WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: DereKimchi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Abandoned Tank is a Disaster-class Awakener ◈
Chapter 37
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We had occupied two strongholds.
At the Herbal Farm, we had gathered enough resources through the Herbal Spirit's efforts to fill one side of the inventory with rare herbs.
On the other hand, all we could do in the Beast Forest, which was filled with rare leather resources, was look on longingly.
We hunted rare beasts, but even with high-quality hides right in front of us, we could not touch them.
Cutting and skinning were different things.
Without professional tanning skills, taking a knife to them would only leave us with ugly leather, worthless scraps that could not be used for anything.
'I should prepare for this too.'
It was disappointing, but I did not dwell on it.
I immediately moved on to the next objective.
In the Abyss, four types of monsters appeared in order at set intervals.
Thunder-Horn Dragon.
Ashen-Dust Dragon.
After defeating the Grave-Tomb Dragon and the next two monster types in turn, I stood before the final Iron-Armored Dragon.
Rumble!
It slammed down its forepaw.
The stone floor surged upward.
Stepping on the flying debris, I darted inside.
Its massive neck turned.
Layers of iron armor interlocked, leaving no opening for my sword.
At that moment.
Crackkk!
Frost spread between its scales.
It shook its body.
The ice shattered.
But it could not shake off the cold that had seeped into the gaps.
Crash!
Explosions erupted within its iron armor from the Ice Crystal Chain.
The impact lifted the interlocked scales.
Clench.
I gripped the greatsword with both hands.
Beneath its exposed neck, I drove the sword into the opening.
Thrust!
The blade sank deep.
Before it could throw back its head, I braced my feet.
Then.
Slash!
I drew it sideways.
Splurt!
A fountain of blood shot into the air.
Scrape.
Its claws raked the ground.
Even its forelegs, which had tried to hold it up, gave way.
Thud!
It collapsed to the ground.
[You have defeated the monster type ‘Iron-Armored Dragon.’]
[The same Raid Party has subjugated all four monster types in the Abyss.]
[Confirming the subjugation records of the Grave-Tomb Dragon, Thunder-Horn Dragon, Ashen-Dust Dragon, and Iron-Armored Dragon.]
[The special enhancement effect ‘Abnormal-Type Dominion’ has been unlocked.]
Hummm!
Symbols representing each of the four monster types appeared over my body.
Dark crimson light and lightning.
Embers and steel light.
The different energies tangled together, then merged into a single symbol.
[Stats increased by 40%.]
[Skill power increased by 40%.]
[Mana increased by 40%.]
[Mana consumption decreased by 40%.]
[Shield amount increased by 100%.]
...
The increase in stats was doubled.
And on top of that.
[Abnormal-Type Dominion Duration: 400 minutes]
The buff, which had lasted only thirty minutes, now had a duration of four hundred minutes.
Since the final monster type appeared in the latter half of an Abyss clear, it was practically a buff that lasted until the clear was over.
Clench.
My grip around the sword hilt tightened.
The energy flowing through my body grew even more intense.
Shell's shield value also rose sharply.
It was on a completely different level from when I had defeated the Grave-Tomb Dragon.
[Abyss Clearance Progress has increased by 10%.]
[Current Abyss Clearance Progress: 70%]
At the next message, Hye-won blinked at the air.
“Isn't it almost over now?”
We had occupied three strongholds.
We had not missed a single monster type that appeared.
Yet Abyss Clearance Progress was at seventy percent.
“Why is there still thirty percent left?”
“Because one last thing remains.”
I said as I shook the residue from the Black-Iron Greatsword.
All conditions had been met by defeating the four monster types.
Soon.
Humm.
The air trembled.
Hye-won raised her head.
The cracks cutting across the sky briefly brightened.
Then.
[The appearance of the final Disaster-Type ‘End-Dragon Morgast’ has been announced.]
[The expected appearance location has been revealed.]
[Time Remaining Until Appearance: 01:00:00]
Fwoooosh!
Light rose beyond the ridge.
Red, blue, gold, and purple light coiled around it, and finally, a pillar of white pierced through the center.
Rumble!
Five-colored light intertwined and stretched all the way into the sky.
Fortunately, unlike the Grave-Tomb Dragon, it was not very far away.
Hye-won pointed in that direction.
“Then, that's...”
“Yeah. The final monster holding the remaining thirty percent.”
A Disaster-Type.
It was on a different level from the monster types we had defeated earlier.
Since a single one accounted for thirty percent of the Abyss Clearance Progress, it possessed power to match, and the reward for defeating it was just as great.
It was truly the final battle for a comeback in one stroke.
“Then once we defeat that Disaster-Type, the Abyss will be over.”
She adjusted her grip on her staff, focused on the last remaining monster.
But.
“No. There is one more opponent we have to fight.”
Hye-won turned toward me.
“There is another Raid Party?”
I nodded.
Just in case, I had used a Tracking Scroll I bought from the merchant earlier.
The scroll, which showed the status of Raid Parties still remaining in the Abyss, told me that one Raid Party remained.
“There is still a Raid Party? Then why...?”
Hye-won looked around.
“...Haven't they shown themselves until now?”
We had revealed our position every time we occupied a stronghold.
The same was true whenever we defeated a monster type.
They could not have failed to notice.
Yet they had not interfered until the very end.
“All kinds of races cross over into the Abyss.”
I said as I looked at the five-colored pillar of light.
“Among them are some especially dangerous ones...”
The first thing that came to mind was the Martial Realm.
Fortunately, there were none from that dimension in the Abyss we had entered, but somewhere in the Abysses that had appeared, those who crossed over from the Martial Realm would be carrying out massacres.
And.
“...There are also perverts who wait for their opponents to grow stronger.”
“...Excuse me?”
Hye-won's brows drew together.
“Why would they do that? It's better to fight when the other side is weak.”
“They aren't the kind who only enjoy winning.”
The resources from the strongholds.
The skills bought from the merchant.
Even the enhancement effect given to the Raid Party that monopolized the four monster types.
While we gathered those things, they waited.
They watched their opponents grow stronger before fighting.
“They enjoy fighting strong opponents.”
That was why the five-colored pillar was not a marker showing them the Disaster-Type's location.
It was where they would meet the opponents they had waited for, where they would finally see the fruits of their patience.
“They'd wait for their opponents? What race are they?”
“Demons.”
Alongside the Martial Realm, Demons were a combat race whose strength had clearly been proven in the Abyss, and their dimension was classified as one of the worst.
* * *
It took ten minutes to reach the five-colored pillar of light.
Tap.
I set Hye-won down and looked ahead.
A massive circular basin.
At its center, five streams of light tangled together.
And beneath them.
“...!”
It stood there.
A body nearly three meters tall.
Thick muscles tightly packed beneath dark crimson skin.
The horns rising from either side of its forehead curved backward, while yellow eyes gleamed beneath deeply sunken brow ridges.
Flap!
Bat-like wings spread from its broad back, and its long, thick tail swept the ground.
Whenever its spear-like tip touched stone, it left a thin groove behind.
'A Demon.'
As expected, it was a Demon.
The creature, called a combat race, watched us with its arms crossed.
Its lips were pressed firmly together.
Its chin was slightly raised.
Power filled every inch of its body without a single opening.
Just standing there made the surroundings feel narrow.
Wild Instinct pricked at the back of my neck.
It was certainly different from those I had encountered before.
“...”
Its gaze swept over Hye-won and me before stopping on the Black-Iron Greatsword.
Twitch.
The corners of its mouth lifted slightly.
Even without sharing a language, I understood.
Its eyes were asking whether I was ready.
“Hye-won. Step back.”
Holding her staff, Hye-won retreated.
One aspect of a Demon's strength was its powerful resistance to magic.
I had explained that to her beforehand, so she obediently put some distance between us.
The Demon did not pursue her.
It was watching only me.
Looking at it, I opened my inventory.
'If it's willing to wait.'
After confirming that there were perverts who waited for their opponents to grow, I had spent nearly all my Abyss Points buying these.
I took out potions of various colors.
I pulled out the stoppers and drank them.
Gulp, gulp.
Hot energy ran down my throat.
My heart pounded violently.
I set down the empty bottles and opened a scroll.
Riiip.
Light wrapped around my arm.
The points I had paid the merchant accumulated in my body one after another.
The Demon's arms uncrossed.
It tilted its neck.
Crack.
The sound of its joints popping echoed through the basin.
It did not seem to have any intention of interfering.
Instead, the smile on its face deepened.
It was enjoying the feeling of my power increasing.
Then, the final scroll.
The hands of a clock turned backward over the silver paper.
[Using a Skill Cooldown Reset Scroll.]
[Target: Giantification]
[The cooldown for ‘Giantification’ has been reset.]
I let go of the paper as it scattered into light.
Then I gripped the greatsword.
Crackkk!
My body swelled.
My armor enlarged, and the Black-Iron Greatsword lengthened.
Crack!
The bedrock beneath my feet split under my weight.
The Demon's face fell below my eye level.
It had a massive body nearly three meters tall.
The figure that had dominated the surroundings just moments ago was now within my shadow.
Whoooosh!
Its wings spread.
Its tail rose from the ground.
But now, its size was no longer threatening.
Wild Instinct no longer reacted either.
【Kang Seong-un (Super Novice)】
Level: 55
Strength: 1,291
Agility: 1,147
Health: 1,334
Possessed Skills: +5 Transcendent Body, Giantification, Shell...
Abnormal-Type Dominion, the increases from consumables usable only in the Abyss, and Giantification.
Together, they had pushed all my stats beyond a thousand.
I adjusted my grip on the sword hilt.
Creeeak!
I had only applied a little force, but the handle groaned.
The Demon lowered its stance.
Its left foot stepped forward.
Flap!
Both fists rose, and its wings spread wide.
It looked as though the fight had finally become worth having.
It crooked a finger.
I leaned forward.
I kicked off the ground.
But there was none of the earth-shattering roar that had accompanied it before.
The Demon realized what was happening and tried to raise its fist.
But before it could, the Black-Iron Greatsword brushed past its side.
Before it could even comprehend it, I was standing behind it.
Sshhk!
There was no sound from the sword's movement.
Only the sickening sound of something splitting echoed out.
Then.
Whoooosh!
The delayed pressure wave flipped its wings over.
Rumble!
The ground was gouged in a long line along the sword's path.
Dirt and stones surged upward.
The Demon was still standing.
Its fist was extended halfway toward the place where I had vanished.
“...”
Without moving from that position, it only lowered its head.
Ssssss.
A line appeared across its chest.
From its side to the opposite shoulder.
Its fingers twitched.
Before it could even press down on the opening, its body slipped apart.
Thud.
Its upper body fell.
Its remaining legs belatedly buckled to their knees.
Smack!
Its tail struck the ground once, then went still.
[You have defeated a Raid Party member from another dimension.]
[You have acquired 500 Abyss Points.]
One strike.
That was all it took.
I raised the sword to inspect it.
There was not even a scratch on the blade.
When I turned my gaze, I saw the empty potion bottles I had left on the ground.
Torn scraps of scroll rolled between them.
Tsk!
I rested the sword on my shoulder.
“I bought consumables for nothing. If I'd known it would turn out like this, I should've bought another skill book instead.”
* * *
Briar Creek, North Carolina, America.
Outside the Abyss control line, cameras stood packed together.
Major American broadcasters.
Foreign reporters who had arrived late.
Broadcast vans filled one side of the road, and reporters delivered the same number against the backdrop of the black boundary.
Seventy percent.
America's Abyss Clearance Progress had stopped there.
At first, they kept talking as they waited for the next breaking report.
The rate at which it had risen by ten percent at a time.
Testimony from residents who had returned.
The number of people rescued so far.
But as time passed, even their prepared material ran dry.
“...The American Awakeners Association has yet to make any additional announcement.”
The reporter pressed an earpiece.
After waiting a moment, they shook their head.
There was no new information.
The black curtain rippled beyond the camera.
It almost seemed as though light was spreading from within.
But no one knew what was happening inside.
“Has contact been made with the Raid Party?”
“It has not been confirmed yet.”
“Why has the progress stopped?”
The Association staff repeated the same answer.
They were checking, and they would announce any new developments.
Behind the press, families of the missing waited.
A man holding a list of returnees folded and unfolded the corner of the paper.
No matter how many times he read it, the name he was searching for was not there.
The woman beside him could not put down her phone.
The number would not connect.
The screen was filled with a long record of calls made to the same name.
Whoooosh...
The wind blew.
The temporary medical tent fluttered.
Medical staff moved stretchers closer to the entrance route.
Had the clear stopped? Had they encountered a more difficult enemy? Were they alive?
Questions no one could voice piled up before the control line.
Then.
Humm.
The black boundary trembled.
One camera turned first.
Soon, the other lenses all turned toward the same place.
“Right now, there is a change in the Abyss...”
The reporter's words trailed off.
A message appeared before them.
[The American Raid Party has achieved a 100% Abyss Conquest Rate.]
“...!”
The man dropped the paper he had been folding.
Static crackled from an Association staff member's radio.
No one could press the transmit button.
Then the next message appeared.
[America has become the first nation in the world to conquer the Abyss.]
[The Tower's Blessing descends upon the first nation to conquer it.]
[For the next 100 hours, all Tower-related rewards obtained have a certain chance of increasing in grade.]
The silence did not last long.
“One hundred percent!”
Someone shouted.
“They conquered it! America has conquered the Abyss!”
The reporters all began speaking at once.
The broadcast crews shouted to their headquarters.
But even their voices were soon drowned out by another sound.
Shhhhhh.
The black curtain that had swallowed the town was receding.
It unraveled in thin strands from the edges.
The severed asphalt appeared.
The center line continued across it.
Streetlights.
A gas station sign.
Even the intersection at the end of the road.
The road, which had been blocked by the black boundary, stretched into town once more.
“Move back! Secure the entrance route!”
Association staff moved into action.
The massive darkness rose away.
Roofs appeared beneath it.
The red brick of the school.
A bicycle parked in front of a store.
Even laundry hanging in a yard.
There were no twisted spires or structures that looked woven from bones.
Briar Creek was returning.
Ssssss...
At last, the final black curtain dispersed from the sky.
Sunlight shone over the town.
The river sparkled.
Then all the sounds that had been still burst forth at once.
Car horns.
Dogs barking.
Voices calling for someone.
A man in the middle of the road hurriedly slammed on the brakes.
A woman leaving a store stopped when she saw the crowd before the control line.
Children stood on the school field.
To them, it had only seemed as if everything went dark for a moment before becoming bright again.
“Mom!”
A woman ran from outside the control line.
A staff member holding the roster confirmed her face and opened the way.
The woman who embraced the child fell to her knees.
Cries calling out names erupted everywhere.
Medical staff ran forward.
Radios crackled without pause.
“Begin confirming the returnees!”
“The rescue team is moving toward the school!”
“Maintain vehicle access control!”
Amid the chaos, one camera stopped moving.
Its lens turned toward the end of the road.
People followed its gaze and turned their heads.
Step.
A man was walking out from deeper inside the town.
Black armor.
A Black-Iron Shield strapped to his back.
A greatsword stretching over his shoulder.
It was Kang Seong-un, the Awakener who had led the first successful Abyss clear.
Beside him stood Shin Hye-won, holding the Snow Queen's Staff.
Behind them were the eight supporters who had entered to provide buffs.
The same number who had entered.
“The Raid Party...”
An Association staff member hurriedly raised a radio.
“...Raid Party return confirmed!”
The Association staff member counted the approaching faces.
Not one was missing.
“Ten! Everyone has returned!”
Kang Seong-un stopped before the control line.
He looked around once.
The returned town.
Rescue teams running around.
People clinging to family members as they cried.
Only then did he lower the sword from his shoulder.
Click!
A flash went off.
Then.
Click-click-click!
Dozens of flashes engulfed the Raid Party.
Reporters rushed forward with microphones.
“Awakener Kang Seong-un!”
“You have succeeded in the first conquest! Please give us a comment!”
“What happened inside?”
Different languages mixed together.
Instead of answering their questions, Kang Seong-un asked the nearby Association staff member.
“What about the residents?”
The staff member caught their breath.
“We are confirming additional returnees. Rescue teams are being sent to every area.”
Kang Seong-un nodded.
“Please keep at it until the confirmation is complete.”
After leaving those brief words, he stepped aside.
An ambulance passed through the opened path and entered the town.
The flashes went off again.
The screen showed the man in Black-Iron Armor, Shin Hye-won beside him, and the Raid Party that had safely returned.
Behind them, the recovered town stretched out beneath the sunlight.
The same headlines appeared on breaking-news screens around the world.
『America, First in the World to Conquer the Abyss』
『All Raid Party Members Survive』
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