Chapter 283: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 283: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18]
I returned to reality.
‘I really enjoyed my time in the Daoist Yin-Yang Manual.’
I had returned a few times in between to bring things from the real world.
[Status Window]
Name: Jin Seo-yoon
Level: 46
Strength: 50 (+2)
Stamina: 51
Agility: 50 (+2)
Libido: 50 (+1)
Internal Energy: 59
[Owned Points: 85,621]
‘Oh, I'm almost there.’
The long, long grind for points. The end was finally in sight.
There was one more sealed trait, but the most important thing right now was just one thing.
Bloodline Awakening.
Thanks to reaching level 46, another creation selection slot had opened up, but I had no intention of choosing one just yet.
‘First, I'll unlock Bloodline Awakening. Then, I'll pick a fantasy world and set up a pregnancy factory.’
Just as I was thinking that, the constantly blinking system notifications caught my eye.
‘Ah, this was here the last time I came back, too...’
I was too absorbed in the Daoist Yin-Yang Manual to pay it any mind back then.
This time, I decided to check it.
[Quest Received]
-This is an optional quest.
[Hymen Collector]
As a user of the Libido App, you must deflower 10 virgins within the next 30 days.
Quest Duration: 30 days (real-world time)
Quest Reward: All Stats +3
It was an easy quest.
There were plenty of women who would surrender and spread their legs immediately if I just grabbed any one of them off the street and used my seduction art.
‘+3 to all stats is worth investing a day for.’
This was a time to be frugal with my points.
Fucking was far more efficient than pointless combat.
[Another Man's Woman]
Nothing is as delicious as another man's woman.
A woman with a boyfriend, a married woman, a woman in a budding romance.
Make someone's precious person your own.
Quest Duration: 30 days (real-world time)
Quest Reward: Acquire Trait [Mark of Corruption]
(Effect: Engraving the Mark of Corruption increases sensitivity by 100% and Libido by +3)
‘Oh, this one isn't bad either... but the reward sucks compared to the first one.’
My gaze turned to the final quest.
[Blazing Flames of the Battlefield]
With the brilliant development of civilization, humanity has expanded beyond the solar system, colonizing numerous planets. But as the population grew exponentially, the Earth Federation, which monopolized all resources, began to oppress its colonies.
Standing against them was the Independent Colonial Alliance [Arsenos]. They rose up, shedding blood to protect the ones they love.
Assist Oh Hyun, the protagonist of the world ‘Blazing Flames of the Battlefield,’ save the heroines, and help lead them to the founding of an independent nation.
Quest Duration: Unlimited
Quest Reward: 50,000 Points. All Stats +6. Titan Blueprint.
[There is a hidden penalty. The hidden penalty will be revealed upon accepting the quest.]
Blazing Flames of the Battlefield.
‘This... wasn't this the one where all the heroines die?’
It was an adult anime I'd stumbled upon while lazing around, looking for something to watch.
The women died brutal deaths. Only the protagonist was left, having failed to protect anyone, and then the credits rolled.
I vividly remembered how it had left a bad taste in my mouth.
‘I don't remember all the details... but I can just watch it again.’
That wasn't what was important. The reward was.
It was more overwhelming than any quest I'd seen before. If I succeeded, I could unlock Bloodline Awakening immediately.
There was just one problem.
‘I'd have to deal with all that mecha bullshit.’
A cosmic battlefield.
It was uncertain how useful my martial arts would be in a combat environment where battles were fought with mechanical weapons, not on the ground.
My overwhelming physical abilities would let me have some impact, but becoming a one-man army would be impossible.
Still, it was a risk worth taking.
My finger, having made its decision, moved naturally.
[Accepting the quest will grant you immediate entry into the world of 『Blazing Flames of the Battlefield』. Do you wish to accept?]
But just as I was about to impulsively hit accept, I stopped.
‘Wait a minute. Have I... ever piloted a robot before?’
As a man from South Korea who'd served in the military, I knew how to shoot a gun.
But fighting in a robot? That was a completely different realm.
‘My swordsmanship improved quickly at the start thanks to my traits, but this... isn't this purely about piloting skill?’
I wasn't specialized in piloting machines, though I had clicked away at a keyboard in front of a monitor before.
‘Ha... well, I'm sure my future self will figure something out.’
Sighing as if giving up, I took a moment before diving in.
I re-watched the original work.
It was just as unpleasant the second time. A plot where women died one by one, devoid of hope, romance, or joy. A terrible, empty ending where only the protagonist blankly survives.
‘Seriously... what kind of bastard came up with a setting like this in the first place?’
I also searched the internet, wondering if there might be a fan community or some additional lore.
“Hmm, as expected... a trash anime has no fans.”
I couldn't find anything. With no other choice, I steeled myself and touched the smartphone screen.
[Quest accepted.]
[Entering the world of 『Blazing Flames of the Battlefield』.]
[※ Hidden penalties will now be revealed]
All owned traits will be sealed.
Memories related to the original work will be sealed. However, some information regarding the protagonist will be retained.
Inventory use disabled.
If the quest is failed, retries are impossible. Re-entry into this world is impossible.
[Penalties have been deemed excessive. The system will automatically apply corrections and add compensation.]
[Additional Reward: +20,000 Points]
During this quest, you will become proficient in piloting machines/vehicles.
[Entering 『Blazing Flames of the Battlefield』]
The moment the notifications flooded my screen, my vision flipped before I even had a chance to be surprised.
•••
I was wearing a training uniform. Stiff, sweat-soaked, worn-out combat fabric.
And next to me, dozens of men and women in the same uniform were frantically doing push-ups, their faces exhausted.
Everyone's face was grimy.
Their eyes were hollow, and the backs of their hands were stained with dirt and dust from being stepped on by combat boots.
A sense of reality washed over me. This was a military training camp.
Just then, a deafening shout pierced the air.
“Trainee 6974, where the hell are you looking?”
A chilling voice.
The instructor, his black cap pulled down low, fixed a gaze that bore down on the crown of my head.
At the same time, the gazes of the surrounding trainees all shot toward me.
‘6974... is that me?’
I instinctively lowered my head.
The chest of my training uniform was stained with mud and sweat.
On it was a yellow patch, and on that patch, a clearly engraved number.
[6974]
‘Ah, so it is.’
“Get down, you bastard!”
The instructor's roar flew at me, his voice laced with killing intent.
I instinctively lowered my stance, and a trainee next to me whispered through gritted teeth.
“Hey... you son of a bitch... get down, you want to die?…”
Only then did it click.
This place was the gateway to the battlefield. A hell where 'pre-war reserve assets' were forged in blood and sweat. A place where a single glance or a turn of the head would lead directly to a punishment drill.
‘Things are fucked from the very start.’
Without hesitation, I placed my hands on the ground and got down. But it was already too late.
The instructor in the black cap stomped over to me, fuming, and shouted.
“How dare you lose focus during training?! 6974, on your feet!”
“On my feet!”
I pushed myself up from the ground.
“Everyone, from now on, you will receive punishment in place of 6974.”
Silence fell over the entire training ground.
In that silence, the trainees, who had been holding their breath, began to glare at me one by one.
Hatred. Resentment. Exhaustion. Gazes mixed with countless emotions stabbed into my chest.
‘…Great, I've certainly made a memorable first impression.’
The instructor let out a cold laugh.
“From now on, you're going to be the most memorable bastard in this training camp. Aren't you proud, trainee?”
“No, sir!”
My body was trembling with PTSD.
*
It was afternoon, after training had ended.
Running, push-ups, field sprints, drills by the numbers all day long... but I wasn't tired at all.
It wasn't because of my overwhelming physical abilities.
It was simply because I'd been excluded.
Having incurred the instructor's wrath, I had spent the entire day sitting in a corner, just watching the other trainees get punished.
I didn't move, I didn't roll around, and I didn't even break a sweat.
All I had to do was sit there like a log with my arms crossed, occasionally nodding my head.
‘What a sweet deal.’
I snickered to myself. I didn't have to do any of the annoying training; I could just watch.
The only downside was that I was now on every other trainee's shit list.
It was the same now.
As they passed me on the dusty ground, the guys would either grit their teeth and seethe or spit on the floor.
Among them, a particularly massive silhouette blocked my view.
A giant man who looked to be over two meters tall. His shoulders were broad, and his forearms were as thick as my thighs.
He looked so much like a bear that you'd believe it if someone told you he wasn't human.
The guy stopped in front of me, breathing heavily, and spoke.
“You motherfucker. I'll see you tonight.”
I turned my head to look up at him and blinked slowly.
My blank expression seemed to enrage him further. His lips twisted as he fumed, and puffing out his shoulders, he took a step toward me.
Thump—
The giant's forearm brushed past my shoulder, trying to shove me. To be precise, that was his intention, but I didn't budge an inch.
“…What the, are you made of stone?”
Far from being pushed, he was the one who bounced off.
“Sorry. You're so small I didn't even realize we bumped into each other.”
For a moment, the breathing of the surrounding trainees stopped.
The nameless giant trainee's eyes widened as he took another step toward me.
He was big, but his movements were heavy and slow.
“What did you say, you bastard...?”
“I said it loud enough for you to hear. A guy who can't even walk properly like you should probably try to stay out of the way from now on.”
I tilted my head slightly, crossed my arms, and slowly smiled.
“Or... you want to go at it, right here, right now?”
In an instant, the air froze.
Dozens of trainees. Even those who had been shooting me annoyed glances were now watching to see how the giant would react.
At that moment, the instructor's whistle blew with a sharp tweet.
“Everyone, prepare for chow!”
The tension snapped.
The giant trainee glared at me for a long moment before grinding his teeth and turning away.
I watched his back and muttered slowly.
“You said you'd see me tonight... You're not running away, are you?”
I spoke leisurely and turned my head. The guy didn't react to my words.
He just seethed, kicking up dust with his combat boots as he went on his way.