Rush (2)
"Yun Hwa-rim's route doesn't look good at all."
Yun Hwa-rim gritted her teeth. The atmosphere in the room shifted. Only the production staff in the meeting room looked intrigued.
Yun Hwa-rim forced a smile and asked back, "Why? It's the easiest path."
"It is, when you're entering to secure the cargo."
I calmly continued.
After all, the person I needed to persuade wasn't Yun Hwa-rim, this mushroom-haired mage. It was the team leader, Kang Hyun. All my words, for now, had to reach Kang Hyun.
"But once you start transporting the cargo, there's a section where you'll get surrounded."
If you drag the cargo about three hundred meters out, you reach a wide-open field.
In an open field, proper escorting is impossible. You merely end up 'participating' in a battle.
"An open field is actually better. We can just fight together," she argued.
"An escort isn't about fighting together; it's about preventing the enemy from approaching in the first place."
An open field is the worst possible terrain against Orcs. They are monsters intelligent enough to execute a pincer movement and encircle their prey.
If surrounded by a thousand Orcs, even Kang Hyun wouldn't be able to overcome it.
"Therefore, we keep the entry route as is, but change the escape route."
I altered half of the route Yun Hwa-rim had set. I twisted the transport path much further upward.
"But that takes us into the forest. How are we supposed to transport cargo if our vision is blocked?"
"The escort team will lead the way. Besides, the Orcs' vision will be blocked just the same. We will defeat the Orcs that enter the forest one by one."
"...Lead the way? A rank 96?"
Yun Hwa-rim brought up ranks instead of logic, but since it was a fact, there was nothing I could say.
No matter how terrible a plan is, there is a level of skill that can make it work; and no matter how good a plan is, there is a level of incompetence that can ruin it.
Whichever way he chose, the decision was up to Kang Hyun.
"Hmm..."
Kang Hyun quietly studied the labyrinth's layout. Then, he asked me, "Are you confident?"
"Yes. In this operation, my words will be absolutely correct. At the very least, I will make sure of it."
"..."
He seemed to contemplate for a moment, looking back and forth between Yun Hwa-rim and me, before speaking.
"...I'll go with the escort team's opinion."
A highly rational choice.
I nodded in satisfaction. On the other hand, Yun Hwa-rim let out a sharp, angry breath.
There are 30 minutes left until labyrinth entry. Prepared teams, please set your entry coordinates.
When entering the labyrinth, you can set your location. Of course, you can't go just anywhere; there are areas where you can set coordinates and areas where you can't. The former is the Green Zone, the latter is the Red Zone.
"The escort team will wait in this forest."
I pinned a spot on the map first. It was the only Green Zone near the escape route.
"But I'm the leader..."
"Shh."
I silenced Im Hae-jun's grumbling.
Kang Hyun also pondered before pointing to a spot. Then, he quietly looked at me as if seeking my opinion.
I looked at the point he had chosen.
It was close to the underground area where the cargo was buried, but in a forest where they could avoid the Orc village's eyes.
"Good. Let's go with that."
There are 15 minutes, 15 minutes left until labyrinth entry. Allied teams, please move to your respective waiting rooms now.
I clicked on another post.
Just before entering the labyrinth. Team A4's waiting room.
"...Aren't you trusting the escort team a bit too much?"
The warrior, Lee Jong-su, asked Kang Hyun. The archer, Esher, had a similarly worried expression.
"?"
Kang Hyun tilted his head in silence.
"I mean, that soldier guy might have a lot of real-world experience, but our teamwork is important too."
Lee Jong-su glanced at Yun Hwa-rim.
"She looks pissed."
She had been keeping her mouth shut tight for a while now.
Probably because her opinion had been pushed aside in favor of the absolute lowest-ranked participant.
Kang Hyun leaned against the wall.
"The transport team and the escort team are one team. It's not just the transport team that makes up the team."
He still cast a subtle glance at the camera filming the entire team. A smile was playing on the camera director's lips.
"Hwa-rim?"
Kang Hyun called out to Yun Hwa-rim.
"...Yes," Yun Hwa-rim muttered poutily.
Kang Hyun smiled faintly and nodded.
"Let's do well."
"...Okay."
As if completely mollified by a single word, she lowered her head shyly.
"What in the world is that?"
Lee Jong-su was dumbfounded.
"She totally ignored me when I tried to talk to her..."
Team A4. Entering the labyrinth.
"Everyone, get ready."
At Kang Hyun's words, everyone closed their eyes.
Vroooom. Along with the sensation of their entire bodies floating, they opened their eyes to a dark night.
Not far away, the landscape of the Orc village came into view. Grrr... Grrr... The rough breathing characteristic of Orcs drifted in like fog.
Transport the cargo out of the labyrinth.
"Moving in. Follow me," Kang Hyun whispered to his teammates.
"So, what do we do now?!"
Im Hae-jun asked, practically shouting. Is this guy out on a picnic or something?
Anyway, we entered the forest, which was almost on the opposite side of Team A4's position.
"Let's move first," I said, limping with my cane.
Im Hae-jun stopped me, his eyes narrowing.
"...Um, Rank 96."
"Seol Ha-woon."
"Seol Ha-woon. I've been meaning to ask you this, but I kept quiet because I thought I might be mistaken."
"Yeah. What is it? Speak."
"It's not 'speak.' Why do you keep speaking casually to me?"
"..."
I looked at Im Hae-jun. Suddenly, I was dumbfounded.
Should I give him a quick smack?
"Using formal language during an operation is inefficient."
"What do you mean inefficient?! Are we some kind of machines?!"
"...How old are you?"
"Twenty-one."
"I'm much older than you, which means you can speak casually to me too. Follow me."
"But the leader is still me..."
I silently glared at him.
A twenty-one-year-old wet-behind-the-ears kid. The gaze that could freeze a young recruit was still deeply ingrained in my body.
Back in the day, recruits didn't even dare to look me in the eye.
"...Yes, sir. Let's go!"
Im Hae-jun quickly pointed ahead.
"First of all, since I delegated the Pathfinder authority to find the way to Seol Ha-woon, everyone please treat Seol Ha-woon as if he's the leader when we're navigating! I'm asking you!"
Appointed as the Pathfinder by the great team leader, I spoke to the team members.
"Follow me."
Follow me.
The moment I said those bold words, I regretted them, and that regret quickly became reality.
No matter how many elixirs I had consumed, I was still someone with severe physical limitations when it came to stamina.
"Your stamina is a bit... lacking, isn't it~" Im Hae-jun said, clearly taking a jab at me.
"Sorry. I'm disabled."
"..."
Im Hae-jun's expression instantly froze. He was probably thinking of the cameras.
Right now, our entire process was being recorded and sent to the monitoring room. I felt a faint, invisible shimmering in front of my eyes—that was the camera. The production team's explanation was that they could set up remote mana cameras anywhere they wanted inside the labyrinth.
"No, no! Seol Ha-woon. Ha-woon Hyung. I think you misunderstood what I meant! I meant, how is your stamina so amazing? Even in that state—"
"That state? What state? What state are you referring to, specifically?"
"..."
Im Hae-jun swallowed his words. His face turned quite pale. I chuckled and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Just kidding. Let's go."
"...Ah, seriously. Why are you doing this to your own teammate? You're giving me a heart attack."
"Sorry."
He was fun to tease.
Im Hae-jun glanced at me and asked, "Want me to carry you on my back?"
"I'm fine."
My leg was still limping, and simply walking along the forest path made me feel like I was going to die of breathlessness, but...
The most important things—my pride and my mental fortitude—were still intact.
I arrived in the middle of the forest. It wasn't as late as I had feared. I suppose I had overcome my lack of stamina with sheer willpower.
"...Hyung, your leg is shaking."
Im Hae-jun pointed at my left leg.
"It's always like this."
I looked up, assessing the height of the trees. I placed my hand on the trunk of the tallest-looking tree.
If I climbed to the very top, I would be able to overlook the entire labyrinth, including the Orc village.
Which meant I needed an archer's eyes.
"Hey. Im Hae."
"It's Im Hae-jun."
"How high can you climb?"
"...Huh?" Im Hae-jun asked back.
I repeated, "How high can you climb?"
"...What?"
"How high."
I turned to look at Im Hae-jun.
"Can you climb?"
"..."
Im Hae-jun was silent. He fidgeted with his fingers, warily reading my expression.
"What is it?"
"Well..."
"Speak. It's fine. Do you need to take a dump?"
"No... Actually, I have a fear of heights."
"..."
A sudden headache washed over me. I pressed my fingers to my temples.
"Does it make sense for an archer to be afraid of high places?"
"I-It's just a different style! And besides, the top of a tree like that isn't just a high place! It's basically... a cliff!!" Im Hae-jun suddenly shrieked.
"I'm a mid-range archer. The sniper you're thinking of is practically a mage. Don't you know that? Gosh!"
Just as he said, archers had many roles. The sniper, turret, shooter, marksman, and so on.
"So you're a turret?"
"Oh! You know the positions?"
A turret was an archer who poured out firepower in the mid-to-long-range spectrum. In an escort mission like this, they possessed significant tactical value. It was a position where a fear of heights was actually manageable.
"Then I'll climb up there."
"...Huh?"
"Are you going to be okay?"
The other team members had hesitant expressions. It was probably because of my leg.
"I'll be fine."
I put on my gloves.
The core of a mage is Cognitive Image. While there are many standardized spells available on the market, in the end, a mage must be able to craft a specific spell on the spot when the situation demands it.
"...Whew."
I warmed up my mana and infused the surface of my gloves with my Cognitive Image.
The specific object of visualization: Duct Tape.
Thwip.
My hand stuck to the tree's surface.
With this level of adhesion, I could climb using only my hands without using my legs at all.
"I'll climb up, look out for variables, and give orders over the radio."
"Wh-What?! Orders?!"
Im Hae-jun suddenly wore a face that screamed, But I'm the leader?!
I willingly held out the walkie-talkie.
"Then you climb the tree."
"...I shall temporarily delegate the authority of command to Seol Ha-woon," Im Hae-jun muttered solemnly.
I let out a dry laugh.
"Then let's take some time to gear up first."
The warrior, Jin Yun-hwa, was already clad in his armor, and the samurai, Ichigo, was checking his blade. Im Hae-jun slung his quiver over his back.
I held out my hand to Im Hae-jun.
"Give me your arrows."
"They're mine!"
"Oh, for crying out loud."
"...Here."
I took one of Im Hae-jun's arrows. It was a fairly expensive brand. Ternium—a single arrowhead cost upwards of 300,000 won. I knew this because they also appeared in MoMo.
"These arrows absorb mana well."
"They're expensive."
"Exactly. This will be easy."
"What's easy?"
Enchanting them.
I cast a specific spell formula onto Im Hae-jun's arrow. Sssss... A tattoo-like magic circle etched itself onto the surface of the shaft. It was proof of the enchantment.
"Wh-What are you doing?! You ruined it!"
"I didn't ruin it, you idiot."
I handed the arrow back to Im Hae-jun.
"A mage's role also includes supporting all other positions. Try shooting it. Anywhere."
Im Hae-jun warily notched the arrow onto his recurve bow. He drew the string back and released. The arrow flew far, and the moment it struck the trunk of a tree, it split into multiple shafts and shot upward.
Thwip-thwip-thwip!
"Whoa!"
"Oh!"
"Wow."
Not only Im Hae-jun, but also the warrior Jin Yun-hwa and the samurai Ichigo gasped in admiration.
I nodded in satisfaction.
"Enchanted arrow. It's called a Split Arrow."
It was a military arrow that actually existed. The military had its share of archers, warriors, and samurai too. Most UDT special recruits belonged to those classes.
"Hyung! How many of these can you make?!" Im Hae-jun offered his entire quiver with an excited face.
"I'll have to see—"
"Do all of them!"
I counted the arrows. There were about twenty-four in total.
It was far too few to clear a labyrinth, but these were likely just his physical arrows; once he ran out, he would probably manifest arrows using mana.
This was why archers were often called half-mages.
"I can't do all of them, so save them for critical situations."
Out of the twenty-four arrows, I imbued six with Split Arrow, four with Explosive Arrow, and the remaining two with wire.
"They're different colors, Hyung?"
"You need to be able to tell them apart. The red ones explode on impact, the blue ones are the Split Arrows you just saw, and the green ones have wires. Use those when you need to escape."
"...Can't you do the other twelve too?!"
I pushed Im Hae-jun away.
I was running low on mana. I had to enchant Jin Yun-hwa and Ichigo's gear as well.
"Next, Jin Yun-hwa?"
"Yes!"
The warrior, Jin Yun-hwa, stood up straight with an expectant look.
I cast a friction-reducing spell on his armor.
"I've reduced the friction on your armor. Orcs use blunt, crude weapons, so they'll slide right off."
Against Orcs, reducing friction is far more useful than increasing the defense or hardness of the armor. Even if their spears and swords strike, they will simply slip away.
Jin Yun-hwa asked, "How long will it last?"
"Until it takes enough hits to erase the spell formula, or until the mana of the enchantment runs out."
The duration of this kind of enchantment depended on the 'quality of mana.' Since my mana stat was exceptionally high, it would probably last for about a day.
"Next. Ichigo."
"Yes."
I cast a spell on Ichigo to sharpen his blade. A blue mana pattern, quite elegant and antique, etched itself onto the sword.
"...Exquisite," Ichigo muttered in satisfaction.
Before climbing the tree, I pointed at each of my teammates.
"From now on, Im Hae is Bravo 1. Yun Jin-hwa is Bravo 2. Ichigo is Bravo 3."
"I told you, it's Im Hae-jun."
"I'm Jin Yun-hwa. Not Yun Jin-hwa."
"...I'll brief you on your positions from above."
Thwip! I began climbing the tree, sticking my gloves to the bark. I slung my cane across my back.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
I looked like a hideous frog climbing up, but there was no helping it. I couldn't do the cool, flashy things I used to do anymore.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
I had to accept who I was now.