Chapter 172
Chapter 172
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 172
Chapter Title: Territory Reclamation War (3)
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There.
I sensed presences.
They were riding flying creatures, attacking the devices inside the barrier. The ones launching aerial assaults were fellow kin I’d never exchanged a word with.
But there was one name I knew.
An archer from Kyle’s unit.
He wasn’t a threat to Ye-hyeon, Ricardo, or Ami. He might be the strongest in his group, but he didn’t have the skill to take down Task Force.
Even if he was using a bow engraved with magic, he couldn’t match the firepower of guns.
Their combat sense wasn’t as sharp as the veterans’ either.
Once I assessed the situation, I felt a bit relieved.
The core devices would be safe.
I scanned for any other kin beyond them. With so many presences in my senses, it wasn’t easy.
As I strained, the endless transfusion finally ended.
Yoon rose from his seat.
He stopped in front of me as I busily worked.
“Let’s eat lunch and head out.”
“Yes?”
“You’re not planning to fight nonstop for eight hours, right? It’s lunchtime anyway, and no need to go out yet.”
“Kyle’s not the type to eat lunch in the middle of a war.”
“He’s not moving right now.”
Yoon held out the tablet screen to me.
I took the tablet and stared at the red dot.
My boss, who’d implanted a tracker.
The tracker pinpointed Kyle’s location accurately. And as Yoon said, the red dot wasn’t moving.
What was he doing?
As rationality returned, questions flooded my mind. I couldn’t understand what the Titans were doing. To win a siege, they needed far more forces than this.
If it were me, I’d strike when expanding a small core.
Succeeding in reclaiming a small core would give them its infrastructure. We could block Center Core’s expansion but not its reclamation. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to focus on small cores instead of wasting power on expansion?
Was this another case where Kyle and I diverged in strategy?
Even then, I couldn’t see what Kyle aimed for in this attack. Angels were powerful magical beasts, but inefficient in sieges. In fact, those precious beasts had been shattered by incoming missiles.
Did he fail to predict my retreat and pour everything into capturing me?
Had he abandoned victory against humans entirely, focusing all on revenge…?
Lost in thought, Yoon gently grabbed my arm and pulled me up.
His action startled me.
“Taking pity on me as a patient? Thank you.”
“What.”
“You pulled me up so gently.”
Yoon stared at me.
“I care about you, in my own way.”
I dropped the tablet.
My master snatched it and set it on the desk by the bed. The motion was clean, without excess, just like him. His face was the same as always—dry, emotionless.
And I couldn’t hold back.
“Don’t lie, Senior. Even jokes have limits.”
“Why doesn’t anyone believe me?”
“Would you?”
Even without a conscience, there are lines.
“You don’t even smile at me like you do at Ye-hyeon or Ami.”
“I smile like that?”
“No.”
I answered quickly and firmly.
“You don’t have to. Sorry.”
Yoon chuckled softly.
My master shoved his hands in his pockets and walked out of the tent.
I jumped up and followed him. I had to stick by his side anyway. Ye-hyeon would relay orders through him.
The dry man lifting the tent flap.
Following him, I grumbled.
“You only care about me as much as your sports car, right?”
“I care about you more than my sports car.”
Yoon replied without turning.
A faint hint of amusement colored his voice.
“You’re done if you die.”
The mindset of antisocial personality disorder.
Sickened, I followed my master in silence.
***
Outside the tent.
My view widened, revealing the battlefield. At the edge of my vision loomed the massive barrier. Badgers densely lined the top.
Most were killing creatures climbing the barrier.
There were Badgers inside the barrier too.
The tanks and turrets they manned formed three lines of defense. Probably in case the barrier fell.
But right now, even flying creatures couldn’t breach the second line.
Those on the third line were eating something.
“They’ll rotate soon between third line and barrier top.”
Yoon led me toward the third line area.
“Task Force will join soon too. Level 10 retreated, you said.”
They must’ve pulled back before dying to Ye-hyeon or Ricardo.
Relieved no kin had died by human hands, I surveyed the situation.
It was past noon. Creature numbers had thinned considerably. Flying creature corpses lay scattered and rotting. Badgers passed the piles nonchalantly.
Taking in the scene, I walked to the lunch distribution point near the third line.
Kyle’s group still showed no real movement.
Seemed like they were treating Sion’s injuries. Even accounting for that, it was oddly quiet.
Gazing up at the sky above the barrier, I silently asked a question that didn’t become sound.
‘What are you doing?’
Accepting food from Yoon, I mentally prodded Kyle.
‘You’re not just waiting for me to come out, are you?’
“Hey, rookie!”
Shoving unknown food in my mouth while probing kin movements, a voice I hadn’t heard in ages snagged my attention.
I turned to see the owner.
“Were you crying?”
Jason Tvein.
I’d completely forgotten about his existence.
“Long time no see, Senior.”
I swallowed the food and replied.
“Third line?”
“Rotating to the barrier soon.”
The man swaggered over.
Yoon ignored his approach, and I chewed my food, watching quietly.
Tvein stopped at a slant.
Seeing my swollen eyes, he smirked.
“Assigned to the barrier, huh?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Tears seeing humanoid creatures?”
Oh…
“Can’t bring yourself to kill them ’cause they look human?”
What should I say?
I stood frozen, speechless. An odd feeling stirred, but I couldn’t pinpoint it.
Not an emotion I wanted to examine closely.
I had to respond somehow.
Yoon’s voice snapped me back.
“Chattering like that, you must be real bored.”
My master said dryly, setting down his water bottle.
“Did you even see the humanoid creatures?”
“Stuck on third line—how the fuck was I supposed to? Shit, if that came out, they should’ve called me, right? Who handled the level 10 to the end?”
Tvein raised his voice in excitement.
“Rookies don’t know how to deal with them properly!”
Yoon had already lost interest in the conversation.
He brushed off Jason Tvein’s words with one ear and nudged me.
“Let’s go.”
Tvein scowled deeply, mouth opening.
But I didn’t catch his words. Yoon gripped my shoulder and pushed me toward the barrier. It wasn’t irritable—just pragmatic, nearly emotionless.
Pretending not to hear Tvein, I followed that grip.
“A point appeared?”
I asked softly. Yoon nodded.
“We’re taking the motorcycle out.”
“Got it.”
“Enemy movements are suspicious. Stay sharp.”
His low voice cut through gunfire and cannon fire.
“You see the creatures thinning out weirdly?”
I did.
Not just me, who physically sensed their presences—Badgers below the barrier noticed the anomaly too.
The area suddenly grew quiet. And quieter still.
We still had over three hours to hold.
Strangely, the enemy barely attacked us.
As if retreating.
“The beast tamers are still out there. It’s not over.”
“Yeah.”
Yoon said as he wheeled the motorcycle up the barrier.
He wasn’t surprised.
“They’re probably finding the right moment to push.”
My master was likely right.
But what did they plan to achieve by pushing?
I still couldn’t guess Kyle’s intent. Whether slow or fast, pushing in meant death. Center Core was massive. Unless Kyle himself charged in a suicidal frenzy, Titans had no chance of winning.
Was emotion clouding their judgment?
I stepped onto the barrier top.
Earth stretched before me, unobstructed by core or barrier.
“Ricardo, Ami, and the other Seniors…?”
“Moving to join.”
Came the curt reply.
“We jump right after linking up.”
I nodded.
Clear blue sky.
We fell silent.
Combat was always like this. Boredom and panic. Boredom and violence, repeating.
Of course, I never relaxed during the dull moments.
The eerie silence on the barrier only sharpened my nerves.
Anomalies are bad…
Ah.
Damn.
The moment Ami’s voice rose from below, I grasped the silence’s cause.
A chill raced down my spine.
“Below!”
I whipped around to Yoon and shouted.
“They’re gathering under the barrier!”
I needed to specify the spot.
But no way came to mind to convey it precisely. A bit north of here. Where fewest corpses piled. What good would that do?
Even saying suicide mole creatures were massing—what use?
Too late to relay info.
As Yoon opened his mouth, a roar tore my eardrums.
Kwaaaaang!
Badgers flung back. First line scattered by shockwave.
Part of the barrier crumbled.
“Protect the core devices!”
Richard Green bellowed.
“Cover device seven!”
Creatures surged through the breach.
[You block number one.]
Ye-hyeon’s voice via comms.
Even as the situation flipped, my unflappable boss concisely ordered Task Force.
[Hilde leads.]
I sensed Kyle.
He headed for the breach.
“Yes.”
Answering, I grabbed the motorcycle and leaped from the barrier.
“I’ll block them.”
Landing, I kicked it to life.
Without checking if Seniors followed, this time I charged toward him.