[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 381

‘Oh… dazzling.’

‘So that’s the Divine Stone?’

Mukho and Anima couldn’t take their eyes off the glowing stone in Jeong-hoon’s hand.

When it had been buried, the Divine Stone had been a massive boulder. But the moment it touched Jeong-hoon’s hand, it shrank to the size of a fist.

“Yeah. Tenebris, it’s thanks to you that I got it so easily.”

It’s a bit of a shame though. Maybe because it was buried for so long, a lot of its energy has faded.

“Still, it’s something.”

Jeong-hoon swiftly absorbed the energy from the Divine Stone.

[You have acquired 0.01% of Divine Energy.]

[You have acquired 0.02% of Divine Energy.]

[You have acquired 0.024% of Divine Energy.]

……

The percentage of Divine Energy began to rise.

But the amount was disappointingly small—far below what he’d hoped for.

The once-luminous Divine Stone lost its light, and the Divine Energy percentage, which had been at 47.54%, rose only to 48.81%.

An increase of more than 1% is actually quite a lot.

“Looks like I’ve gotten too used to expecting more.”

Gathering Divine Energy was an incredibly difficult process, but he had been lucky with a series of fortuitous encounters, which had made him momentarily forget how difficult it normally was.

I’ve still got a few hidden away. If you find all of them, you might be able to push close to 60%.

“Got it.”

For now, focus on collecting the Divine Stones.

Jeong-hoon stepped forward using Heavenly Demon Lord’s Dominion and exited the Demon’s Forest.

* * *

“We’re back, Mother!”

Yeo Sunwoo, Yeo Min-Ji, Kim Bong-Goo, and Damian Loud returned from their mission to activate the barrier via the checkpoint.

“You’ve done well, Min-Ji.”

Lee Na-Yeon welcomed them warmly, and not long after, James Marcus and Jang Hajin, who had gone on patrol, also returned safely.

Everyone had fulfilled their roles successfully.

With this, they could now prolong the first round as much as possible.

“But… it looks like you’ve gotten very close.”

James Marcus glanced at Lee Na-Yeon.

Right beside her, Sophia and Amelie clung to her, refusing to be separated.

“Y-Yeah, I guess so.”

Lee Na-Yeon laughed awkwardly.

All she had done was explain the conditions required to begin the 6th Advancement to Sophia and Amelie.

The two had completely opened up to her after she openly shared what had been a closely guarded secret. And then, after experiencing her generous and thoughtful advice, they had both come to admire her deeply.

“Fufu, James! We’re going to complete the 6th Advancement first!”

Amelie declared proudly, leaving James stunned.

“What are you talking about? We’re still in the middle of a survival league!”

“Oh, of course, we mean after the league ends.”

“Fufu, just don’t be too shocked later. Mother, you must promise not to tell James anything!”

James Marcus felt chills run down his spine at the sight of them forcing out nasal voices just to act cute.

“…But why am I the only one left out…?”

It was baffling.

Shouldn’t good things be shared among comrades?

He had carried out his assigned role in the first round diligently—yet now he was being made to feel excluded?

“That’s not it. Of course, I plan to share it with everyone.”

Thankfully, Lee Na-Yeon fully intended to inform them all.

“Then, if it’s not too much trouble, could I ask you as well?”

A brief glint flashed in James’s eyes.

Although his level was high, he was still stuck at the fifth advancement.

He desperately wanted even the slightest clue toward the sixth, but it remained an ungranted, unknown realm.

If there was now a way to set foot into that territory—how could he possibly turn it down?

“Understood. But only after the Survival League ends safely.”

“Of course. That goes without saying. If we lose the Survival League, we all die. I would never leave Earth’s fate in someone else’s hands.”

James’s firm declaration made Na-Yeon nod in satisfaction.

“Alright then. I’ll write it down for you on a note.”

“Yes!”

“Then… may I ask as well…?”

Louis Verdanth cautiously raised his hand.

He, too, had participated in the Survival League but hadn’t been given a specific role in combat.

The reason was simple.

As a priest, he had stayed back at the base, casting divine blessings and serving as a buffer.

Thanks to his successful work, everyone present—Louis Verdanth included—was currently under the effect of a divine blessing.

“Of course.”

“…Thank you so much!”

Louis Verdanth beamed as he expressed his gratitude.

Rumble—

Just as the cheerful mood was settling in, the Colosseum at their main base suddenly trembled.

At the same time, a third of the base’s defense was wiped out.

“What the hell…?”

James Marcus’s face went rigid.

They had activated the checkpoint, and overlapping barriers should have been in place.

And yet the enemy was landing direct hits on their base?

How was that even possible?

“Just a moment.”

Lee Na-Yeon returned to her seat, her face hardened.

Something’s wrong. There’s no movement from the enemy.

If the first strike was meant as a warning, the second was a shot of annihilation.

The moment it struck, the victim couldn’t be healed, couldn’t receive buffs, and their body would gradually disintegrate over time.

It was destruction in its purest form—the frontliner Harpha had been incapacitated after a blow to his thigh.

The Harphas showed no signs of regrouping or advancing again, but—who in the world could’ve caused such devastation to the Colosseum?

“Mother… I don’t think we’ll be able to buy much more time.”

Before anyone noticed, Yeo Min-Ji had quietly come up beside her and whispered,

“What is it?”

“When the defenses dropped earlier… some writing appeared on one of the walls.”

“Are you serious…?”

“Yes.”

Just as Min-Ji had said, letters had indeed been engraved onto the wall of the Colosseum.

[Remaining in the base for too long will result in a penalty.]

…What the hell is this supposed to mean?

“But isn’t the mission to defend the base…?”

“I don’t understand it either.”

“They really are trying to make us lose, just like Hoon said…”

“……”

“If that’s what they want, then let’s give it to them.”

“Shall we move straight to the next operation?”

“Yes. Looks like we won’t be able to buy much more time anyway.”

Lee Na-Yeon picked up her sniper rifle.

* * *

“Urgh…”

Even after losing his leg, Frost’s condition only worsened by the minute.

“…Frost.”

Raura called his name weakly.

She had used all her strength trying to heal him, but his state wasn’t improving—in fact, it was rapidly deteriorating.

What kind of attack could reduce a warrior as durable as Frost to this…?

“Guh!”

In the end, Frost died coughing up a mouthful of blood.

As one of their own silently passed away, the remaining Harphas rose from their seats in silence.

So did Chopper.

But his demeanor was calmer than ever.

“A salute… to a great warrior.”

They gave Frost a respectful burial and saluted.

It was their way of making sure he didn’t walk the path of death alone.

Once the salute ended, the Harphas picked up their weapons.

“Humans will die by our hands.”

“Frost, we’ll get revenge. No matter what.”

They were furious.

Bang!

A gunshot echoed—and Chopper’s ears twitched.

“That was a gunshot. The humans are on the move.”

“…Let’s go.”

The Harphas departed from their base and advanced forward.

“I’ll take tanking duty.”

Frost had been focused on detection, which meant he wasn’t able to use his defensive skills properly—resulting in a fatal gunshot.

But if they focused on defense from the beginning, this time it would be a winnable fight.

"Check the checkpoints we haven’t activated yet.”

If the humans were making a move, it meant they were planning to strike at their main base.

That meant they had to use the barrier network to defend.

Bang!

Another gunshot rang out.

“They’re even closer now…”

Chopper listened carefully, gauging the distance by ear.

“Are they intentionally letting us estimate their range? There’s really no reason to be shooting otherwise,” Curtis asked from behind while checking the nearby checkpoints.

“Yeah. They’re trying to mess with us.”

Just one shot had killed Frost.

So the humans were probably assuming they were now sensitive to gunfire—and were exploiting it on purpose.

“Idiotic humans. Do they think we’ll panic?”

“We are great warriors. Life means nothing to us.”

The Harphas quickened their pace and charged forward.

“Chopper, which direction is the sound coming from?”

“That way.”

Chopper pointed to the 2 o’clock direction.

“Got it.”

Belos, who had been preparing magic, extended his hand toward that direction.

A thin strand of magical thread surged out and shot into the sky.

Bang!

“They fired again.”

“Good. I’ve locked on and I’ll bind them now—”

Bang!

Snap.

Just then, another gunshot cut through the air—and the magical thread was severed mid-air.

Belos’s face turned to shock.

“What are you doing? Why are you just standing there?!”

Unaware that the spell had been broken, Chopper shouted at Belos impatiently.

“I-I don’t know… What’s going on…?”

At that moment, another shot rang out.

Belos collapsed to the ground.

A bullet had pierced straight through his head. He was killed instantly, a hole left in his skull.

“Belos! Laura, quick—do something, anything!”

Chopper frantically shook Belos’s body and called out to Laura.

Bang!

Another gunshot.

The next victim was Laura.

Just like Belos, a bullet tore through her head. She died instantly.

“Shit! The barrier isn’t responding at all!”

“Mule! What the hell did you do that we can’t even block a single bullet?!”

“I told you, I don’t know! The barrier system is still running right now!”

“Fine, whatever! But do you have any other options? At this rate we’re all dead!”

“J-Just give me a second…”

Mule, the one who had activated the barrier, was so rattled that he couldn’t make a clear decision.

Why wasn’t the barrier responding at all?

No matter the attack, the barrier should have to be destroyed first before anyone could be harmed—yet these bullets were bypassing it entirely.

“H-Hey, we need to retreat. If we keep this up, we’re going to be wiped out!”

They had made a grave miscalculation.

They’d assumed that Frost had been taken out simply because they weren’t properly prepared.

But that wasn’t it.

It wasn’t a lack of preparation—it was a sheer, overwhelming difference in power.

“It’s too late.”

As Chopper spoke, he lowered his head.

“Too late…?”

“They shot Belos and Laura from a position I couldn’t even detect. You know what that means.”

They were already within range.

It meant the enemy could wipe them all out at any moment—if they felt like it.

“……”

“When the divine one personally stepped in, we should have realized something was wrong back then…”

A monster.

Yes.

Those things—they’re monsters wearing human faces.

If just a single sniper could dismantle them this easily, how strong would the rest of their forces be?

And yet… as time passed, no further gunshots came.

“What’s going on…? Why aren’t they firing?”

They were already within effective range. They could’ve ended the league at any moment.

“…Are they playing with us?”

At those words, the surviving Harphas’ faces went rigid.

They, the proud warriors, had been reduced to the playthings of humans?

“You bastards! If you’re going to kill us, just do it already!”

“Keep moving forward! Even if I die, I’ll take one of them with me!”

Bang!

Almost like it had been waiting for those words, gunfire rang out again—uncannily precise.

Three more shots.

Two Harphas were killed instantly. One was hit in the abdomen and severely wounded.

And then—nothing.

No more gunfire came.

As if the enemy was now simply watching what they would do next.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]