Chapter 101

Chapter 101

(Unlocked chapters 1/3)

[King of the Lizards (2)]

There are seven clans in the Republic of Korea with clan rank S.

Each clan is sponsored by a group that ranks among the top 10 in Koreas financial hierarchy, and each clan has a member from the Twelve Seats.

Among the clans, Zenith is considered the top clan in name and reality. It is sponsored by Galaxy Group and led by Nam Gung-seong <Divine Spear>.

The second-ranked is Changhae, sponsored by the Sirius Group and Shin Seoyoung <Divine Wind>.

Silla, the third clan with an S+ clan rating, is sponsored by the Dawn Group and Lee Do-jin <Brainwave>.

Myungwang is sponsored by Eternal Group and <Florist> Bang Yeon-ji.

Regulus Clan is sponsored by Alice Group and <Holy Mother> Park Hye-rim.

Tempest is sponsored by the Pine Group and player Shin Myeong-hwan <Railgun>

Lastly, the Blaze Clan, which has achieved the S- class clan grade at the young age of 22, is supported by YH Group and led by <Flame demon> Kang Hyun-chul.

Its nothing.

Hyun-chul muttered with an air of freshness as he brushed off the sparks that remained on the back of his hand.

In the direction of his hand, there were only ashes left from the fire.

In the ashes was a single gemstone.

Hyun-chul paid no attention to the gem and looked around.

There was only one left.

Lizardmen.

Sharptail, a sixth-ranked monster.

A member of the Lizardmen family, it could assimilate its skin into the colors of its surroundings like a chameleon.

Their ability to camouflage may have been part of the reason people hadnt discovered their existence until now.

But he didnt panic at the sight of Sharptails in disguise.

All they know how to do is blend into their surroundings.

Their camouflaging ability was not as outstanding as the Kraken that appeared on the Seongsan Bridge a few years ago.

Just by deploying his detection net, he could estimate the monsters position.

Hmm.

He pulled the Bastard Sword behind his left elbow. With a slight twist of his waist, he countered the charging Sharptail by swinging his sword.

The camouflage was undone.

He didnt flinch at the sight of the giant lizard-like creature and pressed down on the back of the fallen monster.

Is this all youve got?

Not even a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Sharptails scales were easily crushed by the Bastard Sword.

He lifted his foot.

He looked around.

Amidst the thick bushes growing around the reservoir, the sound of metal colliding and things exploding resonated countless times.

The battle in the Gwacheon Reservoir area was far from over.

Huh, right. How could these guys have hidden until now?

Hyun-chul clicked his tongue as he sensed the monsters presence in the reservoir.

The situation was worse than he thought.

Gwacheon Reservoir wasnt just Sharptails habitat, it had been transformed into Sharptails dungeon.

If it had been a real dungeon, the monsters wouldnt have left it, but it wasnt, and the thought of them leaving the reservoir was horrifying.

It would not end without paralyzing the administrative functions of Gwacheon City.

Thats a little strange, but why didnt they come out?

Monsters instinctively crave mana.

But this group of monsters didnt raid the city, even though there were people living in the immediate vicinity.

Rather, theyve been abducting people, as if to conceal their identity.

Monsters have intelligence.

Some of the higher ranking monsters can even understand and mimic human speech.

The man who spoke was Guyeonsu, the deputy commander of the swarm extermination operation.

A man with an eye patch over his left eye and a wry smile on his face.

He dusted off Sharptails bloodied sword and sheathed it.

If a monster rules over such a large group, it wouldnt easily let others be.

If I were the ruler, I would probably warn them not to reveal themselves since humans are dangerous.

Huh, how do you know what monsters are like? Theyll stop at nothing to get their hands on mana.

Im more frightened because of that, <Flame Demon>.

What?

Guyeonsu looked at the players who were still battling and smiled at them.

He opened his real eye, lightly stroked the end of the hilt with his thumb, as if reminiscing about something, and then opened his mouth.

Ten years ago, when I was a rookie player, there was a horde of orcs in Yongin City.

The players were slaughtering the orcs, but one of them was missing.

It was a time before the cocoon and it was a harsher world than now, so we just brushed it off, thinking that it was just one monster that escaped.

If the orc popped up again, Id just have to kill it.

But do you know what happened?

Guyeonsu raised his shoulders as if exaggerating and laughed.

His eyes held life, but the corners of his mouth twitched upward in self-deprecation.

Orcs are usually very survivalist, but some of them have an insatiable appetite for reproduction.

<Flame Demon> You havent seen a monster violate a human yet, have you?

He led orcs conceived by humans to take over the city of Yongin.

Do you know what it was like when my clan heard the news and was sent to Yongin City?

I saw hordes of orcs in the middle of the streets, treating humans like livestock, putting them in cages to fight each other, tearing off their legs so they could never walk again, and making them crawl like dogs.

Thats when I realized how cruel and brutal intelligent monsters can be.

Monsters are strong, and intelligent monsters shouldnt be underestimated, especially when theyre in groups.

The cost of missing that one dying orc that day was the lives and dignity of countless others.

Do not underestimate monsters. The moment you let your guard down, you die.

As Hyun-chul looked into Guyeonsus eyes, he could almost see the situation he was describing unfolding in his mind.

He was not only part of the Twelve, but also the Clan Lord of the Blaze Clan.

However, he wasnt a player in the <End of the Century Destruction>, nor was he a player in the era before the Fairy took office.

He had never encountered anything like the incident Guyeonsu had described.

Damn you, assholes.

Yeah, I know.

Never underestimate them.

He knew that he lacked much beyond his skills.

Thats why he couldnt afford to be disrespectful to who was a Regulus Clan Lord, someone far senior to him.

Still, he was in a position to learn.

What are you both doing? Is this the time for small talk?

The atmosphere became awkward.

At that moment, Park Hye-rim, who had just finished treating the injured players, confronted them.

She swung her pickaxe down with a bang. Putting her hand on her waist, she straightened her upper body and glared at them.

There was a large pipe half-buried in the bottom.

Its exterior was gouged with holes large enough for a sharptail to pass through.

What is this?

Hyun-chul was dumbfounded.

So were the other players.

But there was no doubt that the pipe led to their lair.

Do Wanjun, who was in overall command of the swarming operation, gave instructions to the players around him.

The Myeongwang Clan will thoroughly search the area and subdue the enemy. The Blaze Clan and Regulus Clan will form teams with available personnel and enter the Sharpteals lair sequentially.

Byang Yeon-ji, how long can you maintain the magic?

Assuming I have sufficient mana, up to 4 hours. If I want to maintain this magic, it seems I wont be able to leave here.

Assign a few players. You stay here and guard the reservoir.

Actions were taken immediately.

The Blaze Clan and Regulus Clan equipped themselves with elites and decided to enter the pipe one by one.

Hyun-cheol, now feeling excited, declared he would go first and ventured into the darkness, paying no heed to Hye-rims taunts as she followed closely behind.

whoosh

With a snap of his fingers, tiny embers lit up the darkness.

Ugh, its dirty.

Park Hye-rim looked at the dirt on the hem of her skirt and frowned.

She could have washed her clothes with magic, but she couldnt afford to spend mana on that without knowing where this pipeline would end.

Forced to ignore the slimy sensation of her skirt clinging to her legs, she followed the lead players.

Shhh.

Of all the players in the lead, no one could match Guyeonsus ability to detect signs of trouble.

Halting the group, he stared into the darkness beyond the flickering embers.

He heard a sharp, kicking sound.

It was a sharptail.

Guyeonsus actions were swift. He leapt to his feet and plunged his sword into the creatures head.

He wasnt the only one.

He and the other players with swords rushed in and slashed at Sharptails limbs.

The creatures scales were hard.

However, there was no reason they couldnt kill it, even though its armor was tough.

Thud.

In the narrow space, Hyun Chul couldnt swing the bastard sword.

He didnt need to.

With a snap of his fingers, Hyun-chuls sword burst into flame, embedded in the creatures body.

The heated blade cut into the skin beneath the scales, and the unquenchable flames consumed the creature from within.

Looks like its leading to the lair. <Flame Demon> even if its not your sword, it would be nice if you took care of it.

I had no choice but to defeat the monster. You cant underestimate monsters.

Like a child, Kang Hyun-chul returned the words that Guyeonsu had said earlier.

Guyeonsu burst out laughing in disbelief.

He stopped laughing, put his sword back in its sheath, and followed the group as they walked away.

Where are we?

Seoul Land?

Several more Sharptails appeared after that.

This time, they didnt let a single one escape.

Since they found the lair, there was no need to reveal information to the enemy.

It was then that they lost track of time.

The pipe led to an unknown sewage facility.

Hye-rim detected the location on her smartphone, and it was Seoul land.

It was connected to an amusement park? Does that mean the monsters were hiding in the park?

I cant deny its possible.

Seoulland had been closed for over 30 years.

It was a deserted landmark that still bore the marks of the <End of the Century Destruction.>

It wouldnt be strange if monsters nested here.

Then where are the monsters?

There was no need to deploy the sensors.

The sound of dripping water was intermittent, mingled with other sounds.

Between the intermittent sounds of water dripping, there were strange sounds mixed in.

Players exchanged glances. After leaving a mark on the wall so the following group could follow, they moved in the direction of the sounds.

Thump, thump, thump.

It was the sound of something being pounded.

No.

It was more like the sound of something being beaten.

Though the intervals were similar, the sizes of the beats varied, as if they were delivering blows.

Clank, clank, clank.

This time, it was the sound of something being chopped.

Chuk, chuk, chuk.

Then, it changed into the sound of something lightly slicing.

What the?

The players watched the scene unfolding around the corner, each of them suspicious of what they were seeing.

The 6th-tier monster, Sharpteail, was named so because of its ability to transform its long tail into a sharp blade.

The Sharpteail on the other side of the corner was fully immersed in using its transformed tail to chop something.

That. Shhh.

Guyeonsu cautioned.

Park Hye-rim couldnt look away from the sight.

Kang Hyun-chul was also wide-eyed, watching the monster in action.

The creature was using its tail to pound, flip, and finally chop some meat-like substance, resembling a pig or something else, with a knife.

It wasnt just one of them.

All the monsters in that space were fully engrossed in chopping something each.

Ugh.

The stench was overpowering.

Park Hye-rim finally realized what the smell was coming from beyond.

She gagged and quickly covered her mouth with her hand, forcing down the rising nausea and stifling any sound.

Fuck.

Kang Hyun-chul cursed under his breath.

There was nothing more to see.

Without anyone having to say who should go first, the players rushed out of the area resembling a slaughterhouse.

Fwoosh.

The flames surged.