Chapter 161

A phenomenon Cha Jin-Hyeok had never seen unfolded before him. The swirling iron particles came together to form a cannon.

‘Is the visual effect different from that of the Tier-3 form from before my regression?’

Streamer Jin-Hyeok was more excited by this cool and curious sight than the fact that the Artillery of Nemesis had automatically evolved to Tier 3.

‘It’s complete.’

The ultimate weapon that Shin Yu-Ri had once wielded, a mobile siege weapon called the Babylon Cannon, revealed itself. Jin-Hyeok managed to contain his pounding heart.

‘When Yu-Ri used it, her entire body would transform.’

Jin-Hyeok remembered that before his regression, Yu-Ri’s entire body would transform into a massive cannon when she used this Skill. However, this time, a standalone cannon akin to a colossal tank had been formed.

‘This is way cooler!’

His excitement elevated the tension of the livestream. He began to speak faster. “This is the third tier of the cannon I briefly showed you before.”

He received a secret message from Wang Yu-Mi at that moment. She had sent him the old data and videos he had been searching for, organized chronologically and categorically.

‘Trust Yu-Mi to get it right.’

With how neatly everything was organized, it was clear that former NIS member Ahn Ji-Won had joined the team. Just the file names and formats were enough to tell Jin-Hyeok that Ji-Won had a hand in organizing them.

“The cannon I showed you back then was smaller and lacked many features.” Jin-Hyeok’s excitement grew higher and higher. “Also, I had difficulty handling the Babylon Cannon at that time, so I had no choice but to use my defensive Mystery.”

The corresponding video was also well organized, so Jin-Hyeok immediately displayed it on the screen. Once the data was up on the screen, links were automatically generated, making it convenient for the viewers to access them. Jin-Hyeok relished the joy of harmonizing with his team, and his heart throbbed.

“But this time, it is going to be a bit different.” He decided to show the viewers just how much stronger he had become.

? ?

Erin sensed something was off.

‘There are no corpses.’

Nowon-gu was far from what she had envisioned. She had thought she would find a city in ruins, children crying over their lost parents. However, the area was surprisingly intact.

‘It feels like a ghost town.’

Everyone seemed to have evacuated in advance. Erin felt as if her understanding of the world had shattered.

‘How is this possible?’

Great Britain had also experienced invasions from another Server. The Scanorbian warriors had wreaked havoc across the British Region, damaging the city and destroying even human dignity.

‘The British government did recommend evacuation, but people didn’t listen well.’

Managing a crowd in a crisis was never easy. Riots would break out, hoardings would take place, protests would be organized, and demagogues would lead people astray. Society would plunge into chaos.

‘But... something is weird about the Korean Region.’

The absence of people on the streets meant only one thing: everyone had evacuated. There was no other explanation.

‘How could this happen?’

Erin was not well-acquainted with the situation in Korea and Seoul. Nowon-gu was an area rich in apartment buildings and underground parking lots, which served as makeshift bunkers. With additional help from a few Barrier Manipulators dispatched by the NIS, most civilians had already finished evacuating.

NIS, which had been proactively participating in the Play led by Maria, had now shifted its role to providing support. This was because all the top-tier Players affiliated with Maria had transferred to the MK Foundation.

Interestingly, the NIS preferred and excelled in civilian support rather than direct intervention in Play. The agency and its affiliated Players skillfully evacuated civilians, who complied well, minimizing damage and preventing societal chaos like riots.

-I hate excessive nationalism. Still, I can’t help but acknowledge this.

-Wow, this is the epitome of civic consciousness!

-People abroad are already saying that this quick evacuation is supposed to be nearly impossible. Hats off to the Koreans!

-In the French Region, we opposed evacuation. We even had a festival...

-Then the Dungeon Break happened, and everyone died.

-The K-Force is insane! The Korean Region is the best!

-Their unity during a crisis is crazy! LOL

Foreign media focused on Korea’s crisis response capabilities. The unique attributes of the Korean Region in the face of external threats became a subject of study, promising great benefits for other countries as well.

Yu-Mi of KimKnowItAllTV, who had now gathered a considerable number of team members, had a special request for the newly recruited team leader Ahn Ji-Won. “I like nationalism, but I need you to maintain it so that it does not go overboard. It can cause a backlash.”

“Understood. I will also let the media know so that people don’t get too over-excited. I will pay special attention to the public opinion.”

“You really read my mind,” Yu-Mi replied.

When she looked at the livestream, even the composed Yu-Mi felt her jaw drop. “Wow... So that’s the Babylon Cannon?”

Chul-Soo fired the Babylon Cannon. The next moment, a massive beam of light melted over half of the invading force, which numbered in the hundreds. The light beam left a giant crater in its wake, as if a tremendously large serpent had destroyed everything in its path.

Chul-Soo commented, “It’s weaker than I thought.”

The cannon was powerful enough, but Jin-Hyeok could not control it to its full extent. According to him, if he could not utilize his strength properly, then he was weak.

-LOL. Well, this is considered weak if we’re talking about the Chul-Soo Verse.

-Very weak. (Half of them are dead.)

-LOL, see how serious IntenseMan looks! So funny!

Jin-Hyeok felt both disappointment and awe toward his ability. He was disappointed that he could not fully harness the Skill, yet amazed by his growth.

‘It won’t be long before I can use this power effectively.’

He felt he could soon exhibit Artillery Skills almost comparable to that of Yu-Ri, who had once been the Empress of Villains. Moreover, he was now stronger than when he had faced the Queen Ant, and this brought him great joy.

“I have realized that using this Skill against a small number of enemies is not very efficient.”

Experience was always the best teacher. Thinking about something and doing it were two entirely different realms.

-A couple of hundred enemies is a small number by IntenseMan’s standards. Haha!

-To IntenseMan, one-on-one or one-on-a-hundred feels the same. LMAO.

-It’s because he is always intense!?

People who had yet to fully adapt to this new age expressed concern.

-Invasion or not, Players still died. Is it really okay to laugh about this on air?

-I think this is crossing the line. This is not some sort of action movie. This is real life!

In the meantime, Jin-Hyeok continued, “I think it’s time to use my defensive Mystery.”

He employed the same method as before, fusing the Babylon Cannon with the Phantom Swordswoman. The translucent, ghost-like figure of the Phantom Swordswoman materialized with long, flowing golden hair and pallid skin. Six torn white wings spread out behind her.

“It’s been a while since I have seen the materialized Phantom Swordswoman. Tears of blood are still streaming from her eyes.”

On the Korean Region Minor Gallery, people were so captivated by the angelic or perhaps fallen-angel-like appearance of the Phantom Swordswoman that they even created fan accounts to celebrate her.

Jin-Hyeok silently counted to three before speaking; as he remembered the lines said by the Phantom Swordswoman previously, he was able to say them exactly at the same time.

“Grasp the blade of vengeance in your hands.”

“Grasp the blade of vengeance in your hands.”

Speaking alongside the Phantom Swordswoman made for a cool scene for his livestream.

“The fools shall meet their death.”

“The fools shall meet their death.”

The Phantom Swordswoman asked, “Who is the target of annihilation, my Master?”

At the same time, heroic music played in the background. Jin-Hyeok had regretted not having background music for this moment the last time.

‘I succeeded in adding background music this time.’

He could feel that he had grown since then, thanks to Ji-Won’s list of potentially helpful BGM files.

‘I need to say something cooler than before to move the audience.’

Being merely strong was not enough; he had to be creative too. “I shall teach these fools who dare encroach upon my domain.”

He also received an apt suggestion from Yu-Mi.

[Using words like protect or defend would be effective. >_<]

Jin-Hyeok agreed with her. The Phantom Swordswoman was a defensive Mystery, after all. It was wise for Jin-Hyeok to give orders that fit her role. “Let them understand the true meaning of protection.”

The defensive Mystery Phantom Swordswoman took to the sky. Fused with the Babylon Cannon, she displayed her divine powers, slaying the remaining invaders without a trace.

‘Keuk.’

Activating the Phantom Swordswoman for such an extended period had taken a toll on Jin-Hyeok. Unintentionally, he coughed up blood.

‘When did I overexert myself this much?’

He was used to pushing himself to the limits, so even a slight overexertion led to side effects like this.

Alarmed, Yu-Ri quickly supported him. “A-Are you okay, Master?”

“One who wishes to protect must bear the weight of that responsibility.”

“B-But you have pushed yourself too hard.”

“Protection comes at a great cost.”

Jin-Hyeok pondered his next actions for a moment.

‘Should I faint right now, or not?’

Truthfully, he was not at the point of fainting, so faking it would be like putting on an act.

‘Egan Paul can put on a good fake show, but so can I.’

However, as a Streamer, his last shred of pride rejected the idea of faking it. Cheating was not an option.

‘Ah! Holding my breath should do it. I just need to let myself faint.’

He held his breath forcefully, and ultimately, he did faint. His heroic image was captured on video. Moreover, despite him losing consciousness, his livestream continued uninterrupted.

After a little while, a voice reached Jin-Hyeok’s ears.

-“Master, someone was unable to evacuate. I was too busy to protect them.”

A death had occurred in Nowon-gu. It was presumed they had died, swept away by the fearsome force of the Babylon Cannon. The victim was an unidentified British woman who had ignored the evacuation order and hidden in a building.

-“Master, this could be somewhat dangerous.”

The Guardian Tree spoke hurriedly.

-“A madman wielding dual axes had appeared! This smells really dangerous!”

In his urgency, he even forgot to use his antiquated tone and yelled.

-“W-Who the hell is that guy?! He is trying to cut me down!”

Just when the forces in Korea, including Jin-Hyeok, were spread thin, the Scenario Lumberjack named Rumbol arrived in Yeonhui-dong, accompanied by Egan Paul, the top-ranked Streamer from the United States.