Chapter 83
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Chaos and Heroes (1)
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[Regardless, the Legion has once again claimed victory. We've bought some time, and there are no further obstacles to our expansion goals.]
"...Well, we can breathe a sigh of relief for now."
The screen showed the retreating humans and the Legion's soldiers watching them.
It seemed like a crisis, but Eve, as always, had a countermeasure prepared.
"It feels like she's really all grown up now."
I smiled bitterly.
I felt it when I first saw the colossal species, the size of a house.
Eve was now more than capable without my help. The Eve of today was not the small hive mind I had raised by feeding it various small animals and pieces of bread.
She was a powerhouse, fully capable of devouring that world on her own.
[Well, your help will continue to be necessary.]
"I suppose so. It's just that worrying about it will give me more of a headache."
Of course, it wouldn't make sense for me to do nothing and just watch.
For now, my influence over Eve is still stronger.
But I don't know how long this influence will last, or if it will remain untwisted, with Eve absorbing an immense amount of information every day since coming to the surface.
So I had to keep giving her 'help.' The kind of help that would allow me to maintain my influence, just as giving her a name had.
"Is the video recording finished?"
"Ah, it's done now."
Cox, a mercenary sitting next to me, spoke up. I nodded nonchalantly.
He, who didn't know a word of Korean, thought I had been talking for the sake of the video log.
"Strangely enough, they're being passive too. Even though they had the upper hand a few days ago."
"They're probably waiting. Just like us."
In response to Cox's question, I stared out the window and muttered blankly.
Our current enemies, the Gnolls and Kobolds. They were Units too.
So it wasn't strange that they were stalling. It meant that the more time they bought, the more unpredictable and powerful they could become.
Our own allied forces had taken time to regroup and had grown with the help of the Guardian Union.
With both sides believing they could win by growing stronger, the time had come to prove it. We were now heading toward the enemy's camp.
"Waiting, huh? Well, they're going to regret that."
Cox chuckled at my words. At the same time, something roared as it streaked across the sky high above.
The new weapon deployed by the allied forces was a missile. And not just any missile, but one packed with cluster munitions, banned under international law.
Moreover, that missile, capable of being fitted with a nuclear warhead if necessary, was flying through the air to strike the enemy camp. I'd heard that nuclear warheads were already at the base.
"Ambush!"
But at almost the same moment, it seemed the enemy had launched a counterattack.
The vehicle screeched to a halt, and shouts erupted from the radio and from outside.
The sounds of gunfire and even the cannons of tanks could be heard.
"Let's get out. Thankfully, it seems to be at the front."
We began our own work. Our job, of course, was to escort the researchers from Evolution.
Grabbing the sword that had now become my weapon, I got out of the vehicle and instinctively checked the front lines, where Cha Ji-yeon would be.
"Ah, dammit... What rotten luck..."
"They're coming! Get in position!"
We took our positions in a battle stance, but we had thought we'd be fine, being in the rear far from the point of attack.
But the enemy's determined assault was coming from all directions.
Right in front of us, a distortion in space appeared, and a small Gate materialized.
"Fire!"
The moment a blurry figure appeared inside the Gate, the waiting troops unleashed a volley of fire.
Enough firepower to shred an elephant in an instant. But the first to emerge were Gnolls carrying large shields, which glowed with a faint blue light.
"These bastards..."
"They're pouring out!"
As soon as the concentrated fire was blocked, the shield-bearing enemies began to flood out.
I caught sight of a Kobold brandishing a staff. For a moment, the image overlapped with that of the mages Eve had been fighting.
"Keep firing!"
"Huh...?!"
I left Cox behind and dashed forward. I wasn't the only one.
Trainees from the Guardian Union, sent to supplement the lack of Hunters, stepped forward to face the enemies who were ignoring the bullets.
"Ugh."
I dodged a swinging shield and slashed with my sword. My movements had improved significantly compared to before.
"I don't know if I'm going crazy or if this is real."
Gritting my teeth, I swung my sword, unable to shake the feeling of unease.
"No matter how I look at it, these guys seem to be using magic I recognize!"
[I am currently inquiring with Eve.]
I split the head of another Gnoll that charged at me.
Their positioning bothered me. The way they moved in a set formation was familiar.
Moreover, even though they were classified as mere grunts, their strength seemed to match ours.
'The Stas Society.'
I knew this formation. It was one of the spells Eve had faced and had now learned to use herself.
It was clearly a group tactical magic that manifested through a specific formation.
"Th-these guys don't even have any equipment..."
"We're being pushed back!"
The magic-enhanced Gnolls pushed us back even without the equipment their Player would have given them. Our side, lacking information, was in a panic, and casualties were mounting.
I steeled myself. It wasn't strange at all. If the Player of these Kobolds, the one casting magic on the Gnolls, was one of the mages Eve was currently fighting, then they were my enemy.
"Snipe those Kobolds!"
My allies also knew the Kobolds were up to something. An anti-tank rocket fired by someone shattered the barrier that had been deflecting rifle rounds and blew a Kobold to pieces.
But it was no use. We had to find the real one among the Kobolds and snipe it. The true core of the formation.
[A complex connection of circuits. Its power can instantly strengthen multiple individuals. However, within this circuit, there is a single, central focal point. If that point is eliminated, all circuits will be severed.]
Eve understood the situation I was in and relayed the information directly.
"Tell Eve. This time, I'm the one who needs her help."
[She joyfully agreed. Make sure to watch the screen later to see just how happy she is.]
Eve didn't hesitate to help me.
Just by receiving a simple verbal description of the situation, Eve instantly reverse-engineered the enemy's formation and provided the solution.
'That's the one.'
My eyes landed on the one that matched the conditions Eve had described. The focal point of the formation.
The one a step behind was cunningly protecting itself by receiving the barriers of the other Kobolds as well. To break through that, we'd need at least a large-caliber shell.
"That's him. If we kill that one, the power surrounding them will be broken. We'll get wiped out sniping the wrong ones!"
"Mr. Kang Shin-woo, h-how do you know that?!"
I grabbed a special forces soldier fighting beside me. The man, with a captain's insignia on his combat suit, was originally an artillery battery commander who had been recognized for his talent, trained by the Guardian Union, and reassigned to the special forces.
He was also someone I knew. He had been one of my sparring partners.
"...If you won't join me, I'll go alone."
Seeing his bewildered reaction, my expression hardened. There was no time to explain everything.
"I'll go. If you have a way."
Thankfully, as if he understood my sincerity, he followed my lead as if mesmerized. I flinched for a moment at the sight of the soldiers who had gathered in an instant.
"I'll take the lead. Please help me clear a path."
I conveyed my intentions clearly.
I wondered if I even had the authority to give them orders, but now was not the time to worry about that.
"Of course."
"Captain, can we really trust this..."
"We have no other choice right now. And Mr. Kang Shin-woo's skills are more than enough."
Naturally, there was some opposition, but some of them, including the captain, knew me. They had sparred with me and had been defeated by me.
"Then let's go."
There wasn't a second to waste. If we were pushed back and our line of fire broke, we'd be wiped out. And without the infantry's firepower, even if we survived, it would be impossible to deal with this many enemies.
So, before that happened, we had to kill the Kobold at the core of the formation.
"Relay everything to Eve. Tell her what I'm doing right now, with her help!"
[Is there a purpose to this?]
"I'm showing her that our connection is a two-way street."
I readjusted my grip on the sword and charged.
A swarm of Gnolls, enhanced by the formation, immediately blocked our path.
My heart pounded, and the power accumulated in my body resonated with it. This was the Resonance Method, a technique Ji Chang-hyun had taught me, which the Legion had modified solely for my use.
With this, I had accumulated power faster and stronger than others. Just before clashing with the enemies, I swung my sword without hesitation.
"Kiiik..."
"Kiek."
My empowered sword instantly cut down several Gnolls, their bodies falling in pieces.
Some managed to slip past my clumsy swordsmanship, but it didn't matter. My comrades running beside me took care of them.
"But! We don't have enough power to break its barrier!"
"I have a way."
At the urgent shout, I pulled a dark red ore from my pocket.
Just throw it like I've done before? That wouldn't be enough to break the layered barrier.
This time too, I received Eve's help.
The way the Legion's high-ranking species use Form Power is by drawing power directly from their power source without any delay or calculation.
I imitated that method. In addition to my own power, I absorbed the energy stored in the ore I was holding into my body.
"Shin-woo's sword is..."
My sword began to burn with a dark red glow. The greatest advantage of the Resonance Method I had learned was that instead of rejecting different, heterogeneous powers, it resonated with them and amplified them.
It was a power that truly fit the identity of the Legion, which devours everything and makes it its own.
"Die, you bastards!"
I unleashed the sword's power with all my might.
Just like the Legion's soldiers and my sister, Kang Do-yeon, a dark red slash shot out, tearing through the ground and splitting the enemy—barrier and all.