Chapter 251

Chapter 251. Age of Turmoil (1)

Blink.

For the first time since the game started, the icons stubbornly occupying one corner of my vision disappeared momentarily.

Everyone in the area inhaled sharply, almost simultaneously, taken aback.

Immediately, all icons and message windows reappeared, returning everything to normal.

“What was that…?”

Gulp.

“What was it?”

Im Namkyu, swallowing his mouthful of meat in one go, asked in a trembling voice.

There was no need for anyone to answer him.

Everyone could see the newly displayed message as the interface normalized.

「The barrier is collapsing! A hole is opening!」

「HIDDEN MISSION – The emergency defense battle is starting.」

My face hardened at the news I had never wished for.

HIDDEN MISSION

「Emergency Defense Battle」

Earth is under invasion. All players must swiftly return to Earth, annihilate the enemies, and close the holes.

「Hole Status」

0/0

「Success Reward」

?????

「Time Limit」

?????

Hurriedly bringing up the mission window, I noted the number indicating the status was 0.

But I couldn’t take my eyes off that number.

I stared at it so intently, it seemed like I might burn a hole through the mission window.

「The Capitalism Trait is activating.」

「The system is switching to support mode. Support target player Kang Hyunwoo.」

「Holes are being placed where the defensive possibilities are high.」

「The Capitalism Trait is deactivating.」

New information popped up on my message window, and the status number began to increase rapidly.

“Three, five, nine, twenty-three, forty-eight…?”

With the same hardened expression, I turned my head.

Through the wide-open window, I could clearly see the outside.

Thanks to that, the commotion erupting outside reached me vividly.

Crash, crack.

It began with the sound of rupture, a car alarm wailing, accompanied it.

“Aeeeeeeh, aeeeeeeh!”

“Aaah!”

“Kyah!”

In between, there were screams unmistakably human.

When I opened up the senses I had closed off for daily life, everything became clearer.

“Where the defensive possibilities are high…”

I slowly stood up, mulling over the message that likely only appeared to me.

The other players present were also fixated on the view beyond the window.

They must have opened up their senses, just like I did.

Judging from their faces mixed with disbelief, shock, and confusion, it was obvious.

As the commotion slowly moved closer, the agents from the National Intelligence Service accompanying us felt the abnormality and rose from their seats.

Were they displaying the discipline of trained agents?

Instead of panicking and dithering, they immediately moved to assess the situation.

They were trying to rush outside the shop.

Of course, they didn’t make it far before I stopped them.

“Ugh, what’s happening here…?”

I spoke as I pushed the one who tried to protest back into the shop.

“Prepare for battle.”

With jaws hanging in astonishment, the National Intelligence Service agents watched as not only me but also Kim Yul and Yang Taeho stood and began donning their gear.

Due to the commotion outside, the other customers who had turned to the window now focused their gaze on us.

“What is this? So sudden?”

“Oh my, isn’t that a gun? Is it real?”

“Nah, must be a prop.”

“Are you filming some kind of content?”

The agents, snapping back to their senses, urgently shouted.

“What are you doing?!”

In contrast, I maintained a calm tone.

“Find a way to evacuate the civilians.”

The system clearly stated that holes would be allocated where the defensive capabilities were strongest.

That meant holes would continue to form around this area.

‘Because I’m here.’

The moment I gritted my teeth, our party finished preparing for battle.

The other players were also busily equipping their individual gear.

“We will form a temporary party with those present. Report the situation through chat.”

Messages accepting the party request quickly appeared.

Immediately, I turned to Ha Gwonchan and asked,

“How long until support arrives?”

While donning her armor, she was simultaneously on a phone call, her eyes busily scanning the air.

Even in such chaos, she quickly answered my question.

“The helicopter team will take at least 15 minutes, even on the move.”

Soon after, red butterflies began forming around me.

“Wow, what is that?”

“It’s beautiful.”

Ignoring the admirations of nearby customers, I headed outside.

I could sense familiar mana clusters.

Among them, there was one with swirling mana.

‘Messeo.’

No, it wasn’t. This mana form differed from a Messeo’s usual aura.

Typically, a messeo’s mana takes in energy.

However, this appeared as if it were emitting it.

‘It’s the fluttering of Bihar’s mana into Earth.’

The mana detected by the magic wasn’t all there was.

Nearby, a large cluster of mana was moving actively.

With each movement, smaller mana clusters around it disappeared.

Its sheer size was comparable to hundreds.

‘It’s the scale of a one-star evolved species.’

Predators like polar bears are usually born with only mana levels in the early twenties.

Thus, it was obvious what the owner of this massive mana belonged to.

It felt as if my mind was being seared white.

Yet, even in such conditions, my body—trained for battle—was already casting a spear.

“Aaack!”

The spear brushed past the person on the ground screaming.

Crash.

It skewered the target and pinned it to the wall.

“Keek!”

The monster that emerged from the alley dangled helplessly impaled by the spear on the wall.

As I caught my deep breath, closing my eyes, I released my mana.

The mana that swarmed out began feeding me information from the surroundings.

Riding on red threads, my senses shredded the few monsters that escaped from the hole.

By then, other players were catching up to me from behind.

Gulp.

The ones swallowing hard, still looking bewildered, looked at me.

Just as I was about to give them directives,

Buzz, crackle.

The interface flickered, then displayed the map usually seen only in a corrupted area.

‘The Capitalism Trait is… turned off.’

The situation was in shambles, and yet the system intervened briefly and then vanished.

‘It was said to be attacked…’

For now, let’s assume that the system is unable to support the matters unfolding here.

I identified the locations of the whirlpool-shaped mana and spoke rapidly.

“Tankers, head toward Dosan Park. The hole open there is the biggest.”

Probably a five-star, corresponding to a level 7 or higher mission site.

“If possible, clear it. If not, focus on preventing high-rank evolved species from roaming.”

“Got it!”

“Dealers, form teams with those who have detection magic, handle the small holes first, then gather at the park. Request support if you can’t handle it alone.”

“Understood!”

With a brief response, players scattered, boots pounding on the ground.

Once they had moved, the agents sprang from the shop.

Some were busily dialing on their phones, their voices rising.

Others stood there amidst the unyielding bystanders around, shouting.

“Evacuate! Everyone needs to evacuate quickly!”

“This is a real disaster situation! Evacuate now!”

But the people didn’t comply with the instructions from those they didn’t even know.

Instead, they raised their smartphones towards the monster’s carcass and me.

Though I found their actions absurd, I couldn’t deny it was natural for anyone unfamiliar.

The agents seemed to share my sentiment.

For a moment, they stood nearby, biting their lips as they watched the crowd—silent and observant.

Eventually, one of the agents pulled a gun from his waist and fired it into the air.

Bang, bang!

“Kyah!”

“Whoa! What’s happening?!”

“It’s a gun! A real gun!”

Only then did they startle, hunching down with a scream before bursting into a run.

While those monsters seemed far more dangerous than that gunshot.

Despite staring at the monsters, they ran only after hearing the gunshots.

It’s a saying that a little ignorance can make you brave.

I looked at the agent who pulled the gun and said,

“Imagine clearing out entire areas like Sinsa-dong, Cheongdam, Apgujeong… No, think of evacuating the whole Gangnam area. And hurry out yourselves.”

For soon, it would become a battlefield.

Even as I spoke, the ever-increasing number of holes and ominous black dots hinted at that fate.

“… Yes.”

Watching the agents grow pale and hastily make their way out, I retrieved a smartphone from my inventory.

It was registered under Seongwu’s name.

My hands were slightly sluggish as I dialed an unregistered number.

Yet, it didn’t take long to input the mere 11 digits.

Shortly after, with the press of the call button, a rhythmic tone reached my ear.

Before it reached the third ring,

“Yes, I’m on the line.”

The recipient answered.

It was the voice of Squad Leader Yang Jochul—a voice I was familiar with, though seldom heard.

The background noise was chaotic, filled with bustling sounds.

Yet, despite the commotion, my call was answered before the third ring finished sounding.

“K?”

And as if naturally expecting my call, he asked for me even after seeing the unknown number.

‘So, they’ve set this phone aside for my exclusive use.’

It meant Squad Leader Yang Jochul was still keeping his senses sharp, focused on me.

With that realization, I shed the rest of my hesitation.

“I won’t be able to move from here for a while.”

More accurately, I shouldn’t move.

If I understood correctly, holes were being drawn towards fast-growing, strong players like me.

To minimize the damage, I must not stray far or relocate.

But it wasn’t just me serving as a focal point for these events.

Proof lay in the suddenly bustling community boards, rife with chatter about holes appearing in various countries.

A testament that the world, not just South Korea, was experiencing similar phenomena.

‘There might be other focal points in Seoul aside from me.’

And that’s why I called Squad Leader Yang Jochul.

“So, please ensure the safety of my family.”

If I kept it hidden and left them tangled in this upheaval…

I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.

Thus, I turned to the one most suited to assist in this situation for help.

“Are you referring to your family?”

“You’re the only one I can rely on for such a request.”

I heard a gulp, followed by a slightly tense voice.

“… Provide their names and locations, and I will dispatch agents immediately.”

For over a year, I had stayed well-hidden, but that precaution meant little now.

Taking a deep breath, I shared the details he requested.

“And… please keep my existence quiet for now.”

I still couldn’t muster the courage to tell my siblings about the dangerous battlefields I roamed.

Even if a video of something captured me leaking out, it wouldn’t be my face.

At least temporarily, until today’s calamity was dealt with, I hoped to buy some time.

“I understand.”

Ending the short call, I put the smartphone back into my inventory and moved.

Before long, I arrived at the site of the dead monster.

Noticeably, the alley where it had emerged caught my eye alongside the spear lodged in the wall.

In the center, a swirling black mass of smoke surely indicated a hole.

“Kieeee, kieeee!”

Just then, a monster poked its head out from there.

Clenching my teeth, I released my mana again.

‘How dare they.’

Did they think crawling in here would go unnoticed?

As blue light scattered through my eyes, its head was severed.

Its body unable to fully emerge from the hole.

Including the monster I just killed, the remaining carcasses totaled four.

Yet beside them lay over ten dismembered human corpses.

All that happened in merely a minute or two.

Witnessing such a scene, fire burned deeply in my chest.

With a fierce determination, I raised my spear and closed the hole.

HIDDEN MISSION

「Emergency Defense Battle」

Earth is under invasion. All players must swiftly return to Earth, annihilate the enemies, and close the holes.

「Hole Status」

1/97

「Success Reward」

?????

「Time Limit」

?????

The day that would be known as the beginning of a week of nightmares had just begun.