corpses remain-now bloating too.

'Corpse Explosion!'

"Everyone, unleash ranged attacks!!"

Our firepower pours forth, but we can't stop the charging bodies or ground corpses.

"Brace for impact!!"

Nowhere to dodge.

I hastily cast Divine Shields on everyone.

Boom! Kabooooom!!!

Boom!!!!!

Corpses explode everywhere.

Flesh, nails, bone fragments scatter violently.

"Guhk!!"

Thudududududud!!

When the explosions and disgusting sounds fade, our party and Puktu Tribe open their eyes unharmed. Blood drips everywhere, leaving only disgust-no major damage.

Corpse Explosion is an AoE skill-weak against high-tier targets.

Normal soldiers would've died, but Divine Shields blocked it, and our defenses held.

'Is that all?'

Scanning through falling blood, no sign of the enemy yet.

'Anti-detection items are annoying.'

But with a 3:2 advantage, victory is ours if they don't attack soon...

'Huh?'

As the blood rain ceases and visibility clears, something odd catches my eye.

The ground... Could it be?

Bloodstains littering the floor.

At a glance, just spilled blood-but I recognize it.

A magic circle... I know this one.

'Corpse Explosion was a diversion.'

"It's a magic circle! Everyone, evade!!"

Then-

"Kehahahaha!! Too late!!"

Enemies appear on a nearby ruined building.

Baek Do-hyun's disciple, Dark Mage Ivan.

Oseong Guild Leader's disciple, Kwon Han-jun.

"Activate magic."

[Bind]

Ivan's ring glows crimson, activating the magic circle.

"Fuck..."

Schliiiiiick!!!

I leap hastily, but blue magical chains from the circle bind my ankles, slamming me down.

"Guhk!"

Others suffer the same.

All shackled by chains at the legs.

"You think you can break Master's magic?!!"

Baek Do-hyun's magic circle.

Yes-

The one that ended me last time.

A magic circle granting terrifying binding power. Upper body movement remains unrestricted, but legs are completely immobilized.

No idea how he devised this, but we're utterly fucked.

Kwon Han-jun grins.

"Silence, unleash!!!"

Wheeeeng~! Clank, clank!

Kwon Han-jun's crimson sword awakens.

As he raises it high with both hands, gathering energy, an immense force converges from the sky.

Grrrrrrrrr...

Dark clouds and sky seem sucked inward as a terrifying energy gathers.

"Damn... Attack now if you want to live!!"

The skill's weakness is vulnerability during casting. Take him down!!

Puktu mages unleash ranged attacks.

Ddo-ttameok's arrows, restored by Mana Potions, fly. Japanese Sword's slashes follow.

Bicorn's lightning and breath attacks join.

I hurl my spear-

[Absolute Defense]

Ivan holds Kwon Han-jun's shield, activating its guardian skill.

A translucent barrier forms before them.

Not the only defense.

Black orbs orbit them, deploying shields.

My lethal spear throws and Ddo-ttameok's mana-infused arrows are blocked by orbs auto-tracking to deploy barriers.

Miscellaneous attacks hit the translucent wall.

"Kehahahaha!! You think that'll work?!!"

"Damn it."

No.

Now's not the time to attack them.

They wouldn't recklessly use that skill without precautions.

"Everyone, destroy the magic circle on the ground!!!"

'Too late...?'

The sky collapses.

Void.

A void space tries to swallow us whole.

"Go, Silence.

──────Bring silence."