WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: DereKimchi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Abandoned Tank is a Disaster-class Awakener ◈
Chapter 34
──────
Park Gang-sik looked down at the last line of the report.
『Returnees: 1.』
Park Jun-hyeok.
Below that, nine names were written in red.
They were the Raid Party members who had failed to return.
“...What about Jun-hyeok?”
Park Gang-sik asked.
“He is receiving treatment. His shoulder wound has been sutured, but it is still difficult for him to give a proper statement.”
“What did he say?”
“He said there was a man in black. Other than that, he keeps repeating the same thing.”
There was no information the follow-up party could use.
Nothing about what had been so strong.
Nothing about what kind of attack had struck them.
Park Gang-sik closed the report.
“How much has reached the press?”
“Reporters at the scene confirmed Awakener Park Jun-hyeok's return. They are asking about the others' whereabouts and the result of the raid.”
“Just say it failed.”
The executives looked up.
“The details are under investigation. Ask them to refrain from unconfirmed speculation. That will be enough.”
“Nine people failed to return. We also need to explain things to their families...”
“Do that individually.”
Park Gang-sik cut them off.
“There is no need to gather reporters and make an announcement.”
Park Gang-sik looked at the person in charge of publicity.
“Handle Jun-hyeok separately.”
“What direction would you like us to take?”
“He was the only one to return alive from an unprecedented threat.”
Park Gang-sik placed a hand over the report.
“Emphasize his judgment and survival skills in returning alive even in the worst circumstances. Emphasize that Jun-hyeok's survival preserved a core part of Korea's combat strength.”
The public relations officer's pen paused for a moment.
The only confirmed fact so far was that Jun-hyeok had returned alone.
They did not even know how he had escaped.
But Park Gang-sik was already filling in those blanks.
“Should we say he secured information necessary for the follow-up raid?”
“Get his statement first.”
Park Gang-sik shook his head.
“Don't add things that aren't there. The fact is that he came back alive, so focus on that.”
After a brief silence, Park Gang-sik added,
“If Jun-hyeok collapses too, who will the people trust?”
Words of concern for Park Gang-sik's son became words about preserving the nation's hope.
Naturally, no one pointed that out.
The Korean Awakeners Association was, in every sense, Park Gang-sik's kingdom.
However.
“Chairman. You must also decide on the follow-up response.”
A countermeasure was needed.
The head of the situation room pushed forward a new document.
『Entry Restriction Due to Raid Failure: 24 Hours.』
『Abyss Conquest Time Limit Reduced by 100 Hours.』
“Regardless of our media response, the time continues to decrease.”
Park Gang-sik's expression hardened.
『617:33:46』
Until recently, the time limit had been 717 hours.
Now, one hundred hours had disappeared.
Furthermore, they could not enter for the next twenty-four hours, leaving them with roughly six hundred effective hours.
It was neither a great deal of time nor a small amount.
But.
‘If we fail one more time here...’
Another 124 hours would disappear.
And if they failed again, there was no guarantee that their remaining forces could contain the situation.
This Abyss raid was not simply about rewards. Tens of thousands of citizens' lives were at stake.
“What about candidates for the follow-up party?”
“We are receiving lists from each guild. However, since we concentrated our top combat forces this time, it seems difficult to form another Raid Party of the same level...”
“That is nonsense. Do they think I don't know they held back their guild aces? These bastards are playing games with the lives of the people!”
“That may be true, but we need to learn why the first Raid Party was defeated first. Only then will we have grounds to persuade them...”
The head of the situation room pointed to the deployment roster.
“Did their formation collapse? Was it an attack that equipment could not block? Was their route of retreat cut off? We have not confirmed even that.”
“When Jun-hyeok recovers...”
“We need to take his statement. At the same time, we should consider outside assistance.”
Outside assistance.
At those words, Park Gang-sik's hand stopped.
“...You mean Kang Seong-un?”
“Yes.”
The answer did not avoid the issue.
“Why do you think that bastard can do it?”
“I am not certain.”
The head of the situation room spoke.
“We do not know the internal situation of America's Raid Party, either. However, based on the Guardian subjugation records and combat power they have shown so far, there are grounds to assess their chances of success as higher than those of any follow-up party we can assemble.”
Park Gang-sik leaned back in the chair.
“Korea's elite cannot do it, but that bastard can?”
“The elite failed this time.”
The meeting room fell silent.
The head of the situation room did not stop.
“If we fail again, another hundred hours may disappear. The entry restriction could be imposed again as well. If we request assistance then, we will not even have time to negotiate.”
“There is still time.”
“That is why we need to confirm the possibility now.”
The head of the situation room lowered their voice.
“More than thirty-five thousand people failed to return from Busan. If the next raid fails as well, we cannot guarantee what will happen.”
Park Gang-sik's eyes shifted to one side of the desk.
The telephone.
Through the International Cooperation Office, Park Gang-sik could connect to the American Association.
Miller would be on the other end.
And Kang Seong-un, the name Park Gang-sik had recently accused of taking Korea's talent away.
The name Park Gang-sik had criticized for monopolizing thrones and information.
Now Park Gang-sik had to bring up that name and ask for help.
Without knowing what conditions America might present.
But one thing was certain.
The moment the request for assistance became known, three faces would appear side by side in the articles.
Park Jun-hyeok, who had led the elite Raid Party to failure.
Kang Seong-un, who had been asked to clean up that failure.
And Park Gang-sik, who had cast aside such a talent as useless.
The story of the returning hero Park Gang-sik had just ordered them to create would also lose its power before that comparison.
People would ask again.
Why had Kang Seong-un been driven out?
Why had he been criticized?
If they needed his help in the end, what had the Association done?
“Why not at least confirm the conditions?”
An executive from international cooperation spoke cautiously.
“You can decide whether to accept their assistance afterward.”
Park Gang-sik stared at the telephone.
But in the end, Park Gang-sik's hand did not move.
“...No.”
Park Gang-sik raised his head.
“We can still do this.”
“Chairman.”
“Since when has Korea fallen so far that we need to beg another country for help?”
Park Gang-sik's final words carried force.
“We failed once. Once.”
Park Gang-sik held up one finger.
“Jun-hyeok came back alive as well. We only need to identify the cause and rebuild our forces.”
“We can discuss assistance alongside those preparations.”
“The moment we make that request, they will hold us in the palm of their hands.”
Park Gang-sik cut the executive off.
“They will attach conditions, just like with the throne issue. They will start by spreading the fact that we bowed our heads first.”
“...”
The executive pressed their lips together.
Park Gang-sik was already talking less about the effectiveness of aid than about how the request would look.
Park Gang-sik knew that worrying about what others thought could cost time.
Still, Park Gang-sik could not yield first.
Not when it meant calling Kang Seong-un to the place where Park Gang-sik and Jun-hyeok had failed.
“Proceed with forming the follow-up party.”
Park Gang-sik pushed the report away.
“Report to me the moment Jun-hyeok is able to make a statement. Also investigate every relic that might be useful.”
“And America...?”
“Do not contact them without my approval.”
The order was given.
One by one, the executives lowered their heads.
The public relations officer was the first to collect their documents.
A newly written sentence could be seen on top.
『Park Jun-hyeok, Korea's hope who returned alive even in a desperate situation.』
Park Gang-sik looked at the sentence for a moment before turning away.
The telephone remained untouched.
All the while, Busan's time continued to run out.
What mattered to Park Gang-sik was not the lives of the thirty-five thousand missing people, but the public image of Park Gang-sik and Jun-hyeok.
* * *
Tap.
A pickaxe of light summoned through magic touched the rock wall.
That was all.
The enormous tool that looked capable of smashing the entire rock face soon withdrew.
Three slender chisels stepped forward instead.
Ting. Ti-ting.
Glowing hammers tapped the ends of the chisels in turn.
Only the stone surrounding the ore was shaved away in thin layers.
Beneath the parasol, the Ore Spirit moved her fingers.
When her index finger lowered, a chisel dug in. When her wrist turned, an awl drilled small holes along the grain.
The tools moved while giving way to one another.
Stone dust drifted aside before it could touch her dress.
On one side, a red raw ore was being separated.
Rrrrrr!
A drill bored deep into the rock wall.
When a large chunk of stone came free, little hammers rushed in to smooth its surface.
Only then did the spirit stop her hand.
「We should be a little careful with this one.」
Her parasol tilted.
Swish.
Most of the working tools withdrew.
Only one chisel remained, its tip as thin as a needle.
It pressed against a single point on a black stone.
Crack.
The outer layer split apart.
Gray metal appeared inside.
Fine blue lines, as thin as hairs, tangled across its surface.
“...Snow-Silk Stone?”
「As expected of you, Master. You recognized it immediately.」
The spirit lightly turned her wrist.
The chisel's tip brushed the mineral's surface.
Slide.
A thread unwound from the stone.
It was thin and long.
A single glowing strand rose into the air and curled into a loop.
Hye-won's eyes widened.
“Thread comes out of ore?”
“When you refine and draw it out, it becomes like silk.”
I held out my hand.
The spirit placed the end of the thread on my palm.
It was hard to believe something so soft had been drawn from stone.
【Snow-Silk Stone】
Grade: Unique
Description: After refinement, it can be processed into fine and flexible mineral fibers.
It transfers mana along the direction of the fibers, with little loss during transmission.
It can be used as a material for fabric and mana circuits.
Thread drawn from Snow-Silk Stone was highly popular among magic-type Awakeners.
“It would be nice to make a robe with this.”
Hye-won carefully touched the thread.
“You don't need to weave the entire thing with it. It would still be useful mixed into the lining or sleeves.”
I had taken some interest in ores and smithing, so I knew a little about them.
As Hye-won said, it was an important material used to make relics for magic Awakeners.
‘There still aren't many craftsmen capable of handling it.’
Humanity's current smithing techniques made it difficult to work with.
But if the Ore Spirit passed on the necessary knowledge as the Herb Spirit had, refining and smelting it would become possible without much difficulty.
「Would you like to look at this one too?」
At the spirit's gesture, another raw ore floated up.
It was a gray stone with a violet tint.
Its exterior was dull, but clear light pooled within its cut surface.
It looked as though thin rings overlapped layer after layer inside it.
【Illusion Stone】
Grade: Unique
Description: It holds a fixed amount of mana and moderates abrupt fluctuations in mana flow through its internal layered structure.
With precise craftsmanship, it can sometimes be imbued with special abilities.
It was an ore used to make rings, necklaces, and other accessories.
Like Snow-Silk Stone, it was extremely rare.
But that was not all.
Clang!
A slightly different sound came from inside the rock wall.
The pickaxe bounced back.
The spirit's fingertips stopped.
「Something hard is hidden in there.」
She raised her parasol slightly.
Slide.
The large tools withdrew, and a single slender drill stepped forward.
Vrrrrr.
After carving a circle around the surrounding stone, a chisel widened the gap.
What emerged was a dark red mineral.
It was about the size of a walnut.
Yet it landed with a surprisingly heavy sound.
Thud.
I immediately picked it up.
The silver pattern running over its surface glowed faintly beneath my fingers.
“...Enhancement Stone!”
This time, Hye-won recognized the name too.
“Does it work like an Enhancement Ticket?”
“Similar, but the targets are limited.”
【Enhancement Stone】
Grade: Arcane
Category: Mineral for Enhancing Metal Equipment
Description: It can be used to enhance metal weapons and armor.
Upon use, it is absorbed into the relic, strengthening the metal structure and its mana bond.
Unlike a Relic Enhancement Ticket, it could not be used on just any equipment.
It was a mineral that worked only on weapons and armor made of metal.
I looked down at the Black-Iron Greatsword.
The sword and shield, along with the Black Iron equipment I wore.
There were already more than one or two places to use it.
I could use Relic Enhancement Tickets elsewhere and enhance metal equipment with Enhancement Stones.
That alone would give me more room to grow from now on.
“How much more is there?”
The spirit moved the drill.
Another dark red spot appeared in the rock wall.
「It is not a large vein. Still, we should be able to extract a few more.」
She turned toward me with a faint smile.
「I will make sure not to miss a single one, my lord.」
“I am counting on you.”
I stored the Enhancement Stone separately.
As expected of the Abyss.
It was a place where people only realized the true value of its resources later.
And I had already struck it rich at its very first mine.
* * *
While the mining continued, I checked the tunnels several times.
There were no new footsteps.
Wild Instinct remained quiet.
Hye-won regulated her mana beside a crystal, while I stored the minerals the spirit extracted by type.
Snow-Silk Stone containing soft silver threads.
Illusion Stones for making accessories, and Enhancement Stones.
We had extracted an unbelievable amount from a single stronghold.
Just as we were finishing our resource gathering at the mine,
[A cursed monster species, ‘Grave-Tomb Dragon Kardorak,’ is scheduled to appear.]
A red message filled my vision.
“...”
I stopped moving.
Then Hye-won and I hurried toward the mine entrance.
Fwoooosh.
The entrance was turning red.
When we stepped outside,
Vrrrrr!
Far in the distance, at the edge of my vision, a massive pillar of light shot upward.
The red light pierced the gray clouds and stained even the cracks in the sky.
[Defeat the powerful monster species that has appeared in the Abyss. You can obtain abundant rewards and a unique buff.]
[Time Until Grave-Tomb Species Kardorak Appears: 00:30:00]
‘A Grave-Tomb Dragon.’
Various types of monster species appeared at random in the Abyss.
The rewards and buffs obtained for defeating them differed by type, but one thing was certain.
They were an enormous help in conquering the Abyss and strengthening one's combat power.
The entire course of the raid could change depending on which effects you obtained first.
When I turned around, the Ore Spirit was sending off the last Snow-Silk Stone.
I stored that as well.
The glowing tools disappeared into a magic circle.
The parasol folded, and the spirit's figure faded.
Hye-won came to stand beside me.
“We're going to hunt it, right?”
“We have to.”
But there was something I needed to tell her.
“You should be careful. Almost every Raid Party will gather to hunt that monster species.”
Some nearby Raid Parties had come to the mine stronghold, but this was different.
Since they had been given thirty minutes, even Raid Parties much farther away than those that had gathered for the mine's occupation would rush over.
Which was why,
“Get on my back.”
“...Pardon?”
“It's far. We have no choice if we want to arrive in time.”
Hye-won hesitated for a moment before climbing onto my back.
Then,
Boom!
I shattered the bedrock beneath my feet and shot forward at top speed.
* * *
Rooooar!
A roar climbed up the cliffs.
The gravel beneath my feet trembled.
“...We're a little late.”
I set Hye-won down and looked below the slope.
A vast basin.
Between collapsed castle walls and black stone pillars, an enormous body writhed.
Grave-Tomb Dragon Kardorak.
Instead of scales, tombstone-like bony plates overlapped along its neck.
Thump.
Dark red light pulsed through every gap.
Whenever its tattered wings flapped, black dust poured down. The stone pillars touched by it crumbled like rotten wood.
And around it,
Bull-headed Minotaurs.
Asuras swinging weapons with four arms.
Centaurs with the lower bodies of horses, and Avianae with black feathers.
Among carapace-covered Insectae stood Giants marked with blue patterns.
On the collapsed castle walls stood artillery batteries belonging to the Machinae, the kind one might only see in a science fiction movie.
There were dozens of Raid Parties in sight alone.
Even from the passages leading into the basin, armed shadows continued to pour in.
Rooooar!
The Grave-Tomb Dragon opened its mouth.
The bony plates along its neck rose one after another as red light surged out.
Fwoooosh!
A breath mixed with bone fragments and curses swept across the ground.
The Insectae's shield wall was driven back.
Clatter!
The Minotaurs hurled chains through the gap.
The moment the wings were bound,
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The Centaurs charged in and drove their spears into it.
Above them, the Avianae dove, while the artillery barrels on the castle walls fired at once.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions piled up over the Grave-Tomb Dragon's body.
But before the front line could even retreat, another barrage fell.
Charging forces trampled over fallen members of other races.
They were even aiming weapons at one another's backs.
For now, the Grave-Tomb Dragon came first.
Rumble!
It twisted its body.
The chains pulled taut.
The Minotaurs holding them were swept away by its tail.
When its massive front claw struck down, black spikes pierced the ground.
The Raid Parties scattered.
The Grave-Tomb Dragon opened its mouth again.
But,
Cough!
Instead of a powerful breath of destruction, black liquid poured out.
The raised bony plates drooped weakly.
‘It's almost over.’
I immediately assessed the situation.
Its left hind leg had already folded.
Its side was deeply caved in, and one wing dragged behind it, caught in chains.
Its roar was still fierce.
But its body could not withstand the next attack.
The movements below changed as well.
An Asura spread four swords.
The Avianae lowered their circling altitude, while the Machinae's artillery barrels shifted between the Grave-Tomb Dragon and the other Raid Parties.
Even the sound of approaching footsteps began to fade.
The moment someone tried to finish it first, everyone else would attack them.
In that moment when they were checking one another,
“Seong-un!”
Hye-won looked down below.
“It looks like it's almost over.”
“Fortunately, we're not too late.”
I stepped to the edge of the cliff.
If I went down the path, I would be too late.
Even if I arrived, I would have to force my way through all those Raid Parties.
“Throw some Ice Spears for me.”
“Where?”
“Down there. Three of them, with some distance between each one.”
Hye-won's eyes widened.
“...You're going?”
“I have to.”
I secured my shield to my back and gripped the greatsword.
“Make each one a little farther forward.”
Hye-won raised her staff.
“Okay. I'll make sure they hit.”
I immediately threw myself forward.
Whoooosh!
The wind lashed my face.
The basin rushed closer.
Then,
Whoosh!
The first Ice Spear flew over my shoulder.
I twisted my body and stepped on its shaft.
Crack!
The ice bent, launching me forward.
The second one.
I bent my knees to receive it, then pushed off with my toes against the force of my fall.
Crunch.
Broken ice scattered behind me.
The final Ice Spear drove in beneath my feet.
This time, I planted my foot deeply.
Boom!
My body shot up above the Grave-Tomb Dragon's head.
The Avianae were the first to notice.
“Kyarrak!”
They folded their wings and turned toward me.
At their cry, weapons below rose all at once.
Dozens of arrowheads.
Thrown spears and crossbows.
Even the artillery barrels lined along the castle walls.
A desperate moment.
『Giantification』
I used Giantification for the first time.
Crack-crack-crack!
My body expanded.
My armor grew, and the Black-Iron Greatsword lengthened.
But in that instant, their fierce assault was already close.
There was no time to evade.
‘And I don't need to.’
Shell's shield was already wrapped around my body.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Arrows broke.
Rocks exploded.
Overlapping artillery fire turned my entire vision white.
Vrrrrr!
Violent ripples spread across the shield.
Inside it, I readjusted my grip on the greatsword with both hands.
My fall did not stop.
At the sight of me descending through the flames, the Avianae hastily turned their wings away.
Shouts erupted below.
The artillery barrels followed me down.
But... they were too late.
The Grave-Tomb Dragon raised its head.
Its mouth opened, and red light gathered between its shattered bony plates.
I raised my sword above its head.
The strength swelled by Giantification.
The speed of my fall.
I poured it all into a single blade and brought it down vertically.
Craaaaaash!
Its crown split apart.
Black iron cleaved through its bony plates and skull, tore through its neck, and sank into its chest.
Its roar stopped.
The blade reached the ground.
Rumble!
The ground caved in.
The Raid Parties retreated along the spreading cracks.
As I supported myself with one bent knee, a massive wing trembled once overhead.
Boom!
That was the end.
[You have defeated the monster species, ‘Grave-Tomb Dragon Kardorak.’]
[The special enhancement effect ‘Territory Devouring’ has been granted to the subjugation Raid Party.]
[Base Stats Increased by 20%.]
[All Skill Power Increased by 20%.]
[Mana Amount Increased by 20%.]
[Mana Consumption Reduced by 20%.]
[All Shields Increased by 50%.]
[Time Required to Occupy Key Strongholds Reduced by 20%.]
[Key Stronghold Resources Increased by 20%.]
[Chance of Rare Key Stronghold Resources Increased by 20%.]
That was not all.
[You have obtained 5,000 Abyss Points.]
[Abyss Clearance Progress has increased by 10% through defeating a monster species.]
[Current Abyss Clearance Progress: 20%.]
As I checked the unique buffs, Abyss Points, and clearance progress that kept appearing, I pulled out the Black-Iron Greatsword.
The red light flowing from the split body seeped into our Raid Party's mark.
Armed figures stood in every direction.
There were enough to fill the entire basin.
“...”
But no one moved.
Even the Avianae circling in the air only flapped their wings as they looked down at me.
Their gazes shifted between the dead Grave-Tomb Dragon and my sword.
Clack.
I rested the sword on my shoulder and looked around.
Their expressions were quite a sight.
As expected, stealing the last hit was thrilling every time.
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