Level 4 Human in a Ruined World - Chapter 297
Chapter 297: Den of Evil (2)
“Master Bang!”
As Yeongwoo shouted the name of Orc Warlord Bantubangtong and ran toward the portal, the brothers who had been carrying unidentified metal also dropped their loads and began running.
They too had heard the ominous wail just now.
‘Damn, what are they bringing to my planet?’
Since Yeongwoo dreamed of being the sole stakeholder of Earth, he had a strong sense of ownership over the planet.
Therefore, he couldn’t sit idly by while something dangerous entered his world.
Especially because it was Yeongwoo himself who had allowed the orcs autonomy in northern Australia, the responsibility for any harm that came from them essentially…
‘It’s my responsibility.’
Thud, thud!
Though the sound of the iron hooves of the Negwig rang loudly beneath his feet, the only thing Yeongwoo could hear was the disturbing cry.
― Screeech!
The chilling cry echoed again, and with it came a heavy footstep that hinted at the creature’s size.
Boom!
‘This is….’
The sound was so vivid.
This proved that the creature had already passed through the portal and entered Earth.
― Screeaaach!
The grotesque cry rang out once more, and just then, Yeongwoo’s sight caught a glimpse of the Red Foot Orcs’ dimensional portal.
Whoosh!
“……!”
As he had seen from a distance, the brothers were holding a massive portal.
It was an enormous oval-shaped portal, about 100 meters in diameter.
And in front of the portal…
― Screeech!
A grotesque dragon-like figure was half-emerged from the portal, flailing about.
Its size was so immense that its head obscured the central part of the portal.
“What… what is that?”
Yeongwoo frowned.
Upon closer inspection, the dragon’s body was composed entirely of black tentacles.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a dragon at all but a mass of wriggling, unidentified tentacles.
“My God.”
While Yeongwoo stood there with his mouth agape, the brothers lined up in front of the portal simultaneously hurled their spears at the ‘dragon.’
Swish!
Meanwhile, on the side of the portal, the brothers burst open the red pouches Yeongwoo had seen earlier on the overpass.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Suddenly, the ‘Red Foot’ insignia appeared in the air like a cloud, and at that moment, from inside the portal, under the dragon’s belly and legs—
– Waaaah!
– Run! Don’t stop!
– Toward the Red Foot mark!
Hundreds of Red Foot orcs charged out.
“Ah.”
So, this was a rescue mission.
‘It wasn’t just about paying money and having a brother pop out individually. They had to rescue them live from an occupied planet.’
Meanwhile, the dragon that the spears had hit turned its head toward the spear-throwers.
― Scree!
Then—
Whooosh!
What had looked like a dragon’s head unfurled like a sunflower and spewed out black breath.
Whoooosh!
In an instant, dozens of orcs were wiped out, and in the chaos, hundreds of other orcs managed to escape safely toward the red cloud.
The spear-throwers had been sacrificing themselves to distract the dragon.
“This…!”
Now fully understanding the meaning of the portal, Yeongwoo, furious, spurred his Negwig forward.
“Everyone out! I’ll handle this!”
Thud, thud!
As the Negwig’s iron hooves clanged with their distinct metallic sound, the monstrous dragon with its open head turned its gaze toward the new intruder.
Then—
Whoooosh!
It once again unleashed its black breath.
“You bastard!”
Yeongwoo, who had even withstood the laser cannons of the Metal Forbidden City, wasn’t the least bit frightened.
He quickly raised Bastard and blocked the stream of black filth.
Whooosh!
Seeing this, the Red Foot orcs who had been watching were left slack-jawed.
– That, human?
– Small Foot!
It was at this moment that a familiar voice reached Yeongwoo’s ears.
– Riders! Riders to the front!
It was none other than Red Foot Orc Warlord Bantubangtong.
– Small Foot is clearing a path! Fill in the remaining numbers!
‘Remaining numbers?’
As Yeongwoo tilted his head in confusion, brothers holding yellow flags approached right in front of the dragon’s belly.
They were signaling to the brothers still inside the portal to advance.
Swaaay!
Another group of orc refugees came charging out when the yellow flag waved vigorously.
Thud!
It was then that Yeongwoo noticed the number written above the portal.
[1462/2500]
‘Ah.’
Having seen this sort of thing more than once, Yeongwoo quickly understood.
This number represented the total brothers that could be rescued in this round.
‘There are still a thousand more brothers to save.’
With this thought, Yeongwoo looked beyond the dragon to the scenery visible through the portal.
There, on a red, rocky mountain, stood countless Red Foot orcs.
“Ah!”
Though he didn’t know the exact location on the home planet, there were still far too many brothers waiting to be rescued.
Far more than the number that could be saved in this round.
Then—
“Watch out!”
Just as Yeongwoo saw a foreboding shadow cast over the rocky mountain—
Whoooosh!
Another dragon descended upon the rocky mountain where the brothers were standing, spraying tentacles everywhere.
“That bastard!”
Furious, Yeongwoo reached for the bow strapped to his body, but Bantubangtong shouted.
– Small Foot! It’s useless!
“…What?”
– We cannot interfere with what happens beyond the portal! All we can do is…!
With that, Bantubangtong leapt out from the ranks of the brothers and hurled a massive spear.
Swish!
It was aimed at the dragon that had just breathed black breath at Yeongwoo.
Thud!
The spear struck the dead center of the dragon’s head, which had been open like a sunflower.
The blow must have been significant, as the creature quickly retracted its head and dissolved the spear.
– We can only deal with what crawls out of the portal.
Master Bang’s voice was filled with sorrow.
Meanwhile, the grotesque dragon let out another strange cry and shot out more tentacles.
― Screeaaach!
Whoosh!
Among the dozens of tentacles that sprouted from the creature’s body, some shot toward Bantubangtong, who had just thrown the spear.
But Master Bang, having been through such situations many times before, swiftly drew the sword at his waist and sliced through the tentacles headed his way.
Swoosh!
He then quickly cut down the tentacle that had wrapped around the brother next to him and looked at Yeongwoo.
– Small Foot, why have you come here? Have you finally brought good news?
“……!”
At this, Yeongwoo’s pupils couldn’t help but tremble.
The reason he had come to this city was purely to seek understanding and a favor.
Since Mara wasn’t in China, he needed to ask for more time, and he had to request the transfer of a legendary kill record for the city’s development.
“Ba, Master Bang… I…”
When Yeongwoo couldn’t find the words, which was unlike him, Master Bang let out another loud laugh with his mouth wide open.
– Hahaha! If there’s no good news, we’ll just have to make some. Look behind you! That is the gift you will give us.
“…?”
When Yeongwoo turned around, he saw a monstrous dragon grabbing his brothers with its tentacles.
He wasn’t here to bring good news, but rather to ask for help to save his brothers.
After all, hadn’t his brothers in Australia already seen the declaration of war from Mara and Lemu?
“Oh, Master Bang!”
Yeongwoo, deeply moved by Master Bang’s broad, ocean-like heart, raised the Bastard again.
Without hesitation, he sent a golden arc to sever the tentacles holding his brothers.
Shwiiaaaat!
“I’ll guard the entrance, so bring in more of the brothers!”
Yeongwoo, who suggested increasing the rescue count beyond the set number of 2,500, was met with Master Bang shaking his head.
– Once a number is set, it cannot be changed. You’ll have to wait for the next opportunity.
“The next opportunity? What does that…?”
Before Yeongwoo could ask, the monstrous dragon launched another attack.
―Keeeek!
This time, dozens of tentacles were flying toward Yeongwoo.
“…!”
Yeongwoo slashed through the tentacles like lightning with his sword and leaped high into the air.
Taat!
In an instant, the brothers below him shrank into the distance, while the monstrous dragon’s body, made up of intertwined tentacles, loomed closer.
‘How is this thing so big?’
Even after jumping tens of meters, the spot where Yeongwoo landed was merely the dragon’s chest.
‘Seeing as there’s more of these things beyond the portal, it’s no wonder my brothers lost their planet.’
Just as Yeongwoo started to understand why his brothers had lost their planet, tentacles shot up from under his feet, wrapping around his entire body.
“Damn these things, how disgusting!”
In response to the tentacles reaching for him from all directions, Yeongwoo made a bold choice.
Thud!
He stabbed himself with his sword, causing his poisonous blood to spray out.
Thanks to that, all the tentacles holding Yeongwoo, as well as those approaching him, melted away.
Tsss!
―Kieek?
At this point, the dragon seemed to realize that it had picked the wrong target.
It stopped thinking about breathing fire and began retreating.
Thud! Thud!
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
But Yeongwoo had already leaped again, landing on the dragon’s back before it could retreat fully through the portal.
Thud!
Yeongwoo’s Bastard slashed the dragon’s neck.
Slaaash!
Despite its tough exterior, the dragon’s skin tore like an old rag under the divine blade, revealing countless writhing tentacles inside.
‘What are these things?’
Since Mara, the ruler of the Void, was said to have taken his brothers’ planet, this dragon must also be some creature from Mara’s domain.
Even after slashing from its neck to its chest, the dragon was still alive, so Yeongwoo resolved to finish it off with one more leap.
Taaat!
This time, he hurled his sword, piercing the dragon’s head, while simultaneously shouting loudly.
“Earth, 006! 491! 8271! 390!”
When facing such unpleasant creatures, the best course of action was to incinerate them with a laser.
Taat!
After requesting the strike, Yeongwoo retrieved his sword and moved away from the dragon.
Soon, an immense energy was detected from the sky above.
Boooong!
– Wait, this is…
– Uh…
A few of his brothers trembled, recognizing what was coming.
They couldn’t help but recall the overwhelming power of asymmetric warfare they had experienced at the border between Jeju Island and Meganesia.
Craaash!
As the massive laser beam descended, splitting the sky, the red-footed orcs who had just escaped from their home planet fled in terror.
– The sky!
– The sky is falling!
– Aaaargh!
Though they were fierce warriors in battle, the red-footed orcs, like many others, were instinctively fearful when faced with advanced technology beyond their comprehension.
Still, they were fundamentally “red-footed.”
– Everyone, halt! Reorganize the formation!
At the command of Lord Bantubangtong, not a single one continued to flee, and they all returned to their places.
At the perfect moment, the laser beam struck the monstrous dragon, erasing its hideous body cleanly.
– Ooooh…!
– The light!
‘These Toma guys may be annoying with their cautiousness, but their weapons are something else.’
Yeongwoo was inwardly impressed by the Toma planetary bombardment weapon that had managed to kill even the dragon from another dimension.
Just how far could this firepower go?
Yet, Yeongwoo suddenly felt uneasy, as if someday they might face something that could withstand even this beam.
‘I don’t think Lemu or Mara’s agents would die just from a bombardment.’
But his worries were short-lived, as a system message suddenly appeared in his vision.
「You have defeated the legendary dragon Moracus!」
Then, something even more surprising happened.
「You have gained a record of a legendary enemy defeat that can be registered on the monument.」
“Whaaat?”
A new record eligible for the monument.
This meant that the recent battle had qualified as a “legendary enemy defeat.”
‘No way… Is this a glory point jackpot?’
Yeongwoo’s eyes widened in amazement as he stared at the portal, and Lord Bantubangtong approached, giving him a pat on the back.
– Little Foot! That was an impressive fight! There’s no need to fight dirty creatures with honor!
Moved by the words, Yeongwoo firmly grabbed Master Bang’s arm in return.
Thud!
“Master Bang! Glory overflows in this city!”
Just then, where the dragon Moracus had vanished, smoke began to rise.
Shiiiiii.
“Huh?”
Yeongwoo was the first to notice and quickly drew his sword again, but Master Bang gestured for him to calm down.
– Little Foot, don’t you see?
“…See what?”
– Part of Mara is now here.
With that, Master Bang pointed to where the smoke was rising, and there, a sword made of tentacles began to take form.
Sssrrrip.
The sword, looking as if it had been made by intertwining innards, was unmistakably…
‘Wow… it looks like something a villain would use.’
Yeongwoo had just gained one more cursed sword.
———