Chapter 101 – Surprise Attack (１)

“KYAAAAAAAAAH!”

“Run away! Get out of here!”

The Dungeon Break had struck without warning.

And it threw the heart of Gangnam into pure chaos.

“Please evacuate this way!”

“This way, sir!”

The Association’s dispatched Superhumans prioritized helping civilians evacuate first.

After that, Superhumans from the nearby area began gathering one by one.

Still, thanks to Gangnam being packed with guilds, the Superhumans were rallying at a decent pace.

But there was a problem.

“What the hell is this….”

“There’s way too many of them!”

Right now, the sheer number of Monsters pouring out was overwhelming.

“This is an emergency! A Dungeon Break happened with absolutely no warning signs!”

That was when someone shouted.

“Is that even possible?”

“No, it shouldn’t be! But what can we do?! It’s already happened!”

The one yelling out the situation right now was an Association Superhuman.

Given that Gangnam was a densely populated area, the Association kept strict management over the dungeons nearby.

The dungeon that had just suffered a Break was a Level-6 Dungeon.

As a high-level dungeon, it was one they had been keeping an extremely close eye on.

“The Gate wasn’t supposed to reopen for another three months! This can only be described as a natural disaster!”

“…This is a real problem.”

Hearing that, even the gathered Superhumans seemed shaken.

“Are there no high-ranking Rankers who can mobilize right now?”

“As far as we can tell, all the high-ranking Rankers from Hwarang and Ure have already left for Siberia… and the nearby high-rankers are all tied up in raids as well. Cheonhwa said they’d send support directly, but—”

Cheonhwa.

The third-ranked guild in the Republic of Korea.

But there was a problem.

“Cheonhwa Guild is headquartered in Gangbuk, isn’t it.”

“Yes. So it’ll take some time. Still, we’re contacting every nearby guild we can to secure as many people as possible… Just hold out a little longer.”

“Understood.”

The Superhumans who had arrived first nodded gravely.

The Superhumans here were no pushovers, but fully handling a Level-6 Dungeon Break was beyond them.

And judging by the Monsters pouring out now, they were already exceeding even that Level-6 dungeon’s standard.

“At this rate… this is definitely a Disaster-Class Break.”

Disaster-Class.

The most dangerous level of Dungeon Break there was.

Above Disaster-Class, only Conflagration and Extinction remained.

But those two had rarely ever occurred.

So it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Disaster-Class was effectively the deadliest kind of Dungeon Break.

“First, let’s hold out as long as we can until Cheonhwa arrives!”

“Alright!”

The gathered Superhumans, united in spirit, began to push back against the flood of Monsters.

But it wasn’t easy.

Though more Superhumans were arriving one after another, the number of Monsters pouring out was overwhelmingly greater.

And then—

“It’s Kim Gyeongho!”

“Kim Gyeongho?”

“Hey, it’s really him!”

The moment the Superhuman named Kim Gyeongho appeared, the faces of the others lit up.

Kim Gyeongho was a Superhuman affiliated with the Association.

A top-tier Sword-Class who could command elite treatment in any guild he joined.

Yet he stayed with the Association out of a profound sense of duty — a man respected by all.

“Thank you, everyone!”

Kim Gyeongho expressed his gratitude to the Superhumans present.

“Your sacrifice has kept the citizens safe!”

As he shouted, Kim Gyeongho’s sword moved.

Sshh-wwish!

Each swing of his blade sliced three or four Monsters apart like straw.

‘…Incredible.’

The Superhumans genuinely marveled at Kim Gyeongho’s skill.

He could have been raking in billions in annual salary at any guild, yet he chose to be a public servant.

Wasn’t that a choice that could only inspire everyone’s respect?

“Let’s move too!”

With Kim Gyeongho’s support, the Superhumans were able to clear out the Monsters faster.

But then—

Creak-

“…Huh?”

Everyone’s eyes went wide.

“What is that…”

Cracks had begun to form at the Dungeon Gate.

And then—

Grrrroooowl—!

Something revealed itself.

“C-crazy…”

A creature none of them had ever seen before.

It had the sleek shape of a human.

He carried no weapon, but the black energy rippling across his body was far from ordinary.

Kim Gyeongho stared at it, eyes wide.

Now, Kim Gyeongho understood what it was.

‘Magin…!’

What had revealed itself was a Magin.

The unique Magi radiating from the creature was unmistakable.

‘Upper-grade. One of the top-tier among the upper ranks.’

The situation had grown dire.

A top-tier upper-grade Magin had to be subdued as quickly as possible.

Worse still—

the moment it appeared, the monsters multiplied.

And they grew stronger.

That was when—

“Watch out!”

“…?!”

A shout from behind—

Shiiiiing!

A cold wind swept in.

Then…

Crack-crunch!

The monsters there froze solid in an instant.

“This is….”

“That’s 7th-Circle magic!”

It was a 7th-Circle ice-type spell.

Crack! A thunderous volley of blasts—Boom-boom-boom-boom-BOOM!

One after another, the frozen Monsters’ bodies shattered violently.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

Flash! Flash!

A blinding corona of light burst into being without warning, surging forward and detonating against whatever had just revealed itself.

BOOM! BAM-BAM-BAM-BANG!

Grrrroooooooowl—!

The creature’s body shuddered violently.

All of them turned their gaze toward the source of the eruption of magic.

“Wait—that’s Baek Gijun!”

“And that’s Emily with him!”

Gijun and Emily.

The moment their figures came into view.

*

“What… is that?”

“I have no idea.”

Gijun and Emily, who had just appeared, were taken aback.

It was because of the giant monster that had burst out of the Dungeon moments ago.

“I don’t see any Monsters coming out of that Dungeon.”

“…Maybe.”

But Gijun thought he might know.

What that enormous monster really was.

“It could be a Magin.”

“…A Magin?”

At Gijun’s words, Emily’s eyes went wide.

“Yes. I’m sensing the same corrupted mana I felt from the Magin.”

And he was right.

That beast radiated the exact same aura as the Magin Gijun had encountered before.

“Is that… even possible?”

“It’s not.”

No Magin had ever burst out of a Dungeon in recorded history.

No — except once.

Last time, during Gijun’s Dungeon Raid.

And as far as Gijun knew, this made it the second.

The problem was, this wasn’t some low-ranking Magin.

“At least… upper-grade.”

The thing that had just appeared was minimum upper-grade.

‘How… bizarre.’

The thought struck him suddenly.

After all, the reason Gijun had headed for the Guild was to train against high-rank Magin.

But to run into one here, like this…

‘Maybe this is a stroke of luck.’

Real combat was obviously better practice than a simulation…

“Gijun. Then please handle that one. I’ll take care of the Monsters pouring out.”

“Got it.”

At Emily’s words, Gijun nodded.

Then he started moving again.

Toward the place where the Magin stood.

When he arrived, Kim Gyeongho was watching him.

“Mr. Baek Gijun. Is that correct?”

“Yes. You’re Superhuman Kim Gyeongho, aren’t you.”

“That’s right. You’ve come at just the right time. Then let’s agree to take that thing on first.”

“Yes.”

Kim Gyeongho.

With this man at his side, taking down a high-rank Magin wouldn’t be difficult.

And then it happened.

“H-Help me!”

“Kyaaaaaah!”

Monsters had burst out without warning, throwing that side into chaos again.

“…Damn.”

Kim Gyeongho’s eyes darted rapidly.

“The Association is sending as much support as they can, but as you know, they’re always short-handed…”

“It’s fine. I’ll hold that one for now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“…Then I’ll leave it to you. I’ll wrap things up and be back as fast as I can.”

Thud!

With that, Kim Gyeongho hurried into motion.

‘Good.’

In the end, Gijun stood alone, facing the high-rank Magin.

‘It would’ve been a lot easier with Kim Gyeongho’s help, though.’

But this situation wasn’t bad either.

As he’d said, he came here to take on a high-rank Magin in the first place.

‘Let’s go.’

Gijun summoned his Avatar again.

Kuaaaaah—!

The Magin roared, its eyes fixed on him.

‘Definitely strong.’

Gijun judged the creature to be among the upper-tier of high-rank Magin.

An upper-tier high-rank Magin was a monster among monsters, possessing strength exceeding a hundred mid-rank Magin combined.

A single misstep, and it wouldn’t be strange for an entire city to be wiped out.

‘Can’t let that happen.’

Gijun intended to subdue the thing as quickly as possible.

That instant.

Flash!

The Magin’s form vanished.

‘Too fast to track with the eyes.’

There were differences between individuals, of course.

But a nimble, human-shaped Magin like this one, once it reached the high-rank level, moved so swiftly that even a Superhuman would struggle to follow its movements with the naked eye.

That, however, only applied to ordinary Superhumans.

‘Fast as it is… my senses are faster.’

Gijun’s current body possessed senses pushed beyond even those of a Superhuman, honed to their absolute limit.

No matter how fast the creature moved, Gijun’s eyes could see it.

And faster than his eyes could see, his skin felt it coming.

Every particle of Magi floating in the void seemed to press against his skin, a tactile vividness sharper than any sense he’d ever known.

The bastard had been winding up a killing blow from behind his back.

Not a chance.

Gijun pulled his Mana up.

It tore out from his heart, raw and violent, racing through his hands to bind with the Elements at the speed of light.

And then it revealed itself.

Whoosh—!

A Fireball, blazing so brilliantly it lit up the whole area.

But that wasn’t the end.

Combine.

Gijun merged those Fireballs into one.

The process was just as fast.

Too fast for the eye to follow.

And he took it one step further.

Shape Shift.

He warped the Fireball’s form.

Spear.

The shape of a spear.

But not the small spear he’d used before.

Ten Fireballs fused into one, becoming a colossal spear suspended in the air.

The time it took? Less than a single second—an absurdly short window.

Even the Magin flinched, pausing its attack to gape at that mass of light ascending into the sky.

Go.

Gijun whispered the word.

Flash!

Kii… Kiiiiik—?!

The moment a shriek of shock burst from the Magin’s maw—

CRAAAAASH!

A thunderous roar exploded.

The ground shook, and the monsters caught in the blast had their bodies torn apart, vanishing into nothing.

Of course, the explosion didn’t reach far.

Rumble—!

It was blocked by a barrier that had taken shape—a dome materializing out of nowhere.

At the exact moment the Fireball erupted, Gijun had cast a Strong Wind barrier.

Trapped inside, the blast rebounded and amplified, growing fiercer with every reflection.

Bang! Bang! BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

The explosions went on for a long while.

Then, at last, they subsided.

Hush—

The site of the blast was reduced to a wasteland, so ravaged it was hard to believe this was the middle of Gangnam.

After a moment, the smoke cleared, revealing the Magin’s figure in the wreckage.

Guh-ack… Guh-eok…!

Its body was collapsing in on itself, trembling violently.

…What the hell….

The Superhumans watching the scene stood dumbstruck, forgetting they were in the middle of a fierce battle.

That’s… Baek Gijun?

It was almost impossible to believe this was the same Baek Gijun who’d only recently faced a mid-grade Magin on the battlefield.