Chapter 150
Chapter 150
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: There's Something Special About Mages (8)
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“But isn’t the number a bit high? Didn’t you say it was just Jindo Dog 2 Team? Did they expand the personnel?”
“There are other companies too.”
“Oh, really?”
The squad members wore puzzled expressions. With Jindo Dog 2 Team and their own firepower, they already had more than enough strength. There was no need to commit excessive forces in a situation like this.
“What’s the deal? If they’re going to do that, why call us out here?”
“It’s not because they don’t trust us… right?”
“That’s not it.”
As the squad members kept chattering behind him, Suhyun finally stepped in to explain.
“Excluding Jindo Dog, the rest are all newly formed mercenary companies. Dansung, Juyoung, Post Omega… They might hold their own in normal times, but if something goes wrong, they won’t cut it as combat power. They lack experience.”
“What? Why bring guys like that along?”
“It’s because of the Dragon Slayer Project. Stop grilling me about it and just focus on your own jobs. Anyway, having them around isn’t a bad thing, is it?”
“What do you mean it’s not bad? If these green rookies cause an accident, we’re the ones who take the hit.”
Suhyun stared at the squad member speaking so shamelessly, looking utterly dumbfounded. Who was it that had dragged these inexperienced folks along from the very start and built them up?
“Doesn’t that prick your conscience?”
“Haha…”
“Anyway, cut the chit-chat and don’t get too chummy with them for no reason.”
“Yes, sir!”
The actual exploration force consisted of Jindo Dog 2 Team and Suhyun’s squad. The attached mercenary company teams were purely at the government’s request.
After the Dragon Slayer Project, many mercenary companies had shut down or been halved in strength, earning them poor evaluations outside of raw combat power. Even if the government sought cooperative firms, that only worked when there were plenty to choose from. They needed forces to fill the gaps.
And that situation was a golden opportunity for new mercenaries. Spots had suddenly opened up in a market already crowded by established powers.
Thus, their interests aligned. The government offered benefits and support to upstart mercenary companies, aiming to rebuild its forces in short order.
The mercenary teams assigned to this mission were part of that policy. If the Calcutta Redwood Forest Base had been destroyed, they’d need forces to reinforce it. The government figured pairing newbie teams with Suhyun’s experienced, reliable squad would allow them to learn and grow.
‘Honestly, it’s a hassle.’
Suhyun didn’t see this mission as dangerous. The Development Planning Department likely agreed.
Even though contact had been lost, his squad had handled far tougher jobs multiple times. If they’d deemed it risky, they wouldn’t have sent them in the first place.
In short, it was “train these greenhorns and make them useful.” But unless they were under Suhyun’s direct command, he had no interest in wasting energy on that.
“Team Leader, is there something on my face?”
“No, nothing.”
Kim Chang-sik tilted his head as Suhyun stared at him.
‘How long did it take to even make people like this guy… what the hell.’
“Kim Suhyun… Team Leader.”
An awkward voice came from behind. Turning around, Suhyun saw a familiar face. He held back a laugh as he replied.
“Long time no see. Team Leader Choi Jae-ho.”
Suhyun had no direct grudge against him, but indirectly, Choi Jae-ho had suffered the most damage. He couldn’t help showing a bit of reluctance when dealing with him, even without outright hostility.
“You look a bit thinner?”
“Ah, I’ve been busy with work lately…”
He hadn’t been overweight to begin with, but now he looked noticeably gaunt. Suhyun clicked his tongue sympathetically.
“Still, you’ve got to take care of your health while working.”
‘Half of it’s your fault!’
“Thank you.”
Frustrated promotions at the company, repeated judgment errors… Not all of it was Suhyun’s fault. Choi Jae-ho wasn’t petty enough to blame him for everything.
But his misjudgments about Suhyun were certainly part of why things had spiraled this far. Choi Jae-ho let out an invisible sigh.
‘Still the same.’
A slick operator. Slippery fox didn’t even begin to cover it. Suhyun had just been the wrong opponent.
Even now, he was maintaining perfect decorum for the situation. His guts must be churning inside, but aware of how lofty Suhyun’s position had become, he showed no sign of it.
“Let’s do well together on this job, just like before.”
“…Please take care of me.”
“Cheer up a bit.”
When Suhyun returned, the squad members stared at Choi Jae-ho with odd looks. They couldn’t fathom how the once energetic, vigorous man had ended up like this.
“Why’s he like that?”
“Leave him be. He must be having a rough time.”
“Rough time? Should we send him some red pork mushrooms as a gift?”
“…That probably won’t mean much.”
Once Suhyun finished talking with Choi Jae-ho, team leaders from other squads who’d been waiting for their chance approached to greet him.
“Hello! I’m Kim Ju-young, team leader of Juyoung Security Company. Please take care of me!”
“Ah, likewise.”
“I’m Lee Dan-seong, team leader of Dansung. My superpower is…”
“I read all the files before coming, so no need to explain again here. Anything you need or questions?”
When Suhyun mentioned he’d reviewed the documents, both looked deeply impressed. To them, a mage like Suhyun was an object of envy. At such a young age, he’d climbed every height possible on Cameron Planet—a true role model.
“Nothing! We’re determined to learn as much as we can and give our all.”
“Same here!”
“?”
Suhyun blinked at the unusually polite mercenaries. Courteous types like this were rare among mercs.
‘Did the government screen for personality when recruiting?’
Even if the government hated troublemakers, they wouldn’t do personality checks for mercs. Half would get cut otherwise.
“Ah, okay. Then just do your best. No need to overdo it. Jindo Dog 2 Team or I will handle most things. Just get a feel for what Calcutta’s like…”
As he spoke, Suhyun trailed off, feeling burdened. The two team leaders were gazing at him with overly sparkling eyes.
“Please tell us more.”
“…Just follow along and you’ll get the hang of it. You’re both superpowered users, and your teams have plenty of that firepower too.”
“Yes, sir!”
* * *
“Isn’t this perfect? We’ve got them cornered. Why not just charge in? We could win even head-on.”
“No. Let’s wait a bit more. Leave them be, and they’ll come out on their own. Their stockpiles inside must be hitting limits soon.”
The subordinate shut his mouth at the captain’s words. He had no authority anyway.
“Do you think I’m being too cautious?”
“Sir?! No, not at all!”
“No need to play dumb. Plenty of the squad grumble about my methods.”
The subordinate hesitated. His superior was indeed too… cautious. Charitably, prudent; uncharitably, cowardly. But saying it outright was another level.
‘Too late to deny it now?’
“A little, yeah.”
“Other teams charge in boldly with frontal assaults and wrap things up cleanly. Easy to think that way.”
“And it boosts their fame too.”
“Yeah, like that Jin Ro-gung bastard.”
The subordinate clapped a hand over his mouth in shock. His true feelings had slipped out. But the captain didn’t seem to care.
“Fame, wealth, power… All pointless for the likes of us. You think nailing dozens of missions gets you that? Nah, that’s for the born elites. Party connections, high-ranking family… We’re just salarymen. Do as ordered. What’s most important for a salaryman?”
“?”
“Survival. Survival. Gotta live first to enjoy even the little things. I’ve failed before, but never died.”
‘Well, yeah, that’s obvious.’
“Do you know what happened around here before?”
“?”
“A team that brought anti-superpower gear got wiped out. Not a single survivor. And that was back when the gear wasn’t even public knowledge.”
“…!”
“Who’d have thought they’d fail? They sure didn’t. That’s why they charged straight in. But no. On Cameron, you can’t do that. You never know what trump card the enemy has. Just like we have ours, they might too.”
‘This guy’s such a coward. How do we ever get anything done like this…’
“Wait it out, then strike surely. Eventually, they hit bottom. Human patience isn’t that strong.”
Right now, they were lying in ambush around the Redwood Forest Base. Their operation so far had been near flawless.
Destroy the base’s comms, eliminate witnesses, deal massive blows to the area. They were checking off goals one by one.
It would’ve been tough otherwise. But luck favored them. China, inspired by the dark elves’ monster taming, had invested heavily and seen results. This was the first team to receive monster support.
Then, perfectly timed, the Dimensional Gate incident erupted. Monsters rampaged, forcing the base troops to respond.
A once-in-a-lifetime chance. They used trained monsters to wreck facilities and herd enemy forces inside. Now, just attack the encircled foes to finish it, and it’d look like monsters wiped them out.
Truly perfect. Except the captain wouldn’t issue the attack order.
The captain said he didn’t know the base’s strength or internal defenses, so wait. With other supply depots destroyed, they’d have to come out eventually. The subordinates obeyed, but as time dragged, resentment grew.
-Grrr…
“Calm that thing down. It’s creepy as hell.”
“Yes, sir.”
At the captain’s order, he tossed monster feed—made in a lab—into a special pen. They’d gotten help from dark elf tech, but theirs wasn’t as refined. The elves didn’t share core secrets.
“See? They’re coming out.”
“…!”
One from inside opened a sealed door, shrinking as he moved. His face was filthy, like days without washing.
“Probably thinks the monsters are gone.”
“Storm in?”
“Wait. Let more come. And this mission—zero traces.”
“Just kill ’em all?”
“Even then, traces remain. Use the monsters.”
‘Such a damn coward!’
The subordinate swallowed a retort rising to his throat. Then, another squad member rushed up, face full of dismay.
“Captain. Big trouble!”
“What?”
“Korean government rescue team’s inbound.”
“So what? We expected that. Unleash the decoy monsters we prepped. In this jungle, one hit slows ’em down.”
“No, that’s not the issue!”
“Then what?”
The captain, whose face hadn’t changed, started getting irritated as the subordinate persisted.
“The opponent… it’s Kim Suhyun.”
“Kim Suhyun? That mage??”
“Yes!”
“…….”
“Captain?”
“Withdraw. Release the monsters toward the base. Rest of us pull out now.”
“…!”
The subordinates gawked at him in disbelief. After all this effort, abandon the op just like that?
“No way… we’re really retreating?”
“You wanna fake it? You wanna face Kim Suhyun?”
“N-No, but…”
Principally, his superior was right. They lacked the power to fight Kim Suhyun. Even with monsters, his known abilities made victory unlikely.
But folding so instantly was another matter.
“Let’s go. Survive first, then figure the rest.”
“…….”