-The Skirmisher Unit’s ultimate objective is to prevent as many enemies as possible from using the Jump Spot.
-The Jump Spot is not dangerous simply because it provides an aerial route.
-Anyone who uses the Jump Spot descends with a Guardian Stone Detection Buff. They will immediately discover that all our Guardian Stones have been gathered in one place.
-If that happens, the Raiders may stop wandering around separately, unite, and break through the maze together.
-If anything goes wrong, our main force could be attacked from both the front and rear. Therefore, you must prevent them from using the Jump Spot for as long as possible.
Kang Sujeong raised her head as she recalled the operation Lee Hojun had briefed her on.
Several of the people who had intended to use the Jump Spot showed little interest in the half-incapacitated Skirmisher Unit and entered the city without stopping.
HMMMMM- WHOOSH!!
Kang Sujeong watched another two or three people soar over the walls and enter the city, then clenched her teeth.
“At the very least, we have to stop those bastards here.”
She had already confirmed that the Gate had been destroyed.
Their city was clearly in danger.
She was somewhat shaken by how much faster it seemed to be collapsing than expected, but she believed that it would not fall easily as long as he was there.
The greater problem was that their failure to complete their mission would place everyone else in even more danger.
GRIND-.
Kang Sujeong slowly rose and looked from side to side.
Yonghyeok did not appear to have enough Vitality left to activate Dragon’s Protection again.
Seongwon was already half dead.
If they left him like this, the blood loss could send him into shock. They did not have much time.
‘I thought our composition was fairly good when we first departed….’
Sledgehammer and E-Bolt appeared to possess considerable combat experience.
Yonghyeok possessed an absurdly powerful defensive ability called Dragon’s Protection, while Seongwon provided devastating firepower at medium range.
Kang Sujeong had believed that if she supported them while firing from the motorcycles, they could sufficiently disrupt the Raiders and prevent them from using the Jump Spot.
‘We planned to do more than delay them. We intended to eliminate them.’
However, the man named Helmen had ruined everything.
Even the motorcycles’ overwhelming speed had been useless before him.
His Time Acceleration made him appear as though he possessed a cloning technique.
Lee Hojun had warned her about him before they departed, but she had never imagined that the difference in strength would be so overwhelming.
-There may be a Time Acceleration user. No, there will be one. If you find him, leave immediately. Skirmishing against him will be meaningless.
Even Lee Hojun had not seemed certain where the Time Acceleration user would appear.
He might attack the Gate, climb a Siege Ladder, or use the Jump Spot.
However, Lee Hojun had considered the Jump Spot the most likely possibility.
Just as he had feared, a Time Acceleration user named Helmen had been waiting here.
And it was the Skirmisher Unit that had been toyed with.
-If you still want to help, make him use his ability as much as possible. His weakness is his limited Vitality.
However, even after following his advice, they had failed to exhaust Helmen.
That was how vast the difference in ability between Helmen and the Skirmisher Unit had been.
Had he enjoyed killing, all of them would already have been dead.
Perhaps they had survived precisely because the difference between them was so great that they could not even be considered opponents.
If they had managed to inflict even a minor wound, he might not have played with them so leisurely.
“But… these bastards are different.”
Disgusting faces slowly approached her.
As Kang Sujeong looked at them, she remembered the tattooed thug who had brutally trampled her in the pure-white room.
“I will tear you apart with my teeth, just like I did to him.”
A murderous gleam entered Kang Sujeong’s eyes.
As though responding to her rage, flames surged from her body.
FWOOSH-
Fire began dancing along both of Kang Sujeong’s arms.
‘There is no significant difference between them and me. No, judging by Stats alone, I am stronger.’
Helmen had merely appeared overwhelmingly powerful because of his absurdly effective skill.
Every member of the Skirmisher Unit had received Guardian Selection, so their Stats were higher than those of the enemies before them.
By Raider standards, Kang Sujeong’s raw Stats were close to those of a ninth- or tenth-week Raider.
The strongest among the approaching enemies, however, had survived only seven weeks.
A difference of one or two weeks might not sound significant, but when the Points awarded after each clear were considered, even one or two days amounted to a gap of at least two Levels.
Her body was correspondingly faster and more durable.
In other words, she would overwhelm any one of them in a one-on-one battle.
Of course, Stats were not everything.
Skills, Skill Proficiency, and combat instincts were equally important.
Moreover, Kang Sujeong was currently the only member of the Skirmisher Unit who could still fight, while there were five enemies.
“Whew. She is certainly a fiery woman.”
“Heh heh. Women like that are the most satisfying to break.”
“You pathetic pieces of shit.”
Despite their arrogant words, the five cautiously spread out and slowly surrounded Kang Sujeong.
“Urgh. I-I will buy time, so return to the base.”
Yonghyeok barely managed to rise and attempted to stand before Kang Sujeong.
PUSH.
“Urgh.”
Kang Sujeong applied only a little force as she pushed him aside, yet Yonghyeok staggered backward and collapsed into a seated position.
“You will fall over if someone so much as touches you. Stay there and watch. These bastards are nothing.”
Before the enemies could complete their encirclement and take Yonghyeok and Seongwon hostage, Kang Sujeong moved first.
‘This is my first time selecting two targets simultaneously, but…!’
If she wanted to finish the battle quickly, she had to make the greatest possible use of her only Active Skill, even if it reduced her accuracy.
THUDTHUDTHUD-!!
WHOOSH! BOOM!
BOOOOM!!
As she charged forward, the spheres of flame she released shot toward the enemy directly ahead of her and the man beside him.
Ordinarily, a ranged Mage would charge their skill as much as possible and pour every attack into a single target in rapid succession, as E-Bolt did.
Kang Sujeong shattered that convention by striking two targets simultaneously.
“Double Casting!?”
“Tch. Is she an experienced caster?”
Double Casting was not a technique an ordinary person could use.
Although it was influenced by the Intelligence Stat, the invisible factor of Skill Proficiency was even more important.
After all, Double Casting was as difficult as using a pair of chopsticks in each hand to pick up two different side dishes at the same time.
Their surprise lasted only briefly.
“You damned bitch!!”
“Do not think you will die easily!!”
The three who had not been attacked abandoned their slow advance and rushed forward to close the distance with Kang Sujeong.
Kang Sujeong’s battle was fierce.
She was fortunate to have eliminated the two who appeared weakest at the beginning.
No matter how great the difference in Stats was, facing five people simultaneously by herself had been far too reckless.
Their destructive power and Stats were inferior to Kang Sujeong’s, but they had already survived several battles where their lives were at stake.
They knew how to use every aspect of their skills, and Kang Sujeong’s initial momentum was soon broken.
“Haaah- Haaah-.”
She had already fired numerous Fireballs in succession.
She did not have much Mana remaining.
Her body also felt as though it had reached its limit.
The enemies had suffered wounds of varying severity, but none had sustained a fatal injury.
They were exhausted as well, but Kang Sujeong was alone.
Three of them remained.
“Spin Ball!!”
When one of the emaciated enemies shouted the skill’s name, his body suddenly began swelling.
Flesh expanded across his arms and legs until his entire body became round.
Once he had transformed into a perfect sphere—
RATTLERATTLERATTLE!!
He rolled toward Kang Sujeong at tremendous speed.
The grotesque sight made her abandon any thought of blocking him.
She hurriedly moved aside and rolled across the ground.
As though he had been waiting for that exact moment, another enemy opened his mouth all the way beneath his jaw and shouted.
“Siren’s Cry!”
A wave powerful enough to visibly distort the air struck Kang Sujeong before she had any opportunity to evade.
“Ugh!”
The wave seemed to pierce directly through her cochlea, making her so dizzy that she completely lost her sense of balance.
Kang Sujeong covered her ears, staggered, and collapsed into a seated position.
The final enemy leaped high into the air.
“Werefrooog.”
Suspended overhead by his tremendous jumping ability, he extended two long, forked tongues like a toad and wrapped them around both of Kang Sujeong’s arms.
After several failed attempts, he had finally succeeded in restraining her.
“Idz dime(It is time)!!”
“Excellent!!”
Whether they had understood his words despite his inability to move his tongue or not, the enemy who had attacked with his spherical body turned around and charged back toward Kang Sujeong.
At this rate, the heavy body would crush her and inflict severe injuries.
Had she not been struck by Siren’s Cry, she could have counterattacked.
However, the three enemies had gradually perfected their coordination, and their flawless combination had cornered her.
Kang Sujeong had not yet recovered from the dizziness that made her skull feel as though it were shaking.
The moment she saw Spin Ball returning, she tried to move, but both arms were tightly bound and she could not escape.
“Urghhh…!”
She strained with all her strength, but the restraints only tightened further.
RUMBLERUMBLERUMBLE!!
Spin Ball rotated more violently than ever before and charged toward her with tremendous destructive force.
“…Dragon’s Protection.”
BOOOOM-!!
CRACK!
Spin Ball struck the Magic Barrier that appeared in midair without losing any of his momentum.
Dragon’s Protection was no longer as magnificent as when it had first appeared.
The barrier shattered immediately beneath Spin Ball’s impact.
“You bastards.”
Spin Ball returned to his original gaunt form.
The recoil appeared to have inflicted considerable damage on him. He staggered as his transformation ended, then glared irritably toward the others.
“I left you alone because you were already dying, and you still dared to interfere?”
Kang Sujeong struggled to free herself from the toad-like tongues restraining both arms.
However, the sticky saliva running down them seemed to possess paralytic properties, and her nerves were steadily becoming numb.
It had been a complete mistake.
No, perhaps she had simply underestimated them.
Even though their Stats were lower than hers, she should have observed their methods and eliminated them carefully, one at a time.
Instead, her allies’ critical injuries had made her impatient, and she had charged forward recklessly.
That had been Kang Sujeong’s mistake.
“Let go of me!!”
“Heh heh. The main course can wait. We are going to taste the appetizers first, so hold her tightly.”
Leaving behind the man restraining Kang Sujeong with his enlarged head and tongues, the other two slowly approached Yonghyeok, who was lying on the ground with one hand extended, and Seongwon, who watched them while hovering on the verge of death.
CRACK- CRACK.
They rolled their wrists and tilted their heads from side to side as they loosened their bodies.
“Do not be too frightened. We are short on time, so we will cook you instant-style.”
Spin Ball drew a small, razor-sharp Dagger and smiled viciously.
Yonghyeok seemed to have expected this outcome from the moment he used Dragon’s Protection to defend Kang Sujeong.
With a grim expression, he looked toward Seongwon.
Seongwon appeared to have regained some awareness.
He met Yonghyeok’s eyes through half-opened lids and nodded.
Before joining the Skirmisher Unit, the two had already fought one battle together as members of the same team.
They had also worked together while fortifying the city, sharing many conversations despite the brief time they had known one another and helping each other improve their specialties.
Although they had not known each other for long, they had quickly grown close after crossing the boundary between life and death together.
Both already had a vague understanding of how their lives would end.
“You can still do what we practiced… correct?”
NOD.
Seongwon forced a faint smile as he nodded.
Yonghyeok smiled weakly in return.
“Dragon’s Protection.”
“Wings… of Flame.”
The flames Seongwon barely managed to create began swirling into the small, orb-shaped Magic Barrier, gradually filling it from within.