The Betrayers (5)
Summoners who crossed from Earth to the Ernoir continent gained power incomparably greater than what they possessed back on Earth. They transformed into unimaginable existences amid battles with monsters and fierce competition among fellow summoners.
But even in such circumstances, one unchanging fact remained from their time on Earth: they were still human.
What kind of psychology would a human feel at the spot where a mine exploded? Here, "explosion" didn't mean accidentally stepping on and detonating it—it referred to confirming the mine's location in advance and safely triggering it from a distance.
The site of a detonated mine. Humans psychologically perceive it as a safe spot. No, it truly was safe. It was the place where the mine had been discovered and removed beforehand.
A location where a mine might still explode undetected versus one where a mine had already been found and cleared. Predicting which way a human would go wasn't hard.
Yeong-sik had exploited that obvious human psychology, that gap in rational thinking.
"Now, the Judas Guild has no choice but to move exactly where I want, to the place I lead them."
Yeong-sik murmured as he monitored the Judas Guild members' movements via drone. Hearing his words, A-ra felt chills ripple across her entire body.
It wasn't some difficult or complex idea. It was simply using the utterly natural flow of consciousness: people would move toward the cleared mine site.
How... A-ra stared at Yeong-sik with a stunned expression.
The reasoning itself was simple. But executing it in reality was no easy strategy. Too many variables.
If they deviated even once from the desired path, the whole plan crumbled.
Yet from the moment he first heard the situation at the barracks, Yeong-sik had never shown even a hint of hesitation about his strategy. Not once, not for a single instant, had he considered failure.
"What if it failed...? What were you planning to do?"
A-ra asked cautiously.
"Hm. Well, I never thought it would fail, so I don't really know."
Yeong-sik answered her question with a perfectly composed expression. It was an almost brazen reply.
A-ra gaped in absurdity, clamping her mouth shut as if at a loss for words.
"...? So, what's the plan from here?"
"First, drain their stamina as much as possible. Just moving in that heightened state of tension must be burning through their energy like crazy."
"So, you're gonna keep herding them like this for a few days?"
"No."
Yeong-sik slowly shook his head at her question.
"No matter what, they're not idiots—they'll catch on eventually. So we ambush and wipe them out before they do."
"Mm... But that mana detection thing could expose the ambush, right?"
A-ra recalled the guild war stories she'd heard before.
Yeong-sik chuckled softly at her question.
"It's fine. They've probably turned off mana detection by now."
"...Why?"
"My Mines can't be detected by mana detection anyway. They'll be moving with it off to conserve mana."
Yeong-sik stated matter-of-factly. Hearing that, A-ra felt chills crawl over her skin again. The subtle charisma emanating from him shook her to her core.
"Haha. Well, honestly, I'm not a hundred percent sure. They might keep mana detection on."
Yeong-sik continued lightly, chuckling.
"But even then, a Gatling Gun ambush from long range will throw them into chaos just the same. That'll be enough."
"...Your weapons are starting to feel straight-up cheaty."
A-ra pictured Yeong-sik back when he first arrived in this world, fighting solely with his Blade. Compared to then, calling him "cheaty" now didn't feel off at all.
I'm a hidden class too, but... Having journeyed with him from the start, A-ra felt an odd impatience, like he was pulling away. It was natural—she'd been the one drawing the most expectations from others early on.
"Not necessarily."
Yeong-sik thought of the Judas Guild members who'd swiftly blocked the Mine attacks moments ago.
If they were ordinary Earthlings, total annihilation wouldn't have been surprising. Amid the explosions, they'd minimized damage with skills and magic. Only low-level summoners actually died; the high-level ones all survived.
That truly powerful summoners wielded strength mocking modern weapons—he'd vaguely realized it the moment he saw White Sword Kang Ha-rin.
That's why I need to get stronger.
Yeong-sik gazed down at his right arm, thinking that.
He needed to grow strong enough to crush Light Shield Guild purely on his own power, without forced liberation. And for that, he needed more gold, more influence, more Black Cubes from boss monsters.
"Alright, I'll go lay the next batch of Mines. A-ra, spread the word to everyone about the ambush positions."
With that, Yeong-sik turned to leave. A-ra, caught by the charisma in his voice, unwittingly replied formally, "Yes."
* * *
"Haa, haa. Damn it! They planted these things endlessly!"
Jeong Yong-chan spat curses, stomping his foot. It wasn't mere irritation despite the lack of real fatigue like before. He was genuinely pissed and exhausted by this situation.
Of course, even if he hadn't spotted them and a mine detonated as a surprise, he personally wouldn't care much.
He was a level 99 powerhouse. Unless he took a direct hit without defense, it wouldn't be fatal.
The problem was his subordinates.
Without knowing how many more mines lay ahead, ignoring and bypassing them would rack up mounting casualties among his men. In a fight against the already formidable Salvatore Guild packed with strong summoners, that would spell defeat.
"Hoo... Hoo..."
Kim Dae-gyu, following behind Jeong Yong-chan, scanned the surroundings with a weary expression.
Hours of nonstop meticulous ground checks wasn't easy, even for executive-level like them. The rank-and-file were worse off.
Everyone advanced with bated breath, utmost caution. The bulk of the forces—ordinary guild members—instinctively knew that failing to spot a mine meant they would die in the blast. They scoured the ground more desperately than the executives.
Those injured in the previous explosions were even more frantic, stepping forward under suffocating tension.
As a result, the Judas Guild's march slowed to a crawl, the distance to their target mountain peak barely shrinking.
"Damn it."
A harsh curse escaped Jeong Yong-chan's lips.
The mines weren't fully buried, so they could search as they went, but the efficiency sucked.
Charge through somewhere other than the cleared spots?
He shook his head at the thought. He and a few executives could ignore the mines and sprint, but the rest of the troops couldn't. Unknown numbers ahead meant potential heavy losses.
"Where the hell did they get these traps from?!"
Jeong Yong-chan stomped again, thinking of weapons utterly undetectable by mana sense—straight out of Earth.
Kim Dae-gyu nodded wearily beside him.
"This is worse than walking the DMZ."
Recalling the place densest with mines per square footage, he let out a deep sigh.
"Just show yourselves. I'll rip you all to shreds."
Jeong Yong-chan muttered in fury.
"Bro, everyone looks beat. Maybe rest a bit before—"
"Shut it!"
Jeong Yong-chan snapped irritably, cutting Kim Dae-gyu off. Once ignited, his rage didn't subside easily.
Thus, the Judas Guild marched another two-plus hours. Finally, the distant mountain peak came into view, tents clustered atop it.
"Found it!"
Jeong Yong-chan grinned wickedly at the visible barracks.
Just as the informant said—Salvatore Guild's camp.
"Kekeke. Trying to invade the royal castle that way? Lunatics."
Knowing why Salvatore had built camp on Sirenchium Mountain's peak for the assault, he sneered.
"Everyone, prepare for battle!"
Jeong Yong-chan bellowed at his men. But exhausted from the tense march, they couldn't muster cheers. His face twisted savagely.
"Bro, we should rest properly first before striking."
"...Tch. Fine. Got it."
Jeong Yong-chan nodded, ordering the guild to rest. The members collapsed in relief.
That was when it happened.
Tu-du-du-du-du-du-du-du!!!
A barrage of 7,200 rounds per minute engulfed the Judas Guild!
"Aaaargh!"
"W-what the hell?!"
Screams erupted from the Judas Guild members just as they'd relaxed for a break. They scrambled up, activating defense skills in panic.
"B-barrier!"
"Stone Skin!"
The bullet storm flew toward Jeong Yong-chan and Kim Dae-gyu too. Their eyes sharpened fiercely.
"Graaaah!"
Jeong Yong-chan's body swelled, thick gray fur sprouting. His face morphed from human to wolf-like.
Lycanthrope. His hidden class unleashed its power.
Countless bullets poured into him. But his steel-hard beast skin suffered only faint scratches.
"Wind Claw!"
Kagagagagang!
With a ferocious roar, his claws extended. Swinging both arms wildly, massive winds followed his talons. Incoming bullets were swept away and deflected.
"What the fuck is going on...?!"
Jeong Yong-chan cursed savagely after blocking the shots. Gunfire on the Ernoir continent? He couldn't grasp what was happening.
The Judas Guild plunged into chaos. The gunfire hadn't inflicted massive casualties—they'd barely blocked major damage with hasty defenses.
But the confusion stemmed from the attack type: gunfire.
Mines followed by bullets. They'd never faced such assaults since arriving on Ernoir. Panic spread.
"Get it together, you idiots!"
Jeong Yong-chan roared at his guild from amid the blockade. His commanding shout, laced with power, somewhat quelled the disorder.
That was when it happened.
- Wooong...
The fur covering Jeong Yong-chan's body bristled. Intense mana was gathering nearby.
"This is...?"
Jeong Yong-chan's face hardened.