Chapter 277
CHAPTER 277
On the morning of the Daegu sinkhole wave defense operation.
Juhyeok was inside a private temporary barracks prepared for him by Commander Jeon Seong-il.
It was meant for military generals.
A state-of-the-art container facility, fully equipped with a folding bed, refrigerator, TV, and even heating.
“The Mechanic Goliath combat golem has arrived, sir.”
“Has it?”
We’ll soon get to see what it can do.
But before that, the tower raid comes first.
Five floors again today.
We’ll clear floors 76 through 80.
It was already past 10 a.m.
Less than two hours remained until the wave.
The advance team consisted of veteran summoned ones.
Rookies would be called in during the wave defense.
“Let’s go.”
“Pressure check!”
“We are ready, sir.”
Entering the 76th floor.
The mission?
Since the 86th floor had been the Infernal Cataclysm Immortal Phoenix—
[76th Floor Mission: Defeat 3 Corrupted High-Grade Water Spirits.]
Similar spirit-type entities.
And three of them.
If they’re spirits, physical attacks might not work.
In that case?
To Mackenzie.
“Can you handle those?”
“This mage shall turn them into steam.”
A 9th-circle fire mage of white flames.
“Hell Fire! Flame Buster! Flare Storm!”
The moment three wide-area fire spells were cast—
Fwoooooosh!
Chzzzzzzzzz!
The three high-grade water spirits began to boil violently under the terrifying heat.
Soon after—psssssssss.
They turned into steam and vanished.
“Our mage, sir—you’re amazing at monster clearing and filming! Is there anything you can’t do?”
“Hahaha, that praise is far too much. I hardly know where to put myself.”
Flaaash!
If you don’t know where to put yourself, then why cast a personal spotlight spell?
What about the 77th floor?
Since the 87th floor had been an Undead Bone Dragon—
[77th Floor Mission: Defeat 3 Large Flying Undead Wraiths.]
Wraiths, huh.
Much larger than undead flying specters, with an extremely dense dark aura.
Even so—
“Mr. Bardin?”
“Light!!!”
With Bardin here, what’s the problem?
Handled easily.
The 78th floor?
The 88th floor had been a Sub-Dragon Sand Dragon.
In other words, dragon-like reptiles.
So then—
[78th Floor Mission: Defeat 3 Large Magical Beasts, Hydras.]
Oh! Hydras.
We saw those in Earth’s tower storytelling mission zone before.
Back then, they were necromancy-created ones.
These monsters already had their designated opponent.
The summoned one to deal with them?
“A warrior will take them on.”
Our reliable Mr. Gobang.
Rip off all their heads.
What about the 79th floor?
[79th Floor Mission: Defeat 80 Hell Gatekeeper Cerberuses.]
I knew it.
But why are there 80 of them?
“Aren’t they small?”
“They’re as big as elephants.”
“Relatively speaking.”
Ah, whatever!
Just kill them.
“Elder Madman?”
“Heh heh, at last this old man gets to loosen up.”
“I will assist as well.”
“This young girl shall also lend her meager strength.”
Chrrrraaaak!
Talismans scattering flamboyantly through the air.
Ts-pipipipip!
Cerberuses shredded to pieces by crescent-moon energy.
And finally, the 80th floor.
[80th Floor Mission: Defeat the Ultra-Large Flying Species, Drake Lord.]
Hmm.
This one’s a bit strange.
Amut.
“Brigadier General Bae?”
“Brigadier General Veronica Caliber, firing sub-light projectile!”
Ziiiiiiing!
Brrrrrrrrr!
Sluuurk!
Boom!
The Drake Lord vanished without a trace.
That aside—
“Fairy Princess Dallae.”
“Please speak.”
“The 80th floor of Earth No. 675’s Black Tower was the demon lord Gremory, right?”
“That is correct.”
Earth’s 80th floor had been the defecting hero Diamat.
But why did Earth No. 843’s 80th floor produce a Drake Lord?
“Shouldn’t a demon world lord appear?”
Geon Dallae thought for a moment.
Then—
“If this young girl were to guess with her humble wisdom, it is likely because of you, Young Master.”
My fault?
I didn’t do anything.
“No—Gremory is originally from the demon world. Like a succubus, she was a free-contract soul.”
That’s right.
A supreme noble of the demon world, a lord on par with Diamat.
“However, Young Master swept through the demon world. The Demon King and demon armies—especially the extermination of great demons—were decisive.”
Ah.
“So the contract between the Black Tower and the demon world was likely revoked.”
Meaning that due to the demon world purge, no lord-class free contractors could appear in the tower.
What a shame.
If the 80th floor had also been a lord, we might’ve been able to talk things out and make them defect.
Well, it can’t be helped.
In any case, the raid up to the 80th floor was complete.
The Daegu sinkhole wave defense base.
The defense battle would begin soon.
But the observers’ attention was elsewhere.
They barely even listened to the global announcement.
Even though it said that Korea’s Black Tower had been cleared up to the 80th floor.
Their focus was on a robot standing stiffly, emblazoned with the emblem of the Republic of Korea Army.
Honestly, it was baffling.
The Korean Awakened Forces wouldn’t pull a prank like this.
“Can that thing even move?”
“You just saw it. It stood up and walked on its own.”
“No, not that. Combat. Actual combat against tower monsters.”
“Hmm.”
In truth, the most important part—
A moving bipedal robot of that size could easily be built with modern Earth technology.
The problem was combat.
Could it fight?
“The fact that they deployed it to the defense zone means they’re considering combat with tower monsters, doesn’t it?”
It was suspicious.
Was it really for real combat?
“It looks like a combat unit. The atmosphere says so.”
“But it’s way too big. Its movements will be extremely slow.”
“Maybe it can kill one goblin.”
“It probably can’t even run.”
“Tch, it’s probably just an event. We should focus on holy weapons.”
But could that really be?
The observers were dying of curiosity.
Even when they asked the command center, they were only told to watch.
So of course, all eyes were drawn to it.
Then the Daegu sinkhole wave began.
Woooooo—
The area around the sinkhole trembled.
At the same time, tower monsters began crawling out one by one.
So then?
What kind of reaction would that robot show?
It was still quiet.
The massive robot stood there like a folding screen.
Then movement was detected around it.
A goblin that emerged from the hole fearlessly approached and started loitering around.
“Keek?”
It circled around the robot’s feet, poking it, even biting it.
And then—
Boom!
Stomp!
“Gasp!”
“What?”
“Ah!”
“M-my god?”
“Did everyone see that?”
“…Yes.”
Boom! Stomp!
The robot casually lifted its foot and crushed the goblin.
The goblin had no time to dodge.
“S-so it can fight?”
“Why is it so fast?”
“Isn’t it ignoring the laws of physics?”
“Why worry about science theory in a world where the Black Tower exists?”
The wave began in earnest.
A massive number of low-level goblins and all kinds of trash mobs poured out like a flood.
Boom boom boom boom!
The robot advanced forward.
The observers watched with clenched fists.
The robot raised its massive fist high—
Whoosh!
KABOOOM!!!
It slammed it straight into the ground.
Monster blood and flesh sprayed everywhere.
It kept stomping and punching.
Despite its size, it was insanely fast.
But the numbers were overwhelming.
If things went wrong, the monsters might breach the defense line.
But then—
Flash!
Ts-chichichichit!
Something was happening.
Swoong, swoong, swoong.
“What is that?”
“…Why are there two robots?”
“Uh, three.”
“No—four, five, six.”
“Six?”
“Seven, eight, nine, ten…”
“Ten?”
“Eleven, twelve, thirteen…”
“……”
The robot was splitting.
“… ”
The observers doubted their own eyes.
What is this?
An animation?
This was absurd.
They didn’t even know how to process the situation.
“…Cell division?”
“No, robot division.”
“Is this a dream?”
“An illusion?”
“Doesn’t seem like either.”
“Then it must be reality.”
Swoong, swoong, swoong.
The robots kept increasing.
Before they knew it, the entire defense zone was covered.
And not a single monster made it through.
Orcs appeared.
Trolls emerged.
Even large species like ogres and minotaurs—
One punch—crack! thud! smash!
Just stepping on them—boom! splat! crunch!
The observers couldn’t say a word.
It was only because they were seeing it with their own eyes.
If this were on a screen?
No one would believe it.
“…Do they sell those?”
“Who knows. Not sure about holy weapons.”
If they sold them, they’d have to buy them no matter what.
Even if it emptied the national treasury.
And if those were deployed to every sinkhole region—
“That aside, I wonder if it can handle undead just as easily.”
“It’s a robot. There’s no way dark aura would affect it.”
That’s right.
Dark aura is a horrifying debuff that interferes with a player’s mental state.
It isn’t even a living being—how could it be affected?
And indeed, that was the case.
Near the end of the wave, another Dark Wave occurred.
Insane.
Again?
This was already the third time.
What kind of curse had fallen on Korea?
Did Dark Waves really occur this frequently?
Anyway, setting the questions aside—
Hwaaaat! Hwaat! Hwaat!
Brilliant light erupted everywhere.
There were no unexpected twists.
The undead were being completely annihilated.
Even when flying undead monsters appeared—
Zzzt, zzzt, zzzt, zzzt.
Destruction beams fired from the Mechanic Goliath combat golems.
Puh-buh-buh-buk!
Specters and Phantom Reapers struck by the red beams burst into flames on the spot.
“…Did you just see that?”
“Yes.”
“Haah.”
The observers were utterly dumbfounded.
Anyone would be.
It fired laser beams.
Meaning it also had long-range attack capability.
Agile mobility, overwhelming power, and even ranged attacks.
How could your heart not race?
Meanwhile, Martial Law Commander Jeon Seong-il, standing behind the golems, clicked his tongue in amazement.
The pilot of the Mechanic Goliath combat golem was none other than himself.
Though he was only level 3 and couldn’t participate in combat, he was in charge of operating the golem.
And—
The red button he had been told to press at the critical moment.
He had been shocked.
Splitting?
The golem could replicate?
Just what kind of person was this Bong Summoner?
….
A god?
A god who descended to the mortal realm to save a collapsing human world.
That suspicion grew stronger and stronger.
This Daegu sinkhole wave defense was also being broadcast live via satellite.
People all over the world were watching in real time.
L It’s a robot.
L A robot.
L A robot… hmm.
L A robot is defending a sinkhole wave.
L I’m not the only one baffled, right?
L This isn’t a movie, is it?
L I turned on the TV to see holy weapons, and now I’m watching a robot movie.
L The letters on the robot—don’t they mean “Republic of Korea Army”? So it’s a military robot?
L Just what kind of country is South Korea?
L Yeah. I’m curious too.
Originally, sinkhole waves were wars.
Gruesome tragedies where people died.
But what was this?
It had turned into an exciting event that felt like a movie.
Now the battle was reaching its climax.
Fifty Mechanic Goliath combat golems expanded the front line.
The golems spread widely around the sinkhole.
Once combat began, the active ego combat system activated, causing the golems to move toward areas where tower monsters were densely packed.
Naturally so.
When the fighting intensified, individual defense zones lost their meaning.
Eventually, everything mixed together.
That was why the fifty golems formed a ring around the sinkhole at regular intervals.
The awakened player forces also encountered the Mechanic Goliath combat golems.
They fought together.
The awakened players already knew about it in advance from the command briefing before entering the defense battle, but—
“Whoa, this is insane!”
“…Good heavens!”
“A robot that big…”
“I’m worried it might step on us.”
The awakened soldiers were extremely tense.
They cautiously backed away from the golem’s movement range, staying alert—
Crunch! Crack! Paaaat! Thud! Thud!
The golem focused silently on its own work.
Zombies were crushed.
Ghouls were torn apart.
Skeletons shattered into powder.
Even a Dullahan was just one punch away.
Specters and Phantom Reapers were effortlessly dealt with by destruction beams.
Yet not even a scratch was inflicted on the players.
There was no contact at all.
Ahhh!
It really was on our side.
That enormous combat golem—something they wouldn’t even dare challenge if it were an enemy—
Was now a reliable ally fighting alongside them.
The morale of the awakened forces soared endlessly.
Holy weapons, plus allied Mechanic Goliath combat golems.
What was there to fear?
The battle continued to escalate.
But it was no longer dangerous.
Even when the dreaded undead, Death Knights, appeared—
Crack! Smash! Thud!
A golem rushed over and stomped them like cockroaches.
But one last lingering concern remained.
What if a lich appeared?
At that moment—
Woooooo—
A violently surging dark aura.
A precursor phenomenon signaling the appearance of a dark lich.
A lich.
It appeared.
At the very center of the sinkhole, a tiny dot—a humanoid undead—hovered in the air.
It had to be killed quickly.
The awakened forces had all seen the Lumin Tree raid footage.
A magic-type undead capable of endlessly summoning other undead.
But it was too far away.
With dark aura, a dark barrier, and even blink magic, ranged skills hardly worked on it.
The strategy was to close in and relentlessly assault it with melee attacks.
But how were they supposed to fly all the way over there?
It had appeared in Chuncheon before.
Of course, a top player had dealt with it easily back then.
Would it be the same this time?
Right then—
Hesitate, hesitate, hesitate.
The golems stopped mid-combat.
And—
Whiiing! Whiiing! Whiiing.
All fifty golems turned their heads toward one spot simultaneously.
Their target was the lich.
The eyes of the Mechanic Goliath combat golems glowed red.
At maximum output—
Ziiiiiiing!
A simultaneous firing net of destruction beams.
Zzzt, zzzzt! Chzzzt, zzzzzzzzzzt!
Paaaang!
The lich exploded in midair.
“Woooooaaaaaaah!!!”
The awakened forces gathered around the golems.
“Long live the golems!!! Long live the top player!!!”
The Daegu sinkhole wave defense.
Successfully completed without a single casualty.
The observers jumped out of their seats and rushed forward.
To cheer?
No.
They ran toward the temporary command headquarters.
“Where’s the holy weapon representative?”
“How many weapons can you provide? Ah! Price doesn’t matter.”
“Dollars, commodities—just name it.”
Requests to purchase holy weapons poured in.
“And those robots—are they for sale too?”
“We’ll provide ten state-of-the-art fighter jets. If trade is possible—”
“There’s a waiting list? I’m first!”
“Hey! Wait your turn!!!”
Even inquiries about the golems.
It was utter chaos, like a marketplace.
This place was no different from a battlefield itself.
Juhyeok, who had finished the 80th-floor raid and observed the defense battle, was very satisfied.
His worries were gone.
To be honest, Magnus Gigant had been too massive.
Its destructive power was terrifying, but its movements were slow by comparison.
But these had an appropriate size, appropriate agility, appropriate power, ranged attacks, and even sheer numbers through split units.
Our Dr. El.
How admirable she was.
“They’re amazing. They say a well-raised non-combat production unit can outperform ten combat units—that saying fits perfectly. Absolutely spot on.”
Clap clap clap clap!
Juhyeok applauded, showering El with praise.
She seemed happy too.
Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.
“Th-thank you… Ah! Principal Harold also helped, so—”
“Oh my, then we should thank him too. Let’s hold a badge ceremony.”
Juhyeok felt proud.
In truth, he had been worried.
He had distributed holy-attribute weapons, but Death Knights and liches were still a problem.
Yet the Mechanic Goliath combat golems had ended the battle decisively.
Just deploying these alone meant sinkhole wave defenses no longer needed concern.
“The golems were originally 75th-floor monsters. How could mere 69th-floor tower monsters ever be a match?”
That’s right.
They were on completely different levels.
‘It’s a shame I could only bring back three units.’
If I repeated the raid now, I could secure fifteen immediately.
But repeated raids were forbidden.
Five entry chances per day.
Hurry, hurry—reach the 90th floor.
Before they do something.
The next day.
[Entering the Republic of Korea Black Tower, 81st Floor.]
Behemoth extermination.
“Let’s gang up on it. Kill it quickly and head to the White Tower 6th floor to craft holy-attribute weapons.”
“Yes, sir!”
The 81st floor was cleared in an instant.
They moved fast.
Today, they could only reach the 85th floor anyway.
[Entering the Republic of Korea Black Tower, 82nd Floor.]
Cleared.
At the same time, a marvelous global announcement rang out like a celebration.
[Entering the Republic of Korea Black Tower, 83rd Floor.]
Cle—
[Entering the Republic of Korea Black Tower, 84th Floor.]
They were about to—
“Huh?”
“What is it?”
Rajiks pointed in a certain direction with his finger.
“Ah!”
That’s right.
The 84th floor had upper-demon and supreme-demon mines.
“Let’s come back later and mine to our hearts’ content.”
“Hweee…”
Right now, climbing to the 90th floor was urgent.
And then—
[Entering the Republic of Korea Black Tower, 85th Floor.]
The floor where the ultra-giant golem Magnus Gigant appeared.
“Daddy Gigant!!!”
Yeah.
You could say he was the father of the Mechanic Goliath combat golems.
Gigant and the combat golems—just like father and children, right?
Well, depending on gender, they could be daughters, or even mothers.
Father.
You’ve been well, right?
Your children, the Mechanic Goliath combat golems, have grown up admirably.
They even split now.
Fifty units per one.
But if you have more than fifty kids, it must be hard to raise them.
My condolences.
“Let’s take him in. Since we’re here anyway, let’s place him on the White Tower’s 6th floor.”
“Yes! Initiating shutdown operation.”
El detonated a magic EMP round, and Rajiks smoothly—storage.
Thus, the 85th floor was completed.
Tomorrow?
Up to the 90th floor.
Let’s claim the achievement.
The celebratory event where sinkholes get sealed.