Chapter 72: The Power of the DG Guild (2)

The Guildmaster of DG Guild was a man of many talents. Whether it was combat, training new recruits, or even the management of day-to-day operations, he excelled in all areas and had been successful in quickly growing the guild into a mid-sized force.

His marketing instincts were likewise formidable, planting the name of DG Guild firmly in the minds of countless people. However, the problem was that the guild's MeTube channel, managed by none other than the Crazy Bastard himself, mostly featured videos that were "bizarre yet hilarious." As a result, most viewers held a similar impression of DG Guild.

—That funny guild?

—The guild with Crazy Bastard as the Guildmaster?

—Yesterday's video was hilarious.

A fun guild. A comedic guild. However, people understood that DG Guild didn't just obtain their fame by chance. A newly established guild growing to C-Class within six months alone was a testament to their skill.

"You're telling me those are Hunters from a C-Class guild?" one Hunter asked in awe.

But seeing DG Guild's true power up close, the observers realized it was well beyond what anyone expected of a mere C-Class guild. When three members of DG Guild jumped off the fortress wall alongside the special forces team in order to hunt down a superior-class monster, they instantly felled the Goblin Warrior.

"Hup!"

Jeong Man-Kook swung his mace with colossal force, sending the goblins flying. He stopped his attack and raised his head.

The goblins were slowly retreating from him out of fear.

"Huh, huuh...?"

"Wha—holy crap!"

Jeong Man-Kook was known as the Mukbang Warrior and was responsible for the mukbang videos on the DG channel. He ate a lot, and he ate well. He was also famous for being able to list off nearly every decent restaurant in Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan area—a neighborhood big-brother figure, the type you'd run into on the street and chat about local eateries.

And now, the same mukbang star was annihilating goblins and overwhelming the Goblin Warriors with sheer strength. The stunned Hunters could only gawk at Jeong Man-Kook as a piercing shout rang out.

"Die, bunch of freakish monsters of unknown origin!"

Shhhk!

A short-haired woman was butchering goblins left and right with her three mana blades. It was Yoo Seh-Eun, the third of the Five Siblings of Mapogu, a fierce beauty who made a great comedic pair along with Kang Seh-Hyuk. She was known for her sharp tongue and playful banter, but here she was, literally carving a path through the goblins.

Meanwhile, other Hunters anxiously glanced around. The DG Guild members who had leaped down from the fortress wall alongside the special forces team numbered three in total. Finding the last person wasn't difficult at all.

A pillar of fire flared forth on top of the snow-covered hill. Screaming goblins, ablaze from head to toe, scattered in all directions.

Bursting through the flames came a woman who lopped off a goblin's head in one clean strike. Only after seeing one of their own collapse did the other goblins realize the threat she posed. They turned to swarm her, but she simply slipped back into the wall of fire.

Clumping up meant they'd be burned en masse. Splitting up meant she would pick them off one by one. It was a harrowing style of combat that sent chills down the spines of onlookers. Some of the male Hunters—especially the ones who had half-jokingly tried their luck with her earlier—had lost all feeling in their legs.

"I didn't know this because of all the funny videos on their channel... But they're incredibly strong," one of the Hunters commented as the battle unfolded.

It was a "fun" or "comedic" guild, and a

scary-strong

one.

—Ice Wolves sighted!

Over in the rear, Jang Bo-Hyun was overseeing battle operations. When his warning blared from the speakers, the special forces unit and DG Guild's trio withdrew without even looking back.

***

Each wolf pack consisted of thirty wolves, and three packs had already emerged, totaling a staggering ninety. At the same time, five Ice Tigers also appeared.

—Announcing the remaining numbers of monsters: ten Ice Tigers, thirty-two Ice Trolls, and one Ice Troll Lord! The regular Ice Trolls have also emerged!

As Jang Bo-Hyun relayed an update on the Gate Defense's progress, Kim Ki-Rok and Team Leader Ji Cheol-Hyun made a massive leap from the ice wall.

When Ji Cheol-Hyun reached the apex of his jump, he lightly shook the bag hanging on his waist, using his skill to materialize the Transparent Shield below his feet.

With perfect timing, Kim Ki-Rok landed on the same invisible platform. Gazing at the Ice Trolls that were now storming in from beyond, he calmly said, "I'll follow right in your footsteps, Team Leader."

In other words, he didn't need Ji Cheol-Hyun to mark the transparent shields with powder to show him where to jump next. Team Leader Ji nodded and launched himself forward. Kim Ki-Rok leaped right after him, precisely treading each platform Ji Cheol-Hyun's feet had just left.

They maintained enough distance from the Gate's entrance to avoid drawing the monsters too close. Once they were far enough, that was when they planned to put them to sleep.

In the distance, a giant humanoid monster could be heard by its thundering footsteps. Spotting the humans standing atop the ice wall, the trolls veered toward them, away from the Gate entrance.

"I'm going to pick up the pace," Ji Cheol-Hyun warned.

Bending at the waist to lower his center of gravity, he widened his stride. Kim Ki-Rok matched him exactly. In a flash, the pair sprinted through the air, alighting on Transparent Shields one after another. Soon, they were nearly overhead of the troll, perched on a shield floating just above its head.

Kim Ki-Rok tugged a scroll out from his subspace pocket and tore it in half with both hands. The effect of the sound-dampening scroll, Silence Zone, was immediate. The noise had vanished, as if someone had flipped the mute switch on the world.

Realizing something was amiss, the troll looked around, but it was too late. Kim Ki-Rok flung a circular potion bottle straight at its mouth. The glass bottle struck the troll's teeth, breaking open and drenching its mouth and throat with the liquid. The troll at last recognized the intruders above, but it wobbled as if dizzy and collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut.

"That was fast," Ji Cheol-Hyun said, watching the troll smash to the ground, flattening a few goblins under its bulk.

"It's an instant-effect potion," Kim Ki-Rok replied.

As the troll lay unconscious, Ji Cheol-Hyun generated a shield beneath it, levitating the creature off the ground. Even for him, the weight was daunting. Kim Ki-Rok handed him another scroll and a cookie shaped like a rabbit.

"The scroll has been imbued with an ability that reinforces Willpower," Kim Ki-Rok explained.

"What about the cookie?" Ji Cheol-Hyun asked.

"It's a B-Class chocolate chip cookie that increases one's Magic by 5 for 30 minutes."

After briefly pondering about why it was in the shape of a rabbit, Ji Cheol-Hyun tore the scroll and ate the cookie. "Woah! Huh? This tastes good!"

Ji Cheol-Hyun noticed that it had become easier to control the shield. Calling up his status window to check his abilities, he verified that the Magic stat had indeed been buffed. His mind felt clearer than usual, and his concentration was sharp.

Ji Cheol-Hyun cautiously lifted the Transparent Shield into the air.

"But, Team Leader..."

"Yes, Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok."

"If there's only one troll here, why don't we just kill it?"

"Um..."

Silence hung between the two. The Transparent Shield stalled in place.

***

Jang Bo-Hyun saw the troll which had been floating up into the air suddenly come to a halt. He frowned while watching Ji Cheol-Hyun and Kim Ki-Rok jump off the Transparent Shield.

Worried that a complication had arisen, she clicked off her loudspeaker and sent a radio message to Team Leader Ji Cheol-Hyun. "Is there a problem?"

—No, there isn't.

"Then why deviate from the plan...? Oh!" In the next instant, she spotted a troll lying flat on the ground, fast asleep. That was when it all clicked. "Is it because there is only one?"

A slight pause followed.

—Yes.

If only one troll had appeared, there was no need to put it to sleep. They had acted too hastily.

"Uh, do you have enough scrolls and potions?" she asked.

—Yes, we do...

Ji Cheol-Hyun cleared his throat in a futile effort to mask his embarrassment, proposing a quick tweak to the plan.

—We'll only execute the plan if at least three appear at the same time. Otherwise, let's just kill it.

"Then we shall put them to sleep only if three or more trolls appear together."

There was another pause before the radio picked back up.

—Yes, that's correct. Ahem!

With one more feigned cough, Ji Cheol-Hyun ended the call.

"

Ha ha!

"

"I'm going to go crazy. I can feel it."

Although this was a Gate defense, a dangerous battle against a large swarm of monsters, the atmosphere wasn't grim at all. If anything, it was jovial.

Jang Bo-Hyun looked out at the front line. He could see other guild members shaking their heads at Kim Ki-Rok and Ji Cheol-Hyun. One was laughing loudly, while the other covered his face with one hand in embarrassment.

The bright, upbeat mood did wonders to stop the Hunters from succumbing to pressure, allowing them to use their skills to their utmost potential and subdue the monsters effectively.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

At the rearmost position, the medical station was equally busy, staffed by Potion Brewers, Awakened with healing powers, and even medical doctors mobilized at the Association's request. They promptly treated any wounded, preventing minor injuries from turning critical.

If this carries on...

It seemed possible to end the Gate defense with zero casualties.

***

December 24, 2:32 a.m.

Two and a half hours had passed since the start of the battle.

The surveillance team using reconnaissance drones had been tracking the situation and now reported to Jang Bo-Hyun. "Here's our tally: about thirty Ice Wolves remain, three Ice Tigers, twenty-five Ice Trolls, and that one Ice Troll Lord. So there are still a total of fifty-nine monsters that will soon appear."

The mass of goblins charging the defense lines had finally withdrawn, regrouping near the Gate. The Ice Wolves had waited for that moment to reengage with the Hunters. Taking advantage of the wolves' distraction, the Ice Tigers launched a surprise attack of their own.

The front line was on the verge of collapse, but the Hunters had managed to hold it together with the support of the special forces team and the three members of the DG Guild who had temporarily rallied back from hunting higher-class monsters.

The Hunters sharpened their formation and once again raised their focus. Though the toughest challenges still lay ahead, the end seemed within reach.

Thud, thud, thud.

"Three Ice Trolls spotted! Subdue two and take down one! Do not disturb the Trolls put to sleep by Team Leader Ji Cheol-Hyun and Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok!"

Upon Jang Bo-Hyun's warning, the Hunters halted their attack, and Kim Ki-Rok and Team Leader Ji Cheol-Hyun moved swiftly through the air toward the Gate to put two of the trolls to sleep.