Bakgyeokpo
"Ttodoadzi? Why the hell is that suddenly coming up now?"
The dwarf’s traditional dish of Ttodoadzi, in which a boar is split open, a piglet is stuffed inside, and the whole thing is cooked, left Berneval at a loss at the bizarrely timed mention of food.
"Yes. We’re going to cook the goblins the same way."
Joren had stuffed two explosive stones into the hole of the stone mortar shell, then packed the opening with well-kneaded mud so the explosives wouldn’t fall out.
"A bomb inside a shell. That’s a killer idea, right?"
Only then did Berneval grasp what Joren was after, and he let out a low groan.
"Joren, you bastard... you’re completely insane. How the hell did you even think of that?"
The idea had come to Ho-yeong from something he’d heard during ideological training back when he served in the artillery: the Joseon era cannon shells and gunpowder weapons, especially Bigyeokjincheonroe.
Bigyeokjincheonroe was a kind of delayed-action bomb that detonated its fuse by means of a primer. The iron shell and the metal fragments inside it were torn apart by the blast and hurled in every direction as shrapnel. It could also be used like a land mine, or launched from above, or fired from a mortar-like gun mounted on a wooden stand, making it a remarkably forward-thinking weapon for its time.
"Mr. Berneval. Hurry and drill a few more holes for me! They don't have to match the explosive stone exactly. No, actually, wider and more irregular is better."
"Aye."
Help. Mana stones do not have unlimited mana. To explain it in terms suitable for your Guardian setting, each point of power consumes 1 to 3 percent mana.
A typical mana stone would need a mage to keep feeding it external mana whenever it ran dry, which made it a nuisance. But the one Ho-yeong possessed was an Ancient Mana Stone.
Whenever the mana is exhausted, it requires recharge time. If a large amount of mana is consumed over a short period, the recharge time grows longer. For example, this would apply to a shot with a power rating of 100.
The Ancient Mana Stone was an artifact that regenerated mana on its own once its internal reserves were depleted.
"In other words, if a normal mana stone is instant coffee, the Ancient Mana Stone is Ethiopian coffee. Nice. No need to call a mage every time, either."
The remaining mana was roughly 60 percent.
"My lord. How long are we supposed to keep lying here like this?!"
"Just a little longer. Keep your helmets on tight."
After confirming that the troops were properly under cover, Ho-yeong waited for the goblins to reach the barricade.
- Gop? Gopgop? (Huh? Where'd the humans go?)
The goblins that had crossed the hill looked confused when they saw no spearmen waiting for them.
- Gop. Goobbl! (They probably ran away because they were scared of us!)
- Gopgop. Goooobl! (Yeah, that's right. Everybody, charge!)
Once the one with the positive outlook reached that conclusion, the others came rushing forward as one.
"Status window. Launch the shell, but tell me a power level that won't detonate the explosive stones inside."
Ho-yeong adjusted the mana stone accordingly.
"Here it goes! The Bakgyeok Jincheonroe! Firing at power 10!"
Ho-yeong set the Bakgyeokpo to a high angle and fired at low power.
- Goooop?
The goblins were startled to see a massive stone flying over their heads.
- Gopgop! (It's a catapult!)
- Gopgopgop! (Dodge it, all of you!)
But since it came down high and slow, no one got crushed beneath it.
- Gop? Goob? Gobheugobheug! (Huh? It's incredibly slow. Heh heh heh.)
- Goop. Gopgop. Gobgob! (A human force having a catapult is scary, but they don't seem to know how to use it very well.)
Reassured, the goblins clustered around the rock and jeered at the humans.
The first reason Ho-yeong had fired the Bakgyeok Jincheonroe at low power was to draw them close to the shell.
- Gop?
The second reason was to make the explosive stones inside detonate not from the mana stone, but from the impact of the shell when it struck the ground.
- Goooop?
- Goooob!!
An explosion erupted inside the stone mass, scattering fragments in every direction.
"Aaagh!"
The soldiers who had been looking up to see what happened flung themselves back down. Some of the fragments that had ripped through the goblins’ bodies even slammed into the barricade.
Ability level increased! Passive skill People of the Cannons has risen from level 1 to 2.
"Level up, nice. Good, let's do that again!"
Caution. The Bakgyeokpo's barrel is not sufficiently sturdy. Continued firing will reduce shell accuracy, and high-power shots may damage the barrel.
The status window warned Ho-yeong just as he was preparing another bombardment.
"What, it's already getting dented?"
Even though they had reinforced it with several layers of iron plate, the limitations of a hastily assembled weapon were still showing. The barrel was starting to warp.
"No choice. Mr. Berneval, could you please repair it?"
"I tell you to chip stones and then call me over again for this!"
Complaining all the while, Berneval came over carrying a hammer and a bundle of scrap metal.
"All right, the advance squad, move out! Charge!"
While the Bakgyeokpo was being repaired, Ho-yeong rode five Mandragorani into the attack. There was no need to dismantle the layered wagon barricade; they only had to clear the hill, which made advancing and retreating easy.
We need to finish the first wave as fast as possible. If the second wave starts while we're still dithering, we'll be screwed.
By now, the top of a Mandragorani's back felt more comfortable than walking for Ho-yeong.
And the status window definitely said something about this when the quest started. It was better to take enemies out fast. What exactly was it again? Right. The fewer troops you commit, the fewer monsters slip through, and the faster you kill them, the higher your clear rank.
Even if he was pouring everything into firepower, expending it on the cleanup was a waste.
"Wipe out anyone who resists!"
He took the sword in hand himself and moved in to make sure the job was done.
- Goooop!
Most of them had been killed or badly wounded by the Bakgyeok Jincheonroe, but the ones outside the blast radius came at them in a desperate frenzy. They had no chance against heavily armed elite soldiers, though.
- Go... gob!
As the few remaining goblins backed away, Ho-yeong called out,
"If you value your lives, drop your weapons. I’ll let you live."
He tried to convert them with persuasion.
- Gooob?! Gobgob! (He says he'll let us live? This human's crazy!)
- Gopgob! (He's lying!)
Still, the goblins seemed hesitant.
That hesitation means they're at least a little less vicious, and their heads work a little better. These guys have potential.
Goblins were no great shakes physically, but they weren't any less vicious than other monsters. Still, their temperament varied wildly by individual. The goblins Ho-yeong was facing now were the kind that had not actively joined the fighting.
"Go ahead, then. Try running if you want. The troop commander, that is to say, in your language, the Goblin, will he leave you alone? He’ll cut you in half and chew on your insides. Honestly, that suits me fine. Means I won’t have to dirty my own hands chasing you down."
- Goblin?! Goooop....
At the mention of the troop commander, the goblins went pale and trembled.
"You’ve got three choices. First: resist, and you die horribly. Second: if you’d rather die quietly, I’ll cut your throat in one stroke. Third: if you follow me, then instead of euthanasia, you get an easy life."
- Mandragorani! (Do what the master says!)
- Laniii, laaniii! (Tamer Territory is a paradise on earth!)
- Goooob? Gooooobl. (He's insane. These deer-brained bastards too.)
The Mandragorani pleaded with extreme sincerity.
The goblins were utterly confused. Different species or not, monsters were siding with humans?
There was no point provoking them further, so they dropped their weapons. They had already understood that fighting would not bring victory, and running would do no good either.
The Guardian is impressed by your persuasion. Ability level increased! Main skill Edification has risen from level 4 to 5. New use unlocked! You can now cast [Area Edification] on multiple monsters at once!
Area Edification? Oh, I see. Before, I had to target one guy at a time, but now I can reel them all in together.
"Good. From now on, you’re Goblin No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, all the way to No. 10. Easy names are the best. Since we're at it, maybe the Mandragorani should get renumbered from 1 to 8 too? Anyway, line up and walk. Move."
Ho-yeong led the goblins out in front of him.
"My lord. Shouldn't we at least bind those bastards in a row or something?"
"No, no need. If they want to run, let them run."
One of the squad leaders made the common-sense suggestion, but Ho-yeong rejected it.
"Might they not stab us in the back?"
"They don't have the guts for that. Don't worry about it for now."
Based on their status, their hostility toward humans had vanished after conversion.
They're trash mobs, but still, the number of troops has gone up.
The first wave has ended. The second wave will begin in about 80 minutes. If you wish, Guardian, you may begin the offensive immediately. In that case, you will gain a small amount of EP. What will you do?
Hmm... what now? We don't have any dead or wounded, but...
Ho-yeong hesitated. Looking past the fortifications at the soldiers, he could see they were exhausted.
"No, let's put it off for a bit. And damn, the stench is awful. Ugh."
The roadside reeked with the smell of goblin blood and foul rot.
Ugh. Seeing them piled up dead like that makes me a little nauseous. And unlike in a game, the corpses don't just disappear.
Ho-yeong had worked in all sorts of fields, including meat processing, so animal carcasses did not bother him much. The Mandragorani were less unsettling, and there had been few trolls, but with hundreds of goblin bodies sprawled around him in humanoid heaps, nausea began to rise in his throat.
What are we even supposed to do with these corpses? They don't seem edible like the Mandragorani. Even Rubia would have a hard time with a purification ritual this big. We should probably burn them all later. Wait, hold on...
Something flashed through Ho-yeong's mind.
"Hey, goblins. You don't really want to fight your own kind, do you?"
- Gobgob. Gooo goblin! Goooop? Gobgob. (That's right. If it's the troop commander, maybe. But no. Fighting the others is...)
Since he had already expected that answer, Ho-yeong grinned.
"Okay. The tragedy of fratricide is off the table. Then there's something I need you to do."