Chapter 26
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Transport Caravan Ambush Incident (3)
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The silence that had settled over the canyon was as heavy as the weight of death itself.
The acrid stench of gunpowder and blood still lingered at the tip of his nose.
Jinwoo took a moment to catch his breath as he surveyed the aftermath of the battle that had just ended.
A perfect victory.
But the real prize depended on how well he cleaned up afterward.
'Time to collect the spoils first.'
Jinwoo headed straight for the crates containing the secret magic guns.
'In a normal game, one press of the E key would suck these right into my inventory.'
The hefty wooden crates looked too much for even a grown man to lift alone.
He untied a thick rope from Falcon's saddle and secured it firmly to the crate's handles.
"Falcon, time to put your back into it."
Nothing in this world came easy.
Jinwoo clicked his tongue as he fastened the other end of the rope to Falcon's saddle.
"Let's go."
"Kiek!"
Falcon obeyed his master's command and began moving his massive body.
His steel-like leg muscles rippled as he pushed off the ground, pulling the rope taut.
Kreeeak!
The crate scraped across the blood-soaked dirt, inching forward with effort.
In this manner, Jinwoo dragged all three crates from the battlefield to a deep crevice near the canyon entrance.
"This is the perfect spot."
Dry bushes and rock fragments from the surroundings gathered in Jinwoo's hands. He piled them all up, meticulously camouflaging the entrance to his hideout.
This should fool any ordinary pursuit team.
'Now, on to phase two.'
He recalled his next target.
'Their convoy was headed for Whistling Canyon.'
It was a full day's ride east from here, in the Dry Serpent Canyon.
'The first unit should have reached their destination by now, if everything had gone as planned.'
If they didn't get word back, the second group might sense something was off.
He had to hurry.
Tatadak!
Jinwoo mounted Falcon without delay.
The main quest allowed him no time to dawdle.
The wasteland was merciless, after all.
The red sun beat down as if evaporating every drop of moisture from all living things.
"Damn, I could go for a cola right now..."
Jinwoo grumbled as he took a brief rest.
Only hot winds wandered aimlessly over the cracked earth.
Jinwoo had ridden nonstop for two days and nights.
During breaks, he shared his water with Falcon and divided up their rations.
"Taste good?"
"Kiek!"
What an appetite—no discrimination between jerky or hardtack biscuits!
Jinwoo was truly grateful he wasn't riding a horse.
'If it were a horse, I'd have to carry hay too. Impossible in this wasteland.'
His monotonous routine of rest and advance finally reached its end.
At last, the entrance to a new canyon came into view in the distance—towering rocks jutting up like a giant's teeth.
Whistling Canyon.
True to its name, winds whistling eerily through the canyon gaps.
Whiiiing!
This place was far larger and more complex in terrain than the Dry Serpent Canyon.
Meaning plenty of spots to hide or set traps.
And higher chances of evasion or escape.
'The same trick won't work twice.'
If the first ambush was simple banditry, the second had to be a work of art—a masterful trap.
"Rest here."
Jinwoo hid Falcon in a safe spot outside the canyon and scoured every inch of it alone over three days and nights.
'Head knowledge alone isn't enough.'
Enemy's projected path.
High ground ideal for sniping.
Points for traps.
And above all, a blueprint for chain traps to perfectly control the enemy's movements as he desired.
With the plan set, all that remained was laying the traps.
'Use up some more of the remaining dynamite...'
Jinwoo decided to incorporate a few new items this time.
Just as he finished setting the final trap, dust clouds rose in the distance.
"Already? Did I take too long...?"
Jinwoo hastily concealed himself.
The second transport unit's convoy appeared at the entrance to Whistling Canyon.
From the outset, it dwarfed the first unit in grandeur.
Guard forces more than double.
Horses with glossy coats and riders with gleaming saddles.
And at the center, a grizzled veteran commander with a battle-hardened face directing the unit!
Confidence, not tension, filled their faces.
Even so, Jinwoo felt a bit relieved.
'News of the first unit's disappearance hasn't reached here yet.'
As expected.
That arrogance would soon be their poison.
From his perch atop the cliff, hidden in a rock crevice, Jinwoo's gaze fixed on one spot.
The moment the unit rounded the canyon's first bend.
Just as they cleared the curve.
Foosh!
A feeble explosion erupted midway up the mountain slope.
"Ambush! On guard!"
The unit raised their rifles without panic, scanning alertly.
It barely qualified as an attack.
Just a few tumbling rocks to startle the horses—that was it.
"Kuhaha! Is that all you've got?!"
The commander bellowed mockingly at the sky.
"You petty thieves think you can steal the Trade Federation's precious cargo with parlor tricks like that?!"
Snickers rippled through the soldiers.
They advanced warily, rifles ready to shoot anything that moved.
Jinwoo watched through his scope, lips curling into a smirk.
'They took the bait.'
The unit's eyes shifted to the cliffs ahead.
'Classic vigilance.'
If Jinwoo poked his head out now, it'd be blown clean off without mercy.
But their caution slowed them down.
More importantly, they were marching straight into the canyon's deepest, narrowest section.
The instant the vanguard passed the central point, Jinwoo triggered the first mechanism.
A single shot into a precarious rock fissure.
Kwajik!
Tatatang!
Federation soldiers reflexively fired toward the bullet's origin. Jinwoo bolted.
"That was close!"
The real show was just beginning.
The slight impact dislodged the rock.
Kurururung!
This time, a massive quake unlike before—the rear cliff collapsed on the unit.
Their retreat was instantly blocked by a heap of boulders.
"Wh-what?!"
"Our way back is cut off!"
As the panicked soldiers yanked their reins in chaos, another explosion boomed overhead.
"Falling rocks! Scatter!"
But it wasn't rocks this time.
Splatch! Splatch!
Giant oil drums precariously perched atop the cliffs burst from the blast.
"What the—?"
"It's oil!"
Viscous black liquid splashed across the front and rear of the convoy.
In moments, the canyon floor and soldiers were drenched in slick oil.
"Oil! Damn it, get away!"
Before the commander's scream faded, Jinwoo lit a Molotov cocktail from his pocket.
The flaming bottle arced toward the oil-soaked canyon sides.
The instant it shattered on the ground.
Whoosh!
The world turned red.
The canyon became a massive fiery maw, swallowing the front and rear lines.
"Aaaagh!"
Soldiers turned living torches rolled screaming, while panicked burning horses rampaged, turning the scene into pandemonium.
The panic was brief; the central commander bellowed.
"Don't scatter! If you're on fire, roll on the ground! Healthy ones, put out the flames on your comrades! This is Whistling Canyon!"
No sooner had he spoken than a gust swept through.
Whiiiing!
The wind whipped through the canyon, and miraculously, the flames began to die down.
"Stupid bandits! This place has cool, moist winds! A little fire like this blows out in no time! Lads! Let's hunt down and kill those thieves!"
Jinwoo had to admire the commander's shout.
'He knows his stuff.'
But Jinwoo's trap didn't end there.
The commotion had drawn the canyon's disasters creeping in.
"Kyaaak!"
Attracted by fire and blood, starved beasts emerged from dark caves and rock crevices.
"Canyon Crawlers!"
One scream ignited roars from all sides.
Canyon Crawlers—grotesque predators unique to this canyon.
Beasts that loved quiet and hated noise.
Excited by the racket Jinwoo had prepped, they charged.
"Aaaak! Shoot!"
"We have to break out! Protect the cargo!"
Retreat blocked, surrounded by fire, starved beasts lunging from ahead.
"Is this some Three Kingdoms battle or what?"
Fussh!
Overlooking the hellscape from the highest vantage, Jinwoo calmly pulled the trigger.
One desperately escaping the flames for a counterattack.
The commander aiming at the beasts.
Key targets fell one by one, fueling the chaos.
"Kheuk..."
As the last man dropped, the crawlers dragged bodies into cliff crevices and vanished.
"Gotta be careful."
Jinwoo descended on Falcon.
The inferno that engulfed the canyon hadn't lasted as long as expected.
Whistling Canyon lived up to its name with relentless winds.
And the floor held subtle moisture.
The heavy, damp winds slapped the flames like a giant palm; once the oil burned off, the blaze fizzled out.
Jinwoo had calculated this from the Molotov toss.
'Can't let the fire reach the precious cargo wagons in the center.'
The flames had only hit the head and tail where soldiers clustered.
In the wake of fire and beasts, only the eerie scent of charred flesh and wet ash hung in the air.
'As long as the crates are safe.'
Slightly singed exterior, but contents undamaged.
Jinwoo nodded in satisfaction after checking the second secret magic gun shipment.
He knew where the third transport unit was headed.
The problem was what came next.
'After two hits, they'll change things up.'
To consolidate all cargo in one place, he called Falcon and headed back to the Dry Serpent Canyon for the first spoils, preparing to depart for the next destination.
Another boss fight loomed.
Trade Federation Eldorado Branch 7.
The door to Branch Chief Owen Walter's office burst open.
His adjutant's face was pale as he rushed in panting.
"Br-Branch Chief! Disaster!"
Owen scowled, savoring his cognac.
"What's the commotion? I said reports follow procedure."
"Contact lost with the Second Transport Unit headed for Whistling Canyon! Scouts just confirmed and returned!"
A fine crack spiderwebbed across Owen's cognac glass. He rose slowly. The oppressive aura from his towering frame—easily over two meters—crushed the room.
"Just the results."
"Wiped out, it seems. Attacked by unidentified monsters and an invisible sniper... he set fires..."
The adjutant stammered incoherently.
Owen grasped the full picture quickly.
The First Transport Unit annihilated in Dry Serpent Canyon.
And now the Second.
'No coincidence.'
Clearly the work of someone who knew their most secret transport plan inside out.
Kwajik!
The cognac glass crumbled to powder in his grip.
Owen's face flushed crimson with rage.
"Daring to touch Federation cargo! Secret magic guns, no less!"
His roar rattled the office windows.
Twice. Consecutively stripped of their divine weapons.
A direct challenge to the Federation's pride and authority.
"What are your orders?"
"Proceed with remaining transports as planned. But..."
Owen clenched his bloodied fist and issued the command.
"Unleash the hounds."
Horror filled the adjutant's eyes.
"Steel Hounds? But they..."
"That's why we got hit twice. Before that rat holes up, they need to sniff him out and rip his throat."
Killing intent flashed in Owen's eyes.
"Scour every inch of Eldorado if you must! Peel off his skin and drag him before me—no matter the cost!"