Chapter 10 The Frontlines

Min Yoo-bin and the group struggled against the attacking monsters. Among hundreds of centipedes gathered in the small yet crowded chamber, three of them stood out: larger, faster, and much more powerful than the little grunts.

"This is bad…" Jae-won could tell, they weren't making this out alive. At least, not all of them.

He raised his gauntlets, letting out a large burst of mana that set the surroundings in a cold chill.

As a combat class support type specialist, he had to do everything he could to help the main attackers; that was the sole reason he was in the frontlines and not in the back despite his level 3 status.

The guildmaster of Aegis, Slicer, and Turtleshell, were busy fighting the stronger centipedes with the support of Kim Hyeonmu's buffing techniques, yet her expression was set into a scowl. 'We have to retreat…' As the main lead of the operation, she was responsible for every life here.

This wasn't a battle they could win.

'If only…that idiot level 7 didn't suddenly disappear..!' The thoughts plaguing her mind distracted her.

She jumped back, landing right beside the Buddhist monk. The other two, Park Do-chul of Slicer and Nam In-ho from Turtleshell were soon next to her, one holding his injured arm, the other struggling to stay standing.

Both were level 5's yet even they couldn't handle these creatures. This meant that the three on the opposing side were at least level 6. It would be a disaster if there were more. They were just barely holding on with Hyeonmu's buffs.

"This isn't what we signed up for…" Do-chul muttered with a smirk, but his eyes held no mirth. Everyone here knew.

Sacrifices were going to have to be made in order for the others to get away. The issue, nobody knew who would die and who would live.

Yoo-bin glanced at the usually laid back man, silent. "Fucking hell, at least I'm not taking responsibility for this," another spoke up.

Min Yoo-bin felt a vein pop from irritation. "Oh yeah? You plan to run away? So-called "best shield"?" She taunted.

"For an old hag, you sure have an immature side to you…but no. You're stuck with me," the man, In-ho, snarked back, adjusting his cracked round rimmed glasses.

"Hmph!" Yoo-bin turned her head away instead of lashing out at the man as usual. "Good. Then let's all die here together!" She cried out.

"Nuh uh! I ain't planning to be buried in the same place as you, grandma!" The comment made her temper flare, her desire to smash a fist into his face growing.

Even so, there were more important matters at hand. She turned to the group still fending off the attacks from the smaller, yet still tree sized centipedes.

"Everyone, retreat! Us guildmasters will stay behind to buy you time!" Do-chul, who was overshadowed by the two loudmouths, had no say in the matter. Jae-won snapped his head up, wide eyed.

She looked at him for a split second, then glanced at her second in command, a young man with fiery red hair. Her gaze shifted to the monk. "Mr. Kim..help the youngins get away. I'm relying on you."

Her gaze said everything. "No, wait–!" Jae-won couldn't finish before he was grabbed by the collar by the red head and dragged away faster than what he could react to.

He could only helplessly watch as the battlefield was getting farther and farther away.

Kim Hyeonmu was conflicted but eventually followed. He was of no use here. His buffs may be slightly helpful, but not enough to overpower those monsters.

Closing his eyes, he sighed and then opened them again. "I hope to see you soon." With that, he was gone.

Yoo-bin shook her head, turning to In-ho. He definitely understood the assignment as they both covered the retreating figures, hands held up with palms facing the ceiling.

"[Force Barrier]!" "[Turtle Shield]!" A shield with pentagonal rivets and a transparent barrier formed, covering nearly the entire room.

Several centipedes were crushed, others retreating into the holes in the walls while trampling over each other.

Then, there were the three imposing figures of what they could only call the bosses. If not for how tall the room was, they wouldn't have fit inside.

"Do-chul! Go!" Yoo-bin barked out. "Ah, shit.." the man, wearing a floral button up, a pair of sunglasses, and a cigar in his mouth, shot up with a pair of crescent shaped swords.

He ignored the pain in his left arm and called out a skill.

"[Blade Dance]!"

His arms swung rapidly as his swords sliced the very air, the heavy attacks landing on all three. "Tch..tough bastards." He clicked his tongue. All of the injuries he inflicted were shallow.

If he used his [Edge Strike Slash], he could cause serious damage, but then he'd be in a state of weakness for around 10 minutes with the cooldown being 3 hours.

Glancing back, he noticed Yoo-bin's death glare and sighed. "Better them than me." He turned his body as it fell through the air.

"[Edge Strike Slash]!" His body twisted as he attempted to get as much momentum as possible.

The one advantage he had with this attack was that it was powerful enough to overpower someone with a higher level than him.

If only the other major guilds were here. Aegis was one…Slicer just barely made it alongside Turtleshell with that himbo as a mid-sized guild.

He gave In-ho a side eye.

The problem was, other issues had been cropping up recently, like that one organization of "villains".

"This isn't the time to get distracted!" Yoo-bin caught him before he could fall while his strike, a red glowing air cutter hit one of the big "bosses".

An intense feeling of weakness ran through Do-chul's body the next second.

"Damn, if only you weren't a granny, I'd fall for you," he joked the moment they landed.

Yoo-bin gave him a disgusted look, dropping him unceremoniously to the ground before setting a barrier around him.

"No time for jokes either, you little brat. Stay here unless you wanna die." She turned back, rushing to In-ho's side just as one of the giant centipedes, combined with the horde, began to attack the double barriers.

He glanced at the one he managed to land his most powerful hit on and noticed it had retreated to the back, its head almost lobbed off.

He smirked. "Fucking monsters.." His expression grew darker. "Damn.." He was out for the count.

Without his attack power, the only one who could do decent damage was Min Yoo-bin.

The cracking of the first barrier made him tense. Unless, by some miracle, some powerful guy saved them, they were dead.

In-ho grit his teeth, but in the end, his barrier fell apart.

Min Yoo-bin's barrier wasn't far behind as it began to crack too. The younger man in glasses turned to Do-chul and Yoo-bin and pursed his lips.

"Hey, old lady." "What!? I'm busy, you little fart!" Her expression was strained. Holding back a horde of hundreds of centipedes and two giant ones was taking it out of her.

"I'll hold them back so go." Yoo-bin took a moment to process his words.

"Stop kidding me, set up your barrier already! The cooldown should be over now, right!?" In-ho's expression was anything but humorous.

"You heard me. Leave. Take Do-chul and go." "Now hold on a minute there, what are you…" Do-chul was bewildered.

This man they had known for 4 years, had only a few conversations with, was suddenly sacrificing himself for them? That didn't add up!

"I know what you're thinking, but this is better for everyone." Yoo-bin scoffed. "Shut the hell up and-!" "-I mean it! I'm weak, but you two…you guys have more potential than I do. Even though you're a 70 year old ancient, and you, lazy fucker." He turned to Do-chul.

"I already know my limits. The world would be better off with the two of you surviving. And if you refuse? I won't let you."

"Oh, so you think you can overpower me, you cringey ass little weakling?" Yoo-bin growled. The barrier cracked ever so slightly. It was going to burst, and soon, the room will be overrun by giant human faced insects.

In-ho rolled his eyes. "You still have a family to take care of, don't you?" That made her freeze. "While you want to live. Right?" Do-chul shrugged. He didn't really have any issues.

In-ho crossed his arms. "We're practically strangers. Don't take a gift horse for granted."

But the expected reaction didn't come. "Like hell I will. You said you weren't planning to die here with lil old me? Well too bad, you're the one gonna be stuck with me, this time!"

He felt his irritation rise. This old woman just didn't know when to call it quits. Even when they faced off against each other on who has the best defense.

He didn't get to have his moment again as the [Force Barrier] fell apart. His eyes widened as he instinctively activated another barrier. The [Force Barrier] had a longer cooldown down in return for nullifying some of the shockwaves from any attacks.

His skill in comparison was…admittedly a "little" weaker in return for faster casting time, but this meant there wouldn't be another barrier anytime soon once this one broke.

Unless the other two left now, they were all doomed. The most major downside to any barrier skill was that the user could not move so he could only try to use words now.

But at this point, he knew there was no convincing Yoo-bin. Do-chul was still unable to move yet either.

"Fuck, do what you want!"

Poor Do-chul once again had no say in the matter.

"That's more like it, brat." Yoo-bin got into a martial arts stance. Aegis was known for their defensive techniques, but what made them a cut above Turtleshell was their attack power.

The moment In-ho's skill broke under the onslaught, she was ready to pounce.

And in that moment, another centipede was behind them.

"That's not very..-" a loud roar interrupted Do-chul from his dull musings while it attempted to attack them from behind.

Yoo-bin and In-ho were both astonished, preparing to die. The next second, a large shadow flashed by, taking down the giant centipede with it, leaving them stunned.

To be continued…

Additional Information:

>The strongest player in the entire world resides in the U.S.

Of course, being strong doesn't necessarily mean they can't be defeated.