Chapter 45 – This is the Difference in Perspective

Black Castle had not taken any threatening action yet.

It was merely moving slowly.

However, even in the midst of that, there were people who could not evacuate, and some died from being caught in its advance or crushed by collapsed buildings.

The Raiders kept their distance from Black Castle, surrounding it, and evacuated the people.

They had to buy as much time as possible until the Black Mark Raiders returned.

“Why are you not fighting!”

Among them, there were people like this.

“Our building is breaking! Fight quickly! That is your job!”

Perhaps because his own land lay in Black Castle’s path, he was a man egging the Raiders on to fight Black Castle quickly. He screamed at the top of his lungs and clung to the Raiders.

“Fight quickly! Hey! Are you guys in league with that thing? In league with it!”

The Raiders did not budge and merely put a hand to their lips to tell him to be quiet.

Eventually, he made a scene here and there before reaching Jin Bu-sik.

“You guys…!”

However, Jin Bu-sik roughly shook him off. The man flew backward and sprawled on the ground. His eyes widened.

“Did, did you hit me?”

Jin Bu-sik glanced at him as if looking at a bug and spat on the ground.

“Cling to me any further and I will kill you.”

When Jin Bu-sik glared, the man flinched. Jin Bu-sik gripped the handle of his sword. He had an expression of contemplating whether to draw it or not. The man’s face turned pale.

Other Raiders chuckled.

The man looked up at the Raiders while sitting down, then soon got up awkwardly and stepped backward. He realized that Raiders were not that kind.

“I will report you. I will post it on the internet…”

“Do as you wish.”

“Dumb bastard.”

The Raiders ridiculed the man and passed by.

Black Castle was still advancing slowly.

“If we fight now, you will definitely die, mister. So stop talking nonsense and get lost.”

A Raider said, tapping the man’s forehead.

Feeling insulted, he clenched his fists and backed away. He left words saying they would see about this later and started running back.

“All kinds of idiots are getting involved.”

Jin Bu-sik muttered, looking up at Black Castle.

For him, he merely hoped as much as possible that this monster would restrain its aggression and just walk.

Although it was quiet, it was not a neutral monster. It was a monster he was seeing for the first time, but there was certainly a record of encountering it.

Presumed to be Black Castle from the list of unidentified monsters, the Raider Bureau sent a message. In the battle at that time, Black Castle showed ruthless aggression.

“What are those guys doing again…”

Even in the midst of chaos, there were also those who came forward to film them.

Although they did not approach closely like the man from just now, they were pointing cell phones and recording equipment at them from a distance where they could get caught in it at any moment. They had faces that seemed to enjoy this situation.

This was why he disliked ordinary people.

Those who took it for granted that Raiders fought monsters and acted shamelessly as if it were their right.

If a problem arose while they fooled around like that, they would instead blame the Raiders for insufficient response.

Jin Bu-sik clicked his tongue and turned his gaze away. He frowned further.

There was one more thing he did not want to see.

The man staring down at Black Castle from atop a building, Lee Se-min, who had now fallen out with him.

“Green kid.”

When he tried to look after him, he had instead picked a fight with him.

He had attached Triad guys to see if they could catch some weakness, but since he noticed, they had now become complete enemies.

However, in this situation, his presence was somewhat reassuring.

Because this feeling of his own was even more annoying, Jin Bu-sik twisted his lips.

Lee Se-min was a Platinum Mark like him, but his skills were clearly ahead in some aspects. His growth rate was also ridiculously fast.

At least while dealing with Black Castle, he would be of help.

“Where on earth is this thing heading?”

“Who knows. Maybe it smells something delicious somewhere.”

The Raiders relaxed as Black Castle kept merely walking.

Oh Jeong-hui of Peacemaker and Jang Geon of CCC were scheduled to arrive within an hour. Once they came, no matter how giant a monster it was, it could not hold out. Killing time like this was sufficient.

“A strange fellow.”

Jin Bu-sik stared at the giant body to commit Black Castle to memory. Its outer skin looked hard. The creature was more like a machine than a living thing.

A hard carapace extended to the ground, wrapping its body in an oval shape. It was like a fortress wall. Inside it, unknown things, whether legs or something else, moved to transport the body.

He had guessed there would be countless tentacles inside, but in the place where it passed, two long lines were gouged out as if wheels had rolled by.

Above the giant lower body, a hemispherical body rose, and above that, several sharp tentacle-like things stretched toward the sky and wriggled. It looked like a spire.

Black Castle, just as its name suggested, had the appearance of a single fortress.

Because its appearance was completely unrecognizable, he did not want to fight it further.

One cannot fight an unknown enemy.

That was why the monster encyclopedia was shared worldwide.

***

“Tentacles and lasers are fired from the oval upper body.”

“Just hearing it makes my stomach turn.”

“I hope we do not fight.”

The Raiders were reading the information of Black Castle on the unidentified monster list.

And listening to that conversation, Kang Jong-hak, who had directly witnessed it, recalled memories of the past.

The Black Castle of that time was not this gentle.

Therefore, he was even more anxious.

“Is it originally like this?”

“No.”

“It is too quiet.”

Se-min, who had descended from the building, spoke to Kang Jong-hak.

“Is it strong?”

“Yes. Extremely strong.”

He closed his eyes, recalled that time once, and said.

“At that time, the team leader evaluated it as being above Black grade.”

The team leader who had fought alongside him in the otherworld was now teaching monster ecology at a university. He was one of the leading authorities in South Korea.

He had been interested in monsters since long ago. Such a person evaluated Black Castle as threatening, above Black grade. Although he did not call it disaster-grade, being above Black grade meant that level.

Because such a creature was currently just walking, it made him anxious instead.

It was then.

A message was delivered to the Raiders.

Attack Black Castle immediately.

Due to Black Castle’s unknown characteristics, there is a combat preparation phase. The creature gathers power on its own before engaging in battle. The longer this time lasts, the stronger it becomes, so it is advantageous to start the battle quickly.

If you delay, it will become more dangerous.

Attack immediately.

It was a message from the Raider Bureau.

Se-min frowned as he looked back and forth between Black Castle and the message on his cell phone.

Was the ability called combat preparation so critical as to justify taking the risk? Did the Raider Bureau know something about Black Castle?

Although many Platinum Mark Raiders had gathered, they could not replace the overwhelming presence of a Black Mark.

Se-min looked in the direction Black Castle was heading.

If it kept advancing.

The Raider Bureau’s Heron base would appear.

It was the moment he realized that fact.

A bizarre shriek echoed.

Rather than the cry of a beast, it was a bizarre resonance close to a high frequency. It spread throughout the area. Se-min immediately raised his aura to protect himself. However, those who could not do so fell, bleeding from their ears.

The film crew members, who had been following the Raiders despite the warnings, screamed and began to flee. However, some could not hold out any longer, crouched on the ground, writhed, and collapsed.

Se-min ran toward them.

They had already drawn their last breath.

Black Castle’s attacks were getting stronger. Se-min raised his aura and flew up toward the direction where the creature’s sound was originating.

The sound was coming from a bell-shaped organ at the tip of the tentacle that rose like a spire.

To avoid stimulating Black Castle, he created a barrier with aura to block the source of the sound. Because it was so powerful, the aura barrier vibrated as if it would burst at any moment.

Se-min kept injecting aura. He intended to maintain the barrier at least until the nearby people got out of the radius.

Suddenly, Se-min realized that the Raiders on the opposite side of where he stood were already attacking Black Castle.

The battle had already begun.

Toward the lower body wrapped in iron-clad skin, the Raiders’ attacks poured down.

From the hemispherical body situated above, tentacles shot up and attacked the Raiders.

The Raiders evaded the attacks with agile movements. However, one person was pierced through the shoulder. The tentacle did not miss that gap and wrapped around the Raider’s body just as it had pierced the shoulder.

Thorns shot up from the tentacle.

The Raider was pierced all over his body and died.

Black Castle now raised its tentacles toward the opposite side, and even toward Se-min.

“It is too late.”

Se-min withdrew the barrier of aura and brandished Lupus.

The tentacle organ of Black Castle that was generating the high frequency was severed.

The war had begun.

Black Castle’s tentacles flew in from all directions. Se-min kicked off the air and leaped higher. The tentacles pursued. Se-min kicked the ground several times to evade the attacks, but Black Castle did not let him go.

There seemed to be no limit to the length of the tentacles.

Se-min changed direction and swung Lupus, severing a bundle of tentacles in a single stroke.

In the sky of Seoul, the tentacles unraveled, and blood fell in drops.

Se-min lowered his altitude as he was and plummeted toward Black Castle.

Lupus drove down toward the hemisphere.

Black Castle absorbed Lupus just as it was.

Lupus bit in all the way to the hilt.

Se-min tried to concentrate Tai Chi Wisdom into Lupus to tear apart Black Castle’s interior.

However, the aura was absorbed just as it was, as if it had reached a black hole.

Se-min cut off the connection immediately when even the Tai Chi Wisdom situated inside him was drawn in. However, Black Castle kept knocking on the door, seeking Se-min’s aura.

Se-min tried to pull Lupus out.

However, the area around Lupus turned into tentacles and wrapped around the blade, pulling it. It did not end there, as it drew in Se-min’s two legs.

Se-min hurriedly enveloped his body in aura.

Right after, thorns shot out and pricked Se-min. He was not injured, but his body faltered.

A sense of crisis arose.

Se-min kicked to shake off the tentacles, but they kept climbing up his body. Lupus was completely entangled up to the hilt. Se-min struggled but could not shake them off.

Through Lupus, which was submerged in the tentacles, his aura began to be absorbed.

Se-min operated Tai Chi Wisdom to block it, but he could not resist.

Black Castle’s output was far stronger than his.

A suppressed groan flowed from Se-min’s mouth.

His body slowly sank toward the abyss.

It was then.

His aura, which had begun to plummet toward Black Castle’s body, suddenly condensed in one place.

Light leaked out from the gaps between the tentacle strands wrapping around Lupus.

“Huh?”

Se-min looked down.

An unknown power radiated from the rune characters engraved on Lupus. Black Castle’s influence that was absorbing his aura was eliminated at once.

And the tentacles surrounding him were all torn away.

The pressure disappeared, and the monster’s blood scattered in the air.

Se-min did not miss that gap and flew up into the air.

A giant crater had formed in the spot where he had stood. Blood kept gushing out from that part.

It was a sight as if a wolf had bitten and passed by.

“Lupus.”

Se-min repeated the sword’s name.

The rune characters that shone on Lupus had already returned to dim traces before he knew it.

Se-min gripped the handle. He concentrated aura into Lupus, but the same power as before did not come out.

Although he could not identify its nature yet, this sword had saved him.

Clashes broke out all around Black Castle’s giant body. The tentacles moved freely as if they were creatures with their own will, dealing with the Raiders one by one.

There seemed to be no blind spot for Black Castle that occurred while dealing with multiple opponents.

It was a species completely different from humans.

A highly advanced brain organ that supported that giant body and simultaneously calculated various situations would be situated inside.

Se-min scanned Black Castle’s entire shape once again.

It was truly like a fortress.

The body was surrounded by a hard carapace, and any part of the body turned into tentacles to attack people. It could also emit a bizarre high frequency that disrupted people’s concentration. On top of that, it had a mysterious ability to absorb aura.

Se-min clenched his teeth as he saw a Raider get impaled by a tentacle and soar into the air once again.

Black Castle’s tentacle split into several branches and tore the corpse apart. The head, body, and limbs floated in the air, separated.

It was an action as if displaying the enemy’s head.

The Raiders faltered at the front line where the corpse was thrust.

At that moment, Black Castle opened its lower body.

The lower side, which had been closed like a giant fortress wall, opened, and unknown mouths shot out from inside.

Unlike the tentacles, horrible abominations with eyes, noses, and mouths exposing teeth shot out in countless numbers and bit the Raiders.

The Raiders were bitten by Black Castle and drawn inside.

The screams of the Raiders echoed.

However, no one could rescue them.

The lower body closed again. Sounds like something being ground echoed dimly beyond the wall, then died down. Blood trickled down beneath the fortress wall.

Se-min felt a urge to vomit.

It was a monster of a type he had never imagined.

That a monster was hideous meant it was as strong as it was hideous. And Black Castle was hideously strong.

Se-min caressed his chest.

There, the outline of the necklace he was wearing caught his touch.

He closed his eyes.

The landscape of the otherworld came to mind again. Se-min wandered the otherworld to survive. That place was a hungry ghost hell. And at the end of that wandering, he saw something.

Perhaps the otherworld was also like this place once.

‘Se-min.’

He opened his eyes again.

The landscape of Seoul, where skyscrapers rose, stretched to the far horizon.

Black Castle emitted sound waves again and brandished its bundle of tentacles greatly. It was a movement larger than ever before.

Buildings situated all around Black Castle broke, and their debris flew far away. It crashed into the middle of the crowd that was moving away from Black Castle.

Several people writhed under the debris.

Life is a comedy when viewed from afar.

No.

Se-min did not agree.

The world viewed from afar was by no means a comedy. In the view from this sky, humans were too small and easily broken. The view of humans looking at ants might not be different from the view of monsters looking at Earth.

Se-min gripped Lupus.

He had gotten stronger during that time.

Raiding on Earth, it was not often that he really felt his limits.

When he dealt with Kesia.

Even when dealing with the strongest Black-grade monster, Odoros, he did not feel danger. At that time, there was a powerful helper named Ryu Gwan-cheol. Because he was with him, somewhere in his heart, he was optimistic about victory.

It was different now.

Just now, he had almost been absorbed and shriveled up on Black Castle’s body.

It was a sensation of falling into a bottomless abyss, being sucked into a pit.

‘You cannot run away.’

Giving him this necklace, she had said that.

It was just as she said.

He could not run away. Because there was no place to run to.

There was no retreat at a dead end, and the wall they would face was the world. As long as monsters aimed for this world, there was no turning back for them.

If they could not kill, they died.

The game played between humanity and monsters was not just a fight, but a deathmatch.

Se-min’s altitude slowly descended.

Its speed gradually increased.

This time, he landed on the ground, not on Black Castle’s body.

It was the front of Black Castle.

The Raiders who were busy fighting glanced at him.

“Are you okay?”

Kang Jong-hak was also there.

He was blocking Black Castle’s attacks defensively without pushing himself. Se-min nodded and stepped forward. The other Raiders had lost their stopping power against Black Castle due to blocking the tentacles’ attacks.

Se-min brandished Lupus.

Tai Chi Wisdom was laden in a single stroke of his swing.

A handful of aura supported and propped each other up, forming a hexagonal structure like a honeycomb. It filled each other without a single empty space.

Then, it expanded like a tidal wave and collided with the front of Black Castle.

Black Castle’s slow and firm advance faltered for a moment.

Se-min brandished Lupus again.

The aura emptied its interior and summoned a form. The aura, rising faintly like smoke, was built solidly. The aura exerted pressure on Black Castle according to Se-min’s will.

Black Castle’s hemispherical upper body stirred, then drew out tentacles and thrust them down toward Se-min.

However, it faltered, unable to cross the formation of aura Se-min had emitted.

The aura rubbed against each other.

They now became sharp thorns and scraped each other.

“Everyone back away.”

Se-min said.

The Raiders all widened their eyes and watched his martial feat.

Because they were also skilled individuals who had reached Gold and Platinum, they knew well what that sight meant. Operating and wielding aura to that extent was a realm allowed only to a few strong ones.

The Raiders realized.

That the man named Lee Se-min was now truly eyeing the Black Mark.

Through Lupus connected to him, Se-min disassembled the aura into grains and rotated each of them.

Drawing the shape of Tai Chi, the aura rubbed fiercely against each other. It soon became a visible heat and discharged.

Se-min concentrated.

It was dangerous for him too.

If he made a mistake, he would be swept away by the aftermath together.

However, he believed in Tai Chi Wisdom.

Black Castle felt Se-min’s energy and closed the carapace of its lower body tighter. And it drew out tentacles from the hemisphere of its upper body.

The tentacles that rose in all directions pointed their tips toward Se-min.

Se-min did not waver and quietly waited for the moment.

When the time came, the aura began to rise on its own.

All Se-min had to do was pull the trigger.

His aura became a shredder that tore apart everything it touched and advanced toward Black Castle.

At the same time, Black Castle’s tentacles flew toward Se-min.

It was the moment their attacks were exchanged.

Se-min’s body was opened defenselessly.

However, nothing injured his body.

The Raiders who were backed away stepped forward and protected Se-min. All tentacles were bounced off or severed in the air.

Se-min did not close his eyes even while feeling Black Castle’s bodily fluids splashing near his eyes.

The sharp blade forest of aura he had created began to disassemble Black Castle’s outer hide.

A sound like grinding iron echoed.

At the same time, Black Castle’s high frequency also grew larger, echoing through the city.

The Raiders blocked their ears. The windows of the city that had not been destroyed yet broke and scattered in the air.

They blocked the glass shards with aura and witnessed Black Castle’s body splitting.

The carapace of the lower body was torn to shreds.

Black Castle’s closed internal structure was exposed.

“…”

Everyone was silent.

In that place, the same bizarre monsters that had eaten the Raiders earlier were packed densely.

It was unknown whether they were different creatures or a part connected to Black Castle. However, the monster harbored countless mouths and teeth inside, and those hideous faces twisted and chewed irritably as if the clearly exposed sun was dazzling.

Things like the equipment and clothing of the Raiders they had swallowed earlier were caught on their faces.

It was a hair-raising sight.

Se-min let out a hollow laugh.

“He is really a guy I do not want to fight.”

They were all shapes of writhing and screaming in pain without exception.

It seemed that the monster harbored hell inside.

Once Black Castle’s carapace was completely torn away, there was nothing that could contain them now. They tangled with each other to crawl out. Whether it was difficult to control the faces themselves, Black Castle struggled and shrieked its high frequency.

Se-min raised Lupus.

It was still the beginning of the battle, and today had only just passed noon.

Se-min suddenly thought that among the faces baring teeth toward him, there was a human one.

Did he see it wrong?

Lupus emitted sword energy and tore apart all the mouths in front.

Then, those faces disappeared.

Se-min spat and thought that he would kill Black Castle today and dig into its interior.

***

Hyeon Jae-yeong was dealing with the monsters appearing in various places in the city together with Green Mark Raiders.

How the Raider Bureau system grasped their movements was unknown, as it assigned the next raid by matching even the time they finished the raid and their travel distance.

The fights that were demanding at first were now gradually becoming easier as personnel were reinforced.

“There is still time before my next raid.”

“Me too. It seems the gates have subsided.”

“Let’s rest before we go.”

They sat down with the corpses of monsters as the background.

The internet news was in an uproar.

There were also those who filmed and posted, saying they could hear the sound of fighting outside their homes.

Questions on whether they should go to the shelter and opinions of people telling them to just stay at home were divided.

The Raider Bureau advised to hide at home in areas where sirens did not wail.

Shelters in each region could not accommodate all the people of the city. If people started to move, problems would also arise in the Raiders’ response.

However, that was the story of those who survived safely.

Those who died without being able to go to the shelter would close their eyes, regretting not having left earlier.

There was no answer.

Hyeon Jae-yeong suddenly witnessed his search ranking rising.

There was a familiar name.

Lee Se-min.

He checked the keyword ranking. Lee Se-min was first, and below that, the names of famous Raiders like Ahn Seong-jun, Bang Yu-bi, and Yu Ha-ra kept rising and falling.

Pressing Lee Se-min’s name linked to an article.

[Exclusive] Mysterious Monster Appears, Lee Se-min Deployed

A video played.

A giant monster that Hyeon Jae-yeong was also seeing for the first time was advancing while stepping on the city. Numerous Raiders surrounded and attacked it, but its advance did not stop.

Hyeon Jae-yeong’s heart sank.

Just looking at the size, it was a Black-grade or higher monster.

The content that all Black Mark Raiders had cleared out of Seoul was also described. Thus, Platinum Raiders were deployed in large numbers, and they could not catch that single one.

Scenes of Raiders being impaled and dying and being drawn in by mysterious mouths were played with mosaic.

The faces of the Raiders who were resting together also turned serious.

“What do we do about that?”

“Ah…”

“Looking at other articles, they say Oh Jeong-hui and Jang Geon are going.”

“They have to hold out until then.”

They looked in the direction of Heron. Nothing was visible. Instead, the siren sound echoing from a short distance away was representing the fierce battle site.

“Look at this.”

Someone held out their cell phone.

A familiar silhouette was reflected on the screen.

It was a Raider holding a claymore in a souvenir jacket.

He used a technique that was seen only in videos of Black Mark Raiders. The aura became incredibly large and marched toward the enemy.

It was an overwhelming scale closer to an army rather than an individual. It advanced toward the enemy’s carapace.

Everything was shredded.

Everyone admired that martial feat.

“Is that not Black at that level?”

“He is a next-generation Black Mark. He is young too.”

“Would he have surpassed Ahn Seong-jun too?”

Their voices soon stopped.

Black Castle’s interior was exposed, and those terrible shapes were released outward. They bit the Raiders to death and chewed and swallowed them.

It was a sight unsightly even for Raiders.

Lee Se-min, who was resisting Black Castle, was also bitten on one leg and fell. However, he soon brandished the claymore to shake off all the enemy’s pursuit and rushed at Black Castle again.

Every time they exchanged attacks, Raiders were killed one by one around them.

It was a bloody battle.

The Raiders stood up with stiff faces.

The next raid was waiting.

“It does not seem like the time to rest.”

“Yes.”

In a heavy atmosphere, they parted.

Hyeon Jae-yeong, who got into his car, forced himself to turn off the internet browser and tried not to look further.

Se-min would not die.

He looked at the face of his girlfriend, Min Ji-hyeon, on his cell phone once, then threw the phone to the back seat.

Se-min felt like he had fought Black Castle for an infinitely long time.

However, when he checked the clock, not even twenty minutes had passed.

About thirty minutes still remained until the time they said the Black Mark Raiders would arrive. Until then, they had to maintain minimal damage and stop Black Castle.

However, such a thing is possible only when there is leisure.

Right now, they had to hold out with all their might in the first place.

Raiders died. Although Black Castle was stopped by Se-min’s aura, instead, mysterious faces popped out from inside and began attacks.

Se-min reached a Raider who was about to be bitten and brandished Lupus. The mouth was cut in half, and blood scattered.

The Raider stared blankly at Se-min and the opponent alternately with eyes that had not regained composure yet.

Se-min shouted.

“Get a grip!”

“Yes, yes!”

“You will die like that.”

Se-min grabbed his hair and made him turn his head.

There, a Raider who had already become a corpse was coldly cooling down without even being able to close his eyes.

It was a head.

The body was not even visible.

Nerve bundles and a part of the spine were connected to the neck that had been pulled out.

“If you do not want to become like that.”

“Ah…”

Strength entered his hand. Se-min had no leisure to care further and patted his back once. Then he turned his back on him.

It was one creature, but it was not one creature.

That was Black Castle.

It was so huge that dozens of Raiders had to surround it. It attacked the Raiders simultaneously through its tentacles and the mouths of its lower body.

Both moved so independently that they looked like parasites rather than a part of Black Castle.

Se-min split one horrible face flying toward him with Lupus again.

Black Castle’s attacks showed no sign of subsiding.

It scattered tentacles and mouths as if in a frenzy. Forced by that infinite attack, the Raiders had two choices: barely hold out, or die from failing to block. Of course, everyone struggled to choose the former.

Something crashed beside Se-min. It was a Raider’s corpse. It was a face he had seen while raiding together. Where was it, yes, he was a Raider of CCC. His stopped pupils were facing Se-min.

There was no time to close his eyes.

Se-min avoided a tentacle flying toward him. Then, the tentacle was driven into the corpse of the Raider sprawled beside him.

The tentacle throbbed as if absorbing the corpse. Something unknown was sucked into it.

He brandished Lupus and severed it.

The tentacle writhed, bleeding.

What spilled out from inside was intestines.

Se-min grimaced.

The species called monsters were truly terrible fellows.

“Uaaaargh!”

A shriek was heard from somewhere. A Raider was wrapped tightly by tentacles. And the tip of the tentacle was advancing toward his neck.

It was too far.

And at that time, someone severed the tentacle with a sword.

It was Kang Jong-hak.

Although he was a Gold Mark Raider, his way of fighting was experienced. Therefore, he was helping the surroundings while protecting himself as much as possible.

Sending the Raider who barely escaped the tentacles to the back, he was blocking the enemy’s attacks instead.

Se-min caught his breath. He could not keep avoiding. Black Castle began to advance forward slowly again.

In the direction that guy was heading was the Raider Bureau’s Heron base.

Whether it was a coincidence or whether this guy was really aiming for it was unknown.

However, important facilities of the Raider Bureau were gathered there. Although there were many suspicious corners about the Raider Bureau, it was certain that they were responsible for South Korea’s gates.

If the Raider Bureau was damaged, immense damage would occur in the future.

Se-min flew up into the sky again.

Black Castle watched him.

Although it was a guy whose sensory organs could not be guessed at all, Se-min felt the fact that it was focusing its attention on him.

The tentacles rose and pointed toward Se-min.

It was at that moment.

Se-min felt a sense of something breaking from Black Castle.

And Black Castle rushed.

Se-min increased his altitude to avoid it.

It ignored the Raiders and ran forward. It was completely different from the speed it had shown so far. Black Castle headed forward, making a roaring sound.

The Raiders could not stop Black Castle.

It seemed like it would reach the Raider Bureau’s base as it was.

“Should we not stop it?”

“By what means?”

Some Raiders instead showed signs of relief.

Black Castle was by no means a monster they could deal with.

“It does not harm anything other than buildings, until the Black Marks come…”

However, their expressions changed rapidly again.

In front of the place Black Castle was advancing, the ground began to open as if collapsing.

Se-min shouted.

“Everyone leap!”

And all Raiders ran toward Black Castle.

That sight of the ground opening was something that must never happen right now.

The underground shelter.

It was opened.

***

Black Castle discovered the underground facility opened in its path and stretched its tentacles into the air.

Defenseless humans are the favorite prey of monsters.

Black Castle shrieked its strange high frequency and stretched its tentacles and mouths toward the people.

The people caught in the sudden opening were in chaos. As the monster’s hideous tentacles approached from the sky, fear reached its peak, and the screams of people echoed through the city.

The first to arrive was Se-min.

His Tai Chi Wisdom generated sword energy through Lupus. It gradually expanded and soared to a length that swept the area.

Se-min fell toward the shelter and brandished Lupus.

The tentacles stretched toward the people were severed at once.

Blood covered the people.

The screams grew louder.

That struggle stimulated Black Castle further, and it kept raising tentacles. Now, hideous faces also began to crawl out from the lower body. They bared their teeth and smirked.

If those things had emotions, that act was definitely joy.

“Try to close it! Do you not know how to close it? Is there no official?”

There was no one who heard his voice.

Only the mechanical sound coming from the speaker of the underground shelter reported the emergency.

[System error. Evacuate. System error. Evacuate. System error.]

It only repeated the same words.

This is the shelter, so where were they supposed to evacuate to?

Se-min gripped Lupus tightly and looked up at Black Castle. Black Castle’s tentacles stretched out countlessly, filling the sky.

There was no place to retreat now.

Every time they avoided once, a person would die.

The Raiders arrived by Se-min’s side one by one.

Their expressions gradually stiffened, pressed by the scale of the crowd. Screams for help and wailing voices filled the surroundings.

Se-min looked back at the Raiders.

Most were Gold Marks, and some were Platinum Marks.

Did the Raider Bureau system judge that they were sufficient to buy time, or was there a shortage of Raiders?

What was clear was that there was no Raider better than Se-min here right now.

Not to mention ordinary people, he was the strongest even among the dozens of Raiders standing shoulder to shoulder with him.

Suddenly, he saw Jin Bu-sik. Standing on the frame of the opened shelter, he was grumbling and spitting. The spit fell on the people in the shelter, but he did not care and held his sword.

Beyond him was Kang Jong-hak. He was holding his sword with a stiff face. He was in a state of tension ahead of the battle.

Se-min’s gaze fell.

People of the shelter were reflected in his eyes.

The commotion subsided compared to before. Perhaps recognizing reality now, they sat down, closed their eyes, and prayed. Families embraced each other, and those who were alone were writing something on their cell phones or making calls. Screams gradually turned into weeping.

Suddenly, he felt a gaze.

A woman was looking at him.

She was wearing a souvenir jacket.

As Se-min became famous, the number of people wearing souvenir jackets increased. Therefore, that woman would be his fan, or someone who followed the fashion Se-min had created.

She stared blankly at Se-min and lowered her eyebrows.

‘I trust you.’

She said so with her mouth shape.

And, that face multiplied in an instant.

The people who felt Se-min’s gaze all began to look at Se-min.

She, and the people standing beside her, those who sat, lay, and stood, turned their heads toward Se-min. And each had an earnest expression. Faces filled his vision.

Se-min turned his head toward Black Castle.

The tips of the tentacles aimed at him in the air overlapped with the faces that had just been facing him. The number was scary. The weight of the tentacles and the people was added, pressing down on Se-min’s shoulders.

People are weak.

Monsters are existences that cannot be resisted.

So they came.

Se-min raised Lupus.

The pressure subsided. Tai Chi Wisdom was flowing in his dantian. That wave was grand, irresistible.

Black Castle was an absurd enemy.

However, he was also a man with absurd ambitions.

Se-min raised his aura. Beginning with that, the surrounding Raiders also each began to raise their momentum.

Soon, Black Castle’s attacks struck.

Before the tentacles could touch the Raiders.

Mist rose from the ground.

It supported each other and increased in volume.

It soon became an aura barrier of clear shape and surrounded the area.

The tentacles began to slash the outer wall to pierce it. The wall kept vibrating. However, the wall made of aura maintained its shape even while shaking violently as if it would break.

It was Se-min.

He raised Lupus and built a giant dome with aura.

‘Tai Chi is Yin and Yang, Heaven, Earth, and Man, and furthermore, Origin, Prosperity, Benevolence, and Righteousness.’

Se-min closed his eyes and kept repeating that.

Tai Chi Wisdom flowed through his physical body. It did not stop there but connected beyond his physical body to the world. The energy of great nature was passing through his body continuously.

“It is impossible.”

Someone said.

At the moment they prepared for death to receive Black Castle’s attacks, the wall protected them like a miracle.

It was clearly an aura barrier.

And they soon felt their aura being absorbed somewhere.

Toward Se-min, their aura was being absorbed.

However, they did not reject it.

It was not being taken away, but a sensation as if leaning on each other.

Their aura soon was refined through Se-min’s body, turning into a giant aura surrounding the sky.

Ka-aaaang!

Now, Black Castle twisted its tentacles to make a single giant bundle and struck the wall.

The entire aura barrier shook. However, the aura barrier held out. That shock would be entirely borne by the owner of the aura.

Black Castle raised its tentacles and began to strike the wall like crazy. A bursting sound echoed throughout the city.

“He will die like that.”

Someone said.

Blood vessels stood out all over Se-min’s body, and his body trembled.

That output could not be endured by an individual. Blood kept trickling down from his eyes, nose, and mouth. However, he did not collapse.

Se-min clenched his teeth.

His body was dying.

However, rather at this moment, he was alive.

Thinking of the days when he could do nothing and rotted away, stuck in a room, how lively was this moment?

Black Castle raised its bundle of tentacles high in the sky again.

The altitude was high.

What would happen if that drove down?

Se-min laughed at that moment.

He felt pity for Black Castle, which struggled to break the defensive wall. Originally, it should have preyed on countless humans and shrieked happily.

But of all people, the man standing on this stage.

It was Lee Se-min.

The tentacles drove down.

Se-min spat blood.

The wall.

Did not break.

It was a miracle no different from a human supporting the weight of a mountain.

***

Oh Jeong-hui headed toward Seoul.

He toyed with his cell phone while sitting in the helicopter.

Ahn Seong-jun was sitting beside him.

“Seong-jun.”

“Yes.”

“Shall we make a bet?”

Oh Jeong-hui smiled, leaning back.

“Whether there are guys still fighting there or not.”

“There will be.”

“Are you taking his side because you are classmates?”

“No.”

“Your relationship did not seem great either. Do you worry?”

“…”

They were heading toward Black Castle according to the request of the Raider Bureau.

They received materials from the Raider Bureau. It was an unidentified monster, and its exact ecology and attack methods were not recorded. The survivor testified that most of the team members died by tentacles.

He checked the news that kept being delivered.

The Raider Bureau kept silent, and the combat status was reported through drones and long-distance filming of broadcasting stations.

Oh Jeong-hui kept checking his cell phone, grinning.

Ahn Seong-jun just closed his eyes.

The remaining members of Peacemaker scattered according to the instructions of the Raider Bureau. Only Ahn Seong-jun moved in a team with Oh Jeong-hui.

Their mission was to hunt Black-grade monsters. Oh Jeong-hui systematically crushed the enemies, and Ahn Seong-jun finished his role by merely delivering drinks and towels for him.

It was a combat power that was hard to believe even while watching it constantly.

As the same humans, the people of the Black Mark were like creatures outside the specifications.

Of course, to the Raiders of lower marks, Ahn Seong-jun of the Platinum Mark would also look enough like a monster.

“Hey.”

Drowned by the helicopter’s propeller sound, he missed Oh Jeong-hui’s low voice for a moment.

“Hey. Ahn Seong-jun.”

Only then did Ahn Seong-jun open his eyes.

“Yes.”

“Your friend.”

“Yes.”

“Do you like him, or dislike him?”

Ahn Seong-jun knew from hearing that Lee Se-min was in the place they were going.

If asked whether he liked or disliked him, it became difficult.

They were not in a relationship to like each other. Even if it had dulled with time, he was the person who fought Se-min and made him drop out of school. And the reason for that clash also lay with him.

However, he did not dislike him either. That fight was also a turning point in Ahn Seong-jun’s life. Because that day existed, he of today also existed. Besides, he was the one who hit unilaterally. There was no resentment about the fight.

So Ahn Seong-jun had complex feelings about Lee Se-min.

Gratitude, apology, regret about himself, envy and jealousy.

So Ahn Seong-jun answered vaguely.

“I do not dislike him.”

“You do not like him either?”

“I do not know.”

“Right. I will tell you. If you get worried after seeing this, you like him, and if you get jealous first, let’s say you dislike him.”

Wondering what it meant, he looked at the cell phone Oh Jeong-hui was thrusting.

It was a video being broadcast by a station.

First, Black Castle’s hideous appearance caught his eye.

Although he saw it in photos, seeing that shape directly alive and writhing was different. It was sickening just to look at.

Black Castle in the video was striking something constantly.

It was a dim barrier.

He realized that it was a defensive wall made of aura.

“This is…”

As the screen moved, the landscape below was revealed.

Below that barrier, the shelter was opened.

It was an absurd situation to be in front of a monster. That was originally opened for rescue in an emergency, not flipped open like that as if asking to be killed in front of a monster.

Between the monster and the shelter, on the ground and the frame of the shelter, Raiders stood.

They were all looking at one person.

Ka-ang!

Ka-aaaang!

The monster tied its tentacles into a bundle and struck from the sky down, loading its weight.

Even if they raised aura, it was impossible to endure such a shock for a long time. Even if a Black Mark came, it could not do so.

However, it was supported.

“How…”

And at the center, a man stood with a claymore.

Every time Black Castle attacked, blood splashed from his mouth. He was already in a state of having raised aura to the limit. However, the wall of aura was precariously maintained.

Along with his aura, his blood-soaked dragon-patterned souvenir jacket fluttered.

Black Castle kept striking to break the wall, and Se-min endured it. He breathed heavily and spat blood. And he raised aura again. Black Castle spread its tentacles again and struck the aura barrier randomly, and he shook violently as if he was hit himself, absorbing the pressure.

As a Raider, there was no way he did not know how dangerous that action was.

If they raised force like that and received attacks, the interior is destroyed in a mess.

Aura flows backward, and fine meridians are damaged.

Thus, they could lose aura forever.

“He.”

Oh Jeong-hui whistled.

“At that level, he is a Black Mark, it is a waste.”

Ahn Seong-jun could not know his own feelings. Although he was being discussed as a next-generation Black Mark, he was still far from that level. He could not even grasp a sense.

However, Se-min, who was incomparable at the same level, was now standing in the ranks of the Black Mark.

It was a wondrous aura control.

At the same time, it was an unbelievable mental strength.

It was already the limit. It was impossible to endure that completely alone with human strength. He was currently saving people at the cost of his physical body.

And the fact that he was buying time and holding out was his will to protect the people until support arrived.

“Let’s go quickly.”

Ahn Seong-jun shouted.

The pilot said it was already the maximum speed. Ahn Seong-jun watched the video anxiously.

A man walked to Se-min. It was a familiar face. Said to belong to Wugeukhoe, it was the vanguard leader Jin Bu-sik, whose behavior was light.

He said something to Se-min, and Se-min shook his head.

Jin Bu-sik turned around in anger. And he spat toward the shelter. He kicked the ground once and glared at Black Castle.

The other Raiders just watched Se-min with stiff faces.

If not for him, most of the people here would have died.

“If, even after this fight, he is still a Raider.”

Oh Jeong-hui spoke, looking into his cell phone.

“You take responsibility and recruit him.”

***

A Black Mark Raider and called the action leader of CCC, Jang Geon.

His face was stiff as he watched the cell phone video.

Although the helicopter’s propeller repeatedly beat the wind, he could not hear the noise at all right now.

He was from the military, and after awakening aura, he discharged and became a member of CCC. He was excellent in both aura talent and physical talent, and adding countless Raider experiences, he reached the Black Mark as if destined.

He did not like Raiders.

To Raiders, a raid was merely a means of earning money. Having been born with aura by chance, they conducted raids as if enjoying benefits and enjoyed the fruit.

They lacked a sense of duty or mission.

That was his conclusion.

So he kept away from Raiders other than CCC.

Raiders from the military had a sense of responsibility for their power. Even if not all were like that, at least the leader of CCC regarded raids as their duty. The entire company was stubborn.

Because Jang Geon was proud of that, if he saw a good sprout, he struggled to recruit them to CCC.

And today, he discovered a man he must keep by his side.

Even his skill was excellent.

At that level, even if not perfect, there was no lack in recognizing him as a Black Mark.

Was there such a gem?

“Increase the speed.”

“It is the maximum.”

“Let’s go faster.”

Jang Geon repeated the same words with his eyes fixed on the screen.

“Because we must not be late, quickly.”

He had heard the name Lee Se-min. Because he wore a trivial souvenir jacket and slouched, he thought he was one of the common Raiders. Those who flashed and disappeared were plenty.

However, concrete achievements began to attach to his name gradually. Catching Kesia was the start. He conducted raids every day, and blocked a missing gate alone.

Now, he was holding out against a mysterious monster.

He held sweat in his hands as he watched the video.

To anyone, that man had already crossed the limit. Every moment would be devouring his physical body.

“Lee Se-min.”

Now the barrier of aura was right before collapse.

Dealing with such a giant monster alone was impossible in the first place. However, he was realizing the impossible to protect the people.

If so, he could not stay like this either.

Jang Geon raised his aura, which he had intended to save for the fight.

The helicopter’s body tilted.

“Uh, uh…?”

The pilot was flustered. The helicopter’s speed was gradually getting faster. As if something was pushing the helicopter from behind, acceleration was attached.

“Let’s go quickly.”

The pilot realized that he was doing something.

Those called Raiders exert out-of-common-sense power. He saw a white air current being emitted from Jang Geon sitting behind. That would be aura.

He also knew that the situation was urgent now.

“Understood.”

He headed to Heron at maximum speed, riding the current.

Entering the Seoul city center, he saw battles breaking out here and there on the ground. The city was burning, and giant monsters were wielding their limbs and destroying buildings.

“We will enter soon.”

The time was already late.

Indeed, how safe they would be was the key.

And Jang Geon was already finishing preparations and preparing to jump, holding his weapon.

In the far distance, the shape of the monster, which was clearly conspicuous, was visible.

It was big and terrible.

“I will go. Open the door.”

There was still distance left to reach the monster.

However, the pilot opened the door without talking back.

They were monsters who pushed helicopters with aura. There was no need for him to worry. That man was one of the five ranked as the strongest in South Korea, and would know his own power best.

“Work hard.”

Jang Geon said briefly and jumped.

His figure shot toward the monster with inertia on his back.

Watching a human rush faster than a helicopter, the pilot silently raised his thumb.

“Good luck.”

***

Black Castle’s attacks were heading toward the end.

The aura barrier was right before breaking.

No, it was not only the aura.

Lee Se-min had also reached the limit. He was in a disastrous state where it would not be strange if he died right away.

As the aura barrier was attacked, that shock was entirely transmitted to Se-min.

The ground was already colored black with the blood he had spat out.

He held out alone for ten minutes.

During that time, Black Castle struck the aura barrier countlessly.

That was a process where his dantian and interior were torn apart.

Se-min felt even the Tai Chi Wisdom lose energy and hang loosely. He tried to touch Tai Chi Wisdom by circulating aura, but not a single bit of aura gathered.

A shadow was cast in the sky. Black Castle was raising its tentacles again.

If that attack drove down, the aura barrier would break.

Was his holding out meaningful?

Black Castle’s tentacles soon began to descend.

Se-min closed his eyes.

He wanted to be resolute at the end.

He clenched his teeth.

A bursting sound soon echoed.

However, nothing happened.

Se-min raised his head toward the sky.

Black Castle’s attacks did not reach him. Instead, a man was floating in the air.

The bundle of tentacles was caught in his hand.

That man said, as if declaring to Black Castle.

“I am Jang Geon.”

Jang Geon rushed toward Black Castle with his two fists at the same time as his appearance.

He was a martial artist who used brass knuckles.

Things like tentacles were cut and broken by the white aura rising from his grip. Black Castle moved back little by little as if flustered by the appearance of an enemy different from before.

Although it was said that Se-min showed power above Platinum while unfolding the barrier of aura with all his might, he could not be compared with Jang Geon, who had been active as a Black Mark for a long time.

He fought on equal terms with Black Castle.

As the Raiders tried to participate in the battle to help him, he shouted like this.

“Do not get in the way! Just protect the people!”

At those words, the Raiders stopped again.

The reason Se-min endured the attacks at the cost of his body was because of the people. If the Raiders stepped into the fight now, there would be no one to protect them.

Black Castle brandished its tentacles to attack them even while fighting Jang Geon. The Raiders desperately deflected the tentacles so that no damage would go to them.

Jang Geon also had difficulty fighting a solo battle with Black Castle.

However, when the time came, others soon came from the sky to support.

They were Oh Jeong-hui of Peacemaker and Ahn Seong-jun.

They glided through the sky leisurely and came to Jang Geon.

“Jang Geon, long time no see?”

“If you have time to greet, you should help.”

“Is this Black Castle? It looks like something I do not even want to touch.”

Oh Jeong-hui glanced at Black Castle. The whip held in his hand began to rise like a snake, receiving aura. It was a hard iron whip connected like a chain.

“Seong-jun. Look after your friend and protect the people.”

“Yes.”

Ahn Seong-jun immediately lowered his altitude toward the shelter.

He had already talked with Oh Jeong-hui.

As soon as you arrive, secure Se-min’s body and heal him. There must be minimal aftereffects, and if there is no problem with his skill, coax him well so that we can recruit him.

He was not confident about the last one, but looking after him was no problem.

Ahn Seong-jun sat beside Se-min. A man was protecting Se-min by his side. It was a familiar face. He seemed to be an employee belonging to the Raider Bureau.

Kang Jong-hak greeted Ahn Seong-jun.

“Hello.”

“Yes.”

He knelt on one knee toward Se-min, whom he was looking after.

“How is his condition?”

“That is…”

It would be a mess.

He kept receiving Black Castle’s attacks alone.

It was just that he was not hit directly, but what he did was no different from getting hit unilaterally by a heavyweight opponent. If even the interior was damaged, his life could be in danger.

Ahn Seong-jun brought an emergency kit and used it on Se-min. First, he fed him medicine that could protect his fine meridians.

Se-min was unconscious, but he swallowed it gently. A low breathing sound leaked from his body.

Ahn Seong-jun immediately placed his hand on him and checked his interior.

Ahn Seong-jun’s aura stepped in, riding Se-min’s fine meridians.

However, there was no bottom.

Ahn Seong-jun almost made a sound without realizing it while his eyes were closed.

A vast ocean was spread out. Se-min’s interior was completely different from ordinary Raiders. Ahn Seong-jun kept injecting aura.

Usually, aura repels each other. If the energy did not match, this action could be harmful.

However, Se-min’s aura accepted his without any hesitation. Rather, as if very familiar, it glided smoother than when flowing in Ahn Seong-jun’s own meridians.

Se-min’s interior was completely different from what he expected.

Although the surface of his Qi and blood was damaged and the wounds were severe, his core part was not damaged at all. The interior of Se-min, which he thought would be dry from exhausting his true origin Qi, was instead moist, soaked with aura.

Although it became a mess, there was no hindrance to the aura itself.

“How is his condition?”

For a moment, Ahn Seong-jun felt a strange emotion.

Se-min was unconscious, and this man was not at a level to know about Se-min’s aura. Therefore, at this moment, Se-min’s aura was placed in his hands.

Lee Se-min.

A Raider who suddenly appeared and caused a storm.

His classmate.

How Se-min was getting stronger at a speed he could not even imagine.

He remembered the time when he sat down exhausted while dealing with two Kesias. Even in front of the danger of death, he did not look afraid.

It was like that then too.

‘Do it moderately, Ahn Seong-jun.’

Ahn Seong-jun beat him up. He tried to distort that arrogant face abjectly. However, the human named Lee Se-min was not a man who could be fallen by violence.

Rather, he was a person who got stronger the more such moments repeated.

Contemplating Se-min’s inverted interior, Ahn Seong-jun predicted that Lee Se-min would become stronger once again. Commonsensically, it made no sense.

The feeling he felt on that day was revived.

He could never become like Lee Se-min.

The moment he saw what he could not have, he harbored hostility without realizing it.

Ahn Seong-jun’s aura that penetrated Se-min’s interior sharpened its edge.

However.

Even that blurred and became a part of the grand flow running in Se-min’s interior.

Ahn Seong-jun smiled bitterly as he watched it. He was a fellow who made him look small. It was like that then and now.

Ahn Seong-jun took his hand off Se-min.

“He will be fine.”

And he looked up at the sky.

Two Black Mark Raiders were attacking Black Castle.

The reason Black Mark Raiders were precious was not for another reason. It was because they could not be replaced. It was a different problem from merely mobilizing a large number of Platinum Marks.

When dealing with an existence like Black Castle, such a difference was revealed more clearly.

As soon as they were deployed, Black Castle’s body collapsed and began to bleed.

Of course, Black Castle’s counterattack was also fierce. Jang Geon and Oh Jeong-hui avoided it as if performing acrobatics and steadily landed attacks.

Now, it had become a fight of a matching level where they could deal damage to each other.

“It seems like it will be longer than expected.”

“Yes.”

Ahn Seong-jun agreed with Kang Jong-hak’s words.

Black Castle’s scale was too large. Its lower body opened and faces shot out. The two Raiders deflected that attack, but tentacles aimed at their backs again. They raised aura and blocked it.

Jang Geon let out a shout and stretched his two fists.

Then, a giant aura as big as Black Castle’s body was emitted and struck it. Inside the wave of aura, countless fists were hidden, so the moment it touched Black Castle, it was as if thousands and tens of thousands of punches were delivered.

Black Castle’s body sank slightly. If it had legs, it would have collapsed.

Receiving the shock, Black Castle began to show movements different from before. The hemispherical upper body began to unravel gradually.

As if a ball of yarn was made of a single strand, its hemispherical body was a tangle of countless tentacles.

The air was filled with tentacles.

And in the center, at the core of the place where the hemispherical body was, a creature was situated.

It was a humanoid upper body.

The lower body was connected to Black Castle’s body, so there were no legs, but the head, arms, and torso resembled a human.

It shrieked an unknown sound.

Then, a bizarre high frequency began to shriek from all over Black Castle. The tentacles swelled and became larger and stronger. It brandished its tentacles like mad to catch the two Raiders.

It was an one-sided offensive of Black Castle.

Anxiety settled in the hearts of the people watching that sight.

Although two Black Mark Raiders came, was it still not enough to stop Black Castle?

That thought reached its peak when Jang Geon was hit by a tentacle and crashed to the ground.

It was then.

The sound of a helicopter echoed again.

And a man appeared.

“Sorry I am late.”

Everyone who saw that appearance was relieved.

A man of grand build holding a giant crescent blade.

The leader of Cheolmasa, Ryu Gwan-cheol.

“Why are you so late?”

“Brother!”

With the appearance of one person, the atmosphere changed.

***

The place Se-min regained consciousness was a hospital.

He reflexively checked the time. It was six o’clock. The sunset was sinking outside the window.

“Are you awake?”

The door opened and a man entered.

It was Kang Jong-hak.

He was also wrapping bandages around his body, perhaps having been injured. He sat beside Se-min.

“The gate situation is almost wrapped up. The dangerous crisis has passed. Raiders keep waiting, preparing for emergencies.”

“That is a relief.”

Se-min recalled that while blocking Black Castle’s attacks, his aura flowed backward, and he eventually lost consciousness.

Since he was alive like this now, they must have stopped Black Castle.

It seemed that the Black Mark Raiders had arrived on time.

“Look.”

Kang Jong-hak turned on the television. There, the appearance of people who barely survived feeling relieved was being broadcast. Se-min’s appearance also came out.

The defensive barrier of aura he had unfolded was maintained for about ten minutes, and soon broke, and he collapsed on the ground. At the desperate moment when Black Castle was about to attack again, Jang Geon appeared, followed by Oh Jeong-hui and Ryu Gwan-cheol.

The fight where two Black Mark Raiders and Black Castle were in equilibrium was completely tilted as Ryu Gwan-cheol appeared.

Ryu Gwan-cheol brandished his crescent blade and turned Black Castle into rags.

As expected, he was Big Brother Gwan-cheol.

“Since then, no particularly difficult monsters have appeared.”

Among the monsters that appeared today, there were several Black-grade ones, but the worst was Black Castle. It was only after three Black Mark Raiders were deployed that they could defeat it.

Kang Jong-hak handed a paper to Se-min. As Se-min examined it, an opinion stating that there was no problem with his body and aura was written.

“It is amazing that you are fine even after pushing yourself like that.”

Se-min grinned.

“Because I cannot rest until I make monsters extinct. This level is nothing major.”

“Hahaha…”

Nothing major.

Kang Jong-hak also laughed. He could not tell if it was sincere or a joke.

“I saw some of your records, Se-min.”

At the sudden words, Se-min looked at Kang Jong-hak.

He adjusted his glasses and smiled at Se-min.

“Because a Raider like you failed that exam, I was curious and looked it up.”

“Ah… I am weak at essay writing.”

“It was very impressive.”

Kang Jong-hak stood up.

He was about to ask if he still felt the same way, but realized the question was meaningless. He was a man who endured Black Castle’s attacks alone. Therefore, there was no need to wrap it with words.

Se-min substituted all explanations by directly practicing.

His essay answer was short.

There was no wrapping, no supplementary explanation.

He just practiced his words.

“You must be tired. Get some comfortable rest.”

“Yes. You worked hard too, Manager.”

Kang Jong-hak left the hospital room.

Going to the parking lot and starting the car, he leaned his forehead on the steering wheel.

Meeting Black Castle, he had lost hope to some extent that humanity would win.

In the otherworld, such things lived. More terrible and bizarre things would invade Earth.

However, today, he modified his thoughts.

It was because of one man.

It was not because he was strong, nor because he showed amazing recovery.

He saw an unbroken will in him.

He was curious about this man. So he dug through old records and checked Se-min’s Raider exam results.

Although he achieved excellent scores in all areas, he failed because of one essay subject.

It was only four characters.

However, the will contained in it was larger than any other applicant who filled the volume.

No matter what terrible thing came, there was a Raider who would not give up. As long as such a human remained, humanity would not be defeated by monsters. Such a vague optimism was transmitted.

Such a person does not end alone. His will will be transmitted to people and become even larger.

He called someone he had not contacted for a long time.

[Were you alive?]

“Would you like to have a drink?”

[Hmm…?]

He was the man who crossed over to the otherworld to conduct the subjugation battle together with him, the team leader of that time.

He was currently serving as a professor of monster ecology.

[It was noisy today. Did something happen?]

Did something happen.

Kang Jong-hak smiled. It was a long day. From morning, he dealt with monsters, and while killing and killing, later met Black Castle.

He crossed countlessly over crises where he could have died if he made a mistake. He saw people dying right before his eyes, and rescued them directly. Perhaps it was the most desperate day of his life.

However, instead of answering like that, he put on airs like Lee Se-min.

“Well, nothing major happened.”