Chapter 294

"How in tarnation do you reckon we're supposed to use this contraption?"

"Hey you idiot, have you not watched any movies? Just go with the flow and do it like this!"

"Damn it. Y'all could've just kindly explained how to get it to work. Did ya really have to go and insult me like that?"

The Ravens Mercenary Corps aimed their guns toward the Yuk Eun-Hyung’s mercenary corps while hiding behind cover.

Most of them had tanned faces, and their clothes were so worn and tattered that it seemed as if they would tear apart at the slightest breeze. Only a few members knew how to handle a gun. They all just roughly loaded and haphazardly pulled the trigger.

"When in tarnation are these fellas comin' out? They plannin' to spend the whole dadgum day hidin' like that?"

"Keep quiet and wait! Don't turn your gun this way! Keep your eyes fixed outside!"

"Aight, got it."

They waited eagerly for Yuk Eun-Hyung's mercenary corps to appear. Their bodies were tense, and cold sweat trickled down their foreheads. Their fingers trembled as they rested on the triggers of their guns..

Boom—!

A loud, thunderous noise echoed from the ground, similar to an earthquake. The ground shook, and the building they were inside swayed as if it would collapse at any moment.

The mercenaries soon revealed bewildered expressions, and they looked at each other.

"What in the world's goin' on here?!"

"An earthquake? No! W-wait. This is..."

Boom—!

A loud noise echoed once again, and the ground continued to shake. Each time the rumbling noise echoed, the vibrations intensified.

Some of the mercenary corps members lost their balance and fell. When they fell over, they dropped the guns they were holding, and some broke their noses as they fell forward. It was pure chaos.

Amidst the chaos, a man steadfastly stared at Yuk Eun-Hyung’s mercenary corps through the window without falling or letting go of his gun. He was the squad leader of the Ravens Mercenary Corps.

He had not let down his guard, and his finger was still resting on the trigger when his eyes suddenly darted from side to side.

"The Cult Leader...?"

Whoosh—!

A powerful gust of wind swept through, drowning out the mercenary corps squad leader’s mutterings before they could reach the other mercenaries.

The wind carried dust and gravel, striking the wide-open eyes of the mercenary corps squad leader. He kept his eyes open even as his eyes turned a deep red when his face suddenly stiffened.

Cold sweat ran down his forehead and gathered at his chin before dripping to the ground.

“...”

In the wasteland, which had been devoid of anything, signs of life were now stirring. Weeds, dandelions, and tiny plants buried deep underground swelled in size and created a forest.

Rustle, rustle...

Yuk Eun-Hyung’s mercenary corps had been hidden behind cover, and they used the forest as cover to slowly advance.

The squad leader of the Ravens Mercenary Corps quickly regained his composure. He shouted at the mercenaries who fell to the ground after failing to withstand the vibrations and those who dropped their guns due to their shock.

"Everyone, pick up your guns! Aim at the forest! Just shoot!"

The mercenaries belatedly regained their composure and raised their guns after hearing the squad leader’s command. Then, they stuck their barrels out of the window and wildly fired toward the forest.

As long as Yuk Eun-Hyung’s mercenary corps hid in the forest, aiming was meaningless. The best they could do was to shoot wildly, hoping to hit at least one of them.

Bang, bang, bang—!

The mercenary squad leader and the mercenaries started shooting randomly. The gunshots were deafening. After they emptied one magazine, they switched to another magazine they had received from their client and continued to fire.

They had plenty of magazines, so they didn’t need to be conservative. The problem was not the number of magazines that they had. The problem was that no matter how much they shot, the bullets did not reach Yuk Eun-Hyung’s mercenary corps.

"Damn it, what is that! Is it made of steel?"

The leaves and tree roots that made up the forest were too tough. The bullets bounced off the leaves and the roots devoured them.

Yuk Eun-Hyung’s mercenary corps were practically wearing giant bulletproof vests while hiding in the forest.

"They're storm’in the building! Squad leader, what in tarnation should we do? We're all gonna be custard if we don't figure somethin' out!" shouted one mercenaries in a furious voice.

After a moment of contemplation, the squad leader hid behind some debris inside the building and shouted, "Everyone hide! If the enemy enters this room, we'll all open fire!"

"Gotcha!"

The mercenaries followed their squad leader’s command and hid behind furniture or pillars where they could conceal themselves. They then aimed their guns at the door.

“...”

It didn’t matter whether it was Yuk Eun-Hyung’s mercenary corps or the Cult Leader. Whoever entered the room would be reduced to a sieve and die. That was their plan.

*

Yuk Eun-Hyung and his mercenaries were led toward the building by the forest that I had created.

Gunshots rained down from the building, but no one was injured. A mere bullet could not penetrate the leaves of the giant plants created by Granbwa's power.

—

Cult Leader, we are about to enter the building! There are no casualties so far!

Shortly after creating the forest, I heard Yuk Eun-Hyung’s voice. I could listen to his voice by connecting my senses with Granbwa's plants. As long as I remained within Granbwa's forest, I could hear everyone's voices, and I knew their location.

I raised my staff and headed toward Yuk Eun-Hyung. He and his mercenary corps members were waiting at the entrance of the building while hiding behind the largest leaf.

"Cult Leader! You've arrived. Shall we enter now?"

"No, wait a moment."

I shook my head at Yuk Eun-Hyung's request for entry. Instead, I raised my staff and struck the ground.

Rumble—!

"Bade."

I called out to Bade. At that moment, the wind that blew in brushed past the leaves of Granbwa's plants and entered the building.

The wind swept through various parts of the building, allowing me to determine who was inside and how many people there were by the flow of the wind.

"..."

I concentrated on the flow of the wind. There was no one on the first floor. The same on the second floor. The third floor, the fourth floor... No one was on the fifth floor.

Then, there was a change in the flow of the wind—the sixth floor. The Ravens were hiding on the sixth floor. They were hiding behind cover, aiming their guns toward the door and waiting for us to enter.

They must have been planning to unleash all their bullets the moment we entered the room. It was all so predictable.

I broke out of my concentration and opened my eyes. Yuk Eun-Hyung and the mercenaries looked at me with bright eyes as if waiting for my command.

"Currently, the Ravens are on the sixth floor. They are waiting in the room, and it seems like their plan is to shoot all of us down once we enter. They are all armed at the moment.”

"What should we do?" Yuk Eun-Hyung asked.

After thinking for a moment, I said, "I could render all of the enemy's firearms useless. However, it's a time-consuming task..."

I could render all the Ravens’ firearms useless using Ogun's power. With the staff in hand, it was not a difficult task.

The problem was that it would take a lot of time.

The Ravens roughly had about ten guns. If we also considered the firearms scattered on the floor, it would be over twenty. It would take quite some time to completely neutralize all those firearms with Ogun's power.

Moreover, Ogun had a capricious personality, so I didn't know if he would listen to me at a crucial moment.

"Let's go up to the sixth floor for now and head to the room where the enemies are waiting," I said.

"We don't have firearms, so wouldn't it put us at a disadvantage in combat? No, not just a disadvantage... There will definitely be casualties. You will most likely be fine, but we... " Yuk Eun-Hyung said.

“I know. You and your mercenaries don't have to fight. Just knock on the door."

"Just knock on it?"

"Yes. Then all the Ravens' attention will be focused on the door."

I raised my head, looking toward the window on the sixth floor as I said, "That’s when I will enter through the window."

I chose one of the many plants in the forest, plucked a leaf, and handed it to Yuk Eun-Hyung.

"If you hold on to this, I can hear all the sounds that come in your direction. I will enter immediately after hearing the knock."

"Understood."

I looked around at Yuk Eun-Hyung and his mercenary corps members and said, "Alright, let’s go."

They looked at me with determined eyes, then nodded in unison. Then, they swiftly entered the building. I grabbed my staff and lifted my head.

"Marinette,” I called out and prepared to use her power.

*

The Ravens still had their guns fixed at the door. Their faces were stiff with tension.

They were going to fire immediately if they sensed any movement beyond the door. That was the mercenary squad leader’s order. Whenever they heard a slight sound coming from the door, their ears perk up and they would react sensitively.

Their eyes were bloodshot due to maintaining a state of extreme tension for several minutes without blinking much.

Knock knock.

Then, a knocking sound was heard. The unexpected situation confused expressions to appear on the mercenaries’ faces.

"..."

Knock knock.

The knocking sound came again. Not just confusion, but a look of bewilderment appeared on the faces of the mercenaries.

A knock? They were knocking?

Yuk Eun-Hyung’s mercenary corps did not have guns. Even if they had weapons, they would be nothing more than spears, swords, bows, and other primitive weapons.

They would be at a decisive disadvantage even if they hid their presence and launched a surprise attack, but they were so shamelessly and brazenly knocking on the door.

"Do we shoot?" one of the members whispered.

The squad leader shook his head. The squad leader was sweating and trying to read the opponent's strategy. Yuk Eun-Hyung’s mercenary corps was a mercenary corps that ranked relatively high in combat power. Why would such skilled mercenaries do such a foolish thing? There was surely a hidden agenda.

"..."

At that moment, a thought flashed through the mercenary squad leader’s mind.

Yuk Eun-Hyung’s mercenary corps knocked on the door to let the enemy know their position. In other words, they hoped the enemy would perceive them as 'on the other side of the door.'

Thus, the Yuk Eun-Hyung mercenary corps intended to divert the Ravens Mercenary Corps’ attention through the knock, then enter the sixth floor from a different direction. If that was the case, what other methods were there to enter this place other than the door?

"The window!"

The window.

There was no other method but to enter through the window. The squad leader turned his gun toward it.

Crash—!

The window shattered, and someone appeared—a man wearing a mask and a poncho. It was the Cult Leader.

Blue flames erupted from the Cult Leader's hand. Before the squad leader could pull the trigger, the blue flames flickered from the Cult Leader's fingertips and scattered on the floor.

Woosh!

“Huh?”

A puzzled exclamation escaped the squad leader's mouth. The blue flames that spread out from the Cult Leader's hand froze the bodies of the Ravens Mercenary Squad leader and all the other mercenaries in the room.