Chapter 26: Rushing in
Moon Seung-hee slowly continued speaking.
"If Mage-nim's words are true, do you think that the personnel here are sufficient?"
"Um..."
"If you need more support..."
I paused for a moment. Was more support necessary?
No, it wasn't needed.
If the enemies were merely ghouls, I could handle them alone, even if there were two hundred instead of a hundred.
More people would only add to the confusion and increase the trouble. However, I gave Moon Seung-hee a different reason.
"No, waiting for additional support would be too long for those waiting below."
Moon Seung-hee's expression turned slightly pale.
"In that case..."
"I'll resolve this without significantly changing Team Leader Kwak Dae-yong's plan."
"I understand."
I had expected her to insist on rescuing the people underground at this point, but.... Moon Seung-hee didn't mention it and stood up.
"Then, I hope you handle it well."
"I'll do my best."
Moon Seung-hee briefly bowed her head and slowly walked out of the temporary defensive outpost.
"Preparation complete!"
Her departure coincided with the chorus of voices announcing readiness.
It seemed that Kwak Dae-yong and his men had finished their preparations.
So much for keeping the operation a secret.
Talking so loudly in the dead of night...
But it probably didn't matter.
One shouldn't think of this place as a typical apartment complex in another city.
I didn't know what this area would become when the complex was completed, but at the moment there was nothing around it.
Besides, no one in Paju would care about strange noises around the dangerous and unstable Imjin River area.
There was nothing to gain from further irritating Kwak Dae-yong.... so I got up and walked over to where he was.
The spot where Kwak Dae-yong and his men gathered was the innermost part of the temporary outpost.
A large spiral ramp designed for vehicles to descend into the underground parking lot.
There, you could see a huge barricade blocking the entrance.
An improvised barbed wire fence with multiple layers of crude steel plates reinforced on top of it.
They've managed to set up a barricade quite well.
Honestly, it looked more like a ragged patchwork thrown together as a last resort than an impressive defensive wall.
Bloodstains and pieces of flesh dripped down the barricade, along with what seemed to be fragments of ghoul fingers.
Sacrifices must have been made to hold back the onslaught of ghouls.
And there were the people gathered in front of the barricade.
Including Kwak Dae-yong, there were a total of twenty.
Most of them were extras, and their expressions were somewhat gloomy, but there were a few faces that stood out in my memory.
The sight of people in neat suits, donned with armor and weapons, standing in rows was indeed quite strange.
However, the way they looked at me was filled with distrust, much like Kwak Dae-yong's initial reaction.
They whispered among themselves as their eyes shifted between Kwak Dae-yong and me, but due to my exceptionally sensitive perception, I could hear their voices even from a considerable distance.
"What's with the mask?"
"Hey, is that bastard alright?"
"Where did they pick up such a freak?"
"He looks so flimsy..."
"Are we being deceived?"
Tch... What does being a mage have to do with looking flimsy?
Although I had enhanced several stats with artifacts, my physical condition hadn't changed much, so I apparently didn't seem trustworthy to those hired for their physical strength.
"Attention! The mage has arrived!"
Regardless, as soon as I arrived, Kwak Dae-yong shouted again and made his troops snap to attention.
"To your positions!"
"To positions!"
The men moved in unison and they started heading towards the barricaded entrance of the underground parking lot.
I had been a bit worried seeing them idly gossiping, but when it was time to act, they were impressively coordinated and disciplined.
Once the preparations were complete, Kwak Dae-yong approached me and said,
"Please get your magic ready. As soon as you give us the signal, we'll open the barricade for you."
"Just open it now."
"Yes, then... What?"
"I said open it now; I'm ready."
Is he joking with me?
It seems like he still hadn't done anything though.
Is he perhaps confused? What a man.
Despite the atmosphere thick with unspoken words wriggling beneath his throat, Kwak Dae-yong managed to hold them back. Admirable, Kwak Dae-yong!
He turned his head in an exaggerated motion and yelled at his subordinates,
"Hey, open the barricade! Door open!"
"Door open!"
"Door open!"
At Kwak Dae-yong's command, his subordinates near the barricade quickly echoed and opened the barricade.
Gigigigigigigi-
With a grating, discordant metallic noise, the double and triple-reinforced barricade swung open.
Alright, is this where it begins?
I was a cut above the average mages that Kwak Dae-yong had seen before.
[Quick Activation]
[Catalyst Compensation]
[Double Incantation]
[Casting Omission]
All spells could be activated immediately without any separate casting, hand signs, catalysts, or incantations.
The mana that flowed out formed a consistent magic circle that followed my command.
It was a massive magic circle, etched with runes of blazing flames.
[The unique feature of the S-rank accessory 'Ring of Corrupted Flame' has been activated. 'Red Element Concentration' and 'Legacy of Fire Knowledge' are triggered.
// Red Element Concentration: Increases the effectiveness of all fire-type spells by 50%.
// Legacy of Fire Knowledge: Enhances understanding of 'fire-type magic'.]
The barricade opened.
Strange sounds echoed from the underground parking lot.
- Chirrrrrrrrrr!!!
- Kyahahahahaha!!!
Bizarre creatures sprang from the darkness.
"Over there, that way!"
As the security team members turned their heads, the lights mounted on their shoulders converged into a single point.
Monsters that resembled humans yet were unmistakably not human.
Bizarre heads resembling dogs.
A viciously twisted muscular body.
And developed deadly sharp claws.
Ghouls.
- Screeeeech!!
There were four of them.
No, six, nine, and then two more followed, making eleven!
Ghouls that had been hiding in the darkness around the entrance suddenly poured out.
[Before your eyes, a bizarre shape...]
I already know, so get out of my way!
I ignored the message window that appeared in front of me and completed the spell.
[Fireball]
Whoooosh!!
A giant ball of flame materialized in front of my outstretched hands and was aimed at the emerging ghouls.
[...That horrific shape and nauseating stench assault your senses...]
Skip the chatter; fire the flames!
Whoosh!!!
The massive fireball I shot from my hands blazed through the air.
Boom!!!
- Screeeeeeech!!!
The ones who could scream were the lucky ones. Most of the ghouls that had leaped to the forefront evaporated without even a chance to scream.
Crackle-
[System: The unique trait 'Madness of the Abyss' has been activated. The ghoul's fear-inducing effect has been nullified.]
Ah, did I fail the sanity check?
But thanks to the trait of Madness of the Abyss, neither madness manifested nor was there a calamity of being overcome with fear.
At the same time, I twisted my outstretched hands forward.
He said that I shouldn't cause damage around me, right?
[Flame Manipulation]
[Spell Enhancement: Maximization]
Whooooosh!!!
I forcefully grasped and twisted the fiercely burning flames spreading in all directions.
It was a dazzling spectacle.
The surging flames transformed into a terrifying whirlwind of fire that continuously converged inward.
Whirrrrrrrrr!!!
The darkness and shadows scattered around were completely obliterated.
Before our eyes, a huge flame was dancing. It was burning so intensely that it seemed to scorch our pupils.
"Oh, my goodness!"
The troops waiting in the wings let out a unanimous exclamation upon seeing the flames I had created.
[The people around you are inspired by your heroic actions. Temporary exemption from sanity judgments for those around you.]
But this was just the beginning.
Whirrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!
The huge flame burning with my magical power turned into a wave of fire and poured down into the underground parking lot.
Now, speed was of the essence.
"You, you..."
But in the midst of all this, Dae-yong Kwak was just looking at me with his mouth wide open.
"Team leader, what are you doing?"
"What... what?"
"Aren't we going to charge in?"
Kwak Dae-yong, who had been standing dumbfounded as if boasting the size of his open mouth finally snapped back to reality.
"Uh, right. What are we waiting for, everyone! Charge!"
"Charge!"
They were neither military soldiers, mercenaries, nor fixers, but simply regular employees of a large corporation and they were now rushing forward, armed with guns and swords.
The task at hand was clear.
Eliminate all visible ghouls and rescue the survivors trapped underground.
"Let's go!"
The underground parking lot, still devoid of electrical installations, was extremely dark.
Although the security team members had some lights attached to their shoulders and weapons, these were insufficient to completely erase the darkness and fear that enveloped the vast parking area.
Therefore, I intentionally conjured spells accompanied by bright light.
I'd better choose something with good duration.
[Orb of Radiance]
[Spell Enhancement: Multicasting]
Seven orbs of light were created from my fingertips.
Swooooosh...
The clusters of light spread out in all directions, tracing large circles as they rotated and illuminated the interior of the underground parking lot.
- Screeeeeeech!
"There, fire at that spot!"
Ratatatatatatatatata!!!
Ghouls fell under the barrage of gunfire raining down from a distance. Since there was a condition to avoid damaging the scene as much as possible, the security team's shooting was cautious. As a result, some ghouls managed to break through the barrage and get close.
- Gyaaaaaaa!!
But even those ghouls...
Bang! Crunch! Boom!
It was Kwak Dae-yong.
When he swung his hammer imbued with magical power, the bodies of the ghouls caught in his attack shattered as if they had no bones.
"Yeehaw!"
Crunch, bang, bang! Boom!
But even without Kwak Dae-yong, the melee specialists swept through the area and skilfully eliminated the ghouls
I couldn't just stand by idly.
[Brilliance of Fomalhaut]
Fomalhaut is the abode of the god of fire, a dwelling place for the [Living Flame], which is a blazing supernova itself.
I summoned his authority to this damp and dark underground parking lot.
Well, even so, this type of magic ultimately just results in an outpouring of extremely hot fire. Depending on the type of magic, the form of the fire changes slightly.
Whoooshhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
The flames I summoned took the form of a giant bull made of fire and it started rampaging through the interior of the underground parking lot.
- Aaaaargh!!
- Eeeeek!!
Although I couldn't recklessly spread the flames to avoid damaging the underground structure, the giant fire bull slowly but surely engulfed the ghouls.
"Th-that's incredible!?"
"He was a powerful mage from the start!"
Until just before the charge, my title had been "that bastard" but now it has been upgraded to "a powerful mage".
I wasn't very interested in how I was perceived though.
The ghouls around the entrance were eliminated, and we were able to securely move deeper.
"Good, let's advance like this! Close the barricade!"
"Understood!"
Creeeeak... Whoom!
The barricade was closed.
Kwak Dae-yong ordered several of his subordinates to guard the area around the barricade.
The team thus split into two and then into four groups.
"Okay, according to the plan, Teams B and C will slowly move along the walls while clearing the ghouls. Team A will break through the center and head straight down to the second basement level."
"What kind of parking lot is this fu*king big?"
I could hear a member of the security team grumbling.
The area was indeed huge.
"Didn't you know? The apartments of the wealthy are always like this, with even two basement levels."
Aren't these people being too careless right now?
It was clear they were veterans qualified to be employed by major corporations, but their level of complacency was excessive. And Kwak Dae-yong...
"Advance, advance! Don't fall behind!"
Bang! Crash! Boom!
He was overly excited, almost to a frenzied level.
Kwak Dae-yong attacked the ghouls with relentless ferocity.
But wasn't he advancing too far ahead?
The movements of the ghouls are also strange.
It was as if they were luring Kwak Dae-yong and his men...
Suddenly, the ghouls began to retreat and they moved in a coordinated manner towards a deeper part of the underground parking lot, specifically towards the second basement level.
Aaah, fu*k. Kwak Dae-yong and a few of his subordinates chased the ghouls down to the second basement!
"Hey, team leader! Don't rush off on your own!"
At that moment.
[System: The 'Enhanced Vigilance' trait has been activated.]
Guoooooooooooooooo
A deep, heavy vibration started resonating from the depths.
This was no ordinary earthquake. Something abnormal was happening underground, and that something was caused by the intervention of a surreal entity.
And then screams poured out from all directions.
"Aaaaah!"
"The ghouls...!!"
The message window popped up right then, and information I already knew was displayed.
[Quest information updated.
The number of targets to be eliminated has been changed from 20 to 122.]