Erosion Zone Field Training (3)
Cross-referencing with the patrol log, it was almost certain that the person in charge of the patrol was Master Sergeant Ahn Taejun. He had gone out on a sewer patrol after receiving a tip and seemed to have been attacked by something. I opened the next file in quick succession.
Today, we disposed of another test subject. I told the lab director to stop this madness, but all I got in return was violence and shouting. The number of test subjects I’ve personally disposed of has already surpassed one hundred. We burn the subjects in the incinerator and flush the remains into the sewer. As I cremate their small bodies, I no longer feel anything at all. Just what is the point of doing this? The chance of success is extremely slim. It has become almost certain that the test subject stolen in the past was a special individual. We must stop this insane obsession with something that cannot be replicated. If my words are not accepted tomorrow as well….
Researcher. Sewer. Test subject. Just from those keywords, I could roughly guess what was going on.
‘Is it the Blood Sect?’
True to their reputation as an openly malevolent organization even within the game, the Blood Sect was obsessed with “experiments” based on all sorts of bizarre and forbidden arts. However, it seemed that even among the Blood Sect members, there were those with a conscience, and one of them had done something to try and stop it.
As I was lost in thought, the fragrant scent of shampoo wafted over. Cheon Hayeon had finished her shower and was approaching me.
“Wouldn’t it be better if we slept separately tonight?” I asked, closing the file and standing up.
Unlike the spacious beds in the academy dorms, the bed here looked a bit too narrow for two people.
“I refuse.”
Cheon Hayeon stared intently at the bed before shaking her head.
“Alright, that’s fi— huh?”
I had expected her to agree without question, so I could only stand there with my mouth agape.
“It is a little cramped, but it should be possible for two to lie down.”
“Isn’t one night fine?”
“This is training for me. Training should not be neglected whenever possible.”
“Someone might come to wake us and see.”
“I can sense presence even while sleeping, so it does not matter.”
That stubborn iron will of hers. Her expression was strongly signaling that once she set her mind on something, she wouldn’t be satisfied until she did it.
“Do you dislike sleeping with me?”
“It’s not that I dislike it, but…”
“But?”
“I’m a man too, you know.”
“Hmm.”
Cheon Hayeon crossed her arms and sat down on the edge of my bed.
“In that case, there is even less reason to refuse.”
She then lay down fully on my bed and met my eyes.
...Why does she look so annoyingly smug?
“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”
“I have no idea what you are talking about.”
I was certain. That seemingly emotionless face was a facade. The calm tone of her voice was too. It was all a perfect fake. Right now, Cheon Hayeon was thoroughly enjoying teasing me.
Pat, pat.
She tapped the bed with her hand.
“Hurry and come over here.”
“Hey. What if I can’t hold back?”
“Cannot hold back? It sounds as if you are saying you might pounce on me.”
“That could happen.”
“That would not be so bad either. But do you have the confidence to defeat me?”
“...No.”
Even with the Hyeop-in-ji-ro trait and the Unicorn Divine Art buff stacked together, I would undoubtedly lose against Cheon Hayeon. There was no way the Unicorn Divine Art would activate against the virgin Cheon Hayeon. And trying to pounce on her while triggering Hyeop-in-ji-ro? I’d probably get hit with some kind of forced debuff instead, calling it “Unrighteous Intent” or something.
“Putting it all together, there is no problem at all. That is how it is. Rest easy. Even if you are overcome by desire, I will cleanly subdue you.”
“I don’t know anymore. I’m going to wash up.”
“Make sure to wash every nook and cranny.”
“...Yeah.”
She definitely didn’t have this kind of image at first. Somehow, the more time passed, the more mischievous Cheon Hayeon seemed to become. I let out a deep sigh and entered the bathroom.
Shaaaaa—
As I poured cold water over my head, the contents of Master Sergeant Ahn Taejun’s journal came to mind. The part that said, ‘The team members who went with him had already shoved pistols into their throats and committed suicide.’
In other words, people like Romeo Two, who had been chuckling heartily, had all killed themselves. Judging from the final entry, it was likely that Master Sergeant Ahn Taejun had met his end as well. The exact timing was still unknown, just like before.
I washed thoroughly, just as Cheon Hayeon had said—every nook and cranny—then dried my hair and stepped out.
“But it really is narrow. Can I even lie down?”
“It should be sufficient.”
Cheon Hayeon scooted back a little further to make more room. Facing her directly felt awkward, so I turned my back to her and carefully lay down on the bed.
Squish.
Something heavy yet soft and fluffy pressed against my back. At the same time, Cheon Hayeon’s legs tangled with mine, and her arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me close.
“Hey, what the…”
“Just for tonight.”
From behind me, Cheon Hayeon’s lips moved softly. Her hot breath brushed against my earlobe. For some reason, I felt strangely guilty toward Han Yeoreum. No matter how much she called it “training,” this kind of embrace seemed a bit excessive. The distinct body scent coming strongly from Cheon Hayeon—different from Han Yeoreum’s—was quite stimulating. It felt good, yet not good. I didn’t know how to describe this subtle feeling.
Suppressing the reaction in my lower body was slowly reaching its limit.
“Don’t hug me so tight.”
“Understood. It is warm and pleasant.”
Cheon Hayeon loosened the strength in her arms ‘just a tiny bit.’ The way she was still firmly holding me hadn’t changed at all.
...Sorry, Han Yeoreum. This is probably because of the “Conscience on Vacation” trait.
“By the way.”
It didn’t seem like the kind of request to make in this situation, but the words flowed out naturally.
“Do you have some concern?”
Cheon Hayeon asked from behind me. As expected, she was quick to notice.
“Can you come with me to a somewhat dangerous place tomorrow?”
“As much as you wish. The fact that you call it dangerous makes it rather intriguing.”
“I’m not certain. It’s more like a hunch. That kind of thing.”
“If you say so, there must be a reason.”
“...Thanks.”
“No need to thank me so suddenly.”
“...Yeah.”
Maybe it was because I was pressed against her soft flesh, but a languid drowsiness came over me. With Cheon Hayeon’s cooperation secured, my plans for tomorrow were set.
“Haha, did you sleep well last night? I’m not sure if the military beds satisfied the cadets.”
Romeo Two, fully armed, spoke in a refreshing voice.
“Thank you for your consideration. Thanks to you, we slept well.”
I glanced at Cheon Hayeon. As expected, she was standing with her hands clasped behind her back in her male disguise, looking dignified.
“Alright, let’s get moving. It’s not too far from here.”
Master Sergeant Ahn Taejun took the lead. For the sake of stealth, we moved on foot rather than by vehicle. Our destination was a hill one kilometer ahead of the temporary base. We continued climbing the gentle slope until we finally reached the top. A desolate, ash-gray wasteland devoid of trees came into view. I hadn’t noticed it clearly while climbing, but now it definitely felt like an erosion zone.
“Well, cadets, you can sit here and wait. It should be quite a sight.”
“What do you mean by a good show?”
“Do you see that settlement over there?”
Where Romeo Two pointed, there were crude huts and a large gathering of green-skinned humanoid monsters.
“It’s a pack of orcs.”
“Yes. Those things are like mold. If left alone, they endlessly expand their territory outward. Our periodic duty is to deal with the ones that burst out to the outskirts like this.”
However, the number of orcs was far too many for just four soldiers to handle. At a glance, there were at least several hundred. Including us, it might actually become a proper fight. We had heard there were monsters, but the method of extermination was classified, so they hadn’t informed us in advance.
“Are you going to snipe them?”
“Snipe if it’s sniping. The rest will be handled by Romeo Two.”
Master Sergeant Ahn Taejun lifted a pair of binoculars and looked toward the settlement as he spoke. Romeo Two, who had already put some distance between us, picked up a radio and began transmitting.
“Hammer 1-1, this is Romeo 1-2. Type 1 request. Is 9-line ready?”
“Romeo 1-2, this is Hammer 1-1. Ready to proceed.”
A voice came through the radio in response to Romeo Two’s call.
“I see. So you’re handling it with CAS (Close Air Support)?”
“Oh, you know about it?”
Master Sergeant Ahn Taejun, who had been watching the process leisurely, brightened up and asked.
“Roughly. I noticed Romeo Two wearing a JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controller) patch, so I wondered.”
Unlike in movies, CAS usually involved quite complicated procedures to prevent friendly fire. Naturally, it required specialized personnel, and the ones responsible for that on the ground were JTACs.
“Usually, Awakeners aren’t very interested in the military. Rather…”
Master Sergeant Ahn Taejun gave a bitter smile and trailed off. It probably meant they were often looked down upon.
“When it comes to risking your life to protect people, does it matter whether you’re an Awakener or not?”
“Well said.”
Cheon Hayeon suddenly interjected out of nowhere.
“...You two are quite different from the average cadets.”
“We have our reasons.”
After all, since I’m not even from this world, it would be hard to call me typical. I hadn’t expected even Cheon Hayeon, the very model of an Awakener, to agree.
Rumble—
After a long exchange of communications, a thunderous roar of jet engines echoed from far away. Something close in size to a massive transport plane was flying toward us. It was so enormous that I was genuinely shocked—far larger than any military transport plane I knew of.
“Since you are Awakeners, it probably won’t matter much, but just in case, please cover your ears. It will be like the hammer of the gods.”
“That looks like a U.S. Air Force transport plane.”
“A transport is a transport. South Korea and America are blood allies, after all. Mutual air support is carried out actively.”
Soon, the rear of the transport opened and began dropping something. Several large pallets loaded with missiles fell from the plane, parachutes deploying. Then, missiles fired sequentially from the pallets rained down on the orc settlement like divine punishment.
BOOM—!
With a deafening explosion that rattled the eardrums, flames burst in every direction as the orc settlement was wiped out in real time.
“Rapid Dragon?”
“You know about this too. Correct. It’s a firepower support program successfully developed after the Gate Incident. Originally it wasn’t on this large a scale, but dealing with monsters required more firepower. Refreshing, isn’t it?”
It really did feel like it cleared the chest just watching. The sight of dozens of massive missiles slamming down was quite spectacular. After the bombardment swept through, only the shattered remains of the orc settlement were scattered everywhere.
High-grade monsters required the power of Awakeners, but goblins and orcs could be handled by the military. If even that had been impossible, this world would have been doomed long ago.
“Alright, our job now is cleanup. There might be surviving orcs, so once we finish them off, we’re done. Usually we don’t even need to fire our guns. Let’s go.”
Master Sergeant Ahn Taejun took the lead, rifle in hand.
“Master Sergeant, can I ask you something?”
“Yes, ask me anything.”
“Have you received any reports regarding the sewers in this area?”
“Huh? How did you know about that, cadet? One of the soldiers at the temporary base went missing near the sewer.”
He tilted his head and stopped walking.
“Are you planning to go there?”
“Yes. After we finish cleanup and the cadets return, I was thinking of stopping by.”
Jackpot. We had gotten close to the incident faster than expected.