Shadow Stepping (3)

"Every damn Otherworld has a different environment at every Dimension Gate. We've catalogued more than ten distinct types so far."

The instructor who'd told us to survive had been dead serious. She'd gone so far as to mobilize other soldiers and scatter the cadets across every corner of the artificial forest.

Cadets stranded in the woods, split up not by platoon but by squad, floundered in confusion.

"Now, if there's one common type among them, it's the dense-forest layout like this one. Common as hell, and dangerous as hell too."

All the while, the instructor delivered her lessons through speakers planted around the area.

"Enemies that could pop out anywhere, any time. Trees and rocks that serve as your cover—while serving the enemy's cover just as well. Let's see how long you can hold out, shall we?"

Honestly, I wasn't thrilled about it. The noise from the speakers drowned out the sounds around us, throwing a wrench into our situational awareness.

"S-Squad Leader. What do we do now……?"

One of the squad members, Sa Seo-yeon, called out to Seong Gwon. She stammered from nerves, but there was no terror in her voice.

Sa Seo-yeon's partner Phantasm, the Wise Old Man, stroked his own beard with a hearty chuckle.

"Um, um, so is this just about holding out? While protecting the paint pack we were issued?"

"The instruction was to survive until the end of class, so I'd say that's about it. If we fail to protect the pack and it bursts, we're out."

The same went for Kim To-eun hugging her rabbit, and Lee Hoe-uk with his insect-shaped Phantasms.

Startled and tense as they were at the sudden situation, not a single one of them was paralyzed by fear or on the verge of tears.

"First, let's share our capabilities. Then we establish an operational objective and move accordingly. Staying put here isn't going to be the right answer forever."

It was Seong Gwon who calmly offered the proposal. Her gaze traced the tracks of the jeep that had carried us here, then swept back to our surroundings.

"You mean our abilities……?"

"I'm talking about our Phantasms."

I, too, scanned the area just as Seong Gwon had. It was absolutely not slacking off. With Phantasms but no weapons, we had to be even more vigilant.

"My partner is Sam inseong-ho—Three Men Make a Tiger. A Phantasm born from the folktale that the words of three men can conjure a tiger. Combat capability: Grade 3. Think of it as no different from an ordinary tiger."

Seong Gwon had started by introducing her own partner. The combat capability she mentioned was an informal measure of raw power benchmarked against Otherworld creatures.

Regardless of the form or nature of one's abilities, the rating was based on the question of what tier of Otherworld creature the individual in question could single-handedly kill at maximum. At least, that was supposedly the standard.

Grade 3 placed it among the strongest of the Phantasms that had appeared at yesterday's Selection Ceremony.

"Seo-yeon, you're next."

"My partner is the Old Man Who Left a Will. He's the one who protected his young son through a cryptic last will and testament. However, since he's classified as a wisdom tale, he can't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fight directly."

Sa Seo-yeon adjusted her glasses and took over the introductions.

"In exchange, his will allows me to summon either a son-in-law or a son. The son-in-law commands a crowd of deadbeats too weak to even rate Grade 1, but there are a lot of them. The son is a general just shy of Grade 3—but only one of him."

"So it's a choice between numbers and quality, then?"

"Yes. Exactly."

A fascinating Phantasm. No doubt Sa Seo-yeon had chosen him precisely for that reason.

"The summon lasts half a day. Once you choose, you should assume you can't switch."

"If that's how it works…… I'd say it's better not to commit prematurely and decide based on how the situation develops."

I had no idea what trial the instructor would throw at us. In the original story, the class was never taught this way.

Still, that didn't mean there was nothing to extrapolate from. With the same stage, the useful gimmicks tended to fall within a predictable range.

"I think Hwi's right, Seo-yeon. Could you summon after we've assessed the situation?"

"Of course. The summoning itself is quick—just say the word."

With that, the two of them finished their introductions. I could tell at a glance we were going clockwise, so Kim To-eun spoke up next.

"My rabbit is Tokkibiri. Supposedly the rabbit that guided King Taejo Wang Geon across the Baekdudaegan mountain range. Maybe that's why it has an exceptional talent for finding paths. Its combat capability, on the other hand, is nothing to write home about."

"A pathfinding ability…… that could actually come in handy."

"Right, right? Oh, and just so you know—the rabbit can't fight, but I can."

With that, Kim To-eun pulled something out. Roughly the length of a forearm, it was what most people would call a club.

"This is also an object-type Phantasm."

"Good thinking, bringing that."

Seong Gwon gave a curt nod, then turned to Lee Hoe-uk. It meant his turn had come.

"My partners are Golsaengchung and Gongnibisa. Two of them."

Lee Hoe-uk spread his palm open. On it sat the white larva we'd seen yesterday and something resembling a tangled ball of thread.

"Neither of them is a direct-combat type. The bone parasite burrows into a body and gnaws through the skeleton, and the airborne silk—spread through the air—burrows into the enemy's eyeballs and blinds them."

"……That's still an enormous threat on its own?"

"It really is."

Fortunately, our squad had no one afraid of bugs. Lee Hoe-uk nodded in satisfaction at everyone's reaction.

"Pyo Do-hyeok."

"……"

Only two of us remained now, myself included, and by seating position Pyo Do-hyeok went first. His blue eyes stiffened faintly, and he produced something from his breast pocket.

"Gyeonggwiseok. A stone that repels the unclean."

A purple stone glimmered for a moment before vanishing back between his palms. Pyo Do-hyeok's arm returned the Gyeonggwiseok to his pocket.

"Is that all you—"

"The Trembling Long Bamboo. A bamboo stalk that shudders when it senses danger."

"—guess not."

"The Ox-Head Mask. Wearing it lets you transform into an ox."

More object-type Phantasms spilled out one after ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠another. Lee Hoe-uk withdrew his remark with a grudging look.

"Good loadout."

"Yeah."

"……"

Unlike him, Seong Gwon and I couldn't hide our admiration. Whatever our personal impressions of Pyo Do-hyeok, the combination itself was genuinely excellent.

After all, the Gyeonggwiseok offered protective power, the Trembling Long Bamboo lifted some of the burden of maintaining watch, and the Ox-Head Mask supplemented his offensive capability.

There's the drawback of having to transform into an ox, but an ox is still stronger than an unarmed human.

Human and ox differed in weight class from the ground up—and weight class was usually tied directly to strength. The fact that a headbutt alone became a credible threat once transformed was proof enough.

At this point, we were far better off than the kids who'd been chosen by assorted useless Phantasms.

"Last one."

"You all know mine by now, but I have the Twin Dragon Sword. That said, I've never wielded it directly and I haven't received authorization to unseal it, so I can't guarantee its combat capability. Don't count it as an asset."

"Understood."

"Second is Shadow Stepping. I can pin an opponent's shadow to bind their feet, or slip my body away in a pinch."

"Binding their feet…… for how long?"

"As long as I'm standing on the shadow. But since it only binds the feet, I can't hold them for long."

I answered by blending what I knew from the original story with what I'd verified firsthand. Seong Gwon nodded as if she understood.

"Two Phantasms capable of combat, two support types, and two of us who have to fight directly. Since we need to protect the paint pack, combat should center on the Phantasms, with the two of us stepping in only when it's urgent. Any objections?"

"……No objection."

"Works for me too."

"Good. Then let's formally establish our operational objective."

With the squad's consent secured, Seong Gwon spread her fingers while maintaining her watch.

"The most important objective is, as ever, surviving until the end of class. To that end, we prioritize evasion and concealment wherever possible, avoid combat at all costs, and engage only when there's no way around it. We keep moving until we find terrain suited to hiding or defense. How does that sound?"

"That's the best we've got for now."

"Yep, yep. I think that's right too."

Lee Hoe-uk nodded dryly; Kim To-eun nodded enthusiastically. The operational objective came together in the blink of an eye.

"S-so, what formation will we use while moving……?"

"Arrowhead looks best."

This time it was Pyo Do-hyeok who spoke—and with a suitably authoritative term, no less.

"We place Lee Hoe-uk—whose Phantasm and person alike lack direct combat capability—at the center, and myself and…… that one, who can join a fight immediately, at the wingtips."

"I'm point, so Seo-yeon and To-eun go mid-wing?"

"Correct."

"What do the rest of you think……"

Seong Gwon turned to us for our input. But I was in no position to give it.

Something that could not be dismissed had appeared on our flank.

Wrrrung.

"The bamboo is—"

"Get down!"

My legs sprang forward on pure reflex. My hands had already seized the sling belt connected to the Twin Dragon Sword.

Woof! Woof!

"We need to fall back—"

"No, it's too late!"

I flatly rejected Seong Gwon's words as I confirmed what was closing in on us.

What approached us were dogs—beasts that looked and moved remarkably like genuine Jindo dogs.

Except their jaws hung savagely wide, dripping with slaver. Their eyes were bloodshot crimson, as though something unholy had possessed them.

Man-eating dogs!

They were common enough Phantasms to be featured in the early pages of the fanbook. Not quite yokai, but born from having appeared in one folktale after another.

If it were just me, I'd have bolted without a second thought……!

But right now, I had squadmates beside me.

Unless I was willing to abandon my comrades even in live combat, I needed to learn to stand on the front line starting now. I struck retreat from my list of options.

Click. The plastic buckle at my chest came apart, and the sling belt's strap split cleanly in two.

"Medium-sized dogs, three of them!"

I hadn't received authorization to unseal the Twin Dragon Sword. But the sword wrapped in cloth was, as it stood, more than enough to serve as a weapon.

With the strap divided, the Twin Dragon Sword—mounted two-point style against my back—slid smoothly loose. Before it could topple over entirely, I caught it with my forearm and arm, angling it with practiced ease.

By the time I'd done that, the gap between me and the three man-eating dogs was around thirty meters.

"Leave it to Sam inseong-ho!"

Before Seong Gwon's order even landed, the tiger had already surged past my side.

Grrrrr. The beast that had been grinning so carelessly a moment ago now bared its teeth as it charged—and it looked every bit the apex predator.

They're closing too fast……!

But I couldn't stake everything on one tiger. The man-eating dogs were charging without a shred of hesitation, and they were fast—horrifyingly fast—closing the gap in long strides.

Roughly ten meters evaporated in the second or so it took Seong Gwon to issue her command to the tiger.

And there were three of the dogs. Even if the tiger intercepted them midway, the odds were good that at least one would reach us.

"Not enough!"

"That's too danger—kt! Lee Hoe-uk, support!"

But how were we supposed to respond?

Swinging the Twin Dragon Sword was out of the question. It was nearly two meters long. In a forest packed with trees, gripping one end and swinging it was all but impossible.

Even without the trees, its sheer weight would have limited me to chopping downward—but that was beside the point.

"Pyo Do-hyeok, protect the non-combatants!"

"Gongnibisa, disperse."

"Do it."

Perhaps Seong Gwon had fully registered that one tiger wouldn't be enough. She layered on directives for the defensive side.

The instant the word protect cut through the air, the man-eating dogs and the tiger collided.

Two. That was how many the tiger blocked.

One came for me.

Do you need help?

Do you need us?

Wrrrrr—woof!

The Twin Dragon Sword's offer overlapped with the slaver-slinging man-eating dog bearing down on me, and strength coiled hard into both my thighs and my right forearm.

There was only one thing to trust now: the innate talent this body carried, and Shadow Stepping.

"No, thanks!"

Gripping the middle of the Twin Dragon Sword, I twisted my hips.

Both legs became a solid brace, and as my hips and waist rotated, my arm swung forward—carrying the Twin Dragon Sword along with it, needless to say.

Holding the blade at its midpoint gave me a reach of about a meter. WHAM! The flung mass of cloth slammed squarely into the man-eating dog's torso.

Spittle scattered through the air as the dog skidded sideways. Its weight kept the skid from carrying it far.

The sensation in my wrist was a raw sting—like swinging a fully loaded flour sack. And that was with my forearm bracing part of the sword's weight.

"Wh-what should I do?!"

"Seo-yeon, hold position for now—"

Had time always moved this slowly?

I heard Seong Gwon's words, never once paused, still flowing onward, and grinned through the strain. The relativity of time was a truly wondrous thing.

Grrrr!

The man-eating dog I'd batted away raised its head again. A four-legged beast recovered its balance in no time.

Jaws gaping wide, it lunged at me once more.

Tap.

By then, I'd planted one end of the Twin Dragon Sword against the ground. My right hand, which had held the midpoint, released the body and seized the attached sling instead. My left hand followed suit.

Not the part that fixed the sword in place—the strap meant to wrap around my body. Fingers tightened on it hard.

WHIP!

The sword lashed out in a wide sweep with the strap, fouling the man-eating dog's path. At the same moment, my feet shifted, drifting just off the line of its charge.

Shoved aside by the sword, the man-eating dog lost its footing and stumbled onto something near my feet.

CRACK!

As though something had flown into its eye, the body that had been about to sprint crumpled the very next instant.

Thud.

My foot seized the opening and stomped down on that shadow. Shadow Stepping. A faint resistance pressed up beneath my leg—the weight of the creature I meant to stop.

The man-eating dog froze perfectly still, like a taxidermied beast.

"Watch out!"

Then Pyo Do-hyeok cut ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in.

WHAM! Pyo Do-hyeok's leg punted the dog away. The sensation of striking a living creature apparently disturbed him considerably—his face contorted.

"Thanks."

It wasn't help I strictly needed, but it wasn't a bad assist. That the one helping was Pyo Do-hyeok, though, still threw me a little.

Either way, Pyo Do-hyeok and I watched the sprawled man-eating dog for its next move.

Phantasms carried a life force tougher and more tenacious than the beasts they modeled, so my judgment was that a couple of body blows wouldn't retire it.

Grrrk. Grrrrrk.

But the man-eating dog, having taken its lumps, seemed to have developed some wariness.

Its low-slung body shifted into a slightly crouched, coiled stance. Its muzzle was half-clenched, wrinkling furiously.

My eyes and the dog's glared at each other. In that fleeting interval, the tension flooding my whole body left my breath ragged.

Thump, thump, thump. My pounding heart ignited into pure exhilaration. The hunger to survive—and beyond that, the competitive drive to work out exactly how to knock this enemy down.

An immersion so total it drowned even my awareness that this was a class exercise wrapped around my eyes and ears.

Grrrr…… keeeng, kyiing.

And then, at some point, the man-eating dog's legs began backing away, bit by bit. Within that lowered head, the wrinkled eyes had shed their ferocity and filled with a new emotion.

Whine, wwoooeen!!

Then it whipped around and vanished in an instant. From my side, welcome—but baffling.

Why is it running……

Was it lulling us into carelessness for another ambush? Just as my thoughts reached that far, a tiger's cry rang in my ears.

Grrrrrr…….

Ridiculous as it seemed, the ones wearing frightened faces weren't only the man-eating dogs from moments ago.

Even Seong Gwon's tiger, which had driven them off, was staring at me with its ears pinned flat back.