Chapter 177: Chapter 55. Protectors (1)
Four demons had invaded Korea. They were under Pandemonium’s command. They had brought a large number of monsters to take the ownerless dungeon in Seoul. Pandemonium helped them so that a lot of monsters could enter the country.
They ranged from the lowest grade to the highest grade. People thought that there were at least 100,000 monsters. The majority of them were wiped out by the man who the humans called savior, but still, thousands of monsters remained. Humans organized relentless expeditions, continuously hunted them down, but they were not exterminated yet.
The hunts had been easy so far because the monsters were scattered. However, if they were drawn near the Trees of Life and Death, it would not be easy to fight. At least, the old government troops had been handled, so people could solely concentrate on the monsters.
In the center of the city, the seeds were planted at the heart of a stadium, approximately 110 meters wide. Roy and Rose took each seed of the Trees of Life and Death and held the ritual. They firmly instructed that no one would come to the stadium during the ritual, except for Kirin and Krithli.
“Did your master command you to plant these?” Kirin asked.
The seeds germinated immediately after being planted. Kirin looked at them with a surprised expression. Although she was a created monster from the myth, she was wise and sensible. She immediately noticed the special aura of the two seeds.
Krithli, who was still wearing the veil, said, “Kirin, we have to hold the ceremony. Please go and help the humans.”
“The monsters haven’t appeared yet. Anyway, I feel something very strange from the Trees of Life and Death. These trees have contrasting energies but are strangely harmonious.”
As Kirin took one step forward, the sprouts moved like they were responding to her. Kirin’s eyes shone.
“They are reacting to me. I don’t know what your ritual is, but I think I will be able to help with the growth of these trees.”
“Are you going to leave the humans alone?” Krithli asked.
“No, the humans are strong enough. They are powerful especially when they work together. They aren’t weak to be defeated by incoming monsters.”
Krithli looked at Kirin. She wasn’t expecting to hear that from her. Krithli had heard about the birth of Kirin from Roy and Rose. She somewhat knew how hard Kirin worked for the humans of South Korea. However, Kirin’s attitude now was different as Krithli had observed.
Kirin looked at Krithli’s eyes and grinned. “I am not a babysitter of humans. I am only a helper, encouraging them to stand on their own feet. Of course, I could not ignore their desires that created me. Therefore, I will stay until the sage king appears and stabilizes the country. After that, I would like to explore this world a bit more.”
She wasn’t obsessed with humans. She said she would leave as soon as her work was done. It hadn’t even been a year since she was ‘born’. It was reasonable that she was curious about this world. The only reason she had suppressed her curiosity was because of the humans’ wishes that played an important role in her birth.
Kirin was a seeker. Krithli easily recognized that about her, but she did not agree with her.
“How about returning to the master?” Krithli asked. “Technically speaking, Master is the one who created you.”
“I do not belong anywhere. Although I appreciate what he has done, he and I are separate beings. I would be willing to help him one day if the need arises. However, your master is strong enough on his own. I’d rather do things that I can do within my capacity in this beautiful world.”
Kirin’s smooth red hair ruffled as she spoke. She had a strong resolve. She tended to approach the truth as a seeker. Krithli sensed that Kirin would not change her mind.
“Then, please stay still while they hold the ritual,” Krithli said quietly.
A quiet and solemn atmosphere was required for the ceremony.
***
The humans didn’t sit still either. The invasion of monsters was foreseen, so they hastily prepared for it.
“Block all the small roads! We will lure them to the big ones!”
“We have exceeded the capacity of the central shelter. There are too many people!”
Among them, Kim Yongwoo was in charge of leading the people and implementing strategies. He installed traps strengthened with skills and even made roads to tempt the monsters. However, humans could not do everything.
Kim Yongwoo thought, frowning, ‘It won’t end in a day or two. It’s a big concern that there is no place to stay. We can’t leave people outside when the monsters enter…’
A long-standing war was expected. People would not be at peace until all the monsters in Korea were wiped out. However, there was not enough safe area for the civilians. Too many people were coming to the city.
Kim Yongwoo sighed. Then he ordered the people, “It doesn’t need to be inside the building. Make a space anywhere. Whether it is with tents or wooden planks, it doesn’t matter. We won’t allow any monsters to reach the center of the city.”
He planned to block all the monsters from the outskirts of the city. Hopefully, Kim Yongwoo’s firm charge would influence other awakened heroes.
Boom!
And it was at that moment…
Boom! Boom!
A sound that seemed like a huge body moving was heard. The seeds were planted not long ago, but monsters already began to approach.
Boom! Boom!
The installed traps exploded again, but still, several ogres were not diminished.
“Damn it! It has started! Everyone, clear for action!” Kim Yongwoo clenched his fists.
***
Five ogres, two giant worms, 37 trolls, 11 dullahan, vampires, and ghouls… For the last three days, 300 intermediate-grade and 900 low-grade monsters had been invading the city.
Fortunately, the fights only took place on large roads due to small ones being blocked. At least no innocent people were hurt.
The barricades had been built around Seoul City Hall; and awakened heroes had made four main roads to the north, south, east, and west. The monsters only rushed through the main roads, but still, a lot kept coming. As time passed, the damage to the awakened heroes worsened.
“They won’t give us time to rest,” Arin, the guild master of the Guild of Marten, said.
In front of her, hundreds of orcs with the Orc Lord were running towards the people. It was not difficult to deal with the orcs due to their previous experiences, but they neither had food nor sleep for the past three days. The only reason they could still fight was that they were the awakened heroes.
“Yes, I hear you,” Kim Yongwoo sighed, agreeing with Arin.
Among the four main roads, Arin and Kim Yongwoo were assigned to the west one.
“Has there been any radio contact from other teams?” Arin asked.
“None so far…”
“Let’s prepare then. We should not let them get through us.”
Arin pulled out her bow. She was one of the strongest archers. The arrows she shot never missed. They were always fatal. Kim Yongwoo was not as strong as her, but he was a good leader. He was always known to put the right men in the right places.
Swish!
Arin pulled the bowstring. Three arrows flew at the same time and penetrated the heads of three approaching orcs.
Krrr!
Krrrk!
The orcs went berserk and rushed forward. They did not care about the death of other orcs. They dashed without fear. At that time, Kim Yongwoo received some radio contact.
― Liches have appeared in the east. We are engaging! Help! Help!
― The north is fighting a large number of spartoi! Argh!
― This is the south! Hundreds of nagas came along the river!
Lee Jihye heard the radio and firmly grabbed her wand. “Guild Master, this is so strange. I think there is someone commanding those monsters.”
Simultaneous attacks exhausted the awakened heroes. The monsters were not just coming randomly. Someone was mobilizing the monsters inconspicuously.
“Damn it!” Kim Yongwoo pulled his sword, gritting his teeth.
The orcs arrived at their location. Kim Yongwoo and the people on the west road had their own problems to solve. They could not help other teams. The only thing they could do was to finish the situation here as soon as possible and move to assist other teams.
***
Pant! Pant! Pant!
After beheading the last orc, Kim Yongwoo took a deep breath. There had been 500 awakened heroes at the beginning, but now, only two-thirds of them was left. Kim Yongwoo looked around and pulled out the radio immediately.
“This is the west. Kim Yongwoo speaking…the guild master of the Guild of Heaven’s Will. Reply, reply.”
― The south… We are still fighting against nagas.
― The east… We are driving out the liches.
― …
“North? Answer me! North!”
There was no response from the people who supposed to protect the north against the spartoi.
Arin approached as Kim Yongwoo frowned. “What is going on?”
“The north side might have been breached. We have to go there now.”
As soon as Kim Yongwoo finished talking, the radio from the center was heard.
― This is center. I’m Kim Wooram, the guild master of the Guild of Oriental. A large number of spartoi, death knights, and two-headed ogres are coming from the north. We are requesting for help.
Kim Yongwoo clenched his fists.
The center had the smallest numbers of awakened heroes because they planned to get rid of the monsters from the outskirts. There were only 200 people at most. However, the level of the monsters currently wreaking havoc there was not something only 200 awakened heroes could stop.
“Damn it!” Kim Yongwoo cursed once again and moved quickly with his guild members.
***
The citizens were shaking in fear. The people hiding in buildings could hear the sound of monsters approaching from the north.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Soon, there was a skirmish. Explosions and screams filled the air. It seemed like the world was ending.
“Oh, lord…”
People closed their eyes and prayed to gods they believed in. False hopes… The explosions and screams of awakened heroes gradually diminished. This could mean that defeat was getting closer.
The citizens were weak compared to awakened heroes or monsters. They would die in an instant even before help arrived. Everyone, including children and the elderly, would be slaughtered by the monsters. The fear and restlessness of the citizens surged.
Whoosh!
It was at that moment when everyone was looking outside miserably, a bright light appeared from the sky. Soon, the sky opened, and two people descended to the ground.
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