Chapter 22:
Chapter 22:
A silver-colored body with eight legs–the spider-like creature carved out of metal was called an Iron Spider.
Kaaaaang-
With a loud bang, shreds of stone fell just above their heads. Fortunately, everyone was on the Gigant, so no one got hurt. But they couldn’t be happy about it either.
The iron Spiders that had broken in through the wall were closing the distance by the minute. Iron Spiders were not that powerful, but their numbers were large, and the terrain was too advantageous for them.
“Get out of the way!”
Hannah, directly in front of Abel, shouted and raised her hands. And on the palm of Hannah’s Gigant, a blue gemstone had been placed. As they had seen in the mock battle the other day, Hannah’s combat skills could be better. However, she had her primary weapon.
Dismissal.
The jewelry suddenly shattered, and sparks flew out of it.
Hwareuk!
It burst into huge flames, consuming the spiders as they ran up the wall.
Aaaahhh!
“Kiiiim!”
The spiders writhed in terror. The ones in front were half-melted. It was an impressive display of strength in such a desperate situation.
‘How many more are there?’
Abel looked around as he completely crushed the spider’s head with his leg. Soon his face turned distorted.
“It’s endless.”
Although Abel had killed dozens of them alone, the number of spiders still seemed undiminished. New spiders kept joining them. Fortunately, there has been no significant damage on their side.
But complaining wouldn’t change anything, so Abel continued fighting and slowly descended the stairs. Descending the stairs and dealing with the frantic spiders was more than tricky. It was revolting. Then, at some point–
“Hyuk!”
Hannah, who was running right in front of him, momentarily lost her footing and stumbled hard. Abel immediately grabbed the Hannah’s Tito and stuck her to the wall.
Quang!
A thick leg slammed into the spot where Hannah had been standing. Daniel heard the sound in front and immediately swung his fist, punching the spider and sending it flying. The Tito hid Hannah’s expression, but Hannah spoke in a shaky voice, as if in shock.
“Thank you…”
“Can you keep moving?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Alright, let’s try harder.”
Abel said and turned his head away. The situation wasn’t bad. Even though they were young kids with little experience, they showed great talents here.
Ioline and Daniel were attacking just as aggressively as Abel, driving the spiders back, and Charlotte, June, and Lian were effectively blocking the spiders from digging through the cracks.
May had wholly abandoned her usual laziness and was cutting a path ahead with Tania. Abel took one look at them, caught his breath, and shouted.
“Don’t stop running!”
Taking on the spiders was important, but they needed to keep their priorities straight. The top priority right now is to get down all the stairs and out of the tower.
Even if they were holding up for now, it would be challenging to keep fighting in a place like this, and there was no telling how long the stairs would hold.
Abel shouted whenever he felt the battle was getting too heated, and they were able to get a little further down.
Boom!
But it wasn’t entirely without damage. Daniel’s Tito was impaled by a spider’s foot and was spun into thin air. Abel hurriedly flung himself up, pulling Daniel’s Tito with him.
Kagga Gagak!
The spider didn’t give up and swung again, this time ripping of the Tito’s hand Daniel was riding. If Abel hadn’t stepped up in time, it wouldn’t have ended up with just one arm.
“Aaaahhh!”
In addition, the spiders attacked even more madly as if they could not miss this opportunity.
“Daniel! Hang in there!”
“Ah, okay!”
Daniel lost his balance and stumbled briefly after landing, but soon he started running again. And the spiders continued their assault.
Aaaaaaaang!
Abel gritted his teeth and vigorously swung his fist to fill Daniel’s void.
“We are almost there!”
He could hear Tania shouting from up ahead. As she said that, he could see the entrance to the tower down below. The spider’s attack ripped off one arm of Ioline’s craft. Despite the impact, Ioline swung her remaining arm frantically.
Kwang!
The machine that Lian piloted had already been attacked five times and was now tattered, but it didn’t stop him. Hannah continued to use her magic stones to send magic flying.
Infamous Scans
May, despite having one of her legs nearly smashed off, continued to fight the spiders flawlessly. The number of spiders killed was already close to hundreds. However, due to the fierce battle, the allies’ Tito’s were all in bad shape. But they didn’t stop until every last one of them ran down the stairs and out of the tower.
“Hmph, hmph!”
Abel breathed heavily as he hurried out of the tower. A part of him wanted to lie down on the ground, but he couldn’t
‘Also…….’
Even though he’d escaped, the atmosphere wasn’t too good. In front of the tower were the bodies of the annihilated soldiers and the remains of the crushed gigants.
»————- ★ ————-«
There were no reinforcements. The troops in the tower had already been wiped out. And more.
“Well, something’s happening.”
An invisible, transparent wall was blocking their path, and it was sturdy enough to withstand Tania’s full strength. As if those two facts weren’t bad enough, there were even more Iron Spiders waiting outside the tower than inside the tower.
The number of spiders clinging to the tower’s exterior walls made it seem as if the tower was silver in color. They didn’t immediately rush at Abel and the others as they stepped out of the tower, but they slowly approached them.
Their demeanor was relaxed, as if they were dealing with a mouse in a cage. Abel looked at the figure with a slightly fed-up face and thought to himself.
‘This is enough to send shockwaves through the empire.’
Abel knew it. He knew that this incident was shocking enough to shake up the entire continent beyond the empire.
The empire is one of the strongest powers on the continent, and the wall of glory was a strong shield that was never breached during the last Great War as well as periodic attacks by colossus. But today, the wall of glory was pierced for the first time.
‘I already knew this would happen.’
He was the only one who knew it in advance. But knowing that, there was little Abel could do because he was only a young boy of 16 years. Who’s going to believe him if he talks? Of course, Abel could have changed his mind when he saw it happen. He might be called a prophet if he got it right a few times in a row. But then what?
‘The future changes.’
What if Abel went out and changed the future, and it was a future he didn’t recognize? What should he do then? Should he say that he’s out of control? That’s not what he wanted, not if he was going to clear this game.
A force to be reckoned with. An influence and a major that no one can ignore. Friends and subordinates to back him up. He needs all of that.
“Whoa.”
Abel cleared his throat and popped the rest of the mana amplifier into his mouth at once. It wasn’t originally used for this purpose, and he would have some serious after-effects, but it was the only way to save everyone.
Abel moved his Tito slowly, his eyes darting about as he thought, searching for something, and it wasn’t long before he found it.
“Hang in there.”
“What?”
“There is a way.”
Tania, who had been frowning, gave Abel an odd look. For a mere freshman, Abel’s words could have been more convincing. But it was supposed to be. However, in the current situation, she didn’t have much choice anyway.
“Alright.”
She didn’t know what Abel was after, but her job was to keep her cadets safe. And there is one more thing to add to that.
“Everyone grab a suitable weapon and form a circle around Abel.”
After Tania said that, she stared at the swarming spiders before them. The cadets picked up suitable weapons from the floor. Abel picked up a spear.
“Whoa.”
Abel took a deep breath and steadied himself. The barrier surrounding the tower is the ability of a special entity. Its abilities were extraordinary, but on the other hand, the ability of the main body itself was woefully inferior.
That’s why it is heavily ‘protected.’ Typically, there would be no way of knowing the location, let alone the existence of such an entity. But Abel was different. He had played the game dozens or even hundreds of times and remembered the location perfectly.
Of course, reality and games don’t match perfectly. So as soon as he stepped outside, Abel looked up at the tower, trying to locate it. And finally, his eyes found it.
‘Slightly above the middle.’
There was a huge number of spiders on one side of the tower. It would have been hard to notice if he hadn’t already known, but Abel never missed the slightest difference.
‘I only have one shot.’ He thought to himself, and if he were wrong, it would be a terrible mistake because there wouldn’t be a second chance. However, instead of hesitating under pressure, Abel drew more mana.
‘Just a little longer.’
Abel waited, wanting to throw the spear in his hand, but what he needed now was patience.
“Left! Aim Left!”
Before he knew it, the spiders swarmed around them, pounding on the Tito piloted by Tania and the cadets. How long can they hold out? Five minutes? Four? Probably not much longer.
Impatience grew. But Abel waited and waited because there was only one chance. Just a tiny little gap.
Kwang-!
Ioline’s Tito bounced backward. She couldn’t fight anymore now that her lower body was blown off.
Quajik!
Lian’s Tito was pierced by the head. The damage was getting bigger. And the spiders jumped on more aggressively, thinking it was almost over. It was at that moment that the spiders that were lumped together began to move.
Oooh!
Abel raised the mana from his whole body as soon as he caught sight of the figure
Although it was difficult to control it delicately due to excessive mana amplifiers, the fact that he had attacked with all his mana several times before was of great help. He grabbed the magic that was about to bounce in all directions and moved to one side.
Grrrrrrr-
The spear trembled uneasily, and blue sparks flew from the mana that had been pushed to its limits. He formed an image in his mind and envisioned a bolt of lightning piercing its target. At that moment, the Tito was merely a tool to shoot lightning.
‘Thunderbolt.’
The moment he inwardly called the name–
Kurrrrrrrrrrrrr
A spear sliced through the air with a thundering sound. The spiders scrambled back, but the spear had already reached its destination with a loud bang.
Aaaaaagh-!
One side of the tower collapsed instantly. The Tito, who had fired the spear, slumped as smoke billowed from his body.
‘Did it work?’
Grimacing at his pounding headache, Abel didn’t take his eyes off the tower. Eventually, the smoke cleared, revealing the point where the spear had pierced. And Abel’s face lit up. Then, the spiders, who had been charging at him aggressively, even at the risk of death, suddenly began to flee.
“Uhm!” A surprised voice came from behind him.
Abel barely managed to muster the strength to turn around, he found the group looking at him in surprise.
“S-raid! It’s a raid!”
The barrier has been released. Then a message popped up.
[Sudden Quest: Escape’ cleared!]
[No one died during the escape process! Additional rewards will be given!]
[The ‘Strong Supporter’ event will be held in a few days!]
Abel finally relaxed and smiled.
»————- ★ ————-«
In a hot sunny garden, Abel was staring at a middle-aged man with a fearsome expression. The extra reward of the quest was something he hadn’t expected at all.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
The Duke of Del Kior greeted Abel.
[To be continued.]