Help Call (2)

Crunch. As expected, the golden apple tasted like a true delicacy when eaten atop the wall. I marveled at the flavor I never grew tired of, no matter how many times I had it, and glanced down at the barrier erected before the Yalu River.

"Hmm. Another peaceful day."

Golems patrolled the base of the wall while hundreds of drones zipped overhead. Under Terra's orders, they scanned for breaches and any sign of Corrupted intruders. After finishing one apple, I tossed the core into my inventory and pulled out a fresh one. Crunch. I took a big bite and peered below.

Whoosh, whoosh! Noah stood amid the crater-scarred earth, scattering holy flames like holy water. The reason was simple: the ash left behind by slain Corrupted polluted the land. Whenever we killed them, we purified the ground with refined mana, holy water, or a priest's divine power—unless the earth was already dead.

"The holy bombs swept most of it away, but there's still plenty of ash left."

Faint traces of demonic energy rose from the residue between craters.

"Keep at it, Noah."

I murmured and sent a golden apple down to him. Noah caught the fruit that appeared in midair, looked around, spotted me on the wall, and gave a bright smile with a small bow. I waved back, took another bite, and turned my gaze elsewhere.

The moment I saw Arthur swinging his sword, golden sword aura rippling with every strike, I froze. His downward slash halted mid-motion. He turned and looked straight at me. A gentle smile spread across his face as he waved. I waved back and sent him the special elixir juice made from stamina pills and golden apples. Just like Noah, he caught the bottle that materialized, blew me a kiss, then downed the juice in one long gulp before tucking the bottle away and resuming his training.

Watching him, I let out an awkward laugh.

[(⩌ _ ⩌)]

Terra sent a message that clearly conveyed her displeasure.

'What’s with that face?'

I asked. She replied promptly.

[After that confession, it seems the yellow fox has lost all restraint.]

She was commenting on Arthur’s open affection.

'Well… you’re not wrong.'

Three days had passed since Arthur’s confession. She no longer cross-dressed. She no longer hid her feelings for me. Blowing kisses was now routine. She clung to me at every opportunity, held my hand like Seo-yeon did, insisted on sitting beside me at meals, and followed me on walks under the pretext of guarding me. Whenever that happened, Remilia watched us with the warm smile of someone witnessing a budding couple.

But Noah, who knew Seo-yeon and Asuka were also deeply interested in me…

'Sir Yoo-jin, the trial of women must be overcome by your own strength. So… hang in there.'

…he would say, patting my shoulder with a look of pity.

Recalling that moment, I couldn’t help but sigh.

"Haa."

I exhaled heavily and was about to bite into the apple again when a voice called out.

"You look drained, brother."

Remilia appeared in a flash of light.

"Ah… Lady Remilia. Have you finished the memorial prayers?"

"Yes. Thanks to you, I was able to perform them in peace. Thank you very much, brother."

The three who had come here under Kali’s orders had been at a loss. With golems and drones handling security around the clock, they hadn’t known what to do. I told them they were free to rest or do whatever they wished. So they each went about their own tasks: Noah purified the land, Arthur trained to grow stronger, and Remilia spent every moment outside of meals praying for the souls who had sacrificed themselves to protect this place.

"Not at all. I should be the one thanking you. Thank you for comforting the souls who gave their lives for the Korean Peninsula."

"…You are truly humble, brother."

Remilia spoke with genuine admiration. I smiled awkwardly and handed her the same elixir juice I had given Arthur. She accepted it with a slight blush.

"And kind as well…"

She stared at me for a moment, then turned toward the distant Yalu River and opened the bottle. After taking a sip of the golden liquid, she spoke softly.

"You truly are remarkable, brother."

…Huh? Suddenly?

I paused mid-bite, caught off guard by the sudden praise.

"Right now, I sense you are at the mid-upper rank. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Yet you single-handedly annihilated tens of thousands of Corrupted and held off the Named until the commander arrived, did you not?"

"…Yes, that’s right."

Since it was the truth, I nodded. Remilia smiled gently and continued.

"That is why I say you are remarkable. But what is even more remarkable is this."

She placed a hand on the parapet.

"This sturdy wall, and…"

She took another sip.

"…the fact that you freely bestow such precious elixirs without asking for anything in return."

Remilia turned from the river to face me. She reached into her spatial item and withdrew an ornate bottle along with the empty one, then held both out to me.

"I, Cardinal Remilia, offer my deepest gratitude for your courage and kindness."

She bowed her head. Flustered but moved, I stored the half-eaten apple in my inventory and accepted the bottles. When I appraised the silver liquid, a window appeared.

'Oh, holy water!'

And not just any holy water—Remilia’s special blend. Far superior to the highest-grade ones sold on the market.

'As expected of a cardinal.'

Of course, I hadn’t helped for three days expecting this. Still, receiving such a reward felt wonderful. I thanked her sincerely and stored the holy water in my inventory.

"Thank you very much, Lady Remilia."

"Not at all. I am the one who should be grateful."

After a brief exchange of thanks, Remilia and I descended from the wall together. I prepared lunch, and once everything was ready, she vanished to fetch Arthur and Noah.

In the meantime, I took out the duplicate holy water she had given me and drank it in one go. Gulp.

"Tastes sweeter than I expected."

The silver color had made me wonder, but it tasted like milk tea. I savored the lingering aroma, then tossed the empty bottle into my inventory. Just as I was about to sit down, I saw the three of them approaching through the open gate—when ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the ground began to tremble.

Dudududu.

A powerful presence approached from behind. I turned to see a line of large buses, each marked with a silver shield emblem.

"Oh, the Guardian Guild?"

The Association had indeed commissioned the major guilds. The lead bus honked and stopped. The others parked alongside it. Doors hissed open and guild members poured out. The highest-ranking member walked straight toward me.

"Greetings. I am Park Gwang-sik, Third Team Leader of the Guardian Guild."

"Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Yoo-jin, intern of the Association’s Mobile Strike Team 4."

We shook hands.

"I’ve heard the reports. You single-handedly wiped out all the Corrupted that invaded this area."

Park Gwang-sik spoke with admiration. I gave an awkward laugh, then cleared my throat.

Just as I was about to ask which guilds had been assigned to the 5th and 13th punitive forces, I heard someone swallow loudly. The guild members lined up behind Park Gwang-sik were all staring hungrily at the food on the table. Even Park Gwang-sik kept glancing at it.

"…Ah."

Our eyes met. He coughed, face slightly flushed.

"My apologies. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠We only brought field rations…"

They hadn’t eaten a proper meal on the way here. The engineering team and food truck would arrive in three days.

Three days. Not too long. I nodded and opened my inventory wide.

Three days after feeding the Guardian Guild members…

"Alright, everyone, move quickly!"

"We need the base finished before we can rest properly!"

"Hey, you! You want to sleep outside? Hurry up and carry those materials!"

Clattering, clanking, shouting—noise filled the air. I sat on the parapet as usual, sipping the milk-tea-flavored holy water while watching the guild members build the forward base. I activated Clairvoyance and looked over the rapidly rising structure.

'I can leave the security to them now.'

I recalled the golems and drones from below the river into my inventory. The moment I deactivated the skill—

Beep.

A message arrived on my smartwatch.

[Lee Yoo-jin, return to base.]

Kali’s order to return had come through.

One week after returning to the 9th Punitive Force with Arthur, Noah, and Remilia…

Right now, I stood inside the 1st Punitive Force’s—now the Guardian Forward Base’s—conference room.

"Commander, the leaders and vice-leaders of all punitive forces, along with the representatives of Guardian, Red Light, and Mirinae, have arrived."

Gray reported. Kali nodded and rose from her seat. Everyone in the room stood as well. We followed her into the main conference hall.

The doors swung open to reveal a vast auditorium filled with the leaders and vice-leaders of every punitive force except the 1st, 5th, and 13th.

"Oh, Sir Yoo-jin!"

The Guardian members I had fed for three days greeted me warmly.

"So that’s the Destroyer, Kali? She certainly carries an imposing presence."

The Red Light Guild, now responsible for the 5th Punitive Force’s sector.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"I wonder why we were summoned. Does the vice-team leader know?"

"…No, I’m not sure either."

Mirinae’s team leader and vice-leader, who had established the forward base for the 13th Punitive Force, were present as well. Behind them stood some of their members—including two familiar faces.

'What the—why are Seo-yeon and Asuka here?'

They were supposed to be doing their internships with Mirinae.

"Yoo-jin."

"Hehe, top student~"

Seo-yeon and Asuka approached with bright smiles. I was about to ask why they were here when they each took one of my hands.

Just as they tried to cling to me—

"……?"

"…What’s this smell?"

Seo-yeon frowned. Asuka sniffed the air.

"Smell? What smell?"

I lifted my arm and sniffed my clothes. Nothing unusual.

"I don’t smell anything."

Both of them leaned in and sniffed me again. Then they looked at me with slightly darkened eyes.

"Who is it?"

"This scent… it’s some woman, isn’t it?"

What on earth were they talking about? I glanced around in confusion. The people nearby were staring at us with wary expressions, keeping their distance. Just as I was about to tell Seo-yeon and Asuka we’d talk later—

"I will now explain why I have gathered you all here."

Kali’s solemn voice echoed from the head of the table. The two girls reluctantly stepped back.

"Later," they said in unison.

I let out a quiet sigh of relief as they returned to the Mirinae section. Then I turned my attention to Kali.

"As you all know, we are the Association’s unofficial unit specialized in eliminating the Corrupted."

She began by recounting the recent invasion from the Death Continent, the military’s refusal to provide support, and the near-total annihilation of the 1st, 5th, and 13th punitive forces. Then she stated the reason for this gathering.

"I intend to root out the Corrupted worshippers who have infiltrated the military and major institutions."

The guild representatives looked troubled.

"The military is one thing, but we can’t touch newspapers, broadcasters, or the government."

"We want to pull out the roots of corruption too, but… we have no justification."

"Exactly. Without a cause, we can’t do it."

Guardian, Red Light, and Mirinae’s leaders all voiced their objections. Kali nodded in understanding.

"Yes, we lack justification. But we still have to do it. Otherwise, this country will be finished within months—perhaps even weeks."

Silence fell. Guardian stayed quiet. Red Light looked troubled. Mirinae sighed.

'Looks like it’s my turn.'

I took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Yoo-jin, do you have something to say?"

Kali asked. I nodded.

"Yes. I have something important to report."

"Then speak."

With permission granted, I operated my smartwatch and called the one saved as ‘Principal.’

— Yes, Yoo-jin. Calling me means you want me to proceed with what we discussed, correct?

"Yes, Principal."

At the voice coming from the watch and my reply, everyone except Kali stared at me in shock. I smiled.

"Please proceed."

A moment later—

A massive event had just unfolded.