BOOOOOOM-!!
“…Why does everyone in this place possess a Rare-ranked ability?”
I was momentarily rendered speechless as I watched the enormous firestorm raging where the Skirmisher Unit had passed.
Rare-ranked skills, which should have been exceptionally uncommon, were appearing frequently among not only the Sentinels but also the Raiders.
They were advanced skills that should have been almost impossible to encounter at this point. It was enough to make me wonder whether the probability of receiving a Rare-ranked skill at the beginning had somehow increased without my knowledge.
The firestorm currently raging before me had also been created by a Rare-ranked skill called ‘Sekhmet’s Wrath.’
The swirling dust made it difficult to understand what had happened.
Just as I began to think the Skirmisher Unit’s operation had ended in failure, the flames receded and revealed an unusually shaped Magic Barrier.
“Fortunately, it looks like Yonghyeok’s Dragon’s Protection activated automatically.”
As expected of a Rare-ranked defensive skill, Dragon’s Protection activated automatically when the Player’s life was in imminent danger.
I could not see clearly, but Yonghyeok appeared to have suffered considerable damage.
Although the Skirmisher Unit had survived for the moment, I instinctively knew that they would not last much longer.
At the same time, the Siege Truck equipped with a Battering Ram and a drill approached the Gate.
“…It is time to welcome our guests.”
I could no longer afford to watch anything else.
After casting one final glance at the Skirmisher Unit, I moved to another location.
At Point A, directly above the Gate, I found the people waiting with their nervousness plainly visible.
“Leader, the enemy will reach the Gate soon. Please give the order to fire…!”
“Not yet.”
The moment they saw me, they approached and asked me to order an attack.
I calmed them and waited for the proper moment.
GRRRRRR-
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The Siege Truck attacked the Gate with a steady speed and rhythm.
The drill mounted above it extended forward and began boring through the Gate, while the Battering Ram repeatedly slammed into the growing cracks.
“…The Gate is going to collapse at this rate.”
“I know.”
I ignored the Defense Captain’s warning and continued measuring the timing.
The walls and Gate had never been intended to prevent the enemy from entering.
‘They were built to trap them.’
The Gate was bait and a means of reducing the enemy’s numbers as much as possible.
I ordered the ranged fighters stationed atop the wall to step backward.
They had only been positioned there as a threat.
I had prepared them in case a large number of Raiders attempted to invade using Siege Ladders.
As expected, most of the Raiders remained at a distance after seeing them.
This was not an actual medieval siege where someone held a sword to their backs and forced them to climb.
The Raiders had no reason to risk using dangerous ladders.
The preparations were merely a precaution.
BOOM!
[The Gate has been destroyed.]
“It worked!”
“Everyone, disembark! Charge!!”
The Raiders celebrated after breaking through the Gate without suffering much damage, claiming that Stage 2 was still only Stage 2.
Unable to conceal their excitement at the prospect of ravaging the base, they began pouring through the entrance.
Sure enough, the Raiders who had been waiting in the distance also began running madly toward the Gate as soon as they saw it collapse.
“Leader! The enemies are entering! At least allow us to fire at those people!”
The newly appointed leader of Team 3 urged me to order an attack as he watched the defenseless Raiders rushing toward us.
Kang Sujeong had originally led Team 3, the Fireball Team, but a new leader had been appointed after she became the leader of the Skirmisher Unit.
His ability was Wind Blade.
“Windblade, I am the only person here who can hit a target accurately at that range. With the Ranged Unit’s current Stats, their attacks also lack sufficient lethality. Wait until every last one of them enters.”
“Then what was the point of constructing the Gate…?”
“The Gate’s true purpose begins now.”
Once every Raider had entered through the defenseless Gate, a signal came from the Telegraph of the Ruins.
BEEEEEP-. BEEEEEP-.
It was the safety signal from Point 1.
That meant the allies stationed there had successfully delayed the Raiders who entered first.
It was now my turn to act.
[Gate Reactivation Cooldown: 10:00:00]
“Gate Seal.”
[Gate skill activated. The Reactivation Cooldown has been reset.]
The destroyed Gate began reconstructing itself as though time were flowing backward.
[Gate reactivated.]
“Wh-what?”
“The way behind us is blocked!”
“There is no way the Gate should have reactivated already!”
The Raiders were right to be confused.
Even under the best circumstances, reactivating the Gate should have required at least ten hours.
However, anything touched by Boundless was different.
[Reinforced Scrap-Metal Gate+]
Rank: Magic
Attributes: Gate, Scrap Metal
Description: A sturdy Gate reconstructed from various forms of debris found throughout the ruins. Its Scrap-Metal construction gives it lower defensive power than the original Gate, but it can undergo rapid restoration once every twenty-four hours.
Skill: Gate Seal(Resets the Gate’s Reactivation Cooldown.)
‘I realized it when I made the motorcycles for the Skirmisher Unit. If they could be upgraded, then the Gate could be upgraded as well.’
Had that not worked, I had considered gathering Sledgehammer and several other people with destruction-related abilities to demolish part of the wall and block the retreat route.
However, that method would have been less reliable and far more dangerous.
“The enemy is completely trapped now, Leader!”
Windblade had already moved to the rear section of the wall. He shouted happily as he watched the Raiders running around in confusion.
The Raiders had fallen into a panic because Point 1, which led into the Urban Map, had been blocked with a pile of wrecked vehicles and scrap metal as tall as the Gate.
“Ranged Unit, prepare to fire.”
“Prepare to fire!”
From the safety of the wall, we aimed down at them.
The fighters summoned two or three Wind Blades at a time, while others suspended Ice Lances in the air.
Every member of the unit prepared to unleash their ranged abilities.
CLICK-.
I switched my Toy Gun to full-auto mode.
[Pressure-Activated Spring Mana Gun+]
Rank: Magic
Attributes: Penetration, Rapid Fire, Mana Bullet
Description: A spring gun created by modifying a Toy Gun. A Guardian Stone has been assigned to it, allowing Mana to be infused into the weapon.
HMMMMM-
[Mana Infusion: 100%.]
“Open fire.”
“Fire! Sweep them all away!!”
“HRAAAAAH!!”
RATATATAT!
BANGBANGBANG!!
BOOM! BOOOOM! BOOM!
“Ab-above us!”
“Dodge!”
“Fuck, wh-where are we supposed to—GHRK!!”
Naturally, Point 1 had been turned into an open space without a single object that could provide cover.
The Raiders had no choice but to endure the barrage of ranged attacks pouring down from the walls.
“Damn it! Break through the front, at least!!”
They could not find a route onto the wall, but the scrap metal blocking the path ahead could be removed with sufficient strength.
Raiders with defensive abilities such as Steel Skin rushed forward first.
The surviving Raiders carrying various weapons followed behind them.
They began smashing apart everything in their path, including the wrecked vehicles, as they tried to advance.
That response had also been included in my plan.
The moment they reached Point 1, they threw their bodies against the wrecked vehicles and desperately tore through the scrap metal.
However, the passage had been blocked with objects of tremendous weight, so it could not be breached easily.
“F-faster! Break through it already!!”
“HRRRAAAAAAGH!!”
The Ranged Unit’s indiscriminate barrage continued throughout their efforts.
The Raiders with the weakest defenses began collapsing first.
‘It is time.’
Deciding that the proper moment had arrived, I transmitted a signal that only I was authorized to send.
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP-.
A single continuous signal echoed through the Telegraphs.
And then….
BOOOOOOM!!
CRASH- RUMBLE!!
The barricade at Point 1 exploded.
Wrecked vehicles and debris suspended from the ceiling came crashing down like a landslide.
“AAAAAARGH!!!”
Dozens of Raiders were swept away by the explosion and the avalanche of scrap metal, as though being buried alive.
Instead of dirt and stone, the avalanche consisted of sharp, heavy metal, leaving bodies torn apart and impaled throughout the area.
“…….”
The sight was so horrific that the Ranged Unit forgot to continue firing.
“Situation resolved.”
BEEEEEP-. BEEEEEP-.
The safety signal I transmitted reached Point 1.
The allies who had activated the trap emerged at once and finished off the Raiders who had barely survived.
Complete annihilation.
Everything had ended less than five minutes after the Gate was destroyed.
“The Reserve Squad is deploying immediately. Open the Gate. Windblade.”
“…What?”
“How much Mana do you have left?”
“Approximately half….”
“That is enough.”
I gestured for him to follow and leaped down from the wall.
It was time to deal with the monsters at the Jump Spot.
Never before had the Gate been breached before the Jump Spot activated.
“…What? They have already destroyed the Gate?”
Helmen was dumbfounded.
He had been playing with the Skirmisher Unit while waiting for the Jump Spot to activate.
HAAH- HAAH-
Kang Sujeong gasped for breath while clutching a Fireball.
Beside her, Yonghyeok and Seongwon were equally drenched in sweat and blood.
Their conditions were even worse than Kang Sujeong’s, as she had primarily attacked from a distance.
Yonghyeok’s arms trembled continuously, while blood poured relentlessly from Seongwon’s head.
“You… monster.”
Seongwon’s quiet voice echoed through the area.
The Skirmisher Unit had charged forward confidently, only to be utterly toyed with by a single man.
Helmen’s ability was so overwhelming that several of the others at the Jump Spot merely stood back and watched.
[The Jump Spot is activating.]
“Well, this is unexpected. The Gate is already open, so I am beginning to wonder whether I even need to use this. Still, it remains the fastest route.”
Helmen slowly walked toward the activated Jump Spot.
“Stop!”
BANG-!!
“Hm?”
The Fireball left Kang Sujeong’s hand and struck Helmen in the back.
However, Helmen’s voice came from directly behind her.
“Are you still attacking empty air? I told you to stay down while I was willing to spare you.”
THUD!
“GHRK-.”
Helmen’s knee slammed into Kang Sujeong’s side.
“Ms. Sujeong!”
“You bastard!!”
Yonghyeok and Seongwon reacted immediately.
Yonghyeok quickly supported Kang Sujeong, while Seongwon released a powerful stream of fire beside him.
“Haah. Do none of you possess the ability to learn?”
THUDTHUDTHUD!!
Several images of Helmen appeared simultaneously beside Yonghyeok and Seongwon.
A succession of blows struck both of their bodies.
SWISH-.
Then, as though nothing had happened, the images resembling clones overlapped into a single Helmen standing directly before the Jump Spot.
“D-damn it-!”
Helplessness.
They had been defeated so thoroughly that they would not have been able to raise their heads before Sledgehammer and E-Bolt, who had remained behind to buy them time.
Had Helmen held even a single sharp weapon, their bodies would already have been reduced to mangled pieces of meat.
“Consider yourselves fortunate. Murder does not particularly interest me. I have finished warming up, so it is time for me to work. Perhaps we will meet again—assuming you have a next time.”
[Jump Spot activated.]
HMMMMM- WHOOSH!!
Light gathered within the circular Jump Spot.
A moment later, Helmen shot high into the sky at a speed too great to follow with the naked eye.
“Heh heh. Now that bastard is gone, is it finally my turn? I do not know why someone with an ability like his bothered patrolling a mere Stage 2 base, but we will personally play with the rest of you.”
“Hey, this is not the time for that. Did you not see the Gate collapse? If we are not careful, those incompetent fools might take every Guardian Stone.”
“We can still play with one of them—one woman, at least. The Guardian Stones will be carefully hidden anyway. If we use the Jump Spot, we will reach the center five times faster than the bastards who broke through the Gate.”
“Well, I suppose that is true.”
“Besides, I only need five minutes.”
“What an accomplishment.”
CRACK-.
Those who had been forced to watch while the stronger Helmen amused himself began loosening their bodies and approaching slowly.
Unlike Helmen, they were obsessed with blood, slaughter—
And women.