Chapter 37 : The Fall of Seven Stars

Yuseong and Jang Dojin lay in ambush without making a sound.

The Medusa Rat nest that Seven Stars had found was adjacent to the Parama Camellia Colony.

They had erected a barrier to prevent the creatures from invading, and in front of this barrier stood men wielding hammers, waiting.

They were awaiting Guchilseong’s signal.

Someone rushed hastily to Guchilseong and reported, “Red Eye is approaching. They’ll arrive within five minutes, brother.”

“Bring down the barrier.”

“Yes!”

At Guchilseong’s signal, his subordinates struck the supports of the barrier.

Kukukukuku-kung.

The barrier connecting the colony collapsed.

“I’ll make a fence. Until it’s stable, keep the kids inside and don’t let them out.”

Then Guchilseong personally demonstrated his power.

Even if they lured Red Eye in and released the Medusa Rats, if Seven Stars guild members were harmed, it would be unacceptable.

The solution Guchilseong devised was simple: create a fence to protect his subordinates.

He raised his hands high.

Guchilseong’s hands were covered with crystals that shimmered like glass.

The soft glow of these crystals was his Gift, Glitter Hands.

“Ura!”

He slammed both hands into the ground.

Ududeudeudeuk!

From his hands, crystals began to sprout and multiply on the ground.

On both sides of the path leading to the colony, a crystal fence rose.

“Phew.”

He seemed to have expended quite a bit of mana and wiped sweat from his brow.

But a satisfied smile followed.

As Guchilseong shone his lantern, the fence began to sparkle brightly.

Hiding behind it would at least be safe from the wrathful Medusa Rat swarm.

He was using the rats’ natural aversion to light.

At that moment, a subordinate hurried up to Guchilseong.

“They’re here!”

Upon hearing that Red Eye had arrived, Guchilseong called out, “Good! Bak Duyeop!”

Bak Duyeop, who had fallen out of favor with Guchilseong and was to serve as bait for the Medusa Rats, stood trembling in front of the nest.

His entire body was soaked with monster blood.

The stench of blood hung thickly in the air.

“Duyeop, all you have to do is run straight toward the colony.”

“U-uh…”

“Don’t worry. You’re fast. Just get to the colony and hide in the Changko. We’ll rescue you.”

Guchilseong patted Bak Duyeop’s shoulders, who was visibly terrified.

Once the entrance to the previously blocked territory opened, the enraged Medusa Rats would chase Bak Duyeop.

He would sprint to the colony with all his strength, and Red Eye—unaware of the secret entrance into the colony—would be helpless, turning to stone.

Guchilseong told Bak Duyeop he would survive.

But in truth, the chances were slim.

Still, the other guild members were more relieved that the bait role hadn’t fallen to them rather than despairing over Guchilseong’s plan.

Piiiiiing!

At that moment, a signal flare shot into the dark sky.

Bang!

The flare exploded over the colony, illuminating everything.

Hostile figures came into view.

Twenty people—Red Eye members—all wearing gas masks, stood in the colony that Seven Stars had already evacuated.

Twenty.

Far more than expected, but at this point, it didn’t matter.

Guchilseong muttered under his breath, “Release them.”

Like a swarm of beetles discovered by the homeowner, the Seven Stars guild members scattered.

Guchilseong’s men pulled on the ropes holding the stones blocking the territory.

Snap.

The entrance opened.

For a moment, it seemed as though black water poured out from the entrance.

Like crude oil gushing upward, countless Medusa Rats erupted forth.

“Huaaah!”

Bak Duyeop began to run.

The Medusa Rats started chasing him with disgusting, sharp chirping cries.

Hundreds, no—thousands of enraged Medusa Rats.

Bald, slimy bodies, their eyes glowing with a shimmering light.

Bak Duyeop ran with all his might.

Red Eye guild members in the colony stared at him in panic.

Someone shot a crossbow bolt at Bak Duyeop.

Pew!

The bolt grazed his face.

Yet the threats behind were far scarier than the incoming projectile.

Bak Duyeop didn’t stop and kept running.

“You bastards! Get out of the way!”

A scream erupted, mixing terror and rage.

At that moment, Bak Duyeop suddenly lost his footing.

He was sprinting at full speed, so naturally, he fell.

It wasn’t because he tripped on a rock.

Bak Duyeop realized by looking at his legs that they had already turned to stone.

“H-Huaaak!”

He didn’t even have time to scream.

The Medusa Rats that caught up covered his body.

He looked like he was drowning in black mud.

After the swarm passed, only the petrified statue of Bak Duyeop remained, soaked in terror.

The Medusa Rats’ fury did not end there.

Already, twenty Red Eye guild members had entered their sights.

Red Eye felt both fear and helplessness at once.

“Damn, it’s a trap!”

“Fall back!”

“The suspension bridge is cut!”

No matter how experienced the veterans were, seeing someone turn to stone instantly was horrifying.

They panicked, looking for escape routes, but the valley they were in was enclosed.

The suspension bridge leading down to the colony had already been severed by someone from Seven Stars.

Seong Jeokpyo immediately realized this was an ambush.

But leading panicked subordinates was the Guild Master’s duty.

“Calm down! Raise your lanterns!”

His shout echoed through the entire colony.

Even the panicked subordinates moved in response to Seong Jeokpyo’s command.

As they turned on their lanterns, the advancing Medusa Rats’ momentum lessened.

But that was all.

A few lanterns couldn’t stop thousands of monsters.

They crept closer and closer.

Seong Jeokpyo steeled himself to face death.

“Everyone, form up behind me!”

His subordinates gathered behind him.

Despite the dark night, the Medusa Rats’ sharp, glowing eyes were clearly visible.

Crack.

Seong Jeokpyo bit down on his right thumb.

Blood trickled out and began to congeal in midair.

His Gift: Blood Net.

Seong Jeokpyo poured over half his mana all at once.

The blood solidified, unraveling into thread-like strands.

The completed form looked like a massive blood web.

“Aah!”

With a chant, he swung it like a net.

Kwakwakkwak-kak!

The web spread widely and swept the ground.

On the ground in front of Seong Jeokpyo, a fan-shaped scar was left.

Nearly a hundred Medusa Rats caught in the sweep were torn to bloody pieces.

“Hahk, hhyuk… damn it.”

But thousands still remained.

It was as if they sensed that more than half of Seong Jeokpyo’s mana had been spent on that move, yet they kept advancing.

He ordered the man he trusted most, Cheon Younghun.

“If I fall, Younghun, you take the others and retreat.”

“Brother!”

“That’s an order.”

Seong Jeokpyo’s tone was resolute.

Cheon Younghun did not want to obey, but as a Red Eye officer, he could not betray Seong Jeokpyo’s will.

But where could they possibly retreat?

They were completely surrounded.

Even if they fled by cutting through the back, they’d meet the same fate as Bak Duyeop.

Despite the thought, Cheon Younghun could only nod.

“I understand, brother.”

Suddenly, Cheon Younghun thought of Baek Yuseong.

They had planned to meet up here to suppress Seven Stars together.

According to the plan, Baek Yuseong was probably somewhere nearby, monitoring the situation.

At that moment, Cheon Younghun realized how much he was relying on Baek Yuseong.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

In such a situation, what could two rookie explorers possibly do?

As he pondered this,

Kwang!

A roar echoed from afar.

The direction from which the Medusa Rats were coming.

***

Holding onto the sparkling fence, a Seven Stars lackey watched as Red Eye was under attack.

He squinted, thinking a meteorite had just fallen.

Kwaaang!

When it landed right in front of him, the ground shook and dust billowed.

Consciousness faded for a moment, and when he came to, he found himself upside down, falling through the air.

Maybe it was because of the SF movies he had seen recently.

He could only think it was a meteorite.

But after what felt like a second that lasted a minute, rational thought returned.

Meteorites come from space, but wasn’t the Abyss’ sky covered with roots of the World Tree?

And could a meteorite wear armor with a person on top?

The “meteorite” was actually Jang Dojin, clad in Gi-gap Armor, wielding a massive hammer.

He was striking at the fence protecting Seven Stars from the Medusa Rats.

One after another.

The fence made of Guchilseong’s Gift was by no means weak.

But Jang Dojin’s hammer smashed through it without hesitation, and fragments struck the lackey’s face hard.

The lackey immediately lost consciousness.

“C-crazy! It’s an ambush!”

“B-Baek Yuseong!”

The Seven Stars lackeys, who were not caught up in the chaos, shouted in panic.

Yuseong saw the Medusa Rats being unleashed and immediately activated his Detection System Gift before charging in.

Like a legendary general leaping into the heart of battle, he climbed on Jang Dojin’s back, now transformed into Gi-gap Armor.

“That way too!”

“Got it!”

Jang Dojin ran toward another section of the fence on the right wall.

“Block those bastards! Shoot the crossbows!”

Guchilseong quickly assessed the situation and gave orders.

Pipipiping.

Dozens of bolts flew toward Yuseong.

Most missed by a wide margin, and the dangerous ones were deftly deflected by Yuseong’s sword swings.

“Damn it, you’re using a pan to block arrows?”

Guchilseong was flustered.

Meanwhile, Jang Dojin charged into another section of the fence.

A thunderous crash as the fence shattered, and several Seven Stars guild members caught in the impact were thrown aside.

Yuseong jumped down just before the melee.

“You idiot! He’s coming down here!”

“Catch him!”

In the chaos, Yuseong drew his Rose Knife.

“It’s been a long time since a battle like this.”

He had fought with Kwak Cheongrae and recently clashed with a Seven Stars cleaner.

But this kind of real, chaotic battle—guild versus guild—was the first since his return.

“Crazy bastard!”

A nearby Seven Stars guild member rushed Yuseong.

He swung a heavy iron mace, but it felt painfully slow to Yuseong.

He dodged the iron mace and slashed the man’s arm with the Rose Knife.

Avoiding the spurting blood, Yuseong tripped him to the ground.

Yuseong didn’t follow up.

There was no need.

“Zzzi-jjik, tjik.”

“Aaaargh!”

Medusa Rats swarmed over the fallen man.

Indeed.

Right next to him was a Medusa Rat nest, and without a glowing fence, their situation was no better than Red Eye’s.

Medusa Rats crawled over everything, making terrible chirping noises.

Those turned to stone by Yuseong turned into hard rock immediately.

Even amid the chaos, everyone was struck speechless by that terrifying sight.

“Eeeek!”

“Lantern! Hold your lanterns steady!”

The fence protecting them from the Medusa Rats had collapsed.

Anyone could turn to stone like that man just now.

The spread of fear was instantaneous.

“Damn it! You idiots! Stay calm and form ranks!”

Guchilseong tried to calm his subordinates, but it was no use.

Unlike Red Eye, who followed Seong Jeokpyo’s orders smoothly, this was a mess.

He glared furiously at Baek Yuseong, who had caused all this.

Yuseong stared directly back at Guchilseong.

“Long time no see, Guchilseong.”

Guchilseong was much younger than Yuseong remembered.

“Still have a nasty temper, huh?”

But the scars etched into his bare scalp and his fierce expression remained.

“You crazy bastard! You damn rookie.”

Guchilseong was dumbfounded that Baek Yuseong, whom he had met for the first time in his life, was talking to him like an old acquaintance.

Baek Yuseong was calmly subduing the charging lackeys and slowly approaching Guchilseong.

It was clear he was targeting Guchilseong.

Guchilseong gave a wry smile as if to say “You’ve got some nerve.”

He stomped the ground and erected another small fence nearby.

Several trembling subordinates quickly rushed inside it.

“You lot, shine your lanterns on me properly.”

He asked his subordinates to keep their lanterns directed at him.

This way, at least for a while, they’d be safe from the Medusa Rats.

“It’ll be over in an instant.”

As he said this, his arms were covered with transparent crystals.

He was now equipped with a weapon even more powerful than steel gauntlets.

His mana was a bit low, but someone like Yuseong could handle this easily.

“Die, you bastard!”

He shouted and charged at Yuseong.

True to his title as an A-Rank Explorer and a guild master, his attacks were fierce.

Kakang!

But the crystal-covered hammer was deflected by Yuseong.

Yuseong hadn’t just been playing around since returning.

Thanks to quickly building his achievements, his physical strength had recovered considerably.

Jjeojeong, jjeong!

Yuseong didn’t yield even an inch to Guchilseong’s momentum.

The fierce clash continued.

Amid the intensity, Yuseong thought idly, “Was he just an ordinary guy like this?”

In the past, when Guchilseong had hired and used him, Yuseong had been a regular explorer.

The leader of a great guild, Guchilseong, had been a godlike existence.

A ruthless, absolute powerhouse whose strength pierced the heavens.

But the Guchilseong facing him now seemed far more ordinary by comparison.

Even if he was an A-Rank Explorer and a notorious strongman.

Yuseong didn’t feel like he would lose.

Just when Guchilseong seemed to be going all out, he suddenly tried a sneak kill.

Everyone predicted it.

Pwak!

“Kahyeok!”

So Yuseong instead swung his sword in a howl, striking Guchilseong’s knee.

The intense pain made Guchilseong stumble back hurriedly.

“Damn, how… how do you move like this?”

Guchilseong was stunned.

He knew Yuseong was strong for a rookie, but never expected him to overwhelm someone who received treatment as a heavyweight.

Wasn’t he a formidable A-Rank Explorer?

Yuseong kept slashing sharply with the Rose Knife.

Guchilseong barely avoided the attacks, but his left leg was injured.

Chik.

With the burning pain, he instinctively touched his cheek.

“This… this is crazy!”

His ear had hardened like stone.

It was the early symptom of petrification.

“Hey, you bastards! Hold your lanterns steady…”

Guchilseong was about to scold his subordinates, but lost his words.

Those shining the lanterns on him had long since turned into hard stone.

While Yuseong and Guchilseong fought, Jang Dojin, protecting his body with Gi-gap Armor, rampaged freely, breaking fences and taking down those holding lanterns.

“T-this…”

Only then did Guchilseong realize something was seriously wrong.

“Why are you so reckless…”

Unlike Guchilseong, whose legs had already begun to petrify, Yuseong remained calm, unaffected by the Medusa Rats’ gaze.

“You and I are just different from the start.”

Countless Medusa Rats glared at Yuseong, trying to turn him to stone.

Surrounded by hundreds of glowing eyes, Yuseong looked inhumanly deadly.

“Next life, make sure you eat your fruit well.”

Petrification resistance from the Pilapple.

And the special benefit that doubled all resistances, Two Hearts.

Yuseong was freer than anyone in this petrifying hell.

He swung his Rose Knife mercilessly.

By now, Guchilseong’s legs had fully turned to stone.