novelraw Chapter 71 : Chapter 71
Chapter 71 : Chapter 71
Chapter 71 : Strike Team
When Sal opened his eyes, he saw Quest sitting at the coffee table in front of them.
Behind him stood Neuro, who spoke with a broad smile.
“You all did really well. We were right to assume that Commander doesn't have precognitive abilities! The strike team reconnoitered the location Neuro tracked and confirmed the target. Anna Sakura will teleport to the site and block Essence usage. So they can't even counterattack.”
When everyone put on shocked faces, Quest burst into laughter.
“Don't be deceived by her appearance. Ms. Anna is in the Savior Class and is a top student in the assassination module. She received training specialized for operations like this. With Jez, Sinclair, and even Lars joining… honestly, it's almost overkill. The Source Guild is officially handling the reconnaissance, but the strike team will likely take care of most things.”
Sal rose from the sofa and looked around at the smiling faces in the room.
Yet, a deep anxiety washed over a corner of his heart.
“Aren't you thinking too complacently? You saw that Commander overturn operations countless times. Is this really enough?”
Contrary to Sal's expectation, Neuro chuckled softly.
“It might feel that way, Sal. From your perspective, it must have looked like we were always just chasing behind. The responses we made so far were reactions based on incorrect information. Ah, I misspoke a bit.”
Neuro looked toward Divinity and smiled apologetically.
“We moved to that Commander's tune within the information we had. On top of that, our capabilities were suppressed because we prioritized student safety. But in a situation where our hands and feet aren't tied, we can show quite decent skills.”
Then, the Headmaster smiled and picked up the tablet on the table.
“Source is streaming the situation live to the analysis team. There won't be any major issues with us watching directly. It wouldn't be bad for you to see their performance firsthand either.”
As Quest manipulated the tablet, one entire wall of the Sky Lounge transformed into a giant screen.
Neuro pointed to the glass wall on the other side of the lounge.
“You can probably see it from over there too. Is Jez being a bit energetic?”
Quest looked at the screen with expectant eyes and smiled bitterly.
“I still don't understand why that man decided to become an instructor.”
Most people in the room moved to seats where they could see the screen well and exchanged smiles of relief.
On the other hand, when Sal looked at Divinity, she also wore the same anxious expression as him.
At that moment, Barry tapped his shoulder and laughed.
“Did you see yourself fighting the vampire? I thought you almost won….”
Sal burst into laughter unknowingly, and Divinity looked at Sal with bewildered eyes.
She looked past Sal at Barry and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
“I looked pretty cool in the vision, didn't I? Is that how you usually see me?”
Barry's face turned red, and he stopped laughing, shook his head, and turned his gaze to the screen.
“I just tried to think of something cool… and it came to mind by chance. Really.”
“So that means I'm an existence that frequently comes to your mind?”
Sal sat back and watched the two bickering as if enjoying it.
As Barry became increasingly defensive, Divinity didn't stop teasing.
“No, absolutely not like that! I needed a face I could use among the people I know… and you just happened to be there… so it just ended up like that. There wasn't enough time either!”
Divinity nodded slowly and leaned slightly toward Barry.
Barry stepped back a little from his seat, looking embarrassed.
“Well, anyway, I liked that I came out looking cool.”
Barry turned his gaze back to the screen, but embarrassment still lingered on his face.
“Thanks.”
At that moment, the screen began to show a clear picture, and everyone in the room fell silent.
The screen showed a Prowler running quickly through a dark cave.
Rocks embedded in the walls pulsed quietly, illuminating the cave.
A hand appeared on the screen and sent a series of rapid signals.
Quest explained the meaning to the students.
“Dungeon entrance discovered. Sinclair in the lead. No contact with the enemy.”
Sal and the others nodded and continued to watch the screen.
A fully armored knight quietly revealed himself next to the camera operator and began to move, following the Prowler.
The tunnel turned several times, but the Prowler led the unit without hesitation.
When the screen suddenly swiveled, Sal gasped.
Because a monster appeared right in front of his eyes, within attacking distance.
With its torso half-hidden in the wall, it cocked back an arm with sharp claws, preparing for an ambush.
The moment the monster's upper body burst out of the wall, a nimble figure wrapped entirely in black sprang forward like lightning.
As a result, the monster's severed torso fell to the cave floor.
Quest grinned and turned to Sal.
“I told you. She's really good.”
Sal was engulfed in shock realizing that the figure who sliced the monster in one go was Anna Sakura.
The screen flickered a few more times, continuing to show battle scenes.
But it was embarrassing to call it a battle.
Because Anna Sakura was taking down enemies with a single touch.
Her Essence nullification ability made it impossible for monsters to open portals.
As a result, portals closed midway, repeatedly severing the monsters' bodies.
“This makes no sense. Just how many….”
She moved like a ghost between walls, occasionally brushing past the front of the screen.
As Barry exclaimed in awe at each piece of loot they ignored and passed by, some veterans in the room burst into laughter.
Dungeon exploration continued at a rapid pace, and the entire strike team advanced without losing speed.
Sinclair, in Prowler form, led the unit past enemies.
“If Sinclair clears the front, the strike team handles it immediately.”
Location information and observations were transmitted through the camera, and Quest narrated all of it.
The tunnel was designed to be structurally accessible to all locations where combat classes were scheduled to be held, beyond the existing barriers.
When this message was delivered, Sal and Divinity felt dizzy.
Because they realized the reality that the attack was virtually certain.
When the screen turned off and back on again after a while, they had already descended to the lower level of the dungeon.
“The tunnel has gotten much wider. There's evidence that Hulkers dug this place out.”
The strike team paused without advancing further, checking their equipment and preparing for the upcoming battle.
Among them, an armored knight took off his helmet, took out a bottle that looked like a flask, and swallowed liquid.
Sal and the group realized that figure was Jez.
The team members exchanged simple intentions with hand gestures.
Jez added somewhat vulgar movements at the end, like shaking his hips back and forth.
The person filming tried to cover the screen hurriedly, but everyone had already seen it.
Sal burst into laughter and felt a little relieved seeing Divinity enjoying the atmosphere beside him.
Quest laughed and turned to Neuro.
“Won't you join our faculty? The standards aren't that high.”
Neuro smiled and shook his head.
“My daughter would kill me. So I'll decline.”
The strike team carefully resumed movement, but they still maintained their speed.
When a few monsters revealed themselves, they were immediately dealt with by Anna Sakura.
However, suddenly dozens of vampires dropped from the ceiling in a swarm, attempting an ambush.
A flash of light covered the camera in white, forcing everyone in the room to cover their eyes or turn their heads.
When the light disappeared and darkness returned, only vampire corpses were scattered on the screen.
Jez kicked one of them down the tunnel as he passed, and the energy of the cameraman glaring at him was transmitted through the screen.
In response, Jez only showed an apologetic gesture, shrugging his shoulders while wearing armor.
Sinclair guided the way from a distance, occasionally stopping to wait for the unit to catch up.
Nothing happened for a long time like that, then suddenly Sinclair ran like lightning and rejoined the unit.
He transformed his whole body into a Hulker form, turned around, crouched toward the darkness ahead, and prepared for impact.
The camera shook violently, and judging by the reactions of others on the screen, the entire dungeon seemed to be trembling.
Sal, Divinity, and Barry leaned forward in their chairs, unable to hide their tension.
Sinclair's massive body was covered in scales like black rock, and the muscles underneath had a dark purple hue.
It was when he turned his head to check the team's position.
“Uh, over there…!”
Sal saw at least four or more Hulkers charging through the space next to Sinclair.
Jez approached Sinclair's side and raised his right arm high.
Light erupted from his palm and condensed into a long spear shape.
That single spear brightened the entire tunnel.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward with his left foot, leaned back, and threw the spear relentlessly deep into the tunnel.
The camera twisted to secure a view between Sinclair and Jez, but what appeared on the screen was a flash that seemed to blind eyes just like before.
Sal blinked a few times and turned his gaze away from the screen.
Seeing Barry gasp beside him, it seemed to have been a scene too good to miss.
Sal endured the stinging in his eyes and stared at the screen again.
The wreckage of the Hulkers was truly disastrous.
Perfect semicircular traces were carved over the corpses, with fragments of light remaining on the surface.
“Jez's attack must have pierced through.”
Parts of the bodies had evaporated entirely, and the glowing remnants gave a strange ominous feeling at the end of the tunnel.
Jez patted the shoulder of Sinclair in Hulker form as if it were nothing and gestured for him to take the lead.
Then Sinclair instantly returned to Prowler form and carefully avoided passing the Hulker corpses.
Sal and the group continued to watch the strike team carefully enter deep into the dungeon.
They had already descended two more floors.
“They say they've almost reached the target now.”
Quest interpreted the hand gestures continuously transmitted on the screen.
“It's already been two hours since the streaming started.”
While Sal was surprised that time had passed so quickly, Sinclair suddenly stopped and returned to human form.
He conveyed information with hand gestures and pointed deeper into the tunnel.
His expression was firm and professional.
Sal couldn't believe that this man was the same person who had traumatized the entire freshman class.
As the content of the hand gestures was captured on camera, Quest sighed in relief and turned toward the sofa.
“Other strike teams have arrived ahead as well…. It seems there are no casualties.”
Sal tried to check again, thinking he had heard wrong for a moment.
Quest didn't miss Sal's reaction.
“We are thorough about student safety issues. As soon as we confirmed the target location, we deployed all teams. We didn't want to give them a chance to escape.”
Sal looked at Porge, who appeared on the screen.
He was wearing plate armor covering his whole body and holding a hammer as big as his height.
There was an engine on the hammerhead, and a bead burning like a flame was embedded in its center.
Behind him, Upgrade, wearing Epic rank armor, followed with all her mechanical arms transformed into hand cannons.
Seeing her whole body surrounded by a glowing shield, Sal instinctively felt she was armed with formidable defensive power.
Looking at her on the screen, he was speechless.
Then Neuro's quiet voice came from behind.
“I didn't know you would become so close with Upgrade, Sal. I never imagined she would step out onto the field again. But there she is right now…. Plus, she dragged out that old-fashioned tyrant too. She said it was all for your safety.”
When Sal turned to Neuro, he was looking at the screen again with a calm smile.
More figures joined the main strike team, all communicating with simple hand signals.
Porge and Jez grasped each other's hands.
At that moment, Sal could see the rarely seen smile of the Workshop's craftsman.
The fact that people he knew were moving together as heroes inside a dungeon felt simply surreal to Sal.
Just imagining being there with them sent shivers down Sal's spine.
Quest smiled broadly and said.
“Looks like the main stage is about to begin!”