Chapter 34 (1/2)

Two days after the gates opened.

It was enough time to shatter the peace.

People were engulfed by shock and fear.

However, not everyone was rendered helpless by panic.

Park Tae-sung and the Taewang Guild quickly responded to the situation and rescued numerous citizens.

Since their headquarters alone was not enough to accommodate all whom they’ve evacuated, they secured nearby buildings as well.

The other guilds also followed suit.

Citizens naturally sought the protection of giant guilds.

The government also regularly sent out instructions through the internet for the citizens to head out to nearby guild branches.

“Damn it… the world is a mess. I’m glad the internet is still there.”

Jin-woo ran his hand through his hair as he listened to Sun-woo’s words.

“I heard that there are places that have been swallowed up by sinkholes.”

“There are giant monsters that go underground. Who knows what else could happen in the future?”

“Well. Hearing the stories of the leaders, they said they are still investigating why this happened.”

“Wouldn’t it have anything to do with the notification window that popped up then?”

“It is very likely.”

It was a potentially huge problem.

A tutorial is an adaptation program designed for beginners.

The difficulty is set to easy, and the monsters that appear are weak.

Active players could survive even if society collapsed.

They are used to facing monsters. The only difference now is that they are fighting them in cities rather than inside the dungeons.

It would be possible for them to survive by hunting monsters at their level while avoiding higher-level monsters.

The problem was the normal citizens.

Most of them lived a peaceful life.

Some of them have only encountered monsters during sudden haunts.

With the increase of the gates and the monsters roaming around their homes, the casualties are bound to increase continuously.

Something had to be done.

Chijik-!

-Jin-woo, could you come to the master’s office now?

Han Yu-ra’s voice came through the radio.

“Yes, I will go now.”

* * *

Park Tae-sung was waiting behind his desk when Jin-woo entered the office.

“Have you taken a break?” Jin-woo asked him.

“Yes.”

The guild leader looked pretty exhausted. It was understandable, given that he was handling the situation without any rest.

After Jin-woo sat down, Park Tae-sung started talking in earnest.

“The situation is going pretty bad. Seoul is in a decent situation, but damage to surrounding areas and cities are increasing day by day.”

“Is it because the giant guild headquarters are all in Seoul?”

“Yes. Although the guilds have branches in metropolitan areas and other cities, the local cities do not have dedicated branches.”

“Well…”

“The conclusion from meeting we had with the government and the other guild heads is to restore Seoul first.”

“Are you thinking of creating a safe zone?”

“Yes. The government and the guilds will cooperate and subdue the monsters, pushing them southward.”

It was the most ideal and standard strategy.

In Seoul, when you go south, you’ll eventually reach the sea.

One day, all the monsters could be driven out of the inland, except for underwater monsters.

“Then, I will also join the subjugation team.”

“No.”

Jin-woo was surprised at the rejection. He thought with how the conversation was going; he was going to be assigned to the team.

Instead, Park Tae-sung showed him a tablet PC.

“You know that there is a considerable amount of Chines capital invested into the Taewang Guild.”

“Yes.”

“Thanks to this, we’re able to obtain quick information from the Chinese said. This is a footage from Beijing yesterday. Watch closely.”

Jin-woo pressed the ‘play’ button on the video shown on the tablet screen.

The video showed a man standing at some sort of Chinese castle.

The man’s outfit was strange. It was like something medieval European nobles would wear.

However, his skin was purple, and there were horns on his head.

The man who was filming shouted at the creature.

-Hey! This is a no-entry area!

Although the man spoke in Chinese, it was no problem for Jin-woo because of his Linguist skill.

Suddenly, the man being filmed raised his hand.

Purple energy gathered at the tip of his index finger; then, it exploded into a bright flash of light.

-Ahhhh!

The camera shook, and the footage turned black.

The video ended there.

Park Tae-sung then showed Jin-woo some pictures.

“The video and the photos were obtained through our branch in China.”

The first photo was where the scene happened in the Forbidden City. It was China’s pride, but now it was just desolate ruins.

“The Forbidden City is believed to be destroyed by that attack.”

“Just one attack?!”

“Yes. We secured testimonies from witnesses. They said there was only one flash, then a loud explosion afterwards. Now, look at the second photo.”

Jin-woo checked the next photo. It was definitely the same place as before, but instead of the Forbidden City castle, there was a strange tower on it.

“What is this?”

“This is the site where the Forbidden City was, a day after the explosion. No one has seen construction work. The tower was built in one night, as if it just sprung out of the ground.”

“The man in the video… it would be right to think that he made this tower, too.”

“I have the same thoughts.”

Jin-woo put down the photos. “I understand the situation. What do you need from me?”

“At present, information is coming in from offices around the world. There were four places where these towers appeared.”

“Four places… surely…”

“Yes. China, England, Dubai, and the United States. Places were level 400 dungeons have appeared in.”

The prediction was correct. The pieces seem to be clicking into place in Jin-woo’s head.

“Then, the reason why we ‘cleared the tutorial’ is because the level 400 dungeons have all been cleared?”

“We guess so, but we’re not sure.”

There is no clear evidence yet, but it was the general assumption at this point.