Pop, pop, pop!

[Critical Hit activated!]

Blood sprayed from Mursiellios forehead as a storm of gunfire rained down, the precision effect of Super-Fine Shooting hitting the same spot repeatedly.

Aargh!

Overwhelmed with rage and pain, Mursiellio screamed. Never had he imagined he would be humiliated like this, a commander who had led numerous swarms at the behest of the queen. This was an affront to his honor.

Why are you flying around so openly instead of hiding behind your bugs? Its like youre asking to be shot down.

Jinhyuk clicked his tongue. Perhaps this was what they meant when they said, Moths and fools rush towards high places.

Human scum I will not let this go!

[Mursiellio employs Yellow Dust!]

Particles, each like the flap of a butterflys wings, spread around as a fine yellow powder danced in the air. To allies, it was miraculous dust that instilled wisdom, but for enemies, it was devilish powder inducing loss of sanity and madness.

The cloud of dust fanned out, encircling Jinhyuk.

Its dust laced heavily with hallucinogens. Ill thoroughly brainwash you with it and then play with you every night. Beg as you might for more dust, I wont easily comply. Hehe.

Hmm. That sounds quite dangerous.

Moreover

That slow speed wont do the job.

No matter how powerful the attack, its useless if it can be evaded.

Jinhyuk nimbly maneuvered through the gaps in the dust.

Then

Who said I was slow?

Buzz!

The incoming dust accelerated, obstructing any retreat and closing in without leaving any gaps.

But just as the dust was about to reach Jinhyuk

He unleashed a torrential barrage of gunfire at the incoming cloud.

Bang, bang, bang!

What do you think you can do with that pathetic gun? Are you really trying to shoot all that dust? No matter how foolish

What? Huh? Oh?

Confusion dripped from Mursiellios voice during his taunt.

No matter how big the particles of dust, at their core, they are still just dust. And to have all of it neutralized

What sort of monster can Uh ah

Mursiellio stuttered.

Didnt I tell you? Youre slow.

Fool! Kill him! What are you waiting for, kill him!

Screeech!

Screech!

At Mursiellios command, bugs joined the fray.

Giant centipedes burrowed into the sand and disappeared from view, while dozens of wasps charged with their venomous stingers thrust forward. Giant rhinoceros beetles and various carnivorous plants also formed a dense wall, exerting pressure.

Since skill isnt enough, you resort to quantity Typical insect thought process.

Swish, swish, swish!

Seemingly in a flash, the four-bladed swords dispersed blades that spread out in all directions.

A sword technique uniquely developed when he climbed the Tower in the past.

Or perhaps technique was too grand a word since there were no inherent formsit was a mere set of optimized motions for the effective use of the four-bladed swords.

It could almost be likened to a dance, designed primarily to irritate the opponent.

But

The one thing it did excel at was finding and exploiting weak spots.

[Unique ability Grave of Swords unlocked!]

With added ki energy, the techniques potency was unimaginable.

Screeech!

Arrrgh!

Pieces of bugs scattered across the ground.

Slice!

Slash!

His sword pierced through sand as if alive.

Then

Groooar!

Kwaargh!

Centipedes hiding in the sand and waiting for openings sprung out only to twist and wriggle helplessly as they were skewered by the four-bladed swords.

Crunch!

With a swift swing of his blade, Jinhyuk silenced their screams.

Why dont you come at me yourself instead of hiding behind bugs and playing with your precious minions? Youre like a crumpled Tinkerbell.

A crumpled Tinkerbell?

In our worlds fairy tale, theres this fairy After getting hit by a car once No, let me start over. Maybe after getting hit by a 10-ton truck Nope, that wont suffice. Maybe after about ten hits, you might look somewhat similar.

He had tried to wrap his mockery in the gentlest packaging he could, so as not to wound too deeply. Truth be told, aside from gender, they had little in common.

How dare you mock me, a noble of the great Insect Tribe? Ill personally put my full power into crushing you.

[Mursiellio attempts Cocooning!]

[All injuries will heal.]

[If the cocooning completes and envelops the entire body, defense will increase by 3800%.]

White threads began to wrap around the giant butterflys body.

Cocooning.

This reflected the insects trait of growing through transformations.

The moment you witness my true form will be your end huh?

But

Mursiellio tilted his head in confusion as the person who should be attentively listening was nowhere to be seen.

His antennae wriggled.

He tried to sense his enemy throughout his body.

And there he appeared, out of nowhere, right above Mursiellio.

The layer of Wind Domain stacked with Sword Demon Heavenly Steps allowed him to make movements nearly akin to short-distance spatial teleportation.

Thud.

Jinhyuk landed atop the cocoon, his gun aimed directly at Mursiellios head.

Who said I would wait?

This was no childs anime where one applauds the transformation.

I, wait

Desperation filled Mursiellios voice, but the guns muzzle was already glowing red with condensed magic power.

If Cocooning fully activated, thered be no chance, but just before the completion, movement was restricted and weaknesses fully exposed.

It only lasted a few seconds.

This was the prime moment to kill the butterfly creature.

Dont feel too bad. Theres no monster that can resist my taunts.

Please, nooo!

Bang, bang, bang!

The red magic bullets shattered the cocoons exterior and pierced straight through the brain.

[You have leveled up!]

[You have leveled up!]

[You have acquired Mursiellios Wings (Material).]

[You have obtained 500mg of Yellow Dust.]

Kiieee!

Kiii!

The bugs began to rampage then.

Normally, with the loss of their commander, they would go berserk, biting each other or scattering, but their abnormal behavior suggested something else was at work.

Rumble, rumble!

Vibrations passed through the ground.

Saved me the trouble of seeking it out.

The boss of the 16th floor, maimed and missing an arm, took action.

Boom!

The ground overturned, and a giant insect with a black exoskeleton emerged.

About 5 meters in size, it resembled a Hercules beetle but tried to stand high above its insect peers.

This was the queen and the climax of this raid.

My children

The queen looked over the corpses strewn across the ground.

Her gaze held defeat, anger, and emotions beyond that.

If you anger a greater being above, you should die quietly. Even if you struggle here, your fate wont change.

Really? Youre aware of whats happening outside of the Tower?

Underestimate the entity that rules this floor at your peril. I possess far greater knowledge and information than your meager scraps.

The queens gaze fixed on Jinhyuk.

It seems you plan to kill me and acquire an artifact to oppose them. But its a futile effort. While you spend hours here, the psyches outside the Tower will reduce your world to ash.

Wow, you even have it all calculated out. Smarter than I thought, for a bug.

Jinhyuk let out a wry chuckle.

But do you realize?

Even if Im not there, it doesnt mean that world lacks the strong.

If Shub Niggurath himself were to appear, thatd be a different story.

But his underlings could be handled by those strong enough in that world, prepared for such an eventuality with a Plan B and various contingencies.

And

Why do you think Im going to spend hours here?

[Activating Memory of the World.]

Jinhyuk waved his hand through the air, and the library of countless stored skills materialized behind him.

[Activating Sanctuary of the Sun!]

Flip, flip, flip!

Pages turned as the stage of Egyptian deities manifested, erasing the world once ruled by the queen of the swarm.

Desert, Sphinx, great pyramidsan area with these attributes appeared, with golden beams supporting a barrier from the heavens.

Where is this?

Surprise and fascination tinted the queens eyes.

Daylight shone brightly on the gun in his left hand, and Blood Magic Energy pulsed within the sword in his right.

There was no need to drag this out for hours.

Ill end this in three minutes.

The smirk disappeared from Jinhyuks face.

Following the gates opening, darkness fell upon major cities worldwide.

Burned buildings and abandoned cars marked the empty urban centers.

Amid the apocalyptic scenes, survivors who couldnt escape the hell trembled in fear.

Mom, Im scared

A childs whines echoed through an underground parking lot.

Well be safe here, wont we?

A woman who appeared to be the childs mother spoke cautiously.

Ive surrounded us with a flame that disrupts magical detection, they shouldnt find us easily.

The chess pieces are set as bait. We cant hope to fight, but theyll buy us time to escape.

Min Jungwoo and Lee Yoori reassured the people.

After distributing whatever food and water they had, they finally found a moment to breathe.

Sigh. Its more serious than I thought. Were completely isolated, arent we?

Heh, what can we do? With things like this, our only choice is to survive.

Youre too relaxed. If that Gang Jinhyuk guy doesnt show up soon, were all doomed.

Hmm, it seems more like inviting a tiger to chase away a wolf to me.

The goats are the wolves outside, and the tiger must be Gang Jinhyuk, right?

The other way around would be improbable, wouldnt it?

Well, thats true.

The two recalled their fateful meeting with Jinhyuk at the National Museum and shuddered at the memory.

Yoori, in particular, had memories of making chess pieces all night to the rhythm of work songs.

Do you two also know Player Gang Jinhyuk personally?

Kim Gitaek of the Ssaoulabi Guild reacted at the mention of Jinhyuks name.

He too had been isolated here since coming to Daejeon as part of the vanguard.

Oh, you know him too?

Yes, Ive worked with him a few times.

Because of that accursed guy, things got twisted from the start. We could have had a serious advantage. Every time I think of it, my head still throbs.

I was quite taken aback when he burned the National Treasures map. I was completely fooled too.

I burnt a national treasure Well, I have been duped by that man several times too. Haha.

A peculiar camaraderie formed among the three.

Though it was almost always bittersweet.

Still.

There was one certainty.

He will come.

Of course, he shall. That fella might use people, but hes not inherently bad-hearted.

Thats correct. Player Gang Jinhyuk will definitely come up with something.

The trio believed.

They believed that Jinhyuk wouldnt abandon everyone.

And that no matter how hellish things seemed now, if Jinhyuk arrived, it could change everything.

Thats when it happened.

Boom!

A loud shockwave roared through their ears, and dust cascaded down from the ceiling.

What on earth Yoori, dont tell me theyve found us?

Th-the chess pieces Damn it. Not just the decoys, but all the ones I placed to cover our escape are destroyed!

Yoori screamed, her face as pale as a ghost.