Team C’s main base.
Even though it was late, Go Hyeon-woo and Han So-mi were still awake, spending time near the outer perimeter of the base.
They stared at the volcano burning alone in the darkness far off in the distance.
After a while, Go Hyeon-woo spoke in a low voice.
“It seems Jeong-hyung’s mental strain has been quite severe.”
“Right?”
Han So-mi glanced toward the lodging area.
It was something not just the two of them, but all the team members sympathized with.
“Kim-hyung’s move was truly exquisite.”
“Mhmm, he struck at just the right moment.”
Since it was the first day, everyone had been too busy figuring out what was going on, but Kim Ho’s group didn’t seem to have that problem.
They had boldly infiltrated Team C’s territory, wiped out the defenseless parties, taken the crystals, and then leisurely left.
“We had no choice but to feel intimidated.”
“We spent the whole day on edge, didn’t we?”
In case they ran into Kim Ho’s group again, they had to move around in larger groups than necessary.
Normally, two or three people were enough to search for and charge crystals, but instead they went around in groups of five or six.
As a result, just as everyone had feared, their supply intake dropped sharply.
Go Hyeon-woo let out a bitter smile.
“And yet, who would have thought they wouldn’t show themselves at all after that.”
“We totally got played!”
As if mocking Jeong Jin-myeong’s response, no one invaded Team C’s territory afterward.
Looking at the outcome alone, they had ended up bunching together out of fear for nothing.
“Perhaps Jeong-hyung anticipated this as well. Even so, he had no other choice.”
“Because if they came again, we’d just get hit again?”
Since there was always that one-in-a-million chance, they had no option but to stay on guard and keep moving in groups.
They had fallen for psychological warfare.
Tilting her head, Han So-mi asked,
“Then where did Kim Ho go?”
“Given Kim-hyung’s personality, he likely headed toward Team A.”
They would have been just as defenseless over there, so he could have pulled off the same stunt.
Han So-mi thought that made sense, but another question seemed to occur to her, and she tilted her head even further.
“Huh? I saw Mo Yong-jun earlier, and he looked totally fine.”
Around dusk, the leadership of Team A and Team C briefly met at a midpoint.
They exchanged information about what had happened that day and discussed reinforcing their non-aggression pact if necessary.
From what Han So-mi saw at the time, Mo Yong-jun’s face had been perfectly calm.
So she had assumed nothing particularly serious had happened.
Go Hyeon-woo replied with a gentle smile.
“Mo-hyung is quite deep-minded as well. Even if he had been hit, he wouldn’t have shown it.”
“Really?”
“Didn’t Jeong-hyung also avoid bringing up this matter?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to talk about it? We’re on the same side.”
Go Hyeon-woo pondered for a moment before answering.
“There are probably several overlapping reasons… but one of them might be pride.”
“Why pride?”
“After being struck by Kim-hyung, could he really go on to admit that he was pushed around all day as well?”
“Oh! That actually makes sense!”
An imaginary exclamation mark seemed to pop up over Han So-mi’s head.
Go Hyeon-woo continued his explanation.
“Even aside from pride, there’s nothing to gain from showing weakness. To begin with, a non-aggression pact isn’t exactly something you can fully trust.”
“They could stab us in the back?”
“Precisely.”
“This is complicated… my head hurts!”
“Haha. Leading a group is always difficult.”
Clutching her head as if she had a headache, Han So-mi asked another question.
“Then will tomorrow be the same as today?”
“I expect it will be somewhat different.”
“How?”
Go Hyeon-woo gestured toward the volcanic zone.
“Have we not already retrieved all the crystals in this vicinity?”
“We have, haven’t we?”
“Tomorrow, we’ll have to go in deeper. And the day after that, deeper still.”
“So we’ll be fighting the strong ones?”
The image of the “strong ones”, the draconic soldiers, flashed through both their minds.
Go Hyeon-woo nodded.
“That is likely. And if the damage becomes too great… they’ll start looking for another method.”
Even the dragonscale and dragonfang soldiers were already tough opponents for first-years, so if dragonclaw soldiers appeared…
The participants would be swept away in droves.
And once that happened, they would naturally start turning their attention to the relatively easier “neighboring territory”.
Another imaginary exclamation mark popped up over Han So-mi’s head.
“So that’s why you said things would change!”
“In that case, Kim-hyung won’t be much of an issue. We’ll end up fighting anyway.”
“Then what about us?”
“For now, let’s just follow what we were told.”
Back during the final exam preparation period, when they had expressed their dissatisfaction with the non-aggression pact, Kim Ho had asked them something.
If there were a way to change it, would they do it?
Without a moment’s hesitation, they had said yes and had been carrying out the instructions given to them.
As part of that, Han So-mi still had several charged crystals in her possession.
She had secretly held onto them instead of handing them over to Jeong Jin-myeong.
With a mischievous giggle, she said,
“If we get caught, they’ll call us traitors!”
“Even if that happens, I would still be clear in my conscience.”
Go Hyeon-woo smiled back at her.
Then he continued in a slightly more serious tone.
“It’s only because fortune didn’t favor us that we were temporarily placed in a different team. From the very beginning, I have been on Kim-hyung’s side.”
“..….”
For some reason, Han So-mi’s expression suddenly turned sullen.
Her cheeks puffed up like balloons, making Go Hyeon-woo let out an awkward laugh.
“…It seems I may have misspoken.”
“Try being that nice to me for once. You’re always talking about Kim-hyung.”
“I do not believe I’ve neglected you, Miss Han.”
“Not neglecting me is the bare minimum!”
Han So-mi spun around and began striding toward the lodging.
Her cheeks were puffed up, brimming with jealousy and dissatisfaction.
Go Hyeon-woo immediately followed after her.
“Miss Han, where are you going?”
“I’m going to sleep.”
“Please, wait just a moment.”
But just then—
Whooooooooosh—!
A sharp roar rang out from somewhere.
When they looked up, a sleek shape was slicing across the night sky.
A fighter jet?
Was there something like that in the final exam? And why at this late hour? For what reason?
Questions piled on top of questions.
The answer came soon enough.
Booom-boom-boom—!
Explosions erupted in every direction, and flames shot into the air.
The sleek object that had just streaked past was a bomber.
Those who had been fast asleep bolted out in panic.
– What the hell! What is it!
– Is it an attack?!
– Is everyone okay?
– Gather up! Over here!
Jung Jin-myeong hurriedly rallied his team members and assessed the situation.
Strangely enough, not a single person was incapacitated. There wasn’t even anyone with a minor injury.
Sighs of relief broke out here and there.
But that wasn’t the real problem….
Han So-mi cried out in shock.
“The buildings! They’re gone!”
Including the lodging, several facilities had been reduced to ruins.
***
The next morning.
As I opened my eyes, a thought crossed my mind.
I wonder if they landed properly.
In the middle of the night, I had used two [Bombardment] cards in a row before going to sleep.
I had no way of knowing the results, but I did hope they’d fallen on high-ranking facilities if possible.
Even if not, at least I woke them up.
Considering I’d made all those people lose a night’s sleep, I’d achieved my intended goal.
As I was thinking that, I suddenly felt a weight on my chest.
The cause was obvious: the human sloth.
Why is she sleeping like this?
As if I were a pillow, she had her head resting on my chest in a T-shape.
Honestly, the position itself didn’t matter.
As long as she slept well, that was fine.
The problem is, it’s time to wake up now.
I gently shook Seo Ye-in’s shoulder.
“Let’s get up. It’s morning.”
“It’s not morning….”
“The sun’s blazing like that, though?”
Still half-asleep, Seo Ye-in raised a hand to cover her eyes.
“It’s night….”
“If you keep being stubborn, I have my own methods.”
“Can’t think….”
She stretched out both arms again and latched onto me.
She even threw one leg over me, restraining me in a triple hold.
“You think this will keep me from going?”
“Can’t go….”
She must have tightened her grip because the hold grew stronger.
Not that it would be enough to stop an A-rank core holder….”Blink” Kim Ho.
Whoosh,
The next moment, I had moved a short distance away.
Deprived of her pillow, Seo Ye-in flopped forward, burying her face in the blanket.
She jerked her head up and stared at me with half-lidded eyes.
“……What are you doing?”
“What do you mean? I’m confiscating the Kim Ho pillow.”
“……Return it immediately.”
“You’ve slept enough. Let’s get up.”
But instead of getting up, Seo Ye-in pulled out the immortal Kim Ho Kim Ho Pot.
It was a clear threat. If I didn’t come back, she’d lock me up with [Spatial Sever].
In response, I brought out the crow branch.
“I’ve got nothing to be afraid of.”
“Give me the branch.”
“I’ll give it to you if you come over here.”
Of course, while she was at it, we’d also be having breakfast, roaming the volcanic zone, gathering crystals, and fighting monsters.
Seo Ye-in knew that too. She’d fallen for my tricks more than once.
Sulking, she rolled around this way and that.
But in the end, I was the winner.
Rumble….
An intermittent tremor rippled beneath our feet.
As the quake gradually intensified, I steadied myself and said,
“At this rate, the volcano’s going to erupt soon.”
“……I’m angry.”
Only then did Seo Ye-in reluctantly push herself up.
An earthquake and a volcanic eruption. She’d realized her sleep was officially over.
Rumble…!
“Let’s eat before it’s too late.”
“……I’m angry.”
“Come on, hurry.”
We made our way to the dining hall while struggling to keep our balance, then quickly began stuffing the displayed food into our mouths.
“Say ah~. Ah~”
“I’m angry……”
“Oh my, you’re eating so well~”
“Mumble mumble……”
After finishing the meal in the blink of an eye and stepping outside, we saw Song Cheon-hye leading her team members.
She must have woken up much earlier than us, because she was perfectly put together from head to toe.
When our eyes met, she greeted us first.
“You’re up.”
“Mhmm, good morning.”
She kept shooting displeased glances at Seo Ye-in and me, as if she had a lot to say about the Kim Ho pillow.
She’d had to make a tactical retreat last night, after all.
But this wasn’t a good time for small talk.
Boom-boom-boom!
The volcano, which had been showing signs for a while, finally erupted.
Far more violently than the two eruptions on the first day.
Booooooom!
It looked as though fireballs were shooting up past the clouds.
They crossed a great distance and fell all the way to the main base.
Alarmed shouts broke out here and there, but Song Cheon-hye gave her orders in a calm voice.
“Everyone, stay calm. We have a barrier.”
Bang-bang-bang!
Sure enough, the fireballs did nothing but strike the blue barrier again and again.
Each impact made the barrier grow slightly fainter, but after a certain amount of time, it restored itself.
We were finally seeing the benefit of having raised it to C-rank.
Of course, the fireballs were only the beginning.
Boom-boom-boom!
The volcano continued to erupt, lava spilling over, and monsters fleeing to escape it.
Creatures that usually fought among themselves were now running blindly.
A monster wave.
And on the opposite side of the volcano stood our base.
Staring at the monster horde drawing closer by the second, Song Cheon-hye issued another command.
“We’ll hold them off. Get ready.”
Leave a Reply