Episode 99
“We will share the power.”
The current time is 4:38 PM.
There are about twenty minutes left until the next monster wave.
There is no time or value to build a fort. The walls have long since worn out to the point where they can barely hold out.
Therefore, the Su-seong-jeon (defending the castle) is absurd.
To block it, only the snowy field in front of the castle gate is suitable as a battlefield, just as the White Bird has been doing all along.
After hearing all the previous stories, Gyeonjirok’s judgment was like this.
“Let’s split into two teams: Bridge and Gate. Let’s do it quickly.”
“You don’t abandon your saints.”
The phase of the scenario has changed.
This means that the full-scale attack has begun. Given the nature of the Tower of Babel, the difficulty level has changed quickly.
Even if you can easily block the monster wave, no one knows how the game will turn out if a variable called the ‘Great Demon’ is added.
I had to finish the raid before he woke up. That was the best I could do.
So, this is ultimately a race against time.
Even if we had told everyone to focus only on the Salt Bridge due to the absolute lack of time, everyone would have been convinced.
A white bird gazes blankly.
Kyeonjirok shook his head calmly. It had been six years, I think.
It was so impressive that I was even a little scared person to person… … .
“This isn’t about goodwill or humanity. Since we don’t know what’s on the ‘Salt Bridge,’ we can’t just leave our rear exposed.”
It’s just a strategic decision.
Gyeonjirok, who had been scanning the corners of his mouth, narrowed his eyebrows again.
“The problem is that we don’t have the power to share.”
The total number of Awakened people currently in the scenario is twenty-two, but there are only five here.
Kyeon Ji-rok, White Bird, Baek Do-hyeon, Na Jo-yeon, and Kyeon Ji-oh.
There’s no point in looking for the rest who have turned into children. Not only is the possibility of the curse being lifted slim, but even if it is lifted, it won’t be much different from the Records of the Three Kingdoms.
With all of his abilities limited by the penalty, Gyeonjirok was currently only a slightly stronger average person.
‘The situation is not very good.’
Of course, it was a deus ex machina. There was one ridiculous fraudulent character who was odiously inserted into this gap… …Kyunjirok checked Geo’s side.
It doesn’t look like he has even the slightest intention of coming forward.
‘It’s obvious. Since I’ve put it back the way it was, he thinks his job is done.’
Hiding your identity is one thing, but the 39th floor is a special stage. Since you can’t use the Holy Skill, you have to use the ‘Enemy Skill’, or in other words, magic.
The ‘appropriate karma title’ is a combination of several characteristics of the Awakened One.
If ‘trait’ is raw talent, ‘skill’ derived from the title of enemy occupation was a more specialized area.
For example, even if they look similar at first glance, the tracking skill of a person whose first title is Ranger and the ‘tracker’ trait used by other occupations are qualitatively different.
Since it is a completely specialized field, the higher the skill level, the more difficult it is to learn and use.
He usually hates skills and says that his head would break, but there’s no way he would do something he doesn’t even know how to do.
‘Let’s assume that doesn’t exist.’
Kyeonjirok opened his mouth in a trembling manner.
“… … In this state, my actual operational power is about three.”
‘Oh, you took it off.’
Baek Do-hyun nodded, understanding everything from his expression. The white bird tilted its head slightly.
“Isn’t it four?”
“Hey, Mr. Geo, you’re part of Babylon’s support team.”
Instead of Bambi, who had a patient expression, Baek Do-hyun answered.
It’s not entirely wrong. For now, officially, I’m part of Babylon’s desk team (temporary).
Ah. The white bird nodded briefly.
“I see. It doesn’t matter. Whether there are three or four, one is enough at the gate. I’ll be left alone.”
The record immediately denied it. One person is not enough.
“Just because the phase has changed, the monster waves won’t be the same as before.”
“Even if a variable arises, all you have to do is hold out until you finish the attack.”
“It would be dangerous.”
It was a little funny that it was said by none other than Kyeon Ji-rok.
“Babylon Guildmaster, those are not the words that should come out of a man who only seeks out the most dangerous places.”
“The lord.”
The leaders of the two guilds.
Our eyes meet each other head on.
“… … .”
Although Kyeonjirok is still young and rough, he is a leader with good judgment.
In this brief moment, he confirmed that White Bird’s sincerity, and White Bird confirmed that Gyeonjirok understood his decision.
The bass that came out after the short silence was soft.
“Jirok, if you had decided to abandon the gate, I would have stubbornly tried to guard this place.”
“… … .”
“I am just grateful that you helped me ease my burden.”
Several pairs of eyes. The white bird looked back at them and gazed at the snowy field beyond the castle walls.
The end is still quiet.
“Haven’t you been trusting and waiting for your colleagues for the past six years? It doesn’t seem like much of a difference.”
Even at this moment, the snowstorm was getting worse. There was no time to delay. The white bird had put a period.
“I’ll take care of the gates.”
The current time is 4:45 PM.
Two attack teams, split up.
* * *
Kyaak, kieeeeek!
It was a battle between humans, monsters, and Mother Nature.
In the swirling snow, it was difficult to see clearly, let alone take a single step.
Phew-!
Geo wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. It was the blood that had splattered out when the monster Baek Do-hyun had cut down fell. It must have frozen in the meantime, so he wiped it away.
‘Oh, sir. Are you stepping on a snow field or a field of corpses?’
This is already the fourth raid.
I got off the horse I was running from a little while ago because I couldn’t ride any longer because of the snow.
Admiya, the provincial capital located in a mountainous basin.
The road to the salt bridge at the end was extremely rough.
As we got closer to the castle walls, the terrain became steeper and steeper, and the 310 steps that were supposed to lead to the bridge were covered in perennial snow and not even visible.
Thanks to you, I’m hiking in real time again.
Geo’s teeth chattered as he climbed the hill. Babel, you bastard.
‘Two, two times I have to climb this damn mountain path!’
How long has it been since you came back from Gangwon-do? What happened to King Geo? Did he get possessed by the spirit of a mountaineer from Seorak?
‘As soon as I go out, I get beaten up by the bastards, you bad kids.’
“Jo, Jojo Niim, heuk, ugh. Ma, really hard, you must be tired. Ugh.”
‘You’re not just in pain, you’re going to die soon… … .’
“Mr. Cho, are you okay? So, you should exercise regularly.”
“Ugh. I usually skip going to the gym on New Year’s Day… … Ugh!”
Geo’s hand grabbed the back of his neck, which was twisted from crying.
Although Najo Yeon was sobbing in gratitude, Geo was already looking somewhere else. With an expressionless face, he was looking far behind the path he had walked.
‘… … Sister.’
【Yeah. It was 4 seconds ago.】
But I almost didn’t have to ask.
Countdown letters immediately fill the empty space before your eyes.
[3, 2… … 1.]
[The ‘safe zone’ has been lifted.]
[Emergency! A monster wave is occurring in ‘Chengdu Admiya’.]
–! —!
Thump, koo-kung, koo-gu-gu!
Nothing could be seen due to the heavy snowstorm. Only… …the vibration of the winter ground and the howling of monsters could be heard from afar.
“Kyungjio, come quickly.”
“… … .”
A tone without ups and downs.
Geo stared up at the observation deck. That’s what he looks like up there.
He speaks emotionlessly with extremely emotional eyes.
“Once you’ve decided, don’t look back.”
“… … I didn’t look back, I just checked how far I had come.”
Wheeeeee-.
Footsteps climbing the road again in the snowstorm.
The current time is 5:01 PM.
Admiya Monster Wave, start.
* * *
In the valley where crows fight
White heron, don’t go.
The angry crow envies your whiteness, and black stains the whiteness. Truly, once you are stained with black stains, there is no way to wash it away.
“Are you going to recite the White Heron Song again, Grandfather?”
“Jongju, isn’t it snowing? It’s a good day to look for white birds.”
“It’s not the end yet.”
“Since the divine being has proven it and others have already done the same, what does it matter whether you call it this way or that?”
“… … I’m a little scared. Do you think I can do it well?”
“Huh… … . Have you ever told the lord why you like this poem so much?”
“He just said he liked white birds.”
“Actually, the egret is a troublesome bird. Once it builds a nest, the surrounding trees wither and die, and pests swarm.”
「… … .」
“No one ever mocks that white bird. It is born with a whiteness that cannot be hidden by such minor flaws.”
「… … .」
“The white heron just needs to not get covered in black dust. Just by maintaining its original white color, it becomes a symbol of integrity and nobility, and many people will want to be like it… … .”
More rigidly.
More innocently.
That was the way the white bird carried the weight it carried.
It wouldn’t be much different if you called it a breakthrough, though.
‘Was that right?’
Grrrr! Kyaaaaak!
Enemies swarmed before his eyes like a tidal wave. White Bird fixed his sword.
“… … [The white sword simply cuts through the blue sea.]”
[Red Skill, 9th Rank Ultimate Skill – Final Secret
‘Haetajong 11th form Baekgeomhalchanghae (White Sword Splitting the Blue Sea)’]
Ssaaaaak!
A pure white sword rises, and the sea of corpses splits in two.
Although they were exhausted and somewhat less powerful, the number of monsters they struck was estimated to be around a thousand.
But the number of enemies is not decreasing.
‘Was that… really right?’
The white bird took a deep breath.
The current time is 5:37 PM.
The observation was correct.
The variable was dangerous.
It was a monster wave of a completely different kind than before. The number that was at most a few hundred was now over ten thousand even with the naked eye.
Even if you cut it down, it never ends. Even if you kill it, it comes back to life. It’s literally hell.
‘Was it really right to live like that?’
The questions and doubts I ask myself never stop.
White Bird wanted to live as a human rather than a hunter.
In the end, there were often moments when I could become infinitely great because I was human, but at the same time, there were also moments when I became infinitely weak because I was human.
It was a time like this right now.
“… … Huh!”
Beetle, the white bird that had been slashing enemies one after another, lost its balance for a moment.
It was only for a moment, but the crisis was even faster. A horde of demons rose again from the spot where they had just been cut down.
Grrrrrrrr!
The sky is no longer visible.
Feeling the black shadow cast over his head, the white bird gripped the sword tightly. A groan escaped.
“… … David.”
I, the white bird, was it really right to live like that?
And the answer to that endless question is… … .
“[Come, Aurora]”
[Red Skill, 10th rank ultimate spell – Order of the King
‘Apocalypse’]
It was in that sky, the sky that I thought I could no longer see.
A guide to proper living for rankers.
