Chapter 172
Battle broke out throughout Subterra; not between humans and Chaos, but between fellow humans. Clan One Tree was also engaging in battle against the black clan, Slaughterhouse.
“Hup!” Ho-Geun grunted as he activated the unique skills of his D Weapon, Wallbreaking Sledgehammer.
[Activating Unique Skill: Recoilless.]
[Activating Unique Skill: Demolition Hammer.]
Golden light particles gathered around the sledgehammer head and slammed into the enemy holding a shield.
“Kurgh!” the enemy grunted as he flew across the battlefield and slammed into a wall, covered in blood.
Ho-Geun exhaled as he turned to look for his next target.
Demolition Hammer was initially a burst skill that significantly consumed his stamina and mana. However, he established a new unique skill, Recoilless, to reduce the Demolition Hammer’s physical burden.
“Die, trash!” Seong-Tae shouted as he charged into a group spamming ranged skills, and opened the zipper of his D Weapon, Premium Clutch Bag.
[Activating Unique Skill: Fiery Gloves.]
[Activating Unique Skill: Dark Suit.]
Two blazing red gloves manifested around his hands, and a black suit made of condensed darkness wrapped around him. A life was taken with each of his swings, and the darkness protected him from attacks in his blind spot.
Seong-Tae used to be a melee or mid-range attacker who used the Fiery Gloves to attack. However, after establishing the unique skill, Dark Suit, he could now act as a libero, a tanking attacker role, or a crack attacker who demolished the opponent’s formation.
Min-Jae fired arrows from the rear as he activated two skills. His shots never missed.
[Activating Unique Skill: Trajectory.]
[Activating Unique Skill: Foresight.]
Trajectory was a support skill that boosted his concentration and the accuracy, power, and distance of his shots. This skill allowed him to become a raumdeuter, the ultra-ranged attacker role.
“Two tanks, reinforce the left flank. Jeremy, Jako, you go. Nukers, gather in the middle and split the enemy formation into two,” Shin Jun commanded as he observed the flow of battle.
Ye-Ji held her smartphone D Weapon like a microphone beside Jun.
[Activating Unique Skill: Sky Net.]
Sky Net was a support skill that connected the brain waves of those she had marked, allowing for communication among them. Hwa-Yeon stabbed the Dark Humans’ hearts with her spear, and Ha Rin, having undergone Beastification with Chocho, sneaked up on enemies to kill them.
There was also a middle-aged woman with untied hair and eyes gleaming with bloodlust, slaughtering the Dark Humans; it was Hee-Gyeong. A screw became loose in her brain after witnessing a Dark Human kill Do-Hyun at Edu. She used a significant amount of Coins to track down the Dark Human who killed Do-Hyun, and despised Dark Humans more than anyone in Clan One Tree.
[Activating Unique Skill: Cat’s Cradle - Candles.]
[Activating Unique Skill: Cat’s Cradle - Saw.]
Hee-Gyeong’s yarn pierced the Dark Humans’ heads and took the shape of a chainsaw to split their torsos. Her desire for revenge developed her into the strongest manipulator in the clan.
One Tree was one-sidedly massacring Slaughterhouse. They were similar in combat prowess, but one factor gave One Tree the overwhelming edge.
“Argh! Bastards! Show yourselves!”
“I can’t see them! Do they all have an assassination skill or something?!”
“Use detection skills!”
The Slaughterhouse clansmen screamed as they swung their weapons randomly. It was only natural because they couldn’t see or hear their enemies, or even sense their presence. It was like fighting an army of ghosts.
[Activating Unique Skill: Concealing Cloak - Individual.]
Of course, it was all thanks to Chaya Singh Rai.
***
The One Tree clansmen turned visible again once the battle was over, leaving a pile of corpses.
“Huff! Huff! This is exhausting.”
“But it’s an absolute landslide victory. A few are injured, but no casualties.”
“Gather the injured! Healers, get ready!”
“It’s all thanks to him.”
The One Tree clansmen stared at the short individual in a black robe beside Jun. He was the biggest contributor to their victory.
“Thank you. Please send my regards to Card—I mean, Cheon Seong-Hwi,” Jun said.
Chaya nodded.
Can he not speak? That aside, he has an extraordinary skill. He concealed a hundred people simultaneously, Jun thought as he stared at Chaya.
Seong-Hwi had sent Chaya to provide reinforcement. Thanks to him, One Tree could take the initiative through surprise attacks and was given the immense upper hand even during battle. Chaya was the perfect buffer, or the advance position, that boosted the entire team’s performance.
“Are you off to help another team?” Jun asked.
Chaya nodded and was about to leave, but suddenly heard a familiar voice among the One Tree clansmen.
“Wait! Wait a second!”
Shan? Chaya thought as he flinched.
He immediately activated Concealing Cloak and disappeared.
A girl with brown skin and black hair in a braided ponytail ran to Jun. It was Shaya Singh Rai, Chaya’s little sister.
She shouted, “Where did he go? Jun oppa! Where did that person who was here just now go?”
“He went to assist another team. What’s wrong, Shaya?” Jun asked.
“Did you see his face?!”
“No, his robe hood was practically covering his entire face, so...”
“Hugh! Look for him!” Shaya asked her D Weapon, the snow leopard, Hugh.
The beautiful beast with white fur, black leopard prints, and ice-like blue eyes sniffed around, but couldn’t find Chaya.
“It’s pointless. His skill appears to conceal not only sound, but also smell. What’s wrong, Shaya?”
Shaya bit her lip and thought, That skill was the same one Chan oppa used! But how? Could it be...?
She recalled her conversation with Chaya, who had returned to her covered in blood, at the Dark Forest.
“But... there are only three Teleport Rocks left. If I use this, there will only be two—”
“No, there are still two for me to get. You trust me, don’t you? A proud Gurkha warrior never lies.”
Shaya’s heart pounded after having tasted hope.
“Could it be you... Chan oppa?”
***
Enrique pressed the buttons on his Spy Drone Controller and said, “They’re all gathering in one place. There are over two thousand.”
“That settles it. They’ve noticed,” Seong-Hwi remarked.
The Dark Humans had joined forces after realizing they were being hunted.
“Even better,” Seong-Hwi said with a smile, already having planned for this event.
“The kid is doing incredibly well. Losses on our side don’t even reach ten percent,” Enrique said.
“Chaya, was it? I’d love to scout him for the spec force,” Douglas added as he smacked his lips.
His stealth skill was nearly perfect. It was incredible for espionage.
“Chaya already has a job. One that wouldn’t lose to a position in the spec force,” Seong-Hwi said.
“Keh! A position that doesn’t lose to a position in the Union? Does he work for the Cecil Hotel or something?” Douglas joked.
However, he was correct, and Seong-Hwi refrained from answering.
He turned to the short-haired woman beside him and asked, “How is it going on your end, Yuki?”
“They’re gathering deeper underground, like you said they would,” Yuki replied.
“And the escape route?”
“Secured.”
Seong-Hwi nodded in satisfaction.
“That comrade sure gets to work comfortably. Must be because she’s a manipulator,” Yong-Su said.
Ha-Eun replied, “You’re a manipulator too, Yong-Su ahjussi.”
“I’m a mixture. That female comrade is the real deal. How does our commander know someone like that? Gasp! Could they be a pretend couple?”
“Pretend couple?”
Yuki turned to stare at Yong-Su and Ha-Eun, who immediately shut their mouths.
I didn’t see you as that kind of player, Commander, Yong-Su said inwardly.
***
“Damn it all!”
“We’ll be wiped out at this rate!”
The Dark Humans were furious after realizing that Subterra had been prepared to hunt them, not the Chaos. They tried to resist, but the difference in power between them and their enemies was too large. Not only that, but their enemies had already developed a strong united front, and the mannequins of Onie Yuki, a fellow Dark Human, were pushing them deeper underground.
“What a cowardly tactic. They’re leaving us out to die,” said Grichuk of Clan Scavenger.
The Dark Humans all turned to him because he was the only Ranker among them. Grichuk, also known as Hyena, was seventy-fourth in the human ranking. He was an opportunist who took advantage of every underhanded tactic possible.
“Onie Yuki is driving us deeper underground for one reason. She’s using us to clear the first condition of the purification quest and weakening our forces at the same time.”
They were currently gathered on the sub-third floor, where Segal-rank Moledens appeared. Casualties rose every time they engaged in battle. There would be even more casualties if they were pushed into the sub-fourth floor, further reducing their chances of survival.
“What should we do, then?”
“I refuse to die like this!”
The Dark Humans expressed anxiety.
Grichuk smiled leisurely and answered, “There is always a way. Rodrygo.”
“Yes, boss,” Rodrygo answered.
“How did it go?”
“I found an escape route. Not even the Puppeteer could block off every tunnel,” Rodrygo said as his black eyes shone.
He was the volante of Clan Scavenger who possessed an extraordinary detection skill.
An escape route? Grichuk said inwardly.
He thought momentarily and then said, “Alright. We will climb back up to the surface and escape Subterra.” He smiled nastily and continued, “The Union has waged war against us! We shall return to the Capital and let South Earth know!”
He believed this was the best way to screw over their enemies. Since they had devised a plan to gather the Dark Humans in one place and wipe them out, it meant there was no other way to wipe out the Dark Humans.
“They’d want to keep what happened here a secret, to prevent a civil war. Kekek! Not on my watch! We’ll get out of here and reveal what they’ve done here, no matter what!”
“Let’s go!”
“For revenge!”
“Cecil Hotel, Loaners, Hard Drug, and Murderous Age! Let’s get every major black clan involved!”
***
The Dark Humans began their escape plan, following behind Rodrygo, who used his extraordinary detection skill, Grey Sense, to find the path where they could avoid Onie Yuki’s mannequins and other enemies. They gathered more Dark Humans along the way, and there were now almost three thousand of them.
“We’ve reached the sub-first floor! We’re almost there! We’ll see the exit soon!” Grichuk shouted.
He wondered, Was it a coincidence?
They had not been attacked even once on their way here. They would be the victors once they escaped the dungeon.
And then there will be anarchy in the Capital! I will make it so!
South Earth had been dispirited lately because of Lee Kang-San. However, according to the information he had gotten before entering Subterra, Kang-San was not in the Capital at the moment. No one knew where he went, but this was the perfect opportunity.
We also have a just cause! I’ll use this opportunity as a foothold to raise Scavenger into a major black clan!
They finally arrived at the massive tunnel leading to the exit. The rectangular pillar exit would be visible once they reached the end of the tunnel.
“Hm? Halt!” Grichuk suddenly shouted.
His voice echoed throughout the tunnel, reaching the rear end of their massive group. An Asian man with black hair stood at the entrance of the tunnel, staring at them with black eyes filled with bloodlust.
He said, “I commend you for gathering like an army of ants and getting this far. You’ve saved me the trouble of chasing each one of you down.”
“RB! How dare you trick us?! I thought you were one of us!” Grichuk shouted at Seong-Hwi.
He still remembered the aura Seong-Hwi had emitted at the hundredth floor of the Empire State Building. His filthy and disgusting bloodlust could only have come from a fellow Dark Human who killed for pleasure.
He continued, “Why is someone like you, who achieved the Thousand-Man Killer, working as the Union’s dog?!”
“There seems to be a misunderstanding,” Seong-Hwi replied calmly. “I do not work for the Union. I only work for myself.” He smiled nastily, the same way as Richard Ramirez, the Night Stalker, and continued, “If I kill you all... I will become even closer to the Ten Lords and Fiends.”
He recalled the sight of Regnator, the Dragon King, slaughtering millions of Humans throughout the Capital by himself. Although Seong-Hwi was not yet at that level, he needed to be able to kill at least three thousand. Not only that, but the humans before him were garbage who did not benefit humanity in any way. Although it would come with intense black smoke, even trash could be used to generate thermal power when burned.
Just then, rumbling sounded from behind the Dark Humans.
“What the hell?”
“It came from behind us! Gold?”
“The way back is blocked!”
A giant gold wall had blocked the path behind them. It was made with Almighty Gold, a skill of Yuki’s Filipe Kabuka mannequin. The table had been set for a feast.
Seong-Hwi hummed as he unsheathed the Titanic Tide Kris from his back.
“Kill him!”
“Die!”
“Ahhh!”
The Dark Humans charged at Seong-Hwi simultaneously, but Seong-Hwi couldn’t hear their acrimony. The world around him was quiet, and he could only hear the melody of his hums.