Materialization (2)
Materialization (2)
[Thank you for your participation]
The thought passed in an instant. Because I was at the front, a handshake came my way. I nodded and accepted.
Firm.
I felt hard calluses on the hand I gripped—rare for a superhuman with exceptional physical recovery.
The muscles beneath the skin told another story.
They weren't just hard; they were elastic and tough, capable of violent movement. Without relying on my observation, I gauged them by touch alone.
'A sword.'
A hand that grips and swings a sword. It wasn't only deduction. I already knew she was a sword-using superhuman.
During the Chaos Period, before becoming the Tower Master of Space, Sierra was a mercenary famous for her swordsmanship.
"...Once again, I welcome the heroes of the Tower."
While I was making my assessment, she scanned me in turn.
Her jet-black eyes swept over my still lips, closed eyes, and the Confession Necklace before she nodded and stepped back.
"You must have already heard about the war situation, but I will explain once more just in case."
This time, her dark eyes swept over the cadets behind me.
"This 3rd Defense Line and a significant portion of the Demon Realm have been caught in a dungeon outbreak, leaving us completely isolated from the outside."
The second-year tower entry is set in the African Demon Realm during the Chaos Period.
They didn't drop us straight into the heart of it. Had they done so, most cadets wouldn't last three days.
Thus, to enable proper experience and growth, we were deployed to the front line instead, and several additional conditions were added that differ from the original history.
One is the spatial restriction, justified as a powerful dungeon outbreak.
'Needlessly expanding the space would only waste power on the embodiment, and outside support would prevent a proper experience.'
The other is the premise that we are summoned entities under the justification of the Tower of Growth.
'This era doesn't know about the Towers.'
The modern era is equally ignorant of the Towers, but this past is even more so.
At this point, the only Tower that has been conquered is the Tower of Growth.
Even that was only conquered a few years ago, and Siyoram doesn't exist yet. Nothing is known about the Towers' functions.
Hence the perception that, since it's a Tower, it might be possible to break through the dungeon's blockade and dispatch support forces from within.
'But...'
The Tower Master of Growth had built trust by fighting on the battlefield even before conquering the Tower. Even after becoming a Tower Master, they have continued to contribute to world peace.
That doesn't mean they'll trust us unconditionally.
Especially at this point, support troops who dropped out of the sky with no credentials or anything would be even less trusted.
The cadets will simply have to earn trust through their future actions.
"Then allow me to guide you. Please follow... me."
Sierra turned, blinking. The dozen or so superhumans standing near the temple entrance were gaping.
Their gazes were mostly fixed on me. Their wavering eyes flicked between my face, hair, and the winged garment.
- ...Is she a celestial maiden? I knew it, the Tower must be a passage connected to the heavens.
- You lunatic. But I agree.
[......]
...Strangely, no one looked suspicious.
"Tsk."
Yeon-hwa clicked her tongue quietly and stepped forward. She placed a hand on my shoulder and looked back at Sierra.
"May I ask for your guidance?"
"Ah, yes. Of course."
Sierra nodded again and began to walk, tapping her sword hilt with her finger.
Clack— a small but chilling metallic sound rang out. The superhumans flinched and hurried out of the temple.
"...This way."
I followed the guidance and stepped outside the temple.
The temple had an ivory exterior similar to the Tower of Growth. It had been so spacious inside that it didn't show, but a full 600 people were here.
Naturally, eyes were drawn to the sight of cadets pouring out of the temple.
Every one of those gazes belonged to superhumans—every single one an expert above the level of those active on the Demon Realm front line.
"Hmm, their equipment is all mediocre. Considering the era, it can't be helped."
"It's not just the era, but a battlefield. Where would they get the luxury to wear anything flashy here?"
Yeon-hwa whispered as she scanned the area, and Baek A-rin shrugged. I nodded inwardly, chewing over the observed data as well.
Compared to their skills, the equipment they wore was inferior—technologically behind, and the state of maintenance was poor.
It wasn't just the armaments. The overall facilities couldn't be called good.
Mostly simple, crudely constructed buildings, and small and large tents arranged in a somewhat orderly fashion. Other auxiliary facilities.
Considering the preconception of a battlefield, they were clean and decent, but compared to the modern Demon Realm front line... they are not merely lacking, but deplorable.
'Above all, that rampart...'
I discreetly expanded my observation range. The facilities ended abruptly, and a rampart blocking a wide plain came into view.
I instantly assimilated that data and compared it with what I knew.
'There's no comparison.'
It can't compare to the modern era. The technology, the resources invested, the maintenance—all abysmal.
Even a barrier I could conjure on the spot would be far superior to that thing.
'...The magic, though, is decent.'
On the other hand, the state of the magic was surprisingly good. No, above standard. Efficient and sturdy magic was densely woven throughout the rampart.
Given how much the pathetic rampart relied on it to hold off repeated powerful monster attacks, the magic on those walls likely accounted for a significant share.
...It's a familiar magical style—a technique that has been heavily incorporated into my own magic. I moved my steps, conscious of the staff I'd temporarily stored in subspace.
"Well, part of it is that the gear we usually wear is too good, don't you think? Just look at this."
Baek A-rin laughed softly and stroked her winged garment—a blue cloth overall. It was the personal armament I'd gifted her.
"How do you think this looks? It wouldn't be strange for them to treat it like a divine artifact. The Beacon Fire Sword got the same reaction, after all."
"...True."
"But that kind of evaluation is the same even in the original timeline."
Baek A-rin grinned and looked back at me. The end of her blue winged garment slithered forward to wrap around mine—
- Thwack!
—but it couldn't. A bright red winged garment quickly intervened, swatting the blue one away. Baek A-rin blinked.
"...Weren't we just talking harmoniously a moment ago?"
"That and this are separate matters."
Yeon-hwa snorted and turned her head forward.
Sierra and a few superhumans ahead stopped walking.
"We would be grateful if the heroes could stay in this general area from now on."
We had arrived at a camp prepared behind the defense line. It seemed they had known we'd be summoned and set this up in advance.
"We have already prepared the basics, but if anything is uncomfortable, please let us know. Also, if you have brought any personal magic tools or temporary facilities, you may install them, but please inform us of the installation."
Sierra stopped there and turned toward the cadets.
"The monster offensive has momentarily halted due to the dungeon outbreak. It seems to be temporary, but please use this time to make comfortable preparations."
[Thank you for your consideration]
"...We are the ones who should be grateful for the support. Before that, there is something I wish to discuss regarding the support plan and command structure. Could the representative accompany me?"
[Representative...?]
I rolled my eyes at the word 'representative.' I had somehow ended up at the front and responded, but was I the representative?
"Wait, who else here would claim to be the representative besides you, Ha-yul?"
[...But there are people with the standing to act as representative. Yeon-hwa, A-rin, or... Yoo Se-i over there, or someone...]
"Exactly. And leave you beside them?"
At Baek A-rin's dumbfounded expression, I shut my mouth.
[...Then Miss Baek A-rin, please come with me and help]
Baek A-rin is the heir of the Changhae family, and naturally she has diligently absorbed her succession education.
She's talented to begin with, so she's skilled in these kinds of matters.
"Mm-hmm, even though you say that, I was planning to follow anyway."
[Thank you]
When I slipped in the request, Baek A-rin smiled brightly as if she had never been baffled at all. Beside her, Yeon-hwa pursed her lips slightly.
"...I could help too."
"Yeon-hwa. Honestly, I don't think so."
"......"
. . .
"How about we avoid a messy concentration of command and instead divide it into separate branches to carry out?"
"Understood. Still, constant communication is necessary, so please assign flame-type ability users."
"Yes, confirmed. And regarding supplies, we have our own stock, so please share and report on the status."
"Yes, confirmed."
A complex exchange passed across the table—a discussion between Baek A-rin and Sierra.
The content would have given me a headache had I come alone. But boiled down, it's not that difficult.
The classic command problem.
The overall direction is to follow the orders of the defense line commander, but for detailed matters, we are to act based on individual judgment on the spot.
In crude terms, "handle it yourselves."
'Realistically, there's no choice but to do it this way.'
It might seem like an irresponsible plan, but there's no avoiding it.
Above a certain level, superhumans fight based on their innate talents, so having hundreds or thousands fight together is generally inefficient.
There is also the communication problem.
This Demon Realm, on top of everything, is a mess of mana wave disturbances. Without smartwatches, communication is practically impossible.
'In this era, there is no Tower of Harmonization.'
The Tower of Harmonization hasn't even been conquered yet.
With the Authority of Harmonization not applied, people can't understand each other's speech, and there is no communication network.
Essentially, unless it's a flame-type ability, long-distance communication is impossible, and language translation is also a problem.
'In that state, moving hundreds or thousands of troops in perfect unison is difficult and inefficient.'
Rather than issuing clumsy orders, it's more efficient and effective for them to act based on their own judgment on the field.
"Then let's leave the coordination at that for now."
"Yes, thank you for your effort."
Baek A-rin ended the conversation with a smile. The first round of coordination was complete. Sipping her tea, Baek A-rin shrugged.
"Then may we go out now? I'd like to check our spot soon and rest."
"Of course."
Sierra nodded readily.
"...Before that. Could you spare a moment, Mr. Lee Ha-yul?"
Baek A-rin, who had risen from her seat, stopped dead.
Her blue eyes blinked several times, then she turned her gaze to me, staring intently down at the top of my head as I still sat.
It was a gaze that made me feel wronged. I lifted my face and shook my head from side to side for no reason.
"Hmm... Understood. I'll step out first."
Baek A-rin, eyeing me and Sierra with a curious look, turned away. She untangled the winged garment wrapped around my waist and left the tent.
The tent flap fluttered shut.
Faced with this sudden private meeting, I rolled my eyes and observed Sierra sitting across from me.
Jet-black hair and eyes. A sharp, blade-like presence, but at the moment it was subdued. Even by modern standards, her skills as a superhuman were already considerable.
Sierra. The woman who would later become the Tower Master of Space.
But this is not that era. The current Sierra is a temporarily embodied existence of the past.
She is not yet the Tower Master of Space, so there is no way she knows me.
But...
- Gurgle...
[Thank you]
My tea was refilled. Sierra, who had personally poured it, sat back down across from me.
"...Ahem."
While I held a warm sip of tea in my mouth, Sierra cleared her throat.
I lowered the cup from my lips.
Then Sierra, who had been glancing around, bowed her head deeply to me.
Deeper than before, an awkward but polite manner.
"Sierra Skariar... offers greetings to the Savior."
[.......]
Savior. There are few people who call me by that title. In the first place, the number of people who would is limited.
The Tower Masters who intended my growth.
[Are you the Tower Master of Space?]
"...As expected, you anticipated it."
[A little]
I had anticipated it.
Because in that first-time gaze, I had felt a sense of disconnect. Neither my senses nor my observation missed it.
I thought it might have been for another reason, but this was the right answer after all.
"...Strictly speaking, it's a bit different."
Sierra shook her head. When I put a question mark over my head, she awkwardly stroked her teacup.
"I am indeed Sierra Skariar, embodied from the Tower of Growth."
[Yes, I know that]
My observation revved up. The data on Sierra piling up in my head is definitely not that of the original.
And yet this Sierra is aware that she is the Tower Master of Space and recognizes me as the Savior.
"The current me... is a kind of workaround."
[A workaround?]
"Yes, I am not the current Tower of Space person, but a Sierra who has shared the memories of her future self... from when she was the Tower Master of Space."
Sierra, the Tower Master of Space? stroked the teacup with an awkward expression.
* * *
[Player Correction System: Affection]
Lee Ha-yul → Tower Master of Space(?)
...
Lee Ha-yul → Sierra Skariar
●●●●●○○○○○(50/100)
｢Tower Master of Space｣ ｢Swordsman｣ ｢Sensible Person?｣