Chapter 33 – Inspection Office (3)

“Oh, they noticed in advance?”

When Sun-woo’s party formed up in advance, the Spear Master showed interest. They had prepared much faster than he expected.

The collision between the harpies and the party followed.

Some of the harpies that had been falling toward people with irregular movements suddenly flinched and stopped flapping their wings.

And bullets were fired toward the stopped harpies.

Screech!

The shot harpies screamed and crashed down.

“The coordination is good?”

At the magician’s words, the Spear Master nodded.

“A telekinesis user and guns. They seem to be a well-matched party. Their breathing is well-synchronized.”

But the Spear Master soon retracted his words. Michael’s shouting and Hayden’s snort reached his ears, enhanced by internal energy.

“How can you start on your own! You’re wasting bullets!”

“Hmph, you can’t hit anything because you lack skill.”

Anyway, thanks to their coordinated attack, some harpies couldn’t approach Sun-woo’s party and crashed, but the remaining harpies broke through the gunfire and approached the party.

That’s when Nan-seol moved.

“Whoosh!”

Her movement was so beautiful that whistling sounds automatically came from the sniper and thief’s mouths.

Her appearance, soaring into the air while her robe fluttered, was like that of a celestial maiden. But unlike such beautiful appearance, her sword was sharp.

As she brushed past the harpies, blood spurted in the air and harpies with severed wings crashed to the ground.

She kicked off the falling harpies and used the reaction to fly toward other harpies. The flying harpies were instead being toyed with in mid-air by a human.

While others were admiring her movements, the Spear Master became serious.

“Could it be that she didn’t use points on martial arts?”

Her movements showed no excessive internal energy and no forced movements. Moreover, even her sword was ordinary. Her appearance was that of a proper martial artist who had trained for a long time.

The Spear Master couldn’t understand. Not using points during continuous dangerous missions. Of course, properly trained martial arts would shine in the distant future, but there was no way she could do such leisurely things when called as a summoned.

“Already at peak level without even using received points. Is this truly the talent of a Sword Sovereign?”

Jealousy briefly crossed the Spear Master’s face.

While Nan-seol was eliminating the harpies, Daniel was firmly protecting Hayden and Michael’s front with his shield raised.

“They fight well? We probably won’t even get to see the other two people’s skills.”

As Nan-seol finished off the remaining harpies, the magician spoke regretfully.

But the Spear Master shook his head at her words.

“It’s not over yet. This contaminated creature is smart. Throwing companions as bait to create a trap.”

He was right. While Nan-seol and the other party were busy dealing with the remaining harpies, other harpy flocks soared up from the opposite rock cluster.

“Huh? But they don’t seem to care?”

As the magician said, Sun-woo’s party continued focusing on the harpies they were currently catching without caring about the harpies approaching from behind.

“This means they knew in advance… Is there an ability user specialized in senses? Anyway, now we can see the abilities of the remaining members.”

The Spear Master quietly observed Sun-woo, who was kneeling on one knee on the opposite side of the party.

But Sun-woo showed no movement until the harpies approached right in front of them.

When even the Spear Master began to wonder along with the other party members, Sun-woo moved.

The Spear Master felt explosive internal energy surging from Sun-woo.

“What, that’s proper internal energy?”

The Spear Master’s eyes widened at the unexpectedly pure internal energy, but that wasn’t the end.

Rumble!

“An earthquake?”

When the ground made rumbling sounds and shook, the magician grabbed the Spear Master’s sleeve in surprise, but the Spear Master’s eyes didn’t leave Sun-woo.

It wasn’t an earthquake. The ground right in front of Sun-woo, behind Sun-woo’s party, had risen up.

Thud!

The thick wall that instantly rose blocked the harpies’ front, and most harpies couldn’t change direction in time and crashed into the wall.

Blood splattered on the wall. The sharp harpies’ claws came halfway through the thick wall due to their fast speed, but such rapid collision was too much for the harpies’ bodies to endure.

Only a few harpies that had started late barely managed to fly up over the wall, but even those harpies couldn’t escape.

Because Sun-woo followed from behind. The ground beneath Sun-woo’s feet rose up, pushing Sun-woo upward. A massive pillar shot up, and Sun-woo, now right behind the harpies, swung his swordsmanship now named toward the fleeing harpies.

Slash!

The harpies were precisely split in half, flesh and bone alike, and the sword that cut through two harpies didn’t have a single drop of blood on it.

“What the hell is that?”

The dumbfounded thief’s words represented everyone’s feelings.

“That looks like sorcery from our world… Moreover, it doesn’t look like sorcery that humans use.”

Even the magician frowned.

“So he used martial arts and magic? No, sorcery together? He’s definitely from our dimension, so how is that possible?”

As the sniper said, the party had never seen a summoned who used abilities from other worlds, and moreover, possessed abilities from multiple dimensions.

“Anyway, he’s really amazing? The others are fine too, but that man using sorcery would be good to have as a comrade.”

“I think this is the first time you’ve praised another man?”

At the Spear Master’s words, the magician’s eyes lit up.

“Could it be jealousy? Ho ho ho, don’t worry. You know there’s only Spear Master Kwak Woon for me.”

At her words, the Spear Master gave a bitter smile. They were two people in different dimensions. They could only meet during missions, yet she always approached with such sincerity.

The Spear Master, who had been briefly sentimental, subtly changed the subject.

“Anyway, they’re quite an excellent team. We can entrust the rear to them like this.”

His party all agreed, and the Spear Master gave a small nod toward Sun-woo’s party visible in the distance before departing again.

The party, relieved of rear guard burden, had lighter steps than before, but the Spear Master’s steps were still heavy. The heavily settled energy was bothering him.

‘Could it be because I forcibly pulled it up using elixirs and secret methods?’

He thought of Nan-seol’s appearance but immediately shook his head. It was too late now. Moreover, having witnessed the deaths of countless comrades since being summoned, he would definitely use the same method even if he went back.

***

“Spear Master seems to be apologizing?”

Nan-seol told the party about the Spear Master who had briefly bowed his head, but Michael only snorted.

“Hmph, what good is an apology after everyone’s dead.”

Though Michael’s words were extreme, they weren’t entirely wrong.

“More importantly, I don’t think we can consider them ordinary beasts.”

As Sun-woo said, these were harpies that had set up layered traps. Like their woman-like faces, they seemed to think like humans.

Even now, if Sun-woo hadn’t noticed in advance, they might have faced quite a difficult situation.

“They’re one of the monsters that are difficult to deal with despite not having special abilities. The contamination source is probably the leader of the harpies… It won’t be easy.”

“Well, there’s a fearsome warrior who shoots spears like cannons, so what’s there to worry about? Let’s just take care of the rear.”

At Michael’s words, the party began moving with chuckles, following the party ahead.

And several harpies were watching their figures from the distant sky.

***

After that, the two parties passed through steep cliff faces and entered a massive canyon.

While climbing the cliff, harpies occasionally attacked, but they couldn’t damage the party.

But facing the canyon, the party had to stop their steps.

“It’s like a smaller Grand Canyon.”

As Michael said, it was a massively carved canyon. Both cliffs were connected by rock walls full of holes, and murky light was flowing throughout the entire canyon.

“I really don’t want to go in there.”

“No matter how you look at it, it’s definitely a trap.”

Facing the canyon, Michael was terrified and Daniel also became serious.

But they had to enter. The murky light flowing through the canyon indicated there was a contamination source inside the canyon, and the front summoned team had already entered the canyon trusting the Spear Master.

“Tsk, if they weren’t contaminated creatures, it would be fine to just turn around and leave here.”

Michael sighed and entered inside. It had been a while since there were many contaminated creatures. With points scattered ahead, he couldn’t let this opportunity pass.

Along with him, others also carefully entered the canyon. They had to eliminate the contamination source anyway. Trusting the Spear Master’s team ahead and their comrades, they moved forward.

It was as everyone expected.

As Sun-woo’s party entered deep into the canyon, harpy flocks began appearing on the cliff tops. But the harpies didn’t attack the party immediately.

“Are they scared from the previous attack? Why are they just watching from afar?”

But they weren’t gathered above the canyon just to watch. The harpies’ mouths opened and scream-like strange cries began flowing out.

“Really spine-chilling sounds.”

Daniel and all the party members frowned at the sharp sounds.

Soon the party formed up in preparation for attacks after strange cries like before, but the harpies’ cries didn’t stop.

Screeeech!

No, rather the sounds grew louder. The strange cries of dozens, hundreds of harpies created vibrations with each other and began resonating throughout the entire canyon.

“Argh. My ears feel like they’re going to burst.”

Summoned like Michael and Hayden who couldn’t protect their ears with energy began screaming.

‘Could it be? Are they using the canyon as a resonance chamber?’

The harpies seemed to be amplifying sound using the canyon like the resonance chamber of a speaker.

If they continued to let them cry like this, it would be serious. The Spear Master seemed to think the same.

Once again, the Spear Master’s spear aimed at the sky.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh.

This time, dozens of blue light streams began shooting into the sky. The Spear Master’s invisibly fast thrusts continued, and each time he thrust upward, rays of energy shot from the spear began dropping the screaming harpies.

More than half the harpies crashed in an instant. But many still remained, continuing their cries, and summoned who couldn’t use martial arts couldn’t move.

The problem was that the Spear Master, who had shot sword energy, no, spear energy, had collapsed on the ground.

His internal energy had been unstable, and the problem had finally erupted.

Fortunately, with the reduced number of harpies, it seemed they couldn’t deal fatal damage to the party. But seeing the Spear Master collapse, the harpies were trying to attack the party.

[It seems he’s had a mild qi deviation.]

Nan-seol’s telepathic message was heard. Qi deviation where problems occur due to internal energy conflicts. It’s said to be more dangerous for higher-level experts, and it had to happen right now.

Sun-woo sighed. There was never a way to get through safely.

Currently, among Sun-woo’s party, only Sun-woo, Nan-seol, and Daniel could fight, and from the Spear Master’s party, only the magician was available.

But the magician was stuck close to the collapsed Spear Master and didn’t seem to have any intention of moving, and Daniel had to stay to protect the party that couldn’t move.

Sun-woo looked back at Nan-seol, and Nan-seol nodded at Sun-woo’s gaze.

The two who had agreed silently began running toward the inside of the canyon.

They had to eliminate the contamination source before the party was harmed.

Nan-seol and Sun-woo disappeared into the canyon, and a cold light flashed through the eyes of the Spear Master, who sat collapsed while glaring at their figures.