Chapter 388: The Sixth Return, Earth (5) |
“Three-digit monsters from the start? I’m scared to see what comes later.”
Lee Taeyeon grumbled as she adjusted her stance. A spirit assisted her, channeling black magic toward the monster.
Boom!
The monster’s tentacles lashed out violently. The dense attacks made dodging completely impossible. Lee Taeyeon swung her sword.
[You have activated Flow Skill.]
Boom!
The trajectory of the tentacles twisted. As the monster’s focus shifted to Lee Taeyeon, Kang Junhyeok descended from above the monster.
Crash.
Kang Junhyeok’s sword pierced the monster.
[You have defeated Monster 577.]
“Are you okay?”
“No problem.”
Lee Taeyeon caught her breath. With Kang Junhyeok’s cooperation, they could defeat three-digit monsters without too much trouble.
Slashing an approaching monster in half, Lee Taeyeon glanced around.
“They’re holding out well.”
Numerous four-digit monsters mixed with a smaller number of three-digit ones. The Hard Mode players struggled to handle them but managed to take them down somehow.
They had faced overwhelmingly powerful monsters on Earth before. Through countless deaths and experiences, they had developed the most effective combat methods and formations to counter the monsters. They no longer fell easily.
Lee Taeyeon leapt. Her speed suddenly doubled.
[You have activated Acceleration.]
Crash.
Her sword pierced through a monster. Kim Hwiyeon, who had been gritting her teeth to endure, widened her eyes. Lee Taeyeon strengthened her grip.
[You have activated Tear Apart.]
Slash!
Her sword moved in all directions, shredding the monster into pieces.
“Thanks, Taeyeon.”
“The situation seems manageable.”
“As for us…”
Kim Hwiyeon glanced sideways.
From the direction where the Indian players were gathered, loud screams echoed, audible even from a distance.
“Things don’t seem to be going well over there.”
“Where’s Taesan?”
“He’s with the Russians. He left, saying we could handle things here without him.”
Although Kim Hwiyeon grumbled, her expression wasn’t dark. In a way, it was proof that Taesan trusted her.
“Russia, huh.”
Lee Taeyeon narrowed her gaze. Although Russia was a considerable distance away, it wasn’t much of an issue for her now.
The Russian players were being completely overwhelmed by the monsters.
And there, amidst the chaos, Taesan appeared, landing gracefully.
“This will be over soon.”
Russia’s situation was dire.
Victor, who was blocking the charging monsters, was astonished.
“This is insane!”
The monsters were far stronger than anything they had encountered before.
The rare three-digit ones were so powerful that even Hard Mode players struggled to withstand a single blow.
‘Was that warning true?’
During the exchange of information, Kim Hwiyeon had warned that the monsters appearing this time would be entirely different. She had said that without adequate preparation, many lives could be lost.
Victor had been skeptical. Although he had witnessed Taesan’s power, the monsters Taesan had fought so far didn’t seem excessively strong.
Still, he had prepared as much as possible, assuming the warning wasn’t baseless. But the monsters’ strength far exceeded his expectations.
Boom!
A deafening roar resounded as people were thrown through the air. Each swing of the giant monster’s club claimed lives.
The players from Russia and Mongolia were stunned and failed to respond properly.
As a result, they were helplessly pushed back.
[Roar!]
Boom! Boom!
The giant roared as it charged toward Victor. People tried to throw themselves in its way to block its path but achieved little. As the club swung down and Victor gritted his teeth to endure, it happened.
Crash.
The giant’s body lay crushed, slammed into the ground.
The unstoppable monster was suddenly dead. Standing atop its corpse was the one who had vanquished it.
“…Kang Taesan.”
“You understand now, don’t you? The situation we’re in.”
“To the bone.”
Victor nodded grimly, his face shadowed.
“That will do.”
People often don’t realize the gravity of a situation until they experience it firsthand. Victor’s expression showed he now fully understood.
With that realization, it was time to conclude matters.
Taesan gathered his dark energy. Through the open pathway, his power manifested into the world.
[You have activated Zepar’s Black Storm.]
“Eeeek!”
“Sa… save… us… huh?”
The people who were desperately fighting the monsters hesitated.
A small, black whirlwind formed among the monsters.
It was small enough to be ignored, yet everyone’s eyes were inexplicably drawn to it.
The wind began to grow, swirling into a massive storm.
Crack! Crack!
The storm, devouring everything in its path, descended upon the earth.
The monsters were sucked into the storm. Though people screamed and crouched in fear, the black storm did not touch them—it targeted only the monsters.
“This is…”
Victor stared blankly at the storm.
As the storm subsided, no monsters were left in sight.
In an instant, tens of thousands of monsters were wiped out.
Faced with such overwhelming power, no one could utter a word.
“…He was holding back.”
Victor let out a hollow laugh.
When Taesan had defeated 3,000 Hard Mode players, he had not shown his full power. Victor belatedly realized this.
Two days later, the wave ended.
Russia faced minimal damage thanks to Taesan, while the three East Asian nations managed to win without much trouble, drawing on their prior experiences.
But India was different.
They barely survived atop a mountain of corpses.
“Aah…”
Screams and groans echoed everywhere. The faces of India’s Hard Mode players were stiff with dread.
The number of dead was so overwhelming that they feared confirming the losses.
For them, the Return Quest had merely been a pastime. They had believed they could defeat any monster and had neither formed formations nor devised strategies.
Thus, the damage was inevitably severe.
In the end, 30% of the players were confirmed dead, including a considerable number of Hard Mode players.
Then, the quest reappeared.
[Special Quest Initiated.]
[The Second Wave begins.]
[Preparation Time: One Week.]
[Eliminate all attacking monsters.]
[Rewards will be distributed based on performance upon returning to the Labyrinth.]
“Ah…”
Terror was evident on people’s faces.
Hassan desperately tried to persuade the Hard Mode players.
“You’ve seen it. From now on, it will be difficult to deal with the monsters with our strength alone. We must join forces with other groups and ask for help—”
“Shut up!”
But they refused to listen to Hassan.
“This was a one-time thing. Just this once… we can handle the second wave ourselves!”
Their confidence in their absolute power.
Their belief that monsters were no match for them.
When all of that crumbled, they began to deny reality itself. Clinging only to their stubbornness and pride, they shouted recklessly.
“…Is that so?”
Hassan’s eyes darkened. With a determined expression, he withdrew.
The Second Wave began.
Nothing had changed. The monsters were still strong, and they were still weak.
This time, they had hastily formed a rough formation, but it was insufficient. The lack of coordination only led to greater losses.
“We’re here to help! Come behind us!”
Fortunately, when countless people were dying, players from Korea, who had cleared their wave, arrived to provide support.
Thanks to their assistance, the losses were contained.
But the atmosphere turned for the worse.
It became evident that they could not survive on their own.
People began to split into factions.
The caste system had persisted because the Hard Mode players’ strength had allowed them to survive alone. Their overwhelming power enabled them to impose their hierarchy on others—a logic based purely on strength.
But if they could no longer maintain that strength…
If they could no longer achieve anything through the faith placed in them…
Then everything built on that foundation of power would collapse.
A notification appeared, announcing the next wave would begin in a week.
The very next night, Indian Easy Mode players under the Chandala caste secretly attempted to move into Korea’s formation.
However, their large numbers inevitably caught the attention of the Hard Mode players. The Hard Mode players of India intercepted them, their faces twisted in fury.
“You! What do you think you’re doing? I told you not to make contact with other groups!”
“Shut up!”
A man from the Chandala caste shouted harshly.
“You treated us like slaves, like tools, saying we’d survive if we did what you wanted! But look at the mess now! Instead of surviving, we’re all dying!”
The Hard Mode players hesitated momentarily at the man’s intense outburst. Gritting his teeth, the man shouted again.
“If this continues, we’ll all die! That’s why we decided to join another group!”
“You, you…”
The faces of the Hard Mode players turned red. They wanted to refute his words but couldn’t. In reality, most of them would die at this rate. But even so, they had no intention of agreeing with the man.
“…Fine. I acknowledge it. But we established a rule. For those who betray us, only death awaits.”
The Hard Mode players drew their weapons. The Chandalas screamed and trembled.
Their reaction made the Hard Mode players sneer as they pointed their swords at the man.
“If you repent and end your life yourself, we’ll forgive the rest by only taking one eye.”
“Screw you.”
The man raised his middle finger.
“Whether I die now or later doesn’t matter. Do whatever you want.”
“…So you’re eager to die, then.”
The Hard Mode players resolved to kill them. They raised their weapons and rushed forward.
“Why all the commotion?”
“Ah.”
But it didn’t happen.
Right beside them, Taesan stood, staring at them with an expressionless face.
The Hard Mode players wavered momentarily.
They hadn’t noticed Taesan approaching. He was, quite literally, like a ghost, appearing beside them without a sound.
However, they quickly regained their composure.
“Get lost.”
One of the Hard Mode players stepped forward confidently and spoke.
“This is a matter within our group. You have no right to interfere.”
Taesan merely stared at him in silence. The Hard Mode player felt a chill but ignored it, meeting Taesan’s gaze head-on.
“Your name?”
“Sajid Khan. A great Brahmin of India.”
“Alright, Sajid. I don’t care for you.”
“…What?”
“I’m not a saint. I have no intention of saving those who aren’t my people. But if they wish to become my people, that changes the story. They’re abandoning you and coming to join my group.”
Taesan turned to the Chandalas.
“You’re trying to join my group, right?”
“Y-Yes! We’ll follow you! We’re done with these bastards!”
A Chandala, his face brightening, shouted desperately. Taesan nodded.
“That’s fine. Come over here.”
“…Over my dead body!”
Sajid shouted angrily, drawing his sword.
“They are ours! You have no right to interfere!”
“And you think you have the right?”
“W-What?”
“You’re not India’s leader. Kamal Hassan is. And I’ve already spoken with him.”
He said that if anyone wished to move to another group, they wouldn’t stop them. They would allow free movement.
That conversation had taken place two days ago when Hassan secretly sought out Taesan.
“Even if he doesn’t have practical control, you acknowledged him as your leader. That makes everyone else ordinary players. None of you have the right to stop me.”
Taesan spoke nonchalantly.
They couldn’t argue. It had been their decision to shift responsibilities onto Kamal Hassan by making him the leader.
“…Don’t make me laugh!”
But Sajid resisted.
“As if I’d allow it!”
“I don’t need your permission.”
“Hah!”
Sajid sneered, opening his inventory and pulling out a blue staff.
“Regardless, you betrayed me! Die!”
[Sajid has activated the Staff of Wind Blades.]
Blades of wind surged toward the Chandalas, who screamed and collapsed.
Taesan casually waved his hand. The wind dissipated under his control. Sajid gasped in shock.
“W-What is this?”
His power hadn’t been blocked; it had simply vanished.
Taesan stared at him with his usual expressionless gaze.
Sajid tried to maintain his composure and shouted.
“They are slaves! They don’t need rights!”
He was convinced. He was sure Taesan wouldn’t kill him.
After all, there were still hundreds of thousands of Hard Mode players left in India. If Taesan attacked Sajid here, it would surely lead to open conflict.
Sajid believed Taesan wouldn’t take such a risk for the sake of a few Chandalas.
“If you understand, leave, outsider!”
Sajid shouted confidently, charging toward the Chandalas. The other Hard Mode players began to move subtly as well.
But Sajid was gravely mistaken.
To Taesan, India’s Hard Mode players held no value whatsoever.
With a snap of Taesan’s fingers, Sajid’s head snapped back as he was flung through the air.
Sajid, now sprawled on the ground, twitched like an insect.
“…What?”
“Seems you’re mistaken about something.”
In the silence filled with shock, Taesan’s calm voice echoed.
“To me, none of you are worth anything.”
Whether it was the Easy and Normal Mode players being treated as slaves or the Hard Mode players dominating them, it was all the same to Taesan.