Bang! Kraaang! Bang!
The military unit’s attack began on the giant turtle monster, which was startled and fleeing from Yohan’s assault.
Even more firepower was concentrated than when they attacked Drake, and the giant turtle, alarmed by the concentrated barrage, started running away faster.
In the past, it would have hidden inside its shell, but after taking a severe beating from Yohan’s attack, it panicked even at the seemingly minor assault from the military unit and fled in a hurry.
Because of that, both its hind legs were injured by flames, and its face was badly damaged.
“Seeing that, it’s definitely vulnerable to fire.”
“Right? Even the small turtles get scared by fire or electric magic, even if it’s just minor spells.”
“Just like Taehyun said.”
Yohan wiped his chin.
“Is the 7th Circle Magic also fire-based, by any chance?”
“Fortunately…”
That was welcome news to hear.
With a healer, mages, and damage dealers like himself, it seemed like a sufficient lineup to take down a boss monster, though the lack of a tanker was a pity.
He wanted nothing more than to land each of their ultimate moves on the creature right now and finish off the giant turtle.
“Hah, the military is no help at all.”
Frustrated, Yohan put a cigarette to his lips.
“Ah, I’m going to light up.”
“It’s okay.”
After asking for their permission, Yohan lit his cigarette and stared ahead.
The military was showing off their firepower, hammering the giant turtle nonstop, but its shell remained as sturdy as ever.
At first, the turtle had been frantic to flee, but seeing that its shell wasn’t taking much damage, it soon calmed down and retracted its body inside.
“Look at them wasting money on weapons bought with taxes as if the country’s falling apart. They’re just throwing blood taxes away.”
After a long waste of firepower, all that was visible was the still-solid turtle shell.
Realizing their weapons were useless, the military entered a brief lull.
Yohan was watching the motionless turtle shell, with its head and limbs all tucked in, and the busy soldiers, wondering how to deal with them.
Creak.
Like the sound of an old door hinge, a part of the turtle’s shell suddenly swung wide open.
“Already?”
Yohan knew that spot better than anyone.
It was the place where small turtles were sent down.
Could there have been eggs laid earlier? Or were the eggs he saw before hatching already?
He didn’t know, but in any case, out came a flood.
Clack, clack, clack.
With so many small turtles packed together, their shells clattered as they rushed out en masse from the giant turtle’s shell.
The military hurried into action.
The soldiers moved with precision, spraying bullets at the turtle squad.
Narrowing their fire and concentrating their shots, machine guns behind them roared out support fire.
“Even those turtle shells are like excellent bulletproof vests in front of gunfire.”
Taehyun sighed.
They fired continuously, but very few turtles died.
Occasionally, some unlucky ones got a fatal headshot or were injured in their limbs, but hitting the head was difficult.
Even when struck, glancing blows meant the hard head acted like a helmet, preventing lethal damage.
The military wasn’t stupid; they knew this very well.
They fired to prevent the turtles from advancing while orderly boarding cargo trucks.
Bang!
And then, the Superhuman Unit arrived belatedly.
From the military’s perspective, these were the most skilled individuals deployed to support their retreat.
The soldiers cheered upon seeing them, but the three watching from the commercial building were indifferent.
“The military’s ability users… are really weak.”
“Right.”
Yohan nodded.
There were probably many young people who liked games, but strangely, the military’s ability users were very weak.
He wondered if it was because the current popular game was Battle Survival, but he was even more puzzled after hearing from Jeonghoo that Cup of Legend, also known as Call, was more popular.
Of course, there were circumstances behind it, but that wasn’t the point now.
As the military quickly climbed into their vehicles and began retreating, the Superhuman Unit also jumped into a Retona vehicle and sped off.
They couldn’t face the dozens of small turtles emerging from the shell.
Seeing them disappear, Yohan looked at Taehyun.
“Should I hit them first, or will you…?”
“Riding on someone else’s back is rude. Since you started first, you finish it and take the title.”
“Sounds good. I don’t want to, but I have people I need to take care of too. Anyway, does that giant turtle fall within the range of your Seven-Circle Magic?”
“Hm… I think it’s enough.”
“Then I’ll draw the attention of the small turtles while you hit that one.”
“Understood.”
“Good. Let’s start right away.”
Just as he had jumped down from the commercial building earlier, Yohan leapt down again below it.
Thud!
With the rough momentum unique to Projection Step, Yohan landed noisily and drew the gaze of the turtle squad.
The giant turtle was still inside its shell and couldn’t see him.
Knowing the giant turtle couldn’t sense him, Yohan used Ghost Step to suppress his presence and lured the small turtles.
The turtle squad, unaware of Yohan’s presence, boldly charged.
Yohan looked up at the window.
Taehyun was already holding his Great Mage’s Staff, solemnly waving his hand, and he drew out the Heavenly Demon Spear, preparing to fight the turtles.
Meanwhile, above the giant turtle, a blue magic circle appeared.
The complex formulas and symbols spun rapidly, draining Taehyun’s mana at an alarming rate.
Taehyun’s face paled as his mana was sucked out completely.
His entire mana pool was depleted.
His body felt hollow, and his mind was dazed, but he gritted his teeth and endured it.
If he lost focus even slightly, his aim would falter.
The symbols and countless patterns finally completed the magic circle perfectly, and Taehyun shouted the spell’s name.
“Iiiinnfeeerrooo!”
Inferno.
A top-tier fire magic summoning an ultra-high-level blaze erupted from the magic circle.
“Ow…”
The moment Inferno manifested, both Taehyun and Ji-young closed their eyes.
The intense light and heat, like a nuclear explosion, radiated even through the building.
“Ugh!”
Yohan, facing the turtle squad, was forced to step back hastily at the overwhelming power.
Retreating with Projection Step, Yohan checked behind him.
If you magnified a turbo lighter by hundreds of millions of times, would it feel like this?
Staring at the blazing flames rising fiercely from the ground, Yohan thought that the heat alone must have turned the turtles into cooked meat.
After Inferno’s effect ended, Yohan used his spiritual energy to scan the giant turtle.
It was blackened and charred, looking like a lump of charcoal.
Then.
“No notification popped up!”
Ji-young shouted, opening the window of the commercial building.
“Yes…!”
Yohan immediately understood what that meant.
There was no notification that the giant turtle had died; it was still alive.
It could vomit something to heal itself, or the military might suddenly appear to steal the kill.
So, using Projection Step, Yohan surged toward the giant turtle and unleashed the Heavenly Demon Beast.
The huge crimson hand and the Asura Blood God Palm – Fifth Form: Asura’s Fury.
These two techniques merged and burst from Yohan’s hands.
A red tidal wave surged forward, crashing down on the giant turtle.
Even the giant turtle’s shell, which had withstood so much, seemed unable to endure this new damage.
From where the Asura’s Raging Wave struck, the shell began to crumble rapidly.
Kraaang!
Finally, at the moment the Asura’s Raging Wave exploded, the turtle turned to ashes and vanished.
-You have slain the Castle Turtle.
-You have acquired the Indomitable title.
-You can activate new titles once the game ends.
“Done…”
Feeling triumphant at having defeated the troublesome monster, Yohan clenched his fist.
“Uh?”
His cheer was cut short when he spotted the small turtles, still alive and panicking, their eyes wide with shock.
“If the mother dies, don’t these guys die too?”
Yohan, filled with internal energy from Ji-young’s heal, drew out the Heavenly Demon Spear to finish off the remaining ones.
With their source gone, the small turtles looked at Yohan briefly before fleeing in panic.
-30 minutes until game end.
At the notification, Yohan let out a deep sigh and sat down, lighting another cigarette.
Where the giant turtle had disappeared, a giant rock the size of a person was left behind.
***
-30 minutes until game end.
“Fi-finally, the game is ending!”
Back in Seonga Village, Kim Sunja forced a bright smile as she told the gathered people, though her eyes betrayed her worry.
But the response was even more hostile.
“What’s the point once the game ends? The villains might come to loot us.”
“Not just villains! What if the military orders us out of Seonga Village?”
“Right? What will we do in the next game?”
“That’s why you don’t mess with the quiet Self-Defense Force leader…”
The murmurs stabbed into Kim Sunja’s heart.
She couldn’t believe how quickly the public opinion had turned against her.
Until now, they had prospered under her protection, so how could they forget that favor so quickly?
It made her angry.
Paying back kindness with enmity—there’s a limit to that!
As her face flushed with anger, the person watching outside the gym window turned pale and shouted.
“E-everyone, big trouble! The turtle squad has appeared!”
The turtle squad that fled from Yohan had instinctively followed their source’s orders and now attacked Seonga Village.
With all the Self-Defense Force members gone, only non-combatants remained in the village.
The people of Sung-A Castle were pale and all looked to Kim Sunja.
“Lady of the Castle, you have to step up now!”
“M-me?”
“Didn’t you say you had a plan?”
“Hurry!”
“W-we need to block the entrance! If we hold for 30 minutes, the game ends! Quickly, block the entrance!”
Her cry spurred the villagers into frantic action.
They dragged out gym vaulting horses and piled sacks of grain at the door to block it, but it was no match for the threat.
Thud!
The turtle squad crashed into the door, pushing it back, and villagers rushed to hold it closed.
Thud! Thud!
But only for a moment.
With overwhelming strength compared to humans, the turtles easily shoved people aside.
Growing impatient, they began clawing and breaking the door.
Crack!
“Ahhh!”
At that moment, a claw burst through the door, impaling a man blocking the entrance.
Blood splattered everywhere, and the terrified villagers screamed as the man collapsed.
Bang!
Finally, a small turtle crashed through the door, swinging its claws wildly.
The time of brutal slaughter began.
Except for the Self-Defense Force families, the turtle squad massacred the remaining people.
The gym floor was stained red; bodies bitten and torn by turtle jaws lay scattered.
At the very back, Kim Sunja, watching all this, lost strength in her legs and collapsed.
The turtle squad’s attention turned to her.
She was the last person left.
“N-no! Don’t come! Don’t co-o-ome!”
The turtle squad was not the villagers who had obeyed her commands.
Rather, as if provoked by her screams, the entire turtle squad rose and charged toward her.
And the cruel, flesh-tearing, bone-cracking sounds filled the air.
Crack!
Poke!
Smash!
…There was not a single person left in Seonga Village.