Amidst all the smoke, Connectors fought each other in the streets, something forbidden within Armstrong city . It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the current situation within the city was a shit show . However, it wasn’t as if the situation outside Armstrong city was great either .

  “Did you find it?”


  Earlier, Sungyoon’s ears had picked up an explosion that had emanated from the direction of the Armstrong city’s outer walls . An explosion had indeed occurred at the outer wall, which was one of the most important structures in the city . Thus, Armstrong city’s higher-ups had dispatched troops to the outer wall . It was a priority for them .

  “Uh! I found it . ”


  The outer wall now had a big cavity inside it along with traces of fire and impact damage .

  “I think someone detonated an explosive here . ”


  “Do you see the culprit?”


  “No . ”


  A team of Connectors surveyed the surroundings . They only saw broken debris from the devastating explosion and no traces of any human beings .

  “Thankfully, the explosion couldn’t create a hole through the wall . ”


  The outer wall of Armstrong city was very thick, so it had survived the significant damage caused by the explosion . This situation was good news for the humans living in the city .

  Clap!

  The leader of the group clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention .

  “We are fortunate that the outer wall is intact! However, more suspicious items might still exist nearby, so we’ll do a sweep before departing to help catch these terrorists! It’s absolute chaos in the inner city right now!”


  “You don’t have to tell us . We can see what’s happening right now . ”


  The investigators looked toward the urban district of Armstrong city . Red flames and black smoke were still making their presence known to them, and the sounds of explosion and destruction erupting from within the city made it clear that a battle was ongoing .

  “Yes . Things aren’t going well . That is why we have to quickly—”


  “L-leader!”


  A desperate yell rang out as one of the investigators ran up next to the leader of the team . The leader had sent this investigator outside as a precaution . The man was supposed to be on patrol, yet he had returned .

  “What’s wrong?”


  “Ou-outside……”


  The man was having a hard time getting his tongue to work properly . He stumbled over his words a couple of times . The leader didn’t press him for an answer . In fact, he gave him some time to gather himself .

  After the man finally got control over his tongue, he barely spat out some words that made all of them turn pale .

  “It’s crawling with monsters outside!”


  It was then that the investigators realized the flow of magical energy on their skins .

  ***

  Sungyoon’s party didn’t know that a serious threat was approaching Armstrong city . They were focused on defending themselves from their pursuers’ attack as they headed toward the city hall .

  Sungyoon was too busy to think about anything . He had to fend off attacks from a very skilled foe that had set his eyes on him . If Sungyoon’s concentration slipped even a little bit, the mace could bash his head . Even in such a dangerous situation, Sungyoon felt a sense of deja vu .

  ‘His movements feel familiar . . . ’


  Suddenly, a voice disturbed him .

  “@#%^$!”


  Sungyoon couldn’t understand the language that came out from the mouth of Plu-El, who was slung over Tim’s shoulder .

  “What the hell? What’s wrong with this woman?”


  After being handed over to Tim, Plu-El had been quiet . So when she went berserk, Tim was taken aback . However, Tim wasn’t in a position where he could let Plu-El do what she wanted . He kept her from moving .

  “*#&#$^@^#@^&!”


  She kept yelling at the man attacking Sungyoon .

  “#$^$#Sung Hyunwoo#$%#$%!”


  ‘What did that woman just say?’


  The voice distracted Sungyoon, and his arm came close to being crushed by the mace . He desperately deflected the mace as he looked at his attacker .

  ‘Sung Hyunwoo? Mr . Hyunwoo?’


  Now that he thought about it, he realized that the man’s build was similar to Sung Hyunwoo . He just couldn’t confirm it since the man’s entire body was encased in armor . Of course, Sungyoon could be mistaken, but the suspicion within his heart had blossomed when he heard Plu-El’s words . He felt as if his suspicions were turning out to be true .

  Plu-El kept cursing .

  “*&#%^#%Jungbum#$^#$!”


  She once again said a word that he could understand, a word he had a lot of ties with .

  ‘Mr . Hahn Jungbum?’


  Sungyoon knew that she knew Sung Hyunwoo, but he never expected her to know Hahn Jungbum too . The information that he had to find out from Plu-El had now increased . However, it was not the time to do that yet . They had to first hurry up and escape from this fight .

  Thankfully, they were close to their destination . They ran through the deserted streets to arrive at a four-way stop, then they took a sharp left turn .

  ‘We just have to run in a straight line!’


  Sungyoon assumed he would be running through another deserted street . However, what he saw on the street left him stunned .

  “What the hell!”


  “This can’t be!”


  Tim shouted out loud, and Emily mumbled . Their reactions were different, but the emotion they felt was the same .

  Shock!

  “Why are monsters inside Armstrong city?”


  Tim’s voice rang out within the city .

  ***

  “What are you going to do?”


  The half-bald Deputy mayor tried to press the Mayor for an answer . The Mayor didn’t know what to say as he kept his hands around his head .

  ‘What the hell is going on? What should I do?’


  The Mayor kept asking himself as he went over the incidents happening in his city . However, he couldn’t find any answers .

  “.…… How many Connectors do we have left?”


  He was barely able to open his mouth . Seeing the response, a bit of color returned to the Deputy mayor’s face . The person in charge was about to do something, and this bolstered the spirit of the people working under the Mayor .

  “We are contacting everyone, but there are too few of them! This is especially true of high rank Connectors!”


  ‘This is why I told them we needed to maintain the minimum number of Connectors that I prescribed!’


  All the countries had unreasonably pulled back most of their Connectors from Armstrong city . They did it in the name of national security .

  As he thought about that, the Mayor cursed those countries . However, it didn’t matter if he cursed them a thousand or a million times . Nothing would change .

  “The terrorists are chasing the Knight and his party, and there are two groups?”


  “Yes! The investigative team we sent to the site of the explosions reported back . In all of these places, explosives were rigged to a timer! The culprits were nowhere to be seen!”


  “Please contact every Connector that you can reach . I don’t care if the outer wall is destroyed . We’ll activate the outer defense to prevent any monsters from entering the city from outside . In the meantime, the Connectors have to prioritize killing the ones that are inside the city . Then they can go out and fight the foes outside!”


  “Yes! What should we do about the Knight, who is coming here?”


  “Tell him to use the portal . He can go to the other city for a short time . ”


  “What? Are you sure about that?”


  The existence of the portal was one of Armstrong city’s top secrets . If Sungyoon used the portal to run away, it would be revealed to his pursuers .

  “It’s fine . I planned on revealing that information in the near future anyway . The portal isn’t as important as securing the woman right now . ”


  The Mayor’s eyes turned cold .

  “The monsters’ attack might be a coincidence, but it also could have something to do with the two groups who pulled off this terrorist attack . They pulled off this bold move to seize that woman . This means she’s much more important than we thought . ”


  Such a deduction and execution was to be expected of a man who could climb up the ranks to become the mayor of Armstrong city .

  “Tell the Knight to leave her in that city, and then, immediately return to Armstrong—”


  Kwahng!

  “Mayor!”


  One of the city hall’s employees slammed open the door, almost breaking it . The Mayor and the Deputy mayor frowned at the same time . They knew their subordinate wouldn’t act this way if he had good news, especially in their current situation .

  “What’s wrong?”


  He really didn’t want to ask the question because he was sure that the employee was about to say something that would give him a headache . However, as the mayor, he was obligated to hear it .

  The employee uttered the cursed statement . It was a statement signifying that the worst-case scenario was about to unfold .

  “A Connector near the Great Labyrinth sent a message……”


  The employee shut his eyes as he almost yelled out his news .

  “He confirmed that magical energy is leaking out of the Great Labyrinth too! Monsters are crawling out of the Great Labyrinth!”


  ***

  Kwahhhhng!

  Sungyoon’s party kept their pursuers in check as they fought through the monsters in their way . They were surrounded by enemies on all sides, but this new development did give Sungyoon’s heart some comfort .

  ‘I can use the portal now!’


  If he used it, he wouldn’t have to continue their troublesome efforts to escape from their pursuers . He would just have to open a portal and ask his party to throw their bodies through it . The pursuers’ efforts would become futile . Nevertheless, Sungyoon didn’t plan on using it unless it was a dire emergency .

  ‘I have to keep it a secret . ’


  If the person who kept attacking him was Hyunwoo, he couldn’t reveal the fact that he could open a portal . However, it was also true that his party could only hold out for a couple of seconds if Hyunwoo decided to get serious .

  Sungyoon kept a close eye on the man he suspected to be Hyunwoo as he got ready to open the portal at any moment .

  As the party dashed forward, Grace and Emily cleared the monsters in front, while the two men kept the pursuers at bay .

  Thankfully, the monsters in front of them seemed to have come out from the Beginner’s labyrinth . So, Grace and Emily effectively dispatched them .

  Just as the party thought they had gained some breathing room, a single existence ruined everything .

  Koo-ohhhhhhhhhhh!

  A roar stopped everyone dead in their tracks, and the fighting ceased .

  The monsters that had been indiscriminately attacking the humans also froze . All the Connectors, including Sungyoon’s party, turned toward the source of the sound .

  “.…… What is it now?”


  Tim cussed . He got an ominous feeling as a tingling sensation ran down his flesh .

  The roar had come from the direction of the Great Labyrinth .

  As soon as everyone realized this, the ominous feeling amplified by several folds . An enormous dark shadow emerged from the entrance of the Great Labyrinth .

  Sungyoon knew this monster very well .

  It was the first monster that had appeared on Earth . It was the monster that made him into a global star . It was a monster that had made him the Knight .

  “Behemoth . ”


  The Behemoth that had shown up on Earth was a weakened one . However, this Behemoth possessed its full strength when it emerged into the human city . It then let out an enormous roar to announce its presence .

  Koohng!

  The Behemoth took an enormous step and easily destroyed a building in the process . It was a surreal moment .

  The Behemoth looked like a lion attacking a group of rabbits . A small smirk appeared on its mouth as if it was mocking the beings called humans .

  Zzuh-uhk!

  It opened its mouth wide . At the same time, a bright light appeared on the mouth .

  All the Connectors knew what followed this phenomenon . The Breath! It was the attack that had almost destroyed the Buckingham palace and killed the queen .

  “Shit!”


  Even Sungyoon had to swear when he saw this .

  When the light became as bright as it could be—


  Puh-uh-uh-uhng!

  An enormous beam of light shot forth from the Behemoth’s mouth .