Chapter 49

〈 Chapter 49 〉 Part 1, Chapter 4 (6)

“Magic Power Scan Complete! …! Commander!”

At the Operator’s report, Shin Jin-gwang rechecked the map. The precise scan of the area designated by Unsah revealed numerous monsters clustered in specific points. Shin Jin-gwang bit his lip at the concentrated responses of the monsters.

“Gathering at each stronghold, huh?”

The monster responses weren’t scattered randomly but were instead grouped together in several places. Those locations were perfect strategic points to ambush heroes.

Had they overlooked it, there would’ve been another instance where heroes were kidnapped or, in the worst case, killed by monsters suddenly emerging from the ground. Shin Jin-gwang’s eyes trembled upon realizing the enormous amount of monsters waiting along the advance route he had set.

“A-Rank response confirmed!”

And a distinct magic power response was detected that was clearly different from the B-Rank ones. At the end of the long line of Hellhounds, an A-Rank monster was nesting right in the middle of downtown.

“Central Digital District! …Commander! It’s a dangerous species!”

Shin Jin-gwang slammed his command baton on the table.

“Damn it! How did this happen?! There were no monster responses when we started the operation! How are you going to take responsibility for this, you incompetent fools?!”

Shin Jin-gwang had chosen an advance route where there were no monster responses. Having meticulously checked each path beforehand, he was furious at the sudden appearance of monsters and the incompetence of the Association scouts who failed to notice them.

Commander.

Unsah, having eaten a Hellhound, calmed Shin Jin-gwang down.

– The monsters woke up due to the aftereffects of battle. It’s not unusual that we couldn’t detect monsters hiding underground. The only problem is that there are more enemies than expected… and one hero has already been…

“We have just over an hour until the planned attack on Yeouido! How do you expect us to reclaim Seoul like this?!”

– Allow me to suggest something, Commander. Instead of staying stuck here wasting time, I propose we maintain our formation and push northward. Otherwise, we’ll waste time and deplete our magic power and stamina.

Unsah’s words made Shin Jin-gwang hesitate. While his rational judgment agreed with Unsah’s strategy, it felt as though control of the operation was being taken away from him once again, making it hard for him to make a decision.

– Commander.

Unsah bowed her head.

– Due to my oversight, C-Rank Hero Lee Giseong has been captured by the monsters. Judging by their actions, they likely took Lee Giseong to their base, ‘the Nest.’ If we can determine Lee Giseong’s location…

“Find his location immediately!”

The operator quickly searched for Lee Giseong’s magic power response. Although his magic power was fading, a faint trail similar to how ants leave pheromones led northward.

That place was the central Digital District in Guro, which Unsah had designated as the probable location of the higher species.

“Good! I hereby issue the order! Unsah, lead Team A to rescue Lee Giseong and destroy the nest!”

It’s a good outcome. Though one hero sacrificed himself, destroying a monster nest producing over a hundred Hellhounds is commendable. Trading a C-Rank hero, a monster nest, and an A-Rank dangerous species for this result was, even in Shin Jin-gwang’s opinion, an excellent achievement.

‘I will not forget your sacrifice… Hero.’

Shin Jin-gwang paid silent tribute to the hero whose name he could barely remember.

– Acknowledged. We shall proceed with the directive.

Four heroes emerged from the formation and sprinted north. Unsah, Tempest Lady, Jeok Song, and Cheolpyo formed the vanguard team of four A-Ranks and dashed toward Guro with full strength.

– KYAAAH!

Cheolpyo’s skin hardened like steel. He galloped with a shine, ruthlessly slaughtering the Hellhounds like a steel leopard.

– Die!

– It’s over!

With every swing of Jeok Song’s sword, the Hellhounds’ heads flew off in chaotic dance-like movements.

When Tempest Lady raised both arms, a massive wind gathered into a sphere above her palms.

– Captain!

– HAAAAA!!

Unsah struck the air sphere with her spear while shouting. The compressed gale of magic power crushed the cluster of Hellhounds blocking the way.

Ki-GIIEEEK?!

“Yeah, you’re doing well! Team A, keep advancing north!”

In the blood-soaked battlefield, Shin Jin-gwang enthusiastically ordered the advance.

“Hellhounds moving! They seem to be trying to block Team A’s path!”

The Hellhounds surrounding the perimeter broke formation and ran north. Initially, there was concern about a surprise attack from behind, but the Hellhounds rushed ahead of the heroes to occupy the main road.

‘There must be a command entity…!’

No matter how many Hellhounds an upper-level monster commands—over a hundred—it’s still just a monster. Isn’t it absurd for a mere beast to think it can outwit humans?

“Team B! Arrived at Gangnam! The Hellhounds are engaging in combat!”

“What?! Without any reports?!”

Shin Jin-gwang checked the screen. According to the operator, Team B hadn’t yet entered Gangnam.

“Villains! Villains have appeared to intercept the Hellhounds!”

Raiding the streets and shaking buildings, the vagrants emerged. Each dressed in tattered clothes like old rags, they wielded various weapons and stared down the Hellhounds.

– GRRRR

The group of Hellhounds intending to rampage through Gangnam hesitated, eyeing their opponents warily. In the forefront of the villains stood a Middle-aged Gentleman in a Fedora, warming up the motor of his chainsaw.

“Confirm villain identification! A-Rank Villain <Sky Castle>!”

“!!”

Shin Jin-gwang subtly brought up the screen unnoticed by others. This was the execution list personally handed over by the President before the operation commenced.

If they were alive, they should be exterminated; if dead, their bodies should be completely annihilated without a trace. These were the seeds of evil.

Black Goat, Ritual Master, Lighthouse, Land Dog, Architect, Sea of Blood, Stooky, and others identified through intelligence as villains south of the Han River.

Sky Castle was one of the leaders ruling over Gangnam among them.

‘I must capture all of them…!’

They shouldn’t simply be killed. Capturing them to hang on the gallows would serve as an example to show the fate of villains to all the evildoers in South Korea.

“Team B! Engage! Kill the monsters and either eliminate or arrest the villains!”

Hardly suppressing his true intentions, Shin Jin-gwang’s order sent Team B to assault the rear of the Hellhound pack.

Heroes and villains. Though their inclinations differ, they fight against the common enemy of monsters.

The Hellhound pack split into two directions and began attacking humanity.

* * *

– The herding is complete. Movements detected in Seocho and Gangdong. Villains.

Upon Ji Hwa’s report, I ceased controlling the Hellhounds. After grouping individual units into clusters and issuing simple commands, I focused on conversing with Ji Hwa.

“What kind of movement?”

– Both are heading towards Gangnam. It seems they’re offering support.

“Expected Black Flame Dragon, but Ritual Master is surprising.”

I thought she’d run away. Loosening the orders allowed the heroes to regain the upper hand. Driven solely by their instinct to kill, the Hellhounds recklessly attacked the heroes, who easily dispatched them.

“Still, large-scale control is tough…”

‘But we’ve achieved the first objective.’

After all, these Hellhounds were mass-produced using cubes. As the Hellhound packs in Guro and Gangnam were swiftly eliminated, I informed the captains of both teams of their retreat positions.

“Great work. Teams from Gangnam and Guro, hide at the designated locations. From now on, it’s the special ability users’ war.”

I’d already commanded all the Hellhounds to move to their destinations. During the time spent delaying the heroes, members of the Blue Wind Sect avoided detection and dispersed to various hiding spots.

“Retreat coordination is left to you, Ji Hwa.”

Yes. I’ll ensure everyone retreats safely.

There’s no reason to throw my subordinates, who only possess Core Weapons as tools, into the battlefield as cannon fodder.

“The heroes will bite into the bait soon.”

Hide underground. Gather at the assembly point following the subway lines.

Ji Hwa gave the orders, and the subordinates dispersed via the Mini Phoenix relay. Being former vagrants, they knew exactly how to hide.

‘So now the problem is the heroes.’

“Even when rotten, they’re still sardines. Everyone’s strong. For a first-phase purge operation, it’s like all the aces have gathered.”

Activating the Map Core to fully oversee the battlefield, releasing B-Rank Hellhounds in a surprise attack resulted in capturing merely one C-Rank hero. Monsters driven purely by “destruction and slaughter” find it difficult to outsmart humans capable of rational judgment.

“Should we increase the number of monstrous beings?”

– Do you have anyone in mind?

Responding to my muttering, Ji Hwa reacted immediately. Likely because the connection wasn’t cut, she assumed I was asking her and replied accordingly. Since the discussion had started, I sought Ji Hwa’s opinion on who might be a suitable candidate.

“How about Black Flame Dragon? That guy would really go dark if he became a monstrous being.”

– …I’ll keep my comments brief.

Seeing Black Flame Dragon rapidly joining the Gangnam battlefield makes me laugh involuntarily. He truly regards his A-Rank awakening as divine grace and follows the Blue Wind Sect faithfully.

‘If he dies, I’ll turn him into a monstrous being and use him.’

“Then someone else besides Black Flame Dragon? Doesn’t have to be a villain.”

– Then turning heroes into monstrous beings… Wait, Leader. The heroes have entered the field.

My view shifts back to Guro. The brief respite has ended. Rubbing my fingers, I prepared to enter the second phase of the operation.

“Understood. Then let’s begin slowly…”

As the heroes entered the Digital District, I awakened the magic power stored in the flame spheres embedded throughout the buildings.

Hummm…

The flame spheres, embedded like glass marbles, began to tremble. Each basketball-sized flame sphere boasted immense destructive power.

“Let’s see how they move once their escape routes are blocked.”

As the heroes advanced, eliminating the Hellhounds, the moment the last hero entered range, I clapped my hands.

Clap.

“Welcome! Welcome to Guro!”

To celebrate their arrival, I set off fireworks. Very big and powerful fireworks.

BOOOOM!!!

The flame spheres exploded. Starting from the outermost ones, all the flame spheres embedded in the buildings detonated in a chain reaction.

“Duck!”

One hero lowered his stance to protect his head. Though I didn’t intend to collapse the buildings as part of the attack, the city-wide explosion would naturally force people to crouch.

BOOM, BOOOM!!!

Columns of fire and dust shot high into the sky. Explosions and the sounds of collapsing buildings echoed, surpassing the limits of human hearing.

Thud, Thud, Thud!

Buildings on the outskirts of Guro collapsed like dominoes. The explosions caused the ground to sink and supports to break, causing the tilting structures to slide and block the roads.

“Thanks to modern civilization.”

High-rise buildings over ten stories tall fell directly onto the streets, blocking them. To break through, one would need to leap over piles of debris over ten meters high.

“There’s no escape route. You could try climbing the buildings to escape…”

Hellhounds waiting outside Guro climbed atop the collapsed debris. What happened at Siheung Tollgate was the appetizer; this encirclement here is the main course.

“Looks like they mistook the A-Rank response for a command entity and charged in…”

‘I’m not in Guro.’

The owner of the arena surrounded by concrete rubble had already finished preparations by consuming a Spirit Stone. Tearing open a bag of convenience store popcorn, I issued the command.

“Begin, Subject No. 2.”

KAAABOOOM!!!

An Inferno Giant burst out of the wall of a twenty-story building.