After reaching the 4-star realm, brimming with confidence, Yohan had left his children behind to face a giant turtle alone and test just how effective his attack power really was.
A turtle army released by the giant turtle?
That was only possible because Yohan wasn’t afraid even if hundreds of them charged at him at once.
His entire body overflowed with Internal Energy, and just like a pump drawing water, the surrounding energy was being sucked into his dantian.
At this rate, unless he did something that consumed a lot of Internal Energy, he could probably handle hundreds or even thousands of enemies without tiring.
The real problem was the giant turtle itself.
Upon ascending to the 4-star realm, Yohan’s stats had skyrocketed past that giant turtle, nearly reaching 30,000. But as stats don’t tell the whole story in combat, the turtle’s shell might have defense surpassing Yohan’s attack power.
So this visit was both to verify his abilities and to plan alternative measures in case he couldn’t break through that shell and defeat the giant turtle.
Naturally, his eyes caught sight of a large turtle army heading toward the apartment complex.
He watched the giant turtle open its shell wide, pulling out smaller turtles one after another and sending them toward the apartments. Curiosity about their destination grew in Yohan’s mind.
Was it a military base again?
Or some other faction?
One thing was clear: the giant turtle was sending a considerable number of turtles toward the apartment complex because there was a threatening force present there.
Killing the giant turtle was important, but confirming whether this force was friend or foe was also valuable, so Yohan’s footsteps headed in that direction.
Using Projection Step, he swiftly reached the apartment complex, then concealed himself with Ghost Step to observe the situation.
From the circumstances, it seemed to be the residents of the complex.
Among the desperate defenders blocking the turtle army, one man stood out—wielding a staff.
Just past his thirties?
The young man attacked the turtle army with dazzling magic far beyond what Seoyoung could produce.
Drawn to his brilliance, Yohan naturally activated his Scouter to check his stats.
His power level was an impressive 18,000.
Though far below Yohan’s own, it was still unmatched within Bucheon.
And magic, too.
Compared to Seoyoung’s magic, this man’s was more refined and formidable, naturally raising Yohan’s guard. But the more he watched, the more his suspicion faded.
This man was desperately trying to protect the people.
Sacrificing himself to fight alongside others and evacuating them, then fighting fiercely alone when surrounded—it all tugged at Yohan’s resolve.
How long had it been since he’d seen someone so strong willing to sacrifice for others?
Without realizing it, Yohan charged forward to save the man surrounded by the turtle army.
To Taehyun, the man facing Yohan, his presence was astonishing.
Unlike himself, who relied on flashy and powerful magic, Yohan was single-handedly tearing through the turtle army.
Each time his spear moved, the turtle shells that had been such a challenge shattered as easily as tofu.
And whenever he emitted that crimson energy from his hands, several turtles were crushed into pulp.
“That’s… disgustingly many.”
Despite shuddering at the sheer number, there was no trace of fear in Taehyun’s expression.
If anything, he twisted his mouth in determination and raised his spirits.
He withdrew his spear and raised his hands.
Wooooong.
With a loud roar like a vacuum cleaner, mana began swirling fiercely around the man’s hands.
Wooooong, wooooong.
Along with the vibrations, dark red energy surged, forming the shape of a massive hand around Yohan.
Heavenly Demon Hand Type 1, Sky Tremor.
This was the Heavenly Demon Mastery Yohan had obtained upon reaching 4-stars.
The massive hand, a powerful tangible force, began sweeping through the turtle army at Yohan’s command.
No intact turtle remained where the hand passed, and none could withstand Yohan’s attacks.
That hand, like a divine or demonic force, mercilessly crushed, burst, and tore apart the turtle monsters as if they were insignificant insects.
“Good heavens…”
Being able to unleash such a devastating attack nonstop almost seemed unfair.
While Taehyun gaped in amazement, half the turtle army had already perished and hesitated to advance any further.
Those creatures who seemed fearless now looked at Yohan with visible fear.
Turning away from the retreating enemies, Yohan expanded his Aura Sense.
He checked for reinforcements but sensed no similar energy nearby.
“Is there a limit to how many they can send at once?”
“Or did they detect their overall strength through the small turtles and gave up?”
Just as he wondered how well the turtle army and the giant turtle could coordinate, the remaining turtles fled in earnest.
“They’re fast for turtles.”
Watching the turtle army disappear faster than humans, Yohan retracted his Heavenly Demon Hand.
Though immensely powerful, this technique consumed a lot of Internal Energy every time it was used—especially since Yohan had only just reached the early 4-star realm.
Of course, his Internal Energy recharged quickly enough to compensate.
“Are you all right?”
After confirming the last of the enemies had fled, Yohan turned to Taehyun and asked.
“Ah, yes… thank you for saving me.”
Snapping out of his daze at Yohan’s voice, Taehyun bowed respectfully.
“So people live here after all?”
“…The apartment residents band together to live here.”
“There was a military base—maybe a shelter?”
“No, when we tried to seek refuge there, we were turned away. The residents here protect the complex on their own.”
“Wait, so the military base doesn’t protect civilians?”
Not knowing the full story, Yohan had assumed the military base in Bucheon was still operating under government control and dispatching reinforcements to manage shelters.
But Taehyun explained:
“They claim to be an independent force no longer following government orders.”
“Heh…”
‘No wonder they attacked anyone on sight…’
Now there were only two confirmed forces in Bucheon.
One was the apartment complex here, which didn’t seem a serious threat aside from the man in front of him, and definitely wasn’t villainous.
The other was the military base.
They had enough firepower and manpower to take down a Drake, making them practically the biggest faction in Bucheon.
Judging by their actions, they might not be outright villains, but they seemed intent on taking complete control of Bucheon.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have seized Bucheon City Hall to secure CCTV footage and unleashed massive firepower to kill the Drake.
Lost in thought, Yohan fell silent.
Taehyun looked at him carefully.
He appeared older, yet somehow strangely young.
He definitely gave off the vibe of being older than himself… but in many ways, he was a mysterious man.
Seeing him save people made Taehyun think he probably wasn’t one of those villains causing trouble lately.
Even if he was, Taehyun couldn’t do anything to him right now.
Though his mana was full and all his spells were ready, he still lacked confidence.
Of course, he did have a secret move… but still…
“Um…”
“Oh, sorry, I got distracted. This neighborhood’s pretty dangerous. Recently, Drake showed up in Litsia, and now there’s a giant turtle in the park next door. If you’re staying in this apartment, you should take your family and allies and run. I don’t think you can hold out much longer.”
Hearing Yohan’s words, Taehyun’s eyes suddenly snapped wide.
“Drake…?”
“Yes, that monster resembling a dragon that nested in Litsia.”
At Yohan’s casual mention, Taehyun made a realization.
In this game, you couldn’t get information on monsters you hadn’t defeated yourself. So…
“That means the monster the military base attacked was defeated by that man.”
It was possible Taehyun had the ability to recognize the monster’s name.
But since he didn’t know the exact name of the giant turtle near Bucheon City Hall, it was quite certain this man had slain the dragon—or rather, the Drake.
The very person who had survived that overwhelming firepower and chased down the escaping monster was this man.
It wasn’t hard to believe anymore.
Taehyun had seen the man’s imposing presence firsthand while fighting the turtle army.
His mind started racing.
Meanwhile, Yohan glanced around, then looked toward the giant turtle and spoke.
“I have some things to take care of, so I’ll be going. Anyway, there are so many villains in Bucheon that I just… hope people who live here decently can survive to the end.”
“Uh?”
“Hey, wait…!”
“Why?”
Sensing urgency, Yohan turned to look at Taehyun.
“Thank you so much for saving my life. I feel like I didn’t properly thank you.”
“We have to help each other. Like I said, I hope decent people survive to the end…”
“Well, at least let me repay you somehow…”
“If fate brings us together again, we’ll meet. Bucheon’s a surprisingly small place. Maybe I’ll need your help someday. When that happens, if you think of it as a favor, you can repay me then.”
“Ah, understood. Thank you again.”
Yohan smiled once and disappeared like the wind.
Taehyun watched the spot where he vanished and sighed.
“If only someone like that had been in our neighborhood…”
Thinking about the chaotic complex full of selfish dictators clinging to leadership and indecisive people like himself, Taehyun entered the school with heavy steps.
Thanks to Yohan’s help, the gym’s doors—through which no monsters had entered—were firmly closed.
“Oh! Taehyun!”
“Captain, you’re alive!”
Vigilantes swarmed to greet him eagerly.
“Looks like someone saved you. Who was that?”
One vigilante asked sharply.
“I don’t know either. But since he saved people, I don’t think he’s one of those villain types.”
“Heh, someone like that in this day and age…”
While everyone expressed admiration, a group stomped in angrily.
The sharp voice of Kim Sunja rang out.
“Hey, Vigilante Captain! Why would you drag monsters all the way into the school, neither front nor back gate? Are you trying to kill all of Seonga Village’s people?”
“Then should all the vigilantes die?”
“Who said that? Do you think it makes sense that the people who’ve been holding them back can’t stop them now and are getting pushed back here? You can’t threaten powerless people’s lives like that!”
“Threaten? What do you mean threaten?”
“Of course you could! Aren’t you intentionally letting them in so that you can absorb this village’s people under your faction by pretending to be pushed back? Acting like nothing works without you! Isn’t that right?”
“Wow…”
‘I really don’t know what to say.’
Taehyun, feeling pathetic and frustrated for risking his life to protect these people, shook his head and searched for his wife.
“Ji-young!”
“Uh, yes?”
“Let’s go.”
“Where…?”
“This is disgusting and ridiculous. I don’t know why I tried so hard to protect this place while getting treated like that. Fine, I’ll be the bad guy then. Chairwoman, you and the others who stand with you, protect this place well!”
“What?”
“I’m done. I’m not the Vigilante Captain or anything else anymore.”
Saying that, Taehyun grabbed his wife’s hand and left the gym.