Chapter 178: Chapter 55. Protectors (2)

The people from the Guild of Heaven’s Will and the Guild of Marten had been in charge of the west road. They were traveling to the center of the city. They hurriedly came upon hearing the sound of explosions from afar. However, it was already quiet when they got there.

“Is it over?”

If things were over, it was likely to have ended badly. There was no way to stop that many monsters with only 200 awakened heroes.

“Are we too late?”

“Damn it. Let’s move faster. We have to save at least one more person.”

Kim Yongwoo bit his lips. He used to be a self-centered man, liked showing off, but that changed over the past few years. He sincerely hoped for the safety of the people and moved swiftly. Soon, he and the other guild members were speechless as they reached the center.

Corpses of monsters were lying everywhere as well as of awakened heroes. But the number of dead monsters was overwhelmingly higher.

Kim Yongwoo and the people had no idea what happened. They thought they were late. There was no way the people in the center had blocked all the monsters. They had hope, but they were outnumbered.

“I am the guild master of the Guild of Heaven’s Will, Kim Yongwoo. Can you hear me?”

— …

He tried to make contact using the radio, but nobody answered.

Arin examined the wounds on the dead monsters’ bodies. There was something in their wounds that aroused her curiosity. She said, “Most of the monsters were killed by two people. Who did this?”

The wounds of the monsters were classified into two major types. It was possible that two people had dealt with most of the monsters.

Kim Yongwoo interrupted Arin’s thinking when he said, “The place where people are gathered isn’t far from here. We will figure out when we get there.”

They headed to the place where the civilians hid. A heavy atmosphere surrounded them. Kim Yongwoo and Arin moved quickly.

<hr />

There were fewer corpses as they reached the shelter for the civilians. It seemed some of the monsters had been cut down while fleeing.

‘Did the monsters try to run away?’ Kim Yongwoo thought.

There were cases when monsters fled. They had instincts and were afraid of death, too. However, only the lowest of the low-grade monsters did so. Usually, monsters of intermediate grade or above would not retreat. They would rather die unless they felt a huge difference in power.

The case of the savior was a good example. The monsters had rushed to him at first, thinking he was an easy match. Shortly after, they were running away from him. He pursued them and killed them all. That was why people called him ‘savior’.

As Kim Yongwoo glanced at the monsters’ corpses as they move along, he noticed that most of them were of intermediate- and high-grade monsters.

“Was there someone this strong among the humans?”

It wasn’t the savior. His fighting style was hot and intense. He could get a bit violent, but it was exciting to watch him fight at the same time.

However, those two were not as good as him. Kim Yongwoo could tell that they struggled during the fight. Nevertheless, there was no denying that the two were very strong. Kim Yongwoo was silent, wondering as they approached the shelter. Soon, he found the people gathering in a corner.

“Oh, hey, Guild Master!”

There were two familiar faces at the center: Yoo Eunhye and Edward. Yoo Eunhye found Kim Yongwoo first and smiled awkwardly.

The two had left, leaving only a note that said, “We will be back after training.” They returned after two weeks.

“Thank god, you guys are back!”

Kim Yongwoo suddenly felt at ease. If the safety of the citizens was compromised, he would feel so much guilt. Fortunately, Yoo Eunhye and Edward helped stop the monsters, so there was not much damage. Many people wondered about their appearances, but Kim Yongwoo quickly took them to the corner.

“Where have you guys been?” he asked.

“I told you, we went to the training,” Yoo Eunhye answered. “But seriously, only two weeks have passed since we left?” She looked very tired.

Kim Yongwoo frowned and nodded. “What do you mean ‘only’ two weeks? Only? Do you have any idea what we have been through?”

For the past three days, it was lucky if the awakened heroes could sleep for an hour in a day. Many people could not sleep. Edward might not be helpful, but if Yoo Eunhye were here, things would be different.

Kim Yongwoo delivered an impassioned speech, but Yoo Eunhye did not show any sign of emotion. She just looked down.

“I guess time flowed differently there…,” she muttered.

“Eunhye, don’t be sad. At least we are all together now.”

Edward had the same appearance, but he somehow looked more mature than before. He tapped Yoo Eunhye’s shoulder to console her.

Kim Yongwoo wondered what was going on and asked, “What happened? Where did you guys go?”

“We went to the place called the Advanced Training Room,” Yoo Eunhye said. “The man, who people called the savior, told us to go there if we want to improve our strength.”

“What?”

Kim Yongwoo could not believe what she said, but based on Edward’s silence, it did not seem to be a lie or an exaggeration. Yoo Eunhye’s following words were even more shocking.

“You may not believe it,” Yoo Eunhye began to share, “but we trained in there for over 1,000 days. We couldn’t get out until we cleared the room. We were desperate.”

“What? One thousand days? That doesn’t make sense.”

“Do you think Edward and I killing all monsters make sense?”

Kim Yongwoo closed his eyes. He couldn’t keep up with her story. Then again, how else to explain what they had done with the monsters? They were strong, but not as strong as now. He assumed that they had exceeded their limits in the Advanced Training Room.

“People won’t believe this. I guess I have to add a little drama to the story.”

Kim Yongwoo knew everyone in South Korea would focus on the two of them.

Yoo Eunhye asked with a puzzled expression, “Why don’t we just tell them the truth?”

“Of course, people will believe when we mention the savior. Rumors will spread. That will be convenient, I know. But damn it! You guys did all the work! I don’t want the savior to take all the credit for this. I don’t want that to happen.”

It seemed like Kim Yongwoo did not like the savior. Yoo Eunhye didn’t argue about this. Everyone’s beliefs were different.

“I know you will take care of things well,” Yoo Eunhye told Kim Yongwoo in response. “Can we go and rest now? I want to sleep on a bed. It’s been a while.”

“Of course. Go and get some rest. You guys will be busy starting tomorrow.”

“Please give me a bed next to Eunhye,” Edward interrupted.

“Are you crazy? You are a man, and she is a woman!” Kim Yongwoo emphasized. He was a little annoyed that he had to stress it for Edward. “Each of you will have a separate room. Even if there is no room, I will make a room for you.”

Kim Yongwoo had roughly heard their stories, and now he needed to cope with the current situation.

Suddenly, he stopped for a while and asked Yoo Eunhye, “Wait. How old are you now, then? Are you older than me?”

“Shut up!”

<hr />

Seven days had passed since then. The monsters’ attack stopped. People cheered. The Guild of Heaven’s Will had made the largest contribution, and the members’ names were widely acclaimed.

In particular, Yoo Eunhye and Edward were the big stars. They were famous even before, but, at present, there was no one as popular as them. They were two of the strongest awakened heroes, and they could kill the high-grade monsters alone. Many awakened heroes began to follow them.

Everyone was relieved and started to rebuild the city. However, a massive air strike occurred again just when people were starting to be at ease.

<hr />

“Duke Martin…”

I muttered as I looked inside the crystal ball. I watched the blood and screaming from the massive air raid.

I had been receiving reports of the situation involving humans through Roy, Rose, and Krithli. I had found something strange, so I began to investigate. As a result, I was able to confirm the force behind the monsters: It was Duke Martin. I knew him.

“Pandemonium… You are bothering me to the end.”

He was one of the demons under Pandemonium’s behest. Pandemonium must have been involved in this. Martin could not strike Korea on his own without Pandemonium’s permission.

“But why is he attacking people in Korea instead of my dungeon?”

He might have noticed about the Trees of Life and Death. But seeing he was attacking systematically, it looked like he had prepared things earlier.

‘Revenge?’ I thought.

Kirin and the Korean awakened heroes had assailed the empty dungeon of the demons under Pandemonium. Pandemonium might have been outraged since he despised humans.

Therefore, revenge would be the only thing that urged Pandemonium. Then again, he knew my dungeon was in Korea. Of course, he didn’t have an idea that I was related to humans. Thus, my decision was crucial.

If I acted hastily and revealed my relationship with humans, the demons would have a good excuse to attack me. They would unite to get rid of me first.

However, humans wouldn’t be able to stop Duke Martin. Yoo Eunhye and Edward were quite strong, but they were not good enough to fight against a duke.

“He is not doing his best to strike. It seems like he is investigating something…” I touched my chin while staring at the crystal ball.

The awakened heroes somehow managed to block the attacks of the monsters so far. The levels of both sides were pretty similar at the moment.

“It is possible that this is just payback. However, he doesn’t seem to be just attacking. He is looking for something…”

If it was retaliation, then he would attack all at once. After determining the power of humans, he would strike like a storm. That was the nature of Pandemonium. Since they did not attack the way I had predicted, it meant they had other reasons.

“I don’t think this is because of the Trees of Life and Death. The timing isn’t right. I guess I have to check it out.”

I was very curious about what the reason was. Since I could not guess, I had to shake the trees.

“Lyhee, call Griffin, Gigantes, and Hydra. Tell them to prepare. I will go out.”

“Lyhee-hee-hee. Master, can Lyhee go with you?”

“You?”

My brows furrowed. It was a well-established fact that the dungeon fairy couldn’t leave the dungeon. I had no idea she wanted to go outside, or she could go outside.

Lyhee read my face and went on, “Originally, Lyhee can’t go outside the dungeon. But Lyhee can now. Lyhee wants to go out, too!”

I thought about it for a moment. What would the consequences be if Lyhee went outside?

“You shouldn’t do anything other than what I tell you to do.”

“Lyhee-hee-hee. Of course, Lyhee listens to Master well.”

Did she? I doubted it, but she seemed pretty adamant. Her eyes were shining with excitement. She was determined to go outside no matter what it would take.

I needed someone to keep an eye on the monsters anyway.

“Be prepared, then.”

“Okay! Ly-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee!”

Lyhee danced with glee.