Chapter 118
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: The War Ender - 1
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We arrived in Djibouti, a country on the African continent between the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
Getting through customs there wasn't very difficult.
The original owners of the container ship, the Ndoze Federation, had pulled some strings in advance, so it was practically a free pass.
The problem, however, was deceiving the Ndoze Federation's 'transporters' waiting for the ship.
“Captain, you remember what happens if you try anything funny, don't you?”
At Lee Hyun-wook's words, the captain, who was about to disembark, froze.
"Things have gone this far. I'd be dead if I went back to them anyway... I'm done with this line of work.”
He was an Indian smuggler, a fairly well-known figure in the Eurasian black market,
and for the past two years, he'd been exclusively handling war material transport for the Ndoze Federation.
"I've completely botched this important job. You think those bastards would let me live? I got into this dangerous business for the money, but you need to be alive to spend it. I'm not going to do anything stupid.”
“Right, good thinking. But seeing your friends' faces might give you a sudden burst of courage you didn't know you had, eh?”
“...When that happens, I'll just touch this damn dog collar and remember your words clearly. Amen—”
He said, tapping the 'restraint' on his neck.
"But who are you, really? You keep your face hidden... and that incredible power...”
"Why? Want to know before you betray me? Just remember me as the man who holds your life in his hands.”
A short while later, the transporters appeared on the docks, and the captain made contact with them.
Lee Hyun-wook watched it all unfold through Hugin.
- Hey, nice necklace. But why's the design so clunky? You look like a prisoner.
- Hahaha... This is the latest dog collar style in Chennai. You wouldn't know, would you?
The captain laughed nonchalantly and lied in response to the man's question.
- Hmm... A lot of new faces on your ship. Haven't seen them before.
- Well, you can't stop guys who want to go home. So I hired some new blood, you know.
The captain's smooth excuses seemed to dispel any suspicion from the transporters.
Meanwhile, the HPA agents, disguised as Black Factory crewmen, were unloading the puppet weapons.
But throughout the process of loading the puppet weapons onto the trucks, they had to remain close to the transporters.
"Hey, you! Haven't seen your face before. Where are you from?”
"Man, these new guys, why so quiet?”
They remained silent for the most part, knowing that a single slip of the tongue could expose their identities.
About three hours later, a convoy of fifteen trucks, fully loaded with puppet weapons, left the Port of Djibouti.
“—Well, have a nice day, you graceless sailors!”
Lee Hyun-wook and the HPA agents could only stay behind at the port and watch them go.
Sea and land transport were entirely different domains, so there was no way for them to join the convoy.
“...Alright, let's get ready to follow.”
The plan was to get ahead of the transport convoy using several vehicles they had prepared in advance.
***
As the sun set, painting the African savanna in shades of vermilion...
"Who... who are you...?”
On a mountain road in Ethiopia's Amaro Mountains, the leader of the transporters was kneeling on the dirt ground.
Lee Hyun-wook and the HPA had taken a detour through the mountain roads, gotten ahead of the truck convoy, and launched a surprise attack.
The operation was a success, and they had secured all fifteen trucks and the entire cache of puppet weapons intact.
"Who do you think? Can't you tell just by looking? We're the ones who've come to end your evil deeds.”
The HPA team leader, Alberto Pirlo, grabbed the transporter leader by the hair.
The HPA claimed to be 'humanitarian,' but they were not pacifists.
“Kuh, d-don't tell me... a-are you the rebels?”
After hearing that much, he slit the man's throat with a dagger.
Shlk—!
“Team leader, all trucks have been secured.”
"Good. We leave this place as quickly as possible.”
After giving the order, he surveyed the scene on the mountain road.
Enemy corpses were strewn everywhere... It had been a flawless ambush, without a single mistake.
And in the distance, a man standing with Sophie entered his line of sight.
“...It really went exactly according to that man's plan, didn't it?”
Alberto had opposed this operation. It was madness. Suppressing the Puppeteer's expansion of power was crucial, yet they were greedily walking right into the heart of enemy territory to steal from them openly...
But they had actually pulled it off.
And it was a clean success.
However, the smoother things went, the deeper one question became.
'Just who is that man?'
He'd heard earlier that this was the same man who had retaken the Black Factory by controlling Living Armor.
But the combat he had just displayed was far removed from such control abilities.
'Based on that scene alone, you'd have to classify him as a warrior-type.'
Immediately after the ambush began, he had charged in before anyone else and cut down five men with his sword.
'And in just a few seconds...'
Right after, he took a direct hit from a magic spell, but his body wasn't even singed.
'That man is a tanker, no, a Bruiser. An A-rank Bruiser or higher.'
On top of that, he had the ability to control Living Armor... It was an incomprehensible combination of traits.
'...I don't know where this guy crawled out from, but he's clearly no ordinary person.'
While Alberto acknowledged the man's skill, he didn't let down his guard.
Someone with that level of skill doesn't just fall out of the sky. He must have come here of his own accord.
Which meant, he thought, there was a high probability the man was hiding some ulterior motive.
'And the fact that he refuses to reveal his identity means there's definitely something more to it.'
In countries with such unstable political situations, opportunists always flocked in, looking to make a quick buck.
He had already ordered two of his trusted subordinates to keep a close watch on the man.
Soon after, the convoy of trucks, now under new drivers, turned and entered a completely different road.
This route also led to the CAR, but it had a much higher chance of avoiding the Ndoze Federation's patrols.
Lee Hyun-wook rode in the lead wagon.
“Whew... But we still have a few more days of driving ahead of us. It's too early to relax.”
Sophie said from the passenger seat.
The Central African Republic, just as its name suggests, is located right in the center of the African continent.
And aside from the sheer size of the African continent, the roads were poorly maintained.
There was no telling what might happen while crossing those lawless, open plains.
"We'll have to drive for about four more days. But... um... are you feeling unwell?”
She tilted her head, studying Lee Hyun-wook's face.
It was unlikely this man could get sick, but he certainly looked it.
"Actually, I was going to ask yesterday but decided against it. You've been looking pale for a few days now.”
Over the past eight days of the voyage, Lee Hyun-wook's complexion had grown noticeably haggard.
The reason was simple: he had been overworking his 'Internal Furnace.'
"Ah, I'm fine. Just a little tired. The tropical climate probably doesn't agree with me.”
But it was true that his mind was more cluttered than ever.
'This is the first time my head has been this much of a mess since returning to the past.'
The reason, of course, was the 'Main Quest.'
Lee Hyun-wook mulled over its contents several times whenever he had a spare moment.
[Main Quest]
- A second chance at life, a duty, a destiny...
Congratulations! You are excellently fulfilling the opportunity of a second life. As such, you have been granted a destiny that can lead to the 'Conclusion.'
Witness the core elements of this world and take one step closer to the truth!
1) Track down the 'Black Gate' that has opened somewhere in this world.
2) Eliminate the 'Dimensional Traveler' who will arrive from your past life—your first world.
3) Encounter '■■■,' who knows the truth of this world.
'Conclusion, Black Gate, Dimensional Traveler, truth... And what's with those blocks?'
It was all one big riddle.
Among them, item number two was by far the most bothersome.
'Someone coming from my past life, my first world...'
It meant someone was coming from the world of Lee Hyun-wook's first life.
And unlike Lee Hyun-wook, who had 'regressed' into his past body, this person would cross dimensions in their original body...
'...This is not good at all. If it's someone with the power of eight years in the future, they'll be on a completely different level.'
He didn't know who it would be, but he was certain they would be the worst possible opponent.
'And if, by some chance, it's the Necromancer...'
Lee Hyun-wook considered all the possibilities before slowly closing his eyes.
'In any case, I've now learned that even this disaster has an end.'
The world had been completely warped by a game that began one day without warning.
'So, what is the true nature of this game?'
That was a question everyone in the world had asked at least once, a question that remained unanswered.
As such, the game and the system were still uncharted territory.
'But people... they've completely adapted.'
Survival was more important than chasing an unsolvable truth,
and as a result of that struggle for survival, humanity had succeeded in adapting.
In other words, they now accepted this game as simply a new order, a matter of course.
'...Put differently, they've given up.'
In that moment, Lee Hyun-wook's goal was revised.
'I will see the end of this game.'
***
At dawn on the third day of their journey across Africa, they finally reached the 'rendezvous point.'
It was at the base of a rocky mountain on the savanna, near the border between the Central African Republic and South Sudan.
Four wagons were waiting there.
"Sophie, are those the resistance fighters?”
"That's right. It's probably an elite unit that came to meet us.”
As they approached, a black man spread his arms wide in a gesture of welcome.
“—Ah! Sophie Green, our steadfast supporter has returned!”
"Liango, I'm so glad we could meet again safely!”
The two embraced warmly, as if they had known each other for a long time.
"Oh, but did Bowie not come? You two are always together, aren't you?”
"Well, my brother isn't in the best of moods right now...”
The man called Liango said this, pointing somewhere.
In that direction, a large black man got out of a wagon, took off his sunglasses, and gave a slight wave.
He seemed to be Bowie, and unlike Liango, he didn't appear particularly pleased to see Sophie's group.
“Ah... He's acting like that because we failed to secure the contract terms with <Old Peace>, isn't he?”
“Hah— I'm sorry, Sophie. To act like that toward you all, who risk your lives to help us foreigners...”
"No, it's fine. I understand. I was the one who made a bold promise and took funds that could have been used elsewhere.”
As the sun began to set, the group prepared to make camp for the night.
And during dinner, Sophie sat next to Lee Hyun-wook and explained the situation.
"Those two, the Bertrand brothers, are the nephews of the resistance commander and are effectively his second-in-commands. The older brother, Bowie, was the one who insisted on the deal with the Old Peace Guild, so he contacted them through us.”
A moment later, Bowie approached.
"Sophie, I thank you for your grace in returning to this dangerous place.”
"Bowie, I'm sorry we couldn't secure the final key fragment. I made such a bold promise...”
He was silent for a long moment at that, then slowly spoke.
“...Still, you've bought us some time by intercepting the Ndoze Federation's main weapons, so it's fine.”
There was a bite to his words. 'Bought us some time' meant that's *all* they had bought.
Even Lee Hyun-wook, an outsider, could feel the resentment in his voice—resentment that they had failed to obtain the fundamental solution to end this civil war: reinforcements from the <Old Peace> Guild.
If Lee Hyun-wook were to reveal his identity here, it might have lessened that resentment.
But he couldn't do that just yet.
The reason was...
'There's a traitor among the resistance forces here.'
- Yes, they didn't explain the details of the operation, so I'm only just now grasping the situation and contacting you.
The sounds of a mana messenger communication were echoing in his ears.
- Those puppet weapons, they're all here. This is why the Bertrand brothers made a move.
- Well done. Your family will eat well for the rest of their lives.
- Ha... Thank you!
- The 11th Armored Division will be heading there shortly. If they move, report back immediately.
'Ah, looks like I'll have to keep the mask on for a while longer...'
But the others seemed completely oblivious to these hidden circumstances.
"We're defending the 'Northern Fortress,' our last bastion, but I don't know if we can hold out for even a month.”
"My god... The situation has gotten worse while we were in India?”
"There were three major battles in that time, and we were soundly defeated in all of them. The situation is dire.”
The resistance forces seemed to be backed into a corner.
Just then, Bowie pointed to the fifteen trucks—to the puppet weapons—and spoke.
"By the way, Sophie, while it's impressive that you intercepted those, it would be best to just destroy them.”
His reasoning was the same as Alberto's, who had earlier suggested sinking the puppet weapons.
It was the fear that if they carried them around, they would eventually be taken by the Puppeteer.
"Ah, there's something I forgot to mention.”
She said, pointing to Lee Hyun-wook.
"This gentleman here is someone we met in Chennai. He's capable of controlling Living Armor. In fact, we were only able to seize the puppet weapons thanks to him. And thankfully, he has agreed to help us.”
Sophie subtly informed Bowie of Lee Hyun-wook's presence, but she didn't mention his name.
At this, he glanced at Lee Hyun-wook... then turned his head away without so much as a simple greeting.
"Sophie, no fire mage or fire spirit user can show off their flames before an Inferno. In fact, the fires they create only serve to amplify the Inferno's power.”
Simply put, he was saying that no matter what, they couldn't stand against the Puppeteer.
"And you can't fight the 'Enchantress Twins'' armored division with just Living Armor.”
He let out a deep sigh as he said this.
“...One hundred and forty-eight. That's the number of 'Enchant Tanks' that appeared in the last battle.”
Currently, the enemy, the Ndoze Federation, had two formidable weapons.
The first was the war mercenary they'd heard so much about, the 'Puppeteer.'
The second was a pair of twin mages called the Enchantress Twins.
And for the resistance, they were likely a far more troublesome foe than the Puppeteer.
'They're a duo of mage Players who specialize in enchanting.'
Their ability was similar to the Anyang Duo's, but while the Anyang Duo applied high-quality, layered enchantments to their own weapons, these two's style was to enchant large-scale weaponry and overwhelm with numbers.
'In essence, it's a type of area-of-effect enchantment magic.'
It could be applied to humanity's gunpowder weapons, and even to armored vehicles like tanks.
Soon, negative remarks about these Enchant Tanks erupted from all around.
"Those tanks, clad in magic barriers, are truly unstoppable, terrifying monsters.”
"I used all my mana for a decisive shot, and all it did was break one of its treads.”
"Hah... And if you try to fire an anti-tank gun, it just bounces off the magic barrier...”
Armor with magic shields, enchanted machine guns, main cannon shells made from dungeon steel...
They were incredibly difficult to face unless you were a reasonably powerful Player.
"And according to recent intelligence, there are 269 tanks in the central hangar alone.”
"The moment they finish enchanting them and they roll out, the Northern Fortress will fall.”
As it was, the resistance's morale was completely broken. Their last hope had been reinforcements from the <Old Peace> Guild. But with that gone, they had no choice but to despair.
'Furthermore, many of them will probably defect to the other side just to survive.'
As the atmosphere suggested, the resistance's struggle was destined to fail.
That was why 'Sudarshana' would fall to the Ndoze Federation and then into the hands of a Villain.
But now, a new variable had entered the flow: Lee Hyun-wook.
'Isn't it about time this tedious conversation came to an end?'
Lee Hyun-wook wasn't really listening to their conversation.
His senses were currently focused on 'Hugin,' high up in the sky.
At that moment—
“—We're under attack!”
A sharp shout from somewhere made everyone leap to their feet.
"Huh? What do you mean!”
When Liango asked, a sentry pointed somewhere.
"Tanks are approaching from the northwest plain, about nine kilometers out!”
"What? You didn't know until they got that close?”
"I-It seems they were enchanted with some kind of wide-area stealth magic!”
"Those bastards... It's like they were just waiting to play their hidden card.”
Just then, Bowie drew a pistol from his hip.
“...How in the world did they know we were here?”
His gun was aimed at none other than Lee Hyun-wook.
"Brother! What are you doing...!”
"Liango, you stay out of this!”
It seemed he had jumped to the completely wrong conclusion.
“...You there, the mysterious third party. Take off your mask!”
"Bowie! He's someone we can trust! I guarantee it!”
Sophie stepped between them.
"This man killed William Tell to save us!”
“...William Tell? Are you saying the Eye Gouger is dead?”
"Yes! And he seized those puppet weapons all by himself!”
Despite her defense, Bowie's expression remained unchanged.
"Well, I didn't see that with my own eyes, so I can't say...”
"What? Are you saying you don't trust me now?”
"I've trusted you for a long time, but you've never been much help, have you?”
“...Bowie, we fought for you!”
As the situation escalated, HPA team leader Alberto cut in.
"Hah... Hey, tanks are coming, what the hell are you doing! If you're going to shoot, then shoot!”
He was thoroughly annoyed for another reason.
"Goddammit, I knew this would happen! We should have just sunk them all...”
It was anger that his opinion had been ignored, and now they were about to lose all those puppet weapons.
'Good grief, what a dysfunctional mess...'
Everyone here was acting with good intentions, but they were not of one mind.
"Green, this country is finished! I'm calling the director-general to tell him we're pulling out. Pack your bags!”
The HPA agents scrambled to prepare their escape, while the resistance fighters were frozen with indecision.
Rumble—
The trembling of the ground was now approaching from the north.
Dozens of tanks—enchanted tanks—were closing in.
The searchlights they cast lit up the northern hill in stark white.
Soon, the magic-clad chunks of steel would appear over the crest of the hill.
Just then, Lee Hyun-wook spoke.
"You, your name is Bowie, right?”
"I'm about to prove that I'm not the traitor...”
Lee Hyun-wook raised his left hand.
And with his index finger, he pointed at someone.
It was a man from the resistance.
"Once it's proven, dispose of that man.”
"What are you talking about? Speak clearly!”
Facing the furious Bowie, Lee Hyun-wook gave a slight smile.
"People are surprisingly bad at understanding words. So instead...”
In that instant, Lee Hyun-wook's body began to float into the air.
Click!
Bowie had pulled the trigger without thinking, but the gun didn't fire.
Vwoom—
“...When you show them with their own eyes, they tend to believe much more easily.”
It was then.
BOOM—!
"Dammit, it's artillery!”
Wheeeeee—!
A single whistling sound cut across the quiet savanna, growing clearer by the second.
A high-explosive shell, packed with enchanted dungeon steel shrapnel.
In other words, a magic weapon designed to obliterate its surroundings upon detonation.
“—T-take cover!”
But just then, the shell veered sharply in mid-air and landed in a completely random spot.
KABOOM—!
"Huh?”
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—!
Before they could even guess why, the Enchant Tanks fired in succession,
but every single shell was deflected, as if hitting an invisible wall, and sent flying in all directions.
“...Is he... deflecting the shells?”
Soon, everyone's gaze was fixed on Lee Hyun-wook, floating in the sky.
“...What is he?”
The Ndoze Federation's Enchant Tank division—an object of terror for the resistance forces.
'But to me...'
Lee Hyun-wook faced the twenty-four tanks and raised his left hand.
'...they're just slightly large lumps of iron.'
The moment he slowly turned his left hand—
'Crush!'
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of loud noises echoed from the front.
It was the sound of caterpillar tracks snapping.
All twenty-four Enchant Tanks ground to a halt.
Screeeeech—!
Next came the sound of something twisting.
This time, the cannon barrels melted and bent.
And the next moment...
'Inside the tanks, I'll strike the shells' bursting charges and detonate them.'
KA-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM—!
In an instant, the northern hill was dyed crimson.
With that spectacular backdrop behind him, Lee Hyun-wook's body slowly descended.
"Now, is that proof enough?”
Bowie stared up at Lee Hyun-wook, his face blank.
Toward him, Lee Hyun-wook spoke softly.
“...This war, I can end it.”