Chapter 241: Fourth Return, Earth (8)

The monsters moved.

People panicked as they were attacked, crying out as they fell and crashed.

"Eeeek!"

Lee Ju-hyeok clenched his teeth and charged again.

The monster swung its long, black arm. Lee Ju-hyeok raised his shield.

Clang!

"Ugh!"

With a violent impact, Lee Ju-hyeok was pushed back, his eyes wavering.

Initially, he thought he was pushed back because he was caught off guard.

But even after steeling his mind and raising his shield, he was still pushed back. This indicated a significant difference in strength between him and the monster.

"Ooooh!"

Hundreds of monsters charged. With over ten thousand players present, simple math suggested a hundred players could take on one monster.

Yet, it was the players who were being pushed back.

No one could stop the charging monsters. The people were swept away like ants in a storm.

"This can't be happening!"

Lee Ju-hyeok shouted in denial as he rushed at the monsters with his sword and shield.

He was among the strongest Hard Mode players.

He had never been pushed back in a one-on-one fight with a monster before, possessing the strength and experience to easily take down ordinary D-class monsters.

That's why he had acted independently, confident in his abilities.

Crash!

But he couldn't take down even a single monster in front of him.

Instead, as the battle continued, he began to be pushed back.

"It's impossible! The monster can't be this strong!"

He shouted, but the reality remained unchanged. He was unable to properly block even one monster, and other players were being mercilessly pushed back.

It was a massacre.

Someone shouted desperately.

"Ju-hyeok!"

"Ah, ah."

He was their leader.

Whether to retreat or attack, he needed to give an order, but he was too shocked to say anything.

People began to fall.

A monster leaped into the middle of the people, attempting to sweep them away with its long tentacles.

"Ah, ah."

Just when the people sensed their impending death, the head of the monster was crushed.

Crunch.

[Monster 157961 takes 6879 damage.]

The monster fell with a single strike. People, terrified and trying to flee, forgot their situation in their astonishment.

"Uh..."

"Six thousand?"

The damage was beyond their imagination.

And they had heard there was one person who could deal such damage.

"Taesan!"

Taesan was in front of them.

Grunt.

The monsters shifted their target from the people to Taesan. Dozens of them rushed towards him, intent solely on killing him.

"Uuuuh!"

The people were horrified. These monsters were far stronger than any Hard Mode player. Even with nearly a thousand people gathered, they couldn't put up a decent fight.

Taesan lazily clenched his fist.

Crunch.

The head of the monster in front was crushed.

With a fierce swing of his arm, the monster was sliced apart, and his thrusting foot caused several monsters to explode simultaneously.

Like a storm, Taesan dealt with the monsters. Overwhelmed by his power, the people just stared blankly.

"Oh, ooooh..."

They knelt down.

As Taesan cleaned up the monsters, he muttered,

"It's none of my business whether you die or not, but you shouldn't drag others into this."

At Taesan's words, Lee Ju-hyeok's body twitched significantly.

Hoping that Lee Ju-hyeok might regain his composure and give proper orders, they waited, but he was still too shocked to do anything.

He had been like this in his previous life too. When faced with unexpected situations, he couldn't adapt and would panic. This had led to many deaths.

Crack.

The monster in Taesan's grasp was split in two.

Just as the cleanup seemed almost done, a violet fissure trembled. A vast power emerged and expanded.

And from there, monsters burst forth.

The faces of those who believed in victory paled.

The violet fissure served as a portal from which monsters descended. If not sealed within a set time, the portal would open, unleashing monsters upon the world.

Countless monsters emerged.

The power radiating from these newly arrived monsters was noticeably stronger than that of their predecessors. By Taesan's assessment, they were at least C-class.

The people instinctively knew that even a single one of these monsters could obliterate them all. Fear engulfed them. Even for Taesan, victory seemed distant.

Taesan's brow furrowed.

"There are too many."

It was a nuisance.

Thus, he resolved to address it all in one fell swoop.

Taesan lifted his hand.

[You have activated the Starlight Arrow.]

A piercing sound filled the air.

Light coalesced above his hand, drawing the gaze of those quaking in fear.

"Ah..."

They momentarily forgot their predicament, exhaling in wonder.

The sun of Earth had long been eclipsed by the rift in the sky.

It appeared some force was at play.

Though distinguishing between day and night remained possible, genuine sunlight was a rarity. In the labyrinth, they relied on torches, their eyes generally accustomed to dimness.

In such circumstances, a light akin to the sun now hovered above Taesan's hand.

The warm yet potent sunlight that enveloped them was a pure light, the real sun barely a memory now.

With that light in his grasp, calmly facing the monsters, Taesan appeared more than human.

Taesan directed the arrow towards the advancing monsters.

The light detonated.

Those unable to bear the brilliance shut their eyes.

"Huh?"

People engaged in battle to the south inhaled sharply, their attention snapping eastward.

The spreading light seemed like the sun's very descent.

"Taesan?"

Kim Hwiyeon voiced her bewilderment.

As the brightness waned, people reopened their eyes.

And they stood in awe.

Before them lay a vast crater.

The crater was immaculately clean, as if only the area touched by the light had been neatly scooped out of the earth.

No monsters were visible.

Countless monsters had been incinerated by the light.

"Wasn't that light the master used intermediate magic?"

"Yes."

Minerva marveled.

"He's strong. To handle that amount of brightness without any strain. Indeed, it must be magic created by the god of magic himself. If intermediate is this strong, I can only imagine what advanced or the highest might look like?"

"Will there be a chance to learn it?"

Even the intermediate magic was effective deep within. As proficiency increased, the power of the magic notably rose, making it highly valuable.

As such, advanced magic seemed too far out of reach.

"If it's the master, it's possible."

"Do you believe that?"

"Of course."

Minerva stretched her body, her blue hair flowing smoothly.

"If one has made a contract with the King of Spirits, that level is certainly achievable."

Minerva grinned, glancing sideways.

"For them, it's a level of magic astonishing enough to feel different."

Taesan was now on the roof of a building, surrounded by many people praying.

Taesan was the object of their prayers.

"Beings seek something to rely on. Just like the people of Arulia believe in my father. It seems you're that for them here."

"It seems there's one who doesn't think so."

Among the adoring eyes, there was one of dissent.

The brief rest was over. The quest had mentioned that the rifts would keep appearing, and indeed, they did. The rifts periodically revealed themselves to them.

Therefore, they resumed fighting.

"Block them!"

Lee Ju-hyeok shouted harshly.

"Follow my command! Step forward and defeat the monsters!"

But the people hesitated and did not follow his orders. They now knew that Lee Ju-hyeok was not qualified to be their leader, that there was no reason to follow his commands.

This realization drove Lee Ju-hyeok mad.

"I'm the leader! I'm the one leading you!"

"No."

Taesan steps forward, his face flushed.

"You are nothing."

[You have activated the Frozen World.]

A harsh winter descended, freezing and shattering all the rushing monsters and the violet rifts.

"Ooooooh!"

"Taesan-nim!"

People burst out in awe and adoration towards Taesan.

"Ah, ah..."

And Lee Ju-hyeok was completely forgotten.

"I, I'm the leader. My word is the law..."

He stuttered. Taesan looked at him with cold eyes.

"I really don't understand you."

He understood Choi Junghyuk. What he wanted was his own survival.

He understood Seo Jangsan. What he wanted was for his group to survive in a rational way.

But Lee Ju-hyeok was different.

Lee Ju-hyeok was obsessed with the position of leader.

It wasn't about life, salvation, or survival, but solely about that position.

Such stubbornness had no meaning in this world. Ideologies, values, desires—all became meaningless upon death.

Even Lee Taeyeon, who had been strong, Kim Hwiyeon, who had sacrificed her life for others, and the Hard Mode players who returned during the destruction and denied everything.

All of them had made desperate efforts to break through the Labyrinth. They had crossed the brink of life-threatening crises and became stronger by giving their all.

They all died.

Taesan, too, would have met the same fate had he not turned back time.

That was the reality of the current world.

Therefore, Kang Taesan could neither understand nor wanted to understand Lee Ju-hyeok.

Whatever a player of Lee Ju-hyeok's level did, it wouldn't affect them in the slightest.

But it wouldn't hurt to preemptively lay down some groundwork.

"You cannot be a leader."

Taesan told Lee Ju-hyeok. His body shook significantly.

"You are not fit for it. You neither have the strength nor the trust of all players to follow you. You might manage a small group, but you can never lead a large one. That's who you are."

"Ah. Ah."

Lee Ju-hyeok groaned.

He had lived his entire life as a leader, never once imagining himself as anything else.

Lee Ju-hyeok shook his head.

Taesan didn't know what he would choose, and it didn't matter what he chose.

Taesan passed by indifferently.

The battle raged on.

Rifts kept appearing. People took turns in shifts to eliminate the rifts. Individuals from other regions and those from Seoul synchronized their efforts, becoming more adept at defeating the monsters.

The establishment of a new territory by Taesan played a significant role. The monsters weakened, and the people grew stronger, making it easier to defeat them.

And Lee Ju-hyeok continued the battle with a pale face.

He no longer issued orders or commands. Even as they were dying, he somehow kept fighting.

"Boring."

Minerva flicked her fingers inside the city hall. A storm blew and swept all the monsters away.

"I'm sorry for the dead, but honestly, neither you, Barkaza, nor I feel much about it."

B-class, occasionally C-class monsters. They required life-risking efforts from other players, but for Taesan, they were too weak. Taesan responded,

"They'll be here soon."

"Probably."

Minerva murmured, looking at the sky rift.

"They are getting stronger."

The High Gods always aimed for the last wave.

The converging forces would form a pathway to send down powerful monsters.

"Will it be the edge of A-class or S-class?"

The High Gods had made a pact with a god from the labyrinth. According to that, if Taesan won, the god would directly grant a reward.

The first was Lakiratas, the power of struggle and death, and the second was the black magic of the Demon God.

What would it be this time?

One thing was certain: he would win.

And he would claim the reward.

Taesan prepared for the upcoming battle.