Chapter 31 – The Red Carpet of Blood

Chapter 31 – The Red Carpet of Blood

Soo-ah, who was filling the moat with water, stared as if mesmerized at a worker bug that approached her.

“Ding!!”

With a slight addition of her delusion, it felt as if it was craving her attention. So, when she approached a little closer-

Rustle-

The creature presented her with a small note.

“What is this?”

She tilted her head and began to read the note.

[Something has come up, so I might be a little late for the Defense Battle in the Capital City. Still, I believe the three of you will be able to handle it well. You just need to endure without overexerting yourselves. – Seong Siwoo]

“Oh?”

It was the moment her expression grew a little more serious.

* * *

“Why so serious, Soo-ah?”

“Father, look at this.”

Soo-ah, with a serious expression, passed the note to Deokchan and Seongjae, sharing its contents. It was natural that the other two’s expressions also became as serious as hers.

“Siwoo is going to be late…?”

“If Siwoo has to be late… what on earth could have happened…?”

Seongjae and Deokchan spoke with a sigh of regret. However, the men had no way to confirm it. This was because phone signals did not work inside the Dungeon.

Fortunately, the Shopping Mall fortification plan was proceeding as the men had initially planned with Siwoo, but…

It was indeed a cause for concern.

In particular, Deokchan wanted to protect his daughter Su-a, and Seongjae wanted to protect his younger brother Seongmin, making the situation even more pressing for the men. Ironically, Su-a was protecting Deokchan.

Su-a looked at Seongjae and asked.

“Can we do well without Siwoo?”

“Won’t it be okay since Siwoo said he could do it?”

“I suppose so…”

They both had complicated expressions. This was especially true for the two who would actually have to fight the Defense Battle.

Regrets and worries like, ‘I should have trained harder’ or ‘What if Siwoo never comes back?’ came first, but on the other hand, Siwoo had entrusted them with this task.

Perhaps they felt a little joy, as if their efforts had been recognized. Or perhaps confidence surged within them, thinking, ‘I can do this too.’ It was truly a complex state of mind.

The note Siwoo sent was very short, but it seemed to be enough to make their emotions swirl.

“Elder. For now, let’s focus on fortification.”

“Indeed. I will make it even more secure, even if it means less sleep!”

Deokchan also seemed to be feeling something, showing his best efforts in what he could do.

***

On the day of the Defense Battle.

“He’s really late…”

Su-a had a tearful expression.

“Nothing happened to him, did it?”

Siwoo truly believed in them and was diligently striving to overcome his trials and obtain the Mild Spear. But for those who didn’t know this fact, even as they thought, ‘No, it can’t be,’ worry still took precedence.

“Siwoo? No way.”

“I trust that Siwoo is doing well with whatever he’s doing…”

Seongjae and Deokchan felt similar emotions as they watched Su-a, but they could only shake their heads and deny it.

“I suppose so…”

Sua’s brief reply.

The woman seemed unable to shake off her worries.

Meanwhile, what was coming still came. The three took a final look around the fortified shopping mall.

The exterior of the shopping mall was now covered with steel plates, making it look like a modern art exhibition hall. This, of course, was not merely a superficial change.

The considerably thick steel plates protected the building from various long-range attacks, including Thorn Spider’s shots and rifle fire.

Reinforced concrete was also poured between the exterior wall and the steel plates, which had been airlifted from construction sites and steel mills.

It was a crucial concrete that both secured the steel plates and firmly reinforced the building’s external structure.

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

Also, as the load increased, it was natural that pillars supporting the floors internally were densely packed.

Outside the shopping mall, nearby buildings were now all dismantled, looking a bit messy. Fortunately, the asphalt roads remained, but square building foundations, remnants of demolished buildings, were scattered everywhere.

They decided to leave it as a flat plain for now, to be cleared later. It wasn’t pretty, but the important thing at the moment was defense, and efficiency was key to achieving that on time.

And all those building debris were collected and used to construct the outer wall, which was truly enormous.

The massive square, built by stacking messy concrete pieces with protruding steel frames like a mountain fortress, stood behind a neatly arranged asphalt road.

And in front, it had a 4-meter wide moat.

This moat, with a waterproof sheet laid on the bottom and then covered with stones and earth, wasn’t actually that sturdy if one tried to breach it, but it was more than sufficient against monsters.

Especially when combined with Sua’s abilities.

And there was also a small drawbridge crossing the moat.

Seongjae had added various embellishments, thinking of future expansion, but for now, it was a small steel structure about 2 meters wide, just enough for two or three people to walk abreast.

Nevertheless, it served its purpose.

In summary, the shopping mall was like a castle in the middle of the city. Of course, all of this was possible because of the worker bugs who toiled day and night.

Also, as a result, over 80% of the resources accumulated during that time were consumed. In particular, concrete pieces suitable for construction, and steel, which they thought would never run out, were now at rock bottom.

The three felt proud looking at the results.

On the other hand, they could only sigh, thinking how perfect it would have been if only Siwoo could have participated in the defense battle.

And… the three, having completed their round, suddenly felt something amiss.

Whoosh-

It was as if something was starting to absorb mana. A significant change in mana concentration began to occur, to the point where even Deokchan, who had a small amount of mana, could feel it.

“Elder…?”

“Th-this… Could it be…”

“Get ready. The Defense Battle is starting.”

At Sua’s words, the three of them steeled their resolve.

***

“Gwaaaaaaak!”

“Hy-hyung…”

Monster cries began to be heard from far away.

Perhaps hearing the monster cries in addition to the change in mana concentration, the still very young Seongmin expressed his anxiety to the three who were outside the building.

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

Seongjae comforted Seongmin and sent him back inside.

At the same time, he glared at Deokchan.

“Elder… Are you really going to fight?”

“Of course. I can’t just stand by when my daughter is fighting.”

“Hmph… Father, you’re really annoying.”

Sua, who seemed to have had a quarrel with Deokchan, sighed and made a resigned expression.

Deokchan was holding a crossbow he had made himself, and it seemed he was determined to fight alongside them somehow.

“Even when I was young, in the mountains—”

It was at that moment, as he was trying to persuade the two of them.

“Elder, here they come!”

Monsters began to cover the alleyway in black. Meanwhile, they were not only being attacked from the direction they were facing.

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

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

“Ms. Sua! I’ll go take care of the other side!”

The men’s abilities were Water and Fire Manipulation. As Su-a said, it wasn’t quite ‘opposites,’ but they could definitely reduce each other’s abilities by half. So, the men decided to support opposite sides of the City Wall.

“Yes!”

Su-a answered Seong-jae’s words and immediately began to draw on her mana to unleash her abilities.

Whoosh- Tatatatatatat-

Water Spears gushing from the Moat. The Moat, rippling like thorns, began to press the Monsters like a hedgehog, not just water.

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump-

And every time Su-a waved her hand, the momentum of the Monsters was broken, bit by bit.

“What… what is this?”

It was natural that Deok-chan, who took over 30 seconds to fire and reload, had a dumbfounded expression.

Although Deok-chan looked quite shocked, he still tried his best to assist Su-a.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the City Wall.

Seong-jae also seemed to be doing his best to build a defensive line.

As there was a significant difference in training, although Seong-jae didn’t have as much mana as Su-a, he made up for the lack of mana with his excellent sense.

He had already installed various mechanisms throughout the battlefield to help him. When he drew on his mana to unleash Fire Manipulation-

Whoosh-

Boom!

The Traps installed here and there exploded with a loud boom.

“Kiyahaahaaooo!”

Seong-jae shouted excitedly every time.

However, such luck was still just luck. It was not enough to continuously break the endless momentum of the Monsters. Meanwhile, it was the same for Su-a, who was facing the main force of the Monster.

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

That’s what they thought.

Bang-

Bang-!

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

“Good! If it stays like this!”

“Just a little more effort!”

Sua shouted encouragement to the other two.

Especially Sua, who had seen the Assault Cannon’s performance the most, secretly felt that its firepower was different from the others, and it was true.

The amount of mana that could be used as a complete castle for the Mana Facility rapidly increased, and its firepower was enhanced as much as The Man’s!

However… there was also a problem.

“Sua, what in the world is that?!”

“Huh, huh! Stomper!”

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

Especially, its huge body was almost as tall as the City Wall, posing a great threat. So when the Assault Cannons started focusing on the Stomper, that was another problem.

Other smaller species began to approach more and more, using the Stomper as a shield and stepping over corpses!

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

It was when Sua was overcome with fear.

Boom!

Suddenly, a piercing sound came from the Dungeon.

“Th-that’s?!”

“S-surely!”

Stomp-stomp-stomp-

Quiet footsteps.

“Wow… The wall seems sturdy, and the defense is really good. It’s a revelation.”

It was Siwoo, smiling widely.

***

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

Stomp-stomp-stomp-stomp-

Siwoo just walked forward-

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-

Bang- Bang-bang-

The Man’s Magitech Armor and Assault Cannons were constantly clearing a path.

Siwoo walked straight from the Dungeon Entrance towards the Castle, cutting through the Sea of Monsters like a Miracle, as if the Monsters were no obstacle at all.

But it wasn’t just The Man.

Whoosh- Bang!

The sound of air being torn apart was heard once again.

If something small, made of a black silver material, briefly appeared and then disappeared, a Monster would inevitably be split apart.

“What, what in the world is that…?”

“I don’t know either…”

Sua and Deokchan couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

The Man and Siwoo…

They crossed the red carpet of blood and entered Loyalty Castle.

“Ah… I’ll have to change my shoes.”

That was The Man’s brief comment.