Rule Breaker (2)

I left the Tower for the time being.

It was to figure out what was going on.

-Vrrrr—!!

My budget phone woke from a week's sleep, vibrating as it did so,

[No word from the Cheonghwa Guild's raiding party for a week…]

[Cut off—or wiped out?]

[Overseas experts say it's highly likely to be a new type of gate]

"…What the heck is this?"

I froze the moment I saw the news.

I couldn't help it.

'Contact lost? Cheonghwa?'

You don't lose contact just because you enter a gate.

I don't know exactly how it works, but there was internet access through something like a router.

I had even watched footage of the turtle boss monster whose weakness I'd revealed, broadcast from the scene by Cheonghwa…

'Not only is there no broadcast footage, but the Awakeners who entered afterward haven't returned either?'

The super-large gate Cheonghwa had set out to conquer.

If I remembered correctly, it was near Korea University. What on earth was going on?

-Peek.

'I wonder if there are any photographs of the gate.'

I immediately searched the internet.

My 'Dragon Eyes' were an insanely overpowered trait that spewed out all kinds of information even from photographs alone.

I wondered if it might reveal something this time, too.

And it did.

-Ding.

[Gate Portal]

Size: Super-large

Type: Special

Average monster level: 581

Boss level: 703

Time remaining until Break: 4 hours

"Hmm."

The average level was in the 580s.

And the boss was Level 703.

It was certainly impressive, but…

'Wouldn't this be a one-day clear for Cheonghwa?'

You reached Level 600 just by clearing the Normal Tower, which went all the way to Floor 75.

Your stats increased by eight on every floor, after all.

A top-level raiding party from Cheonghwa should mostly have cleared the entire Normal Tower.

Even Hwang Hee-chan had gone, and he had a title, a Stigma, and even a Legendary-grade trait.

They probably couldn't have been wiped out even if they'd wanted to be.

'Then why has it taken so long?'

There was only one thing I was curious about.

Why had Korea's number-one guild been trapped in there for an entire week?

I opened my eyes wide to investigate.

Unfortunately, no additional information appeared.

Even Dragon Eyes seemed unable to figure out what was inside from the portal alone.

'They look like they'll clear it on their own… but it is a super-large gate.'

"Just in case, I should go help them."

After I finished assessing the situation.

-Swish—

I slipped my phone into my pocket.

Then I lightly loosened up my body.

'A Break is dangerous, especially one involving a super-large gate.'

A Break was a catastrophe.

Few people knew that better than I did.

I had lost my parents in a Break—my adoptive parents, who had raised me like their own son—so of course I knew.

That was why I moved even though I'd vowed not to make a spectacle of myself after nearly being discovered last time.

-Squeeze.

'The more I look at it, the less I like this hat… but I don't have a choice.'

I entered a quiet alley and put on the Legendary-grade invisibility hat from my inventory.

I also filled the artifact, the Necklace of Concealment, with mana.

It was to put myself into a state of perfect stealth.

'So this thing doesn't even show up on cameras.'

In this state, even automatic doors couldn't detect me, but I wasn't particularly concerned about that.

Unlike last time, I intended to remain hidden until the very end.

There would be no reason for me to enter anywhere while invisible.

'I should test it, just in case….'

Finally, I tested its stealth capabilities in front of passing pedestrians.

'All right, let's go!!'

Taat—!!

The sound of me forcefully kicking off the ground.

At the same time, I shot forward like an arrow.

I was moving so fast that even I was startled.

An exclamation of admiration escaped me.

"Whoa…."

'This really is insanely overpowered footwork.'

Though my improved specs probably played a part, too.

The footwork the wraith had taught me was incredible.

It was naturally easy to run as though I were ignoring air resistance.

And with a little effort, I could even change direction or stop abruptly while ignoring inertia.

It felt as though I had wings on my back…

-Tilt.

'…Wings? Come to think of it, wouldn't it be much easier to fight if I had a wing on my back?'

The thought had come out of nowhere, and even I found it absurd, but anyway.

Pababak—!

I continued using the newly learned footwork.

My body surged forward as though it had wings.

Thanks to that, it didn't take long to reach the scene.

[Caution!!! Caution!!!]

[Due to the occurrence of a super-large gate, entry is prohibited to anyone other than Awakeners or authorized personnel]

"Hmm."

The streets were packed with police.

Barricades had sealed off the entire road.

And as if that weren't enough, there were even soldiers carrying guns.

'They must be assuming a Break is certain.'

They were probably like this because the raiding party had gone silent.

If Cheonghwa had really been wiped out without even having time to contact anyone, it would mean this was a demon realm surpassing the Seven Great Gates.

From the state's perspective, being cautious was the right thing to do.

In reality, they were making a fuss over nothing, but still.

-Bow.

'Thank you for your tireless service. I'll take care of this, so don't worry.'

After nodding to the people earning their tax money's worth.

-Whoosh—!!

I jumped straight over them.

It was the sort of movement that practically announced an Awakener had entered,

"Hm? Didn't the wind just blow upward?"

"You notice every little thing. Your eyes have gone crazy because you want a paid vacation so badly, huh?"

"No, my cousin's house is around here, so I'm paying close attention…."

As expected, no one noticed me.

Not the soldiers or police, nor even the Awakeners loitering nearby.

That was the combination of Legendary-grade invisibility armor and an artifact that concealed my presence.

With just these two items, I could sneak into the women's bathhouse without getting caught.

Of course, I had no intention of doing that.

'Shall we go, then?'

I moved on, leaving them behind.

I entered through the university's main gate.

The portal should be where there were the most Awakeners, so I headed that way.

The closer I got, the more chaotic the atmosphere became.

-Bustle.

"Why aren't you going in already!!!"

"If Cheonghwa has lost contact, it'll be the same whether we go in or not, won't it? We'd be better off waiting here with the other guilds and dealing with the Break."

"Is this for real…!?"

The Awakeners were shouting until the veins stood out on their necks.

Every renowned guild in Korea seemed to have gathered, including Cheonghwa.

And Cheonghwa, ranked number one among them,

was being humiliated today of all days.

"What are you going to do if flying monsters come out!! Are you going to block off the entire sky?! You should go in ahead of time and take them down!!"

"Your people would've done that, right? How many Awakeners went in? Surely they couldn't even fail to do that."

"Y-you, you, you…!!!"

The Cheonghwa Awakeners ground their teeth.

But they couldn't charge forward.

They merely whipped their heads around with resentful expressions.

It was rather pitiful.

'Well, their main combat force is probably trapped inside the gate.'

Cheonghwa's elite, including Hwang Hee-chan, were currently missing and presumed dead or alive.

Wasn't the possibility of a total wipeout even being cautiously considered?

Even the Cheonghwa guild members looked grim.

Seeing that, some Awakeners openly said that Cheonghwa was finished too.

'Though I'm pretty sure they're all alive.'

Of course, to my eyes, it was utterly uncalled-for behavior, but anyway.

I'd gotten a grasp of the atmosphere.

Now, shall we go?

'Entering the gate would be reckless, right?'

The best-case scenario would be for me to go in there, clean everything up, and come back out, but…

There were only about four hours left until the Break.

Could I clear a super-large gate in that time?

Even I wasn't confident I could do it.

Especially if it was a special gate that could trap even Hwang Hee-chan for over a week.

'It would be a hundred times better to rain down Spatial Slashes the moment the Break begins, that's for sure.'

After thinking it over.

I looked around the area.

I was searching for a good spot.

"Hmm."

'That spot is perfect.'

Taat—!

I jumped while pressing down on my hat.

It was a place where I could see the portal at a glance and swing my sword without anything getting in the way.

The top of a statue of Korea University's mascot.

'Then I'll just kill time until the Break starts.'

I plopped down and took out my phone.

Then I let the time melt away.

I got up again only when there were finally just five minutes left until the Break.

-Grab.

'Since I'm here, should I try out the new sword?'

I gripped the Unique-grade sword the wraith had used.

I took a deep breath and readied myself.

I also reminded myself of my objective.

'Let's not make a spectacle of myself this time.'

The other Awakeners could handle the small fry on their own.

What I needed to handle were the unusual types.

Flying monsters that became dozens of times more troublesome the moment they escaped outside.

And… if I thought I couldn't handle them, I would just take out the boss and run.

'One minute left.'

As I waited, the time drew noticeably closer.

The area around me grew noisy as well.

The portal had begun crackling as though it were full of static.

"The Break is about to happen!!!"

"Everyone, stay at your positions!! Be careful—we don't know what will come out!!"

"Damn, if only Cheol Gangmin had posted something, I'd feel a lot more reassured…."

Clack.

The sound of weapons being gripped rang out from all around.

Before long, silence descended.

As everyone tensed.

Only time flowed slowly, and…

Kwoooooooom—!!!!!!

A massive pillar of black light.

It shot up from the portal into the Seoul sky.

It was the greatest threat to modern society: a Gate Break.

"They're coming!!"

"Multiple flying types confirmed!! There are a lot of other monsters too!!!"

The monsters immediately began falling from the pillar of light, but…

-Ding.

[The trait 'Dragon Eyes+' activates.]

[Crimson Labyrinth Wyvern]

Level: 580

'Twenty-four in total!!'

My Unique-grade sword was already

clawing through the air.

"Blood Explosion."

Flash—!!!

A blood-red light shone from my arm.

At the same time, pain surged through my entire body.

It was the self-inflicted damage proportional to the temporary increase in stats gained from activating the Stigma.

-Ding.

[The trait 'Dragon Armor' activates.]

Damage taken is reduced by 80%.

'It feels like muscle pain.'

Of course, the pain was trivial.

Compared to the explosive acceleration it gave me, it was practically free.

Thanks to it, my sword moved even faster than it had against the wraith.

-Taat.

"Spatial Slash."

I leaped into the sky in case they could track my location.

Then I swung the Unique-grade sword wildly.

It was moving so fast that it sounded less like a sword and more like a fan—no, a jet engine.

The result goes without saying.

It was an instant slaughter.

-Slice.

"Kieeeek…!?"

The wyverns that had emerged from the portal and taken flight.

Thin lines appeared across their bodies.

It was because each of them had taken one of my ranged attacks, 'Spatial Slash.'

And the flying monsters considered the most terrifying part of a Break.

They were sliced in half without even getting the chance to let out a single shriek.

"Wait, is that…?"

"Cheol Gangmin!! Cheol Gangmin is here!!!"

"Damn, I knew we could count on him!!!!"

Cheers erupted all at once.

I'd already put on a Mad Movie once before, so no one failed to understand what was happening.

Some of the more perceptive people immediately shifted their gazes to the spot where I'd been hovering just moments ago,

'Hey, that's just my afterimage.'

I'd been fully charging the mana in my necklace precisely in preparation for this.

I was even wearing the Legendary-grade invisibility hat over my head.

Unless they possessed a Legendary-grade detection trait, finding me was impossible.

-Straighten.

'All right, then. All that's left is the boss.'

While everyone else stared blankly at the wrong patch of empty air.

Clack—!!

I returned to the top of the statue.

I rested the sword on my shoulder.

Then I carefully watched the portal.

The remaining small fry were all more or less the same, so the other Awakeners would deal with them.

I intended to check the boss one last time and leave, but…

-Whoosh!!

"H-Hwang Hee-chan!!?"

"There are other guild members too!!!"

The pillar of light soared high into the sky.

Suddenly, people began jumping down from it all at once.

They were Cheonghwa guild members, including Hwang Hee-chan.

As I'd expected, they were all unharmed.

'…Then why couldn't they kill the boss?'

I tilted my head as I watched them.

Even the Cheonghwa guild members, who knew that fact better than anyone, looked around in confusion, unable to understand the situation.

The first person to open his eyes wide was,

as expected, him.

-Open wide.

"Mr. Cheol Gangmin!!!!"

Hwang Hee-chan shouted loudly when he spotted

the wyvern whose body had been severed and was turning to dust.

—His expression was filled with urgency.

"Run—!!!"

And immediately after he shouted.

Crack-crack-crack—!!!

Something surged up from the ground.

It surrounded every Awakener, myself included.

Ordinary Awakeners had no time to react before, in an instant,

"……Huh?"

'Could the entire university be within its range!!?'

A disaster of somewhat greater scale had arrived.