Chapter 80
Meanwhile, the Capital Area Integrated Survivors' Gallery, which had been lamenting its helplessness over the barrier being closed.
Fuck, it's really just a barrier that's only good for defense.
ㄴ We should've gone in while it was open...!!!
ㄴ For real, that eggshell is fucking tough;;
It's like throwing an egg at a rock, fuck.
ㄴ You mean we're the egg...
ㄴ Bring back that Jobless Troublemaker who said it was an eggshell.
ㄴ It's a rock shell!!
ㄴ It's an ostrich-egg shell!!!
ㄴ For real, it's a dinosaur egg;;
But shouldn't it be called an egg?
ㄴ Get out, fuck.
ㄴ Hey, read the room.
But the mood was completely reversed by a single post that went up afterward.
Title : Current Green Zone Siege Status > Barrier Gone LMAO
(Rough proof. JPG)
Everyone had been fucking helpless after the barrier closed...
Suddenly, ‘that hallway’ appeared once more right in the middle of the barrier...!
At first, I was honestly fucking scared ㅇㅇ How could anyone not be scared seeing ‘that hallway’?
But since it connected the inside and outside, we were having a staring contest over whether we should go in, you know?
Then ‘that hallway’ suddenly expanded and swelled like crazy, becoming a wide passageway;;
After that, cracks appeared in the barrier maintained by the red-haired bitch, and the nearby barrier disappeared completely ㅇㅇ
Now everyone is entering the Green Zone together ㅇㅇ
No, fuck, the barrier disappeared...!!!
ㄴ ㅇㅇ It just disappeared, fuck.
ㄴ System-nim installed and expanded the hallway, then destroyed it!!!!
ㄴ !!!!!
Everyone's charging into the Green Zone now!!
ㄴ We're going in!!!
ㄴ We're entering together with the guilds!!
ㄴ Go in!!
ㄴ Kill every last one of those bastards!!!
That was the post that went up right after the barrier disappeared, after I copied the tile.
“Keh-ge-ge-geok!!! Yeeeees!!!!!”
I was cheering as I watched the post.
As you know, the tile I copied at the barrier was a Normal 10th-floor hallway.
“See, see? I told you it would break through.”
My conclusion that I could bypass the barrier and connect the two places simply by installing a tile at its center was just a straightforward deduction.
As you know, my Tile Copying skill literally copies an area I own and installs it at the designated coordinates.
Of course, the tile I own and the tile produced by copying it look different.
“But they share the basic functions.”
The space I own through Blueprint Control shares its functions.
Those shared functions are...
“A place and barrier that even Jomssaem can't enter, like something made by a fucking elementary schooler!”
Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!! Clang-!
In principle, then, I was copying a place that even our Jomssaem couldn't enter.
So naturally, I thought I could install it right in the middle of that barrier.
“Black Zone Awakeners have it pretty sweet.”
I don't know how strong the person who made that barrier is, but
there's no way they're a higher-level Awakener than me.
So my tile installation took priority over the barrier.
“Ahhh, I really do have authority recognized even by the System.”
Of course, this was as far as my prediction went.
“I didn't know the barrier would break because the tiles expanded and did whatever else.”
I had no idea the copied hallway tiles would expand, somehow overload the barrier itself, and make it disappear completely.
[10th-Floor Hallway: 10 tiles]
[Total tiles currently in use: 92 tiles]
[Remaining copyable tiles: 108 tiles / Maximum 200 tiles]
[Tile Resonance synergy is activated!!]
[Tile Resonance synergy has activated!!]
[Tile Resonance synergy activation triggered!!]
....
Tile Resonance basically increases a tile's quality or level when similar types of tiles are together, but...
There is one more thing.
That is, it basically increases the size of the resonating tiles.
Apparently, the Tile Resonance synergy of the Normal 10th-floor hallway only makes them grow wider and larger among themselves.
But it's ‘that hallway,’ damn;;
ㄴ What kind of lunatic was the first to make it through...
ㄴ Isn't entering it an automatic ejection...?
ㄴ Who the hell was the first person to eat pufferfish!!!!
Si-yeon-nim made it through, not Healer Union ㅇㅇ
ㄴ The Saint chosen by the System, who wrought a miracle, proved it personally.
ㄴ ? Healer Union is the youngest member, Si-yeon-nim, right?
ㄴ Charge!!!!
ㄴ You mean that Healer Union who kept shouting about improving our fucking treatment is the Saint!!!!!
ㄴ For it is said, to lose one's faith!!!!!
ㄴ The one who wrought a miracle is Si-yeon-nim, the Saint of Miracles!!!!!
ㄴ Healer Union X
ㄴ Si-yeon-nim O
ㄴ That's it, nice
ㄴ This is the stuff
But I didn't expect people to be afraid of that hallway.
“Well, I guess that's understandable.”
It must look exactly the same from outside at a glance.
But where did Si-yeon get that [Systam] banner?
“I didn't tell her to do that.”
As expected, Si-yeon is the one who knows exactly how to drive people crazy.
Title : This too must be the grace of Jobless Troublemaker....
Our God-Troublemaker, who exposed their evil deeds to the Gallery one by one and drew the System's attention...
This too must be the grace of Troublemaker....
They say humans make the plans, but God is the one who brings them to fruition ㅇㅇ
ㄴ For real, that saying fits perfectly ㅇㅇ
ㄴ As expected, good deeds are Jobless Troublemaker's
ㄴ Great things are done by Troublemaker!!!!!
Surely, Troublemaker, was this part of your plan too!
ㄴ Did you expose their evil deeds on purpose to draw the System's attention!
ㄴ [Jobless Troublemaker] That part wasn't intentional;;
ㄴ Hmm-hmm, there's no way Jobless Troublemaker considered that too;;
ㄴ Of course not, hmm-hmm
But this time, Troublemaker did everything, right?
ㄴ If it weren't for Troublemaker, we'd have just sat there and taken it, right?
ㄴ We would've nearly praised those bastards without knowing anything, right?
ㄴ GREAT THINGS ARE TROUBLEMAKER
ㄴ GOD-TROUBLEMAKER
Looking at it this way, I really did play the buk, the janggu, drums, and guitar, and even sing—I did it all myself this time.
“Fuck, I did everything for you!!!!”
Good grief, I'm busy.
In the middle of all that, a post went up saying someone had completed their daily quest.
I sent it over right away. They're working hard, huh.
“As expected, love for the customer means speed.”
But I have to protect my customers and VIPs with my own hands, so what else could I do?
“And this is fun too.”
That was also why I made plans as Jobless Troublemaker and rallied people through Si-yeon.
[Remaining copyable tiles: 108 tiles / Maximum 200 tiles]
I still had plenty of ammunition left, and I could use it to support them as much as I wanted.
So.
“Go on, give it a try.”
****
Meanwhile, in the Green Zone after the barrier disappeared.
“Let's follow the path System-nim made for us!!”
“Woooooaaaaah!!!”
The allied forces flooded into the city along the path installed by the System.
“The treatment of healers...! No...! The treatment of humans...! No!!”
“...?”
“Hmm! Just don't improve their treatment!!!!!!”
As Lee Si-yeon ran at the very front, waving the yellowish cloth marked [Systam], she shouted.
“...Yeeeees!!!!”
“Follow the Saint!!!!”
“Punish the forces of evil!!!”
“Baam! Ba-ba! Ba-ba! Baam!!!”
“Baam! Ba-ba! Ba-ba! Baam!!!”
The allied forces, gripped by madness, answered her and charged.
“They've gotten in!!!”
“Stop them! Stop them!!!”
“This is our city!”
The Hunters who had been running around in confusion soon gathered together and hurriedly formed a battle line.
Drdrdrdrdr-!
Thus, the distance between them narrowed.
Neither side had any intention of backing down.
“Wipe them out!!!!!”
“Hold them back!!!!!!”
Thus, the two sides collided head-on.
Boom-!
The primal sound of collision rang out in every direction, immediately followed by a chaotic melee.
“Push through!!”
“Kill them all!!!”
“We have more people!”
The Stalkers used their numerical advantage to forcibly squeeze through the Hunters' defensive line.
“They're breaking through!!”
“Keep your head in the game!!!”
The Hunters also launched minor counterattacks, striking the vital points of enemies charging recklessly at them, but.
“Break their formation!!!!!”
“Graaaaaagh!!!”
“C-Crazy!!!”
Park Dari, guild master of Gaboong, threw themself into the enemy and smashed their formation to pieces.
“We will go down in myth!!!”
“We will be remembered as legends!!!!”
The Mythos Guild members charged in formations assembled at precisely the right places, supporting the breach.
“Where do you think you're going, you bugs!!!”
“Burn them all!!!”
The Hunters poured their respective abilities onto them, trying to dampen their momentum even a little.
“Not a chance!!!!”
Si-yeon's voice rang out from the middle of the crowd.
She kept pouring drugs into her mouth and throwing potions she synthesized in real time at the wounded.
“Graaaaaagh!! The Saint made us immortal!!!”
“We won't die!! We won't die!!”
“Puuush!!!!”
The Hunters' faces turned pale at the sight.
“Fuck, what is this...!”
“We barely stopped them!!”
The Hunters were already at a numerical disadvantage.
Even after dealing a critical hit, the battle was becoming uncontrollably unfavorable to the Hunters as the allied forces drank potions and charged again.
“...We're going to be pushed back like this.”
One of the Hunters watching this leaped into the air and shouted.
“...I'll kill them all.”
The mana streaming from both his hands began condensing into a fireball of terrifying size.
“Burn to death, you vermin.”
The Hunter threw a house-sized fireball straight toward the center of the allied forces.
“F-Fireball! Get out of the wayyyyy!!”
“Too late.”
“A-Are we going to die...!”
The sense that it was already too late.
Just as the Stalkers stared blankly up at the incoming fireball, feeling their end approaching.
Pop-! Pop-! Pop-!
Grid-patterned tiles appeared simultaneously in the air.
“Huh...?”
What appeared between the allied forces and the fireball, blocking it, was a structure.
It was a restroom. More precisely, restrooms.
Creakkk-!
The restrooms that appeared in an instant expanded and grew together, soon transforming into one connected wall.
“S-System-nim...?”
“What?”
Just like that.
Kwoooooom-!!!!
The fireball struck the structure summoned by the System, causing a massive explosion.
Blazing red flames surged upward and heat swept in every direction, but.
“...!!”
“D-Did we survive?”
What remained after the acrid smoke cleared was only the restroom wall, without even a speck of soot on it.
The Stalkers stood behind the wall, completely unharmed.
“What the fuck...?”
The Hunter who had launched the fireball stared at the sight with an expression of incomprehension.
“System-nim... protected us...”
“Really... It really is watching over us personally...!!”
“It built a wall for us personally!!!!!”
The Stalkers, by contrast, cheered at the sight.
“The System protects us!!!”
“Don't be afraid, charge!!!!!”
Thus, the Stalkers charged with rising spirits, while the Hunters prepared to clash with them once more.
“Fuck...!”
“We're still okay, hold them back!!!!”
“One more time... Here we go.”
Just as the regrouped allied forces were about to launch another attack.
Pop-! Pop-! Pop-!
Blue grid-patterned tiles flashed simultaneously between the Hunters' formations once again.
“W-What is it!!”
“What is it this time!!”
The structures that appeared from the grid-patterned tiles were the restrooms that had just blocked the fireball.
“It's restrooms... System restrooms in every direction.”
“What the hell are you trying this time, System?!”
A dozen or so restroom tiles appeared in the middle of the Hunters' formation in an instant, surrounding a group.
Creakkk-! Squeeeak-!
They soon began expanding wildly into one another, blocking everything all the way to the ceiling without leaving even the slightest gap.
“...Are we trapped...?”
“Can't we just use mana stones and leave?”
One Hunter entered one of the restrooms blocked on all sides and tried to pay mana stones.
A despairing message appeared before his eyes.
[Unauthorized entities may not enter or exit]
The expressions of the Hunters trapped in a space surrounded by restrooms they could not enter or leave twisted.
“I-I'll pay mana stones!!!! Let me use it!”
“Fuck, let me out!!
“Let me out!! I said let me out!!!”
“System, you fucking bastard!!!!”
Si-yeon did not miss the opening and shouted urgently.
“The wounded fall back and drink potions first, and everyone else, pick off the isolated Hunters one by one!!!”
“Don't improve their treatment!!!!”
Under Si-yeon's command, the allied forces quickly regrouped and plunged into the Hunters' collapsed formation.
“T-They're enemies on every side!!!”
“We're surrounded!!!!”
The Hunters' defensive line, unable to protect one another's backs because of the System's interference, began collapsing uncontrollably.
*
*
*
Thus, the battlefield situation grew increasingly unfavorable to the Hunters.
Two figures were watching this scene from the top floor of the penthouse.
“...This isn't good. This is not good...”
“That idiot Park Yu-jin... The barrier...”
The two were Ha Do-jin and Jeong Myeong-hak.
The plan they had devised was perfect.
Anticipating that they would unite, they had kidnapped the Head Mod, who would serve as their focal point, in advance, and had successfully avoided the people's suspicions by waging an information campaign.
But what was the result?
Their plan had been exposed by Jobless Troublemaker's scheme, incurring the System's wrath.
And the people had united because of Healer Union.
“The System is helping them, but... it isn't playing a decisive role.”
“I agree. Even so, it's only providing support.”
Even so, the two watched them with arrogant expressions.
“...I had hoped to use them as life energy... but we'll have to kill them all.”
“Agreed. We'll kill every one of them, and enslave even those who didn't join the alliance.”
Just as the two made up their minds and prepared to jump into battle.
Fwoosh-!
“...?”
“The System...?”
Grid-patterned tiles shot up from beneath their feet.
At the same time, space split perfectly apart.
A wall rose between Ha Do-jin and Jeong Myeong-hak, who had been standing side by side, separating the two.
****
“...What is this...”
Jeong Myeong-hak looked around in bewilderment.
The penthouse where he had been with Ha Do-jin just moments ago had disappeared.
In the blink of an eye, he was standing in an unfamiliar hotel hallway.
A space sealed on all sides with no entrance or exit.
“Are you trying to imprison me?”
Just as Jeong Myeong-hak frowned and looked around in all directions to inspect the area.
Pop-pop-pop-!
The wall at the end of the blocked hallway opened, connecting it to a new space.
And a woman walked out of that space.
“You were definitely the one who... took the children...”
She was Cha Do-hee.
Horrific memories were replaying vividly in Do-hee's mind.
The children crumbling into a handful of ash before her eyes.
Do-hee was remembering and mourning them.
But Jeong Myeong-hak, facing Do-hee, merely answered in a dry voice.
“...Have we met before?”
At that indifferent response, Do-hee bit down hard on her lip and let out a deep sigh.
“Hoo...”
And then she continued.
“It's okay. If I beat the memory into you, you'll remember.”
****
Meanwhile.
“...System! What are you doing!!”
Ha Do-jin, trapped in a different hallway from Jeong Myeong-hak.
“Are you trying to keep us from joining the battle!!!”
He angrily tried to break through the ceiling and escape, but not even a scratch appeared on the wall.
“Once I get out, I'll kill every last one of them...”
Just as he was muttering while suppressing his rage.
Pop-! Pop-! Pop-!
The hallway he was in connected to a new space.
And from somewhere in the connected space came a muttered word.
“Specimen”
“...!!”
With that single word, Ha Do-jin's body was perfectly immobilized in place.
Clomp, clomp.
At the same time, a woman walked toward him.
“That's far enough, Ha Do-jin.”
It was the Head Mod, Baek Eunwol.