Level Up Machine

Chapter 131 Unresolved Questions (1)

-Boom

A black flash darted by. The body of the mechanical monster split in half along the path of the black light.

‘First, let’s start with this area.’

The main force of the mechanical monsters was being held off by Tiria. For now, the priority was to take care of the separate unit of mechanical monsters that had emerged from underground.

-Kung! Ku-Kung! Ku-

The back of the suit opened, revealing dozens of cannons.

“Lock on.”

A red dot appeared on the suit’s visor. The missile trajectories were mapped out in his mind, following the red dot.

“Bombard.”

-Kwaaaaaaang!

A simultaneous launch of all the missiles.

Dozens of missiles began to pour down like rain.

“Graaaah!”

“Kieeeeeeeeek!”

With a horrifying explosion, the bodies of the mechanical monsters burst apart like sheets of paper. The destructive power was on a completely different level compared to the missiles launched by the mechanical monsters.

If he hadn’t been wearing the suit, he wouldn’t have been able to show such overwhelming force, but with the suit on, it was a different story.

The Lacteon Type 2 was a weapon that surpassed SS-grade rare items, something that seemed straight out of myth.

“Ice Blast!”

“Chain Explosion!”

As Yeong-sik joined in, the previously tense battle situation began to tilt in their favor.

Moreover, with the newly gained leeway, Ara and Chae-rin cast higher-level magic.

Ice Blast, created by absorbing all the mana from the staff’s cold energy.

Chain Explosion, shooting oxygen bullets in all directions.

Even mechanical monsters with bodies so tough that bullets couldn’t penetrate them couldn’t withstand the devastating power of the two spells.

The explosion, mixed with heat and cold, swept through the surroundings.

“Alright!”

As the mechanical monsters were thrown into chaos by the explosion, Yu-na charged at them like a fierce beast.

The crimson flames that clung to her twin swords greedily devoured the bodies of the mechanical monsters.

The mechanical monsters that had attacked the Salvator Guild from underground could not withstand the subsequent attacks and fell to the ground one by one.

“Good! Let’s go save unni now!”

Yu-na shouted in a voice full of vigor.

Turning towards her, Yeong-sik spoke.

“No. Yu-na, you continue to retreat with the guild members.”

“W-what are you talking about? Are you planning to leave unni behind?”

Yeong-sik slowly shook his head.

He continued speaking as he looked at the main force of mechanical monsters that Tiria was holding off.

“Tiria, I’ll go save her. Yu-na, you secure the escape route in the meantime.”

“Can’t we just fight them?”

“There are too many monsters. We can’t deal with them within the suit’s time limit.”

She was well aware that his suit had a time limit.

If Yeong-sik couldn’t use the suit’s power here, there was no way to handle the horrifying number of monsters.

No, even with the suit, there was no guarantee they could win against that many monsters.

Each mechanical monster had the strength to rival a ranker.

“But what if you and unni get surrounded…”

“It’s okay. I have a backup plan for that situation.”

“Ugh… Alright.”

At his calm voice, Yu-na nodded.

She thought that if Yeong-sik spoke so confidently, he must have a plan.

“Please take care of it.”

Yu-na clenched her fist and turned away.

Yeong-sik nodded and launched himself towards where Tiria was.

The light from the boosters on his back exploded, propelling him at supersonic speed.

-Kwaang! Thud!

“Haa, haa!”

Tiria was still holding off hundreds of mechanical monsters along with the remaining B-grade and higher android troops.

However, she was starting to reach her limit, and rough breaths were escaping her lips.

The six radiant wings were gradually dimming.

“Tiria.”

“Ah, Yeong-sik!”

She called out to him with a voice mixed with relief and joy at his appearance.

“What about the others?”

“They’ve all started to retreat safely. Now we just need to get you and me out of here.”

“Ah, understood.”

Grabbing Tiria’s wrist, Yeong-sik turned to leave. At that moment, a faint, almost broken voice reached his ears.

[Ma-master. I’m glad you’re safe.]

It was the voice of Lacteon, half-destroyed and lying on the ground.

Yeong-sik loosened his grip on Tiria’s wrist.

‘Lacteon…’

An android he had created. A machine with intelligence and emotions.

In a way, it could be considered his child.

Seeing Lacteon lying there half-destroyed made the back of his neck heat up.

-Ssss.

His vision blurred.

Something overlaid the fallen Lacteon, like a TV screen with noise.

‘What is this?’

A sense of familiarity, as if this had happened in the past, washed over him.

A torrent of emotions from forgotten memories shook him.

[Mas… ter…?]

‘There’s still some time left.’

Calculating the remaining time of the suit, Yeong-sik turned towards Lacteon.

It wasn’t too late.

He could still save him.

Thud!

Yeong-sik pushed off the ground, running towards the fallen Lacteon.

Lacteon spoke in a faint voice as Yeong-sik approached.

[Coming to save this unit is not a wise decision… Requesting rapid retreat.]

“Shut up.”

Yeong-sik said with a slight irritation in his voice, extending his right arm.

A black energy blast formed on his right arm, clearing a path to where Lacteon lay.

[Ma… ster…]

“Just rest for now. I’ll repair you later.”

Saying this, Yeong-sik put the fallen Lacteon into his inventory.

Living creatures couldn’t be stored in the inventory, but Lacteon wasn’t exactly a living being.

“Yeong-sik! The monsters around us…!”

During the brief moment Yeong-sik spent saving Lacteon, the mechanical monsters had completely surrounded them.

Their escape route was cut off.

Yeong-sik frowned as he looked at the mechanical monsters encircling them.

They appeared to be mindless creatures, but their predatory instincts seemed intact.

“Tiria, hold them off for one minute.”

“Haa, haa. Yeong-sik…?”

Yeong-sik spoke as he took off his suit.

Tiria looked at him in confusion as he suddenly removed the suit.

‘If they blocked the escape route, we just need to break through again.’

He had a weapon perfect for this situation.

A weapon he couldn’t use while wearing the suit.

“Eclipse Cannon.”

-Ssss.

-Eclipse Cannon charging.

-For the duration of the one-minute charge, other actions are restricted.

Click. Click.

The sound of gears interlocking came from Yeong-sik’s body.

With that sound, his body began to transform.

-Click.

His shoulders opened, revealing eighteen gun barrels the size of fingers.

-Click.

His elbows opened, revealing six gun barrels.

-Click.

His thighs opened, revealing thirty-two gun barrels.

-Click. Click. Click. Click.

From his back, chest, hands, neck, knees, and feet.

Hundreds of gun barrels emerged.

It looked as if his entire body was covered.

-Zzzzzzz!

A powerful light burst from the center of his chest. Following that light, the gun barrels all over his body glowed red.

“……Yeong-sik?”

It was a sight of Yeong-sik she had never seen before.

No, if she hadn’t known it was Yeong-sik from the beginning, she wouldn’t have thought this was him at all.

“Kiiieee!”

“Krrrrrrrr!”

At the sight of Yeong-sik, the surrounding mechanical monsters shrieked and began to tremble.

The instincts remaining in their bodies were screaming that this was dangerous.

The eyes of the mechanical monsters glowed red.

They began to rush at Yeong-sik, shrieking madly.

“Ugh…!”

Tiria swallowed a nervous gulp and spread her six wings wide.

‘I have to buy time.’

There was no time to ponder Yeong-sik’s current state.

A bright white light gathered in her hands.

She had already used a lot of strength to buy time for the guild members to retreat, but she could endure the one minute Yeong-sik had asked for.

‘I haven’t been idle all this time either.’

The power of the archangel that lay dormant in her blood.

She had rigorously trained herself to master it.

She didn’t want to be a burden to him anymore. She wanted to protect him and the other guild members.

“Divine Punishment.”

-Kwaaaang!

The bright white lightning that burst from her hands blew apart the mechanical monsters.

Her body, nearing a state of mana exhaustion, screamed in protest.

Her vision blurred, and it felt like she could collapse at any moment.

“Haa, haa.”

Tiria panted heavily but continued to unleash the lightning. She didn’t know exactly what Yeong-sik was planning, but he had asked her to hold out for one minute, believing she could do it.

He couldn’t break that belief.

-Crack! Crackle!

The brilliant white light emitted from her six wings grew more intense.

Two new wings sprouted from her back.

The two wings were still faint, barely noticeable if at all.

However, the impact of those two wings was not insignificant.

‘Legions of angels.’

Eight wings fluttered as dozens of feathers scattered in all directions.

Each feather, shining brilliantly white, contained intense lightning, swirling around the surroundings.

“Grrrr!”

-Crackling!

The bodies of the mechanical monsters that touched those feathers trembled and fell to the ground.

“Ugh…!”

Tiria, who had forcibly drawn out her power, curled up in pain that shook her entire body.

The angelic power immersed in her blood went berserk

It felt like her body was about to explode.

‘No more… I can’t.’

She had forced herself to spread eight wings, but maintaining them for long was impossible. She looked at Yeong-sik with an anxious expression.

-Clank.

The sound of gears coming from Yeong-sik’s body stopped.

“Thank you, Tiria.”

A quiet voice came from Yeong-sik, who was covered with hundreds of gun barrels.

And with that.

Buzzing. Boom!

Hundreds of gun barrels protruding from his body simultaneously emitted light.

It looked as if the energy blasts Yeong-sik had been firing one by one were now being fired in hundreds simultaneously.

The photon cannons, which had risen into the air, targeted the mechanical monsters and fell simultaneously.

-Rumble. Boom!

A catastrophe began to rain down from the sky.