Chapter 409: Guerrilla Unit

Crack. Snap. Clatter. Crush. Tear. Crack. Grind. Crush.

Outside Ravely’s Forest, near the Capital of Gallos, a series of horrifying sounds echoed quietly.

It was indeed a paradox, horrifying sounds echoing quietly.

Yet, such paradoxical events often occurred in this world.

Like now, for example, with the image of a giant, who fell to the ground, and the human standing proudly atop him.

An impossible, absurd sight was happening right now. Because…

“…Monster.”

Someone among the traitors muttered. It wasn’t a stranger’s comment, but a perfect expression, born out of fear and overwhelming pressure.

Breaking the giant’s fist with his bare hands, devouring dragon-men, and bringing down the giant with just awls and a butcher knife—what else could you call such a person but a monster?

Monster. Nothing else could describe him more accurately.

“Were you expecting something?”

The monster asked.

“Did you expect that if you gathered your strength, made plans, prepared, and attacked with the resolve to die, you could bring me down?”

The Flesh Cook’s tongue, sharper than any blade, stripped away the traitors’ fighting spirit.

“If so.”

Stomp.

“Then you.”

Stomp.

“You and I were both very wrong.”

“Aaahhh!!!”

Screams burst from the traitors, who once were disciples, as they charged toward the approaching death step by step.

It was a natural reaction. They had come too far to turn back now.

The only way to survive was to fight to the death and kill the Flesh Cook.

If they failed, in the end, they would all die at the hands of the relentless Flesh Cook.

They knew this better than anyone else, having served under him.

But of course, their actions were all in vain.

Slash—

The heads of dozens of traitors, who had enhanced their bodies and attacked in beast form, fell to the ground all at once.

It happened with just one swing of the Flesh Cook’s blade in mid-air.

Without even realizing what had happened, the only survivors were those who felt the terror of death in that moment, dropped to their knees, and surrendered.

The grand rebellion, which had over a hundred participants, was suppressed in a matter of minutes by one single person.

“Hee, heeek… Heeeeeek!!”

Overwhelmed by terror, one of the survivors threw down his weapon and began to flee.

The dam of fear broke and immediately spread to the others, and fewer than ten traitors began to desperately run to escape the Flesh Cook.

But they soon found themselves blocked by another group of the Flesh Cook’s disciples surrounding the forest.

“Ah, ah…”

Only despair seeped out from their lungs into the air.

***

“Master. Are you alright?”

As the Flesh Cook fought the traitors, Jang, his direct disciple, asked after secretly surrounding the forest.

When the Flesh Cook visited Restaurant 8 in District 8, Jang, along with other direct disciples, gathered their forces and covertly moved to this location, forming a siege when the fighting started, just as the Flesh Cook had instructed.

In other words, everything was within the Flesh Cook’s hands from the very beginning.

“I’m not alright… My summer limited-edition shirt got ruined.”

The Flesh Cook replied, looking at his right sleeve. When he clashed with the giant’s punch, the sleeve had been shredded to pieces by the impact.

“It’s something money can’t buy. Damn it.”

Such a nonchalant and materialistic attitude. Yet, even Jang and the others who surrounded the forest were filled with fear, bowing their heads and sweating.

They feared the master who, alone, not only saw through the traitors’ plan but also annihilated them.

He hadn’t acted directly for a hundred years, but the shock of seeing his power now was even greater.

“…I have five summer limited-edition shirts. If it pleases you, I would like to offer them to you, Master.”

“…Last year’s series?”

“No, this year’s series.”

“Interesting… Why?”

The Flesh Cook descended from the giant’s head and approached Jang as he asked.

Amazingly, he seemed larger than the giant itself. And that feeling didn’t seem to be just an illusion.

“Because what belongs to livestock… naturally, belongs to the owner.”

Jang replied, kneeling on one knee.

Absolute loyalty.

It was quite intriguing. Although not as powerful as the Flesh Cook, Jang was someone who had gathered a considerable number of disciples and wealth. But here he was, calling himself livestock without any resistance or shame.

The Flesh Cook silently watched him for a moment before speaking.

“Do you want to become livestock?”

“I merely wish to serve the strongest.”

“Smart… But unfortunately, I’m not the strongest.”

“…?!”

The Flesh Cook’s shocking statement surprised everyone who heard it. It was the first time he had ever made such an admission.

He continued.

“There aren’t many, but there are a few stronger than me in this world. The Archive, with its thousand-year history, is one of them. Puppet has never shown his true depths, Fen can’t be underestimated even though he’s an arrogant lunatic, and the Piper… well, there’s no question there.”

Jang and all the disciples listened to his words in silence.

Recognizing the strength of others.

This was also something they had never seen in the Flesh Cook before. Something unusual was going on.

“But that’s going to change soon. I will become the strongest existence as soon as possible. The chosen being who will survive the end.”

“The end… you mean?”

“Yes. At the end of the world, when a great hole appears, it will set the clock ticking. When the clock strikes zero, the end will come. Money, power, ethics, laws, all the values we’ve known will become meaningless and fade away. Only the chosen will survive.”

“…”

“I’ve known about this for hundreds of years and have been preparing for it.”

“…”

“Don’t believe me? It doesn’t matter. The Sun will rise, and the end will come, whether or not insignificant beings believe it. Just as I decided hundreds of years ago, in that end, I will emerge as the chosen one who inherits the blessings of infinite life and power. Even if the world refuses to choose me, I’ll devour it by force if necessary…”

The Flesh Cook’s words carried weight into the final phrase. And everyone stayed silent.

Although many doomsday theories have been born and died every year, this was the first time they had heard their master speak of it.

It was impossible to determine the truth in such overflowing emotion, but their instincts told them that his words weren’t empty.

Because that’s exactly who the Flesh Cook was.

“…Can we also survive the end?”

“If you become my livestock, you’ll have a chance. After all, that’s what I’ve been gathering you for.”

Jang and the other disciples fell silent, realizing why the Flesh Cook hadn’t acted openly for a hundred years and why their organization had no name.

He had been waiting for the right time, and for the same reason, he hadn’t needed a name.

The Flesh Cook himself was the organization. They were just cattle or dogs belonging to it.

A grim truth, yet none of them felt anger. They had just witnessed the power and will of the Flesh Cook firsthand.

He had the right to treat them as livestock.

In this world, motivated by the brutal logic of power, he was the one who intended to devour everything, even surpassing the end.

“If we indeed become your livestock… Can we avoid the end and death?”

“A livestock doesn’t persuade its master. All it can do is stay within the fence or run outside. But even that is useless without strength.”

“…”

“But I will promise you this. If you truly become my livestock, you will become predators that devour everything, starting with this city… If you want to survive as my livestock, as predators of the world, eat the flesh of the fallen traitors.”

The Flesh Cook ordered, and as if on cue, Jang and all the disciples kneeled and stuffed the rotten flesh into their mouths.

It was once the flesh of traitors who were their comrades.

Jang was the first to eat the flesh, as expected, and after chewing and swallowing it down, he approached the Flesh Cook and spoke to him.

“Master.”

“Cut the giant into pieces and pack it up. Fortunately, it seems its body didn’t fall apart, meaning it’s still worth some food. Wasting food is a sin.”

“Yes, Master… I understand.”

“Is there something you want to say?”

“Yes… There is one thing. I wanted to ask what you would like to do about those Tower of Magic bastards that keep attacking our establishments. The damage has accumulated far more than we initially expected since it all started.”

Jang’s statement was true. The Yangpaks, who had crossed the sea, connected with Millieu and launched an offensive at a level far beyond Loculi University.

They must be trying to break through the current deadlock, and the damage has already exceeded expectations.

It was a trivial matter now, but the situation was certainly unexpected.

“Lucian, that coward, finally decided to move. I thought he would just run at the right time… Did he find something worth relying on?”

The Flesh Cook asked, with a knowing tone.

“We’ve identified the ones responsible for the assaults, including their fighting styles. Tower of Magic’s master and professor, Kevin Dunbar; Terence Roer from the Roer Family; Yareli Iceeye from the Iceye Family, and…”

“…That mutt who interfered with my sister.”

Jang nodded. The mongrel wizard who was both a black mage and a magician.

“Should we continue responding the same way, Master?”

“Hmm…”

The Flesh Cook hummed thoughtfully. Cooking requires the most important ingredient: time. Especially when it involves slow cooking. Whether it’s steak or stew. Although it’s obvious, there are far too many fools in this world who don’t follow this rule.

But too much delay would also be a problem. If it’s too overcooked, the taste and nutrients would all be gone.

“It’s time to change things up. If we push too hard, the enemy may suspect a trap… Summon one of the rats from Loculi University. Have them shake things up again from the inside.”

“Understood.”

“And schedule a meeting with those commoner alligator punks.”

“Understood… But why the commoner faction?”

“If we’re going to devour Gallos, we need chaos. And that’s what they excel at.”

***

[Firefly]

Kevin whispered softly, and the floating magic he had scattered turned into little points of light resembling faint fireflies.

At night, it would have been noticeable, but with daylight and the brightness reduced to its lowest, it was hardly visible.

Kevin used the Black Mage’s Eye and his pre-scattered magic detection to silently send out a cluster of fireflies ahead.

Towards a vineyard on the outskirts of Ravely… To be more specific, a secondary processing factory making Bloody Wine.

In any case, according to the predetermined structure of the building, Kevin spread the fireflies throughout the factory. Then, after confirming it, he lightly flicked his clasped fingers.

In response to that gesture, explosions erupted throughout the vineyard storage.

Boom, boom, boom!

The gigantic vineyard storage detonated alarms like grenades, causing the surrounding flames to catch and spread.

Walls, ceilings, the ground—wherever a flame could take root.

With the sudden explosion and flames, many of the workers guarding the factory screamed and rolled on the ground, but some managed to use magic and black magic to extinguish the flames clinging to their bodies, picking up butcher knives and axes.

It was once again certain that this establishment was connected to the Flesh Cook, just as Lucian had indicated.

“Those damned Yangpaks came all the way here! Where are they?!”

One of the Flesh Cook’s subordinates shouted as he scanned the surroundings with Black Mage’s Eye. But he couldn’t find anyone.

Because Kevin and everyone else were hidden, draped in the Human Skin Cloaks provided by Oliver.

The same cloaks the Flesh Cook’s disciples wore during their surprise attack on Oliver.

While it couldn’t fool Oliver’s eyes, it seemed the Black Mage’s Eye of the ones guarding the establishment could be deceived. While their enemies floundered helplessly, searching in vain, Kevin spread his magic through the warehouse, seizing control over the scattered flames.

The small, scattered flames quickly gathered, growing in size as they merged, until they became one giant flame.

Rather than precise strikes, the goal was to burn everything in the area completely.

Not a bad strategy. This was the most potent use of fire magic, after all.

Of course, it required both excellent magical control and a sufficient supply of magic to accomplish.

Kevin, unleashing the full extent of his abilities, not only created a vast sea of flames but also conjured up a whirlwind, swirling the flames like a vortex.

As the flames moved, their power increased, and with the heightened intensity, even the Flesh Cook’s subordinates, who had held on with their monstrous healing abilities, couldn’t endure and turned to ashes.

Just as Oliver had said, it wasn’t particularly difficult to subdue the Flesh Cook’s subordinates.

All that was required was to inflict damage that exceeded their regeneration.

‘But that in itself is no easy feat.’

Thud!

As Kevin was preparing to sweep through the underground passage with fire after clearing most of the area on the surface, there was a massive explosion in the center of the inferno.

Technically, it was more like an explosion caused by immense physical force.

“Is that… an elephant?”

Kevin muttered as he stared at the scene. A giant figure, nearly 4 meters in height, stood in the aftermath of the explosive force that had cleared the flames.

A horrifying sight, as what seemed to be an elephant’s head grew out from between the twisted shoulders.

Screech—

The creature, which one couldn’t tell whether it was a man, beast, or chimera, let out a sound more akin to an elephant than an actual elephant before swinging a massive metal hammer and smashing it down to the ground.

The black magic embedded in the hammer fused with the immense physical force, creating a loud shockwave that traveled along the ground, heading straight for Kevin.

‘Scent.’

Kevin quickly deduced that the monster had located him through smell, despite his supposedly flawless concealment.

In the meantime, the shockwave barreled toward Kevin, ripping apart the ground.

Slam—

Kevin planted his feet and channeled his magical power into the ground, summoning a giant stone pillar that neutralized the incoming shockwave.

The impact was so powerful that the massive pillar, made of dense stone, shattered into pieces, kicking up a cloud of dust. At that precise moment, someone chanted a spell.

[Targeting]

It was Oliver. Having waited nearby and observing the situation, he activated Targeting on himself, using it to propel himself beyond the laws of physics, closing the distance instantly, and latching onto the creature’s elephant head.

“Squee?”

The elephant-man was shocked by the unexpected situation as Oliver gently placed his Quarterstaff against its head and chanted another spell.

[Grind]

Accompanied by a piercing noise, the Black Suit that enveloped the Quarterstaff began grinding the elephant’s head alive.

Screeee!!!