Storm Warrior - Chapter 347



Only Noblemtl

#347, Sabotage

Dark clouds gathered at a crazy speed without anyone knowing where, and soon heavy rain poured down.

Swish─.

In an instant, lightning struck the rain-soaked ridge without stopping.

Kwakwang! Boom! Partch!

Kururur!

“Is this a bad omen? Wasn’t it like this when you entered the tower before?”

“What’s new when you’re having a meal with a god and a jerk…?”

The guys talking behind me were Song Yeon-hee and Choi Beom-gyun.

I felt a brief flash of brain energy, and if the two people hadn’t spoken at that moment, I wouldn’t have noticed.

That’s exactly where the guys are standing below.

I turned around almost reflexively and deployed the barrier.

Flash.

BANG! Crack!

Almost simultaneously, a lightning strike struck the top of the barrier, dispelling it.

“Damn… this is surprising.”

“I’m sorry. I’m a god and a jerk.”

“Can you even read where lightning strikes?”

Choi Beom-gyun looked up at the sky with a bewildered expression.

“Where is the time to read that? Just react to it.”

“Either that or that….”

“Anyway… be careful. It doesn’t seem like it’ll just be bad weather.”

In fact, at this moment there was no one who was not looking up at the sky.

And at least those who knew of Marduk’s existence immediately understood what I meant.

“Thank goodness… my luck isn’t like X.”

The thunderclouds hanging over the Tower of Desire and the current one may seem similar at first glance, but there is a clear difference between the energy of that day, which merely changed the weather, and the current one, which directly contains the ‘will to interfere’.

To give an easy example, it’s like the difference between kicking a can in anger and throwing a hammer at the person who made you angry.

The latter case is called projection of power.

All of the divine power projected into the human world is consumed.

The more you do it, the less power you have, and at the very least, it leaves a trace and lowers your own status.

It was also the ‘reason why God does not judge humans directly’ that I learned through my father’s knowledge.

Of course, with so many lightning strikes in such a small area, it’s possible for someone to get struck, even by chance.

Especially in a large crowd where at least one person is wearing a helmet, the odds are not low.

But I could clearly feel it.

The will of someone who is in that brain,

The image of a poisonous snake superimposed on it,

The scent of power that is not human.

‘So this is your scent. … As expected, it’s a dirty, musty, sewer-like smell.’

Never forget.

The fact that Marduk took a useless action means that he also knows that the situation is turning against him.

That’s because after losing all my long-term goals, the only way to really torment me is through that ‘projector of power’.

Boom! Parts crack!

“──!”

“Ugh!”

Phagec!

“Whoa!”

Of course, once something has started, the interference has to be active.

In a moment, dozens of players were already struck by lightning and fell.

Kwon Ha-seon put the shield on his back forward and asked as if he was about to jump out.

“Uh, shouldn’t we help you out a little?”

“… You won’t die from being struck by lightning.”

In reality, a single hit was not fatal enough to be a matter of life or death for superhumans.

Especially since they are players, it’s only to that extent.

The problem is that the line that was crossing the portal was broken.

It’s not just that they’re all over the place, but it’s also because the density of lightning is obviously higher the closer you are to the portal.

Fortunately, the sky outside the entrance where the people were standing was clear.

Time continued to pass, and six minutes had passed since the initial twenty minutes had passed.

‘Tsk! This won’t work.’

I didn’t think Marduk’s sabotage would end here.

I sent a telepathic message to Gayoung.

“Just start opening the rest now.”

-Already? I understand the situation, but those who are still planning to come should wait, right?

『Anyway, those who have heard what I have to say and know the situation here should come within 2 or 3 minutes if they make up their mind. I just need to waste time on those who are still hesitating.』

-…all right.

After confirming that Gayoung had activated the second portal, she shouted at the players who had stopped.

“As you can see, there are additional variables that may further reduce the remaining time. Again, this opportunity will not come again.”

As soon as the words were spoken, the players began to move quickly.

Some people carried the fallen party members and ran, while others ran towards the portal, screaming, ready to block or avoid the lightning.

“… is coming.”

Not long after, Kwon Ha-seon pointed to the ridge.

As the group of Hamseong-ah descended, at least a thousand dolls flowed down from the ridge where no silhouettes had been visible.

Some jumped off cliffs, others flew in a straight line with their wings spread.

A sight that literally shows people rushing over the mountain in a hurry.

“Seo, Seongjun…?”

The same system message was repeated over and over in Goo Chang-soo’s field of vision.

[System Warning: This is not a normal area.]

[System Warning: Leaving the normal area may result in disadvantages.]

He urged players who were hesitant to see something like Gu Chang-soo.

“Do not be fooled by false warnings! The System wants to continue to be your guidepost. It wants to keep you in its grip, even though it refuses to allow April 15, 36.”

My earlier conversation with Richard had been very effective in foreshadowing that the system would lie.

All of Marduk’s disruptive actions were foreshadowed, which meant that my words would be more credible.

In fact, players ignored the warning message and rushed back into the portal.

[Church Mission: Kill Taranthor.]

[Church Mission: Eliminate all of Tarantor’s minions.]

He kept giving me quests, but it was clearly self-inflicted damage.

‘Don’t you think it’s a bit stupid to just tell someone to get out and then give them a killing mission?’

“omg…!”

However, what was a little surprising, as if Goo Chang-soo was startled, was that at the same time as the quest, the names of all the people I had called here, including Kang Seon-ho and Kwon Ha-seon, changed to red.

But now even that was just an act that showed how much he disliked the current situation.

Finally, Gayoung activated all four portals.

Even if the visible players rush in for a moment, they won’t be pushed back that much.

Knock knock!

Since things aren’t going as planned, we can only increase the level of sabotage.

As the number of players increased, the number of lightning strikes also increased.

Quagmire! Partsutsut!

Among them, the area around the portal where the density of lightning was high was so high that the lightning strikes were indistinguishable, and now it looked like a wall of lightning.

“Eww!”

“Cough!”

The number of players who were unable to break through the wall and fell also increased rapidly.

In the midst of the chaos, someone shouted.

“If you really want to help us, why don’t you just make another seat for us!”

Well, it’s not like I’m just trying to help, but the answer I gave them was already set.

“You should notice how impatient he is. It’s impossible because the system has already figured it out.”

“Are you saying that the system has a personality?”

“So you thought it was AI? Everything you’ve experienced so far is science?”

I asked if he had a personality, but what he just thought of was a transcendent being.

“However… he is not omnipotent. That is why the solution I am offering you is a threat to the system.”

No more voices could be heard.

All that could be heard was the heavy breathing of those struggling to make their way towards the portal.

In a situation as chaotic as hell, even the guards controlling the surrounding area and non-player hunters had to climb all the way to the shore to avoid the disaster.

All the conversations that have been going on up to now will be incomprehensible to them, so they will all look like crazy.

Looking back at my classmates, the expressions on the faces of those who understood the situation were not much different.

“You guys, you too, move on now. Professors, please move with these guys.”

Although it wasn’t as many as I had hoped, I thought it would be a success if I could just send all the players I could see through the portal.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

Ham Seong-ah answered coolly and turned around to take the lead.

Kwon Ha-seon asked with a worried expression.

“All of them? Are you okay alone?”

“It’s not a problem here. Things will get worse once we get through the portal. That’s why we need you.”

“okay.”

I did tell Richard to never antagonize Katrinan.

Still, having so many players in the same space as Katrinan was dangerous in itself, and although he told them not to be fooled by the system, there was no telling what kind of reward Marduk might offer them.

After Kwon Ha-seon left, I asked Cha Yu-ra, who seemed to have something else to say.

“why?”

“I’ll stay here unless you absolutely need me.”

“?”

The moment when I blinked because I couldn’t understand what he meant when he suddenly said he would stay.

Phagec!

Cha Yu-ra’s image flashed and only the clothes she was wearing were left behind.

And then I felt a ray of lightning shooting up into the sky.

“ah….”

All things are one.

Parts, parts, parts!

Soon, some of the lightning that had been striking around the portal began to gather toward a single point in the air as if they were drawn to a magnet.

Naturally, the movement of players who were previously delayed in front of the lightning barrier has become easier.

In the blinding white light, a human figure moved like an afterimage.

My gaze was momentarily drawn to the splendid sight, but I came to my senses when I saw two of the four portals go out.

Thanks to Cha Yu-ra’s efforts, the blocked pipe seemed to have been cleared and players quickly crossed the portal, and two lives were lost in the sudden rush.

Portals are difficult to maintain, but their original purpose requires the most effort.

The more objects you pass from this side to that space, the more power you lose.

I moved to the back of the platform where Gayoung was standing alone and opened a portal to the two fixed devices.

Wooooowow─!

“I don’t think we’ll need all ten. If I open four, you can go over too. There’s no one over there to stop Katrinan right now.”

Since I had activated the portals sequentially and not used them all, the remaining time had increased significantly, but I couldn’t delay it any longer because I was worried about the situation on the other side.

-… Will you listen to what I have to say?

『Katrinando must be freaking out because of what’s happening right in front of her. I can’t ignore you anymore. Phew… .』

As soon as the words were finished, I activated two more portals, and Gayoung gradually reduced the size of the portal she was maintaining until it disappeared, then went through the portal I had created.

Meanwhile, players continued to arrive through the entrance, crossing the mountain.

Non-player guests had already stepped aside and made way for them.

‘… If we do everything, will it be over 2,000?’

From the beginning, it was acknowledged that ‘everything’ was difficult.

Even though things went wrong, 60% didn’t seem like such a bad result.

“I will count down to 30 seconds and then close the door.”

The desperation was evident on the faces of the players who were within a reasonable distance of arriving on time.

‘Actually, it’s lucky to be left behind.’

I looked around with the eyes of Gu Chang-soo, who had passed over while counting the number.

“Chew! I can’t stand it….”

As expected, a tense situation was unfolding.