Chapter 65 : City of the Dead

“You’ve really done it now.”

“Yahaha, that’s exactly right.”

After confidently finishing the press conference in front of the entire nation, Dohyun practically fled into the plains.

By now, chaos must have erupted.

Who would have thought—

That he’d dare draw his sword against China.

Of course, this was something Woo min and Dohyun had discussed beforehand.

What wouldn’t a cornered China be capable of?

It was all predictable.

So, preparations were made in advance.

From contingency plans to countermeasures.

Honestly, it would’ve felt strange if China hadn’t declared war first.

But here’s the kicker.

Within just one day, they retaliated fiercely.

A 40% tariff hike.

An absurd move in international society.

Pure tyranny.

They must’ve been blind to reason.

Thanks to that, everything went exactly according to the prepared scenario.

Appealing to the global press.

We are the innocent victims.

We cannot stand idly by as China runs rampant.

A massive counterattack.

China’s exports of all WM Company goods were blocked.

It was just one company, but for China, the damage was on a nuclear bomb scale.

The players’ activity directly affects national strength.

Since the moment players on the 50th floor could use their abilities in reality, players have been not just military power but economic force and the driving energy behind scientific technology’s advancement.

Shaking that foundation?

China alone couldn’t break through with any ordinary method.

Moreover, with underground operations already underway, the nation began bombarding China with sanctions.

Tariff hikes, item rental bans, restrictions on some exports.

Though no outright war was declared, the battle had already begun.

China antagonized the whole world.

Only innocent civilians ended up suffering.

Having finished that monumental press conference, Dohyun went straight to the tower.

He’d have to handle the flood of journalists somehow.

For now, until things quiet down a bit, all business would be handled here.

So, he came here via the plains and arrived at the resort.

Unexpectedly, it felt like a vacation.

Warm sunlight and an emerald-hued sea.

Not a bit jealous of Hawaii.

Enjoying this rare sweet respite, Dohyun immediately lay down on a sunbed.

But off in the distance, something could be seen.

Tall buildings rising up.

Is this a new island?

“But what exactly is that?”

“Oh, that? It’s a complex relic debris field. Mint recovered it underwater yesterday.”

***

It was impossible to truly understand, but Dohyun just accepted it as it was.

Had he ever truly understood?

Overthinking only gave him a headache.

“We’re heading there today. Team leader, please take a break.”

“Ahahaha, then excuse me for taking a break too.”

Now, Dohyun had given up trying to figure things out.

Who had time to be cautious?

If it was his own business, he probably wouldn’t sleep at all.

***

All boarded the Gallow pirate ship together.

Starting with Bbyak, then Somi, Toto, Choco, Mint.

Just in case, Bandal joined as well.

Cutting through the rough waves, they moved forward.

A pleasant breeze.

But the closer they got to the island, the more ominous the atmosphere became.

The sky turned dusk-like, and the waves grew higher.

A perfect day to become fish food if you made a wrong move.

But they had the Pirate Skeleton, sea veterans who had lived on the ocean all their lives.

They skillfully steered the ship.

The violent currents rocked the ship, and the pouring rain soaked them through, but this was routine for them.

The sea was a place where the weather could change at any moment.

Surviving there for so long was proof of their strength.

Leaving the navigation to the Skeleton, the rest took shelter inside the ship’s hull.

No worry about catching a cold from the skeleton’s lack of flesh and hair, but for them it was a different matter.

They had to be careful.

What if someone caught a cold?

They’d be bedridden for days.

Of course, after consuming all the crops and items produced in the tower, most ordinary rain wouldn’t faze them.

Still, better safe than sorry.

While sitting in the rocking ship, time passed.

One of the skeleton crew came down and called out.

“Dalgurak—”

Apparently, they’d arrived.

“Shall we head out?”

[Hidden Underwater Relic: Do you wish to enter the City of the Dead?]

The City of the Dead.

They’d expected as much, given the rumors that the souls of the dead had come back to life.

It was similar to the Burial Mound connected to the hidden plains.

If so, could it be?

[S-rank entities cannot enter this zone.]

As expected.

The ominous feeling had not been wrong.

Just like the Burial Mound, beast-type monsters above level 5 were barred entry.

Good thing they’d brought Bandal.

Well, no choice.

Knowing this, they hadn’t entered immediately upon the island’s emergence.

There were things to prepare.

Spider web shooters, slime staffs, potions, and the special rifles Somi made.

This was more than enough.

“Stay hidden inside the ship and wait. Understood?”

“Got it!” Bbyak replied with determination on everyone’s behalf.

A little worrying, but hopefully nothing bad would happen.

Who’s worrying about whom?

But if they let these child-like comrades out in the open, of course the beast keeper Woo min would be helpless.

Leaving everyone behind, they carefully set foot forward.

Bandal and the pirate skeletons disembarked together.

That was when it happened.

No sooner had they stepped off the ship than skeletons wearing steel helmets attacked.

But—

Bang—

Their pirate crew was stronger.

What good was a well-trained police soldier?

These guys carried pistols.

How dare they act tough with guns in front of sword masters?

You don’t have anything like this.

Bang bang bang—

Ten skeleton police soldiers went down in an instant.

Not even Bandal needed to step in for such a minor fight.

Let’s go a little further.

They’d only just reached the city’s entrance.

Probably, the king of this place was in that tall tower over there.

How do they know?

Just a feeling.

The strongest always sit where anyone would expect.

The place reminded them of a medieval castle.

No wonder it was called a city.

It’d take half a day to look around everything.

Well, they’d think about that later.

No need to explore every inch.

The mission was simple.

Take down the boss here.

Straight to the castle.

Dalgurak. Dalgurak!

They didn’t understand the words, but the feeling was clear.

Probably a warning that intruders had been detected.

Look at those guys coming.

Right.

Swords, arrows, maces, axes.

All kinds.

Of course, none of that mattered against the pirate skeletons.

Tatadadang—

Arranged in eight rows.

They fired their guns rhythmically.

The enemies running ahead began to fall in waves.

But wait.

There were too many of them.

Moreover—

Tick tick—

Their bullets were all used up.

And yet, the endless numbers kept coming.

“Wow, why are there so many?”

They’d thought it’d be easy.

It had been a long time since they’d faced a proper fight.

Of course—

Purbuk—

Though it was still hard even now.

Finally, Bandal started to warm up.

Mr. Bear had spoken.

Kuahng!

One swing of his fist?

Easily over thirty skeletons fell.

Arrows?

What are those?

Bare-handed tanking.

They were like bulldozers.

Not to be outdone, the crew also joined the fight.

If they didn’t have teeth, they’d fight with their bodies.

If bullets ran out, just switch to cutlass combat.

Though none were a match for Mr. Bear, it was still reassuring.

It’s always less lonely to fight together than alone.

That was when it happened.

Amid the usual slaughter, a skeleton wearing a large hat floated up into the air.

Then—

Kugugung.

It gathered mana.

At the end of its wooden staff appeared a crimson flame.

The fire grew intense—

And was fired at Bandal.

A type of skeleton they’d never seen before.

A mage.

The medieval vibe grew stronger with the presence of a mage.

Who knows what worse things might appear?

Mages.

The main firepower of the medieval era.

Even the world’s number one excelled at ice magic.

But this mage wasn’t that skilled.

Though the giant fireball was impressive, they’d seen worse around.

Compared to Bbyak’s flame attack, it was child’s play.

No, even less.

This level of magic couldn’t harm Mr. Bear.

It just made him angry.

If hit by magic, the best course was to respond with magic.

“Where’s the mage?”

Bandal lifted a huge relic debris nearby.

Then threw it.

Flying at incredible speed, the debris struck the mage skeleton’s head dead on!

***

Thanks to Bandal’s efforts and the pirate skeletons’ valiant fight, they quickly reached the massive tower in the city’s center.

There must have been at least a thousand skeletons who had gathered so far.

Poor Mr. Bear and Bandal had worked hard.

But now, the end was in sight.

The suspicious tower.

Look at that tall spire.

If the king wasn’t there, they’d burn their hands.

See that?

The iron door, tightly locked, was suspicious.

Had there been something like this until now?

This one seemed to receive special attention.

That was when—

Bang!

Bandal, knocking loudly like a tough man, kicked the iron door with all his might.

The sturdy door buckled and fell apart.

Thanks to Bandal, they easily entered the tower.

The interior was spacious.

It looked nothing like expected.

Unlike the prediction of broken, dilapidated ruins, it was full of magnificent decorations and statues.

The high ceiling stretched beyond sight, and the giant statues looked as if they could move at any moment.

Drudruk.

Huh?

Did they see that right?

It looked like one had moved a little.

Drudruk.

The statue there was raising its arm.

No way.

Statues aren’t robots—they can’t move.

Drudruk. Bang!

The decorated statue began moving, wielding a sword.

Seeing the intruders, it ruthlessly swung its sword.

Well, with elves inside giant mecha, moving statues were nothing special.

It wasn’t their imagination after all.

No wonder it was the final boss.

It wouldn’t be easy to see the king’s face.

Kuaaeung!

Bandal collided with the giant statue.

A battle of strength.

The statue was the first to strike.

It swung its stone sword.

The gust alone blew hair away.

Getting hit by that would shatter bones beyond repair.

But the opponent wasn’t weak.

Bandal’s true strength as the guardian of the plains lay elsewhere.

Immense power?

More so his exceptional agility.

Like a famous movie scene, he leaned his waist back to dodge the attack and used the momentum to counter.

Gathering both hands, he struck the statue’s face!

The statue hurriedly raised its shield, but it was useless.

If you just bash it with a shield, that’s the end!

Kwagahk!

The last remaining statue was destroyed.

Now, only one remained.

Far away, sitting on a giant throne.

That guy was clearly the king of the souls here.

Then—

Bandal rushed forward and unleashed a spinning strike.

In response—

Patching—

The woman who stood up swung her sword.

A cold, icy aura.

Startled, Bandal quickly dodged.

The woman’s surroundings were frozen solid.

An ice-wielding skeletal knight?

Why wasn’t this mentioned?

Moreover, Bandal had expended a lot of energy getting here.

Victory couldn’t be guaranteed with prolonged battle.

No choice.

He had to use his trump card.

“Summon all summonable skeletons!”

If one-on-one won’t work, a group fight is best.

Unfair, you say?

Nonsense.

Only by draining each other’s strength can the fight be fair.

Try it yourself.

Do you know how hard it was for us to get here?