Chapter 151

Long ago, in the filthy alleys of Rustroom, there lived a shabby Non-Awakened man. He dreamed of success, but reality was far from kind.

As he drowned in alcohol day by day, he contemplated ending his own life. Perhaps he would have become a corpse as planned, had it not been for someone approaching him one day to grant him grace.

The man joined the cult, succeeded in awakening, and became captivated by its teachings. After a long struggle, he even rose to the status of Elder.

Now, Karnan marched forward with a joyful heart, leading an army of monsters toward the Forward Base.

“Master, are you watching? I succeeded!”

His chest swelled with pride.

After utilizing the power and relics bestowed upon him, he managed to control the horde of monsters like a great master.

The golden ring that encircled the edge of his conical hat sparkled. It was the secret to forming the monster legion.

Although he experienced minor side effects, like his heart racing at an abnormal speed and a painful sensation akin to ants crawling up his entire body, he believed he could control it somehow for a while. Enduring the brutal pain with a strange religious fervor, he maintained this control.

“Elder, I can feel it! The Vision Prism!”

One of the believers riding a bull-like monster under Noxterra shouted. He saw the brightly lit Safety Zone of the Forward Base, contrasting with the darkness of the dungeon.

‘We’ve been trapped!’

Indeed, Karnan thought, his prediction was correct. Though a minor disaster had led to the loss of the relic, wasn’t it true that they had inadvertently moved to the position the cult desired? This had to be an opportunity prepared by the Divine.

“Haha, this is wonderful! A feast has been laid before us!”

He would kill the Heretics, offering them as sacrifices to activate the relic. If he did so, he would be able to control even larger hordes of monsters. If he could lead the monsters beyond the Gate, the opportunity for ascension would come closer.

‘For now, let’s test their defenses over there. Some martyrs might surface, but it can’t be helped.’

Sacrifices need to be made to get a step closer to salvation. Thinking this, Elder Karnan shouted loudly to inspire the believers.

“There shall be ascension!”

*

I saw the monsters rushing in from beyond the dungeon. They resembled the cockroach monsters I had fought with Irene weeks ago.

“Why are there so many of them?”

“Look over there! There are people too!… Wait, why are they dressed like that?”

Creatures wearing bizarre white conical hats were running among the monsters.

Those standing outside were engulfed in horror upon seeing the horde of monsters. The crowd rushed urgently toward the entrance.

“Get out of the way! What kind of checkpoint is this in a situation like this?”

“Huh? Wait…!”

The Guard Hunters had no time to stop them. They too had been shocked by the writhing mass of monsters before their eyes.

The Federal Army didn’t miss their opportunity.

“This is an emergency situation, we’re going in!”

“What, what did you say?”

“Surely you don’t intend to hand the relic over to those monsters and the Zealots, right? Hey! Move out!”

With that, Major Marius forcibly drove the truck into the entrance. The escort unit shoved their way through. Under the threat of being crushed at any moment, the managers of the Atlas Clan had no choice but to step aside.

“You! What is the meaning of this…”

“Now, we’re in the same boat. Given the situation, we’ll provide fire support. If you have any complaints, voice them after it’s all over!”

“Ugh…”

The clan’s representative was left speechless. The soldiers acted on their own. Tanks were deployed at the main entry points, and the soldiers moved behind the barriers and blockades.

“An impromptu alliance, huh.”

“Well, they are soldiers, so I guess they’ll fight well, at least for now?”

As the monsters drew near, sirens blared throughout the Safety Zone.

-Emergency! Emergency! A large gathering of monsters approaching! All workers are advised to evacuate inside! Everyone capable of fighting, please head to the barriers and entrance!

The Hunters of the Atlas Clan and others from different clans began to rush in one by one, gripping their Individual Weapons. Normally they would have just exited the Gate, but now it was a matter of survival; if they didn’t fight together, they would die.

Meanwhile, the scene unfolding before my eyes was quite astonishing. A human controlling monsters!

“Irene! My eyes are going crazy! There’s a person riding on top of that Noxterra!”

“You’re not seeing things. That is a human. Goodness, does this even make sense? Controlling monsters like that?”

Even Irene, who usually maintained her composure in bizarre situations, seemed taken aback by the current events.

The armed Zealots charged forward alongside the monsters.

“There shall be ascension!”

They spouted some insane drivel.

Strangely, the monsters didn’t attack the believers at all. Those monsters, which would normally go on a rampage upon seeing humans, treated the surrounding people as allies this time.

Even more strangely, some were riding the monsters like they were steeds.

“I can’t believe there are actually people doing that!”

Riding on monsters and then riding on people, what method could they be using? That didn’t seem like a power any ordinary zealots would possess.

“Could it be the power of magic or a relic? As far as we know, there’s almost no way to control monsters.”

In fact, within the game’s settings, such a thing does exist. However, it’s not a normal means. It would reduce a person to a helpless state.

As I organized the world view of the Crimson Scholar in my mind, I climbed up the barrier with my teammates.

“Fire!”

The machine gun turrets installed next to the barriers were already spitting fire without a moment’s pause. My ears went momentarily deaf. The bright rays of tracer rounds swept through the hordes of monsters. The Hunters cheered joyously.

“Good, let’s wipe them all out!”

As they got closer, the Hunters raised their Individual Weapons and fired at the monsters.

From massive rifles to rapid-fire crossbows, and magic staffs, all sorts of weapons unleashed a barrage of bullets, bolts, and magic. The Zealots and monsters tumbled about in chaos.

“Wow, we might not even have to fight!”

I was ecstatic; our firepower was incredible. And we even had tanks on our side!

The bright blue sparks from the cannon of the light tank erupted. The rain of illuminating shells swept through the monster swarm like a broom clearing dust. The machine guns attached to the body melted the approaching monsters into sludge.

– Growl!

What those fleeing monsters found was the barrier surrounded by defensive magic. As they approached, electric sparks flew, and flames engulfed the monsters.

-Don’t worry, everyone! The defensive system of the Atlas Clan is perfect!

The speakers installed inside the base crackled to life, and the Chief spoke in a proud tone.

With their spirits lifted, the Hunters continued to slay the monsters and the Zealots.

“Oh? Those guys are fleeing.”

The Zealots, who had attempted to charge several times, seemed to hesitate and soon stopped their attacks, retreating.

“Did we win?”

“This is ending too easily.”

It was strange. The Noxterra, which appeared to be the leader, seemed ready to charge, but then hesitated as if sensing the atmosphere.

“Could it be they’re testing the waters?”

Feeling something odd, I looked at Irene. She seemed to think the same as me and nodded in agreement.

“If they’re not fools, then that last attack must have been just a test.”

Ten minutes later, the second wave of attacks came.

This time, intermediate monsters were mixed in.

Twenty minutes, twenty-five minutes, forty minutes, an hour.

The assaults continued one after another.

*

The Safety Zone had been tormented for over four hours by the relentless onslaught of the Zealots. Nevertheless, the defensive line, bolstered by the soldiers of the Federation, did not easily collapse.

“Ugh, Self-Destructing monsters!”

The Violets were amazed at the creativity of the Unity Cult. The offensives that began with low-level monsters gradually became more diverse. They attempted various strategies, such as charges led by intermediate monsters or self-destruct attacks.

While the defensive systems were strong, no matter how Awakened one might be, they would inevitably suffer mental fatigue after being on edge for hours.

“We have no casualties, but it’s a bit unsettling. The number of Injured Persons is steadily increasing.”

Listening to Daphne’s concerned words, the Thirteenth Clone turned to the barriers. Black smoke billowed up from the destroyed machine gun turret, wrecked by a bomb Skullcat’s charge.

The attacks from the Zealots suddenly ceased. During the brief respite, people assessed the situation.

“Communications with the ceiling have been cut off.”

The emergency contact network, which had survived the collapse of the elevator, was now down. People felt a twinge of anxiety. Repair of the elevator was still underway.

“Are we even getting it down? Don’t you just attach a cable and lower it?”

“They are urgently bringing in equipment from above and installing it. Please wait a moment. It’ll be done shortly.”

“If I had known, I would’ve learned some Flying Magic…”

Amidst the commotion, another conflict erupted between the Federal soldiers and the Hunters. Disputes arose in front of the armored truck carrying the relic.

“We’re out of ammunition, and everyone’s worn out. If this is their aim, we need to dismantle it right now!”

“We can’t do that! Didn’t they say the elevator would be operational in a few hours? Then just send it up as a priority, right?”

As the clamor ensued, a group of people watched from a distance.

The members of Magnavis, disguised as ordinary medium-sized clan Hunters, were quietly waiting within the Forward Base. They fixed their eyes on the armored truck carrying the Vision Prism. Arguments were still ongoing around them.

“I’m glad we stepped back. Can you see the location where our camp was? The monsters swept through it once.”

The Vanguard Commander pointed towards the barriers.

“By the way, I didn’t expect the Zealots to control the monsters. That’s an unexpected variable. Have we pinpointed the cause?”

Lera passed a tablet to one of the members, indicating the screen. In the paused video, a shabby man wearing a conical hat was perched atop a black, goo-like substance. A particularly shining metallic band was visible beneath the edge of the hat.

“We just got the analysis results. Tracing the flow of magical energy revealed that the relic on this person’s head, riding the intermediate monster, seems to be controlling the others.”

“Oh, how intriguing. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”

The agent’s curiosity was evident even beyond the distorted mechanical voice.

“So if we destroy this relic or subdue its user, we can halt that monster legion. Am I understanding this correctly?”

Lera nodded.

“According to the researchers’ calculations, there’s a 90% chance they will disperse. What do you propose we do? With our current forces, an assassination attempt is feasible…”

“Need it be right now?”

The commander shrugged. It implied there was no reason for the Federation to do something beneficial at that moment.

“Let’s just keep an eye on it. We don’t know how this will unfold…”

Before he could finish his sentence, a loud noise erupted from the left side of the defensive line. Black, gooey tentacles burst up from the ground. Lera’s blue eyes widened.

“Hmm, what should we do now?”

As the agent asked, she briefly compared the strengths of the two currently engaged forces. Although casualties might occur, she judged that the defensive line wouldn’t fall that easily.

However, what if a little balance was introduced? This might be an opportunity.

Having made her decision, she activated telepathic communication.

“Initiating Plan Four.”

“Confirmed.”

It wasn’t unusual for unexpected monster outbreaks within the dungeon to result in complete annihilation.

What occurred in this dungeon would likely become another common occurrence.

As her report concluded, the members began preparing to activate the Prism.

Simultaneously, Lera activated the relic device strapped to her back. Output at maximum.

Waves of magical energy swept through the surroundings.

*

The Zealots’ new attack started from underground. Tentacles emerged from the earth, capturing prey. Those ensnared screamed in agony as their flesh melted away.

“Ahhh!”

The soldiers and Hunters engaged in fierce combat turned their heads. Their faces hardened. The Noxterra, having absorbed its prey, began to reveal its massive, amorphous body.

As the monster fully crawled out from the ground, a horde of monsters surged out like ants from the burrow.

“I got careless. A tunnel, of all things…!”

The Chief let out a deep breath. He cursed himself yet urgently called the people to prepare to defend.

However, there were foes on the inside as well.

“Ugh, argh!”

“Haha! Die!”

Believers disguised as ordinary people revealed themselves, attacking other Hunters.

“Zealots! Get rid of them!”

“Die, Heretic!”

As chaos erupted, Major Marius hurriedly jumped into his command vehicle. The sight bewildered the Chief.

“Damn it! At this rate, we’ll collapse. We’re leaving now!”

“Wait! Where do you think you’re going?!”

“We’re withdrawing! We’ll see you at the rear. Attention all! Retreat to the designated coordinates! Over!”

“Wait, the defensive line is still intact!!”

“Shut it! If you keep trusting them, the relic will be destroyed!”

Ignoring the objections, the major hastily jumped into the vehicle. The tanks that had been blocking the entrance turned to head toward the rear gate of the base.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?!”

As the monsters charged forward, the soldiers and tanks suddenly pulled back from the defensive line, causing the Hunters to panic.

– Commander! We can’t retreat! Please reconsider your orders…

An officer hurriedly sent a radio message, but the Major ignored it and sent the escort unit out.

“You fool, playing the hero…”

The escort unit, moving with the truck in the center, headed toward the rear gate. Just as I glanced around, a sudden flash swept across the area.

“Ahhh!”

*

The Thirteenth Clone felt something strange amid the battle.

“Ugh?”

An unsettling wave brushed past my body and vanished. I felt something was off.

“What is it? Is it the Zealts’ magic?”

I brushed the thought aside and pulled the trigger of my rifle. The bullet clicked, striking emptily against the chamber.

“What the…?”

Thinking it was a misfire, I pulled the charging handle. The bullet did not fire.

Emergency communications spread rapidly through the Violet Network.

“Kyaaa! The bullets won’t fire!”

“My gun’s broken! What’s going on?!”

“Is it a bullet problem?”

It seemed I wasn’t the only one experiencing this. Nearby, Kalia, who had been firing her Magnum, hurriedly opened the cylinder to remove the bullets.

“What the hell! Why’s this happening all of a sudden?”

I looked around. Hunters who had been shooting like me were now suffering from sudden misfires.

“What is this? Why…?”

“Is it broken?”

It was then I noticed that the machine gun turret beside us, which had been diligently raining down destruction, had also ceased firing.

To be precise, it was still firing, but the spent shell ejection port was continuously spewing out perfectly fine bullets, as if a drunk person were vomiting.

As I pondered over this oddity, Daphne rushed over in panic.

“Everyone! Gather over here! Right now!”

“Huh?”

A massive sky-blue barrier unfolded, and a blinding flash swept through the interior of the Safety Zone.

“Ughhh!”