Level Up Machine

Chapter 130 The Guardian (3)

– Ziiiiiing.

The plasma gathering in the Manticore’s mouth grew even hotter.

Even from more than 50 meters away, the heat was intense enough to sting the skin.

Gil-soo, who had laid Yeong-sik on the ground, stepped in front to shield him.

He slightly bent his waist and raised his shield.

He tightened his grip on the shield.

An A-rank shield that ordinary summoners could only acquire after years of effort.

Although it was a shield far too good for him, it now felt incredibly inadequate.

‘Can I block it?’

Feeling the searing heat, he asked himself.

Finding the answer wasn’t difficult.

‘There’s no way I can block it.’

He couldn’t even properly block a single attack from an A-rank android.

There was no way he could block an attack from a mechanical monster that had swept through an android army like they were toys. Besides, it wasn’t just any monster; it was a Manticore.

Even before it became mechanized, it was a monster with power comparable to a Ranker. It was on a different level from an Ogre or Cyclops.

Imagining the dreadful power of such a monster after mechanization was impossible.

It was only natural that the thought of running away crossed his mind.

Gil-soo turned his head to look at Yeong-sik, who was writhing desperately on the ground.

If he abandoned Yeong-sik and ran now, he might escape the range of the plasma attack.

If he was going to make a choice, this moment was his only chance.

The excuse that Yeong-sik would manage well on his own without his protection also came to mind.

He thought that since everyone in the guild knew he couldn’t block it with his power, they wouldn’t hold him accountable for running away.

?Ziiiiiing.

The plasma’s heat reached its peak.

Gil-soo looked around for someone who could protect him instead.

But the guild members were in just as desperate a situation, frantically swinging their weapons.

Tiria was far away, single-handedly holding back the main force of the mechanical monsters, making it impossible for her to come.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in that fleeting moment, only to subside just as quickly.

He was terrified. The thought of his body burning black under that attack made his legs tremble.

He had been told countless times that he was a good person.

He had always been someone who cared for others, to the point where people called him foolish.

But that didn’t mean he was a saint who had transcended the fear of death.

He wanted to run away immediately, to somehow save his own life, to the point of madness.

However, despite that, he couldn’t easily move his feet.

Thinking of Yeong-sik behind him, he couldn’t move his body.

“Asshole.”

Before coming to this world, on Earth, Gil-soo had even taken out a loan to help pay off the debt of an old friend who was buried under a mountain of debt.

He was the only friend left to Gil-soo, who had been busy being used and taken advantage of since childhood.

But as soon as his friend paid off all his debts with Gil-soo’s help, he immediately changed.

The cold sneer he had worn was etched in Gil-soo’s mind like a brand.

His friend’s criticism pierced his heart sharply.

Gil-soo firmly shut his mouth.

He didn’t think he had the right to resent his friend.

The words “asshole” that he spat out were too perfect to describe himself.

He was always the one being taken advantage of, and the one who provided the cause was none other than himself.

“What are you doing? Hurry up, run away.”

From behind, he heard Yeong-sik’s voice, sounding like it was about to break.

It was the voice of a young man who had not used him for the first time and had not turned his back on him.

‘Maybe it was simply because I had no value.’

Gil-soo smiled bitterly and tightened his grip on the shield.

It was entirely possible that he wasn’t used because he had too little value.

Yeong-sik wasn’t just a fool who was only kind like himself.

But even so.

“Hahaha…

Gil-soo let out his characteristic good-natured laugh.

Somehow, a part of his heart felt relieved. His two feet, which had been trembling anxiously, firmly supported the ground.

So what if he was used again? So what if he was an asshole?

At least he had lived a life he wasn’t ashamed of in front of himself.

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

“What nonsense… are you talking about?”

“Hahaha. At times like this, let me show off a bit. Ah, maybe this should be done by a beautiful woman like Ara?”

Sorry for being an old man, he continued with a gentle laugh.

Gil-soo pulled the shield towards his body. His mind, which had been full of complicated thoughts, became clear.

He could block it. He had to block it.

After the dungeon raid with Leviathan, he painfully realized his own powerlessness.

That’s why he trained like a madman.

He repeated it over and over.

He was anxious because Yeong-sik, who had started with him, was moving further and further away, out of his reach.

‘In the end, I couldn’t awaken.’

“You’re just a hindrance, hyung.”

Park Cheol-tae’s painful words passed through his mind. He knew that this was his current position.

But he couldn’t stay that way forever.

-Whang!

A plasma blast aimed at Gil-soo shot out.

A tremendous heatstorm swirled around.

The heat was enough to melt the surrounding ground.

“Whew.”

Gil-soo exhaled shortly, summoning all the mana in his body.

“Light Shield!”

A pure white shield of light formed in front of him.

Five layers of light shield collided with the plasma blast.

-BOOOM!

“Ugh! Ah, ahhh!”

The terrifying force tore through the light shields. It took only one second for all five shields to be completely shattered.

The skill that had drained all his strength was destroyed in just one second.

It was so disheartening that it almost made him laugh.

But there was no time for that laughter to escape his mouth.

The plasma blast that had shredded the light shields like paper struck his shield.

“Urgh! Ahhhhhh!”

Ssssss!

In the overwhelming heat, the A-grade rare shield, Radiance Shield, melted. The hand holding the shield started to burn, emitting acrid smoke.

Unbearable pain shook his entire body.

‘Must… block it…!’

Gil-soo gritted his teeth, suppressing the urge to let go of the shield immediately.

At that moment, a teaching from the Protector class advancement manual came to his mind.

-Protecting is not about blocking; it’s about receiving.

‘Bullshit!’

Not blocking but receiving?

It was nonsense. How was he supposed to receive this insane heatstorm that was pressuring him?

There was no time to talk about absorbing and releasing force.

In the face of overwhelming power, techniques lost their meaning.

Even just grazing it could set his body on fire and kill him, so what was there to absorb and release?

‘Endure it.’

He had to endure it firmly. Even if his body burned, even if his shield melted. He couldn’t let his feet move.

All the skills he had desperately learned until now were meaningless.

He had no room to pay attention to the nonsensical teachings anymore.

The only thing left for him was the firm determination to protect Yeong-sik.

‘Block it.’

No matter what, he would block it.

Even if his whole body turned to ashes, he would endure.

He wouldn’t care about receiving and releasing.

Gil-soo abandoned all the techniques he had learned so far. His mind cleared as if cold water had been poured over it.

-Woong!

A blue light burst out from his entire body.

The blue light, spread like a curtain, supported his back.

A magical barrier reminiscent of an iron wall.

Ding.

A clear bell sound rang in his ears.

[You have stepped into a new realm.]

[You have reached the pinnacle of the concept of ‘blocking’.]

[You will advance to the hidden class ‘Lord of the Iron Wall’. As a result, advancing to ‘Protector’ is no longer possible.]

[The level cap has explosively increased to 105.]

[Due to accumulated experience points, your level has risen to 102.]

[All skills with ‘Iron Wall’ in their name have been raised to the highest level.]

[You have acquired the new skill ‘Iron Wall Shield’.]

[You have acquired the new skill ‘Iron Wall Steps’.]

[You have acquired the new skill ‘Iron Wall Guard’.]

[You have acquired the new skill ‘Lord of the Iron Wall’s Presence’.]

-BOOOOM!

The plasma blast, which seemed like it would lightly burn his entire body, began to gradually retreat.

Without a moment to grasp the massive power surging through his body, Gil-soo spoke the skill that came to his mind.

“Iron Wall Guard!”

-Thud!

The formidable mana emanating from his body spread in all directions.

A gigantic mana barrier, spanning 30 meters, unfolded behind him.

The iron wall formed behind him moved forward. Consequently, the plasma blast was pushed back.

It wasn’t just the plasma blast that was pushed back.

All the attacks from the mechanical monsters that were assaulting the guild members were deflected by the iron wall and bounced backward.

“Huff, huff!”

“Gi-Gil-soo ahjussi?”

The guild members, who were in the midst of fighting mechanical monsters, turned their gazes to Gil-soo.

Having expended an enormous amount of mana at once, Gil-soo staggered and collapsed on the spot.

“Ugh!”

Gil-soo desperately exerted strength into his knees, which were about to give way.

It wasn’t time to collapse yet.

Though he had temporarily repelled all the attacks from the mechanical monsters, the situation was far from resolved.

Hundreds of mechanical monsters still remained, and they were not significantly affected by a single blocked attack.

All he could do was ‘block’; he couldn’t wipe out the monsters.

Thud.

At that moment, a hand rested on Gil-soo’s shoulder.

“You’ve done well, Gil-soo ahjussi.”

The one who placed a hand on his shoulder was Yeong-sik, who had stood up.

“You?”

Gil-soo, thinking of Yeong-sik who had just been collapsed on the ground moments ago, looked incredulous.

“Leave the rest to me.”

Yeong-sik passed by him with a faint smile.

“Haha…”

With his strength exhausted, Gil-soo slumped to the ground.

The sight of Yeong-sik walking forward entered his view.

His vision blurred as Gil-soo’s consciousness gradually faded. But a smile full of relief was etched on his face as he lay on the ground.

-Clank. Clank.

Yeong-sik walked forward, donning a black suit.

Ssssss!

White steam burst out explosively through the gaps in the suit.

-The basic computing device has been restored to normal.

-Activating Lacteon Type 2.