Chapter 219

Like the end of an era, the rift appeared with a bang.
The location is the center of the territory of Shalem, the former capital.
Long ago, Shalem’s most prosperous city was quickly tainted. Tentacles, thick and thin, wrapped around the old city like tree roots. The entire city seemed to be in the stomach of a monster.
Until now, rifts have been “nests”. A nest that pollutes the environment to mutate organisms and produce eggs. It takes at least a few days to build an army.
This time, however, the nature of the problem was fundamentally different.
The large cracks were equipped with ‘passageways’. Parasites of all shapes and sizes poured out like a swarm of ants. They scattered in all directions as soon as they appeared, as if they had some clear purpose.
Not long after the rift opened, an army of monsters pounded the defenses.
Boom!
The mines in our perimeter were constantly exploding.
“Don’t be pushed back! Kill one more!”
Someone shouting, eardrum-piercing screams, binge drinking and gunfire.
An unidentifiable fishy odor and the smell of gunpowder fills the air.
Dust billowed over the barricade, scattering shards of stone. The soldier held his breath at gunpoint. As I peered over the smoke, I heard the sound of glass shattering from the side.
The parasite, which had been approached from the wall of the building, fell down.
“Crazy, when…!”
Falling parasites crush the soldier. Tentacles spread wide like flower buds. A gaping hole in the center revealed countless teeth.
Just before the Parasite’s head devours the soldier,
─Billion!
The slender body flew off and slumped against the wall. The soldier gasped and turned his head. The crushed parasite twitched and sagged.
The bodies gradually became particles and were carried away by the wind.
“Are you hurt?”
“Gee, that’s okay, ewww!”
“That doesn’t look good.”
Kim would check on his soldier and click his tongue.
“You’ve been hit in the right arm. Fall back.”
“No, I’m not yet…….”
“Never mind, do as you’re told. We can afford to replace the one with the broken arm with a quadriplegic, and when they’ve torn off both arms, you’ll be back, even if you don’t want to be.”
Laying Mace across the wreckage, he picked up the rifle the soldier had missed.
I rained down rounds on the Parasite crawling at my feet. He kept firing until his magazine was empty. It wasn’t an efficient method, but it was also impossible to identify each one individually.
Fortunately, the enemies that crossed over from the Rift were less threatening than those born from the Egg. Depending on the opponent, they can be handled by a single infantryman.
In other words, they’re a bunch of scum.
They’re twice as fast as humans and can pierce concrete with their tentacles.
“But it’s worth it.
Kim picked up her mace again and quickly scanned the battlefield.
Explosives and snipers placed throughout the area slowed the enemy offensive. Kim and his team focused on clearing the barricades.
Ugh, that’s even creepier.
Mr. Edwin, you’re safe!
Yes, that’s better.
What did I tell you, he’s better off worrying about it?
The front was holding more steady than I’d expected. Even if a soldier was dying with every breath, it wasn’t a bad pace to be on.
‘At least it’s better than games.
Currently, Shiran’s army makes up the largest portion of your army. However, in the game, things were very tight on the Xuran side.
Harenhal was also severely weakened by the Cataclysm. Not to mention Kilikia and Bastitera, which were torn apart by the Legion.
Many parasites quickly broke through the defenses and made their way outside. So much so that even after the final episode, there were periodic events called Parasite Swarms.
On the other hand, things are different now.
The explosions are coming from far away, not just nearby. Attack helicopters carrying machine guns and other Chapters sweep the ground. After eliminating the risk of being shot down, drones carrying explosives are sent in.
“It looks like it’s getting organized.”
– The measured contamination level is 211 p. It’s creeping up, but it’s not at a point where we’re going to back off yet, so we’re going to stay around here for a while.
Kim nodded at Leila’s comment.
“Okay, I think it’s safe to say we’ve blocked the first wave of attacks.”
The first hurdle has passed smoothly. With the bombing near the Rift now underway, the number of people pushing up to your defenses should be significantly reduced.
‘That will be brief.’
You can’t keep up the Chapter forever. Eventually, the Parasites will start to ‘adapt’. As soon as the offense picks up again, the success rate of the operation drops exponentially.
“If you’re going to target them, now is the time.”
– Yes. Let’s head to the confluence point.
Operations that were originally envisioned to be short-lived.
It’s important to get it over with before the game is over.
* * *
The commandos boarded the transport at the rear.
Personnel were primarily composed of spellcasters, or peccatums, who could withstand contamination. Individuals were then selected based on their combat abilities and the usefulness of their spells.
It wasn’t just agents from Celbrox Labs and Dustborne.
Carmen, a knight who had been fully aligned with Bastitera, a knight who had fought with the Godmother, and a member of the Albatross. There was even a volunteer enforcer from Shiran.
The three transports carrying the commandos were preceded by Shran and Harenhal’s helicopters. They were the vanguard, clearing the way for the transports to get as close to the rift as possible.
Riding in the helicopter with Chelsea, Yoo looked down at the ground.
“Crazy, how many…….”
Hordes of Parasites traverse the ghost town. Some have even been torn apart by the bombing. Others have merged into the collapsed walls and become one with the buildings.
Seeing this hellhole from above sent a chill down my spine.
If the mission fails, they will trample on human soil. Not data in a game, but people with whom you’ve actually had an emotional connection, will die with tearing screams.
To know that she had a small part to play in stopping the destruction. For Yudahi, it was more of a burden than an uplift; she was still a minor citizen.
But so far, Polaris has never been sympathetic to Yudahi’s situation.
“Don’t look away, look straight ahead.”
Chelsea said, her eyes fixed on the scope of her sniper rifle.
“My junior is holding my life line, so do me a favor and don’t let him get shot down for bruising, because we don’t want him to get fucked up too.”
Normally, she would have added a few words of encouragement under the guise of a chuckle, but this time she was blunt. Yoo noticed the beads of sweat on Chelsea’s forehead.
Chelsea was no different than Yoo Dahui. The same goes for pilots who volunteer for roles that are more like decoys. The soldiers on the perimeter must also be under a lot of pressure.
“Yes, I know.”
Yudahi let out a shaky breath. She reminded herself of her role. In the time it took her to stare at the monster’s tail that had already passed her by, she had to find something that would pose a threat.
So that the commandos can get closer to the rift, even if it’s just a meter.
A split-second can determine decades of someone’s life. A breathtakingly dense minute, a second. There was no room for distractions.
Yudahi’s gaze fell to the top of the transmission tower.
It had a three-pronged head, with a paracite in the center like a lightning rod. The head rotates with the movement of the helicopter.
“Heading for ……45 degrees! Aim for the transmission tower!”
Yoo Dahui immediately activated the spell. The spell was enhanced by administering AP-116. To paraphrase the game, not only pause, but slow play was added.
Unrestricted vision, reduced experience time.
It is optimized for use as a human radar.
─Taang!
Chelsea quickly took aim and pulled the trigger. It was a difficult shot, but there was no mistake. The shot struck the head of the awl as it wrapped around her head, ready to fire.
Allow the surface of the skin to puff up for a moment.
Steam billowed and the Parasite fell from the tower.
All it took was one bullet.
Thorne Chelsea himself had the most bemused reaction.
“I’m freaking out. I don’t know how it works, but it’s crazy.”
-Of course it is. It’s an expensive gun.
“How much is that?”
-Chapter, $87.
“Chapter? What kind of currency is that?”
Yudahee flinched at the sound of the voice.
‘That’s a lot of writing…….’
Suddenly, an old memory came back to me. I remember winning a kibae with ’98 born’ in the community. I wrote, “I won this for 50,000 won, is it good?” and got a lot of abuse.
This was back in the day when we were both younger.
-Now get ready to go down.
* * *
Kwazik!
One by one, the drones that were flying low and acting as decoys were shot down.
The division of attack helicopters and snipers was also limited. The further we got into countering aircraft, the more entities with anti-aircraft capabilities became available.
“We’ve got all these weird diseases in the final stage.
The risk of flying has become too high.
As soon as I came to that conclusion, I radioed my instructions.
“We’re dropping from here. We’ve got about eight kilometers to go to the rift, which is a long way to go. Now that we’re within vehicle range, I want you to find a good one on the ground.”
Cars are everywhere in the city, albeit old and rickety. I’ve brought gas. I used the spell from the lesson that reduced the Albatross’s equipment when we headed to Howland.
“Descend with caution.”
After ensuring the area was safe, Kim descended in the lead. The agents on the same airplane followed shortly after. The neighboring building was also skillfully rappelling.
“The contamination level is 388 ppm. Any more and the meter will be useless.”
I can’t believe we’re already at this number, it’s already comparable to a small crack.
“Let’s hurry up. Teams two and three, search the parking lot of the building we landed in.”
What about the -1 team?
At Leila’s question, Kim shifted his gaze down the building.
“The parasites are gathering, and they’re going crazy over the sound of the helicopter.”
Numbers barely exceeded triple digits, some already inside the building, others scaling the walls upside down. They were as blind as a jingle.
“You don’t want to lose time, but you can’t help it.”
Kim’s right hand formed a mace.
“Team 1 is in charge of killing.”
I hooked a hook on the rusty railing and jumped off the roof.
Jiyiying!
The wire snapped out like a tail. The Parasites rushed into the building, their heads held high. The watching helicopter pilots and Shran’s first enforcers gaped.
As he fell, a golden glow shimmered on the iron bar of the mace he held in one hand.
─Quack!
It was an earth-shattering shock.
Before long, a deep pit had been dug under the building. Parasite’s blood splashed onto streetlights and apartment walls. The pulverized meat slowly turned to dust.
The eyes of all the parasites around the world were on Kim.
“They don’t come down, they do what they do.”
He jammed the modified Helixivir down his throat.
Surviving as a One-Star in a Dead Game – Chapter 220 (220/223)