Possessor #2 Just Wants to Fangirl Chapter 190

The 10th floor’s setting was the ancient Ethiopian Kingdom.

This stage was divided into three major zones.

Fields cultivated by farmers, a residential area densely packed with thatched huts, and the city center where administrative buildings and nobles’ mansions gathered.

— We have to get to that pyramid!

Yeon Sora’s group’s destination was the pyramid located in the middle of the city center. The reason was simple.

— There’s only one entrance, right? It’s perfect for safely locking up the kids and fighting outside.

The plan was to use the pyramid as a vault to store potential hostages inside, then the treasure-hunting group would sneak out while Hyeonmin fought the war just guarding the entrance.

The problem was transporting the hostages to the pyramid.

— The difficulty’s way higher than expected? I didn’t anticipate Triple Hell….

The Tower adjusted difficulty according to the level of those entering.

Because the mastermind had entered, the current difficulty was ‘Triple Hell.’ There were more traps and obstacles than the ‘Hard’ level taught at the academy.

— Looks like the advance team needs to set the route….

Gyeon Junhwi entrusted the movement route to the advance team of Ki Hyeonmin and Yeom Juwan while informing them of several precautions.

Ki Hyeonmin reviewed that content while running.

‘Three missions total….’

The advance team’s homework was as follows:

— Secure the path’s safety as much as possible. We need a path even Yeon Sora can walk.

— The ‘terrorists’ will probably attack when there are many hostages. Still, reduce the number of ambushing enemies as much as you can.

— Naturally it’d be good if you handle monsters along the route too.

While organizing what lay ahead, Yeom Juwan, who’d been running ahead, stopped. Because this zone’s monsters had appeared.

“Dire wolves?”

Bodies five times the size of normal wolves.

Somewhat troublesome monsters that acted in packs of at least 10.

“Monsters really do get upgraded….”

At ‘Hard’ level, only ordinary blue wolves appeared. ‘Dire wolves’ hadn’t even been taught in class yet.

Yeom Juwan immediately assumed combat stance while feeling Triple Hell difficulty on his skin.

Whoooosh!

Swish-swish-swish!

Yeom Juwan’s flame whip and Ki Hyeonmin’s sword subdued the monster pack in the blink of an eye.

This level wasn’t a major obstacle for the two boasting the freshmen’s top combat power.

“Fortunate it’s an open space.”

Zone 1 was the fields.

Without obstacles, they just had to shoot monsters on sight, so there wasn’t much difficulty.

The two circled the entire zone several times, handling all monsters they found. There were no incidents.

“Moving to the next zone.”

Leaving Zone 1, Ki Hyeonmin checked the homework list.

— Naturally it’d be good if you handle all monsters along the route too.

Monsters only appeared in the fields. Having completely cleared this zone, one homework assignment was complete.

Two assignments remained.

* * *

Zone 2 was the residential area.

Where farmers lived together, densely packed with thatched huts. The appearance of walls made from earth with roofs woven from straw was quite similar to Korea’s thatched houses.

“Stop here for a moment.”

Ki Hyeonmin ordered Yeom Juwan to pause and surveyed the surroundings. His gaze swept the ground rather than above.

“Why? Is something there?”

“A sinkhole.”

“Where?”

Ki Hyeonmin answered with action instead of words. Picking up an appropriate stone from beneath his feet and throwing it exactly 3 meters forward—

Crrrrick!

Grrrumble!

The ground cracked and completely collapsed. A huge hole revealed itself. The collapse stopped exactly before Yeom Juwan’s big toe.

“Ground collapse that only activates at Hell difficulty or higher.”

Yeom Juwan broke out in cold sweat looking down at the sheer cliff spread right before him.

If he’d just mindlessly charged ahead….

“Can’t see the bottom. Pretty deep?”

“113 meters.”

“How do you know in such detail? The location too.”

“…I’ve read about it.”

“Ah, you prepared diligently? I didn’t even think to research Triple Hell….”

The 10th floor’s ‘Triple Hell’ settings weren’t in the class curriculum. But it was material one could find if motivated.

While Yeom Juwan admired Ki Hyeonmin’s thoroughness and reflected,

“……”

Ki Hyeonmin stayed silent. Because he couldn’t say he hadn’t done any research.

‘Come to think of it, this difficulty level is familiar.’

Ki Hyeonmin was actually more familiar with Hell difficulty. Because in worlds where Gyeon Junhwi and Yeon Sora hadn’t possessed anyone, he’d passed most stages at Hell difficulty.

He’d directly experienced the 10th floor’s Triple Hell setting twice, and thanks to that, he understood all obstacles and traps intimately.

‘Without Yeon Sora, there won’t be additional variables.’

While Ki Hyeonmin, whose mind became rather comfortable, reviewed remaining sinkhole locations, Yeom Juwan looked around.

“But how do we cross this?”

“Jump over it.”

“……”

After a brief silence, Yeom Juwan continued.

“We two can just jump over it, but the other kids can’t, right? This looks about the width of a four-lane crosswalk….”

“…I see.”

Ki Hyeonmin poorly gauged ordinary people’s physical abilities. Therefore, he hadn’t considered the possibility itself that they couldn’t jump over this level of sinkhole.

‘Come to think of it….’

Among Gyeon Junhwi’s precautions was a considerably tricky item.

— Secure the path’s safety as much as possible. We need a path even Yeon Sora can walk.

If Yeon Sora’s stats were the standard… things became complicated in many ways.

Jumping was naturally impossible, and even if they made a suspension bridge, she couldn’t use it. Running across thatched house rooftops was also impossible.

Yeon Sora was a variable even without being present.

“Should we look for a detour? Even if we go around a bit, that seems the only method?”

The sinkhole had completely consumed the main road. To detour, they’d have to enter alleyways, but alleys were paths barely wide enough for two people to pass.

Ki Hyeonmin shook his head.

“If I were the enemy, I’d ambush there.”

If over 40 people moved through such narrow alleys, they’d be no different from an elongated earthworm.

They could place combat forces at the head and tail, but those exposed at the waist would be defenseless.

Yeom Juwan propped his chin and frowned.

“Can’t detour and can’t move forward… what do we do?”

“I need time to think.”

“Ki Hyeonmin, even you don’t know something?”

“I’ve never… done this kind of thing.”

Though in his 7th cycle, Ki Hyeonmin had zero experience commanding large numbers.

In past lives, when the mastermind attacked, cadets scattered in all directions to survive individually.

He’d never had over 40 people moving as a group like now.

“Would be nice to contact Junhwi, but unfortunately communications are blocked….”

At Yeom Juwan’s muttering, Ki Hyeonmin inwardly nodded too.

‘Come to think of it….’

In this life, Gyeon Junhwi and Seong Hayul had set the route. Ki Hyeonmin hadn’t needed to worry about routes multiple weak people could traverse at all.

But now he had to do it alone.

‘Not something a sword can solve.’

Looking down at the sword he held, Ki Hyeonmin felt a small sense of dissonance.

‘Using this kind of sword on the 10th floor is also a first.’

Ki Hyeonmin mainly used cheap weapons on the Tower’s lower floors. Because he had no great talent for earning money.

But this life, there was the holy sword Yeon Sora had tributed.

‘……’

Suddenly with a strange sense of déjà vu, a specific person’s voice echoed in his ear.

— Ki Hyeonmin! Just smash it!

Back then too, he’d held a holy sword on lower floors. A coincidentally recalled memory. But thinking about it, it wasn’t a bad method. With this sword now, it was entirely possible.

“Fill the hole.”

“Fill it….”

Again action was faster than answer.

Ki Hyeonmin leaped into the air, and—

[Activating Unique Skill <White Lightning Slash>]

He consecutively launched sword strikes toward thatched houses near the sinkhole.

Grrrumble!

After confirming five houses completely collapsed, Ki Hyeonmin raised sword wind and pushed the thatched houses’ debris into the sinkhole.

After carrying out large-scale construction like that, Ki Hyeonmin examined his sword blade. No chipped sections at all. No cracks either.

‘This is also a variable.’

Ki Hyeonmin had barely used his unique swordsmanship on lower floors. Because there were no weapons that could withstand that power. But now it was possible.

He hadn’t particularly been conscious of it, but once he became aware, numerous variables existed everywhere.

Grrrumble!

Grrrumble!

Ki Hyeonmin collapsed all nearby thatched houses and used that debris to fill the sinkhole. But just adjusting height wasn’t enough. Because Yeon Sora would trip and fall even on small cracks.

Crrrrick!

After cleanly slicing the thatched houses’ cross-sections, Ki Hyeonmin laid them down like paving asphalt.

“Can Yeon Sora walk on this level?”

“……”

He’d asked the Yeon Sora expert, but Yeom Juwan only blinked for a while.

Ki Hyeonmin’s appearance casually kneading and remodeling the city like playing in sand. It was already beyond the human realm.

“Yeah, this should work.”

Soon recovering his senses, Yeom Juwan smiled innocently.

‘I just need to do what I can do.’

He realized again that attempting to compare himself with Ki Hyeonmin was foolish in itself.

Letting everything go made his heart rather comfortable.

* * *

After that, Ki Hyeonmin filled sinkholes two more times while advancing. Having passed Zone 2 like that, what remained was Zone 3.

To enter the city center that could be called the ancient kingdom’s heart, they had to pass through the castle gate.

But before the castle gate was a peculiar obstacle.

“That’s lava, right?”

A pond filled with red lava exceeding 1,000 degrees high temperature. Such lava ponds surrounded the castle walls.

“Is this also because of Hell difficulty?”

This time Ki Hyeonmin frowned.

“This didn’t originally exist. The enemy installed it.”

“Lava? How?”

“They penetrated to Earth’s core and inserted a pipe.”

An obstacle the mastermind had prepared. Therefore, an obstacle Ki Hyeonmin also hadn’t anticipated, but there was no need to worry.

“Stay back.”

“How far?”

“……”

After measuring distance from the lava pond, Ki Hyeonmin moved Yeom Juwan a safe distance and drew a line on the ground.

“Cross this line and you’ll get hurt. If lava flies, dodge it. If it touches you, nerve endings and subcutaneous fat melt. Even drinking a potion takes 20 minutes to recover.”

Having said that, Ki Hyeonmin again took action.

KA-BOOM!

This time instead of demolishing buildings, he left a giant sword mark on the ground.

The pooled lava pond moved along the deeply carved crack in the ground. Like creating a river by opening a path in a pooled pond.

Ki Hyeonmin sliced the castle wall with practiced hands and laid it over where the lava had been.

“Can Yeon Sora walk?”

“Yeah, plenty. Are there sinkholes in the city center too?”

“No.”

The city center had stone-paved floors, so no additional traps or obstacles. The path ahead was walkable even for Yeon Sora.

With this, the second homework was also done.

One assignment remained.

— The ‘terrorists’ will probably attack when there are many hostages. Still, reduce the number of ambushing enemies as much as you can.

Zone 3 had many stone houses rather than thatched ones, and buildings about 2-3 stories tall were densely packed.

If the mastermind ambushed archers on building rooftops, they could easily turn passersby into pincushions. At least… Yeon Sora would fall victim.

“Visibility isn’t good here.”

In combat, whoever occupies high ground has overwhelming advantage. Ki Hyeonmin’s solution was simple.

Grrrumble!

Grrrumble!

Flatten everything. So there’s no high ground.

The logic was that if there were no buildings, they couldn’t hide on building roofs to attack.

At this point, even Yeom Juwan hesitated.

“Ki Hyeonmin, isn’t that… a bit much? Bulldozing the entire city center is….”

Seeing the city’s wreckage left by a human bulldozer, Yeom Juwan automatically felt guilt.

Though the people who’d resided here had disappeared, they wouldn’t welcome their hometown becoming dust. But Ki Hyeonmin was firm.

“We must minimize ambushing enemies.”

“That’s… true.”

If enemies were ambushing somewhere, it was better they came out now.

If they attacked later when moving with hostages, having many people to protect would constrain movements. Them attacking now was best.

‘But somehow….’

This time Yeom Juwan felt a strange déjà vu. Feeling like he’d experienced a similar situation recently, a voice echoed in his ear.

— Let’s eliminate the rabbit hole! Instead of us adapting to the rabbit hole, the rabbit hole should adapt to us!

‘Did Hyeonmin also get influenced by Sora?’

* * *

City center’s exact middle.

On the pyramid’s peak, a person was carefully observing this entire situation.

A man wearing white robes and a white porcelain mask.

The mastermind who’d personally deployed to the front lines, Astaroth.

Though his features weren’t visible behind the mask, he was inwardly grinding his lips.

‘What the hell is that! That monster!’

He knew Ki Hyeonmin’s skills were excellent.

But this… wasn’t a matter of skill.

On a floor he’d never visited even once, not just easily clearing Triple Hell difficulty obstacles but even doing urban development to his taste—watching that left him speechless.

Then,

[B-Bishop, what should we do?]

He heard flustered subordinates’ voices in his ear.

Archers ambushing on building rooftops while wrapped in invisibility skills.

[Should we retreat for now?]

[At this rate, our building will also collapse.]

Ki Hyeonmin was turning the entire city to dust while moving.

Like a human bulldozer, or like a tractor completely plowing a field. Crudely charging while pushing away everything before his eyes.

And if he demolished just five more buildings ahead, he’d reach the ambush location.

Perhaps because of that, subordinates’ voices were full of tension.

[Sword strikes at that level will endanger several lives.]

[That bastard’s presence detection is excellent, so secretly escaping is also impossible.]

[If we don’t fight, we have to die silently.]

The mastermind had tried to start combat with a surprise attack.

The core of surprise was unexpectedness. You could only call it a surprise attack when striking the back of the head at timing the opponent didn’t anticipate.

But… could this situation really be called a surprise attack?

[B-Bishop! You must give the signal!]

Somehow he had an ominous premonition.