Chapter 31 – The Red Carpet of Blood

Sua, who had been filling the moat with water, stared blankly for a moment at a Worker Bug that had approached her.

“Ding!”

Adding a bit of her own delusion, she felt as if the creature was somehow craving her attention. So, as she stepped a bit closer—

Rustle—

The fellow presented her with a small note.

“What is this?”

Tilting her head, she began to read the note.

[Something came up, so I might be a little late for the Defense Battle. However, I believe the three of you will be able to handle it well. Just hold out without overextending yourselves. – Seong Siwoo]

“Huh?”

It was the moment her expression grew more serious.

* * *

“What is it, Sua?”

“Father, look at this.”

With a grave expression, Sua passed the note to Deokchan and Seongjae, sharing the contents. Naturally, the expressions of the other two became just as serious as hers.

“Siwoo is going to be late…?”

“If Siwoo-gun is saying that… just what on earth is happening…?”

Seongjae and Deokchan spoke lamentably. However, there was no way for them to verify anything. This was because phone signals did not work inside the Dungeon.

Fortunately, the plan to fortify the Shopping Mall was proceeding exactly as they had initially planned with Siwoo, but…

It was true that they couldn’t help but worry.

This was especially true for Deokchan, who wanted to protect his daughter Sua, and Seongjae, who wanted to protect his younger brother Seongmin. Ironically, however, it was Sua who was protecting Deokchan.

Sua looked at Seongjae and asked.

“Will we be okay without Siwoo-ssi?”

“Siwoo said we could do it, so wouldn’t it be fine?”

“I suppose so…”

Both of them had complicated expressions. This was especially true since they were the two who would actually have to fight the Defense Battle.

Regrets like ‘I should have pushed myself harder in training’ or worries like ‘What if Siwoo never comes back’ surged forward, but on the other hand, the great Siwoo had trusted them and left it in their hands.

Perhaps they felt a slight sense of joy, feeling that their efforts thus far had been recognized. Or perhaps a surge of confidence that they too could do it. It was a truly complex state of mind.

The note Siwoo sent was very short, but it seemed more than enough to send their emotions into a whirlwind.

“Elder. For now, let us focus on the fortification.”

“Right. I shall reduce my sleep if necessary to make it more secure!”

Deokchan, too, seemed to have felt something, showing a determination to do his absolute best with the tasks he could handle.

* * *

The day of the Defense Battle.

“He really is late…”

Sua had a tearful expression.

“You don’t think something happened to him, do you?”

Siwoo truly trusted them and was striving through trials to obtain a gentle spear. However, those who didn’t know that fact were filled with anxiety, even while trying to tell themselves it wasn’t the case.

“That Siwoo? No way.”

“I believe Siwoo-gun is handling whatever it is perfectly…”

Seongjae and Deokchan felt similar emotions while looking at Sua, but they could only shake their heads in denial.

“I guess so…”

Sua gave a short reply.

She looked as though she couldn’t shake off her worries.

Meanwhile, that didn’t mean the inevitable wouldn’t arrive. The three of them took one last look around the fortified Shopping Mall.

The outer walls of the Shopping Mall were now plastered with Steel plates, making it look like a modern art gallery. Naturally, this was not just for appearance.

The considerably thick steel plates protected the building from the fire of Thorn Spiders, as well as various long-range attacks such as rifle fire.

Between the outer wall and the steel plates, they had poured reinforced concrete, materials they had sourced from construction sites and hardware stores.

The concrete acted as a vital support, fixing the steel plates in place while firmly reinforcing the structure from the outside.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough cement, so it couldn’t be very thick. Fortunately, the steel plates compensated for that point.

Additionally, as the load increased accordingly, the interior was naturally packed with pillars supporting the space between floors.

Outside the Shopping Mall, the nearby buildings had all been dismantled, leaving the area looking somewhat messy. Fortunately, the asphalt roads remained, but the square foundations of the demolished buildings were scattered here and there.

They decided to leave it as flat ground for now, even if they would clean it up later. It wasn’t aesthetically pleasing, but the immediate priority was defense and the efficiency required to achieve it on time.

And those building fragments were all gathered to construct the outer city wall, which was truly immense.

A giant square, built like a fortress using messy concrete chunks with protruding steel frames, stood behind a neatly cleared section of asphalt road.

In front of it lay a moat 4 meters wide.

This moat, created by laying waterproof tarps on the ground and covering them with stones and soil, wasn’t actually that sturdy if someone tried to breach it, but it was more than enough to serve its purpose against Monsters.

Especially if Sua’s abilities were combined with it.

There was also a small drawbridge that crossed the moat.

Seongjae had added various flourishes thinking about future expansion, but for now, it was a small steel structure about 2 meters wide—just enough for two or three people to walk side-by-side.

Still, it was a tool that fulfilled its role.

In summary, the Shopping Mall was practically a citadel in the middle of the city. Of course, all of this was possible because there were Worker Bugs working day and night.

As a result, over 80% of the resources they had gathered were consumed. In particular, the concrete fragments usable as construction materials and the Steel, which they thought they would have plenty of, were now running low.

The three felt a sense of pride looking at the result.

On the other hand, they could only sigh, thinking that it would have been perfect if only Siwoo could have participated in the Defense Battle.

And… just as the three finished their tour, they suddenly felt a sense of incongruity.

Whoooooosh—

It was as if something had begun to suck in Mana. A great change in Mana concentration began to occur, enough for even Deokchan, who had a low Mana Quantity, to feel it.

“Elder…?”

“This… this is… could it be…?”

“Get ready. The Defense Battle is starting.”

At Sua’s words, the three braced themselves.

* * *

“Kweeeeeek!”

“B-brother…”

Screams began to echo from afar.

Along with the change in Mana concentration, it seemed the still-young Seongmin had heard those screams, and he expressed his anxiety while searching for the three who were holding their ground outside the building.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry and stay inside.”

Seongjae comforted Seongmin and sent him back inside.

At the same time, he glanced at Deokchan.

“Elder… do you really intend to fight?”

“Of courrse. I cannot just stand by while my daughter is fighting.”

“Sigh… Father, you’re really mean.”

Sua seemed to have had a bit of a spat with Deokchan, letting out a sigh with a resigned expression.

Deokchan held a crossbow he had made himself, seemingly determined to fight alongside them somehow.

“When I was young, in the mountains—”

Just as he was about to persuade the two of them.

“Elder, here they come!”

Monsters began to arrive, blanketing the alleys in black. Meanwhile, they weren’t the only ones being attacked.

Ta-tatatatat!

The sound of Magitech Armor firing began to be heard from all directions. Hearing this, Seongjae urgently shouted to Sua.

“Ms. Sua! I’ll go take charge of the opposite side!”

Their abilities were water and fire. As Sua had said, they weren’t exactly ‘polar opposites,’ but they could certainly diminish each other’s effectiveness. Therefore, they decided to support opposite sides of the city wall.

“Yes!”

Sua answered Seongjae and immediately began to draw up her Mana to exert her ability.

Whish— tatatatat—

Water Spears erupted from the moat. The moat, undulating like thorns, was no longer just water but began to pressure the Monsters like a hedgehog.

Puff puff puff—

And every time Sua swung her hand, the momentum of the Monsters was broken bit by bit.

“Wha… what in the world?”

Deokchan, who took over 30 seconds to fire and reload a single shot, naturally wore a stunned expression.

Though he looked quite shocked, Deokchan still did his best to support Sua in his own way.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the wall.

Seongjae also seemed to be doing his best to establish a defensive line.

Since there was a vast difference in the amount of training, he didn’t have as much Mana as Sua, but Seongjae made up for the lack of Mana with superior intuition.

He had already installed various devices across the battlefield to assist him. As he drew up his Mana to lead the fire—

Fwoooosh—

Boom!

Traps installed here and there exploded with loud bangs.

“Kiyahahaha!”

Seongjae shouted with excitement every time.

However, luck was only luck. He was insufficient to continuously break the momentum of the endless Monsters. The same went for Sua, who was facing the main body of the Monsters.

‘At this rate, we might be pushed back…’

It was just as they were thinking this.

Taaaang—

Taaaaang—!

Assault Cannons began to fire directly from the roof of the Shopping Mall—no, the citadel. Their firepower was enough to turn the tide of the battle.

“Great! At this rate!”

“Just a little more effort!”

Sua shouted encouragement to the other two.

In particular, Sua, who had seen the most of the Assault Cannons’ activity, felt that their firepower seemed different from before, and she was right.

With the completion of the Mana Facility, the usable Mana Quantity had increased drastically, and the firepower had been strengthened accordingly!

However… there was a problem.

“Sua, wh-what is that now!?”

“H-huh! Stompers!”

Sua’s eyes widened. She had seen them in the Dungeon before, but it was still too much for her to handle them.

In particular, their massive size nearly reached the height of the city wall, making them a huge threat. Thus, when the Assault Cannons began to prioritize the Stompers, that too became a problem.

The other smaller species began to use the Stompers as shields, stepping over corpses to get closer and closer!

“This time, we’re really going to be pushed back!”

It was just as Sua was paralyzed with fear.

Boom!

Suddenly, a sonic boom echoed from the direction of the Dungeon.

“Th-that is?!”

“N-no way!”

Step— step— step—

The sound of quiet footsteps.

“Wow… the walls seem sturdy. You’ve been defending well.”

Siwoo was grinning.

* * *

Deokchan had heard plenty from Sua about Siwoo’s strength, but seeing it with his own eyes was a different feeling entirely.

Step, step— step, step—

Siwoo was simply walking forward—

Tattatattat—

Taaaang— Taaaaang—

His Magitech Armor and Assault Cannons were constantly clearing the path.

Cutting through the sea of Monsters as if by a miracle, as if the Monsters were no obstacle at all, Siwoo walked in a straight line from the Dungeon Entrance toward the citadel.

But that wasn’t all.

Shuuuuung— Paaaaang!

Another sonic boom was heard.

For a moment, it seemed as if something small and black flickered past, and without fail, the Monsters were split apart.

“Wh-what on earth is that…?”

“I don’t know either…”

Sua and Deokchan couldn’t believe it even as they watched.

And so, Siwoo…

Crossing the red carpet of blood, he entered his castle.

“Ah… I should change my shoes.”

That was his brief impression.