Chapter 129

Chapter 129
## Chapter 129: Samhyeoldong Erosion Core

The sight of the undead sprinting toward us, adorned with the busts and portraits of that dynasty that had spent three generations bleeding North Korea dry, was a farce from afar—and even more ridiculous up close.

“Breaking those statues and pictures doesn’t actually finish them off.”

They had accumulated more than enough malice to manifest as the undead. However, they visibly lost strength once those objects were shattered.

“Not that it changes my plan.”

Paradox Flame leaked from my skin, incinerating the surrounding lingering spirits as the fire expanded. The entities instinctively crawled along the floor to escape the searing Paradox Flame, but…

“That structure isn’t going anywhere.”

It was irrelevant whether those morons with stone heads lodged in their skulls could evade the Paradox Flame. My objective from the start was that massive urn standing there with such false dignity, spewing out its disgusting filth.

It was immobile, yet it possessed a crude sentience—the eyes carved into the urn’s surface glared at the approaching Paradox Flame.

“Staring won’t put out the fire.”

Once these flames took hold, they wouldn’t stop until I commanded them to. Like a relentless pursuer with a grudge.

Eventually, the creeping Paradox Flame scaled the gargantuan jar, engulfing it in a blaze.

“This is Yoo Chan-seok. Can you hear me?”

— Crystal clear.

Recognizing Han Sang-ah’s voice, I spoke back without delay.

“Prepare yourselves. The timing is right.”

Moving against the river’s flow was a simple task for those two. They would be here momentarily.

As I observed the incinerating urn, I noted that the waters of the Daedong River had shifted back to their natural clarity.

— Chan-seok, are you receiving? The groups congregating in Pyongyang have begun to move as well.

“What’s your status?”

The sound of heavy splashing filled the air.

— Swimming as fast as we can. Just wait. We’re almost there.

I took a seat on the dirt and prepared a cup of instant noodles to pass the time.

I had been forced to navigate with caution, which slowed me down, but Jeong O-hun and Han Sang-ah had no such restrictions.

After a short wait, the pair emerged from the water with a burst.

“Excellent work. Now the real struggle begins.”

Time was of the essence. We had to reach Pyeongseong before the massive wave of corpses traveling from Pyongyang could arrive.

“Pyeongseong will likely have its own garrison.”

Still, it wouldn’t be on the level of Pyongyang. The sheer magnitude of the resentment I felt told me that much.

“Understood.”

As we sprinted toward Pyeongseong City, Jeong O-hun successfully identified the coordinates of the Erosion Core.

“Are you certain it’s just the three of us doing this?”

I responded to Jeong O-hun’s uncertainty.

“It isn’t as if we are attempting to storm the Gonzalo Fortress.”

Given the prowess of two hunters ranked in the top 20 of Hope’s List and my own unique skills, we might be slowed down by traps, but we wouldn’t fail because of a lack of raw power.

“Fair point. It’s not like we have other choices.”

Ending the conversation there, Jeong O-hun took the lead to show the way.

“What on earth are those things?”

“Who can say? Likely the Great Leader or… maybe just pigs?”

Jeong O-hun wore a look of pure disbelief at the sight of the ghouls charging with Kim family monuments fixed to their heads.

Regardless, we tore through those absurdly hilarious undead as we followed Jeong O-hun’s path. It was then that I picked up on a massive surge of malice about 5km ahead.

“We’re close.”

“But we’ve got the speed advantage.”

Jeong O-hun remarked as he stared at the flickering dark portal ahead. The gateway to the Samhyeoldong Erosion Core.

“I wonder what kind of entertainment is waiting in that pit.”

The anticipation was already building. Samhyeoldong—it sounded like a cave system.

Without bothering to decide on an order, we plunged into the Samhyeoldong Erosion Core.

“It’s a cavern.”

Upon crossing into the Erosion Core, we found ourselves within a subterranean cave.

Me, Han Sang-ah, and Jeong O-hun had all landed in the exact same location without being split up. It was convenient, but it raised a red flag.

The fact that we weren’t separated meant there was a specific reason for us to stay as a group.

— Hello? Can you receive this? This is Brigade Leader Ramin of the Empire Army.

At that moment, a voice resonated from a large crystal embedded in the floor.

Jeong O-hun and Han Sang-ah simply stared at the gemstone with blank expressions. Really, what was wrong with them?

I grabbed the crystal immediately and responded.

“The signal is strong. State the reason for this contact.”

Their stunned gazes shifted to me at my reply. Why were they looking at me like that?

— Great Karistol be praised. By the grace of the heavens, we’ve established a link. There is no time.

“Be specific. Give me a proper briefing, Brigade Leader.”

The individual named Ramin on the other side spoke up instantly.

— Including myself, 15,000 veteran Empire Army soldiers are prepared to storm the cathedral of the malevolent false deity Vallea.

Vallea’s temple. The situation was spiraling into absurdity once again. This appeared to be one of the central mechanics of this Grade 1 Samhyeoldong Erosion Core.

“And what is our role in this?”

— Vallea’s cathedral is shielded by five tainted idols located within the cavern where you have arrived.

Then we simply had to smash them. It didn’t sound overly complicated.

— However… the fanatical servants of Vallea have caught wind of our strike. We are only the lead elements, tasked with establishing the teleportation arrays.

“If Vallea’s fanatics launch a counter-offensive now…”

Ramin’s voice dropped to a somber tone through the crystal.

— Sadly, Vallea’s disciples are heartless. Our 15,000 men won’t survive for long.

“Direct us on how to assist.”

Shortly after, Ramin outlined our objectives.

In addition to the five tainted idols shielding Vallea’s cathedral in this cave, there were various mechanisms placed to interfere with teleportation.

— Breaking one allows us to bring in roughly 10,000 additional reinforcements.

To put it another way, before Vallea’s forces slaughtered Ramin’s army somewhere on the surface, we had to provide a constant stream of help. Simultaneously, we had to find and destroy the five idols guarding the temple.

“So we aren’t the ones on the front lines.”

Han Sang-ah and Jeong O-hun nodded in agreement with my assessment.

— The assault is commencing. The horns of war are sounding from Vallea’s temple!

“One final question, Brigade Leader. Once the protections on Vallea’s temple fail because the idols are gone, how many men are required to actually pull the temple down?”

This was the deciding factor. Even if we leveled all those tainted idols, if Ramin only had 50 men remaining, there was no way they could finish the job.

— To be honest, I am uncertain.

What a complete idiot. That was my private thought.

— But I can provide you with the tactical layout and our current troop strength!

A holographic tactical display appeared: Outer Walls, Inner Walls, and the Summoning Tower at the core.
“…And?”

I already suspected the answer, but I questioned Ramin anyway just to be sure.

— Command us. Grant us your brilliance to wipe out these disgusting servants of the false god.

For heaven’s sake—they wanted me to act as the general, and I wasn’t even at the battle? All while I had to hunt down idols and teleportation jammers in this cave?

Things were turning into a mess. I pulled as much data from Ramin as I could in the shortest time.

1. The tainted idols gain power as time passes, granting buffs to Vallea’s forces. Breaking one clears those buffs.
2. 15,000 men cannot survive against Vallea’s disciples. We have to break the teleportation jammers in the cave to keep the numbers up.
3. By utilizing the holographic display from the crystal, we monitor the front and direct Ramin’s defense from inside the cavern.
4. Once all five tainted idols are gone, Ramin will initiate the final push.

Overview complete.

“Brigade Leader Ramin, do not lose heart. Great Karistol is with us.”

I took a fast breath and kept going.

“Our devotion is steadfast and true, our beliefs are the shield and the sword that will judge the wicked standing before us.”

— Truly!

After feeding Ramin some motivational nonsense, I stood up and faced Jeong O-hun and Han Sang-ah.

“Let’s get going. We don’t have time to linger.”

“What kind of person are you, exactly?”

I looked over at Jeong O-hun.

“What?”

“That Great Karistol speech? You’ve clearly done that before. It was too natural.”

Well, he caught me. I had pulled stunts like that countless times.

“It’s just basic acting. Stop talking and focus on what needs to be done.”

If we hesitated, Ramin’s army would be slaughtered. That would be the end of it.

“Should we just blast through the cave wall and go straight to Ramin?”

I shook my head at Han Sang-ah’s idea.

“These are entirely separate dimensions.”

Ramin’s battlefield and our cave were disconnected spaces.

“How can you be sure?”

Experience. It felt identical to when I visited the underworld. I was too tired to explain, so I brushed off Han Sang-ah’s question and started walking.

“Waste time on curiosity and we’ll be stuck here forever. Move.”

Simultaneously, I analyzed the holographic map projected by the crystal.

“Outer defenses, inner defenses, and the Summoning Tower in the middle.”

The outer and inner perimeters each had four gateways. The Summoning Tower was situated within the central keep, possessing only one way in.

If we broke a teleportation jammer, reinforcements would appear via the keep’s Summoning Tower for Ramin.

If his men were wiped out or the tower was taken, it was game over.

“So I’m the commander.”

I whispered to myself and clicked my tongue. Jeong O-hun threw a glance my way.

“Have you ever led an army?”

“No, but I’ll make it work.”

That was a lie—I had. More than just “done it.” The biggest force I’d ever controlled was 750,000. Managing a siege with 15,000? I could do that in my sleep.

“There’s one thing that concerns me.”

“Which is?”

Scanning the cavern, I replied to Han Sang-ah.

“It’s the name Vallea.”

Remember the piles of bodies left beneath stolen triumphs. Simply put, Vallea wasn’t exactly undead, but was intimately linked to the dead.

“If too many bodies pile up during the defense, it’s going to get ugly.”

But that idiot Ramin hadn’t brought that up. Or maybe he didn’t know.

We had to keep our losses to a minimum. If too many corpses accumulated, they would reanimate and turn on Ramin and his soldiers.

I wasn’t the type of person who enjoyed making a simple task difficult.

“What a pain.”

This cave wasn’t just filled with jammers and idols.

Like an infested colony, monsters were hiding here. And they weren’t weak—they were Grade 1 Erosion Core creatures.

“Zombies and insects.”

A perfect combination of disgusting things. Toss in the dark, humid, foul-smelling cave, and it was the ideal setting.

For now, Jeong O-hun and Han Sang-ah dealt with the beasts. I focused on the holographic display and barked commands through the crystal.

⚙ CASUALTY REPORT ⚙
47 bowmen killed at Tower 3. 157 fallen at the north/south ramparts. East entrance…
Listening to the data through the crystal, I barely held back a sigh. In just half an hour, 1,143 men were dead.

How could they lose that many in thirty minutes? Their discipline must be garbage! If we didn’t hurry up and destroy those teleportation jammers, this was going to turn into a nightmare.