Chapter 288
Chapter 288
Chomp chomp .
This was the most apt expression describing the advance of the monsters .
An endless stream of monsters kept rus.h.i.+ng out of the holes in the outer wall of Armstrong city .
‘We would have been in big trouble if we decided to defend the city hall while we looked for the safe . ’
Sungyoon was a distance away as he watched Armstrong city from a hill . He shook his head from side to side when he saw the battlefield .
It looked as if the units in charge of the diversionary attacks were being hit by a tsunami . They looked liked a wooden house that was about to be wiped out by the water . It was a precarious situation .
Both units looked like they were on the verge of being surrounded and snuffed out by the monster .
‘Thankfully, they are doing well disengaging from the fight . ’
The moon people were like a sailboat that didn’t lose its way in a storm . They surged past the waves of monsters in a skillful manner .
It was all thanks to Plu-El, who was leading from the center of her unit .
She had borrowed Devices and Gems from her comrades, and she showed that she was a very good commander .
Even if the Plu-El’s unit was holding up well, Sungyoon couldn’t help but be uneasy .
‘Wouldn"t it have been better if we stopped her?’
If something happened to Plu-El, it wouldn’t matter if they did retrieve her Device and Gems . They would be put in the awkward situation where they wouldn’t be able to return to earth without her .
However, Plu-El had been adamant in partic.i.p.ating in this plan .
She had been one of the three that had led the moon people . Everyone else was inexperienced in commandeering troops in battle .
This would especially be a problem since one couldn’t hear any sound on the surface of the moon, and the gravity was weaker than what they were used to . It would be much harder to command the troops compared to the normal environment within the labyrinths .
This was why only a handful of people were qualified to command the moon people, and Plu-El was one of them .
She had insisted on taking on the role of commander, and she wasn’t wrong for doing so .
‘I wish Aruwen would have taken on the role instead of her . ’
However, he had a task to accomplish too, so that plan wasn’t feasible .
‘Still, she is sticking to her promise . She isn’t partic.i.p.ating in the actual battle . She is allowing the others to protect her . It should be fine . ’
Moreover, she had one of the Flesh Gems, which had the portal function . If she was in any danger, she would escape the battlefield .
Sungyoon looked away from the battlefield .
While they were busy, Sungyoon also had work to do .
Sungyoon used the portal to return to the ancient city .
“How is it going?”
As soon as Sungyoon exited the portal, the mayor, who had been waiting for him, asked the question .
“The number of monsters exiting the city is decreasing . ”
It looked as if there was an endless stream of monsters exiting the city to kill diversionary units . In reality, there was a limit to their numbers .
Sungyoon had made sure the number of monsters exiting Armstrong was significantly less before he returned to the ancient city .
“Good . Let’s move on to the next plan . ”
The mayor called in the Connectors, who were on standby outside of the room . These units would be inserted for their second plan .
They were all armed to the teeth, and there was a great deal of anxiousness for the upcoming battle .
“Are you ready?”
Sungyoon spoke toward the unit that would be inserted first in the second plan .
These men might die as soon as they exited the portal .
They were the unit being sent in to monitor the situation within Armstrong city . It was an exaggeration to say that they were bait .
The Connector, who stood in front of the group, nodded his head .
He had made his peace, so no more words had to be said .
Woo-oong!
Sungyoon opened the portal .
He became tense for a brief moment, but no monsters jumped through the portal like before .
The Connectors on standby entered the portal .
After a moment, one of the Connectors, who went through the portal, appeared once again .
“There are no monsters within the building . There is an extremely low number of monsters within Armstrong city . ”
Everyone let out a small cheer at his words .
Their first plan of drawing the monsters out of Armstrong city was a success .
“Good . The result is good . Let’s start our second plan in earnest . ”
After hearing the mayor’s order, the Connector, who had come back to give the report, entered the portal once again .
Sungyoon looked to his side . Aruwen was standing next to him .
“Let’s start, Mr . Aruwen . ”
“Understood . ”
Aruwen raised his hand .
His Warrior Gem was activated, and a portal formed .
Sungyoon also made a new portal . It was a portal that led to a different location from the previous destination .
“Begin!”
When the mayor gave the order, the various units of Connectors jumped through the portals .
***
The plan was proceeding without a hitch . The Connectors were being sent into Armstrong city through the portals .
Sungyoon and Aruwen had opened portals to predetermined locations .
Interestingly, Aruwen could open his portals more accurately compared to Sungyoon .
Both the Royal Gem and the Warrior Gem could open the basic portals to places where they had visited before .
However, Sungyoon hadn’t really explored the city before .
He usually operated near his house, the first sector of Armstrong city where all the major organizations were located at, and restaurants that he occasionally visited .
Unlike Sungyoon, Aruwen had scouted every corner of Armstrong city in order to gain information about their enemies .
They had to send Connectors to various locations within Armstrong city, and the one most suited for this task wasn’t Sungyoon . In fact, it was Aruwen .
This was the reason why Plu-El had to take on the role of commander for the moon people .
While Aruwen opened portals to various locations within Armstrong city, Sungyoon focused on opening portals within key facilities . Since Sungyoon had earned the trust of the mayor, he was more acquainted with the inner parts of these key facilities .
The mayor kept pointing at locations on the map . Either Sungyoon or Aruwen opened the portal depending on the location . This process continued for a while .
“That’s the last of them . ”
As soon as the last unit disappeared through the portal, the mayor spoke .
Both Sungyoon and Aruwen let out a small sigh .
Their second plan had been completed .
However, the last one remained, and the last plan was the most crucial plan of the three .
The mayor called in the remaining Connectors, who were on standby outside the room .
They were the most elite of the Connectors from Armstrong city, and they would be carrying out the third plan .
“It is now up to you, Mr . Sungyoon . ”
The mayor spoke .
The Connectors used a variety of methods to cope with their nervous energy .
Some of them took deep breaths . Some of them moved their bodies, and others shook their weapons . However, all their eyes were on Sungyoon .
Sungyoon opened the portal .
The portal opened to the city hall where their final goal was present .
“Go!”
When the mayor gave the order, the final unit started to move .
***
Unlike the other portals that he closed after sending the Connectors through, Sungyoon kept the portal to the city hall open .
He did this, because he wanted to return to the ancient city as soon as possible after acquiring their target .
Time continued to pa.s.s quietly .
The mayor continued to wait in the silence .
He kept looking at his wrist watch, but it didn’t make the time flow faster .
Nothing came through the open portal as it remained open .
‘They haven’t found it yet . ’
Sungyoon was also feeling jittery .
He hadn’t looked at his watch like the mayor, but he could tell several dozen minutes had pa.s.sed .
However, none of them returned .
‘As expected, the bas.e.m.e.nt was completely destroyed . ’
The debris for the destroyed building would be present, but it wouldn’t take the Connectors long to clear the debris .
It seemed they were trying to locate the safe in the completely destroyed bas.e.m.e.nt .
At that moment, the portal showed a reaction .
Too-hwahk!
Something shot out from the portal .
Puh-uhk!
After impacting hard on the wall, something slid down the wall . A trail of blood was left behind on the wall .
The mayor became surprised .
Sungyoon and Aruwen pointed their weapons towards the object on the floor .
“s.h.i.+t!”
When Sungyoon checked what had come flying through the portal, he retracted his weapon . Then he quickly moved towards the body .
The object that had come flying through the portal was a human . He was sure it was one of the Connectors sent to the city hall .
The mayor and Aruwen realized what had happened .
The mayor quickly moved behind Sungyoon .
Unlike the mayor, Aruwen stood guard near the portal .
“What . . . what happened?”
“I have no idea . ”
Sungyoon checked the injured man . His armor was so mangled that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a mess .
‘I’m surprised his Gems didn’t break . ’
His entire body was b.l.o.o.d.y, and there were small and large wounds all over his body .
However, the most severe injuries happened to his arms and legs . An arm and a leg was missing . He was barely breathing, but even a hardy Connector wouldn’t last long with these wounds .
Sungyoon immediately used his healing magic .
Hoo-oong!
Slowly the wounds closed . The man’s breathing stabilized, and he stopped moaning as loudly .
However, his missing limbs didn’t regenerate .
‘This is the limit of my healing Gem . ’
Emily was partic.i.p.ating in the current plan . The regeneration of the limbs would have to be done at a later time by a Connector with a high rank healing Gem .
However, it had been possible for Sungyoon to save the man’s life .
When the man opened his eyes, he quickly asked the man some questions .
“What happened? Did you find the safe?”
“S . . . safe…?”
His words were slurred as if he wasn’t of sound mind yet .
However, his eyes soon became clear .
“Koo-oohk!”
He lost his balance when he swung the stumps of his missing arm and leg . Sungyoon grabbed him .
“M . . my arm and leg…!”
“We can fix it when another healer comes! Please calm down and tell us what happened on the other side of the portal!”
The Connector was in a confused state, but Sungyoon’s words calmed him down . The man started to stumble over his words as he started telling his story .
“W . . . we found the safe . However, too many monsters rushed us at once, so we couldn’t retrieve it . Then some strange monster made an appearance, and our side started losing . Couple Connectors are already dead . ”
“A strange monster?”
“She had the upper body of a human, but the lower body of a snake . I’ve never seen a monster like that . It is incredibly powerful . ”
“It is Glaia . ”
Aruwen, who had been guarding the portal, spoke up . Sungyoon had never heard that name before .
“Who’s Glaia?”
“Unlike the monsters that naturally form from the Grenoid, there are monsters that were created by the Grenoid’s hands . It put a lot of effort into making these monsters, and they are the commanders of the other monsters . Basically, these special monsters receive orders from Grenoid, and they are officers that command the normal monsters . ”
“Officers… . ”
The mayor felt a bit lost when he heard the existence of these new beings .
“In the past, one of these monsters ambushed Mr . Woo Sungyoon on earth . It was the monster that used flame . It is called Kevil . ”
Sungyoon’s face hardened .
He didn’t know about the officer named Glaia, but he had fought against Kevil before .
‘If this officer is similar in strength as Kevil . . . ’
He felt a chill run up his spine . Above all else, Sungyoon remembered Kevil complaining about the fact that it couldn’t use its full power on earth .
Basically, Kevil would be stronger on the moon .
There was a good chance that Glaia was as strong as Kevil .
“…what would you like to do?”
Sungyoon pushed down the shock he was feeling, and he posed the question to the mayor .
“The Connectors sent to the city hall found the safe, but they don’t have enough power to retrieve it . We have no Connectors that we can send as support . There is only me and Mr . Aruwen here . Would you like us to go? Or do you have some other idea?”
The mayor remained frozen in place, but Sungyoon pushed the mayor to make a decision