Armus told me it took a whole day for him to regain consciousness after fainting. Not surprisingly anymore, I nodded and soon learned that the others who had entered the dungeon of Primus had not yet regained consciousness, which actually surprised me, and I hurriedly started their treatment. Although a top-tier healer had already attended to them, and no additional healing was necessary, I thought now that I had gained full power and unlocked all my divine powers, I could perform higher-level healing.
And my expectation was exactly right.
As a bright light permeated through the bodies of my comrades, their complexions visibly relaxed, a sign of their recuperating energy, though it was just partially. The energy used in healing was different from that used in replenishing divine power, which made the healing process even more miraculous as I observed their recovery. After struggling for three hours with the divine power, by late night, those who had sustained minor injuries were the first to regain consciousness. The last to wake were Hamin and Haru.
I thought Ruth would be late.
Due to the aftermath of using divine power, even though it was not fully unlocked, I expected them to wake up late, but contrary to expectations, they did. As it was night when they woke up, I suggested we all rest for a day and sealed the deal by bringing meals to everyone who was still bedridden.
"Until Gula appears, today will be our last rest. After we finish the final war with it, we'll rest properly."
Like Primus's dungeon that appeared unexpectedly, Gula's return would likely be the same. The seal that was holding it could be broken at any moment if Gula desired so, as the seal was already precariously thin.
From tomorrow on, we had to be on alert every day, considering it a wartime situation. I had already hinted to the press and associations that the final war was imminent and to avoid needless interference. Leaving my companions to focus on their recovery for the day, I spent time with Armus discussing strategies for dealing with Gula.
Unfortunately, we made little progress.
"...there's no way."
With a grimace, I let out a sigh of discouragement. Discussing with Armus, I had hoped we might come up with a decent strategy to defeat Gula, but neither Armus knew Gula's weaknesses, nor did I. After all, if we had known its weaknesses, it would have been annihilated long ago. That's why it had only been sealed.
Until now, my approach to handling Gula had been to overpower it quickly and seal it away in prison. However, this time, that wouldn't be possible.
I no longer had the divine power of my prime.
My soul had split in two, and blocking the normal reincarnation of other souls had cost me a part of my divine power.
And not only had I lost power, but Gula, trapped within the seal and bashing against the prison to break it, had weakened as well. I didn't have the power to seal it, and it likely didn't have the power to break the seal like before. So, all that was left was the real final battle.
We would have to pour all our powers into the fight until one side perished.
Thus, the total amount of divine power available during the war was critical. It didn't seem like it would end in a day or two, so we needed to summon Awakened Ones who could fight for at least three days, and the importance of healers had increased. I, possessing the purest divine power for striking, should not use it for recovery. The focus had to be on offense.
Therefore, we needed at least three healers to fill the gap I would leave, and at least two buffers. I communicated this to Haehyuk and Ruth, who would handle the recruitment of the combat support staff.
For the main attackers, we needed at least six people. In case a main attacker was incapacitated, we needed an equal number of support dealers and a support team to assist the attack teams, including tankers and shooters.
Having given up on finding Gula's weakness, I teamed up with Armus to form the teams. After discussing day and night until the others recovered, we came up with the following teams:
Team 1
Main Attack: Ruth | Sub Attack: Yoo Seowoo
Attack Support: Tanker Class, IRS Guild Member
Healer: IRS Guild Member | Buffer: IRS Guild Member
Support Assist: Tanker Class, IRS Guild Member
Team 2
Main Attack: Lee Haehyuk | Sub Attack: Lee Hamin
Attack Support: Kwon Taeju
Healer: Redem Guild Member | Buffer: Kang Haewoon
Support Assist: Tanker Class, Redem Guild Member
Team 3
Main Attack: Kang Sihyun | Sub Attack: Ban Haru
Attack Support: Kang Ihaan
Healer: Association Member
| Buffer: Muam Guild Member
Support Assist: Redem Guild Member
Team 4 (Support Team)
Main Attack: Jeong Daun, Lee Jihye | Sub Attack: Ban Dal
Attack Support: Baek Geonu
Healer: Redem Guild Member | Buffer: Redem Guild Member
Support Assist: Redem Guild Member
Twenty-five members in four teams would play crucial roles in the showdown with Gula. Hoping that Haehyuk, Taeju, and Ruth would manage to find suitable people for the vacant spots, I had only vaguely decided on affiliations. After the companions had recovered, the next morning, I called the three guild leaders and showed them the team list.
"I'm planning to proceed like this; can you help me find some people?"
"Four teams, huh? Almost six each."
"Yes. It seemed like we needed at least this many to reliably support each other when we saw how things went with Primus. Teams 1 through 3 are the main forces, and Team 4 will support wherever needed."
"That's not bad."
Ruth snapped his fingers and disappeared to fetch guild members, having teleported overseas. As I watched his empty spot somewhat incredulously, the other two guild leaders also readily agreed to cooperate. Having successfully recruited team members, I showed the team chart to the students of Class A as well.
There were those who rebelled, asking why they were included, and others who clicked their tongues in dissatisfaction, but eventually, they accepted. Surprised by their relatively meek compliance, Daun crossed her arms and threatened that this was a one-time trust. I filtered her stern voice to mean she trusted me and smiled gently, which stopped Daun from speaking further.
The guild leaders brought the guild members to me, and after scanning their energy with divine power and applying pressure to open their ranks, I sent back three who couldn't stand properly before me and added the names of those who passed the test to the team list. Three more guild members were added later, and finally, I visited the association. Apologizing to Ihaan for the burden, he nodded readily despite looking worn out from overwork. Thus, all members were finalized and gathered within four days.
I looked around at the members gathered in the conference room of the Redem Guild and instilled a sense of responsibility in myself.
Everyone here represents the nation's top combat power. If we were to lose them in the battle against Gula, the damage that would follow would be significant.
Defeating Gula wouldn't mean the end of all other Irregulars. Even after overcoming Gula, the Awakened would have to continue the war against the Irregulars.
Until one side was completely driven out. Or until a symbiosis was established.
Therefore, we couldn't afford to lose them. I planted this fact in my mind as I started the first meeting on the Gula strategy.
"There's no need to spend a lot of time on this, so let's get straight to the point. Gula has no weaknesses."
"......"
"More precisely, we haven't been able to discover its weaknesses. So, there's no specific strategy when we face it. If there is, it would be mucous membranes, which would hurt anyone if they're a living being."
Like the eyes or inside the mouth.
Adding that, I explained Gula's power to those who hadn't fought it, making it hard for them to imagine.
"Last winter. When Gula first appeared, it massacred civilians within its field of vision just by opening and closing its eyes. It wasn't using any power or special skills. It was just opening its ranks."
Someone gasped. Last winter's massacre in Korea had been widely known worldwide, so it was shocking to hear that it stemmed simply from Gula opening its ranks. I paused for a moment to give everyone time to absorb the information, then continued explaining.
"That's what Gula is. Just by opening its ranks, it can annihilate people without divine power. Oh, you can think of divine power as mana."
Hearing that, one of the IRS guild members who had raised their hand at the mention of divine power put it down. I went into a bit more detail about the impotence of Gula I had experienced when I was Adam, then looked at the group. Their complexions were either darkened or pale with tension, so I took a deep breath and slammed the table hard! Instantly, everyone's attention snapped back to me.
"It's strong. Stronger than any enemy we've faced. If you can't yet imagine how powerful it is, think of the strongest enemy you've ever fought and multiply that by five. That's how strong it is. So, to defeat it, we also need to become stronger."
My blue eyes slowly surveyed the twenty-four people present, excluding myself. My lips curled slightly.
"Starting today. Special training begins."
How can you survive a deadly battle?
The
answer is simple. Become stronger.
Therefore, from today, I planned to train my companions every day until Gula appeared.
As Adam, not Kang Sihyun.
I intended to train them harshly.
***
"Argh!"
"Aaaaah!"
"Shit, Kang Sihyun, you crazy bastard!"
"Mommyyyy!"
"Just stay there, I'm almost through this...!"
Hmm. Peaceful sounds.
Day 8 of special training. Today, as always, I casually listened to the screams, curses, and death threats of my companions while shooting a divine power bolt downwards.
Boom!
The divine power emitted a fierce light and created a formidable wave as it flew. Part of the cliff was carved out, and the Awakened climbing up screamed and fell.
"Kang Sihyun, you son of a bitch!"
Daun's voice was louder and more resonant than ever before, even echoing. I smiled and encouraged Daun to climb up faster. The increase in her cursing was needless to say.
"That fucking bastard. Is this training? Is this?"
"Ugh..."
"Ugh!"
"Watch out below! Cliff fragments are falling from above!"
Urgent voices calling for survival echoed around. Listening to those desperate voices did sting my conscience a bit, but as Kang Sihyun, I was conducting what I considered to be considerate special training. After all, it was training tailored for Awakened individuals.
Awakened individuals relied too heavily on their abilities. To survive situations where they couldn't use their abilities, their bodies needed to be well-developed, so I implemented training that could build both stamina and agility.
That was this cliff climbing.
Of course, it wasn't just climbing a cliff. They had to dodge arrows I occasionally shot and deflect attacks as they climbed, and sometimes, as now, the cliff would shake after an attack, causing those hit by falling debris to roll down. The training would end once someone managed to climb up, but generally, this cliff climbing training took an average of 8 hours. Considering that the first day took 18 hours, it was a significant improvement.
Thanks to Ruth.
In seven days, only three people had successfully climbed the cliff: Ruth, Haehyuk, and Haru. Of them, Ruth had climbed four times, Haru twice, and Haehyuk once. Since I planned to stop the cliff climbing training once more than half of the group had climbed it, there was no way to prevent the continued training the next day, no matter how high-flying that trio was.
"Hey, you bastard!"
Oh.
Just then, a hand reached the edge below, and Hamin's face appeared. It seems the direction of the arrow I shot had spared Hamin.
Luck is also a skill.
I calmly moved aside to let Hamin climb up. Then I calmly notched another arrow.
Those who couldn't climb up needed a penalty to motivate them to reach the summit next time.
Whizz!
I released the tightly drawn bowstring, and the arrow flew out, striking those still climbing the cliff. I had adjusted the force, so they wouldn't die. As long as they were still breathing, I could restore them with a healing skill, so there was no need to worry about their stamina.
Watching the members scream and fall to the bottom of the cliff, Hamin muttered that I was insane. I treated Hamin first as a reward for coming in first and casually spoke.
"Go eat. There's training in the afternoon."
"You crazy bastard...."
Too exhausted to be angry, he muttered curses. I, having become accustomed to hearing such curses recently, let them wash over me and headed down the cliff.
To prevent severe injuries, I had spread a wide protective barrier at the bottom of the cliff. Twenty-three people lay tattered on it. I lightly swung my divine power to use a wide-area healing skill. Everyone's injuries healed quickly, and one by one, they regained their senses. I left the same notice I had given to Hamin and curses followed me as I leisurely walked away.
What does getting angry achieve? If endured, this too shall pass.
Muttering to myself, I headed to the training ground prepared by the association. I had already hinted to Haehyuk, so the people who had eaten came shuffling into the training ground. They sent anxious glances. The training Kang Sihyun had ordered for the past 7 days was just cliff climbing, but as a week passed, the addition of new special training seemed ominously significant.
To alleviate their worries, I smiled lightly and then informed them about today's special training.
"You've all had a tough morning, so the afternoon won't be as difficult. From this training session, you'll be able to use your abilities."
The mention of being able to use their abilities made their eyes sparkle. I met those hopeful eyes and tightened my grip on my divine power, then stood in the center of the training ground.
"Let's start with Team 1. This afternoon's training is one-on-one dueling."
The expressions that had brightened turned ashen in an instant.
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